Analyzing Forces on Amusement Park Rides with Mobile Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Vieyra, Rebecca E.; Vieyra, Chrystian

2014-01-01

Mobile device accelerometers are a simple and easy way for students to collect accurate and detailed data on an amusement park ride. The resulting data can be graphed to assist in the creation of force diagrams to help students explain their physical sensations while on the ride. This type of activity can help students overcome some of the…

The lateralized arcuate fasciculus in developmental pitch disorders among mandarin amusics: left for speech and right for music.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xizhuo; Zhao, Yanxin; Zhong, Suyu; Cui, Zaixu; Li, Jiaqi; Gong, Gaolang; Dong, Qi; Nan, Yun

2018-05-01

The arcuate fasciculus (AF) is a neural fiber tract that is critical to speech and music development. Although the predominant role of the left AF in speech development is relatively clear, how the AF engages in music development is not understood. Congenital amusia is a special neurodevelopmental condition, which not only affects musical pitch but also speech tone processing. Using diffusion tensor tractography, we aimed at understanding the role of AF in music and speech processing by examining the neural connectivity characteristics of the bilateral AF among thirty Mandarin amusics. Compared to age- and intelligence quotient (IQ)-matched controls, amusics demonstrated increased connectivity as reflected by the increased fractional anisotropy in the right posterior AF but decreased connectivity as reflected by the decreased volume in the right anterior AF. Moreover, greater fractional anisotropy in the left direct AF was correlated with worse performance in speech tone perception among amusics. This study is the first to examine the neural connectivity of AF in the neurodevelopmental condition of amusia as a result of disrupted music pitch and speech tone processing. We found abnormal white matter structural connectivity in the right AF for the amusic individuals. Moreover, we demonstrated that the white matter microstructural properties of the left direct AF is modulated by lexical tone deficits among the amusic individuals. These data support the notion of distinctive pitch processing systems between music and speech.

Congenital amusics use a secondary pitch mechanism to identify lexical tones.

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Bones, Oliver; Wong, Patrick C M

2017-09-01

Amusia is a pitch perception disorder associated with deficits in processing and production of both musical and lexical tones, which previous reports have suggested may be constrained to fine-grained pitch judgements. In the present study speakers of tone-languages, in which lexical tones are used to convey meaning, identified words present in chimera stimuli containing conflicting pitch-cues in the temporal fine-structure and temporal envelope, and which therefore conveyed two distinct utterances. Amusics were found to be more likely than controls to judge the word according to the envelope pitch-cues. This demonstrates that amusia is not associated with fine-grained pitch judgements alone, and is consistent with there being two distinct pitch mechanisms and with amusics having an atypical reliance on a secondary mechanism based upon envelope cues. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Topological Structure of Manipulators Used in Amusement Parks

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Liviu Marian Ungureanu

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the mobility analysis of spatial and planar manipulators used in amusement parks. In this paper is presented a topological structure analysis for many types of serial and parallel manipulators, referring to the calculation of mobility (degree of freedom of these types of complex mechanisms. It is used a new formula to calculate the mobility according to the number of drivelines, which are considered having identical operations.

Effect of amusement park rides on programmable shunt valve settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Strahle, Jennifer; Collins, Kelly; Stetler, William R; Smith, Brandon W; Garton, Thomas; Garton, Catherine; Garton, Hugh J L; Maher, Cormac O

2013-01-01

Magnetically programmable shunt valves are susceptible to environmental factors including magnetic fields and accelerative forces. It is unknown if rollercoasters with or without magnetic brakes or linear induction motors (LIMs) are capable of altering the setting of a programmable shunt valve. Two different valve types (type A, n = 10; type B, n = 9) were tested at varying resistance settings in 2 trials on 6 different amusement park rides including 2 rides with LIMs, 2 rides with magnetic brakes, and 2 rides without magnetic technology. The performance level of valve type A and the setting of valve type B changed on rollercoasters with magnets (A = 2.5% [2/80]; B = 5.6% [4/72]) and without magnets (A = 7.5% [3/40]; B = 2.8% [1/36]). Neither valve setting changed when exposed to a Ferris wheel or during ambulation throughout the park. Magnetically programmable valves are susceptible to changes in pressure settings when exposed to amusement park rides with elevated vertical gravitational forces, irrespective of the presence of LIMs or magnetic brakes. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

(NonFinancial Reporting (ASymmetries in the Case of Amusement Parks in Europe

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Daniela Artemisa Calu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Financial and non-financial reporting concerns in various industries are current challenges. With respect to tourism – the case of amusement parks – the existing research is scarce. In this context, the objectives of our research are the following: (i to identify and critically analyse the key financial and non-financial reporting frameworks applicable in tourism, and respectively (ii to identify the general trend and specific features of the financial and non-financial reporting of companies that manage major amusement parks in Europe. To achieve these objectives, we analysed the most recent sets of annual reports and other reports containing non-financial information, published by a number of five companies that hold the top 20 amusement parks in Europe. We followed a set of non-financial indicators that we selected based on the following reporting frameworks: Global Reporting Initiative (GRI, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB, European Federation of Financial Analysts (EFFAS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, European Tourism Indicators System (ETIS. The results obtained indicate the following existing trends: (i in terms of financial reporting, there is symmetry for four of the 13 analysed aspects, others being reported differently and (ii in terms of non-financial reporting, the degree of symmetry for the information disclosed is much lower that of financial reporting, only two of the 46 selected non-financial indicators (customer satisfaction and number of customers being consistently reported by all the investigated companies.

Brain implants for substituting lost motor function: state of the art and potential impact on the lives of motor-impaired seniors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramsey, N F; Aarnoutse, E J; Vansteensel, M J

2014-01-01

Recent scientific achievements bring the concept of neural prosthetics for reinstating lost motor function closer to medical application. Current research involves severely paralyzed people under the age of 65, but implications for seniors with stroke or trauma-induced impairments are clearly on the horizon. Demographic changes will lead to a shortage of personnel to care for an increasing population of senior citizens, threatening maintenance of an acceptable level of care and urging ways for people to live longer at their home independent from personal assistance. This is particularly challenging when people suffer from disabilities such as partial paralysis after stroke or trauma, where daily personal assistance is required. For some of these people, neural prosthetics can reinstate some lost motor function and/or lost communication, thereby increasing independence and possibly quality of life. In this viewpoint article, we present the state of the art in decoding brain activity in the service of brain-computer interfacing. Although some noninvasive applications produce good results, we focus on brain implants that benefit from better quality brain signals. Fully implantable neural prostheses for home use are not available yet, but clinical trials are being prepared. More sophisticated systems are expected to follow in the years to come, with capabilities of interest for less severe paralysis. Eventually the combination of smart robotics and brain implants is expected to enable people to interact well enough with their environment to live an independent life in spite of motor disabilities. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Fatal Amusements: Contemplating the Tempest of Contemporary Media and American Culture

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Strate, Lance

2016-01-01

Our use of the electronic media to conduct serious discourse raises the question of whether "we are amusing ourselves to death," as Neil Postman argued. The approach known as "media ecology," the study of media as environments, which emphasizes the need to understand context and find balance, provides a basis for the analysis…

Deficits of congenital amusia beyond pitch: Evidence from impaired categorical perception of vowels in Cantonese-speaking congenital amusics.

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Caicai Zhang

Full Text Available Congenital amusia is a lifelong disorder of fine-grained pitch processing in music and speech. However, it remains unclear whether amusia is a pitch-specific deficit, or whether it affects frequency/spectral processing more broadly, such as the perception of formant frequency in vowels, apart from pitch. In this study, in order to illuminate the scope of the deficits, we compared the performance of 15 Cantonese-speaking amusics and 15 matched controls on the categorical perception of sound continua in four stimulus contexts: lexical tone, pure tone, vowel, and voice onset time (VOT. Whereas lexical tone, pure tone and vowel continua rely on frequency/spectral processing, the VOT continuum depends on duration/temporal processing. We found that the amusic participants performed similarly to controls in all stimulus contexts in the identification, in terms of the across-category boundary location and boundary width. However, the amusic participants performed systematically worse than controls in discriminating stimuli in those three contexts that depended on frequency/spectral processing (lexical tone, pure tone and vowel, whereas they performed normally when discriminating duration differences (VOT. These findings suggest that the deficit of amusia is probably not pitch specific, but affects frequency/spectral processing more broadly. Furthermore, there appeared to be differences in the impairment of frequency/spectral discrimination in speech and nonspeech contexts. The amusic participants exhibited less benefit in between-category discriminations than controls in speech contexts (lexical tone and vowel, suggesting reduced categorical perception; on the other hand, they performed inferiorly compared to controls across the board regardless of between- and within-category discriminations in nonspeech contexts (pure tone, suggesting impaired general auditory processing. These differences imply that the frequency/spectral-processing deficit might be

Deficits of congenital amusia beyond pitch: Evidence from impaired categorical perception of vowels in Cantonese-speaking congenital amusics.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Caicai; Shao, Jing; Huang, Xunan

2017-01-01

Congenital amusia is a lifelong disorder of fine-grained pitch processing in music and speech. However, it remains unclear whether amusia is a pitch-specific deficit, or whether it affects frequency/spectral processing more broadly, such as the perception of formant frequency in vowels, apart from pitch. In this study, in order to illuminate the scope of the deficits, we compared the performance of 15 Cantonese-speaking amusics and 15 matched controls on the categorical perception of sound continua in four stimulus contexts: lexical tone, pure tone, vowel, and voice onset time (VOT). Whereas lexical tone, pure tone and vowel continua rely on frequency/spectral processing, the VOT continuum depends on duration/temporal processing. We found that the amusic participants performed similarly to controls in all stimulus contexts in the identification, in terms of the across-category boundary location and boundary width. However, the amusic participants performed systematically worse than controls in discriminating stimuli in those three contexts that depended on frequency/spectral processing (lexical tone, pure tone and vowel), whereas they performed normally when discriminating duration differences (VOT). These findings suggest that the deficit of amusia is probably not pitch specific, but affects frequency/spectral processing more broadly. Furthermore, there appeared to be differences in the impairment of frequency/spectral discrimination in speech and nonspeech contexts. The amusic participants exhibited less benefit in between-category discriminations than controls in speech contexts (lexical tone and vowel), suggesting reduced categorical perception; on the other hand, they performed inferiorly compared to controls across the board regardless of between- and within-category discriminations in nonspeech contexts (pure tone), suggesting impaired general auditory processing. These differences imply that the frequency/spectral-processing deficit might be manifested

College Student Internet Use: Convenience and Amusement

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Genevieve M. Johnson

2007-02-01

Full Text Available Four hundred five college students completed a questionnaire that assessed patterns of Internet use. Results describe college students, with rare exception, as Internet users. The vast majority of college students frequently communicate online and access websites. While an Internet game experience is typical, relatively few college students are heavy online gamers. Overwhelmingly (i.e., 77.8%, college students conceptualized the Internet as a convenience, although 17.8% considered the Internet a source of amusement. Approximately 5% of college students reported negative perceptions of the Internet (frustrating or a waste of time. Principal component analysis revealed three patterns of online behaviour; integrated-Internet-use, games-only use, and dating-only use. Implications for online instructional practice are presented. Résumé : Quatre cent cinq étudiants du niveau collégial ont répondu à un questionnaire mesurant leurs tendances de l’utilisation d’Internet. Les résultats présentent ces étudiants comme des usagers d’Internet, à quelques exceptions près. La grande majorité de ces étudiants utilisent fréquemment les outils de communication en ligne et naviguent sur Internet. Alors qu’une expérience de jeu en ligne s’avère commune, peu d’étudiants du collège s’avèrent être des joueurs en ligne excessifs. Essentiellement (c.à-d. 77,8 %, ces étudiants perçoivent Internet comme une commodité, même si 17,8 % d’entre eux le considère comme une source d’amusement. Environ 5 % ont indiqué des perceptions négatives d’Internet (frustrations ou pertes de temps. L’analyse en composantes principales a révélé 3 tendances de comportements en ligne, l’utilisation intégrée d’Internet, l’utilisation seule de jeux et l’utilisation à des fins de rencontre seulement. On présente des conséquences pour la pratique de l’enseignement en ligne.

Processing melodic contour and speech intonation in congenital amusics with Mandarin Chinese.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Cunmei; Hamm, Jeff P; Lim, Vanessa K; Kirk, Ian J; Yang, Yufang

2010-07-01

Congenital amusia is a disorder in the perception and production of musical pitch. It has been suggested that early exposure to a tonal language may compensate for the pitch disorder (Peretz, 2008). If so, it is reasonable to expect that there would be different characterizations of pitch perception in music and speech in congenital amusics who speak a tonal language, such as Mandarin. In this study, a group of 11 adults with amusia whose first language was Mandarin were tested with melodic contour and speech intonation discrimination and identification tasks. The participants with amusia were impaired in discriminating and identifying melodic contour. These abnormalities were also detected in identifying both speech and non-linguistic analogue derived patterns for the Mandarin intonation tasks. In addition, there was an overall trend for the participants with amusia to show deficits with respect to controls in the intonation discrimination tasks for both speech and non-linguistic analogues. These findings suggest that the amusics' melodic pitch deficits may extend to the perception of speech, and could potentially result in some language deficits in those who speak a tonal language. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Amusement Park Physics in Panggon Lunjak (Trampoline: Analysis of Kinematics and Energy Use Video Tracking

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Akhmad Yusuf

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Panggon Lunjak (trampoline is one of the famous amusement parks among the people that we can use as a recreation to enjoy a pleasant sensation. Without us knowing the amusement park that we often encounter is actually the result of the application of science and technology, especially in the field of physics, because it is amusement park for student of science is a real laboratory or the giant laboratory that we can use as a study of physics concepts and as research materials. Panggon Lunjak (trampoline motion is very close to the harmonic  motion where the resulting graph of the sinus so that on the graph will be in the analysis of  kinematics and energy phenomena, so that research on simple harmonic motion materials is not limited to research using pendulum motion and spring load motion which is often exemplified as research on harmonic motion. The purpose of this study is to analyze the physical aspects of Panggon Lunjak (trampoline motion based on the laws of physics on the concept of kinematics and analyze energy, Where the mechanical energy of addition between potential energy and kinetic energy (Conservation of energy. The analysis is done by using video tracking. Based on the analysis done using people as a mass, the result of the amplitude, the spring constant, angular frequency, and the law of conservation of energy on the Panggon Lunjak (trampoline is true. This analysis activity will be well used as a physics learning for students.

Perceiving differences in linguistic and non-linguistic pitch: A pilot study with German congenital amusics

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Hamann, S.; Exter, M.; Pfeifer, J.; Krause-Burmester, M.; Cambouropoulos, F.; Tsougras, C.; Mavromatis, P.; Pastiadis, K.

2012-01-01

This study investigates the perception of pitch differences by seven German congenital amusics in speech and two types of non-speech material (sinusoidal waves and pulse trains). Congenital amusia is defined by a deficit in musical pitch perception, and recent studies indicate that at least a

Impaired pitch perception and memory in congenital amusia: the deficit starts in the auditory cortex.

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Albouy, Philippe; Mattout, Jérémie; Bouet, Romain; Maby, Emmanuel; Sanchez, Gaëtan; Aguera, Pierre-Emmanuel; Daligault, Sébastien; Delpuech, Claude; Bertrand, Olivier; Caclin, Anne; Tillmann, Barbara

2013-05-01

Congenital amusia is a lifelong disorder of music perception and production. The present study investigated the cerebral bases of impaired pitch perception and memory in congenital amusia using behavioural measures, magnetoencephalography and voxel-based morphometry. Congenital amusics and matched control subjects performed two melodic tasks (a melodic contour task and an easier transposition task); they had to indicate whether sequences of six tones (presented in pairs) were the same or different. Behavioural data indicated that in comparison with control participants, amusics' short-term memory was impaired for the melodic contour task, but not for the transposition task. The major finding was that pitch processing and short-term memory deficits can be traced down to amusics' early brain responses during encoding of the melodic information. Temporal and frontal generators of the N100m evoked by each note of the melody were abnormally recruited in the amusic brain. Dynamic causal modelling of the N100m further revealed decreased intrinsic connectivity in both auditory cortices, increased lateral connectivity between auditory cortices as well as a decreased right fronto-temporal backward connectivity in amusics relative to control subjects. Abnormal functioning of this fronto-temporal network was also shown during the retention interval and the retrieval of melodic information. In particular, induced gamma oscillations in right frontal areas were decreased in amusics during the retention interval. Using voxel-based morphometry, we confirmed morphological brain anomalies in terms of white and grey matter concentration in the right inferior frontal gyrus and the right superior temporal gyrus in the amusic brain. The convergence between functional and structural brain differences strengthens the hypothesis of abnormalities in the fronto-temporal pathway of the amusic brain. Our data provide first evidence of altered functioning of the auditory cortices during pitch

Functional neural changes associated with acquired amusia across different stages of recovery after stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Sihvonen, Aleksi J; Särkämö, Teppo; Ripollés, Pablo; Leo, Vera; Saunavaara, Jani; Parkkola, Riitta; Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni; Soinila, Seppo

2017-09-12

Brain damage causing acquired amusia disrupts the functional music processing system, creating a unique opportunity to investigate the critical neural architectures of musical processing in the brain. In this longitudinal fMRI study of stroke patients (N = 41) with a 6-month follow-up, we used natural vocal music (sung with lyrics) and instrumental music stimuli to uncover brain activation and functional network connectivity changes associated with acquired amusia and its recovery. In the acute stage, amusic patients exhibited decreased activation in right superior temporal areas compared to non-amusic patients during instrumental music listening. During the follow-up, the activation deficits expanded to comprise a wide-spread bilateral frontal, temporal, and parietal network. The amusics showed less activation deficits to vocal music, suggesting preserved processing of singing in the amusic brain. Compared to non-recovered amusics, recovered amusics showed increased activation to instrumental music in bilateral frontoparietal areas at 3 months and in right middle and inferior frontal areas at 6 months. Amusia recovery was also associated with increased functional connectivity in right and left frontoparietal attention networks to instrumental music. Overall, our findings reveal the dynamic nature of deficient activation and connectivity patterns in acquired amusia and highlight the role of dorsal networks in amusia recovery.

Potential risk and sodium content of children's ready-to-eat foods distributed at major amusement parks in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, N-Y; Park, S-Y; Lee, Y-M; Choi, S-Y; Jeong, S-H; Chung, M-S; Chang, Y-S; Choi, S-H; Bae, D-H; Ha, S-D

2013-01-01

This study was conducted to help better understand the current sodium intake of Korean children and to establish children's good eating habits through investigation of the sodium content of ready-to-eat foods collected from nine major amusement parks in Korea. The sodium content of a total of 322 products was analysed by using ICP and then the potential risk based on the recommended daily intake of sodium as described in the Korean dietary reference intakes was determined. The results showed that sodium content was the lowest in muffins (245 mg/100 g) and the highest in seasoned dried filefish (1825 mg/100 g). The average amounts of sodium per serving of seasoned dried filefish, tteokbokki and fish paste were 1150, 1248 and 1097 mg, respectively. The values were above 50% of the daily intake of sodium recommended by the Korean dietary reference intake. The ready-to-eat foods were also classified into high, medium and low sodium content on the basis of standards recommended by the Korean Food and Drug Administration. Most snacks were classified as high sodium foods because they exceeded "300 mg (84.5% of the total daily allowance)". Furthermore, the meal substitution foods such as kimbab, tteokbokki, mandus, sandwiches and hamburgers exceeded "600 mg (90.3% of the total daily allowance)" and were also classified as high sodium foods. In addition, ready-to-eat foods in amusement parks are similar to foods eaten on streets and foods around school zones, which contain high sodium content; thus, the intake frequency might be high, which would induce high risk to children health. Koreans already consume a high amount of sodium daily via their usual diets. So, the sodium content in snacks and substitution foods needs to be reduced. Consequently, this study noted that parents and guardians should carefully consider their children's consumption of ready-to-eat foods from Korean amusement parks.

Blogging Family-like Relations when Visiting Theme and Amusement Parks: The Use of Children in Displays Online

OpenAIRE

Anne-Li Lindgren; Anna Sparrman

2014-01-01

This paper combines sociological perspectives on family display, internet studies on family and private photography and a child studies perspective on the display of children. The paper proposes that blogging practices related to visits to theme and amusement parks in Sweden provide a new arena for people to displayfami-ly-like relationships. In the different displays,adults mainly use pictures of chil-dren in the blogs to demonstratetheir ability to perform family-likerelationships. The pape...

Structural Motion Grammar for Universal Use of Leap Motion: Amusement and Functional Contents Focused

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Byungseok Lee

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Motions using Leap Motion controller are not standardized while the use of it is spreading in media contents. Each content defines its own motions, thereby creating confusion for users. Therefore, to alleviate user inconvenience, this study categorized the commonly used motion by Amusement and Functional Contents and defined the Structural Motion Grammar that can be universally used based on the classification. To this end, the Motion Lexicon was defined, which is a fundamental motion vocabulary, and an algorithm that enables real-time recognition of Structural Motion Grammar was developed. Moreover, the proposed method was verified by user evaluation and quantitative comparison tests.

Preserved appreciation of aesthetic elements of speech and music prosody in an amusic individual: A holistic approach.

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Loutrari, Ariadne; Lorch, Marjorie Perlman

2017-07-01

We present a follow-up study on the case of a Greek amusic adult, B.Z., whose impaired performance on scale, contour, interval, and meter was reported by Paraskevopoulos, Tsapkini, and Peretz in 2010, employing a culturally-tailored version of the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia. In the present study, we administered a novel set of perceptual judgement tasks designed to investigate the ability to appreciate holistic prosodic aspects of 'expressiveness' and emotion in phrase length music and speech stimuli. Our results show that, although diagnosed as a congenital amusic, B.Z. scored as well as healthy controls (N=24) on judging 'expressiveness' and emotional prosody in both speech and music stimuli. These findings suggest that the ability to make perceptual judgements about such prosodic qualities may be preserved in individuals who demonstrate difficulties perceiving basic musical features such as melody or rhythm. B.Z.'s case yields new insights into amusia and the processing of speech and music prosody through a holistic approach. The employment of novel stimuli with relatively fewer non-naturalistic manipulations, as developed for this study, may be a useful tool for revealing unexplored aspects of music and speech cognition and offer the possibility to further the investigation of the perception of acoustic streams in more authentic auditory conditions. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Rehabilitation of women suffering chronic cystitis in the postmenopausal period with the use of an AMUS-01 - Intramag apparatus equipped with a Rektomassazher device].

Science.gov (United States)

Azizov, A P; Azizova, P A; Beliaev, A A; Konova, A N; Raĭgorodskiĭ, Iu M

2011-01-01

The objective of the present study was to develop a rationale for the local treatment of chronic recurring cystitis in the postmenopausel period. To this effect, 76 patients at the mean age of 66.4 years with this pathology were examined and the data obtained were compared with observations of control postmenopausel women receiving traditional local substitution hormonal therapy. In the patients of the study group, this treatment was supplemented by intravaginal vibro-magnetotherapy and the conventional antibacterial therapy was replaced by local electrophoresis. All local physiotherapeutic procedures were performed with the use of a AMUS-01 - Intramag apparatus equipped with a Rektomassazher device an AMUS-01 - Intramag apparatus equipped with a Rektomassazher device. The immunological analysis of vaginal secretion coupled to bacterial and clinical investigations have demonstrated the advantages of the combined local treatment including physiotherapy. The integral efficacy index was by a factor of 1.8 higher than in the control group.

Simulating star clusters with the AMUSE software framework. I. Dependence of cluster lifetimes on model assumptions and cluster dissolution modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whitehead, Alfred J.; McMillan, Stephen L. W.; Vesperini, Enrico; Portegies Zwart, Simon

2013-01-01

We perform a series of simulations of evolving star clusters using the Astrophysical Multipurpose Software Environment (AMUSE), a new community-based multi-physics simulation package, and compare our results to existing work. These simulations model a star cluster beginning with a King model distribution and a selection of power-law initial mass functions and contain a tidal cutoff. They are evolved using collisional stellar dynamics and include mass loss due to stellar evolution. After studying and understanding that the differences between AMUSE results and results from previous studies are understood, we explored the variation in cluster lifetimes due to the random realization noise introduced by transforming a King model to specific initial conditions. This random realization noise can affect the lifetime of a simulated star cluster by up to 30%. Two modes of star cluster dissolution were identified: a mass evolution curve that contains a runaway cluster dissolution with a sudden loss of mass, and a dissolution mode that does not contain this feature. We refer to these dissolution modes as 'dynamical' and 'relaxation' dominated, respectively. For Salpeter-like initial mass functions, we determined the boundary between these two modes in terms of the dynamical and relaxation timescales.

An Analysis of Lost Sales

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Jeffrey E. Jarrett

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this manuscript is to shed light on problems associated with lost sales and the incurring of cost associated with lost sales. An investigation is made to determine if seasonality in sales and lost sales have effects on the efficient operations of supply chains. Optimization is always a goal of management supply chains, but cost increases due to insufficient inventory, low-quality product and the like lead to customers not returning. These are lost sales that occur for many reasons. We study a data set to determine if the ignoring of time series component also has an effect on the variation in lost sales. If so, can we measure the magnitude of the effects of seasonal variation in lost sales, and what are their consequences?

Lost Causes in and Beyond Physics

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Streater, R F

2007-01-01

Lost Causes in and Beyond Physics deals with a selection of research topics mostly from theoretical physics that have been shown to be a dead-end or continue at least to be highly controversial. Nevertheless, whether it is about Bohmian mechanics, physics from Fisher information or the quantum theory of the brain, small but dedicated research communities continue to work on these issues. R.F. Streater, renowned mathematical physicist and co-author of the famous book "PCT, Spin and Statistics, and all that", in a series of essays describes the work and struggle of these research commnities, as well as the chances of any breakthrough in these areas. This book is written as both an entertainment and serious study and should be accessible to anyone with a background in theoretical physics and mathematics.

Brain Drain in Higher Education: Lost Hope or Opportunity?

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Odhiambo, George

2012-01-01

The flight of human capital is a phenomenon that has been of concern to academics and development practitioners for decades but unfortunately, there is no systematic record of the number of skilled professionals that many African countries have continued to lose to the developed world. Termed the "brain drain", it represents the loss of…

Abnormal topological organization of the white matter network in Mandarin speakers with congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yanxin; Chen, Xizhuo; Zhong, Suyu; Cui, Zaixu; Gong, Gaolang; Dong, Qi; Nan, Yun

2016-05-23

Congenital amusia is a neurogenetic disorder that mainly affects the processing of musical pitch. Brain imaging evidence indicates that it is associated with abnormal structural and functional connections in the fronto-temporal region. However, a holistic understanding of the anatomical topology underlying amusia is still lacking. Here, we used probabilistic diffusion tensor imaging tractography and graph theory to examine whole brain white matter structural connectivity in 31 Mandarin-speaking amusics and 24 age- and IQ-matched controls. Amusics showed significantly reduced global connectivity, as indicated by the abnormally decreased clustering coefficient (Cp) and increased normalized shortest path length (λ) compared to the controls. Moreover, amusics exhibited enhanced nodal strength in the right inferior parietal lobule relative to controls. The co-existence of the lexical tone deficits was associated with even more deteriorated global network efficiency in amusics, as suggested by the significant correlation between the increments in normalized shortest path length (λ) and the insensitivity in lexical tone perception. Our study is the first to reveal reduced global connectivity efficiency in amusics as well as an increase in the global connectivity cost due to the co-existed lexical tone deficits. Taken together these results provide a holistic perspective on the anatomical substrates underlying congenital amusia.

Reprogramming Cells for Brain Repair

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Randall D. McKinnon

2013-08-01

Full Text Available At present there are no clinical therapies that can repair traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury or degenerative brain disease. While redundancy and rewiring of surviving circuits can recover some lost function, the brain and spinal column lack sufficient endogenous stem cells to replace lost neurons or their supporting glia. In contrast, pre-clinical studies have demonstrated that exogenous transplants can have remarkable efficacy for brain repair in animal models. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs can provide paracrine factors that repair damage caused by ischemic injury, and oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC grafts give dramatic functional recovery from spinal cord injury. These studies have progressed to clinical trials, including human embryonic stem cell (hESC-derived OPCs for spinal cord repair. However, ESC-derived allografts are less than optimal, and we need to identify a more appropriate donor graft population. The cell reprogramming field has developed the ability to trans-differentiate somatic cells into distinct cell types, a technology that has the potential to generate autologous neurons and glia which address the histocompatibility concerns of allografts and the tumorigenicity concerns of ESC-derived grafts. Further clarifying how cell reprogramming works may lead to more efficient direct reprogram approaches, and possibly in vivo reprogramming, in order to promote brain and spinal cord repair.

Brains that are out of tune but in time.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyde, Krista L; Peretz, Isabelle

2004-05-01

It is estimated that about 4% of the general population may have amusia (or tone deafness). Congenital amusia is a lifelong disability for processing music despite normal intellectual, memory, and language skills. Here we present evidence that the disorder stems from a deficit in fine-grained pitch perception. Amusic and control adults were presented with monotonic and isochronous sequences of five tones (i.e., constant pitch and intertone interval). They were required to detect when the fourth tone was displaced in pitch or time. All amusic participants were impaired in detecting the pitch changes, and showed no sign of improvement with practice. In contrast, they detected time changes as well as control adults and exhibited similar improvements with practice. Thus, the degraded pitch perception seen in the amusic individuals cannot be ascribed to nonspecific problems with the task or to poor hearing in general. Rather, the data point to the presence of a congenital neural anomaly that selectively impairs pitch processing.

Amusia After Right Temporoparietal Lobe Infarction: A Case Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Hyun-Joon; Moon, Hyun Im; Pyun, Sung-Bom

2016-10-01

Which brain regions participate in musical processing remains controversial. During singing and listening a familiar song, it is necessary to retrieve information from the long-term memory. However, the precise mechanism involved in musical processing is unclear. Amusia is impaired perception, understanding, or production of music not attributable to disease of the peripheral auditory pathways or motor system. We report a case of a 36-year-old right-handed man who lost the ability to discriminate or reproduce rhythms after a right temporoparietal lobe infarction. We diagnosed him as an amusic patient using the online version of Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA). This case report suggests that amusia could appear after right temporoparietal lobe infarction. Further research is needed to elucidate the dynamic musical processing mechanism and its associated neural structures.

Blogging Family-like Relations when Visiting Theme and Amusement Parks: The Use of Children in Displays Online

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne-Li Lindgren

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This paper combines sociological perspectives on family display, internet studies on family and private photography and a child studies perspective on the display of children. The paper proposes that blogging practices related to visits to theme and amusement parks in Sweden provide a new arena for people to display family-like relationships. In the different displays, adults mainly use pictures of children in the blogs to demonstrate their ability to perform family-like relationships. The paper suggests that this form of child-centred display, a visualized child-centredness, done during the park visit as well as in the blogging, is part of the construction of contemporary childhoods and what it means to be a child today and has not been theorized in earlier research on the display of family-like relations.

Altered intrinsic connectivity of the auditory cortex in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Leveque, Yohana; Fauvel, Baptiste; Groussard, Mathilde; Caclin, Anne; Albouy, Philippe; Platel, Hervé; Tillmann, Barbara

2016-07-01

Congenital amusia, a neurodevelopmental disorder of music perception and production, has been associated with abnormal anatomical and functional connectivity in a right frontotemporal pathway. To investigate whether spontaneous connectivity in brain networks involving the auditory cortex is altered in the amusic brain, we ran a seed-based connectivity analysis, contrasting at-rest functional MRI data of amusic and matched control participants. Our results reveal reduced frontotemporal connectivity in amusia during resting state, as well as an overconnectivity between the auditory cortex and the default mode network (DMN). The findings suggest that the auditory cortex is intrinsically more engaged toward internal processes and less available to external stimuli in amusics compared with controls. Beyond amusia, our findings provide new evidence for the link between cognitive deficits in pathology and abnormalities in the connectivity between sensory areas and the DMN at rest. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

The costs of diabetes among Australians aged 45-64 years from 2015 to 2030: projections of lost productive life years (PLYs), lost personal income, lost taxation revenue, extra welfare payments and lost gross domestic product from Health&WealthMOD2030.

Science.gov (United States)

Schofield, Deborah; Shrestha, Rupendra N; Cunich, Michelle M; Passey, Megan E; Veerman, Lennert; Tanton, Robert; Kelly, Simon J

2017-01-09

To project the number of people aged 45-64 years with lost productive life years (PLYs) due to diabetes and related costs (lost income, extra welfare payments, lost taxation revenue); and lost gross domestic product (GDP) attributable to diabetes in Australia from 2015 to 2030. A simulation study of how the number of people aged 45-64 years with diabetes increases over time (based on population growth and disease trend data) and the economic losses incurred by individuals and the government. Cross-sectional outputs of a microsimulation model (Health&WealthMOD2030) which used the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers 2003 and 2009 as a base population and integrated outputs from two microsimulation models (Static Incomes Model and Australian Population and Policy Simulation Model), Treasury's population and labour force projections, and chronic disease trends data. Australian population aged 45-64 years in 2015, 2020, 2025 and 2030. Lost PLYs, lost income, extra welfare payments, lost taxation revenue, lost GDP. 18 100 people are out of the labour force due to diabetes in 2015, increasing to 21 400 in 2030 (18% increase). National costs consisted of a loss of $A467 million in annual income in 2015, increasing to $A807 million in 2030 (73% increase). For the government, extra annual welfare payments increased from $A311 million in 2015 to $A350 million in 2030 (13% increase); and lost annual taxation revenue increased from $A102 million in 2015 to $A166 million in 2030 (63% increase). A loss of $A2.1 billion in GDP was projected for 2015, increasing to $A2.9 billion in 2030 attributable to diabetes through its impact on PLYs. Individuals incur significant costs of diabetes through lost PLYs and lost income in addition to disease burden through human suffering and healthcare costs. The government incurs extra welfare payments, lost taxation revenue and lost GDP, along with direct healthcare costs. Published by the BMJ

Neural Plasticity and Neurorehabilitation: Teaching the New Brain Old Tricks

Science.gov (United States)

Kleim, Jeffrey A.

2011-01-01

Following brain injury or disease there are widespread biochemical, anatomical and physiological changes that result in what might be considered a new, very different brain. This adapted brain is forced to reacquire behaviors lost as a result of the injury or disease and relies on neural plasticity within the residual neural circuits. The same…

Lost in a Transmedia Universe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aaron Smith

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Este artigo (previamente publicado como um capítulo de minha tese analisa os mecanismos transmidiáticos de storytelling por trás da narrativa do seriado Lost, da ABC. Por ter sua narrativa sustentada em uma complexa mitologia, Lost faz um grande esforço para suplementar a narrativa de seu programa de TV através de valiosas e distintas extensões narrativas. Em um primeiro momento, eu examino como as técnicas de construção de mundo em Lost encorajam os fãs mais ávidos a “jogar” com o espaço narrativo. Eu então faço avaliações sobre as extensões que Lost oferece como opcionais, através de experiências convincentes em seus textos expandido. Ao  ser muito bem-sucedida ao balancear seus fãs mais ávidos com os casuais espectadores, Lost representa o futuro de muitos programas de televisão que se propõem a colocar os fãs em situações imersivas, usando um vasto universo transmídia, ao mesmo tempo prometendo um programa de televisão coerente em seu interior

21 CFR 1305.26 - Lost electronic orders.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Lost electronic orders. 1305.26 Section 1305.26... CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES Electronic Orders § 1305.26 Lost electronic orders. (a) If a purchaser determines that an unfilled electronic order has been lost before or after receipt, the purchaser must provide, to...

Cause-specific measures of life years lost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Per Kragh Andersen

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Background: A new measure of the number of life years lost due to specific causes of death is introduced. Methods: This measure is based on the cumulative incidence of death, it does not require "independence" of causes, and it satisfies simple balance equations: "total number of life years lost = sum of cause-specific life years lost", and "total number of life years lost before age x + temporary life expectancy between birth and age x = x". Results: The measure is contrasted to alternatives suggested in the demographic literature and allmethods are illustrated using Danish and Russian multiple decrement life-tables.

Spatial patterns of progressive brain volume loss after moderate-severe traumatic brain injury

Science.gov (United States)

Jolly, Amy; de Simoni, Sara; Bourke, Niall; Patel, Maneesh C; Scott, Gregory; Sharp, David J

2018-01-01

Abstract Traumatic brain injury leads to significant loss of brain volume, which continues into the chronic stage. This can be sensitively measured using volumetric analysis of MRI. Here we: (i) investigated longitudinal patterns of brain atrophy; (ii) tested whether atrophy is greatest in sulcal cortical regions; and (iii) showed how atrophy could be used to power intervention trials aimed at slowing neurodegeneration. In 61 patients with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (mean age = 41.55 years ± 12.77) and 32 healthy controls (mean age = 34.22 years ± 10.29), cross-sectional and longitudinal (1-year follow-up) brain structure was assessed using voxel-based morphometry on T1-weighted scans. Longitudinal brain volume changes were characterized using a novel neuroimaging analysis pipeline that generates a Jacobian determinant metric, reflecting spatial warping between baseline and follow-up scans. Jacobian determinant values were summarized regionally and compared with clinical and neuropsychological measures. Patients with traumatic brain injury showed lower grey and white matter volume in multiple brain regions compared to controls at baseline. Atrophy over 1 year was pronounced following traumatic brain injury. Patients with traumatic brain injury lost a mean (± standard deviation) of 1.55% ± 2.19 of grey matter volume per year, 1.49% ± 2.20 of white matter volume or 1.51% ± 1.60 of whole brain volume. Healthy controls lost 0.55% ± 1.13 of grey matter volume and gained 0.26% ± 1.11 of white matter volume; equating to a 0.22% ± 0.83 reduction in whole brain volume. Atrophy was greatest in white matter, where the majority (84%) of regions were affected. This effect was independent of and substantially greater than that of ageing. Increased atrophy was also seen in cortical sulci compared to gyri. There was no relationship between atrophy and time since injury or age at baseline. Atrophy rates were related to memory performance at the end of the

Lost in Location

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lone Koefoed

2009-01-01

traversed. While becoming destination aware, the individual loses her location awareness. The article proposes that the reason people get lost when using sat-nav is due to a wrong location-performative paradigm. As an alternative, the article introduces and analyzes two performance-related examples...... that illustrate an alternative location-performative paradigm: Meredith Warner's Lost/Found knitting series and Etter and Schecht's Melodious Walkabout. In both examples, the artist's hand becomes the intermediary between alien and location. Thus, by exploring how wayfinding can be a poetically situated...... performance, the article examines how the growing locative media industry can learn from the location-aware performative strategies employed by artists who create situated and urban performances for the curious participant. The academic frames employed in the analysis draw on psychogeography, site...

28 CFR 301.204 - Continuation of lost-time wages.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Continuation of lost-time wages. 301.204... ACCIDENT COMPENSATION Lost-Time Wages § 301.204 Continuation of lost-time wages. (a) Once approved, the inmate shall receive lost-time wages until the inmate: (1) Is released; (2) Is transferred to another...

Spatial patterns of progressive brain volume loss after moderate-severe traumatic brain injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, James H; Jolly, Amy; de Simoni, Sara; Bourke, Niall; Patel, Maneesh C; Scott, Gregory; Sharp, David J

2018-01-04

Traumatic brain injury leads to significant loss of brain volume, which continues into the chronic stage. This can be sensitively measured using volumetric analysis of MRI. Here we: (i) investigated longitudinal patterns of brain atrophy; (ii) tested whether atrophy is greatest in sulcal cortical regions; and (iii) showed how atrophy could be used to power intervention trials aimed at slowing neurodegeneration. In 61 patients with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (mean age = 41.55 years ± 12.77) and 32 healthy controls (mean age = 34.22 years ± 10.29), cross-sectional and longitudinal (1-year follow-up) brain structure was assessed using voxel-based morphometry on T1-weighted scans. Longitudinal brain volume changes were characterized using a novel neuroimaging analysis pipeline that generates a Jacobian determinant metric, reflecting spatial warping between baseline and follow-up scans. Jacobian determinant values were summarized regionally and compared with clinical and neuropsychological measures. Patients with traumatic brain injury showed lower grey and white matter volume in multiple brain regions compared to controls at baseline. Atrophy over 1 year was pronounced following traumatic brain injury. Patients with traumatic brain injury lost a mean (± standard deviation) of 1.55% ± 2.19 of grey matter volume per year, 1.49% ± 2.20 of white matter volume or 1.51% ± 1.60 of whole brain volume. Healthy controls lost 0.55% ± 1.13 of grey matter volume and gained 0.26% ± 1.11 of white matter volume; equating to a 0.22% ± 0.83 reduction in whole brain volume. Atrophy was greatest in white matter, where the majority (84%) of regions were affected. This effect was independent of and substantially greater than that of ageing. Increased atrophy was also seen in cortical sulci compared to gyri. There was no relationship between atrophy and time since injury or age at baseline. Atrophy rates were related to memory performance at the end of the follow

28 CFR 301.203 - Payment of lost-time wages.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Payment of lost-time wages. 301.203... ACCIDENT COMPENSATION Lost-Time Wages § 301.203 Payment of lost-time wages. (a) An inmate worker may receive lost-time wages for the number of regular work hours absent from work due to injury sustained in...

50 CFR 25.22 - Lost and found articles.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Lost and found articles. 25.22 Section 25.22 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR... Lost and found articles. Lost articles or money found on a national wildlife refuge are to be...

The sigma-1 receptor enhances brain plasticity and functional recovery after experimental stroke

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ruscher, Karsten; Shamloo, Mehrdad; Rickhag, Karl Mattias

2011-01-01

Stroke leads to brain damage with subsequent slow and incomplete recovery of lost brain functions. Enriched housing of stroke-injured rats provides multi-modal sensorimotor stimulation, which improves recovery, although the specific mechanisms involved have not been identified. In rats housed in ...... of biomolecules required for brain repair, thereby stimulating brain plasticity. Pharmacological targeting of the sigma-1 receptor provides new opportunities for stroke treatment beyond the therapeutic window of neuroprotection....

Auditory and cognitive deficits associated with acquired amusia after stroke: a magnetoencephalography and neuropsychological follow-up study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teppo Särkämö

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Acquired amusia is a common disorder after damage to the middle cerebral artery (MCA territory. However, its neurocognitive mechanisms, especially the relative contribution of perceptual and cognitive factors, are still unclear. We studied cognitive and auditory processing in the amusic brain by performing neuropsychological testing as well as magnetoencephalography (MEG measurements of frequency and duration discrimination using magnetic mismatch negativity (MMNm recordings. Fifty-three patients with a left (n = 24 or right (n = 29 hemisphere MCA stroke (MRI verified were investigated 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months after the stroke. Amusia was evaluated using the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA. We found that amusia caused by right hemisphere damage (RHD, especially to temporal and frontal areas, was more severe than amusia caused by left hemisphere damage (LHD. Furthermore, the severity of amusia was found to correlate with weaker frequency MMNm responses only in amusic RHD patients. Additionally, within the RHD subgroup, the amusic patients who had damage to the auditory cortex (AC showed worse recovery on the MBEA as well as weaker MMNm responses throughout the 6-month follow-up than the non-amusic patients or the amusic patients without AC damage. Furthermore, the amusic patients both with and without AC damage performed worse than the non-amusic patients on tests of working memory, attention, and cognitive flexibility. These findings suggest domain-general cognitive deficits to be the primary mechanism underlying amusia without AC damage whereas amusia with AC damage is associated with both auditory and cognitive deficits.

Auditory and cognitive deficits associated with acquired amusia after stroke: a magnetoencephalography and neuropsychological follow-up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Särkämö, Teppo; Tervaniemi, Mari; Soinila, Seppo; Autti, Taina; Silvennoinen, Heli M; Laine, Matti; Hietanen, Marja; Pihko, Elina

2010-12-02

Acquired amusia is a common disorder after damage to the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory. However, its neurocognitive mechanisms, especially the relative contribution of perceptual and cognitive factors, are still unclear. We studied cognitive and auditory processing in the amusic brain by performing neuropsychological testing as well as magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurements of frequency and duration discrimination using magnetic mismatch negativity (MMNm) recordings. Fifty-three patients with a left (n = 24) or right (n = 29) hemisphere MCA stroke (MRI verified) were investigated 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months after the stroke. Amusia was evaluated using the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA). We found that amusia caused by right hemisphere damage (RHD), especially to temporal and frontal areas, was more severe than amusia caused by left hemisphere damage (LHD). Furthermore, the severity of amusia was found to correlate with weaker frequency MMNm responses only in amusic RHD patients. Additionally, within the RHD subgroup, the amusic patients who had damage to the auditory cortex (AC) showed worse recovery on the MBEA as well as weaker MMNm responses throughout the 6-month follow-up than the non-amusic patients or the amusic patients without AC damage. Furthermore, the amusic patients both with and without AC damage performed worse than the non-amusic patients on tests of working memory, attention, and cognitive flexibility. These findings suggest domain-general cognitive deficits to be the primary mechanism underlying amusia without AC damage whereas amusia with AC damage is associated with both auditory and cognitive deficits.

Neural bases of congenital amusia in tonal language speakers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Caicai; Peng, Gang; Shao, Jing; Wang, William S-Y

2017-03-01

Congenital amusia is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder of fine-grained pitch processing. In this fMRI study, we examined the neural bases of congenial amusia in speakers of a tonal language - Cantonese. Previous studies on non-tonal language speakers suggest that the neural deficits of congenital amusia lie in the music-selective neural circuitry in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). However, it is unclear whether this finding can generalize to congenital amusics in tonal languages. Tonal language experience has been reported to shape the neural processing of pitch, which raises the question of how tonal language experience affects the neural bases of congenital amusia. To investigate this question, we examined the neural circuitries sub-serving the processing of relative pitch interval in pitch-matched Cantonese level tone and musical stimuli in 11 Cantonese-speaking amusics and 11 musically intact controls. Cantonese-speaking amusics exhibited abnormal brain activities in a widely distributed neural network during the processing of lexical tone and musical stimuli. Whereas the controls exhibited significant activation in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) in the lexical tone condition and in the cerebellum regardless of the lexical tone and music conditions, no activation was found in the amusics in those regions, which likely reflects a dysfunctional neural mechanism of relative pitch processing in the amusics. Furthermore, the amusics showed abnormally strong activation of the right middle frontal gyrus and precuneus when the pitch stimuli were repeated, which presumably reflect deficits of attending to repeated pitch stimuli or encoding them into working memory. No significant group difference was found in the right IFG in either the whole-brain analysis or region-of-interest analysis. These findings imply that the neural deficits in tonal language speakers might differ from those in non-tonal language speakers, and overlap partly with the

The Lost Guidewire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ankit Shah

2017-04-01

Full Text Available History of present illness: A 44-year-old female called 911 complaining of abdominal pain, but was unresponsive upon arrival by emergency medical services (EMS. She presented to the emergency department (ED as a full cardiac arrest and had return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR and epinephrine. The patient had a splenic embolization 1 week prior to presentation. Bedside ultrasound demonstrated free fluid throughout the abdomen. As part of the resuscitation, femoral central venous access was obtained by the Emergency Department (ED physician, and a medical student was allowed to place a Cordis over the guidewire. The attending was next to the student, though became distracted when the patient again lost pulses. The student lost control of the guidewire upon re-initiation of CPR. Another Cordis was placed in the same location by the ED physician after the guidewire was seen on a chest radiograph. The patient was taken to the operating room with massive transfusion protocol, and the guidewire was left in the vena caval system until the patient could be stabilized. Two days later, interventional radiology removed the guidewire via a right internal jugular (IJ approach without complications. The patient had a prolonged and complicated course, but was discharged home two weeks later at her baseline. Significant findings: Initial chest radiograph shows a guidewire in the inferior vena cava (IVC, superior vena cava (SVC, and right IJ veins. Discussion: Central line complications include failure to place the catheter, improper catheter location, hemothorax from vascular injury, infection, arrhythmia, and cardiac arrest1. Complications from lost guidewires include cardiac dysrhythmias, cardiac conduction abnormalities, perforation of vessels/heart chambers, kinking/looping/knotting of the wire, entanglement of previously placed intravascular devices, breakage of the tip of the wire and subsequent embolization and

Is Congenital Amusia a Disconnection Syndrome? A Study Combining Tract- and Network-Based Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jieqiong Wang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Previous studies on congenital amusia mainly focused on the impaired fronto-temporal pathway. It is possible that neural pathways of amusia patients on a larger scale are affected. In this study, we investigated changes in structural connections by applying both tract-based and network-based analysis to DTI data of 12 subjects with congenital amusia and 20 demographic-matched normal controls. TBSS (tract-based spatial statistics was used to detect microstructural changes. The results showed that amusics had higher diffusivity indices in the corpus callosum, the right inferior/superior longitudinal fasciculus, and the right inferior frontal-occipital fasciculus (IFOF. The axial diffusivity values of the right IFOF were negatively correlated with musical scores in the amusia group. Network-based analysis showed that the efficiency of the brain network was reduced in amusics. The impairments of WM tracts were also found to be correlated with reduced network efficiency in amusics. This suggests that impaired WM tracts may lead to the reduced network efficiency seen in amusics. Our findings suggest that congenital amusia is a disconnection syndrome.

Is Congenital Amusia a Disconnection Syndrome? A Study Combining Tract- and Network-Based Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jieqiong; Zhang, Caicai; Wan, Shibiao; Peng, Gang

2017-01-01

Previous studies on congenital amusia mainly focused on the impaired fronto-temporal pathway. It is possible that neural pathways of amusia patients on a larger scale are affected. In this study, we investigated changes in structural connections by applying both tract-based and network-based analysis to DTI data of 12 subjects with congenital amusia and 20 demographic-matched normal controls. TBSS (tract-based spatial statistics) was used to detect microstructural changes. The results showed that amusics had higher diffusivity indices in the corpus callosum, the right inferior/superior longitudinal fasciculus, and the right inferior frontal-occipital fasciculus (IFOF). The axial diffusivity values of the right IFOF were negatively correlated with musical scores in the amusia group. Network-based analysis showed that the efficiency of the brain network was reduced in amusics. The impairments of WM tracts were also found to be correlated with reduced network efficiency in amusics. This suggests that impaired WM tracts may lead to the reduced network efficiency seen in amusics. Our findings suggest that congenital amusia is a disconnection syndrome.

Demystifying communication signal lost for network redundancy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

These studies report on the communication signal lost factors that were analyzed and supported by evidences on coverage analysis activities for Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) systems. We have categorized the influential signal lost factors into four core elements that were concluded based on our field measurement ...

Radionuclide brain scanning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Dayem, H.

1992-01-01

At one stage of medical imaging development, radionuclide brain scanning was the only technique available for imaging of the brain. Advent of CT and MRI pushed it to the background. It regained some of the grounds lost to ''allied advances'' with the introduction of brain perfusion radiopharmaceuticals. Positron emission tomography is a promising functional imaging modality that at present will remain as a research tool in special centres in developed countries. However, clinically useful developments will gradually percolate from PET to SPECT. The non-nuclear imaging methods are totally instrument dependent; they are somewhat like escalators, which can go that far and no further. Nuclear imaging has an unlimited scope for advance because of the new developments in radiopharmaceuticals. As the introduction of a radiopharmaceutical is less costly than buying new instruments, the recent advances in nuclear imaging are gradually perfusing through the developing countries also. Therefore, it is essential to follow very closely PET developments because what is research today might become routine tomorrow

Radionuclide brain scanning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdel-Dayem, H

1993-12-31

At one stage of medical imaging development, radionuclide brain scanning was the only technique available for imaging of the brain. Advent of CT and MRI pushed it to the background. It regained some of the grounds lost to ``allied advances`` with the introduction of brain perfusion radiopharmaceuticals. Positron emission tomography is a promising functional imaging modality that at present will remain as a research tool in special centres in developed countries. However, clinically useful developments will gradually percolate from PET to SPECT. The non-nuclear imaging methods are totally instrument dependent; they are somewhat like escalators, which can go that far and no further. Nuclear imaging has an unlimited scope for advance because of the new developments in radiopharmaceuticals. As the introduction of a radiopharmaceutical is less costly than buying new instruments, the recent advances in nuclear imaging are gradually perfusing through the developing countries also. Therefore, it is essential to follow very closely PET developments because what is research today might become routine tomorrow

The High Court's lost chance in medical negligence: Tabet v Gett (2010) 240 CLR 537.

Science.gov (United States)

Faunce, Thomas; McEwan, Alexandra

2010-12-01

In 2010 the High Court of Australia in Tabet v Gett (2010) 240 CLR 537 determined an appeal in a medical negligence case concerning a six-year-old girl who had presented to a major paediatric hospital with symptoms over several weeks of headaches and vomiting after a recent history of chicken pox. The differential diagnosis was varicella, meningitis or encephalitis and two days later, after she deteriorated neurologically, she received a lumbar puncture. Three days later she suffered a seizure and irreversible brain damage. A CT scan performed at that point showed a brain tumour. As Australia does not have a no-fault system providing compensation to cover the long-term care required for such a condition, the girl (through her parents and lawyers) sued her treating physician. She alleged that, because a cerebral CT scan was not performed when clinically indicated after the diagnosis of meningitis or encephalitis and before the lumbar puncture, she had "lost the chance" to have her brain tumour treated before she sustained permanent brain damage. She succeeded at first instance, but lost on appeal. The High Court also rejected her claim, holding unanimously that there were no policy reasons to allow recovery of damages based on possible (less than 50%) "loss of a chance" of a better medical outcome. The court held that the law of torts in Australia required "all or nothing" proof that physical injury was caused or contributed to by a negligent party. The High Court, however, did not exclude loss of chance as forming the substance of a probable (greater than 50%) claim in medical negligence in some future case. In the meantime, patients injured in Australia as a result of possible medical negligence (particularly in the intractable difficult instances of late diagnosis) must face the injustice of the significant day-to-day care needs of victims being carried by family members and the taxpayer-funded public hospital system. The High Court in Tabet v Gett again provides

Lost Cause: an interactive movie project

OpenAIRE

Johnson, Kirsten

2008-01-01

One of the challenges in designing an interactive cinematic experience is to offer interactive choices which do not distract from immersion into the story. The interactive movie project, Lost Cause focuses on the life of the main character explored through the inter-related perspectives of three other characters. Lost Cause supports an immersive interactive story experience through its correlated design of an interface, narrative content and narrative structure. The movie project is examined ...

Altered retrieval of melodic information in congenital amusia: insights from dynamic causal modeling of MEG data.

Science.gov (United States)

Albouy, Philippe; Mattout, Jérémie; Sanchez, Gaëtan; Tillmann, Barbara; Caclin, Anne

2015-01-01

Congenital amusia is a neuro-developmental disorder that primarily manifests as a difficulty in the perception and memory of pitch-based materials, including music. Recent findings have shown that the amusic brain exhibits altered functioning of a fronto-temporal network during pitch perception and short-term memory. Within this network, during the encoding of melodies, a decreased right backward frontal-to-temporal connectivity was reported in amusia, along with an abnormal connectivity within and between auditory cortices. The present study investigated whether connectivity patterns between these regions were affected during the short-term memory retrieval of melodies. Amusics and controls had to indicate whether sequences of six tones that were presented in pairs were the same or different. When melodies were different only one tone changed in the second melody. Brain responses to the changed tone in "Different" trials and to its equivalent (original) tone in "Same" trials were compared between groups using Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM). DCM results confirmed that congenital amusia is characterized by an altered effective connectivity within and between the two auditory cortices during sound processing. Furthermore, right temporal-to-frontal message passing was altered in comparison to controls, with notably an increase in "Same" trials. An additional analysis in control participants emphasized that the detection of an unexpected event in the typically functioning brain is supported by right fronto-temporal connections. The results can be interpreted in a predictive coding framework as reflecting an abnormal prediction error sent by temporal auditory regions towards frontal areas in the amusic brain.

Altered retrieval of melodic information in congenital amusia: Insights from Dynamic Causal Modeling of MEG data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe eAlbouy

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Congenital amusia is a neuro-developmental disorder that primarily manifests as a difficulty in the perception and memory of pitch-based materials, including music. Recent findings have shown that the amusic brain exhibits altered functioning of a fronto-temporal network during pitch perception and memory. Within this network, during the encoding of melodies, a decreased right backward frontal-to-temporal connectivity was reported in amusia, along with an abnormal connectivity within and between auditory cortices. The present study investigated whether connectivity patterns between these regions were affected during the retrieval of melodies. Amusics and controls had to indicate whether sequences of six tones that were presented in pairs were the same or different. When melodies were different only one tone changed in the second melody. Brain responses to the changed tone in Different trials and to its equivalent (original tone in Same trials were compared between groups using Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM. DCM results confirmed that congenital amusia is characterized by an altered effective connectivity within and between the two auditory cortices during sound processing. Furthermore, right temporal-to-frontal message passing was altered in comparison to controls, with an increase in Same trials and a decrease in Different trials. An additional analysis in control participants emphasized that the detection of an unexpected event in the typically functioning brain is supported by right fronto-temporal connections. The results can be interpreted in a predictive coding framework as reflecting an abnormal prediction error sent by temporal auditory regions towards frontal areas in the amusic brain.

Lost circulation technology workshop, October 9-10, 1984

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caskey, B.C. (ed.)

1985-03-01

This report summarizes the presentations and discussions of a workshop on lost circulation technology. The workshop identified and defined lost circulation problem areas in field operations, materials, mud effects, and standards. Problem solution needs were also categorized as requiring analytical evaluation and procedure, instrument, and material development.

Lost Talent? The Occupational Ambitions and Attainments of Young Australians

Science.gov (United States)

Sikora, Joanna; Saha, Lawrence J.

2011-01-01

Given ongoing interest in increasing productivity and participation in the workforce, understanding when talent is lost is a useful exercise. The term "lost talent" describes the underutilisation or wastage of human potential. Focusing on young people, Sikora and Saha define lost talent as occurring when students in the top 50% of…

21 CFR 1305.16 - Lost and stolen DEA Forms 222.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Lost and stolen DEA Forms 222. 1305.16 Section... II CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES DEA Form 222 § 1305.16 Lost and stolen DEA Forms 222. (a) If a purchaser ascertains that an unfilled DEA Form 222 has been lost, he or she must execute another in triplicate and...

Considering lost sale in inventory routing problems for perishable goods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mirzaei, Samira; Seifi, Abbas

2015-01-01

, the average optimality gaps are less than 10.9% and 13.4% using linear and exponential lost sale functions, respectively. Furthermore, we show that the optimality gaps found by CPLEX grow exponentially with the problem size while those obtained by the proposed meta-heuristic algorithm increase linearly....... is considered as lost sale. The proposed model balances the transportation cost, the cost of inventory holding and lost sale. In addition to the usual inventory routing constraints, we consider the cost of lost sale as a linear or an exponential function of the inventory age. The proposed model is solved...

36 CFR 327.16 - Lost and found articles.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lost and found articles. 327... CHIEF OF ENGINEERS § 327.16 Lost and found articles. All articles found shall be deposited by the finder at the Manager's office or with a ranger. All such articles shall be disposed of in accordance with...

Net lost revenue from DSM: State policies that work

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baxter, L.W.

1995-07-01

A key utility regulatory reform undertaken since 1989 allows utilities to recover the lost revenue incurred through successful operation of demand-side management (DSM) programs. Net lost revenue adjustment (NLRA) mechanisms are states preferred approach to lost revenue recovery from DSM programs. This paper examines the experiences states and utilities are having with the NLRA approach. The paper has three objectives: (1) determine whether NLRA is a feasible and effective approach to the lost-revenue disincentive for utility DSM programs, (2) identify the conditions linked to effective implementation of NLRA mechanisms and assess whether NLRA has changed utility investment behavior, and (3) suggest improvements to NLRA mechanisms. Contrary to the concerns raised by some industry analysts, our results indicate NLRA is a feasible approach. Seven of the ten states we studied report no substantial problems with their approach. We observe several conditions linked to effective NLRA implementation. Observed changes in utility investment behavior occur after implementation of DSM rate reforms, which include deployment of NLRA mechanisms. Utilities in states with lost revenue recovery invest more than twice as much in DSM as do utilities in other states.

Years of life lost due to external radiation exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raičević Jagoš J.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper a new approach for calculation of the years of life lost per excess death due to stochastic health effects is applied to external exposure pathways. The short-term external exposures are due to the passage of radioactive cloud and due to the skin and clothes contamination. The long-term external exposure is the one from the radioactive material deposited on the ground (groundshine. Three nuclides, 131I, 137Cs, and 239Pu, and with the extremely wide range of half-life are considered in order to examine their possible influence on the calculated values of years of life lost. For each of these nuclides, the number of years of life lost has been found as a decreasing function of the age at the expo sure and presented graphically in this paper. For protracted exposures, the fully averaged number of years of life lost is negative correlated with the nuclide’s half-life. On the other hand, the short-term external exposures do not depend on the nuclide’s half-life. In addition, a weak years of life lost dependence of the dose has been commented.

The lost art of finding our way

CERN Document Server

Huth, Edward John

2013-01-01

Long before GPS, Google Earth, and global transit, humans traveled vast distances using only environmental clues and simple instruments. John Huth asks what is lost when modern technology substitutes for our innate capacity to find our way. Encyclopedic in breadth, weaving together astronomy, meteorology, oceanography, and ethnography, The Lost Art of Finding Our Way puts us in the shoes, ships, and sleds of early navigators for whom paying close attention to the environment around them was, quite literally, a matter of life and death. Haunted by the fate of two young kayakers lost in a fogbank off Nantucket, Huth shows us how to navigate using natural phenomena—the way the Vikings used the sunstone to detect polarization of sunlight, and Arab traders learned to sail into the wind, and Pacific Islanders used underwater lightning and “read” waves to guide their explorations. Huth reminds us that we are all navigators capable of learning techniques ranging from the simplest to the most sophisticated skil...

[Work days lost due to health problems in industry].

Science.gov (United States)

Yano, Sylvia Regina Trindade; Santana, Vilma Sousa

2012-05-01

This cross-sectional study estimated the prevalence of work days lost due to health problems and associated factors among industrial workers. The study population was a simple random cluster sample of 3,403 workers from 16 to 65 years of age in the city of Salvador, Bahia State, Brazil. Data were collected with individual home interviews. Among industrial workers, one-year prevalence of work days lost to health problems was 12.5%, of which 5.5% were directly work-related and 4.1% aggravated by work. There were no statistically significant differences when compared to other worker categories. Self-perceived workplace hazards, history of work-related injury, and poor self-rated health were associated with work days lost due to work-related injuries/diseases. The findings showed that work days lost are common among both industrial and non-industrial workers, thereby affecting productivity and requiring prevention programs.

Lost spoiler practices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gürsimsek, Ödül; Drotner, Kirsten

2014-01-01

narratives, and viewers through tracing, dismantling – and sometimes questioning – content in order to create coherent meanings in the maze of narratives. Online audiences, such as spoiler communities, may uncover components of transmedia storytelling, discuss their validity and enhance them with individual...... and documents that interactions between Lost audiences and producers operate as forms of social participation when spoiler-seeking audiences work to unravel, challenge and predict the narrative while the producers seek to orchestrate transmedia storytelling experiences. Our results serve as a sobering empirical...

A Joint Replenishment Inventory Model with Lost Sales

Science.gov (United States)

Devy, N. L.; Ai, T. J.; Astanti, R. D.

2018-04-01

This paper deals with two items joint replenishment inventory problem, in which the demand of each items are constant and deterministic. Inventory replenishment of items is conducted periodically every T time intervals. Among of these replenishments, joint replenishment of both items is possible. It is defined that item i is replenished every ZiT time intervals. Replenishment of items are instantaneous. All of shortages are considered as lost sales. The maximum allowance for lost sales of item i is Si. Mathematical model is formulated in order to determining the basic time cycle T, replenishment multiplier Zi , and maximum lost sales Si in order to minimize the total cost per unit time. A solution methodology is proposed for solve the model and a numerical example is provided for demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

42 CFR 102.32 - Benefits for lost employment income.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 102.32 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES VACCINES SMALLPOX... pay for lost employment income or to provide disability or retirement benefits to the requester. As provided in § 102.84, the Secretary retains the right to recover benefits for lost employment income paid...

Assessment of net lost revenue adjustment mechanisms for utility DSM programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baxter, L.W.

1995-01-01

Utility shareholders can lose money on demand-side management (DSM) investments between rate cases. Several industry analysts argue that the revenues lost from utility DSM programs are an important financial disincentive to utility DSM investment. A key utility regulatory reform undertaken since 1989 allows utilities to recover the lost revenues incurred through successful operation of DSM programs. Explicitly defined net lost revenue adjustment (NLRA) mechanisms are states` preferred approach to lost revenue recovery from DSM programs. This report examines the experiences states and utilities are having with the NLRA approach. The report has three objectives. First, we determine whether NLRA is a feasible and successful approach to removing the lost-revenue disincentive to utility operation of DSM programs. Second, we identify the conditions linked to successful implementation of NLRA mechanisms in different states and assess whether NLRA has changed utility investment behavior. Third, we suggest improvements to NLRA mechanisms. We first identify states with NLRA mechanisms where utilities are recovering lost revenues from DSM programs. We interview staff at regulatory agencies in all these states and utility staff in four states. These interviews focus on the status of NLRA, implementation issues, DSM measurement issues, and NLRA results. We also analyze regulatory agency orders on NLRA, as well as associated testimony, reports, and utility lost revenue recovery filings. Finally, we use qualitative and quantitative indicators to assess NLRA`s effectiveness. Contrary to the concerns raised by some industry analysts, our results indicate NLRA is a feasible approach to the lost-revenue disincentive.

Measuring the societal burden of cancer: the cost of lost productivity due to premature cancer-related mortality in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanly, Paul; Soerjomataram, Isabelle; Sharp, Linda

2015-02-15

Every cancer-related death in someone of working age represents an economic loss to society. To inform priorities for cancer control, we estimated costs of lost productivity due to premature cancer-related mortality across Europe, for all cancers and by site, gender, region and country. Cancer deaths in 2008 were obtained from GLOBOCAN for 30 European countries across four regions. Costs were valued using the human capital approach. Years of productive life lost (YPLL) were computed by multiplying deaths between 15 and 64 years by working-life expectancy, then by country-, age- and gender-specific annual wages, corrected for workforce participation and unemployment. Lost productivity costs due to premature cancer-related mortality in Europe in 2008 were €75 billion. Male costs (€49 billion) were almost twice female costs (€26 billion). The most costly sites were lung (€17 billion; 23% of total costs), breast (€7 billion; 9%) and colorectum (€6 billion; 8%). Stomach cancer (in Southern and Central-Eastern Europe) and pancreatic cancer (in Northern and Western Europe) were also among the most costly sites. The average lost productivity cost per cancer death was €219,241. Melanoma had the highest cost per death (€312,798), followed by Hodgkin disease (€306,628) and brain and CNS cancer (€288,850). Premature mortality costs were 0.58% of 2008 European gross domestic product, highest in Central-Eastern Europe (0.81%) and lowest in Northern Europe (0.51%). Premature cancer-related mortality costs in Europe are significant. These results provide a novel perspective on the societal cancer burden and may be used to inform priority setting for cancer control. © 2014 UICC.

32 CFR 635.31 - Lost, abandoned, or unclaimed property.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Lost, abandoned, or unclaimed property. 635.31 Section 635.31 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTING Offense Reporting § 635.31 Lost, abandoned, or unclaimed property. This is...

Measurement of water lost from heated geologic salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hohlfelder, J.J.

1979-07-01

This report describes three methods used to measure the rate at which water is lost from heated geologic salt. The three methods were employed in each of a series of proof tests which were performed to evaluate instrumentation designed to measure the water-loss rate. It was found that the water lost from heated, 1-kg salt specimens which were measured according to these three methods was consistent to within an average 9 percent

GFAP promoter driven transgenic expression of PDGFB in the mouse brain leads to glioblastoma in a Trp53 null background

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hede, Sanna-Maria; Hansson, Inga; Afink, Gijs B.; Eriksson, Anna; Nazarenko, Inga; Andrae, Johanna; Genove, Guillem; Westermark, Bengt; Nistér, Monica

2009-01-01

Glioblastomas are the most common and malignant astrocytic brain tumors in human adults. The tumor suppressor gene TP53 is commonly mutated and/or lost in astrocytic brain tumors and the TP53 alterations are often found in combination with excessive growth factor signaling via PDGF/PDGFRalpha. Here,

Lost Muon Study for the Muon G-2 Experiment at Fermilab*

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ganguly, S. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Crnkovic, J. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Morse, W. M. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

2017-05-19

The Fermilab Muon g-2 Experiment has a goal of measuring the muon anomalous magnetic moment to a precision of 140 ppb - a fourfold improvement over the 540 ppb precision obtained by the BNL Muon g-2 Experiment. Some muons in the storage ring will interact with material and undergo bremsstrahlung, emitting radiation and loosing energy. These so called lost muons will curl in towards the center of the ring and be lost, but some of them will be detected by the calorimeters. A systematic error will arise if the lost muons have a different average spin phase than the stored muons. Algorithms are being developed to estimate the relative number of lost muons, so as to optimize the stored muon beam. This study presents initial testing of algorithms that can be used to estimate the lost muons by using either double or triple detection coincidences in the calorimeters.

Attending to pitch information inhibits processing of pitch information: the curious case of amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zendel, Benjamin Rich; Lagrois, Marie-Élaine; Robitaille, Nicolas; Peretz, Isabelle

2015-03-04

In normal listeners, the tonal rules of music guide musical expectancy. In a minority of individuals, known as amusics, the processing of tonality is disordered, which results in severe musical deficits. It has been shown that the tonal rules of music are neurally encoded, but not consciously available in amusics. Previous neurophysiological studies have not explicitly controlled the level of attention in tasks where participants ignored the tonal structure of the stimuli. Here, we test whether access to tonal knowledge can be demonstrated in congenital amusia when attention is controlled. Electric brain responses were recorded while asking participants to detect an individually adjusted near-threshold click in a melody. In half the melodies, a note was inserted that violated the tonal rules of music. In a second task, participants were presented with the same melodies but were required to detect the tonal deviation. Both tasks required sustained attention, thus conscious access to the rules of tonality was manipulated. In the click-detection task, the pitch deviants evoked an early right anterior negativity (ERAN) in both groups. In the pitch-detection task, the pitch deviants evoked an ERAN and P600 in controls but not in amusics. These results indicate that pitch regularities are represented in the cortex of amusics, but are not consciously available. Moreover, performing a pitch-judgment task eliminated the ERAN in amusics, suggesting that attending to pitch information interferes with perception of pitch. We propose that an impaired top-down frontotemporal projection is responsible for this disorder. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/353815-10$15.00/0.

Lignite zone as an indicator to lost circulation belt: a case study of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Eighteen (18) water boreholes were studied for lost circulation. When locations of the boreholes associated with lost circulation were plotted on the map of Anambra State a lost circulation belt was observed around the River Niger – Onitsha – Oba – Nnewi axis. Lost circulation intervals range between 20-50m and 75-90m ...

MILTON’S PARADISE LOST AND A POSTCOLONIAL FALL

OpenAIRE

LUIZ FERNANDO FERREIRA DE SÁ

2006-01-01

In John Milton’s Paradise Lost epic and empire are dissociated. Contrary to many misreadings, this all-important work of the English Renaissance intersects postcolonial thinking in a number of ways. By using Gayatri Spivak’s circuit of postcolonial theory and practice, this paper enacts a counterpointal (mis)reading of Milton’s text: Paradise Lost may at last free its (post-)colonial (dis)content. Since every reading is a misreading, my (mis)reading of Milton’s paradis...

Lost lake - restoration of a Carolina bay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanlin, H.G.; McLendon, J.P. [Univ. of South Carolina, Aiken, SC (United States). Dept. of Biology and Geology; Wike, L.D. [Univ. of South Carolina, Aiken, SC (United States). Dept. of Biology and Geology]|[Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Technology Center; Dietsch, B.M. [Univ. of South Carolina, Aiken, SC (United States). Dept. of Biology and Geology]|[Univ. of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States)

1994-09-01

Carolina bays are shallow wetland depressions found only on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Although these isolated interstream wetlands support many types of communities, they share the common features of having a sandy margin, a fluctuating water level, an elliptical shape, and a northwest to southeast orientation. Lost Lake, an 11.3 hectare Carolina bay, was ditched and drained for agricultural production before establishment of the Savannah River Site in 1950. Later it received overflow from a seepage basin containing a variety of chemicals, primarily solvents and some heavy metals. In 1990 a plan was developed for the restoration of Lost Lake, and restoration activities were complete by mid-1991. Lost Lake is the first known project designed for the restoration and recovery of a Carolina bay. The bay was divided into eight soil treatment zones, allowing four treatments in duplicate. Each of the eight zones was planted with eight species of native wetland plants. Recolonization of the bay by amphibians and reptiles is being evaluated by using drift fences with pitfall traps and coverboard arrays in each of the treatment zones. Additional drift fences in five upland habitats were also established. Hoop turtle traps, funnel minnow traps, and dip nets were utilized for aquatic sampling. The presence of 43 species common to the region has been documented at Lost Lake. More than one-third of these species show evidence of breeding populations being established. Three species found prior to the restoration activity and a number of species common to undisturbed Carolina bays were not encountered. Colonization by additional species is anticipated as the wetland undergoes further succession.

Amuzja Witkacego

OpenAIRE

Bocheński, Tomasz

2012-01-01

Witkacy suffered from amusia as a child and as an adult person. He was seriously interested in music only for little longer than twenty years (1890-1914?). He wrote his main works as amusic. The relation between amusia and metaphysical feelings may suggest that Witkacy wrote dramas and created painting compositions in order to evoke lost strangeness of being. Amusia could have also been the reason of Witkacy ambiguity – he was defending and degrading high art at the same time. ...

A Collection of Brain Sections of "Euthanasia" Victims: The Series H of Julius Hallervorden.

Science.gov (United States)

Wässle, Heinz

2017-12-01

Julius Hallervorden, a distinguished German neuropathologist, admitted on several occasions that he had received some five hundred brains of "euthanasia" victims from the Nazi killing centres for the insane. He investigated the brains in the summer of 1942; however, their traces were subsequently lost. The present study shows, that the Series H, which was part of the Hallervorden collection of brain sections in the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, comprises the brain sections of the above mentioned five hundred euthanasia victims. The provenance of 105 patients could be reconstructed and 84 are for sure euthanasia victims. Most of them were killed in Bernburg or in Sonnenstein-Pirna. Hallervorden used the brain sections of Series H until 1956 for his studies and never publicly regretted this abuse of the brains of euthanasia victims. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hours Lost to Planned and Unplanned Dental Visits Among US Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelekar, Uma; Naavaal, Shillpa

2018-01-11

Poor oral health is associated with lost hours at work or school, which may affect a person's productivity. The objective of our study was to estimate work or school hours lost to dental visits among adults aged 18 and older by the types of visits (emergency or unplanned; routine, planned, or orthodontic; or cosmetic) and to determine the factors associated with hours lost. We used the most recent Oral Health Supplement data, from the 2008 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), to estimate the total hours lost at work or school for dental visits among adults in the United States. The associations of the hours lost in unplanned and planned dental visits with socioeconomic characteristics, oral health status, and affordability were calculated. We used χ 2 tests and logistic regression to determine associations at P work or school hours were lost annually for dental care in the United States, of which 92.4 million hours were for emergency (unplanned) care (0.99 h/adult), 159.8 million for routine (planned) care or orthodontic care (1.71 h/adult), and 68.6 million for cosmetic care (0.73 h/adult). Adults with poor oral health were more likely to lose one or more hours in unplanned dental visits (OR = 5.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.25-9.63) than those who reported very good oral health. Not being able to afford dental care was positively associated with more work hours lost in unplanned care (odds ratio [OR] = 2.56; 95% CI, 1.76-3.73). Compared with Hispanic adults, non-Hispanic white adults (OR = 2.09; 95% CI, 1.40-3.11) and non-Hispanic Asian adults and adults of other races/ethnicities (OR =1.91; 95% CI, 1.06-3.47) were more likely to lose any hours for planned care. Consistently, those with more than a high school education were more likely to lose any hours in planned care (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.06-1.83) than those with a high school education or less. Dental problems result in hours lost from work and may adversely affect a person's productivity. There is

Energy-Saving Melting and Revert Reduction Technology (E-SMARRT): Lost Foam Thin Wall - Feasibility of Producing Lost Foam Castings in Aluminum and Magnesium Based Alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fasoyinu, Yemi [CanmetMATERIALS; Griffin, John A. [University of Alabama - Birmingham

2014-03-31

With the increased emphasis on vehicle weight reduction, production of near-net shape components by lost foam casting will make significant inroad into the next-generation of engineering component designs. The lost foam casting process is a cost effective method for producing complex castings using an expandable polystyrene pattern and un-bonded sand. The use of un-bonded molding media in the lost foam process will impose less constraint on the solidifying casting, making hot tearing less prevalent. This is especially true in Al-Mg and Al-Cu alloy systems that are prone to hot tearing when poured in rigid molds partially due to their long freezing range. Some of the unique advantages of using the lost foam casting process are closer dimensional tolerance, higher casting yield, and the elimination of sand cores and binders. Most of the aluminum alloys poured using the lost foam process are based on the Al-Si system. Very limited research work has been performed with Al-Mg and Al-Cu type alloys. With the increased emphasis on vehicle weight reduction, and given the high-strength-to-weight-ratio of magnesium, significant weight savings can be achieved by casting thin-wall (≤ 3 mm) engineering components from both aluminum- and magnesium-base alloys.

38 CFR 12.24 - Operation of lost and found service.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... custodian. VA Form 3771, Record of Lost or Found Article, will be used for recording articles of any... articles and to recover items which have been reported lost. Currency, including readily negotiable... closing hour. The currency or negotiable instruments will be delivered to the agent cashier before the...

Impairments in musical abilities reflected in the auditory brainstem: evidence from congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehmann, Alexandre; Skoe, Erika; Moreau, Patricia; Peretz, Isabelle; Kraus, Nina

2015-07-01

Congenital amusia is a neurogenetic condition, characterized by a deficit in music perception and production, not explained by hearing loss, brain damage or lack of exposure to music. Despite inferior musical performance, amusics exhibit normal auditory cortical responses, with abnormal neural correlates suggested to lie beyond auditory cortices. Here we show, using auditory brainstem responses to complex sounds in humans, that fine-grained automatic processing of sounds is impoverished in amusia. Compared with matched non-musician controls, spectral amplitude was decreased in amusics for higher harmonic components of the auditory brainstem response. We also found a delayed response to the early transient aspects of the auditory stimulus in amusics. Neural measures of spectral amplitude and response timing correlated with participants' behavioral assessments of music processing. We demonstrate, for the first time, that amusia affects how complex acoustic signals are processed in the auditory brainstem. This neural signature of amusia mirrors what is observed in musicians, such that the aspects of the auditory brainstem responses that are enhanced in musicians are degraded in amusics. By showing that gradients of music abilities are reflected in the auditory brainstem, our findings have implications not only for current models of amusia but also for auditory functioning in general. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Measuring brain glucose phosphorylation with labeled glucose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brondsted, H.E.; Gjedde, A.

1988-01-01

This study tested whether glucose labeled at the C-6 position generates metabolites that leave brain so rapidly that C-6-labeled glucose cannot be used to measure brain glucose phosphorylation (CMRGlc). In pentobarbital-anesthetized rats, the parietal cortex uptake of [ 14 C]glucose labeled in the C-6 position was followed for times ranging from 10 s to 60 min. We subtracted the observed radioactivity from the radioactivity expected with no loss of labeled metabolites from brain by extrapolation of glucose uptake in an initial period when loss was negligible. The observed radioactivity was a monoexponentially declining function of the total radioactivity expected in the absence of metabolite loss. The constant of decline was 0.0077.min-1 for parietal cortex. Metabolites were lost from the beginning of the experiment. However, with correction for the loss of labeled metabolites, it was possible to determine an average CMRGlc between 4 and 60 min of circulation of 64 +/- 4 (SE; n = 49) mumol.hg-1.min-1

Retail inventory management with lost sales

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Curseu - Stefanut, A.

2012-01-01

The inventory control problem of traditional store-based grocery retailers has several challenging features. Demand for products is stochastic, and is typically lost when no inventory is available on the shelves. As the consumer behavior studies reveal, only a small percentage of customers are

Lost-sales inventory theory : A review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bijvank, Marco; Vis, Iris F. A.

2011-01-01

In classic inventory models it is common to assume that excess demand is backordered. However, studies analyzing customer behavior in practice show that most unfulfilled demand is lost or an alternative item/location is looked for in many retail environments. Inventory systems that include this

Witkacy’s Amusia

OpenAIRE

Bocheński, Tomasz

2016-01-01

Witkacy suffered from amusia as a child and as an adult person. He was seriously interested in music only for a little over twenty years (1890–1914?). He wrote his main works as an amusic. The relation between amusia and metaphysical feelings may suggest that Witkacy wrote dramas and created painting compositions in order to evoke the lost strangeness of being. Amusia could have also been the reason for Witkacy’s ambiguity – he was defending and degrading high art at the same time.

Short-term Lost Productivity per Victim: Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Violence, or Stalking.

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Cora; Liu, Yang; Kresnow, Marcie-Jo; Florence, Curtis; Merrick, Melissa T; DeGue, Sarah; Lokey, Colby N

2018-05-15

The purpose of this study is to estimate victims' lifetime short-term lost productivity because of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or stalking. U.S. nationally representative data from the 2012 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey were used to estimate a regression-adjusted average per victim (female and male) and total population number of cumulative short-term lost work and school days (or lost productivity) because of victimizations over victims' lifetimes. Victims' lost productivity was valued using a U.S. daily production estimate. Analysis was conducted in 2017. Non-institutionalized adults with some lifetime exposure to intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or stalking (n=6,718 respondents; survey-weighted n=130,795,789) reported nearly 741 million lost productive days because of victimizations by an average of 2.5 perpetrators per victim. The adjusted per victim average was 4.9 (95% CI=3.9, 5.9) days, controlling for victim, perpetrator, and violence type factors. The estimated societal cost of this short-term lost productivity was $730 per victim, or $110 billion across the lifetimes of all victims (2016 USD). Factors associated with victims having a higher number of lost days included a higher number of perpetrators and being female, as well as sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking victimization by an intimate partner perpetrator, stalking victimization by an acquaintance perpetrator, and sexual violence or stalking victimization by a family member perpetrator. Short-term lost productivity represents a minimum economic valuation of the immediate negative effects of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Victims' lost productivity affects family members, colleagues, and employers. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Clubbed fingers: the claws we lost?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brouwers, A.A.M.; Vermeij-Keers, C.; Zoelen, E.J.J. van; Gooren, L.J.G.

2004-01-01

Clubbed digits resemble the human embryonic fingers and toes, which took like the digits of a claw. Clubbed digits, thus, may represent the return of the embryonic claw and may even represent the claws man has lost during evolution, if ontogenesis realty recapitulates phylogenesis. We put forward

Lost for emotion words: What motor and limbic brain activity reveals about autism and semantic theory

Science.gov (United States)

Moseley, Rachel L.; Shtyrov, Yury; Mohr, Bettina; Lombardo, Michael V.; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Pulvermüller, Friedemann

2015-01-01

Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are characterised by deficits in understanding and expressing emotions and are frequently accompanied by alexithymia, a difficulty in understanding and expressing emotion words. Words are differentially represented in the brain according to their semantic category and these difficulties in ASC predict reduced activation to emotion-related words in limbic structures crucial for affective processing. Semantic theories view ‘emotion actions’ as critical for learning the semantic relationship between a word and the emotion it describes, such that emotion words typically activate the cortical motor systems involved in expressing emotion actions such as facial expressions. As ASC are also characterised by motor deficits and atypical brain structure and function in these regions, motor structures would also be expected to show reduced activation during emotion-semantic processing. Here we used event-related fMRI to compare passive processing of emotion words in comparison to abstract verbs and animal names in typically-developing controls and individuals with ASC. Relatively reduced brain activation in ASC for emotion words, but not matched control words, was found in motor areas and cingulate cortex specifically. The degree of activation evoked by emotion words in the motor system was also associated with the extent of autistic traits as revealed by the Autism Spectrum Quotient. We suggest that hypoactivation of motor and limbic regions for emotion word processing may underlie difficulties in processing emotional language in ASC. The role that sensorimotor systems and their connections might play in the affective and social-communication difficulties in ASC is discussed. PMID:25278250

Lost in Location:- on how (not) to situate aliens

OpenAIRE

Hansen, Lone Koefoed

2009-01-01

Udgivelsesdato: June The article investigates how users of personal satellite navigation devices (often referred to as sat-nav) are sometimes lost and led astray and argues that the satnav's aim to remove every insecurity about the correct route seems to remove the individual's conscious perception of the space traversed. While becoming destination aware, the individual loses her location awareness. The article proposes that the reason people get lost when using sat-nav is due to a wrong l...

Brain Gain am Beispiel Österreich

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aschbacher Christine

2016-06-01

Full Text Available BrainGain is a common trend within the last ten years in Europe and all-over the world. Managers, key players and scientists are allowed to choose wherever they want to work in the world. As there is a lack of qualified individuals for companies and universities, BrainGain has become a necessity, and mostly – the higher educated individuals are moving away according to a better offer elsewhere in the world. Therefore, a lot of expats are moving around with their families. Many times, the lack of integration at the current place, country or city, is the critical success factor for staying or leaving. Furthermore, if the family does not feel happy in the current location, then the manager or scientist will move away or return home and the investment will be lost.

Years of life lost through Down's syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, M B

1979-10-01

A congenital genetic condition does not act either as a cause of death or at the time of death only. Hence, years of life lost through such a conditon cannot be calculated in the same way as for a conventional cause of death. The main difference is that a cause of death acting at age x cuts off as many years of life as the dead person might otherwise have expected to live (life expectancy at age x), whereas a congenital genetic condition exposes an affected person to a different schedule of life-threatening risks from birth onwards. In the latter case, years of life lost is calculated as the difference in life expectancy at birth for affected and non-affected persons. This reasoning is worked out in algebraic form and then applied to Down's syndrome. The data base is provided by two large and recent studies, one in Massachusetts and the other in Denmark, of mortality rates among all cases of Down's syndrome, whether in an institution or not, born during a given period of years or living at a given point in time in a fixed geographical area. So calculated, years of life lost through Down's syndrome relative to the United States general population in 1970 was 53.6 years per 1000 livebirths. Prenatal mortality is also discussed.

Hidden costs, value lost: uninsurance in America

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance

2003-01-01

Hidden Cost, Value Lost , the fifth of a series of six books on the consequences of uninsurance in the United States, illustrates some of the economic and social losses to the country of maintaining...

29 CFR 779.251 - Goods that have lost their out-of-State identity.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Goods that have lost their out-of-State identity. 779.251... Coverage Interstate Inflow Test Under Prior Act § 779.251 Goods that have lost their out-of-State identity... been processed or manufactured so as to have lost their identity as out-of-State goods before they are...

Harnessing the potential of biomaterials for brain repair after stroke

Science.gov (United States)

Tuladhar, Anup; Payne, Samantha L.; Shoichet, Molly S.

2018-03-01

Stroke is a devastating disease for which no clinical treatment exists to regenerate lost tissue. Strategies for brain repair in animal models of stroke include the delivery of drug or cell-based therapeutics; however, the complex anatomy and functional organization of the brain presents many challenges. Biomaterials may alleviate some of these challenges by providing a scaffold, localizing the therapy to the site of action, and/or modulating cues to brain cells. Here, the challenges associated with delivery of therapeutics to the brain and the biomaterial strategies used to overcome these challenges are described. For example, innovative hydrogel delivery systems have been designed to provide sustained trophic factor delivery for endogenous repair and to support transplanted cell survival and integration. Novel treatments, such as electrical stimulation of transplanted cells and the delivery of factors for the direct reprogramming of astrocytes into neurons, may be further enhanced by biomaterial delivery systems. Ultimately, improved clinical translation will be achieved by combining clinically relevant therapies with biomaterials strategies.

MILTON’S PARADISE LOST AND A POSTCOLONIAL FALL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LUIZ FERNANDO FERREIRA DE SÁ

2006-01-01

Full Text Available In John Milton’s Paradise Lost epic and empire are dissociated. Contrary to many misreadings, this all-important work of the English Renaissance intersects postcolonial thinking in a number of ways. By using Gayatri Spivak’s circuit of postcolonial theory and practice, this paper enacts a counterpointal (misreading of Milton’s text: Paradise Lost may at last free its (post-colonial (discontent. Since every reading is a misreading, my (misreading of Milton’s paradise is amo(vement of resistance against and intervention in a so-called grand narrative of power (Milton’s epic with a view to proposing a postcolonial conversation with this text.

What turns assistive into restorative brain-machine interfaces?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Gharabaghi

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Brain-machine interfaces (BMI may support motor impaired patients during activities of daily living by controlling external devices such as prostheses (assistive BMI. Moreover, BMIs are applied in conjunction with robotic orthoses for rehabilitation of lost motor function via neurofeedback training (restorative BMI. Using assistive BMI in a rehabilitation context does not automatically turn them into restorative devices. This perspective article suggests key features of restorative BMI and provides the supporting evidence:In summary, BMI may be referred to as restorative tools when demonstrating subsequently (i operant learning and progressive evolution of specific brain states/dynamics, (ii correlated modulations of functional networks related to the therapeutic goal, (iii subsequent improvement in a specific task, and (iv an explicit correlation between the modulated brain dynamics and the achieved behavioral gains. Such findings would provide the rationale for translating BMI-based interventions into clinical settings for reinforcement learning and motor rehabilitation following stroke.

Preventing customer defection and stimulating return of the lost customers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Senić Radoslav

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Customers represent company's most valuable asset. Company can assure its survival, further growth and development by retaining existing, attracting new and returning lost customers. Retaining existing, loyal customers is the most profitable business activity, attracting new ones is the most expensive, while returning lost and frequently forgotten customers is a type of business activity that still generates modest interest among researchers and practitioners. So far, marketing strategies have been mainly directed towards the first two categories of customers. The objective of this paper is dedicated to customer defection and returning lost customers. Paper discusses customer relationship life-cycle and the significance of managing customer return within it, types of customer defections, the process of managing return, as well as, the reasons that led to customer defection.

Jungmann's translation of Paradise Lost

OpenAIRE

Janů, Karel

2014-01-01

This thesis examines Josef Jungmann's translation of John Milton's Paradise Lost. Josef Jungmann was one of the leading figures of the Czech National Revival and translated Milton 's poem between the years 1800 and 1804. The thesis covers Jungmann's theoretical model of translation and presents Jungmann's motives for translation of Milton's epic poem. The paper also describes the aims Jungmann had with his translation and whether he has achieved them. The reception Jungmann's translation rece...

Identification of Changes along a Continuum of Speech Intonation is Impaired in Congenital Amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchins, Sean; Gosselin, Nathalie; Peretz, Isabelle

2010-01-01

A small number of individuals have severe musical problems that have neuro-genetic underpinnings. This musical disorder is termed "congenital amusia," an umbrella term for lifelong musical disabilities that cannot be attributed to deafness, lack of exposure, or brain damage after birth. Amusics seem to lack the ability to detect fine pitch differences in tone sequences. However, differences between statements and questions, which vary in final pitch, are well perceived by most congenital amusic individuals. We hypothesized that the origin of this apparent domain-specificity of the disorder lies in the range of pitch variations, which are very coarse in speech as compared to music. Here, we tested this hypothesis by using a continuum of gradually increasing final pitch in both speech and tone sequences. To this aim, nine amusic cases and nine matched controls were presented with statements and questions that varied on a pitch continuum from falling to rising in 11 steps. The sentences were either naturally spoken or were tone sequence versions of these. The task was to categorize the sentences as statements or questions and the tone sequences as falling or rising. In each case, the observation of an S-shaped identification function indicates that amusics can accurately identify unambiguous examples of statements and questions but have problems with fine variations between these endpoints. Thus, the results indicate that a deficient pitch perception might compromise music, not because it is specialized for that domain but because music requirements are more fine-grained.

Concern about Lost Talent: Support Document

Science.gov (United States)

Sikora, Joanna; Saha, Lawrence J.

2011-01-01

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Lost talent? The occupational ambitions and attainments of young Australians", and is an added resource for further information. The purpose of this supplement is to provide greater detail about the background of research into the topic of human talent in…

Brainstem encoding of speech and musical stimuli in congenital amusia: Evidence from Cantonese speakers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang eLiu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Congenital amusia is a neurodevelopmental disorder of musical processing that also impacts subtle aspects of speech processing. It remains debated at what stage(s of auditory processing deficits in amusia arise. In this study, we investigated whether amusia originates from impaired subcortical encoding of speech (in quiet and noise and musical sounds in the brainstem. Fourteen Cantonese-speaking amusics and 14 matched controls passively listened to six Cantonese lexical tones in quiet, two Cantonese tones in noise (signal-to-noise ratios at 0 and 20 dB, and two cello tones in quiet while their frequency-following responses (FFRs to these tones were recorded. All participants also completed a behavioral lexical tone identification task. The results indicated normal brainstem encoding of pitch in speech (in quiet and noise and musical stimuli in amusics relative to controls, as measured by FFR pitch strength, pitch error, and stimulus-to-response correlation. There was also no group difference in neural conduction time or FFR amplitudes. Both groups demonstrated better FFRs to speech (in quiet and noise than to musical stimuli. However, a significant group difference was observed for tone identification, with amusics showing significantly lower accuracy than controls. Analysis of the tone confusion matrices suggested that amusics were more likely than controls to confuse between tones that shared similar acoustic features. Interestingly, this deficit in lexical tone identification was not coupled with brainstem abnormality for either speech or musical stimuli. Together, our results suggest that the amusic brainstem is not functioning abnormally, although higher-order linguistic pitch processing is impaired in amusia. This finding has significant implications for theories of central auditory processing, requiring further investigations into how different stages of auditory processing interact in the human brain.

Brainstem encoding of speech and musical stimuli in congenital amusia: evidence from Cantonese speakers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Maggu, Akshay R; Lau, Joseph C Y; Wong, Patrick C M

2014-01-01

Congenital amusia is a neurodevelopmental disorder of musical processing that also impacts subtle aspects of speech processing. It remains debated at what stage(s) of auditory processing deficits in amusia arise. In this study, we investigated whether amusia originates from impaired subcortical encoding of speech (in quiet and noise) and musical sounds in the brainstem. Fourteen Cantonese-speaking amusics and 14 matched controls passively listened to six Cantonese lexical tones in quiet, two Cantonese tones in noise (signal-to-noise ratios at 0 and 20 dB), and two cello tones in quiet while their frequency-following responses (FFRs) to these tones were recorded. All participants also completed a behavioral lexical tone identification task. The results indicated normal brainstem encoding of pitch in speech (in quiet and noise) and musical stimuli in amusics relative to controls, as measured by FFR pitch strength, pitch error, and stimulus-to-response correlation. There was also no group difference in neural conduction time or FFR amplitudes. Both groups demonstrated better FFRs to speech (in quiet and noise) than to musical stimuli. However, a significant group difference was observed for tone identification, with amusics showing significantly lower accuracy than controls. Analysis of the tone confusion matrices suggested that amusics were more likely than controls to confuse between tones that shared similar acoustic features. Interestingly, this deficit in lexical tone identification was not coupled with brainstem abnormality for either speech or musical stimuli. Together, our results suggest that the amusic brainstem is not functioning abnormally, although higher-order linguistic pitch processing is impaired in amusia. This finding has significant implications for theories of central auditory processing, requiring further investigations into how different stages of auditory processing interact in the human brain.

Brainstem encoding of speech and musical stimuli in congenital amusia: evidence from Cantonese speakers

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Maggu, Akshay R.; Lau, Joseph C. Y.; Wong, Patrick C. M.

2015-01-01

Congenital amusia is a neurodevelopmental disorder of musical processing that also impacts subtle aspects of speech processing. It remains debated at what stage(s) of auditory processing deficits in amusia arise. In this study, we investigated whether amusia originates from impaired subcortical encoding of speech (in quiet and noise) and musical sounds in the brainstem. Fourteen Cantonese-speaking amusics and 14 matched controls passively listened to six Cantonese lexical tones in quiet, two Cantonese tones in noise (signal-to-noise ratios at 0 and 20 dB), and two cello tones in quiet while their frequency-following responses (FFRs) to these tones were recorded. All participants also completed a behavioral lexical tone identification task. The results indicated normal brainstem encoding of pitch in speech (in quiet and noise) and musical stimuli in amusics relative to controls, as measured by FFR pitch strength, pitch error, and stimulus-to-response correlation. There was also no group difference in neural conduction time or FFR amplitudes. Both groups demonstrated better FFRs to speech (in quiet and noise) than to musical stimuli. However, a significant group difference was observed for tone identification, with amusics showing significantly lower accuracy than controls. Analysis of the tone confusion matrices suggested that amusics were more likely than controls to confuse between tones that shared similar acoustic features. Interestingly, this deficit in lexical tone identification was not coupled with brainstem abnormality for either speech or musical stimuli. Together, our results suggest that the amusic brainstem is not functioning abnormally, although higher-order linguistic pitch processing is impaired in amusia. This finding has significant implications for theories of central auditory processing, requiring further investigations into how different stages of auditory processing interact in the human brain. PMID:25646077

Y2K affiliation, immediate pedestrian density, and helping responses to lost letters.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridges, F S; Thompson, P C

2001-06-01

Of 75 letters "lost" in Florida, 41 were returned in the mail (the helpful response). Immediate pedestrian density was significantly related to nonhelping responses. The greater the number of subjects passing by a lost letter, the less likely any one of them would respond to it. The rates of return did vary with the addressees' affiliations. Returned responses for the affiliates, Y2K Arkbuilders and the Believers of God's Judgement Against Homosexuals: Y2K Millennium Bug, were substantially lower than for the affiliate, Y2K Computer Repair & Programming, Inc. Returns for the Believers of God's Judgement Against Homosexuals: Y2K Millennium Bug affiliate were significantly lower than for the Y2K Arkbuilders affiliate. Variables such as sex, race, and estimated age of subjects were not associated with helping to return a lost letter. The rate of return of lost letters is not the only important measure to be examined in studies using lost letters.

Location-based technologies for supporting elderly pedestrian in "getting lost" events.

Science.gov (United States)

Pulido Herrera, Edith

2017-05-01

Localization-based technologies promise to keep older adults with dementia safe and support them and their caregivers during getting lost events. This paper summarizes mainly technological contributions to support the target group in these events. Moreover, important aspects of the getting lost phenomenon such as its concept and ethical issues are also briefly addressed. Papers were selected from scientific databases and gray literature. Since the topic is still in its infancy, other terms were used to find contributions associated with getting lost e.g. wandering. Trends of applying localization systems were identified as personal locators, perimeter systems and assistance systems. The first system barely considered the older adult's opinion, while assistance systems may involve context awareness to improve the support for both the elderly and the caregiver. Since few studies report multidisciplinary work with a special focus on getting lost, there is not a strong evidence of the real efficiency of localization systems or guidelines to design systems for the target group. Further research about getting lost is required to obtain insights for developing customizable systems. Moreover, considering conditions of the older adult might increase the impact of developments that combine localization technologies and artificial intelligence techniques. Implications for Rehabilitation Whilst there is no cure for dementia such as Alzheimer's, it is feasible to take advantage of technological developments to somewhat diminish its negative impact. For instance, location-based systems may provide information to early diagnose the Alzheimer's disease by assessing navigational impairments of older adults. Assessing the latest supportive technologies and methodologies may provide insights to adopt strategies to properly manage getting lost events. More user-centered designs will provide appropriate assistance to older adults. Namely, customizable systems could assist older adults

Realidade Ambígua: imersão em The Lost Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dario Mesquita

2010-10-01

Full Text Available O estudo discurrerá sobre como o Alternate Reality Game (ARG foi utilizado como uma extensão imersiva do universo de Lost através da campanha The Lost Experience (LTE. Assim, faremos um levantamento sobre alguns aspectos pertinentes do seriado. Então será realizado um estudo sobre a estrutura dos ARGs, partindo de seus principais preceitos que buscam mimetizar um mundo ficcional acoplado ao mundo real utilizando os meios de comunicação. Por seguinte analisaremos o LTE, que surgiu assumidamente como uma campanha com objetivos publicitários, com o propósito de enriquecer a experiência narrativa do público de Lost.

Concern for Lost Income Following Donation Deters Some Patients From Talking to Potential Living Donors.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigue, James R; Schold, Jesse D; Mandelbrot, Didier A; Taber, David J; Phan, Van; Baliga, Prabhakar K

2016-12-01

Some living kidney donors report lost income during recovery from surgery. Little is known about whether concern for living donor's lost income affects the decision to undergo donation evaluation and the willingness of transplant candidates to discuss living kidney donation (LKD) with others. To examine whether transplant patients were told by potential donors about lost income concerns and whether patients chose not to discuss LKD with others due to lost income concerns. Kidney transplant patients (185 wait-listed candidates, 171 deceased donor recipients, and 100 live donor recipients) at 2 centers completed a questionnaire to assess whether concern about donor's lost income was a consideration in discussion about LKD with others. One-third (32%) were told by a family member/friend that they were willing to donate but were concerned about potential lost income. The majority of those who expressed financial concern (64%) did not initiate donation evaluation. Many patients (42%) chose not to discuss living donation with a family member/friend due to concern about the impact of lost income on the donor. In the multivariable model, lower annual household income was the only statistically significant predictor of both having a potential donor expressing lost income concern and choosing not to talk to someone because of lost income concern. Findings from the current study underscore how concern about income loss for living donors may affect decision-making by both transplant candidates and potential donors.

Lost in translation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Granas, Anne Gerd; Nørgaard, Lotte Stig; Sporrong, Sofia Kälvemark

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The "Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire" (BMQ) assess balance of necessity and concern of medicines. The BMQ has been translated from English to many languages. However, the original meaning of statements, such as "My medicine is a mystery to me", may be lost in translation. The aim...... of this study is to compare three Scandinavian translations of the BMQ. (1) How reliable are the translations? (2) Are they still valid after translation? METHODS: Translated Norwegian, Swedish and Danish versions of the BMQ were scrutinized by three native Scandinavian researchers. Linguistic differences...... and ambiguities in the 5-point Likert scale and the BMQ statements were compared. RESULTS: In the Scandinavian translations, the Likert scale expanded beyond the original version at one endpoint (Swedish) or both endpoints (Danish). In the BMQ statements, discrepancies ranged from smaller inaccuracies toward...

Lost in transformation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Norlyk, Annelise; Haahr, Anita; Dreyer, Pia

2017-01-01

and values from evidence-based medicine are being lost in the transformation into the current evidence-based hospital culture which potentially leads to a McDonaldization of nursing practice reflected as ‘one best way’. We argue for reviving ethics of care perspectives in today’s evidence practice...... as the fundamental values of nursing may potentially bridge conflicts between evidence-based practice and the ideals of patient participation thus preventing a practice of ‘McNursing’. Key words: nursing practice, evidence-based practice, nursing theory, nursing theorists, ethics of care, hospital culture, patient......Drawing on our previous empirical research, we provide an exemplary narrative to illustrate how patients have experienced hospital care organized according to evidence-based fast-track programmes. The aim of this paper is to analyse and discuss if and how it is possible to include patients...

THE LOST-CITY DAN LOST-SPACE KARENA PERKEMBANGAN PENGEMBANGAN TATA-RUANG KOTA Kasus Koridor Komersial Jalan Tunjungan Kotamadya Surabaya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benny Poerbantanoe

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Every town hss its own architectural performance. And architecture is not merely a physical landscape of buildings in a town,, as seen by the observer, but it has a deeper mening, which displays the art of structures and constructions. It is a sequence of buildings along the course of its history (Aldo Rossi, 1980. A Town is a complete work of art, performed by men of urban knowledge. Tehe concept of a town or urban workmanship arises from time to time as a work of art in multiple variations, together and according to spirit of the time, included its aspects of belief and religion. The urban work of art or urban artefact is always related to location, historical events and the spesific urban look. Generally a town has particular rythm and dynamics, at least it does not remain static. Therefore it is quite right, when we say, that a town represents the course of its history and technology during the period of its existence. But when we scrutinise alongthe historical and visual systems, it turns out that so many physical and sociqal spaces have been altered with regard to their quality and quantity, as result mis management ot the physical and social spaces by less careful urban reformists. they may bring about certain inbalancy in the system, destroying public imagination and memory about the identity and message conceived at the time of their construction. At the this may affect a condition, commonly called the lost space. Surabaya is one of the larger towns in Indonesia, which afrtime possessed a number of urban artefacts and workmanship. One of which is the Tunjungan Street, designed and developed by the Gemeente Administration of the Duutch as comercial corriodor of the town, with all its advantages and shortcomings. In spite of the fact that it has never been touched by the hands of the prominent urban planner Mr. Thomas C. Karsten, who has prepared and worked out the architecture of the bigger towns of the former Netherlands Indies like

Advanced biomaterial strategies to transplant preformed micro-tissue engineered neural networks into the brain

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, J. P.; Struzyna, L. A.; Murphy, P. L.; Adewole, D. O.; Kuo, E.; Cullen, D. K.

2016-02-01

Objective. Connectome disruption is a hallmark of many neurological diseases and trauma with no current strategies to restore lost long-distance axonal pathways in the brain. We are creating transplantable micro-tissue engineered neural networks (micro-TENNs), which are preformed constructs consisting of embedded neurons and long axonal tracts to integrate with the nervous system to physically reconstitute lost axonal pathways. Approach. We advanced micro-tissue engineering techniques to generate micro-TENNs consisting of discrete populations of mature primary cerebral cortical neurons spanned by long axonal fascicles encased in miniature hydrogel micro-columns. Further, we improved the biomaterial encasement scheme by adding a thin layer of low viscosity carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) to enable needle-less insertion and rapid softening for mechanical similarity with brain tissue. Main results. The engineered architecture of cortical micro-TENNs facilitated robust neuronal viability and axonal cytoarchitecture to at least 22 days in vitro. Micro-TENNs displayed discrete neuronal populations spanned by long axonal fasciculation throughout the core, thus mimicking the general systems-level anatomy of gray matter—white matter in the brain. Additionally, micro-columns with thin CMC-coating upon mild dehydration were able to withstand a force of 893 ± 457 mN before buckling, whereas a solid agarose cylinder of similar dimensions was predicted to withstand less than 150 μN of force. This thin CMC coating increased the stiffness by three orders of magnitude, enabling needle-less insertion into brain while significantly reducing the footprint of previous needle-based delivery methods to minimize insertion trauma. Significance. Our novel micro-TENNs are the first strategy designed for minimally invasive implantation to facilitate nervous system repair by simultaneously providing neuronal replacement and physical reconstruction of long-distance axon pathways in the brain

Zachary Solomon's Aggressions In Achieving Apotheosis Depicted In dan Brown's The Lost Symbol

OpenAIRE

FAIDAH, IRNA NUR

2014-01-01

Keywords: Aggression, Apotheosis, Hierarchy of Needs, The Lost Symbol, Self-Actualization, Zachary Solomon The basic concept of self-actualization is that people tend to be the best that they can be. This phenomenon is also portrayed in Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. The Lost Symbol deals with a character named Zachary Solomon who wants to transform into status of God or it is called as apotheosis. In achieving the apotheosis, Zachary Solomon should satisfy his needs according to Abraham Masl...

Lost opportunity cost of surgical training in the Australian private sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Aitken, R James

2012-03-01

To meet Australia's future demands, surgical training in the private sector will be required. The aim of this study was to estimate the time and lost opportunity cost of training in the private sector. A literature search identified studies that compared the operation time required by a supervised trainee with a consultant. This time was costed using a business model. In 22 studies (34 operations), the median operation duration of a supervised trainee was 34% longer than the consultant. To complete a private training list in the same time as a consultant list, one major case would have to be dropped. A consultant's average lost opportunity cost was $1186 per list ($106,698 per year). Training in rooms and administration requirements increased this to $155,618 per year. To train 400 trainees in the private sector to college standards would require 54,000 training lists per year. The consultants' national lost opportunity cost would be $137 million per year. The average lost hospital case payment was $5894 per list, or $330 million per year nationally. The total lost opportunity cost of surgical training in the private sector would be about $467 million per year. When trainee salaries, other specialties and indirect expenses are included, the total cost will be substantially greater. It is unlikely that surgeons or hospitals will be prepared to absorb these costs. There needs to be a public debate about the funding implications of surgical training in the private sector. © 2012 The Author. ANZ Journal of Surgery © 2012 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Mental illness and lost income among adult South Africans.

Science.gov (United States)

Lund, Crick; Myer, Landon; Stein, Dan J; Williams, David R; Flisher, Alan J

2013-05-01

Little is known regarding the links between mental disorder and lost income in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between mental disorder and lost income in the first nationally representative psychiatric epidemiology survey in South Africa. A probability sample of South African adults was administered the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview schedule to assess the presence of mental disorders as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, version IV. The presence of severe depression or anxiety disorders was associated with a significant reduction in earnings in the previous 12 months among both employed and unemployed South African adults (p = 0.0043). In simulations of costs to individuals, the mean estimated lost income associated with severe depression and anxiety disorders was $4,798 per adult per year, after adjustment for age, gender, substance abuse, education, marital status, and household size. Projections of total annual cost to South Africans living with these disorders in lost earnings, extrapolated from the sample, were $3.6 billion. These data indicate either that mental illness has a major economic impact, through the effect of disability and stigma on earnings, or that people in lower income groups are at increased risk of mental illness. The indirect costs of severe depression and anxiety disorders stand in stark contrast with the direct costs of treatment in South Africa, as illustrated by annual government spending on mental health services, amounting to an estimated $59 million for adults. The findings of this study support the economic argument for investing in mental health care as a means of mitigating indirect costs of mental illness.

Restoration of lost connectivity of partitioned wireless sensor networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Virender Ranga

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The lost connectivity due to failure of large scale nodes plays major role to degrade the system performance by generating unnecessary overhead or sometimes totally collapse the active network. There are many issues and challenges to restore the lost connectivity in an unattended scenario, i.e. how many recovery nodes will be sufficient and on which locations these recovery nodes have to be placed. A very few centralized and distributed approaches have been proposed till now. The centralized approaches are good for a scenario where information about the disjoint network, i.e. number of disjoint segments and their locations are well known in advance. However, for a scenario where such information is unknown due to the unattended harsh environment, a distributed approach is a better solution to restore the partitioned network. In this paper, we have proposed and implemented a semi-distributed approach called Relay node Placement using Fermat Point (RPFP. The proposed approach is capable of restoring lost connectivity with small number of recovery relay nodes and it works for any number of disjoint segments. The simulation experiment results show effectiveness of our approach as compared to existing benchmark approaches.

In search for the lost identity: a post-modern look at Lost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucas Gomes Thimóteo

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This study discusses the American television show Lost, in order to establish a relationship among technological advances, media and configuration of the contemporary subject, based on phenomenon of convergence as a possibility that integrates and modifies the subject. The analysis focuses on two moments. The first characterizes its structure as a transmedia narrative, resulting in a format called convergence culture, that emerges nowadays with the mass of content and media that surround us. In the second moment, some elements are observed in the series that are correlated to themes addressed by postmodernity. Thus we intend to demonstrate how the narrative presented portrays situations of reality in fiction, providing an identification of the post-modern subject with the show.

Estimation of lost circulation amount occurs during under balanced drilling using drilling data and neural network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pouria Behnoud far

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Lost circulation can cause an increase in time and cost of operation. Pipe sticking, formation damage and uncontrolled flow of oil and gas may be consequences of lost circulation. Dealing with this problem is a key factor to conduct a successful drilling operation. Estimation of lost circulation amount is necessary to find a solution. Lost circulation is influenced by different parameters such as mud weight, pump pressure, depth etc. Mud weight, pump pressure and flow rate of mud should be designed to prevent induced fractures and have the least amount of lost circulation. Artificial neural network is useful to find the relations of parameters with lost circulation. Genetic algorithm is applied on the achieved relations to determine the optimum mud weight, pump pressure, and flow rate. In an Iranian oil field, daily drilling reports of wells which are drilled using UBD technique are studied. Asmari formation is the most important oil reservoir of the studied field and UBD is used only in this interval. Three wells with the most, moderate and without lost circulation are chosen. In this article, the effect of mud weight, depth, pump pressure and flow rate of pump on lost circulation in UBD of Asmari formation in one of the Southwest Iranian fields is studied using drilling data and artificial neural network. In addition, the amount of lost circulation is predicted precisely with respect to two of the studied parameters using the presented correlations and the optimum mud weight, pump pressure and flow rate are calculated to minimize the lost circulation amount.

Lost productivity in four European countries among patients with rheumatic disorders: are absenteeism and presenteeism transferable?

Science.gov (United States)

Knies, Saskia; Candel, Math J J M; Boonen, Annelies; Evers, Silvia M A A; Ament, Andre J H A; Severens, Johan L

2012-09-01

When national pharmacoeconomic guidelines are compared, different recommendations are identified on how to identify, measure and value lost productivity, leading to difficulties when comparing lost productivity estimates across countries. From a transferability point of view, the question arises of whether differences between countries regarding lost productivity are the result of using different calculation methods (methodological differences) or of other between-country differences. When lost productivity data differ significantly across countries, the transferability of lost productivity data across countries is hindered. The objective of this study was to investigate whether country of residence has a significant influence on the quantity of lost productivity among patients with rheumatic disorders. Confounding factors that might differ between countries were corrected for, while the methodology used to identify and measure lost productivity was kept the same. This question was investigated by means of an online questionnaire filled out by 200 respondents with a rheumatic disorder per country in four European countries, namely the Netherlands, the UK, Germany and France. In addition to those regarding lost productivity, the questionnaire contained questions about patient characteristics, disability insurance, disease characteristics, quality of life and job characteristics as these variables are expected to influence lost productivity in terms of absenteeism and presenteeism. The data were analysed by regression analyses, in which different components - being absent in last 3 months, number of days absent and presenteeism - of lost productivity were the main outcome measures and other variables, such as gender, impact of disease, shift work, job control, partial disability and overall general health, were corrected for. The results showed that country sometimes has a significant influence on lost productivity and that other variables such as, for example, age

[Comparative adaptation of crowns of selective laser melting and wax-lost-casting method].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Guo-qiang; Shen, Qing-yi; Gao, Jian-hua; Wu, Xue-ying; Chen, Li; Dai, Wen-an

2012-07-01

To investigate the marginal adaptation of crowns fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) and wax-lost-casting method, so as to provide an experimental basis for clinic. Co-Cr alloy full crown were fabricated by SLM and wax-lost-casting for 24 samples in each group. All crowns were cemented with zinc phosphate cement and cut along longitudinal axis by line cutting machine. The gap between crown tissue surface and die was measured by 6-point measuring method with scanning electron microscope (SEM). The marginal adaptation of crowns fabricated by SLM and wax-lost-casting were compared statistically. The gap between SLM crowns were (36.51 ± 2.94), (49.36 ± 3.31), (56.48 ± 3.35), (42.20 ± 3.60) µm, and wax-lost-casting crowns were (68.86 ± 5.41), (58.86 ± 6.10), (70.62 ± 5.79), (69.90 ± 6.00) µm. There were significant difference between two groups (P casting method and SLM method provide acceptable marginal adaptation in clinic, and the marginal adaptation of SLM is better than that of wax-lost-casting method.

Identification of changes along a continuum of speech intonation is impaired in congenital amusia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sean eHutchins

2010-12-01

Full Text Available A small number of individuals have severe musical problems that have neuro-genetic underpinnings. This musical disorder is termed congenital amusia, an umbrella term for lifelong musical disabilities that cannot be attributed to deafness, lack of exposure, or brain damage after birth. Amusics seem to lack the ability to detect fine pitch differences in tone sequences. However, differences between statements and questions, which vary in final pitch, are well perceived by most congenital amusic individuals. We hypothesized that the origin of this apparent domain-specificity of the disorder lies in the range of pitch variations, which are very coarse in speech as compared to music. Here, we tested this hypothesis by using a continuum of gradually increasing final pitch in both speech and tone sequences. To this aim, nine amusic cases and nine matched controls were presented with statements and questions that varied on a pitch continuum from falling to rising in 11 steps. The sentences were either naturally spoken or were tone sequence versions of these. The task was to categorize the sentences as statements or questions and the tone sequences, as falling or rising. In each case, the observation of an S-shaped identification function indicates that amusics can accurately identify unambiguous examples of statements and questions but have problems with fine variations between these endpoints. Thus, the results indicate that a deficient pitch perception might compromise music, not because it is specialized for that domain but because music requirements are more fine-grained.

Has Microfinance Lost its Moral Compass?

OpenAIRE

David Hulme; Mathilde Maitrot

2014-01-01

Abstract This paper argues that microfinance in South Asia, like mainstream finance in North America and Europe, "has lost its moral compass". Our particular concern is with microloans to vulnerable clients. Microfinance institutions (MFIs) have increasingly focussed on financial performance and have neglected their declared social mission of poverty reduction and empowerment. Loans officers in the field are under enormous pressure to achieve individual financial targets and now routinely mis...

Potential years lost and life expectancy in adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Granbichler, Claudia A; Zimmermann, Georg; Oberaigner, Willi; Kuchukhidze, Giorgi; Ndayisaba, Jean-Pierre; Taylor, Alexandra; Luef, Gerhard; Bathke, Arne C; Trinka, Eugen

2017-11-01

Studies using relative measures, such as standardized mortality ratios, have shown that patients with epilepsy have an increased mortality. Reports on more direct and absolute measure such as life expectancy are sparse. We report potential years lost and how life expectancy has changed over 40 years in a cohort of patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy. We analyzed life expectancy in a cohort of adult patients diagnosed with definite epilepsy between 1970 and 2010. Those with brain tumor as cause of epilepsy were excluded. By retrospective probabilistic record linkage, living or death status was derived from the national death registry. We estimated life expectancy by a Weibull regression model using gender, age at diagnosis, epilepsy etiology, and year of diagnosis as covariates at time of epilepsy diagnosis, and 5, 10, 15, and 20 years after diagnosis. Results were compared to the general population, and 95% confidence intervals are given. There were 249 deaths (105 women, age at death 19.0-104.0 years) in 1,112 patients (11,978.4 person-years, 474 women, 638 men). A substantial decrease in life expectancy was observed for only a few subgroups, strongly depending on epilepsy etiology and time of diagnosis: time of life lost was highest in patients with symptomatic epilepsy diagnosed between 1970 and 1980; the impact declined with increasing time from diagnosis. Over half of the analyzed subgroups did not differ significantly from the general population. This effect was reversed in the later decades, and life expectancy was prolonged in some subgroups, reaching a maximum in those with newly diagnosed idiopathic and cryptogenic epilepsy between 2001 and 2010. Life expectancy is reduced in symptomatic epilepsies. However, in other subgroups, a prolonged life expectancy was found, which has not been reported previously. Reasons may be manifold and call for further study. © 2017 The Authors. Epilepsia published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International

Restoration of Lost Lake, recovery of an impacted Carolina Bay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wike, L.D.; Gladden, J.B.; Mackey, H.E. Jr.; Rogers, V.A.

1995-01-01

Lost Lake is one of approximately 200 Carolina bays found on the Savannah River Site (SRS). Until 1984 Lost Lake was contaminated by heavy metals and solvents overflowing from a nearby settling basin. Up to 12 inches of surface soil and all vegetation was removed from the bay as part of a RCRA removal action. A plan for restoration was initiated in 1989 and implemented in 1990 and 1991. Extensive planning led to defined objectives, strategies, treatments, and monitoring programs allowing successful restoration of Lost Lake. The primary goal of the project was to restore the wetland ecosystem after a hazardous waste clean up operation. An additional goal was to study the progress of the project and the success of the restoration activity. Several strategy considerations were necessary in the restoration plan. The removal of existing organic soils had to have compensation, a treatment scheme for planting and the extent of manipulation of the substrate had to be considered, monitoring decisions had to be made, and the decision whether or not to actively control the hydrology of the restored system

Lost foam casting of aluminum alloy-SiCp composite material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baalasuburamaniam, R.; Cvetnic, C.; Ravindran, C.

2002-01-01

Metal matrix composites are a viable alternative to cast irons in automotive components with possible increase in strength-to-weight ratio. Lost foam casting of aluminum alloy matrix composite containing 20 volume percent SiC was carried out at 690, 730, and 770 o C with a view to determining the effects of cooling rate on microstructure, particle distribution, microporosity and mechanical properties. These results were compared with those for the matrix material cast under similar conditions. The results and the correlations are of particular interest as there is no published literature on lost foam casting of composite materials. (author)

Two Routes to Losing One’s Past Life: A Brain Trauma, an Emotional Trauma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julie Ouellet

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Organic and psychogenic retrograde amnesia have long been considered as distinct entities and as such, studied separately. However, patterns of neuropsychological impairments in organic and psychogenic amnesia can bear interesting resemblances despite different aetiologies. In this paper, two cases with profound, selective and permanent retrograde amnesia are presented, one of an apparent organic origin and the other with an apparent psychogenic cause. The first case, DD, lost his memory after focal brain injury from a nail gun to the right temporal lobe. The second case, AC, lost her memory in the context of intense psychological suffering. In both cases, pre-morbid autobiographical memory for people, places and events was lost, and no feeling of familiarity was experienced during relearning. In addition, they both lost some semantic knowledge acquired prior to the onset of the amnesia. This contrasts with the preservation of complex motor skills without any awareness of having learned them. Both DD and AC showed mild deficits on memory tests but neither presented any anterograde amnesia. The paradox of these cases–opposite causes yet similar clinical profile–exemplifies the hypothesis that organic and psychogenic amnesia may be two expressions of the same faulty mechanism in the neural circuitry.

Quantitative Rates of Brain Glucose Metabolism Distinguish Minimally Conscious from Vegetative State Patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stender, Johan; Kupers, Ron; Rodell, Anders

2015-01-01

of these patients. However, no quantitative comparisons of cerebral glucose metabolism in VS/UWS and MCS have yet been reported. We calculated the regional and whole-brain CMRglc of 41 patients in the states of VS/UWS (n=14), MCS (n=21) or emergence from MCS (EMCS, n=6), and healthy volunteers (n=29). Global......The differentiation of the vegetative or unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) from the minimally conscious state (MCS) is an important clinical issue. The cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) declines when consciousness is lost, and may reveal the residual cognitive function...... these results reveal a significant correlation between whole-brain energy metabolism and level of consciousness, suggesting that quantitative values of CMRglc reveal consciousness in severely brain-injured patients.Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism advance online publication, 8 October 2014; doi:10...

Transforming Dance History: The Lost History of Rehearsals.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodes, Stuart

1989-01-01

Explains that an important aspect of dance history is lost by not recording dance rehearsals. Argues that recording rehearsals can reveal the creative process and illuminate the environment that engendered this art form. Concludes that a transformed dance history will influence curriculum development. (GG)

The monetary value of human lives lost due to neglected tropical diseases in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirigia, Joses Muthuri; Mburugu, Gitonga N

2017-12-18

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are an important cause of death and disability in Africa. This study estimates the monetary value of human lives lost due to NTDs in the continent in 2015. The lost output or human capital approach was used to evaluate the years of life lost due to premature deaths from NTDs among 10 high/upper-middle-income (Group 1), 17 middle-income (Group 2) and 27 low-income (Group 3) countries in Africa. The future losses were discounted to their present values at a 3% discount rate. The model was re-analysed using 5% and 10% discount rates to assess the impact on the estimated total value of human lives lost. The estimated value of 67 860 human lives lost in 2015 due to NTDs was Int$ 5 112 472 607. Out of that, 14.6% was borne by Group 1, 57.7% by Group 2 and 27.7% by Group 3 countries. The mean value of human life lost per NTD death was Int$ 231 278, Int$ 109 771 and Int$ 37 489 for Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3 countries, respectively. The estimated value of human lives lost in 2015 due to NTDs was equivalent to 0.1% of the cumulative gross domestic product of the 53 continental African countries. Even though NTDs are not a major cause of death, they impact negatively on the productivity of those affected throughout their life-course. Thus, the case for investing in NTDs control should also be influenced by the value of NTD morbidity, availability of effective donated medicines, human rights arguments, and need to achieve the NTD-related target 3.3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (on health) by 2030.

The Living Donor Lost Wages Trial: Study Rationale and Protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigue, James R; Fleishman, Aaron; Carroll, Michaela; Evenson, Amy R; Pavlakis, Martha; Mandelbrot, Didier A; Baliga, Prabhakar; Howard, David H; Schold, Jesse D

2018-03-01

This paper describes the background, rationale, and design of an NIH-funded, single-center study to test the impact of offering reimbursement for donor lost wages incurred during the post-nephrectomy recovery period on the live donor kidney transplant (LDKT) rate in newly evaluated kidney transplant candidates, to examine whether offering reimbursement for donor lost wages reduces racial disparity in LDKT rates, and to determine whether higher reimbursement amounts lead to higher LDKT rates. LDKT is the optimal treatment for renal failure. However, living kidney donation has declined in the past decade, particularly among men, younger adults, blacks, and low-income adults. There is evidence that donation-related costs may deter both transplant candidates and potential donors from considering LDKT. Lost wages is a major source of financial loss for some living donors and, unlike travel and lodging expenses, is not reimbursed by financial assistance programs. The study addresses the transplant community's call to reduce the financial burden of living donation and examine its impact on LDKT rates. Findings have the potential to influence policy, clinical practice, LDKT access, and income-related and racial disparities in LDKT and living donation.

Electrophysiological correlates of melodic processing in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Omigie, Diana; Pearce, Marcus T; Williamson, Victoria J; Stewart, Lauren

2013-08-01

Music listening involves using previously internalized regularities to process incoming musical structures. A condition known as congenital amusia is characterized by musical difficulties, notably in the detection of gross musical violations. However, there has been increasing evidence that individuals with the disorder show preserved musical ability when probed using implicit methods. To further characterize the degree to which amusic individuals show evidence of latent sensitivity to musical structure, particularly in the context of stimuli that are ecologically valid, electrophysiological recordings were taken from a sample of amusic and control participants as they listened to real melodies. To encourage them to pay attention to the music, participants were asked to detect occasional notes in a different timbre. Using a computational model of auditory expectation to identify points of varying levels of expectedness in these melodies (in units of information content (IC), a measure which has an inverse relationship with probability), ERP analysis investigated the extent to which the amusic brain differs from that of controls when processing notes of high IC (low probability) as compared to low IC ones (high probability). The data revealed a novel effect that was highly comparable in both groups: Notes with high IC reliably elicited a delayed P2 component relative to notes with low IC, suggesting that amusic individuals, like controls, found these notes more difficult to evaluate. However, notes with high IC were also characterized by an early frontal negativity in controls that was attenuated in amusic individuals. A correlation of this early negative effect with the ability to make accurate note expectedness judgments (previous data collected from a subset of the current sample) was shown to be present in typical individuals but compromised in individuals with amusia: a finding in line with evidence of a close relationship between the amplitude of such a

[Traumatic brain injuries--forensic and expertise aspects].

Science.gov (United States)

Vuleković, Petar; Simić, Milan; Misić-Pavkov, Gordana; Cigić, Tomislav; Kojadinović, Zeljko; Dilvesi, Dula

2008-01-01

Traumatic brain injuries have major socio-economic importance due to their frequency, high mortality and serious consequences. According to their nature the consequences of these injuries may be classified as neurological, psychiatric and esthetic. Various lesions of brain structures cause neurological consequences such as disturbance of motor functions, sensibility, coordination or involuntary movements, speech disturbances and other deviations, as well as epilepsy. Psychiatric consequences include cognitive deficit, emotional disturbances and behavior disturbances. CRIMINAL-LEGAL ASPECT OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES AND LITIGATION: Criminal-legal aspect of traumatic brain injuries expertise understands the qualification of these injuries as mild, serious and qualified serious body injuries as well as the expertise about the mechanisms of their occurrence. Litigation expertise includes the estimation of pain, fear, diminished, i.e. lost vital activity and disability, esthetic marring, and psychological suffer based on the diminished general vital activity and esthetic marring. Evaluation of consequences of traumatic brain injuries should be performed only when it can be positively confirmed that they are permanent, i.e. at least one year after the injury. Expertise of these injuries is interdisciplinary. Among clinical doctors the most competent medical expert is the one who is in charge for diagnostics and injury treatment, with the recommendation to avoid, if possible, the doctor who conducted treatment. For the estimation of general vital activity, the neurological consequences, pain and esthetic marring expertise, the most competent doctors are neurosurgeon and neurologist. Psychological psychiatric consequences and fear expertise have to be performed by the psychiatrist. Specialists of forensic medicine contribute with knowledge of criminal low and legal expertise.

Automated dose estimation for lost or damaged dosimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, W.L.; Deininger, R.J.

1988-01-01

This paper reports that some dosimetry vendors will compute doses for their customers' lost/damaged dosimeters based upon an average of recent dosimeter readings. However, the vendors usually require authorization from the customer for each such occurrence. Therefore, the tedious task of keeping track of the overdue status of each missing dosimeter and constantly notifying the vendor is still present. Also, depending on the monthly variability of a given person's doses, it may be more valid to use the employee's average dose, his/her highest dose over a recent period, an average dose of other employees with similar job duties for that period, or the maximum permissible dose. Thus, the task of estimating doses for lost/damaged dosimeters cannot be delegated to dosimetry vendor. Instead, the radiation safety department must sue the data supplied by the vendor as input for performing estimates. The process is performed automatically at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont using a personal computer and a relational database

Faraday-cup-type lost fast ion detector on Heliotron J

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamamoto, S., E-mail: yamamoto.satoshi.6n@kyoto-u.ac.jp; Kobayashi, S.; Nagasaki, K.; Okada, H.; Minami, T.; Kado, S.; Ohshima, S.; Weir, G. M.; Konoshima, S.; Mizuuchi, T. [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Ogawa, K.; Isobe, M. [National Institute for Fusion Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 322-6 Oroshi, Toki, Gifu 509-5292 (Japan); SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 322-6 Oroshi, Toki, Gifu 509-5292 (Japan); Darrow, D. S. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States); Nakamura, Y.; Ohtani, Y. [Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Kemmochi, N. [National Institute for Fusion Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 322-6 Oroshi, Toki, Gifu 509-5292 (Japan)

2016-11-15

A Faraday-cup type lost-fast ion probe (FLIP) has been designed and installed in Heliotron J for the purpose of the studies of interaction between fast ions and MHD instabilities. The FLIP can measure the co-going fast ions whose energy is in the range of 1.7–42.5 keV (proton) and pitch angle of 90{sup ∘}–140{sup ∘}, especially for fast ions having the injection energy of neutral beam injection (NBI). The FLIP successfully measured the re-entering passing ions and trapped lost-fast ions caused by fast-ion-driven energetic particle modes in NBI heated plasmas.

Lost : une « romance » shakespearienne ?

OpenAIRE

Hatchuel, Sarah; Laist, Randy

2016-01-01

Qu’est-ce qu’une romance shakespearienne ? Comment lire Lost à l’aune de Shakespeare ? Et comment, en retour, lire Shakespeare à l’aune de Lost ? Les quatre pièces dites « tardives » de Shakespeare, Pericles (1608), Cymbeline (1609), Le Conte d’hiver (1610) et La Tempête (1611), ont brouillé la frontière entre les genres en incorporant des épisodes tragiques tout en se terminant dans l’harmonie. Ces pièces ont mis au défi les catégories dramatiques et ont échappé aux définitions simples. Péré...

Paradoxical false memory for objects after brain damage.

Science.gov (United States)

McTighe, Stephanie M; Cowell, Rosemary A; Winters, Boyer D; Bussey, Timothy J; Saksida, Lisa M

2010-12-03

Poor memory after brain damage is usually considered to be a result of information being lost or rendered inaccessible. It is assumed that such memory impairment must be due to the incorrect interpretation of previously encountered information as being novel. In object recognition memory experiments with rats, we found that memory impairment can take the opposite form: a tendency to treat novel experiences as familiar. This impairment could be rescued with the use of a visual-restriction procedure that reduces interference. Such a pattern of data can be explained in terms of a recent representational-hierarchical view of cognition.

The aesthetic treatment for anterior teeth with lost crown by endorestoration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nanik Zubaidah

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Background: The aesthetic has an important role in social life, especially the anterior teeth. The aesthetic abnormality of anterior teeth i.e. discoloration, malpotition or the anterior teeth with crown damage for more than one third or all part of crown is lost due to caries or other causes, will influence its appearance especially during smile. Purpose: The aim of this case report, therefore, is to show how teeth with clinical crown lost or only the root left still can be treated by endorestoration treatment in order to reconstruct the shape and function of the teeth similar to the original ones. Case: Female 52 years old with the lost crown of anterior teeth. The patient did not want her teeth to be extracted. Case Management: The abnormality of these teeth are still able to be reconstructed by endorestoration i.e. endodontic treatment with post and core insertion in the root canal will increase its retention and recovery by the porcelain crown fused to metal to recover the original formation and aesthetic and thus has the normal refunction. The treatment, it improve the confidence of the patient, and also can function normally. The patient did not feel pain. Ronsenography showed the periapical lesion diminished, the neighbor gingival was going better in both function and color. Conclusion: Endorestoration treatment on the anterior teeth with lost crown could recover the normal function, dental aesthetic and self confidence.

From assistance towards restoration with epidural brain-computer interfacing.

Science.gov (United States)

Gharabaghi, Alireza; Naros, Georgios; Walter, Armin; Grimm, Florian; Schuermeyer, Marc; Roth, Alexander; Bogdan, Martin; Rosenstiel, Wolfgang; Birbaumer, Niels

2014-01-01

Today's implanted brain-computer interfaces make direct contact with the brain or even penetrate the tissue, bearing additional risks with regard to safety and stability. What is more, these approaches aim to control prosthetic devices as assistive tools and do not yet strive to become rehabilitative tools for restoring lost motor function. We introduced a less invasive, implantable interface by applying epidural electrocorticography in a chronic stroke survivor with a persistent motor deficit. He was trained to modulate his natural motor-related oscillatory brain activity by receiving online feedback. Epidural recordings of field potentials in the beta-frequency band projecting onto the anatomical hand knob proved most successful in discriminating between the attempt to move the paralyzed hand and to rest. These spectral features allowed for fast and reliable control of the feedback device in an online closed-loop paradigm. Only seven training sessions were required to significantly improve maximum wrist extension. For patients suffering from severe motor deficits, epidural implants may decode and train the brain activity generated during attempts to move with high spatial resolution, thus facilitating specific and high-intensity practice even in the absence of motor control. This would thus transform them from pure assistive devices to restorative tools in the context of reinforcement learning and neurorehabilitation.

Can increasing adult vaccination rates reduce lost time and increase productivity?

Science.gov (United States)

Rittle, Chad

2014-12-01

This article addresses limited vaccination coverage by providing an overview of the epidemiology of influenza, pertussis, and pneumonia, and the impact these diseases have on work attendance for the worker, the worker's family, and employer profit. Studies focused on the cost of vaccination programs, lost work time, lost employee productivity and acute disease treatment are discussed, as well as strategies for increasing vaccination coverage to reduce overall health care costs for employers. Communicating the benefits of universal vaccination for employees and their families and combating vaccine misinformation among employees are outlined. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Lost Opportunities in the Buildings Sector: Energy-Efficiency Analysis and Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dirks, James A.; Anderson, David M.; Hostick, Donna J.; Belzer, David B.; Cort, Katherine A.

2008-09-12

This report summarizes the results and the assumptions used in an analysis of the potential “lost efficiency opportunities” in the buildings sector. These targets of opportunity are those end-uses, applications, practices, and portions of the buildings market which are not currently being addressed, or addressed fully, by the Building Technologies Program (BTP) due to lack of resources. The lost opportunities, while a significant increase in effort and impact in the buildings sector, still represent only a small portion of the full technical potential for energy efficiency in buildings.

Earthworms lost from pesticides application in potato crops

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Santos, Glenda; Forrer, Karin; Binder, Claudia R.

2010-05-01

Bioturbation from earthworm's activity contributes to soil creep and soil carbon dynamics, and provide enough aeration conditions for agricultural practices all over the world. In developing countries where there is a long term misuse of pesticides for agricultural purposes, lost of these benefits from earthworms activity might already yielded negative effects in the current crop production. Little research has been performed on earthworms avoidance to pesticides in developing countries located in the tropics. Furthermore, the complete avoidance reaction (from attraction to 100% avoidance) from earthworms to most of the pesticides used in potato cultivation in developing countries like Colombia is incomplete as yet. Hence the aim of this study is to assess the lost of earthworm on the soils caused by different concentrations of pesticides and associated agricultural impacts caused by a lost in the soil bioturbation. As a first stage, we have studied earthworm's avoidance to pesticide concentration in a potato agricultural area located in Colombia. Local cultivated Eisenia fetida were exposed to four of the most frequent applied active ingredients in potato crops i.e. carbofuran, mancozeb, methamidophos and chlorpyriphos. Adult earthworm toxicity experiments were carried out in two soils, untreated grasslands under standard (ISO guidelines) and undisturbed conditions, and exposed to six different concentrations of the active ingredients. The results of the avoidance reaction on the standard soils were significant for carbofuran, mancoceb and chlorpyrifos. For each of the three active ingredients, we found i) overuse of pesticide, ii) applied dose of carbofuran, mancoceb and chlorpyrifos by the farmers potentially caused 20%, 11% and 9% of earthworms avoidance on the cultivated soils, respectively.

Pitch-Responsive Cortical Regions in Congenital Amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Norman-Haignere, Sam V; Albouy, Philippe; Caclin, Anne; McDermott, Josh H; Kanwisher, Nancy G; Tillmann, Barbara

2016-03-09

Congenital amusia is a lifelong deficit in music perception thought to reflect an underlying impairment in the perception and memory of pitch. The neural basis of amusic impairments is actively debated. Some prior studies have suggested that amusia stems from impaired connectivity between auditory and frontal cortex. However, it remains possible that impairments in pitch coding within auditory cortex also contribute to the disorder, in part because prior studies have not measured responses from the cortical regions most implicated in pitch perception in normal individuals. We addressed this question by measuring fMRI responses in 11 subjects with amusia and 11 age- and education-matched controls to a stimulus contrast that reliably identifies pitch-responsive regions in normal individuals: harmonic tones versus frequency-matched noise. Our findings demonstrate that amusic individuals with a substantial pitch perception deficit exhibit clusters of pitch-responsive voxels that are comparable in extent, selectivity, and anatomical location to those of control participants. We discuss possible explanations for why amusics might be impaired at perceiving pitch relations despite exhibiting normal fMRI responses to pitch in their auditory cortex: (1) individual neurons within the pitch-responsive region might exhibit abnormal tuning or temporal coding not detectable with fMRI, (2) anatomical tracts that link pitch-responsive regions to other brain areas (e.g., frontal cortex) might be altered, and (3) cortical regions outside of pitch-responsive cortex might be abnormal. The ability to identify pitch-responsive regions in individual amusic subjects will make it possible to ask more precise questions about their role in amusia in future work. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/362986-09$15.00/0.

Neuroanatomical correlates of brain-computer interface performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kasahara, Kazumi; DaSalla, Charles Sayo; Honda, Manabu; Hanakawa, Takashi

2015-04-15

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) offer a potential means to replace or restore lost motor function. However, BCI performance varies considerably between users, the reasons for which are poorly understood. Here we investigated the relationship between sensorimotor rhythm (SMR)-based BCI performance and brain structure. Participants were instructed to control a computer cursor using right- and left-hand motor imagery, which primarily modulated their left- and right-hemispheric SMR powers, respectively. Although most participants were able to control the BCI with success rates significantly above chance level even at the first encounter, they also showed substantial inter-individual variability in BCI success rate. Participants also underwent T1-weighted three-dimensional structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MRI data were subjected to voxel-based morphometry using BCI success rate as an independent variable. We found that BCI performance correlated with gray matter volume of the supplementary motor area, supplementary somatosensory area, and dorsal premotor cortex. We suggest that SMR-based BCI performance is associated with development of non-primary somatosensory and motor areas. Advancing our understanding of BCI performance in relation to its neuroanatomical correlates may lead to better customization of BCIs based on individual brain structure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Net lost revenue adjustment (NLRA) mechanisms for utility DSM programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baxter, L.W.

1995-01-01

We examine the experiences that states and utilities are having with the NLRA approach. Contrary to concerns raised by some industry analysts, our results indicate the NLRA is a feasible approach to the lost-revenue disincentive. Seven of the 10 states we studied report no substantial problems with their approach. We observe several conditions linked to effective NLRA implementation and, for those states reporting problems, conditions linked to implementation difficulties. Finally, observed changes in utility-investment behavior occur after implementation of DSM rate reforms, which include deployment of NLRA mechanisms. We find that utilities in states with lost revenue recovery invest more than twice as much in DSM as do utilities in other states. (Author)

Lost in Translation

Science.gov (United States)

Lass, Wiebke; Reusswig, Fritz

2014-05-01

Lost in Translation? Introducing Planetary Boundaries into Social Systems. Fritz Reusswig, Wiebke Lass Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany Identifying and quantifying planetary boundaries by interdisciplinary science efforts is a challenging task—and a risky one, as the 1972 Limits to Growth publication has shown. Even if we may be assured that scientific understanding of underlying processes of the Earth system has significantly improved since then, the challenge of translating these findings into the social systems of the planet remains crucial for any kind of action, and in many respects far more challenging. We would like to conceptualize what could also be termed a problem of coupling social and natural systems as a nested set of social translation processes, well aware of the limited applicability of the language-related translation metaphor. Societies must, first, perceive these boundaries, and they have to understand their relevance. This includes, among many other things, the organization of transdisciplinary scientific cooperation. They will then have to translate this understood perception into possible actions, i.e. strategies for different local bodies, actors, and institutional settings. This implies a lot of 'internal' translation processes, e.g. from the scientific subsystem to the mass media, the political and the economic subsystem. And it implies to develop subsystem-specific schemes of evaluation for these alternatives, e.g. convincing narratives, cost-benefit analyses, or ethical legitimacy considerations. And, finally, societies do have to translate chosen action alternatives into monitoring and evaluation schemes, e.g. for agricultural production or renewable energies. This process includes the continuation of observing and re-analyzing the planetary boundary concept itself, as a re-adjustment of these boundaries in the light of new scientific insights cannot be excluded. Taken all together, societies may well

Development of environmental friendly lost circulation material from banana peel

Science.gov (United States)

Sauki, Arina; Hasan, Nur â.€˜Izzati; Naimi, Fardelen Binti Md; Othman, Nur Hidayati

2017-12-01

Loss of expensive mud could lead to major financial problem in executing a drilling project and is one of the biggest problems that need to be tackled during drilling. Synthetic Based Mud (SBM) is the most stable state of the art drilling mud used in current drilling technologies. However, the problem with lost circulation is still inevitable. The focus of this project is to develop a new potential waste material from banana peel in order to combat lost circulation in SBM. Standard industrial Lost Circulation Material (LCM) is used to compare the performance of banana peel as LCM in SBM. The effects of different sizing of banana peels (600 micron, 300 micron and 100 micron) were studied on the rheological and filtration properties of SBM and the bridging performance of banana peel as LCM additive. The tests were conducted using viscometer, HTHP filter press and sand bed tester. Thermal analysis of banana peel was also studied using TGA. According to the results obtained, 300 and 100 micron size of banana peel LCM exhibited an improved bridging performance by 65% as compared to industrial LCM. However, banana peel LCM with the size of 600 micron failed to act as LCM due to the total invasion of mud into the sand bed.

America’s Lost Innocence and Cinema

OpenAIRE

Patrycja Włodek

2015-01-01

In my paper America’s Lost Innocence I intend to focus on American cinema of the ’50s, part of ’60s, and contemporary throwbacks to those decades. The ’50s have been called “the last decade of American innocence”, “the happiest decade in America’s history – when things were going on – that everybody misses” (by Jean Baudrillard). That era symbolically ceased on 22 November 1963; however, many scholars and publicists undermine the belief in its very existence. Michael Wood calls the ’50s a tim...

Sensitivity to musical emotions in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gosselin, Nathalie; Paquette, Sébastien; Peretz, Isabelle

2015-10-01

The emotional experience elicited by music is largely dependent on structural characteristics such as pitch, rhythm, and dynamics. We examine here to what extent amusic adults, who have experienced pitch perception difficulties all their lives, still maintain some ability to perceive emotions from music. Amusic and control participants judged the emotions expressed by unfamiliar musical clips intended to convey happiness, sadness, fear and peacefulness (Experiment 1A). Surprisingly, most amusic individuals showed normal recognition of the four emotions tested here. This preserved ability was not due to some peculiarities of the music, since the amusic individuals showed a typical deficit in perceiving pitch violations intentionally inserted in the same clips (Experiment 1B). In Experiment 2, we tested the use of two major structural determinants of musical emotions: tempo and mode. Neutralization of tempo had the same effect on both amusics' and controls' emotional ratings. In contrast, amusics did not respond to a change of mode as markedly as controls did. Moreover, unlike the control participants, amusics' judgments were not influenced by subtle differences in pitch, such as the number of semitones changed by the mode manipulation. Instead, amusics showed normal sensitivity to fluctuations in energy, to pulse clarity, and to timbre differences, such as roughness. Amusics even showed sensitivity to key clarity and to large mean pitch differences in distinguishing happy from sad music. Thus, the pitch perception deficit experienced by amusic adults had only mild consequences on emotional judgments. In sum, emotional responses to music may be possible in this condition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Obesity as a Possible Risk Factor for Lost-time Injury in Registered Nurses: A Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gillian Jordan

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Time-loss injuries are still a major occurrence in Canada, injuring thousands of Canadian workers each year. With obesity rates on the rise across the country, as well as around the world, it is important that the possible effects of obesity in the workplace be fully understood, especially those effects linked to lost-time injuries. The aim of this paper was to evaluate predictors of workplace lost-time injuries and how they may be related to obesity or high body mass index by examining factors associated with lost-time injuries in the health care sector, a well-studied industry with the highest number of reported time loss injuries in Canada. A literature review focusing on lost-time injuries in Registered Nurses (RNs was conducted using the keywords and terms: lost time injury, workers' compensation, occupational injury, workplace injury, injury, injuries, work, workplace, occupational, nurse, registered nurse, RN, health care, predictors, risk factors, risk, risks, cause, causes, obese, obesity, and body mass index. Data on predictors or factors associated with lost-time injuries in RNs were gathered and organized using Loisel's Work Disability Prevention Management Model and extrapolated upon using existing literature surrounding obesity in the Canadian workplace.

Nostalgia and lost identity.

Science.gov (United States)

Pourtova, Elena

2013-02-01

Nostalgia for the Soviet Union is a major social phenomenon in Russia today due to the irrevocable losses of the recent past in which Soviet citizens involuntarily became immigrants in their own country. With reference to discussions of nostalgia in philosophical and psychoanalytic literature, I suggest that nostalgia may represent either a defensive regression to the past or a progressive striving for wholeness through re-connecting with what has been lost in the service of a greater integration. I compare this with the processes of adaptation seen in immigrants and provide a clinical illustration of a young man coming to terms with loss and change in the post-Soviet era. When nostalgia is recognized as a legitimate emotional experience it may facilitate mourning and enable the integration of the past with the present and the development of a new identity. © 2013, The Society of Analytical Psychology.

Online Artifact Removal for Brain-Computer Interfaces Using Support Vector Machines and Blind Source Separation

OpenAIRE

Halder, Sebastian; Bensch, Michael; Mellinger, Jürgen; Bogdan, Martin; Kübler, Andrea; Birbaumer, Niels; Rosenstiel, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

We propose a combination of blind source separation (BSS) and independent component analysis (ICA) (signal decomposition into artifacts and nonartifacts) with support vector machines (SVMs) (automatic classification) that are designed for online usage. In order to select a suitable BSS/ICA method, three ICA algorithms (JADE, Infomax, and FastICA) and one BSS algorithm (AMUSE) are evaluated to determine their ability to isolate electromyographic (EMG) and electrooculographic...

Device for preventing coolant in a reactor from being lost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruyama, Hiromi; Matsumoto, Tomoyuki.

1975-01-01

Object: To prevent all of coolant from being lost from the core at the time of failure in rupture of pipe in a recirculation system to cool the core with the coolant remained within the reactor. Structure: A valve, which will be closed when a water level of the coolant within the core is in a level less than a predetermined level, is provided on a recirculating water outlet nozzle in a pressure vessel to thereby prevent the coolant from being lost when the pipe is broken, thus cooling the core by means of reduced-pressure boiling of coolant remained within the core and boiling due to heat, and restraining core reactivity by means of void produced at that time. (Kamimura, M.)

Measurements of the total energy lost per electron-ion pair lost in low-pressure inductive argon, helium, oxygen and nitrogen discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Young-Kwang; Ku, Ju-Hwan; Chung, Chin-Wook

2011-01-01

Experimental measurements of the total energy lost per electron-ion pair lost, ε T , were performed in a low-pressure inductive atomic gases (Ar, He) and molecular gases (O 2 , N 2 ) discharge. The value of ε T was determined from a power balance based on the electropositive global (volume-averaged) model. A floating harmonic method was employed to measure ion fluxes and electron temperatures at the discharge wall. In the pressure range 5-50 mTorr, it was found that the measured ε T ranged from about 70 to 150 V for atomic gases, but from about 180 to 1300 V for molecular gases. This difference between atomic and molecular discharge is caused by additional collisional energy losses of molecular gases. For argon discharge, the stepwise ionization effect on ε T was observed at relatively high pressures. For different gases, the measured ε T was evaluated with respect to the electron temperature, and then compared with the calculation results, which were derived from collisional and kinetic energy loss. The measured ε T and their calculations showed reasonable agreement.

Congenital amusias.

Science.gov (United States)

Tillmann, B; Albouy, P; Caclin, A

2015-01-01

In contrast to the sophisticated music processing reported in the general population, individuals with congenital amusia show deficits in music perception and production. Congenital amusia occurs without brain damage, sensory or cognitive deficits, and has been suggested as a lifelong deficit with genetic origin. Even though recognized for a long time, this disorder has been systematically studied only relatively recently for its behavioral and neural correlates. The currently most investigated hypothesis about the underlying deficits concerns the pitch dimension, notably with impaired pitch discrimination and memory. Anatomic and functional investigations of pitch processing revealed that the amusic brain presents abnormalities in the auditory and inferior frontal cortices, associated with decreased connectivity between these structures. The deficit also impairs processing of pitch in speech material and processing of the time dimension in music for some of the amusic individuals, but does not seem to affect spatial processing. Some studies suggest at least partial dissociation in the disorder between perception and production. Recent studies revealed spared implicit pitch perception in congenital amusia, supporting the power of implicit cognition in the music domain. Current challenges consist in defining different subtypes of congenital amusia as well as developing rehabilitation programs for this "musical handicap." © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Old English Genesis and Milton's Paradise Lost: the characterisation of Satan

OpenAIRE

Ramazzina, Elisa

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine whether and to what extent the English poet John Milton may have been influenced in the composition of Paradise Lost by the Old English poem known as Genesis B. The paper will examine similarities and dif-ferences in the characterisation of Satan and of the temptation of Adam and Eve in both poems. The comparison between two of the illuminations of the Junius 11 ms. and the corresponding passages in Paradise Lost will be part of the analysis.

Love in Love’s Labour’s Lost: Ontological Foundation or Laughing Matter?

OpenAIRE

Mousley, Andy

2015-01-01

Love’s labour is often lost in Shakespeare’s (un)romantic comedy because love is folly and lovers, ridiculous. We know, however, that Shakespeare delights in paradoxes and reversals which alert us to the possibility of finding wisdom in folly and folly in self-professed wisdom. Given the insisted-upon interchangeability of wisdom and folly in Shakespeare’s plays, how can we be confident of being able to tell them apart? If lovers are foolish in Love’s Labour’s Lost then what wisdom might ther...

Fully Implanted Brain-Computer Interface in a Locked-In Patient with ALS.

Science.gov (United States)

Vansteensel, Mariska J; Pels, Elmar G M; Bleichner, Martin G; Branco, Mariana P; Denison, Timothy; Freudenburg, Zachary V; Gosselaar, Peter; Leinders, Sacha; Ottens, Thomas H; Van Den Boom, Max A; Van Rijen, Peter C; Aarnoutse, Erik J; Ramsey, Nick F

2016-11-24

Options for people with severe paralysis who have lost the ability to communicate orally are limited. We describe a method for communication in a patient with late-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), involving a fully implanted brain-computer interface that consists of subdural electrodes placed over the motor cortex and a transmitter placed subcutaneously in the left side of the thorax. By attempting to move the hand on the side opposite the implanted electrodes, the patient accurately and independently controlled a computer typing program 28 weeks after electrode placement, at the equivalent of two letters per minute. The brain-computer interface offered autonomous communication that supplemented and at times supplanted the patient's eye-tracking device. (Funded by the Government of the Netherlands and the European Union; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02224469 .).

Alpha Adrenergic Induction of Transport of Lysosomal Enzyme across the Blood-Brain Barrier.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akihiko Urayama

Full Text Available The impermeability of the adult blood-brain barrier (BBB to lysosomal enzymes impedes the ability to treat the central nervous system manifestations of lysosomal storage diseases. Here, we found that simultaneous stimulation of the alpha1 and alpha2 adrenoreceptor restores in adult mice the high rate of transport for the lysosomal enzyme P-GUS that is seen in neonates but lost with development. Beta adrenergics, other monoamines, and acetylcholine did not restore this transport. A high dose (500 microg/mouse of clonidine, a strong alpha2 and weak alpha1 agonist, was able to act as monotherapy in the stimulation of P-GUS transport. Neither use of alpha1 plus alpha2 agonists nor the high dose clonidine disrupted the BBB to albumin. In situ brain perfusion and immunohistochemistry studies indicated that adrengerics act on transporters already at the luminal surface of brain endothelial cells. These results show that adrenergic stimulation, including monotherapy with clonidine, could be key for CNS enzyme replacement therapy.

Lost working years due to mental disorders: an analysis of the Norwegian disability pension registry.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ann Kristin Knudsen

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: Mental disorders are prevalent diagnoses in disability benefit statistics, with awards often granted at younger age than for other diagnoses. We aimed to compare the number of lost working years following disability benefit award for mental disorders versus other diagnostic groups. METHODS: Data from the complete Norwegian official registry over disability benefit incidence, including primary diagnoses, were analyzed for the period 2001 to 2003 (N = 77,067, a time-period without any reform in the disability benefit scheme. Lost working years due to disability benefit award before scheduled age retirement at age 67 were calculated. RESULTS: Musculoskeletal disorders were the commonest reason for disability benefit awards (36.3% with mental disorders in second place (24.0%. However, mental disorders were responsible for the most working years lost (33.8% compared with musculoskeletal disorders (29.4%. Individuals awarded disability benefit for a mental disorder were on average 8.9 years younger (46.1 years than individuals awarded for a musculoskeletal disorder (55.0 years, and 6.9 years younger than individuals awarded for any other somatic disorder (53.0 years. Anxiety and depressive disorders were the largest contributors to lost working years within mental disorders. CONCLUSION: Age at award is highly relevant when the total burden of different diagnoses on disability benefits is considered. There is great disparity in total number of lost working years due to disability benefit award for different diagnostic groups. The high number of lost working years from mental disorders has serious consequences for both the individual and for the wider society and economy.

29 CFR 779.250 - Goods that have not lost their out-of-State identity.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Goods that have not lost their out-of-State identity. 779...-State identity. Goods which are purchased or received by the enterprise from within the State will be... and have not lost their identity as out-of-State goods before they are purchased or received by the...

27 CFR 25.282 - Beer lost by fire, theft, casualty, or act of God.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Beer lost by fire, theft... TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS BEER Refund or Adjustment of Tax or Relief From Liability § 25.282 Beer lost by fire, theft, casualty, or act of God. (a) General. The tax paid by...

Health care and lost productivity costs of overweight and obesity in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Lal, Anita; Moodie, Marj; Ashton, Toni; Siahpush, Mohammad; Swinburn, Boyd

2012-12-01

To estimate the costs of health care and lost productivity attributable to overweight and obesity in New Zealand (NZ) in 2006. A prevalence-based approach to costing was used in which costs were calculated for all cases of disease in the year 2006. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated based on the relative risks obtained from large cohort studies and the prevalence of overweight and obesity. For each disease, the PAF was multiplied by the total health care cost. The costs of lost productivity associated with premature mortality were estimated using both the Human Capital approach (HCA) and Friction Cost approach (FCA). Health care costs attributable to overweight and obesity were estimated to be NZ$686m or 4.5% of New Zealand's total health care expenditure in 2006. The costs of lost productivity using the FCA were estimated to be NZ$98m and NZ$225m using the HCA. The combined costs of health care and lost productivity using the FCA were $784m and $911m using the HCA. The cost burden of overweight and obesity in NZ is considerable. Policies and interventions are urgently needed to reduce the prevalence of obesity thereby decreasing these substantial costs. © 2012 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2012 Public Health Association of Australia.

Evaluation of a 99Tcm bound brain scanning agent for single photon emission computed tomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, A R; Hasselbalch, S G; Paulson, O B

1986-01-01

D,L HM-PAO-99Tcm (PAO) is a lipophilic tracer complex which is avidly taken up by the brain. We have compared the regional distribution of PAO with regional cerebral blood flow (CBF). CBF was measured by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) by Tomomatic 64 after 133Xe inhalation in 41...... patients. With the same SPECT the distribution of PAO was measured after intravenous injection. High resolution (HR) and low resolution (LR) studies were performed yielding a resolution of 6-10 mm (HR) and 15-20 mm (LR). PAO images showed close resemblance to 133Xe CBF tomograms. Only 20 per cent...... of the (decay corrected) brain counts were lost during 24 hours....

Brain Gain am Beispiel Österreich

Science.gov (United States)

Aschbacher, Christine; Gejguš, Mirko; Sablik, Jozef

2016-06-01

BrainGain is a common trend within the last ten years in Europe and all-over the world. Managers, key players and scientists are allowed to choose wherever they want to work in the world. As there is a lack of qualified individuals for companies and universities, BrainGain has become a necessity, and mostly - the higher educated individuals are moving away according to a better offer elsewhere in the world. Therefore, a lot of expats are moving around with their families. Many times, the lack of integration at the current place, country or city, is the critical success factor for staying or leaving. Furthermore, if the family does not feel happy in the current location, then the manager or scientist will move away or return home and the investment will be lost. Moreover, many students have received a good education in a state university, however afterwards they have not secured a satisfactory job in the country where they have studied, therefore they are moving away to utilise their know-how. Measures to retain the know-how include a common placement and a welcome-culture in the country, and also exchanges on an international level.

Frequency of Lost Dogs and Cats in the United States and the Methods Used to Locate Them

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, Emily; Slater, Margaret; Lord, Linda

2012-01-01

Simple Summary Dogs and cats are a common member of the family in homes across the US. No population-based data exist on the frequency of pets getting lost from the home and lost pets can be a source of human and animal suffering. Our primary objective was to determine the percentage of owned dogs and cats that were lost, and of these, what percentages of pets were recovered. We examined the recovery success for dogs compared to cats and the methods used as well as the relationship between lost or found pets and pet and owner demographics. While 15% of dog and cat owners lost their pets, dogs had higher recovery rates (93%) than cats (75%) as well as being returned using different search methods. Abstract A cross-sectional national random digit dial telephone interview was conducted between September and November 2010. There were 1,015 households that had owned a dog or cat within the past five years. Of these 817 households owned dogs and 506 owned cats. Fourteen percent of dogs (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 11–16%) and 15% (95% CI: 12–18%) of cats were lost in the past five years. No owner demographic variables were associated with losing a pet. Ninety three percent (95% CI: 86–97%) of dogs and 75% (95% CI: 64–85%) of cats were recovered. For dogs, searching the neighborhood and returning on their own were the most common methods of finding the dog; 14% were found through an identification tag. For cats, returning on their own was most common. Dogs were more likely than cats to be lost more than once. Cats were less likely than dogs to have any type of identification. Knowledge of the successful methods of finding dogs and cats can provide invaluable help for owners of lost pets. Since 25% of lost cats were not found, other methods of reuniting cats and their owners are needed. Collars and ID tags or humane trapping could be valuable approaches. PMID:26486923

Ship Track for Lost City 2005 - Office of Ocean Exploration

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Ship track of the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown during the "Lost City 2005" expedition sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of...

Visibly marked and microchipped lost dogs have a higher chance to find their owners in Belgrade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marijana Vučinić

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to analyse the demographic characteristics of lost and found dogs in Belgrade, Serbia. The demographic data concerning the 246 lost and 81 found dogs in the period of 5 consecutive years (January, 2009 to January 2014 was sampled and analysed from the data bases of four organizations for animal protection in Belgrade. The recovery rate of lost dogs and the chance to be reunited again with their owners was 33%. The highest recovery rate was estimated in the category of lost dogs with visible marks such as tags or collars (30%.The chi-square test disclosed that besides dogs with special visible marks, significantly more females, light colour coated, friendly/sociable and neutered dogs were reunited with their owners (P<0.0001.

Responses to lost letters about a 2000 General Election amendment to abolish prohibition of interracial marriages in Alabama.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridges, F Stephen; Keeton, Kato B; Clark, L Nicholle

2002-12-01

A field study using 621 "lost" letters was conducted in the city of Mobile and in small towns in mostly rural Baldwin County, Alabama. Milgram's lost letter technique was validated against the actual votes cast during the November 7, 2000 General Election. The technique was successful as an unobtrusive measure useful for predicting patterns of voting behavior. Rates of return of lost letters "in favor of and opposed to legalizing interracial marriage" agreed with the actual election returns (chi-square "goodness of fit"). Community size seemed associated with return of lost letters.

Hearing colors: an example of brain plasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Alfaro, Arantxa; Bernabeu, Ángela; Agulló, Carlos; Parra, Jaime; Fernández, Eduardo

2015-01-01

Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) are providing new ways for improving or replacing sensory abilities that have been lost due to disease or injury, and at the same time offer unprecedented opportunities to address how the nervous system could lead to an augmentation of its capacities. In this work we have evaluated a color-blind subject using a new visual-to-auditory SSD device called "Eyeborg", that allows colors to be perceived as sounds. We used a combination of neuroimaging techniques including Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) to study potential brain plasticity in this subject. Our results suggest that after 8 years of continuous use of this device there could be significant adaptive and compensatory changes within the brain. In particular, we found changes in functional neural patterns, structural connectivity and cortical topography at the visual and auditive cortex of the Eyeborg user in comparison with a control population. Although at the moment we cannot claim that the continuous use of the Eyeborg is the only reason for these findings, our results may shed further light on potential brain changes associated with the use of other SSDs. This could help to better understand how the brain adapts to several pathologies and uncover adaptive resources such as cross-modal representations. We expect that the precise understanding of these changes will have clear implications for rehabilitative training, device development and for more efficient programs for people with disabilities.

Hearing colors: An example of Brain Plasticity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ARANTXA eALFARO

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Sensory substitution devices are providing new ways for improving or replacing sensory abilities that have been lost due to disease or injury, and at the same time offer unprecedented opportunities to address how the nervous system could lead to an augmentation of its capacities. In this work we have evaluated a color-blind subject using a new visual-to-auditory sensory substitution device (SSD device called Eyeborg, that allows colors to be perceived as sounds. We used a combination of neuroimaging techniques including Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI and proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS to study potential brain plasticity in this subject. Our results suggest that after 8 years of continuous use of this device there could be significant adaptive and compensatory changes within the brain. In particular, we found changes in functional neural patterns, structural connectivity and cortical topography at the visual and auditive cortex of the Eyeborg user in comparison with a control population. Although at the moment we cannot claim that the continuous use of the Eyeborg is the only reason for these findings, our results may shed further light on potential brain changes associated with the use of other SSDs. This could help to better understand how the brain adapts to several pathologies and uncover adaptive resources such as cross-modal representations. We expect that the precise understanding of these changes will have clear implications for rehabilitative training, device development and for more efficient programs for people with disabilities.

Neurologic disorders, in-hospital deaths, and years of potential life lost in the USA, 1988-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenbaum, Benjamin P; Kelly, Michael L; Kshettry, Varun R; Weil, Robert J

2014-11-01

Premature mortality is a public health concern that can be quantified as years of potential life lost (YPLL). Studying premature mortality can help guide hospital initiatives and resource allocation. We investigated the categories of neurologic and neurosurgical conditions associated with in-hospital deaths that account for the highest YPLL and their trends over time. Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), we calculated YPLL for patients hospitalized in the USA from 1988 to 2011. Hospitalizations were categorized by related neurologic principal diagnoses. An estimated 2,355,673 in-hospital deaths accounted for an estimated 25,598,566 YPLL. The traumatic brain injury (TBI) category accounted for the highest annual mean YPLL at 361,748 (33.9% of total neurologic YPLL). Intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral ischemia, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and anoxic brain damage completed the group of five diagnoses with the highest YPLL. TBI accounted for 12.1% of all inflation adjusted neurologic hospital charges and 22.4% of inflation adjusted charges among neurologic deaths. The in-hospital mortality rate has been stable or decreasing for all of these diagnoses except TBI, which rose from 5.1% in 1988 to 7.8% in 2011. Using YPLL, we provide a framework to compare the burden of premature in-hospital mortality on patients with neurologic disorders, which may prove useful for informing decisions related to allocation of health resources or research funding. Considering premature mortality alone, increased efforts should be focused on TBI, particularly in and related to the hospital setting. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Brain Dead Patient Is Still Sentient: A Further Reply to Patrick Lee and Germain Grisez.

Science.gov (United States)

Austriaco, Nicanor Pier Giorgio

2016-06-01

Patrick Lee and Germain Grisez have argued that the total brain dead patient is still dead because the integrated entity that remains is not even an animal, not only because he is not sentient but also, and more importantly, because he has lost the radical capacity for sentience. In this essay, written from within and as a contribution to the Catholic philosophical tradition, I respond to Lee and Grisez's argument by proposing that the brain dead patient is still sentient because an animal with an intact but severed spinal cord can still perceive and respond to external stimuli. The brain dead patient is an unconscious sentient organism. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

32 CFR 310.50 - Lost, stolen, or compromised information.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Official for Privacy within 24 hours of discovering that a breach of personally identifiable information... Privacy Office of the breach within 48 hours upon being notified that a loss, theft, or compromise has... (CONTINUED) PRIVACY PROGRAM DOD PRIVACY PROGRAM Privacy Act Violations § 310.50 Lost, stolen, or compromised...

I love you with all my brain: laying aside the intellectually dull sword of biological determinism

OpenAIRE

Woodson, James C.

2012-01-01

Background: By organizing and activating our passions with both hormones and experiences, the heart and mind of sexual behavior, sexual motivation, and sexual preference is the brain, the organ of learning. Despite decades of progress, this incontrovertible truth is somehow lost in the far-too-often biologically deterministic interpretation of genetic, hormonal, and anatomical scientific research into the biological origins of sexual motivation. Simplistic and polarized arguments are used in ...

Disability-adjusted Life Years Lost to Ischemic Heart Disease in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández de Larrea-Baz, Nerea; Morant-Ginestar, Consuelo; Catalá-López, Ferrán; Gènova-Maleras, Ricard; Álvarez-Martín, Elena

2015-11-01

The health indicator disability-adjusted life years combines the fatal and nonfatal consequences of a disease in a single measure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the burden of ischemic heart disease in 2008 in Spain by calculating disability-adjusted life years. The years of life lost due to premature death were calculated using the ischemic heart disease deaths by age and sex recorded in the Spanish National Institute of Statistics and the life-table in the 2010 Global Burden of Disease study. The years lived with disability, calculated for acute coronary syndrome, stable angina, and ischemic heart failure, used hospital discharge data and information from population studies. Disability weights were taken from the 2010 Global Burden of Disease study. We calculated crude and age standardized rates (European Standard Population). Univariate sensitivity analyses were performed. In 2008, 539 570 disability-adjusted life years were lost due to ischemic heart disease in Spain (crude rate, 11.8/1000 population; standardized, 8.6/1000). Of the total years lost, 96% were due to premature death and 4% due to disability. Among the years lost due to disability, heart failure accounted for 83%, stable angina 15%, and acute coronary syndrome 2%. In the sensitivity analysis, weighting by age was the factor that changed the results to the greatest degree. Ischemic heart disease continues to have a huge impact on the health of our population, mainly because of premature death. The results of this study provide an overall vision of the epidemiologic situation in Spain and could serve as the basis for evaluating interventions targeting the acute and chronic manifestations of cardiac ischemia. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Smoking: An independent risk factor for lost productivity in chronic rhinosinusitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Adam P; Hoehle, Lloyd P; Phillips, Katie M; Caradonna, David S; Gray, Stacey T; Sedaghat, Ahmad R

2017-08-01

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is associated with a significant loss of patient productivity that costs billions of dollars every year. Smoking is associated with worsening sinonasal symptoms, but its effect on lost productivity in CRS patients has yet to be described. Therefore, we sought to determine the association between smoking and productivity in patients with CRS. Prospective cross-sectional cohort study of 140 patients with CRS. Sinonasal symptom severity was measured using the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcomes Test. Lost productivity was assessed by asking participants how many days of work and/or school they missed in the last 3 months due to CRS. Associations were sought between lost productivity and smoking. Participants missed a mean of 3.0 days (standard deviation = 12.8 days) of work or school due to CRS. Having any history of smoking was associated with 6 days of lost productivity due to CRS (adjusted β = 6.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64 to 11.77, P = .031). Although the number of active smokers in our study cohort was very small (N = 6), we performed a univariate association between smoking status, considering former smokers and active smokers separately, and found that active smoking (β = 11.75, 95% CI: 2.11 to 21.40, P = .018) had a much larger impact on CRS-related productivity loss than that experienced by former smokers (β = 4.45, 95% CI: -0.32 to 9.23, P = .070). Smoking (likely driven by active smoking) is independently associated with missed days of work or school in patients with CRS. Further study is needed to determine whether interventions directed at smoking may impact CRS-related productivity loss. 2c Laryngoscope, 127:1742-1745, 2017. © 2017 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Cost optimization in the (S-1,S) lost sales inventory model with multiple demand classes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kranenburg, A.A.; Houtum, van G.J.J.A.N.

2007-01-01

For the (S-1,S) lost sales inventory model with multiple demand classes that have different lost sales penalty cost parameters, three accurate and efficient heuristic algorithms are presented that, at a given base stock level, aim to find optimal values for the critical levels, i.e., values that

The cost of lost productivity due to premature cancer-related mortality: an economic measure of the cancer burden.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanly, Paul A; Sharp, Linda

2014-03-26

Most measures of the cancer burden take a public health perspective. Cancer also has a significant economic impact on society. To assess this economic burden, we estimated years of potential productive life lost (YPPLL) and costs of lost productivity due to premature cancer-related mortality in Ireland. All cancers combined and the 10 sites accounting for most deaths in men and in women were considered. To compute YPPLL, deaths in 5-year age-bands between 15 and 64 years were multiplied by average working-life expectancy. Valuation of costs, using the human capital approach, involved multiplying YPPLL by age-and-gender specific gross wages, and adjusting for unemployment and workforce participation. Sensitivity analyses were conducted around retirement age and wage growth, labour force participation, employment and discount rates, and to explore the impact of including household production and caring costs. Costs were expressed in €2009. Total YPPLL was lower in men than women (men = 10,873; women = 12,119). Premature cancer-related mortality costs were higher in men (men: total cost = €332 million, cost/death = €290,172, cost/YPPLL = €30,558; women: total cost = €177 million, cost/death = €159,959, cost/YPPLL = €14,628). Lung cancer had the highest premature mortality cost (€84.0 million; 16.5% of total costs), followed by cancers of the colorectum (€49.6 million; 9.7%), breast (€49.4 million; 9.7%) and brain & CNS (€42.4 million: 8.3%). The total economic cost of premature cancer-related mortality in Ireland amounted to €509.5 million or 0.3% of gross domestic product. An increase of one year in the retirement age increased the total all-cancer premature mortality cost by 9.9% for men and 5.9% for women. The inclusion of household production and caring costs increased the total cost to €945.7 million. Lost productivity costs due to cancer-related premature mortality are significant. The higher premature mortality cost in males than

Lost in localization: A solution with neuroinformatics 2.0?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Finn Årup

2009-01-01

The commentary by Derrfuss and Mar (Derrfuss, J., Mar, R.A., 2009. Lost in localization: The need for a universal coordinate database. NeuroImage, doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.053.) discusses some of the limitations of the present databases and calls for a universal coordinate database. Here I...

Years of life lost to incarceration: inequities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.

Science.gov (United States)

Owusu-Bempah, Akwasi; Kanters, Steve; Druyts, Eric; Toor, Kabirraaj; Muldoon, Katherine A; Farquhar, John W; Mills, Edward J

2014-06-11

Aboriginal representation in Canadian correctional institutions has increased rapidly over the past decade. We calculated "years of life lost to incarceration" for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. Incarceration data from provincial databases were used conjointly with demographic data to estimate rates of incarceration and years of life lost to provincial incarceration in (BC) and federal incarceration, by Aboriginal status. We used the Sullivan method to estimate the years of life lost to incarceration. Aboriginal males can expect to spend approximately 3.6 months in federal prison and within BC spend an average of 3.2 months in custody in the provincial penal system. Aboriginal Canadians on average spend more time in custody than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. The ratio of the Aboriginal incarceration rate to the non-Aboriginal incarceration rate ranged from a low of 4.28 in Newfoundland and Labrador to a high of 25.93 in Saskatchewan. Rates of incarceration at the provincial level were highest among Aboriginals in Manitoba with an estimated rate of 1377.6 individuals in prison per 100,000 population (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1311.8-1443.4). The results indicate substantial differences in life years lost to incarceration for Aboriginal versus non-Aboriginal Canadians. In light of on-going prison expansion in Canada, future research and policy attention should be paid to the public health consequences of incarceration, particularly among Aboriginal Canadians.

Ductile cast iron obtaining by Inmold method with use of LOST FOAM process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Pacyniak

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The possibility of manufacturing of ductile cast iron castings by Inmold method with use of LOST FOAM process was presented in this work. The spheroidization was carried out by magnesium master alloy in amounts of 1% casting mass. Nodulizer was located in the reactive chamber in the gating system made of foamed polystyrene. Pretests showed, that there are technical possibilities of manufacturing of casts from ductile cast iron in the LOST FOAM process with use of spheroidization in mould.

Tactics of brain abscess treatment in the CT era -experience, problems, prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kroo, M.; Cernoch, Z.; Rezac, O.

1987-01-01

26 brain abscesses are analyzed which were treated over a period of five years at the neurosurgical department of the medical faculty of Hradec Kralove (CS), i.e., in the years 1978 -1983. The analysis is focused on the degree to which CT (computerized tomography) affected not only the results but also the tactics of such therapy, which shifted to the benefit of less radical methods, i.e., puncture and drainage. In certain cases, of course, the radical method of excision with capsule cannot be avoided. In exceptional cases CT may be used for documenting the healing of a brain abscess, i.e., of the inflammation focus following conservative treatment with antibiotics only. Of the 26 patients only one was lost. A new problem is presented by very small abscesses in functionally valuable zones of the brain. Here the choice of tactics is more urgent than ever because the physician is concerned not only with saving the life of his patient but with saving the quality of his life. (author). 5 figs., 3 tabs., 18 refs

Paradise Lost: Introducing Students to Climate Change through Story

Science.gov (United States)

Bennon, Brady

2013-01-01

"This country has been the basis of my being. And when it's no longer there, you know, it's unthinkable." Ueantabo Mackenzie's haunting words in the PBS NOW documentary "Paradise Lost" shook the author. He knew he wanted to teach a unit on global warming, especially after participating in the Portland-area Rethinking Schools…

A consideration of the ethics of brain death--what are the ethical guidelines for physician, family and society in dealing with brain death?

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, C M

1985-06-01

There is at present considerable confusion with respect to ethical guidelines that should govern the behavior of society and the physician confronted by problems resulting from recent attainments of medicine and science. The use of life supporting devices raises the problem of determining when death has occurred and what is proper ethical procedure in dealing with the deficient half life caused by "Brain Death." Some guidance is obtained from a consideration of the nature of life, the nature of death, the nature of man, and the essence lost in death of man. A parallel consideration of the nature of ethics, the bases of ethics and of ethical decision can be helpful. An individual may have ideals which control behavior, even elevate ethical standards; others entertain concepts that destroy social ethics. Ethics control and direct social interactions; ethics determine the quality of social behavior--ethics are established by societies not by individuals. Numerous commissions have endeavored to define the requirements of physicians for diagnosing brain death and for appropriate subsequent actions. The rationales presented, however, are not invariably accepted by lay society. The problem is created by numerous trends. Among them are the "rightest" movement which, though possessing many virtues, has its excesses such as expressed in the "right to life movement." These have not been beneficial and have necessitated "right to death movements." Opposition is also due to the fact that society's concepts of the medical profession have changed. The practice of organ transplantation has created problems. Finally, the concept of death as other than evil is no longer generally accepted. As more biological manipulations are possible ever more difficult ethical problems will arise. It is a certainty, however, that when brain death has occurred life of man and that of the individual has ended. Although others might not agree, our ethic requires us to use life assist techniques to

Culture, mind, and the brain: current evidence and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitayama, Shinobu; Uskul, Ayse K

2011-01-01

Current research on culture focuses on independence and interdependence and documents numerous East-West psychological differences, with an increasing emphasis placed on cognitive mediating mechanisms. Lost in this literature is a time-honored idea of culture as a collective process composed of cross-generationally transmitted values and associated behavioral patterns (i.e., practices). A new model of neuro-culture interaction proposed here addresses this conceptual gap by hypothesizing that the brain serves as a crucial site that accumulates effects of cultural experience, insofar as neural connectivity is likely modified through sustained engagement in cultural practices. Thus, culture is "embrained," and moreover, this process requires no cognitive mediation. The model is supported in a review of empirical evidence regarding (a) collective-level factors involved in both production and adoption of cultural values and practices and (b) neural changes that result from engagement in cultural practices. Future directions of research on culture, mind, and the brain are discussed.

Smartphone lost - Privacy gone

CERN Multimedia

Computer Security Team

2012-01-01

Who doesn't own an iPhone, Android or Blackberry mobile phone today? Lucky you if you don’t! In previous issues (Issue 06/07, 2012 and Issue 32/33/34, 2011) we have pointed out their lack of security. But what happens if you lose your smartphone or it gets stolen?   Today, a smartphone clones your personality into the digital world. Your phone archives all your emails and messaging communications with your family, friends, peers and colleagues; contains photos and videos of the top moments of your life; holds your favourite music and movies and zillions of other bits of personal information stored in the apps of your choice (like GPS information of your jogging paths, a vault of your passwords, access to your Facebook or Twitter profiles, bank access information, flight and hotel bookings). In the future, your phone might also be used for making payments in shops. Have you ever thought of how you would feel if you lost your smartphone or it got stolen? Nak...

Light's labour's lost - policies for energy-efficient lighting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-06-29

When William Shakepeare wrote Love's Labour's Lost he would have used light from tallow candles at a cost (today) of 12,000 British pounds per million-lumen hours. The same amount of light from electric lamps now costs only 2 pounds! But today's low-cost illumination still has a dark side. Globally, lighting consumes more electricity than is produced by either hydro or nuclear power and results in CO2 emissions equivalent to two thirds of the world's cars. A standard incandescent lamp may be much more efficient than a tallow candle, but it is far less efficient than a high-pressure sodium lamp. Were inefficient light sources to be replaced by the equivalent efficient ones, global lighting energy demand would be up to 40% less at a lower overall cost. Larger savings still could be realised through the intelligent use of controls, lighting levels and daylight. But achieving efficient lighting is not just a question of technology; it requires policies to transform current practice. This book documents the broad range of policy measures to stimulate efficient lighting that have already been implemented around the world and suggests new ways these could be strengthened to prevent light's labour's from being lost.

Light's labour's lost - policies for energy-efficient lighting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

When William Shakepeare wrote Love's Labour's Lost he would have used light from tallow candles at a cost (today) of 12,000 British pounds per million-lumen hours. The same amount of light from electric lamps now costs only 2 pounds. But today's low-cost illumination still has a dark side. Globally, lighting consumes more electricity than is produced by either hydro or nuclear power and results in CO2 emissions equivalent to two thirds of the world's cars. A standard incandescent lamp may be much more efficient than a tallow candle, but it is far less efficient than a high-pressure sodium lamp. Were inefficient light sources to be replaced by the equivalent efficient ones, global lighting energy demand would be up to 40% less at a lower overall cost. Larger savings still could be realised through the intelligent use of controls, lighting levels and daylight. But achieving efficient lighting is not just a question of technology; it requires policies to transform current practice. This book documents the broad range of policy measures to stimulate efficient lighting that have already been implemented around the world and suggests new ways these could be strengthened to prevent light's labour's from being lost

Efficient Cargo Delivery into Adult Brain Tissue Using Short Cell-Penetrating Peptides.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caghan Kizil

Full Text Available Zebrafish brains can regenerate lost neurons upon neurogenic activity of the radial glial progenitor cells (RGCs that reside at the ventricular region. Understanding the molecular events underlying this ability is of great interest for translational studies of regenerative medicine. Therefore, functional analyses of gene function in RGCs and neurons are essential. Using cerebroventricular microinjection (CVMI, RGCs can be targeted efficiently but the penetration capacity of the injected molecules reduces dramatically in deeper parts of the brain tissue, such as the parenchymal regions that contain the neurons. In this report, we tested the penetration efficiency of five known cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs and identified two- polyR and Trans - that efficiently penetrate the brain tissue without overt toxicity in a dose-dependent manner as determined by TUNEL staining and L-Plastin immunohistochemistry. We also found that polyR peptide can help carry plasmid DNA several cell diameters into the brain tissue after a series of coupling reactions using DBCO-PEG4-maleimide-based Michael's addition and azide-mediated copper-free click reaction. Combined with the advantages of CVMI, such as rapidness, reproducibility, and ability to be used in adult animals, CPPs improve the applicability of the CVMI technique to deeper parts of the central nervous system tissues.

The Old English Genesis and Milton’s Paradise Lost: the characterisation of Satan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisa Ramazzina

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to determine whether and to what extent the English poet John Milton may have been influenced in the composition of Paradise Lost by the Old English poem known as Genesis B. The paper will examine similarities and dif-ferences in the characterisation of Satan and of the temptation of Adam and Eve in both poems. The comparison between two of the illuminations of the Junius 11 ms. and the corresponding passages in Paradise Lost will be part of the analysis.

The M/M/1 queue with inventory, lost sale and general lead times

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saffari, Mohammad; Asmussen, Søren; Haji, Rasoul

We consider an M/M/1 queueing system with inventory under the (r,Q) policy and with lost sales, in which demands occur according to a Poisson process and service times are exponentially distributed. All arriving customers during stockout are lost. We derive the stationary distributions of the joint...... queue length (number of customers in the system) and on-hand inventory when lead times are random variables and can take various distributions. The derived stationary distributions are used to formulate long-run average performance measures and cost functions in some numerical examples....

Lost by Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciacci, Luca; Reck, Barbara K; Nassar, N T; Graedel, T E

2015-08-18

In some common uses metals are lost by intent-copper in brake pads, zinc in tires, and germanium in retained catalyst applications being examples. In other common uses, metals are incorporated into products in ways for which no viable recycling approaches exist, examples include selenium in colored glass and vanadium in pigments. To determine quantitatively the scope of these "losses by design", we have assessed the major uses of 56 metals and metalloids, assigning each use to one of three categories: in-use dissipation, currently unrecyclable when discarded, or potentially recyclable when discarded. In-use dissipation affects fewer than a dozen elements (including mercury and arsenic), but the spectrum of elements dissipated increases rapidly if applications from which they are currently unrecyclable are considered. In many cases the resulting dissipation rates are higher than 50%. Among others, specialty metals (e.g., gallium, indium, and thallium) and some heavy rare earth elements are representative of modern technology, and their loss provides a measure of the degree of unsustainability in the contemporary use of materials and products. Even where uses are currently compatible with recycling technologies and approaches, end of life recycling rates are in most cases well below those that are potentially achievable. The outcomes of this research provide guidance in identifying product design approaches for reducing material losses so as to increase element recovery at end-of-life.

Braque and Kokoschka: Brain Tissue Injury and Preservation of Artistic Skill.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaidel, D W

2017-08-19

The neural underpinning of art creation can be gleaned following brain injury in professional artists. Any alteration to their artistic productivity, creativity, skills, talent, and genre can help understand the neural underpinning of art expression. Here, two world-renown and influential artists who sustained brain injury in World War I are the focus, namely the French artist Georges Braque and the Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka. Braque is particularly associated with Cubism, and Kokoschka with Expressionism. Before enlisting, they were already well-known and highly regarded. Both were wounded in the battlefield where they lost consciousness and treated in European hospitals. Braque's injury was in the left hemisphere while Kokoschka's was in the right hemisphere. After the injury, Braque did not paint again for nearly a whole year while Kokoschka commenced his artistic works when still undergoing hospital treatment. Their post-injury art retained the same genre as their pre-injury period, and their artistic skills, talent, creativity, and productivity remained unchanged. The quality of their post-injury artworks remained highly regarded and influential. These neurological cases suggest widely distributed and diffuse neural control by the brain in the creation of art.

Source Security Program in the Philippines: a lost source search experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romallosa, Kristine M.; Salabit, Maria T.; Caseria, Estrella; Valdezco, Eulinia

2008-01-01

The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), the national agency in the licensing and regulations of radioactive materials in the country, is strengthening its capabilities in the security of radioactive sources. Part of this program is the PNRI's participation in the Regional Security of Radioactive Sources (RSRS) Project of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO). The project has provided equipment and methods training, assistance in the development of PNRI's own training program and support for actual orphan source search activities. On May 2007, a source search for the two lost Cs-137 level gauges of a steel manufacturing company was conducted by the PNRI and ANSTO. The source search are the: a) Development of instrument and source search training for the team, the National Training Workshop on Orphan Source Searches which was organized and conducted as a result of train-the-trainors fellowship under the RSRS project; and b) Planning and implementation of the lost source search activity. The conduct of the actual search on warehouses, product yard, canals, dust storage, steel making building, scrap yards and nearby junk shops of the steel plant took one week. The week-long search did not find the lost sources. However, naturally occurring radioactive materials identified to be Thorium, were found on sands, bricks and sack piles that are stored and/or generally present in the warehouses, yard and steel making building. The search activity had therefore cleared the facility of the lost source and its corresponding hazards. The NORM found present in the plant's premises on the other hand brought the attention of the management of the needed measures to ensure safety of the staff from possible hazards of these materials. Currently, the course syllabus that was developed is continuously enhanced to accommodate the training needs of the PNRI staff particularly for the emergency response and preparedness. This component of the source

Time Trend of the People lost follow up on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART Services in Nepal: A Epidemiological Modelling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brijesh Sathian

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background: The real state about the spread of the HIV epidemic in Nepal is not clear since the details available are on the basis of repeated integrated biological and behavioral surveillance. Objective To study the trends of People lost follow up on ART in future. Material and methods: A retrospective study was carried out on the data collected from the Health ministry records of Nepal, between 2006 and 2012. Descriptive statistics and statistical modelling were used for the analysis and forecasting of data. Results: Including the constant term from the equation, the quadratic model was the best fit, for the forecasting of People lost follow up on ART. Using quadratic equation, it is estimated that 4331 reported number of People lost follow up on ART will be there in Nepal by the year 2020. Conclusion: The People lost follow up on ART in Nepal are having an increasing trend. Estimates of the total number of People lost follow up on ART attributable to the major routes of infection make an important contribution to public health policy. They can be used for the planning of healthcare services and for contributing to estimates of the future numbers with People lost follow up on ART used for planning health promotion programmes.

27 CFR 19.32 - Assessment of tax on spirits, denatured spirits, or wines in bond which are lost, destroyed or...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... spirits, denatured spirits, or wines in bond which are lost, destroyed or removed without authorization... spirits, denatured spirits, or wines in bond which are lost, destroyed or removed without authorization. When spirits, denatured spirits, or wines in bond are lost or destroyed (except spirits, denatured...

Subgroup differences in the lexical tone mismatch negativity (MMN) among Mandarin speakers with congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Nan, Yun; Huang, Wan-ting; Wang, Wen-jing; Liu, Chang; Dong, Qi

2016-01-01

The association/dissociation of pitch processing between music and language is a long lasting debate. We examined this music-language relationship by investigating to what extent pitch deficits in these two domains were dissociable. We focused on a special neurodevelopmental pitch disorder - congenital amusia, which primarily affects musical pitch processing. Recent research has also revealed lexical tone deficits in speech among amusics. Approximately one-third of Mandarin amusics exhibits behavioural difficulties in lexical tone perception, which is known as tone agnosia. Using mismatch negativities (MMNs), our current work probed lexical tone encoding at the pre-attentive level among the Mandarin amusics with (tone agnosics) and without (pure amusics) behavioural lexical tone deficits compared with age- and IQ-matched controls. Relative to the controls and the pure amusics, the tone agnosics exhibited reduced MMNs specifically in response to lexical tone changes. Their tone-consonant MMNs were intact and similar to those of the other two groups. Moreover, the tone MMN reduction over the left hemisphere was tightly linked to behavioural insensitivity to lexical tone changes. The current study thus provides the first psychophysiological evidence of subgroup differences in lexical tone processing among Mandarin amusics and links amusics' behavioural tone deficits to impaired pre-attentive tone processing. Despite the overall music pitch deficits, the subgroup differences in lexical tone processing in Mandarin-speaking amusics suggest dissociation of pitch deficits between music and speech. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lost but Not Forgotten: Finding Pages on the Unarchived Web

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huurdeman, H.C.; Kamps, J.; Samar, T.; de Vries, A.P.; Ben-David, A.; Rogers, R.A.

2015-01-01

Web archives attempt to preserve the fast changing web, yet they will always be incomplete. Due to restrictions in crawling depth, crawling frequency, and restrictive selection policies, large parts of the Web are unarchived and, therefore, lost to posterity. In this paper, we propose an approach to

Lost but not forgotten: finding pages on the unarchived web

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H.C. Huurdeman; J. Kamps; T. Samar (Thaer); A.P. de Vries (Arjen); A. Ben-David; R.A. Rogers (Richard)

2015-01-01

htmlabstractWeb archives attempt to preserve the fast changing web, yet they will always be incomplete. Due to restrictions in crawling depth, crawling frequency, and restrictive selection policies, large parts of the Web are unarchived and, therefore, lost to posterity. In this paper, we propose an

The Lost City Hydrothermal Field: A Spectroscopic and Astrobiological Analogue for Nili Fossae, Mars.

Science.gov (United States)

Amador, Elena S; Bandfield, Joshua L; Brazelton, William J; Kelley, Deborah

2017-11-01

Low-temperature serpentinization is a critical process with respect to Earth's habitability and the Solar System. Exothermic serpentinization reactions commonly produce hydrogen as a direct by-product and typically produce short-chained organic compounds indirectly. Here, we present the spectral and mineralogical variability in rocks from the serpentine-driven Lost City Hydrothermal Field on Earth and the olivine-rich region of Nili Fossae on Mars. Near- and thermal-infrared spectral measurements were made from a suite of Lost City rocks at wavelengths similar to those for instruments collecting measurements of the martian surface. Results from Lost City show a spectrally distinguishable suite of Mg-rich serpentine, Ca carbonates, talc, and amphibole minerals. Aggregated detections of low-grade metamorphic minerals in rocks from Nili Fossae were mapped and yielded a previously undetected serpentine exposure in the region. Direct comparison of the two spectral suites indicates similar mineralogy at both Lost City and in the Noachian (4-3.7 Ga) bedrock of Nili Fossae, Mars. Based on mapping of these spectral phases, the implied mineralogical suite appears to be extensive across the region. These results suggest that serpentinization was once an active process, indicating that water and energy sources were available, as well as a means for prebiotic chemistry during a time period when life was first emerging on Earth. Although the mineralogical assemblages identified on Mars are unlikely to be directly analogous to rocks that underlie the Lost City Hydrothermal Field, related geochemical processes (and associated sources of biologically accessible energy) were once present in the subsurface, making Nili Fossae a compelling candidate for a once-habitable environment on Mars. Key Words: Mars-Habitability-Serpentinization-Analogue. Astrobiology 17, 1138-1160.

Is Ecotourism Just Another Story of Paradise Lost?

OpenAIRE

English, Brian J.

2017-01-01

This paper uses Milton’s epic Paradise Lost as a metaphor to highlight the pitfalls of the label “ecotourism”. Critics of ecotourism view the label as a misnomer and an advertising ploy. Therefore, in order to provide a balanced perspective of ecotourism, this paper will review the definition of ecotourism, discuss the challenges of implementing successful ecotourism projects and provide some examples of ecotourism-gone-wrong. Since seeking economic benefits of increased tourism is contradict...

The orphaning experience: descriptions from Ugandan youth who have lost parents to HIV/AIDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ssebunnya Joshua

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract The HIV/AIDS epidemic has continued to pose significant challenges to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Millions of African children and youth have lost parents to HIV/AIDS leaving a generation of orphans to be cared for within extended family systems and communities. The experiences of youth who have lost parents to the HIV/AIDS epidemic provide an important ingress into this complex, evolving, multi-dimensional phenomenon. A fundamental qualitative descriptive study was conducted to develop a culturally relevant and comprehensive description of the experiences of orphanhood from the perspectives of Ugandan youth. A purposeful sample of 13 youth who had lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS and who were affiliated with a non-governmental organization providing support to orphans were interviewed. Youth orphaned by HIV/AIDS described the experience of orphanhood beginning with parental illness, not death. Several losses were associated with the death of a parent including lost social capitol, educational opportunities and monetary assets. Unique findings revealed that youth experienced culturally specific stigma and conflict which was distinctly related to their HIV/AIDS orphan status. Exploitation within extended cultural family systems was also reported. Results from this study suggest that there is a pressing need to identify and provide culturally appropriate services for these Ugandan youth prior to and after the loss of a parent(s.

27 CFR 25.286 - Claims for remission of tax on beer lost in transit between breweries.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... tax on beer lost in transit between breweries. 25.286 Section 25.286 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS BEER Refund or Adjustment of Tax or Relief From Liability § 25.286 Claims for remission of tax on beer lost in transit...

Temporal coding of brain patterns for direct limb control in humans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gernot Mueller-Putz

2010-06-01

Full Text Available For individuals with a high spinal cord injury (SCI not only the lower limbs, but also the upper extremities are paralyzed. A neuroprosthesis can be used to restore the lost hand and arm function in those tetraplegics. The main problem for this group of individuals, however, is the reduced ability to voluntarily operate device controllers. A Brain-Computer Interface provides a non-manual alternative to conventional input devices by translating brain activity patterns into control commands. We show that the temporal coding of individual mental imagery pattern can be used to control two independent degrees of freedom – grasp and elbow function - of an artificial robotic arm by utilizing a minimum number of EEG scalp electrodes. We describe the procedure from the initial screening to the final application. From eight naïve subjects participating on-line feedback experiments, four were able to voluntarily control an artificial arm by inducing one motor imagery pattern derived from one EEG derivation only.

Idabloki unustatud kino : Ülevaade konverentiskogumikust "Via Transversa : Lost Cinema of the Former Eastern Bloc" / Martin Oja

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Oja, Martin, 1978-

2009-01-01

2007. a. oktoobris Tallinnas toimunud konverentsi "Via Transversa : Lost Cinema of the Former Eastern Bloc" ettekannetel põhinevast kogumikust: Via Transversa : Lost Cinema of the Former Eastern Bloc / editors Eva Näripea, Andreas Trossek. Tallinn : Eesti Kunstiakadeemia, 2008. (Koht ja paik ; 7)

Pressing back: Split Britches' Lost Lounge and the retro performativity of lesbian performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Eschen, Nicole

2013-01-01

Using theories of affect and queer temporality, this article examines Split Britches' Lost Lounge as lesbian resistance to the pressures to remember or forget the past, condemn or embrace the future. In this piece, butch-femme duo Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver develop a retro performativity that pushes back against systems that strive to make lesbianism invisible, private, and apolitical. Through performances that resignify past pop culture artifacts, particularly the duo of Louis Prima and Keely Smith, Shaw and Weaver perform a past that is simultaneously lost and embodied, pressuring the audience to reconsider notions of progress and beauty.

U12 type introns were lost at multiple occasions during evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bartschat Sebastian

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Two categories of introns are known, a common U2 type and a rare U12 type. These two types of introns are removed by distinct spliceosomes. The phylogenetic distribution of spliceosomal RNAs that are characteristic of the U12 spliceosome, i.e. the U11, U12, U4atac and U6atac RNAs, suggest that U12 spliceosomes were lost in many phylogenetic groups. We have now examined the distribution of U2 and U12 introns in many of these groups. Results U2 and U12 introns were predicted by making use of available EST and genomic sequences. The results show that in species or branches where U12 spliceosomal components are missing, also U12 type of introns are lacking. Examples are the choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis, Entamoeba histolytica, green algae, diatoms, and the fungal lineage Basidiomycota. Furthermore, whereas U12 splicing does not occur in Caenorhabditis elegans, U12 introns as well as U12 snRNAs are present in Trichinella spiralis, which is deeply branching in the nematode tree. A comparison of homologous genes in T. spiralis and C. elegans revealed different mechanisms whereby U12 introns were lost. Conclusions The phylogenetic distribution of U12 introns and spliceosomal RNAs give further support to an early origin of U12 dependent splicing. In addition, this distribution identifies a large number of instances during eukaryotic evolution where such splicing was lost.

Theoretical Compartment Modeling of DCE-MRI Data Based on the Transport across Physiological Barriers in the Brain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Fanea

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Neurological disorders represent major causes of lost years of healthy life and mortality worldwide. Development of their quantitative interdisciplinary in vivo evaluation is required. Compartment modeling (CM of brain data acquired in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging techniques with clinically available contrast agents can be performed to quantitatively assess brain perfusion. Transport of 1H spins in water molecules across physiological compartmental brain barriers in three different pools was mathematically modeled and theoretically evaluated in this paper and the corresponding theoretical compartment modeling of dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI data was analyzed. The pools considered were blood, tissue, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF. The blood and CSF data were mathematically modeled assuming continuous flow of the 1H spins in these pools. Tissue data was modeled using three CMs. Results in this paper show that transport across physiological brain barriers such as the blood to brain barrier, the extracellular space to the intracellular space barrier, or the blood to CSF barrier can be evaluated quantitatively. Statistical evaluations of this quantitative information may be performed to assess tissue perfusion, barriers' integrity, and CSF flow in vivo in the normal or disease-affected brain or to assess response to therapy.

Years of life lost due to infectious diseases in Poland

Science.gov (United States)

Bryla, Marek; Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk, Elzbieta; Bryla, Pawel; Pikala, Malgorzata

2017-01-01

Purpose An evaluation of mortality due to infectious diseases in Poland in 1999–2012 and an analysis of standard expected years of life lost due to the above diseases. Methods The study material included a database created on the basis of 5,219,205 death certificates of Polish inhabitants, gathered between 1999 and 2012 and provided by the Central Statistical Office. Crude Death Rates (CDR), Standardized Death Rates (SDR) and Standard Expected Years of Life Lost (SEYLL) due to infectious and parasitic diseases were also evaluated in the study period as well as Standard Expected Years of Life Lost per living person (SEYLLp) and Standard Expected Years of Life Lost per dead person (SEYLLd). Time trends were evaluated with the application of joinpoint models and an annual percentage change in their values. Results Death certificates report that 38,261 people died due to infectious diseases in Poland in the period 1999–2012, which made up 0.73% of the total number of deaths. SDR caused by these diseases decreased, particularly in the male group: Annual Percentage Change (APC = -1.05; 95% CI:-2.0 to -0.2; p<0.05). The most positive trends were observed in mortality caused by tuberculosis (A15-A19) (APC = -5.40; 95% CI:-6.3 to -4.5; p<0.05) and also meningitis, encephalitis, myelitis and encephalomyelitis (G03-G04) (APC = -3.42; 95% CI:-4.7 to -2.1; p<0.05). The most negative mortality trends were observed for intestinal infectious diseases (A00-A09) Annual Average Percentage Change (AAPC = 7.3; 95% CI:3.1 to 11.7; p<0.05). SDR substantially decreased in the first half of the study period, but then significantly increased in the second half. Infectious and parasitic diseases contributed to a loss of around 37,000 standard expected years of life in 1999 and more than 28,000 in 2012. During the study period, the SEYLLp index decreased from 9.59 to 7.39 per 10,000 population and the SEYLLd index decreased from 14.26 to 10.34 years (AAPC = 2.3; 95% CI:-2,9 to -1.7; p<0

Deeply-sourced formate fuels sulfate reducers but not methanogens at Lost City hydrothermal field.

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Susan Q; Früh-Green, Gretchen L; Bernasconi, Stefano M; Brazelton, William J; Schrenk, Matthew O; McGonigle, Julia M

2018-01-15

Hydrogen produced during water-rock serpentinization reactions can drive the synthesis of organic compounds both biotically and abiotically. We investigated abiotic carbon production and microbial metabolic pathways at the high energy but low diversity serpentinite-hosted Lost City hydrothermal field. Compound-specific 14 C data demonstrates that formate is mantle-derived and abiotic in some locations and has an additional, seawater-derived component in others. Lipids produced by the dominant member of the archaeal community, the Lost City Methanosarcinales, largely lack 14 C, but metagenomic evidence suggests they cannot use formate for methanogenesis. Instead, sulfate-reducing bacteria may be the primary consumers of formate in Lost City chimneys. Paradoxically, the archaeal phylotype that numerically dominates the chimney microbial communities appears ill suited to live in pure hydrothermal fluids without the co-occurrence of organisms that can liberate CO 2 . Considering the lack of dissolved inorganic carbon in such systems, the ability to utilize formate may be a key trait for survival in pristine serpentinite-hosted environments.

An Analytical Study of Tools and Techniques for Movie Marketing

OpenAIRE

Maik, Garima; Guptha, Ch. Abhinav

2014-01-01

Abstract. Bollywood or Hindi movie industry is one of the fastest growing sector in the media and entertainment space creating numerous business and employment opportunities. Movies in India are a major source of entertainment for all sects of society. They not only face competition from other movie industries and movies but from other source of entertainment such as adventure sports, amusement parks, theatre and drama, pubs and discothèques. A lot of man power, man hours, creative brains, an...

Remittances in the Republic of Moldova:Lost opportunities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel CHISTRUGA

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The article covers the problem of the relationship between remittances and economic growth as well as the use of remittances for productive investment in order to contribute to long-run development. Also, there are given some stylized facts of remittances in the Republic of Moldova and their impact over the national economy. Because of its business and investment climate, because of its financial system and macroeconomic policies that were conducted, Moldova has lost almost all opportunities to benefit from remittances.

Notes from the Lost Property Department. Bridget Pitt. Cape Town ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

as a loss of motor-skills and memory, and changes in behaviour. Bridget Pitt's Notes from the Lost Property Department (2015) is primarily concerned with the ways in which these invisible wounds cause dis- junctions in personal identity and fissures in relationships. ... together her cracked sense of self, all the time keeping ...

Paradise Lost: Difference between Adam and Eve’s Lament on Leaving Paradise - A Contrastive Analysis

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Sara Torres Servín

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The difference between Adam and Eve’s lament on leaving Paradise in Milton’s Paradise Lost is striking in its contrastive content and depth. This paper analyzes the difference that exists between the feelings and spiritual attitudes that Adam and Eve express on the occasion when they are informed by the angel Michael that they have to abandon the Garden of Eden. It is a comparison of their lament in order to understand the contrast of the two attitudes that Milton wove in the tapestry that Paradise Lost is. The paper also explores male and female roles in Paradise Lost and concludes that Adam and Eve are equal yet different, that difference being the cause of their contrastive ways of expressing their sorrow. Adam and Eve manifest two contrastive worldviews in opposition, one spiritual (heavenly, and the other material (earthly.

Transition of Japanese commercial space: What has been lost from the commercial space?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fujioka Tatsuma

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper compares the types of two commercial spaces in modern Japan, shopping mall and “traditional” shopping district called Shotengai, from the viewpoint of commercial space as the third space in the city. Particularly in the discourse of commercial spaces in Japan, "shopping district" has been portrayed tied to nostalgia. Therefore, the transition of commercial space is always accompanied by a discourse of the" Lost." However, there is no unified opinion about what's been lost in the process of this transition in fact. In this paper, we extract the social category by considering focus on discourse for both places. As a specific object I use to target the research papers and journal articles in Japan. Because these documents are discussed by distinct main thesis and based on specific data, I adopt these materials. After extraction of social category, through the comparison of the two discourses, I reveal what kind of nature is the "Lost" at the commercial spaces as the third place in the city. I also discuss how this change is related the changes in Japanese social relationship and community.

[Research of controlling of smart home system based on P300 brain-computer interface].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jinjia; Yang, Chengjie

2014-08-01

Using electroencephalogram (EEG) signal to control external devices has always been the research focus in the field of brain-computer interface (BCI). This is especially significant for those disabilities who have lost capacity of movements. In this paper, the P300-based BCI and the microcontroller-based wireless radio frequency (RF) technology are utilized to design a smart home control system, which can be used to control household appliances, lighting system, and security devices directly. Experiment results showed that the system was simple, reliable and easy to be populirised.

Motor-related brain activity during action observation: a neural substrate for electrocorticographic brain-computer interfaces after spinal cord injury

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer L Collinger

2014-02-01

Full Text Available After spinal cord injury (SCI, motor commands from the brain are unable to reach peripheral nerves and muscles below the level of the lesion. Action observation, in which a person observes someone else performing an action, has been used to augment traditional rehabilitation paradigms. Similarly, action observation can be used to derive the relationship between brain activity and movement kinematics for a motor-based brain-computer interface (BCI even when the user cannot generate overt movements. BCIs use brain signals to control external devices to replace functions that have been lost due to SCI or other motor impairment. Previous studies have reported congruent motor cortical activity during observed and overt movements using magnetoencephalography (MEG and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI. Recent single-unit studies using intracortical microelectrodes also demonstrated that a large number of motor cortical neurons had similar firing rate patterns between overt and observed movements. Given the increasing interest in electrocorticography (ECoG-based BCIs, our goal was to identify whether action observation-related cortical activity could be recorded using ECoG during grasping tasks. Specifically, we aimed to identify congruent neural activity during observed and executed movements in both the sensorimotor rhythm (10-40 Hz and the high-gamma band (65-115 Hz which contains significant movement-related information. We observed significant motor-related high-gamma band activity during action observation in both able-bodied individuals and one participant with a complete C4 SCI. Furthermore, in able-bodied participants, both the low and high frequency bands demonstrated congruent activity between action execution and observation. Our results suggest that action observation could be an effective and critical procedure for deriving the mapping from ECoG signals to intended movement for an ECoG-based BCI system for individuals with

Out of Africa: misrepresenting Sudan’s ‘Lost Boys’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brandy Witthoft

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The US media has taken an intense interest in the experience of a relatively small group of young males who walked from South Sudan to Ethiopia, spent up to a decade in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya and were eventually re-settled in the USA in 2001. What is behind the celebrity status – and the cultural misunderstanding – of those dubbed the ‘Lost Boys’?

Paradise Lost Dressed in the Costume of History: John Martin’s Rendition of Paradise Lost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laleh Atashi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The story of the loss of paradise has been read and interpreted in different ages. Commentary on Milton's Paradise Lost is not limited to verbal texts; painters and illustrators have contributed greatly to the poem by presenting their own time-bound readings and interpretations of the poem through their illustrations that are far beyond mere decorations. John Martin, in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution, deletes the Father and the Son from his illustrations. Only angels such as Raphael are the representations of deity and are as powerless and tiny as Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve, after the Fall seem as small, powerless and as subjugated to the natural surrounding as they were before the Fall. Satan is the only powerful figure in his elegant palace. Through a new historical outlook, the researchers aim at exposing the workings of ideology and dominant discourses that informed John Martin's pictorial reading of Milton's poem in the early 19th century

27 CFR 19.41 - Claims on spirits, denatured spirits, articles, or wines lost or destroyed in bond.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

..., denatured spirits, articles, or wines lost or destroyed in bond. 19.41 Section 19.41 Alcohol, Tobacco... DISTILLED SPIRITS PLANTS Taxes Claims § 19.41 Claims on spirits, denatured spirits, articles, or wines lost..., relating to the destruction or loss of spirits, denatured spirits, articles, or wines in bond, shall be...

Search methods that people use to find owners of lost pets.

Science.gov (United States)

Lord, Linda K; Wittum, Thomas E; Ferketich, Amy K; Funk, Julie A; Rajala-Schultz, Päivi J

2007-06-15

To characterize the process by which people who find lost pets search for the owners. Cross-sectional study. Sample Population-188 individuals who found a lost pet in Dayton, Ohio, between March 1 and June 30, 2006. Procedures-Potential participants were identified as a result of contact with a local animal agency or placement of an advertisement in the local newspaper. A telephone survey was conducted to identify methods participants used to find the pets' owners. 156 of 188 (83%) individuals completed the survey. Fifty-nine of the 156 (38%) pets were reunited with their owners; median time to reunification was 2 days (range, 0.5 to 45 days). Only 1 (3%) cat owner was found, compared with 58 (46%) dog owners. Pet owners were found as a result of information provided by an animal agency (25%), placement of a newspaper advertisement (24%), walking the neighborhood (19%), signs in the neighborhood (15%), information on a pet tag (10%), and other methods (7%). Most finders (87%) considered it extremely important to find the owner, yet only 13 (8%) initially surrendered the found pet to an animal agency. The primary reason people did not surrender found pets was fear of euthanasia (57%). Only 97 (62%) individuals were aware they could run a found-pet advertisement in the newspaper at no charge, and only 1 person who was unaware of the no-charge policy placed an advertisement. Veterinarians and shelters can help educate people who find lost pets about methods to search for the pets' owners.

Behavior outcome after ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, with similar brain damage, in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Mestriner, Régis Gemerasca; Miguel, Patrícia Maidana; Bagatini, Pamela Brambilla; Saur, Lisiani; Boisserand, Lígia Simões Braga; Baptista, Pedro Porto Alegre; Xavier, Léder Leal; Netto, Carlos Alexandre

2013-05-01

Stroke causes disability and mortality worldwide and is divided into ischemic and hemorrhagic subtypes. Although clinical trials suggest distinct recovery profiles for ischemic and hemorrhagic events, this is not conclusive due to stroke heterogeneity. The aim of this study was to produce similar brain damage, using experimental models of ischemic (IS) and hemorrhagic (HS) stroke and evaluate the motor spontaneous recovery profile. We used 31 Wistar rats divided into the following groups: Sham (n=7), ischemic (IS) (n=12) or hemorrhagic (HS) (n=12). Brain ischemia or hemorrhage was induced by endotelin-1 (ET-1) and collagenase type IV-S (collagenase) microinjections, respectively. All groups were evaluated in the open field, cylinder and ladder walk behavioral tests at distinct time points as from baseline to 30 days post-surgery (30 PS). Histological and morphometric analyses were used to assess the volume of lost tissue and lesion length. Present results reveal that both forms of experimental stroke had a comparable long-term pattern of damage, since no differences were found in volume of tissue lost or lesion size 30 days after surgery. However, behavioral data showed that hemorrhagic rats were less impaired at skilled walking than ischemic ones at 15 and 30 days post-surgery. We suggest that experimentally comparable stroke design is useful because it reduces heterogeneity and facilitates the assessment of neurobiological differences related to stroke subtypes; and that spontaneous skilled walking recovery differs between experimental ischemic and hemorrhagic insults. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Disrupted Nodal and Hub Organization Account for Brain Network Abnormalities in Parkinson's Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Koshimori, Yuko; Cho, Sang-Soo; Criaud, Marion; Christopher, Leigh; Jacobs, Mark; Ghadery, Christine; Coakeley, Sarah; Harris, Madeleine; Mizrahi, Romina; Hamani, Clement; Lang, Anthony E; Houle, Sylvain; Strafella, Antonio P

2016-01-01

The recent application of graph theory to brain networks promises to shed light on complex diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to investigate functional changes in sensorimotor and cognitive networks in Parkinsonian patients, with a focus on inter- and intra-connectivity organization in the disease-associated nodal and hub regions using the graph theoretical analyses. Resting-state functional MRI data of a total of 65 participants, including 23 healthy controls (HCs) and 42 patients, were investigated in 120 nodes for local efficiency, betweenness centrality, and degree. Hub regions were identified in the HC and patient groups. We found nodal and hub changes in patients compared with HCs, including the right pre-supplementary motor area (SMA), left anterior insula, bilateral mid-insula, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and right caudate nucleus. In general, nodal regions within the sensorimotor network (i.e., right pre-SMA and right mid-insula) displayed weakened connectivity, with the former node associated with more severe bradykinesia, and impaired integration with default mode network regions. The left mid-insula also lost its hub properties in patients. Within the executive networks, the left anterior insular cortex lost its hub properties in patients, while a new hub region was identified in the right caudate nucleus, paralleled by an increased level of inter- and intra-connectivity in the bilateral DLPFC possibly representing compensatory mechanisms. These findings highlight the diffuse changes in nodal organization and regional hub disruption accounting for the distributed abnormalities across brain networks and the clinical manifestations of PD.

Years of Life Lost Due to External Causes of Death in the Lodz Province, Poland

Science.gov (United States)

Pikala, Malgorzata; Bryla, Marek; Bryla, Pawel; Maniecka-Bryla, Irena

2014-01-01

Background The aim of the study is the analysis of years of life lost due to external causes of death, particularly due to traffic accidents and suicides. Materials and Methods The study material includes a database containing information gathered from 376,281 death certificates of inhabitants of the Lodz province who died between 1999 and 2010. The Lodz province is characterized by the highest mortality rates in Poland. The SEYLLp (Standard Expected Years of Life Lost per living person) and the SEYLLd (per death) indices were used to determine years of life lost. Joinpoint models were used to analyze time trends. Results In 2010, deaths due to external causes constituted 6.0% of the total number of deaths. The standardized death rate (SDR) due to external causes was 110.0 per 100,000 males and was five times higher than for females (22.0 per 100,000 females). In 2010, the SEYLLp due to external causes was 3746 per 100,000 males and 721 per 100,000 females. Among males, suicides and traffic accidents were the most common causes of death (the values of the SEYLLp were: 1098 years and 887 years per 100,000 people, respectively). Among females, the SEYLLp values were 183 years due to traffic accidents and 143 years due to suicides (per 100,000 people). Conclusions A decrease in the number of years of life lost due to external causes is much higher among females. The authors observe that a growing number of suicides contribute to an increase in the value of the SEYLLp index. This directly contributes to over-mortality of males due to external causes. The analysis of the years of life lost focuses on the social and economic aspects of premature mortality due to external causes. PMID:24810942

Lost life years due to premature deaths caused by diseases of the digestive system in Poland in 2013

Science.gov (United States)

Paciej, Paulina; Ciabiada, Beata; Maniecka-Bryła, Irena

In order to evaluate the health status of a population, besides indicators measuring the incidence of diseases and deaths, potential measures are becoming more frequently used, ie. measures that take into account life-time potential of the individuals in the population. They can particularly by applied to analyse the problem of premature mortality, which is measured by lost life years. The aim of the study was to evaluate life years lost due to diseases of digestive system in Polish population in 2013. The study was based on a dataset containing 387,312 death certificates of Poles who died in 2013, provided by the Central Statistical Office in Poland. Data on deaths caused by diseases of digestive system (K00-K93 by ICD-10) were used in the study – that were 16,543 records (4.3% of all the deaths). Lost life years were assessed with the measures: SEYLL (Standard Expected Years of Life Lost), SEYLLp (Standard Expected Years of Life Lost per living person), SEYLLd (Standard Expected Years of Life Lost per death). In the analysed year among men there were 9,275 deaths caused by diseases of digestive system and in women 7,268 deaths. SEYLL in the group of men amounted to 102 230.7 and in the group of women it was 53,475.5. The number of lost life years calculated per 10 000 male inhabitants was 54.9, and for 10,000 females it was 26.9. The highest share in lost life years had alcoholic liver disease (SEYLLp for men – 20.87, for women – 6.1), fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver (SEYLLp for men- 9.7, for women- 5.6) and acute pancreatitis (SEYLLp for men – 5.3, for women – 2.1). The results of the study indicate that diseases of digestive system have an important contribution to the loss of life-time potential in Polish population (6.6% of all SEYLL in 2013). The dominant role in this class of diseases played alcoholic liver disease – K70, fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver – K74 and acute pancreatitis – K85.

The lost children.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, S

1999-03-01

Women who have lost children to perinatal complications, are subjected to pain and grief continuously; however their agony increases on remembrance days such as birthdate, or on Mother's Day. Fathers, siblings and grandparents suffer too. Common disorders of pregnancy, such as pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), or the more serious pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, or eclampsia, can lead to devastating effects such as miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death; or at the very least, a sick infant. With many of these consequences, the loss of the dreams, hopes and plans that parents have made is imminent. The investigation of the psychosocial aspects of 'high-risk' pregnancy has never been fully addressed. However, the threat of loss, or the actual experience, may provoke the onset of a potential psychological crisis during the perinatal period. Therefore, it is important that these issues be addressed by the nurse in order to aid the development of coping mechanisms to enable women and their families to deal with what may happen. This may be done by predicting the stages of the bereavement process experienced by these women and their family members, as outlined in the Kubler-Ross model of bereavement (1969), which is indicative of many types of grief reactions. Other issues including the restriction in activity, uncertainty of pregnancy outcomes, disruption in work or career activities, financial strains, and reduced labour and birthing options, become concerns for high-risk pregnant women. The way women deal with these issues and the pathways nurses can take to help these women develop effective coping strategies, will be addressed also.

Design, Development and Testing of a Drillable Straddle Packer for Lost Circulation Control in Geothermal Drilling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gabaldon, J.; Glowka, D.A.; Gronewald, P.; Knudsen, S.D.; Raymond, D.W.; Staller, G.E.; Westmoreland, J.J.; Whitlow, G.L.; Wise, J.L.; Wright, E.K.

1999-04-01

Lost Circulation is a widespread problem encountered when drilling geothermal wells, and often represents a substantial portion of the cost of drilling a well. The U.S. Department of Energy sponsors research and development work at Sandia National Laboratories in an effort to reduce these lost circulation expenditures. Sandia has developed a down hole tool that improves the effectiveness and reduces th cost of lost circulation cement treatment while drilling geothermal wells. This tool, the Drillable Straddle Packer, is a low-cost disposable device that is used to isolate the loss zone and emplace the cement treatment directly into the region of concern. This report documents the design and development of the Drillabe Straddle Packer, the laboratory and field test results, and the design package that is available to transfer this technology to industry users.

Lost and Found, Letters and Methods: Assessing Attitudes toward Chiropractic and Medical Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannah Kern

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Attitudes toward traditional and chiropractic medicine were compared using Milgram's lost letter technique. A total of 192 letters were placed on the windshields of vehicles in parking lots at six restaurants and department stores in each of four quadrants of a medium-sized, Southeastern city. These letters were addressed to "Admissions" at either a fictitious Institute of Medicine or Institute of Chiropractic Care. Return addresses included either a male or a female name. Thus, those who found a lost letter were faced with the option of returning or not returning a letter from either a male or a female, addressed to an Institute of traditional or non-traditional medicine. After examining previous studies which had used the lost letter technique, numerous methodological improvements were implemented. For example, letters were randomly assigned to potential drop spots for each of 24 study locations (six study locations in each of four city quadrants, and a Latin square design was used to control for possible order effects in the four study conditions that were implemented. Nearly 65% of the letters (124 of 192 were returned. We found: 1 letters addressed to a fictitious Institute of Chiropractic Care were just as likely to be returned as those addressed to a fictitious Institute of Medicine; 2 letters with female return addresses were as likely to be returned as those with male return addresses; 3 there was no interaction between study conditions; 4 based on what was essentially a replication study, a comparison of the pattern of returns using the first and second cycle of lost letters (n = 96 for each cycle revealed an equivalent pattern of no-difference findings. DOI: 10.2458/azu_jmmss.v1i1.78

Life years lost among patients with a given disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Per Kragh

2017-01-01

A number of suggested measures of life years lost among patients with a given disease are reviewed, and some new ones are proposed. The methods are all phrased in the framework of a (Markov or non-Markov) illness-death model in combination with a population life table. The methods are illustrated...... using data on Danish male patients with bipolar disorder, and some recommendations are given. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd....

Two replenishment strategies for the lost sales inventory model: a comparison

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Donselaar, van K.H.; Kok, de A.G.; Rutten, W.G.M.M.

1996-01-01

For the lost sales inventory system we distinguish two different replenishment strategies. The simplest strategy is the classical ‘fixed reorder level’ replenishment rule: every period the inventory position in the system is raised up to a fixed quantity S. For this simple strategy we derive and

Matthew's Messianic Shepherd-king: In search of “the lost sheep of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

p1243322

the Messianic Shepherd-King expectation with its attending expectations for territorial ... Messianic Shepherd-King: In Search of the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel. September. 2007. Berlin: De Gruyter. ...... Exile in the early. Persian Period”.

Lost Souls? The Demoralization of Academic Labour in the Measured University

Science.gov (United States)

Sutton, Paul

2017-01-01

In this conceptual paper, I contend that the soul of academic labour is becoming lost in performativity. Performativity, I explain, is a form of regulation and control that deploys technical rationality and judgements to incentivize and punish academics. Indeed, performativity is central to the culture of measurement within contemporary…

DIGITAL MARKETING FOR FOREIGN MARKETS. CASE: LOST IN KAJAANI

OpenAIRE

Akhmetyanova, Yulia

2016-01-01

Different marketing researches report that participation in adventure races had grown over the last 2-3 years. However, adventure races have received relatively little attention in academic literature. The focus of existing studies in this field tends to be on accidents or medical issues. At the same time social media networks have become popular. The purpose of this thesis was to describe how increased social media activity would affect awareness of the Lost in Kajaani (LiK) adventure race. ...

Understanding reasons for and outcomes of patients lost to follow-up in antiretroviral therapy programs in Africa through a sampling-based approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Elvin H; Bangsberg, David R; Musinguzi, Nicolas; Emenyonu, Nneka; Bwana, Mwebesa Bosco; Yiannoutsos, Constantin T; Glidden, David V; Deeks, Steven G; Martin, Jeffrey N

2010-03-01

Losses to follow-up after initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) are common in Africa and are a considerable obstacle to understanding the effectiveness of nascent treatment programs. We sought to characterize, through a sampling-based approach, reasons for and outcomes of patients who become lost to follow-up. Cohort study. We searched for and interviewed a representative sample of lost patients or close informants in the community to determine reasons for and outcomes among lost patients. Three thousand six hundred twenty-eight HIV-infected adults initiated ART between January 1, 2004 and September 30, 2007 in Mbarara, Uganda. Eight hundred twenty-nine became lost to follow-up (cumulative incidence at 1, 2, and 3 years of 16%, 30%, and 39%). We sought a representative sample of 128 lost patients in the community and ascertained vital status in 111 (87%). Top reasons for loss included lack of transportation or money and work/child care responsibilities. Among the 111 lost patients who had their vital status ascertained through tracking, 32 deaths occurred (cumulative 1-year incidence 36%); mortality was highest shortly after the last clinic visit. Lower pre-ART CD4 T-cell count, older age, low blood pressure, and a central nervous system syndrome at the last clinic visit predicted deaths. Of patients directly interviewed, 83% were in care at another clinic and 71% were still using ART. Sociostructural factors are the primary reasons for loss to follow-up. Outcomes among the lost are heterogeneous: both deaths and transfers to other clinics were common. Tracking a sample of lost patients is an efficient means for programs to understand site-specific reasons for and outcomes among patients lost to follow-up.

Disrupted nodal and hub organization account for brain network abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuko Koshimori

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The recent application of graph theory to brain networks promises to shed light on complex diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. This study aimed to investigate functional changes in sensorimotor and cognitive networks in parkinsonian patients, with a focus on inter- and intra-connectivity organization in the disease-associated nodal and hub regions using the graph theoretical analyses. Resting-state functional MRI data of a total of 65 participants, including 23 healthy controls and 42 patients, were investigated in 120 nodes for local efficiency, betweenness centrality, and degree. Hub regions were identified in the healthy control and patient groups. We found nodal and hub changes in patients compared with healthy controls, including the right pre-supplementary motor area, left anterior insula, bilateral mid-insula, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and right caudate nucleus. In general, nodal regions within the sensorimotor network (i.e. right pre-supplementary motor area and right mid-insula displayed weakened connectivity, with the former node associated with more severe bradykinesia, and impaired integration with default mode network regions. The left mid-insula also lost its hub properties in patients. Within the executive networks, the left anterior insular cortex lost its hub properties in patients, while a new hub region was identified in the right caudate nucleus, paralleled by an increased level of inter- and intra-connectivity in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex possibly representing compensatory mechanisms. These findings highlight the diffuse changes in nodal organization and regional hub disruption accounting for the distributed abnormalities across brain networks and the clinical manifestations of Parkinson’s disease.

Expression and localization of claudins-3 and -12 in transformed human brain endothelium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schrade Anja

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this study was to characterize the hCMEC/D3 cell line, an in vitro model of the human Blood Brain Barrier (BBB for the expression of brain endothelial specific claudins-3 and -12. Findings hCMEC/D3 cells express claudins-3 and -12. Claudin-3 is distinctly localized to the TJ whereas claudin -12 is observed in the perinuclear region and completely absent from TJs. We show that the expression of both proteins is lost in cell passage numbers where the BBB properties are no longer fully conserved. Expression and localization of claudin-3 is not modulated by simvastatin shown to improve barrier function in vitro and also recommended for routine hCMEC/D3 culture. Conclusions These results support conservation of claudin-3 and -12 expression in the hCMEC/D3 cell line and make claudin-3 a potential marker for BBB characteristics in vitro.

Inter-species activity correlations reveal functional correspondences between monkey and human brain areas

Science.gov (United States)

Mantini, Dante; Hasson, Uri; Betti, Viviana; Perrucci, Mauro G.; Romani, Gian Luca; Corbetta, Maurizio; Orban, Guy A.; Vanduffel, Wim

2012-01-01

Evolution-driven functional changes in the primate brain are typically assessed by aligning monkey and human activation maps using cortical surface expansion models. These models use putative homologous areas as registration landmarks, assuming they are functionally correspondent. In cases where functional changes have occurred in an area, this assumption prohibits to reveal whether other areas may have assumed lost functions. Here we describe a method to examine functional correspondences across species. Without making spatial assumptions, we assess similarities in sensory-driven functional magnetic resonance imaging responses between monkey (Macaca mulatta) and human brain areas by means of temporal correlation. Using natural vision data, we reveal regions for which functional processing has shifted to topologically divergent locations during evolution. We conclude that substantial evolution-driven functional reorganizations have occurred, not always consistent with cortical expansion processes. This novel framework for evaluating changes in functional architecture is crucial to building more accurate evolutionary models. PMID:22306809

Study The role of latent variables in lost working days by Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meysam Heydari

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Based on estimations, each year about 250 million work-related injuries and many temporary or permanent disabilities occur which most are preventable. Oil and Gas industries are among industries with high incidence of injuries in the world. The aim of this study has investigated  the role and effect of different risk management variables on lost working days (LWD in the seismic projects. Methods: This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional and systematic analysis, which was carried out on occupational accidents between 2008-2015(an 8 years period in different seismic projects for oilfield exploration at Dana Energy (Iranian Seismic Company. The preliminary sample size of the study were 487accidents. A systems analysis approach were applied by using root case analysis (RCA and structural equation modeling (SEM. Tools for the data analysis were included, SPSS23 and AMOS23  software. Results: The mean of lost working days (LWD, was calculated 49.57, the final model of structural equation modeling showed that latent variables of, safety and health training factor(-0.33, risk assessment factor(-0.55 and risk control factor (-0.61 as direct causes significantly affected of lost working days (LWD in the seismic industries (p< 0.05. Conclusion: The finding of present study revealed that combination of variables affected in lost working days (LWD. Therefore,the role of these variables in accidents should be investigated and suitable programs should be considered for them.

Workers' compensation loss prevention representative contact and risk of lost-time injury in construction policyholders.

Science.gov (United States)

Schofield, Katherine E; Alexander, Bruce H; Gerberich, Susan G; MacLehose, Richard F

2017-09-01

Insurance loss prevention (LP) representatives have access and contact with businesses and employees to provide targeted safety and health resources. Construction firms, especially those smaller in size, are a high-risk population. This research evaluated the association between LP rep contact and risk for lost-time injuries in construction policyholders. Workers' compensation data were utilized to track LP rep contact with policyholders and incidence of lost-time injury over time. Survival analysis with repeated events modeling calculated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Compared no LP contact, one contact was associated with a 27% reduction of risk (HR=0.73, CI=0.65-0.82), two with a 41% (HR=0.59, CI=0.51-0.68), and three or more contacts with a 28% reduction of risk (HR=0.72, CI=0.65-0.81). LP reps appear to be a valuable partner in efforts to reduce injury burden. Their presence or contact with policyholders is consistent with reduction in overall incidence of lost-time injuries. Reduction in lost-time injuries, resulting in reduced workers' compensation costs for policyholders and insurance companies, builds a business-case for safety and injury prevention. LP reps are often a low or no-cost benefit for insurance policyholders and may be an important injury prevention resource for small firms and/or those with lack of safety resources and staff. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Lost life years due to premature mortality caused by diseases of the respiratory system.

Science.gov (United States)

Maniecka-Bryła, Irena; Paciej-Gołębiowska, Paulina; Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk, Elżbieta; Bryła, Marek

2018-06-04

In Poland, as in most other European countries, diseases of the respiratory system are the 4th leading cause of mortality; they are responsible for about 8% of all deaths in the European Union (EU) annually. To assess the socio-economic aspects of mortality, it has become increasingly common to apply potential measures rather than conventionally used ratios. The aim of this study was to analyze years of life lost due to premature deaths caused by diseases of the respiratory system in Poland from 1999 to 2013. The study was based on a dataset of 5,606,516 records, obtained from the death certificates of Polish residents who died between 1999 and 2013. The information on deaths caused by diseases of the respiratory system, i.e., coded as J00-J99 according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision (ICD-10), was analyzed. The Standard Expected Years of Life Lost (SEYLL) indicator was used in the study. In the years 1999-2013, the Polish population suffered 280,519 deaths caused by diseases of the respiratory system (4.69% of all deaths). In the period analyzed, a gradual decrease in the standardized death rate was observed - from 46.31 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1999 to 41.02 in 2013. The dominant causes of death were influenza and pneumonia (J09-J18) and chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47). Diseases of the respiratory system were the cause of 4,474,548.92 lost life years. The Standard Expected Years of Life Lost per person (SEYLLp) was 104.72 per 10,000 males and 52.85 per 10,000 females. The Standard Expected Years of Life Lost per death (SEYLLd) for people who died due to diseases of the respiratory system was 17.54 years of life on average for men and 13.65 years on average for women. The use of the SEYLL indicator provided significant information on premature mortality due to diseases of the respiratory system, indicating the fact that they play a large role in the health status of the Polish

Ecological aspects of the use of lost foam patterns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Żółkiewicz

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses some aspects of ecology in the use of lost foam patterns for piece production of large castings poured from ferrousalloys under the conditions of Metalodlew SA. Foundry. The technological processes used in the manufacture of castings are related with numerous hazards. Numerous problems requiring prompt solution occur also during the process of foundry mould pouring, to mention only various contaminants, air pollution, noise and other factors harmful to the human health and natural environment. Varioustechnological processes cause strenuous work conditions in foundry shops. Many of the publications that have appeared so far dealing withthe problems of environmental protection and hard work conditions in foundries [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] discuss in both general anddetailed way problems related with various pollutants, noise and other factors harmful to the human health and natural environment,responsible for hazards faced by foundry workers. Studies carried out by various R&D centres are mainly focussed on the problem of howto reduce the harmful effect of technological processes on the environment through modification of the already existing or development of new ecological and energy-saving materials and technologies. This paper shows the opportunities and threats resulting from the application of the Lost Foam Process in a foundry, which up to now has been using a more traditional technology.

Online Artifact Removal for Brain-Computer Interfaces Using Support Vector Machines and Blind Source Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian Halder

2007-01-01

that are designed for online usage. In order to select a suitable BSS/ICA method, three ICA algorithms (JADE, Infomax, and FastICA and one BSS algorithm (AMUSE are evaluated to determine their ability to isolate electromyographic (EMG and electrooculographic (EOG artifacts into individual components. An implementation of the selected BSS/ICA method with SVMs trained to classify EMG and EOG artifacts, which enables the usage of the method as a filter in measurements with online feedback, is described. This filter is evaluated on three BCI datasets as a proof-of-concept of the method.

77 FR 25193 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Lost Creek Uranium In...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-27

...-166318] Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Lost Creek Uranium In... (EIS) for the Lost Creek Uranium In Situ Recovery (ISR) Project and by this notice is announcing the... subpart 3809 regulations to construct a uranium ore recovery plant, an access road to the site, and a...

Are Brain Dead Individuals Dead? Grounds for Reasonable Doubt.

Science.gov (United States)

Brugger, E Christian

2016-06-01

According to the biological definition of death, a human body that has not lost the capacity to holistically organize itself is the body of a living human individual. Reasonable doubt against the conclusion that it has lost the capacity exists when the body appears to express it and no evidence to the contrary is sufficient to rule out reasonable doubt against the conclusion that the apparent expression is a true expression (i.e., when the conclusion that what appears to be holistic organization is in fact holistic organization remains a reasonable explanatory hypothesis in light of the best evidence to the contrary). This essay argues that the evidence and arguments against the conclusion that the signs of complex bodily integration exhibited in ventilated brain dead bodies are true expressions of somatic integration are unpersuasive; that is, they are not adequate to exclude reasonable doubt against the conclusion that BD bodies are dead. Since we should not treat as corpses what for all we know might be living human beings, it follows that we have an obligation to treat BD individuals as if they were living human beings. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effects of DDE on experimentally poisoned free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis): Lethal brain concentrations

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, D.R.; Kroll, J.C.

1977-01-01

Adult female free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) were collected at Bracken Cave, Texas, and shipped to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Treated mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) containing 107 ppm DDE were fed to 17 bats; five other bats were fed untreated mealworms. After 40 days on dosage, during which one dosed bat was killed accidentally, four dosed bats were frozen and the remaining 17 were starved to death. The objective was to elevate brain levels of DDE to lethality and measure these concentrations. After the feeding period, dosed bats weighed less than controls. After starvation, the body condition of dosed bats was poorer than that of controls even though there was no difference in the amounts of carcass fat. During starvation, dosed bats lost weight faster than controls. Also, four dosed bats exhibited the prolonged tremoring that characterizes DDE poisoning. DDE increased in brains of starving bats as fat was metabolized. The estimated mean brain concentration of DDE diagnostic of death was 519 ppm with a range of 458-564 ppm. These values resemble diagnostic levels known for two species of passerine birds, but they exceed published levels for two free-tailed bats from Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico.

On possible parent bodies of Innisfree, Lost City and Prgibram meteorites.

Science.gov (United States)

Rozaev, A. E.

1994-12-01

Minor planets 1981 ET3 and Seleucus are possible parent bodies of Innisfree and Lost City meteorites, asteroid Mithra is the most probable source of Prgibram meteorite. The conclusions are based on the Southworth - Hawkins criterion with taking into account of the motion constants (Tisserand coefficient, etc.) and minimal distances between orbits at present time.

Occupational injury and illness meet the labor market: lessons from labor economics about lost earnings.

Science.gov (United States)

Boden, Leslie I

2006-09-01

Recent labor economics studies in the United States and Canada have demonstrated that occupational injuries and illnesses often lead to substantial lost earnings for workers and their families. Other studies have shown substantial long-term lost earnings attributable to large-scale layoffs, where no health impairment has taken place. This article uses evidence from these and other studies of apparently different situations to draw inferences about how managers' actions and public policy choices can affect the costs of occupational injuries and illnesses. Although primary prevention remains the policy of choice, reduction in the impact of workplace injuries and illnesses can decrease the costs of these events and can provide substantial benefits. This article proposes two hypotheses and discusses the evidence for each: (a) Loss of the job held at the onset of illness or injury increases time off work and exacerbates workers' lost earnings. (b) Workers' losses may be substantially reduced by policies that encourage employers to rehire people recovering from or disabled by workplace injuries and illnesses.

The lost value of groundwater and its influence on environmental decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Paleologos, Evan K

2008-08-01

A critical aspect in establishing environmental policies lies in the proper assessment of the value of the resource being affected. Standard risk assessment analyses calculate the cost of pollution as consisting, solely, of the cost to remediate a site. This traditional definition is extended here to include the lost value of groundwater. These concepts and their impact on decision-making analyses are illustrated through the case of municipal waste landfills. Based on data from existing polluting sites, a simple cost-benefit probabilistic analysis is conducted first, which equates, as is the practice, the cost of pollution to that of remediation. This leads rationally to selection of the lowest-protection technology. Using plausible arguments the reduction in value of groundwater from potable high-quality water to irrigation water, which is what is returned after remediation, is argued. The arguments consist of: (a) the ratio of the subsidized prices of drinking to irrigation water reflects the relative value of the use of water; (b) the amount paid for remediation, in each case, represents, at a minimum, the value of the water recovered; and (c) the lost value of groundwater equals the value of drinking water minus the value of irrigation water. Incorporation of this lost value of groundwater is sufficient to drastically alter the conclusions of the decision-making analysis and make the highest level technology the most rational and profitable alternative. The broader point of this article lies in that proper accounting of environmental costs is necessary in order to alter environmental policies and practices.

Mortality and potential life years lost due to external causes: Colombia from 1998 to 2015

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandra Segura-Cardona

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The external causes of mortality are constituted as a public health problem which affect young population, have social relevance, are avoidable and their impact is reducible in the long term. Objective: To describe the behavior of mortality due to external causes and the potential years of life lost in the Colombian population from 1998 to 2015. Materials and methods: An analytical study was conducted by using 641,837 death certificates which were classified in four large groups of external mortality: homicide, suicide, traffic accident and other causes. Mortality rates (crude and standardized were calculated with direct method in three periods of time and potential years of life lost, for each group. Results: The risk of dying from external causes was 81.66 per hundred thousand inhabitants, with a decrease of 47.1% and 37.6 potential years of life lost. For homicide, a rate of 47.3 per hundred thousand inhabitants was recorded, with a reduction of 59.3% and 23 potential years of life lost. Traffic accidents recorded a reduction of 30.3% with a rate of 15.7. Suicide documented less reduction in 18 years of age (9.8% and an average rate of 5.1. Conclusion: Deaths caused by external causes are priorities when it comes to raising public policies, mainly for the reduction of homicides that are a reflection of the armed conflict and the crime presented in the country, generating the loss of years of productive life for society. It is necessary to outline the perpetrators to focus and intervene the most affected populations.

Serial recording of median nerve stimulated subcortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in developing brain death.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchner, H; Ferbert, A; Hacke, W

1988-01-01

Subcortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) to median nerve stimulation were recorded serially in 35 patients during the evolution towards brain death and in brain death. Neuropathological alterations of the central nervous system down to the C1/C2 spinal cord segment in brain death are well known. SEP components supposed to be generated above this level should be lost in brain death, while components generated below should not be altered. Erb's point, scalp and neck potentials were recorded at C3/4, or over the spinous process C7, using an Fz reference. In 10 patients additional montages, including spinous process C2-Fz, a non-cephalic reference (Fz-contralateral shoulder) and a posterior to anterior neck montage (spinous process C7-jugulum) were used. The cephalic referenced N9 and N11 peaks remained unchanged until brain death. N9 and N11 decreased in parallel in amplitude and increased in latency after systemic effects like hypoxia or hypothermia occurred. The cephalic referenced 'N14' decreased in amplitude and increased in latency after the clinical brain death syndrome was observed, while N13 in the posterior to anterior neck montage remained unchanged. The alteration of 'N14' went parallel to the decrease of the P14 amplitude. The subcortical SEPs in the cephalic referenced lead are supposed to be a peak composed by a horizontally orientated dorsal horn generated N13 and a rostrally orientated P14 arising at the level of the foramen magnum. The deterioration of the non-cephalic referenced P14 and of its cephalic referenced reflection 'N14' seems to provide an additional objective criterion for the diagnosis of brain death.

Towards a miniaturized brain-machine-spinal cord interface (BMSI) for restoration of function after spinal cord injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahdoost, Shahab; Frost, Shawn; Van Acker, Gustaf; DeJong, Stacey; Dunham, Caleb; Barbay, Scott; Nudo, Randolph; Mohseni, Pedram

2014-01-01

Nearly 6 million people in the United States are currently living with paralysis in which 23% of the cases are related to spinal cord injury (SCI). Miniaturized closed-loop neural interfaces have the potential for restoring function and mobility lost to debilitating neural injuries such as SCI by leveraging recent advancements in bioelectronics and a better understanding of the processes that underlie functional and anatomical reorganization in an injured nervous system. This paper describes our current progress towards developing a miniaturized brain-machine-spinal cord interface (BMSI) that is envisioned to convert in real time the neural command signals recorded from the brain to electrical stimuli delivered to the spinal cord below the injury level. Specifically, the paper reports on a corticospinal interface integrated circuit (IC) as a core building block for such a BMSI that is capable of low-noise recording of extracellular neural spikes from the cerebral cortex as well as muscle activation using intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS) in a rat with contusion injury to the thoracic spinal cord. The paper further presents results from a neurobiological study conducted in both normal and SCI rats to investigate the effect of various ISMS parameters on movement thresholds in the rat hindlimb. Coupled with proper signal-processing algorithms in the future for the transformation between the cortically recorded data and ISMS parameters, such a BMSI has the potential to facilitate functional recovery after an SCI by re-establishing corticospinal communication channels lost due to the injury.

Minocycline Transiently Reduces Microglia/Macrophage Activation but Exacerbates Cognitive Deficits Following Repetitive Traumatic Brain Injury in the Neonatal Rat

Science.gov (United States)

Hanlon, Lauren A.; Huh, Jimmy W.

2016-01-01

Elevated microglial/macrophage-associated biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid of infant victims of abusive head trauma (AHT) suggest that these cells play a role in the pathophysiology of the injury. In a model of AHT in 11-day-old rats, 3 impacts (24 hours apart) resulted in spatial learning and memory deficits and increased brain microglial/macrophage reactivity, traumatic axonal injury, neuronal degeneration, and cortical and white-matter atrophy. The antibiotic minocycline has been effective in decreasing injury-induced microglial/macrophage activation while simultaneously attenuating cellular and functional deficits in models of neonatal hypoxic ischemia, but the potential for this compound to rescue deficits after impact-based trauma to the immature brain remains unexplored. Acute minocycline administration in this model of AHT decreased microglial/macrophage reactivity in the corpus callosum of brain-injured animals at 3 days postinjury, but this effect was lost by 7 days postinjury. Additionally, minocycline treatment had no effect on traumatic axonal injury, neurodegeneration, tissue atrophy, or spatial learning deficits. Interestingly, minocycline-treated animals demonstrated exacerbated injury-induced spatial memory deficits. These results contrast with previous findings in other models of brain injury and suggest that minocycline is ineffective in reducing microglial/macrophage activation and ameliorating injury-induced deficits following repetitive neonatal traumatic brain injury. PMID:26825312

Search for lost or orphan radioactive sources based on Nal gamma spectrometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aage, Helle Karina; Korsbech, Uffe C C

2003-01-01

Within recent decades many radioactive sources have been lost, stolen, or abandoned, and some have caused contamination or irradiation of people. Therefore reliable methods for source recovery are needed. The use of car borne NaI(Tl) detectors is discussed. Standard processing of spectra in general...

Obesity as a Possible Risk Factor for Lost-time Injury in Registered Nurses: A Literature Review

OpenAIRE

Jordan, Gillian; Nowrouzi-Kia, Behnam; Gohar, Basem; Nowrouzi, Behdin

2015-01-01

Time-loss injuries are still a major occurrence in Canada, injuring thousands of Canadian workers each year. With obesity rates on the rise across the country, as well as around the world, it is important that the possible effects of obesity in the workplace be fully understood, especially those effects linked to lost-time injuries. The aim of this paper was to evaluate predictors of workplace lost-time injuries and how they may be related to obesity or high body mass index by examining facto...

Metabolic learning and memory formation by the brain influence systemic metabolic homeostasis

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yumin; Liu, Gang; Yan, Jingqi; Zhang, Yalin; Li, Bo; Cai, Dongsheng

2015-01-01

Metabolic homeostasis is regulated by the brain, whether this regulation involves learning and memory of metabolic information remains unexplored. Here we use a calorie-based, taste-independent learning/memory paradigm to show that Drosophila form metabolic memories that help balancing food choice with caloric intake; however, this metabolic learning or memory is lost under chronic high-calorie feeding. We show that loss of individual learning/memory-regulating genes causes a metabolic learning defect, leading to elevated trehalose and lipids levels. Importantly, this function of metabolic learning requires not only the mushroom body but the hypothalamus-like pars intercerebralis, while NF-κB activation in the pars intercerebralis mimics chronic overnutrition in that it causes metabolic learning impairment and disorders. Finally, we evaluate this concept of metabolic learning/memory in mice, suggesting the hypothalamus is involved in a form of nutritional learning and memory, which is critical for determining resistance or susceptibility to obesity. In conclusion, our data indicate the brain, and potentially the hypothalamus, direct metabolic learning and the formation of memories, which contribute to the control of systemic metabolic homeostasis. PMID:25848677

The Psychopaths in Caroline Roberts’ Novel the Lost Girl

OpenAIRE

Tarigan, Mia Pratiwi

2015-01-01

The Lost Girl novel is a true story that tells about the author, Caroline Roberts’ experiences when she accepted a job at 25 Cromwell Street, the infamous address of Fred and Rose West, she was only 16. She realized that there was something very malevolent about the couple, so she left their employment soon after, glad to be rid of them. The story should have ended there, but a month, later she was abducted by the West and suffered violent sexual abuse at their hands before being told that sh...

Matthew's Messianic Shepherd-king: In search of “the lost sheep of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

p1243322

, the son of David, the ... Messianism – that is, the view that the future among other things will involve the restoration of the Davidic ... “sheep without a shepherd” (9:36), and the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”. (10:6) are to be understood as ...

Lost-to-follow-up bias in an occupational mortality analysis: a quantitative consideration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acquavella, J.F.; Tietjen, G.L.; Wilkinson, G.S.

1982-12-01

A major problem in occupational cohort studies is how to treat study subjects who are lost to follow-up (LTF). The assumptions made concerning their vital status may affect the results of comparative mortality analyses. The problem was considered within the context of an occupational follow-up study of white male employees at a nuclear facility in Colorado. In this analysis, 568 or 8% of cohort members were LTF. Comparative mortality for the entire cohort was estimated by treating LTF workers as lost at employment termination date, as living at the end-of-study date, and with cumulative mortality simulated between 0% and 100%. Results indicate that simulations of cumulative mortality among employees LTF can be useful in assessing the potential bias caused by LTF mortality assumptions. Further, a general method for assessing LTF bias in occupational analyses is proposed

How Important is Presenteeism for the Value of Lost Production in Rheumatoid Arthritis?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søgaard, Rikke; Sørensen, Jan; Linde, Louise

2010-01-01

Lost production can be due to individuals’ time lost to work (absenteeism), as well as their time at work with reduced productivity because of ill health (presenteeism). A sound methodological framework for the assessment of presenteeism remains to be established but given its significance......, ignoring it would lead to severe underestimations, eg, in cost-of-illness studies. The objective of this study was to assess the empirical significance of absenteeism and presenteeism in terms of production loss using the case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Selected modules from the Health and Labor...... Questionnaire were applied in a cross-sectional study of 3,704 patients with RA. The costs of absenteeism and presenteeism were estimated using the Human Capital approach, and the impact of including multipliers adjusting for the productivity effect of a workers’ absence or impaired presenteeism on societal...

Intonation processing deficits of emotional words among Mandarin Chinese speakers with congenital amusia: an ERP study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xuejing; Ho, Hao Tam; Liu, Fang; Wu, Daxing; Thompson, William F

2015-01-01

Congenital amusia is a disorder that is known to affect the processing of musical pitch. Although individuals with amusia rarely show language deficits in daily life, a number of findings point to possible impairments in speech prosody that amusic individuals may compensate for by drawing on linguistic information. Using EEG, we investigated (1) whether the processing of speech prosody is impaired in amusia and (2) whether emotional linguistic information can compensate for this impairment. Twenty Chinese amusics and 22 matched controls were presented pairs of emotional words spoken with either statement or question intonation while their EEG was recorded. Their task was to judge whether the intonations were the same. Amusics exhibited impaired performance on the intonation-matching task for emotional linguistic information, as their performance was significantly worse than that of controls. EEG results showed a reduced N2 response to incongruent intonation pairs in amusics compared with controls, which likely reflects impaired conflict processing in amusia. However, our EEG results also indicated that amusics were intact in early sensory auditory processing, as revealed by a comparable N1 modulation in both groups. We propose that the impairment in discriminating speech intonation observed among amusic individuals may arise from an inability to access information extracted at early processing stages. This, in turn, could reflect a disconnection between low-level and high-level processing.

Congenital amusia: a cognitive disorder limited to resolved harmonics and with no peripheral basis

Science.gov (United States)

Cousineaua, Marion; Oxenham, Andrew J.; Peretz, Isabelle

2015-01-01

Pitch plays a fundamental role in audition, from speech and music perception to auditory scene analysis. Congenital amusia is a neurogenetic disorder that appears to affect primarily pitch and melody perception. Pitch is normally conveyed by the spectro-temporal fine structure of low harmonics, but some pitch information is available in the temporal envelope produced by the interactions of higher harmonics. Using 10 amusic subjects and 10 matched controls, we tested the hypothesis that amusics suffer exclusively from impaired processing of spectro-temporal fine structure. We also tested whether the inability of amusics to process acoustic temporal fine structure extends beyond pitch by measuring sensitivity to interaural time differences, which also rely on temporal fine structure. Further tests were carried out on basic intensity and spectral resolution. As expected, pitch perception based on spectro-temporal fine structure was impaired in amusics; however, no significant deficits were observed in amusics' ability to perceive the pitch conveyed via temporal-envelope cues. Sensitivity to interaural time differences was also not significantly different between the amusic and control groups, ruling out deficits in the peripheral coding of temporal fine structure. Finally, no significant differences in intensity or spectral resolution were found between the amusic and control groups. The results demonstrate a pitch-specific deficit in fine spectro-temporal information processing in amusia that seems unrelated to temporal or spectral coding in the auditory periphery. These results are consistent with the view that there are distinct mechanisms dedicated to processing resolved and unresolved harmonics in the general population, the former being altered in congenital amusia while the latter is spared. PMID:25433224

Congenital amusia: a cognitive disorder limited to resolved harmonics and with no peripheral basis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cousineau, Marion; Oxenham, Andrew J; Peretz, Isabelle

2015-01-01

Pitch plays a fundamental role in audition, from speech and music perception to auditory scene analysis. Congenital amusia is a neurogenetic disorder that appears to affect primarily pitch and melody perception. Pitch is normally conveyed by the spectro-temporal fine structure of low harmonics, but some pitch information is available in the temporal envelope produced by the interactions of higher harmonics. Using 10 amusic subjects and 10 matched controls, we tested the hypothesis that amusics suffer exclusively from impaired processing of spectro-temporal fine structure. We also tested whether the inability of amusics to process acoustic temporal fine structure extends beyond pitch by measuring sensitivity to interaural time differences, which also rely on temporal fine structure. Further tests were carried out on basic intensity and spectral resolution. As expected, pitch perception based on spectro-temporal fine structure was impaired in amusics; however, no significant deficits were observed in amusics' ability to perceive the pitch conveyed via temporal-envelope cues. Sensitivity to interaural time differences was also not significantly different between the amusic and control groups, ruling out deficits in the peripheral coding of temporal fine structure. Finally, no significant differences in intensity or spectral resolution were found between the amusic and control groups. The results demonstrate a pitch-specific deficit in fine spectro-temporal information processing in amusia that seems unrelated to temporal or spectral coding in the auditory periphery. These results are consistent with the view that there are distinct mechanisms dedicated to processing resolved and unresolved harmonics in the general population, the former being altered in congenital amusia while the latter is spared. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MARKET RISK ASSESSMENT USING EXPECTED TAIL LOST (ETL – PECULIARITIES AND APPLICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey Radukanov

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Measuring market risk is explained by using Expected Tail Lost in the article. Its advantages, disadvantages and range of application are pointed out. The basic calculation stages are emphasized in MS EXCEL. Market risk measurement is carried out towards the shares of the company General Motors Company (GM

Global estimates of high-level brain drain and deficit.

Science.gov (United States)

Ioannidis, John P A

2004-06-01

Brain drain, the international migration of scientists in search of better opportunities, has been a long-standing concern, but quantitative measurements are uncommon and limited to specific countries or disciplines. We need to understand brain drain at a global level and estimate the extent to which scientists born in countries with low opportunities never realize their potential. Data on 1523 of the most highly cited scientists for 1981-1999 are analyzed. Overall, 31.9% of these scientists did not reside in the country where they were born (range 18.1-54.6% across 21 different scientific fields). There was great variability across developed countries in the proportions of foreign-born resident scientists and emigrating scientists. Countries without a critical mass of native scientists lost most scientists to migration. This loss occurred in both developed and developing countries. Adjusting for population and using the U.S. as reference, the number of highly cited native-born scientists was at least 75% of the expected number in only 8 countries other than the U.S. It is estimated that approximately 94% of the expected top scientists worldwide have not been able to materialize themselves due to various adverse conditions. Scientific deficit is only likely to help perpetuate these adverse conditions.

Modeling Lost-Particle Accelerator Backgrounds in PEP-II Using LPTURTLE

CERN Document Server

Fieguth, Theodore; Kozanecki, Witold

2005-01-01

Background studies during the design, construction, commissioning, operation and improvement of BaBar and PEP-II have been greatly influenced by results from a program referred to as LPTURTLE (Lost Particle TURTLE a modified version of Decay TURTLE) which was originally conceived for the purpose of studying gas background for SLC. This venerable program is still in use today. We describe its use, capabilities and improvements and refer to current results now being applied to BaBar.

Stress and epilepsy: a population-based cohort study of epilepsy in parents who lost a child

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Jakob; Li, Jiong; Vestergaard, Mogens

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study described here was to study the risk for epilepsy in parents exposed to severe stress caused by loss of a child. METHODS: The risk of being diagnosed with epilepsy (Danish National Hospital Register) in a cohort of parents who had lost a child under the age of 18...... was compared with the risk among parents who had not lost a child. RESULTS: The adjusted relative risk (RR) of epilepsy in parents who had lost a child was 1.50 (95% CI: 1.21-1.86). The RR was modified by time since bereavement and was 2.46 (95% CI: 1.49-4.07) in mothers and 1.92 (95% CI: 1.09-3.36) in fathers...... within the first 3 years of loss of a child, and 2.10 (95% CI: 1.53-2.88) in mothers and 0.66 (95% CI: 0.41-1.06) in fathers 4 to 18 years after loss. CONCLUSIONS: Stress was associated with a moderately increased risk of being diagnosed with epilepsy. Udgivelsesdato: 2007-Nov...

September 1930, Lisbon: Aleister Crowley’s lost diary of his Portuguese trip

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pasi, M.

2012-01-01

Aleister Crowley’s diary for the period of his travel to Portugal and his meeting with Fernando Pessoa has long been considered lost or inaccessible. However, a copy has been finally found and is here presented and published for the first time. The analysis of the diary allows us to have a fuller

Astrocytic modulation of Blood Brain Barrier: Perspectives on Parkinson´s Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo eCabezas

2014-08-01

Full Text Available TThe blood–brain barrier (BBB is a tightly regulated interface in the Central Nervous System that regulates the exchange of molecules in and out from the brain thus maintaining the CNS homeostasis. It is mainly composed of endothelial cells, pericytes and astrocytes that create a neurovascular unit with the adjacent neurons. Astrocytes are essential for the formation and maintenance of the BBB by providing secreted factors that lead to the adequate association between the cells of the BBB and the formation of strong tight junctions. Under neurological disorders, such as chronic cerebral ischemia, brain trauma, Epilepsy, Alzheimer and Parkinson´s Diseases, a disruption of the BBB takes place, involving a lost in the permeability of the barrier and phenotypical changes in both the endothelial cells and astrocytes. In this aspect, it has been established that the process of reactive gliosis is a common feature of astrocytes during BBB disruption, which has a detrimental effect on the barrier function and a subsequent damage in neuronal survival. In this review we discuss the implications of astrocyte functions in the protection of the BBB, and in the development of Parkinson´s disease and related disorders. Additionally, we highlight the current and future strategies in astrocyte protection aimed at the development of restorative therapies for the BBB in pathological conditions.

The Bourne Tragedy:
Lost Subjects of the Bioconvergent Age

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debbie Epstein

2011-10-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the Bourne trilogy to explore several characteristics of what we term the bioconvergent age. First, we consider the imagined and actual interfaces of bioconvergence—of body, gadgetry, and electronic communications. We explore the ways in which the bioconvergent tendencies represented in and by Bourne reflect and cultivate a cultural unconscious deeply seduced by and imbricated in surveillant governmentality. Second, we consider the ways in which the trilogy achieves its effects through the deployment of both hyperrealism and verisimilitude. In this context, we explore the filmic interpellation of audiences into a fantasy of omnipotence and omni-science, on the one hand, and the underlying phantasy of a zero-sum world that uncouples morality from affect, on the other. Thus, we consider the ways in which Bourne articulates two interlinked phenomena—a distinctively American romance with the sociopathic/heroic subject and a paranoid, dystopic world that is and seems seductively real. Our third theme is the Bourne journey through an obsessional spiral of paranoia, action, and reaction. Here we explore the trilogy as a social description of the expulsive and retentive tendencies of the bioconvergent age, where the demand for instantaneity drives out all other considerations (morality, reason, connection and where the lost subject, in his interminable quest for himself, remains lost.

Latin American Clinical Epidemiology Network Series - Paper 5: Years of life lost due to premature death in traffic accidents in Bogota, Colombia.

Science.gov (United States)

Quitian-Reyes, Hoover; Gómez-Restrepo, Carlos; Gómez, Maria Juliana; Naranjo, Salome; Heredia, Patricia; Villegas, John

2017-06-01

This study aimed to quantify the number of years of life lost in traffic accidents in Bogota, Colombia. The years of life lost were calculated using the 'age-standardized expected years of life lost' method, the table of Japanese adjusted life expectancy and the database of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science between September 2012 and August 2013. During a period of 1 year, 430 people died and 10,056.3 years of life were lost in Bogota due to traffic accidents. The mortality burden of traffic accidents in Bogota is high. Further studies are required in order to characterize the accidents and develop effective policy decisions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Colonial waterbird predation on Lost River and Shortnose suckers in the Upper Klamath Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Allen F.; Hewitt, David A.; Payton, Quinn; Cramer, Bradley M.; Collis, Ken; Roby, Daniel D.

2016-01-01

We evaluated predation on Lost River Suckers Deltistes luxatus and Shortnose Suckers Chasmistes brevirostris by American white pelicans Pelecanus erythrorhynchos and double-crested cormorants Phalacrocorax auritus nesting at mixed-species colonies in the Upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California during 2009–2014. Predation was evaluated by recovering (detecting) PIT tags from tagged fish on bird colonies and calculating minimum predation rates, as the percentage of available suckers consumed, adjusted for PIT tag detection probabilities but not deposition probabilities (i.e., probability an egested tag was deposited on- or off-colony). Results indicate that impacts of avian predation varied by sucker species, age-class (adult, juvenile), bird colony location, and year, demonstrating dynamic predator–prey interactions. Tagged suckers ranging in size from 72 to 730 mm were susceptible to cormorant or pelican predation; all but the largest Lost River Suckers were susceptible to bird predation. Minimum predation rate estimates ranged annually from <0.1% to 4.6% of the available PIT-tagged Lost River Suckers and from <0.1% to 4.2% of the available Shortnose Suckers, and predation rates were consistently higher on suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir, California, than on suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. There was evidence that bird predation on juvenile suckers (species unknown) in Upper Klamath Lake was higher than on adult suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, where minimum predation rates ranged annually from 5.7% to 8.4% of available juveniles. Results suggest that avian predation is a factor limiting the recovery of populations of Lost River and Shortnose suckers, particularly juvenile suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and adult suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir. Additional research is needed to measure predator-specific PIT tag deposition probabilities (which, based on other published studies, could increase predation rates presented herein by a factor of roughly 2

Average years of life lost due to breast and cervical cancer and the association with the marginalization index in Mexico in 2000 and 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Cervantes, Claudio Alberto Dávila; Botero, Marcela Agudelo

2014-05-01

The objective of this study was to calculate average years of life lost due to breast and cervical cancer in Mexico in 2000 and 2010. Data on mortality in women aged between 20 and 84 years was obtained from the National Institute for Statistics and Geography. Age-specific mortality rates and average years of life lost, which is an estimate of the number of years that a person would have lived if he or she had not died prematurely, were estimated for both diseases. Data was disaggregated into five-year age groups and socioeconomic status based on the 2010 marginalization index obtained from the National Population Council. A decrease in average years of life lost due to cervical cancer (37.4%) and an increase in average years of life lost due breast cancer (8.9%) was observed during the period studied. Average years of life lost due to cervical cancer was greater among women living in areas with a high marginalization index, while average years of life lost due to breast cancer was greater in women from areas with a low marginalization index.

A Serpentinite-Hosted Ecosystem: The Lost City Hydrothermal Field

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Deborah S.; Karson, Jeffrey A.; Früh-Green, Gretchen L.; Yoerger, Dana R.; Shank, Timothy M.; Butterfield, David A.; Hayes, John M.; Schrenk, Matthew O.; Olson, Eric J.; Proskurowski, Giora; Jakuba, Mike; Bradley, Al; Larson, Ben; Ludwig, Kristin; Glickson, Deborah; Buckman, Kate; Bradley, Alexander S.; Brazelton, William J.; Roe, Kevin; Elend, Mitch J.; Delacour, Adélie; Bernasconi, Stefano M.; Lilley, Marvin D.; Baross, John A.; Summons, Roger E.; Sylva, Sean P.

2005-03-01

The serpentinite-hosted Lost City hydrothermal field is a remarkable submarine ecosystem in which geological, chemical, and biological processes are intimately interlinked. Reactions between seawater and upper mantle peridotite produce methane- and hydrogen-rich fluids, with temperatures ranging from A low diversity of microorganisms related to methane-cycling Archaea thrive in the warm porous interiors of the edifices. Macrofaunal communities show a degree of species diversity at least as high as that of black smoker vent sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, but they lack the high biomasses of chemosynthetic organisms that are typical of volcanically driven systems.

Tranexamic Acid Reduced the Percent of Total Blood Volume Lost During Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Kristen E; Butler, Elissa K; Barrack, Tara; Ledonio, Charles T; Forte, Mary L; Cohn, Claudia S; Polly, David W

2017-01-01

Multilevel posterior spine fusion is associated with significant intraoperative blood loss. Tranexamic acid is an antifibrinolytic agent that reduces intraoperative blood loss. The goal of this study was to compare the percent of total blood volume lost during posterior spinal fusion (PSF) with or without tranexamic acid in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Thirty-six AIS patients underwent PSF in 2011-2014; the last half (n=18) received intraoperative tranexamic acid. We retrieved relevant demographic, hematologic, intraoperative and outcomes information from medical records. The primary outcome was the percent of total blood volume lost, calculated from estimates of intraoperative blood loss (numerator) and estimated total blood volume per patient (denominator, via Nadler's equations). Unadjusted outcomes were compared using standard statistical tests. Tranexamic acid and no-tranexamic acid groups were similar (all p>0.05) in mean age (16.1 vs. 15.2 years), sex (89% vs. 83% female), body mass index (22.2 vs. 20.2 kg/m2), preoperative hemoglobin (13.9 vs. 13.9 g/dl), mean spinal levels fused (10.5 vs. 9.6), osteotomies (1.6 vs. 0.9) and operative duration (6.1 hours, both). The percent of total blood volume lost (TBVL) was significantly lower in the tranexamic acid-treated vs. no-tranexamic acid group (median 8.23% vs. 14.30%, p = 0.032); percent TBVL per level fused was significantly lower with tranexamic acid than without it (1.1% vs. 1.8%, p=0.048). Estimated blood loss (milliliters) was similar across groups. Tranexamic acid significantly reduced the percentage of total blood volume lost versus no tranexamic acid in AIS patients who underwent PSF using a standardized blood loss measure.Level of Evidence: 3. Institutional Review Board status: This medical record chart review (minimal risk) study was approved by the University of Minnesota Institutional Review Board.

Trade finance and Latin America's lost decade: The forgotten link

OpenAIRE

Alvarez, Sebastian; Flores Zendejas, Juan

2014-01-01

The Great recession has brought back to foreground the link between trade credit international trade and economic growth. Scholars have recently found that the effects of the fall in trade finance are strong and accurately explain the recent fall in international trade. We argue that the lost decade that followed Latin America's debt crisis is a useful comparative benchmark to recognize the scope of impact on international trade stemming from a sharp decline in trade finance. The years that f...

Tonal language processing in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Sébastien; Tillmann, Barbara; Gosselin, Nathalie; Peretz, Isabelle

2009-07-01

Twenty amusic and 20 control speakers of French were presented with pairs of Mandarin lexical tones to discriminate as same or different. Results revealed that even if the amusic group performed significantly below the control group, the scores of the two groups largely overlapped, with only 15% of the amusic group performing outside the normal variations. Thus, the findings suggest a modest transfer of deficit between music and speech, which in turn calls for further work in order to identify the nature of the mediating factors.

Lost Instruction: The Disparate Impact of the School Discipline Gap in California

Science.gov (United States)

Losen, Daniel J.; Whitaker, Amir

2017-01-01

This report is the first to analyze California's school discipline data as measured by days of missed instruction due to suspension. The state reports the number of suspensions for each district, disaggregated by racial/ethnic groups, but it does not provide any information on how much instructional time was lost. The authors used information from…

What is lost when searching only one literature database for articles relevant to injury prevention and safety promotion?

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, D W

2008-12-01

To assess what is lost if only one literature database is searched for articles relevant to injury prevention and safety promotion (IPSP) topics. Serial textword (keyword, free-text) searches using multiple synonym terms for five key IPSP topics (bicycle-related brain injuries, ethanol-impaired driving, house fires, road rage, and suicidal behaviors among adolescents) were conducted in four of the bibliographic databases that are most used by IPSP professionals: EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Through a systematic procedure, an inventory of articles on each topic in each database was conducted to identify the total unduplicated count of all articles on each topic, the number of articles unique to each database, and the articles available if only one database is searched. No single database included all of the relevant articles on any topic, and the database with the broadest coverage differed by topic. A search of only one literature database will return 16.7-81.5% (median 43.4%) of the available articles on any of five key IPSP topics. Each database contributed unique articles to the total bibliography for each topic. A literature search performed in only one database will, on average, lead to a loss of more than half of the available literature on a topic.

Brain/MINDS: brain-mapping project in Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Okano, Hideyuki; Miyawaki, Atsushi; Kasai, Kiyoto

2015-01-01

There is an emerging interest in brain-mapping projects in countries across the world, including the USA, Europe, Australia and China. In 2014, Japan started a brain-mapping project called Brain Mapping by Integrated Neurotechnologies for Disease Studies (Brain/MINDS). Brain/MINDS aims to map the structure and function of neuronal circuits to ultimately understand the vast complexity of the human brain, and takes advantage of a unique non-human primate animal model, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). In Brain/MINDS, the RIKEN Brain Science Institute acts as a central institute. The objectives of Brain/MINDS can be categorized into the following three major subject areas: (i) structure and functional mapping of a non-human primate brain (the marmoset brain); (ii) development of innovative neurotechnologies for brain mapping; and (iii) human brain mapping; and clinical research. Brain/MINDS researchers are highly motivated to identify the neuronal circuits responsible for the phenotype of neurological and psychiatric disorders, and to understand the development of these devastating disorders through the integration of these three subject areas. PMID:25823872

Brain/MINDS: brain-mapping project in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Okano, Hideyuki; Miyawaki, Atsushi; Kasai, Kiyoto

2015-05-19

There is an emerging interest in brain-mapping projects in countries across the world, including the USA, Europe, Australia and China. In 2014, Japan started a brain-mapping project called Brain Mapping by Integrated Neurotechnologies for Disease Studies (Brain/MINDS). Brain/MINDS aims to map the structure and function of neuronal circuits to ultimately understand the vast complexity of the human brain, and takes advantage of a unique non-human primate animal model, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). In Brain/MINDS, the RIKEN Brain Science Institute acts as a central institute. The objectives of Brain/MINDS can be categorized into the following three major subject areas: (i) structure and functional mapping of a non-human primate brain (the marmoset brain); (ii) development of innovative neurotechnologies for brain mapping; and (iii) human brain mapping; and clinical research. Brain/MINDS researchers are highly motivated to identify the neuronal circuits responsible for the phenotype of neurological and psychiatric disorders, and to understand the development of these devastating disorders through the integration of these three subject areas.

Days-lost to training and competition in relation to workload in 263 elite show-jumping horses in four European countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Egenvall, A; Tranquille, C A; Lönnell, A C; Bitschnau, C; Oomen, A|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/314417311; Hernlund, E; Montavon, S; Franko, M A; Murray, R C; Weishaupt, M A; Weeren, van R; Roepstorff, L; van Weeren, René|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/074628550

2013-01-01

Orthopaedic, or other, injuries in sports medicine can be quantified using the 'days-lost to training' concept. Both the training regimen and the surface used in training and racing can affect the health of racehorses. Our aim was to associate 'days-lost to training' in elite-level show-jumpers to

A novel tissue engineering technique for regeneration of lost interdental papillary height

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rutuj Surana

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Open interdental spaces caused by papillary gingival recession are one of the most common problems faced in dentistry. Surgical and nonsurgical periodontal treatments for regeneration of lost papillary height have been reported with limited success. The present study reports effectiveness of autologous cultured fibroblast injections, a tissue engineering technique for papillary regeneration. A black triangle caused by Tarnow′s and Nordland′s class I papillary gingival loss was reported in maxillary anterior region of a young male patient. An autologous gingival biopsy was cultured in a biotechnology lab for the growth and expansion of fibroblasts. Cultured fibroblast suspension was injected into the receded papilla twice at an interval of 5 days. Follow-ups were recorded on the 6th day, 15 th day, at 1 month and at 2 months. Complete fill of black triangle was noted at the end of 2 months. No inflammatory or immune reactions were noted at the site of injection. Autologous cultured fibroblast injections are safe, efficacious, and an acceptable treatment option for the regeneration of lost papillary height.

Marine magnetic studies over a lost wellhead in Palk Bay, Cauvery Basin, India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Ramana, M.V.; Subrahmanyam, V.; Sarma, K.V.L.N.S.; Seshavataram, B.T.V.

Close grid marine magnetic surveys in the vicinity of a drill well site PH 9-1 in Palk Bay revealed that the area is characterized by smooth magnetic field except for a local anomaly caused by a lost wellhead. The smooth magnetic field is attributed...

Dehydration triggers differential microRNA expression in Xenopus laevis brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Luu, Bryan E; Storey, Kenneth B

2015-11-15

African clawed frogs, Xenopus laevis, although primarily aquatic, have a high tolerance for dehydration, being capable of withstanding the loss of up to 32-35% of total water body water. Recent studies have shown that microRNAs play a role in the response to dehydration by the liver, kidney and ventral skin of X. laevis. MicroRNAs act by modulating the expression of mRNA transcripts, thereby affecting diverse biochemical pathways. In this study, 43 microRNAs were assessed in frog brains comparing control and dehydrated (31.2±0.83% of total body water lost) conditions. MicroRNAs of interest were measured using a modified protocol which employs polyadenylation of microRNAs prior to reverse transcription and qPCR. Twelve microRNAs that showed a significant decrease in expression (to 41-77% of control levels) in brains from dehydrated frogs (xla-miR-15a, -150, -181a, -191, -211, -218, -219b, -30c, -30e, -31, -34a, and -34b) were identified. Genomic analysis showed that the sequences of these dehydration-responsive microRNAs were highly conserved as compared with the comparable microRNAs of mice (91-100%). Suppression of these microRNAs implies that translation of the mRNA transcripts under their control could be enhanced in response to dehydration. Bioinformatic analysis using the DIANA miRPath program (v.2.0) predicted the top two KEGG pathways that these microRNAs collectively regulate: 1. Axon guidance, and 2. Long-term potentiation. Previous studies indicated that suppression of these microRNAs promotes neuroprotective pathways by increasing the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and activating anti-apoptotic pathways. This suggests that similar actions may be triggered in X. laevis brains as a protective response to dehydration. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Meta-analytic evidence for the non-modularity of pitch processing in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Vuvan, Dominique T; Nunes-Silva, Marilia; Peretz, Isabelle

2015-08-01

A major theme driving research in congenital amusia is related to the modularity of this musical disorder, with two possible sources of the amusic pitch perception deficit. The first possibility is that the amusic deficit is due to a broad disorder of acoustic pitch processing that has the effect of disrupting downstream musical pitch processing, and the second is that amusia is specific to a musical pitch processing module. To interrogate these hypotheses, we performed a meta-analysis on two types of effect sizes contained within 42 studies in the amusia literature: the performance gap between amusics and controls on tasks of pitch discrimination, broadly defined, and the correlation between specifically acoustic pitch perception and musical pitch perception. To augment the correlation database, we also calculated this correlation using data from 106 participants tested by our own research group. We found strong evidence for the acoustic account of amusia. The magnitude of the performance gap was moderated by the size of pitch change, but not by whether the stimuli were composed of tones or speech. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between an individual's acoustic and musical pitch perception. However, individual cases show a double dissociation between acoustic and musical processing, which suggests that although most amusic cases are probably explainable by an acoustic deficit, there is heterogeneity within the disorder. Finally, we found that tonal language fluency does not influence the performance gap between amusics and controls, and that there was no evidence that amusics fare worse with pitch direction tasks than pitch discrimination tasks. These results constitute a quantitative review of the current literature of congenital amusia, and suggest several new directions for research, including the experimental induction of amusic behaviour through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and the systematic exploration of the developmental

Matthew's Messianic Shepherd-king: In search of “the lost sheep of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The article intends to grasp the meaning of the phrase “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” in the Matthean logia of 10:5b-6 (and 15:24). It shows that in recent Matthean research the phrase has become an abstract salvation-historical category disconnected from narrative and historical particularity. However, generally ...

Brain Injury and Severe Eating Difficulties at Admission-Patient Perspective Nine to Fifteen Months after Discharge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærsgaard, Annette

2017-01-01

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore and interpret the way that individuals with acquired brain injury, admitted to inpatient neurorehabilitation with severe eating difficulties, experienced eating nine to fifteen months after discharge. Four individuals with acquired brain injury were ...... the patient perspective of adapting to and developing new strategies for activities related to eating, however, further prospective, longitudinal research in a larger scale and with repeated interviews is needed....... interviewed via qualitative semi-structured interviews. An explorative study was conducted to study eating difficulties. Qualitative content analysis was used. Four main themes emerged from the analysis: personal values related to eating, swallowing difficulties, eating and drinking, meals and social life...... the ability to eat reduced or lost completely, even temporarily, was unexpected and difficult, and caused strong emotional reactions, even 18 months after injury. Time spent using a feeding tube had a negative, but not persistent, impact on quality-of-life. The preliminary findings provide knowledge regarding...

Analysis of outcome in patients reirradiated for brain metastases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, William W.; Schild, Steven E.; Sawyer, Timothy E.; Shaw, Edward G.

1995-01-01

Purpose: Patients with brain metastases generally benefit from whole brain irradiation (WBRT). However, the role of reirradiation for patients who develop progressive brain metastases after a course of WBRT has been controversial. This retrospective study examines our experience with reirradiation of patients for progressive brain metastases after an initial course of WBRT. Materials and Methods: From 1975 to 1993, 2658 patients received WBRT for brain metastases at our institutions. Eighty-six patients were subsequently reirradiated for progressive brain metastases. The median age of these patients was 58 (range: 31-81). The primary sites included breast (31 patients), lung (31 patients), colon (6 patients), melanoma (5 patients), and others (13 patients). Fifty patients had metastatic disease at other sites. Most patients had ECOG performance status of 2 (39 patients) or 3 (36 patients). The median dose of the first course of irradiation was 30 Gy (range: 20-50.4 Gy). The median time interval between the first and second courses of irradiation was 7.6 months (range: 1.5-50.6 months). The median dose of the second course of irradiation was 20 Gy (range: 8.0 to 30.6 Gy). All except one patients were given steroids. Patients were followed until death, except for one patient who was lost to follow-up and one long-term surviver who was followed for 72 months. Results: Twenty-three patients (27%) had complete resolution of neurologic symptoms, 37 patients (43%) had partial improvement of neurologic symptoms, and 24 patients (28%) had either no subjective response or worsened after reirradiation. The RTOG neurological function class improved in 32 patients, remained unchanged in 40 patients, and deteriorated in 8 patients. Survival following reirradiation ranged from 0.25 to 72 months with a median survival of 4 months. The majority of patients had no toxicity secondary to reirradiation. Five patients had radiographic abnormalities of their brains consistent with

The mechanism of speech processing in congenital amusia: evidence from Mandarin speakers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang Liu

Full Text Available Congenital amusia is a neuro-developmental disorder of pitch perception that causes severe problems with music processing but only subtle difficulties in speech processing. This study investigated speech processing in a group of Mandarin speakers with congenital amusia. Thirteen Mandarin amusics and thirteen matched controls participated in a set of tone and intonation perception tasks and two pitch threshold tasks. Compared with controls, amusics showed impaired performance on word discrimination in natural speech and their gliding tone analogs. They also performed worse than controls on discriminating gliding tone sequences derived from statements and questions, and showed elevated thresholds for pitch change detection and pitch direction discrimination. However, they performed as well as controls on word identification, and on statement-question identification and discrimination in natural speech. Overall, tasks that involved multiple acoustic cues to communicative meaning were not impacted by amusia. Only when the tasks relied mainly on pitch sensitivity did amusics show impaired performance compared to controls. These findings help explain why amusia only affects speech processing in subtle ways. Further studies on a larger sample of Mandarin amusics and on amusics of other language backgrounds are needed to consolidate these results.

The mechanism of speech processing in congenital amusia: evidence from Mandarin speakers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Jiang, Cunmei; Thompson, William Forde; Xu, Yi; Yang, Yufang; Stewart, Lauren

2012-01-01

Congenital amusia is a neuro-developmental disorder of pitch perception that causes severe problems with music processing but only subtle difficulties in speech processing. This study investigated speech processing in a group of Mandarin speakers with congenital amusia. Thirteen Mandarin amusics and thirteen matched controls participated in a set of tone and intonation perception tasks and two pitch threshold tasks. Compared with controls, amusics showed impaired performance on word discrimination in natural speech and their gliding tone analogs. They also performed worse than controls on discriminating gliding tone sequences derived from statements and questions, and showed elevated thresholds for pitch change detection and pitch direction discrimination. However, they performed as well as controls on word identification, and on statement-question identification and discrimination in natural speech. Overall, tasks that involved multiple acoustic cues to communicative meaning were not impacted by amusia. Only when the tasks relied mainly on pitch sensitivity did amusics show impaired performance compared to controls. These findings help explain why amusia only affects speech processing in subtle ways. Further studies on a larger sample of Mandarin amusics and on amusics of other language backgrounds are needed to consolidate these results.

An investigation of spatial representation of pitch in individuals with congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xuejing; Sun, Yanan; Thompson, William Forde

2017-09-01

Spatial representation of pitch plays a central role in auditory processing. However, it is unknown whether impaired auditory processing is associated with impaired pitch-space mapping. Experiment 1 examined spatial representation of pitch in individuals with congenital amusia using a stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) task. For amusic and non-amusic participants, pitch classification was faster and more accurate when correct responses involved a physical action that was spatially congruent with the pitch height of the stimulus than when it was incongruent. However, this spatial representation of pitch was not as stable in amusic individuals, revealed by slower response times when compared with control individuals. One explanation is that the SRC effect in amusics reflects a linguistic association, requiring additional time to link pitch height and spatial location. To test this possibility, Experiment 2 employed a colour-classification task. Participants judged colour while ignoring a concurrent pitch by pressing one of two response keys positioned vertically to be congruent or incongruent with the pitch. The association between pitch and space was found in both groups, with comparable response times in the two groups, suggesting that amusic individuals are only slower to respond to tasks involving explicit judgments of pitch.

L'Innocenza Perduta (Lost Innocence: Conserving a Carrara Marble Statue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris Cleere

1997-05-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the conservation of 'L'Innocenza Perduta (Lost Innocence', a marble statue by the Florentine sculptor Emilio Santarelli. As the statue is on open display at University College London and is accessible to the public, it has been vulnerable to destructive elements, including airborne pollutants and vandalism. Cleaning was done by steam and poultice. However, during the cleaning process it became clear that the capital and plinth required more complicated conservation treatments due to considerable cracking of the stone.

Exploring functions of the lost seeking devices for people with dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yung-Ching; Leung, Cherng-Yee

2012-01-01

This paper utilized a user-centered design approach as the foundation for technology in dementia care in order to improve the quality of telemedicine service. A status-quo analysis and questionnaire survey were conducted to explore the actual needs of the elders in using the lost seeking devices and the problems they encountered. In total, 37 caregivers for people with dementia were surveyed (20 female, 17 male, M = 50.08, SD = 15.47). The dementia-patients: 16 are male, 21 female (M = 72.75, SD = 10.23). Through analysis and induction, 3 problems were identified: poor information transmission, low user acceptance, individual material security anxiety. 2-4 improvement proposals are suggested for each problem. Most care-givers hope technological products would increase the efficiency and safety, but they also think it's too expensive and lack of computer skills. This result demonstrates the choice of seeking methods depends on the education level of the caregivers and most of them are elders. The concern of data leakage is also related to today's fraud issue, which may be the reason limiting the promotion of electronic products and biometrics. Further research is required, suggesting researchers should pursue improvements in lost seeking design devices in dementia for caregivers.

Average years of life lost due to breast and cervical cancer and the association with the marginalization index in Mexico in 2000 and 2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudio Alberto Dávila Cervantes

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to calculate average years of life lost due to breast and cervical cancer in Mexico in 2000 and 2010. Data on mortality in women aged between 20 and 84 years was obtained from the National Institute for Statistics and Geography. Age-specific mortality rates and average years of life lost, which is an estimate of the number of years that a person would have lived if he or she had not died prematurely, were estimated for both diseases. Data was disaggregated into five-year age groups and socioeconomic status based on the 2010 marginalization index obtained from the National Population Council. A decrease in average years of life lost due to cervical cancer (37.4% and an increase in average years of life lost due breast cancer (8.9% was observed during the period studied. Average years of life lost due to cervical cancer was greater among women living in areas with a high marginalization index, while average years of life lost due to breast cancer was greater in women from areas with a low marginalization index.

Quantitative rates of brain glucose metabolism distinguish minimally conscious from vegetative state patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Stender, Johan; Kupers, Ron; Rodell, Anders; Thibaut, Aurore; Chatelle, Camille; Bruno, Marie-Aurélie; Gejl, Michael; Bernard, Claire; Hustinx, Roland; Laureys, Steven; Gjedde, Albert

2015-01-01

The differentiation of the vegetative or unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) from the minimally conscious state (MCS) is an important clinical issue. The cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) declines when consciousness is lost, and may reveal the residual cognitive function of these patients. However, no quantitative comparisons of cerebral glucose metabolism in VS/UWS and MCS have yet been reported. We calculated the regional and whole-brain CMRglc of 41 patients in the states of VS/UWS (n=14), MCS (n=21) or emergence from MCS (EMCS, n=6), and healthy volunteers (n=29). Global cortical CMRglc in VS/UWS and MCS averaged 42% and 55% of normal, respectively. Differences between VS/UWS and MCS were most pronounced in the frontoparietal cortex, at 42% and 60% of normal. In brainstem and thalamus, metabolism declined equally in the two conditions. In EMCS, metabolic rates were indistinguishable from those of MCS. Ordinal logistic regression predicted that patients are likely to emerge into MCS at CMRglc above 45% of normal. Receiver-operating characteristics showed that patients in MCS and VS/UWS can be differentiated with 82% accuracy, based on cortical metabolism. Together these results reveal a significant correlation between whole-brain energy metabolism and level of consciousness, suggesting that quantitative values of CMRglc reveal consciousness in severely brain-injured patients.

Waterborne outbreak of gastroenteritis: effects on sick leaves and cost of lost workdays.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaana I Halonen

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In 2007, part of a drinking water distribution system was accidentally contaminated with waste water effluent causing a gastroenteritis outbreak in a Finnish town. We examined the acute and cumulative effects of this incidence on sick leaves among public sector employees residing in the clean and contaminated areas, and the additional costs of lost workdays due to the incidence. METHODS: Daily information on sick leaves of 1789 Finnish Public Sector Study participants was obtained from employers' registers. Global Positioning System-coordinates were used for linking participants to the clean and contaminated areas. Prevalence ratios (PR for weekly sickness absences were calculated using binomial regression analysis. Calculations for the costs were based on prior studies. RESULTS: Among those living in the contaminated areas, the prevalence of participants on sick leave was 3.54 (95% confidence interval (CI 2.97-4.22 times higher on the week following the incidence compared to the reference period. Those living and working in the clean area were basically not affected, the corresponding PR for sick leaves was 1.12, 95% CI 0.73-1.73. No cumulative effects on sick leaves were observed among the exposed. The estimated additional costs of lost workdays due to the incidence were 1.8-2.1 million euros. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of sickness absences among public sector employees residing in affected areas increased shortly after drinking water distribution system was contaminated, but no long-term effects were observed. The estimated costs of lost workdays were remarkable, thus, the cost-benefits of better monitoring systems for the water distribution systems should be evaluated.

Metabolic learning and memory formation by the brain influence systemic metabolic homeostasis.

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Zhang, Yumin; Liu, Gang; Yan, Jingqi; Zhang, Yalin; Li, Bo; Cai, Dongsheng

2015-04-07

Metabolic homeostasis is regulated by the brain, but whether this regulation involves learning and memory of metabolic information remains unexplored. Here we use a calorie-based, taste-independent learning/memory paradigm to show that Drosophila form metabolic memories that help in balancing food choice with caloric intake; however, this metabolic learning or memory is lost under chronic high-calorie feeding. We show that loss of individual learning/memory-regulating genes causes a metabolic learning defect, leading to elevated trehalose and lipid levels. Importantly, this function of metabolic learning requires not only the mushroom body but also the hypothalamus-like pars intercerebralis, while NF-κB activation in the pars intercerebralis mimics chronic overnutrition in that it causes metabolic learning impairment and disorders. Finally, we evaluate this concept of metabolic learning/memory in mice, suggesting that the hypothalamus is involved in a form of nutritional learning and memory, which is critical for determining resistance or susceptibility to obesity. In conclusion, our data indicate that the brain, and potentially the hypothalamus, direct metabolic learning and the formation of memories, which contribute to the control of systemic metabolic homeostasis.

The experiences of mothers who lost a baby during pregnancy

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L Modiba

2007-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of mothers who lost a baby during pregnancy and care given by doctors and midwives during this period. Opsomming Die doel van die studie was om die ervaring van moeders met betrekking tot die dood van ‘n baba tydens swangerskap te verken en te beskryf, asook die versorging wat hulle van vroedvroue en dokters gedurende die periode ontvang het. *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.

Lost in the mall: misrepresentations and misunderstandings.

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Loftus, Elizabeth F

1999-01-01

Readers of Ethics and Behavior have been treated to a misrepresentation of my research on planting false memories, to a misstatement of the actual empirical finidngs, and to a distortion of the history of the development of the idea for this line of research. The partisan essay by Crook and Dean which appears in this issue ("'Lost in a Shopping Mall' -- A Breach of Professional Ethics") is disturbing not only because of its errors, exaggerations, and omissions, but because, in some instances, the quality of the argument makes one wonder whether these were innocent mistakes or a deliberate attempt to distort my work. Some of these errors can be explained by simple lack of scientific competence. However, others are sufficiently bizarre that they cast doubt on the process that led to the acceptance of a manuscript written by an individual who has continually made her animosity toward me very publicly known (e.g., Boerner, 1996; Neimark, 1996).

Cinema advertising and the Sea Witch ‘Lost Island’ film (1965)

OpenAIRE

Farmer, Richard

2016-01-01

Cinema advertising films have for many decades constituted an important element of British cinema programmes, yet they remain relatively under-researched. This article examines the production, distribution and reception of one such film, a 90-second mini-epic called ‘Lost Island’, which was made in 1965 to promote Sea Witch hair dyes. As well as outlining the technological and experiential aspects of the cinema and cinemagoing that continued to make film an attractive medium for advertisers e...

Ambient air pollution and years of life lost in Ningbo, China

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He, Tianfeng; Yang, Zuyao; Liu, Tao; Shen, Yueping; Fu, Xiaohong; Qian, Xujun; Zhang, Yuelun; Wang, Yong; Xu, Zhiwei; Zhu, Shankuan; Mao, Chen; Xu, Guozhang; Tang, Jinling

2016-03-01

To evaluate the burden of air pollution on years of life lost (YLL) in addition to mortality, we conducted a time series analysis based on the data on air pollution, meteorological conditions and 163,704 non-accidental deaths of Ningbo, China, 2009-2013. The mean concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter population for both outcomes. These findings clarify the burden of air pollution on YLL and highlight the importance and urgency of air pollution control in China.

Endothelial cell marker PAL-E reactivity in brain tumor, developing brain, and brain disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leenstra, S.; Troost, D.; Das, P. K.; Claessen, N.; Becker, A. E.; Bosch, D. A.

1993-01-01

The endothelial cell marker PAL-E is not reactive to vessels in the normal brain. The present study concerns the PAL-E reactivity in brain tumors in contrast to normal brain and nonneoplastic brain disease. A total of 122 specimens were examined: brain tumors (n = 94), nonneoplastic brain disease (n

Affective evaluation of simultaneous tone combinations in congenital amusia.

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Marin, Manuela M; Thompson, William Forde; Gingras, Bruno; Stewart, Lauren

2015-11-01

Congenital amusia is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired pitch processing. Although pitch simultaneities are among the fundamental building blocks of Western tonal music, affective responses to simultaneities such as isolated dyads varying in consonance/dissonance or chords varying in major/minor quality have rarely been studied in amusic individuals. Thirteen amusics and thirteen matched controls enculturated to Western tonal music provided pleasantness ratings of sine-tone dyads and complex-tone dyads in piano timbre as well as perceived happiness/sadness ratings of sine-tone triads and complex-tone triads in piano timbre. Acoustical analyses of roughness and harmonicity were conducted to determine whether similar acoustic information contributed to these evaluations in amusics and controls. Amusic individuals' pleasantness ratings indicated sensitivity to consonance and dissonance for complex-tone (piano timbre) dyads and, to a lesser degree, sine-tone dyads, whereas controls showed sensitivity when listening to both tone types. Furthermore, amusic individuals showed some sensitivity to the happiness-major association in the complex-tone condition, but not in the sine-tone condition. Controls rated major chords as happier than minor chords in both tone types. Linear regression analyses revealed that affective ratings of dyads and triads by amusic individuals were predicted by roughness but not harmonicity, whereas affective ratings by controls were predicted by both roughness and harmonicity. We discuss affective sensitivity in congenital amusia in view of theories of affective responses to isolated chords in Western listeners. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Revisiting Einstein's brain in Brain Awareness Week.

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Chen, Hao; Chen, Su; Zeng, Lidan; Zhou, Lin; Hou, Shengtao

2014-10-01

Albert Einstein's brain has long been an object of fascination to both neuroscience specialists and the general public. However, without records of advanced neuro-imaging of his brain, conclusions regarding Einstein's extraordinary cognitive capabilities can only be drawn based on the unique external features of his brain and through comparison of the external features with those of other human brain samples. The recent discovery of 14 previously unpublished photographs of Einstein's brain taken at unconventional angles by Dr. Thomas Stoltz Harvey, the pathologist, ignited a renewed frenzy about clues to explain Einstein's genius. Dr. Dean Falk and her colleagues, in their landmark paper published in Brain (2013; 136:1304-1327), described in such details about the unusual features of Einstein's brain, which shed new light on Einstein's intelligence. In this article, we ask what are the unique structures of his brain? What can we learn from this new information? Can we really explain his extraordinary cognitive capabilities based on these unique brain structures? We conclude that studying the brain of a remarkable person like Albert Einstein indeed provides us a better example to comprehensively appreciate the relationship between brain structures and advanced cognitive functions. However, caution must be exercised so as not to over-interpret his intelligence solely based on the understanding of the surface structures of his brain.

Exploring the Premise of Lost Altruism: Content Analysis of Two Codes of Ethics

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Haddara, Wael; Lingard, Lorelei

2017-01-01

As an ideal, altruism has long enjoyed privileged status in medicine and medical education. As a practice, altruism is perceived to be in decline in the current generation. A number of educational efforts are underway to reclaim this "lost value" of medicine. In this paper we explore constructions of altruism over a defined period of…

Ben Franklin's Scientific Amusements

Science.gov (United States)

Herschbach, Dudley

2003-04-01

As an American icon, Benjamin Franklin is often portrayed as wise and canny in business and politics, earnestly pursuing and extolling diligence, sensible conduct, pragmatism, and good works. Also legendary are some of his inventions, particularly the lightning rod, bifocals, and an efficient wood-burning stove. The iconic image is misleading in major respects. Today, surprisingly few people appreciate that, in the 18th century, Franklin was greatly esteemed throughout Europe as a scientist (termed then a "natural philosopher.") He was hailed as the "Newton of Electricity." Indeed, until Franklin, electricity seemed more mysterious than had gravity in Newton's time, and lightning was considered the wrath of God. By his own account, Franklin's studies of electricity and many other phenomena were prompted not by practical aims, but by his playful curiosity--which often became obsessive. Also not generally appreciated is the importance of Franklin's scientific reputation in enhancing his efforts to obtain French support for the American Revolution.

Working memory load related modulations of the oscillatory brain activity. N-back ERD/ERS study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakao, Yoshiaki; Tamura, Toshiyo; Kodabashi, Atsushi; Fujimoto, Toshiro; Yarita, Masaru

2011-01-01

In recent cognitive neuroscience, a lot of studies of the human working memory were examined, and electroencephalography (EEG) measurements during n-back task were often used. However, they were almost studied by event related potentials (ERP) analysis. In the ERP study, time-locked components can be elicited, but non time-locked components such as the modulated brain oscillatory activity might be lost by an averaging procedure. To elucidate the contribution of the modulations of the brain oscillatory activity to the human working memory, we examined event related desynchronization (ERD)/event related synchronization (ERS) analysis on the source waveforms during n-back task. Source waveforms were calculated from a source model which was constructed with the sources seeded from fMRI meta-analysis of n-back task and additional sources in the orbitofrontal cortex and the visual cortex estimated with P100 and P360 components in the n-back ERP. Our results suggested the network which included the prefrontal cortex and the parietal lobe had a contribution to human working memory process, and it was mediated by theta oscillatory activity. (author)

Procedures for brachytherapy sources lost in a radiotherapy department; Protocolo para fontes de braquiterapia extraviadas no ambiente hospitalar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almeida, Adelaide de [Sao Paulo Univ., Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciencias e Letras

1997-12-31

Brachytherapy sources are easily lost in a Radiotherapy Department owing to unexpected behaviour of the patient and/or inattention of the people in charge of the sources. This work reports a protocol to be used when brachytherapy sources are lost and it was based on the search of three sealed sources of Cesium 137 with activity of 37 x 10{sup 7} Bq, removed by a patient from a conventional afterloading intra-uterine system (Henscke). (author) 5 refs., 3 figs.; e-mail: dalmeida at biomag.ffclrp.usp.br

Left Brain. Right Brain. Whole Brain

Science.gov (United States)

Farmer, Lesley S. J.

2004-01-01

As the United States student population is becoming more diverse, library media specialists need to find ways to address these distinctive needs. However, some of these differences transcend culture, touching on variations in the brain itself. Most people have a dominant side of the brain, which can affect their personality and learning style.…

EVALUATION OF THE THIXOTROPY OF OIL-WELL CEMENTS USED FOR CEMENTING LOST CIRCULATION ZONES: EFFECT OF PLASTER AND BLAST FURNACE SLAG

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T. Bouziani

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Cementing of oil and gas wells can be a very delicate operation. Among the concerns of service companies, during this operation are the nature and conditions of the formations in well. This is the case of cementing operations in southern Algeria, specifically on the fields of In-Amen, where the formations in lost zones are naturally weak and highly permeable. In these areas, drilling fluids (muds and cements pumped will be, completely or partially lost, what we call "lost circulation". Thixotropic cements are useful to overcome lost circulation problems. They are characterized by a special rheological behavior, allowing it to plug lost zones when they are pumped.Our work aims to assess the thixotropy of cements perapred with two types of cement (class G Asland cement and CEM I 42.5 portland cement with the plaster, using a viscometer with coaxial cylinder (couette type. Moreover, the effect of blast furnace slag (LHF on the properties and thixotropic mixtures prepared was also studied. The results show that portland cement (available locally can produce mixes with higher and more stable thixotropy than the class G cement (from importation, which is a practical and economical for cementing job operations in wells with loss zones. The results also show that the effect of LHF is positive, since in addition to his contribution to long term performances, especially the durability of hardened concrete, it improves the thixotropy of cement made of plaster.

"Lixue" (?? "Ihak") the Lost Art: Confucianism as a Form of Cultivation of Mind

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Han, Hyong-Jo

2016-01-01

This article approaches Confucianism as a lost art of living and asks how we can make it relevant again for us. Central to this approach is the cultivation of heart-mind ("Xinxue," ??) designed to help cure ourselves of self-oblivion and self-centeredness so prevalent in our culture today. It is based on the idea of "Li" (?),…

Psychology's Lost Boy: Will the Real Little Albert Please Stand Up?

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Griggs, Richard A.

2015-01-01

This article is concerned with the recent debate about the identity of psychology's lost boy-Little Albert, the infant subject in Watson and Rayner's classic experiment on fear conditioning. For decades, psychologists and psychology students have been intrigued by the mystery of Albert's fate. Now two evidentiary-based solutions to…

PRODUCTION OF ROTARY ENGINES’ PARTS FROM ALUMINUM ALLOYS USING LOST FOAM CASTING PROCESS

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E. I. Marukovich

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The production technology of casting details for rotary engine from the aluminum alloy АК12М2 is developed. The bulk density of expanded polystyrene to ensure the best quality of the surface of castings has been experimentally established. The lost foam casting shop was organized in the experimental department of the Institute.

The importance of providing scaffolding to support patient narratives when brain damage impairs storytelling ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Hydén, Lars C

2011-01-01

Boundaries connected to illness are defined and redefined through new ways of interacting with other people and especially by storytelling and listening to the stories of others. Diseases or traumas that affect the brain can result in memory loss, impaired cognition, and difficulties in expressing oneself clearly, hence making it difficult to present and negotiate identities. In such situations, others often try to remedy the communicative problems by taking over those narrative functions that are lost or impaired and thereby scaffolding the injured person's storytelling capacity. This narrative scaffolding is directed at keeping interpersonal relationships functional and makes it possible for persons with communicative disabilities to continue to be participants in a shared life.

Intonation Processing in Congenital Amusia: Discrimination, Identification and Imitation

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Liu, Fang; Patel, Aniruddh D.; Fourcin, Adrian; Stewart, Lauren

2010-01-01

This study investigated whether congenital amusia, a neuro-developmental disorder of musical perception, also has implications for speech intonation processing. In total, 16 British amusics and 16 matched controls completed five intonation perception tasks and two pitch threshold tasks. Compared with controls, amusics showed impaired performance…

[Abortion and the man. Psychological and psychopathological manifestations in the face of lost fatherhood].

Science.gov (United States)

Benvenuti, P; Borri, P; Buzzoni, P; Clerici, L; Rossi Monti, M

1983-01-01

This study examines the psychological and psychopathological reactions that may appear in a man when his partner aborts. The small amount of literature that exists on the subjects was examined, and several men were, interviewed at the time their partners aborted voluntarely. It turns out that in spite of the man's lack of recognition of any reactions (reinforced by current attitudes and by the scant psychological and medical interest in the subject), there is considerable emotional involvement in the lost parenthood, both for the man and the woman. As revealed by the interviews, this involvement may manifest itself in persecutory or depressive anxiety and psychosomatic symptoms. Moreover, but very rarely, real and typical psychopathological symptoms may appear, such as depression and behavioural disorders. The appearance of these reactions is linked to the problems and conflicts aroused by prospective fatherhood, leading to a comparison between the experiences of fuliwed fatherhood and those of fatherhood lost.

Effect of pressure in mould on the mould cavity filling in Lost Foam process

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T. Pacyniak

2010-10-01

Full Text Available In this study, the analysis of the influence of the pressure in mould on manufacture process of castings by the Lost Foam method wasintroduced. In particular, numerical simulation results of effect of pressure in mould on pouring rate, gas gap pressure and gas gap sizewere analyzed. For simulating investigations of the Lost Foam process introduced mathematical model of the process was used. In thismodel in detail was described and derived equation relating to the changes of the gas pressure in the gas gap. The mathematical description uses the equation of gas state and the equation of Darcy’s rate of filtration. Presented studies indicated, that with decrease of pressure in mould the pouring rate increased and the gas pressure in gas gap and gas gap size decreased. For pressures in mould from the range of 20÷100 kPa, pouring rates achieved values from 30÷3 cm/s respectively.

First satellite tracks of neonate sea turtles redefine the ‘lost years’ oceanic niche

Science.gov (United States)

Mansfield, Katherine L.; Wyneken, Jeanette; Porter, Warren P.; Luo, Jiangang

2014-01-01

Few at-sea behavioural data exist for oceanic-stage neonate sea turtles, a life-stage commonly referred to as the sea turtle ‘lost years’. Historically, the long-term tracking of small, fast-growing organisms in the open ocean was logistically or technologically impossible. Here, we provide the first long-term satellite tracks of neonate sea turtles. Loggerheads (Caretta caretta) were remotely tracked in the Atlantic Ocean using small solar-powered satellite transmitters. We show that oceanic-stage turtles (i) rarely travel in Continental Shelf waters, (ii) frequently depart the currents associated with the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, (iii) travel quickly when in Gyre currents, and (iv) select sea surface habitats that are likely to provide a thermal benefit or refuge to young sea turtles, supporting growth, foraging and survival. Our satellite tracks help define Atlantic loggerhead nursery grounds and early loggerhead habitat use, allowing us to re-examine sea turtle ‘lost years’ paradigms. PMID:24598420

Sensitivity to musical emotion is influenced by tonal structure in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Cunmei; Liu, Fang; Wong, Patrick C M

2017-08-08

Emotional communication in music depends on multiple attributes including psychoacoustic features and tonal system information, the latter of which is unique to music. The present study investigated whether congenital amusia, a lifelong disorder of musical processing, impacts sensitivity to musical emotion elicited by timbre and tonal system information. Twenty-six amusics and 26 matched controls made tension judgments on Western (familiar) and Indian (unfamiliar) melodies played on piano and sitar. Like controls, amusics used timbre cues to judge musical tension in Western and Indian melodies. While controls assigned significantly lower tension ratings to Western melodies compared to Indian melodies, thus showing a tonal familiarity effect on tension ratings, amusics provided comparable tension ratings for Western and Indian melodies on both timbres. Furthermore, amusics rated Western melodies as more tense compared to controls, as they relied less on tonality cues than controls in rating tension for Western melodies. The implications of these findings in terms of emotional responses to music are discussed.

Processing of emotional faces in congenital amusia: An emotional music priming event-related potential study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhishuai, Jin; Hong, Liu; Daxing, Wu; Pin, Zhang; Xuejing, Lu

2017-01-01

Congenital amusia is characterized by lifelong impairments in music perception and processing. It is unclear whether pitch detection deficits impact amusic individuals' perception of musical emotion. In the current work, 19 amusics and 21 healthy controls were subjected to electroencephalography (EEG) while being exposed to music excerpts and emotional faces. We assessed each individual's ability to discriminate positive- and negative-valenced emotional faces and analyzed electrophysiological indices, in the form of event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded at 32 sites, following exposure to emotionally positive or negative music excerpts. We observed smaller N2 amplitudes in response to facial expressions in the amusia group than in the control group, suggesting that amusics were less affected by the musical stimuli. The late-positive component (LPC) in amusics was similar to that in controls. Our results suggest that the neurocognitive deficit characteristic of congenital amusia is fundamentally an impairment in musical information processing rather than an impairment in emotional processing.

Processing of emotional faces in congenital amusia: An emotional music priming event-related potential study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin Zhishuai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Congenital amusia is characterized by lifelong impairments in music perception and processing. It is unclear whether pitch detection deficits impact amusic individuals' perception of musical emotion. In the current work, 19 amusics and 21 healthy controls were subjected to electroencephalography (EEG while being exposed to music excerpts and emotional faces. We assessed each individual's ability to discriminate positive- and negative-valenced emotional faces and analyzed electrophysiological indices, in the form of event-related potentials (ERPs recorded at 32 sites, following exposure to emotionally positive or negative music excerpts. We observed smaller N2 amplitudes in response to facial expressions in the amusia group than in the control group, suggesting that amusics were less affected by the musical stimuli. The late-positive component (LPC in amusics was similar to that in controls. Our results suggest that the neurocognitive deficit characteristic of congenital amusia is fundamentally an impairment in musical information processing rather than an impairment in emotional processing.

Differential recognition of pitch patterns in discrete and gliding stimuli in congenital amusia: evidence from Mandarin speakers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Xu, Yi; Patel, Aniruddh D; Francart, Tom; Jiang, Cunmei

2012-08-01

This study examined whether "melodic contour deafness" (insensitivity to the direction of pitch movement) in congenital amusia is associated with specific types of pitch patterns (discrete versus gliding pitches) or stimulus types (speech syllables versus complex tones). Thresholds for identification of pitch direction were obtained using discrete or gliding pitches in the syllable /ma/ or its complex tone analog, from nineteen amusics and nineteen controls, all healthy university students with Mandarin Chinese as their native language. Amusics, unlike controls, had more difficulty recognizing pitch direction in discrete than in gliding pitches, for both speech and non-speech stimuli. Also, amusic thresholds were not significantly affected by stimulus types (speech versus non-speech), whereas controls showed lower thresholds for tones than for speech. These findings help explain why amusics have greater difficulty with discrete musical pitch perception than with speech perception, in which continuously changing pitch movements are prevalent. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Musical familiarity in congenital amusia: evidence from a gating paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Tillmann, Barbara; Albouy, Philippe; Caclin, Anne; Bigand, Emmanuel

2014-10-01

Congenital amusia has been described as a lifelong deficit of music perception and production, notably including amusic individuals' difficulties to recognize a familiar tune without the aid of lyrics. The present study aimed to evaluate whether amusic individuals might have acquired long-term knowledge of familiar music, and to test for the minimal amount of acoustic information necessary to access this knowledge (if any) in amusia. Segments of familiar and unfamiliar instrumental musical pieces were presented with increasing duration (250, 500, 1000 msec etc.), and participants provided familiarity judgments for each segment. Results showed that amusic individuals succeeded in differentiating familiar from unfamiliar excerpts with as little acoustic information as did control participants (i.e., within 500 msec). The findings reveal that amusic individuals have stored musical pieces in long-term memory (LTM), and, together with other recent findings, they suggest that congenital amusia might impair conscious access to music processing rather than music processing per se.

Light's labour's lost - policies for energy-efficient lighting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-06-29

When William Shakepeare wrote Love's Labour's Lost he would have used light from tallow candles at a cost (today) of 12,000 British pounds per million-lumen hours. The same amount of light from electric lamps now costs only 2 pounds! But today's low-cost illumination still has a dark side. Globally, lighting consumes more electricity than is produced by either hydro or nuclear power and results in CO2 emissions equivalent to two thirds of the world's cars. A standard incandescent lamp may be much more efficient than a tallow candle, but it is far less efficient than a high-pressure sodium lamp. Were inefficient light sources to be replaced by the equivalent efficient ones, global lighting energy demand would be up to 40% less at a lower overall cost. Larger savings still could be realised through the intelligent use of controls, lighting levels and daylight. But achieving efficient lighting is not just a question of technology; it requires policies to transform current practice. This book documents the broad range of policy measures to stimulate efficient lighting that have already been implemented around the world and suggests new ways these could be strengthened to prevent light's labour's from being lost.

Lost-time illness, injury and disability and its relationship with obesity in the workplace: A comprehensive literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Nowrouzi, Behdin; Gohar, Basem; Nowrouzi-Kia, Behnam; Mintsopoulos, Victoria; McDougall, Alicia; Jordan, Gillian; Casole, Jennifer; Lariviere, Michel; Tremblay, Angelo

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to conduct a literature review examining predictors of lost-time injury, illness and disability (IID) in the workplace, with a focus on obesity as a predictor, and to evaluate the relationship between obesity and losttime IID. The study objective was also to analyze workplace disability prevention and interventions aimed at encouraging a healthy lifestyle among employees and reducing obesity and IID, as well as to identify research gaps. The search was conducted in several major online databases. Articles included in the review were published in English in peer-reviewed journals between January 2003 and December 2014, and were found to be of good quality and of relevance to the topic. Each article was critically reviewed for inclusion in this study. Studies that focused on lost-time IID in the workplace were reviewed and summarized. Workers in overweight and obese categories are shown to be at a higher risk of workplace IID, are more likely to suffer from lost-time IID, and experience a slower recovery compared to workers with a healthy body mass index (BMI) score. Lost-time IID is costly to an employer and an employee; therefore, weight reduction may financially benefit both - workers and companies. It was found that some companies have focused on developing interventions that aid reduction of weight and the practice of active lifestyle among their employees. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2016;29(5):749-766. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Dehydration enhances pain-evoked activation in the human brain compared with rehydration.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogino, Yuichi; Kakeda, Takahiro; Nakamura, Koji; Saito, Shigeru

2014-06-01

Negative effects of dehydration on the human brain and cognitive function have been reported. In this study, we examined the effects of dehydration on pain thresholds and cortical activations in response to pain, compared with rehydration with an oral rehydration solution (ORS) by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Five healthy adult men were subjected to dehydration and rehydration on 2 different days. The condition on the first day was randomly assigned to each subject. They completed a 40-minute exercise protocol using a walking machine after 12 hours of fasting under both conditions. For rehydration, the subjects consumed up to 3000 mL ORS starting from the night before the test day. After exercise, a painful stimulus (cold pressor test) was applied to the subjects' medial forearm in a magnetic resonance imaging scanning gantry, and pain-evoked brain activation was analyzed. On the rehydration day, each of the subjects consumed an average of 2040 mL (range; 1800-2500 mL) ORS. Physiological data revealed that subjects when dehydrated lost more weight from exercise than subjects when rehydrated had a larger heart rate increase, a higher tympanic temperature, and a higher urine osmolality. Subjective data revealed that the subjects reported significantly stronger thirst while dehydrated than while rehydrated with ORS, although the levels of hunger and anxiety and mood did not significantly differ between conditions. The cold pressor test robustly activated the pain-related neural network, notably the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and thalamus. Such activations in the dehydrated subjects were greater than those in the rehydrated subjects in terms of peak and cluster, accompanied by a decrease in pain threshold (P = 0.001). Our findings suggest that dehydration brings about increased brain activity related to painful stimuli together with enhanced thirst, whereas rehydration with ORS alleviates thirst and decreases brain activity related to painful stimuli.

Replacement of Lost Lgr5-Positive Stem Cells through Plasticity of Their Enterocyte-Lineage Daughters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tetteh, Paul W.; Basak, Onur; Farin, Henner F.; Wiebrands, Kay; Kretzschmar, Kai; Begthel, Harry; van den Born, Maaike; Korving, Jeroen; De Sauvage, Frederic; Van Es, Johan H.; Van Oudenaarden, Alexander; Clevers, Hans

2016-01-01

Intestinal crypts display robust regeneration upon injury. The relatively rare secretory precursors can replace lost stem cells, but it is unknown if the abundant enterocyte progenitors that express the Alkaline phosphate intestinal (Alpi) gene also have this capacity. We created an

Intraoperative MRI in pediatric brain tumors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choudhri, Asim F. [Le Bonheur Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Memphis, TN (United States); University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Radiology, Memphis, TN (United States); University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Memphis, TN (United States); University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Memphis, TN (United States); Le Bonheur Children' s Hospital, Le Bonheur Neuroscience Institute, Memphis, TN (United States); Siddiqui, Adeel [University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Radiology, Memphis, TN (United States); Le Bonheur Children' s Hospital, Le Bonheur Neuroscience Institute, Memphis, TN (United States); Klimo, Paul; Boop, Frederick A. [University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Memphis, TN (United States); Le Bonheur Children' s Hospital, Le Bonheur Neuroscience Institute, Memphis, TN (United States); Semmes-Murphey Neurologic and Spine Institute, Memphis, TN (United States); St. Jude Children' s Hospital, Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Memphis, TN (United States)

2015-09-15

Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) has emerged as an important tool in guiding the surgical management of children with brain tumors. Recent advances have allowed utilization of high field strength systems, including 3-tesla MRI, resulting in diagnostic-quality scans that can be performed while the child is on the operating table. By providing information about the possible presence of residual tumor, it allows the neurosurgeon to both identify and resect any remaining tumor that is thought to be safely accessible. By fusing the newly obtained images with the surgical guidance software, the images have the added value of aiding in navigation to any residual tumor. This is important because parenchyma often shifts during surgery. It also gives the neurosurgeon insight into whether any immediate postoperative complications have occurred. If any complications have occurred, the child is already in the operating room and precious minutes lost in transport and communications are saved. In this article we review the three main approaches to an iMRI system design. We discuss the possible roles for iMRI during intraoperative planning and provide guidance to help radiologists and neurosurgeons alike in the collaborative management of these children. (orig.)

Intraoperative MRI in pediatric brain tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choudhri, Asim F.; Siddiqui, Adeel; Klimo, Paul; Boop, Frederick A.

2015-01-01

Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) has emerged as an important tool in guiding the surgical management of children with brain tumors. Recent advances have allowed utilization of high field strength systems, including 3-tesla MRI, resulting in diagnostic-quality scans that can be performed while the child is on the operating table. By providing information about the possible presence of residual tumor, it allows the neurosurgeon to both identify and resect any remaining tumor that is thought to be safely accessible. By fusing the newly obtained images with the surgical guidance software, the images have the added value of aiding in navigation to any residual tumor. This is important because parenchyma often shifts during surgery. It also gives the neurosurgeon insight into whether any immediate postoperative complications have occurred. If any complications have occurred, the child is already in the operating room and precious minutes lost in transport and communications are saved. In this article we review the three main approaches to an iMRI system design. We discuss the possible roles for iMRI during intraoperative planning and provide guidance to help radiologists and neurosurgeons alike in the collaborative management of these children. (orig.)

[How much water is lost during breathing?].

Science.gov (United States)

Zieliński, Jakub; Przybylski, Jacek

2012-01-01

Arising from the Antoine equation and the ideal gas law, the volume of exhaled water has been calculated. Air temperature, humidity and minute ventilation has been taken into account. During physical exercise amount of exhaled H(2)O is linear, but not proportional to heart rate. And so at the heart rate of 140 bpm amount of exhaled water is approximately four times higher than during the rest and equals about 60-70 ml/h. The effect of external temperature and humidity on water lost via lungs was assessed as well. When temperature of inspired air and its humidity is 35°C an 75% respectively loss of water is 7 ml/h. Whereas when above parameters are changed to minus 10°C and 25% lung excretion of H(2)O increases up to 20 ml/h. The obtained results may become the basis for the assessment of osmolarity changes on the surface of the lower airways. The increase of which is recently considered as one of the factors responsible for exercise induced bronchospasm.

49 CFR 1242.73 - Cleaning car interiors and freight lost and damaged-all other (accounts XX-53-70 and 51-53-00).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 9 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cleaning car interiors and freight lost and damaged-all other (accounts XX-53-70 and 51-53-00). 1242.73 Section 1242.73 Transportation Other... freight lost and damaged—all other (accounts XX-53-70 and 51-53-00). Separate common expenses on basis of...

78 FR 2441 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested; Report of Lost...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-11

... Stolen ATF F 5400.30, Intrastate Purchase of Explosives Coupon ACTION: 30-Day notice. The Department of... and assumptions used; --Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected... collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Report of Stolen or Lost ATF F 5400.30, Intrastate Purchase of...

Brain Tumors

Science.gov (United States)

A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells in the tissues of the brain. Brain tumors can be benign, with no cancer cells, ... cancer cells that grow quickly. Some are primary brain tumors, which start in the brain. Others are ...

Perceptions of the risk of child abduction or loss and the utility of child electronic security devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Dixon, R M; Pasnak, R

1997-09-01

Perceptions of the susceptibility of young children to becoming lost or being abducted, and of the potential usefulness of child electronic security devices, were examined via a questionnaire. Data were provided by 41 volunteers, most of them from a local government office centre. The questionnaire asked for demographic data, and then for the risk of a child being abducted or lost when under the supervision of different caregivers and in different situations. The probable effectiveness of three common abductor ploys was also addressed. The questionnaire concluded with 10 questions about child electronic security devices. Respondents viewed mothers, fathers, and grandparents as equally responsible caregivers and young adults/babysitters as the least responsible. These effects diminished as the age of the children increased. The garden at home was judged to be the most secure environment for children of all ages, while an amusement park was judged the least secure environment. Children were perceived to be more at risk of an abduction when a stranger asked for physical assistance or to take them to the hospital because their parents were hurt, than when asked for directions. Furthermore, the respondents expressed a moderately strong need for child electronic security devices, and viewed parents who use them as more responsible than those who do not.

Initial Results from the Lost Alpha Diagnostics on Joint European Torus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Darrow, Doug; Cecil, Ed; Ellis, Bob; Fullard, Keith; Hill, Ken; Horton, Alan; Kiptily, Vasily; Pedrick, Les; Reich, Matthias

2007-07-25

Two devices have been installed in the Joint European Torus (JET) vacuum vessel near the plasma boundary to investigate the loss of energetic ions and fusion products in general and alpha particles in particular during the upcoming JET experiments. These devices are (i) a set of multichannel thin foil Faraday collectors, and (ii) a well collimated scintillator which is optically connected to a charge-coupled device. Initial results, including the radial energy and poloidal dependence of lost ions from hydrogen and deuterium plasmas during the 2005–06 JET restart campaign, will be presented.

Initial Results from the Lost Alpha Diagnostics on Joint European Torus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darrow, Doug; Baeumel, Stefan; Cecil, Ed; Ellis, Bob; Fullard, Keith; Hill, Ken; Horton, Alan; Kiptily, Vasily; Pedrick, Les; Reich, Matthias; Werner, Andreas

2007-01-01

Two devices have been installed in the Joint European Torus (JET) vacuum vessel near the plasma boundary to investigate the loss of energetic ions and fusion products in general and alpha particles in particular during the upcoming JET experiments. These devices are (i) a set of multichannel thin foil Faraday collectors, and (ii) a well collimated scintillator which is optically connected to a charge-coupled device. Initial results, including the radial energy and poloidal dependence of lost ions from hydrogen and deuterium plasmas during the 2005-06 JET restart campaign, will be presented.

Cause-specific life-years lost in people with mental disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Erlangsen, Annette; Andersen, Per Kragh; Toender, Anita

2017-01-01

mortality due to medical diseases and disorders among people with mental disorders emphasises the need for future interventions to address these aspects as well as the continued high shares of excess mortality due to alcohol misuse, suicide, and accidents. FUNDING: The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative...... diseases (men: 1·2; women: 0·3), and respiratory diseases (men: 0·3; women: 0·2), and a decrease for suicide (men: -0·7; women: -0·5) and accidents (men: -0·9; women: -0·5). INTERPRETATION: By applying a novel approach, more precise estimates of life-years lost were obtained. The increase in excess...

Bite or Brain: Implication of sensorimotor regulation and neuroplasticity in oral rehabilitation procedures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kumar, Abhishek; Kothari, Mohit; Grigoriadis, A

2018-01-01

. Overall, this information is believed to enhance the understanding and develop better rehabilitative strategies to exploit training-induced cortical neuroplasticity in individuals affected by impaired oral motor coordination and function. Training or relearning of oral motor tasks could be important...... for chewing. Chewing function is indeed an important aspect of oral health and therefore, oral rehabilitation procedures should aim to restore or maintain adequate function. However, even if the possibilities to anatomically restore lost teeth and occlusion have never been better; conventional rehabilitation...... procedures may still fail to optimally restore oral functions. Perhaps this is due to the lack of focus on the importance of the brain in the rehabilitation procedures. Therefore, the aim of this narrative review is to discuss the importance of maintaining or restoring optimum chewing function in the super...

Water resources in the Big Lost River Basin, south-central Idaho

Science.gov (United States)

Crosthwaite, E.G.; Thomas, C.A.; Dyer, K.L.

1970-01-01

The Big Lost River basin occupies about 1,400 square miles in south-central Idaho and drains to the Snake River Plain. The economy in the area is based on irrigation agriculture and stockraising. The basin is underlain by a diverse-assemblage of rocks which range, in age from Precambrian to Holocene. The assemblage is divided into five groups on the basis of their hydrologic characteristics. Carbonate rocks, noncarbonate rocks, cemented alluvial deposits, unconsolidated alluvial deposits, and basalt. The principal aquifer is unconsolidated alluvial fill that is several thousand feet thick in the main valley. The carbonate rocks are the major bedrock aquifer. They absorb a significant amount of precipitation and, in places, are very permeable as evidenced by large springs discharging from or near exposures of carbonate rocks. Only the alluvium, carbonate rock and locally the basalt yield significant amounts of water. A total of about 67,000 acres is irrigated with water diverted from the Big Lost River. The annual flow of the river is highly variable and water-supply deficiencies are common. About 1 out of every 2 years is considered a drought year. In the period 1955-68, about 175 irrigation wells were drilled to provide a supplemental water supply to land irrigated from the canal system and to irrigate an additional 8,500 acres of new land. Average. annual precipitation ranged from 8 inches on the valley floor to about 50 inches at some higher elevations during the base period 1944-68. The estimated water yield of the Big Lost River basin averaged 650 cfs (cubic feet per second) for the base period. Of this amount, 150 cfs was transpired by crops, 75 cfs left the basin as streamflow, and 425 cfs left as ground-water flow. A map of precipitation and estimated values of evapotranspiration were used to construct a water-yield map. A distinctive feature of the Big Lost River basin, is the large interchange of water from surface streams into the ground and from the

EG-17SUV420-MEDIATED HETEROCHROMATIN CHANGES IN PEDIATRIC BRAIN CANCERS

Science.gov (United States)

Van Meter, Timothy E.; Terry, Jocelyn; Rockwell, Nathan; Goggin, Sarah; Nethala, Priya; Khan, Asadullah

2014-01-01

Silencing mechanisms play a role in genomic stability by maintaining condensed, non-active regions of the genome. SUV420 enzymes contain a SET domain conferring methyltransferase activity toward histones. The Histone H4 lysine 20 trimethylation (H4K20me3) mark maintained by SUV420H2 is associated with heterochromatin formation and gene silencing, whereas the dimethylated mark (H4K20me2) is associated with DNA repair. In studies of epigenetic factors in large patient cohorts with ependymoma, it was found that SUV420H2 expression was lost or diminished in patients with reciprocal increases in prognostic markers such as hTERT. To better understand the normal function of Suv4-20H1/H2 enzyme in neural progenitors, and pathological changes in cancers, a variety of differentiation paradigms were used. The NT2D1 neurally restricted cell line, and BGO1V and H9 human embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and differentiated progeny, were used alongside tumors to better understand enzyme targets and functional outcomes (e.g.,lineage, differentiation, regional chromatin modifications). Lineage stages were verified with stage-specific markers by immunofluorescence and qPCR. Suv4-20 H1 and H2 were present in ESCs and neural progenitors and decreased thereafter. RNAi knockdown of SUV420 enzymes led to decreased H4K20 methylation in cancer cells. DNA methylation microarrays and ChIP-PCR suggest 1) that SUV420 is not regulated by DNA methylation in ependymomas; 2) that active chromatin marks such as H3K4 dimethylation are enriched near the transcriptional start site in the SUV420H2 gene, and 3) that hTERT is hyper-methylated at specific CpG islands and histones in a tumor sub-group-specific manner. This data supports the hypothesis that Suv4-20H2 is highly active in progenitor cells and functionally lost in some brain cancers. These studies begin to elucidate coincident mechanisms of gene silencing active in neural progenitors that may be altered in a subset of pediatric brain cancers.

Examining job tenure and lost-time claim rates in Ontario, Canada, over a 10-year period, 1999-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Morassaei, Sara; Breslin, F Curtis; Shen, Min; Smith, Peter M

2013-03-01

We sought to examine the association between job tenure and lost-time claim rates over a 10-year period in Ontario, Canada. Data were obtained from workers' compensation records and labour force survey data from 1999 to 2008. Claim rates were calculated for gender, age, industry, occupation, year and job tenure group. A multivariate analysis and examination of effect modification were performed. Differences in injury event and source of injury were also examined by job tenure. Lost-time claim rates were significantly higher for workers with shorter job tenure, regardless of other factors. Claim rates for new workers differed by gender, age and industry, but remained relatively constant at an elevated rate over the observed time period. This study is the first to examine lost-time claim rates by job tenure over a time period during which overall claim rates generally declined. Claim rates did not show a convergence by job tenure. Findings highlight that new workers are still at elevated risk, and suggest the need for improved training, reducing exposures among new workers, promoting permanent employment, and monitoring work injury trends and risk factors.

Brain anatomical networks in early human brain development.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Yong; Shi, Feng; Smith, Jeffrey Keith; Lin, Weili; Gilmore, John H; Shen, Dinggang

2011-02-01

Recent neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that human brain networks have economic small-world topology and modular organization, enabling efficient information transfer among brain regions. However, it remains largely unknown how the small-world topology and modular organization of human brain networks emerge and develop. Using longitudinal MRI data of 28 healthy pediatric subjects, collected at their ages of 1 month, 1 year, and 2 years, we analyzed development patterns of brain anatomical networks derived from morphological correlations of brain regional volumes. The results show that the brain network of 1-month-olds has the characteristically economic small-world topology and nonrandom modular organization. The network's cost efficiency increases with the brain development to 1 year and 2 years, so does the modularity, providing supportive evidence for the hypothesis that the small-world topology and the modular organization of brain networks are established during early brain development to support rapid synchronization and information transfer with minimal rewiring cost, as well as to balance between local processing and global integration of information. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Brain edema associated with unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Bum-soo; Sarma, Dipanka; Lee, Seon-Kyu; ter Brugge, Karel G.

2009-01-01

Brain edema in unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is rare; this study examines (1) its frequency and clinical presentation, (2) imaging findings with emphasis on venous drainage abnormalities, and (3) implications of these findings on natural history and management. Presentation and imaging features of all unruptured brain AVMs were prospectively collected in our brain AVM database. Neurological findings, size, location, venous drainage pattern, presence of venous thrombosis, ectasia, or stenosis, and brain edema were specifically recorded. Treatment details of all patients with brain edema and their clinical and imaging follow-up were reviewed. Finally, a comparison was made between patients with and without edema. Brain edema was found in 13/329 unruptured brain AVMs (3.9%). Neurological deficit (46.2%), venous thrombosis (38.5%), venous ectasia (84.6%), stenosis (38.5%), and contrast stagnation in the draining veins (84.6%) were more frequent in patients with brain edema than without edema. Eight patients with brain edema received specific treatment (embolization = 5, surgery = 2, radiosurgery = 1). Clinical features correlated well with change in degree of edema in six. Three of five embolized patients were stable or showed improvement after the procedure. On follow-up, however, intracranial hemorrhage developed in three. Brain edema in unruptured brain AVMs is rare, 3.9% in this series. Venous outflow abnormalities are frequently associated and appear to contribute to the development of edema. Progressive nonhemorrhagic symptoms are also associated, with a possible increased risk of hemorrhage. Palliative embolization arrests the nonhemorrhagic symptoms in selected patients, although it may not have an effect on hemorrhagic risk. (orig.)

What will this do to me and my brain? Ethical issues in brain-to-brain interfacing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabeth eHildt

2015-02-01

Full Text Available For several years now, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs in which brain signals are used to navigate a computer, a prostheses or a technical device, have been developed in various experimental contexts (Wolpaw & Wolpaw 2012; Grübler & Hildt 2014. Researchers have recently taken the next step and run experiments based on connections between two brains. These so-called brain-to-brain interfaces (abbreviation: BBIs or BTBIs involve not only a BCI component deriving information from a brain and sending it to a computer, but also a computer-brain interface (CBI component delivering information to another brain. What results is technology-mediated brain-to-brain communication (B2B communication, i.e. direct communication between two brains that does not involve any activity of the peripheral nervous system. In what follows, ethical issues that arise in neural interfacing will be discussed after a short introduction to recent BBI experiments. In this, the focus will be on the implications BBIs may have on the individual at the CBI side of the BBI, i.e. on the recipient.

Caverns Measureless to Man: Subterranean Rivers and Adventurous Masculinities in the Victorian Lost World Novel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McCausland, Elly

2018-01-01

This article examines a recurring trope in late Victorian ‘lost world’ adventure novels: the terrifying descent down a subterranean river into the bowels of the earth. More than simply an exciting episode, the subterranean river journey reflects narrative strategies and thematic concerns key to b...

The casting of western sculpture during the XIXth century: sand casting versus lost wax casting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beentjes, T.P.C.

2014-01-01

This paper will discuss research into bronze casting techniques as practiced during the XIXth and early XXth century. Both natural sand casting (fonte au sable naturel) and lost wax casting (fonte à la cire perdue) were employed during this period and sometimes rivalled for commissions. Before the

The Proud Prime Evil of Hell: Characterization of Satan as the Capital Vice of Pride in Milton’s Paradise Lost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Hazemali

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper looks into the characterisation of Satan as the Capital Vice of Pride in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. It thus supports the findings of Robert Charles Fox, who in his study The Seven Deadly Sins in Paradise Lost first thoroughly analysed and comprehensively presented this issue and its importance in Milton’s epic. The authors of the study share Fox’s belief that Milton consciously used the system of the Seven Capital Vices in his epic as a structural device to present the entire scope of evil to the willing reader, and he achieved this by giving Satan and six other major denizens of Hell each the characteristics of a particular Vice. In other words, each of the seven major diabolical figures that appear in Paradise Lost embodies or personifies one of the Seven Capital Vices. As the most eloquent and characteristically perfected of the diabolical figures of Hell, Satan embodies Pride, the prime Capital Vice.

Effects of DDE and PCB (Aroclor 1260) on experimentally poisoned little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus): Lethal brain concentrations

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, D.R.; Stafford, C.J.

1981-01-01

Adult female little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) were collected in a church attic in North East, Cecil County, Md. Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) containing organochlorine pollutants were fed to the bats as follows: 5 bats were dosed at 480 ppm DDE, 12 at 150 ppm DDE, 5 at 1000 ppm polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB; Aroclor 1260), and 12 at 15 ppm PCB. Seven other bats were fed untreated mealworms. The objective was to elevate brain levels of DDE and PCB to lethality and measure these concentrations. During 40 d of dosage, one DDE-dosed bat and two PCB-dosed bats died after exhibiting the prolonged tremor that characterizes organochlorine poisoning. After dosage, surviving bats were starved to elevate brain levels of toxicants, and three additional DDE-dosed bats had tremors before dying. The mean brain concentration of DDE diagnostic of death was estimated as 603 ppm, range 540-670 ppm. This mean is 16-18% higher than means for Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) and common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula), and may indicate less sensitivity. Lethal brain concentrations of Aroclor 1260 were 1300 and 1500 ppm. Such values appear to be higher than values (Aroclor 1254) for brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). During starvation, DDE-dosed bats lost weight about 24% faster than controls. If smaller amounts of stored DDE cause increases in metabolic rates of nonfeeding bats, as during hibernation or migration, the result could be premature energy depletion and increased mortality.

The Anomalous Currents In The Front Foils of the JET Lost Alpha Diagnostic KA-2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cecil, F.E.; Kiptily, V.; Salmi, A.; Horton, A.; Fullard, K.; Murari, A.; Darrow, D.; Hill, K.

2011-01-01

We have examined the observed currents in the front foils of the JET Faraday cup lost alpha particle diagnostic KA-2. In particular, we have sought to understand the currents during Ohmic plasmas for which the ion flux at the detectors was initially assumed to be negligible. We have considered two sources of this current: plasma ions (both deuterium and impurity) in the vicinity of the detector (including charge exchange neutrals) and photoemission from scattered UV radiation. Based upon modeling and empirical observation, the latter source appears most likely and, moreover, seems to be applicable to the currents in the front foil during ELMy H-mode plasmas. A very thin gold or nickel foil attached to the present detector aperture is proposed as a solution to this problem, and realistic calculations of expected fluxes of lost energetic neutral beam ions during TF ripple experiments are presented as justification of this proposed solution.

Mobile Applications Improve Quality of Life on Citizens with Disorientation: The 'NeverLost App' Paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Fotiou, Sotirios; Vlamos, Panayiotis

2017-01-01

Mobile technology has been evolved as an important tool in healthcare. Mobile applications are being designed in order to assist patients in their everyday life and also to play a vital role on the improvement of their everyday activities and quality of life. Meanwhile students use advanced techniques in order to design and implement high quality applications that aim to introduce them to the advantages of the mobile technology. In this paper we present the steps for the creation of the application NeverLost that was inspired, designed, created and tested by students of the Secondary Education. NeverLost is an Android application that helps individuals (mainly children) with disabilities, as well as older patients with lack of orientation manage their day-to-day activities. A research of the general benefits that students using this app is presented, as well as their future proposals for the evolution of the app in other aspects of healthcare and quality of life of senior citizens or patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

Replacement of Lost Lgr5-Positive Stem Cells through Plasticity of Their Enterocyte-Lineage Daughters.

Science.gov (United States)

Tetteh, Paul W; Basak, Onur; Farin, Henner F; Wiebrands, Kay; Kretzschmar, Kai; Begthel, Harry; van den Born, Maaike; Korving, Jeroen; de Sauvage, Frederic; van Es, Johan H; van Oudenaarden, Alexander; Clevers, Hans

2016-02-04

Intestinal crypts display robust regeneration upon injury. The relatively rare secretory precursors can replace lost stem cells, but it is unknown if the abundant enterocyte progenitors that express the Alkaline phosphate intestinal (Alpi) gene also have this capacity. We created an Alpi-IRES-CreERT2 (Alpi(CreER)) knockin allele for lineage tracing. Marked clones consist entirely of enterocytes and are all lost from villus tips within days. Genetic fate-mapping of Alpi(+) cells before or during targeted ablation of Lgr5-expressing stem cells generated numerous long-lived crypt-villus "ribbons," indicative of dedifferentiation of enterocyte precursors into Lgr5(+) stems. By single-cell analysis of dedifferentiating enterocytes, we observed the generation of Paneth-like cells and proliferative stem cells. We conclude that the highly proliferative, short-lived enterocyte precursors serve as a large reservoir of potential stem cells during crypt regeneration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Anomalous Currents In The Front Foils of the JET Lost Alpha Diagnostic KA-2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cecil, F. E.; Kiptily, V.; Salmi, A.; Horton, A.; Fullard, K.; Murari, A.; Darrow, D.; Hill, K.

2011-05-04

We have examined the observed currents in the front foils of the JET Faraday cup lost alpha particle diagnostic KA-2. In particular, we have sought to understand the currents during Ohmic plasmas for which the ion flux at the detectors was initially assumed to be negligible. We have considered two sources of this current: plasma ions both deuterium and impurity in the vicinity of the detector including charge exchange neutrals and photoemission from scattered UV radiation. Based upon modeling and empirical observation, the latter source appears most likely and, moreover, seems to be applicable to the currents in the front foil during ELMy H-mode plasmas. A very thin gold or nickel foil attached to the present detector aperture is proposed as a solution to this problem, and realistic calculations of expected fluxes of lost energetic neutral beam ions during TF ripple experiments are presented as justification of this proposed solution.

27 CFR 24.65 - Claims for wine or spirits lost or destroyed in bond.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Claims for wine or spirits... Provisions Claims § 24.65 Claims for wine or spirits lost or destroyed in bond. (a) Claim for remission of... 27 CFR part 70, subpart F. A claim filed under this paragraph with respect to spirits, wine, or...

Application and Continued Development of Thin Faraday Collectors as a Lost Ion Diagnostic for Tokamak Fusion Plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

F. Ed Cecil

2011-06-30

This report summarizes the accomplishment of sixteen years of work toward the development of thin foil Faraday collectors as a lost energetic ion diagnostic for high temperature magnetic confinement fusion plasmas. Following initial, proof of principle accelerator based studies, devices have been tested on TFTR, NSTX, ALCATOR, DIII-D, and JET (KA-1 and KA-2). The reference numbers refer to the attached list of publications. The JET diagnostic KA-2 continues in operation and hopefully will provide valuable diagnostic information during a possible d-t campaign on JET in the coming years. A thin Faraday foil spectrometer, by virtue of its radiation hardness, may likewise provide a solution to the very challenging problem of lost alpha particle measurements on ITER and other future burning plasma machines.

The lost honour of Henrietta Leavitt

Science.gov (United States)

Del Puerto, C.

2011-11-01

The first scene opens with the music of Shirley Bassey. The astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt is writing a diary when visited by the famous CBS reporter Edward Roscoe Murrow. Henrietta is surprised that this American television channel should want to pay such a tribute to her, but she agrees to be interviewed. Annie Jump Cannon, her friend and colleague from Harvard College Observatory, accompanies her during most of the sessions. Everything goes so well that the journalist tries to touch on certain issues that Henrietta seems to want to keep secret, such as her relationship with Edward Charles Pickering, Director of the Observatory, and the reason why she failed to get the recognition for her work that she deserved.This is the argument of the play The Lost Honor of Henrietta Leavitt, a project of the Museo de la Ciencia y el Cosmos (Museum of Science and the Cosmos), run by the Organismo Autonomo de Museos y Centros of Cabildo de Tenerife (Autonomous Organism of Museums and Centres of the island government, Cabildo of Tenerife), with funding from the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) and designed for the International Year of Astronomy 2009. The play, written and directed by the author, Carmen del Puerto, has been staged eight times in Tenerife and Pamplona. The poster values this experience as a resource for scientific popularization.

Vocal Pitch Shift in Congenital Amusia (Pitch Deafness)

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchins, Sean; Peretz, Isabelle

2013-01-01

We tested whether congenital amusics, who exhibit pitch perception deficits, nevertheless adjust the pitch of their voice in response to a sudden pitch shift applied to vocal feedback. Nine amusics and matched controls imitated their own previously-recorded speech or singing, while the online feedback they received was shifted mid-utterance by 25…

Extensions of the lost letter technique to divisive issues of creationism, darwinism, sex education, and gay and lesbian affiliations.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridges, F Stephen; Anzalone, Debra A; Ryan, Stuart W; Anzalone, Fanancy L

2002-04-01

Two field studies using 1,004 "lost letters" were designed to test the hypotheses that returned responses would be greater in small towns than from a city, that addressees' affiliation with a group either (1) opposed to physical education in schools, (2) supporting gay and lesbian teachers, or (3) advocating Creationism or Darwinism would reduce the return rate. Of 504 letters "lost" in Study A, 163 (32.3%) were returned in the mail from residents of southeast Louisiana and indicated across 3 addressees and 2 sizes of community, addressees' affiLiations were not associated with returned responses. Community size and addressees' affiliations were associated with significantly different rates of return in the city. Return rates from sites within a city were lower when letters were addressed to an organization which opposed (teaching) health education in the schools than to one supporting daily health education. Of 500 letters "lost" in Study B, 95 (19.0%) were returned from residents of northwest Florida and indicated across 5 addressees and 2 sizes of community, addressees' affiliations were significantly associated with returned responses overall (5 addressees) and in small towns (control, Creationism, Darwinism addressees), but not with community size. Community size and addressees' affiliations were associated with significantly different rates of return in small towns, with returns greater than or equal to those in the city (except for the addressee advocating teaching Darwinism in public schools). The present findings appear to show that applications of the lost letter technique to other divisive social issues are useful in assessing public opinion.

Brain-machine and brain-computer interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Friehs, Gerhard M; Zerris, Vasilios A; Ojakangas, Catherine L; Fellows, Mathew R; Donoghue, John P

2004-11-01

The idea of connecting the human brain to a computer or machine directly is not novel and its potential has been explored in science fiction. With the rapid advances in the areas of information technology, miniaturization and neurosciences there has been a surge of interest in turning fiction into reality. In this paper the authors review the current state-of-the-art of brain-computer and brain-machine interfaces including neuroprostheses. The general principles and requirements to produce a successful connection between human and artificial intelligence are outlined and the authors' preliminary experience with a prototype brain-computer interface is reported.

FROM BRAIN DRAIN TO BRAIN NETWORKING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irina BONCEA

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Scientific networking is the most accessible way a country can turn the brain drain into brain gain. Diaspora’s members offer valuable information, advice or financial support from the destination country, without being necessary to return. This article aims to investigate Romania’s potential of turning brain drain into brain networking, using evidence from the medical sector. The main factors influencing the collaboration with the country of origin are investigated. The conclusions suggest that Romania could benefit from the diaspora option, through an active implication at institutional level and the implementation of a strategy in this area.

Left brain, right brain: facts and fantasies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael C Corballis

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Handedness and brain asymmetry are widely regarded as unique to humans, and associated with complementary functions such as a left-brain specialization for language and logic and a right-brain specialization for creativity and intuition. In fact, asymmetries are widespread among animals, and support the gradual evolution of asymmetrical functions such as language and tool use. Handedness and brain asymmetry are inborn and under partial genetic control, although the gene or genes responsible are not well established. Cognitive and emotional difficulties are sometimes associated with departures from the "norm" of right-handedness and left-brain language dominance, more often with the absence of these asymmetries than their reversal.

Left brain, right brain: facts and fantasies.

Science.gov (United States)

Corballis, Michael C

2014-01-01

Handedness and brain asymmetry are widely regarded as unique to humans, and associated with complementary functions such as a left-brain specialization for language and logic and a right-brain specialization for creativity and intuition. In fact, asymmetries are widespread among animals, and support the gradual evolution of asymmetrical functions such as language and tool use. Handedness and brain asymmetry are inborn and under partial genetic control, although the gene or genes responsible are not well established. Cognitive and emotional difficulties are sometimes associated with departures from the "norm" of right-handedness and left-brain language dominance, more often with the absence of these asymmetries than their reversal.

How to get lost customers back? : a study of antecedents of relationship revival

OpenAIRE

Homburg, Christian; Hoyer, Wayne D.; Stock-Homburg, Ruth

2006-01-01

Most research in the field of customer relationship management has focused on keeping existing customers. However, some companies also systematically address lost customers and try to revive these relationships. This facet of customer relationship management has been largely neglected by academic research. Our study provides a theoretical discussion and an empirical analysis of factors driving the success of relationship revival activities. Drawing on equity theory we find that the cust...

Fine-grained pitch processing of music and speech in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tillmann, Barbara; Rusconi, Elena; Traube, Caroline; Butterworth, Brian; Umiltà, Carlo; Peretz, Isabelle

2011-12-01

Congenital amusia is a lifelong disorder of music processing that has been ascribed to impaired pitch perception and memory. The present study tested a large group of amusics (n=17) and provided evidence that their pitch deficit affects pitch processing in speech to a lesser extent: Fine-grained pitch discrimination was better in spoken syllables than in acoustically matched tones. Unlike amusics, control participants performed fine-grained pitch discrimination better for musical material than for verbal material. These findings suggest that pitch extraction can be influenced by the nature of the material (music vs speech), and that amusics' pitch deficit is not restricted to musical material, but extends to segmented speech events. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

A Right Brain/Left Brain Model of Acting.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowlen, Clark

Using current right brain/left brain research, this paper develops a model that explains acting's underlying quality--the actor is both himself and the character. Part 1 presents (1) the background of the right brain/left brain theory, (2) studies showing that propositional communication is a left hemisphere function while affective communication…

Radiosurgery without whole brain radiotherapy in melanoma brain metastases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grob, J.J.; Regis, J.; Laurans, R.; Delaunay, M.; Wolkenstein, P.; Paul, K.; Souteyrand, P.; Koeppel, M.C.; Murraciole, X.; Perragut, J.C.; Bonerandi, J.J.

1998-01-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of radiosurgery without whole brain radiotherapy in the palliative treatment of melanoma brain metastases, we retrospectively assessed the results in 35 patients: 4 with a solitary brain metastasis, 13 with a single brain metastasis and metastases elsewhere and 18 with multiple brain metastases. The local control rate was 98.2% (55/56 metastases) at 3 months. Median survival was 22 months in patients with a solitary brain metastasis, 7.5 months in patients with a single brain metastasis and metastases elsewhere, and 4 months in patients with multiple brain metastases. Complications were unusual and surgery was required in 2 of 35 patients. These results show for the first time that melanoma patients with a unique brain metastasis with or without metastases elsewhere clearly benefit from tumour control easily obtained by radiosurgery. Although the comparison of radiosurgery with surgery and/or whole brain radiotherapy cannot be adequately addressed, radiosurgery alone seems to provide similar results with lower morbidity and impact on quality of life. (Copyright (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Brain Basics: Know Your Brain

Science.gov (United States)

... however, the brain is beginning to relinquish its secrets. Scientists have learned more about the brain in ... through the activity of these lobes. At the top of each temporal lobe is an area responsible ...

Improving maintenance of lost weight following a commercial liquid meal replacement program: a preliminary study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ames, Gretchen E; Patel, Roshni H; McMullen, Jillian S; Thomas, Colleen S; Crook, Julia E; Lynch, Scott A; Lutes, Lesley D

2014-01-01

Clinic-based liquid meal replacement (800kcals/day) programs produce substantial weight loss. Nevertheless, long-term maintenance remains a challenge. A limitation of maintenance programs is that they continue to promote large behavior changes that are initially required to induce weight loss which may be unsustainable long-term. The study aims were to conduct a preliminary assessment of the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a small changes maintenance intervention (SCM) for 30 patients who completed liquid meal replacement program (LMR). The 20-session SCM delivered over 52 weeks offered no preset goals for maintenance behaviors and all changes in behavior were self-selected. Participants had a median BMI of 40.9 kg/m(2) and weight of 111 kg at the start of LMR. At LMR completion, they lost 18% (21 kg) of body weight. The SCM was completed by 22 patients (73%); 19 completers (86%) attended ≥ 17 of 20 sessions with a median satisfaction rating of 9 (on a scale of 1 to 9). Completers were asked to record self-selected maintenance behaviors daily (median 351 days recorded). The most commonly reported daily behaviors were self-weighing, use of meal replacements and step counting. Median percent regain at week 52 was 14% (2.8 kg) of lost weight (range, -42 to 74%), significantly less than a median of 56% (11 kg) percent regain of lost weight (range, -78 to 110%) in a demographically similar historical control group with no maintenance intervention after LMR completion (P<0.001). Thus, SCM holds promise for improving weight maintenance. Future research should compare SCM to standard maintenance programs that promote large program-directed changes. © 2013.

Days lost due to disability of diclofenac-induced adverse drug reactions

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Thomas D

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY is a widely used measure to quantify the burden of diseases or illness. DALYs for a disease is calculated as the sum of the Years of Life Lost (YLL due to premature mortality in the population and the equivalent healthy Years Lost due to Disability (YLD. The only difference from the YLD and Days Lost due to Disability (DLD calculation is that instead of considering the duration of Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR in years, it is calculated in days. Objective: DLD was measured for diclofenac tablets to prepare the ADR profile.Methods: The study was done on the patients (18-65 years old attending the community pharmacy at Kasaragod district, South India, with prescription of diclofenac tablets. Patients reported ADRs on their next visit to the pharmacy or they had called to the provided phone number and reported it. Disability Weight (DW was calculated in an analogue scale from 0-1. Zero represent complete health and 1 represent death or equivalent condition. DW was multiplied with occurrence and duration of ADRs in days.Results: About 943 patients received diclofenac tablets in 1000 prescriptions were successfully followed up for possible, probable and definite ADRs. A total of 561 reactions reported in 2010 for diclofenac tablet in the study population. There were 34 different types of ADRs under 12 physiological systems/organs. Most common reactions were on gastrointestinal (GI system (48%, followed by skin (14%, Central Nervous System (10%, renal (7%, and cardiovascular (7%. Abdominal pain, cramps or flatulence was the highest occurring GI ADR (107, followed by 43 rashes, 42 nausea/vomiting, 37 indigestion, 34 peptic ulcers, 31 edema etc. DLD for peptic ulcer was considerably high (0.078 per 1000 of the study population on diclofenac. The most damaging ADR were peptic ulcer with or without perforation, followed by rash 0.036 DLD and edema 0.027 DLD. There was considerable DLD by acute renal failure (0.012 Steven

The burden of premature mortality in Spain using standard expected years of life lost: a population-based study

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Álvarez-Martín Elena

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Measures of premature mortality have been used to guide debates on future health priorities and to monitor the population health status. Standard expected years of life lost (SEYLL is one of the methods used to assess the time lost due to premature death. This article affords an overview of premature mortality in Spain for the year 2008. Methods A population-based study was conducted estimating SEYLL by sex and age groups. SEYLL, a key component of the disability-adjusted life years measure of disease burden, was calculated using Princeton West standard life tables with life expectancy at birth fixed at 80 years for males and 82.5 years for females. Population data and specific death records were obtained from the official registers of the National Institute of Statistics. All data were analysed and prepared in GesMor and Epidat software packages. Results The burden of premature mortality was estimated at 2.1 million SEYLL when age at death is taken into account. Males lost 60.9% and females lost 39.1% of total SEYLL. Malignant tumors (34.5% and cardiovascular diseases (24.0% were the leading categories in terms of SEYLL. Ischaemic heart disease (8.5% and lung cancers (8.0% were the most common specific causes of SEYLL followed by cerebrovascular diseases (5.9%, colorectal cancer (4.1%, road traffic accidents (3.5%, Alzheimer and other dementias (2.9%, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2.8%, breast cancer (2.8% and suicides (2.6%. Conclusions In Spain, premature mortality was essentially due to chronic non-communicable diseases. Data provided in this study are relevant for a more balanced health agenda aimed at reducing the burden of premature mortality. This study also represents a first step in estimating the overall burden of disease in terms of premature death and disability.

Isolation and characterization of lost copper and molybdenum particles in the flotation tailings of Kennecott copper porphyry ores

Science.gov (United States)

Tserendavga, Tsend-Ayush

The importance of flotation separation has long been, and continues to be, an important technology for the mining industry, especially to metallurgical engineers. However, the flotation process is quite complex and expensive, in addition to being influenced by many variables. Understanding the variables affecting flotation efficiency and how valuable minerals are lost to the tailings gives metallurgists an advantage in their attempts to increase efficiency by designing operations to target the areas of greatest potential value. A successful, accurate evaluation of lost minerals in the tailings and appropriate solutions to improve flotation efficiency can save millions of dollars in the effective utilization of our mineral resources. In this dissertation research, an attempt has been made to understand the reasons for the loss of valuable mineral particles in the tailings from Kennecott Utah Copper ores. Possibilities include liberation, particle aggregation (slime coating) and surface chemistry issues associated with the flotation separation. This research generally consisted of three main aspects. The first part involved laboratory flotation experiments and factors, which affect the flotation efficiency. Results of flotation testing are reported that several factors such as mineral exposure/liberation and slime coating and surface oxidation strongly affect the flotation efficiency. The second part of this dissertation research was to develop a rapid scan dual energy (DE) methodology using 2D radiography to identify, isolate, and prepare lost sulfide mineral particles with the advantages of simple sample preparation, short analysis time, statistically reliable accuracy and confident identification. The third part of this dissertation research was concerned with detailed characterization of lost particles including such factors as liberation, slime coating, and surface chemistry characteristics using advanced analytical techniques and instruments. Based on the

Asymptomatic brain tumor detected at brain check-up

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onizuka, Masanari; Suyama, Kazuhiko; Shibayama, Akira; Hiura, Tsuyoshi; Horie, Nobutaka; Miyazaki, Hisaya

2001-01-01

Brain check-up was performed in 4000 healthy subjects who underwent medical and radiological examinations for possible brain diseases in our hospital from April 1996 to March 2000. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed 11 brain tumors which consisted of six meningiomas, three pituitary adenomas, one astrocytoma, and one epidermoid cyst. The detection rate of incidental brain tumor in our hospital was 0.3%. Nine patients underwent surgery, with one case of morbidity due to postoperative transient oculomotor nerve paresis. The widespread use of brain check-up may increasingly detect asymptomatic brain tumors. Surgical indications for such lesions remain unclear, and the strategy for treatment should be determined with consideration of the patient's wishes. (author)

Training leads to increased auditory brain-computer interface performance of end-users with motor impairments.

Science.gov (United States)

Halder, S; Käthner, I; Kübler, A

2016-02-01

Auditory brain-computer interfaces are an assistive technology that can restore communication for motor impaired end-users. Such non-visual brain-computer interface paradigms are of particular importance for end-users that may lose or have lost gaze control. We attempted to show that motor impaired end-users can learn to control an auditory speller on the basis of event-related potentials. Five end-users with motor impairments, two of whom with additional visual impairments, participated in five sessions. We applied a newly developed auditory brain-computer interface paradigm with natural sounds and directional cues. Three of five end-users learned to select symbols using this method. Averaged over all five end-users the information transfer rate increased by more than 1800% from the first session (0.17 bits/min) to the last session (3.08 bits/min). The two best end-users achieved information transfer rates of 5.78 bits/min and accuracies of 92%. Our results show that an auditory BCI with a combination of natural sounds and directional cues, can be controlled by end-users with motor impairment. Training improves the performance of end-users to the level of healthy controls. To our knowledge, this is the first time end-users with motor impairments controlled an auditory brain-computer interface speller with such high accuracy and information transfer rates. Further, our results demonstrate that operating a BCI with event-related potentials benefits from training and specifically end-users may require more than one session to develop their full potential. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Resting-State Brain Functional Network Study in MDD Based on Minimum Spanning Tree Analysis and the Hierarchical Clustering

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Xiaowei Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A large number of studies demonstrated that major depressive disorder (MDD is characterized by the alterations in brain functional connections which is also identifiable during the brain’s “resting-state.” But, in the present study, the approach of constructing functional connectivity is often biased by the choice of the threshold. Besides, more attention was paid to the number and length of links in brain networks, and the clustering partitioning of nodes was unclear. Therefore, minimum spanning tree (MST analysis and the hierarchical clustering were first used for the depression disease in this study. Resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG sources were assessed from 15 healthy and 23 major depressive subjects. Then the coherence, MST, and the hierarchical clustering were obtained. In the theta band, coherence analysis showed that the EEG coherence of the MDD patients was significantly higher than that of the healthy controls especially in the left temporal region. The MST results indicated the higher leaf fraction in the depressed group. Compared with the normal group, the major depressive patients lost clustering in frontal regions. Our findings suggested that there was a stronger brain interaction in the MDD group and a left-right functional imbalance in the frontal regions for MDD controls.

Paradise Lost and Found: Obedience, Disobedience, and Storytelling in C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Naomi

2001-01-01

Considers how in the fantasy series "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "His Dark Materials," by C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman respectively, the authors use symbols and themes from "Paradise Lost." Notes that each author's narrative choice uses his view of cosmic order to persuade readers that obedience should be…

Online artifact removal for brain-computer interfaces using support vector machines and blind source separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Halder, Sebastian; Bensch, Michael; Mellinger, Jürgen; Bogdan, Martin; Kübler, Andrea; Birbaumer, Niels; Rosenstiel, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

We propose a combination of blind source separation (BSS) and independent component analysis (ICA) (signal decomposition into artifacts and nonartifacts) with support vector machines (SVMs) (automatic classification) that are designed for online usage. In order to select a suitable BSS/ICA method, three ICA algorithms (JADE, Infomax, and FastICA) and one BSS algorithm (AMUSE) are evaluated to determine their ability to isolate electromyographic (EMG) and electrooculographic (EOG) artifacts into individual components. An implementation of the selected BSS/ICA method with SVMs trained to classify EMG and EOG artifacts, which enables the usage of the method as a filter in measurements with online feedback, is described. This filter is evaluated on three BCI datasets as a proof-of-concept of the method.

The ripples and waves of educational effectiveness research: some comments to ‘Getting lost in translation’

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scheerens, Jaap

2013-01-01

The article ‘Getting lost in translation’ by Harris, Chapman, Muijs and Reynolds addresses the engagement of policy-makers and educational practitioners with (the results of) educational effectiveness and improvement research. In this commentary the article is discussed from the perspectives of

76 FR 76337 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for Lost River...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-07

... information on the Lost River sucker's and shortnose sucker's biology and habitat, population abundance and... consumed chironomid larvae as well as micro-crustaceans (amphipods, copepods, cladocerans, and ostracods... information above, we identify an abundant food base, including a broad array of chironomids, micro...

Intonation Processing Deficits of Emotional Words among Mandarin Chinese Speakers with Congenital Amusia: An ERP Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

XUEJING eLU

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Amusia is a disorder that is known to affect the processing of musical pitch. Although individuals with amusia rarely show language deficits in daily life, a number of findings point to possible impairments in speech prosody that amusic perceivers may compensate for by drawing on linguistic information. Using EEG, we investigated (1 whether the processing of speech prosody is impaired in amusia and (2 whether emotional linguistic information can ease this process. Method: Twenty Chinese amusics and 22 matched controls were presented pairs of emotional words spoken with either statement or question intonation while their EEG was recorded. Their task was to judge whether the intonations were the same. Results: Emotional linguistic information did not facilitate amusics’ performance on the intonation-matching task, as their performance was significantly worse than that of controls. EEG results showed a reduced N2 response to incongruent intonation pairs in amusics compared with controls, which likely reflects impaired conflict processing in amusia. However, at an earlier processing stage, our EEG results indicate that amusics were intact in early sensory auditory processing, as revealed by a comparable N1 modulation in both groups. Conclusion: We propose that the impairment in discriminating speech intonation observed among amusic individuals may arise from an inability to access information extracted at early processing stages. This, in turn, could reflect a disconnection between low-level and high-level processing.

Dark Galaxies and Lost Baryons (IAU S244)

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Jonathan I.; Disney, Michael J.

2008-05-01

Preface; Conference prelims; The HI that barked in the night M. J. Disney; The detection of dark galaxies in blind HI surveys J. I. Davies; Red haloes of galaxies - reservoirs of baryonic dark matter? E. Zackrisson, N. Bergvall, C. Flynn, G. Ostlin, G. Micheva and B. Baldwell; Constraints on dark and visible mass in galaxies from strong gravitational lensing S. Dye and S. Warren; Lost baryons at low redshift S. Mathur, F. Nicastro and R. Williams; Observed properties of dark matter on small spatial scales R. Wyse and G. Gilmore; The mass distribution in spiral galaxies P. Salucci; Connecting lost baryons and dark galaxies via QSO absorption lines T. Tripp; ALFALFA: HI cosmology in the local universe R. Giovanelli; The ALFALFA search for (almost) dark galaxies across the HI mass function M. Haynes; HI clouds detected towards Virgo with the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA Survey B. Kent; Cosmic variance in the HI mass function S. Schneider; The Arecibo Galaxy Environments Survey - potential for finding dark galaxies and results so far R. Minchin et al.; Free-floating HI clouds in the M81 group E. Brinks, F. Walter and E. Skillman; Where are the stars in dark galaxies J. Rosenberg, J. Salzer and J. Cannon; The halo by halo missing baryon problem S. McGaugh; The local void is really empty R. Tully; Voids in the local volume: a limit on appearance of a galaxy in a dark matter halo A. Tikhonov and A. Klypin; Dim baryons in the cosmic web C. Impey; A census of baryons in galaxy clusters and groups A. Gonzalez, D. Zaritsky and A. Zabludo; Statistical properties of the intercluster light from SDSS image stacking S. Zibetti; QSO strong gravitational lensing and the detection of dark halos A. Maccio; Strong gravitational lensing: bright galaxies and lost dark-matter L. Koopmans; Mapping the distribution of luminous and dark matter in strong lensing galaxies I. Ferreras, P. Saha, L. Williams and S. Burles; Tidal debris posing as dark galaxies P. Duc, F. Bournaud and E. Brinks

The Creative Brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Herrmann, Ned

1982-01-01

Outlines the differences between left-brain and right-brain functioning and between left-brain and right-brain dominant individuals, and concludes that creativity uses both halves of the brain. Discusses how both students and curriculum can become more "whole-brained." (Author/JM)

Stuttering in Parkinson's disease after deep brain stimulation: A note on dystonia and low-frequency stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendonça, Marcelo D; Barbosa, Raquel; Seromenho-Santos, Alexandra; Reizinho, Carla; Bugalho, Paulo

2018-04-01

Stuttering, a speech fluency disorder, is a rare complication of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's Disease (PD). We report a 61 years-old patient with PD, afflicted by severe On and Off dystonia, treated with Subthalamic Nucleus DBS that developed post-DBS stuttering while on 130 Hz stimulation. Stuttering reduction was noted when frequency was changed to 80 Hz, but the previously observed dystonia improvement was lost. There are no reports in literature on patients developing stuttering with low-frequency stimulation. We question if low-frequency stimulation could have a role for managing PD's post-DBS stuttering, and notice that stuttering improvement was associated with dystonia worsening suggesting that they are distinct phenomena. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of PET/CT instead of CT-only when planning for radiation therapy does not notably increase life years lost in children being treated for cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kornerup, Josefine S.; Munck af Rosenschoeld, Per [Rigshospitalet, Section of Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology, Copenhagen (Denmark); The Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen (Denmark); Brodin, Patrik [Rigshospitalet, Section of Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology, Copenhagen (Denmark); Institute for Onco-Physics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY (United States); Birk Christensen, Charlotte; Borgwardt, Lise [Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen (Denmark); Bjoerk-Eriksson, Thomas [Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Department of Oncology, Gothenburg (Sweden); Kiil-Berthelsen, Anne [Rigshospitalet, Section of Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology, Copenhagen (Denmark); Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen (Denmark)

2015-04-01

PET/CT may be more helpful than CT alone for radiation therapy planning, but the added risk due to higher doses of ionizing radiation is unknown. To estimate the risk of cancer induction and mortality attributable to the [F-18]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) PET and CT scans used for radiation therapy planning in children with cancer, and compare to the risks attributable to the cancer treatment. Organ doses and effective doses were estimated for 40 children (2-18 years old) who had been scanned using PET/CT as part of radiation therapy planning. The risk of inducing secondary cancer was estimated using the models in BEIR VII. The prognosis of an induced cancer was taken into account and the reduction in life expectancy, in terms of life years lost, was estimated for the diagnostics and compared to the life years lost attributable to the therapy. Multivariate linear regression was performed to find predictors for a high contribution to life years lost from the radiation therapy planning diagnostics. The mean contribution from PET to the effective dose from one PET/CT scan was 24% (range: 7-64%). The average proportion of life years lost attributable to the nuclear medicine dose component from one PET/CT scan was 15% (range: 3-41%). The ratio of life years lost from the radiation therapy planning PET/CT scans and that of the cancer treatment was on average 0.02 (range: 0.01-0.09). Female gender was associated with increased life years lost from the scans (P < 0.001). Using FDG-PET/CT instead of CT only when defining the target volumes for radiation therapy of children with cancer does not notably increase the number of life years lost attributable to diagnostic examinations. (orig.)

Brain radiation - discharge

Science.gov (United States)

Radiation - brain - discharge; Cancer - brain radiation; Lymphoma - brain radiation; Leukemia - brain radiation ... Decadron) while you are getting radiation to the brain. It may make you hungrier, cause leg swelling ...

Whole-brain radiation therapy for brain metastases: detrimental or beneficial?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gemici, Cengiz; Yaprak, Gokhan

2015-01-01

Stereotactic radiosurgery is frequently used, either alone or together with whole-brain radiation therapy to treat brain metastases from solid tumors. Certain experts and radiation oncology groups have proposed replacing whole-brain radiation therapy with stereotactic radiosurgery alone for the management of brain metastases. Although randomized trials have favored adding whole-brain radiation therapy to stereotactic radiosurgery for most end points, a recent meta-analysis demonstrated a survival disadvantage for patients treated with whole-brain radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery compared with patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery alone. However the apparent detrimental effect of adding whole-brain radiation therapy to stereotactic radiosurgery reported in this meta-analysis may be the result of inhomogeneous distribution of the patients with respect to tumor histologies, molecular histologic subtypes, and extracranial tumor stages between the groups rather than a real effect. Unfortunately, soon after this meta-analysis was published, even as an abstract, use of whole-brain radiation therapy in managing brain metastases has become controversial among radiation oncologists. The American Society of Radiation Oncology recently recommended, in their “Choose Wisely” campaign, against routinely adding whole-brain radiation therapy to stereotactic radiosurgery to treat brain metastases. However, this situation creates conflict for radiation oncologists who believe that there are enough high level of evidence for the effectiveness of whole-brain radiation therapy in the treatment of brain metastases

Response to The Lost Thing: Notes from a Secondary Classroom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandie Mourão

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses students’ responses to the picturebook The Lost Thing (Tan, 2000 and its film (2010. It describes a small-scale project in a secondary school in Portugal, which involved 16-18 year-old students, learning English as a foreign language. Following a socio-constructivist approach to language learning and the basic tenets of reader response theory, discussion and an interpretative stance to meaning making were encouraged. The aim was to foster students’ appreciation of the visual during their interpretative discussions as well as developing their English language skills. This paper demonstrates how the picturebook in particular afforded the students with opportunities for language development through talk. It closes with notes on the implications of using picturebooks and their films in the classroom.

Brain Stimulation Therapies

Science.gov (United States)

... Magnetic Seizure Therapy Deep Brain Stimulation Additional Resources Brain Stimulation Therapies Overview Brain stimulation therapies can play ... for a shorter recovery time than ECT Deep Brain Stimulation Deep brain stimulation (DBS) was first developed ...

Brain herniation

Science.gov (United States)

... herniation; Uncal herniation; Subfalcine herniation; Tonsillar herniation; Herniation - brain ... Brain herniation occurs when something inside the skull produces pressure that moves brain tissues. This is most ...

Teaching Teenagers with Autism to Answer Cell Phones and Seek Assistance When Lost

OpenAIRE

Hoch, Hannah; Taylor, Bridget A; Rodriguez, Angela

2009-01-01

Three participants with autism were taught to answer a cell phone and to follow directions to seek assistance when lost in community settings. During baseline, none of the participants answered a cell phone or sought assistance. Following instruction at school and in the community, all participants learned to answer the cell phone and follow instructions to seek assistance from a naïve adult by exchanging a communication card. Generalization probes were conducted in non-training community sit...

A thin foil Faraday collector as a lost alpha detector for high yield d-t tokamak fusion plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cecil, F. Ed

2011-01-01

This report summarizes the accomplishment of sixteen years of work toward the development of thin foil Faraday collectors as a lost energetic ion diagnostic for high temperature magnetic confinement fusion plasmas. Following initial, proof of principle accelerator based studies, devices have been tested on TFTR, NSTX, ALCATOR, DIII-D, and JET (KA-1 and KA-2). The reference numbers refer to the attached list of publications. The JET diagnostic KA-2 continues in operation and hopefully will provide valuable diagnostic information during a possible d-t campaign on JET in the coming years. A thin Faraday foil spectrometer, by virtue of its radiation hardness, may likewise provide a solution to the very challenging problem of lost alpha particle measurements on ITER and other future burning plasma machines.

Big Bang Day : Afternoon Play - Torchwood: Lost Souls

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

Martha Jones, ex-time traveller and now working as a doctor for a UN task force, has been called to CERN where they're about to activate the Large Hadron Collider. Once activated, the Collider will fire beams of protons together recreating conditions a billionth of a second after the Big Bang - and potentially allowing the human race a greater insight into what the Universe is made of. But so much could go wrong - it could open a gateway to a parallel dimension, or create a black hole - and now voices from the past are calling out to people and scientists have started to disappear... Where have the missing scientists gone? What is the secret of the glowing man? What is lurking in the underground tunnel? And do the dead ever really stay dead? Lost Souls is a spin-off from the award-winning BBC Wales TV production Torchwood. It stars John Barrowman, Freema Agyeman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Lucy Montgomery (of Titty Bang Bang) and Stephen Critchlow.

Thick methacrylate sections devoid of lost caps simplify stereological quantifications based on the optical fractionator design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Stine Hasselholt; Lykkesfeldt, Jens; Larsen, Jytte Overgaard

2015-01-01

Abstract In neuroscience, the optical fractionator technique is frequently used for unbiased cell number estimations. Although unbiased in theory, the practical application of the technique is often biased by the necessity of introducing a guard zone at one side of the disector to counter lost caps...

76 FR 37160 - Notice of Availability of Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Lost Creek In...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-24

... assessed the environmental impacts from the construction, operation, aquifer restoration, and..., operate, conduct aquifer restoration, and decommission an ISR facility at Lost Creek. Alternatives that were considered, but were eliminated from detailed analysis, included conventional mining and milling...

Brain surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Craniotomy; Surgery - brain; Neurosurgery; Craniectomy; Stereotactic craniotomy; Stereotactic brain biopsy; Endoscopic craniotomy ... cut depends on where the problem in the brain is located. The surgeon creates a hole in ...

[Blood-brain barrier part III: therapeutic approaches to cross the blood-brain barrier and target the brain].

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, N; Miller, F; Cazaubon, S; Couraud, P-O

2010-03-01

Over the last few years, the blood-brain barrier has come to be considered as the main limitation for the treatment of neurological diseases caused by inflammatory, tumor or neurodegenerative disorders. In the blood-brain barrier, the close intercellular contact between cerebral endothelial cells due to tight junctions prevents the passive diffusion of hydrophilic components from the bloodstream into the brain. Several specific transport systems (via transporters expressed on cerebral endothelial cells) are implicated in the delivery of nutriments, ions and vitamins to the brain; other transporters expressed on cerebral endothelial cells extrude endogenous substances or xenobiotics, which have crossed the cerebral endothelium, out of the brain and into the bloodstream. Recently, several strategies have been proposed to target the brain, (i) by by-passing the blood-brain barrier by central drug administration, (ii) by increasing permeability of the blood-brain barrier, (iii) by modulating the expression and/or the activity of efflux transporters, (iv) by using the physiological receptor-dependent blood-brain barrier transport, and (v) by creating new viral or chemical vectors to cross the blood-brain barrier. This review focuses on the illustration of these different approaches. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Evolution of brain region volumes during artificial selection for relative brain size.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotrschal, Alexander; Zeng, Hong-Li; van der Bijl, Wouter; Öhman-Mägi, Caroline; Kotrschal, Kurt; Pelckmans, Kristiaan; Kolm, Niclas

2017-12-01

The vertebrate brain shows an extremely conserved layout across taxa. Still, the relative sizes of separate brain regions vary markedly between species. One interesting pattern is that larger brains seem associated with increased relative sizes only of certain brain regions, for instance telencephalon and cerebellum. Till now, the evolutionary association between separate brain regions and overall brain size is based on comparative evidence and remains experimentally untested. Here, we test the evolutionary response of brain regions to directional selection on brain size in guppies (Poecilia reticulata) selected for large and small relative brain size. In these animals, artificial selection led to a fast response in relative brain size, while body size remained unchanged. We use microcomputer tomography to investigate how the volumes of 11 main brain regions respond to selection for larger versus smaller brains. We found no differences in relative brain region volumes between large- and small-brained animals and only minor sex-specific variation. Also, selection did not change allometric scaling between brain and brain region sizes. Our results suggest that brain regions respond similarly to strong directional selection on relative brain size, which indicates that brain anatomy variation in contemporary species most likely stem from direct selection on key regions. © 2017 The Author(s). Evolution © 2017 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Brain imaging and brain function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sokoloff, L.

1985-01-01

This book is a survey of the applications of imaging studies of regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism to the investigation of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Contributors review imaging techniques and strategies for measuring regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism, for mapping functional neural systems, and for imaging normal brain functions. They then examine the applications of brain imaging techniques to the study of such neurological and psychiatric disorders as: cerebral ischemia; convulsive disorders; cerebral tumors; Huntington's disease; Alzheimer's disease; depression and other mood disorders. A state-of-the-art report on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and central nervous system rounds out the book's coverage

Perceptual pitch deficits coexist with pitch production difficulties in music but not Mandarin speech

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wu-xia; Feng, Jie; Huang, Wan-ting; Zhang, Cheng-xiang; Nan, Yun

2014-01-01

Congenital amusia is a musical disorder that mainly affects pitch perception. Among Mandarin speakers, some amusics also have difficulties in processing lexical tones (tone agnosics). To examine to what extent these perceptual deficits may be related to pitch production impairments in music and Mandarin speech, eight amusics, eight tone agnosics, and 12 age- and IQ-matched normal native Mandarin speakers were asked to imitate music note sequences and Mandarin words of comparable lengths. The results indicated that both the amusics and tone agnosics underperformed the controls on musical pitch production. However, tone agnosics performed no worse than the amusics, suggesting that lexical tone perception deficits may not aggravate musical pitch production difficulties. Moreover, these three groups were all able to imitate lexical tones with perfect intelligibility. Taken together, the current study shows that perceptual musical pitch and lexical tone deficits might coexist with musical pitch production difficulties. But at the same time these perceptual pitch deficits might not affect lexical tone production or the intelligibility of the speech words that were produced. The perception-production relationship for pitch among individuals with perceptual pitch deficits may be, therefore, domain-dependent. PMID:24474944

Perceptual Pitch Deficits Coexist with Pitch Production Difficulties in Music but Not Mandarin Speech

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wu-xia eYang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Congenital amusia is a musical disorder that mainly affects pitch perception. Among Mandarin speakers, some amusics also have difficulties in processing lexical tones (tone agnosics. To examine to what extent these perceptual deficits may be related to pitch production impairments in music and Mandarin speech, 8 amusics, 8 tone agnosics, and 12 age- and IQ-matched normal native Mandarin speakers were asked to imitate music note sequences and Mandarin words of comparable lengths. The results indicated that both the amusics and tone agnosics underperformed the controls on musical pitch production. However, tone agnosics performed no worse than the amusics, suggesting that lexical tone perception deficits may not aggravate musical pitch production difficulties. Moreover, these three groups were all able to imitate lexical tones with perfect intelligibility. Taken together, the current study shows that perceptual musical pitch and lexical tone deficits might coexist with musical pitch production difficulties. But at the same time these perceptual pitch deficits might not affect lexical tone production or the intelligibility of the speech words that were produced. The perception-production relationship for pitch among individuals with perceptual pitch deficits may be, therefore, domain-dependent.

Phonological processing in Mandarin speakers with congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiao; Peng, Gang

2014-12-01

Although there is an emerging consensus that both musical and linguistic pitch processing can be problematic for individuals with a developmental disorder termed congenital amusia, the nature of such a pitch-processing deficit, especially that demonstrated in a speech setting, remains unclear. Therefore, this study tested the performance of native Mandarin speakers, both with and without amusia, on discrimination and imitation tasks for Cantonese level tones, aiming to shed light on this issue. Results suggest that the impact of the phonological deficit, coupled with that of the domain-general pitch deficit, could provide a more comprehensive interpretation of Mandarin amusics' speech impairment. Specifically, when there was a high demand for pitch sensitivity, as in fine-grained pitch discriminations, the operation of the pitch-processing deficit played the more predominant role in modulating amusics' speech performance. But when the demand was low, as in discriminating naturally produced Cantonese level tones, the impact of the phonological deficit was more pronounced compared to that of the pitch-processing deficit. However, despite their perceptual deficits, Mandarin amusics' imitation abilities were comparable to controls'. Such selective impairment in tonal perception suggests that the phonological deficit more severely implicates amusics' input pathways.

Perception of musical timbre in congenital amusia: categorization, discrimination and short-term memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Marin, Manuela M; Gingras, Bruno; Stewart, Lauren

2012-02-01

Congenital amusia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized primarily by difficulties in the pitch domain. The aim of the present study was to investigate the perception of musical timbre in a group of individuals with congenital amusia by probing discrimination and short-term memory for real-world timbral stimuli as well as examining the ability of these individuals to sort instrumental tones according to their timbral similarity. Thirteen amusic individuals were matched with thirteen non-amusic controls on a range of background variables. The discrimination task included stimuli of two different durations and pairings of instrumental tones that reflected varying distances in a perceptual timbre space. Performance in the discrimination task was at ceiling for both groups. In contrast, amusic individuals scored lower than controls on the short-term timbral memory task. Amusic individuals also performed worse than controls on the sorting task, suggesting differences in the higher-order representation of musical timbre. These findings add to the emerging picture of amusia as a disorder that has consequences for the perception and memory of musical timbre, as well as pitch. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Priming paradigm reveals harmonic structure processing in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tillmann, Barbara; Gosselin, Nathalie; Bigand, Emmanuel; Peretz, Isabelle

2012-09-01

Deficits for pitch structure processing in congenital amusia has been mostly reported for melodic stimuli and explicit judgments. The present study investigated congenital amusia with harmonic stimuli and a priming task. Amusic and control participants performed a speeded phoneme discrimination task on sung chord sequences. The target phoneme was sung either on a functionally important chord (tonic chord, referred to as "related target") or a less important one (subdominant chord, referred to as "less-related target"). Correct response times were faster when the target phoneme was sung on tonic chords rather than on subdominant chords, and this effect was less pronounced, albeit significant, in amusic participants. These data report for the first time a deficit in congenital amusia for chord processing, but also provide evidence that, despite this deficit, amusic individuals have internalized sophisticated syntactic-like functions of chords in the Western tonal musical system. This finding suggests that thanks to this musical knowledge, amusic individuals could develop expectancies for musical events, and, presumably, follow the tension-relaxation schemas in Western tonal music, which also influence emotional responses to music. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Srl. All rights reserved.

Creating the brain and interacting with the brain: an integrated approach to understanding the brain

Science.gov (United States)

Morimoto, Jun; Kawato, Mitsuo

2015-01-01

In the past two decades, brain science and robotics have made gigantic advances in their own fields, and their interactions have generated several interdisciplinary research fields. First, in the ‘understanding the brain by creating the brain’ approach, computational neuroscience models have been applied to many robotics problems. Second, such brain-motivated fields as cognitive robotics and developmental robotics have emerged as interdisciplinary areas among robotics, neuroscience and cognitive science with special emphasis on humanoid robots. Third, in brain–machine interface research, a brain and a robot are mutually connected within a closed loop. In this paper, we review the theoretical backgrounds of these three interdisciplinary fields and their recent progress. Then, we introduce recent efforts to reintegrate these research fields into a coherent perspective and propose a new direction that integrates brain science and robotics where the decoding of information from the brain, robot control based on the decoded information and multimodal feedback to the brain from the robot are carried out in real time and in a closed loop. PMID:25589568

In search of the "lost capital". A theory for valuation, investment decisions, performance measurement

OpenAIRE

Magni, Carlo Alberto

2007-01-01

This paper presents a theoretical framework for valuation, investment decisions, and performance measurement based on a nonstandard theory of residual income. It is derived from the notion of "unrecovered" capital, which is here named "lost" capital because it represents the capital foregone by the investors. Its theoretical strength and meaningfulness is shown by deriving it from four main perspectives: financial, microeconomic, axiomatic, accounting. Implications for asset valuation, cap...

Preventive Maintenance Interval Prediction: a Spare Parts Inventory Cost and Lost Earning Based Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. A. Adebimpe

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, some preventive maintenance parameters in manufacturing firms were identified and used to develop cost based functions in terms of machine preventive maintenance. The proposed cost based model considers system’s reliability, cost of keeping spare parts inventory and lost earnings in deriving optimal maintenance interval. A case of a manufacturing firm in Nigeria was observed and the data was used to evaluate the model.

Quantification of years of life lost attributable to chronic air pollution exposure in a health impact assessment: the case of Nantes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillois-Becel, Y.; Eilstein, D.; Glorennec, Ph.; Lefranc, A.

2007-01-01

Background: When French regional planning for air quality first began, exposure-response functions from time-series studies were used to assess the short-term health impact of urban air pollution. The World Health Organisation also suggests that exposure-response functions from cohort studies be taken into account to evaluate the effects of chronic exposure and to quantify the prematurity of deaths related to chronic exposure to air pollution. This work characterizes the long term effects of air pollution in Nantes by considering years of life lost as well as the number of attributable deaths. methods: the study population is classified in birth cohorts. for each cohort, 2 survival curves are built based on current mortality conditions: the first is built for current exposure to air pollution and the second for exposure to a lower reference level of air pollution. The area between the 2 curves represents years of life lost attributable to urban air pollution. results: the estimated number of premature deaths due to air pollution is approximately 56, or about 2% of the deaths of those older than 30 years. The health impact on the Nantes population is estimated at 27.2 years of life lost attributable to urban air pollution in 1999 and 2388.1 years of life lost for the 1999-2008 period. This amounts to a decrease of roughly 4 months in the life expectancy of those aged 30 years. Conclusion: This study, which also identifies and discusses relevant errors and uncertainty, confirmed that air pollution in Nantes has significant health effects and that chronic exposure plays an essential role in this impact. the number of years of life lost and the reduction in life expectancy provide new reasons to reject the assumption that health effects are limited to the premature deaths of terminally-ill people. the expected health gains in Nantes associated with reduced although still moderate air pollution levels are on the same scale as, and possibly better than, those found in 9

Behavioral rehabilitation of the eye closure reflex in senescent rats using a real-time biosignal acquisition system.

Science.gov (United States)

Prueckl, R; Taub, A H; Herreros, I; Hogri, R; Magal, A; Bamford, S A; Giovannucci, A; Almog, R Ofek; Shacham-Diamand, Y; Verschure, P F M J; Mintz, M; Scharinger, J; Silmon, A; Guger, C

2011-01-01

In this paper the replacement of a lost learning function of rats through a computer-based real-time recording and feedback system is shown. In an experiment two recording electrodes and one stimulation electrode were implanted in an anesthetized rat. During a classical-conditioning paradigm, which includes tone and airpuff stimulation, biosignals were recorded and the stimulation events detected. A computational model of the cerebellum acquired the association between the stimuli and gave feedback to the brain of the rat using deep brain stimulation in order to close the eyelid of the rat. The study shows that replacement of a lost brain function using a direct bidirectional interface to the brain is realizable and can inspire future research for brain rehabilitation.

Body knowledge in brain-damaged children: a double-dissociation in self and other's body processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Frassinetti, Francesca; Fiori, Simona; D'Angelo, Valentina; Magnani, Barbara; Guzzetta, Andrea; Brizzolara, Daniela; Cioni, Giovanni

2012-01-01

Bodies are important element for self-recognition. In this respect, in adults it has been recently shown a self vs other advantage when small parts of the subjects' body are visible. This advantage is lost following a right brain lesion underlying a role of the right hemisphere in self body-parts processing. In order to investigate the bodily-self processing in children and the development of its neuronal bases, 57 typically developing healthy subjects and 17 subjects with unilateral brain damage (5 right and 12 left sided), aged 4-17 years, were submitted to a matching-to-sample task. In this task, three stimuli vertically aligned were simultaneously presented at the centre of the computer screen. Subjects were required which of two stimuli (the upper or the lower one) matched the central target stimulus, half stimuli representing self and half stimuli representing other people's body-parts and face-parts. The results showed that corporeal self recognition is present since at least 4 years of age and that self and others' body parts processing are different and sustained by separate cerebral substrates. Indeed, a double dissociation was found: right brain damaged patients were impaired in self but not in other people's body parts, showing a self-disadvantage, whereas left brain damaged patients were impaired in others' but not in self body parts processing. Finally, since the double dissociation self/other was found for body-parts but not for face parts, the corporal self seems to be dissociated for body and face-parts. This opens the possibility of independent and lateralized functional modules for the processing of self and other body parts during development. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isoflurane anesthesia initiated at the onset of reperfusion attenuates oxidative and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey A Sosunov

Full Text Available This study demonstrates that in mice subjected to hypoxia-ischemia (HI brain injury isoflurane anesthesia initiated upon reperfusion limits a release of mitochondrial oxidative radicals by inhibiting a recovery of complex-I dependent mitochondrial respiration. This significantly attenuates an oxidative stress and reduces the extent of HI brain injury. Neonatal mice were subjected to HI, and at the initiation of reperfusion were exposed to isoflurane with or without mechanical ventilation. At the end of HI and isoflurane exposure cerebral mitochondrial respiration, H2O2 emission rates were measured followed by an assessment of cerebral oxidative damage and infarct volumes. At 8 weeks after HI navigational memory and brain atrophy were assessed. In vitro, direct effect of isoflurane on mitochondrial H2O2 emission was compared to that of complex-I inhibitor, rotenone. Compared to controls, 15 minutes of isoflurane anesthesia inhibited recovery of the compex I-dependent mitochondrial respiration and decreased H2O2 production in mitochondria supported with succinate. This was associated with reduced oxidative brain injury, superior navigational memory and decreased cerebral atrophy compared to the vehicle-treated HI-mice. Extended isoflurane anesthesia was associated with sluggish recovery of cerebral blood flow (CBF and the neuroprotection was lost. However, when isoflurane anesthesia was supported with mechanical ventilation the CBF recovery improved, the event associated with further reduction of infarct volume compared to HI-mice exposed to isoflurane without respiratory support. Thus, in neonatal mice brief isoflurane anesthesia initiated at the onset of reperfusion limits mitochondrial release of oxidative radicals and attenuates an oxidative stress. This novel mechanism contributes to neuroprotective action of isoflurane. The use of mechanical ventilation during isoflurane anesthesia counterbalances negative effect of isoflurane anesthesia on

Faster decline of pitch memory over time in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Victoria J; McDonald, Claire; Deutsch, Diana; Griffiths, Timothy D; Stewart, Lauren

2010-04-26

Congenital amusia (amusia, hereafter) is a developmental disorder that impacts negatively on the perception of music. Psychophysical testing suggests that individuals with amusia have above average thresholds for detection of pitch change and pitch direction discrimination; however, a low-level auditory perceptual problem cannot completely explain the disorder, since discrimination of melodies is also impaired when the constituent intervals are suprathreshold for perception. The aim of the present study was to test pitch memory as a function of (a) time and (b) tonal interference, in order to determine whether pitch traces are inherently weaker in amusic individuals. Memory for the pitch of single tones was compared using two versions of a paradigm developed by Deutsch (1970a). In both tasks, participants compared the pitch of a standard (S) versus a comparison (C) tone. In the time task, the S and C tones were presented, separated in time by 0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 s (blocked presentation). In the interference task, the S and C tones were presented with a fixed time interval (5 s) but with a variable number of irrelevant tones in between 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 tones (blocked presentation). In the time task, control performance remained high for all time intervals, but amusics showed a performance decrement over time. In the interference task, controls and amusics showed a similar performance decrement with increasing number of irrelevant tones. Overall, the results suggest that the pitch representations of amusic individuals are less stable and more prone to decay than those of matched non-amusic individuals.

Brain Malformations

Science.gov (United States)

Most brain malformations begin long before a baby is born. Something damages the developing nervous system or causes it ... medicines, infections, or radiation during pregnancy interferes with brain development. Parts of the brain may be missing, ...

Concept and laboratory experiments for a new lost circulation material pulser (LCM-Pulser) for real time data transmission in boreholes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Namuq, M.A.; Reich, M.; Kirsten, U.; Sohmer, M.; Lehmann, F. [Technische Univ. Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany). Inst. fuer Bohrtechnik und Fluidbergbau; Mueller, T. [Adensis GmbH, Dresden (Germany)

2013-08-01

It would not be possible to drill through the planned paths to reach targets and optimize the drilling process while drilling without transmitting the geological and directional information to the surface. The most commonly used method for transmitting data is by coded pressure pulses (known as mud pulse telemetry), which propagate to the surface, where they are detected, decoded and displayed for making real time decisions. Mud pulse telemetry systems are using positive, negative or continuous wave pulsers. Mud pulsers are the most critical components of the bottom-hole-assembly with regards to plugging by lost circulation materials. Therefore increasing the tolerance of mud pulse telemetry systems for lost circulation material applications is desired. The plugging of the pulser by lost circulation materials leads to blind drilling, thereby necessitating a trip out of the borehole, consequently increasing the costs of the well. Moreover, one of the contributors to downhole tool failures is the mechanical components associated with mud pulse telemetry. The damage of those components leads to the same previously mentioned problems. All available mud pulse telemetry systems can only generate higher pressure pulse amplitudes by further restricting the flow area. This is necessary in deep wells, where pressure pulses are significantly attenuated on their way to the surface, but leads also to further restrictions when using lost circulation materials. The concept for developing an innovative pulser (named LCM-pulser) and a brief introduction to the experimental setup for evaluating the performance of the pulser will be presented in this paper. The LCM-pulser prototype has been constructed and series of initial experiments have been carried out. The test facilities consist of a flow loop with a pipe line, the new LCM-pulser and a pressure sensor. The fluid used in the experiments is water. With this novel pulser, it is not necessary to restrict the flow area anymore, so

77 FR 73739 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for Lost River...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-11

... sucker and shortnose sucker under the Act. For more information on the biology and ecology of the Lost... conservation biology principles. We received responses from two of the peer reviewers. We reviewed all comments... microgram ([micro]g) per liter (L). The peer reviewer stated that this is the World Health Organization...

Film excerpts shown to specifically elicit various affects lead to overlapping activation foci in a large set of symmetrical brain regions in males.

Science.gov (United States)

Karama, Sherif; Armony, Jorge; Beauregard, Mario

2011-01-01

While the limbic system theory continues to be part of common scientific parlance, its validity has been questioned on multiple grounds. Nonetheless, the issue of whether or not there exists a set of brain areas preferentially dedicated to emotional processing remains central within affective neuroscience. Recently, a widespread neural reference space for emotion which includes limbic as well as other regions was characterized in a large meta-analysis. As methodologically heterogeneous studies go into such meta-analyses, showing in an individual study in which all parameters are kept constant, the involvement of overlapping areas for various emotion conditions in keeping with the neural reference space for emotion, would serve as valuable confirmatory evidence. Here, using fMRI, 20 young adult men were scanned while viewing validated neutral and effective emotion-eliciting short film excerpts shown to quickly and specifically elicit disgust, amusement, or sexual arousal. Each emotion-specific run included, in random order, multiple neutral and emotion condition blocks. A stringent conjunction analysis revealed a large overlap across emotion conditions that fit remarkably well with the neural reference space for emotion. This overlap included symmetrical bilateral activation of the medial prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate, the temporo-occipital junction, the basal ganglia, the brainstem, the amygdala, the hippocampus, the thalamus, the subthalamic nucleus, the posterior hypothalamus, the cerebellum, as well as the frontal operculum extending towards the anterior insula. This study clearly confirms for the visual modality, that processing emotional stimuli leads to widespread increases in activation that cluster within relatively confined areas, regardless of valence.

Film excerpts shown to specifically elicit various affects lead to overlapping activation foci in a large set of symmetrical brain regions in males.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sherif Karama

Full Text Available While the limbic system theory continues to be part of common scientific parlance, its validity has been questioned on multiple grounds. Nonetheless, the issue of whether or not there exists a set of brain areas preferentially dedicated to emotional processing remains central within affective neuroscience. Recently, a widespread neural reference space for emotion which includes limbic as well as other regions was characterized in a large meta-analysis. As methodologically heterogeneous studies go into such meta-analyses, showing in an individual study in which all parameters are kept constant, the involvement of overlapping areas for various emotion conditions in keeping with the neural reference space for emotion, would serve as valuable confirmatory evidence. Here, using fMRI, 20 young adult men were scanned while viewing validated neutral and effective emotion-eliciting short film excerpts shown to quickly and specifically elicit disgust, amusement, or sexual arousal. Each emotion-specific run included, in random order, multiple neutral and emotion condition blocks. A stringent conjunction analysis revealed a large overlap across emotion conditions that fit remarkably well with the neural reference space for emotion. This overlap included symmetrical bilateral activation of the medial prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate, the temporo-occipital junction, the basal ganglia, the brainstem, the amygdala, the hippocampus, the thalamus, the subthalamic nucleus, the posterior hypothalamus, the cerebellum, as well as the frontal operculum extending towards the anterior insula. This study clearly confirms for the visual modality, that processing emotional stimuli leads to widespread increases in activation that cluster within relatively confined areas, regardless of valence.

Transcranial brain stimulation: closing the loop between brain and stimulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karabanov, Anke; Thielscher, Axel; Siebner, Hartwig Roman

2016-01-01

-related and state-related variability. Fluctuations in brain-states can be traced online with functional brain imaging and inform the timing or other settings of transcranial brain stimulation. State-informed open-loop stimulation is aligned to the expression of a predefined brain state, according to prespecified......PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To discuss recent strategies for boosting the efficacy of noninvasive transcranial brain stimulation to improve human brain function. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent research exposed substantial intra- and inter-individual variability in response to plasticity-inducing transcranial brain...... stimulation. Trait-related and state-related determinants contribute to this variability, challenging the standard approach to apply stimulation in a rigid, one-size-fits-all fashion. Several strategies have been identified to reduce variability and maximize the plasticity-inducing effects of noninvasive...

Effect of AVP on brain edema following traumatic brain injury

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

XU Miao; SU Wei; HUANG Wei-dong; LU Yuan-qiang; XU Qiu-ping; CHEN Zhao-jun

2007-01-01

Objective: To evaluate plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) level in patients with traumatic brain injury and investigate the role of AVP in the process of brain edema. Methods: A total of 30 patients with traumatic brain injury were involved in our study. They were divided into two groups by Glasgow Coma Scale: severe traumatic brain injury group (STBI, GCS≤ 8) and moderate traumatic brain injury group (MTBI, GCS＞8).Samples of venous blood were collected in the morning at rest from 15 healthy volunteers (control group)and within 24 h after traumatic brain injury from these patients for AVP determinations by radioimmunoassay. The severity and duration of the brain edema were estimated by head CT scan.Results: plasma AVP levels (ng/L) were (mean±SD): control, 3.06±1.49; MTBI, 38.12±7.25; and STBI, 66.61±17.10.The plasma level of AVP was significantly increased within 24 h after traumatic brain injury and followed by the reduction of GCS, suggesting the deterioration of cerebral injury (P＜0.01). And the AVP level was correlated with the severity (STBI r=0.919, P＜0.01; MTBI r=0.724, P＜0.01) and the duration of brain edema (STBI r=0.790, P＜0.01; MTBI r=0.712, P＜0.01). Conclusions: The plasma AVP level is closely associated with the severity of traumatic brain injury. AVP may play an important role in pathogenesis of brain edema after traumatic brain injury.

'Lost to follow up': rethinking delayed and interrupted HIV treatment among married Swazi women.

Science.gov (United States)

Dlamini-Simelane, Thandeka T T; Moyer, Eileen

2017-03-01

Through various campaigns and strategies, more women are being tested for HIV in countries with a high prevalence of the virus. Despite the ready availability of treatment at government clinics in sub-Saharan African countries like Swaziland, women consistently report difficulty in maintaining access to treatment. Drawing on two individual case studies selected from a larger study of the so-called leaky cascade in Swaziland, we illustrate the protracted journeys married women undertake to initiate treatment. We demonstrate how women manoeuvre tactically after diagnosis, highlight factors that influence their decisions related to initiating treatment, and detail the actors involved in the decision-making process. Our research shows the persistence of structural factors that inhibit access, including economic constraints, gender inequality and patriarchal social norms. Patients referred as ‘lost to follow up’ are in many cases actively pursuing treatment within a context that includes the biomedical health system, but also extends well beyond it. We argue that the phrase ‘lost to follow up’ conceals the complex social navigation required by women to initiate and maintain access to treatment. Further, we suggest that many of the logistical challenges of monitoring and tracking people with HIV can be better addressed by taking into account the structural and social aspects of delayed treatment initiative.

Learning for pitch and melody discrimination in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Whiteford, Kelly L; Oxenham, Andrew J

2018-03-23

Congenital amusia is currently thought to be a life-long neurogenetic disorder in music perception, impervious to training in pitch or melody discrimination. This study provides an explicit test of whether amusic deficits can be reduced with training. Twenty amusics and 20 matched controls participated in four sessions of psychophysical training involving either pure-tone (500 Hz) pitch discrimination or a control task of lateralization (interaural level differences for bandpass white noise). Pure-tone pitch discrimination at low, medium, and high frequencies (500, 2000, and 8000 Hz) was measured before and after training (pretest and posttest) to determine the specificity of learning. Melody discrimination was also assessed before and after training using the full Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia, the most widely used standardized test to diagnose amusia. Amusics performed more poorly than controls in pitch but not localization discrimination, but both groups improved with practice on the trained stimuli. Learning was broad, occurring across all three frequencies and melody discrimination for all groups, including those who trained on the non-pitch control task. Following training, 11 of 20 amusics no longer met the global diagnostic criteria for amusia. A separate group of untrained controls (n = 20), who also completed melody discrimination and pretest, improved by an equal amount as trained controls on all measures, suggesting that the bulk of learning for the control group occurred very rapidly from the pretest. Thirty-one trained participants (13 amusics) returned one year later to assess long-term maintenance of pitch and melody discrimination. On average, there was no change in performance between posttest and one-year follow-up, demonstrating that improvements on pitch- and melody-related tasks in amusics and controls can be maintained. The findings indicate that amusia is not always a life-long deficit when using the current standard

Brain tumor - children

Science.gov (United States)

... children; Neuroglioma - children; Oligodendroglioma - children; Meningioma - children; Cancer - brain tumor (children) ... The cause of primary brain tumors is unknown. Primary brain tumors may ... (spread to nearby areas) Cancerous (malignant) Brain tumors ...

Lost in Interpretation – Communicating Risk to the Public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meschenmoser, P.

2016-01-01

Communicating radiation incidents and emergencies to the public always has been challenging. No other type of emergency is related to such disproportional risk perception, so little public knowledge about the subject matter and so many contradicting expert analyses when it comes to public communications. The rise of social media and citizen journalism resulted in a dramatic acceleration of global communications and widespread misinformation. News does not break on television anymore but on Twitter, Facebook & Co. As a consequence, professional communicators not only have to take initiative considerably faster than in the past and deal with rumours. Their message has to be brief and on the point and is sometimes limited to just some 140 characters, the maximum length of a Tweet. More than ever it is essential to timely communicate in plain language and to clearly tell what needs to be done to be safe and to remain safe. Otherwise, the public will be lost in interpretation. (author)

Lost in Interpretation – Communicating Risk to the Public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meschenmoser, P.

2017-01-01

Communicating radiation incidents and emergencies to the public always has been challenging. No other type of emergency is related to such disproportional risk perception, so little public knowledge about the subject matter and so many contradicting expert analyses when it comes to public communications. The rise of social media and citizen journalism resulted in a dramatic acceleration of global communications and widespread misinformation. News does not break on television anymore but on Twitter, Facebook & Co. As a consequence, professional communicators not only have to take initiative considerably faster than in the past and deal with rumours. Their message has to be brief and on the point and is sometimes limited to just some 140 characters, the maximum length of a Tweet. More than ever it is essential to timely communicate in plain language and to clearly tell what needs to be done to be safe and to remain safe. Otherwise, the public will be lost in interpretation. (author)

Influence of the cordierite lining on the lost foam casting process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trumbulović Ljiljana

2003-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discuss the influence of the refractory cordierite lining on the structure and mechanical properties of Al-Si and Al-Cu casings obtained from the Lost foam casting process. So far there has not been any report of the research on cordierite lining in the literature and moreover the cordierite ceramics have never been used in foundries. In the light of these facts this paper investigates the possibility of using cordierite for manufacturing evaporable model refractory linings. Our results indicate that the application of cordierite ceramics is comparable to talc-based refractory linings in both Al-Cu and Al-Si castings, while cordierites are favorable in Al-Cu case due to their higher melting temperature.

Non-invasive brain-to-brain interface (BBI: establishing functional links between two brains.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seung-Schik Yoo

Full Text Available Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS is capable of modulating the neural activity of specific brain regions, with a potential role as a non-invasive computer-to-brain interface (CBI. In conjunction with the use of brain-to-computer interface (BCI techniques that translate brain function to generate computer commands, we investigated the feasibility of using the FUS-based CBI to non-invasively establish a functional link between the brains of different species (i.e. human and Sprague-Dawley rat, thus creating a brain-to-brain interface (BBI. The implementation was aimed to non-invasively translate the human volunteer's intention to stimulate a rat's brain motor area that is responsible for the tail movement. The volunteer initiated the intention by looking at a strobe light flicker on a computer display, and the degree of synchronization in the electroencephalographic steady-state-visual-evoked-potentials (SSVEP with respect to the strobe frequency was analyzed using a computer. Increased signal amplitude in the SSVEP, indicating the volunteer's intention, triggered the delivery of a burst-mode FUS (350 kHz ultrasound frequency, tone burst duration of 0.5 ms, pulse repetition frequency of 1 kHz, given for 300 msec duration to excite the motor area of an anesthetized rat transcranially. The successful excitation subsequently elicited the tail movement, which was detected by a motion sensor. The interface was achieved at 94.0±3.0% accuracy, with a time delay of 1.59±1.07 sec from the thought-initiation to the creation of the tail movement. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of a computer-mediated BBI that links central neural functions between two biological entities, which may confer unexplored opportunities in the study of neuroscience with potential implications for therapeutic applications.

Brain Development

Science.gov (United States)

... Become a Member Home Early Development & Well-Being Brain Development A child’s brain undergoes an amazing period of development from birth ... neural connections each second. The development of the brain is influenced by many factors, including a child’s ...

Understanding Brain Tumors

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... to Know About Brain Tumors . What is a Brain Tumor? A brain tumor is an abnormal growth
 ... Tumors” from Frankly Speaking Frankly Speaking About Cancer: Brain Tumors Download the full book Questions to ask ...

Software-Supported USER Cloning Strategies for Site-Directed Mutagenesis and DNA Assembly

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Genee, Hans Jasper; Bonde, Mads Tvillinggaard; Bagger, Frederik Otzen

2015-01-01

USER cloning is a fast and versatile method for engineering of plasmid DNA. We have developed a user friendly Web server tool that automates the design of optimal PCR primers for several distinct USER cloning-based applications. Our Web server, named AMUSER (Automated DNA Modifications with USER...... cloning), facilitates DNA assembly and introduction of virtually any type of site-directed mutagenesis by designing optimal PCR primers for the desired genetic changes. To demonstrate the utility, we designed primers for a simultaneous two-position site-directed mutagenesis of green fluorescent protein...... (GFP) to yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), which in a single step reaction resulted in a 94% cloning efficiency. AMUSER also supports degenerate nucleotide primers, single insert combinatorial assembly, and flexible parameters for PCR amplification. AMUSER is freely available online at ....

Newly Discovered Documents Help to Reconstruct the Purchase of a Lost Princely Wardrobe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thepaut-Cabasset, Corinne

2015-01-01

Passports issued for shipments made to Bavaria between 1680 and 1687 represent an exceptional case study, in which we can envisage the reconstruction of a lost 17th centurywardrobe, sent from Paris to Munich. It helps also to learn about the process and the actors who were creating and activating...... fashion business at that time. This short essay aims to demonstrate how important the research in archives enables dress historians to discover new patterns of knowledge to build the history of Ancien Regime clothing culture....

Years of life lost because of premature death due to intentional and unintentional accidents in Ghazvin province from 2004 till 2008

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Nahid Jafari

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Accidents are the second cause of death in Iran and one of the significant challenges in public health. They can affect people in all ages. In this study, we try to calculate years of life lost due to intentional and unintentional injuries, which is considered as one of the main indicators for prioritizing public health problems.  Methods: This study is a practical cross sectional survey research HSR (health system research that uses secondary analysis on the death data of Ghazvin province. The calculations also take into account the WHO standards in age group, sex and years of life lost (YLL due to death.  Results: This study showed that the unintentional accidents were the leading cause of death based on YLL from 2004 until 2008 in Ghazvin province. The number of deaths due to intentional and unintentional accidents was 3796 deaths as of which 2954 (77.8% was male and 842 (22.2% female. In general three quarter of the YLL due to early death relates to accidents for males and less than a quarter relates to accidents for females. Between 2004 until 2008, the maximum number of years of life lost (YLL in both sexes is for the age group of 15 to 49.  Conclusion: Considering the high level of years of life lost (YLL due to accident in this province, especially in men, more appropriate interventions for the more risk prone age groups and male in general need to be taken into account.

Brain Cancer—Patient Version

Science.gov (United States)

Brain cancer refers to growths of malignant cells in tissues of the brain. Tumors that start in the brain are called primary brain tumors. Tumors that spread to the brain are called metastatic brain tumors. Start here to find information on brain cancer treatment, research, and statistics.

Left Brain/Right Brain Learning for Adult Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Garvin, Barbara

1986-01-01

Contrasts and compares the theory and practice of adult education as it relates to the issue of right brain/left brain learning. The author stresses the need for a whole-brain approach to teaching and suggests that adult educators, given their philosophical directions, are the perfect potential users of this integrated system. (Editor/CT)

An EEG/EOG-based hybrid brain-neural computer interaction (BNCI) system to control an exoskeleton for the paralyzed hand.

Science.gov (United States)

Soekadar, Surjo R; Witkowski, Matthias; Vitiello, Nicola; Birbaumer, Niels

2015-06-01

The loss of hand function can result in severe physical and psychosocial impairment. Thus, compensation of a lost hand function using assistive robotics that can be operated in daily life is very desirable. However, versatile, intuitive, and reliable control of assistive robotics is still an unsolved challenge. Here, we introduce a novel brain/neural-computer interaction (BNCI) system that integrates electroencephalography (EEG) and electrooculography (EOG) to improve control of assistive robotics in daily life environments. To evaluate the applicability and performance of this hybrid approach, five healthy volunteers (HV) (four men, average age 26.5 ± 3.8 years) and a 34-year-old patient with complete finger paralysis due to a brachial plexus injury (BPI) used EEG (condition 1) and EEG/EOG (condition 2) to control grasping motions of a hand exoskeleton. All participants were able to control the BNCI system (BNCI control performance HV: 70.24 ± 16.71%, BPI: 65.93 ± 24.27%), but inclusion of EOG significantly improved performance across all participants (HV: 80.65 ± 11.28, BPI: 76.03 ± 18.32%). This suggests that hybrid BNCI systems can achieve substantially better control over assistive devices, e.g., a hand exoskeleton, than systems using brain signals alone and thus may increase applicability of brain-controlled assistive devices in daily life environments.

The imaging diagnosis of diffuse brain swelling due to severe brain trauma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Jianqiang; Hu Jiawang

2008-01-01

Objective: To discuss the clinical and pathological characteristics and the imaging types of the diffuse brain swelling due to severe brain trauma. Methods: The clinical data and CT and MR images on 48 cases with diffuse brain swelling due to severe brain trauma were analyzed. Results: Among these 48 cases of the diffuse brain swelling due to severe brain trauma, 33 cases were complicated with brain contusions (including 12 cases brain diffuse axonal injury, 1 case infarct of the right basal ganglion), 31 cases were complicated with hematoma (epidural, subdural or intracerebral), 27 cases were complicated with skull base fracture, and 10 cases were complicated with subarachnoid hematoma. The CT and MR imaging of the diffuse brain swelling included as followed: (1) Symmetrically diffuse brain swelling in both cerebral hemispheres with cerebral ventricles decreased or disappeared, without median line shift. (2)Diffuse brain swelling in one side cerebral hemisphere with cerebral ventricles decreased or disappeared at same side, and median line shift to other side. (3) Subarachnoid hematoma or little subcortex intracerebral hematoma were complicated. (4) The CT value of the cerebral could be equal, lower or higher comparing with normal. Conclusion: The pathological reason of diffuse brain swelling was the brain vessel expanding resulting from hypothalamus and brainstem injured in severe brain trauma. There were four CT and MR imaging findings in diffuse brain swelling. The diffuse brain swelling without hematoma may be caused by ischemical reperfusion injury. (authors)

Brain Aneurysm

Science.gov (United States)

A brain aneurysm is an abnormal bulge or "ballooning" in the wall of an artery in the brain. They are sometimes called berry aneurysms because they ... often the size of a small berry. Most brain aneurysms produce no symptoms until they become large, ...

Prognostic value of gradient echo T2* sequences for brain MR imaging in preterm infants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruine, Francisca T. de; Berg-Huysmans, Annette A. van den; Buchem, Mark A. van; Grond, Jeroen van der; Steggerda, Sylke J.; Leijser, Lara M.; Rijken, Monique; Wezel-Meijler, Gerda van

2014-01-01

Gradient echo T2*-W sequences are more sensitive than T2-W spin-echo sequences for detecting hemorrhages in the brain. The aim of this study is to correlate presence of hemosiderin deposits in the brain of very preterm infants (gestational age 6 non-hemorrhagic punctate white matter lesions (PWML), cysts and/or ventricular dilatation. Six infants with post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation detected by US in the neonatal period were excluded. Infants were seen for follow-up at 2 years. Univariate and regression analysis assessed the relation between presence and location of hemosiderin, white matter injury and neurodevelopmental outcome. In 38/95 (40%) of the infants, hemosiderin was detected. Twenty percent (19/95) of the infants were lost to follow-up. There was a correlation between hemosiderin in the ventricular wall with >6 PWML (P < 0.001) and cysts (P < 0.001) at term-equivalent age, and with a lower psychomotor development index (PDI) (P=0.02) at 2 years. After correcting for known confounders (gestational age, gender, intrauterine growth retardation and white matter injury), the correlation with PDI was no longer significant. The clinical importance of detecting small hemosiderin deposits is limited as there is no independent association with neurodevelopmental outcome. (orig.)

Brain glycogen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Obel, Linea Lykke Frimodt; Müller, Margit S; Walls, Anne B

2012-01-01

Glycogen is a complex glucose polymer found in a variety of tissues, including brain, where it is localized primarily in astrocytes. The small quantity found in brain compared to e.g., liver has led to the understanding that brain glycogen is merely used during hypoglycemia or ischemia....... In this review evidence is brought forward highlighting what has been an emerging understanding in brain energy metabolism: that glycogen is more than just a convenient way to store energy for use in emergencies-it is a highly dynamic molecule with versatile implications in brain function, i.e., synaptic...... activity and memory formation. In line with the great spatiotemporal complexity of the brain and thereof derived focus on the basis for ensuring the availability of the right amount of energy at the right time and place, we here encourage a closer look into the molecular and subcellular mechanisms...

Neural precursor cells in the ischemic brain - integration, cellular crosstalk and consequences for stroke recovery

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Dirk M. Hermann

2014-09-01

Full Text Available After an ischemic stroke, neural precursor cells (NPCs proliferate within major germinal niches of the brain. Endogenous NPCs subsequently migrate towards the ischemic lesion where they promote tissue remodelling and neural repair. Unfortunately, this restorative process is generally insufficient and thus unable to support a full recovery of lost neurological functions. Supported by solid experimental and preclinical data, the transplantation of exogenous NPCs has emerged as a potential tool for stroke treatment. Transplanted NPCs are thought to act mainly via trophic and immune modulatory effects, thereby complementing the restorative responses initially executed by the endogenous NPC population. Recent studies have attempted to elucidate how the therapeutic properties of transplanted NPCs vary depending on the route of transplantation. Systemic NPC delivery leads to potent immune modulatory actions, which prevent secondary neuronal degeneration, reduces glial scar formation, diminishes oxidative stress and stabilizes blood-brain barrier integrity. On the contrary, local stem cell delivery, allows for the accumulation of large numbers of transplanted NPCs in the brain, thus achieving high levels of locally available tissue trophic factors, which may better induce a strong endogenous NPC proliferative response.Herein we describe the diverse capabilities of exogenous (systemically vs locally transplanted NPCs in enhancing the endogenous neurogenic response after stroke, and how the route of transplantation may affect migration, survival, bystander effects and integration of the cellular graft. It is the authors’ claim that understanding these aspects will be of pivotal importance in discerning how transplanted NPCs exert their therapeutic effects in stroke.

Brain Drain: A Child's Brain on Poverty. Poverty Fact Sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Damron, Neil

2015-01-01

"Brain Drain: A Child's Brain on Poverty," released in March 2015 and prepared by intern Neil Damron, explores the brain's basic anatomy and recent research findings suggesting that poverty affects the brain development of infants and young children and the potential lifelong effects of the changes. The sheet draws from a variety of…

The costs of traumatic brain injury due to motorcycle accidents in Hanoi, Vietnam

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Vo Thuy TN

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in Vietnam. The purpose of this study is to estimate the costs, in the first year post-injury, of non-fatal traumatic brain injury (TBI in motorcycle users not wearing helmets in Hanoi, Vietnam. The costs are calculated from the perspective of the injured patients and their families, and include quantification of direct, indirect and intangible costs, using years lost due to disability as a proxy. Methods The study was a retrospective cross-sectional study. Data on treatment and rehabilitation costs, employment and support were obtained from patients and their families using a structured questionnaire and The European Quality of Life instrument (EQ6D. Results Thirty-five patients and their families were interviewed. On average, patients with severe, moderate and minor TBI incurred direct costs at USD 2,365, USD 1,390 and USD 849, with time lost for normal activities averaging 54 weeks, 26 weeks and 17 weeks and years lived with disability (YLD of 0.46, 0.25 and 0.15 year, respectively. Conclusion All three component costs of TBI were high; the direct cost accounted for the largest proportion, with costs rising with the severity of TBI. The results suggest that the burden of TBI can be catastrophic for families because of high direct costs, significant time off work for patients and caregivers, and impact on health-related quality of life. Further research is warranted to explore the actual social and economic benefits of mandatory helmet use.

Blood-brain barrier transport of drugs for the treatment of brain diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabathuler, Reinhard

2009-06-01

The central nervous system is a sanctuary protected by barriers that regulate brain homeostasis and control the transport of endogenous compounds into the brain. The blood-brain barrier, formed by endothelial cells of the brain capillaries, restricts access to brain cells allowing entry only to amino acids, glucose and hormones needed for normal brain cell function and metabolism. This very tight regulation of brain cell access is essential for the survival of neurons which do not have a significant capacity to regenerate, but also prevents therapeutic compounds, small and large, from reaching the brain. As a result, various strategies are being developed to enhance access of drugs to the brain parenchyma at therapeutically meaningful concentrations to effectively manage disease.

41 CFR 102-34.135 - What do we do about a lost or stolen license plate?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 34-MOTOR VEHICLE MANAGEMENT Identifying and Registering Motor Vehicles License Plates § 102-34.135 What do we do about a lost or stolen license plate? You must report the loss or theft of license plates...), local police, to GSA Fleet when a GSA Fleet leased motor vehicle is involved, and to the Federal...

Abacus in the brain: a longitudinal functional MRI study of a skilled abacus user with a right hemispheric lesion.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Satoshi; Seki, Keiko; Hanakawa, Takashi; Harada, Madoka; Sugawara, Sho K; Sadato, Norihiro; Watanabe, Katsumi; Honda, Manabu

2012-01-01

The abacus, a traditional physical calculation device, is still widely used in Asian countries. Previous behavioral work has shown that skilled abacus users perform rapid and precise mental arithmetic by manipulating a mental representation of an abacus, which is based on visual imagery. However, its neurophysiological basis remains unclear. Here, we report the case of a patient who was a good abacus user, but transiently lost her "mental abacus" and superior arithmetic performance after a stroke owing to a right hemispheric lesion including the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments were conducted 6 and 13 months after her stroke. In the mental calculation task, her brain activity was shifted from the language-related areas, including Broca's area and the left dorsolateral prefrontal and IPLs, to the visuospatial-related brain areas including the left superior parietal lobule (SPL), according to the recovery of her arithmetic abilities. In the digit memory task, activities in the bilateral SPL, and right visual association cortex were also observed after recovery. The shift of brain activities was consistent with her subjective report that she was able to shift the calculation strategy from linguistic to visuospatial as her mental abacus became stable again. In a behavioral experiment using an interference paradigm, a visual presentation of an abacus picture, but not a human face picture, interfered with the performance of her digit memory, confirming her use of the mental abacus after recovery. This is the first case report on the impairment of the mental abacus by a brain lesion and on recovery-related brain activity. We named this rare case "abacus-based acalculia." Together with previous neuroimaging studies, the present result suggests an important role for the PMd and parietal cortex in the superior arithmetic ability of abacus users.

Radiosurgery for brain metastases: is whole brain radiotherapy necessary?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sneed, Penny K.; Lamborn, Kathleen R.; Forstner, Julie M.; McDermott, Michael W.; Chang, Susan; Park, Elaine; Gutin, Philip H.; Phillips, Theodore L.; Wara, William M.; Larson, David A.

1999-01-01

Purpose: Because whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) may cause dementia in long-term survivors, selected patients with brain metastases may benefit from initial treatment with radiosurgery (RS) alone reserving WBRT for salvage as needed. We reviewed results of RS ± WBRT in patients with newly diagnosed brain metastasis to provide background for a prospective trial. Methods and Materials: Patients with single or multiple brain metastases managed initially with RS alone vs. RS + WBRT (62 vs. 43 patients) from 1991 through February 1997 were retrospectively reviewed. The use of upfront WBRT depended on physician preference and referral patterns. Survival, freedom from progression (FFP) endpoints, and brain control allowing for successful salvage therapy were measured from the date of diagnosis of brain metastases. Actuarial curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Analyses to adjust for known prognostic factors were performed using the Cox proportional hazards model (CPHM) stratified by primary site. Results: Survival and local FFP were the same for RS alone vs. RS + WBRT (median survival 11.3 vs. 11.1 months and 1-year local FFP by patient 71% vs. 79%, respectively). Brain FFP (scoring new metastases and/or local failure) was significantly worse for RS alone vs. RS + WBRT (28% vs. 69% at 1 year; CPHM adjusted p = 0.03 and hazard ratio = 0.476). However, brain control allowing for successful salvage of a first failure was not significantly different for RS alone vs. RS + WBRT (62% vs. 73% at 1 year; CPHM adjusted p = 0.56). Conclusions: The omission of WBRT in the initial management of patients treated with RS for up to 4 brain metastases does not appear to compromise survival or intracranial control allowing for salvage therapy as indicated. A randomized trial of RS vs. RS + WBRT is needed to assess survival, quality of life, and cost in good-prognosis patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases

"Lost in a shopping mall" -- a breach of professional ethics.

Science.gov (United States)

Crook, Lynn S; Dean, Martha C

1999-01-01

The "lost in a shopping mall" study has been cited to support claims that psychotherapists can implant memories of false autobiographical information of childhood trauma in their patients. The mall study originated in 1991 as 5 pilot experiments involving 3 children and 2 adult participants. The University of Washington Human Subjects Committee granted approval for the mall study on August 10, 1992. The preliminary results with the 5 pilot subjects were announced 4 days laters. An analysis of the mall study shows that beyond the external misrepresentions, internal scientific methodological errors cast doubt on the validity of the claims that have been attributed to the mall study within scholarly and legal arenas. The minimal involvement -- or, in some cases, negative impact -- of collegial consultation, acadmic supervision, and peer review throughout the evolution of the mall study are reviewed.

Ecosystem of silicon utilizing organisms in the lost world

Science.gov (United States)

Das, S.

2010-12-01

It was Charles Darwin who first conceived the idea of “the Lost World” which spanned more than 80% of Earth History. This is about the rocks of the Precambrian period, in which Charles Darwin did not find any fossils during his study in 1859. Although Logan’s Foraminosphere and The Cyanosphere were the proposed concepts of the possible Precambrian life, however, these studies were flawed with non-biological artifacts, post-depositional contamination etc. Although now scientists believe the ‘hydrothermal cradle for life’ following the important studies in deep-sea vents, this is still a hypothetic view. All important experiments on the origin of life which were done with a reducing atmosphere, were also not correct. Scientists recently opined that probably life originated as silicon utilizing coacervates spontaneously in cosmos, and are transferred on the Earth in the Precambrian. These silicon utilizing coacervates could originate spontaneously in the Interstellar Medium (ISM) dust particles containing silicates with carbon, many organic molecules, and with mantles of ices. Thus ultraviolet ray from molecular hydrogen after collision excitation by electrons produced by cosmic-ray ionization may initiate seeds of life with formation of silicon utilizing coacervates; which are then scattered throughout the Universe. Similarly they can also originate in the GMCs, which have the clouds of dust and gases. These were also probably the last common ancestor (LCA) of all living creatures on the Earth. They are also still entering the surface of the Earth in small numbers during volcanic eruptions, blue lightning etc., but are quickly lost in the thickly inhabited Earth surface with ~ 1,00,000 diversified earthly species. These coacervates showed a direct correlation with non-cultivable spherical clusters found in the stratosphere, and the unknown spheroid bodies in microfossils ( ~ 3,200 Ma to >3,700 Ma) recovered in Australia, Africa and in Greenland. Both

Mapping brain function to brain anatomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valentino, D.J.; Huang, H.K.; Mazziotta, J.C.

1988-01-01

In Imaging the human brain, MRI is commonly used to reveal anatomical structure, while PET is used to reveal tissue function. This paper presents a protocol for correlating data between these two imaging modalities; this correlation can provide in vivo regional measurements of brain function which are essential to our understanding of the human brain. The authors propose a general protocol to standardize the acquisition and analysis of functional image data. First, MR and PET images are collected to form three-dimensional volumes of structural and functional image data. Second, these volumes of image data are corrected for distortions inherent in each imaging modality. Third, the image volumes are correlated to provide correctly aligned structural and functional images. The functional images are then mapped onto the structural images in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations. Finally, morphometric techniques can be used to provide statistical measures of the structure and function of the human brain

The Theme of “A New Lost Generation” in the Production of Prešov National Theatre

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Knopová Elena

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The authoress elucidates the concepts of generations and generational affiliation, while focusing on various names and characteristics referring to a group of young people born during the 1980s and early 1990s. She introduces Generation Y, also called Millennials, and gives a short characteristic of a generation referred to as the Lost Generation, the Set-aside Generation, the Scarred Generation. She captures the external manifestations of the generation together with inner mechanisms and motives resulting in these manifestations. Using the example of Prešov National Theatre (PND and its production, she introduces a new concept referred to as “A New Lost Generation”. The authoress endeavours to define it in Slovak context through the partial analyses of the plays included in Prešovská trilógia (Single radicals (2013, Kindervajco (2015, Good place to die (2015, [Prešov Trilogy (Single Radicals (2013, The Kinder Egg (2015, A Good Place to Die (2015].

Brain volume reduction after whole-brain radiotherapy: quantification and prognostic relevance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Christian; Distel, Luitpold; Knippen, Stefan; Gryc, Thomas; Schmidt, Manuel Alexander; Fietkau, Rainer; Putz, Florian

2018-01-22

Recent studies have questioned the value of adding whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) to stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for brain metastasis treatment. Neurotoxicity, including radiation-induced brain volume reduction, could be one reason why not all patients benefit from the addition of WBRT. In this study, we quantified brain volume reduction after WBRT and assessed its prognostic significance. Brain volumes of 91 patients with cerebral metastases were measured during a 150-day period after commencing WBRT and were compared with their pretreatment volumes. The average daily relative change in brain volume of each patient, referred to as the "brain volume reduction rate," was calculated. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the prognostic significance of the brain volume reduction rate, as well as of 3 treatment-related and 9 pretreatment factors. A one-way analysis of variance was used to compare the brain volume reduction rate across recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) classes. On multivariate Cox regression analysis, the brain volume reduction rate was a significant predictor of overall survival after WBRT (P < 0.001), as well as the number of brain metastases (P = 0.002) and age (P = 0.008). Patients with a relatively favorable prognosis (RPA classes 1 and 2) experienced significantly less brain volume decrease after WBRT than patients with a poor prognosis (RPA class 3) (P = 0.001). There was no significant correlation between delivered radiation dose and brain volume reduction rate (P = 0.147). In this retrospective study, a smaller decrease in brain volume after WBRT was an independent predictor of longer overall survival. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

The significance of presenteeism for the value of lost production: the case of rheumatoid arthritis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rikke Søgaard

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Rikke Søgaard1, Jan Sørensen1, Louise Linde2, Merete L Hetland2,31CAST – Centre for Applied Health Services Research and Technology Assessment, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; 2Department of Rheumatology, Hvidovre and Glostrup Hospitals, Denmark; 3The DANBIO registry, Hvidovre and Glostrup Hospitals, DenmarkAbstract: Lost production can be due to individuals’ time lost to work (absenteeism, as well as their time at work with reduced productivity because of ill health (presenteeism. A sound methodological framework for the assessment of presenteeism remains to be established but given its significance, ignoring it would lead to severe underestimations, eg, in cost-of-illness studies. The objective of this study was to assess the empirical significance of absenteeism and presenteeism in terms of production loss using the case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA. Selected modules from the Health and Labor Questionnaire were applied in a cross-sectional study of 3,704 patients with RA. The costs of absenteeism and presenteeism were estimated using the Human Capital approach, and the impact of including multipliers adjusting for the productivity effect of a workers’ absence or impaired presenteeism on societal productivity was demonstrated. RA-related absenteeism over the last 14 days was 22.31 hours (standard deviation [SD], 26.51 with a resulting cost of €473 (SD, 575 and €762 (SD, 926 depending on whether a multiplier was included. Presenteeism was found to affect 7.98 (SD, 3.24 working days over the last 14 days with a resulting cost of €168 (SD, 203 and €203 (SD, 245, again depending on whether a multiplier was included. Overall, this article demonstrates that the value of lost production due to RA could be subject to an almost factor 2 increase if productivity effects of presenteeism and general multipliers are included.Keywords: work limitations, Health and Labor Questionnaire, productivity, production loss

The Mechanism of Speech Processing in Congenital Amusia: Evidence from Mandarin Speakers

OpenAIRE

Liu, Fang; Jiang, Cunmei; Thompson, William Forde; Xu, Yi; Yang, Yufang; Stewart, Lauren

2012-01-01

Congenital amusia is a neuro-developmental disorder of pitch perception that causes severe problems with music processing but only subtle difficulties in speech processing. This study investigated speech processing in a group of Mandarin speakers with congenital amusia. Thirteen Mandarin amusics and thirteen matched controls participated in a set of tone and intonation perception tasks and two pitch threshold tasks. Compared with controls, amusics showed impaired performance on word discrimin...

Brain-to-brain coupling during handholding is associated with pain reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Pavel; Weissman-Fogel, Irit; Dumas, Guillaume; Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G

2018-03-13

The mechanisms underlying analgesia related to social touch are not clear. While recent research highlights the role of the empathy of the observer to pain relief in the target, the contribution of social interaction to analgesia is unknown. The current study examines brain-to-brain coupling during pain with interpersonal touch and tests the involvement of interbrain synchrony in pain alleviation. Romantic partners were assigned the roles of target (pain receiver) and observer (pain observer) under pain-no-pain and touch-no-touch conditions concurrent with EEG recording. Brain-to-brain coupling in alpha-mu band (8-12 Hz) was estimated by a three-step multilevel analysis procedure based on running window circular correlation coefficient and post hoc power of the findings was calculated using simulations. Our findings indicate that hand-holding during pain administration increases brain-to-brain coupling in a network that mainly involves the central regions of the pain target and the right hemisphere of the pain observer. Moreover, brain-to-brain coupling in this network was found to correlate with analgesia magnitude and observer's empathic accuracy. These findings indicate that brain-to-brain coupling may be involved in touch-related analgesia.

BrainNet Europe's Code of Conduct for brain banking.

Science.gov (United States)

Klioueva, Natasja M; Rademaker, Marleen C; Dexter, David T; Al-Sarraj, Safa; Seilhean, Danielle; Streichenberger, Nathalie; Schmitz, Peer; Bell, Jeanne E; Ironside, James W; Arzberger, Thomas; Huitinga, Inge

2015-07-01

Research utilizing human tissue and its removal at post-mortem has given rise to many controversies in the media and posed many dilemmas in the fields of law and ethics. The law often lacks clear instructions and unambiguous guidelines. The absence of a harmonized international legislation with regard to post-mortem medical procedures and donation of tissue and organs contributes to the complexity of the issue. Therefore, within the BrainNet Europe (BNE) consortium, a consortium of 19 European brain banks, we drafted an ethical Code of Conduct for brain banking that covers basic legal rules and bioethical principles involved in brain banking. Sources include laws, regulations and guidelines (Declarations, Conventions, Recommendations, Guidelines and Directives) issued by international key organizations, such as the Council of Europe, European Commission, World Medical Association and World Health Organization. The Code of Conduct addresses fundamental topics as the rights of the persons donating their tissue, the obligations of the brain bank with regard to respect and observance of such rights, informed consent, confidentiality, protection of personal data, collections of human biological material and their management, and transparency and accountability within the organization of a brain bank. The Code of Conduct for brain banking is being adopted by the BNE network prior to being enshrined in official legislation for brain banking in Europe and beyond.

Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing: An Early Dipt

OpenAIRE

Chiari, Sophie

2016-01-01

In his Palladis Tamia published in 1598, Francis Meres gave a list of popular plays, already a fairly long one, written by a young playwright aged 34, William Shakespeare. In Meres’s inventory, an intriguing, unknown play called Love’s Labour’s Won is paired with Love’s Labour’s Lost, a mention which has so far remained a complete mystery. This paper aims at reconsidering the hypothesis according to which Much Ado About Nothing might be the comedy designated under the title of Love’s Labour’s...

Search for lost or orphan radioactive sources based on NaI gamma spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aage, H.K.; Korsbech, U.

2003-01-01

Within recent decades many radioactive sources have been lost, stolen, or abandoned, and some have caused contamination or irradiation of people. Therefore reliable methods for source recovery are needed. The use of car borne NaI(Tl) detectors is discussed. Standard processing of spectra in general can disclose strong and medium level signals from manmade nuclides. But methods for detecting low level signals from weak, distant or shielded sources can be improved. New methods for source detection and identification based on noise adjusted singular value decomposition and on area specific stripping of spectra are presented

How lost "passenger" ants find their way home.

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasan, Mandyam V

2018-03-01

Animal navigation has fascinated biologists and engineers for centuries, and some of the most illuminating discoveries have come from the study of creatures with a brain no larger than a sesame seed. In an elegant recent study, Pfeiffer and Wittlinger (Science, 353, 1155-1157, 2016) have shown the means by which desert ants, carried from one nest to another by a relative, find their own way back home if they are accidentally dropped en route.

America’s Lost Innocence and Cinema

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrycja Włodek

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In my paper America’s Lost Innocence I intend to focus on American cinema of the ’50s, part of ’60s, and contemporary throwbacks to those decades. The ’50s have been called “the last decade of American innocence”, “the happiest decade in America’s history – when things were going on – that everybody misses” (by Jean Baudrillard. That era symbolically ceased on 22 November 1963; however, many scholars and publicists undermine the belief in its very existence. Michael Wood calls the ’50s a time of “self-deception”; therefore, the question raised is – has America ever been innocent? By concentrating on the message conveyed by mostly genre (e.g. drama, melodrama, musical, romantic comedy and mainstream movies made in the ’50s and early ’60s (e.g. A Place In the Sun, Cat on the Hot, Tin Roof, Home From the Hill, I intend to analyze the portrait of American society of that time, it’s rules and expectations towards individuals and system as a whole. In the second part of my paper I will focus on contemporary throwbacks to those times depicted mostly in movies made in the 21st century, although not exclusively (e.g. Far From Heaven, The Hours, Revolutionary Road, the TV series Mad Men [2007–], Pleasantville. Using those and other movies as examples, I intend to prove the thesis that the phenomenon of retro and contemporary retromania are not always and not by definition conservative, and can serve as a means to a critical approach towards society.

Origin of hyperbolicity in brain-to-brain coordination networks

Science.gov (United States)

Tadić, Bosiljka; Andjelković, Miroslav; Šuvakov, Milovan

2018-02-01

Hyperbolicity or negative curvature of complex networks is the intrinsic geometric proximity of nodes in the graph metric space, which implies an improved network function. Here, we investigate hidden combinatorial geometries in brain-to-brain coordination networks arising through social communications. The networks originate from correlations among EEG signals previously recorded during spoken communications comprising of 14 individuals with 24 speaker-listener pairs. We find that the corresponding networks are delta-hyperbolic with delta_max=1 and the graph diameter D=3 in each brain. While the emergent hyperbolicity in the two-brain networks satisfies delta_max/D/2 neuronal correlation patterns ranging from weak coordination to super-brain structure. These topology features are in qualitative agreement with the listener’s self-reported ratings of own experience and quality of the speaker, suggesting that studies of the cross-brain connector networks can reveal new insight into the neural mechanisms underlying human social behavior.

Brain Injury Expands the Numbers of Neural Stem Cells and Progenitors in the SVZ by Enhancing Their Responsiveness to EGF

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dhivyaa Alagappan

2009-04-01

Full Text Available There is an increase in the numbers of neural precursors in the SVZ (subventricular zone after moderate ischaemic injuries, but the extent of stem cell expansion and the resultant cell regeneration is modest. Therefore our studies have focused on understanding the signals that regulate these processes towards achieving a more robust amplification of the stem/progenitor cell pool. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the role of the EGFR [EGF (epidermal growth factor receptor] in the regenerative response of the neonatal SVZ to hypoxic/ischaemic injury. We show that injury recruits quiescent cells in the SVZ to proliferate, that they divide more rapidly and that there is increased EGFR expression on both putative stem cells and progenitors. With the amplification of the precursors in the SVZ after injury there is enhanced sensitivity to EGF, but not to FGF (fibroblast growth factor-2. EGF-dependent SVZ precursor expansion, as measured using the neurosphere assay, is lost when the EGFR is pharmacologically inhibited, and forced expression of a constitutively active EGFR is sufficient to recapitulate the exaggerated proliferation of the neural stem/progenitors that is induced by hypoxic/ischaemic brain injury. Cumulatively, our results reveal that increased EGFR signalling precedes that increase in the abundance of the putative neural stem cells and our studies implicate the EGFR as a key regulator of the expansion of SVZ precursors in response to brain injury. Thus modulating EGFR signalling represents a potential target for therapies to enhance brain repair from endogenous neural precursors following hypoxic/ischaemic and other brain injuries.

Intravenous and oral levetiracetam in patients with a suspected primary brain tumor and symptomatic seizures undergoing neurosurgery: the HELLO trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bähr, Oliver; Hermisson, Mirjam; Rona, Sabine; Rieger, Johannes; Nussbaum, Susanne; Körtvelyessy, Peter; Franz, Kea; Tatagiba, Marcos; Seifert, Volker; Weller, Michael; Steinbach, Joachim P

2012-02-01

Levetiracetam (LEV) is a newer anticonvulsant with a favorable safety profile. There seem to be no relevant drug interactions, and an intravenous formulation is available. Therefore, LEV might be a suitable drug for the perioperative anticonvulsive therapy of patients with suspected brain tumors undergoing neurosurgery. In this prospective study (NCT00571155) patients with suspected primary brain tumors and tumor-related seizures were perioperatively treated with oral and intravenous LEV up to 4 weeks before and until 4 weeks after a planned neurosurgical procedure. Thirty patients with brain tumor-related seizures and intended neurosurgery were included. Three patients did not undergo the scheduled surgery after enrollment, and two patients were lost to follow-up. Therefore, 25 patients were fully evaluable. After initiation of therapy with LEV, 100% of the patients were seizure-free in the pre-surgery phase (3 days up to 4 weeks before surgery), 88% in the 48 h post-surgery phase and 84% in the early follow-up phase (48 h to 4 weeks post surgery). Treatment failure even after dose escalation to 3,000 mg/day occurred in three patients. No serious adverse events related to the treatment with LEV occurred. Our data show the feasibility and safety of oral and intravenous LEV in the perioperative treatment of tumor-related seizures. Although this was a single arm study, the efficacy of LEV appears promising. Considering the side effects and interactions of other anticonvulsants, LEV seems to be a favorable option in the perioperative treatment of brain tumor-related seizures.

Brain tumor - primary - adults

Science.gov (United States)

... Vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma) - adults; Meningioma - adults; Cancer - brain tumor (adults) ... Primary brain tumors include any tumor that starts in the brain. Primary brain tumors can start from brain cells, ...

A generation lost? Prolonged effects of labour market entry in times of high unemployment in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolbers, M.H.J.

2016-01-01

After the economic crisis of the 1980s, concerns arose about whether the high youth unemployment at that time would produce a 'lost generation' of young people in the Netherlands. The same concerns have recently arisen about the potential effects of the current high rate of youth unemployment. The

Lost salt technique for severely resorbed alveolar ridges: An innovative approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Himanshi Aggarwal

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The success of a complete denture relies on the principles of retention, stability and support. The prosthodontist skill lies in applying these principles efficiently in critical situations. Severely resorbed maxillary edentulous ridges that are narrow and constricted with increased inter ridge space provide decreased support, retention and stability. The consequent weight of the processed denture only compromises them further. This article describes a case report of an edentulous patient with resorbed ridges where a simplified technique of fabricating a hollow maxillary complete denture using lost salt technique was used for preservation of denture bearing areas. The hollowing of the denture reduces the weight of the denture, thereby enhancing stability and retention, reducing the further resorption of the jaws.

Subacute brain atrophy induced by radiation therapy to the malignant brain tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asai, Akio; Matsutani, Masao; Takakura, Kintomo.

1987-01-01

In order to analyze brain atrophy after radiation therapy to the brain tumors, we calculated a CSF-cranial volume ratio on CT scan as an index of brain atrophy, and estimated dementia-score by Hasegawa's method in 91 post-irradiated patients with malignant brain tumors. Radiation-induced brain atrophy was observed in 51 out of 91 patients (56 %) and dementia in 23 out of 47 patients (49 %). These two conditions were closely related, and observed significantly more often in aged and whole-brain-irradiated patients. As radiation-induced brain atrophy accompanied by dementia appeared 2 - 3 months after the completion of radiation therapy, it should be regarded as a subacute brain injury caused by radiation therapy. (author)

Auditory deficits in amusia extend beyond poor pitch perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Whiteford, Kelly L; Oxenham, Andrew J

2017-05-01

Congenital amusia is a music perception disorder believed to reflect a deficit in fine-grained pitch perception and/or short-term or working memory for pitch. Because most measures of pitch perception include memory and segmentation components, it has been difficult to determine the true extent of pitch processing deficits in amusia. It is also unclear whether pitch deficits persist at frequencies beyond the range of musical pitch. To address these questions, experiments were conducted with amusics and matched controls, manipulating both the stimuli and the task demands. First, we assessed pitch discrimination at low (500Hz and 2000Hz) and high (8000Hz) frequencies using a three-interval forced-choice task. Amusics exhibited deficits even at the highest frequency, which lies beyond the existence region of musical pitch. Next, we assessed the extent to which frequency coding deficits persist in one- and two-interval frequency-modulation (FM) and amplitude-modulation (AM) detection tasks at 500Hz at slow (f m =4Hz) and fast (f m =20Hz) modulation rates. Amusics still exhibited deficits in one-interval FM detection tasks that should not involve memory or segmentation. Surprisingly, amusics were also impaired on AM detection, which should not involve pitch processing. Finally, direct comparisons between the detection of continuous and discrete FM demonstrated that amusics suffer deficits in both coding and segmenting pitch information. Our results reveal auditory deficits in amusia extending beyond pitch perception that are subtle when controlling for memory and segmentation, and are likely exacerbated in more complex contexts such as musical listening. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Replication of specifically microstructured surfaces in A356-alloy via lost wax investment casting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, Todor; Bührig-Polaczek, Andreas; Vroomen, Uwe; Hartmann, Claudia; Holtkamp, Jens; Gillner, Arnold; Bobzin, Kirsten; Bagcivan, Nazlim; Theiss, Sebastian

2011-01-01

A common way of realizing microstructural features on metallic surfaces is to generate the designated pattern on each single part by means of microstructuring technologies such as e.g. laser ablation, electric discharge machining or micromilling. The disadvantage of these process chains is the limited productivity due to the additional processing of each part. The approach of this work is to replicate microstructured surfaces from a master pattern via lost wax investment casting in order to reach a higher productivity. We show that microholes of different sizes ( 15–22 µm at depths of 6–14 µm) can be replicated in AlSi7Mg-alloy from a laser-structured master pattern via investment casting. However, some loss of molding accuracy during the multi-stage molding process occurs. Approximately 50% of the original microfeature's heights are lost during the wax injection step. In the following process step of manufacturing a gypsum-bonded mold, a further loss in the surface quality of the microfeatures can be observed. In the final process step of casting the aluminum melt, the microfeatures are filled without any loss of molding accuracy and replicate the surface quality of the gypsum mold. The contact angle measurements of ultrapure water on the cast surfaces show a decrease in wettability on the microstructured regions (75°) compared to the unstructured region (60°)

The migraine ACE model: evaluating the impact on time lost and medical resource Use.

Science.gov (United States)

Caro, J J; Caro, G; Getsios, D; Raggio, G; Burrows, M; Black, L

2000-04-01

To describe the Migraine Adaptive Cost-Effectiveness Model in the context of an analysis of a simulated population of Canadian patients with migraine. The high prevalence of migraine and its substantial impact on patients' ability to function normally present a significant economic burden to society. In light of the recent availability of improved pharmaceutical treatments, a model was developed to assess their economic impact. The Migraine Adaptive Cost-Effectiveness Model incorporates the costs of time lost from both work and nonwork activities, as well as medical resource and medication use. Using Monte Carlo techniques, the model simulates the experience of a population of patients with migraine over the course of 1 year. As an example, analyses of a Canadian population were carried out using data from a multinational trial, surveys, national statistics, and the available literature. Using customary therapy, mean productivity losses (amounting to 84 hours of paid work time, 48 hours of unpaid work time, and 113 hours of leisure time lost) were estimated to cost $1949 (in 1997 Canadian dollars) per patient, with medical expenditures adding an average of $280 to the cost of illness. With customary treatment patterns, the costs of migraine associated with reduced functional capacity are substantial. The migraine model represents a flexible tool for the economic evaluation of different migraine treatments in various populations.

Development and implementation of a nurse-led walk-in centre: evidence lost in translation?

Science.gov (United States)

Desborough, Jane; Parker, Rhian; Forrest, Laura

2013-07-01

The design of the first Australian public nurse-led primary care walk-in centre was modelled on those established in the English National Health Service (NHS). An independent evaluation of the first 12 months of operation of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Health walk-in centre, in 2011, analysed the translation of evidence from the national evaluation of the NHS walk-in centres to the policy development and implementation of the ACT walk-in centre. Whilst in a number of ways the evidence was used well, our interest for this paper was to examine three areas identified as problematic and to identify the points at which the evidence was lost or diluted. In addition to data obtained through nurse and key stakeholder interviews for the evaluation, an analysis was undertaken of documents on the planning and establishment of the ACT walk-in centre, either provided to the evaluation team or made publicly available. Three areas were identified as problematic in the way that evidence from the NHS evaluation was translated: the use of clinical decision support software (CDSS); the marketing of the walk-in centre; and its location. Our examination indicates that despite seeking evidence to inform the development of the ACT walk-in centre, the evidence was not fully used and some clear lessons ignored, resulting in much of the evidence being lost in translation.

Reasserting the primacy of human needs to reclaim the 'lost half' of sustainable development.

Science.gov (United States)

Everard, Mark; Longhurst, James W S

2018-04-15

The concept of sustainable development evolved from growing awareness of the interdependence of social and economic progress with the limits of the supporting natural environment, becoming progressively integrated into global agreements and transposition into local regulatory and implementation frameworks. We argue that transposition of the concept into regulation and supporting tools reduced the focus to minimal environmental and social standards, perceived as imposing constraints rather than opportunities for innovation to meet human needs. The aspirational 'half' of the concept of sustainable development specifically addressing human needs was thus lost in transposing high ideals into regulatory instruments. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) restore focus on interlinked human needs, stimulating innovation of products and processes to satisfy them. Through three case studies - PVC water pipes, river quality management in England, and UK local air quality management - we explore the current operationalisation of the concept in diverse settings, using the SDG framework to highlight the broader societal purposes central to sustainable development. Partnerships involving civil society support evolution of regulatory instruments and their implementation, optimising social and ecological benefits thereby serving more human needs. Restoring the visionary 'lost half' of sustainable development - meeting human needs in sustainable ways - creates incentives for innovation and partnership; an innovation framework rather than a perceived constraint. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of Children Who Lost the Diagnosis of Autism: A Sample from Istanbul, Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nahit Motavalli Mukaddes

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. The aim of this study was to describe a group of children who lost a diagnosis of autism following participation in early educational programs. Method. This is a descriptive study reporting the characteristics of children (n: 39 who lost their diagnosis of autism and explaining the educational programs that these children followed. The data were collected by reviewing the participants’ files and through examinations. Results. All of the children were placed at regular psychiatric follow-ups. The mean age at referral was 2.39±0.75 years, whereas the mean age at the time of optimal outcome reported was 5.11±1.95 years. Two of the children were in early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI, and the rest were in a comprehensive naturalistic behavioral program. The childhood autism rating scale (CARS total scores at baseline and final were 32.75±3.15 and 18.01±1.76, respectively. The mean IQ of the group at final examination was 116.70±18.88. Conclusion. It could be concluded that a group of children with an autism diagnosis could lose the diagnosis of autism upon early intervention. High IQ and the development of communicative and language skills at an early age could be the most powerful factors contributing to an optimal outcome.

Teaching Creativity for Right Brain and Left Brain Thinkers.

Science.gov (United States)

Geske, Joel

Right brain and left brain dominant people process information differently and need different techniques to learn how to become more creative. Various exercises can help students take advantage of both sides of their brains. Students must feel comfortable and unthreatened to reach maximal creativity, and a positive personal relationship with…

Does tonality boost short-term memory in congenital amusia?

Science.gov (United States)

Albouy, Philippe; Schulze, Katrin; Caclin, Anne; Tillmann, Barbara

2013-11-06

Congenital amusia is a neuro-developmental disorder of music perception and production. Recent findings have demonstrated that this deficit is linked to an impaired short-term memory for tone sequences. As it has been shown before that non-musicians' implicit knowledge of musical regularities can improve short-term memory for tone information, the present study investigated if this type of implicit knowledge could also influence amusics' short-term memory performance. Congenital amusics and their matched controls, who were non-musicians, had to indicate whether sequences of five tones, presented in pairs, were the same or different; half of the pairs respected musical regularities (tonal sequences) and the other half did not (atonal sequences). As previously reported for non-musician participants, the control participants showed better performance (as measured with d') for tonal sequences than for atonal ones. While this improvement was not observed in amusics, both control and amusic participants showed faster response times for tonal sequences than for atonal sequences. These findings suggest that some implicit processing of tonal structures is potentially preserved in congenital amusia. This observation is encouraging as it strengthens the perspective to exploit implicit knowledge to help reducing pitch perception and memory deficits in amusia. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A music perception disorder (congenital amusia) influences speech comprehension.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Jiang, Cunmei; Wang, Bei; Xu, Yi; Patel, Aniruddh D

2015-01-01

This study investigated the underlying link between speech and music by examining whether and to what extent congenital amusia, a musical disorder characterized by degraded pitch processing, would impact spoken sentence comprehension for speakers of Mandarin, a tone language. Sixteen Mandarin-speaking amusics and 16 matched controls were tested on the intelligibility of news-like Mandarin sentences with natural and flat fundamental frequency (F0) contours (created via speech resynthesis) under four signal-to-noise (SNR) conditions (no noise, +5, 0, and -5dB SNR). While speech intelligibility in quiet and extremely noisy conditions (SNR=-5dB) was not significantly compromised by flattened F0, both amusic and control groups achieved better performance with natural-F0 sentences than flat-F0 sentences under moderately noisy conditions (SNR=+5 and 0dB). Relative to normal listeners, amusics demonstrated reduced speech intelligibility in both quiet and noise, regardless of whether the F0 contours of the sentences were natural or flattened. This deficit in speech intelligibility was not associated with impaired pitch perception in amusia. These findings provide evidence for impaired speech comprehension in congenital amusia, suggesting that the deficit of amusics extends beyond pitch processing and includes segmental processing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pitch perception and production in congenital amusia: Evidence from Cantonese speakers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Chan, Alice H D; Ciocca, Valter; Roquet, Catherine; Peretz, Isabelle; Wong, Patrick C M

2016-07-01

This study investigated pitch perception and production in speech and music in individuals with congenital amusia (a disorder of musical pitch processing) who are native speakers of Cantonese, a tone language with a highly complex tonal system. Sixteen Cantonese-speaking congenital amusics and 16 controls performed a set of lexical tone perception, production, singing, and psychophysical pitch threshold tasks. Their tone production accuracy and singing proficiency were subsequently judged by independent listeners, and subjected to acoustic analyses. Relative to controls, amusics showed impaired discrimination of lexical tones in both speech and non-speech conditions. They also received lower ratings for singing proficiency, producing larger pitch interval deviations and making more pitch interval errors compared to controls. Demonstrating higher pitch direction identification thresholds than controls for both speech syllables and piano tones, amusics nevertheless produced native lexical tones with comparable pitch trajectories and intelligibility as controls. Significant correlations were found between pitch threshold and lexical tone perception, music perception and production, but not between lexical tone perception and production for amusics. These findings provide further evidence that congenital amusia is a domain-general language-independent pitch-processing deficit that is associated with severely impaired music perception and production, mildly impaired speech perception, and largely intact speech production.

Radiosurgery for brain metastases: is whole brain radiation therapy necessary?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forstner, Julie M.; Sneed, Penny K.; Lamborn, Kathleen R.; Shu, H.-K.G.; McDermott, Michael W.; Park, Elaine; Ho, Maria; Chang, Susan; Gutin, Philip H.; Phillips, Theodore L.; Wara, William M.; Larson, David A.

1996-01-01

Purpose: Because whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) carries a significant risk of dementia in long-term survivors, it is desirable to determine if some patients with brain metastases may be managed with radiosurgery (RS) alone, reserving WBRT for salvage therapy as needed. To begin to approach this problem, we retrospectively reviewed freedom from brain failure/progression (Brain FFP) and survival of patients with newly-diagnosed solitary or multiple brain metastases treated with Gamma Knife RS ± WBRT. Materials and Methods: All patients treated at our institution with Gamma Knife RS for newly-diagnosed solitary or multiple (2-8) brain metastases from September 1991 through December 1995 were reviewed. Whether or not WBRT was given depended on physician preference and referral patterns. Brain FFP was measured from the date of RS until development of a new brain metastasis or progression of a treated metastasis, with censoring at the time of the last imaging study. Survival was measured from the date of RS until death or last clinical follow-up. Actuarial curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log rank test. Multivariate analyses to adjust for known prognostic variables (age, KPS, history of extracranial metastases, and total target volume) were performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: From September 1991-December 1995, 90 patients with newly-diagnosed brain metastases underwent RS. Three patients treated palliatively to a small component of their intracranial disease were excluded, leaving 54 treated with RS alone and 33 treated with RS + WBRT. Age ranged from 31-83 years (median, 59 years), KPS from 60-100 (median, 90), and total target volume from 0.15-26.1 cm 3 (median, 5.5 cm 3 ). Fifty patients had a history of extracranial metastases. Results are shown below. In the RS alone group, (22(54)) patients (41%) had a brain failure and (20(54)) (37%) died without evidence of brain failure. In the RS + WBRT group

Charles Darwin’s lost Cinereous Harrier found in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History Leiden

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grouw, van H.; Steinheimer, F.D.

2008-01-01

During reorganisation of the Leiden bird collection a mounted harrier was found what seemed to be one of the still lost specimens collected by Darwin. After closer research it turned out it was indeed the last missing harrier of the Darwin collection.

50 CFR 23.52 - What are the requirements for replacing a lost, damaged, stolen, or accidentally destroyed CITES...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... lost, damaged, stolen, or accidentally destroyed CITES document? 23.52 Section 23.52 Wildlife and...) CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA (CITES) Application..., or accidentally destroyed CITES document? (a) Purpose. A Management Authority may issue a duplicate...

Lost in Space - Where the outer bound of localization space sets the lower bound on localization performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dil, B.J.

2013-01-01

This research reflects my theoretical and experimental journey into the lost space of wireless radio localization in the far field of 2.4GHz Commercial-Off- The-Shelf (COTS) radios. At the end of this journey, we arrive at the conclu- sion that existing phase- and time-based localization systems

SPECT brain perfusion imaging in mild traumatic brain injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Juan; Liu Baojun; Zhao Feng; He Lirong; Xia Yucheng

2003-01-01

Objective: To study the clinical value of SPECT brain perfusion imaging after mild traumatic brain injury and to evaluate the mechanism of brain blood flow changes in the brain traumatic symptoms. Methods: SPECT 99 Tc m -ethylene cysteinate dimer (ECD) brain perfusion imaging was performed on 39 patients with normal consciousness and normal computed tomography. The study was performed on 23 patients within 3 months after the accidental injury and on 16 patients at more than 3 months post-injury. The cerebellum was used as the reference site (100% maximum value). Any decrease in cerebral perfusion in cortex or basal ganglia to below 70%, or even to below 50% in the medial temporal lobe, compared to the cerebellar reference was considered abnormal. Results: The results of 23 patients (59%) were abnormal. Among them, 20 patients showed 74 focal lesions with an average of 3.7 per patient (15 studies performed within 3 months and 8 studies performed more than 3 months after injury). The remaining 3 showed diffuse hypoperfusion (two at the early stage and one at more than 3 months after the injury). The 13 abnormal studies performed at the early stage showed 58 lesions (average, 4.5 per patient), whereas there was a reduction to an average of 2.3 per patient in the 7 patients (total 16 lesions) at more than 3 months post-injury. In the 20 patients with focal lesions, mainly the following regions were involved: frontal lobes 43.2% (32/74), basal ganglia 24.3% (18/74) and temporal lobes 17.6% (13/74). Conclusions: 1) SPECT brain perfusion imaging is more sensitive than computed tomography in detecting brain lesions of mild traumatic brain injury. 2) SPECT brain perfusion imaging is more sensitive at early stage than at late stage after injury. 3) The most common complaints were headache, dizziness, memory deficit. The patients without loss of consciousness may present brain hypoperfusion, too. 4) The changes may explain a neurological component of the patient symptoms in

Increased expression of aquaporin-4 in human traumatic brain injury and brain tumors

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

HU Hua; YAO Hong-tian; ZHANG Wei-ping; ZHANG LEI; DING Wei; ZHANG Shi-hong; CHEN Zhong; WEI Er-qing

2005-01-01

Objective: To characterize the expression of aquaporin-4 (AQP4), one of the aquaporins (AQPs), in human brain specimens from patients with traumatic brain injury or brain tumors. Methods: Nineteen human brain specimens were obtained from the patients with traumatic brain injury, brain tumors, benign meningioma or early stage hemorrhagic stroke. MRI or CT imaging was used to assess brain edema. Hematoxylin and eosin staining were used to evaluate cell damage. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the AQP4 expression. Results: AQP4 expression was increased from 15h to at least 8 d after injury. AQP4immunoreactivity was strong around astrocytomas, ganglioglioma and metastatic adenocarcinoma. However, AQP4 immunoreactivity was only found in the centers of astrocytomas and ganglioglioma, but not in metastatic adenocarcinoma derived from lung.Conclusion: AQP4 expression increases in human brains after traumatic brain injury, within brain-derived tumors, and around brain tumors.