Perceptual consciousness overflows cognitive access.

Science.gov (United States)

Block, Ned

2011-12-01

One of the most important issues concerning the foundations of conscious perception centers on the question of whether perceptual consciousness is rich or sparse. The overflow argument uses a form of 'iconic memory' to argue that perceptual consciousness is richer (i.e., has a higher capacity) than cognitive access: when observing a complex scene we are conscious of more than we can report or think about. Recently, the overflow argument has been challenged both empirically and conceptually. This paper reviews the controversy, arguing that proponents of sparse perception are committed to the postulation of (i) a peculiar kind of generic conscious representation that has no independent rationale and (ii) an unmotivated form of unconscious representation that in some cases conflicts with what we know about unconscious representation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FSI-based Overflow Assessment of the Seismically-Isolated SFP with Fuel Racks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Gil Y.; Park, Hyun T.; Chang, Soo-Hyuk [Korea Maintenance Co., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang-Hoon [KEPCO E-C, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

To date, effectiveness of the seismic isolation systems for reducing seismic force effectively has been well demonstrated. In this context, practical application of the technology in nuclear engineering fields has become an important issue more and more. This is because fluid motion can be rather amplified due to the increased relative displacement between the base and superstructures by a long-period shift. Therefore, overflow assessment and prediction of the seismically-isolated SFP have to be conducted in design phase. For performing sloshing-induced overflow of the seismically-isolated SFP, a fluid-structure interaction(FSI) approach making a two-way coupling process between structural and fluid solvers is herein employed. In this study, fuel racks inside the SFP are included in FSI modeling to investigate effect of fuel-cell assemblies on SFP overflow. Accordingly, three different assembly sets of fuel cells are assumed to be inserted in fuel racks. In addition, floor acceleration time-histories produced from three different amplitudes of peak ground acceleration (PGA) are applied to the SFP base to investigate load effect on liquid overflow. An approach for the liquid overflow assessment of the seismically-isolated nuclear SFP with fuel storage racks based on FSI analysis was addressed. From the results of the identified cases, the following conclusions are drawn: (i) FSI technique can be effectively used to assess the seismically-isolated SFP overflow, (ii) In a conservative way, the isolated SFP without fuel racks can be used to assess its sloshing-induced overflow under earthquake since effect of fuel-cell assemblies on the SFP overflow is not significant, (iii) for given same conditions (e.g., constant design free surface, same fuel-cell assembly) except seismic loading, the higher PGA is, the more liquid overflow increases.

Ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest produces a chronic striatal hyperdopaminergic state that is worsened by methylphenidate treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Nora, Gerald J; Harun, Rashed; Fine, David F; Hutchison, Daniel; Grobart, Adam C; Stezoski, Jason P; Munoz, Miranda J; Kochanek, Patrick M; Leak, Rehana K; Drabek, Tomas; Wagner, Amy K

2017-07-01

Cardiac arrest survival rates have improved with modern resuscitation techniques, but many survivors experience impairments associated with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI). Currently, little is understood about chronic changes in striatal dopamine (DA) systems after HIBI. Given the common empiric clinical use of DA enhancing agents in neurorehabilitation, investigation evaluating dopaminergic alterations after cardiac arrest (CA) is necessary to optimize rehabilitation approaches. We hypothesized that striatal DA neurotransmission would be altered chronically after ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest (VF-CA). Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry was used with median forebrain bundle (MFB) maximal electrical stimulations (60Hz, 10s) in rats to characterize presynaptic components of DA neurotransmission in the dorsal striatum (D-Str) and nucleus accumbens 14 days after a 5-min VF-CA when compared to Sham or Naïve. VF-CA increased D-Str-evoked overflow [DA], total [DA] released, and initial DA release rate versus controls, despite also increasing maximal velocity of DA reuptake (V max ). Methylphenidate (10 mg/kg), a DA transporter inhibitor, was administered to VF-CA and Shams after establishing a baseline, pre-drug 60 Hz, 5 s stimulation response. Methylphenidate increased initial evoked overflow [DA] more-so in VF-CA versus Sham and reduced D-Str V max in VF-CA but not Shams; these findings are consistent with upregulated striatal DA transporter in VF-CA versus Sham. Our work demonstrates that 5-min VF-CA increases electrically stimulated DA release with concomitant upregulation of DA reuptake 2 weeks after brief VF-CA insult. Future work should elucidate how CA insult duration, time after insult, and insult type influence striatal DA neurotransmission and related cognitive and motor functions. © 2017 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Characteristics of the overflow pollution of storm drains with inappropriate sewage entry.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Hailong; Lu, Yi; Xu, Zuxin; Li, Huaizheng; Schwegler, Benedict R

2017-02-01

To probe the overflow pollution of separate storm drains with inappropriate sewage entries, in terms of the relationship between sewage entries and the corresponding dry-weather and wet-weather overflow, the monitoring activities were conducted in a storm drainage system in the Shanghai downtown area (374 ha). In this study site, samples from inappropriately entered dry-weather sewage and the overflow due to storm pumps operation on dry-weather and wet-weather days were collected and then monitored for six water quality constituents. It was found that overflow concentrations of dry-weather period could be higher than those of wet-weather period; under wet-weather period, the overflow concentrations of storm drains were close to or even higher than that of combined sewers. Relatively strong first flush mostly occurred under heavy rain that satisfied critical rainfall amount, maximum rainfall intensity, and maximum pumping discharge, while almost no first flush effect or only weak first flush effect was found for the other rainfall events. Such phenomenon was attributed to lower in-line pipe storage as compared to that of the combined sewers, and serious sediment accumulation within the storm pipes due to sewage entry. For this kind of system, treating a continuous overflow rate is a better strategy than treating the maximum amount of early part of the overflow. Correcting the key inappropriate sewage entries into storm drains should also be focused.

Modeling climate change impacts on combined sewer overflow using synthetic precipitation time series.

Science.gov (United States)

Bendel, David; Beck, Ferdinand; Dittmer, Ulrich

2013-01-01

In the presented study climate change impacts on combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Southern Germany, were assessed based on continuous long-term rainfall-runoff simulations. As input data, synthetic rainfall time series were used. The applied precipitation generator NiedSim-Klima accounts for climate change effects on precipitation patterns. Time series for the past (1961-1990) and future (2041-2050) were generated for various locations. Comparing the simulated CSO activity of both periods we observe significantly higher overflow frequencies for the future. Changes in overflow volume and overflow duration depend on the type of overflow structure. Both values will increase at simple CSO structures that merely divide the flow, whereas they will decrease when the CSO structure is combined with a storage tank. However, there is a wide variation between the results of different precipitation time series (representative for different locations).

Very large eddy simulation of the Red Sea overflow

Science.gov (United States)

Ilıcak, Mehmet; Özgökmen, Tamay M.; Peters, Hartmut; Baumert, Helmut Z.; Iskandarani, Mohamed

Mixing between overflows and ambient water masses is a critical problem of deep-water mass formation in the downwelling branch of the meridional overturning circulation of the ocean. Modeling approaches that have been tested so far rely either on algebraic parameterizations in hydrostatic ocean circulation models, or on large eddy simulations that resolve most of the mixing using nonhydrostatic models. In this study, we examine the performance of a set of turbulence closures, that have not been tested in comparison to observational data for overflows before. We employ the so-called very large eddy simulation (VLES) technique, which allows the use of k-ɛ models in nonhydrostatic models. This is done by applying a dynamic spatial filtering to the k-ɛ equations. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the VLES approach is adopted for an ocean modeling problem. The performance of k-ɛ and VLES models are evaluated by conducting numerical simulations of the Red Sea overflow and comparing them to observations from the Red Sea Outflow Experiment (REDSOX). The computations are constrained to one of the main channels transporting the overflow, which is narrow enough to permit the use of a two-dimensional (and nonhydrostatic) model. A large set of experiments are conducted using different closure models, Reynolds numbers and spatial resolutions. It is found that, when no turbulence closure is used, the basic structure of the overflow, consisting of a well-mixed bottom layer (BL) and entraining interfacial layer (IL), cannot be reproduced. The k-ɛ model leads to unrealistic thicknesses for both BL and IL, while VLES results in the most realistic reproduction of the REDSOX observations.

A Riccati model for Denmark Strait overflow variability

Science.gov (United States)

Käse, R. H.

2006-10-01

A controlled volume box model of the western basins of the Nordic Seas for water denser than 1027.8 kg m-3 is constructed, where accumulation in volume ($\\frac{dV}{dt) is driven by net imbalances between prescribed net inflow from the northern, eastern and top boundaries (Qs) and hydraulically limited outflow through the Denmark Strait. The resulting Riccati equation is solved analytically for filling and flushing experiments with constant Qs and numerically for stochastic forcing Qs(t). For small perturbations to Qs with white noise spectrum, the overflow response is red noise with a time scale between 5 and 15 years depending on the mean interface height and area. For Qs proportional to the NAO index, the overflow is positively correlated with the NAO. A 140 years integration reveals variations in the overflow between 2.5 Sv in the 1970s and a maximum of 4 Sv in the 1990s. Hydraulic transport calculations from hydrographic data north of Iceland show good agreement with the model hindcast.

Improved Secret Image Sharing Scheme in Embedding Capacity without Underflow and Overflow.

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Liaojun; Miao, Deyu; Li, Huixian; Wang, Qiong

2015-01-01

Computational secret image sharing (CSIS) is an effective way to protect a secret image during its transmission and storage, and thus it has attracted lots of attentions since its appearance. Nowadays, it has become a hot topic for researchers to improve the embedding capacity and eliminate the underflow and overflow situations, which is embarrassing and difficult to deal with. The scheme, which has the highest embedding capacity among the existing schemes, has the underflow and overflow problems. Although the underflow and overflow situations have been well dealt with by different methods, the embedding capacities of these methods are reduced more or less. Motivated by these concerns, we propose a novel scheme, in which we take the differential coding, Huffman coding, and data converting to compress the secret image before embedding it to further improve the embedding capacity, and the pixel mapping matrix embedding method with a newly designed matrix is used to embed secret image data into the cover image to avoid the underflow and overflow situations. Experiment results show that our scheme can improve the embedding capacity further and eliminate the underflow and overflow situations at the same time.

Roche-Lobe overflow in X-ray binaries, ch. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savonije, G.J.

1977-01-01

It is examined whether Roche-lobe overflow can be the main mechanism of mass transfer that powers the low-mass as well as the massive X-ray binaries. Detailed numerical computations of the initial phase of Roche-lobe overflow were performed in order to determine the precise time development of the mass transfer from normal stars with masses ranging from 1.5 M(sun) up to 20 M(sun) to compact companions with masses of 1 and 1.5 M(sun). The binary code includes a simplified hydrodynamical treatment of Roche-lobe overflow. For massive primaries this hydrodynamical treatment appears to result in much longer X-ray lifetimes than obtained in previous investigations. The calculations also include effects of slow, non-synchronous rotation of the contact star and loss of mass and angular momentum from the binary system. For Her X-1 and Cen X-3 X-ray lifetimes of the order of 10 5 and 10 4 yrs are predicted, respectively

Interface dilation : the overflowing cylinder technique

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bergink - Martens, D.J.M.

1993-01-01

A pure steady-state dilation of a liquid interface, either liquid-air or water-oil, can be accomplished far from equilibrium by means of the overflowing cylinder technique. The resulting dynamic surface tension data correlate well with characteristic parameters of processes like foaming,

Using data from monitoring combined sewer overflows to assess, improve, and maintain combined sewer systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Montserrat, A; Bosch, Ll; Kiser, M A; Poch, M; Corominas, Ll

2015-02-01

Using low-cost sensors, data can be collected on the occurrence and duration of overflows in each combined sewer overflow (CSO) structure in a combined sewer system (CSS). The collection and analysis of real data can be used to assess, improve, and maintain CSSs in order to reduce the number and impact of overflows. The objective of this study was to develop a methodology to evaluate the performance of CSSs using low-cost monitoring. This methodology includes (1) assessing the capacity of a CSS using overflow duration and rain volume data, (2) characterizing the performance of CSO structures with statistics, (3) evaluating the compliance of a CSS with government guidelines, and (4) generating decision tree models to provide support to managers for making decisions about system maintenance. The methodology is demonstrated with a case study of a CSS in La Garriga, Spain. The rain volume breaking point from which CSO structures started to overflow ranged from 0.6 mm to 2.8 mm. The structures with the best and worst performance in terms of overflow (overflow probability, order, duration and CSO ranking) were characterized. Most of the obtained decision trees to predict overflows from rain data had accuracies ranging from 70% to 83%. The results obtained from the proposed methodology can greatly support managers and engineers dealing with real-world problems, improvements, and maintenance of CSSs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Membrane permeable C-terminal dopamine transporter peptides attenuate amphetamine-evoked dopamine release

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rickhag, Karl Mattias; Owens, WA; Winkler, Marie-Therese

2013-01-01

The dopamine transporter (DAT) is responsible for sequestration of extracellular dopamine (DA). The psychostimulant amphetamine (AMPH) is a DAT substrate, which is actively transported into the nerve terminal, eliciting vesicular depletion and reversal of DA transport via DAT. Here, we investigate......-terminal protein-protein interactions are critical for AMPH-evoked DA efflux and suggest that it may be possible to target protein-protein interactions to modulate transporter function and interfere with psychostimulant effects....

Characteristics of the Nordic Seas overflows in a set of Norwegian Earth System Model experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Chuncheng; Ilicak, Mehmet; Bentsen, Mats; Fer, Ilker

2016-08-01

Global ocean models with an isopycnic vertical coordinate are advantageous in representing overflows, as they do not suffer from topography-induced spurious numerical mixing commonly seen in geopotential coordinate models. In this paper, we present a quantitative diagnosis of the Nordic Seas overflows in four configurations of the Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM) family that features an isopycnic ocean model. For intercomparison, two coupled ocean-sea ice and two fully coupled (atmosphere-land-ocean-sea ice) experiments are considered. Each pair consists of a (non-eddying) 1° and a (eddy-permitting) 1/4° horizontal resolution ocean model. In all experiments, overflow waters remain dense and descend to the deep basins, entraining ambient water en route. Results from the 1/4° pair show similar behavior in the overflows, whereas the 1° pair show distinct differences, including temperature/salinity properties, volume transport (Q), and large scale features such as the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The volume transport of the overflows and degree of entrainment are underestimated in the 1° experiments, whereas in the 1/4° experiments, there is a two-fold downstream increase in Q, which matches observations well. In contrast to the 1/4° experiments, the coarse 1° experiments do not capture the inclined isopycnals of the overflows or the western boundary current off the Flemish Cap. In all experiments, the pathway of the Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water is misrepresented: a major fraction of the overflow proceeds southward into the West European Basin, instead of turning westward into the Irminger Sea. This discrepancy is attributed to excessive production of Labrador Sea Water in the model. The mean state and variability of the Nordic Seas overflows have significant consequences on the response of the AMOC, hence their correct representations are of vital importance in global ocean and climate modelling.

Metabolic engineering of carbon overflow metabolism of Bacillus subtilis for improved N-acetyl-glucosamine production.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Wenlong; Liu, Yanfeng; Shin, Hyun-Dong; Li, Jianghua; Chen, Jian; Du, Guocheng; Liu, Long

2018-02-01

Bacillus subtilis is widely used as cell factories for the production of important industrial biochemicals. Although many studies have demonstrated the effects of organic acidic byproducts, such as acetate, on microbial fermentation, little is known about the effects of blocking the neutral byproduct overflow, such as acetoin, on bioproduction. In this study, we focused on the influences of modulating overflow metabolism on the production of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc) in engineered B. subtilis. We found that acetoin overflow competes with GlcNAc production, and blocking acetoin overflow increased GlcNAc titer and yield by 1.38- and 1.39-fold, reaching 48.9 g/L and 0.32 g GlcNAc/g glucose, respectively. Further blocking acetate overflow inhibited cell growth and GlcNAc production may be induced by inhibiting glucose uptake. Taken together, our results show that blocking acetoin overflow is a promising strategy for enhancing GlcNAc production. The strategies developed in this work may be useful for engineering strains of B. subtilis for producing other important biochemicals. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

GUIDE BLADE FOR AN OVERFLOW STRUCTURE TO BE PLACED ON A VESSEL

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2017-01-01

contact surface (4), the primary contact surface having an edge (2) configured for abutting an overflow structure (100) and at least one free edge, wherein the guide blade is configured for being attachable to a unit to be arrange on or in an inlet (109) of an overflow structure or directly...

Interaction of the Faroe Bank Channel overflow with Iceland Basin intermediate waters

Science.gov (United States)

Ullgren, Jenny E.; Fer, Ilker; Darelius, Elin; Beaird, Nicholas

2014-01-01

The narrow and deep Faroe Bank Channel (FBC) is an important pathway for cold, dense waters from the Nordic Seas to flow across the Iceland-Scotland ridge into the North Atlantic. The swift, turbulent FBC overflow is associated with strong vertical mixing. Hydrographic profiles from a shipboard survey and two Slocum electric gliders deployed during a cruise in May-June 2012 show an intermediate water mass characterized by low salinity and low oxygen concentration between the upper waters of Atlantic origin and the dense overflow water. A weak low-salinity signal originating north-east of Iceland is discernible at the exit of the FBC, but smeared out by intense mixing. Further west (downstream) marked salinity and oxygen minima are found, which we hypothesize are indicators of a mixture of Labrador Sea Water and Intermediate Water from the Iceland Basin. Water mass characteristics vary strongly on short time scales. Low-salinity, low-oxygen water in the stratified interface above the overflow plume is shown to move along isopycnals toward the Iceland-Faroe Front as a result of eddy stirring and a secondary, transverse circulation in the plume interface. The interaction of low-salinity, low-oxygen intermediate waters with the overflow plume already at a short distance downstream of the sill, here reported for the first time, affects the final properties of the overflow waters through entrainment and mixing.

Overflow Characteristic of Cylindrical Shape Crest Weirs Over Horizontal Bed

OpenAIRE

Emad4 AbdulGabbar

2013-01-01

The most common types of weirs are the broad-crested weir, the sharp-crested weir, the circular crested weir and the ogee crested weir. Advantages of the cylindrical weir shape include the stable overflow pattern, the ease to pass floating debris, the simplicity of design compared to ogee crest design and the associated lower costs. In present study, it was investigated the overflow characteristics of circular weirs in laboratory for various cylinder radii of three sizes (11.4, 9.0, 6.3 cm), ...

Urban runoff and combined sewer overflow. [Wastewater treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moffa, P.E. (Calocerinos and Spina, Liverpool, NY); Freedman, S.D.; Owens, E.M.; Field, R.; Cibik, C.

1982-06-01

The control, treatment and management of urban runoff and sewer overflow are reviewed. Simplified modeling and monitoring techniques are used to characterize urban runoff and to assess control alternatives. (KRM)

Currents and Mixing in the San Lorenzo Overflow, Northern Gulf of California

Science.gov (United States)

Rosas-Villegas, Froylán.; López, Manuel; Candela, Julio

2018-02-01

The main properties of the San Lorenzo (SL) overflow are studied, using data from two nonsimultaneous ADCP moorings (located at the sill, and 5 km downstream), as well as CTD and LADCP profiles. Strong tidal currents at the sill modulate the overflow, which is not shut down during the neaps. At the downstream site, the largest flood currents are associated with colder water advected from the sill, flowing downslope, and creating an asymmetry in the semidiurnal tidal cycle. The overflow introduces a significant fortnightly harmonic at the downstream site, and delays the M2 tidal currents for more than an hour with respect to the currents at the sill. The overflow mixes with the overlying water by entrainment during its supercritical stage, reaching near-bottom velocities as high as 1.5 ms-1 and an estimated mean transport of 0.11 Sv; almost twice that estimated at the sill for the same period of the year. Estimated Froude numbers during spring tides suggest the development of an internal hydraulic jump. After relaxation of the maximum downstream currents, high-frequency temperature fluctuations, likely linked to upstream traveling waves, are consistently observed. Direct estimations of the turbulent dissipation rates were used to compute diapycnal diffusivity (Kρ) profiles. Mean estimates of Kρ, as high as 5.5 × 10-2 m2s-1, show that shear at the interface is the most significant source of cross-isopycnal mixing along the SL overflow during ebb tides.

A generalised Dynamic Overflow Risk Assessment (DORA) for Real Time Control of urban drainage systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vezzaro, Luca; Grum, Morten

2014-01-01

An innovative and generalised approach to the integrated Real Time Control of urban drainage systems is presented. The Dynamic Overflow Risk Assessment (DORA) strategy aims to minimise the expected Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) risk by considering (i) the water volume presently stored in the drai......An innovative and generalised approach to the integrated Real Time Control of urban drainage systems is presented. The Dynamic Overflow Risk Assessment (DORA) strategy aims to minimise the expected Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) risk by considering (i) the water volume presently stored...... and their uncertainty contributed to further improving the performance of drainage systems. The results of this paper will contribute to the wider usage of global RTC methods in the management of urban drainage networks....

Detention storage volume for combined sewer overflow into a river.

Science.gov (United States)

Temprano, J; Tejero, I

2002-06-01

This article discusses the storage volume needed in a combined sewer system tank in order to preserve the water quality. There are a lot of design criteria which do not take into account the conditions of the receiving water, and as a result are inappropriate. A model was used to simulate the performance of a theoretical combined sewer system where a tank was located downstream. Results were obtained from the overflows produced by the rain recorded in Santander (Spain) for 11 years, with several combinations of storage volume and treatment capacity in the wastewater treatment plant. Quality criteria were also proposed for faecal coliforms, BOD, and total nitrogen to evaluate the effects from the overflows in the river water quality. Equations have been obtained which relate the number of overflows, the storage volume and the treatment plant capacity. The bacteriological pollution, quantified by means of faecal coliforms, was the analytical parameter which produced the most adverse effects in the river, so that more storage volume is needed (45 to 180 m3 ha(-1) net) than with other simulated pollutants (5 to 50 m3 ha(-1) net for BOD, and less than 4 m3 ha(-1) net for the total nitrogen). The increase in the treatment plant's capacity, from two to three times the flow in dry weather, reduces the impact on the river water in a more effective way, allowing a reduction of up to 65% in the number of overflows rather than increasing the storage volume.

Bacterial diversity impacts as a result of combined sewer overflow in a polluted waterway

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Calderon

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Newtown Creek is an industrial waterway and former tidal wetland in New York City. It is one of the most polluted water bodies in the United States and was designated as a superfund site in 2010. For over a century, organic compounds, heavy metals, and other forms of industrial pollution have disrupted the creek’s environment. The creek is also impacted by discharges from twenty combined sewer overflow pipes, which may deposit raw sewage or partially treated wastewater directly into the creek during heavy or sustained rain events. Combined sewer overflow events and associated nutrient over-enrichment at the creek drive eutrophication and subsequent hypoxia. At the current study, three sites were sampled one week apart during a dry period and a wet period, where indication of a combined sewage overflow event could be detected. 16s rRNA high-throughput sequencing from these three sites collectively yielded over 1000 species of bacteria belonging to twenty-two classes. Based on these data, it is hypothesized that differences identified in the microbiome on wet versus dry days are as a result of combined sewage overflow, street runoff, and additional fluctuations in the creek’s environment associated with rain. It was found that after a combined sewer overflows event, the levels of Gamma Proteobacteria increased while the levels of Actinobacteria decreased. However, levels of bacteria stayed relatively unchanged at a site further away from combined sewer overflows discharge. Species found in Newtown Creek include pelagic, marine, human and animal pathogens, hydrocarbonoclastic, and other environmental microbes.

Controlled overflowing of data-intensive jobs from oversubscribed sites

Science.gov (United States)

Sfiligoi, I.; Wuerthwein, F.; Bockelman, B.; Bradley, D. C.; Tadel, M.; Bloom, K.; Letts, J.; Mrak Tadel, A.

2012-12-01

The CMS analysis computing model was always relying on jobs running near the data, with data allocation between CMS compute centers organized at management level, based on expected needs of the CMS community. While this model provided high CPU utilization during job run times, there were times when a large fraction of CPUs at certain sites were sitting idle due to lack of demand, all while Terabytes of data were never accessed. To improve the utilization of both CPU and disks, CMS is moving toward controlled overflowing of jobs from sites that have data but are oversubscribed to others with spare CPU and network capacity, with those jobs accessing the data through real time Xrootd streaming over WAN. The major limiting factor for remote data access is the ability of the source storage system to serve such data, so the number of jobs accessing it must be carefully controlled. The CMS approach to this is to implement the overflowing by means of glideinWMS, a Condor based pilot system, and by providing the WMS with the known storage limits and let it schedule jobs within those limits. This paper presents the detailed architecture of the overflow-enabled glideinWMS system, together with operational experience of the past 6 months.

Controlled overflowing of data-intensive jobs from oversubscribed sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sfiligoi, I; Wuerthwein, F; Tadel, M; Letts, J; Mrak Tadel, A; Bockelman, B; Bloom, K; Bradley, D C

2012-01-01

The CMS analysis computing model was always relying on jobs running near the data, with data allocation between CMS compute centers organized at management level, based on expected needs of the CMS community. While this model provided high CPU utilization during job run times, there were times when a large fraction of CPUs at certain sites were sitting idle due to lack of demand, all while Terabytes of data were never accessed. To improve the utilization of both CPU and disks, CMS is moving toward controlled overflowing of jobs from sites that have data but are oversubscribed to others with spare CPU and network capacity, with those jobs accessing the data through real time Xrootd streaming over WAN. The major limiting factor for remote data access is the ability of the source storage system to serve such data, so the number of jobs accessing it must be carefully controlled. The CMS approach to this is to implement the overflowing by means of glideinWMS, a Condor based pilot system, and by providing the WMS with the known storage limits and let it schedule jobs within those limits. This paper presents the detailed architecture of the overflow-enabled glideinWMS system, together with operational experience of the past 6 months.

Using data from monitoring combined sewer overflows to assess, improve, and maintain combined sewer systems

OpenAIRE

Montserrat Royuela, Albert; Bosch, Ll.; Kiser, M.A.; Poch, Manuel; Corominas Tabares, Lluís

2015-01-01

Using low-cost sensors, data can be collected on the occurrence and duration of overflows in each combined sewer overflow (CSO) structure in a combined sewer system (CSS). The collection and analysis of real data can be used to assess, improve, and maintain CSSs in order to reduce the number and impact of overflows. The objective of this study was to develop a methodology to evaluate the performance of CSSs using low-cost monitoring. This methodology includes (1) assessing the capacity of a C...

Implementation of Premixed Equilibrium Chemistry Capability in OVERFLOW

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, Mike E.; Liu, Yen; Vinokur, M.; Olsen, Tom

2004-01-01

An implementation of premixed equilibrium chemistry has been completed for the OVERFLOW code, a chimera capable, complex geometry flow code widely used to predict transonic flowfields. The implementation builds on the computational efficiency and geometric generality of the solver.

HIGH-RATE DISINFECTION TECHNIQUES FOR COMBIND SEWER OVERFLOW

Science.gov (United States)

This paper presents high-rate disinfection technologies for combined sewer overflow (CSO). The high-rate disinfection technologies of interest are: chlorination/dechlorination, ultraviolet light irradiation (UV), chlorine dioxide (ClO2 ), ozone (O3), peracetic acid (CH3COOOH )...

Cortical stimulation evokes abnormal responses in the dopamine-depleted rat basal ganglia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kita, Hitoshi; Kita, Takako

2011-07-13

The motor cortex (MC) sends massive projections to the basal ganglia. Motor disabilities in patients and animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) may be caused by dopamine (DA)-depleted basal ganglia that abnormally process the information originating from MC. To study how DA depletion alters signal transfer in the basal ganglia, MC stimulation-induced (MC-induced) unitary responses were recorded from the basal ganglia of control and 6-hydroxydopamine-treated hemi-parkinsonian rats anesthetized with isoflurane. This report describes new findings about how DA depletion alters MC-induced responses. MC stimulation evokes an excitation in normally quiescent striatal (Str) neurons projecting to the globus pallidus external segment (GPe). After DA-depletion, the spontaneous firing of Str-GPe neurons increases, and MC stimulation evokes a shorter latency excitation followed by a long-lasting inhibition that was invisible under normal conditions. The increased firing activity and the newly exposed long inhibition generate tonic inhibition and a disfacilitation in GPe. The disfacilitation in GPe is then amplified in basal ganglia circuitry and generates a powerful long inhibition in the basal ganglia output nucleus, the globus pallidus internal segment. Intra-Str injections of a behaviorally effective dose of DA precursor l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine effectively reversed these changes. These newly observed mechanisms also support the generation of pauses and burst activity commonly observed in the basal ganglia of parkinsonian subjects. These results suggest that the generation of abnormal response sequences in the basal ganglia contributes to the development of motor disabilities in PD and that intra-Str DA supplements effectively suppress abnormal signal transfer.

Artificial radionuclide tracer supply to the Denmark Strait overflow between 1972 and 1981

Science.gov (United States)

Livingston, Hugh D.; Swift, James H.; Ostlund, H. Gote

1985-01-01

Measurements of the concentrations of the artificial radionuclides 3H, 137Cs, and 90Sr in the northern Irminger Sea in 1972 and 1981 are reported. In both years, tracer measurements from this area included data from samples of the dense overflow water from the north through Denmark Strait. All three tracers were strongly correlated inversely with salinity in the dense outflows—the tracer maxima being related directly to the salinity minimum. When the tracer characteristics in the outflows in 1972 and 1981 were compared, concentrations of all in 1981 were observed to be about double the 1972 values. The individual tracer concentrations—on a decay-corrected, density-normalized basis—were higher in increasing order: 90Sr (+93%) seas of advected European nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes. Both the tracer and hydrographic data are used to identify northern locations of intermediate water formation capable of supplying the observed dense overflow water characteristics. It is argued, from the time taken for the overflow water to reflect the new surface 137Cs source, that transport from the source to the overflow can be quite rapid (about 2 years).

Increased formate overflow is a hallmark of oxidative cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Meiser, Johannes; Schuster, Anne; Pietzke, Matthias; Vande Voorde, Johan; Athineos, Dimitris; Oizel, Kristell; Burgos-Barragan, Guillermo; Wit, Niek; Dhayade, Sandeep; Morton, Jennifer P; Dornier, Emmanuel; Sumpton, David; Mackay, Gillian M; Blyth, Karen; Patel, Ketan J; Niclou, Simone P; Vazquez, Alexei

2018-04-10

Formate overflow coupled to mitochondrial oxidative metabolism\\ has been observed in cancer cell lines, but whether that takes place in the tumor microenvironment is not known. Here we report the observation of serine catabolism to formate in normal murine tissues, with a relative rate correlating with serine levels and the tissue oxidative state. Yet, serine catabolism to formate is increased in the transformed tissue of in vivo models of intestinal adenomas and mammary carcinomas. The increased serine catabolism to formate is associated with increased serum formate levels. Finally, we show that inhibition of formate production by genetic interference reduces cancer cell invasion and this phenotype can be rescued by exogenous formate. We conclude that increased formate overflow is a hallmark of oxidative cancers and that high formate levels promote invasion via a yet unknown mechanism.

Cost Comparison of Conventional Gray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Infrastructure versus a Green/Gray Combination

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This paper outlines a life-cycle cost analysis comparing a green (rain gardens) and gray (tunnels) infrastructure combination to a gray-only option to control combined sewer overflow in the Turkey Creek Combined Sewer Overflow Basin, in Kansas City, MO. The plan area of this Bas...

Gender differences in binaural speech-evoked auditory brainstem response: are they clinically significant?

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Jalaei, Bahram; Azmi, Mohd Hafiz Afifi Mohd; Zakaria, Mohd Normani

2018-05-17

Binaurally evoked auditory evoked potentials have good diagnostic values when testing subjects with central auditory deficits. The literature on speech-evoked auditory brainstem response evoked by binaural stimulation is in fact limited. Gender disparities in speech-evoked auditory brainstem response results have been consistently noted but the magnitude of gender difference has not been reported. The present study aimed to compare the magnitude of gender difference in speech-evoked auditory brainstem response results between monaural and binaural stimulations. A total of 34 healthy Asian adults aged 19-30 years participated in this comparative study. Eighteen of them were females (mean age=23.6±2.3 years) and the remaining sixteen were males (mean age=22.0±2.3 years). For each subject, speech-evoked auditory brainstem response was recorded with the synthesized syllable /da/ presented monaurally and binaurally. While latencies were not affected (p>0.05), the binaural stimulation produced statistically higher speech-evoked auditory brainstem response amplitudes than the monaural stimulation (p0.80), substantive gender differences were noted in most of speech-evoked auditory brainstem response peaks for both stimulation modes. The magnitude of gender difference between the two stimulation modes revealed some distinct patterns. Based on these clinically significant results, gender-specific normative data are highly recommended when using speech-evoked auditory brainstem response for clinical and future applications. The preliminary normative data provided in the present study can serve as the reference for future studies on this test among Asian adults. Copyright © 2018 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Beta amyloid differently modulate nicotinic and muscarinic receptor subtypes which regulate in vitro and in vivo the release of glycine in the rat hippocampus

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Stefania eZappettini

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Using both in vitro (hippocampal synaptosomes in superfusion and in vivo (microdialysis approaches we investigated whether and to what extent β amyloid peptide 1-40 (Aβ 1-40 interferes with the cholinergic modulation of the release of glycine (GLY in the rat hippocampus. The nicotine-evoked overflow of endogenous GLY in hippocampal synaptosomes in superfusion was significantly inhibited by Aβ 1-40 (10 nM while increasing the concentration to 100 nM the inhibitory effect did not further increase. Both the Choline (Ch (α7 agonist; 1 mM and the 5-Iodo-A-85380 dihydrochloride (5IA85380, α4β2 agonist; 10 nM-evoked GLY overflow were inhibited by Aβ1-40 at 100 nM but not at 10nM concentrations. The KCl evoked [3H]GLY and [3H]Acetylcholine (ACh overflow were strongly inhibited in presence of oxotremorine; however this inhibitory muscarinic effect was not affected by Aβ1-40. The effects of Aβ1-40 on the administration of nicotine, veratridine, 5IA85380 and PHA 543613 hydrochloride (PHA543613 (a selective agonist of α7 subtypes on hippocampal endogenous GLY release in vivo were also studied. Aβ 1-40 significantly reduced (at 10 μM but not at 1 μM the nicotine evoked in vivo release of GLY. Aβ 1-40 (at 10 μM but not at 1 μM significantly inhibited the PHA543613 (1 mM-elicited GLY overflow while was ineffective on the GLY overflow evoked by 5IA85380 (1 mM. Aβ 40-1 (10 μM did not produce any inhibitory effect on nicotine evoked GLY overflow both in the in vitro and in vivo experiments. Our results indicate that a the cholinergic modulation of the release of GLY occurs by the activation of both α7 and α4β2 nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs as well as by the activation of inhibitory muscarinic ACh receptors (mAChRs and b Aβ 1-40 can modulate cholinergic evoked GLY release exclusively through the interaction with α7 and the α4β2 nAChR nicotinic receptors but not through mAChR subtypes.

Speech-evoked auditory brainstem responses in children with hearing loss.

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Koravand, Amineh; Al Osman, Rida; Rivest, Véronique; Poulin, Catherine

2017-08-01

The main objective of the present study was to investigate subcortical auditory processing in children with sensorineural hearing loss. Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABRs) were recorded using click and speech/da/stimuli. Twenty-five children, aged 6-14 years old, participated in the study: 13 with normal hearing acuity and 12 with sensorineural hearing loss. No significant differences were observed for the click-evoked ABRs between normal hearing and hearing-impaired groups. For the speech-evoked ABRs, no significant differences were found for the latencies of the following responses between the two groups: onset (V and A), transition (C), one of the steady-state wave (F), and offset (O). However, the latency of the steady-state waves (D and E) was significantly longer for the hearing-impaired compared to the normal hearing group. Furthermore, the amplitude of the offset wave O and of the envelope frequency response (EFR) of the speech-evoked ABRs was significantly larger for the hearing-impaired compared to the normal hearing group. Results obtained from the speech-evoked ABRs suggest that children with a mild to moderately-severe sensorineural hearing loss have a specific pattern of subcortical auditory processing. Our results show differences for the speech-evoked ABRs in normal hearing children compared to hearing-impaired children. These results add to the body of the literature on how children with hearing loss process speech at the brainstem level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Locations of Combined Sewer Overflow Outfalls - US EPA Region 3

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This data layer identifies the locations of Combined sewer overflow outfalls. Combined sewer systems are sewers that are designed to collect rainwater runoff,...

Scent-evoked nostalgia.

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Chelsea A; Green, Jeffrey D; Wildschut, Tim; Sedikides, Constantine

2015-01-01

Can scents evoke nostalgia; what might be the psychological implications of such an evocation? Participants sampled 12 scents and rated the extent to which each scent was familiar, arousing and autobiographically relevant, as well as the extent to which each scent elicited nostalgia. Participants who were high (compared to low) in nostalgia proneness reported more scent-evoked nostalgia, and scents elicited greater nostalgia to the extent that they were arousing, familiar and autobiographically relevant. Scent-evoked nostalgia predicted higher levels of positive affect, self-esteem, self-continuity, optimism, social connectedness and meaning in life. In addition, scent-evoked nostalgia was characterised by more positive emotions than either non-nostalgic autobiographical memories or non-nostalgic non-autobiographical memories. Finally, scent-evoked nostalgia predicted in-the-moment feelings of personal (general or object-specific) nostalgia. The findings represent a foray into understanding the triggers and affective signature of scent-evoked nostalgia.

The Effect of Technology Overflows on CO2 Emissions in Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaseghi, E.; Jalaee Esfandabadi, A

2016-01-01

Although economic growth is one of the most important objectives of governments, higher economic growth is mainly associated with an increase in environmental pollution. The experience of developed countries and some developing countries shows that, with increasing economic growth, environmental pollution is first increased and, then, it is reduced due to the attention to the environment at the level of production per capita; this can be shown in the Kuznets environmental curve. The main objective of this study is to determine the level of per capita income which causes reduced emissions of pollution due to considering the environmental issues, as well as studying the impact of technology overflow index on the turning point of the curve. In this regard, using the models of the demand of capital-intermediate goods import, the technology overflow index was calculated and its effect on the Kuznets environmental curve theory during the period of 1966 to 2013 was reviewed. The results showed that the technology overflow variable not only had a positive and significant impact on carbon dioxide emissions, but it also made the Kuznets environmental curve's turning point possible at a higher per capita income.

Locations of Combined Sewer Overflow Outfalls - US EPA Region 3

Science.gov (United States)

This data layer identifies the locations of Combined sewer overflow outfalls. Combined sewer systems are sewers that are designed to collect rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same pipe. Most of the time, combined sewer systems transport all of their wastewater to a sewage treatment plant, where it is treated and then discharged to a water body. During periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt, however, the wastewater volume in a combined sewer system can exceed the capacity of the sewer system or treatment plant. For this reason, combined sewer systems are designed to overflow occasionally and discharge excess untreated wastewater directly to nearby streams, rivers, or other water bodies. For further information visit: http://cfpub1.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=5

Effects of combined-sewer overflows and urban runoff on the water quality of Fall Creek, Indianapolis, Indiana

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Jeffrey D.

1995-01-01

In 1986, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Indianapolis Department of Public Works began a study to evaluate the effects of combined-sewer overflows and urban runoff discharging to Fall Geek on the White River. This report describes the effects of combined-sewer overflows and urban runoff on the water quality of Fall Creek during summer 1987 by comparing the water quality during base flow with that during storm runoff and by comparing water quality in the urbanized area with that in the less urbanized area upstream from the combined-sewer overflows. Data were collected at three streamflow-gaging stations located upstream from, downstream from, and in the middle of 27 combined-sewer overflows on Fall Creek. The most downstream station also was immediately downstream from the discharge of filter backwash from a water-treatment plant for public supply.

Wind forcing of salinity anomalies in the Denmark Strait overflow

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S. Hall

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The overflow of dense water from the Nordic Seas to the North Atlantic through Denmark Strait is an important part of the global thermohaline circulation. The salinity of the overflow plume has been measured by an array of current meters across the continental slope off the coast of Angmagssalik, southeast Greenland since September 1998. During 2004 the salinity of the overflow plume changed dramatically; the entire width of the array (70 km freshened between January 2004 and July 2004, with a significant negative salinity anomaly of about 0.06 in May. The event in May represents a fresh anomaly of over 3 standard deviations from the mean since recording began in 1998. The OCCAM 1/12° Ocean General Circulation Model not only reproduces the 2004 freshening event (r=0.96, p<0.01, but also correlates well with salinity observations over a previous 6 year period (r=0.54, p<0.01, despite the inevitable limitations of a z-coordinate model in representing the mixing processes at and downstream of the Denmark Strait sill. Consequently the physical processes causing the 2004 anomaly and prior variability in salinity are investigated using the model output. Our results reject the hypotheses that the anomaly is caused by processes occurring between the overflow sill and the moorings, or by an increase in upstream net freshwater input. Instead, we show that the 2004 salinity anomaly is caused by an increase in volume flux of low salinity water, with a potential density greater than 27.60 kg m⁻³, flowing towards the Denmark Strait sill in the East Greenland Current. This is caused by an increase in southward wind stress upstream of the sill at around 75° N 20° W four and a half months earlier, and an associated strengthening of the East Greenland Current.

Structure and forcing of the overflow at the Storfjorden sill and its connection to the Arctic coastal polynya in Storfjorden

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F. Geyer

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Storfjorden (Svalbard is a sill-fjord with an active polynya and exemplifies the dense water formation process over the Arctic shelves. Here we report on our simulations of Storfjorden covering the freezing season of 1999–2000 using an eddy-permitting 3-D ocean circulation model with a fully coupled dynamic and thermodynamic sea-ice model. The model results in the polynya region and of the dense water plume flowing over the sill crest are compared to observations. The connections of the overflow at the sill to the dense water production at the polynya and to the local wind forcing are investigated. Both the overflow and the polynya dynamics are found to be sensitive to wind forcing. In response to freezing and brine rejection over the polynya, the buoyancy forcing initiates an abrupt positive density anomaly. While the ocean integrates the buoyancy forcing over several polynya events (about 25 days, the wind forcing dominates the overflow response at the sill at weather scale. In the model, the density excess is diluted in the basin and leads to a gradual build-up of dense water behind the sill. The overflow transport is typically inferred from observations using a single current profiler at the sill crest. Despite the significant variability of the plume width, we show that a constant overflow width of 15 km produces realistic estimates of the overflow volume transport. Another difficulty in monitoring the overflow is measuring the plume thickness in the absence of hydrographic profiles. Volume flux estimates assuming a constant plume width and the thickness inferred from velocity profiles explain 58% of the modelled overflow volume flux variance and agrees to within 10% when averaged over the overflow season.

Efficient Heuristics for Simulating Population Overflow in Parallel Networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zaburnenko, T.S.; Nicola, V.F.

2006-01-01

In this paper we propose a state-dependent importance sampling heuristic to estimate the probability of population overflow in networks of parallel queues. This heuristic approximates the “optimal��? state-dependent change of measure without the need for costly optimization involved in other

Effect of Parameters of Isopipe on the Quality of Glass Sheet Produced from Overflow Fusion Process by Numerical Simulation

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Hou Yansheng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A numerical model for simulation of molten glass flow with semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations (SIMPLE and Volume of fluid (VOF method during the overflow fusion process was carried out by using FLUENT software. The effect of the geometry parameters of the isopipe and flow rate of molten glass on the flow patterns during overflow was investigated. The results showed that the overflow trough depth only had an effect on the flow rate distribution of glass melt around the inlet point. The tilt angle at the top of the trough had a significant effect on flow rate distribution along the length of the trough, and the desired mass distribution was achieved at the tilt angle 4°∼6°. The flow rate had a large influence on the overflow of the molten glass, which had a directive significance to the overflow down draw sheet manufacturing process.

Artificial radionuclide tracer supply to the Denmark strait overflow between 1972 and 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Livingston, H.D.; Swift, J.H.; Ostlund, H.G.

1985-01-01

Measurements of the concentrations of the artificial radionuclides 3 H, 137 Cs, and 90 Sr in the northern Irminger Sea in 1972 and 1981 are reported. In both years, tracer measurements from this area included data from samples of the dense overflow water from the north through Denmark Strait. All three tracers were strongly correlated inversely with salinity in the dense outflows-the tracer maxima being related directly to the salinity minimum. When the tracer characteristics in the outflows in 1972 and 1981 were compared, concentrations of all in 1981 were observed to be about double the 1972 values. The individual tracer concentrations-on a decay-corrected, density-normalized basis-were higher in increasing order: 90 Sr(+93%) 3 H(+115%) 137 Cs(+150%). The relatively greater increases for 3 H and 137 Cs were attributed to contributions of new sources of these tracers in northern surface waters: the 3 H source is argued to derive from atmospheric hydrological recycling, whereas the 137 Cs source is identified as the input to the Greenland and Iceland seas of advected European nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes. Both the tracer and hydrographic data are used to identify northern locations of intermediate water formation capable of supplying the observed dense overflow water characteristics. It is argued, from the time taken for the overflow water to reflect the new surface 137 Cs source, that transport from the source to the overflow can be quite rapid (about 2 years)

Late Glacial and Holocene Flow Dynamics of the Denmark Strait Overflow Water

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Williams, M.; Schmidt, D. N.; Andersen, M. B.; Barker, S.; McCave, I. N. N.

2014-12-01

The overflow of dense water from the Nordic Seas to the North Atlantic across the Greenland-Scotland Ridge forms a major component of the deep branch of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and influences the climate system in Northwest Europe. Research has focused on deep convection of the Iceland Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) and its links to climate variability in the North Atlantic. Our understanding of the history of the Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW) is significantly less constrained and yet it accounts for half of the total overflow production today. We focus on the Eirik Drift south of Greenland in the vicinity of the DSOW. Down-core 230Thxs derived sediment focusing factors (Ψ) and measurements of the mean size of sortable silt reveal winnowed sediments during the Last Glacial Maximum and Heinrich 1 suggesting an influx of vigorous southern sourced waters and restricted DSOW production. Reduced overflow may be due to glacial isostatic processes which shoaled the Denmark Strait sill combined with a southward shift of deep convection sites in response to enhanced ice cover in the Nordic Seas. Intensification of the DSOW is evident between 9 and 13ka BP indicating initial deepening of the Denmark Strait sill and northward migration of the locus of deep water production. Ψ values for the Holocene suggest an active DSOW with a shift in the flow regime at 6.8 ka BP indicated by a reduction and subsequent stabilization of mean size sortable silt during the mid-late Holocene. This is corroborated by other studies showing a reorganization of the deep water after 7ka. An establishment of the Labrador Sea Water at intermediate depths altered the density structure of the deep western boundary current and weakened the ISOW. Changes in deep water circulation occur as North Atlantic climate entered Neoglacial cooling determined by Mg/Ca derived sea surface temperatures and abundances of the polar planktic foraminifera species N. pachyderma. They

TECHNICAL AND ECONOMICAL COMPARISON OF OVERFLOW DAM VARIANTS AT THE GRODNO WATER-POWER STATION

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G. G. Krouglov

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The paper considers various aspects pertaining to determination of main technical characteristics of water-development projects of water-power stations. Technical and economical characteristics of overflow dams at the Grodno water-power station are compared in the paper.The paper contains results of model investigations of two-tier overflow dam which is included in composition of the Grodno water-power station and presents methodology for calculation of pool integration behind two-tier dam which has been developed at the water-development and power engineering department. This methodology makes it possible to determine rate coefficient and compressed depth. In addition to this the paper gives technical and economical comparison of various designs of overflow dams at the Grodno water-power station, analyzes their cost and on the basis of this comparative analysis it is recommended to construct a two-pier dam. 

Climate impacts of parameterized Nordic Sea overflows

Science.gov (United States)

Danabasoglu, Gokhan; Large, William G.; Briegleb, Bruce P.

2010-11-01

A new overflow parameterization (OFP) of density-driven flows through ocean ridges via narrow, unresolved channels has been developed and implemented in the ocean component of the Community Climate System Model version 4. It represents exchanges from the Nordic Seas and the Antarctic shelves, associated entrainment, and subsequent injection of overflow product waters into the abyssal basins. We investigate the effects of the parameterized Denmark Strait (DS) and Faroe Bank Channel (FBC) overflows on the ocean circulation, showing their impacts on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and the North Atlantic climate. The OFP is based on the Marginal Sea Boundary Condition scheme of Price and Yang (1998), but there are significant differences that are described in detail. Two uncoupled (ocean-only) and two fully coupled simulations are analyzed. Each pair consists of one case with the OFP and a control case without this parameterization. In both uncoupled and coupled experiments, the parameterized DS and FBC source volume transports are within the range of observed estimates. The entrainment volume transports remain lower than observational estimates, leading to lower than observed product volume transports. Due to low entrainment, the product and source water properties are too similar. The DS and FBC overflow temperature and salinity properties are in better agreement with observations in the uncoupled case than in the coupled simulation, likely reflecting surface flux differences. The most significant impact of the OFP is the improved North Atlantic Deep Water penetration depth, leading to a much better comparison with the observational data and significantly reducing the chronic, shallow penetration depth bias in level coordinate models. This improvement is due to the deeper penetration of the southward flowing Deep Western Boundary Current. In comparison with control experiments without the OFP, the abyssal ventilation rates increase in the North

The area postrema (AP) and the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) are important sites for salmon calcitonin (sCT) to decrease evoked phasic dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc).

Science.gov (United States)

Whiting, Lynda; McCutcheon, James E; Boyle, Christina N; Roitman, Mitchell F; Lutz, Thomas A

2017-07-01

The pancreatic hormone amylin and its agonist salmon calcitonin (sCT) act via the area postrema (AP) and the lateral parabrachial nucleus (PBN) to reduce food intake. Investigations of amylin and sCT signaling in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) suggest that the eating inhibitory effect of amylin is, in part, mediated through the mesolimbic 'reward' pathway. Indeed, administration of the sCT directly to the VTA decreased phasic dopamine release (DA) in the NAc. However, it is not known if peripheral amylin modulates the mesolimbic system directly or whether this occurs via the AP and PBN. To determine whether and how peripheral amylin or sCT affect mesolimbic reward circuitry we utilized fast scan cyclic voltammetry under anesthesia to measure phasic DA release in the NAc evoked by electrical stimulation of the VTA in intact, AP lesioned and bilaterally PBN lesioned rats. Amylin (50μg/kg i.p.) did not change phasic DA responses compared to saline control rats. However, sCT (50μg/kg i.p.) decreased evoked DA release to VTA-stimulation over 1h compared to saline treated control rats. Further investigations determined that AP and bilateral PBN lesions abolished the ability of sCT to suppress evoked phasic DA responses to VTA-stimulation. These findings implicate the AP and the PBN as important sites for peripheral sCT to decrease evoked DA release in the NAc and suggest that these nuclei may influence hedonic and motivational processes to modulate food intake. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High-Rate Disinfection Techniques for Combined Sewer Overflow (Proceedings Paper)

Science.gov (United States)

This paper presents high-rate disinfection technologies for combined sewer overflow (CSO). The high-rate disinfection technologies of interest are: chlorination/dechlorination, ultraviolet light irradiation (UV), chlorine dioxide (ClO2 ), ozone (O3), peracetic acid (CH3COOOH ), a...

Numerical simulation of overflow at vertical weirs using a hybrid level set/VOF method

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Xin; Zou, Qingping; Reeve, Dominic

2011-10-01

This paper presents the applications of a newly developed free surface flow model to the practical, while challenging overflow problems for weirs. Since the model takes advantage of the strengths of both the level set and volume of fluid methods and solves the Navier-Stokes equations on an unstructured mesh, it is capable of resolving the time evolution of very complex vortical motions, air entrainment and pressure variations due to violent deformations following overflow of the weir crest. In the present study, two different types of vertical weir, namely broad-crested and sharp-crested, are considered for validation purposes. The calculated overflow parameters such as pressure head distributions, velocity distributions, and water surface profiles are compared against experimental data as well as numerical results available in literature. A very good quantitative agreement has been obtained. The numerical model, thus, offers a good alternative to traditional experimental methods in the study of weir problems.

Research on Overflow Monitoring Mechanism Based on Downhole Microflow Detection

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Liang Ge

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The flow rate variation of the drilling fluid and micro-overflow loss is difficult to analyze. The purpose to prevent the occurrence of kick, lost circulation, and other complex conditions is not easy to be achieved. Therefore, the microflow-induced annulus multiphase flow rate and annulus pressure field model were studied, and a downhole microflow measurement system has been developed. A differential pressure type flow measurement was used in the system, and real-time downhole information was obtained to achieve deep, narrow windows and other safety-density complex formation security. This paper introduced a new bottom-hole flow meter which can measure the annular flux while drilling and monitor overflow and circulation loss. The accuracy and reliability of the MPD (managed pressure drilling system can be improved obviously by applying the device; as a result, the safety of drilling is enhanced and the cost is reduced.

Prospective Science Teachers' Subject-Matter Knowledge about Overflow Container

Science.gov (United States)

Ültay, Eser

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine prospective science teachers' subject-matter knowledge (SMK) about overflow container. This study was carried out in the form of a case study in spring term of the academic year of 2013-2014 with seven sophomore prospective science teachers who were studying at Elementary Science Teaching Department in…

New zero-input overflow stability proofs based on Lyapunov theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Werter, M.J.; Ritzerfeld, J.H.F.

1989-01-01

The authors demonstrate some proofs of zero-input overflow-oscillation suppression in recursive digital filters. The proofs are based on the second method of Lyapunov. For second-order digital filters with complex conjugated poles, the state describes a trajectory in the phase plane, spiraling

Controlled overflowing of data-intensive jobs from oversubscribed sites

CERN Document Server

Sfiligoi, Igor; Bockelman, Brian Paul; Bradley, Daniel Charles; Tadel, Matevz; Bloom, Kenneth Arthur; Letts, James; Mrak Tadel, Alja

2012-01-01

The CMS analysis computing model was always relying on jobs running near the data, with data allocation between CMS compute centers organized at management level, based on expected needs of the CMS community. While this model provided high CPU utilization during job run times, there were times when a large fraction of CPUs at certain sites were sitting idle due to lack of demand, all while Terabytes of data were never accessed. To improve the utilization of both CPU and disks, CMS is moving toward controlled overflowing of jobs from sites that have data but are oversubscribed to others with spare CPU and network capacity, with those jobs accessing the data through real time Xrootd streaming over WAN. The major limiting factor for remote data access is the ability of the source storage system to serve such data, so the number of jobs accessing it must be carefully controlled. The CMS approach to this is to implement the overflowing by means of glideinWMS, a Condor based pilot system, and by providing the WMS w...

Assessment of the effect of rainfall dynamics on the storm overflow performance

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Szeląg Bartosz

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Assessment of the effect of rainfall dynamics on the storm overfl ow performance. This research study analyzes the effect of the rainfall characteristics (total and maximum 10-, 15- and 30-minute rainfall depth, its duration, the dry weather period on the performance of the emergency overflow weir located at the inflow to an existing treatment plant. The analyses used the numerical calculation results of the inflow hydrographs performed in the SWMM (Storm Water Management Model program on the basis of six-year-long rainfall measurement sequence. The obtained simulation results for the analysed catchment allowed for the performance of statistical analyses, which demonstrated that the volume of stormwater discharge, the maximum instantaneous flow and the share of stormwater volume discharged through the emergency overflow weir in relation to the total volume of the inflow hydrograph from the catchment are affected by the maximum 30-minute rainfall depth, whereas the discharge duration is affected by the depth of the catchment rainfall layer. Taking into account the results of statistical and hydraulic calculations it can be concluded that in the case of the analysed catchment the performance of the emergency overflow weir is affected to the greatest extent by the rainfall intensity distribution.

Speech Evoked Auditory Brainstem Response in Stuttering

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Ali Akbar Tahaei

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Auditory processing deficits have been hypothesized as an underlying mechanism for stuttering. Previous studies have demonstrated abnormal responses in subjects with persistent developmental stuttering (PDS at the higher level of the central auditory system using speech stimuli. Recently, the potential usefulness of speech evoked auditory brainstem responses in central auditory processing disorders has been emphasized. The current study used the speech evoked ABR to investigate the hypothesis that subjects with PDS have specific auditory perceptual dysfunction. Objectives. To determine whether brainstem responses to speech stimuli differ between PDS subjects and normal fluent speakers. Methods. Twenty-five subjects with PDS participated in this study. The speech-ABRs were elicited by the 5-formant synthesized syllable/da/, with duration of 40 ms. Results. There were significant group differences for the onset and offset transient peaks. Subjects with PDS had longer latencies for the onset and offset peaks relative to the control group. Conclusions. Subjects with PDS showed a deficient neural timing in the early stages of the auditory pathway consistent with temporal processing deficits and their abnormal timing may underlie to their disfluency.

Potentiation by choline of basal and electrically evoked acetylcholine release, as studied using a novel device which both stimulates and perfuses rat corpus striatum

Science.gov (United States)

Farber, S. A.; Kischka, U.; Marshall, D. L.; Wurtman, R. J.

1993-01-01

We examined the release of acetylcholine (ACh) and dopamine (DA) using a novel probe through which striatal neurons could be both superfused and stimulated electrically in both anesthetized and freely moving awake animals. Optimal stimulation parameters for eliciting ACh release from cholinergic neurons differed from those required for eliciting DA release from dopaminergic terminals: at 0.6 ms pulse duration, 20 Hz and 200 microA, ACh release increased to 357 +/- 30% (P basal release rose from 117 +/- 7% to 141 +/- 5% of initial baseline levels (P basal or evoked DA release although neostigmine (10 microM) significantly elevated basal DA release (from 36.7 fmol/10 min to 71.5 fmol/10 min; P basal (from 106 +/- 7% to 154 +/- 17%; P < 0.05) and electrically evoked (from 146 +/- 13 to 262 +/- 16%; P < 0.01) ACh release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

Wintertime re-ventilation of the East Greenland Current's Atlantic-origin Overflow Water in the western Iceland Sea

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Våge, Kjetil; Håvik, Lisbeth; Papritz, Lukas; Spall, Michael; Moore, Kent

2017-04-01

The Deep Western Boundary Current constitutes the lower limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and, as such, is a crucial component of the Earth's climate system. The largest and densest contribution to the current stems from the overflow plume that passes through Denmark Strait. A main source of Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW) is the East Greenland Current (EGC). The DSOW transported by the EGC originates from the Atlantic inflow into the Nordic Seas. This is then transformed into Atlantic-origin Overflow Water while progressing northward through the eastern part of the Nordic Seas. Here we show, using measurements from autonomous gliders deployed from fall 2015 to spring 2016, that the Atlantic-origin Overflow Water transported toward Denmark Strait by the EGC was re-ventilated while transiting the western Iceland Sea in winter. In summer, this region is characterized by an upper layer of cold, fresh Polar Surface Water that is thought to prevent convection. But in fall and winter this fresh water mass is diverted toward the Greenland shelf by enhanced northerly winds, which results in a water column that is preconditioned for convection. Severe heat loss from the ocean to the atmosphere offshore of the ice edge subsequently causes the formation of deep mixed layers. This further transforms the Atlantic-origin Overflow Water and impacts the properties of the DSOW, and hence the deepest and densest component of the lower limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.

The local effect of octreotide on mechanical pain sensitivity is more sensitive in DA rats than DA.1U rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Fan-Rong; Wang, Hui-Sheng; Guo, Yuan; Zhao, Yan

2016-02-01

A recent study by the authors indicated that major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are associated with the differences in basal pain sensitivity and in formalin model between Dark-Agouti (DA) and novel congenic DA.1U rats, which have the same genetic background as DA rats except for the u alleles of MHC. The objective of the present study is to investigate whether there is a difference in the pristane-induced arthritis (PIA) model and local analgesic effect of octreotide (OCT) between DA and DA.1U rats. The hindpaw mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and heat withdrawal latency (HWL) were observed. The C unit firings of the tibial nerve evoked by non-noxious and noxious toe movements were recorded by electrophysiological methods in normal and PIA models in DA and DA.1U rats before and after local OCT administration. The expression of somatostatin receptor 2A (SSTR2A) was observed by immunohistochemistry. The results demonstrate that DA rats have a higher mechanical sensitivity than DA.1U rats after PIA. Local OCT administration significantly elevated MWT in DA rats under normal and PIA sate, but not in DA.1U rats. The electrophysiological experiments showed OCT significantly attenuated the firings of C units evoked by non-noxious and noxious stimulation in DA rats more than those in DA.1U rats both in normal and PIA states. In addition, the expression of SSTR2A in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord was significantly higher in DA than in DA.1U rats. All of the findings suggest a higher local analgesic effect of OCT in DA rats than DA.1U rats, which might be associated with the MHC genes. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

COMPUTER MODEL ANALYSIS FOR MITIGATION PLANNING OF SANITARY-SEWER OVERFLOWS

Science.gov (United States)

Sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) are generally difficult to witness or document as they usually occur during rain events when people are indoors or out of sight. To anser where and when an SSO may occur, it is necessary to know the flow conveyance capacity at various parts of the ...

Effects of Ketamine and Ketamine Metabolites on Evoked Striatal Dopamine Release, Dopamine Receptors, and Monoamine Transporters

Science.gov (United States)

Can, Adem; Zanos, Panos; Moaddel, Ruin; Kang, Hye Jin; Dossou, Katinia S. S.; Wainer, Irving W.; Cheer, Joseph F.; Frost, Douglas O.; Huang, Xi-Ping

2016-01-01

Following administration at subanesthetic doses, (R,S)-ketamine (ketamine) induces rapid and robust relief from symptoms of depression in treatment-refractory depressed patients. Previous studies suggest that ketamine’s antidepressant properties involve enhancement of dopamine (DA) neurotransmission. Ketamine is rapidly metabolized to (2S,6S)- and (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine (HNK), which have antidepressant actions independent of N-methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptor inhibition. These antidepressant actions of (2S,6S;2R,6R)-HNK, or other metabolites, as well as ketamine’s side effects, including abuse potential, may be related to direct effects on components of the dopaminergic (DAergic) system. Here, brain and blood distribution/clearance and pharmacodynamic analyses at DA receptors (D1–D5) and the DA, norepinephrine, and serotonin transporters were assessed for ketamine and its major metabolites (norketamine, dehydronorketamine, and HNKs). Additionally, we measured electrically evoked mesolimbic DA release and decay using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry following acute administration of subanesthetic doses of ketamine (2, 10, and 50 mg/kg, i.p.). Following ketamine injection, ketamine, norketamine, and multiple hydroxynorketamines were detected in the plasma and brain of mice. Dehydronorketamine was detectable in plasma, but concentrations were below detectable limits in the brain. Ketamine did not alter the magnitude or kinetics of evoked DA release in the nucleus accumbens in anesthetized mice. Neither ketamine’s enantiomers nor its metabolites had affinity for DA receptors or the DA, noradrenaline, and serotonin transporters (up to 10 μM). These results suggest that neither the side effects nor antidepressant actions of ketamine or ketamine metabolites are associated with direct effects on mesolimbic DAergic neurotransmission. Previously observed in vivo changes in DAergic neurotransmission following ketamine administration are likely indirect. PMID

Adverse Weather Evokes Nostalgia.

Science.gov (United States)

van Tilburg, Wijnand A P; Sedikides, Constantine; Wildschut, Tim

2018-03-01

Four studies examined the link between adverse weather and the palliative role of nostalgia. We proposed and tested that (a) adverse weather evokes nostalgia (Hypothesis 1); (b) adverse weather causes distress, which predicts elevated nostalgia (Hypothesis 2); (c) preventing nostalgia exacerbates weather-induced distress (Hypothesis 3); and (d) weather-evoked nostalgia confers psychological benefits (Hypothesis 4). In Study 1, participants listened to recordings of wind, thunder, rain, and neutral sounds. Adverse weather evoked nostalgia. In Study 2, participants kept a 10-day diary recording weather conditions, distress, and nostalgia. We also obtained meteorological data. Adverse weather perceptions were positively correlated with distress, which predicted higher nostalgia. Also, adverse natural weather was associated with corresponding weather perceptions, which predicted elevated nostalgia. (Results were mixed for rain.) In Study 3, preventing nostalgia (via cognitive load) increased weather-evoked distress. In Study 4, weather-evoked nostalgia was positively associated with psychological benefits. The findings pioneer the relevance of nostalgia as source of comfort in adverse weather.

Metamorphic Testing Integer Overflow Faults of Mission Critical Program: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhanwei Hui

2013-01-01

Full Text Available For mission critical programs, integer overflow is one of the most dangerous faults. Different testing methods provide several effective ways to detect the defect. However, it is hard to validate the testing outputs, because the oracle of testing is not always available or too expensive to get, unless the program throws an exception obviously. In the present study, the authors conduct a case study, where the authors apply a metamorphic testing (MT method to detect the integer overflow defect and alleviate the oracle problem in testing critical program of Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS. Experimental results show that, in revealing typical integer mutations, compared with traditional safety property testing method, MT with a novel symbolic metamorphic relation is more effective than the traditional method in some cases.

Importance Sampling Simulation of Population Overflow in Two-node Tandem Networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nicola, V.F.; Zaburnenko, T.S.; Baier, C; Chiola, G.; Smirni, E.

2005-01-01

In this paper we consider the application of importance sampling in simulations of Markovian tandem networks in order to estimate the probability of rare events, such as network population overflow. We propose a heuristic methodology to obtain a good approximation to the 'optimal' state-dependent

Music evokes vivid autobiographical memories.

Science.gov (United States)

Belfi, Amy M; Karlan, Brett; Tranel, Daniel

2016-08-01

Music is strongly intertwined with memories-for example, hearing a song from the past can transport you back in time, triggering the sights, sounds, and feelings of a specific event. This association between music and vivid autobiographical memory is intuitively apparent, but the idea that music is intimately tied with memories, seemingly more so than other potent memory cues (e.g., familiar faces), has not been empirically tested. Here, we compared memories evoked by music to those evoked by famous faces, predicting that music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) would be more vivid. Participants listened to 30 songs, viewed 30 faces, and reported on memories that were evoked. Memories were transcribed and coded for vividness as in Levine, B., Svoboda, E., Hay, J. F., Winocur, G., & Moscovitch, M. [2002. Aging and autobiographical memory: Dissociating episodic from semantic retrieval. Psychology and Aging, 17, 677-689]. In support of our hypothesis, MEAMs were more vivid than autobiographical memories evoked by faces. MEAMs contained a greater proportion of internal details and a greater number of perceptual details, while face-evoked memories contained a greater number of external details. Additionally, we identified sex differences in memory vividness: for both stimulus categories, women retrieved more vivid memories than men. The results show that music not only effectively evokes autobiographical memories, but that these memories are more vivid than those evoked by famous faces.

Conservative Overset Grids for Overflow For The Sonic Wave Atmospheric Propagation Project

Science.gov (United States)

Onufer, Jeff T.; Cummings, Russell M.

1999-01-01

Methods are presented that can be used to make multiple, overset grids communicate in a conservative manner. The methods are developed for use with the Chimera overset method using the PEGSUS code and the OVERFLOW solver.

Assisting in Auditing of Buffer Overflow Vulnerabilities via Machine Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qingkun Meng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Buffer overflow vulnerability is a kind of consequence in which programmers’ intentions are not implemented correctly. In this paper, a static analysis method based on machine learning is proposed to assist in auditing buffer overflow vulnerabilities. First, an extended code property graph is constructed from the source code to extract seven kinds of static attributes, which are used to describe buffer properties. After embedding these attributes into a vector space, five frequently used machine learning algorithms are employed to classify the functions into suspicious vulnerable functions and secure ones. The five classifiers reached an average recall of 83.5%, average true negative rate of 85.9%, a best recall of 96.6%, and a best true negative rate of 91.4%. Due to the imbalance of the training samples, the average precision of the classifiers is 68.9% and the average F1 score is 75.2%. When the classifiers were applied to a new program, our method could reduce the false positive to 1/12 compared to Flawfinder.

Estimation of combined sewer overflow discharge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahm, Malte; Thorndahl, Søren Liedtke; Nielsen, Jesper Ellerbæk

2016-01-01

Combined sewer overflow (CSO) structures are constructed to effectively discharge excess water during heavy rainfall, to protect the urban drainage system from hydraulic overload. Consequently, most CSO structures are not constructed according to basic hydraulic principles for ideal measurement......-balance in combined sewer catchments. A closed mass-balance is an advantage for calibration of all urban drainage models based on mass-balance principles. This study presents three different software sensor concepts based on local water level sensors, which can be used to estimate CSO discharge volumes from hydraulic...... complex CSO structures. The three concepts was tested and verified under real practical conditions. All three concepts were accurate when compared to electromagnetic flow measurements....

Coordinated activation of PTA-ACS and TCA cycles strongly reduces overflow metabolism of acetate in Escherichia coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Peebo, Karl; Valgepea, Kaspar; Nahku, Ranno; Riis, Gethe; Oun, Mikk; Adamberg, Kaarel; Vilu, Raivo

2014-06-01

Elimination of acetate overflow in aerobic cultivation of Escherichia coli would improve many bioprocesses as acetate accumulation in the growth environment leads to numerous negative effects, e.g. loss of carbon, inhibition of growth, target product synthesis, etc. Despite many years of studies, the mechanism and regulation of acetate overflow are still not completely understood. Therefore, we studied the growth of E. coli K-12 BW25113 and several of its mutant strains affecting acetate-related pathways using the continuous culture method accelerostat (A-stat) at various specific glucose consumption rates with the aim of diminishing acetate overflow. Absolute quantitative exo-metabolome and proteome analyses coupled to metabolic flux analysis enabled us to demonstrate that onset of acetate overflow can be postponed and acetate excretion strongly reduced in E. coli by coordinated activation of phosphotransacetylase-acetyl-CoA synthetase (PTA-ACS) and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycles. Fourfold reduction of acetate excretion (2 vs. 8 % from total carbon) at fastest growth compared to wild type was achieved by deleting the genes responsible for inactivation of acetyl-CoA synthetase protein (pka) and TCA cycle regulator arcA. The Δpka ΔarcA strain did not accumulate any other detrimental by-product besides acetate and showed identical μ max and only ~5 % lower biomass yield compared to wild type. We conclude that a fine-tuned coordination between increasing the recycling capabilities of acetate in the PTA-ACS node through a higher concentration of active acetate scavenging Acs protein and downstream metabolism throughput in the TCA cycle is necessary for diminishing overflow metabolism of acetate in E. coli and achieving higher target product production in bioprocesses.

Running Reduces Uncontrollable Stress-Evoked Serotonin and Potentiates Stress-Evoked Dopamine Concentrations in the Rat Dorsal Striatum.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter J Clark

Full Text Available Accumulating evidence from both the human and animal literature indicates that exercise reduces the negative consequences of stress. The neurobiological etiology for this stress protection, however, is not completely understood. Our lab reported that voluntary wheel running protects rats from expressing depression-like instrumental learning deficits on the shuttle box escape task after exposure to unpredictable and inescapable tail shocks (uncontrollable stress. Impaired escape behavior is a result of stress-sensitized serotonin (5-HT neuron activity in the dorsal raphe (DRN and subsequent excessive release of 5-HT into the dorsal striatum following exposure to a comparatively mild stressor. However, the possible mechanisms by which exercise prevents stress-induced escape deficits are not well characterized. The purpose of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that exercise blunts the stress-evoked release of 5-HT in the dorsal striatum. Changes to dopamine (DA levels were also examined, since striatal DA signaling is critical for instrumental learning and can be influenced by changes to 5-HT activity. Adult male F344 rats, housed with or without running wheels for 6 weeks, were either exposed to tail shock or remained undisturbed in laboratory cages. Twenty-four hours later, microdialysis was performed in the medial (DMS and lateral (DLS dorsal striatum to collect extracellular 5-HT and DA before, during, and following 2 mild foot shocks. We report wheel running prevents foot shock-induced elevation of extracellular 5-HT and potentiates DA concentrations in both the DMS and DLS approximately 24 h following exposure to uncontrollable stress. These data may provide a possible mechanism by which exercise prevents depression-like instrumental learning deficits following exposure to acute stress.

DSM-flux: A new technology for reliable Combined Sewer Overflow discharge monitoring with low uncertainties.

Science.gov (United States)

Maté Marín, Ainhoa; Rivière, Nicolas; Lipeme Kouyi, Gislain

2018-06-01

In the past ten years, governments from the European Union have been encouraged to collect volume and quality data for all the effluent overflows from separated stormwater and combined sewer systems that result in a significant environmental impact on receiving water bodies. Methods to monitor and control these flows require improvements, particularly for complex Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) structures. The DSM-flux (Device for Stormwater and combined sewer flows Monitoring and the control of pollutant fluxes) is a new pre-designed and pre-calibrated channel that provides appropriate hydraulic conditions suitable for measurement of overflow rates and volumes by means of one water level gauge. In this paper, a stage-discharge relation for the DSM-flux is obtained experimentally and validated for multiple inflow hydraulic configurations. Uncertainties in CSO discharges and volumes are estimated within the Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) framework. Whatever the upstream hydraulic conditions are, relative uncertainties are lower than 15% and 2% for the investigated discharges and volumes, respectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New approach for receiving water objectives for overflows from sewer systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Torben

1999-01-01

The paper describes the results of the work for the establishment of consistent objectives for storm overflows from sewer systems in respect to the physical conditions in streams and rivers in Denmark. First the result of a questionnaire is mentioned. Next some principles of the methods for formu...

Storage - Nuclear wastes are overflowing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dupin, Ludovic

2016-01-01

This article highlights that the dismantling of French nuclear installations will generate huge volumes of radioactive wastes and that France may lack space to store them. The Cigeo project (underground storage) only concerns 0.2 per cent of the nuclear waste volume produced by France in 50 years. If storage solutions exist for less active wastes, they will soon be insufficient, notably because of the quantity of wastes produced by the dismantling of existing reactors and fuel processing plants. Different assessments of these volumes are evoked. In order to store them, the ANDRA made a second call for innovating projects which would enable a reduction of this volume by 20 to 30 per cent. The article also evokes projects selected after the first call for projects. They mainly focus on nuclear waste characterization which will result in a finer management of wastes regarding their storage destination. Cost issues and the opposition of anti-nuclear NGOs are still obstacles to the development of new sites

Determinants of quality, latency, and amount of Stack Overflow answers about recent Android APIs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavaler, David; Filkov, Vladimir

2018-01-01

Stack Overflow is a popular crowdsourced question and answer website for programming-related issues. It is an invaluable resource for software developers; on average, questions posted there get answered in minutes to an hour. Questions about well established topics, e.g., the coercion operator in C++, or the difference between canonical and class names in Java, get asked often in one form or another, and answered very quickly. On the other hand, questions on previously unseen or niche topics take a while to get a good answer. This is particularly the case with questions about current updates to or the introduction of new application programming interfaces (APIs). In a hyper-competitive online market, getting good answers to current programming questions sooner could increase the chances of an app getting released and used. So, can developers anyhow, e.g., hasten the speed to good answers to questions about new APIs? Here, we empirically study Stack Overflow questions pertaining to new Android APIs and their associated answers. We contrast the interest in these questions, their answer quality, and timeliness of their answers to questions about old APIs. We find that Stack Overflow answerers in general prioritize with respect to currentness: questions about new APIs do get more answers, but good quality answers take longer. We also find that incentives in terms of question bounties, if used appropriately, can significantly shorten the time and increase answer quality. Interestingly, no operationalization of bounty amount shows significance in our models. In practice, our findings confirm the value of bounties in enhancing expert participation. In addition, they show that the Stack Overflow style of crowdsourcing, for all its glory in providing answers about established programming knowledge, is less effective with new API questions.

Determinants of quality, latency, and amount of Stack Overflow answers about recent Android APIs

Science.gov (United States)

Filkov, Vladimir

2018-01-01

Stack Overflow is a popular crowdsourced question and answer website for programming-related issues. It is an invaluable resource for software developers; on average, questions posted there get answered in minutes to an hour. Questions about well established topics, e.g., the coercion operator in C++, or the difference between canonical and class names in Java, get asked often in one form or another, and answered very quickly. On the other hand, questions on previously unseen or niche topics take a while to get a good answer. This is particularly the case with questions about current updates to or the introduction of new application programming interfaces (APIs). In a hyper-competitive online market, getting good answers to current programming questions sooner could increase the chances of an app getting released and used. So, can developers anyhow, e.g., hasten the speed to good answers to questions about new APIs? Here, we empirically study Stack Overflow questions pertaining to new Android APIs and their associated answers. We contrast the interest in these questions, their answer quality, and timeliness of their answers to questions about old APIs. We find that Stack Overflow answerers in general prioritize with respect to currentness: questions about new APIs do get more answers, but good quality answers take longer. We also find that incentives in terms of question bounties, if used appropriately, can significantly shorten the time and increase answer quality. Interestingly, no operationalization of bounty amount shows significance in our models. In practice, our findings confirm the value of bounties in enhancing expert participation. In addition, they show that the Stack Overflow style of crowdsourcing, for all its glory in providing answers about established programming knowledge, is less effective with new API questions. PMID:29547620

Sewerage overflows put production and fertility of dairy cows at risk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijer, G.A.L.; Bree, de J.; Wagenaar, J.A.; Spoelstra, S.F.

1999-01-01

More than 50% of the diary farmers in the Netherlands use surface water as the main source of drinking water for their cows during the grazing season. The quality of this water may be affected by discharges from sewerage overflows, but possible effects on health of dairy cows have not been

Proprioceptive evoked gamma oscillations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arnfred, S.M.; Hansen, Lars Kai; Parnas, J.

2007-01-01

A proprioceptive stimulus consisting of a weight change of a handheld load has recently been shown to elicit an evoked potential. Previously, somatosensory gamma oscillations have only been evoked by electrical stimuli. We conjectured that a natural proprioceptive stimulus also would be able...... to evoke gamma oscillations. EEG was recorded using 64 channels in 14 healthy subjects. In each of three runs a stimulus of 100 g load increment in each hand was presented in 120 trials. Data were wavelet transformed and runs collapsed. Inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC) was computed as the best measure...

Proces-based modeling of the overflow induced growth of erosional channels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tuan, T.Q.; Stive, M.J.F.; Verhagen, H.J.; Visser, P.J.

2008-01-01

A new process-based approach is introduced for a more efficient computation of the overflow-induced growth of an erosional channel in a noncohesive homogeneous narrow landmass such as the breach growth in a sand-dike. The approach is easy to incorporate in a 1D/2DV morphodynamic model to compute the

Water Quality of Combined Sewer Overflows, Stormwater, and Streams, Omaha, Nebraska, 2006-07

Science.gov (United States)

Vogel, Jason R.; Frankforter, Jill D.; Rus, David L.; Hobza, Christopher M.; Moser, Matthew T.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Omaha, investigated the water quality of combined sewer overflows, stormwater, and streams in the Omaha, Nebraska, area by collecting and analyzing 1,175 water samples from August 2006 through October 2007. The study area included the drainage area of Papillion Creek at Capeheart Road near Bellevue, Nebraska, which encompasses the tributary drainages of the Big and Little Papillion Creeks and Cole Creek, along with the Missouri River reach that is adjacent to Omaha. Of the 101 constituents analyzed during the study, 100 were detected in at least 1 sample during the study. Spatial and seasonal comparisons were completed for environmental samples. Measured concentrations in stream samples were compared to water-quality criteria for pollutants of concern. Finally, the mass loads of water-quality constituents in the combined sewer overflow discharges, stormwater outfalls, and streams were computed and compared. The results of the study indicate that combined sewer overflow and stormwater discharges are affecting the water quality of the streams in the Omaha area. At the Papillion Creek Basin sites, Escherichia coli densities were greater than 126 units per 100 milliliters in 99 percent of the samples (212 of 213 samples analyzed for Escherichia coli) collected during the recreational-use season from May through September (in 2006 and 2007). Escherichia coli densities in 76 percent of Missouri River samples (39 of 51 samples) were greater than 126 units per 100 milliliters in samples collected from May through September (in 2006 and 2007). None of the constituents with human health criteria for consumption of water, fish, and other aquatic organisms were detected at levels greater than the criteria in any of the samples collected during this study. Total phosphorus concentrations in water samples collected in the Papillion Creek Basin were in excess of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposed

Climate change impacts on the duration and frequency of combined sewer overflows

Science.gov (United States)

Fortier, C.; Mailhot, A.

2012-12-01

Combined sewer overflows (CSO) occur when large rainwater inflow from heavy precipitation exceeds the capacity of urban combined sewage systems. Many American and European cities with old sewage systems see their water quality significantly deteriorate during such events. In the long term, changes in the rainfall regime due to climate change may lead to more severe and more frequent CSO episodes and thus compel cities to review their global water management. The overall objective of this study is to investigate how climate change will impact CSO frequency and duration. Data from rain gauges located nearby 30 overflow outfalls, in southern Quebec, Canada, were used to identify rain events leading to overflows, using CSO monitored data from May to October during the period 2007-2009. For each site, occurrence and duration of CSO events were recorded and linked to a rainfall event. Many rain events features can be used to predict CSO events, such as total depth, duration, average intensity and peak intensity. Results based on Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis show that CSO occurrence is best predicted by total rainfall. A methodology is proposed to calculate the CSO probability of occurrence and duration for each site of interest using rainfall series as input data. Monte Carlo method is then used to estimate CSO frequency. To evaluate the climate change impact on CSO, these relationships are used with simulated data from the Canadian Regional Climate Model to compare the distribution of annual number of CSO events over the 1960-1990 period and the 2070-2100 period.

Noise-evoked otoacoustic emissions in humans

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maat, B; Wit, HP; van Dijk, P

2000-01-01

Click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) and acoustical responses evoked by bandlimited Gaussian noise (noise-evoked otoacoustic emissions; NEOAEs) were measured in three normal-hearing subjects. For the NEOAEs the first- and second-order Wiener kernel and polynomial correlation functions up to

Occurrence of enrofloxacin in overflows from animal lot and residential sewage lagoons and a receiving-stream

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abua Ikem

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Enrofloxacin (ENRO, a fluoroquinolone, was quantified in overflows from an animal lot and residential sewage lagoons and in a receiving-stream (Gans Creek. The concentrations of ENRO in samples was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography − tandem mass spectrometry. In total, ninety samples including duplicates were analyzed during several monthly sampling campaigns. The samples collected represented the residential sewage lagoon overflow (RLO, animal lot lagoon overflow (ALLO, the combined overflows (RLO and ALLO, and Gans Creek (upstream, midstream and downstream positions. The frequency of detection of ENRO was 90% for RLO and 100% for both ALLO and Gans Creek. The highest concentration of ENRO (0.44 μg/L was found in ALLO sample collected during high precipitation. ENRO levels found in RLO samples ranged from < LOQ to 259 ng/L and the highest value observed also coincided with high flow. The levels of ENRO found in Gans Creek ranged from 17–216 ng/L. A preliminary ecotoxicological assessment was conducted through calculation of the risk quotients (RQs for organisms based on the ratio of the measured environmental concentrations in this study to the predicted-no-effect-concentrations (acute and chronic effect data. From the RQs, high risks were observed for Microcystis aeruginosa (cyanobacteria; RQ = 4.4; Anabaena flosaquae (cyanobacteria; RQ = 1.3; and Lemna minor (aquatic vascular plant; RQ = 2.0. The long-term effects of mixtures of PHCs on Gans Creek watershed are probable. Keywords: Environmental science, Pharmaceutical chemistry, Ecology

A condition for the overflow stability of second-order digital filters that is satisfied by all scaled state-space structures using saturation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ritzerfeld, J.H.F.

1989-01-01

A set of conditions is derived that ensures overflow stability of second-order digital filters for different classes of overflow arithmetics, involving only the elements of the state-transition matrix. The well-known arithmetic saturation, zeroing, and two's-complement lead to different stability

Pollution loads from stormwater overflows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonomo, L.

1991-01-01

The knowledge of the volume of combined effluents outflowing from overflows is not enough to allow a direct evaluation of polluting loads discharged into final receptors; the hypothesis of complete mixing between sewage and stormwater flow, fed in at a pollutant concentration level equal to zero, hasn't proved to be successful. The amount of the outflowing loads largely depends on the contamination of the stormwater runoff before inflow into the drainage system and on sedimentation and resuspension phenomena. This paper reports the main aspects connected with wet and dry atmospheric deposition of pollutants and with paved surface wash-out phenomena. The origin of pollutants flush, due to the resuspension and mass transport of polluting substances stored up in the sewer during draughts, is also described. Attention is drawn to the importance of the behaviour of the different pollutants with respect to the sedimentation phenomena. Reference is made to evaluations conducted on a drainage system for the recovery of a small pre-alpine lake

The Importance of Lake Overflow Floods for Early Martian Landscape Evolution: Insights From Licus Vallis

Science.gov (United States)

Goudge, T. A.; Fassett, C. I.

2017-01-01

Open-basin lake outlet valleys are incised when water breaches the basin-confining topography and overflows. Outlet valleys record this flooding event and provide insight into how the lake and surrounding terrain evolved over time. Here we present a study of the paleolake outlet Licus Vallis, a >350 km long, >2 km wide, >100 m deep valley that heads at the outlet breach of an approx.30 km diameter impact crater. Multiple geomorphic features of this valley system suggest it records a more complex evolution than formation from a single lake overflow flood. This provides unique insight into the paleohydrology of lakes on early Mars, as we can make inferences beyond the most recent phase of activity..

Overflow type sodium sampler for FBTR circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muralidaran, P.; Ganesan, V.; Chandran, K.; Periaswami, G.

1996-01-01

Obtaining a representative sample is crucial for getting reliable results in sodium analysis. Sampling liquid sodium reliability is complicated since impurities segregate while cooling. Selective sorption of certain elements calls for use of different crucible materials for various sodium impurities. Sampling methods currently in use such as flow through sampling and dip sampling are not the proper methods as they can not take care of the above problems. An overflow type sampler where the entire sample contained in a crucible can be used for analysis thus obviating problems due to segregation has been developed for use in Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR). This report describes the construction and operation of this sampler. (author)

Overflow Characteristic of Cylindrical Shape Crest Weirs Over Horizontal Bed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emad4 AbdulGabbar

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The most common types of weirs are the broad-crested weir, the sharp-crested weir, the circular crested weir and the ogee crested weir. Advantages of the cylindrical weir shape include the stable overflow pattern, the ease to pass floating debris, the simplicity of design compared to ogee crest design and the associated lower costs. In present study, it was investigated the overflow characteristics of circular weirs in laboratory for various cylinder radii of three sizes (11.4, 9.0, 6.3 cm, and the models fixed on the channel bed vertically to the direction of flow. The result shows that the increase in the ratio of head to weir radius ratio (Hw/R value causes an increase in discharge coefficient (Cd value for the same height of weir. It was observed that the cylinder size (i.e. radius of cylindrical weir (R has an effect on the (Cd. The flow magnification factor (qw/qs increases with an increase in (Hw/R value and values of (qw/qs were always higher than one for all values of (Hw/R, this means that weirs of cylindrical shape performed better than those of sharp crest for any value of weir radius tested in this study.

Entrainment and mixing in a laboratory model of oceanic overflow

OpenAIRE

Odier , Philippe; Chen , Jun; Ecke , Robert

2014-01-01

International audience; We present experimental measurements of a wall-bounded gravity current, motivated by characterizing natural gravity currents such as oceanic overflows. We use particle image velocimetry and planar laser-induced fluorescence to simultaneously measure the velocity and density fields as they evolve downstream of the initial injection from a turbulent channel flow onto a plane inclined at 10 degrees with respect to horizontal. The turbulence level of the input flow is cont...

Evoked emotions predict food choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Dalenberg, Jelle R; Gutjar, Swetlana; Ter Horst, Gert J; de Graaf, Kees; Renken, Remco J; Jager, Gerry

2014-01-01

In the current study we show that non-verbal food-evoked emotion scores significantly improve food choice prediction over merely liking scores. Previous research has shown that liking measures correlate with choice. However, liking is no strong predictor for food choice in real life environments. Therefore, the focus within recent studies shifted towards using emotion-profiling methods that successfully can discriminate between products that are equally liked. However, it is unclear how well scores from emotion-profiling methods predict actual food choice and/or consumption. To test this, we proposed to decompose emotion scores into valence and arousal scores using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and apply Multinomial Logit Models (MLM) to estimate food choice using liking, valence, and arousal as possible predictors. For this analysis, we used an existing data set comprised of liking and food-evoked emotions scores from 123 participants, who rated 7 unlabeled breakfast drinks. Liking scores were measured using a 100-mm visual analogue scale, while food-evoked emotions were measured using 2 existing emotion-profiling methods: a verbal and a non-verbal method (EsSense Profile and PrEmo, respectively). After 7 days, participants were asked to choose 1 breakfast drink from the experiment to consume during breakfast in a simulated restaurant environment. Cross validation showed that we were able to correctly predict individualized food choice (1 out of 7 products) for over 50% of the participants. This number increased to nearly 80% when looking at the top 2 candidates. Model comparisons showed that evoked emotions better predict food choice than perceived liking alone. However, the strongest predictive strength was achieved by the combination of evoked emotions and liking. Furthermore we showed that non-verbal food-evoked emotion scores more accurately predict food choice than verbal food-evoked emotions scores.

Use long short-term memory to enhance Internet of Things for combined sewer overflow monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Duo; Lindholm, Geir; Ratnaweera, Harsha

2018-01-01

Combined sewer overflow causes severe water pollution, urban flooding and reduced treatment plant efficiency. Understanding the behavior of CSO structures is vital for urban flooding prevention and overflow control. Neural networks have been extensively applied in water resource related fields. In this study, we collect data from an Internet of Things monitoring CSO structure and build different neural network models for simulating and predicting the water level of the CSO structure. Through a comparison of four different neural networks, namely multilayer perceptron (MLP), wavelet neural network (WNN), long short-term memory (LSTM) and gated recurrent unit (GRU), the LSTM and GRU present superior capabilities for multi-step-ahead time series prediction. Furthermore, GRU achieves prediction performances similar to LSTM with a quicker learning curve.

Regulation of dopamine synthesis and release in striatal and prefrontal cortical brain slices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolf, M.E.

1986-01-01

Brain slices were used to investigate the role of nerve terminal autoreceptors in modulating dopamine (DA) synthesis and release in striatum and prefrontal cortex. Accumulation of dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) was used as an index of tyrosine hydroxylation in vitro. Nomifensine, a DA uptake blocker, inhibited DOPA synthesis in striatal but not prefrontal slices. This effect was reversed by the DA antagonist sulpiride, suggesting it involved activation of DA receptors by elevated synaptic levels of DA. The autoreceptor-selective agonist EMD-23-448 also inhibited striatal but not prefrontal DOPA synthesis. DOPA synthesis was stimulated in both brain regions by elevated K + , however only striatal synthesis could be further enhanced by sulpiride. DA release was measured by following the efflux of radioactivity from brain slices prelabeled with [ 3 H]-DA. EMD-23-448 and apomorphine inhibited, while sulpiride enhanced, the K + -evoked overflow of radioactivity from both striatal and prefrontal cortical slices. These findings suggest that striatal DA nerve terminals possess autoreceptors which modulate tyrosine hydroxylation as well as autoreceptors which modulate release. Alternatively, one site may be coupled to both functions through distinct transduction mechanisms. In contrast, autoreceptors on prefrontal cortical terminals appear to regulate DA release but not DA synthesis

Atlantic Water transformation in the Nordic Seas and its influence on the export rate of the Overflow Waters

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia Quintana, Yarisbel; Wiesner, Pia; Hu, Xianmin; Myers, Paul

2017-04-01

The Nordic Seas (NS) are the main gateway between the Arctic and the Atlantic Oceans. The basin can be considered as the headwaters for the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC), for it is there that the Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW) and the Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) acquire their properties. Their inflow into the North Atlantic Ocean occurs across the Greenland-Scotland ridge. Together with Labrador Sea Water, DSOW and ISOW are the main components of the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), which ventilates the lower limb of the Atlantic MOC. In spite recent studies exploring the export rate and later pathways of the overflows, the question about what drives them, remains. Here we explore the transformation of the Atlantic Water (AW) as it enters the NS through Denmark Strait, Iceland Faroe Ridge and Faroe Schotland Channel, as well as its pathways within the basin. To do so, we use an eddy-permitting ocean general circulation model run over the period 2002 to 2015. Two different approaches are used to track the AW transformation in the NS: the well-tested off-line Lagrangian tool ARIANE and on-line passive tracers. In both cases we use the same definition of AW to tag its inflow through the three entering sections. The overflows directly impact circulation and water properties in much of the deep Atlantic Ocean, thus a better understanding of the physical processes behind their variability is crucial a asset.

On buffer overflow duration in a finite-capacity queueing system with multiple vacation policy

Science.gov (United States)

Kempa, Wojciech M.

2017-12-01

A finite-buffer queueing system with Poisson arrivals and generally distributed processing times, operating under multiple vacation policy, is considered. Each time when the system becomes empty, the service station takes successive independent and identically distributed vacation periods, until, at the completion epoch of one of them, at least one job waiting for service is detected in the buffer. Applying analytical approach based on the idea of embedded Markov chain, integral equations and linear algebra, the compact-form representation for the cumulative distribution function (CDF for short) of the first buffer overflow duration is found. Hence, the formula for the CDF of next such periods is obtained. Moreover, probability distributions of the number of job losses in successive buffer overflow periods are found. The considered queueing system can be efficienly applied in modelling energy saving mechanisms in wireless network communication.

Descent and mixing of the overflow plume from Storfjord in Svalbard: an idealized numerical model study

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I. Fer

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Storfjorden in the Svalbard Archipelago is a sill-fjord that produces significant volumes of dense, brine-enriched shelf water through ice formation. The dense water produced in the fjord overflows the sill and can reach deep into the Fram Strait. For conditions corresponding to a moderate ice production year, the pathway of the overflow, its descent and evolving water mass properties due to mixing are investigated for the first time using a high resolution 3-D numerical model. An idealized modeling approach forced by a typical annual cycle of buoyancy forcing due to ice production is chosen in a terrain-following vertical co-ordinate. Comparison with observational data, including hydrography, fine resolution current measurements and direct turbulence measurements using a microstructure profiler, gives confidence on the model performance. The model eddy diffusivity profiles contrasted to those inferred from the turbulence measurements give confidence on the skill of the Mellor Yamada scheme in representing sub-grid scale mixing for the Storfjorden overflow, and probably for gravity current modeling, in general. The Storfjorden overflow is characterized by low Froude number dynamics except at the shelf break where the plume narrows, accelerates with speed reaching 0.6 m s⁻¹, yielding local Froude number in excess of unity. The volume flux of the plume increases by five-fold from the sill to downstream of the shelf-break. Rotational hydraulic control is not applicable for transport estimates at the sill using upstream basin information. To the leading order, geostrophy establishes the lateral slope of the plume interface at the sill. This allows for a transport estimate that is consistent with the model results by evaluating a weir relation at the sill.

Presynaptic beta-adrenoceptors in guinea pig papillary muscle: evidence for adrenaline-mediated positive feedback on noradrenergic transmission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valenta, B.; Singer, E.A.

1991-01-01

Guinea pig papillary muscles were preincubated in the presence of 5 x 10 - 9 mol/L unlabeled noradrenaline or adrenaline then incubated with ( 3 H)-noradrenaline and superfused. Electrical field stimulation with 180 pulses delivered at 1 or 3 Hz was used to induce overflow of radioactivity. Comparison of the effects of preexposure of the tissue to adrenaline or noradrenaline revealed that adrenaline incubation caused an enhancement of stimulation-evoked overflow of ( 3 H)noradrenaline and a reduction of the effect of exogenously added isoprenaline. Furthermore, the selective beta 2-adrenoceptor antagonist ICI 118,551 (10 - 7 mol/L), but not the selective beta 1-adrenoceptor antagonist ICI 89,406 (10 - 7 mol/L), reduced electrically evoked overflow of ( 3 H)noradrenaline in tissue preincubated with adrenaline but not in tissue preincubated with noradrenaline. The overflow-reducing effect of ICI 118.551 occurred at stimulation with 3 Hz but not at stimulation with 1 Hz. The present results support the hypothesis that noradrenergic transmission in guinea pig papillary muscle is facilitated via beta 2-adrenoceptors, and that adrenaline may serve as transmitter in this positive feedback mechanism after its incorporation into sympathetic nerves

Characterization of music-evoked autobiographical memories.

Science.gov (United States)

Janata, Petr; Tomic, Stefan T; Rakowski, Sonja K

2007-11-01

Despite music's prominence in Western society and its importance to individuals in their daily lives, very little is known about the memories and emotions that are often evoked when hearing a piece of music from one's past. We examined the content of music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) using a novel approach for selecting stimuli from a large corpus of popular music, in both laboratory and online settings. A set of questionnaires probed the cognitive and affective properties of the evoked memories. On average, 30% of the song presentations evoked autobiographical memories, and the majority of songs also evoked various emotions, primarily positive, that were felt strongly. The third most common emotion was nostalgia. Analyses of written memory reports found both general and specific levels of autobiographical knowledge to be represented, and several social and situational contexts for memory formation were common across many memories. The findings indicate that excerpts of popular music serve as potent stimuli for studying the structure of autobiographical memories.

Glycogen Synthesis and Metabolite Overflow Contribute to Energy Balancing in Cyanobacteria

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Melissa Cano

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Summary: Understanding how living cells manage high-energy metabolites such as ATP and NADPH is essential for understanding energy transformations in the biosphere. Using light as the energy input, we find that energy charge (ratio of ATP over ADP+ATP in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 varies in different growth stages, with a peak upon entry into the rapid growth phase, as well as a positive correlation with light intensity. In contrast, a mutant that can no longer synthesize the main carbon storage compound glycogen showed higher energy charge. The overflow of organic acids in this mutant under nitrogen depletion could also be triggered under high light in nitrogen-replete conditions, with an energy input level dependency. These findings suggest that energy charge in cyanobacteria is tightly linked to growth and carbon partition and that energy management is of key significance for their application as photosynthetic carbon dioxide-assimilating cell factories. : Cano et al. find that ATP levels in a cyanobacterium are dynamic in growth phases and respond to intracellular and environmental conditions. A glycogen mutant excretes organic acids and adjusts photosynthesis as alternative strategies to maintain energy homeostasis. Keywords: cyanobacteria, synechocystis, energy charge, glycogen, overflow metabolism, photosynthesis

Mesoscale mixing of the Denmark Strait Overflow in the Irminger Basin

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Koszalka, Inga M.; Haine, Thomas W. N.; Magaldi, Marcello G.

2017-04-01

The Denmark Strait Overflow (DSO) is a major export route for dense waters from the Nordic Seas forming the lower limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, an important element of the climate system. Mixing processes along the DSO pathway influence its volume transport and properties contributing to the variability of the deep overturning circulation. They are poorly sampled by observations, however, which hinders development of a proper DSO representation in global circulation models. We employ a high resolution regional ocean model of the Irminger Basin to quantify impact of the mesoscale flows on DSO mixing focusing on geographical localization and the time-modulation of water property changes. The model reproduces the observed bulk warming of the DSO plume 100-200 km downstream of the Denmark Strait sill. It also reveals that mesoscale variability of the overflow ('DSO-eddies', of 20-30 km extent and a time scale of 2-5 day) modulates water property changes and turbulent mixing, diagnosed with the vertical shear of horizontal velocity and the eddy heat flux divergence. The space-time localization of the DSO mixing and warming and the role of coherent mesoscale structures should be explored by turbulence measurements and factored into the coarse circulation models.

Analysis of Two-Level Support Systems with Time-Dependent Overflow - A Banking Application

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barth, Wolfgang; Manitz, Michael; Stolletz, Raik

2010-01-01

In this paper, we analyze the performance of call centers of financial service providers with two levels of support and a time-dependent overflow mechanism. Waiting calls from the front-office queue flow over to the back office if a waiting-time limit is reached and at least one back-office agent...

Thermal-buckling analysis of an LMFBR overflow vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Severud, L.K.

1983-01-01

During a reactor scram, cold sodium flows into the hot overflow vessel. The effect on the vessel is a compressive thermal stress in a zone just above the sodium level. This condition must be sufficiently controlled to preclude thermal buckling. Also, under repeated scrams, the vessel should not suffer thermal stress low cycle fatigue. To evaluate the closeness to buckling and satisfaction of ASMA Code limits, a combination of simple approximations, detailed elastic shell buckling analyses, and correlations to results of thermal buckling tests were employed. This paper describes the analysis methods, special considerations, and evaluations accomplished for this FFTF vessel to assure satisfaction of ASME buckling design criteria, rules, and limits

Understanding the interplay of carbon and nitrogen supply for ectoines production and metabolic overflow in high density cultures of Chromohalobacter salexigens.

Science.gov (United States)

Salar-García, María J; Bernal, Vicente; Pastor, José M; Salvador, Manuel; Argandoña, Montserrat; Nieto, Joaquín J; Vargas, Carmen; Cánovas, Manuel

2017-02-08

The halophilic bacterium Chromohalobacter salexigens has been proposed as promising cell factory for the production of the compatible solutes ectoine and hydroxyectoine. This bacterium has evolved metabolic adaptations to efficiently grow under high salt concentrations by accumulating ectoines as compatible solutes. However, metabolic overflow, which is a major drawback for the efficient conversion of biological feedstocks, occurs as a result of metabolic unbalances during growth and ectoines production. Optimal production of ectoines is conditioned by the interplay of carbon and nitrogen metabolisms. In this work, we set out to determine how nitrogen supply affects the production of ectoines. Chromohalobacter salexigens was challenged to grow in media with unbalanced carbon/nitrogen ratio. In C. salexigens, overflow metabolism and ectoines production are a function of medium composition. At low ammonium conditions, the growth rate decreased importantly, up to 80%. Shifts in overflow metabolism were observed when changing the C/N ratio in the culture medium. 13 C-NMR analysis of ectoines labelling revealed a high metabolic rigidity, with almost constant flux ratios in all conditions assayed. Unbalanced C/N ratio led to pyruvate accumulation, especially upon N-limitation. Analysis of an ect - mutant demonstrated the link between metabolic overflow and ectoine biosynthesis. Under non ectoine synthesizing conditions, glucose uptake and metabolic overflow decreased importantly. Finally, in fed-batch cultures, biomass yield was affected by the feeding scheme chosen. High growth (up to 42.4 g L -1 ) and volumetric ectoine yields (up to 4.21 g L -1 ) were obtained by minimizing metabolite overflow and nutrient accumulation in high density cultures in a low nitrogen fed-batch culture. Moreover, the yield coefficient calculated for the transformation of glucose into biomass was 30% higher in fed-batch than in the batch culture, demonstrating that the metabolic

Regional simulations of the Faroe Bank Channel overflow using a σ-coordinate ocean model

Science.gov (United States)

Seim, Knut S.; Fer, Ilker; Berntsen, Jarle

Gravity-driven overflow of cold, deep and intermediate water from the Norwegian Sea through the Faroe Bank Channel carries significant volume flux and contributes to the ventilation of the deep North Atlantic Ocean. Here we present results from regional simulations of the Faroe Bank Channel overflow using a terrain-following ( σ-coordinate) ocean model with fine resolution near the sea bed. The model results are compared with observations of hydrography, currents and turbulence conducted in 2008. Turbulent dissipation rate and eddy diffusivity profiles inferred from the observations are used in refining the parameters of the turbulence closure. The model reproduces the observed vertical structure of the enhanced dissipation and diffusivity in the bottommost 50-60 m exceptionally well. In this region, shear-induced mixing dominates and is found to be well-represented by the applied second order turbulence closure models. Farther away from the boundary, however, in the 100-m thick interfacial layer and above the plume-ambient interface, the model does not resolve the observed mixing. The contribution of turbulence from breaking internal waves is one of the processes not represented in the model with significant consequences for observed entrainment and mixing. Regular sub-inertial oscillations (eddies) at 4-4.5 day period develop downstream of the sill, consistent with the observations. When averaged over several eddy events, the evolution of section-averaged plume properties over the oscillation period shows that the eddies significantly affect mixing and the descent rate of the plume. At a section 60 km downstream of the sill, eddies lead to periodic and abrupt cross-isobath descent of the overflow plume and an increase in dissipation rate by one order of magnitude.

CO-RELEASED ADRENALINE MARKEDLY FACILITATES NORADRENALINE OVERFLOW THROUGH PREJUNCTIONAL BETA(2)-ADRENOCEPTORS DURING SWIMMING EXERCISE

NARCIS (Netherlands)

COPPES, RP; SMIT, J; BENTHEM, L; VANDERLEEST, J; ZAAGSMA, J

1995-01-01

The effect of intravenously applied (-)adrenaline, taken up by and released from sympathetic nerves, on swimming exercise-induced noradrenaline overflow in permanently cannulated adrenal demedullated rats was studied. Adrenaline (100 ng/min) was infused for 2 h, during which a plasma concentration

Beyond the evoked/intrinsic neural process dichotomy

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Taylor Bolt

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Contemporary functional neuroimaging research has increasingly focused on characterization of intrinsic or “spontaneous” brain activity. Analysis of intrinsic activity is often contrasted with analysis of task-evoked activity that has traditionally been the focus of cognitive neuroscience. But does this evoked/intrinsic dichotomy adequately characterize human brain function? Based on empirical data demonstrating a close functional interdependence between intrinsic and task-evoked activity, we argue that the dichotomy between intrinsic and task-evoked activity as unobserved contributions to brain activity is artificial. We present an alternative picture of brain function in which the brain’s spatiotemporal dynamics do not consist of separable intrinsic and task-evoked components, but reflect the enaction of a system of mutual constraints to move the brain into and out of task-appropriate functional configurations. According to this alternative picture, cognitive neuroscientists are tasked with describing both the temporal trajectory of brain activity patterns across time, and the modulation of this trajectory by task states, without separating this process into intrinsic and task-evoked components. We argue that this alternative picture of brain function is best captured in a novel explanatory framework called enabling constraint. Overall, these insights call for a reconceptualization of functional brain activity, and should drive future methodological and empirical efforts.

Performance of the OVERFLOW-MLP and LAURA-MLP CFD Codes on the NASA Ames 512 CPU Origin System

Science.gov (United States)

Taft, James R.

2000-01-01

The shared memory Multi-Level Parallelism (MLP) technique, developed last year at NASA Ames has been very successful in dramatically improving the performance of important NASA CFD codes. This new and very simple parallel programming technique was first inserted into the OVERFLOW production CFD code in FY 1998. The OVERFLOW-MLP code's parallel performance scaled linearly to 256 CPUs on the NASA Ames 256 CPU Origin 2000 system (steger). Overall performance exceeded 20.1 GFLOP/s, or about 4.5x the performance of a dedicated 16 CPU C90 system. All of this was achieved without any major modification to the original vector based code. The OVERFLOW-MLP code is now in production on the inhouse Origin systems as well as being used offsite at commercial aerospace companies. Partially as a result of this work, NASA Ames has purchased a new 512 CPU Origin 2000 system to further test the limits of parallel performance for NASA codes of interest. This paper presents the performance obtained from the latest optimization efforts on this machine for the LAURA-MLP and OVERFLOW-MLP codes. The Langley Aerothermodynamics Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA) code is a key simulation tool in the development of the next generation shuttle, interplanetary reentry vehicles, and nearly all "X" plane development. This code sustains about 4-5 GFLOP/s on a dedicated 16 CPU C90. At this rate, expected workloads would require over 100 C90 CPU years of computing over the next few calendar years. It is not feasible to expect that this would be affordable or available to the user community. Dramatic performance gains on cheaper systems are needed. This code is expected to be perhaps the largest consumer of NASA Ames compute cycles per run in the coming year.The OVERFLOW CFD code is extensively used in the government and commercial aerospace communities to evaluate new aircraft designs. It is one of the largest consumers of NASA supercomputing cycles and large simulations of highly resolved full

Recording visual evoked potentials and auditory evoked P300 at 9.4T static magnetic field.

Science.gov (United States)

Arrubla, Jorge; Neuner, Irene; Hahn, David; Boers, Frank; Shah, N Jon

2013-01-01

Simultaneous recording of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has shown a number of advantages that make this multimodal technique superior to fMRI alone. The feasibility of recording EEG at ultra-high static magnetic field up to 9.4 T was recently demonstrated and promises to be implemented soon in fMRI studies at ultra high magnetic fields. Recording visual evoked potentials are expected to be amongst the most simple for simultaneous EEG/fMRI at ultra-high magnetic field due to the easy assessment of the visual cortex. Auditory evoked P300 measurements are of interest since it is believed that they represent the earliest stage of cognitive processing. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of recording visual evoked potentials and auditory evoked P300 in a 9.4 T static magnetic field. For this purpose, EEG data were recorded from 26 healthy volunteers inside a 9.4 T MR scanner using a 32-channel MR compatible EEG system. Visual stimulation and auditory oddball paradigm were presented in order to elicit evoked related potentials (ERP). Recordings made outside the scanner were performed using the same stimuli and EEG system for comparison purposes. We were able to retrieve visual P100 and auditory P300 evoked potentials at 9.4 T static magnetic field after correction of the ballistocardiogram artefact using independent component analysis. The latencies of the ERPs recorded at 9.4 T were not different from those recorded at 0 T. The amplitudes of ERPs were higher at 9.4 T when compared to recordings at 0 T. Nevertheless, it seems that the increased amplitudes of the ERPs are due to the effect of the ultra-high field on the EEG recording system rather than alteration in the intrinsic processes that generate the electrophysiological responses.

[Study on the characteristics of combined sewer overflow from the high density residential area in Shanghai].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, He; Li, Tian

2006-08-01

The urban non-point pollution has become main pollution resource of urban water bodies of Shanghai. Character of combined sewer overflow from watershed SA in Shanghai was studied, and the correlation of influence factors to the EMCs of overflows was discussed. It is found that the EMCs of COD, BOD, SS, NH3-N, TN, TP are 614 mg/L, 208.5 mg/L, 684 mg/L, 17.6 mg/L, 29.8 mg/L, 3.0 mg/L respectively, and the values obtained herein are much higher than the documented data from other countries. From the probability plot of the EMCs, it is found that the BOD has the best fitness for lognormal distribution; and correlation between the EMCs of COD, SS and the ratio of antecedent dry weather time to rain duration is quite good.

EMISSION OF POLLUTANTS FROM COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS IN THE ASPECT OF THEIR IMPACT ON A RECEIVER

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Agnieszka Brzezińska

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Increased efficiency of wastewater treatment highlights the role of combined sewer overflows in deterioration the quality of water receiver because pollutant loads discharged by them have a growing share in entire load discharged into a receiver. The article contains the results of the wastewater quality analyzes emitted into the receiver from the three studied combined sewer overflows of the city of Lodz. The results demonstrated a large variations in the pollutant concentration directed to the receiver during rain events. The possible impact of untreated wastewater emitted to the receiver is also presented. Apart from the pollution of the receiver, mainly by organic and nutrient substances, the microbiological contamination which is dangerous for people using the river as a recreation area and for animals that use a water receiver as a source of drinking water, should be taken into particular attention.

Normalization of auditory evoked potential and visual evoked potential in patients with idiot savant.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, X; Zhang, M; Wang, J; Lou, F; Liang, J

1999-03-01

To investigate the variations of auditory evoked potentials (AEP) and visual evoked potentials (VEP) of patients with idiot savant (IS) syndrome. Both AEP and VEP were recorded from 7 patients with IS syndrome, 21 mentally retarded (MR) children without the syndrome and 21 normally age-matched controls, using a Dantec concerto SEEG-16 BEAM instrument. Both AEP and VEP of MR group showed significantly longer latencies (P1 and P2 latencies of AEP, P savant syndrome presented normalized AEP and VEP.

Visually Evoked Spiking Evolves While Spontaneous Ongoing Dynamics Persist

Science.gov (United States)

Huys, Raoul; Jirsa, Viktor K.; Darokhan, Ziauddin; Valentiniene, Sonata; Roland, Per E.

2016-01-01

Neurons in the primary visual cortex spontaneously spike even when there are no visual stimuli. It is unknown whether the spiking evoked by visual stimuli is just a modification of the spontaneous ongoing cortical spiking dynamics or whether the spontaneous spiking state disappears and is replaced by evoked spiking. This study of laminar recordings of spontaneous spiking and visually evoked spiking of neurons in the ferret primary visual cortex shows that the spiking dynamics does not change: the spontaneous spiking as well as evoked spiking is controlled by a stable and persisting fixed point attractor. Its existence guarantees that evoked spiking return to the spontaneous state. However, the spontaneous ongoing spiking state and the visual evoked spiking states are qualitatively different and are separated by a threshold (separatrix). The functional advantage of this organization is that it avoids the need for a system reorganization following visual stimulation, and impedes the transition of spontaneous spiking to evoked spiking and the propagation of spontaneous spiking from layer 4 to layers 2–3. PMID:26778982

Fukushima overflowed by radioactive waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mulot, Rachel

2013-01-01

As Tepco admitted, after two years of denial, that it was unable to stop radioactive water leakages from the Fukushima plant towards the ocean, this article briefly describes the problems faced regarding this issue. Pumping, storage and decontamination systems are not large enough to cope with waters which are oozing from the underground. Storage means are insufficient. The article evokes the various undertaken actions and works, as well as some more or less realistic projects (a costly and not sure creation of an underground cryogenic barrier). Another worrying issue is finally outlined: the quantity of released caesium 137 has not been published

Data Collision Prevention with Overflow Hashing Technique in Closed Hash Searching Process

Science.gov (United States)

Rahim, Robbi; Nurjamiyah; Rafika Dewi, Arie

2017-12-01

Hash search is a method that can be used for various search processes such as search engines, sorting, machine learning, neural network and so on, in the search process the possibility of collision data can happen and to prevent the occurrence of collision can be done in several ways one of them is to use Overflow technique, the use of this technique perform with varying length of data and this technique can prevent the occurrence of data collisions.

Brain-immune interaction accompanying odor-evoked autobiographic memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsunaga, Masahiro; Bai, Yu; Yamakawa, Kaori; Toyama, Asako; Kashiwagi, Mitsuyoshi; Fukuda, Kazuyuki; Oshida, Akiko; Sanada, Kazue; Fukuyama, Seisuke; Shinoda, Jun; Yamada, Jitsuhiro; Sadato, Norihiro; Ohira, Hideki

2013-01-01

The phenomenon in which a certain smell evokes a specific memory is known as the Proust phenomenon. Odor-evoked autobiographic memories are more emotional than those elicited by other sensory stimuli. The results of our previous study indicated that odor-evoked autobiographic memory accompanied by positive emotions has remarkable effects on various psychological and physiological activities, including the secretion of cytokines, which are immune-signaling molecules that modulate systemic inflammation. In this study, we aimed to clarify the neural substrates associated with the interaction between odor-evoked autobiographic memory and peripheral circulating cytokines. We recruited healthy male and female volunteers and investigated the association between brain responses and the concentration of several cytokines in the plasma by using positron emission tomography (PET) recordings when an autographic memory was evoked in participants by asking them to smell an odor that was nostalgic to them. Participants experienced positive emotions and autobiographic memories when nostalgic odors were presented to them. The levels of peripheral proinflammatory cytokines, such as the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), were significantly reduced after experiencing odor-evoked autobiographic memory. Subtraction analysis of PET images indicated that the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) and precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) were significantly activated during experiences of odor-evoked autobiographic memory. Furthermore, a correlation analysis indicated that activities of the mOFC and precuneus/PCC were negatively correlated with IFN-γ concentration. These results indicate that the neural networks including the precuneus/PCC and mOFC might regulate the secretion of peripheral proinflammatory cytokines during the experience of odor-evoked autobiographic memories accompanied with positive emotions.

Brain–Immune Interaction Accompanying Odor-Evoked Autobiographic Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Matsunaga, Masahiro; Bai, Yu; Yamakawa, Kaori; Toyama, Asako; Kashiwagi, Mitsuyoshi; Fukuda, Kazuyuki; Oshida, Akiko; Sanada, Kazue; Fukuyama, Seisuke; Shinoda, Jun; Yamada, Jitsuhiro; Sadato, Norihiro; Ohira, Hideki

2013-01-01

The phenomenon in which a certain smell evokes a specific memory is known as the Proust phenomenon. Odor-evoked autobiographic memories are more emotional than those elicited by other sensory stimuli. The results of our previous study indicated that odor-evoked autobiographic memory accompanied by positive emotions has remarkable effects on various psychological and physiological activities, including the secretion of cytokines, which are immune-signaling molecules that modulate systemic inflammation. In this study, we aimed to clarify the neural substrates associated with the interaction between odor-evoked autobiographic memory and peripheral circulating cytokines. We recruited healthy male and female volunteers and investigated the association between brain responses and the concentration of several cytokines in the plasma by using positron emission tomography (PET) recordings when an autographic memory was evoked in participants by asking them to smell an odor that was nostalgic to them. Participants experienced positive emotions and autobiographic memories when nostalgic odors were presented to them. The levels of peripheral proinflammatory cytokines, such as the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), were significantly reduced after experiencing odor-evoked autobiographic memory. Subtraction analysis of PET images indicated that the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) and precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) were significantly activated during experiences of odor-evoked autobiographic memory. Furthermore, a correlation analysis indicated that activities of the mOFC and precuneus/PCC were negatively correlated with IFN-γ concentration. These results indicate that the neural networks including the precuneus/PCC and mOFC might regulate the secretion of peripheral proinflammatory cytokines during the experience of odor-evoked autobiographic memories accompanied with positive emotions. PMID:23977312

Brain-immune interaction accompanying odor-evoked autobiographic memory.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masahiro Matsunaga

Full Text Available The phenomenon in which a certain smell evokes a specific memory is known as the Proust phenomenon. Odor-evoked autobiographic memories are more emotional than those elicited by other sensory stimuli. The results of our previous study indicated that odor-evoked autobiographic memory accompanied by positive emotions has remarkable effects on various psychological and physiological activities, including the secretion of cytokines, which are immune-signaling molecules that modulate systemic inflammation. In this study, we aimed to clarify the neural substrates associated with the interaction between odor-evoked autobiographic memory and peripheral circulating cytokines. We recruited healthy male and female volunteers and investigated the association between brain responses and the concentration of several cytokines in the plasma by using positron emission tomography (PET recordings when an autographic memory was evoked in participants by asking them to smell an odor that was nostalgic to them. Participants experienced positive emotions and autobiographic memories when nostalgic odors were presented to them. The levels of peripheral proinflammatory cytokines, such as the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α and interferon-γ (IFN-γ, were significantly reduced after experiencing odor-evoked autobiographic memory. Subtraction analysis of PET images indicated that the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC and precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC were significantly activated during experiences of odor-evoked autobiographic memory. Furthermore, a correlation analysis indicated that activities of the mOFC and precuneus/PCC were negatively correlated with IFN-γ concentration. These results indicate that the neural networks including the precuneus/PCC and mOFC might regulate the secretion of peripheral proinflammatory cytokines during the experience of odor-evoked autobiographic memories accompanied with positive emotions.

A software-based sensor for combined sewer overflows.

Science.gov (United States)

Leonhardt, G; Fach, S; Engelhard, C; Kinzel, H; Rauch, W

2012-01-01

A new methodology for online estimation of excess flow from combined sewer overflow (CSO) structures based on simulation models is presented. If sufficient flow and water level data from the sewer system is available, no rainfall data are needed to run the model. An inverse rainfall-runoff model was developed to simulate net rainfall based on flow and water level data. Excess flow at all CSO structures in a catchment can then be simulated with a rainfall-runoff model. The method is applied to a case study and results show that the inverse rainfall-runoff model can be used instead of missing rain gauges. Online operation is ensured by software providing an interface to the SCADA-system of the operator and controlling the model. A water quality model could be included to simulate also pollutant concentrations in the excess flow.

Correlations in Output and Overflow Traffic Processes in Simple Queues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Don McNickle

2007-01-01

Full Text Available We consider some simple Markov and Erlang queues with limited storage space. Although the departure processes from some such systems are known to be Poisson, they actually consist of the superposition of two complex correlated processes, the overflow process and the output process. We measure the cross-correlation between the counting processes for these two processes. It turns out that this can be positive, negative, or even zero (without implying independence. The models suggest some general principles on how big these correlations are, and when they are important. This may suggest when renewal or moment approximations to similar processes will be successful, and when they will not.

The rare DAT coding variant Val559 perturbs DA neuron function, changes behavior, and alters in vivo responses to psychostimulants.

Science.gov (United States)

Mergy, Marc A; Gowrishankar, Raajaram; Gresch, Paul J; Gantz, Stephanie C; Williams, John; Davis, Gwynne L; Wheeler, C Austin; Stanwood, Gregg D; Hahn, Maureen K; Blakely, Randy D

2014-11-04

Despite the critical role of the presynaptic dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT, SLC6A3) in DA clearance and psychostimulant responses, evidence that DAT dysfunction supports risk for mental illness is indirect. Recently, we identified a rare, nonsynonymous Slc6a3 variant that produces the DAT substitution Ala559Val in two male siblings who share a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with other studies identifying the variant in subjects with bipolar disorder (BPD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previously, using transfected cell studies, we observed that although DAT Val559 displays normal total and surface DAT protein levels, and normal DA recognition and uptake, the variant transporter exhibits anomalous DA efflux (ADE) and lacks capacity for amphetamine (AMPH)-stimulated DA release. To pursue the significance of these findings in vivo, we engineered DAT Val559 knock-in mice, and here we demonstrate in this model the presence of elevated extracellular DA levels, altered somatodendritic and presynaptic D2 DA receptor (D2R) function, a blunted ability of DA terminals to support depolarization and AMPH-evoked DA release, and disruptions in basal and psychostimulant-evoked locomotor behavior. Together, our studies demonstrate an in vivo functional impact of the DAT Val559 variant, providing support for the ability of DAT dysfunction to impact risk for mental illness.

Protein kinase C and α 2-adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of noradrenaline release from the rat tail artery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bucher, B.; Neuburger, J.; Illes, P.

1991-01-01

In isolated rat tail arteries preincubated with [3H]noradrenaline, electrical field stimulation evoked the overflow of tritium. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a protein kinase C (PKC) activating phorbol ester, time-dependently increased the overflow at 1 mumol/L but not at 0.1 mumol/L. In contrast, the overflow was not altered by phorbol 13-acetate (PA, 1 mumol/L), which does not influence the activity of PKC. Polymyxin B (70 mumol/L), an inhibitor of PKC, depressed the overflow when given alone and, in addition, attenuated the effect of PMA, 1 mumol/L. The selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist B-HT 933 depressed the overflow; PMA, 1 mumol/L, did not interfere with the effect of B-HT 933, 10 mumol/L. The results provide evidence for the participation of prejunctionally located PKC in the release of noradrenaline. However, PKC does not seem to be involved in the alpha 2-adrenoceptor-agonist-mediated inhibition of noradrenaline release

Stack Overflow Considered Harmful? The Impact of Copy&Paste on Android Application Security

OpenAIRE

Fischer, Felix; Böttinger, Konstantin; Xiao, Huang; Stransky, Christian; Acar, Yasemin; Backes, Michael; Fahl, Sascha

2017-01-01

Online programming discussion platforms such as Stack Overflow serve as a rich source of information for software developers. Available information include vibrant discussions and oftentimes ready-to-use code snippets. Anecdotes report that software developers copy and paste code snippets from those information sources for convenience reasons. Such behavior results in a constant flow of community-provided code snippets into production software. To date, the impact of this behaviour on code se...

76 FR 35215 - Notice of EPA Workshop on Sanitary Sewer Overflows and Peak Wet Weather Discharges

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-16

... maintained sanitary sewer systems are meant to collect and transport all of the sewage that flows into them... sewage from these overflows can contaminate our waters, causing serious water quality problems. It can... influent flows to exceed the treatment capacity of existing secondary treatment units. Known as ``peak...

Towards a neural basis of music-evoked emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Koelsch, Stefan

2010-03-01

Music is capable of evoking exceptionally strong emotions and of reliably affecting the mood of individuals. Functional neuroimaging and lesion studies show that music-evoked emotions can modulate activity in virtually all limbic and paralimbic brain structures. These structures are crucially involved in the initiation, generation, detection, maintenance, regulation and termination of emotions that have survival value for the individual and the species. Therefore, at least some music-evoked emotions involve the very core of evolutionarily adaptive neuroaffective mechanisms. Because dysfunctions in these structures are related to emotional disorders, a better understanding of music-evoked emotions and their neural correlates can lead to a more systematic and effective use of music in therapy. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The uptake and overflow of radiolabelled β-adrenoceptor blocking agents by the isolated vas deferens of the rat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, M.J.

1977-01-01

A comparison of uptake into and overflow from the isolated vas deferens of the rat has been made between [ 3 H]-noradrenaline ([ 3 H]-NA), [ 14 C]-D-sorbitol and three radio-labelled β-adrenoceptor blocking agents, [ 14 C]-practolol, [ 14 C]-(+-)-propranolol and [ 3 H]-penbutolol. The accumulation of [ 3 H]-NA after 30 min incubation was reduced by desmethylimipramine (DMI) 1 x 10 -8 M and was also reduced in vasa from rats pretreated with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). This was not so with [ 14 C]-D-sorbitol. 6-OHDA pretreatment of the rats reduced the uptake of [ 3 H]-penbutolol after 30 min incubation but not that of [ 14 C]-propranolol or [ 14 C]-practolol. DMI 1 x 10 -8 M did not alter the tissue uptake of [ 14 C]-propanolol, [ 14 C]-practolol or [ 3 H]-penbutolol. Electrical stimulation of vasa preloaded with [ 3 H]-NA caused a significantly greater increase in [ 3 H]-NA overflow than during the resting, unstimulated periods. No such increase in overflow was observed with [ 14 C]-sorbitol or any of the three β-adrenoceptor blocking agents used. The β-adrenoceptor blocking agent penbutolol was shown to possess adrenergic neurone blocking activity in the isolated vas deferens of the rat. It is concluded that any effect that practolol or (+-)-propranolol have on noradrenergic neurones is brought about without the need for these drugs to gain access to the interior of the neurone. (author)

Drag Prediction for the NASA CRM Wing-Body-Tail Using CFL3D and OVERFLOW on an Overset Mesh

Science.gov (United States)

Sclafani, Anthony J.; DeHaan, Mark A.; Vassberg, John C.; Rumsey, Christopher L.; Pulliam, Thomas H.

2010-01-01

In response to the fourth AIAA CFD Drag Prediction Workshop (DPW-IV), the NASA Common Research Model (CRM) wing-body and wing-body-tail configurations are analyzed using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) flow solvers CFL3D and OVERFLOW. Two families of structured, overset grids are built for DPW-IV. Grid Family 1 (GF1) consists of a coarse (7.2 million), medium (16.9 million), fine (56.5 million), and extra-fine (189.4 million) mesh. Grid Family 2 (GF2) is an extension of the first and includes a superfine (714.2 million) and an ultra-fine (2.4 billion) mesh. The medium grid anchors both families with an established build process for accurate cruise drag prediction studies. This base mesh is coarsened and enhanced to form a set of parametrically equivalent grids that increase in size by a factor of roughly 3.4 from one level to the next denser level. Both CFL3D and OVERFLOW are run on GF1 using a consistent numerical approach. Additional OVERFLOW runs are made to study effects of differencing scheme and turbulence model on GF1 and to obtain results for GF2. All CFD results are post-processed using Richardson extrapolation, and approximate grid-converged values of drag are compared. The medium grid is also used to compute a trimmed drag polar for both codes.

Skin denervation does not alter cortical potentials to surface concentric electrode stimulation: A comparison with laser evoked potentials and contact heat evoked potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

La Cesa, S; Di Stefano, G; Leone, C; Pepe, A; Galosi, E; Alu, F; Fasolino, A; Cruccu, G; Valeriani, M; Truini, A

2018-01-01

In the neurophysiological assessment of patients with neuropathic pain, laser evoked potentials (LEPs), contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) and the evoked potentials by the intraepidermal electrical stimulation via concentric needle electrode are widely agreed as nociceptive specific responses; conversely, the nociceptive specificity of evoked potentials by surface concentric electrode (SE-PREPs) is still debated. In this neurophysiological study we aimed at verifying the nociceptive specificity of SE-PREPs. We recorded LEPs, CHEPs and SE-PREPs in eleven healthy participants, before and after epidermal denervation produced by prolonged capsaicin application. We also used skin biopsy to verify the capsaicin-induced nociceptive nerve fibre loss in the epidermis. We found that whereas LEPs and CHEPs were suppressed after capsaicin-induced epidermal denervation, the surface concentric electrode stimulation of the same denervated skin area yielded unchanged SE-PREPs. The suppression of LEPs and CHEPs after nociceptive nerve fibre loss in the epidermis indicates that these techniques are selectively mediated by nociceptive system. Conversely, the lack of SE-PREP changes suggests that SE-PREPs do not provide selective information on nociceptive system function. Capsaicin-induced epidermal denervation abolishes laser evoked potentials (LEPs) and contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs), but leaves unaffected pain-related evoked potentials by surface concentric electrode (SE-PREPs). These findings suggest that unlike LEPs and CHEPs, SE-PREPs are not selectively mediated by nociceptive system. © 2017 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential in HIV-Positive Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Matas, Carla Gentile; Samelli, Alessandra Giannella; Angrisani, Rosanna Giaffredo; Magliaro, Fernanda Cristina Leite; Segurado, Aluísio C

2015-10-20

To characterize the findings of brainstem auditory evoked potential in HIV-positive individuals exposed and not exposed to antiretroviral treatment. This research was a cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study. Forty-five HIV-positive individuals (18 not exposed and 27 exposed to the antiretroviral treatment - research groups I and II, respectively - and 30 control group individuals) were assessed through brainstem auditory evoked potential. There were no significant between-group differences regarding wave latencies. A higher percentage of altered brainstem auditory evoked potential was observed in the HIV-positive groups when compared to the control group. The most common alteration was in the low brainstem. HIV-positive individuals have a higher percentage of altered brainstem auditory evoked potential that suggests central auditory pathway impairment when compared to HIV-negative individuals. There was no significant difference between individuals exposed and not exposed to antiretroviral treatment.

Psychological and physiological responses to odor-evoked autobiographic memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsunaga, Masahiro; Isowa, Tokiko; Yamakawa, Kaori; Kawanishi, Yoko; Tsuboi, Hirohito; Kaneko, Hiroshi; Sadato, Norihiro; Oshida, Akiko; Katayama, Atsushi; Kashiwagi, Mitsuyoshi; Ohira, Hideki

2011-01-01

The "Proust phenomenon" occurs when a certain smell evokes a specific memory. Recent studies have demonstrated that odor-evoked autobiographic memories are more emotional than those elicited by other sensory stimuli because of the direct neural communication between the olfactory system and the amygdala. The amygdala is known to regulate various physiological activities including the endocrine and immune systems; therefore, odor-evoked autobiographic memory may trigger various psychological and physiological responses; however, the responses elicited by this memory remains obscure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the psychological and physiological responses accompanying odor-evoked autobiographic memory. We recruited healthy male and female volunteers and investigated changes in their mood states and autonomic nervous, endocrine, and immune activities when autobiographic memory was evoked in the participants by asking them to smell an odor(s) that was nostalgic to them. The autobiographic memories associated with positive emotion resulted in increased positive mood states, such as comfort and happiness, and decreased negative mood states, such as anxiety. Furthermore, heart rate was decreased, skin-conductance level was increased, and peripheral interleukin-2 level was decreased after smelling the nostalgic odor. These psychological and physiological responses were significantly correlated. The present study suggests that odor-evoked autobiographic memory along with a positive feeling induce various physiological responses, including the autonomic nervous and immune activities. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to observe an interaction between odor-evoked autobiographic memories and immune function.

Evoked acoustic emission

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elberling, C; Parbo, J; Johnsen, N J

1985-01-01

Stimulated acoustic emissions were recorded in response to tonal stimuli at 60 dB p.e. SPL in a small group of normal-hearing adults. Power spectral analysis reveals that the evoked activity from each ear contains energy in preferential frequency bands and the change of stimulus frequency has only...

Chemical disinfection of combined sewer overflow waters using performic acid or peracetic acids

OpenAIRE

Chhetri, Ravi Kumar; Thornberg, Dines; Berner, Jesper; Gramstad, Robin; Öjstedt, Ulrik; Sharma, Anitha Kumari; Andersen, Henrik Rasmus

2014-01-01

We investigated the possibility of applying performic acid (PFA) and peracetic acid (PAA) for disinfection of combined sewer overflow (CSO) in existing CSO management infrastructures. The disinfection power of PFA and PAA towards Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus was studied in batch-scale and pre-field experiments. In the batch-scale experiment, 2.5 mg L− 1 PAA removed approximately 4 log unit of E. coli and Enterococcus from CSO with a 360 min contact time. The removal of E. coli ...

Management of sewer overflow structure in the FRG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leymann, G.

1987-01-01

Due to the geological morphology of the south and west of Germany, combined sewer systems are used to drain sewage and rain water in urban areas. In this system, industrial and domestic sewage as well as rain water flowing off areas with sealed surfaces are discharged into one pipe. Size and structure of this sewer system are designed to fulfil the criterium, that the total amount of water, stemming from rain events of an intensity not to be exceeded more than once a year, can be drained without flooding any part of the area considered. In the past, construction costs were reduced by building overflow structures at suitable sites; these structures discharge a volume of water exceeding five times the amount of water produced during dry weather in a most directly way in the outlet channel. In the sewage treatment plant, only two fifths of this remaining water volume was treated mechanically and biologically. Three fifths were discharged into the natural waters after mechanical treatment only

Performance Implications of Buffer Overflow as a Key (Disturbing) Element in the Flow Control of a Job/Flow Shop Facility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Erland Hejn

2002-01-01

From time to time most real life job/flow shops will experience more or less severe buffer problems in relation to the operation at its various stations in the shop. Due to temporary non-predictable variations in the job flow intensity the assigned buffer space in front of a given critical station...... to temporary buffer overflow situations. This paper will investigate the impact of buffer overflow on several key performance measures of relevance to the overall operation of a job/flow shop facility. Several simple job/flow shop structures will be considered in this paper including re-entrant system set......-ups (a re-entrant system is a system where some of the job-routes revisit a given station more than once)....

Performance Implications of Buffer overflow as a key (Disturbing) Element in the Flow Control of a Job/Flow Shop Facility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Erland Hejn

2002-01-01

From time to time most real life job/flow shops will experience more or less severe buffer problems in relation to the operation at its various stations in the shop. Due to temporary non-predictable variations in the job flow intensity the assigned buffer space in front of a given critical station...... to temporary buffer overflow situations. This paper will investigate the impact of buffer overflow on several key performance measures of relevance to the overall operation of a job/flow shop facility. Several simple job/flow shop structures will be considered in this paper including re-entrant system set......-ups (a re-entrant system is a system where some of the job-routes revisit a given station more than once)....

Brainstem evoked potentials in infantile spasms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyazaki, Masahito; Hashimoto, Toshiaki; Murakawa, Kazuyoshi; Tayama, Masanobu; Kuroda, Yasuhiro

1992-01-01

In ten patients with infantile spasms, brainstem evoked potentials and MRI examinations were performed to evaluate the brainstem involvement. The result of short latency somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) following the right median nerve stimulation revealed abnormal findings including the absence or low amplitudes of the waves below wave P3 and delayed central conduction time in 7 of the ten patients. The result of auditory brainstem responses (ABR) revealed abnormal findings including low amplitudes of wave V, prolonged interpeak latency of waves I-V and absence of the waves below wave IV in 5 of the ten patients. The result of the MRI examinations revealed various degrees of the brainstem atrophy in 6 of the ten patients, all of whom showed abnormal brainstem evoked potentials. The result of this study demonstrates that patients with infantile spasms are frequently associated with brainstem dysfunction and raises the possibility that brainstem atrophy might be a cause of infantile spasms. (author)

Can visual evoked potentials be used in biometric identification?

Science.gov (United States)

Power, Alan J; Lalor, Edmund C; Reilly, Richard B

2006-01-01

Due to known differences in the anatomical structure of the visual pathways and generators in different individuals, the use of visual evoked potentials offers the possibility of an alternative to existing biometrics methods. A study based on visual evoked potentials from 13 individuals was carried out to assess the best combination of temporal, spectral and AR modeling features to realize a robust biometric. From the results it can be concluded that visual evoked potentials show considerable biometric qualities, with classification accuracies reaching a high of 86.54% and that a specific temporal and spectral combination was found to be optimal. Based on these results the visual evoked potential may be a useful tool in biometric identification when used in conjunction with more established biometric methods.

Micropollutants in stormwater runoff and combined sewer overflow in the Copenhagen area, Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Birch, Heidi; Mikkelsen, Peter Steen; Jensen, J.K.

2011-01-01

Stormwater runoff contains a broad range of micropollutants. In Europe a number of these substances are regulated through the Water Framework Directive, which establishes Environmental Quality Standards (EQSs) for surface waters. Knowledge about discharge of these substances through stormwater...... runoff and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) is essential to ensure compliance with the EQSs. Results from a screening campaign including more than 50 substances at four stormwater discharge locations and one CSO in Copenhagen are reported here. Heavy metal concentrations were detected at levels similar...

Potencial evocado miogênico vestibular a baixas frequências de estimulação Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials using low frequency stimuli

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aline Cabral de Oliveira

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Os potenciais evocados miogênicos vestibulares são reflexos vestíbulo-cervicais, decorrentes da estimulação do sáculo com sons de forte intensidade. São necessários parâmetros de normalidade para indivíduos jovens normais, utilizando-se estímulos a baixas frequências, as quais configuram a região de maior sensibilidade desse órgão sensorial. OBJETIVO: Realizar normatização do potencial evocado miogênico vestibular para baixas frequências de estimulação. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Captou-se o potencial evocado miogênico vestibular em 160 orelhas, no músculo esternocleidomastoideo, de forma ipsilateral, por meio da promediação de 200 tone bursts, frequência de 250 Hz, intensidade de 95 dB NAn. FORMA DE ESTUDO: Estudo de coorte contemporânea com corte transversal. RESULTADOS: Aplicando-se o teste T de Student ou o Teste de Mann-Whitney, não foi constatada diferença significativa para parâmetros do potencial evocado miogênico vestibular entre os gêneros, para p Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials are vestibulocervical reflexes resulting from sacculus stimulation with strong intensity sounds. Normality parameters are necessary for young normal individuals, using low frequency stimuli, which configure the most sensitive region of this sensory organ. AIM: To establish vestibular evoked myogenic potential standards for low frequency stimulation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Vestibular evoked myogenic potential was captured from 160 ears, in the ipsilateral sternocleidomastoid muscle, using 200 averaged tone-burst stimuli, at 250 Hz, with an intensity of 95 dB NAn. CASE STUDY: Clinical observational cross-sectional. RESULTS: Neither the student's t-test nor the Mann-Whitney test showed a significant difference in latency or vestibular evoked myogenic potential amplitudes, for p <; 0.05. Irrespective of gender, we found latencies of p13-n23 and p13-n23 interpeaks of 13.84 ms (± 1.41, 23.81 ms (±1.99 and 10.62 ms (± 6.56, respectively

Binaural interaction in auditory evoked potentials: Brainstem, middle- and long-latency components

OpenAIRE

McPherson, DL; Starr, A

1993-01-01

Binaural interaction occurs in the auditory evoked potentials when the sum of the monaural auditory evoked potentials are not equivalent to the binaural evoked auditory potentials. Binaural interaction of the early- (0-10 ms), middle- (10-50 ms) and long-latency (50-200 ms) auditory evoked potentials was studied in 17 normal young adults. For the early components, binaural interaction was maximal at 7.35 ms accounting for a reduction of 21% of the amplitude of the binaural evoked potentials. ...

Geochemical distribution and mobility of heavy metals in sediments of urban streams affected by combined sewer overflows

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hnaťuková, Petra

2011-01-01

Roč. 59, č. 2 (2011), s. 85-94 ISSN 0042-790X R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA200600902 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20600510 Keywords : sediments * heavy metals * urban streams * sequential extraction * combined sewer overflows Subject RIV: BK - Fluid Dynamics Impact factor: 0.340, year: 2011

Sewerage systems: Overflow problems and renovation methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanttu, Unto [Plancenter Ltd. (Finland)

1987-12-15

Total investments in Finland (1984) spent on sewer systems were roughly FIM 590 million. A big share, about 14 % of this sum (FIM 82 million), was spent on rehabilitation of networks. But is this still enough? According to some evaluations the respective amount should be about FIM 500 million for rehabilitation only. So the question, how to keep the performance of sewer networks satisfactory in the future, is really important. The overflow problem is one of the most serious problems caused by old and improperly working sewer systems. Anyhow, several other aspects of a poor condition of sewers are to be seen: - excess hydraulic loading of treatment plants, - normal maintenance and operation (flushing, opening of clogs) increases, and is more expensive, - unexpected renovation works and interruptions in operation cause e.g. troubles in traffic, odour problems in the environment, hygienic hazards etc., - the performance of other underground networks (water pipes, district heating pipes etc.) may be threatened by earth crushings due to old sewers. In this paper a short description of these items is presented as well as a description of the sewer renovation methods used recently in Finland.

Slow cortical evoked potentials after noise exposure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

von Wedel, H; Opitz, H J

1979-07-01

Human cortical evoked potentials under conditions of stimuation are registrated in the post-stimulatory phase of a five minutes lasting equally masking white noise (90 dB HL). Changes of the evoked potentials during adaptation, possible analogy with high tone losses after noise representation and the origin of tinnitus are examined. Stimulation was started 3 sec after the off-effect of the noise. For five minutes periodically tone bursts were represented. Each train of stimulation consists of tone bursts of three frequencies: 2 kcs, 4 kcs, 8 kcs. The 0.5 sec lasting tones were separated by pauses of 2 sec. During the experiment stimulation and analysis were controlled by a computer. Changes in latency and amplitudes of the cortical evoked potentials were registered. Changes of the adaptation patterns as a function of the poststimulatory time are discussed.

The Paradox of Music-Evoked Sadness: An Online Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Taruffi, Liila; Koelsch, Stefan

2014-01-01

This study explores listeners’ experience of music-evoked sadness. Sadness is typically assumed to be undesirable and is therefore usually avoided in everyday life. Yet the question remains: Why do people seek and appreciate sadness in music? We present findings from an online survey with both Western and Eastern participants (N = 772). The survey investigates the rewarding aspects of music-evoked sadness, as well as the relative contribution of listener characteristics and situational factors to the appreciation of sad music. The survey also examines the different principles through which sadness is evoked by music, and their interaction with personality traits. Results show 4 different rewards of music-evoked sadness: reward of imagination, emotion regulation, empathy, and no “real-life” implications. Moreover, appreciation of sad music follows a mood-congruent fashion and is greater among individuals with high empathy and low emotional stability. Surprisingly, nostalgia rather than sadness is the most frequent emotion evoked by sad music. Correspondingly, memory was rated as the most important principle through which sadness is evoked. Finally, the trait empathy contributes to the evocation of sadness via contagion, appraisal, and by engaging social functions. The present findings indicate that emotional responses to sad music are multifaceted, are modulated by empathy, and are linked with a multidimensional experience of pleasure. These results were corroborated by a follow-up survey on happy music, which indicated differences between the emotional experiences resulting from listening to sad versus happy music. This is the first comprehensive survey of music-evoked sadness, revealing that listening to sad music can lead to beneficial emotional effects such as regulation of negative emotion and mood as well as consolation. Such beneficial emotional effects constitute the prime motivations for engaging with sad music in everyday life. PMID:25330315

The paradox of music-evoked sadness: an online survey.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liila Taruffi

Full Text Available This study explores listeners' experience of music-evoked sadness. Sadness is typically assumed to be undesirable and is therefore usually avoided in everyday life. Yet the question remains: Why do people seek and appreciate sadness in music? We present findings from an online survey with both Western and Eastern participants (N = 772. The survey investigates the rewarding aspects of music-evoked sadness, as well as the relative contribution of listener characteristics and situational factors to the appreciation of sad music. The survey also examines the different principles through which sadness is evoked by music, and their interaction with personality traits. Results show 4 different rewards of music-evoked sadness: reward of imagination, emotion regulation, empathy, and no "real-life" implications. Moreover, appreciation of sad music follows a mood-congruent fashion and is greater among individuals with high empathy and low emotional stability. Surprisingly, nostalgia rather than sadness is the most frequent emotion evoked by sad music. Correspondingly, memory was rated as the most important principle through which sadness is evoked. Finally, the trait empathy contributes to the evocation of sadness via contagion, appraisal, and by engaging social functions. The present findings indicate that emotional responses to sad music are multifaceted, are modulated by empathy, and are linked with a multidimensional experience of pleasure. These results were corroborated by a follow-up survey on happy music, which indicated differences between the emotional experiences resulting from listening to sad versus happy music. This is the first comprehensive survey of music-evoked sadness, revealing that listening to sad music can lead to beneficial emotional effects such as regulation of negative emotion and mood as well as consolation. Such beneficial emotional effects constitute the prime motivations for engaging with sad music in everyday life.

The paradox of music-evoked sadness: an online survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Taruffi, Liila; Koelsch, Stefan

2014-01-01

This study explores listeners' experience of music-evoked sadness. Sadness is typically assumed to be undesirable and is therefore usually avoided in everyday life. Yet the question remains: Why do people seek and appreciate sadness in music? We present findings from an online survey with both Western and Eastern participants (N = 772). The survey investigates the rewarding aspects of music-evoked sadness, as well as the relative contribution of listener characteristics and situational factors to the appreciation of sad music. The survey also examines the different principles through which sadness is evoked by music, and their interaction with personality traits. Results show 4 different rewards of music-evoked sadness: reward of imagination, emotion regulation, empathy, and no "real-life" implications. Moreover, appreciation of sad music follows a mood-congruent fashion and is greater among individuals with high empathy and low emotional stability. Surprisingly, nostalgia rather than sadness is the most frequent emotion evoked by sad music. Correspondingly, memory was rated as the most important principle through which sadness is evoked. Finally, the trait empathy contributes to the evocation of sadness via contagion, appraisal, and by engaging social functions. The present findings indicate that emotional responses to sad music are multifaceted, are modulated by empathy, and are linked with a multidimensional experience of pleasure. These results were corroborated by a follow-up survey on happy music, which indicated differences between the emotional experiences resulting from listening to sad versus happy music. This is the first comprehensive survey of music-evoked sadness, revealing that listening to sad music can lead to beneficial emotional effects such as regulation of negative emotion and mood as well as consolation. Such beneficial emotional effects constitute the prime motivations for engaging with sad music in everyday life.

Atmospheric forcing of salinity in the overflow of Denmark Strait

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Holfort

2007-09-01

Full Text Available The temporal evolution of the characteristics of Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW is reconstructed using hydrographic data and compared with possible atmospheric forcing mechanisms. It is concluded that the main factor influencing the DSOW characteristics at a time scale of one to several years is the difference in mean sea level pressure across Denmark Strait or, in other words, the wind along Denmark Strait. At these time scales upstream changes in the characteristics of the different water masses involved in the formation of DSOW are only of minor importance. The main process responsible for the observed salinity changes in the DSOW is mixing in Denmark Strait. Triggered by the wind, different water masses contribute with changing amounts to the formation of DSOW, leading to the observed changes in the salinity of DSOW.

Genetic influence demonstrated for MEG-recorded somatosensory evoked responses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van 't Ent, D.; van Soelen, I.L.C.; Stam, K.J.; de Geus, E.J.C.; Boomsma, D.I.

2010-01-01

We tested for a genetic influence on magnetoencephalogram (MEG)-recorded somatosensory evoked fields (SEFs) in 20 monozygotic (MZ) and 14 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. Previous electroencephalogram (EEG) studies that demonstrated a genetic contribution to evoked responses generally focused on

Visually Evoked Spiking Evolves While Spontaneous Ongoing Dynamics Persist

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huys, Raoul; Jirsa, Viktor K; Darokhan, Ziauddin

2016-01-01

attractor. Its existence guarantees that evoked spiking return to the spontaneous state. However, the spontaneous ongoing spiking state and the visual evoked spiking states are qualitatively different and are separated by a threshold (separatrix). The functional advantage of this organization...

Joint angle affects volitional and magnetically-evoked neuromuscular performance differentially.

Science.gov (United States)

Minshull, C; Rees, D; Gleeson, N P

2011-08-01

This study examined the volitional and magnetically-evoked neuromuscular performance of the quadriceps femoris at functional knee joint angles adjacent to full extension. Indices of volitional and magnetically-evoked neuromuscular performance (N=15 healthy males, 23.5 ± 2.9 years, 71.5 ± 5.4 kg, 176.5 ± 5.5 cm) were obtained at 25°, 35° and 45° of knee flexion. Results showed that volitional and magnetically-evoked peak force (PF(V) and P(T)F(E), respectively) and electromechanical delay (EMD(V) and EMD(E), respectively) were enhanced by increased knee flexion. However, greater relative improvements in volitional compared to evoked indices of neuromuscular performance were observed with increasing flexion from 25° to 45° (e.g. EMD(V), EMD(E): 36% vs. 11% improvement, respectively; F([2,14])=6.8, pjoint positions. These findings suggest that the extent of the relative differential between volitional and evoked neuromuscular performance capabilities is joint angle-specific and not correlated with performance capabilities at adjacent angles, but tends to be smaller with increased flexion. As such, effective prediction of volitional from evoked performance capabilities at both analogous and adjacent knee joint positions would lack robustness. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

International Evoked Potentials Symposium

CERN Document Server

1980-01-01

The past decade has seen great progress in the measurement of evoked potentials in man; a steady increase in our understanding of their charac­ teristics, their origins and their usefulness; and a growing application in the field of clinical diagnosis. The topic is a truly multidisciplinary one. Important research contributions have been made by workers of many different backgrounds and clinical applications span the specialities. This book represents a revised and updated version of the work originally presented at the international evoked potential symposium held in Nottingham 4-6 1978. The Nottingham Symposium provided a forum for a state-of-the-art discussion amongst workers from many different disciplines and from many different countries. For each major topic in the field an expert review set the scene for discussion of current research presentations. This format is retained in the book: the chapters in Part A provide the context in which the research presented in Part B is set. The task of selecting m...

Analysis of overflow-induced sloshing in an elestic-wall vessel using physical component BFC method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, D.; Kondo, S. [Univ. of Tokyo (Japan); Takizawa, A. [Toyko Electric Power Company, Yokohama (Japan)

1995-09-01

Newly developed {open_quotes}physical component boundary fitted coordinate (PCBFC) method{close_quotes} is applied to the fluid-structure interaction problems. The applicability was verified through several benchmark problems. Then, 2D experiment on overflow-induced fluid-structure interaction instability was simulated. The computation showed occurrence scope of instability essentially the same as that obtained by experiment. By computations with modified initial and boundary conditions, several basic factors for the occurrence of this instability were obtained.

Cortical evoked potentials to an auditory illusion: binaural beats.

Science.gov (United States)

Pratt, Hillel; Starr, Arnold; Michalewski, Henry J; Dimitrijevic, Andrew; Bleich, Naomi; Mittelman, Nomi

2009-08-01

To define brain activity corresponding to an auditory illusion of 3 and 6Hz binaural beats in 250Hz or 1000Hz base frequencies, and compare it to the sound onset response. Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded in response to unmodulated tones of 250 or 1000Hz to one ear and 3 or 6Hz higher to the other, creating an illusion of amplitude modulations (beats) of 3Hz and 6Hz, in base frequencies of 250Hz and 1000Hz. Tones were 2000ms in duration and presented with approximately 1s intervals. Latency, amplitude and source current density estimates of ERP components to tone onset and subsequent beats-evoked oscillations were determined and compared across beat frequencies with both base frequencies. All stimuli evoked tone-onset P(50), N(100) and P(200) components followed by oscillations corresponding to the beat frequency, and a subsequent tone-offset complex. Beats-evoked oscillations were higher in amplitude with the low base frequency and to the low beat frequency. Sources of the beats-evoked oscillations across all stimulus conditions located mostly to left lateral and inferior temporal lobe areas in all stimulus conditions. Onset-evoked components were not different across stimulus conditions; P(50) had significantly different sources than the beats-evoked oscillations; and N(100) and P(200) sources located to the same temporal lobe regions as beats-evoked oscillations, but were bilateral and also included frontal and parietal contributions. Neural activity with slightly different volley frequencies from left and right ear converges and interacts in the central auditory brainstem pathways to generate beats of neural activity to modulate activities in the left temporal lobe, giving rise to the illusion of binaural beats. Cortical potentials recorded to binaural beats are distinct from onset responses. Brain activity corresponding to an auditory illusion of low frequency beats can be recorded from the scalp.

Brain correlates of music-evoked emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Koelsch, Stefan

2014-03-01

Music is a universal feature of human societies, partly owing to its power to evoke strong emotions and influence moods. During the past decade, the investigation of the neural correlates of music-evoked emotions has been invaluable for the understanding of human emotion. Functional neuroimaging studies on music and emotion show that music can modulate activity in brain structures that are known to be crucially involved in emotion, such as the amygdala, nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus, hippocampus, insula, cingulate cortex and orbitofrontal cortex. The potential of music to modulate activity in these structures has important implications for the use of music in the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.

An inventory and update of jealousy-evoking partner behaviours in modern society.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, Pieternel; Barelds, Dick P. H.; Groothof, Hinke A. K.

2010-01-01

The goal of the present study was to identify the most important jealousy-evoking partner behaviours and to examine the extent to which these behaviours evoke jealousy. Based on the literature, a questionnaire was constructed containing 42 jealousy-evoking partner behaviours, including a partner's

Desbordando el género y el sexo=Overflowing Gender and Sex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Truzzoli

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Resumen Ni el género ni la sexualidad se dejan encorsetar dentro de unas normas que informan cómo deben ser y actuar hombres y mujeres para ser reconocidos socialmente como normales. Tanto el género como el sexo son susceptibles de desbordamiento de dichos encuadres rígidos, porque tal desbordamiento responde a lo real vivenciado por cualquier hombre o mujer. Las normas son un constructo artificial que no responde a la auténtica identidad genérica y sexual de cada sujeto, que es mucho más compleja que el reduccionismo monolítico que quiere demarcar la diferencia entre masculino y femenino. Dicha separación tan tajante no puede explicar la coexistencia de ambas características en un mismo sujeto ni las pretensiones de los transgéneros de ser considerados con una identidad que desmiente su sexo biológico, ni la angustia de los transexuales convencidos de estar atrapados en un cuerpo equivocado.   Abstract Neither gender nor sexuality is allowed to be curtailed within norms that inform how men and women should be and act to be socially recognized as normal. Both gender and sex are susceptible to overflowing of such rigid frames, because such an overflow responds to the real thing experienced by any man or woman. Norms are an artificial construct that does not respond to the authentic generic and sexual identity of each subject, which is much more complex than the monolithic reductionism that wants to demarcate the difference between male and female. Such a clear separation can not explain the coexistence of both characteristics in the same subject nor the claims of transgenders to be considered with an identity that belies their biological sex, nor the anguish of transsexuals convinced to be trapped in a wrong body.

Stochastic rainfall-runoff forecasting: parameter estimation, multi-step prediction, and evaluation of overflow risk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Löwe, Roland; Mikkelsen, Peter Steen; Madsen, Henrik

2014-01-01

Probabilistic runoff forecasts generated by stochastic greybox models can be notably useful for the improvement of the decision-making process in real-time control setups for urban drainage systems because the prediction risk relationships in these systems are often highly nonlinear. To date...... the identification of models for cases with noisy in-sewer observations. For the prediction of the overflow risk, no improvement was demonstrated through the application of stochastic forecasts instead of point predictions, although this result is thought to be caused by the notably simplified setup used...

Task QA plan for Modified Prototypic Hydragard trademark Sampler Overflow System Demonstration at TNX

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snyder, T.K.

1993-01-01

The primary objective of this task is to evaluate the proposed design modifications to the sample system, including the adequacy of the recommended eductor and the quality of samples obtained from the modified system. Presently, the sample streams are circulated from the originating tank, through a Hydragard trademark sampler system, and back to the originating tank. The overflow from the Hydragard trademark sampler flows to the Recycle Collection Tank (RCT). This report outlines the planned quality assurance controls for the design modification task, including organization and personnel, surveillances, and records package

Strong activation of vascular prejunctional beta 2-adrenoceptors in freely moving rats by adrenaline released as a co-transmitter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

COPPES, RP; SMIT, J; KHALI, NN; Brouwer, F.; ZAAGSMA, J

1993-01-01

The effect of adrenaline on the electrically evoked noradrenaline overflow in the portal vein of adrenal demedullated freely moving rats was studied. Adrenaline (100 ng/min) was infused for 2 h into the portal vein. After a 1-h interval when plasma adrenaline had returned to pre-infusion

Characterization of the effects of serotonin on the release of [3H]dopamine from rat nucleus accumbens and striatal slices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nurse, B.; Russell, V.A.; Taljaard, J.J.

1988-01-01

The effect of serotonin agonists on the depolarization (K+)-induced, calcium-dependent, release of [ 3 H]dopamine (DA) from rat nucleus accumbens and striatal slices was investigated. Serotonin enhanced basal 3 H overflow and reduced K+-induced release of [ 3 H]DA from nucleus accumbens slices. The effect of serotonin on basal 3 H overflow was not altered by the serotonin antagonist, methysergide, or the serotonin re-uptake blocker, chlorimipramine, but was reversed by the DA re-uptake carrier inhibitors nomifensine and benztropine. With the effect on basal overflow blocked, serotonin did not modulate K+-induced release of [ 3 H]DA in the nucleus accumbens or striatum. The serotonin agonists, quipazine (in the presence of nomifensine) and 5-methoxytryptamine, did not significantly affect K+-induced release of [ 3 H]DA in the nucleus accumbens. This study does not support suggestions that serotonin receptors inhibit the depolarization-induced release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens or striatum of the rat brain. The present results do not preclude the possibility that serotonin may affect the mesolimbic reward system at a site which is post-synaptic to dopaminergic terminals in the nucleus accumbens

Music-evoked emotions: principles, brain correlates, and implications for therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Koelsch, Stefan

2015-03-01

This paper describes principles underlying the evocation of emotion with music: evaluation, resonance, memory, expectancy/tension, imagination, understanding, and social functions. Each of these principles includes several subprinciples, and the framework on music-evoked emotions emerging from these principles and subprinciples is supposed to provide a starting point for a systematic, coherent, and comprehensive theory on music-evoked emotions that considers both reception and production of music, as well as the relevance of emotion-evoking principles for music therapy. © 2015 New York Academy of Sciences.

Vibration and muscle contraction affect somatosensory evoked potentials

OpenAIRE

Cohen, LG; Starr, A

1985-01-01

We recorded potentials evoked by specific somatosensory stimuli over peripheral nerve, spinal cord, and cerebral cortex. Vibration attenuated spinal and cerebral potentials evoked by mixed nerve and muscle spindle stimulation; in one subject that was tested, there was no effect on cutaneous input. Presynaptic inhibition of Ia input in the spinal cord and muscle spindle receptor occupancy are probably the responsible mechanisms. In contrast, muscle contraction attenuated cerebral potentials to...

Muscle synergies evoked by microstimulation are preferentially encoded during behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Alexander Overduin

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Electrical microstimulation studies provide some of the most direct evidence for the neural representation of muscle synergies. These synergies, i.e. coordinated activations of groups of muscles, have been proposed as building blocks for the construction of motor behaviors by the nervous system. Intraspinal or intracortical microstimulation has been shown to evoke muscle patterns that can be resolved into a small set of synergies similar to those seen in natural behavior. However, questions remain about the validity of microstimulation as a probe of neural function, particularly given the relatively long trains of supratheshold stimuli used in these studies. Here, we examined whether muscle synergies evoked during intracortical microstimulation in two rhesus macaques were similarly encoded by nearby motor cortical units during a purely voluntary behavior involving object reach, grasp, and carry movements. At each microstimulation site we identified the synergy most strongly evoked among those extracted from muscle patterns evoked over all microstimulation sites. For each cortical unit recorded at the same microstimulation site, we then identified the synergy most strongly encoded among those extracted from muscle patterns recorded during the voluntary behavior. We found that the synergy most strongly evoked at an intracortical microstimulation site matched the synergy most strongly encoded by proximal units more often than expected by chance. These results suggest a common neural substrate for microstimulation-evoked motor responses and for the generation of muscle patterns during natural behaviors.

The involuntary nature of music-evoked autobiographical memories in Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

El Haj, Mohamad; Fasotti, Luciano; Allain, Philippe

2012-03-01

The main objective of this paper was to examine the involuntary nature of music-evoked autobiographical memories. For this purpose, young adults, older adults, and patients with a clinical diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) were asked to remember autobiographical events in two conditions: after being exposed to their own chosen music, and in silence. Compared to memories evoked in silence, memories evoked in the "Music" condition were found to be more specific, accompanied by more emotional content and impact on mood, and retrieved faster. In addition, these memories engaged less executive processes. Thus, with all these characteristics and the fact that they are activated by a perceptual cue (i.e., music), music-evoked autobiographic memories have all the features to be considered as involuntary memories. Our paper reveals several characteristics of music-evoked autobiographical memories in AD patients and offers a theoretical background for this phenomenon. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Global value chains: an analysis of the overflow effect of the Brazilian auto industry for the years 2000 and 2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Henrique Leite de Castro

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work is to map, analyze and compare the production multipliers and the overflow effect related to the manufacturing sector of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers to 43 countries plus the rest of the world - focusing on Brazil - for the years of 2000 and 2014. For this purpose, a theoretical and empirical discussion was held that contemplates theories about the Global Value Chains and a retrospective of the Brazilian automobile industry. The work used the global input-output analysis to estimate the production multipliers based on data available from WIOD (2017. As the main result the research indicates an increase of the multipliers of global production, occurring the same for this sector in Brazil. Another important result was the reduction of the overflow effect for Brazil going against the global effect, that is, this sector, which is supported by the State, decreased its external dependence

Spiral shocks on a Roche lobe overflow in a semi-detached binary system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sawada, K.; Matsuda, T.; Hachisu, I.

1986-01-01

Two-dimensional hydrodynamic calculations of a Roche lobe overflow in a semi-detached binary system with a mass ratio of unity are carried out. The region of the computation covers both a mass-losing star filling its critical Roche lobe and a mass-accreting compact star. Gas ejected from the mass-losing star with specified energy flows through the L1 point to form an elephant trunk and an accretion ring. It is found that spiral-shaped shocks are formed on the accretion ring. It is suggested that the gas in the accretion ring loses angular momentum at the shocks and spirals in towards the compact star even without viscosity. (author)

Valley formation by groundwater seepage, pressurized groundwater outbursts and crater-lake overflow in flume experiments with implications for Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Marra, Wouter A.; Braat, Lisanne; Baar, Anne W.; Kleinhans, Maarten G.

2014-04-01

Remains of fluvial valleys on Mars reveal the former presence of water on the surface. However, the source of water and the hydrological setting is not always clear, especially in types of valleys that are rare on Earth and where we have limited knowledge of the processes involved. We investigated three hydrological scenarios for valley formation on Mars: hydrostatic groundwater seepage, release of pressurized groundwater and crater-lake overflow. Using physical modeling in laboratory experiments and numerical hydrological modeling we quantitatively studied the morphological development and processes involved in channel formation that result from these different sources of water in unconsolidated sediment. Our results show that valleys emerging from seeping groundwater by headward erosion form relatively slowly as fluvial transport takes place in a channel much smaller than the valley. Pressurized groundwater release forms a characteristic source area at the channel head by fluidization processes. This head consist of a pit in case of superlithostatic pressure and may feature small radial channels and collapse features. Valleys emerging from a crater-lake overflow event develop quickly in a run-away process of rim erosion and discharge increase. The valley head at the crater outflow point has a converging fan shape, and the rapid incision of the rim leaves terraces and collapse features. Morphological elements observed in the experiments can help in identifying the formative processes on Mars, when considerations of experimental scaling and lithological characteristics of the martian surface are taken into account. These morphological features might reveal the associated hydrological settings and formative timescales of a valley. An estimate of formative timescale from sediment transport is best based on the final channel dimensions for groundwater seepage valleys and on the valley dimensions for pressurized groundwater release and crater-lake overflow valleys. Our

Music-Evoked Emotions—Current Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Schaefer, Hans-Eckhardt

2017-01-01

The present study is focused on a review of the current state of investigating music-evoked emotions experimentally, theoretically and with respect to their therapeutic potentials. After a concise historical overview and a schematic of the hearing mechanisms, experimental studies on music listeners and on music performers are discussed, starting with the presentation of characteristic musical stimuli and the basic features of tomographic imaging of emotional activation in the brain, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), which offer high spatial resolution in the millimeter range. The progress in correlating activation imaging in the brain to the psychological understanding of music-evoked emotion is demonstrated and some prospects for future research are outlined. Research in psychoneuroendocrinology and molecular markers is reviewed in the context of music-evoked emotions and the results indicate that the research in this area should be intensified. An assessment of studies involving measuring techniques with high temporal resolution down to the 10 ms range, as, e.g., electroencephalography (EEG), event-related brain potentials (ERP), magnetoencephalography (MEG), skin conductance response (SCR), finger temperature, and goose bump development (piloerection) can yield information on the dynamics and kinetics of emotion. Genetic investigations reviewed suggest the heredity transmission of a predilection for music. Theoretical approaches to musical emotion are directed to a unified model for experimental neurological evidence and aesthetic judgment. Finally, the reports on musical therapy are briefly outlined. The study concludes with an outlook on emerging technologies and future research fields. PMID:29225563

Stimulator with arbitrary waveform for auditory evoked potentials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martins, H R; Romao, M; Placido, D; Provenzano, F; Tierra-Criollo, C J

2007-01-01

The technological improvement helps many medical areas. The audiometric exams involving the auditory evoked potentials can make better diagnoses of auditory disorders. This paper proposes the development of a stimulator based on Digital Signal Processor. This stimulator is the first step of an auditory evoked potential system based on the ADSP-BF533 EZ KIT LITE (Analog Devices Company - USA). The stimulator can generate arbitrary waveform like Sine Waves, Modulated Amplitude, Pulses, Bursts and Pips. The waveforms are generated through a graphical interface programmed in C++ in which the user can define the parameters of the waveform. Furthermore, the user can set the exam parameters as number of stimuli, time with stimulation (Time ON) and time without stimulus (Time OFF). In future works will be implemented another parts of the system that includes the acquirement of electroencephalogram and signal processing to estimate and analyze the evoked potential

Stimulator with arbitrary waveform for auditory evoked potentials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martins, H R; Romao, M; Placido, D; Provenzano, F; Tierra-Criollo, C J [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Departamento de Engenharia Eletrica (DEE), Nucleo de Estudos e Pesquisa em Engenharia Biomedica NEPEB, Av. Ant. Carlos, 6627, sala 2206, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31.270-901 (Brazil)

2007-11-15

The technological improvement helps many medical areas. The audiometric exams involving the auditory evoked potentials can make better diagnoses of auditory disorders. This paper proposes the development of a stimulator based on Digital Signal Processor. This stimulator is the first step of an auditory evoked potential system based on the ADSP-BF533 EZ KIT LITE (Analog Devices Company - USA). The stimulator can generate arbitrary waveform like Sine Waves, Modulated Amplitude, Pulses, Bursts and Pips. The waveforms are generated through a graphical interface programmed in C++ in which the user can define the parameters of the waveform. Furthermore, the user can set the exam parameters as number of stimuli, time with stimulation (Time ON) and time without stimulus (Time OFF). In future works will be implemented another parts of the system that includes the acquirement of electroencephalogram and signal processing to estimate and analyze the evoked potential.

Evoking prescribed spike times in stochastic neurons

Science.gov (United States)

Doose, Jens; Lindner, Benjamin

2017-09-01

Single cell stimulation in vivo is a powerful tool to investigate the properties of single neurons and their functionality in neural networks. We present a method to determine a cell-specific stimulus that reliably evokes a prescribed spike train with high temporal precision of action potentials. We test the performance of this stimulus in simulations for two different stochastic neuron models. For a broad range of parameters and a neuron firing with intermediate firing rates (20-40 Hz) the reliability in evoking the prescribed spike train is close to its theoretical maximum that is mainly determined by the level of intrinsic noise.

Visual evoked potentials in patients after methanol poisoning.

Science.gov (United States)

Urban, Pavel; Zakharov, Sergey; Diblík, Pavel; Pelclová, Daniela; Ridzoň, Petr

2016-01-01

We report the results of the visual evoked potentials (VEP) examination in patients after severe poisoning by methanol. The group of 47 patients (38 males and 9 females) was assembled out of persons who survived an outbreak of poisoning by the methanol adulterated alcohol beverages, which happened in the Czech Republic in 2012-2013. The visual evoked potentials examination was performed using monocular checkerboard pattern-reversal stimulation. Two criteria of abnormality were chosen: missing evoked response, and wave P1 latency > 117 ms. Non-parametric statistical methods (median, range, and the median test) were used to analyze factors influencing the VEP abnormality. The visual evoked potential was abnormal in 20 patients (43%), 5 of them had normal visual acuity on the Snellen chart. The VEP abnormality did not correlate significantly with initial serum concentrations of methanol, formic acid or lactate; however, it showed statistically significant inverse relation to the initial serum pH: the subgroup with the abnormal VEP had significantly lower median pH in comparison with the subgroup with the normal VEP (7.16 vs. 7.34, p = 0.04). The abnormality was not related to chronic alcohol abuse. The visual evoked potentials examination appeared sensitive enough to detected even subclinical impairment of the optic system. Metabolic acidosis is likely to be the key factor related to the development of visual damage induced by methanol. The examination performed with a delay of 1-9 months after the poisoning documented the situation relatively early after the event. It is considered as a baseline for the planned long-term follow-up of the patients, which will make it possible to assess the dynamics of the observed changes, their reversibility, and the occurrence of potential late sequelae. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Modelling the impact of soakaway retrofits on combined sewage overflows in a 3km₂ urban catchment in Copenhagen, Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roldin, Maria Kerstin; Fryd, Ole; Jeppesen, Jan

2012-01-01

a more realistic scenario where only 8% of the impervious area was connected to soakaways and the reduction in CSO volume was 24%. The potential and realistic scenarios were modelled both with hydraulic coupling between soakaway and sewer, and as fully disconnected. Results show that infiltration...... step led to a potential infiltration scenario where 65% of the total impervious area was connected to soakaways, and resulted in an estimated reduction in annual sewage overflow volume of 68%. This scenario was then further developed in the third step by adding groundwater constraints, which formed...... than the fully disconnected model for the potential infiltration scenario, whereas no difference is seen between these two models in the realistic infiltration scenario. The effect of infiltration on combined sewer overflows is thus expected to be limited in the case study area. General conclusions...

Evoked Emotions Predict Food Choice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dalenberg, Jelle R.; Gutjar, Swetlana; ter Horst, Gert J.; de Graaf, Kees; Renken, Remco J.; Jager, Gerry

2014-01-01

In the current study we show that non-verbal food-evoked emotion scores significantly improve food choice prediction over merely liking scores. Previous research has shown that liking measures correlate with choice. However, liking is no strong predictor for food choice in real life environments.

The effects of curiosity-evoking events on activity enjoyment.

Science.gov (United States)

Isikman, Elif; MacInnis, Deborah J; Ülkümen, Gülden; Cavanaugh, Lisa A

2016-09-01

Whereas prior literature has studied the positive effects of curiosity-evoking events that are integral to focal activities, we explore whether and how a curiosity-evoking event that is incidental to a focal activity induces negative outcomes for enjoyment. Four experiments and 1 field study demonstrate that curiosity about an event that is incidental to an activity in which individuals are engaged, significantly affects enjoyment of a concurrent activity. The reason why is that curiosity diverts attention away from the concurrent activity and focuses attention on the curiosity-evoking event. Thus, curiosity regarding an incidental event decreases enjoyment of a positive focal activity but increases enjoyment of a negative focal activity. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved

High frequency oscillations evoked by peripheral magnetic stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Biller, S; Simon, L; Fiedler, P; Strohmeier, D; Haueisen, J

2011-01-01

The analysis of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and / or fields (SEF) is a well-established and important tool for investigating the functioning of the peripheral and central human nervous system. A standard technique to evoke SEPs / SEFs is the stimulation of the median nerve by using a bipolar electrical stimulus. We aim at an alternative stimulation technique enabling stimulation of deep nerve structures while reducing patient stress and error susceptibility. In the current study, we apply a commercial transcranial magnetic stimulation system for peripheral magnetic stimulation of the median nerve. We compare the results of simultaneously recorded EEG signals to prove applicability of our technique to evoke SEPs including low frequency components (LFC) as well as high frequency oscillations (HFO). Therefore, we compare amplitude, latency and time-frequency characteristics of the SEP of 14 healthy volunteers after electric and magnetic stimulation. Both low frequency components and high frequency oscillations were detected. The HFOs were superimposed onto the primary cortical response N20. Statistical analysis revealed significantly lower amplitudes and increased latencies for LFC and HFO components after magnetic stimulation. The differences indicate the inability of magnetic stimulation to elicit supramaximal responses. A psycho-perceptual evaluation showed that magnetic stimulation was less unpleasant for 12 out of the 14 volunteers. In conclusion, we showed that LFC and HFO components related to median nerve stimulation can be evoked by peripheral magnetic stimulation.

Steady-state evoked potentials possibilities for mental-state estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Junker, Andrew M.; Schnurer, John H.; Ingle, David F.; Downey, Craig W.

1988-01-01

The use of the human steady-state evoked potential (SSEP) as a possible measure of mental-state estimation is explored. A method for evoking a visual response to a sum-of-ten sine waves is presented. This approach provides simultaneous multiple frequency measurements of the human EEG to the evoking stimulus in terms of describing functions (gain and phase) and remnant spectra. Ways in which these quantities vary with the addition of performance tasks (manual tracking, grammatical reasoning, and decision making) are presented. Models of the describing function measures can be formulated using systems engineering technology. Relationships between model parameters and performance scores during manual tracking are discussed. Problems of unresponsiveness and lack of repeatability of subject responses are addressed in terms of a need for loop closure of the SSEP. A technique to achieve loop closure using a lock-in amplifier approach is presented. Results of a study designed to test the effectiveness of using feedback to consciously connect humans to their evoked response are presented. Findings indicate that conscious control of EEG is possible. Implications of these results in terms of secondary tasks for mental-state estimation and brain actuated control are addressed.

Sobre brinquedos e infância: aspectos da experiência e da cultura do brincar On toys and childhood: aspects of the experience and culture of playing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle Barbosa Lins de Almeida

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Partindo do paradigma do pensador Walter Benjamin, um dos mais proeminentes do século XX, cujo materialismo evoca a categoria da infância desvinculada da ótica ideológica de uma visão complacente, este trabalho busca capturar o pensar sobre tal experiência por intermédio da leitura e da subseqüente discussão sobre textos de cerca de 80 anos, os quais surpreendem pela sua contemporaneidade. Assim, o presente trabalho inicia-se de uma reflexão crítica sobre a infância oriunda da leitura dos luminosos textos de Walter Benjamin sobre a cultura da criança. Ao revisitá-los, espera-se contribuir em direção à elucidação do grande enigma dos valores da infância, sendo esta fundamental à compreensão da modernidade.Based on the paradigm of philosopher Walter Benjamin, whose materialism evokes the category of childhood detached from an ideological and indulgent view, the present paper aims at capturing the experience of childhood through the reading and subsequent discussion of Walter Benjamin's surprisingly contemporary 80-year-old texts on children's culture. By revisiting such articles, It expects to further elucidate the enigma of childhood values as well as to provide a view on how such values help promote a more comprehensive account of modernity.

Fecal overflow often affects children with chronic constipation that appears after the age of 2 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Kammacher Guerreiro, Mélissa; Bettinville, Aurore; Herzog, Denise

2014-08-01

Chronic functional constipation with or without encopresis is a common problem in the pediatric population, and the prevalence of encopresis may be underestimated. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and risk factors for overflow incontinence in patients with chronic constipation seen at a pediatric gastroenterology consultation. A retrospective study of 270 files of patients seen between 1997 and 2012 was conducted, and a classification according to Rome III criteria was done. Among 145 (53.7%) boys and 125 (46.2%) girls, 117 had overflow incontinence (43.3%) - 41 (35%) girls and 76 (65%) boys. The first symptoms of chronic constipation appeared at a median age of 30 and 33 months in encopretic and 16 and 12 months in nonencopretic girls and boys, respectively. The first specialized consultation took place after a median disease duration of 26.5 and 24 months in encopretic and 16 and 9 months in nonencopretic girls and boys, respectively. A history of stool retention and the presence of scybala at examination, but not of pain at defecation or anal fissure, were associated with encopresis. The onset of chronic constipation after the age of 2 years, a longer disease duration, male gender, and a history of stool retention were seen as risk factors for the development of encopresis in patients with chronic functional constipation. © The Author(s) 2014.

Sustained prejunctional facilitation of noradrenergic neurotransmission by adrenaline as a co-transmitter in the portal vein of freely moving rats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

COPPES, RP; Freie, I.; SMIT, J; ZAAGSMA, J

1994-01-01

1 The duration of the facilitatory effect of adrenaline on the electrically evoked overflow of noradrenaline was studied in the portal vein of permanently adreno-demedullated freely moving rats. 2 Rats were infused with adrenaline (20 or 100 ng min(-1)) for 2 h. After an interval of 1 h, when plasma

Odor-evoked inhibition of olfactory sensory neurons drives olfactory perception in Drosophila.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Li-Hui; Yang, Dong; Wu, Wei; Zeng, Xiankun; Jing, Bi-Yang; Li, Meng-Tong; Qin, Shanshan; Tang, Chao; Tu, Yuhai; Luo, Dong-Gen

2017-11-07

Inhibitory response occurs throughout the nervous system, including the peripheral olfactory system. While odor-evoked excitation in peripheral olfactory cells is known to encode odor information, the molecular mechanism and functional roles of odor-evoked inhibition remain largely unknown. Here, we examined Drosophila olfactory sensory neurons and found that inhibitory odors triggered outward receptor currents by reducing the constitutive activities of odorant receptors, inhibiting the basal spike firing in olfactory sensory neurons. Remarkably, this odor-evoked inhibition of olfactory sensory neurons elicited by itself a full range of olfactory behaviors from attraction to avoidance, as did odor-evoked olfactory sensory neuron excitation. These results indicated that peripheral inhibition is comparable to excitation in encoding sensory signals rather than merely regulating excitation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that a bidirectional code with both odor-evoked inhibition and excitation in single olfactory sensory neurons increases the odor-coding capacity, providing a means of efficient sensory encoding.

Norepinephrine-evoked pain in fibromyalgia. A randomized pilot study [ISRCTN70707830

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Casanova Jose-Miguel

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Fibromyalgia syndrome displays sympathetically maintained pain features such as frequent post-traumatic onset and stimuli-independent pain accompanied by allodynia and paresthesias. Heart rate variability studies showed that fibromyalgia patients have changes consistent with ongoing sympathetic hyperactivity. Norepinephrine-evoked pain test is used to assess sympathetically maintained pain syndromes. Our objective was to define if fibromyalgia patients have norepinephrine-evoked pain. Methods Prospective double blind controlled study. Participants: Twenty FM patients, and two age/sex matched control groups; 20 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 20 healthy controls. Ten micrograms of norepinephrine diluted in 0.1 ml of saline solution were injected in a forearm. The contrasting substance, 0.1 ml of saline solution alone, was injected in the opposite forearm. Maximum local pain elicited during the 5 minutes post-injection was graded on a visual analog scale (VAS. Norepinephrine-evoked pain was diagnosed when norepinephrine injection induced greater pain than placebo injection. Intensity of norepinephrine-evoked pain was calculated as the difference between norepinephrine minus placebo-induced VAS scores. Results Norepinephrine-evoked pain was seen in 80 % of FM patients (95% confidence intervals 56.3 – 94.3%, in 30 % of rheumatoid arthritis patients and in 30 % of healthy controls (95% confidence intervals 11.9 – 54.3 (p Conclusions Fibromyalgia patients have norepinephrine-evoked pain. This finding supports the hypothesis that fibromyalgia may be a sympathetically maintained pain syndrome.

Objective correlate of subjective pain perception by contact heat-evoked potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Granovsky, Yelena; Granot, Michal; Nir, Rony-Reuven; Yarnitsky, David

2008-01-01

The method of pain-evoked potentials has gained considerable acceptance over the last 3 decades regarding its objectivity, repeatability, and quantifiability. The present study explored whether the relationship between pain-evoked potentials and pain psychophysics obtained by contact heat stimuli is similar to those observed for the conventionally used laser stimulation. Evoked potentials (EPs) were recorded in response to contact heat stimuli at different body sites in 24 healthy volunteers. Stimuli at various temperatures were applied to the forearm (43 degrees C, 46 degrees C, 49 degrees C, and 52 degrees C) and leg (46 degrees C and 49 degrees C). The amplitudes of both components (N2 and P2) were strongly associated with the intensity of the applied stimuli and with subjective pain perception. Yet, regression analysis revealed pain perception and not stimulus intensity as the major contributing factor. A significant correlation was found between the forearm and the leg for both psychophysics and EPs amplitude. Contact heat can generate readily distinguishable evoked potentials on the scalp, consistent between upper and lower limbs. Although these potentials bear positive correlation with both stimulus intensity and pain magnitude, the latter is the main contributor to the evoked brain response.

Effects of single cycle binaural beat duration on auditory evoked potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Mihajloski, Todor; Bohorquez, Jorge; Özdamar, Özcan

2014-01-01

Binaural beat (BB) illusions are experienced as continuous central pulsations when two sounds with slightly different frequencies are delivered to each ear. It has been shown that steady-state auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) to BBs can be captured and investigated. The authors recently developed a new method of evoking transient AEPs to binaural beats using frequency modulated stimuli. This methodology was able to create single BBs in predetermined intervals with varying carrier frequencies. This study examines the effects of the BB duration and the frequency modulating component of the stimulus on the binaural beats and their evoked potentials. Normal hearing subjects were tested with a set of four durations (25, 50, 100, and 200 ms) with two stimulation configurations, binaural dichotic (binaural beats) and diotic (frequency modulation). The results obtained from the study showed that out of the given durations, the 100 ms beat, was capable of evoking the largest amplitude responses. The frequency modulation effect showed a decrease in peak amplitudes with increasing beat duration until their complete disappearance at 200 ms. Even though, at 200 ms, the frequency modulation effects were not present, the binaural beats were still perceived and captured as evoked potentials.

Water quality control of combined sewer overflows. The <> procedure; Il controllo qualitativo delle immissioni fognarie nei corpi idrici. La procedura <>

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Artina, S.; Maglionico, M. [Bologna Univ., Bologna (Italy). Dipt. di Ingegneria delle Strutture, dei Trasporti, delle Acque, del Rilevamento, del Territorio; Lo Greco, P. [HR Wallingford, Wallingford Oxfordshire (United Kingdom)

2000-05-01

The EEC Directive 91/271 endorse has brought to attention the pollution problem caused in the receiving waters by Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). This paper describes a procedure, set up in England, called UPM (Urban Pollution Management), meant to environmentally protect receiving waters. The UPM Procedure is merely a methodology to evaluate the impact of pollutants discharged from sewer overflows during rainfall events. [Italian] Il recepimento della direttiva CEE 91/271 ha portato ancora una volta in primo piano il problema dell'inquinamento dei corpi idrici causato dalle immissioni fognarie. Il presente articolo descrive una procedura messa a punto in Inghilterra, denominata UPM (Urban Pollution Management), destinata al controllo qualitativo dei corsi d'acqua ricettori di scarichi fognari. L'UPM non costituisce una normativa bensi una metodologia intesa a valutare l'impatto degli scarichi fognari sui ricettori durante gli eenti meteorici.

Histamine H3 Receptors Decrease Dopamine Release in the Ventral Striatum by Reducing the Activity of Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Varaschin, Rafael Koerich; Osterstock, Guillaume; Ducrot, Charles; Leino, Sakari; Bourque, Marie-Josée; Prado, Marco A M; Prado, Vania Ferreira; Salminen, Outi; Rannanpää Née Nuutinen, Saara; Trudeau, Louis-Eric

2018-04-15

Histamine H 3 receptors are widely distributed G i -coupled receptors whose activation reduces neuronal activity and inhibits release of numerous neurotransmitters. Although these receptors are abundantly expressed in the striatum, their modulatory role on activity-dependent dopamine release is not well understood. Here, we observed that histamine H 3 receptor activation indirectly diminishes dopamine overflow in the ventral striatum by reducing cholinergic interneuron activity. Acute brain slices from C57BL/6 or channelrhodopsin-2-transfected DAT-cre mice were obtained, and dopamine transients evoked either electrically or optogenetically were measured by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. The H 3 agonist α-methylhistamine significantly reduced electrically- evoked dopamine overflow, an effect blocked by the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist dihydro-β-erythroidine, suggesting involvement of cholinergic interneurons. None of the drug treatments targeting H 3 receptors affected optogenetically evoked dopamine overflow, indicating that direct H 3 -modulation of dopaminergic axons is unlikely. Next, we used qPCR and confirmed the expression of histamine H 3 receptor mRNA in cholinergic interneurons, both in ventral and dorsal striatum. Activation of H 3 receptors by α-methylhistamine reduced spontaneous firing of cholinergic interneurons in the ventral, but not in the dorsal striatum. Resting membrane potential and number of spontaneous action potentials in ventral-striatal cholinergic interneurons were significantly reduced by α-methylhistamine. Acetylcholine release from isolated striatal synaptosomes, however, was not altered by α-methylhistamine. Together, these results indicate that histamine H 3 receptors are important modulators of dopamine release, specifically in the ventral striatum, and that they do so by decreasing the firing rate of cholinergic neurons and, consequently, reducing cholinergic tone on dopaminergic axons. Copyright © 2018 IBRO

Modification of deep waters in Marguerite Bay, western Antarctic Peninsula, caused by topographic overflows

Science.gov (United States)

Venables, Hugh J.; Meredith, Michael P.; Brearley, J. Alexander

2017-05-01

Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) intrudes from the mid-layers of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current onto the shelf of the western Antarctic Peninsula, providing a source of heat and nutrients to the regional ocean. It is well known that CDW is modified as it flows across the shelf, but the mechanisms responsible for this are not fully known. Here, data from underwater gliders with high spatial resolution are used to demonstrate the importance of detailed bathymetry in inducing multiple local mixing events. Clear evidence for overflows is observed in the glider data as water flows along a deep channel with multiple transverse ridges. The ridges block the densest waters, with overflowing water descending several hundred metres to fill subsequent basins. This vertical flow leads to entrainment of overlying colder and fresher water in localised mixing events. Initially this process leads to an increase in bottom temperatures due to the temperature maximum waters descending to greater depths. After several ridges, however, the mixing is sufficient to remove the temperature maximum completely and the entrainment of colder thermocline waters to depth reduces the bottom temperature, to approximately the same as in the source region of Marguerite Trough. Similarly, it is shown that deep waters of Palmer Deep are warmer than at the same depth at the shelf break. The exact details of the transformations observed are heavily dependent on the local bathymetry and water column structure, but glacially-carved troughs and shallow sills are a common feature of the bathymetry of polar shelves, and these types of processes may be a factor in determining the hydrographic conditions close to the coast across a wider area.

Deep water overflow in the Faroe Bank Channel; modelling, processes, and impact

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rullyanto, Arief

, creating new water masses with distinct temperature, salinity and density characteristics. The change of water mass characteristics not only affects the local environment, but also far distant regions. The Faroe Bank Channel, which is located in the southern part of Faroe Islands, is one of the most...... under different circumstances. The focus is on the Faroe Bank Channel, a relatively small region, which has a significant impact on the global ocean circulation and marine organisms that live in its environment....... or tides, but also deep beneath the surface, where deep-water currents circulate waters throughout the world’s oceans. In certain very-localized regions, the flow of the deep-water has to travel over a sill in a narrow submarine channel. This overflow process mixes the deep water with overlying waters...

A Telehealth System for Remote Auditory Evoked Potential Monitoring

OpenAIRE

Millan, Jorge; Yunda, Leonardo

2013-01-01

A portable, Internet-based EEG/Auditory Evoked Potential (AEP) monitoring system was developed for remote electrophysiological studies during sleep. The system records EEG/AEP simultaneously at the subject?s home for increased comfort and flexibility. The system provides simultaneous recording and remote viewing of EEG, EMG and EOG waves and allows on-line averaging of auditory evoked potentials. The design allows the recording of all major AEP components (brainstem, middle and late latency E...

The Role of Odor-Evoked Memory in Psychological and Physiological Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Herz, Rachel S

2016-07-19

This article discusses the special features of odor-evoked memory and the current state-of-the-art in odor-evoked memory research to show how these unique experiences may be able to influence and benefit psychological and physiological health. A review of the literature leads to the conclusion that odors that evoke positive autobiographical memories have the potential to increase positive emotions, decrease negative mood states, disrupt cravings, and reduce physiological indices of stress, including systemic markers of inflammation. Olfactory perception factors and individual difference characteristics that would need to be considered in therapeutic applications of odor-evoked-memory are also discussed. This article illustrates how through the experimentally validated mechanisms of odor-associative learning and the privileged neuroanatomical relationship that exists between olfaction and the neural substrates of emotion, odors can be harnessed to induce emotional and physiological responses that can improve human health and wellbeing.

The Role of Odor-Evoked Memory in Psychological and Physiological Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel S. Herz

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the special features of odor-evoked memory and the current state-of-the-art in odor-evoked memory research to show how these unique experiences may be able to influence and benefit psychological and physiological health. A review of the literature leads to the conclusion that odors that evoke positive autobiographical memories have the potential to increase positive emotions, decrease negative mood states, disrupt cravings, and reduce physiological indices of stress, including systemic markers of inflammation. Olfactory perception factors and individual difference characteristics that would need to be considered in therapeutic applications of odor-evoked-memory are also discussed. This article illustrates how through the experimentally validated mechanisms of odor-associative learning and the privileged neuroanatomical relationship that exists between olfaction and the neural substrates of emotion, odors can be harnessed to induce emotional and physiological responses that can improve human health and wellbeing.

ICUD-0530 Scenario based risk assessment of the dispersion of E-coli from combined sewer overflow to a fresh-water lake

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Michael Robdrup; Thorndahl, Søren Liedtke; Nielsen, Jesper Ellerbæk

2017-01-01

A scenario based risk assessment method is used to evaluate how combined sewer overflow (CSO) affects a nearby bathing beach in Skanderborg, Denmark. The method combines an urban drainage model with a 3D CFD model to pre-simulate 60 different scenarios, used for assessing the risk of poor bathing...

Thought-evoking approaches in engineering problems

CERN Document Server

2014-01-01

In creating the value-added product in not distant future, it is necessary and inevitable to establish a holistic and though-evoking approach to the engineering problem, which should be at least associated with the inter-disciplinary knowledge and thought processes across the whole engineering spheres. It is furthermore desirable to integrate it with trans-disciplinary aspects ranging from manufacturing culture, through liberal-arts engineering, and industrial sociology.   The thought-evoking approach can be exemplified and typified by representative engineering problems: unveiling essential features in ‘Tangential Force Ratio and Interface Pressure’, prototype development for ‘Bio-mimetic Needle’ and application of ‘Water-jet Machining to Artificial Hip Joint’, product innovation in ‘Heat Sink for Computer’, application of ‘Graph Theory’ to similarity evaluation of production systems, leverage among reciprocity attributes in ‘Industrial and Engineering Designs for Machine Enclosure’,...

Combined sewer overflows: an environmental source of hormones and wastewater micropollutants

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, P.J.; Chalmers, A.T.; Gray, J.L.; Kolpin, D.W.; Foreman, W.T.; Wall, G.R.

2012-01-01

Data were collected at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Burlington, Vermont, USA, (serving 30,000 people) to assess the relative contribution of CSO (combined sewer overflow) bypass flows and treated wastewater effluent to the load of steroid hormones and other wastewater micropollutants (WMPs) from a WWTP to a lake. Flow-weighted composite samples were collected over a 13 month period at this WWTP from CSO bypass flows or plant influent flows (n = 28) and treated effluent discharges (n = 22). Although CSO discharges represent 10% of the total annual water discharge (CSO plus treated plant effluent discharges) from the WWTP, CSO discharges contribute 40–90% of the annual load for hormones and WMPs with high (>90%) wastewater treatment removal efficiency. By contrast, compounds with low removal efficiencies (hormones and many WMPs in samples from treated discharges can increase with increasing flow due to decreasing removal efficiency.

Behavioral analyses of wind-evoked escape of the cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanou, Masamichi; Konishi, Atsuko; Suenaga, Rie

2006-04-01

The wind-evoked escape behavior of the cricket Gryllodes sigillatus was investigated using an air puff stimulus. A high velocity air puff elicited the escape behavior in many crickets. The crickets tended to escape away from the stimulus source, but the direction was not accurately oriented 180 degrees from the stimulus. After bilateral cercal ablation, only a few crickets showed wind-evoked escape behavior, and their response rates did not increase even 19 days after ablation. Therefore, information on air motion detected by cercal filiform hairs is essential for triggering wind-evoked behavior. After unilateral cercal ablation, the 81.3% response rate of intact crickets decreased to 16.5%, that is, it decreased to almost 20% that of intact crickets. One week after unilateral cercal ablation, the response rate recovered to more than 60% that of intact crickets. However, the accuracy rate of the escape direction of G. sigillatus showed no change even immediately after the unilateral cercal ablation. Therefore, both cerci are not necessarily required to determine the escape direction. The behavioral characteristics of wind-evoked escape of G. sigillatus are compared with those of another species of cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. The two species of cricket employ different strategies for wind-evoked escape.

Potencial evocado miogênico vestibular: novas perspectivas diagnósticas em esclerose múltipla Vestibular evoked myogenic potential: new perspectives in multiple sclerosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Chade Aidar

2005-02-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar o potencial evocado miogênico vestibular em pacientes com esclerose múltipla, como método de auxílio diagnóstico. FORMA DE ESTUDO: Caso-controle. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Estudamos um grupo-controle (n=15 de indivíduos normais e um grupo experimental (n=15 que foi composto por pacientes com diagnóstico de esclerose múltipla. Ambos os grupos foram submetidos ao exame de potencial evocado miogênico vestibular. Em cada orelha foram aplicados 200 estímulos na forma de cliques e repetidos por 2 ciclos consecutivos com objetivo de avaliar a reprodutibilidade. Os eletrodos ativos de superfície foram colocados no S‡superior do músculo esternocleidomastoideo e de referência na borda anterior da clavícula ipsilateral. Os indivíduos foram instruídos à rotação lateral da cabeça em direção contralateral à orelha estimulada. RESULTADOS: Obtivemos no potencial evocado miogênico vestibular respostas rápidas, reprodutíveis e bifásicas. A latência das ondas P1 e N2 e amplitude P1-N2 apresentaram um maior valor no grupo experimental quando comparada com o grupo-controle. Não observamos diferença significativa nas respostas das ondas P1 e N2 e amplitude P1-N2 quando comparamos as orelhas. Verificamos que os indivíduos com esclerose múltipla apresentaram ausência de respostas em 30% dos casos. Ao avaliarmos os indivíduos do grupo experimental com sintomas otoneurológicos e compararmos com os pacientes sem sintomas, observamos que a latência da onda P1, N2 e amplitude P1-N2 estiveram maiores nos casos sintomáticos. CONCLUSÃO: O potencial evocado miogênico vestibular foi considerado um bom método de auxílio diagnóstico da via vestíbulo-espinal nos casos de esclerose múltipla.AIM: To evaluate vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in patients with multiple sclerosis as method of diagnostic support. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We studied a group of normal individuals (n=15 and a Studied group

Skinfold thickness affects the isometric knee extension torque evoked by Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Medeiros, Flávia V A; Vieira, Amilton; Carregaro, Rodrigo L; Bottaro, Martim; Maffiuletti, Nicola A; Durigan, João L Q

2015-01-01

Subcutaneous adipose tissue may influence the transmission of electrical stimuli through to the skin, thus affecting both evoked torque and comfort perception associated with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). This could seriously affect the effectiveness of NMES for either rehabilitation or sports purposes. To investigate the effects of skinfold thickness (SFT) on maximal NMES current intensity, NMES-evoked torque, and NMES-induced discomfort. First, we compared NMES current intensity, NMES-induced discomfort, and NMES-evoked torque between two subgroups of subjects with thicker (n=10; 20.7 mm) vs. thinner (n=10; 29.4 mm) SFT. Second, we correlated SFT to NMES current intensity, NMES-induced discomfort, and NMES-evoked knee extension torque in 20 healthy women. The NMES-evoked torque was normalized to the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque. The discomfort induced by NMES was assessed with a visual analog scale (VAS). NMES-evoked torque was 27.5% lower in subjects with thicker SFT (p=0.01) while maximal current intensity was 24.2% lower in subjects with thinner SFT (p=0.01). A positive correlation was found between current intensity and SFT (r=0.540, p=0.017). A negative correlation was found between NMES-evoked torque and SFT (r=-0.563, p=0.012). No significant correlation was observed between discomfort scores and SFT (rs=0.15, p=0.53). These results suggest that the amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue (as reflected by skinfold thickness) affected NMES current intensity and NMES-evoked torque, but had no effect on discomfort perception. Our findings may help physical therapists to better understand the impact of SFT on NMES and to design more rational stimulation strategies.

Pharmacology of Bradykinin-Evoked Coughing in Guinea Pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hewitt, Matthew M; Adams, Gregory; Mazzone, Stuart B; Mori, Nanako; Yu, Li; Canning, Brendan J

2016-06-01

Bradykinin has been implicated as a mediator of the acute pathophysiological and inflammatory consequences of respiratory tract infections and in exacerbations of chronic diseases such as asthma. Bradykinin may also be a trigger for the coughing associated with these and other conditions. We have thus set out to evaluate the pharmacology of bradykinin-evoked coughing in guinea pigs. When inhaled, bradykinin induced paroxysmal coughing that was abolished by the bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist HOE 140. These cough responses rapidly desensitized, consistent with reports of B2 receptor desensitization. Bradykinin-evoked cough was potentiated by inhibition of both neutral endopeptidase and angiotensin-converting enzyme (with thiorphan and captopril, respectively), but was largely unaffected by muscarinic or thromboxane receptor blockade (atropine and ICI 192605), cyclooxygenase, or nitric oxide synthase inhibition (meclofenamic acid and N(G)-nitro-L-arginine). Calcium influx studies in bronchopulmonary vagal afferent neurons dissociated from vagal sensory ganglia indicated that the tachykinin-containing C-fibers arising from the jugular ganglia mediate bradykinin-evoked coughing. Also implicating the jugular C-fibers was the observation that simultaneous blockade of neurokinin2 (NK2; SR48968) and NK3 (SR142801 or SB223412) receptors nearly abolished the bradykinin-evoked cough responses. The data suggest that bradykinin induces coughing in guinea pigs by activating B2 receptors on bronchopulmonary C-fibers. We speculate that therapeutics targeting the actions of bradykinin may prove useful in the treatment of cough. Copyright © 2016 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Do video games evoke specific types of epileptic seizures?

Science.gov (United States)

Piccioli, Marta; Vigevano, Federico; Buttinelli, Carla; Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenité, Dorothée G A

2005-11-01

We determined whether epileptic clinical manifestations evoked by playing video games (VG) differ from those evoked by intermittent photic stimulation (IPS) or striped patterns (P). We exposed nine children who had TV- and VG-evoked seizures in daily life to 12 VG after standardized photic stimulation and pattern stimulation. Their EEGs were recorded continuously, analyzed, and then correlated with a video of their behavior. Similar types of clinical signs were seen during VG, P, and IPS, but the signs we observed were more subtle during the VG. Eight patients showed a clear lateralization. A new observation was the lowering of the eyelids to a state of half-closed. Our study suggests that the type of visual stimulus provoking a photoparoxysmal response or seizure is not particularly relevant. The children belonged to different epilepsy groups, and our findings add to the discussion on the boundaries of the epilepsy types.

Awareness during anaesthesia for surgery requiring evoked potential monitoring: A pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pritish J Korula

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Evoked potential monitoring such as somatosensory-evoked potential (SSEP or motor-evoked potential (MEP monitoring during surgical procedures in proximity to the spinal cord requires minimising the minimum alveolar concentrations (MACs below the anaesthetic concentrations normally required (1 MAC to prevent interference in amplitude and latency of evoked potentials. This could result in awareness. Our primary objective was to determine the incidence of awareness while administering low MAC inhalational anaesthetics for these unique procedures. The secondary objective was to assess the adequacy of our anaesthetic technique from neurophysiologist′s perspective. Methods: In this prospective observational pilot study, 61 American Society of Anesthesiologists 1 and 2 patients undergoing spinal surgery for whom intraoperative evoked potential monitoring was performed were included; during the maintenance phase, 0.7-0.8 MAC of isoflurane was targeted. We evaluated the intraoperative depth of anaesthesia using a bispectral (BIS index monitor as well as the patients response to surgical stimulus (PRST scoring system. Post-operatively, a modified Bruce questionnaire was used to verify awareness. The adequacy of evoked potential readings was also assessed. Results: Of the 61 patients, no patient had explicit awareness. Intraoperatively, 19 of 61 patients had a BIS value of above sixty at least once, during surgery. There was no correlation with PRST scoring and BIS during surgery. Fifty-four out of 61 patient′s evoked potential readings were deemed ′good′ or ′fair′ for the conduct of electrophysiological monitoring. Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrates that administering low MAC inhalational anaesthetics to facilitate evoked potential monitoring does not result in explicit awareness. However, larger studies are needed to verify this. The conduct of SSEP electrophysiological monitoring was satisfactory with the use of this

Transmitter modulation of spike-evoked calcium transients in arousal related neurons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kohlmeier, Kristi Anne; Leonard, Christopher S

2006-01-01

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-containing cholinergic neurons in the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) influence behavioral and motivational states through their projections to the thalamus, ventral tegmental area and a brainstem 'rapid eye movement (REM)-induction' site. Action potential-evoked intracel......Nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-containing cholinergic neurons in the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) influence behavioral and motivational states through their projections to the thalamus, ventral tegmental area and a brainstem 'rapid eye movement (REM)-induction' site. Action potential......-evoked intracellular calcium transients dampen excitability and stimulate NO production in these neurons. In this study, we investigated the action of several arousal-related neurotransmitters and the role of specific calcium channels in these LDT Ca(2+)-transients by simultaneous whole-cell recording and calcium...... of cholinergic LDT neurons and that inhibition of spike-evoked Ca(2+)-transients is a common action of neurotransmitters that also activate GIRK channels in these neurons. Because spike-evoked calcium influx dampens excitability, our findings suggest that these 'inhibitory' transmitters could boost firing rate...

Combined Sewer Overflow pretreatment with chemical coagulation and a particle settler for improved peracetic acid disinfection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chhetri, Ravi Kumar; Bonnerup, Arne; Andersen, Henrik Rasmus

2016-01-01

Full scale disinfection by peracetic acid (PAA) was achieved on Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) water, which was pre-treated physically by a fast settling-filtration unit. Disinfection of untreated CSO water using PAA was compared to treatment using a particle separator (Hydro......Separator®) and additional coagulation with poly-aluminum-chloride. Disinfection for Enterococcus increased with the applied dose of PAA and additional improvement was achieved when it was preceded by chemical coagulation with 5 mg L−1 poly-aluminum-chloride. When Enterococcus was reduced by treatment in the Hydro...

Do Puzzle Pieces and Autism Puzzle Piece Logos Evoke Negative Associations?

Science.gov (United States)

Gernsbacher, Morton Ann; Raimond, Adam R.; Stevenson, Jennifer L.; Boston, Jilana S.; Harp, Bev

2018-01-01

Puzzle pieces have become ubiquitous symbols for autism. However, puzzle-piece imagery stirs debate between those who support and those who object to its use because they believe puzzle-piece imagery evokes negative associations. Our study empirically investigated whether puzzle pieces evoke negative associations in the general public.…

Refractory episodic vertigo: role of intratympanic gentamicin and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials,

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erika Celis-Aguilar

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction: Even today, the treatment of intractable vertigo remains a challenge. Vestibular ablation with intratympanic gentamicin stands as a good alternative in the management of refractory vertigo patients. Objective: To control intractable vertigo through complete saccular and horizontal canal vestibular ablation with intratympanic gentamicin treatment. Methods: Patients with refractory episodic vertigo were included. The inclusion criteria were: unilateral ear disease, moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss, and failure to other treatments. Included patients underwent 0.5-0.8 mL of gentamicin intratympanic application at a 30 mg/mL concentration. Vestibular ablation was confirmed by the absence of response on cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials and no response on caloric tests. Audiometry, electronystagmography with iced water, and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials were performed in all patients. Results: Ten patients were included; nine patients with Meniere's disease and one patient with (late onset delayed hydrops. Nine patients showed an absent response on vestibular evoked myogenic potentials and no response on caloric tests. The only patient with low amplitude on cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials had vertigo recurrence. Vertigo control was achieved in 90% of the patients. One patient developed hearing loss >30 dB. Conclusions: Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials confirmed vestibular ablation in patients treated with intratympanic gentamicin. High-grade vertigo control was due to complete saccular and horizontal canal ablation (no response to iced water in electronystagmography and no response on cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials.

Phantom somatosensory evoked potentials following selective intraneural electrical stimulation in two amputees.

Science.gov (United States)

Granata, Giuseppe; Di Iorio, Riccardo; Romanello, Roberto; Iodice, Francesco; Raspopovic, Stanisa; Petrini, Francesco; Strauss, Ivo; Valle, Giacomo; Stieglitz, Thomas; Čvančara, Paul; Andreu, David; Divoux, Jean-Louis; Guiraud, David; Wauters, Loic; Hiairrassary, Arthur; Jensen, Winnie; Micera, Silvestro; Rossini, Paolo Maria

2018-06-01

The aim of the paper is to objectively demonstrate that amputees implanted with intraneural interfaces are truly able to feel a sensation in the phantom hand by recording "phantom" somatosensory evoked potentials from the corresponding brain areas. We implanted four transverse intrafascicular multichannel electrodes, available with percutaneous connections to a multichannel electrical stimulator, in the median and ulnar nerves of two left trans-radial amputees. Two channels of the implants that were able to elicit sensations during intraneural nerve stimulation were chosen, in both patients, for recording somatosensory evoked potentials. We recorded reproducible evoked responses by stimulating the median and the ulnar nerves in both cases. Latencies were in accordance with the arrival of somatosensory information to the primary somatosensory cortex. Our results provide evidence that sensations generated by intraneural stimulation are truly perceived by amputees and located in the phantom hand. Moreover, our results strongly suggest that sensations perceived in different parts of the phantom hand result in different evoked responses. Somatosensory evoked potentials obtained by selective intraneural electrical stimulation in amputee patients are a useful tool to provide an objective demonstration of somatosensory feedback in new generation bidirectional prostheses. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

An inventory and update of jealousy-evoking partner behaviours in modern society.

Science.gov (United States)

Dijkstra, Pieternel; Barelds, Dick P H; Groothof, Hinke A K

2010-01-01

The goal of the present study was to identify the most important jealousy-evoking partner behaviours and to examine the extent to which these behaviours evoke jealousy. Based on the literature, a questionnaire was constructed containing 42 jealousy-evoking partner behaviours, including a partner's extra-dyadic involvement with someone else by means of modern communication devices, such as the Internet. A second study examined the extent to which undergraduates and a community sample experienced jealousy in response to these partner behaviours. Results showed that explicit unfaithful behaviours evoked most feelings of jealousy, followed by a partner's emotional or romantic involvement with someone else by means of modern communication devices. In general, older individuals responded with less jealousy in response to a partner's unfaithful and suspicious behaviours. Clinical implications are discussed. (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Test-retest reliability of speech-evoked auditory brainstem response in healthy children at a low sensation level.

Science.gov (United States)

Zakaria, Mohd Normani; Jalaei, Bahram

2017-11-01

Auditory brainstem responses evoked by complex stimuli such as speech syllables have been studied in normal subjects and subjects with compromised auditory functions. The stability of speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR) when tested over time has been reported but the literature is limited. The present study was carried out to determine the test-retest reliability of speech-ABR in healthy children at a low sensation level. Seventeen healthy children (6 boys, 11 girls) aged from 5 to 9 years (mean = 6.8 ± 3.3 years) were tested in two sessions separated by a 3-month period. The stimulus used was a 40-ms syllable /da/ presented at 30 dB sensation level. As revealed by pair t-test and intra-class correlation (ICC) analyses, peak latencies, peak amplitudes and composite onset measures of speech-ABR were found to be highly replicable. Compared to other parameters, higher ICC values were noted for peak latencies of speech-ABR. The present study was the first to report the test-retest reliability of speech-ABR recorded at low stimulation levels in healthy children. Due to its good stability, it can be used as an objective indicator for assessing the effectiveness of auditory rehabilitation in hearing-impaired children in future studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evoked Brain Activity and Personnel Performance

Science.gov (United States)

1987-10-01

Shucard and Horn (1972), Galbraith, Gliddon, and Busk (1970), and Callaway (1975), the latter using Navy recruits. Callaway’s own work was reported at...G.C., Gliddon, J.B., & Busk , J. (1970). Visual evoked responses in mentally retarded and nonretarded subjects. American Journal of Mental Deficiency

Evoked potentials in pediatric cerebral malaria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Minal Bhanushali

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Cortical evoked potentials (EP provide localized data regarding brain function and may offer prognostic information and insights into the pathologic mechanisms of malariamediated cerebral injury. As part of a prospective cohort study, we obtained somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs and brainstem auditory EPs (AEPs within 24 hours of admission on 27 consecutive children admitted with cerebral malaria (CM. Children underwent follow-up for 12 months to determine if they had any long term neurologic sequelae. EPs were obtained in 27 pediatric CM admissions. Two children died. Among survivors followed an average of 514 days, 7/25 (28.0% had at least one adverse neurologic outcome. Only a single subject had absent cortical EPs on admission and this child had a good neurologic outcome. Among pediatric CM survivors, cortical EPs are generally intact and do not predict adverse neurologic outcomes. Further study is needed to determine if alterations in cortical EPs can be used to predict a fatal outcome in CM.

Laser-evoked coloration in polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, H.Y.; Rosseinsky, David; Lim, G.C.

2005-01-01

Laser-evoked coloration in polymers has long been a major aim of polymer technology for potential applications in product surface decoration, marking personalised images and logos. However, the coloration results reported so far were mostly attributed to laser-induced thermal-chemical reactions. The laser-irradiated areas are characterized with grooves due to material removal. Furthermore, only single color was laser-induced in any given polymer matrix. To induce multiple colors in a given polymer matrix with no apparent surface material removal is most desirable and challenging and may be achieved through laser-induced photo-chemical reactions. However, little public information is available at present. We report that two colors of red and green have been produced on an initially transparent CPV/PVA samples through UV laser-induced photo-chemical reactions. This is believed the first observation of laser-induced multiple-colors in the given polymer matrix. It is believed that the colorants underwent photo-effected electron transfer with suitable electron donors from the polymers to change from colorless bipyridilium Bipm 2+ to the colored Bipm + species. The discovery may lead to new approaches to the development of laser-evoked multiple coloration in polymers

Refractory episodic vertigo: role of intratympanic gentamicin and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Celis-Aguilar, Erika; Hinojosa-González, Ramon; Vales-Hidalgo, Olivia; Coutinho-Toledo, Heloisa

Even today, the treatment of intractable vertigo remains a challenge. Vestibular ablation with intratympanic gentamicin stands as a good alternative in the management of refractory vertigo patients. To control intractable vertigo through complete saccular and horizontal canal vestibular ablation with intratympanic gentamicin treatment. Patients with refractory episodic vertigo were included. The inclusion criteria were: unilateral ear disease, moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss, and failure to other treatments. Included patients underwent 0.5-0.8mL of gentamicin intratympanic application at a 30mg/mL concentration. Vestibular ablation was confirmed by the absence of response on cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials and no response on caloric tests. Audiometry, electronystagmography with iced water, and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials were performed in all patients. Ten patients were included; nine patients with Meniere's disease and one patient with (late onset) delayed hydrops. Nine patients showed an absent response on vestibular evoked myogenic potentials and no response on caloric tests. The only patient with low amplitude on cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials had vertigo recurrence. Vertigo control was achieved in 90% of the patients. One patient developed hearing loss >30dB. Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials confirmed vestibular ablation in patients treated with intratympanic gentamicin. High-grade vertigo control was due to complete saccular and horizontal canal ablation (no response to iced water in electronystagmography and no response on cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials). Copyright © 2016 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Overflow Water Pathways in the Subpolar North Atlantic Observed with Deep Floats

Science.gov (United States)

Bower, Amy; Furey, Heather; Lozier, Susan

2017-04-01

As part of the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP), a total of 135 acoustically tracked RAFOS floats have been deployed in the deep boundary currents of the Iceland, Irminger and Labrador Basins, and in the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone, to investigate the pathways of Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) and Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW). Floats were released annually in 2014, 2015 and 2016 at depths between 1800 and 2800 m for two-year missions. The array of sound sources used for tracking was expanded from 10 to 13 moorings in 2016 when it was discovered that wintertime surface roughness was negatively impacting acoustic ranges. The floats from the first setting reveal several examples of persistent , deep coherent eddy motion, including a cyclonic eddy spinning off the tip of Eirik Ridge (southwest of Cape Farewell), a cyclonic eddy in the northeastern Labrador Basin near where anticyclonic Irminger Rings are formed, and an anticyclonic eddy under the North Atlantic Current (NAC) in the central Iceland Basin. A consistent region of boundary-interior exchange was observed near Hamilton Bank on the western boundary of the Labrador Sea. Deep cyclonic recirculation gyres are revealed in all three basins. Floats released in the southward-flowing deep boundary current over the eastern flank of the Reykjanes Ridge show that shallower layers of ISOW peel off to the west and cross the Ridge into the Irminger Basin through various gaps south of 60°N, including the Bight Fracture Zone. These floats tend to turn northward and continue along the slope in the Irminger Basin. Interestingly, floats released at the ISOW level in the CGFZ did not turn into the Irminger Basin as often depicted in deep circulation schematics, but rather drifted west-northwestward toward the Labrador Sea, or eddied around west of the CGFZ and (in some cases) turned southward. This result is consistent with some previous hydrographic and high-resolution model results

A comparison of auditory evoked potentials to acoustic beats and to binaural beats.

Science.gov (United States)

Pratt, Hillel; Starr, Arnold; Michalewski, Henry J; Dimitrijevic, Andrew; Bleich, Naomi; Mittelman, Nomi

2010-04-01

The purpose of this study was to compare cortical brain responses evoked by amplitude modulated acoustic beats of 3 and 6 Hz in tones of 250 and 1000 Hz with those evoked by their binaural beats counterparts in unmodulated tones to indicate whether the cortical processes involved differ. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded to 3- and 6-Hz acoustic and binaural beats in 2000 ms duration 250 and 1000 Hz tones presented with approximately 1 s intervals. Latency, amplitude and source current density estimates of ERP components to beats-evoked oscillations were determined and compared across beat types, beat frequencies and base (carrier) frequencies. All stimuli evoked tone-onset components followed by oscillations corresponding to the beat frequency, and a subsequent tone-offset complex. Beats-evoked oscillations were higher in amplitude in response to acoustic than to binaural beats, to 250 than to 1000 Hz base frequency and to 3 Hz than to 6 Hz beat frequency. Sources of the beats-evoked oscillations across all stimulus conditions located mostly to left temporal lobe areas. Differences between estimated sources of potentials to acoustic and binaural beats were not significant. The perceptions of binaural beats involve cortical activity that is not different than acoustic beats in distribution and in the effects of beat- and base frequency, indicating similar cortical processing. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study on change of multi-modally evoked potentials in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Ling; Chen Jiaxin; Zhang Lixiang; Wang Tiejian; Han Min; Lu Xiaoling

2001-01-01

Objective: To investigate possible changes of multi-modally evoked potentials in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after radiotherapy. Methods: Altogether 48 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving primary conventional external beam irradiation were examined before and after radiotherapy to determine their brainstem auditory-evoked potential (BAEP), short-latency somatosensory-evoked potential (SLSEP) and pattern reversal visual-evoked potential (PRVEP). Results: In comparison with the conditions before radiotherapy, in different periods after radiotherapy abnormal peak latency and interval latency difference were found in BAEP, SLSEP and PRVEP. Conclusion: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy may cause abnormal function of nerve conduction in early periods, which can be showed by BAEP, SLSEP, PRVEP, and injury can be timely detected if the three evoked potentials are used together. Thus authors suggest BAEP, SLSEP, PRVEP should be examined in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients during and after the radiotherapy so as to find early damage in auditory somatosensory and visual conduction pathways

Index finger somatosensory evoked potentials in blind Braille readers.

Science.gov (United States)

Giriyappa, Dayananda; Subrahmanyam, Roopakala Mysore; Rangashetty, Srinivasa; Sharma, Rajeev

2009-01-01

Traditionally, vision has been considered the dominant modality in our multi-sensory perception of the surrounding world. Sensory input via non-visual tracts becomes of greater behavioural relevance in totally blind individuals to enable effective interaction with the world around them. These include audition and tactile perceptions, leading to an augmentation in these perceptions when compared with normal sighted individuals. The objective of the present work was to study the index finger somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in totally blind and normal sighted individuals. SEPs were recorded in 15 Braille reading totally blind females and compared with 15 age-matched normal sighted females. Latency and amplitudes of somatosensory evoked potential waveforms (N9, N13, and N20) were measured. Amplitude of N20 SEP (a cortical somatosensory evoked potential) was significantly larger in the totally blind than in normal sighted individuals (p Braille reading right index finger. Totally blind Braille readers have larger N20 amplitude, suggestive of greater somatosensory cortical representation of the Braille reading index finger.

The political limit of tolerance O limite político da tolerância

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Yvon Thériault

2008-06-01

Full Text Available In the contemporary discussions about democracy modifications, tolerance has been frequently evoked in order to express the way by which the democracies respond to the new demands of plurality recognition. While drawing the general lines of the connection between tolerance and democracy, the present article intends to deepen the comprehension of tolerance’s places and limits inside the democracy. After that, the text should evaluate the reach of the contemporary use of tolerance. Keywords: Democracy. Tolerance. Political theory. National Identity. Nas discussões contemporâneas sobre as transformações da democracia, a tolerância é com freqüência evocada para expressar o modo pelo qual as democracias respondem às novas exigências de reconhecimento da pluralidade. Ao esboçar as linhas gerais da relação entre tolerância e democracia, o presente artigo pretende aprofundar a compreensão do lugar e dos limites da tolerância na democracia. Em um segundo momento, tratará de avaliar o alcance do uso contemporâneo da tolerância. Palavras-chave: Democracia. Tolerância. Teoria Política. Identidade Nacional.

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials: an overview Potencial evocado miogênico vestibular: uma visão geral

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Renato Cal

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP test is a relatively new diagnostic tool that is in the process of being investigated in patients with specific vestibular disorders. Briefly, the VEMP is a biphasic response elicited by loud clicks or tone bursts recorded from the tonically contracted sternocleidomastoid muscle, being the only resource available to assess the function of the saccule and the lower portion of the vestibular nerve. AIM: In this review, we shall highlight the history, methods, current VEMP status, and discuss its specific application in the diagnosis of the Ménière's Syndrome.O teste do potencial evocado miogênico vestibular (PEMV é um instrumento diagnóstico relativamente novo e ainda em processo de validação em estudos com pacientes portadores de desordens vestibulares específicas. De forma resumida, o PEMV é uma resposta bifásica em resposta a estímulos sonoros gravados a partir de contrações do músculo esternocleidomastóideo e é o único recurso existente para avaliar a função do sáculo e da divisão inferior do nervo vestibular. OBJETIVO: Nesta revisão iremos destacar a história, método de realização, situação atual da pesquisa envolvendo o PEMV, além de discutir as suas aplicações específicas no diagnóstico da síndrome de Ménière.

Caracterización de los potenciales evocados visuales en la retinopatía diabética Characterization of the visual evoked potentials in the diabetic retinopathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zaida Rosa Delgado Rizo

2009-12-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCCIÓN: El registro de los potenciales evocados visuales es muy útil para determinar lesiones en la vía visual, que en la diabetes mellitus se expresan mediante la retinopatía diabética y el daño del nervio óptico. OBJETIVOS: Caracterizar el compromiso del analizador visual en la diabetes mellitus mediante la determinación del daño de la vía visual a través de los potenciales evocados visuales; correlacionar el estado clínico de la vía visual, el control metabólico y el tiempo de la enfermedad con la alteración electrofisiológica de la diabetes mellitus. MÉTODOS: Se realizó un estudio acerca de los potenciales evocados visuales en diabetes mellitus tipos I y II INTRODUCTION: The recording of visual evoked potentials is very useful to determine visual lesions that in diabetes mellitus are expressed as diabetic retinopathy and damage of the optic nerve. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the involvement of the visual analyzer in diabetes mellitus through determining the damage to the visual path on the basis of visual evoked potentials; and also to correlate the clinical state of the visual path, the metabolic control and the length of the disease with the electrophysiological alteration of diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A study on the visual evoked potentials in type I and II diabetes mellitus under 15 years of evolution was conducted together with a cross-sectional analytical research of cases (n = 32 and healthy controls (n = 16.Latency and P100 amplitude of VEP in both eyes were ascertained and the retina was clinically studied to determine related diseases. RESULTS: Latency P100 104,68 ± 4,28 in GE y 97,5 ± 3,71 in GC (p = 0,089, amplitude P100 10,84 ± 2,45 in GE and 8,02 ±1,70 in GC (p = 0,673

Newborn hearing screening with transient evoked otoacoustic emissions and automatic auditory brainstem response

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Mota Mamede de Carvallo

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of the present investigation was to check Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions and Automatic Auditory Brainstem Response tests applied together in regular nurseries and Newborn Intensive Care Units (NICU, as well as to describe and compare the results obtained in both groups. Methods: We tested 150 newborns from regular nurseries and 70 from NICU. Rresults: The newborn hearing screening results using Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions and Automatic Auditory Brainstem Response tests could be applied to all babies. The “pass” result for the group of babies from the nursery was 94.7% using Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions and 96% using Automatic Auditory Brainstem Response. The newborn intensive care unit group obtained 87.1% on Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions and 80% on the Automatic Auditory Brainstem Response, and there was no statistical difference between the procedures when the groups were evaluated individually. However, comparing the groups, Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions were presented in 94.7% of the nursery babies and in 87.1% in the group from the newborn intensive care unit. Considering the Automatic Auditory Brainstem Response, we found 96 and 87%, respectively. Cconclusions: Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions and Automatic Auditory Brainstem Response had similar “pass” and “fail” results when the procedures were applied to neonates from the regular nursery, and the combined tests were more precise to detect hearing impairment in the newborn intensive care unit babies.

Sex differences in the jealousy-evoking nature of a rival's body build

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, Pieternel; Buunk, Abraham (Bram)

This study among 185 college students showed that potential rivals with a relatively low waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) evoked more jealousy in women than in men. In contrast, rivals with a relatively high shoulder-to-hip ratio (SHR) evoked more jealousy in men than in women, particularly when the rival

Enhanced brainstem and cortical evoked response amplitudes: single-trial covariance analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Galbraith, G C

2001-06-01

The purpose of the present study was to develop analytic procedures that improve the definition of sensory evoked response components. Such procedures could benefit all recordings but would especially benefit difficult recordings where many trials are contaminated by muscle and movement artifacts. First, cross-correlation and latency adjustment analyses were applied to the human brainstem frequency-following response and cortical auditory evoked response recorded on the same trials. Lagged cross-correlation functions were computed, for each of 17 subjects, between single-trial data and templates consisting of the sinusoid stimulus waveform for the brainstem response and the subject's own smoothed averaged evoked response P2 component for the cortical response. Trials were considered in the analysis only if the maximum correlation-squared (r2) exceeded .5 (negatively correlated trials were thus included). Identical correlation coefficients may be based on signals with quite different amplitudes, but it is possible to assess amplitude by the nonnormalized covariance function. Next, an algorithm is applied in which each trial with negative covariance is matched to a trial with similar, but positive, covariance and these matched-trial pairs are deleted. When an evoked response signal is present in the data, the majority of trials positively correlate with the template. Thus, a residual of positively correlated trials remains after matched covariance trials are deleted. When these residual trials are averaged, the resulting brainstem and cortical responses show greatly enhanced amplitudes. This result supports the utility of this analysis technique in clarifying and assessing evoked response signals.

High-resolution marine flood modelling coupling overflow and overtopping processes: framing the hazard based on historical and statistical approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Nicolae Lerma, Alexandre; Bulteau, Thomas; Elineau, Sylvain; Paris, François; Durand, Paul; Anselme, Brice; Pedreros, Rodrigo

2018-01-01

A modelling chain was implemented in order to propose a realistic appraisal of the risk in coastal areas affected by overflowing as well as overtopping processes. Simulations are performed through a nested downscaling strategy from regional to local scale at high spatial resolution with explicit buildings, urban structures such as sea front walls and hydraulic structures liable to affect the propagation of water in urban areas. Validation of the model performance is based on hard and soft available data analysis and conversion of qualitative to quantitative information to reconstruct the area affected by flooding and the succession of events during two recent storms. Two joint probability approaches (joint exceedance contour and environmental contour) are used to define 100-year offshore conditions scenarios and to investigate the flood response to each scenario in terms of (1) maximum spatial extent of flooded areas, (2) volumes of water propagation inland and (3) water level in flooded areas. Scenarios of sea level rise are also considered in order to evaluate the potential hazard evolution. Our simulations show that for a maximising 100-year hazard scenario, for the municipality as a whole, 38 % of the affected zones are prone to overflow flooding and 62 % to flooding by propagation of overtopping water volume along the seafront. Results also reveal that for the two kinds of statistic scenarios a difference of about 5 % in the forcing conditions (water level, wave height and period) can produce significant differences in terms of flooding like +13.5 % of water volumes propagating inland or +11.3 % of affected surfaces. In some areas, flood response appears to be very sensitive to the chosen scenario with differences of 0.3 to 0.5 m in water level. The developed approach enables one to frame the 100-year hazard and to characterize spatially the robustness or the uncertainty over the results. Considering a 100-year scenario with mean sea level rise (0.6 m), hazard

Is Urgent Evoke a Digital Ba?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wichmand, Mette

2018-01-01

of such a platform, the World Bank’s online game Urgent Evoke, which has been designed with the pur- pose of engaging citizens in developing innovative solutions for sociopolitical problems like poverty. The analysis is based on Nonaka’s concept of Ba, which means “place” and is described as a platform for advancing...

Exchange transfusion with fluorocarbon for studying synaptically evoked optical signal in rat cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Nomura, Y; Fujii, F; Sato, C; Nemoto, M; Tamura, M

2000-02-01

. Zieglgansberger, The intrinsic optical signal evoked by chiasm stimulation in the rat suprachiasmatic nuclei exhibits GABAergic day-night variation, Eur. J. Neurosci. 8 (1996) 319-328] [3] [9] [13] [24]. A spectral fitting method with three components is used for the analysis of intrinsic optical signal [M. Nemoto, Y. Nomura, C. Sato, M. Tamura, K. Houkin, I. Koyanagi, H. Abe, Analysis of optical signals evoked by peripheral nerve stimulation in rat somatosensory cortex: dynamic changes in hemoglobin concentration and oxygenation, J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 19 (1999) 246-259] [17]. In order to validate the analysis, we need the knowledge on contribution of signal resulted from hemoglobin to total intrinsic optical signal. The exchange transfusion with fluorocarbon has the advantage that can change the spectral contribution of hemoglobin [M. Ferrari, M.A. Williams, D.A. Wilson, N.V. Thakor, R.J. Traystman, D.F. Hanley, Cat brain cytochrome-c oxidase redox changes induced by hypoxia after blood-fluorocarbon exchange transfusion, Am. J. Physiol. 269 (1995) H417-H424; A.L. Sylvia, C.A. Piantadosi, O(2) dependence of in vivo brain cytochrome redox responses and energy metabolism in bloodless rats, J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 8 (1988) 163-172] [6] [23]. Here we describe a new method of the reduction of hemoglobin signal from somatosensory evoked optical intrinsic signal in rat cortex by the combination of exchange transfusion with fluorocarbon and imaging system of thinned skull cranial window. The method allows for the study of the synaptically evoked changes in light scattering as well as fluorescence of calcium indicator or voltage-sensitive dye without absorption of hemoglobin.

A directed-overflow and damage-control N-glycosidase in riboflavin biosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Frelin, Océane; Huang, Lili; Hasnain, Ghulam; Jeffryes, James G.; Ziemak, Michael J.; Rocca, James R.; Wang, Bing; Rice, Jennifer; Roje, Sanja; Yurgel, Svetlana N.; Gregory, Jesse F.; Edison, Arthur S.; Henry, Christopher S.; deCrécy-Lagard, Valérie; Hanson, Andrew D.

2015-01-01

Plants and bacteria synthesize the essential human micronutrient riboflavin (vitamin B2) via the same multistep pathway. The early intermediates of this pathway are notoriously reactive, and may be overproduced in vivo because riboflavin biosynthesis enzymes lack feedback controls. Here we demonstrate disposal of riboflavin intermediates by COG3236 (DUF1768), a protein of previously unknown function that is fused to two different riboflavin pathway enzymes in plants and bacteria (RIBR and RibA, respectively). We present cheminformatic, biochemical, genetic, and genomic evidence to show that: (i) plant and bacterial COG3236 proteins cleave the N-glycosidic bond of the first two intermediates of riboflavin biosynthesis, yielding relatively innocuous products; (ii) certain COG3236 proteins are in a multienzyme riboflavin biosynthesis complex that gives them privileged access to riboflavin intermediates; and (iii) COG3236 action in Arabidopsis thaliana and Escherichia coli helps maintain flavin levels. COG3236 proteins thus illustrate two emerging principles in chemical biology: directed overflow metabolism, in which excess flux is diverted out of a pathway, and the pre-emption of damage from reactive metabolites. PMID:25431972

Event classification related to overflow of solvent containing uranium according to the INES scale (International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dourado, Eneida R.G.; Assis, Juliana T. de; Lage, Ricardo F.; Lopes, Karina B.

2013-01-01

This paper aims to frame the event overflow organic solvent rich in uranium, from a decanter of ore beneficiation plant, caused by the fall in the supply of electricity, according to the criteria established by the International Nuclear Event Scale and radiological (INES), facilitating the understanding of the occurrence and communication with the public regarding the radiation safety aspects involved. With the fall of electricity, routine procedures in situations of installation stop were performed, however, due to operational failure, the valve on the transfer line liquor was not closed. Thus, the mixer continued being fed with liquor, that led the consequent leakage of solvent loaded with uranium. It reached the drainage system, and the box of rainwater harvesting of the plant. However, immediately after the detection of the event, corrective actions were initiated and the overflow was contained. Regulatory agencies followed the removal of the solvent and on the results of the analysis of environmental monitoring, found that the event did not provide exposure to workers or any other impact. Therefore, comparing the characteristics of the event and the guidelines proposed by the INES scale, it is concluded that the classification of the event is below scale/level 0, confirming the absence of risk to the local population, workers and the environment

Evoked Emotions Predict Food Choice

OpenAIRE

Dalenberg, Jelle R.; Gutjar, Swetlana; ter Horst, Gert J.; de Graaf, Kees; Renken, Remco J.; Jager, Gerry

2014-01-01

In the current study we show that non-verbal food-evoked emotion scores significantly improve food choice prediction over merely liking scores. Previous research has shown that liking measures correlate with choice. However, liking is no strong predictor for food choice in real life environments. Therefore, the focus within recent studies shifted towards using emotion-profiling methods that successfully can discriminate between products that are equally liked. However, it is unclear how well ...

Modelling sewer sediment deposition, erosion, and transport processes to predict acute influent and reduce combined sewer overflows and CO(2) emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mouri, Goro; Oki, Taikan

2010-01-01

Understanding of solids deposition, erosion, and transport processes in sewer systems has improved considerably in the past decade. This has provided guidance for controlling sewer solids and associated acute pollutants to protect the environment and improve the operation of wastewater systems. Although measures to decrease combined sewer overflow (CSO) events have reduced the amount of discharged pollution, overflows continue to occur during rainy weather in combined sewer systems. The solution lies in the amount of water allotted to various processes in an effluent treatment system, in impact evaluation of water quality and prediction technology, and in stressing the importance of developing a control technology. Extremely contaminated inflow has been a serious research subject, especially in connection with the influence of rainy weather on nitrogen and organic matter removal efficiency in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). An intensive investigation of an extremely polluted inflow load to WWTP during rainy weather was conducted in the city of Matsuyama, the region used for the present research on total suspended solid (TSS) concentration. Since the inflow during rainy weather can be as much as 400 times that in dry weather, almost all sewers are unsettled and overflowing when a rain event is more than moderate. Another concern is the energy consumed by wastewater treatment; this problem has become important from the viewpoint of reducing CO(2) emissions and overall costs. Therefore, while establishing a prediction technology for the inflow water quality characteristics of a sewage disposal plant is an important priority, the development of a management/control method for an effluent treatment system that minimises energy consumption and CO(2) emissions due to water disposal is also a pressing research topic with regards to the quality of treated water. The procedure to improve water quality must make use of not only water quality and biotic criteria, but also

Small Delay and High Performance AD/DA Converters of Lease Circuit System for AM&FM Broadcast

Science.gov (United States)

Takato, Kenji; Suzuki, Dai; Ishii, Takashi; Kobayashi, Masato; Yamada, Hirokazu; Amano, Shigeru

Many AM&FM broadcasting stations in Japan are connected by the leased circuit system of NTT. Small delay and high performance AD/DA converter was developed for the system. The system was designed based on ITU-T J.41 Recommendation (384kbps), the transmission signal is 11bit-32 kHz where the Gain-frequency characteristics between 40Hz to 15kHz have to be quite flat. The ΔΣAD/DA converter LSIs for audio application in the market today realize very high performance. However the performance is not enough for the leased circuit system. We found that it is not possible to meet the delay and Gain-frequency requirements only by using ΔΣAD/DA converter LSI in normal operation, because 15kHz the highest frequency and 16kHz Nyquist frequency are too close, therefore there are aliasing around Nyquist frequency. In this paper, we designed AD/DA architecture having small delay (1msec) and sharp cut off LPF (100dB attenuation at 16kHz, and 1500dB/Oct from 15kHz to 16kHz) by operating ΔΣAD/DA converter LSIs over-sampling rate such as 128kHz and by adding custom LPF designed Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filter. The IIR filter is a 16th order elliptic type and it is consist of eight biquad filters in series. We described how to evaluate the stability of IIR filter theoretically by calculating frequency response, Pole and Zero Layout and impulse response of each biquad filter, and experimentally by adding overflow detection circuit on each filters and input overlord signal.

Contribuição do potencial evocado auditivo em pacientes com vertigem Results of brainstem evoked response in patients with vestibular complaints

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gisiane Munaro

2010-06-01

Full Text Available A avaliação otoneurológica consiste em exames para investigação de patologias auditivas e vestibulares, incluindo o potencial evocado de tronco encefálico e a vectoeletronistagmografia. OBJETIVO: Descrever os resultados da avaliação otoneurológica em pacientes com queixas vestibulococleares, normo-ouvintes e com perda auditiva, comparados a grupo-controle. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, retrospectivo, observacional, realizado com 56 pacientes vertiginosos avaliados por audiometria, vectoeletronistagmografia e potencial evocado auditivo de tronco encefálico, divididos em grupo A, 31 pacientes normo-ouvintes, e grupo B, 25 pacientes com perda auditiva, comparados ao grupo-controle constituído por dez voluntários normo-ouvintes assintomáticos. RESULTADOS: Os pacientes dos grupos A e B apresentaram aumento em monobloco das latências absolutas das ondas I, III e V estatisticamente significante, quando comparados ao grupo-controle, embora com valores dentro da normalidade. A ausência da onda I a 80 dBNA foi um achado comum para ambos os grupos e ocorreu em quatro (12,9% sujeitos bilateralmente e em três (9,6% unilateralmente no grupo A e em oito (32% pacientes no grupo B bilateralmente. Nos dois casos em que a vectoeletronistagmografia acusou alteração vestibular central não ocorreram alterações nos parâmetros dos potenciais evocados. CONCLUSÃO: Os pacientes com vertigem, normo-ouvintes e com perda auditiva, apresentaram latências absolutas aumentadas quando comparados a grupo-controleOtoneurological evaluations are based on tests which investigate auditory and vestibular disorders, including brainstem evoked auditory potentials and vecto-electronystagmography. AIM: to describe the results from the otoneurological assessment of patients with vestibulocochlear complaints, normal hearing individuals and patients with hearing loss, and we will compare them to a control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross

Effect of peripherally and cortically evoked swallows on jaw reflex responses in anesthetized rabbits.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Taku; Yoshihara, Midori; Sakai, Shogo; Tsuji, Kojun; Nagoya, Kouta; Magara, Jin; Tsujimura, Takanori; Inoue, Makoto

2018-05-03

This study aimed to investigate whether the jaw-opening (JOR) and jaw-closing reflexes (JCR) are modulated during not only peripherally, but also centrally, evoked swallowing. Experiments were carried out on 24 adult male Japanese white rabbits. JORs were evoked by trigeminal stimulation at 1 Hz for 30 sec. In the middle 10 sec, either the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) or cortical swallowing area (Cx) was simultaneously stimulated to evoke swallowing. The peak-to-peak JOR amplitude was reduced during the middle and late 10-sec periods (i.e., during and after SLN or Cx stimulation), and the reduction was dependent on the current intensity of SLN/Cx stimulation: greater SLN/Cx stimulus current resulted in greater JOR inhibition. The reduction rate was significantly greater during Cx stimulation than during SLN stimulation. The amplitude returned to baseline 2 min after 10-sec SLN/Cx stimulation. The effect of co-stimulation of SLN and Cx was significantly greater than that of SLN stimulation alone. There were no significant differences in any parameters of the JCR between conditions. These results clearly showed that JOR responses were significantly suppressed, not only during peripherally evoked swallowing but also during centrally evoked swallowing, and that the inhibitory effect is likely to be larger during centrally compared with peripherally evoked swallowing. The functional implications of these results are discussed. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Influência dos contrastes de fala nos potenciais evocados auditivos corticais The influence of speech stimuli contrast in cortical auditory evoked potentials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kátia de Freitas Alvarenga

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Estudos voltados aos potenciais evocados auditivos com estímulos de fala em indivíduos ouvintes são importantes para compreender como a complexidade do estímulo influencia nas características do potencial cognitivo auditivo gerado. OBJETIVO: Caracterizar o potencial evocado auditivo cortical e o potencial cognitivo auditivo P3 com estímulos de contrastes vocálico e consonantal em indivíduos com audição normal. MÉTODO: Participaram deste estudo 31 indivíduos sem alterações auditivas, neurológicas e de linguagem na faixa etária de 7 a 30 anos. Os potenciais evocados auditivos corticais e cognitivo auditivo P3 foram registrados nos canais ativos Fz e Cz utilizando-se os contrastes de fala consonantal (/ba/-/da/ e vocálico (/i/-/a/. Desenho: Estudo de coorte, transversal e prospectivo. RESULTADOS: Houve diferença entre o contraste de fala utilizado e as latências dos componentes N2 (p = 0,00 e P3 (p = 0,00, assim como entre o canal ativo considerado (Fz/Cz e os valores de latência e amplitude de P3. Estas diferenças não ocorreram para os componentes exógenos N1 e P2. CONCLUSÃO: O contraste do estímulo de fala, vocálico ou consonantal, deve ser considerado na análise do potencial evocado cortical, componente N2, e do potencial cognitivo auditivo P3.Studies about cortical auditory evoked potentials using the speech stimuli in normal hearing individuals are important for understanding how the complexity of the stimulus influences the characteristics of the cortical potential generated. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the cortical auditory evoked potential and the P3 auditory cognitive potential with the vocalic and consonantal contrast stimuli in normally hearing individuals. METHOD: 31 individuals with no risk for hearing, neurologic and language alterations, in the age range between 7 and 30 years, participated in this study. The cortical auditory evoked potentials and the P3 auditory cognitive one were recorded in the Fz and Cz

The Relationship of Visual Evoked Potential Asymmetries to the Performance of Sonar Operators

Science.gov (United States)

1981-08-11

also been related to EP variability. Schizophrenic adults and patients with Korsakoff’s Syndrome have shown higher evoked potential variability than...average evoked response in Korsakoff patients. J. Psychiatry Res. 6: 253-260, 1969. Santoro, T. and D. Fender. Rules for the perception of

Conduction velocity of the human spinothalamic tract as assessed by laser evoked potentials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cruccu, G.; Iannetti, G. D.; Agostino, R.

2000-01-01

To study the conduction velocity of the spinothalamic tract (STT) we delivered CO2 laser pulses, evoking pinprick sensations, to the skin overlying the vertebral spinous processes at different spinal levels from C5 to T10 and recorded evoked potentials (LEPs) in 15 healthy human subjects...

Evidence that 5-hydroxytryptamine3 receptors mediate cytotoxic drug and radiation-evoked emesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miner, W.D.; Sanger, G.J.; Turner, D.H.

1987-01-01

The involvement of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 5-HT 3 receptors in the mechanisms of severe emesis evoked by cytotoxic drugs or by total body irradiation have been studied in ferrets. Anti-emetic compounds tested were domperidone (a dopamine antagonist), metoclopramide (a gastric motility stimulant and dopamine antagonist at conventional doses, a 5-HT 3 receptor antagonist at higher doses) and BRL 24924 (a potent gastric motility stimulant and a 5-HT 3 receptor antagonist). Domperidone or metoclopramide prevented apomorphine-evoked emesis, whereas BRL 24924 did not. Similar doses of domperidone did not prevent emesis evoked by cis-platin or by total body irradiation, whereas metoclopramide or BRL 24924 greatly reduced or prevented these types of emesis. Metoclopramide and BRL 24924 also prevented emesis evoked by a combination of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. These results are discussed in terms of a fundamental role for 5-HT 3 receptors in the mechanisms mediating severely emetogenic cancer treatment therapies. (author)

Interhemispheric Asymmetries in Visual Evoked Potential Amplitude

Science.gov (United States)

1980-06-12

Layne, 1965) and of patients with Korsakoff’s syndrome (Malerstein and Callaway, 1969) . In the schizophrenics, the high variability is related to poor...communication. Malerstein, A. J., Callaway, E. Two-tone average evoked response in Korsakoff patients. J. Psychiatr. Res. 6: 253-260, 1969. Marsh, G

Visual cortical somatosensory and brainstem auditory evoked potentials following incidental irradiation of the rhombencephalon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nightingale, S. (Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne (UK)); Schofield, I.S.; Dawes, P.J.D.K. (Newcastle upon Tyne Univ. (UK). Newcastle General Hospital)

1984-01-01

Visual, cortical somatosensory and brainstem auditory evoked potentials were recorded before incidental irradiation of the rhombencephalon during radiotherapy in and around the middle ear, and at 11 weeks and eight months after completion of treatment. No patient experienced neurological symptoms during this period. No consistent changes in evoked potentials were found. The failure to demonstrate subclinical radiation-induced demyelination suggests either that the syndrome of early-delayed radiation rhombencephalopathy occurs in an idiosyncratic manner, or that any subclinical lesions are not detectable by serial evoked potential recordings.

Dynamic gauge adjustment of high-resolution X-band radar data for convective rain storms: Model-based evaluation against measured combined sewer overflow

Science.gov (United States)

Borup, Morten; Grum, Morten; Linde, Jens Jørgen; Mikkelsen, Peter Steen

2016-08-01

Numerous studies have shown that radar rainfall estimates need to be adjusted against rain gauge measurements in order to be useful for hydrological modelling. In the current study we investigate if adjustment can improve radar rainfall estimates to the point where they can be used for modelling overflows from urban drainage systems, and we furthermore investigate the importance of the aggregation period of the adjustment scheme. This is done by continuously adjusting X-band radar data based on the previous 5-30 min of rain data recorded by multiple rain gauges and propagating the rainfall estimates through a hydraulic urban drainage model. The model is built entirely from physical data, without any calibration, to avoid bias towards any specific type of rainfall estimate. The performance is assessed by comparing measured and modelled water levels at a weir downstream of a highly impermeable, well defined, 64 ha urban catchment, for nine overflow generating rain events. The dynamically adjusted radar data perform best when the aggregation period is as small as 10-20 min, in which case it performs much better than static adjusted radar data and data from rain gauges situated 2-3 km away.

Music-evoked emotions in schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Abe, Daijyu; Arai, Makoto; Itokawa, Masanari

2017-07-01

Previous studies have reported that people with schizophrenia have impaired musical abilities. Here we developed a simple music-based assay to assess patient's ability to associate a minor chord with sadness. We further characterize correlations between impaired musical responses and psychiatric symptoms. We exposed participants sequentially to two sets of sound stimuli, first a C-major progression and chord, and second a C-minor progression and chord. Participants were asked which stimulus they associated with sadness, the first set, the second set, or neither. The severity of psychiatric symptoms was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Study participants were 29 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 29 healthy volunteers matched in age, gender and musical background. 37.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]:19.1-56.7) of patients with schizophrenia associated the minor chord set as sad, compared with 97.9% (95%CI: 89.5-103.6) of controls. Four patients were diagnosed with treatment-resistant schizophrenia, and all four failed to associate the minor chord with sadness. Patients who did not recognize minor chords as sad had significantly higher scores on all PANSS subscales. A simple test allows music-evoked emotions to be assessed in schizophrenia patient, and may show potential relationships between music-evoked emotions and psychiatric symptoms. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Right hemispheric dominance of visual phenomena evoked by intracerebral stimulation of the human visual cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Jonas, Jacques; Frismand, Solène; Vignal, Jean-Pierre; Colnat-Coulbois, Sophie; Koessler, Laurent; Vespignani, Hervé; Rossion, Bruno; Maillard, Louis

2014-07-01

Electrical brain stimulation can provide important information about the functional organization of the human visual cortex. Here, we report the visual phenomena evoked by a large number (562) of intracerebral electrical stimulations performed at low-intensity with depth electrodes implanted in the occipito-parieto-temporal cortex of 22 epileptic patients. Focal electrical stimulation evoked primarily visual hallucinations with various complexities: simple (spot or blob), intermediary (geometric forms), or complex meaningful shapes (faces); visual illusions and impairments of visual recognition were more rarely observed. With the exception of the most posterior cortical sites, the probability of evoking a visual phenomenon was significantly higher in the right than the left hemisphere. Intermediary and complex hallucinations, illusions, and visual recognition impairments were almost exclusively evoked by stimulation in the right hemisphere. The probability of evoking a visual phenomenon decreased substantially from the occipital pole to the most anterior sites of the temporal lobe, and this decrease was more pronounced in the left hemisphere. The greater sensitivity of the right occipito-parieto-temporal regions to intracerebral electrical stimulation to evoke visual phenomena supports a predominant role of right hemispheric visual areas from perception to recognition of visual forms, regardless of visuospatial and attentional factors. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Temporal processing and long-latency auditory evoked potential in stutterers.

Science.gov (United States)

Prestes, Raquel; de Andrade, Adriana Neves; Santos, Renata Beatriz Fernandes; Marangoni, Andrea Tortosa; Schiefer, Ana Maria; Gil, Daniela

Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder, and may be associated with neuroaudiological factors linked to central auditory processing, including changes in auditory processing skills and temporal resolution. To characterize the temporal processing and long-latency auditory evoked potential in stutterers and to compare them with non-stutterers. The study included 41 right-handed subjects, aged 18-46 years, divided into two groups: stutterers (n=20) and non-stutters (n=21), compared according to age, education, and sex. All subjects were submitted to the duration pattern tests, random gap detection test, and long-latency auditory evoked potential. Individuals who stutter showed poorer performance on Duration Pattern and Random Gap Detection tests when compared with fluent individuals. In the long-latency auditory evoked potential, there was a difference in the latency of N2 and P3 components; stutterers had higher latency values. Stutterers have poor performance in temporal processing and higher latency values for N2 and P3 components. Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Temporal processing and long-latency auditory evoked potential in stutterers

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Raquel Prestes

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction: Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder, and may be associated with neuroaudiological factors linked to central auditory processing, including changes in auditory processing skills and temporal resolution. Objective: To characterize the temporal processing and long-latency auditory evoked potential in stutterers and to compare them with non-stutterers. Methods: The study included 41 right-handed subjects, aged 18-46 years, divided into two groups: stutterers (n = 20 and non-stutters (n = 21, compared according to age, education, and sex. All subjects were submitted to the duration pattern tests, random gap detection test, and long-latency auditory evoked potential. Results: Individuals who stutter showed poorer performance on Duration Pattern and Random Gap Detection tests when compared with fluent individuals. In the long-latency auditory evoked potential, there was a difference in the latency of N2 and P3 components; stutterers had higher latency values. Conclusion: Stutterers have poor performance in temporal processing and higher latency values for N2 and P3 components.

Pattern visual evoked potentials in malingering.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, A; Akio, T; Matsuda, E; Wakami, Y

2001-03-01

We previously developed a new method for estimating objective visual acuity by means of pattern visual evoked potentials (PVEP). In this study, this method was applied to the diagnosis of malingering. Six patients ranging in age from 40 to 54 years (mean 47 years) with suspected malingering were evaluated by means of the visual evoked potential test, optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) inhibition test, and the visual field test. In the PVEP study, the stimulus consisted of black and white checkerboards (39', 26', 15', and 9') with a visual angle of 8 degrees, contrast level of 15%, and a frequency of 0.7 Hz. One hundred PVEP responses were averaged per session. Routine ophthalmic examinations were normal in all patients. Five patients had a tubularly constricted visual field, and the remaining patient had a normal visual field. The objective visual acuities of the six patients estimated from PVEP were better than their subjective visual acuities estimated with Landolt rings. Among a variety of psychophysical and electrophysiologic ancillary tests, we consider our PVEP method a useful method for objectively determining visual acuity in a patient with signs of ocular malingering.

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials in horses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Almeida Nogueira da Gama

2016-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP evaluates the integrity of the auditory pathways to the brainstem. The aim of this study was to evoke BAEPs in 21 clinically normal horses. The animals were sedated with detomidine hydrochloride (0.013mg.kg-1 BW. Earphones were inserted and rarefaction clicks at 90 dB and noise masking at 40 dB were used. After performing the test, the latencies of waves (I, II, III, IV, and V and interpeaks(I-III, III-V, and I-V were identified. The mean latencies of the waves were as follows: wave I, 2.4 ms; wave II, 2.24 ms; wave III, 3.61ms; wave IV, 4.61ms; and wave V, 5.49ms. The mean latencies of the interpeaks were as follows: I-III, 1.37ms; III-V, 1.88ms; and I-V, 3.26ms. This is the first study using BAEPs in horses in Brazil, and the observed latencies will be used as normative data for the interpretation of tests performed on horses with changes related to auditory system or neurologic abnormalities.

Clinical and evoked pain, personality traits, and emotional states: can familial confounding explain the associations?

Science.gov (United States)

Strachan, Eric; Poeschla, Brian; Dansie, Elizabeth; Succop, Annemarie; Chopko, Laura; Afari, Niloofar

2015-01-01

Pain is a complex phenomenon influenced by context and person-specific factors. Affective dimensions of pain involve both enduring personality traits and fleeting emotional states. We examined how personality traits and emotional states are linked with clinical and evoked pain in a twin sample. 99 female twin pairs were evaluated for clinical and evoked pain using the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and dolorimetry, and completed the 120-item International Personality Item Pool (IPIP), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), and ratings of stress and mood. Using a co-twin control design we examined a) the relationship of personality traits and emotional states with clinical and evoked pain and b) whether genetics and common environment (i.e. familial factors) may account for the associations. Neuroticism was associated with the sensory component of the MPQ; this relationship was not confounded by familial factors. None of the emotional state measures was associated with the MPQ. PANAS negative affect was associated with lower evoked pressure pain threshold and tolerance; these associations were confounded by familial factors. There were no associations between IPIP traits and evoked pain. A relationship exists between neuroticism and clinical pain that is not confounded by familial factors. There is no similar relationship between negative emotional states and clinical pain. In contrast, the relationship between negative emotional states and evoked pain is strong while the relationship with enduring personality traits is weak. The relationship between negative emotional states and evoked pain appears to be non-causal and due to familial factors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Visual cortical somatosensory and brainstem auditory evoked potentials following incidental irradiation of the rhombencephalon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nightingale, S.; Schofield, I.S.; Dawes, P.J.D.K.

1984-01-01

Visual, cortical somatosensory and brainstem auditory evoked potentials were recorded before incidental irradiation of the rhombencephalon during radiotherapy in and around the middle ear, and at 11 weeks and eight months after completion of treatment. No patient experienced neurological symptoms during this period. No consistent changes in evoked potentials were found. The failure to demonstrate subclinical radiation-induced demyelination suggests either that the syndrome of early-delayed radiation rhombencephalopathy occurs in an idiosyncratic manner, or that any subclinical lesions are not detectable by serial evoked potential recordings. (author)

Proprioceptive evoked potentials in man

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arnfred, S; Chen, A C; Eder, Derek N

2000-01-01

We studied cerebral evoked potentials on the scalp to the stimulation of the right hand from a change in weight of 400-480 g in ten subjects. Rise-time was 20g/10 ms, Inter Stimulus Interval 2s and stimulus duration was 100 ms. The cerebral activations were a double positive contralateral C3'/P70......). Further studies of the PEP are needed to assess the influence of load manipulations and of muscle contraction and to explore the effect of attentional manipulation....

Differential effect of ketamine and lidocaine on spontaneous and mechanical evoked pain in patients with nerve injury pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gottrup, Hanne; Bach, Flemming Winther; Juhl, Gitte Irene

2006-01-01

ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist and lidocaine, a sodium channel blocker, on spontaneous pain, brush-evoked pain, and pinprick-evoked pain in patients with nerve injury pain. METHODS: Twenty patients participated in two randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover...... experiments in which they, on four different days, received a 30-minute intravenous infusion of ketamine (0.24 mg/kg), lidocaine (5 mg/kg), or saline. Ongoing pain, pain evoked by brush and repetitive pinprick stimuli, and acetone was measured before, during, and after infusion. RESULTS: Ketamine...... significantly reduced ongoing pain and evoked pain to brush and pinprick, whereas lidocaine only reduced evoked pain to repetitive pinprick stimuli. In individual patients, there was no correlation between the pain-relieving effect of lidocaine and ketamine on ongoing or mechanically evoked pains. CONCLUSIONS...

FROM HOT JUPITERS TO SUPER-EARTHS VIA ROCHE LOBE OVERFLOW

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valsecchi, Francesca; Rasio, Frederic A.; Steffen, Jason H. [Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States)

2014-09-20

Through tidal dissipation in a slowly spinning host star, the orbits of many hot Jupiters may decay down to the Roche limit. We expect that the ensuing mass transfer will be stable in most cases. Using detailed numerical calculations, we find that this evolution is quite rapid, potentially leading to the complete removal of the gaseous envelope in a few gigayears, and leaving behind an exposed rocky core (a {sup h}ot super-Earth{sup )}. Final orbital periods are quite sensitive to the details of the planet's mass-radius relation and to the effects of irradiation and photo-evaporation, but could be as short as a few hours or as long as several days. Our scenario predicts the existence of planets with intermediate masses ({sup h}ot Neptunes{sup )} that should be found precisely at their Roche limit and in the process of losing mass through Roche lobe overflow. The observed excess of small single-planet candidate systems observed by Kepler may also be the result of this process. If so, the properties of their host stars should track those of the hot Jupiters. Moreover, the number of systems that produced hot Jupiters could be two to three times larger than one would infer from contemporary observations.

Auditory and visual evoked potentials during hyperoxia

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, D. B. D.; Strawbridge, P. J.

1974-01-01

Experimental study of the auditory and visual averaged evoked potentials (AEPs) recorded during hyperoxia, and investigation of the effect of hyperoxia on the so-called contingent negative variation (CNV). No effect of hyperoxia was found on the auditory AEP, the visual AEP, or the CNV. Comparisons with previous studies are discussed.

Contributions of combined sewer overflows and treated effluents to the bacterial load released into a coastal area.

Science.gov (United States)

Al Aukidy, M; Verlicchi, P

2017-12-31

The impact of combined sewer overflow (CSO) on the receiving water body is an issue of increasing concern, as it may lead to restrictions in the use and destination of the receiving body, such as bathing or recreational area closures, fish and shellfish consumption restrictions, and contamination of drinking water resources. Recent investigations have mainly referred to the occurrence and loads of suspended solids, organic compounds and, in some cases, micropollutants. Attempts have been made to find correlations between the discharged load and the size and characteristics of the catchment area, climate conditions, rainfall duration and intensity. This study refers to a touristic coastal area in the north-east of Italy, which is characterized by a combined sewer network including 5 CSO outfalls which, in the case of heavy rain events, directly discharge the exceeding water flow rate into channels which, after a short distance, reach the Adriatic Sea. The study analyzed: i) rainfall events during the summer period in 2014 which led to overflow in the different outfalls, ii) the inter- and intra-event variability with regard to E. coli, Enterococci and conductivity, and iii) the hydraulic and pollutant (E. coli and Enterococci) loads discharged by the local wastewater treatment plant and by all the CSO outfalls. Finally, it estimated the contribution of each source to the released hydraulic and pollutant loads into the receiving water body. Moreover, it was also found that the modest water volume discharged by all CSO outfalls (only 8% of the total volume discharged by the area) contains >90% of the microbial load. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Auditory brainstem activity and development evoked by apical versus basal cochlear implant electrode stimulation in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, K A; Papsin, B C; Harrison, R V

2007-08-01

The role of apical versus basal cochlear implant electrode stimulation on central auditory development was examined. We hypothesized that, in children with early onset deafness, auditory development evoked by basal electrode stimulation would differ from that evoked more apically. Responses of the auditory nerve and brainstem, evoked by an apical and a basal implant electrode, were measured over the first year of cochlear implant use in 50 children with early onset severe to profound deafness who used hearing aids prior to implantation. Responses at initial stimulation were of larger amplitude and shorter latency when evoked by the apical electrode. No significant effects of residual hearing or age were found on initial response amplitudes or latencies. With implant use, responses evoked by both electrodes showed decreases in wave and interwave latencies reflecting decreased neural conduction time through the brainstem. Apical versus basal differences persisted with implant experience with one exception; eIII-eV interlatency differences decreased with implant use. Acute stimulation shows prolongation of basally versus apically evoked auditory nerve and brainstem responses in children with severe to profound deafness. Interwave latencies reflecting neural conduction along the caudal and rostral portions of the brainstem decreased over the first year of implant use. Differences in neural conduction times evoked by apical versus basal electrode stimulation persisted in the caudal but not rostral brainstem. Activity-dependent changes of the auditory brainstem occur in response to both apical and basal cochlear implant electrode stimulation.

Performance assessment of a vertical flow constructed wetland treating unsettled combined sewer overflow.

Science.gov (United States)

Pálfy, T G; Gerodolle, M; Gourdon, R; Meyer, D; Troesch, S; Molle, P

2017-06-01

The performance of a vertical flow constructed wetland for combined sewer overflow treatment (CSO CW) has been evaluated. The full-scale site has been monitored for 3 years for major pollutants and for two load events for a range of micropollutants (metals, metalloids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)). Performance were predominantly high (97% for total suspended solids (TSS), 80% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 72% for NH 4 -N), even if several loads were extremely voluminous, pushing the filter to its limits. Two different filter materials (a 4:1 mixture of sand and zeolite and natural pozzolana) showed similar treatment performance. Furthermore, environmental factors were correlated with COD removal efficiency. The greatest influencers of COD removal efficiency were the inlet dissolved COD concentrations and the duration and potential evapotranspiration during inter-event periods. Furthermore, sludge was analysed for quality and a sludge depth map was created. The map, and calculating the changes in sludge volume, helped to understand solid accumulation dynamics.

Chemical disinfection of combined sewer overflow waters using performic acid or peracetic acids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chhetri, Ravi Kumar; Thornberg, Dines; Berner, Jesper

2014-01-01

We investigated the possibility of applying performic acid (PFA) and peracetic acid (PAA) for disinfection of combined sewer overflow (CSO) in existing CSO management infrastructures. The disinfection power of PFA and PAA towards Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus was studied in batch......-scale and pre-field experiments. In the batch-scale experiment, 2.5 mg L− 1 PAA removed approximately 4 log unit of E. coli and Enterococcus from CSO with a 360 min contact time. The removal of E. coli and Enterococcus from CSO was always around or above 3 log units using 2–4 mg L− 1 PFA; with a 20 min contact...... time in both batch-scale and pre-field experiments. There was no toxicological effect measured by Vibrio fischeri when CSO was disinfected with PFA; a slight toxic effect was observed on CSO disinfected with PAA. When the design for PFA based disinfection was applied to CSO collected from an authentic...

Dopamine D(1) receptor deletion strongly reduces neurotoxic effects of methamphetamine.

Science.gov (United States)

Ares-Santos, S; Granado, N; Oliva, I; O'Shea, E; Martin, E D; Colado, M I; Moratalla, R

2012-02-01

Methamphetamine (METH) is a potent, highly addictive psychostimulant consumed worldwide. In humans and experimental animals, repeated exposure to this drug induces persistent neurodegenerative changes. Damage occurs primarily to dopaminergic neurons, accompanied by gliosis. The toxic effects of METH involve excessive dopamine (DA) release, thus DA receptors are highly likely to play a role in this process. To define the role of D(1) receptors in the neurotoxic effects of METH we used D(1) receptor knock-out mice (D(1)R(-/-)) and their WT littermates. Inactivation of D(1)R prevented METH-induced dopamine fibre loss and hyperthermia, and increases in gliosis and pro-inflammatory molecules such as iNOS in the striatum. In addition, D(1)R inactivation prevented METH-induced loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. To explore the relationship between hyperthermia and neurotoxicity, METH was given at high ambient temperature (29 °C). In this condition, D(1)R(-/-) mice developed hyperthermia following drug delivery and the neuroprotection provided by D(1)R inactivation at 23 °C was no longer observed. However, reserpine, which empties vesicular dopamine stores, blocked hyperthermia and strongly potentiated dopamine toxicity in D(1)R(-/-) mice, suggesting that the protection afforded by D(1)R inactivation is due to both hypothermia and higher stored vesicular dopamine. Moreover, electrical stimulation evoked higher DA overflow in D(1)R(-/-) mice as demonstrated by fast scan cyclic voltammetry despite their lower basal DA content, suggesting higher vesicular DA content in D(1)R(-/-) than in WT mice. Altogether, these results indicate that the D(1)R plays a significant role in METH-induced neurotoxicity by mediating drug-induced hyperthermia and increasing the releasable cytosolic DA pool. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Do ambient urban odors evoke basic emotions?

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Sandra Theresia Weber-Glass

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Fragrances, such as plant odors, have been shown to evoke autonomic response patterns associated with Ekman’s (Ekman et al., 1983 basic emotions happiness, surprise, anger, fear, sadness and disgust. Inducing positive emotions by odors in highly frequented public spaces could serve to improve the quality of life in urban environments. Thus, the present study evaluated the potency of ambient odors connoted with an urban environment to evoke basic emotions on an autonomic and cognitive response level. Synthetic mixtures representing the odors of disinfectant, candles / bees wax, summer air, burnt smell, vomit and musty smell as well as odorless water as a control were presented five times in random order to 30 healthy, non-smoking human subjects with intact sense of smell. Skin temperature, skin conductance, breathing rate, forearm muscle activity, blink rate and heart rate were recorded simultaneously. Subjects rated the odors in terms of pleasantness, intensity and familiarity and gave verbal labels to each odor as well as cognitive associations with the basic emotions. The results showed that the amplitude of the skin conductance response varied as a function of odor presentation. Burnt smell and vomit elicited significantly higher electrodermal responses than summer air. Also, a negative correlation was revealed between the amplitude of the skin conductance response and hedonic odor valence indicating that the magnitude of the electrodermal response increased with odor unpleasantness. The analysis of the cognitive associations between odors and basic emotions showed that candles / bees wax and summer air were specifically associated with happiness whereas burnt smell and vomit were uniquely associated with disgust. Our findings suggest that city odors may evoke specific cognitive associations of basic emotions and that autonomic activity elicited by such odors is related to odor hedonics.

Evoked Electromyographically Controlled Electrical Stimulation

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Mitsuhiro Hayashibe

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Time-variant muscle responses under electrical stimulation (ES are often problematic for all the applications of neuroprosthetic muscle control. This situation limits the range of ES usage in relevant areas, mainly due to muscle fatigue and also to changes in stimulation electrode contact conditions, especially in transcutaneous ES. Surface electrodes are still the most widely used in noninvasive applications.Electrical field variations caused by changes in the stimulation contact condition markedly affect the resulting total muscle activation levels. Fatigue phenomena under functional electrical stimulation (FES are also well known source of time-varying characteristics coming from muscle response under ES. Therefore it is essential to monitor the actual muscle state and assess the expected muscle response by ES so as to improve the current ES system in favour of adaptive muscle-response-aware FES control. To deal with this issue, we have been studying a novel control technique using evoked electromyography (eEMG signals to compensate for these muscle time-variances under ES for stable neuroprosthetic muscle control. In this perspective article, I overview the background of this topic and highlight important points to be aware of when using ES to induce the desired muscle activation regardless of the time-variance. I also demonstrate how to deal with the common critical problem of ES to move toward robust neuroprosthetic muscle control with the Evoked Electromyographically Controlled Electrical Stimulation paradigm.

Controlling a stream of paranoia evoking events in a virtual reality environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Isnanda, Reza Giga; Brinkman, Willem-Paul; Veling, Wim; van der Gaag, Mark; Neerincx, Mark

2014-01-01

Although virtual reality exposure has been reported as a method to induce paranoid thought, little is known about mechanisms to control specific virtual stressors. This paper reports on a study that examines the effect of controlling the stream of potential paranoia evoking events in a virtual restaurant world. A 2-by-2 experiment with a non-clinical group (n = 24) was conducted with as two within-subject factors: (1) the cycle time (short/long) for when the computer considers activation of a paranoia evoking event and (2) the probability that a paranoia-evoking event (low/high) would be triggered at the completion of a cycle. The results showed a significant main effect for the probability factor and two-way interaction effect with the cycle time factor on the number of paranoid comments participants made and their self-reported anxiety.

Interaural difference values of vestibular evoked myogenic.

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Marziyeh Moallemi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Migraine is a neurologic disease, which often is associated with a unilateral headache. Vestibular abnormalities are common in migraine. Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs assess otolith function in particular functional integrity of the saccule and the inferior vestibular nerve. We used VEMP to evaluate if the migraine headache can affect VEMP asymmetry parameters. A total of 25 patients with migraine (22 females and 3 males who were diagnosed according to the criteria of IHS-1988 were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Control group consisted of 26 healthy participants (18 female and 8 male, without neurotological symptoms and history of migraine. The short tone burst (95 dB nHL, 500 Hz was presented to ears. VEMP was recorded with surface electromyography over the contracted ipsilateral sternocleidomastoid (SCM muscle. Although current results showed that the amplitude ratio is greater in migraine patients than normal group, there was no statistical difference between two groups in mean asymmetry parameters of VEMP. Asymmetry measurements in vestibular evoked myogenic potentials probably are not indicators of unilateral deficient in saccular pathways of migraine patients.

Associative learning in humans--conditioning of sensory-evoked brain activity.

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Skrandies, W; Jedynak, A

2000-01-01

A classical conditioning paradigm was employed in two experiments performed on 35 human volunteers. In nine subjects, the presentation of Landolt rings (conditioned stimuli, CS + ) was paired with an electric stimulus (unconditioned stimuli, UCS) applied to the left median nerve. Neutral visual control stimuli were full circles (CS -) that were not paired with the UCS. The skin conductance response (SCR) was determined in a time interval of 5 s after onset of the visual stimuli, and it was measured in the acquisition and test phase. Associative learning was reflected by a SCR occurring selectively with CS +. The same experiment was repeated with another group of 26 adults while electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded from 30 electrodes. For each subject, mean evoked potentials were computed. In 13 of the subjects, a conditioning paradigm was followed while the other subjects served as the control group (non-contingent stimulation). There were somatosensory and visual brain activity evoked by the stimuli. Conditioned components were identified by computing cross-correlation between evoked somatosensory components and the averaged EEG. In the visual evoked brain activity, three components with mean latencies of 105.4, 183.2, and 360.3 ms were analyzed. Somatosensory stimuli were followed by major components that occurred at mean latencies of 48.8, 132.5, 219.7, 294.8, and 374.2 ms latency after the shock. All components were analyzed in terms of latency, field strength, and topographic characteristics, and were compared between groups and experimental conditions. Both visual and somatosensory brain activity was significantly affected by classical conditioning. Our data illustrate how associative learning affects the topography of brain electrical activity elicited by presentation of conditioned visual stimuli.

Evidence that 5-hydroxytryptamine/sub 3/ receptors mediate cytotoxic drug and radiation-evoked emesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miner, W.D.; Sanger, G.J.; Turner, D.H.

1987-08-01

The involvement of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 5-HT/sub 3/ receptors in the mechanisms of severe emesis evoked by cytotoxic drugs or by total body irradiation have been studied in ferrets. Anti-emetic compounds tested were domperidone (a dopamine antagonist), metoclopramide (a gastric motility stimulant and dopamine antagonist at conventional doses, a 5-HT/sub 3/ receptor antagonist at higher doses) and BRL 24924 (a potent gastric motility stimulant and a 5-HT/sub 3/ receptor antagonist). Domperidone or metoclopramide prevented apomorphine-evoked emesis, whereas BRL 24924 did not. Similar doses of domperidone did not prevent emesis evoked by cis-platin or by total body irradiation, whereas metoclopramide or BRL 24924 greatly reduced or prevented these types of emesis. Metoclopramide and BRL 24924 also prevented emesis evoked by a combination of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. These results are discussed in terms of a fundamental role for 5-HT/sub 3/ receptors in the mechanisms mediating severely emetogenic cancer treatment therapies.

Neuronal Rac1 Is Required for Learning-Evoked Neurogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Matthew P.; Freewoman, Julia; Cord, Branden; Babu, Harish; Brakebusch, Cord

2013-01-01

Hippocampus-dependent learning and memory relies on synaptic plasticity as well as network adaptations provided by the addition of adult-born neurons. We have previously shown that activity-induced intracellular signaling through the Rho family small GTPase Rac1 is necessary in forebrain projection neurons for normal synaptic plasticity in vivo, and here we show that selective loss of neuronal Rac1 also impairs the learning-evoked increase in neurogenesis in the adult mouse hippocampus. Earlier work has indicated that experience elevates the abundance of adult-born neurons in the hippocampus primarily by enhancing the survival of neurons produced just before the learning event. Loss of Rac1 in mature projection neurons did reduce learning-evoked neurogenesis but, contrary to our expectations, these effects were not mediated by altering the survival of young neurons in the hippocampus. Instead, loss of neuronal Rac1 activation selectively impaired a learning-evoked increase in the proliferation and accumulation of neural precursors generated during the learning event itself. This indicates that experience-induced alterations in neurogenesis can be mechanistically resolved into two effects: (1) the well documented but Rac1-independent signaling cascade that enhances the survival of young postmitotic neurons; and (2) a previously unrecognized Rac1-dependent signaling cascade that stimulates the proliferative production and retention of new neurons generated during learning itself. PMID:23884931

Musical Brains. A study of evoked musical sensations without external auditory stimuli. Preliminary report of three cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goycoolea, Marcos V; Mena, Ismael; Neubauer, Sonia G; Levy, Raquel G.; Fernandez Grez, Margarita; Berger, Claudia G

2006-01-01

Background: There are individuals, usually musicians, who are seemingly able to evoke musical sensations without external auditory stimuli. However, to date there is no available evidence to determine if it is feasible to have musical sensations without using external sensory receptors nor if there is a biological substrate to these sensations. Study design: Two single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) evaluations with [99mTc]-HMPAO were conducted in each of three female musicians. One was done under basal conditions (without evoking) and the other one while evoking these sensations. Results: In the NeuroSPECT studies of the musicians who were tested while evoking a musical composition, there was a significant increase in perfusion above the normal mean in the right and left hemispheres in Brodmann's areas 9 and 8 (frontal executive area) and in areas 40 on the left side (auditory center). However, under basal conditions there was no hyper perfusion of areas 9, 8, 39 and 40. In one case hyper perfusion was found under basal conditions in area 45, however it was less than when she was evoking. Conclusions: These findings are suggestive of a biological substrate to the process of evoking musical sensations (au)

Cerebellar modulation of frontal cortex dopamine efflux in mice: relevance to autism and schizophrenia.

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Mittleman, Guy; Goldowitz, Daniel; Heck, Detlef H; Blaha, Charles D

2008-07-01

Cerebellar and frontal cortical pathologies have been commonly reported in schizophrenia, autism, and other developmental disorders. Whether there is a relationship between prefrontal and cerebellar pathologies is unknown. Using fixed potential amperometry, dopamine (DA) efflux evoked by cerebellar or, dentate nucleus electrical stimulation (50 Hz, 200 muA) was recorded in prefrontal cortex of urethane anesthetized lurcher (Lc/+) mice with 100% loss of cerebellar Purkinje cells and wildtype (+/+) control mice. Cerebellar stimulation with 25 and 100 pulses evoked prefrontal cortex DA efflux in +/+ mice that persisted for 12 and 25 s poststimulation, respectively. In contrast, 25 pulse cerebellar stimulation failed to evoke prefrontal cortex DA efflux in Lc/+ mice indicating a dependency on cerebellar Purkinje cell outputs. Dentate nucleus stimulation (25 pulses) evoked a comparable but briefer (baseline recovery within 7 s) increase in prefrontal cortex DA efflux compared to similar cerebellar stimulation in +/+ mice. However, in Lc/+ mice 25 pulse dentate nucleus evoked prefrontal cortex DA efflux was attenuated by 60% with baseline recovery within 4 s suggesting that dentate nucleus outputs to prefrontal cortex remain partially functional. DA reuptake blockade enhanced 100 pulse stimulation evoked prefrontal cortex responses, while serotonin or norepinephrine reuptake blockade were without effect indicating the specificity of the amperometric recordings to DA. Results provide neurochemical evidence that the cerebellum can modulate DA efflux in the prefrontal cortex. Together, these findings may explain why cerebellar and frontal cortical pathologies co-occur, and may provide a mechanism that accounts for the diversity of symptoms common to multiple developmental disorders.

Nostalgia-Evoked Inspiration: Mediating Mechanisms and Motivational Implications.

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Stephan, Elena; Sedikides, Constantine; Wildschut, Tim; Cheung, Wing-Yee; Routledge, Clay; Arndt, Jamie

2015-10-01

Six studies examined the nostalgia-inspiration link and its motivational implications. In Study 1, nostalgia proneness was positively associated with inspiration frequency and intensity. In Studies 2 and 3, the recollection of nostalgic (vs. ordinary) experiences increased both general inspiration and specific inspiration to engage in exploratory activities. In Study 4, serial mediational analyses supported a model in which nostalgia increases social connectedness, which subsequently fosters self-esteem, which then boosts inspiration. In Study 5, a rigorous evaluation of this serial mediational model (with a novel nostalgia induction controlling for positive affect) reinforced the idea that nostalgia-elicited social connectedness increases self-esteem, which then heightens inspiration. Study 6 extended the serial mediational model by demonstrating that nostalgia-evoked inspiration predicts goal pursuit (intentions to pursue an important goal). Nostalgia spawns inspiration via social connectedness and attendant self-esteem. In turn, nostalgia-evoked inspiration bolsters motivation. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Fetal MEG evoked response latency from beamformer with random field theory.

Science.gov (United States)

McCubbin, J; Vrba, J; Murphy, P; Temple, J; Eswaran, H; Lowery, C L; Preissl, H

2010-01-01

Analysis of fetal magnetoencephalographic brain recordings is restricted by low signal to noise ratio (SNR) and non-stationarity of the sources. Beamformer techniques have been applied to improve SNR of fetal evoked responses. However, until now the effect of non-stationarity was not taken into account in detail, because the detection of evoked responses is in most cases determined by averaging a large number of trials. We applied a windowing technique to improve the stationarity of the data by using short time segments recorded during a flash-evoked study. In addition, we implemented a random field theory approach for more stringent control of false-positives in the statistical parametric map of the search volume for the beamformer. The search volume was based on detailed individual fetal/maternal biometrics from ultrasound scans and fetal heart localization. Average power over a sliding window within the averaged evoked response against a randomized average background power was used as the test z-statistic. The significance threshold was set at 10% over all members of a contiguous cluster of voxels. There was at least one significant response for 62% of fetal and 95% of newborn recordings with gestational age (GA) between 28 and 45 weeks from 29 subjects. We found that the latency was either substantially unchanged or decreased with increasing GA for most subjects, with a nominal rate of about -11 ms/week. These findings support the anticipated neurophysiological development, provide validation for the beamformer model search as a methodology, and may lead to a clinical test for fetal cognitive development.

Interactions of MK-801 with glutamate-, glutamine- and methamphetamine-evoked release of [3H]dopamine from striatal slices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowyer, J.F.; Scallet, A.C.; Holson, R.R.; Lipe, G.W.; Slikker, W. Jr.; Ali, S.F.

1991-01-01

The interactions of MK-801 [(+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d] cyclohepten-5,10-imine], glutamate and glutamine with methamphetamine (METH)-evoked release of [ 3 H]dopamine were assessed in vitro to determine whether MK-801 inhibition of METH neurotoxicity might be mediated presynaptically, and to evaluate the effects of glutamatergic stimulation on METH-evoked dopamine release. MK-801 inhibition of glutamate- or METH-evoked dopamine release might reduce synaptic dopamine levels during METH exposure and decrease the formation of 6-hydroxydopamine or other related neurotoxins. Without Mg 2+ present, 40 microM and 1 mM glutamate evoked a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated [ 3 H]dopamine and [ 3 H]metabolite (tritium) release of 3 to 6 and 12 to 16% of total tritium stores, respectively, from striatal slices. With 1.50 mM Mg 2+ present, 10 mM glutamate alone or in combination with the dopamine uptake blocker nomifensine released only 2.1 or 4.2%, respectively, of total tritium stores, and release was only partially dependent on N-methyl-D-aspartate-type glutamate receptors. With or without 1.50 mM Mg 2+ present, 0.5 or 5 microM METH evoked a substantial release of tritium (5-8 or 12-21% of total stores, respectively). METH-evoked dopamine release was not affected by 5 microM MK-801 but METH-evoked release was additive with glutamate-evoked release. Without Mg 2+ present, 1 mM glutamine increased glutamate release and induced the release of [ 3 H]dopamine and metabolites. Both 0.5 and 5 microM METH also increased tritium release with 1 mM glutamine present. When striatal slices were exposed to 5 microM METH this glutamine-evoked release of glutamate was increased more than 50%

Influence of detomidine and buprenorphine on motor-evoked potentials in horses.

Science.gov (United States)

Nollet, H; Van Ham, L; Gasthuys, F; Dewulf, J; Vanderstraeten, G; Deprez, P

2003-04-26

Horses need to be sedated before they are investigated by transcranial magnetic stimulation because of the mild discomfort induced by the evoked muscle contraction and the noise of stimulation. This paper describes the influence of a combination of detomidine (10 microg/kg bodyweight) and a low dose of buprenorphine (2.4 microg/kg) on the onset latency and peak-to-peak amplitude of magnetic motor-evoked potentials in normal horses. There were no significant differences between measurements of these parameters made before the horses were sedated and measurements made 10 and 30 minutes after the drugs were administered.

From Nose to Memory: The Involuntary Nature of Odor-evoked Autobiographical Memories in Alzheimer's Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

El Haj, Mohamad; Gandolphe, Marie Charlotte; Gallouj, Karim; Kapogiannis, Dimitrios; Antoine, Pascal

2017-12-25

Research suggests that odors may serve as a potent cue for autobiographical retrieval. We tested this hypothesis in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and investigated whether odor-evoked autobiographical memory is an involuntary process that shares similarities with music-evoked autobiographical memory. Participants with mild AD and controls were asked to retrieve 2 personal memories after odor exposure, after music exposure, and in an odor-and music-free condition. AD participants showed better specificity, emotional experience, mental time travel, and retrieval time after odor and music exposure than in the control condition. Similar beneficial effects of odor and music exposure were observed for autobiographical characteristics (i.e., specificity, emotional experience, and mental time travel), except for retrieval time which was more improved after odor than after music exposure. Interestingly, regression analyses suggested executive involvement in memories evoked in the control condition but not in those evoked after music or odor exposure. These findings suggest the involuntary nature of odor-evoked autobiographical memory in AD. They also suggest that olfactory cuing could serve as a useful and ecologically valid tool to stimulate autobiographical memory, at least in the mild stage of the disease. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Newborn hearing screening with transient evoked otoacoustic emissions and automatic auditory brainstem response

OpenAIRE

Renata Mota Mamede de Carvallo; Carla Gentile Matas; Isabela de Souza Jardim

2008-01-01

Objective: The aim of the present investigation was to check Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions and Automatic Auditory Brainstem Response tests applied together in regular nurseries and Newborn Intensive Care Units (NICU), as well as to describe and compare the results obtained in both groups. Methods: We tested 150 newborns from regular nurseries and 70 from NICU. Rresults: The newborn hearing screening results using Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions and Automatic Auditory Brainstem...

Reducing CSOs and giving the river back to the public: innovative combined sewer overflow control and riverbanks restoration of the St. Charles River in Quebec City.

Science.gov (United States)

Fradet, Olivier; Pleau, Martin; Marcoux, Christiane

2011-01-01

After the construction of its wastewater treatment plants, the City of Quebec began to implement overflow control in wet weather to ultimately meet the effluent discharge objectives, i.e. no more than two overflows per summer season in the St. Lawrence River and no more than four in the St-Charles River. After several years of studies to determine which management strategies would best suit the purpose, and to propose optimum solutions, a first project to implement optimal and predictive management in real time, called "Pilot", came to life in 1999. Construction in phases soon followed and the work was completed in the fall of 2009. As a result, requirements with regard to environmental rejects were met in two sectors, namely the St-Charles River and the Jacques-Cartier Beach, and aquatic recreational activities could resume. Meanwhile, the City also worked at giving back access to the water courses to the public by developing sites at the Jacques-Cartier Beach and in the Bay of Beauport, and by rehabilitating the banks of the St-Charles River.

Monitoring and robust adaptive control of fed-batch cultures of microorganisms exhibiting overflow metabolism [abstract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vande Wouwer, A.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Overflow metabolism characterizes cells strains that are likely to produce inhibiting by-products resulting from an excess of substrate feeding and a saturated respiratory capacity. The critical substrate level separating the two different metabolic pathways is generally not well defined. Monitoring of this kind of cultures, going from model identification to state estimation, is first discussed. Then, a review of control techniques which all aim at maximizing the cell productivity of fed-batch fermentations is presented. Two main adaptive control strategies, one using an estimation of the critical substrate level as set-point and another regulating the by-product concentration, are proposed. Finally, experimental investigations of an adaptive RST control scheme using the observer polynomial for the regulation of the ethanol concentration in Saccharomyces cerevisiae fed-batch cultures ranging from laboratory to industrial scales, are also presented.

Elevated circulating leptin levels in arterial hypertension: relationship to arteriovenous overflow and extraction of leptin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Jens Henrik Sahl; Holst, J J; Moller, S

2000-01-01

Leptin, a peptide hormone produced mainly in fat cells, appears to be important for the regulation of metabolism, insulin secretion/sensitivity and body weight. Recently, elevated plasma leptin levels have been reported in patients with arterial hypertension. Because a change in circulating leptin...... concentrations in such patients could be caused by altered rates of production or disposal, or both, the aim of the present study was to identify regions of leptin overflow into the bloodstream and of leptin extraction. Patients with arterial hypertension (n=12) and normotensive controls (n=20) were studied...... during catheterization with elective blood sampling from different vascular beds (artery, and renal, hepatic, iliac and cubital veins). Plasma leptin was determined by a radioimmunoassay. Patients with hypertension had significantly elevated levels of circulating leptin (12.8 ng/l, compared with 4.1 ng...

Visual Evoked Response in Children Subjected to Prenatal Maternal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

neural conduction, or arousal level. S. Afr. Med. J., 48 ... pression treatment in either development or IQ, whether ... children in brain function at an electrophysiological level, ..... Perry, N. W. and Childers, D. G. (1969): The Human Visual Evoked.

The use of water marks mapping to understand flood overflow events inside karstic cavities: Cueva Fría and Cueva Rosa (Asturias, NW Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

González Lemos, Saúl; Stoll, Heather M.

2014-05-01

Several karst systems in Asturias (NW Spain) present evidence of fluvial deposits cemented in speleothems that may provide good chronology of past flood events inside the caves. This flood record is under research in two karstic caves of this region, Cueva Fría and Cueva Rosa, which have in common the presence of a perennial stream inside the cave and a low gradient of the cave passage. Immediately after a flood overflow event, water marks, foam and detritus are visible at different heights on the cave walls and correspond to heights of bottlenecks in overflow drainage through the cave passage. Flood events also deposit sand and gravel on terraces on the cave wall and move large volumes of sand in the cave bed. We have noted that detrital particles (like sand or silt particles) are preserved as inclusions inside the stalagmites and that their abundance inside coeval stalagmites decreases as altitude and distance from the perennial stream increase, supporting its fluvial affinity. However, not all the stalagmites that contain detrital particles are located close to the perennial streams. In this work, we have mapped the water marks preserved in the cave walls to reconstruct water levels associated to flood overflow events of different magnitude. We have found that water mark correlation along the cave passage is very useful to define the hydrological behaviour and flood model of the cave during these extreme events. The water mark mapping and correlation have been also useful to prove that during periods of high rainfall, the movement of the sand-bars inside the cave can cover partially or completely active stalagmites, facilitating the cementation process and trapping abundant detrital material inside the stalagmite carbonate. 14C and U/Th dating of the stalagmites can provide a chronology for the detrital rich layers, so that the abundance of fluvial material in the stalagmites can reveal periods of enhanced vs. reduced flooding in the cave over the past several

Gender differences in rival characteristics that evoke jealousy in response to emotional versus sexual infidelity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buunk, Abraham (Bram); Dijkstra, Pieternel

2004-01-01

Previous research has shown that in men jealousy is evoked more by a rival's status-related characteristics than in women, whereas in women jealousy is evoked more by a rival's physical attractiveness than in men. The present study examined whether the occurrence of this gender difference depends

Abdominal acupuncture reduces laser-evoked potentials in healthy subjects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pazzaglia, C.; Liguori, S.; Minciotti, I.

2015-01-01

Objective: Acupuncture is known to reduce clinical pain, although the exact mechanism is unknown. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of acupuncture on laser-evoked potential amplitudes and laser pain perception. Methods: In order to evaluate whether abdominal acupuncture...... is able to modify pain perception, 10 healthy subjects underwent a protocol in which laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) and laser pain perception were collected before the test (baseline), during abdominal acupuncture, and 15. min after needle removal. The same subjects also underwent a similar protocol...... in which, however, sham acupuncture without any needle penetration was used. Results: During real acupuncture, both N1 and N2/P2 amplitudes were reduced, as compared to baseline (p . < 0.01). The reduction lasted up to 15. min after needle removal. Furthermore, laser pain perception was reduced during...

Coordination of eye and head components of movements evoked by stimulation of the paramedian pontine reticular formation

Science.gov (United States)

Barton, Ellen J.; Sparks, David L.

2013-01-01

Constant frequency microstimulation of the paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF) in head-restrained monkeys evokes a constant velocity eye movement. Since the PPRF receives significant projections from structures that control coordinated eye-head movements, we asked whether stimulation of the pontine reticular formation in the head-unrestrained animal generates a combined eye-head movement or only an eye movement. Microstimulation of most sites yielded a constant-velocity gaze shift executed as a coordinated eye-head movement, although eye-only movements were evoked from some sites. The eye and head contributions to the stimulation-evoked movements varied across stimulation sites and were drastically different from the lawful relationship observed for visually-guided gaze shifts. These results indicate that the microstimulation activated elements that issued movement commands to the extraocular and, for most sites, neck motoneurons. In addition, the stimulation-evoked changes in gaze were similar in the head-restrained and head-unrestrained conditions despite the assortment of eye and head contributions, suggesting that the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) gain must be near unity during the coordinated eye-head movements evoked by stimulation of the PPRF. These findings contrast the attenuation of VOR gain associated with visually-guided gaze shifts and suggest that the vestibulo-ocular pathway processes volitional and PPRF stimulation-evoked gaze shifts differently. PMID:18458891

Absence of both auditory evoked potentials and auditory percepts dependent on timing cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Starr, A; McPherson, D; Patterson, J; Don, M; Luxford, W; Shannon, R; Sininger, Y; Tonakawa, L; Waring, M

1991-06-01

An 11-yr-old girl had an absence of sensory components of auditory evoked potentials (brainstem, middle and long-latency) to click and tone burst stimuli that she could clearly hear. Psychoacoustic tests revealed a marked impairment of those auditory perceptions dependent on temporal cues, that is, lateralization of binaural clicks, change of binaural masked threshold with changes in signal phase, binaural beats, detection of paired monaural clicks, monaural detection of a silent gap in a sound, and monaural threshold elevation for short duration tones. In contrast, auditory functions reflecting intensity or frequency discriminations (difference limens) were only minimally impaired. Pure tone audiometry showed a moderate (50 dB) bilateral hearing loss with a disproportionate severe loss of word intelligibility. Those auditory evoked potentials that were preserved included (1) cochlear microphonics reflecting hair cell activity; (2) cortical sustained potentials reflecting processing of slowly changing signals; and (3) long-latency cognitive components (P300, processing negativity) reflecting endogenous auditory cognitive processes. Both the evoked potential and perceptual deficits are attributed to changes in temporal encoding of acoustic signals perhaps occurring at the synapse between hair cell and eighth nerve dendrites. The results from this patient are discussed in relation to previously published cases with absent auditory evoked potentials and preserved hearing.

Methodologic aspects of acetylcholine-evoked relaxation of rabbit aorta

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Kirsten Vendelbo; Nedergaard, Ove A.

1999-01-01

The acetylcholine-evoked relaxation of rabbit isolated thoracic aorta precontracted by phenylephrine was studied. Phenylephrine caused a steady contraction that was maintained for 6 h. In the presence of calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) and ascorbic acid the contraction decreased...

Measures of spontaneous and movement-evoked pain are associated with disability in patients with whiplash injuries.

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Mankovsky-Arnold, Tsipora; Wideman, Timothy H; Larivière, Christian; Sullivan, Michael J L

2014-09-01

This study examined the degree to which measures of spontaneous and movement-evoked pain accounted for shared or unique variance in functional disability associated with whiplash injury. The study also addressed the role of fear of movement as a mediator or moderator of the relation between different indices of pain and functional disability. Measures of spontaneous pain, single-point movement-evoked pain, repetition-induced summation of activity-related pain (RISP), and fear of movement and disability were obtained on a sample of 142 individuals who had sustained whiplash injuries. Participants' pain ratings, provided after lifting a weighted canister, were used as the index of single-point movement-evoked pain. RISP was computed as the increase in pain reported by participants over successive lifts of 18 weighted canisters. Measures of functional disability included physical lift tolerance and self-reported disability. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that measures of single-point movement-evoked pain and RISP accounted for significant unique variance in self-reported disability, beyond the variance accounted for by the measure of spontaneous pain. Only RISP accounted for significant unique variance in lift tolerance. The results suggest that measures of movement-evoked pain represent a disability-relevant dimension of pain that is not captured by measures of spontaneous pain. The clinical and conceptual implications of the findings are discussed. This study examined the degree to which measures of spontaneous and movement-evoked pain accounted for shared or unique variance in functional disability associated with whiplash injury. The findings suggest that approaches to the clinical evaluation of pain would benefit from the inclusion of measures of movement-evoked pain. Copyright © 2014 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Torque decrease during submaximal evoked contractions of the quadriceps muscle is linked not only to muscle fatigue.

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Matkowski, Boris; Lepers, Romuald; Martin, Alain

2015-05-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the neuromuscular mechanisms involved in the torque decrease induced by submaximal electromyostimulation (EMS) of the quadriceps muscle. It was hypothesized that torque decrease after EMS would reflect the fatigability of the activated motor units (MUs), but also a reduction in the number of MUs recruited as a result of changes in axonal excitability threshold. Two experiments were performed on 20 men to analyze 1) the supramaximal twitch superimposed and evoked at rest during EMS (Experiment 1, n = 9) and 2) the twitch response and torque-frequency relation of the MUs activated by EMS (Experiment 2, n = 11). Torque loss was assessed by 15 EMS-evoked contractions (50 Hz; 6 s on/6 s off), elicited at a constant intensity that evoked 20% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque. The same stimulation intensity delivered over the muscles was used to induce the torque-frequency relation and the single electrical pulse evoked after each EMS contraction (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, supramaximal twitch was induced by femoral nerve stimulation. Torque decreased by ~60% during EMS-evoked contractions and by only ~18% during MVCs. This was accompanied by a rightward shift of the torque-frequency relation of MUs activated and an increase of the ratio between the superimposed and posttetanic maximal twitch evoked during EMS contraction. These findings suggest that the torque decrease observed during submaximal EMS-evoked contractions involved muscular mechanisms but also a reduction in the number of MUs recruited due to changes in axonal excitability. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Laboratory and field investigation of chemical disinfection of combined sewer overflow in Copenhagen area

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chhetri, Ravi Kumar; Thornberg, Dines; Berner, Jesper

We investigated the possibility to apply performic acid (PFA) and peracetic acid (PAA) for disinfection of combined sewer overflow (CSO) in existing CSO management infrastructures. The disinfection power of PFA and PAA to Escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterococcus were studied in batch scale...... and pre-field experiment. In batch scale experiment 2.5 mg·L -1 PAA removed around 4 log unit of E. coli and enterococcus from CSO with long contact time. Removal of E. coli and enterococcus from CSO were always around or above 3 log unit using 2-4 mg·L -1 PFA with short contact time in batch scale...... and pre-field experiment. There were no toxicological effect measured by Vibrio fischeri when CSO was disinfected with PFA, slight toxicological effect was observed on CSO disinfected with PAA. When the design for PFA based disinfection was applied to CSO collected from an authentic event. Disinfection...

Evoked responses to sinusoidally modulated sound in unanaesthetized dogs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tielen, A.M.; Kamp, A.; Lopes da Silva, F.H.; Reneau, J.P.; Storm van Leeuwen, W.

1. 1. Responses evoked by sinusoidally amplitude-modulated sound in unanaesthetized dogs have been recorded from inferior colliculus and from auditory cortex structures by means of chronically indwelling stainless steel wire electrodes. 2. 2. Harmonic analysis of the average responses demonstrated

Multi-channel motor evoked potential monitoring during anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

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Dong-Gun Kim

Full Text Available Objectives: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF surgery is the most common surgical procedure for the cervical spine with low complication rate. Despite the potential prognostic benefit, intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM, a method for detecting impending neurological compromise, is not routinely used in ACDF surgery. The present study aimed to identify the potential benefits of monitoring multi-channel motor evoked potentials (MEPs during ACDF surgery. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 200 consecutive patients who received IONM with multi-channel MEPs and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs. On average, 9.2 muscles per patient were evaluated under MEP monitoring. Results: The rate of MEP change during surgery in the multi-level ACDF group was significantly higher than the single-level group. Two patients from the single-level ACDF group (1.7% and four patients from the multi-level ACDF group (4.9% experienced post-operative motor deficits. Multi-channel MEPs monitoring during single and multi-level ACDF surgery demonstrated higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive value than SSEP monitoring. Conclusions: Multi-channel MEP monitoring might be beneficial for the detection of segmental injury as well as long tract injury during single- and multi-level ACDF surgery. Significance: This is first large scale study to identify the usefulness of multi-channel MEPs in monitoring ACDF surgery. Keywords: Disc disease, Somatosensory evoked potentials, Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring, Motor evoked potentials, Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

Guanfacine potentiates the activation of prefrontal cortex evoked by warning signals.

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Clerkin, Suzanne M; Schulz, Kurt P; Halperin, Jeffrey M; Newcorn, Jeffrey H; Ivanov, Iliyan; Tang, Cheuk Y; Fan, Jin

2009-08-15

Warning signals evoke an alert state of readiness that prepares for a rapid response by priming a thalamo-frontal-striatal network that includes the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Animal models indicate that noradrenergic input is essential for this stimulus-driven activation of DLPFC, but the precise mechanisms involved have not been determined. We tested the role that postsynaptic alpha(2A) adrenoceptors play in the activation of DLPFC evoked by warning cues using a placebo-controlled challenge with the alpha(2A) agonist guanfacine. Sixteen healthy young adults were scanned twice with event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), while performing a simple cued reaction time (RT) task following administration of a single dose of oral guanfacine (1 mg) and placebo in counterbalanced order. The RT task temporally segregates the neural effects of warning cues and motor responses and minimizes mnemonic demands. Warning cues produced a marked reduction in RT accompanied by significant activation in a distributed thalamo-frontal-striatal network, including bilateral DLPFC. Guanfacine selectively increased the cue-evoked activation of the left DLPFC and right anterior cerebellum, although this increase was not accompanied by further reductions in RT. The effects of guanfacine on DLPFC activation were specifically associated with the warning cue and were not seen for visual- or target-related activation. Guanfacine produced marked increases in the cue-evoked activation of DLPFC that correspond to the well-described actions of postsynaptic alpha(2) adrenoceptor stimulation. The current procedures provide an opportunity to test postsynaptic alpha(2A) adrenoceptor function in the prefrontal cortex in the pathophysiology of several psychiatric disorders.

[Effects of sevoflurane and propofol on evoked potentials during neurosurgical anesthesia].

Science.gov (United States)

Nakagawa, Itsuo; Hidaka, Syozo; Okada, Hironori; Kubo, Takashi; Okamura, Kenta; Kato, Takahiro

2006-06-01

The effect of anesthetics on somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) and auditory brain stem response (ABR) has been a subject of intense reseach over the last two decades. In fact, volatile anesthetics have been repeatedly shown to decrease cortical amplitude in a dose-dependent fashion but the information regarding the effect of propofol is incomplete. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sevoflurane and propofol on evoked potentials during comparable depth of anesthesia guided by bispectral index (BIS). Forty four patients scheduled for neurosurgery were studied. Anesthesia was maintained with intravenous propofol using target controlled infusion (TCI). We measured the change of amplitude and latency of SEP(N20-P25), ABR (V wave) and visual evoked potential (VEP: P100) at three sets of sevoflurane (0%, 1%, 2%) or propofol concentrations (effect site concentration of 1.5, 2.0, 3.0 microug x ml(-1)). BIS monitor was used to measure relative depth of hypnosis. With increasing concentrations of sevoflurane (0, 1% and 2%), SEP showed dose-related reduction in its amplitude, ABR produced less marked changes and VEP showed a significant reduction at 1%. VEP at the propofol concentration of 3.0 microg x ml(-1) was decreased significantly compared with the amplitude at 1.5 microg x ml(-1) concentration. No significant change was observed with SEP and ABR during the change of propofol dosages. BIS values were almost the same with each anesthetics. VEP was most strongly affected with anesthetics, and ABR showed less marked influence of sevoflurane and propofol. Propofol based TIVA technique would induce less change in evoked potentials than sevoflurane.

Chemical disinfection of combined sewer overflow waters using performic acid or peracetic acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Chhetri, Ravi Kumar; Thornberg, Dines; Berner, Jesper; Gramstad, Robin; Öjstedt, Ulrik; Sharma, Anitha Kumari; Andersen, Henrik Rasmus

2014-08-15

We investigated the possibility of applying performic acid (PFA) and peracetic acid (PAA) for disinfection of combined sewer overflow (CSO) in existing CSO management infrastructures. The disinfection power of PFA and PAA towards Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus was studied in batch-scale and pre-field experiments. In the batch-scale experiment, 2.5 mg L(-1) PAA removed approximately 4 log unit of E. coli and Enterococcus from CSO with a 360 min contact time. The removal of E. coli and Enterococcus from CSO was always around or above 3 log units using 2-4 mg L(-1) PFA; with a 20 min contact time in both batch-scale and pre-field experiments. There was no toxicological effect measured by Vibrio fischeri when CSO was disinfected with PFA; a slight toxic effect was observed on CSO disinfected with PAA. When the design for PFA based disinfection was applied to CSO collected from an authentic event, the disinfection efficiencies were confirmed and degradation rates were slightly higher than predicted in simulated CSO. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spinocerebellar ataxia 36 (SCA36): «Costa da Morte ataxia».

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Arias, M; García-Murias, M; Sobrido, M J

To describe the history of the discovery of SCA36 and review knowledge of this entity, which is currently the most prevalent hereditary ataxia in Galicia (Spain) owing to a founder effect. SCA36 is an autosomal dominant hereditary ataxia with late onset and slow progression. It presents with cerebellar ataxia, sensorineural hearing loss, and discrete motor neuron impairment (tongue atrophy with denervation, discrete pyramidal signs). SCA36 was first described in Japan (Asida River ataxia) and in Galicia(Costa da Morte ataxia). The condition is caused by a genetic mutation (intronic hexanucleotide repeat expansion) in the NOP56 gene on the short arm of chromosome 20 (20p13). Magnetic resonance image study initially shows cerebellar vermian atrophy that subsequently extends to the rest of the cerebellum and finally to the pontomedullary region of the brainstem without producing white matter lesions. Peripheral nerve conduction velocities are normal, and sensorimotor evoked potential studies show delayed conduction of stimuli to lower limbs. In patients with hearing loss, audiometric studies show a drop of >40dB in frequencies exceeding 2,500Hz. Auditory evoked potential studies may also show lack of waves I and II. Costa da Morte ataxia or SCA36 is the most prevalent SCA in the Spanish region of Galicia. Given the region's history of high rates of emigration, new cases may be diagnosed in numerous countries, especially in Latin America. Genetic studies are now available to patients and asymptomatic carriers. Since many people are at risk for this disease, we will continue our investigations aimed at elucidating the underlying pathogenic molecular mechanisms and discovering effective treatment. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Potencial evocado auditivo tardio relacionado a eventos (P300 na síndrome de Down Late auditory event-related evoked potential (P300 in Down's syndrome patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla Patrícia Hernandez Alves Ribeiro César

2010-04-01

Full Text Available A síndrome de Down é causada pela trissomia do cromossomo 21 e está associada com alteração do processamento auditivo, distúrbio de aprendizagem e, provavelmente, início precoce de Doença de Alzheimer. OBJETIVO: Avaliar as latências e amplitudes do potencial evocado auditivo tardio relacionado a eventos (P300 e suas alterações em indivíduos jovens adultos com síndrome de Down. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Estudo de caso prospectivo. Latências e amplitudes do P300 foram avaliadas em 17 indivíduos com síndrome de Down e 34 indivíduos sadios. RESULTADOS: Foram identificadas latências do P300 (N1, P2, N2 e P3 prolongadas e amplitude N2 - P3 diminuída nos indivíduos com síndrome de Down quando comparados ao grupo controle. CONCLUSÃO: Em indivíduos jovens adultos com síndrome de Down ocorre aumento das latências N1, P2, N2 e P3, e diminuição significativa da amplitude N2-P3 do potencial evocado auditivo tardio relacionado a eventos (P300, sugerindo prejuízo da integração da área de associação auditiva com as áreas corticais e subcorticais do sistema nervoso central.Down syndrome is caused by a trisomy of chromosome 21 and is associated with central auditory processing deficit, learning disability and, probably, early-onset Alzheimer's disease. AIM: to evaluate the latencies and amplitudes of evoked late auditory potential related to P300 events and their changes in young adults with Down's syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective case study. P300 test latency and amplitudes were evaluated in 17 individuals with Down's syndrome and 34 healthy individuals. RESULTS The P300 latency (N1, P2, N2 and P3 was longer and the N2-P3 amplitude was lower in individuals with Down syndrome when compared to those in the control group. CONCLUSION: In young adults with Down syndrome, N1, P2, N2 and P3 latencies of late auditory evoked potential related to P300 events were prolonged, and N2 - P3 amplitudes were significantly reduced

Cortical modulation of short-latency TMS-evoked potentials

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Domenica eVeniero

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Transcranial magnetic stimulation - electroencephalogram (TMS-EEG co-registration offers the opportunity to test reactivity of brain areas across distinct conditions through TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs. Several TEPs have been described, their functional meaning being largely unknown. In particular, short-latency potentials peaking at 5 (P5 and 8 (N8 ms after the TMS pulse have been recently described, but because of their huge amplitude, the problem of whether their origin is cortical or not has been opened. To gain information about these components, we employed a protocol that modulates primary motor cortex excitability (MI through an exclusively cortical phenomena: low frequency stimulation of premotor area (PMC. TMS was applied simultaneously with EEG recording from 70 electrodes. Amplitude of TEPs evoked by 200 single-pulses TMS delivered over MI at 110% of resting motor threshold was measured before and after applying 900 TMS conditioning stimuli to left premotor cortex with 1 Hz repetition rate. Single subject analyses showed reduction in TEPs amplitude after PMC conditioning in a sample of participants and increase in TEPs amplitude in two subjects. No effects were found on corticospinal excitability as recorded by motor evoked potentials (MEPs. Furthermore, correlation analysis showed an inverse relation between the effects of the conditioning protocol on P5-N8 complex amplitude and MEPs amplitude. Because the effects of the used protocol have been ascribed to a cortical interaction between premotor area and MI, we suggest that despite the sign of P5-N8 amplitude modulation is not consistent across participant, this modulation could indicate, at least in part, their cortical origin. We conclude that with an accurate experimental procedure early-latency components can be used to evaluate the reactivity of the stimulated cortex.

Single-sweep spectral analysis of contact heat evoked potentials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Tine M; Graversen, Carina; Frøkjaer, Jens B

2015-01-01

AIMS: The cortical response to nociceptive thermal stimuli recorded as contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) may be altered by morphine. However, previous studies have averaged CHEPs over multiple stimuli, which are confounded by jitter between sweeps. Thus, the aim was to assess single-sweep ch......AIMS: The cortical response to nociceptive thermal stimuli recorded as contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) may be altered by morphine. However, previous studies have averaged CHEPs over multiple stimuli, which are confounded by jitter between sweeps. Thus, the aim was to assess single...... by 13% (P = 0.04) and 9% (P = 0.007), while the beta and gamma bands were increased by 10% (P = 0.006) and 24% (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The decreases in the delta and theta band are suggested to represent a decrease in the pain specific morphology of the CHEPs, which indicates a diminished pain response...

The roles of superficial amygdala and auditory cortex in music-evoked fear and joy.

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Koelsch, Stefan; Skouras, Stavros; Fritz, Thomas; Herrera, Perfecto; Bonhage, Corinna; Küssner, Mats B; Jacobs, Arthur M

2013-11-01

This study investigates neural correlates of music-evoked fear and joy with fMRI. Studies on neural correlates of music-evoked fear are scant, and there are only a few studies on neural correlates of joy in general. Eighteen individuals listened to excerpts of fear-evoking, joy-evoking, as well as neutral music and rated their own emotional state in terms of valence, arousal, fear, and joy. Results show that BOLD signal intensity increased during joy, and decreased during fear (compared to the neutral condition) in bilateral auditory cortex (AC) and bilateral superficial amygdala (SF). In the right primary somatosensory cortex (area 3b) BOLD signals increased during exposure to fear-evoking music. While emotion-specific activity in AC increased with increasing duration of each trial, SF responded phasically in the beginning of the stimulus, and then SF activity declined. Psychophysiological Interaction (PPI) analysis revealed extensive emotion-specific functional connectivity of AC with insula, cingulate cortex, as well as with visual, and parietal attentional structures. These findings show that the auditory cortex functions as a central hub of an affective-attentional network that is more extensive than previously believed. PPI analyses also showed functional connectivity of SF with AC during the joy condition, taken to reflect that SF is sensitive to social signals with positive valence. During fear music, SF showed functional connectivity with visual cortex and area 7 of the superior parietal lobule, taken to reflect increased visual alertness and an involuntary shift of attention during the perception of auditory signals of danger. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluating rain gardens as a method to reduce the impact of sewer overflows in sources of drinking water.

Science.gov (United States)

Autixier, Laurène; Mailhot, Alain; Bolduc, Samuel; Madoux-Humery, Anne-Sophie; Galarneau, Martine; Prévost, Michèle; Dorner, Sarah

2014-11-15

The implications of climate change and changing precipitation patterns need to be investigated to evaluate mitigation measures for source water protection. Potential solutions need first to be evaluated under present climate conditions to determine their utility as climate change adaptation strategies. An urban drainage network receiving both stormwater and wastewater was studied to evaluate potential solutions to reduce the impact of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in a drinking water source. A detailed hydraulic model was applied to the drainage basin to model the implementation of best management practices at a drainage basin scale. The model was calibrated and validated with field data of CSO flows for seven events from a survey conducted in 2009 and 2010. Rain gardens were evaluated for their reduction of volumes of water entering the drainage network and of CSOs. Scenarios with different levels of implementation were considered and evaluated. Of the total impervious area within the basin directly connected to the sewer system, a maximum of 21% could be alternately directed towards rain gardens. The runoff reductions for the entire catchment ranged from 12.7% to 19.4% depending on the event considered. The maximum discharged volume reduction ranged from 13% to 62% and the maximum peak flow rate reduction ranged from 7% to 56%. Of concern is that in-sewer sediment resuspension is an important process to consider with regard to the efficacy of best management practices aimed at reducing extreme loads and concentrations. Rain gardens were less effective for large events, which are of greater importance for drinking water sources. These practices could increase peak instantaneous loads as a result of greater in-sewer resuspension during large events. Multiple interventions would be required to achieve the objectives of reducing the number, total volumes and peak contaminant loads of overflows upstream of drinking water intakes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All

The effect of digital signage on shoppers’ behavior: the role of the evoked experience

OpenAIRE

Dennis, Charles; Brakus, J. Joško; Gupta, Suraksha; Alamanos, Eleftherios

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the role of digital signage as experience provider in retail spaces. The findings of a survey-based field experiment demonstrate that digital signage content high on sensory cues evokes affective experience and strengthens customers' experiential processing route. In contrast, digital signage messages high on “features and benefits” information evoke intellectual experience and strengthen customers' deliberative processing route. The affective experience is more strong...

Perceptual learning of acoustic noise generates memory-evoked potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrillon, Thomas; Kouider, Sid; Agus, Trevor; Pressnitzer, Daniel

2015-11-02

Experience continuously imprints on the brain at all stages of life. The traces it leaves behind can produce perceptual learning [1], which drives adaptive behavior to previously encountered stimuli. Recently, it has been shown that even random noise, a type of sound devoid of acoustic structure, can trigger fast and robust perceptual learning after repeated exposure [2]. Here, by combining psychophysics, electroencephalography (EEG), and modeling, we show that the perceptual learning of noise is associated with evoked potentials, without any salient physical discontinuity or obvious acoustic landmark in the sound. Rather, the potentials appeared whenever a memory trace was observed behaviorally. Such memory-evoked potentials were characterized by early latencies and auditory topographies, consistent with a sensory origin. Furthermore, they were generated even on conditions of diverted attention. The EEG waveforms could be modeled as standard evoked responses to auditory events (N1-P2) [3], triggered by idiosyncratic perceptual features acquired through learning. Thus, we argue that the learning of noise is accompanied by the rapid formation of sharp neural selectivity to arbitrary and complex acoustic patterns, within sensory regions. Such a mechanism bridges the gap between the short-term and longer-term plasticity observed in the learning of noise [2, 4-6]. It could also be key to the processing of natural sounds within auditory cortices [7], suggesting that the neural code for sound source identification will be shaped by experience as well as by acoustics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Parallel World for the World Bank: A Case Study of Urgent: Evoke, An Educational Alternate Reality Game

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David I. Waddington

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In 2010, the World Bank launched Urgent: Evoke, an alternate reality game. Conceived in response to the demands of African universities, the game was designed to promote the World Bank Institute’s vision of positive global change through social innovation, and made substantial use of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, personal profiles, and social networks. This article offers a case study of Urgent: Evoke, divided into four sections: first, the potential to use video games as citizenship education tools is discussed; second, the unique game genre (alternate reality games into which Evoke falls is explained and some possible uses of this genre in higher education are examined; third, the functioning of the Evoke game world is explained; and fourth, the results of the Evoke educational project are assessed. The case study concludes with some commentary on Evoke’s ideological message, which those less sympathetic to capitalism may view as problematic.

Dynamic properties of sensory stimulation evoked responses in mouse cerebellar granule cell layer and molecular layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Bing, Yan-Hua; Zhang, Guang-Jian; Sun, Lei; Chu, Chun-Ping; Qiu, De-Lai

2015-01-12

Sensory information coming from climbing fiber and mossy fiber-granule cell pathways, generates motor-related outputs according to internal rules of integration and computation in the cerebellar cortex. However, the dynamic properties of sensory information processing in mouse cerebellar cortex are less understood. Here, we studied the dynamic properties of sensory stimulation-evoked responses in the cerebellar granule cell layer (GCL) and molecular layer (ML) by electrophysiological recordings method. Our data showed that air-puff stimulation (5-10 ms in duration) of the ipsilateral whisker pad evoked single-peak responses in the GCL and ML; whereas a duration of stimulation ≥30 ms in GCL and ≥60 ms in ML, evoked double-peak responses that corresponded with stimulation-on and -off responses via mossy fiber pathway. The highest frequency of stimulation train for evoking GCL responses was 33 Hz. In contrast, the highest frequency of stimulation train for evoking ML responses was 4 Hz. These results indicate that the cerebellar granule cells transfer the high-fidelity sensory information from mossy fibers, which is cut-off by molecular layer interneurons (MLIs). Our results suggest that the MLIs network acts as a low-pass filter during the processing of high-frequency sensory information. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparison of auditory evoked potentials to acoustic beats and to binaural beats

OpenAIRE

Pratt, H; Starr, A; Michalewski, HJ; Dimitrijevic, A; Bleich, N; Mittelman, N

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare cortical brain responses evoked by amplitude modulated acoustic beats of 3 and 6 Hz in tones of 250 and 1000 Hz with those evoked by their binaural beats counterparts in unmodulated tones to indicate whether the cortical processes involved differ. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded to 3- and 6-Hz acoustic and binaural beats in 2000 ms duration 250 and 1000 Hz tones presented with approximately 1 s intervals. Latency, amplitude and source cur...

Occipital lobe lesions result in a displacement of magnetoencephalography visual evoked field dipoles.

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Elizabeth W; Chu, Bill H W; Otsubo, Hiroshi

2014-10-01

The pattern-reversal visual evoked potential measured electrically from scalp electrodes is known to be decreased, or absent, in patients with occipital lobe lesions. We questioned whether the measurement and source analysis of the neuromagnetic visual evoked field (VEF) might offer additional information regarding visual cortex relative to the occipital lesion. We retrospectively examined 12 children (6-18 years) with occipital lesions on MRI, who underwent magnetoencephalography and ophthalmology as part of their presurgical assessment. Binocular half-field pattern-reversal VEFs were obtained in a 151-channel whole-head magnetoencephalography. Data were averaged and dipole source analyses were performed for each half-field stimulation. A significant lateral shift (P occipital lesions. Magnetoencephalography may be useful as a screening test of visual function in young patients. We discuss potential explanations for this lateral shift and emphasize the utility of adding the magnetoencephalography pattern-reversal visual evoked field protocol to the neurologic work-up.

Evoked traveling alpha waves predict visual-semantic categorization-speed

Science.gov (United States)

Fellinger, Robert; Gruber, Walter; Zauner, Andrea; Freunberger, Roman; Klimesch, Wolfgang

2012-01-01

In the present study we have tested the hypothesis that evoked traveling alpha waves are behaviorally significant. The results of a visual-semantic categorization task show that three early ERP components including the P1–N1 complex had a dominant frequency characteristic in the alpha range and behaved like traveling waves do. They exhibited a traveling direction from midline occipital to right lateral parietal sites. Phase analyses revealed that this traveling behavior of ERP components could be explained by phase-delays in the alpha but not theta and beta frequency range. Most importantly, we found that the speed of the traveling alpha wave was significantly and negatively correlated with reaction time indicating that slow traveling speed was associated with fast picture-categorization. We conclude that evoked alpha oscillations are functionally associated with early access to visual-semantic information and generate – or at least modulate – the early waveforms of the visual ERP. PMID:22100769

Analysis of Spontaneous and Nerve-Evoked Calcium Transients in Intact Extraocular Muscles in Vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Cheng-Yuan; Hennig, Grant W.; Corrigan, Robert D.; Smith, Terence K.; von Bartheld, Christopher S.

2012-01-01

Extraocular muscles (EOMs) have unique calcium handling properties, yet little is known about the dynamics of calcium events underlying ultrafast and tonic contractions in myofibers of intact EOMs. Superior oblique EOMs of juvenile chickens were dissected with their nerve attached, maintained in oxygenated Krebs buffer, and loaded with fluo-4. Spontaneous and nerve stimulation-evoked calcium transients were recorded and, following calcium imaging, some EOMs were double-labeled with rhodamine-conjugated alpha-bungarotoxin (rhBTX) to identify EOM myofiber types. EOMs showed two main types of spontaneous calcium transients, one slow type (calcium waves with 1/2max duration of 2–12 s, velocity of 25–50 μm/s) and two fast “flash-like” types (Type 1, 30–90 ms; Type 2, 90–150 ms 1/2max duration). Single pulse nerve stimulation evoked fast calcium transients identical to the fast (Type 1) calcium transients. Calcium waves were accompanied by a local myofiber contraction that followed the calcium transient wavefront. The magnitude of calcium-wave induced myofiber contraction far exceeded those of movement induced by nerve stimulation and associated fast calcium transients. Tetrodotoxin eliminated nerve-evoked transients, but not spontaneous transients. Alpha-bungarotoxin eliminated both spontaneous and nerve-evoked fast calcium transients, but not calcium waves, and caffeine increased wave activity. Calcium waves were observed in myofibers lacking spontaneous or evoked fast transients, suggestive of multiply-innervated myofibers, and this was confirmed by double-labeling with rhBTX. We propose that the abundant spontaneous calcium transients and calcium waves with localized contractions that do not depend on innervation may contribute to intrinsic generation of tonic functions of EOMs. PMID:22579493

Thermoreceptive innervation of human glabrous and hairy skin: a contact heat evoked potential analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Granovsky, Yelena; Matre, Dagfinn; Sokolik, Alexander; Lorenz, Jürgen; Casey, Kenneth L

2005-06-01

The human palm has a lower heat detection threshold and a higher heat pain threshold than hairy skin. Neurophysiological studies of monkeys suggest that glabrous skin has fewer low threshold heat nociceptors (AMH type 2) than hairy skin. Accordingly, we used a temperature-controlled contact heat evoked potential (CHEP) stimulator to excite selectively heat receptors with C fibers or Adelta-innervated AMH type 2 receptors in humans. On the dorsal hand, 51 degrees C stimulation produced painful pinprick sensations and 41 degrees C stimuli evoked warmth. On the glabrous thenar, 41 degrees C stimulation produced mild warmth and 51 degrees C evoked strong but painless heat sensations. We used CHEP responses to estimate the conduction velocities (CV) of peripheral fibers mediating these sensations. On hairy skin, 41 degrees C stimuli evoked an ultra-late potential (mean, SD; N wave latency: 455 (118) ms) mediated by C fibers (CV by regression analysis: 1.28 m/s, N=15) whereas 51 degrees C stimuli evoked a late potential (N latency: 267 (33) ms) mediated by Adelta afferents (CV by within-subject analysis: 12.9 m/s, N=6). In contrast, thenar responses to 41 and 51 degrees C were mediated by C fibers (average N wave latencies 485 (100) and 433 (73) ms, respectively; CVs 0.95-1.35 m/s by regression analysis, N=15; average CV=1.7 (0.41) m/s calculated from distal glabrous and proximal hairy skin stimulation, N=6). The exploratory range of the human and monkey palm is enhanced by the abundance of low threshold, C-innervated heat receptors and the paucity of low threshold AMH type 2 heat nociceptors.

Direct electrical stimulation of human cortex evokes high gamma activity that predicts conscious somatosensory perception

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Leah; Rolston, John D.; Fox, Neal P.; Knowlton, Robert; Rao, Vikram R.; Chang, Edward F.

2018-04-01

Objective. Direct electrical stimulation (DES) is a clinical gold standard for human brain mapping and readily evokes conscious percepts, yet the neurophysiological changes underlying these percepts are not well understood. Approach. To determine the neural correlates of DES, we stimulated the somatosensory cortex of ten human participants at frequency-amplitude combinations that both elicited and failed to elicit conscious percepts, meanwhile recording neural activity directly surrounding the stimulation site. We then compared the neural activity of perceived trials to that of non-perceived trials. Main results. We found that stimulation evokes distributed high gamma activity, which correlates with conscious perception better than stimulation parameters themselves. Significance. Our findings suggest that high gamma activity is a reliable biomarker for perception evoked by both natural and electrical stimuli.

Normalization reduces intersubject variability in cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

van Tilburg, Mark J; Herrmann, Barbara S; Guinan, John J; Rauch, Steven D

2014-09-01

Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials are used to assess saccular and inferior vestibular nerve function. Normalization of the VEMP waveform has been proposed to reduce the variability in vestibular evoked myogenic potentials by correcting for muscle activation. In this study, we test the hypothesis that normalization of the raw cervical VEMP waveform causes a significant decrease in the intersubject variability. Prospective cohort study. Large specialty hospital, department of otolaryngology. Twenty healthy subjects were used in this study. All subjects underwent cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing using short tone bursts at 250, 500, 750, and 1,000 Hz. Both intersubject and intrasubject variability was assessed. Variability between raw and normalized peak-to-peak amplitudes was compared using the coefficient of variation. Intrasubject variability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient and interaural asymmetry ratio. cVEMPs were present in most ears. Highest peak-to-peak amplitudes were recorded at 750 Hz. Normalization did not alter cVEMP tuning characteristics. Normalization of the cVEMP response caused a significant reduction in intersubject variability of the peak-to-peak amplitude. No significant change was seen in the intrasubject variability. Normalization significantly reduces cVEMP intersubject variability in healthy subjects without altering cVEMP characteristics. By reducing cVEMP amplitude variation due to nonsaccular, muscle-related factors, cVEMP normalization is expected to improve the ability to distinguish between healthy and pathologic responses in the clinical application of cVEMP testing.

Evoked responses of the superior olive to amplitude-modulated signals.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreeva, N G; Lang, T T

1977-01-01

Evoked potentials of some auditory centers of Rhinolophidae bats to amplitude-modulated signals were studied. A synchronization response was found in the cochlear nuclei (with respect to the fast component of the response) and in the superior olivary complex (with respect to both fast and slow components of the response) within the range of frequency modulation from 50 to 2000 Hz. In the inferior colliculus a synchronized response was recorded at modulation frequencies below 150 Hz, but in the medial geniculate bodies no such response was found. Evoked responses of the superior olivary complex were investigated in detail. The lowest frequencies of synchronization were recorded within the carrier frequency range of 15-30 and 80-86 kHz. The amplitude of the synchronized response is a function of the frequency and coefficient of modulation and also of the angle of stimulus presentation.

Role played by acid-sensitive ion channels in evoking the exercise pressor reflex.

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Hayes, Shawn G; McCord, Jennifer L; Rainier, Jon; Liu, Zhuqing; Kaufman, Marc P

2008-10-01

The exercise pressor reflex arises from contracting skeletal muscle and is believed to play a role in evoking the cardiovascular responses to static exercise, effects that include increases in arterial pressure and heart rate. This reflex is believed to be evoked by the metabolic and mechanical stimulation of thin fiber muscle afferents. Lactic acid is known to be an important metabolic stimulus evoking the reflex. Until recently, the only antagonist for acid-sensitive ion channels (ASICs), the receptors to lactic acid, was amiloride, a substance that is also a potent antagonist for both epithelial sodium channels as well as voltage-gated sodium channels. Recently, a second compound, A-317567, has been shown to be an effective and selective antagonist to ASICs in vitro. Consequently, we measured the pressor responses to the static contraction of the triceps surae muscles in decerebrate cats before and after a popliteal arterial injection of A-317567 (10 mM solution; 0.5 ml). We found that this ASIC antagonist significantly attenuated by half (Pacid injection into the popliteal artery. In contrast, A-317567 had no effect on the pressor responses to tendon stretch, a pure mechanical stimulus, and to a popliteal arterial injection of capsaicin, which stimulated transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 channels. We conclude that ASICs on thin fiber muscle afferents play a substantial role in evoking the metabolic component of the exercise pressor reflex.

Long-latency auditory evoked potentials with verbal and nonverbal stimuli.

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Oppitz, Sheila Jacques; Didoné, Dayane Domeneghini; Silva, Débora Durigon da; Gois, Marjana; Folgearini, Jordana; Ferreira, Geise Corrêa; Garcia, Michele Vargas

2015-01-01

Long-latency auditory evoked potentials represent the cortical activity related to attention, memory, and auditory discrimination skills. Acoustic signal processing occurs differently between verbal and nonverbal stimuli, influencing the latency and amplitude patterns. To describe the latencies of the cortical potentials P1, N1, P2, N2, and P3, as well as P3 amplitude, with different speech stimuli and tone bursts, and to classify them in the presence and absence of these data. A total of 30 subjects with normal hearing were assessed, aged 18-32 years old, matched by gender. Nonverbal stimuli were used (tone burst; 1000Hz - frequent and 4000Hz - rare); and verbal (/ba/ - frequent; /ga/, /da/, and /di/ - rare). Considering the component N2 for tone burst, the lowest latency found was 217.45ms for the BA/DI stimulus; the highest latency found was 256.5ms. For the P3 component, the shortest latency with tone burst stimuli was 298.7 with BA/GA stimuli, the highest, was 340ms. For the P3 amplitude, there was no statistically significant difference among the different stimuli. For latencies of components P1, N1, P2, N2, P3, there were no statistical differences among them, regardless of the stimuli used. There was a difference in the latency of potentials N2 and P3 among the stimuli employed but no difference was observed for the P3 amplitude. Copyright © 2015 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Long-latency auditory evoked potentials with verbal and nonverbal stimuli,

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Sheila Jacques Oppitz

2015-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Long-latency auditory evoked potentials represent the cortical activity related to attention, memory, and auditory discrimination skills. Acoustic signal processing occurs differently between verbal and nonverbal stimuli, influencing the latency and amplitude patterns. OBJECTIVE: To describe the latencies of the cortical potentials P1, N1, P2, N2, and P3, as well as P3 amplitude, with different speech stimuli and tone bursts, and to classify them in the presence and absence of these data. METHODS: A total of 30 subjects with normal hearing were assessed, aged 18-32 years old, matched by gender. Nonverbal stimuli were used (tone burst; 1000 Hz - frequent and 4000 Hz - rare; and verbal (/ba/ - frequent; /ga/, /da/, and /di/ - rare. RESULTS: Considering the component N2 for tone burst, the lowest latency found was 217.45 ms for the BA/DI stimulus; the highest latency found was 256.5 ms. For the P3 component, the shortest latency with tone burst stimuli was 298.7 with BA/GA stimuli, the highest, was 340 ms. For the P3 amplitude, there was no statistically significant difference among the different stimuli. For latencies of components P1, N1, P2, N2, P3, there were no statistical differences among them, regardless of the stimuli used. CONCLUSION: There was a difference in the latency of potentials N2 and P3 among the stimuli employed but no difference was observed for the P3 amplitude.

Intrasexual competition at work : Sex differences in the jealousy-evoking effect of rival characteristics in work settings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buunk, Abraham P.; 't Goor, Joel Aan; Solano, Alejandro C.

Sex differences in jealousy-evoking rival characteristics in the relationship with a supervisor at work were examined in a community sample of 188 individuals from Argentina. Among men, the rivals' social dominance and communal attributes evoked the most jealousy, followed by physical dominance.

The role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Visual Evoked ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Introduction: To report our experience in management of patients with optic neuritis. The effects of brain magnetic resonance imaging and visual evoked potential on management were investigated. Methods: This is a four years clinical trial that included patients presenting with first attack of optic neuritis older than 16 years ...

Prior Expectations Evoke Stimulus Templates in the Primary Visual Cortex

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kok, P.; Failing, F.M.; de Lange, F.P.

2014-01-01

Exposure to rhythmic stimulation results in facilitated responses to events that appear in-phase with the rhythm and modulation of anticipatory and target-evoked brain activity, presumably reflecting "exogenous," unintentional temporal expectations. However, the extent to which this effect is

Predicting combined sewer overflows chamber depth using artificial neural networks with rainfall radar data.

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Mounce, S R; Shepherd, W; Sailor, G; Shucksmith, J; Saul, A J

2014-01-01

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) represent a common feature in combined urban drainage systems and are used to discharge excess water to the environment during heavy storms. To better understand the performance of CSOs, the UK water industry has installed a large number of monitoring systems that provide data for these assets. This paper presents research into the prediction of the hydraulic performance of CSOs using artificial neural networks (ANN) as an alternative to hydraulic models. Previous work has explored using an ANN model for the prediction of chamber depth using time series for depth and rain gauge data. Rainfall intensity data that can be provided by rainfall radar devices can be used to improve on this approach. Results are presented using real data from a CSO for a catchment in the North of England, UK. An ANN model trained with the pseudo-inverse rule was shown to be capable of predicting CSO depth with less than 5% error for predictions more than 1 hour ahead for unseen data. Such predictive approaches are important to the future management of combined sewer systems.

Multimodal evoked potentials follow up in multiple sclerosis patients under fingolimod therapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iodice, R; Carotenuto, A; Dubbioso, R

2016-01-01

related to EDSS at baseline (t=-1), while MEP and total EP sum score were related to EDSS at all time points. CONCLUSION: Fingolimod is able to improve visual and somatosensory evoked potential in RR-MS patients even if clinical disability scale remains stable. VEP and SEP could give eloquent information...... patients examined 12months prior to initiation of fingolimod (t=-1), at treatment initiation (t=0) and 1year later (t=+1) were compared. Each EP (VEP, MEP, SEP) and EP sum score, a global evoked potential score as the sum score of the each EP score was evaluated and correlated with Expanded Disability...

Effect of mechanical tactile noise on amplitude of visual evoked potentials: multisensory stochastic resonance.

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Méndez-Balbuena, Ignacio; Huidobro, Nayeli; Silva, Mayte; Flores, Amira; Trenado, Carlos; Quintanar, Luis; Arias-Carrión, Oscar; Kristeva, Rumyana; Manjarrez, Elias

2015-10-01

The present investigation documents the electrophysiological occurrence of multisensory stochastic resonance in the human visual pathway elicited by tactile noise. We define multisensory stochastic resonance of brain evoked potentials as the phenomenon in which an intermediate level of input noise of one sensory modality enhances the brain evoked response of another sensory modality. Here we examined this phenomenon in visual evoked potentials (VEPs) modulated by the addition of tactile noise. Specifically, we examined whether a particular level of mechanical Gaussian noise applied to the index finger can improve the amplitude of the VEP. We compared the amplitude of the positive P100 VEP component between zero noise (ZN), optimal noise (ON), and high mechanical noise (HN). The data disclosed an inverted U-like graph for all the subjects, thus demonstrating the occurrence of a multisensory stochastic resonance in the P100 VEP. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Beer tapping: dynamics of bubbles after impact

OpenAIRE

Mantic-Lugo, V.; Cayron, A.; Brun, P-T; Gallaire, F.

2015-01-01

Beer tapping is a well known prank where a bottle of beer is impacted from the top by a solid object, usually another bottle, leading to a sudden foam overflow. A description of the shock-driven bubble dynamics leading to foaming is presented based on an experimental and numerical study evoking the following physical picture. First, the solid impact produces a sudden downwards acceleration of the bottle creating a strong depression in the liquid bulk. The existing bubbles undergo a strong exp...

DC-Evoked Modulation of Excitability of Myelinated Nerve Fibers and Their Terminal Branches; Differences in Sustained Effects of DC.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaczmarek, Dominik; Jankowska, Elzbieta

2018-03-15

Direct current (DC) evokes long-lasting changes in neuronal networks both presynaptically and postsynaptically and different mechanisms were proposed to be involved in them. Different mechanisms were also suggested to account for the different dynamics of presynaptic DC actions on myelinated nerve fibers stimulated before they entered the spinal gray matter and on their terminal branches. The aim of the present study was to examine whether these different dynamics might be related to differences in the involvement of K + channels. To this end, we compared effects of the K + channel blocker 4-amino-pyridine (4-AP) on DC-evoked changes in the excitability of afferent fibers stimulated within the dorsal columns (epidurally) and within their projection areas in the dorsal horn and motor nuclei (intraspinally). 4-AP was applied systemically in deeply anesthetized rats. DC-evoked increases in the excitability of epidurally stimulated afferent nerve fibers, and increases in field potentials evoked by these fibers, were not affected by 4-AP. In contrast, sustained decreases rather than increases in the excitability of intraspinally stimulated terminal nerve branches were evoked by local application of DC in conjunction with 4-AP. The study leads to the conclusion that 4-AP-sensitive K + channels contribute to the sustained DC-evoked post-polarization increases in the excitability at the level of terminal branches of nerve fibers but not of the nodes of Ranvier nor within the juxta-paranodal regions where other mechanisms would be involved in inducing the sustained DC-evoked changes. Copyright © 2018 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Torque and mechanomyogram relationships during electrically-evoked isometric quadriceps contractions in persons with spinal cord injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibitoye, Morufu Olusola; Hamzaid, Nur Azah; Hasnan, Nazirah; Abdul Wahab, Ahmad Khairi; Islam, Md Anamul; Kean, Victor S P; Davis, Glen M

2016-08-01

The interaction between muscle contractions and joint loading produces torques necessary for movements during activities of daily living. However, during neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES)-evoked contractions in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), a simple and reliable proxy of torque at the muscle level has been minimally investigated. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between muscle mechanomyographic (MMG) characteristics and NMES-evoked isometric quadriceps torques in persons with motor complete SCI. Six SCI participants with lesion levels below C4 [(mean (SD) age, 39.2 (7.9) year; stature, 1.71 (0.05) m; and body mass, 69.3 (12.9) kg)] performed randomly ordered NMES-evoked isometric leg muscle contractions at 30°, 60° and 90° knee flexion angles on an isokinetic dynamometer. MMG signals were detected by an accelerometer-based vibromyographic sensor placed over the belly of rectus femoris muscle. The relationship between MMG root mean square (MMG-RMS) and NMES-evoked torque revealed a very high association (R(2)=0.91 at 30°; R(2)=0.98 at 60°; and R(2)=0.97 at 90° knee angles; Ptorque, between 0.65 and 0.79 for MMG-RMS, and from 0.67 to 0.73 for MMG-PTP. Their standard error of measurements (SEM) ranged between 10.1% and 31.6% (of mean values) for torque, MMG-RMS and MMG-PTP. The MMG peak frequency (MMG-PF) of 30Hz approximated the stimulation frequency, indicating NMES-evoked motor unit firing rate. The results demonstrated knee angle differences in the MMG-RMS versus NMES-isometric torque relationship, but a similar torque related pattern for MMG-PF. These findings suggested that MMG was well associated with torque production, reliably tracking the motor unit recruitment pattern during NMES-evoked muscle contractions. The strong positive relationship between MMG signal and NMES-evoked torque production suggested that the MMG might be deployed as a direct proxy for muscle torque or fatigue measurement during

Intermediate Latency-Evoked Potentials of Multimodal Cortical Vestibular Areas: Galvanic Stimulation

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Stefan Kammermeier

2017-11-01

Full Text Available IntroductionHuman multimodal vestibular cortical regions are bilaterally anterior insulae and posterior opercula, where characteristic vestibular-related cortical potentials were previously reported under acoustic otolith stimulation. Galvanic vestibular stimulation likely influences semicircular canals preferentially. Galvanic stimulation was compared to previously established data under acoustic stimulation.Methods14 healthy right-handed subjects, who were also included in the previous acoustic potential study, showed normal acoustic and galvanic vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials. They received 2,000 galvanic binaural bipolar stimuli for each side during EEG recording.ResultsVestibular cortical potentials were found in all 14 subjects and in the pooled data of all subjects (“grand average” bilaterally. Anterior insula and posterior operculum were activated exclusively under galvanic stimulation at 25, 35, 50, and 80 ms; frontal regions at 30 and 45 ms. Potentials at 70 ms in frontal regions and at 110 ms at all of the involved regions could also be recorded; these events were also found using acoustic stimulation in our previous study.ConclusionGalvanic semicircular canal stimulation evokes specific potentials in addition to those also found with acoustic otolith stimulation in identically located regions of the vestibular cortex. Vestibular cortical regions activate differently by galvanic and acoustic input at the peripheral sensory level.SignificanceDifferential effects in vestibular cortical-evoked potentials may see clinical use in specific vertigo disorders.

Automatic classification of visual evoked potentials based on wavelet decomposition

Science.gov (United States)

Stasiakiewicz, Paweł; Dobrowolski, Andrzej P.; Tomczykiewicz, Kazimierz

2017-04-01

Diagnosis of part of the visual system, that is responsible for conducting compound action potential, is generally based on visual evoked potentials generated as a result of stimulation of the eye by external light source. The condition of patient's visual path is assessed by set of parameters that describe the time domain characteristic extremes called waves. The decision process is compound therefore diagnosis significantly depends on experience of a doctor. The authors developed a procedure - based on wavelet decomposition and linear discriminant analysis - that ensures automatic classification of visual evoked potentials. The algorithm enables to assign individual case to normal or pathological class. The proposed classifier has a 96,4% sensitivity at 10,4% probability of false alarm in a group of 220 cases and area under curve ROC equals to 0,96 which, from the medical point of view, is a very good result.

Repensando e ressignificando a gestão democrática da educação na "cultura globalizada" Rethinking and resignifying the democratic management of education in the "globalized culture"

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Naura Syria Carapeto Ferreira

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Tanto em extensividade como em intensividade, as transformações científico-tecnológicas, econômico-sociais, ético-políticas e culturais na contemporaneidade, mais profundas do que a maior parte das mudanças características de todos os períodos históricos até então vividos, têm impactado mentes e corações de toda a humanidade, exigindo pensar e ressignificar a formação de profissionais da educação e a gestão da educação. Este texto aponta para a necessidade de humanizar a formação e as condições de existência dos profissionais da educação e da gestão da educação ressignificando-as com outra base ética, que permita fazer frente aos desafios violentos da "cultura globalizada" na "sociedade transbordante", "insatisfeita" e "excludente", constituída de "ressentimentos" e de exacerbação do individualismo rumo à formação da cidadania plena.Both in their extensiveness and intensiveness, the scientific-technological, economic-social, political-ethical and cultural changes in contemporary life have been much deeper than most changes that happened throughout history. They impacted on the minds and hearts of the whole humanity, requiring that we contemplate and resignify the education of education professionals and the management of education. This text points out a need for humanizing the education and living conditions of professionals in education and education management. They should be redefined based on a new ethics that allows to face the violent challenges of the "globalized culture" in the "overflowing society", that is "dissatisfied" and "exclusory", built on "resentments" and the exacerbation of individualism, and to move toward the formation of a whole citizenship.

Thermal grill-evoked sensations of heat correlate with cold pain threshold and are enhanced by menthol and cinnamaldehyde.

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Averbeck, B; Rucker, F; Laubender, R P; Carr, R W

2013-05-01

Thunberg's thermal grill produces a sensation of strong heat upon skin contact with spatially interlaced innocuous warm and cool stimuli. To examine the classes of peripheral axons that might contribute to this illusion, the effects of topical l-menthol, an activator of TRPM8, and cinnamaldehyde, a TRPA1 agonist, on the magnitude of thermal sensations were examined during grill stimulation in healthy volunteers. Under control conditions, cutaneous grill stimulation (interlaced 20/40 °C) evoked a sensation of heat, and for individual subjects, the magnitude of this heat sensation was positively correlated with cold pain threshold (CPT). Menthol increased the CPT and enhanced the magnitude of grill-evoked heat. Cinnamaldehyde intensified warm sensations, reduced heat pain threshold and also enhanced grill-evoked heat. Both TRPM8-expressing and TRPA1-expressing afferent axons can affect grill-evoked thermal sensations. The enhancement of grill-evoked sensations of temperature with menthol and cinnamaldehyde may provide an additional clinically relevant means of testing altered thermal sensitivity, which is often affected in neuropathic patient groups. © 2012 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters.

Neurophysiological mechanisms of bradykinin-evoked mucosal chloride secretion in guinea pig small intestine.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Mei-Hua; Ji, Wan-Sheng; Zhao, Ting-Kun; Fang, Chun-Yan; Mao, Shu-Mei; Gao, Zhi-Qin

2016-02-15

To investigate the mechanism for bradykinin (BK) to stimulate intestinal secretomotor neurons and intestinal chloride secretion. Muscle-stripped guinea pig ileal preparations were mounted in Ussing flux chambers for the recording of short-circuit current (Isc). Basal Isc and Isc stimulated by BK when preincubated with the BK receptors antagonist and other chemicals were recorded using the Ussing chamber system. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in the intestine was determined by enzyme immunologic assay (EIA). Application of BK or B2 receptor (B2R) agonist significantly increased the baseline Isc compared to the control. B2R antagonist, tetrodotoxin and scopolamine (blockade of muscarinic receptors) significantly suppressed the increase in Isc evoked by BK. The BK-evoked Isc was suppressed by cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 or COX-2 specific inhibitor as well as nonselective COX inhibitors. Preincubation of submucosa/mucosa preparations with BK for 10 min significantly increased PGE2 production and this was abolished by the COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors. The BK-evoked Isc was suppressed by nonselective EP receptors and EP4 receptor antagonists, but selective EP1 receptor antagonist did not have a significant effect on the BK-evoked Isc. Inhibitors of PLC, PKC, calmodulin or CaMKII failed to suppress BK-induced PGE2 production. The results suggest that BK stimulates neurogenic chloride secretion in the guinea pig ileum by activating B2R, through COX increasing PGE2 production. The post-receptor transduction cascade includes activation of PLC, PKC, CaMK, IP3 and MAPK.

Is the auditory evoked P2 response a biomarker of learning?

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Kelly eTremblay

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Even though auditory training exercises for humans have been shown to improve certain perceptual skills of individuals with and without hearing loss, there is a lack of knowledge pertaining to which aspects of training are responsible for the perceptual gains, and which aspects of perception are changed. To better define how auditory training impacts brain and behavior, electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography have been used to determine the time course and coincidence of cortical modulations associated with different types of training. Here we focus on P1-N1-P2 auditory evoked responses (AEP, as there are consistent reports of gains in P2 amplitude following various types of auditory training experiences; including music and speech-sound training. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the auditory evoked P2 response is a biomarker of learning. To do this, we taught native English speakers to identify a new pre-voiced temporal cue that is not used phonemically in the English language so that coinciding changes in evoked neural activity could be characterized. To differentiate possible effects of repeated stimulus exposure and a button-pushing task from learning itself, we examined modulations in brain activity in a group of participants who learned to identify the pre-voicing contrast and compared it to participants, matched in time, and stimulus exposure, that did not. The main finding was that the amplitude of the P2 auditory evoked response increased across repeated EEG sessions for all groups, regardless of any change in perceptual performance. What’s more, these effects were retained for months. Changes in P2 amplitude were attributed to changes in neural activity associated with the acquisition process and not the learned outcome itself. A further finding was the expression of a late negativity (LN wave 600-900 ms post-stimulus onset, post-training, exclusively for the group that learned to identify the pre

A comparison of myogenic motor evoked responses to electrical and magnetic transcranial stimulation during nitrous oxide/opioid anesthesia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ubags, L. H.; Kalkman, C. J.; Been, H. D.; Koelman, J. H.; Ongerboer de Visser, B. W.

1999-01-01

Transcranial motor evoked potentials (tc-MEPs) are used to monitor spinal cord integrity intraoperatively. We compared myogenic motor evoked responses with electrical and magnetic transcranial stimuli during nitrous oxide/opioid anesthesia. In 11 patients undergoing spinal surgery, anesthesia was

Lifting the veil on the dynamics of neuronal activities evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bingshuo; Virtanen, Juha P; Oeltermann, Axel; Schwarz, Cornelius; Giese, Martin A; Ziemann, Ulf; Benali, Alia

2017-11-22

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a widely used non-invasive tool to study and modulate human brain functions. However, TMS-evoked activity of individual neurons has remained largely inaccessible due to the large TMS-induced electromagnetic fields. Here, we present a general method providing direct in vivo electrophysiological access to TMS-evoked neuronal activity 0.8-1 ms after TMS onset. We translated human single-pulse TMS to rodents and unveiled time-grained evoked activities of motor cortex layer V neurons that show high-frequency spiking within the first 6 ms depending on TMS-induced current orientation and a multiphasic spike-rhythm alternating between excitation and inhibition in the 6-300 ms epoch, all of which can be linked to various human TMS responses recorded at the level of spinal cord and muscles. The advance here facilitates a new level of insight into the TMS-brain interaction that is vital for developing this non-invasive tool to purposefully explore and effectively treat the human brain.

Head movements evoked in alert rhesus monkey by vestibular prosthesis stimulation: implications for postural and gaze stabilization.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana E Mitchell

Full Text Available The vestibular system detects motion of the head in space and in turn generates reflexes that are vital for our daily activities. The eye movements produced by the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR play an essential role in stabilizing the visual axis (gaze, while vestibulo-spinal reflexes ensure the maintenance of head and body posture. The neuronal pathways from the vestibular periphery to the cervical spinal cord potentially serve a dual role, since they function to stabilize the head relative to inertial space and could thus contribute to gaze (eye-in-head + head-in-space and posture stabilization. To date, however, the functional significance of vestibular-neck pathways in alert primates remains a matter of debate. Here we used a vestibular prosthesis to 1 quantify vestibularly-driven head movements in primates, and 2 assess whether these evoked head movements make a significant contribution to gaze as well as postural stabilization. We stimulated electrodes implanted in the horizontal semicircular canal of alert rhesus monkeys, and measured the head and eye movements evoked during a 100 ms time period for which the contribution of longer latency voluntary inputs to the neck would be minimal. Our results show that prosthetic stimulation evoked significant head movements with latencies consistent with known vestibulo-spinal pathways. Furthermore, while the evoked head movements were substantially smaller than the coincidently evoked eye movements, they made a significant contribution to gaze stabilization, complementing the VOR to ensure that the appropriate gaze response is achieved. We speculate that analogous compensatory head movements will be evoked when implanted prosthetic devices are transitioned to human patients.

Biomarkers of neuropathic pain in skin nerve degeneration neuropathy: contact heat-evoked potentials as a physiological signature.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shao-Wei; Wang, Yi-Chia; Hsieh, Paul-Chen; Tseng, Ming-Tsung; Chiang, Ming-Chang; Chu, Chih-Pang; Feng, Fang-Ping; Lin, Yea-Huey; Hsieh, Sung-Tsang; Chao, Chi-Chao

2017-03-01

Contact heat-evoked potentials (CHEPs) have become an established method of assessing small-fiber sensory nerves; however, their potential as a physiological signature of neuropathic pain symptoms has not been fully explored. To investigate the diagnostic efficacy in examining small-fiber sensory nerve degeneration, the relationship with skin innervations, and clinical correlates with sensory symptoms, we recruited 188 patients (115 men) with length-dependent sensory symptoms and reduced intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) density at the distal leg to perform CHEP, quantitative sensory testing, and nerve conduction study. Fifty-seven age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled for comparison of CHEP and skin innervation. Among patients with neuropathy, 144 patients had neuropathic pain and 64 cases had evoked pain. Compared with quantitative sensory testing and nerve conduction study parameters, CHEP amplitudes showed the highest sensitivity for diagnosing small-fiber sensory nerve degeneration and exhibited the strongest correlation with IENF density in multiple linear regression. Contact heat-evoked potential amplitudes were strongly correlated with the degree of skin innervation in both patients with neuropathy and controls, and the slope of the regression line between CHEP amplitude and IENF density was higher in patients with neuropathy than in controls. Patients with evoked pain had higher CHEP amplitude than those without evoked pain, independent of IENF density. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that CHEP had better performance in diagnosing small-fiber sensory nerve degeneration than thermal thresholds. Furthermore, CHEPs showed superior classification accuracy with respect to evoked pain. In conclusion, CHEP is a sensitive tool to evaluate pathophysiology of small-fiber sensory nerve and serves as a physiological signature of neuropathic pain symptoms.

Short-interval and long-interval intracortical inhibition of TMS-evoked EEG potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Premoli, Isabella; Király, Julia; Müller-Dahlhaus, Florian; Zipser, Carl M; Rossini, Pierre; Zrenner, Christoph; Ziemann, Ulf; Belardinelli, Paolo

2018-03-15

Inhibition in the human motor cortex can be probed by means of paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (ppTMS) at interstimulus intervals of 2-3 ms (short-interval intracortical inhibition, SICI) or ∼100 ms (long-interval intracortical inhibition, LICI). Conventionally, SICI and LICI are recorded as motor evoked potential (MEP) inhibition in the hand muscle. Pharmacological experiments indicate that they are mediated by GABAA and GABAB receptors, respectively. SICI and LICI of TMS-evoked EEG potentials (TEPs) and their pharmacological properties have not been systematically studied. Here, we sought to examine SICI by ppTMS-evoked compared to single-pulse TMS-evoked TEPs, to investigate its pharmacological manipulation and to compare SICI with our previous results on LICI. PpTMS-EEG was applied to the left motor cortex in 16 healthy subjects in a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, testing the effects of a single oral dose 20 mg of diazepam, a positive modulator at the GABAA receptor, vs. 50 mg of the GABAB receptor agonist baclofen on SICI of TEPs. We found significant SICI of the N100 and P180 TEPs prior to drug intake. Diazepam reduced SICI of the N100 TEP, while baclofen enhanced it. Compared to our previous ppTMS-EEG results on LICI, the SICI effects on TEPs, including their drug modulation, were largely analogous. Findings suggest a similar interaction of paired-pulse effects on TEPs irrespective of the interstimulus interval. Therefore, SICI and LICI as measured with TEPs cannot be directly derived from SICI and LICI measured with MEPs, but may offer novel insight into paired-pulse responses recorded directly from the brain rather than muscle. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in the jealousy-evoking effect of rival characteristics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, P; Buunk, BP; Buunk, Abraham (Bram)

2002-01-01

Four studies examined sex differences in the jealousy-evoking nature of rival characteristics. Study 1, among 130 undergraduates, made an inventory of all relevant rival characteristics that were spontaneously mentioned when asked about a rival to whom one's partner might feel attracted. On the

A translational study on looming-evoked defensive response and the underlying subcortical pathway in autism.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yu; Chen, Zhuoming; Huang, Lu; Xi, Yue; Li, Bingxiao; Wang, Hong; Yan, Jiajian; Lee, Tatia M C; Tao, Qian; So, Kwok-Fai; Ren, Chaoran

2017-11-07

Rapidly approaching objects indicating threats can induce defensive response through activating a subcortical pathway comprising superior colliculus (SC), lateral posterior nucleus (LP), and basolateral amygdala (BLA). Abnormal defensive response has been reported in autism, and impaired synaptic connections could be the underlying mechanism. Whether the SC-LP-BLA pathway processes looming stimuli abnormally in autism is not clear. Here, we found that looming-evoked defensive response is impaired in a subgroup of the valproic acid (VPA) mouse model of autism. By combining the conventional neurotracer and transneuronal rabies virus tracing techniques, we demonstrated that synaptic connections in the SC-LP-BLA pathway were abnormal in VPA mice whose looming-evoked defensive responses were absent. Importantly, we further translated the finding to children with autism and observed that they did not present looming-evoked defensive response. Furthermore, the findings of the DTI with the probabilistic tractography showed that the structural connections of SC-pulvinar-amygdala in autism children were weak. The pulvinar is parallel to the LP in a mouse. Because looming-evoked defensive response is innate in humans and emerges much earlier than do social and language functions, the absence of defensive response could be an earlier sign of autism in children.

Study of the correlation of brainstem auditory evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging in children with spastic cerebral palsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fobe, Lisete Pessoa de Oliveira

1999-01-01

Central auditory evaluation in 21 children with cerebral palsy was done with brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and correlated with brain magnetic resonance imaging findings (MRI); 12 boys and 9 girls between 5 and 12 years old were studied. All children had follow-up at the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo. The control group was done with 17 children, 10 boys and 7 girls (mean age 8.06 years, SD 2.27 years). The BAEP abnormalities were: decrease of latency of wave V; decrease of latency III-V and I-IV intervals at the right side. All patients has MRI supratentorial abnormalities and 11 had brainstem atrophy. The MRI pathologic findings were: ventricular enlargement (n=17 or 80.95%), cortical/subcortical atrophy (n=15 or 71.42%), left brainstem atrophy (n=11 or 52.38%), periventricular leukomalacia (n=10 or 47.61%), infarction in the left middle cerebral artery territory (n=6 or 28.57%), and malformations such as schizencephaly and colpocephaly (n=5 or 23.80%). The findings of the decrease latencies in children with cerebral palsy suggest the contribution of decussating auditory fibers at the lower and upper pons and midbrain, the lack of homogeneity of the surrounding volume of the conductor fibres and the presence of several concurrently active potential generators sources, should be facilitating mechanisms for the nervous input to brainstem. (author)

Study of the correlation of brainstem auditory evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging in children with spastic cerebral palsy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fobe, Lisete Pessoa de Oliveira [Sao Paulo Univ., SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Medicina]. E-mail: lispessoa@yahoo.com

1999-12-01

Central auditory evaluation in 21 children with cerebral palsy was done with brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and correlated with brain magnetic resonance imaging findings (MRI); 12 boys and 9 girls between 5 and 12 years old were studied. All children had follow-up at the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo. The control group was done with 17 children, 10 boys and 7 girls (mean age 8.06 years, SD 2.27 years). The BAEP abnormalities were: decrease of latency of wave V; decrease of latency III-V and I-IV intervals at the right side. All patients has MRI supratentorial abnormalities and 11 had brainstem atrophy. The MRI pathologic findings were: ventricular enlargement (n=17 or 80.95%), cortical/subcortical atrophy (n=15 or 71.42%), left brainstem atrophy (n=11 or 52.38%), periventricular leukomalacia (n=10 or 47.61%), infarction in the left middle cerebral artery territory (n=6 or 28.57%), and malformations such as schizencephaly and colpocephaly (n=5 or 23.80%). The findings of the decrease latencies in children with cerebral palsy suggest the contribution of decussating auditory fibers at the lower and upper pons and midbrain, the lack of homogeneity of the surrounding volume of the conductor fibres and the presence of several concurrently active potential generators sources, should be facilitating mechanisms for the nervous input to brainstem. (author)

Role of Active Listening and Listening Effort on Contralateral Suppression of Transient Evoked Otoacousic Emissions

OpenAIRE

Kalaiah, Mohan Kumar; Theruvan, Nikhitha B; Kumar, Kaushlendra; Bhat, Jayashree S

2017-01-01

Background and Objectives The present study aimed to investigate the effect of active listening and listening effort on the contralateral suppression of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (CSTEOAEs). Subjects and Methods Twenty eight young adults participated in the study. Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) were recorded using ?linear? clicks at 60 dB peSPL, in three contralateral noise conditions. In condition 1, TEOAEs were obtained in the presence of white noise in the con...

"Passie, Hartstocht": Painting and Evoking Emotions in Rembrandt’s Studio

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weststeijn, T.; Fritsche, C.; Leonhard, K.; Weber, G.J.M.

2013-01-01

Focusing on Rembrandt’s studio, this chapter explores the theory and practice in the depiction of the passions. It argues that the central importance alotted to portraying and evoking emotions in rhetorical theory inspired painterly experiments in the 1630s and theoretical ideals that were first

Feasibility and performance evaluation of generating and recording visual evoked potentials using ambulatory Bluetooth based system.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellingson, Roger M; Oken, Barry

2010-01-01

Report contains the design overview and key performance measurements demonstrating the feasibility of generating and recording ambulatory visual stimulus evoked potentials using the previously reported custom Complementary and Alternative Medicine physiologic data collection and monitoring system, CAMAS. The methods used to generate visual stimuli on a PDA device and the design of an optical coupling device to convert the display to an electrical waveform which is recorded by the CAMAS base unit are presented. The optical sensor signal, synchronized to the visual stimulus emulates the brain's synchronized EEG signal input to CAMAS normally reviewed for the evoked potential response. Most importantly, the PDA also sends a marker message over the wireless Bluetooth connection to the CAMAS base unit synchronized to the visual stimulus which is the critical averaging reference component to obtain VEP results. Results show the variance in the latency of the wireless marker messaging link is consistent enough to support the generation and recording of visual evoked potentials. The averaged sensor waveforms at multiple CPU speeds are presented and demonstrate suitability of the Bluetooth interface for portable ambulatory visual evoked potential implementation on our CAMAS platform.

Intrinsic and task-evoked network architectures of the human brain

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Michael W.; Bassett, Danielle S.; Power, Jonathan D.; Braver, Todd S.; Petersen, Steven E.

2014-01-01

Summary Many functional network properties of the human brain have been identified during rest and task states, yet it remains unclear how the two relate. We identified a whole-brain network architecture present across dozens of task states that was highly similar to the resting-state network architecture. The most frequent functional connectivity strengths across tasks closely matched the strengths observed at rest, suggesting this is an “intrinsic”, standard architecture of functional brain organization. Further, a set of small but consistent changes common across tasks suggests the existence of a task-general network architecture distinguishing task states from rest. These results indicate the brain’s functional network architecture during task performance is shaped primarily by an intrinsic network architecture that is also present during rest, and secondarily by evoked task-general and task-specific network changes. This establishes a strong relationship between resting-state functional connectivity and task-evoked functional connectivity – areas of neuroscientific inquiry typically considered separately. PMID:24991964

Effect of caffeine on vestibular evoked myogenic potential: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Souza, Maria Eduarda Di Cavalcanti Alves de; Costa, Klinger Vagner Teixeira da; Menezes, Pedro de Lemos

2017-12-24

Caffeine can be considered the most consumed drug by adults worldwide, and can be found in several foods, such as chocolate, coffee, tea, soda and others. Overall, caffeine in moderate doses, results in increased physical and intellectual productivity, increases the capacity of concentration and reduces the time of reaction to sensory stimuli. On the other hand, high doses can cause noticeable signs of mental confusion and error induction in intellectual tasks, anxiety, restlessness, muscle tremors, tachycardia, labyrinthine changes, and tinnitus. Considering that the vestibular evoked myogenic potential is a clinical test that evaluates the muscular response of high intensity auditory stimulation, the present systematic review aimed to analyze the effects of caffeine on vestibular evoked myogenic potential. This study consisted of the search of the following databases: MEDLINE, CENTRAL, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, SciELO and ClinicalTrials.gov. Additionally, the gray literature was also searched. The search strategy included terms related to intervention (caffeine or coffee consumption) and the primary outcome (vestibular evoked myogenic potential). Based on the 253 potentially relevant articles identified through the database search, only two full-text publications were retrieved for further evaluation, which were maintained for qualitative analysis. Analyzing the articles found, caffeine has no effect on vestibular evoked myogenic potential in normal individuals. Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

[Intraoperative pain stimuli change somatosensory evoked potentials, but not auditory evoked potentials during isoflurane/nitrous oxide anesthesia].

Science.gov (United States)

Rundshagen, I; Kochs, E; Bischoff, P; Schulte am Esch, J

1997-10-01

Evoked potentials are used for intraoperative monitoring to assess changes of cerebral function. This prospective randomised study assesses the influence of surgical stimulation on midlatency components of somatosensory (SEPs) and auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in anaesthetised patients. After approval of the Ethics Committee and written informed consent 36 orthopaedic patients (34 +/- 15 y, 73 +/- 14 kg. 1.71 +/- 0.07 m, ASA I-II) were randomly included in the study. Anaesthesia was induced with 1.5 micrograms/kg fentanyl, 0.3 mg/kg etomidate and 0.1 mg/kg vecuronium. The lungs were intubated and patients normoventilated in steady state anaesthesia with isoflurane (end-tidal 0.6%) and 66% nitrous oxide. 18 patients (group 1) were assigned to the SEP group: median nerve stimulation, recording at Erb, C 6 and the contralateral somatosensory cortex (N20, P25, N35) vs Fz. AEPs were recorded in group 2 (n = 18): binaural stimulation, recording at Cz versus linked mastoid (V, Na, Pa, Nb). Recordings were performed during 30 min before the start of surgery (baseline: BL), at skin incision (SURG1) and at the preparation of the periost (SURG2). Heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, oxygen saturation, endtidal pCO2 and isoflurane (PetISO) concentrations were registered simultaneously. Data were analysed by one-way analysis of variance. Post hoc comparison were made by Mann-Whitney U-Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test with p beats/min) to SURG2 (76 +/- 12 beats/min). Increases of amplitudes of midlatency SEP amplitudes indicate increased nociceptive signal transmission which is not blunted by isoflurane-nitrous oxide anaesthesia. In contrast, unchanged AEPs indicate adequate levels of the hypnotic components of anaesthesia.

Use of the Stockwell Transform in the Detection of P300 Evoked Potentials with Low-Cost Brain Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan F. Pérez-Vidal

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The evoked potential is a neuronal activity that originates when a stimulus is presented. To achieve its detection, various techniques of brain signal processing can be used. One of the most studied evoked potentials is the P300 brain wave, which usually appears between 300 and 500 ms after the stimulus. Currently, the detection of P300 evoked potentials is of great importance due to its unique properties that allow the development of applications such as spellers, lie detectors, and diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. The present study was developed to demonstrate the usefulness of the Stockwell transform in the process of identifying P300 evoked potentials using a low-cost electroencephalography (EEG device with only two brain sensors. The acquisition of signals was carried out using the Emotiv EPOC® device—a wireless EEG headset. In the feature extraction, the Stockwell transform was used to obtain time-frequency information. The algorithms of linear discriminant analysis and a support vector machine were used in the classification process. The experiments were carried out with 10 participants; men with an average age of 25.3 years in good health. In general, a good performance (75–92% was obtained in identifying P300 evoked potentials.

Synaptic responses evoked by tactile stimuli in Purkinje cells in mouse cerebellar cortex Crus II in vivo.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Ping Chu

Full Text Available Sensory stimuli evoke responses in cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs via the mossy fiber-granule cell pathway. However, the properties of synaptic responses evoked by tactile stimulation in cerebellar PCs are unknown. The present study investigated the synaptic responses of PCs in response to an air-puff stimulation on the ipsilateral whisker pad in urethane-anesthetized mice.Thirty-three PCs were recorded from 48 urethane-anesthetized adult (6-8-week-old HA/ICR mice by somatic or dendritic patch-clamp recording and pharmacological methods. Tactile stimulation to the ipsilateral whisker pad was delivered by an air-puff through a 12-gauge stainless steel tube connected with a pressurized injection system. Under current-clamp conditions (I = 0, the air-puff stimulation evoked strong inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs in the somata of PCs. Application of SR95531, a specific GABA(A receptor antagonist, blocked IPSPs and revealed stimulation-evoked simple spike firing. Under voltage-clamp conditions, tactile stimulation evoked a sequence of transient inward currents followed by strong outward currents in the somata and dendrites in PCs. Application of SR95531 blocked outward currents and revealed excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs in somata and a temporal summation of parallel fiber EPSCs in PC dendrites. We also demonstrated that PCs respond to both the onset and offset of the air-puff stimulation.These findings indicated that tactile stimulation induced asynchronous parallel fiber excitatory inputs onto the dendrites of PCs, and failed to evoke strong EPSCs and spike firing in PCs, but induced the rapid activation of strong GABA(A receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents in the somata and dendrites of PCs in the cerebellar cortex Crus II in urethane-anesthetized mice.

Pharmacology of Bradykinin-Evoked Coughing in Guinea Pigs

OpenAIRE

Hewitt, Matthew M.; Adams, Gregory; Mazzone, Stuart B.; Mori, Nanako; Yu, Li; Canning, Brendan J.

2016-01-01

Bradykinin has been implicated as a mediator of the acute pathophysiological and inflammatory consequences of respiratory tract infections and in exacerbations of chronic diseases such as asthma. Bradykinin may also be a trigger for the coughing associated with these and other conditions. We have thus set out to evaluate the pharmacology of bradykinin-evoked coughing in guinea pigs. When inhaled, bradykinin induced paroxysmal coughing that was abolished by the bradykinin B2 receptor antagonis...

Sympathetic skin response evoked by laser skin stimulation

OpenAIRE

Rossi, P.; Truini, A.; Serrao, M.; Iannetti, G. D.; Parisi, L.; Pozzessere, G.; Cruccu, G.

2002-01-01

The objective of this study was to evoke sympathetic skin responses (SSRs) in healthy subjects using laser stimulation and to compare these responses with those induced by conventional electrical stimuli. Twenty healthy subjects were investigated. SSRs were obtained using electrical and laser stimuli delivered to the wrist controlateral to the recording site. The sympathetic sudomotor conduction velocity (SSFCV) was measured in 8 subjects by simultaneously recording the SSR from the hand and ...

Brain stem auditory evoked responses in chronic alcoholics.

OpenAIRE

Chan, Y W; McLeod, J G; Tuck, R R; Feary, P A

1985-01-01

Brain stem auditory evoked responses (BAERs) were performed on 25 alcoholic patients with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, 56 alcoholic patients without Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, 24 of whom had cerebellar ataxia, and 37 control subjects. Abnormal BAERs were found in 48% of patients with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, in 25% of alcoholic patients without Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome but with cerebellar ataxia, and in 13% of alcoholic patients without Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or ataxia. The mean...

Probabilistic modelling of overflow, surcharge and flooding in urban drainage using the first-order reliability method and parameterization of local rain series

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorndahl, Søren; Willems, Patrick

2007-01-01

Failure of urban drainage systems may occur due to surcharge or flooding at specific manholes in the system, or due to overflows from combined sewer systems to receiving waters. To quantify the probability or return period of failure, standard approaches make use of the simulation of design storms...... or long historical rainfall series in a hydrodynamic model of the urban drainage system. In this paper, an alternative probabilistic method is investigated: the First Order Reliability Method (FORM). To apply this method, a long rainfall time series was divided in rain storms (rain events), and each rain...

Estimation of combined sewer overflow discharge: a software sensor approach based on local water level measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahm, Malte; Thorndahl, Søren; Nielsen, Jesper E; Rasmussen, Michael R

2016-12-01

Combined sewer overflow (CSO) structures are constructed to effectively discharge excess water during heavy rainfall, to protect the urban drainage system from hydraulic overload. Consequently, most CSO structures are not constructed according to basic hydraulic principles for ideal measurement weirs. It can, therefore, be a challenge to quantify the discharges from CSOs. Quantification of CSO discharges are important in relation to the increased environmental awareness of the receiving water bodies. Furthermore, CSO discharge quantification is essential for closing the rainfall-runoff mass-balance in combined sewer catchments. A closed mass-balance is an advantage for calibration of all urban drainage models based on mass-balance principles. This study presents three different software sensor concepts based on local water level sensors, which can be used to estimate CSO discharge volumes from hydraulic complex CSO structures. The three concepts were tested and verified under real practical conditions. All three concepts were accurate when compared to electromagnetic flow measurements.

Conditioning stimulation techniques for enhancement of transcranially elicited evoked motor responses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Journee, H. -L.; Polak, H. E.; De Kleuver, M.

2007-01-01

Introduction. - In spite of the use of multipulse, transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) is still insufficient in a subgroup of patients to elicit motor-evoked potentials during intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM). Classic facilitation methods used in awake patients are precluded

Toxicity and pollutant impact analysis in an urban river due to combined sewer overflows loads.

Science.gov (United States)

Casadio, A; Maglionico, M; Bolognesi, A; Artina, S

2010-01-01

The Navile Channel (Bologna, Italy) is an ancient artificial water course derived from the Reno river. It is the main receiving water body for the urban catchment of Bologna sewer systems and also for the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) main outlet. The aim of this work is to evaluate the Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) impact on Navile Channel's water quality. In order to collect Navile flow and water quality data in both dry and wet weather conditions, two measuring and sampling stations were installed, right upstream and downstream the WWTP outflow. The study shows that even in case of low intensity rain events, CSOs have a significant effect on both water quantity and quality, spilling a considerable amount of pollutants into the Navile Channel and presenting also acute toxicity effects. The collected data shown a good correlations between the concentrations of TSS and of chemical compounds analyzed, suggesting that the most part of such substances is attached to suspended solids. Resulting toxicity values are fairly high in both measuring points and seem to confirm synergistic interactions between heavy metals.

Coupled 1D-2D hydrodynamic inundation model for sewer overflow: Influence of modeling parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adeniyi Ganiyu Adeogun

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents outcome of our investigation on the influence of modeling parameters on 1D-2D hydrodynamic inundation model for sewer overflow, developed through coupling of an existing 1D sewer network model (SWMM and 2D inundation model (BREZO. The 1D-2D hydrodynamic model was developed for the purpose of examining flood incidence due to surcharged water on overland surface. The investigation was carried out by performing sensitivity analysis on the developed model. For the sensitivity analysis, modeling parameters, such as mesh resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM resolution and roughness were considered. The outcome of the study shows the model is sensitive to changes in these parameters. The performance of the model is significantly influenced, by the Manning's friction value, the DEM resolution and the area of the triangular mesh. Also, changes in the aforementioned modeling parameters influence the Flood characteristics, such as the inundation extent, the flow depth and the velocity across the model domain. Keywords: Inundation, DEM, Sensitivity analysis, Model coupling, Flooding

Functional deficits in peripheral nerve mitochondria in rats with paclitaxel- and oxaliplatin-evoked painful peripheral neuropathy

OpenAIRE

Zheng, Huaien; Xiao, Wen Hua; Bennett, Gary J.

2011-01-01

Cancer chemotherapeutics like paclitaxel and oxaliplatin produce a dose-limiting chronic sensory peripheral neuropathy that is often accompanied by neuropathic pain. The cause of the neuropathy and pain is unknown. In animal models, paclitaxel-evoked and oxaliplatin-evoked painful peripheral neuropathies are accompanied by an increase in the incidence of swollen and vacuolated mitochondria in peripheral nerve axons. It has been proposed that mitochondrial swelling and vacuolation are indicati...

The evaluation of rainfall influence on combined sewer overflows characteristics: the Berlin case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandoval, S; Torres, A; Pawlowsky-Reusing, E; Riechel, M; Caradot, N

2013-01-01

The present study aims to explore the relationship between rainfall variables and water quality/quantity characteristics of combined sewer overflows (CSOs), by the use of multivariate statistical methods and online measurements at a principal CSO outlet in Berlin (Germany). Canonical correlation results showed that the maximum and average rainfall intensities are the most influential variables to describe CSO water quantity and pollutant loads whereas the duration of the rainfall event and the rain depth seem to be the most influential variables to describe CSO pollutant concentrations. The analysis of partial least squares (PLS) regression models confirms the findings of the canonical correlation and highlights three main influences of rainfall on CSO characteristics: (i) CSO water quantity characteristics are mainly influenced by the maximal rainfall intensities, (ii) CSO pollutant concentrations were found to be mostly associated with duration of the rainfall and (iii) pollutant loads seemed to be principally influenced by dry weather duration before the rainfall event. The prediction quality of PLS models is rather low (R² < 0.6) but results can be useful to explore qualitatively the influence of rainfall on CSO characteristics.

Combined sewer overflow control with LID based on SWMM: an example in Shanghai, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Z L; Zhang, G Q; Wu, Z H; He, Y; Chen, H

2015-01-01

Although low impact development (LID) has been commonly applied across the developed countries for mitigating the negative impacts of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) on urban hydrological environment, it has not been widely used in developing countries yet. In this paper, a typical combined sewer system in an urbanized area of Shanghai, China was used to demonstrate how to design and choose CSO control solutions with LID using stormwater management model. We constructed and simulated three types of CSO control scenarios. Our findings support the notion that LID measures possess favorable capability on CSO reduction. Nevertheless, the green scenarios which are completely comprised by LID measures fail to achieve the maximal effectiveness on CSO reduction, while the gray-green scenarios (LID measure combined with gray measures) achieve it. The unit cost-effectiveness of each type of scenario sorts as: green scenario > gray-green scenario > gray scenario. Actually, as the storage tank is built in the case catchment, a complete application of green scenario is inaccessible here. Through comprehensive evaluation and comparison, the gray-green scenario F which used the combination of storage tank, bio-retention and rain barrels is considered as the most feasible one in this case.

Why Do Fast-Growing Bacteria Enter Overflow Metabolism? Testing the Membrane Real Estate Hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Szenk, Mariola; Dill, Ken A; de Graff, Adam M R

2017-08-23

Bacteria and other cells show a puzzling behavior. At high growth rates, E. coli switch from respiration (which is ATP-efficient) to using fermentation for additional ATP (which is inefficient). This overflow metabolism results in a several-fold decrease in ATP produced per glucose molecule provided as food. By integrating diverse types of experimental data into a simple biophysical model, we give evidence that this onset is the result of the membrane real estate hypothesis: Fast growth drives cells to be bigger, reducing their surface-to-volume ratios. This decreases the membrane area available for respiratory proteins despite growing demand, causing increased crowding. Only when respiratory proteins reach their crowding limit does the cell activate fermentation, since fermentation allows faster ATP production per unit membrane area. Surface limitation thus creates a Pareto trade-off between membrane efficiency and ATP yield that links metabolic choice to the size and shape of a bacterial cell. By exploring the predictions that emerge from this trade-off, we show how consideration of molecular structures, energetics, rates, and equilibria can provide important insight into cellular behavior. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lifting the veil on the dynamics of neuronal activities evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bingshuo; Virtanen, Juha P; Oeltermann, Axel; Schwarz, Cornelius; Giese, Martin A; Ziemann, Ulf

2017-01-01

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a widely used non-invasive tool to study and modulate human brain functions. However, TMS-evoked activity of individual neurons has remained largely inaccessible due to the large TMS-induced electromagnetic fields. Here, we present a general method providing direct in vivo electrophysiological access to TMS-evoked neuronal activity 0.8–1 ms after TMS onset. We translated human single-pulse TMS to rodents and unveiled time-grained evoked activities of motor cortex layer V neurons that show high-frequency spiking within the first 6 ms depending on TMS-induced current orientation and a multiphasic spike-rhythm alternating between excitation and inhibition in the 6–300 ms epoch, all of which can be linked to various human TMS responses recorded at the level of spinal cord and muscles. The advance here facilitates a new level of insight into the TMS-brain interaction that is vital for developing this non-invasive tool to purposefully explore and effectively treat the human brain. PMID:29165241

Objective quantification of the tinnitus decompensation by synchronization measures of auditory evoked single sweeps.

Science.gov (United States)

Strauss, Daniel J; Delb, Wolfgang; D'Amelio, Roberto; Low, Yin Fen; Falkai, Peter

2008-02-01

Large-scale neural correlates of the tinnitus decompensation might be used for an objective evaluation of therapies and neurofeedback based therapeutic approaches. In this study, we try to identify large-scale neural correlates of the tinnitus decompensation using wavelet phase stability criteria of single sweep sequences of late auditory evoked potentials as synchronization stability measure. The extracted measure provided an objective quantification of the tinnitus decompensation and allowed for a reliable discrimination between a group of compensated and decompensated tinnitus patients. We provide an interpretation for our results by a neural model of top-down projections based on the Jastreboff tinnitus model combined with the adaptive resonance theory which has not been applied to model tinnitus so far. Using this model, our stability measure of evoked potentials can be linked to the focus of attention on the tinnitus signal. It is concluded that the wavelet phase stability of late auditory evoked potential single sweeps might be used as objective tinnitus decompensation measure and can be interpreted in the framework of the Jastreboff tinnitus model and adaptive resonance theory.

Comparison of sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging and evoked potentials in the detection of brainstem involvement in multiple sclerosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Comi, G.; Martinelli, V.; Medaglini, S.; Locatelli, T.; Magnani, G.; Poggi, A.; Triulzi, F.

1988-01-01

A comparison was made of the sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging and the combined use of Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential and Median Somatosensory Evoked Potential in the detection of brainstem dysfunction in 54 multiple sclerosis patients. 10 refs.; 2 tabs

Potenciais evocados auditivos de tronco encefálico em usuários de crack e múltiplas drogas Auditory brainstem evoked potentials in crack and multiple drugs addicts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Loretta Fabianni Nigri

2009-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Analisar os potenciais evocados auditivos de tronco encefálico em usuários de crack e múltiplas drogas, bem como levantar as possíveis queixas auditivas e de equilíbrio nesta população. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados 40 usuários de drogas (20 com uso há mais de cinco anos e 20 há menos de cinco anos e 20 não usuários, do sexo masculino, com idades entre 19 e 46 anos, com limiares auditivos dentro da normalidade. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferenças significativas dos potenciais evocados auditivos de tronco encefálico dos usuários de drogas quando comparados ao grupo controle. CONCLUSÃO: Os potenciais evocados auditivos de tronco encefálico dos usuários de drogas não diferiram significantemente do grupo controle. As queixas apresentadas pelos usuários de drogas foram hiperacusia, alucinação auditiva, zumbido e alteração de equilíbrio.PURPOSE: To study the findings of auditory brainstem evoked potentials in crack and multiple drugs users, as well as to raise possible auditory and balance complaints in this population. METHODS: A total of 40 drugs addicts (20 who had been using drugs for over five years and 20 for less than five years and 20 non-users were evaluated. Subjects were all male, with ages ranging from 19 to 46 years, and had auditory thresholds within normal. RESULTS: No significant statistical differences were found regarding the auditory brainstem evoked potentials findings of the addicts group, when compared to the non-users. CONCLUSION: Auditory brainstem evoked potentials in crack and multiple drugs users did not differ significantly from the control group. Complaints presented by drugs addicts were hyperacusis, auditory hallucination, tinnitus and altered balance.

Exploring the methods of data analysis in multifocal visual evoked potentials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malmqvist, Lasse; Santiago de Abreu, Lucimar; Fraser, C.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The multifocal visual evoked potential (mfVEP) provides a topographical assessment of visual function, which has already shown potential for use in patients with glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. However, the variability in mfVEP measurements has limited its broader application. The purpo...

Task-evoked brain functional magnetic susceptibility mapping by independent component analysis (χICA).

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zikuan; Calhoun, Vince D

2016-03-01

Conventionally, independent component analysis (ICA) is performed on an fMRI magnitude dataset to analyze brain functional mapping (AICA). By solving the inverse problem of fMRI, we can reconstruct the brain magnetic susceptibility (χ) functional states. Upon the reconstructed χ dataspace, we propose an ICA-based brain functional χ mapping method (χICA) to extract task-evoked brain functional map. A complex division algorithm is applied to a timeseries of fMRI phase images to extract temporal phase changes (relative to an OFF-state snapshot). A computed inverse MRI (CIMRI) model is used to reconstruct a 4D brain χ response dataset. χICA is implemented by applying a spatial InfoMax ICA algorithm to the reconstructed 4D χ dataspace. With finger-tapping experiments on a 7T system, the χICA-extracted χ-depicted functional map is similar to the SPM-inferred functional χ map by a spatial correlation of 0.67 ± 0.05. In comparison, the AICA-extracted magnitude-depicted map is correlated with the SPM magnitude map by 0.81 ± 0.05. The understanding of the inferiority of χICA to AICA for task-evoked functional map is an ongoing research topic. For task-evoked brain functional mapping, we compare the data-driven ICA method with the task-correlated SPM method. In particular, we compare χICA with AICA for extracting task-correlated timecourses and functional maps. χICA can extract a χ-depicted task-evoked brain functional map from a reconstructed χ dataspace without the knowledge about brain hemodynamic responses. The χICA-extracted brain functional χ map reveals a bidirectional BOLD response pattern that is unavailable (or different) from AICA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Click-Evoked Auditory Efferent Activity: Rate and Level Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Boothalingam, Sriram; Kurke, Julianne; Dhar, Sumitrajit

2018-05-07

There currently are no standardized protocols to evaluate auditory efferent function in humans. Typical tests use broadband noise to activate the efferents, but only test the contralateral efferent pathway, risk activating the middle ear muscle reflex (MEMR), and are laborious for clinical use. In an attempt to develop a clinical test of bilateral auditory efferent function, we have designed a method that uses clicks to evoke efferent activity, obtain click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs), and monitor MEMR. This allows for near-simultaneous estimation of cochlear and efferent function. In the present study, we manipulated click level (60, 70, and 80 dB peak-equivalent sound pressure level [peSPL]) and rate (40, 50, and 62.5 Hz) to identify an optimal rate-level combination that evokes measurable efferent modulation of CEOAEs. Our findings (n = 58) demonstrate that almost all click levels and rates used caused significant inhibition of CEOAEs, with a significant interaction between level and rate effects. Predictably, bilateral activation produced greater inhibition compared to stimulating the efferents only in the ipsilateral or contralateral ear. In examining the click rate-level effects during bilateral activation in greater detail, we observed a 1-dB inhibition of CEOAE level for each 10-dB increase in click level, with rate held constant at 62.5 Hz. Similarly, a 10-Hz increase in rate produced a 0.74-dB reduction in CEOAE level, with click level held constant at 80 dB peSPL. The effect size (Cohen's d) was small for either monaural condition and medium for bilateral, faster-rate, and higher-level conditions. We were also able to reliably extract CEOAEs from efferent eliciting clicks. We conclude that clicks can indeed be profitably employed to simultaneously evaluate cochlear health using CEOAEs as well as their efferent modulation. Furthermore, using bilateral clicks allows the evaluation of both the crossed and uncrossed elements of the auditory

Auditory- and visual-evoked potentials in Mexican infants are not affected by maternal supplementation with 400 mg/d docosahexaenoic acid in the second half of pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Aryeh D; Wang, Meng; Rivera, Juan A; Martorell, Reynaldo; Ramakrishnan, Usha

2012-08-01

The evidence relating prenatal supplementation with DHA to offspring neurological development is limited. We investigated the effect of prenatal DHA supplementation on infant brainstem auditory-evoked responses and visual- evoked potentials in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Pregnant women were supplemented daily with 400 mg DHA or placebo from gestation wk 18-22 through delivery. DHA and placebo groups did not differ in maternal characteristics at randomization or infant characteristics at birth. Brainstem auditory-evoked responses were measured at 1 and 3 mo in 749 and 664 infants, respectively, and visual-evoked potentials were measured at 3 and 6 mo in 679 and 817 infants, respectively. Left-right brainstem auditory-evoked potentials were moderately correlated (range, 0.26-0.43; all P right visual-evoked potentials were strongly correlated (range, 0.79-0.94; all P 0.10). We conclude that DHA supplementation during pregnancy did not influence brainstem auditory-evoked responses at 1 and 3 mo or visual-evoked potentials at 3 and 6 mo.

A comparison of N-methyl-D-aspartate-evoked release of adenosine and [3H]norepinephrine from rat cortical slices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoehn, K.; Craig, C.G.; White, T.D.

1990-01-01

Tetrodotoxin reduced N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-evoked release of adenosine by 35% but virtually abolished [3H]norepinephrine release. Although [3H]norepinephrine release from rat cortical slices evoked by 500 microM NMDA was abolished by 1.2 mM Mg++, which produces a voltage-sensitive, uncompetitive block of NMDA-channels, adenosine release was increased in the presence of Mg++. Partial depolarization with 12 mM K+ relieved the Mg++ block of 500 microM NMDA-evoked [3H]norepinephrine release but did not affect adenosine release, indicating that a Mg++ requirement for the adenosine release process per se cannot account for this discrepancy. NMDA was 33 times more potent in releasing adenosine than [3H]norepinephrine. At submaximal concentrations of NMDA (10 and 20 microM), adenosine release was augmented in Mg+(+)-free medium. Although a high concentration of the uncompetitive NMDA antagonist MK-801 [(+)-5-methyl-10,11,dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5-10-imine maleate] (3 microM) blocked NMDA-evoked release of [3H]norepinephrine and adenosine, a lower concentration (300 nM) decreased NMDA-evoked [3H]norepinephrine release by 66% without affecting adenosine release. These findings suggest that maximal adenosine release occurs when relatively few NMDA receptors are activated, raising the possibility that spare receptors exist for NMDA-evoked adenosine release. Rather than acting as a protectant against excessive NMDA excitation, released adenosine might provide an inhibitory threshold which must be overcome for NMDA-mediated neurotransmission to proceed

Comparing peracetic acid and hypochlorite for disinfection of combined sewer overflows: Effects of suspended-solids and pH.

Science.gov (United States)

McFadden, M; Loconsole, J; Schockling, A J; Nerenberg, R; Pavissich, J P

2017-12-01

Peracetic acid (PAA) is an alternative disinfectant that may be effective for combined sewer overflow (CSO) disinfection, but little is known about the effect of particle size on PAA disinfection efficiency. In this work, PAA and hypochlorite were compared as disinfectants, with a focus on the effect of wastewater particles. Inactivation experiments were conducted on suspended cultures of Escherichia coli and wastewater suspended solids. Tested size fractions included particle diameters disinfection efficiency decreased with increasing solids size. However, solids size had little effect on PAA disinfection. The PAA disinfection efficiency decreased at pH values above 7.5. Live/dead staining revealed that PAA disinfection leaves most cells in a viable but non-culturable condition. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses suggests that PAA and hypochlorite may inactivate E. coli bacteria by similar mechanisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of joint torque evoked with monopolar and tripolar-cuff electrodes.

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Tarler, Matthew D; Mortimer, J Thomas

2003-09-01

Using a self-sizing spiral-cuff electrode placed on the sciatic nerve of the cat, the joint torque evoked with stimulation applied to contacts in a monopolar configuration was judged to be the same as the torque evoked by stimulation applied to contacts in a tripolar configuration. Experiments were carried out in six acute cat preparations. In each experiment, a 12-contact electrode was placed on the sciatic nerve and used to effect both the monopolar and tripolar electrode configurations. The ankle torque produced by electrically evoked isometric muscle contraction was measured in three dimensions: plantar flexion, internal rotation, and inversion. Based on the recorded ankle torque, qualitative and quantitative comparisons were performed to determine if any significant difference existed in the pattern or order in which motor nerve fibers were recruited. No significant difference was found at a 98% confidence interval in either the recruitment properties or the repeatability of the monopolar and tripolar configurations. Further, isolated activation of single fascicles within the sciatic nerve was observed. Once nerve fibers in a fascicle were activated, recruitment of that fascicle was modulated over the full range before "spill-over" excitation occurred in neighboring fascicles. These results indicate that a four contact, monopolar nerve-cuff electrode is a viable substitute for a 12 contact, tripolar nerve-cuff electrode. The results of this study are also consistent with the hypothesis that multicontact self-sizing spiral-cuff electrodes can be used in motor prostheses to provide selective control of many muscles. These findings should also apply to other neuroprostheses employing-cuff electrodes on nerve trunks.

Intramuscular temperature modulates glutamate-evoked masseter muscle pain intensity in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Hitoshi; Castrillon, Eduardo E; Cairns, Brian E; Bendixen, Karina H; Wang, Kelun; Nakagawa, Taneaki; Wajima, Koichi; Svensson, Peter

2015-01-01

To determine whether glutamate-evoked jaw muscle pain is altered by the temperature of the solution injected. Sixteen healthy volunteers participated and received injections of hot (48°C), neutral (36°C), or cold (3°C) solutions (0.5 mL) of glutamate or isotonic saline into the masseter muscle. Pain intensity was assessed with an electronic visual analog scale (eVAS). Numeric rating scale (NRS) scores of unpleasantness and temperature perception, pain-drawing areas, and pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were also measured. Participants filled out the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). Two-way or three-way repeated measures ANOVA were used for data analyses. Injection of hot glutamate and cold glutamate solutions significantly increased and decreased, respectively, the peak pain intensity compared with injection of neutral glutamate solution. The duration of glutamate-evoked pain was significantly longer when hot glutamate was injected than when cold glutamate was injected. No significant effect of temperature on pain intensity was observed when isotonic saline was injected. No effect of solution temperature was detected on unpleasantness, heat perception, cold perception, area of pain drawings, or PPTs. There was a significantly greater use of the "numb" term in the MPQ to describe the injection of cold solutions compared to the injection of both neutral and hot solutions. Glutamate-evoked jaw muscle pain was significantly altered by the temperature of the injection solution. Although temperature perception in the jaw muscle is poor, pain intensity is increased when the muscle tissue temperature is elevated.

Inhibition of somatosensory-evoked cortical responses by a weak leading stimulus.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakagawa, Kei; Inui, Koji; Yuge, Louis; Kakigi, Ryusuke

2014-11-01

We previously demonstrated that auditory-evoked cortical responses were suppressed by a weak leading stimulus in a manner similar to the prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle reflexes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether a similar phenomenon was present in the somatosensory system, and also whether this suppression reflected an inhibitory process. We recorded somatosensory-evoked magnetic fields following stimulation of the median nerve and evaluated the extent by which they were suppressed by inserting leading stimuli at an intensity of 2.5-, 1.5-, 1.1-, or 0.9-fold the sensory threshold (ST) in healthy participants (Experiment 1). The results obtained demonstrated that activity in the secondary somatosensory cortex in the hemisphere contralateral to the stimulated side (cSII) was significantly suppressed by a weak leading stimulus with the intensity larger than 1.1-fold ST. This result implied that the somatosensory system had an inhibitory process similar to that of PPI. We then presented two successive leading stimuli before the test stimulus, and compared the extent of suppression between the test stimulus-evoked responses and those obtained with the second prepulse alone and with two prepulses (first and second) (Experiment 2). When two prepulses were preceded, cSII responses to the second prepulse were suppressed by the first prepulse, whereas the ability of the second prepulse to suppress the test stimulus remained unchanged. These results suggested the presence of at least two individual pathways; response-generating and inhibitory pathways. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TIDALLY DRIVEN ROCHE-LOBE OVERFLOW OF HOT JUPITERS WITH MESA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valsecchi, Francesca; Rasio, Frederic A. [Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), and Northwestern University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Rappaport, Saul [Department of Physics, and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Marchant, Pablo [Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn, Auf dem Hgel 71, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Rogers, Leslie A., E-mail: francesca@u.northwestern.edu, E-mail: rasio@northwestern.edu, E-mail: sar@mit.edu, E-mail: pablo@astro.uni-bonn.de, E-mail: larogers@caltech.edu [Department of Astronomy and Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2015-11-10

Many exoplanets have now been detected in orbits with ultra-short periods very close to the Roche limit. Building upon our previous work, we study the possibility that mass loss through Roche lobe overflow (RLO) may affect the evolution of these planets, and could possibly transform a hot Jupiter into a lower-mass planet (hot Neptune or super-Earth). We focus here on systems in which the mass loss occurs slowly (“stable mass transfer” in the language of binary star evolution) and we compute their evolution in detail with the binary evolution code Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics. We include the effects of tides, RLO, irradiation, and photo-evaporation (PE) of the planet, as well as the stellar wind and magnetic braking. Our calculations all start with a hot Jupiter close to its Roche limit, in orbit around a Sun-like star. The initial orbital decay and onset of RLO are driven by tidal dissipation in the star. We confirm that such a system can indeed evolve to produce lower-mass planets in orbits of a few days. The RLO phase eventually ends and, depending on the details of the mass transfer and on the planetary core mass, the orbital period can remain around a few days for several Gyr. The remnant planets have rocky cores and some amount of envelope material, which is slowly removed via PE at a nearly constant orbital period; these have properties resembling many of the observed super-Earths and sub-Neptunes. For these remnant planets, we also predict an anti-correlation between mass and orbital period; very low-mass planets (M{sub pl} ≲ 5 M{sub ⊕}) in ultra-short periods (P{sub orb} < 1 day) cannot be produced through this type of evolution.

The involuntary nature of music-evoked autobiographical memories in Alzheimer's disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

El Haj, M.; Fasotti, L.; Allain, P.

2012-01-01

The main objective of this paper was to examine the involuntary nature of music-evoked autobiographical memories. For this purpose, young adults, older adults, and patients with a clinical diagnosis of probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were asked to remember autobiographical events in two

Inhibition of synaptically evoked cortical acetylcholine release by adenosine: an in vivo microdialysis study in the rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Materi, L M; Rasmusson, D D; Semba, K

2000-01-01

The release of cortical acetylcholine from the intracortical axonal terminals of cholinergic basal forebrain neurons is closely associated with electroencephalographic activity. One factor which may act to reduce cortical acetylcholine release and promote sleep is adenosine. Using in vivo microdialysis, we examined the effect of adenosine and selective adenosine receptor agonists and antagonists on cortical acetylcholine release evoked by electrical stimulation of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus in urethane anesthetized rats. All drugs were administered locally within the cortex by reverse dialysis. None of the drugs tested altered basal release of acetylcholine in the cortex. Adenosine significantly reduced evoked cortical acetylcholine efflux in a concentration-dependent manner. This was mimicked by the adenosine A(1) receptor selective agonist N(6)-cyclopentyladenosine and blocked by the selective A(1) receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX). The A(2A) receptor agonist 2-[p-(2-carboxyethyl)-phenethylamino]-5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosi ne hydrochloride (CGS 21680) did not alter evoked cortical acetylcholine release even in the presence of DPCPX. Administered alone, neither DPCPX nor the non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist caffeine affected evoked cortical acetylcholine efflux. Simultaneous delivery of the adenosine uptake inhibitors dipyridamole and S-(4-nitrobenzyl)-6-thioinosine significantly reduced evoked cortical acetylcholine release, and this effect was blocked by the simultaneous administration of caffeine. These data indicate that activation of the A(1) adenosine receptor inhibits acetylcholine release in the cortex in vivo while the A(2A) receptor does not influence acetylcholine efflux. Such inhibition of cortical acetylcholine release by adenosine may contribute to an increased propensity to sleep during prolonged wakefulness.

Síndrome da apneia obstrutiva do sono e o potencial auditivo P300 Obstructive sleep apnea and P300 evoked auditory potential

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Henrique Martins

2011-12-01

Full Text Available A Síndrome da Apneia Obstrutiva do Sono (SAOS diminui as capacidades da atenção, memória e concentração, fatores relacionados com a cognição. A análise dos parâmetros do P300 auditivo permitiria inferir disfunção cognitiva. OBJETIVO: Comparar os dados da polissonografia e do P300 auditivo em adultos, roncopatas primários com portadores de SAOS. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODO: Estudo prospectivo em roncopatas primários (N=12 e em portadores de SAOS (N=54, submetidos à polissonografia definidos pelo índice de apneia e hipopneia (IAH. As variáveis da polissonografia e as do P300 foram comparadas, pelos testes "T" de Student, exato de Fisher, regressão logística e análise de correlação com nível de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: O IAH apresentou correlação inversa com a oximetria em ambos os grupos. A prevalência do P300 foi menor no G.SAOS (teste exato de Fisher, p=0,027. A idade dos pacientes não influenciou a prevalência do P300 (análise de regressão; p=0,232. A amplitude do P300 foi menor do G.SAOS (teste "T" de Student; p=0,003 a latência do P300 foi semelhante em ambos os grupos (teste "T" de Student; p=0,89. CONCLUSÃO: A redução da amplitude do P300 nos portadores de SAOS sugere disfunção cognitiva induzida por diminuição da memória auditiva.The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS reduces attention span, memory and concentration capacities, all associated with cognition. The analysis of the auditory P300 parameters could help infer cognitive dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: To compare the data from polysomnography and the auditory P300 in adults, primary snorers with OSAS patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study with primary snorers (N=12 and in OSAS patients (N=54, submitted to polysomnography, defined by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI. The polysomnography and P300 variables were compared by the t-Student test, the Exact Fisher's Test, logistic regression and analysis of correlation with a significance

Use of auditory evoked potentials for intra-operative awareness in anesthesia: a consciousness-based conceptual model.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Xuebao; Suo, Puxia; Yuan, Xin; Yao, Xuefeng

2015-01-01

Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) have been used as a measure of the depth of anesthesia during the intra-operative process. AEPs are classically divided, on the basis of their latency, into first, fast, middle, slow, and late components. The use of auditory evoked potential has been advocated for the assessment of Intra-operative awareness (IOA), but has not been considered seriously enough to universalize it. It is because we have not explored enough the impact of auditory perception and auditory processing on the IOA phenomena as well as on the subsequent psychological impact of IOA on the patient. More importantly, we have seldom tried to look at the phenomena of IOP from the perspective of consciousness itself. This perspective is especially important because many of IOA phenomena exist in the subconscious domain than they do in the conscious domain of explicit recall. Two important forms of these subconscious manifestations of IOA are the implicit recall phenomena and post-operative dreams related to the operation. Here, we present an integrated auditory consciousness-based model of IOA. We start with a brief description of auditory awareness and the factors affecting it. Further, we proceed to the evaluation of conscious and subconscious information processing by auditory modality and how they interact during and after intra-operative period. Further, we show that both conscious and subconscious auditory processing affect the IOA experience and both have serious psychological implications on the patient subsequently. These effects could be prevented by using auditory evoked potential during monitoring of anesthesia, especially the mid-latency auditory evoked potentials (MLAERs). To conclude our model with present hypothesis, we propose that the use of auditory evoked potential should be universal with general anesthesia use in order to prevent the occurrences of distressing outcomes resulting from both conscious and subconscious auditory processing during

Choline evokes fluid secretion by perfused rat mandibular gland without desensitization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Murakami, M; Novak, I; Young, J A

1986-01-01

M and evoked secretory responses comparable with those of acetylcholine (0.05-1.0 microM) administered at similar Na concentrations. Continuous infusion of choline, in contrast to acetylcholine, did not lead to a fall off in the secretory response (desensitization or tachyphylaxis) until the choline...

Effects of insomnia disorder and knee osteoarthritis on resting and pain-evoked inflammatory markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Quartana, Phillip J; Finan, Patrick H; Page, Gayle G; Smith, Michael T

2015-07-01

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent arthritic condition. Systemic inflammatory cytokines appear to have an important role in the onset and maintenance of the disease. Sleep disturbances are prevalent in osteoarthritis and associated with alterations in systemic inflammatory cytokines, suggesting a common pathophysiology across these conditions. A comparative investigation of the effects of insomnia disorder and osteoarthritis on pain-evoked cytokine responses has yet to be undertaken. We examined the influence of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and insomnia disorder on resting C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 levels, and pain-evoked IL-6 and IL-10 responses. Participants were N=117 older adults (mean age=59.7years; 61.8% women) rigorously evaluated for knee osteoarthritis and insomnia disorder using established diagnostic guidelines. Results revealed no association of osteoarthritis or insomnia disorder with CRP. Resting IL-6 was greater in osteoarthritis participants versus those without osteoarthritis, although this association was largely attributable to BMI. IL-10 was highest among participants with osteoarthritis or insomnia disorder. Growth curve modeling revealed that participants with insomnia disorder had greater pain-evoked IL-6 responses than participants without insomnia disorder or osteoarthritis. These findings highlight the utility of laboratory pain testing methods for understanding individual differences in inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, our findings provide evidence for amplified pain-evoked pro-inflammatory cytokine reactivity among older adults with clinically diagnosed insomnia disorder, even after controlling for individual differences in BMI and age. Additional research will be required determine whether an amplified pain-related cytokine response contributes to OA, and possibly other age-related disease, associated with insomnia disorder. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass augments the feeding responses evoked by gastrin releasing peptides

Science.gov (United States)

Washington, Martha C.; Mhalhal, Thaer R.; Berger, Tanisha Johnson-Rouse Jose; Heath, John; Seeley, Randy; Sayegh, Ayman I.

2016-01-01

Background Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is the most effective method for the treatment of obesity and metabolic disease Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) may reduce body weight by altering the feeding responses evoked by the short term satiety peptides. Materials and Methods Here, we measured meal size (MS, chow), intermeal interval (IMI) length and satiety ratio (SR, IMI/MS; food consumed per a unit of time) by the small and the large forms of gastrin releasing peptide (GRP) in rats, GRP-10 and GRP-29 (0, 0.1, 0.5 nmol/kg) infused in the celiac artery (CA, supplies stomach and upper duodenum) and the cranial mesenteric artery (CMA, supplies small and large intestine) in a RYGB rat model. Results GRP-10 reduced MS, prolonged the IMI and increased the SR only in the RYGB group, whereas GRP-29 evoked these responses by both routes and in both groups. Conclusion The RYGB procedure augments the feeding responses evoked by exogenous GRP, possibly by decreasing total food intake, increasing latency to the first meal, decreasing number of meals or altering the sites of action regulating MS and IMI length by the two peptides. PMID:27884350

Visually-evoked pattern and photomyoclonic responses in video game and television epilepsy: case reports.

Science.gov (United States)

Anyanwu, E; Watson, N A

1996-01-01

This research paper reports a case study of two male photosensitive epileptic patients, aged 14 and 16 years old respectively, whose epileptic seizures were often triggered by the flickers from television and video games respectively. The 14-year old patient had no family history of epilepsy, while the 16 year old had a family history of epilepsy. A comprehensive electroencephalogram (EEG), including hyperventilation, intermittent photic stimulation (IPS) and pattern stimulation were carried out on them and EEG abnormalities including photoparoxysmal responses (PPR) and generalized myoclonic responses were evoked. A thorough analysis of the EEG morphology of the myclonic responses and the clinical manifestations showed evidence of two separate entitles of seizures namely: visually evoked pattern-myoclonic responses (PTMR) and visually evoked photomyoclonic responses (PMR). PTMR was independent of flash rate and occurred before a PPR and at the same time as the flash rate, while PMR occurred after the PPR and was dependent on flash rate. These findings suggest that "Video Game" epilepsy is probably a pattern sensitive epilepsy, electronic screen being the source of the triggering patterns; hence, the morphology and the family histories and the myoclonic phenomena differ from those of pure photosensitive epilepsy.

Quantifying interhemispheric symmetry of somatosensory evoked potentials with the intraclass correlation coefficient

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Wassenberg, Wilma J. G.; van der Hoeven, Johannes H.; Leenders, Klaus L.; Maurits, Natasha M.

Although large intersubject variability is reported for cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs), variability between hemispheres within one subject is thought to be small. Therefore, interhemispheric comparison of SEP waveforms might be clinically useful to detect unilateral abnormalities in

Brain state-dependence of electrically evoked potentials monitored with head-mounted electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Andrew G; Fetz, Eberhard E

2012-11-01

Inferring changes in brain connectivity is critical to studies of learning-related plasticity and stimulus-induced conditioning of neural circuits. In addition, monitoring spontaneous fluctuations in connectivity can provide insight into information processing during different brain states. Here, we quantified state-dependent connectivity changes throughout the 24-h sleep-wake cycle in freely behaving monkeys. A novel, head-mounted electronic device was used to electrically stimulate at one site and record evoked potentials at other sites. Electrically evoked potentials (EEPs) revealed the connectivity pattern between several cortical sites and the basal forebrain. We quantified state-dependent changes in the EEPs. Cortico-cortical EEP amplitude increased during slow-wave sleep, compared to wakefulness, while basal-cortical EEP amplitude decreased. The results demonstrate the utility of using portable electronics to document state-dependent connectivity changes in freely behaving primates.

Dopamine modulates persistent synaptic activity and enhances the signal-to-noise ratio in the prefrontal cortex.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sven Kroener

2009-08-01

Full Text Available The importance of dopamine (DA for prefrontal cortical (PFC cognitive functions is widely recognized, but its mechanisms of action remain controversial. DA is thought to increase signal gain in active networks according to an inverted U dose-response curve, and these effects may depend on both tonic and phasic release of DA from midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA neurons.We used patch-clamp recordings in organotypic co-cultures of the PFC, hippocampus and VTA to study DA modulation of spontaneous network activity in the form of Up-states and signals in the form of synchronous EPSP trains. These cultures possessed a tonic DA level and stimulation of the VTA evoked DA transients within the PFC. The addition of high (> or = 1 microM concentrations of exogenous DA to the cultures reduced Up-states and diminished excitatory synaptic inputs (EPSPs evoked during the Down-state. Increasing endogenous DA via bath application of cocaine also reduced Up-states. Lower concentrations of exogenous DA (0.1 microM had no effect on the up-state itself, but they selectively increased the efficiency of a train of EPSPs to evoke spikes during the Up-state. When the background DA was eliminated by depleting DA with reserpine and alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine, or by preparing corticolimbic co-cultures without the VTA slice, Up-states could be enhanced by low concentrations (0.1-1 microM of DA that had no effect in the VTA containing cultures. Finally, in spite of the concentration-dependent effects on Up-states, exogenous DA at all but the lowest concentrations increased intracellular current-pulse evoked firing in all cultures underlining the complexity of DA's effects in an active network.Taken together, these data show concentration-dependent effects of DA on global PFC network activity and they demonstrate a mechanism through which optimal levels of DA can modulate signal gain to support cognitive functioning.

Priority substances in combined sewer overflows: case study of the Paris sewer network.

Science.gov (United States)

Gasperi, J; Garnaud, S; Rocher, V; Moilleron, R

2011-01-01

This study was undertaken to supply data on both priority pollutant (PP) occurrence and concentrations in combined sewer overflows (CSOs). A single rain event was studied on 13 sites within the Paris sewer network. For each sample, a total of 66 substances, including metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, organotins, volatile organic compounds, chlorobenzenes, phthalates and alkylphenols were analyzed. Of the 66 compounds analyzed in all, 40 PPs including 12 priority hazardous substances were detected in CSOs. As expected, most metals were present in all samples, reflecting their ubiquitous nature. Chlorobenzenes and most pesticides were never quantified above the limit of quantification, while the majority of the other organic pollutants, except DEHP (median concentration: 22 μg.l(-1)), were found to lie in the μg.l(-1) range. For the particular rain event studied, the pollutant loads discharged by CSOs were evaluated and then compared to pollutant loads conveyed by the Seine River. Under the hydraulic conditions considered and according to the estimations performed, this comparison suggests that CSOs are potentially significant local source of metals, PAHs and DEHP. Depending on the substance, the ratio between the CSO and Seine River loads varied from 0.5 to 26, underscoring the important local impact of CSOs at the scale of this storm for most pollutants.

Neural responses to nostalgia-evoking music modeled by elements of dynamic musical structure and individual differences in affective traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Frederick S; Janata, Petr

2016-10-01

Nostalgia is an emotion that is most commonly associated with personally and socially relevant memories. It is primarily positive in valence and is readily evoked by music. It is also an idiosyncratic experience that varies between individuals based on affective traits. We identified frontal, limbic, paralimbic, and midbrain brain regions in which the strength of the relationship between ratings of nostalgia evoked by music and blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal was predicted by affective personality measures (nostalgia proneness and the sadness scale of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales) that are known to modulate the strength of nostalgic experiences. We also identified brain areas including the inferior frontal gyrus, substantia nigra, cerebellum, and insula in which time-varying BOLD activity correlated more strongly with the time-varying tonal structure of nostalgia-evoking music than with music that evoked no or little nostalgia. These findings illustrate one way in which the reward and emotion regulation networks of the brain are recruited during the experiencing of complex emotional experiences triggered by music. These findings also highlight the importance of considering individual differences when examining the neural responses to strong and idiosyncratic emotional experiences. Finally, these findings provide a further demonstration of the use of time-varying stimulus-specific information in the investigation of music-evoked experiences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Central pathway for spontaneous and prostaglandin E2-evoked cutaneous vasoconstriction.

Science.gov (United States)

Rathner, Joseph A; Madden, Christopher J; Morrison, Shaun F

2008-07-01

A reduction of heat loss to the environment through increased cutaneous vasoconstrictor (CVC) sympathetic outflow contributes to elevated body temperature during fever. We determined the role of neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) in increases in CVC sympathetic tone evoked by PGE2 into the preoptic area (POA) in chloralose/urethane-anesthetized rats. The frequency of axonal action potentials of CVC sympathetic ganglion cells recorded from the surface of the tail artery was increased by 1.8 Hz following nanoinjections of bicuculline (50 pmol) into the DMH. PGE2 nanoinjection into the POA elicited a similar excitation of tail CVC neurons (+2.1 Hz). Subsequent to PGE2 into the POA, muscimol (400 pmol/side) into the DMH did not alter the activity of tail CVC neurons. Inhibition of neurons in the rostral raphé pallidus (rRPa) eliminated the spontaneous discharge of tail CVC neurons but only reduced the PGE2-evoked activity. Residual activity was abolished by subsequent muscimol into the rostral ventrolateral medulla. Transections through the neuraxis caudal to the POA increased the activity of tail CVC neurons, which were sustained through transections caudal to DMH. We conclude that while activation of neurons in the DMH is sufficient to activate tail CVC neurons, it is not necessary for their PGE2-evoked activity. These results support a CVC component of increased core temperature elicited by PGE2 in POA that arises from relief of a tonic inhibition from neurons in POA of CVC sympathetic premotor neurons in rRPa and is dependent on the excitation of CVC premotor neurons from a site caudal to DMH.

Analysis of electrically evoked compound action potential of the auditory nerve in children with bilateral cochlear implants.

Science.gov (United States)

Caldas, Fernanda Ferreira; Cardoso, Carolina Costa; Barreto, Monique Antunes de Souza Chelminski; Teixeira, Marina Santos; Hilgenberg, Anacléia Melo da Silva; Serra, Lucieny Silva Martins; Bahmad Junior, Fayez

2016-01-01

The cochlear implant device has the capacity to measure the electrically evoked compound action potential of the auditory nerve. The neural response telemetry is used in order to measure the electrically evoked compound action potential of the auditory nerve. To analyze the electrically evoked compound action potential, through the neural response telemetry, in children with bilateral cochlear implants. This is an analytical, prospective, longitudinal, historical cohort study. Six children, aged 1-4 years, with bilateral cochlear implant were assessed at five different intervals during their first year of cochlear implant use. There were significant differences in follow-up time (p=0.0082) and electrode position (p=0.0019) in the T-NRT measure. There was a significant difference in the interaction between time of follow-up and electrode position (p=0.0143) when measuring the N1-P1 wave amplitude between the three electrodes at each time of follow-up. The electrically evoked compound action potential measurement using neural response telemetry in children with bilateral cochlear implants during the first year of follow-up was effective in demonstrating the synchronized bilateral development of the peripheral auditory pathways in the studied population. Copyright © 2015 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Assessment of visual disability using visual evoked potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Jihoon; Oh, Seiyul; Kyung, Sungeun

2012-08-06

The purpose of this study is to validate the use of visual evoked potential (VEP) to objectively quantify visual acuity in normal and amblyopic patients, and determine if it is possible to predict visual acuity in disability assessment to register visual pathway lesions. A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients diagnosed with normal vision, unilateral amblyopia, optic neuritis, and visual disability who visited the university medical center for registration from March 2007 to October 2009. The study included 20 normal subjects (20 right eyes: 10 females, 10 males, ages 9-42 years), 18 unilateral amblyopic patients (18 amblyopic eyes, ages 19-36 years), 19 optic neuritis patients (19 eyes: ages 9-71 years), and 10 patients with visual disability having visual pathway lesions. Amplitude and latencies were analyzed and correlations with visual acuity (logMAR) were derived from 20 normal and 18 amblyopic subjects. Correlation of VEP amplitude and visual acuity (logMAR) of 19 optic neuritis patients confirmed relationships between visual acuity and amplitude. We calculated the objective visual acuity (logMAR) of 16 eyes from 10 patients to diagnose the presence or absence of visual disability using relations derived from 20 normal and 18 amblyopic eyes. Linear regression analyses between amplitude of pattern visual evoked potentials and visual acuity (logMAR) of 38 eyes from normal (right eyes) and amblyopic (amblyopic eyes) subjects were significant [y = -0.072x + 1.22, x: VEP amplitude, y: visual acuity (logMAR)]. There were no significant differences between visual acuity prediction values, which substituted amplitude values of 19 eyes with optic neuritis into function. We calculated the objective visual acuity of 16 eyes of 10 patients to diagnose the presence or absence of visual disability using relations of y = -0.072x + 1.22 (-0.072). This resulted in a prediction reference of visual acuity associated with malingering vs. real

The monoamine reuptake inhibitor BTS 74 398 fails to evoke established dyskinesia but does not synergise with levodopa in MPTP-treated primates.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansard, Matthew J; Smith, Lance A; Jackson, Michael J; Cheetham, Sharon C; Jenner, Peter

2004-01-01

Long-term treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) with levodopa (L-dopa) induces dyskinesia that, once established, is provoked by each dose of L-dopa or a dopamine (DA) agonist. In contrast, monoamine reuptake inhibitors may reverse motor deficits in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated primates without provoking established involuntary movements. We now examine whether the potent monoamine reuptake blocker BTS 74 398 induces established dyskinesia in MPTP-treated common marmosets primed previously with L-dopa and whether co-administration of BTS 74 398 with L-dopa potentiates motor behaviour and dyskinesia induced by acute L-dopa treatment. Administration of BTS 74 398 (2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg, p.o.) in MPTP-treated common marmosets increased locomotor activity and reduced motor disability in a dose-related manner but did not provoke involuntary movements. BTS 74 398 (2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg p.o.) co-administered with a threshold dose of L-dopa (2.5 mg/kg p.o.) did not evoke a motor response or induce dyskinesia. Similarly, concomitant administration of BTS 74 398 (5.0 mg/kg p.o.) with a submaximal L-dopa dose (12.5 mg/kg p.o.) did not potentiate the motor response produced by L-dopa alone and there was no alteration in the dyskinesia provoked by L-dopa challenge. BTS 74 398 reverses motor abnormalities in MPTP-treated marmosets without evoking established dyskinesia but no additive improvement occurs when administered in combination with L-dopa. The lack of synergy with L-dopa may suggest different sites of drug action. Copyright 2003 Movement Disorder Society

Role of the autonomic nervous system and baroreflex in stress-evoked cardiovascular responses in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Dos Reis, Daniel Gustavo; Fortaleza, Eduardo Albino Trindade; Tavares, Rodrigo Fiacadori; Corrêa, Fernando Morgan Aguiar

2014-07-01

Restraint stress (RS) is an experimental model to study stress-related cardiovascular responses, characterized by sustained pressor and tachycardiac responses. We used pharmacologic and surgical procedures to investigate the role played by sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) in the mediation of stress-evoked cardiovascular responses. Ganglionic blockade with pentolinium significantly reduced RS-evoked pressor and tachycardiac responses. Intravenous treatment with homatropine methyl bromide did not affect the pressor response but increased tachycardia. Pretreatment with prazosin reduced the pressor and increased the tachycardiac response. Pretreatment with atenolol did not affect the pressor response but reduced tachycardia. The combined treatment with atenolol and prazosin reduced both pressor and tachycardiac responses. Adrenal demedullation reduced the pressor response without affecting tachycardia. Sinoaortic denervation increased pressor and tachycardiac responses. The results indicate that: (1) the RS-evoked cardiovascular response is mediated by the autonomic nervous system without an important involvement of humoral factors; (2) hypertension results primarily from sympathovascular and sympathoadrenal activation, without a significant involvement of the cardiac sympathetic component (CSNS); (3) the abrupt initial peak in the hypertensive response to restraint is sympathovascular-mediated, whereas the less intense but sustained hypertensive response observed throughout the remaining restraint session is mainly mediated by sympathoadrenal activation and epinephrine release; (4) tachycardia results from CSNS activation, and not from PSNS inhibition; (5) RS evokes simultaneous CSNS and PSNS activation, and heart rate changes are a vector of both influences; (6) the baroreflex is functional during restraint, and modulates both the vascular and cardiac responses to restraint.

Effects of thermomechanical processing on titanium aluminide strip cast by the melt overflow process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaspar, T.A. (Ribbon Technology Corporation, PO Box 30758, Columbus, OH 43230 (United States)); Hackman, L.E. (Ribbon Technology Corporation, PO Box 30758, Columbus, OH 43230 (United States)); Batawi, E. (Sulzer-Innotec, Division 1511, PO Box 65, Winterthur 8404 (Switzerland)); Peters, J.A. (Sulzer-Innotec, Division 1511, PO Box 65, Winterthur 8404 (Switzerland))

1994-05-01

The objective of this research project was to investigate the feasibility of producing titanium aluminide foils from direct cast strip using ribbon technology''s plasma melt overflow process. Niobium-modified Ti[sub 3]Al alloys were melted in a cold copper crucible using a transferred plasma arc and then direct cast into strip on a rotating chill roll.Samples cut from the as-cast Ti[sub 3]Al-Nb ([alpha][sub 2]) titanium aluminide strip were encapsulated into a pack. The packs were heated to the rolling temperature and then hot rolled at low strain rates. Foils 70 [mu]m (0.003 in) thick, having a uniform [alpha][sub 2]-B2 microstructure with oxygen contents as low as 900 wt.ppm were obtained after pack rolling. The strips and foils were characterized in terms of microstructure and chemical composition in the as-received, heat-treated and pack-rolled conditions.The results indicated that it was technically feasible to produce foils from direct cast titanium aluminide strip using pack-rolling technology. The advantage of this technology lies in its cost-effectiveness, since the relatively low cost direct-cast titanium aluminide strip was thermomechanically processed into foil with the desired microstructure without any intermediate processing steps. ((orig.))

Effect of extradural morphine on somatosensory evoked potentials to dermatomal stimulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, C; Selmar, P; Hansen, O B

1987-01-01

The effect of the extradural (L2-3) administration of morphine 6 mg on early (less than 0.5 s) somatosensory evoked cortical potentials (SEP) to electrical stimulation of the L1- and S1-dermatomes was examined in eight patients. Extradural morphine did not influence SEP amplitude. SEP latency did...

The Role of Auditory Evoked Potentials in the Context of Cochlear Implant Provision.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoth, Sebastian; Dziemba, Oliver Christian

2017-12-01

: Auditory evoked potentials (AEP) are highly demanded during the whole process of equipping patients with cochlear implants (CI). They play an essential role in preoperative diagnostics, intraoperative testing, and postoperative monitoring of auditory performance and success. The versatility of AEP's is essentially enhanced by their property to be evokable by acoustic as well as electric stimuli. Thus, the electric responses of the auditory system following acoustic stimulation and recorded by the conventional surface technique as well as by transtympanic derivation from the promontory (Electrocochleography [ECochG]) are used for the quantitative determination of hearing loss and, additionally, electrically evoked compound actions potentials (ECAP) can be recorded with the intracochlear electrodes of the implant just adjacent to the stimulation electrode to check the functional integrity of the device and its coupling to the auditory system. The profile of ECAP thresholds is used as basis for speech processor fitting, the spread of excitation (SOE) allows the identification of electrode mislocations such as array foldover, and recovery functions may serve to optimize stimulus pulse rate. These techniques as well as those relying on scalp surface activity originating in the brainstem or the auditory cortex accompany the CI recipient during its whole life span and they offer valuable insights into functioning and possible adverse effects of the CI for clinical and scientific purposes.

Neuromagnetic detection of the laryngeal area: Sensory-evoked fields to air-puff stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyaji, Hideaki; Hironaga, Naruhito; Umezaki, Toshiro; Hagiwara, Koichi; Shigeto, Hiroshi; Sawatsubashi, Motohiro; Tobimatsu, Shozo; Komune, Shizuo

2014-03-01

The sensory projections from the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx are crucial in assuring safe deglutition, coughing, breathing, and voice production/speaking. Although several studies using neuroimaging techniques have demonstrated cortical activation related to pharyngeal and laryngeal functions, little is known regarding sensory projections from the laryngeal area to the somatosensory cortex. The purpose of this study was to establish the cortical activity evoked by somatic air-puff stimulation at the laryngeal mucosa using magnetoencephalography. Twelve healthy volunteers were trained to inhibit swallowing in response to air stimuli delivered to the larynx. Minimum norm estimates was performed on the laryngeal somatosensory evoked fields (LSEFs) to best differentiate the target activations from non-task-related activations. Evoked magnetic fields were recorded with acceptable reproducibility in the left hemisphere, with a peak latency of approximately 100ms in 10 subjects. Peak activation was estimated at the caudolateral region of the primary somatosensory area (S1). These results establish the ability to detect LSEFs with an acceptable reproducibility within a single subject and among subjects. These results also suggest the existence of laryngeal somatic afferent input to the caudolateral region of S1 in human. Our findings indicate that further investigation in this area is needed, and should focus on laryngeal lateralization, swallowing, and speech processing. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Temporary hyperthyroidism (hypertriiodothyroninemia) to be evoked by stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehni, A.; Kampmann, H.

1982-01-01

From patients of intensive care unit suffering from acute myocardial infarction, decompensated hypertension with left heart insufficiency, severe coronary heart disease, pulmonary infarction, cerebral ischemia 102 were selected with suspicion of hyperthyroidism because of clinical signs. 12 patients fulfilled the criteria of temporary hyperthyroidism, 6 patients revealed persistent hyperthyroidism. Excluding other causes for evoked hyperthyroidism as common etiological factor psychogenic stress is discussed. It is concluded, that increased thyroid hormone concentration in patients of intensive care units should be controlled within a short time in order to delineate temporary hyperthyroidism against permanent hyperthyroidism. (orig.) [de

Temporary hyperthyroidism (hypertriiodothyroninemia) to be evoked by stress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ehni, A.; Kampmann, H.

1982-10-01

From patients of intensive care unit suffering from acute myocardial infarction, decompensated hypertension with left heart insufficiency, severe coronary heart disease, pulmonary infarction, cerebral ischemia 102 were selected with suspicion of hyperthyroidism because of clinical signs. 12 patients fulfilled the criteria of temporary hyperthyroidism, 6 patients revealed persistent hyperthyroidism. Excluding other causes for evoked hyperthyroidism as common etiological factor psychogenic stress is discussed. It is concluded, that increased thyroid hormone concentration in patients of intensive care units should be controlled within a short time in order to delineate temporary hyperthyroidism against permanent hyperthyroidism.

Removal of micropollutants, facultative pathogenic and antibiotic resistant bacteria in a full-scale retention soil filter receiving combined sewer overflow.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheurer, Marco; Heß, Stefanie; Lüddeke, Frauke; Sacher, Frank; Güde, Hans; Löffler, Herbert; Gallert, Claudia

2015-01-01

Combined sewer systems collect surface runoff as well as wastewater of industrial and domestic origin. During periods of heavy rainfall the capacity of the sewer system is exceeded and the overflow is discharged into receiving waters without any treatment. Consequently, combined sewer overflow (CSO) is considered as a major source of water pollution. This study investigates the effectiveness of a retention soil filter (RSF) for the removal of micropollutants as well as facultative pathogenic and antibiotic resistant bacteria from CSO. The removal of organic group parameters like total organic carbon was excellent and the removal efficiency for micropollutants of the RSF and the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), which treats wastewater of the same origin during dry and normal weather conditions, was comparable. Compounds of high environmental concern like estrogens or certain pharmaceuticals, e.g. diclofenac, were completely eliminated or removed to a high degree during RSF passage. RSF treatment also reduced the number of E. coli, enterococci and staphylococci by 2.7, 2.2 and 2.4 log-units (median values), respectively. Obviously, some Staphylococcus species can better adapt to the conditions of the RSF than others as a shift of the abundance of the different species was observed when comparing the diversity of staphylococci obtained from the RSF influent and effluent. RSF treatment also decreased the absolute number of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The percentage of antibiotic resistant E. coli and staphylococci isolates also decreased during passage of the RSF, whereas the percentage of resistant enterococci did not change. For E. coli ampicillin and for enterococci and staphylococci erythromycin determined the antibiotic resistance level. The results demonstrate that RSFs can be considered as an adequate treatment option for CSO. The performance for the removal of micropollutants is comparable with a medium sized WWTP with conventional activated sludge

Watershed-scale impacts of stormwater green infrastructure on hydrology, nutrient fluxes, and combined sewer overflows in the mid-Atlantic region.

Science.gov (United States)

Pennino, Michael J; McDonald, Rob I; Jaffe, Peter R

2016-09-15

Stormwater green infrastructure (SGI), including rain gardens, detention ponds, bioswales, and green roofs, is being implemented in cities across the globe to reduce flooding, combined sewer overflows, and pollutant transport to streams and rivers. Despite the increasing use of urban SGI, few studies have quantified the cumulative effects of multiple SGI projects on hydrology and water quality at the watershed scale. To assess the effects of SGI, Washington, DC, Montgomery County, MD, and Baltimore County, MD, were selected based on the availability of data on SGI, water quality, and stream flow. The cumulative impact of SGI was evaluated over space and time by comparing watersheds with and without SGI, and by assessing how long-term changes in SGI impact hydrologic and water quality metrics over time. Most Mid-Atlantic municipalities have a goal of achieving 10-20% of the landscape drain runoff through SGI by 2030. Of these areas, Washington, DC currently has the greatest amount of SGI (12.7% of the landscape drained through SGI), while Baltimore County has the lowest (7.9%). When controlling for watersheds size and percent impervious surface cover, watersheds with greater amounts of SGI have less flashy hydrology, with 44% lower peak runoff, 26% less frequent runoff events, and 26% less variable runoff. Watersheds with more SGI also show 44% less NO3(-) and 48% less total nitrogen exports compared to watersheds with minimal SGI. There was no significant reduction in phosphorus exports or combined sewer overflows in watersheds with greater SGI. When comparing individual watersheds over time, increases in SGI corresponded to non-significant reductions in hydrologic flashiness compared to watersheds with no change in SGI. While the implementation of SGI is somewhat in its infancy in some regions, cities are beginning to have a scale of SGI where there are statistically significant differences in hydrologic patterns and water quality. Copyright © 2016 The Authors

To what extent does variability of historical rainfall series influence extreme event statistics of sewer system surcharge and overflows?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schaarup-Jensen, Kjeld; Rasmussen, Michael R.; Thorndahl, Søren

2008-01-01

In urban drainage modeling long term extreme statistics has become an important basis for decision-making e.g. in connection with renovation projects. Therefore it is of great importance to minimize the uncertainties concerning long term prediction of maximum water levels and combined sewer...... overflow (CSO) in drainage systems. These uncertainties originate from large uncertainties regarding rainfall inputs, parameters, and assessment of return periods. This paper investigates how the choice of rainfall time series influences the extreme events statistics of max water levels in manholes and CSO...... gauges are located at a distance of max 20 kilometers from the catchment. All gauges are included in the Danish national rain gauge system which was launched in 1976. The paper describes to what extent the extreme events statistics based on these 9 series diverge from each other and how this diversity...

To what extent does variability of historical rainfall series influence extreme event statistics of sewer system surcharge and overflows?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schaarup-Jensen, Kjeld; Rasmussen, Michael R.; Thorndahl, Søren

2009-01-01

In urban drainage modelling long term extreme statistics has become an important basis for decision-making e.g. in connection with renovation projects. Therefore it is of great importance to minimize the uncertainties concerning long term prediction of maximum water levels and combined sewer...... overflow (CSO) in drainage systems. These uncertainties originate from large uncertainties regarding rainfall inputs, parameters, and assessment of return periods. This paper investigates how the choice of rainfall time series influences the extreme events statistics of max water levels in manholes and CSO...... gauges are located at a distance of max 20 kilometers from the catchment. All gauges are included in the Danish national rain gauge system which was launched in 1976. The paper describes to what extent the extreme events statistics based on these 9 series diverge from each other and how this diversity...

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy to probe sensorimotor region activation during electrical stimulation-evoked movement.

Science.gov (United States)

Muthalib, Makii; Ferrari, Marco; Quaresima, Valentina; Kerr, Graham; Perrey, Stephane

2017-11-07

This study used non-invasive functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging to monitor bilateral sensorimotor region activation during unilateral voluntary (VOL) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES)-evoked movements. In eight healthy male volunteers, fNIRS was used to measure relative changes in oxyhaemoglobin (O 2 Hb) and deoxyhaemoglobin (HHb) concentrations from a cortical sensorimotor region of interest in the left (LH) and right (RH) hemispheres during NMES-evoked and VOL wrist extension movements of the right arm. NMES-evoked movements induced significantly greater activation (increase in O 2 Hb and concomitant decrease in HHb) in the contralateral LH than in the ipsilateral RH (O 2 Hb: 0·44 ± 0·16 μM and 0·25 ± 0·22 μM, P = 0·017; HHb: -0·19 ± 0·10 μM and -0·12 ± 0·09 μM, P = 0·036, respectively) as did VOL movements (0·51 ± 0·24 μΜ and 0·34 ± 0·21 μM, P = 0·031; HHb: -0·18 ± 0·07 μΜ and -0·12 ± 0·04 μΜ, P = 0·05, respectively). There was no significant difference between conditions for O 2 Hb (P = 0·144) and HHb (P = 0·958). fNIRS neuroimaging enables quantification of bilateral sensorimotor regional activation profiles during voluntary and NMES-evoked wrist extension movements. © 2017 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Predictability of painful stimulation modulates the somatosensory-evoked potential in the rat

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaap, M.W.H.; van Oostrom, H.; Doornenbal, A.; Baars, A.M.; Arndt, S.S.; Hellebrekers, L.J.

2013-01-01

Abstract Somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) are used in humans and animals to increase knowledge about nociception and pain. Since the SEP in humans increases when noxious stimuli are administered unpredictably, predictability potentially influences the SEP in animals as well. To assess the

EEG and EMG responses to emotion-evoking stimuli processed without conscious awareness.

Science.gov (United States)

Wexler, B E; Warrenburg, S; Schwartz, G E; Janer, L D

1992-12-01

Dichotic stimulus pairs were constructed with one word that was emotionally neutral and another that evoked either negative or positive feelings. Temporal and spectral overlap between the members of each pair was so great that the two words fused into a single auditory percept. Subjects were consciously aware of hearing only one word from most pairs; sometimes the emotion-evoking word was heard consciously, other times the neutral word was heard consciously. Subjects were instructed to let their thoughts wander in response to the word they heard, during which time EEG alpha activity over left and right frontal regions, and muscle activity (EMG) in the corrugator ("frowning") and zygomatic ("smiling") regions were recorded. Both EEG and EMG provided evidence of emotion-specific responses to stimuli that were processed without conscious awareness. Moreover both suggested relatively greater right hemisphere activity with unconscious rather than conscious processing.

Filosofia da análise da estabilidade da liquidez

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Antônio Chaves da Silva

2005-07-01

Full Text Available A informação foi considerada finalidade de nosso conhecimento, até o período em os pensadores e pesquisadores da contabilidade passaram a raciocinar sobre o conteúdo e o significado dos informes. Nesta busca da razão sobre os estados patrimoniais, surgiu a análise contábil que procura por meio de relações e identidades, o significado da dinâmica expressa da estaticamente na informação. O primeiro aspecto que surgiu no objeto de análise foi o estudo da liquidez, que é um dos principais exercícios do patrimônio. A estabilidade também é outro exercício básico e imprescindível, pois este é que promove o equilíbrio do organismo administrativo. A ciência contábil após a sua dignidade científica passou a trilhar caminhos esplendorosos, amparados em doutrina que permite alcançar os píncaros filosóficos. Os estudos concernentes aos aspectos de interação da estabilidade na liquidez são, complexos e somente com os recursos filosóficos da contabilidade se pode estudá-los com o panorama holístico e sublime. A filosofia da contabilidade não é alheia às suas práticas tecnológicas, podendo buscar pontos sublimes de panoramas abrangentes, para o estudo analítico da liquidez e estabilidade, observando todas as dimensionalidades e essencialidades de acontecimentos, na comprovação e orientação dos estados de ineficácia e eficácia patrimonial.

Contact Heat Evoked Potentials (CHEPs) in Patients with Mild-Moderate Alzheimer's Disease and Matched Control-A Pilot Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen-Dahm, Christina; Madsen, Caspar Skau; Waldemar, Gunhild

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Clinical studies have found that patients with Alzheimer's disease report pain of less intensity and with a lower affective response, which has been thought to be due to altered pain processing. The authors wished to examine the cerebral processing of non-painful and painful stimuli...... threshold and heat pain threshold. Somatosensory evoked potentials, amplitude, and latency were within normal range and similar for the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the processing of non-painful and painful stimuli is preserved in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease....... using somatosensory evoked potentials and contact heat evoked potentials in patients with Alzheimer's disease and in healthy elderly controls. DESIGN: Case-control study SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Twenty outpatients with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease and in 17 age- and gender-matched healthy controls...

Temporal suppression and augmentation of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verhulst, Sarah; Harte, James; Dau, Torsten

2008-01-01

This study investigates temporal suppression of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs), occurring when a suppressor-click is presented close in time to a test-click (e.g. 0-8ms). Various temporal suppression methods for examining temporal changes in cochlear compression were evaluated and me...... under test. Temporal suppression was shown to be comparable for CEOAEs and SSOAEs, indicating similar underlying cochlear nonlinear mechanisms. This study contributes to a better understanding of the temporal properties of cochlear dynamics....

Mecamylamine, dihydro-β-erythroidine, and dextromethorphan block conditioned responding evoked by the conditional stimulus effects of nicotine

Science.gov (United States)

Struthers, Amanda M.; Wilkinson, Jamie L.; Dwoskin, Linda P.; Crooks, Peter A.; Bevins, Rick A.

2009-01-01

Current smokers express the desire to quit. However, the majority find it difficult to remain abstinent. As such, research efforts continually seek to develop more effective treatment. One such area of research involves the interoceptive stimulus effects of nicotine as either a discriminative stimulus in an operant drug discrimination task, or more recently as a conditional stimulus (CS) in a discriminated goal-tracking task. The present work investigated the potential role nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the CS effects of nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) using antagonists with differential selectivity for β2*, α7*, α6β2*, and α3β4* receptors. Methyllycaconitine (MLA) had no effect on nicotine-evoked conditioned responding. Mecamylamine and dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE) dose dependently blocked responding evoked by the nicotine CS. In a time-course assessment of mecamylamine and DHβE, each blocked conditioned responding when given 5 min before testing and still blocked conditioned responding when administered 200 min before testing. Two novel bis-picolinium analogs (N, N’-(3, 3′-(dodecan-1,12-diyl)-bis-picolinium dibromide [bPiDDB], and N, N’-(decan-1,10-diyl)-bis-picolinium diiodide [bPiDI]) did not block nicotine-evoked conditioned responding. Finally, pretreatment with low dose combinations of mecamylamine, dextromethorphan, and/or bupropion were used to target α3β4* receptors. No combination blocked conditioned responding evoked by the training dose of nicotine. However, a combination of mecamylamine and dextromethorphan partially blocked nicotine-evoked conditioned responding to a lower dose of nicotine (0.1 mg/kg). These results indicate that β2* and potentially α3β4* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors play a role in the CS effects of nicotine and are potential targets for the development of nicotine cessation aids. PMID:19778551

Combined ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential in individuals with vestibular hyporeflexia and in patients with Ménière's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Tatiana Rocha; de Resende, Luciana Macedo; Santos, Marco Aurélio Rocha

The vestibular evoked myogenic potential is a potential of mean latency that measures the muscle response to auditory stimulation. This potential can be generated from the contraction of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and also from the contraction of extraocular muscles in response to high-intensity sounds. This study presents a combined or simultaneous technique of cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential in individuals with changes in the vestibular system, for use in otoneurologic diagnosis. To characterize the records and analyze the results of combined cervical and ocular VEMP in individuals with vestibular hyporeflexia and in those with Ménière's disease. The study included 120 subjects: 30 subjects with vestibular hyporeflexia, 30 with Ménière's disease, and 60 individuals with normal hearing. Data collection was performed by simultaneously recording the cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential. There were differences between the study groups (individuals with vestibular hyporeflexia and individuals with Ménière's disease) and the control group for most of wave parameters in combined cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential. For cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential, it was observed that the prolongation of latency of the P13 and N23 waves was the most frequent finding in the group with vestibular hyporeflexia and in the group with Ménière's disease. For ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential, prolonged latency of N10 and P15 waves was the most frequent finding in the study groups. Combined cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential presented relevant results for individuals with vestibular hyporeflexia and for those with Ménière's disease. There were differences between the study groups and the control group for most of the wave parameters in combined cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential. Copyright © 2016 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia

Unmasking of an early laser evoked potential by a point localization task

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valeriani, M.; Restuccia, D.; Le Pera, D.

2000-01-01

Objectives: The investigation of the CO2 laser evoked potential (LEP) modifications following a point localization task. Methods: LEPs were recorded from 10 healthy subjects in two different conditions. (1) Task condition: laser stimuli were shifted among 3 different locations on the right hand d...

A simulation of rainfall infiltration based on two-phase flow

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jun; Xi, Niannian; Liu, Gang; Hao, Shuang

2016-04-01

Rainfall infiltration in slope usually is one of major reasons cause landslide, which involves multiphase flow coupling with soil, water and gas. In order to study the mechanism of landslide caused by rainfall infiltration, a simulation of rainfall infiltration of DaPing slope, which locates in the Three Gorges Region of China, is presented based on the numerical solution of governing equations of two-phase flow in this paper. The results of this research suggest that there are two sections can be divided in the surface of slope, one is inflow area and the other is overflow area, according to where it is infiltration and discharge. The general inflow area is on the upside of slope, while the overflow area is on the underside. The middle section of slope is on a fluctuant position between inflow and overflow area, which is dramatically affected by the water content inside of slope. Moreover, the average rate of infiltration is more stable in both inflow and overflow area, whose numerical value is depend on the geometry and transmission characteristics of slope. And the factors of rainfall characteristics, surface flow and temperature have little effect on them. Furthermore, in the inflow area, when rainfall intensity is higher than infiltration the rain on the surface of slope will run off, otherwise water and gas will completely infiltrate through soil. The situation is different in the overflow area whose overland flow condition is depended on whether it is saturated or not inside of slope. When it is saturated in the slope, there is no infiltration in the overflow area. But when it is unsaturated, the infiltration intensity will equal to rainfall intensity. In a summary, the difference from inflow and overflow area is the evidence that the landslide may likely to happen on the slope of overflow area when it comes to a rainfall. It is disadvantageous for slope stability when transmitting the pressure of saturated water weight at the top of slope through the pore

Effects of stimulation intensity, gender and handedness upon auditory evoked potentials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susana Camposano

1992-03-01

Full Text Available Left handers and women show less anatomical brain asymmetry, larger corpus callosum and more bilateral representation of specific functions. Sensory and cognitive components of cortical auditory evoked potentials (AEF have been shown to be asymmetric in right handed males and to be influenced by stimulus intensity. In this study the influence of sex, handedness and stimulus intensity upon AEP components is investigated under basal conditions of passive attention. 14 right handed males, 14 right handed females, 14 left handed males, and 14 left handed females were studied while lying awake and paying passive attention to auditory stimulation (series of 100 binaural clicks, duration 1 msec, rate 1/sec, at four intensities. Cz, C3 and C4 referenced to linked mastoids and right EOG were recorded. Analysis time was 400 msec, average evoked potentials were based on 100 clicks. Stimulus intensity and gender affect early sensory components (P1N1 and N1P2 at central leads, asymmetry is influenced only by handedness, right handers showing larger P1N1 amplitudes over the right hemisphere.

Postural threat differentially affects the feedforward and feedback components of the vestibular-evoked balance response.

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Osler, Callum J; Tersteeg, M C A; Reynolds, Raymond F; Loram, Ian D

2013-10-01

Circumstances may render the consequence of falling quite severe, thus maximising the motivation to control postural sway. This commonly occurs when exposed to height and may result from the interaction of many factors, including fear, arousal, sensory information and perception. Here, we examined human vestibular-evoked balance responses during exposure to a highly threatening postural context. Nine subjects stood with eyes closed on a narrow walkway elevated 3.85 m above ground level. This evoked an altered psycho-physiological state, demonstrated by a twofold increase in skin conductance. Balance responses were then evoked by galvanic vestibular stimulation. The sway response, which comprised a whole-body lean in the direction of the edge of the walkway, was significantly and substantially attenuated after ~800 ms. This demonstrates that a strong reason to modify the balance control strategy was created and subjects were highly motivated to minimise sway. Despite this, the initial response remained unchanged. This suggests little effect on the feedforward settings of the nervous system responsible for coupling pure vestibular input to functional motor output. The much stronger, later effect can be attributed to an integration of balance-relevant sensory feedback once the body was in motion. These results demonstrate that the feedforward and feedback components of a vestibular-evoked balance response are differently affected by postural threat. Although a fear of falling has previously been linked with instability and even falling itself, our findings suggest that this relationship is not attributable to changes in the feedforward vestibular control of balance. © 2013 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rivalry of homeostatic and sensory-evoked emotions: Dehydration attenuates olfactory disgust and its neural correlates.

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Meier, Lea; Friedrich, Hergen; Federspiel, Andrea; Jann, Kay; Morishima, Yosuke; Landis, Basile Nicolas; Wiest, Roland; Strik, Werner; Dierks, Thomas

2015-07-01

Neural correlates have been described for emotions evoked by states of homeostatic imbalance (e.g. thirst, hunger, and breathlessness) and for emotions induced by external sensory stimulation (such as fear and disgust). However, the neurobiological mechanisms of their interaction, when they are experienced simultaneously, are still unknown. We investigated the interaction on the neurobiological and the perceptional level using subjective ratings, serum parameters, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a situation of emotional rivalry, when both a homeostatic and a sensory-evoked emotion were experienced at the same time. Twenty highly dehydrated male subjects rated a disgusting odor as significantly less repulsive when they were thirsty. On the neurobiological level, we found that this reduction in subjective disgust during thirst was accompanied by a significantly reduced neural activity in the insular cortex, a brain area known to be considerably involved in processing of disgust. Furthermore, during the experience of disgust in the satiated condition, we observed a significant functional connectivity between brain areas responding to the disgusting odor, which was absent during the stimulation in the thirsty condition. These results suggest interference of conflicting emotions: an acute homeostatic imbalance can attenuate the experience of another emotion evoked by the sensory perception of a potentially harmful external agent. This finding offers novel insights with regard to the behavioral relevance of biologically different types of emotions, indicating that some types of emotions are more imperative for behavior than others. As a general principle, this modulatory effect during the conflict of homeostatic and sensory-evoked emotions may function to safeguard survival. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) of human sensory-evoked potentials.

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Kirk, Ian J; McNair, Nicolas A; Hamm, Jeffrey P; Clapp, Wesley C; Mathalon, Daniel H; Cavus, Idil; Teyler, Timothy J

2010-09-01

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is the principal candidate synaptic mechanism underlying learning and memory, and has been studied extensively at the cellular and molecular level in laboratory animals. Inquiry into the functional significance of LTP has been hindered by the absence of a human model as, until recently, LTP has only been directly demonstrated in humans in isolated cortical tissue obtained from patients undergoing surgery, where it displays properties identical to those seen in non-human preparations. In this brief review, we describe the results of paradigms recently developed in our laboratory for inducing LTP-like changes in visual-, and auditory-evoked potentials. We describe how rapid, repetitive presentation of sensory stimuli leads to a persistent enhancement of components of sensory-evoked potential in normal humans. Experiments to date, investigating the locus, stimulus specificity, and NMDA receptor dependence of these LTP-like changes suggest that they have the essential characteristics of LTP seen in experimental animals. The ability to elicit LTP from non-surgical patients will provide a human model system allowing the detailed examination of synaptic plasticity in normal subjects and may have future clinical applications in the assessment of cognitive disorders. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Conjecturas da Epistemológia Jurídica e Aspectos da Teoria da Linguagem

OpenAIRE

Oliveira, Rita de Cássia Cartelli de; Cesumar; Motta, Ivan Dias; Cesumar

2008-01-01

Apresentar-se-ão reflexões em torno da epistemologia jurídica e alguns aspectos da teoria da linguagem; a necessidade de acompanhamento e aprimoramento da linguagem jurídica, para que o direito não se distancie da realidade, mantendo-se apenas como um sistema do status quo; uma breve análise de algumas teorias da ciência do direito e da linguagem; as especificidades dos termos lingüísticos para a análise da ciência do direito, pautada na contemporaneidade sob a perspectiva humanista, buscando...

[Recognition of the spatially transformed objects in men and women: an analysis of the behavior and evoked potentials].

Science.gov (United States)

Slavutskaia, A V; Gerasimenko, N Iu; Mikhaĭlova, E S

2012-01-01

In 16 men and 15 women analyzed the accuracy, reaction time and visual evoked potentials during the recognition of familiar objects at different levels of spatial transformation. We used the three levels of transformation: in a fixed position relative to each other details were carried out (1) the displacement of all the details in the radial direction and (2 and 3) a similar shift in conjunction with the rotation of all the details of the figure by +/- 0-45 and +/- 45-90 degrees. The task performance was not dependent on gender: the transformation of the image led to a deterioration of identification with the most identification impairment in the case of maximal details' rotation. Changes in evoked potentials (ERP) are different for men and women. Only in men early (100 ms after stimulus) response of the parietal cortex associated with the level of figure transformation: the more rotation evoked the higher the response. In women figure transformation evoked the ERP changes in the time window of negativity N170, they are associated with figure ungrouping but not with details rotation, and are localized in other visual areas--occipital and temporal. The data obtained are discussed in light of theory of gender specificity of the visual representations of space.

Evoked EMG versus Muscle Torque during Fatiguing Functional Electrical Stimulation-Evoked Muscle Contractions and Short-Term Recovery in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Science.gov (United States)

Estigoni, Eduardo H.; Fornusek, Che; Hamzaid, Nur Azah; Hasnan, Nazirah; Smith, Richard M.; Davis, Glen M.

2014-01-01

This study investigated whether the relationship between muscle torque and m-waves remained constant after short recovery periods, between repeated intervals of isometric muscle contractions induced by functional electrical stimulation (FES). Eight subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) were recruited for the study. All subjects had their quadriceps muscles group stimulated during three sessions of isometric contractions separated by 5 min of recovery. The evoked-electromyographic (eEMG) signals, as well as the produced torque, were synchronously acquired during the contractions and during short FES bursts applied during the recovery intervals. All analysed m-wave variables changed progressively throughout the three contractions, even though the same muscle torque was generated. The peak to peak amplitude (PtpA), and the m-wave area (Area) were significantly increased, while the time between the stimulus artefact and the positive peak (PosT) were substantially reduced when the muscles became fatigued. In addition, all m-wave variables recovered faster and to a greater extent than did torque after the recovery intervals. We concluded that rapid recovery intervals between FES-evoked exercise sessions can radically interfere in the use of m-waves as a proxy for torque estimation in individuals with SCI. This needs to be further investigated, in addition to seeking a better understanding of the mechanisms of muscle fatigue and recovery. PMID:25479324

Endogenous attention signals evoked by threshold contrast detection in human superior colliculus.

Science.gov (United States)

Katyal, Sucharit; Ress, David

2014-01-15

Human superior colliculus (SC) responds in a retinotopically selective manner when attention is deployed on a high-contrast visual stimulus using a discrimination task. To further elucidate the role of SC in endogenous visual attention, high-resolution fMRI was used to demonstrate that SC also exhibits a retinotopically selective response for covert attention in the absence of significant visual stimulation using a threshold-contrast detection task. SC neurons have a laminar organization according to their function, with visually responsive neurons present in the superficial layers and visuomotor neurons in the intermediate layers. The results show that the response evoked by the threshold-contrast detection task is significantly deeper than the response evoked by the high-contrast speed discrimination task, reflecting a functional dissociation of the attentional enhancement of visuomotor and visual neurons, respectively. Such a functional dissociation of attention within SC laminae provides a subcortical basis for the oculomotor theory of attention.

Long latency auditory evoked potentials in children with cochlear implants: systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Liliane Aparecida Fagundes; Couto, Maria Inês Vieira; Matas, Carla Gentile; Carvalho, Ana Claudia Martinho de

2013-11-25

The aim of this study was to analyze the findings on Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials in children with cochlear implant through a systematic literature review. After formulation of research question and search of studies in four data bases with the following descriptors: electrophysiology (eletrofisiologia), cochlear implantation (implante coclear), child (criança), neuronal plasticity (plasticidade neuronal) and audiology (audiologia), were selected articles (original and complete) published between 2002 and 2013 in Brazilian Portuguese or English. A total of 208 studies were found; however, only 13 contemplated the established criteria and were further analyzed; was made data extraction for analysis of methodology and content of the studies. The results described suggest rapid changes in P1 component of Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials in children with cochlear implants. Although there are few studies on the theme, cochlear implant has been shown to produce effective changes in central auditory path ways especially in children implanted before 3 years and 6 months of age.

A5 region modulation of the cardiorespiratory responses evoked from parabrachial cell bodies in the anaesthetised rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Dawid Milner, M S; Lara, J P; López de Miguel, M P; López-González, M V; Spyer, K M; González-Barón, S

2003-08-22

We have examined the importance of the A5 region modulating cardiorespiratory responses evoked from the parabrachial complex (PB) in spontaneously breathing rats. Cardiorespiratory changes were analyzed in response to electrical stimulation and glutamate microinjections into the PB (10-20 nl, 1-2 nmol) before and after ipsilateral microinjection of muscimol (50 nl, 0.25 nmol) or lidocaine (50 nl, 0.5 nmol) within the A5 region. Stimulation of medial parabrachial and Kölliker-Fuse nuclei (mPB-KF) evoked a decrease in respiratory rate (Pinteractions between A5 and PB, extracellular recordings of putative A5 neurones were obtained during PB stimulation. Eighty-three A5 cells were recorded, 35 were activated from the mPB-KF (42%). The results indicate that neurones of the A5 region participate in the cardiorespiratory response evoked from the different regions of the PB complex. The possible mechanisms involved in these interactions are discussed.

Fast detection of unexpected sound intensity decrements as revealed by human evoked potentials.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heike Althen

Full Text Available The detection of deviant sounds is a crucial function of the auditory system and is reflected by the automatically elicited mismatch negativity (MMN, an auditory evoked potential at 100 to 250 ms from stimulus onset. It has recently been shown that rarely occurring frequency and location deviants in an oddball paradigm trigger a more negative response than standard sounds at very early latencies in the middle latency response of the human auditory evoked potential. This fast and early ability of the auditory system is corroborated by the finding of neurons in the animal auditory cortex and subcortical structures, which restore their adapted responsiveness to standard sounds, when a rare change in a sound feature occurs. In this study, we investigated whether the detection of intensity deviants is also reflected at shorter latencies than those of the MMN. Auditory evoked potentials in response to click sounds were analyzed regarding the auditory brain stem response, the middle latency response (MLR and the MMN. Rare stimuli with a lower intensity level than standard stimuli elicited (in addition to an MMN a more negative potential in the MLR at the transition from the Na to the Pa component at circa 24 ms from stimulus onset. This finding, together with the studies about frequency and location changes, suggests that the early automatic detection of deviant sounds in an oddball paradigm is a general property of the auditory system.

SOMATOSENSORY EVOKED POTENTIALS IN DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE - 2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rekha

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disorder affecting majority of population. It is estimated that over 400 million people throughout the world have diabetes. It has progressed to be a pandemic from an epidemic causing morbidity and mortality in the population. Among the many complications of diabetes, diabetic neuropathies contribute majorly to the morbidity associated with the disease. Axonal conduction is affected by elevated levels of protein kinase c causing neuronal ischemia; decreased ce llular myoinositol affecting sodium potassium ATPase pump leads to decreased nerve conduction; Somatosensory E voked P otentials (SSEPs reflect the activity of somatosensory pathways mediated through the dorsal columns of the spinal cord and the specific so matosensory cortex. Recording of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in diabetics is done to assess the sensory involvement of spinal cord. Presence of SEPs provides clear evidence for axonal continuity and by using different stimulation sites, the rate of reg eneration can be determined. Both onset and peak latencies of all SEP components are prolonged in patients with diabetes. Present study is done to compare somatosensory evoked potentials in diabetics and normal subjects. MATERIALS AND METHOD S: The present study was undertaken at the Upgraded Department of Physiology, Osmania Medical College, Koti, Hyderabad. The study was conducted on subjects, both male and female in the age group of 45 to 55 years, suffering from type II diabetes excluding other neurologi cal disorders. Non - invasive method of estimation of nerve conduction studies using SFEMG/EP — Electromyography or evoked potential system (Nicolet systems — USA using surface electrodes with automated computerized monitor attached with printer is used. RESUL TS : ANOVA showed statistically significant N9 latency (right & left sides. Latencies of all the components of SSEPs were more significant than amplitudes in Diabetic

Norepinephrine-evoked salt-sensitive hypertension requires impaired renal sodium chloride cotransporter activity in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Kathryn R; Kuwabara, Jill T; Shim, Joon W; Wainford, Richard D

2016-01-15

Recent studies have implicated a role of norepinephrine (NE) in the activation of the sodium chloride cotransporter (NCC) to drive the development of salt-sensitive hypertension. However, the interaction between NE and increased salt intake on blood pressure remains to be fully elucidated. This study examined the impact of a continuous NE infusion on sodium homeostasis and blood pressure in conscious Sprague-Dawley rats challenged with a normal (NS; 0.6% NaCl) or high-salt (HS; 8% NaCl) diet for 14 days. Naïve and saline-infused Sprague-Dawley rats remained normotensive when placed on HS and exhibited dietary sodium-evoked suppression of peak natriuresis to hydrochlorothiazide. NE infusion resulted in the development of hypertension, which was exacerbated by HS, demonstrating the development of the salt sensitivity of blood pressure [MAP (mmHg) NE+NS: 151 ± 3 vs. NE+HS: 172 ± 4; P salt-sensitive animals, increased NE prevented dietary sodium-evoked suppression of peak natriuresis to hydrochlorothiazide, suggesting impaired NCC activity contributes to the development of salt sensitivity [peak natriuresis to hydrochlorothiazide (μeq/min) Naïve+NS: 9.4 ± 0.2 vs. Naïve+HS: 7 ± 0.1; P salt-sensitive component of NE-mediated hypertension, while chronic ANG II type 1 receptor antagonism significantly attenuated NE-evoked hypertension without restoring NCC function. These data demonstrate that increased levels of NE prevent dietary sodium-evoked suppression of the NCC, via an ANG II-independent mechanism, to stimulate the development of salt-sensitive hypertension. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Steady-state pattern electroretinogram and short-duration transient visual evoked potentials in glaucomatous and healthy eyes.

Science.gov (United States)

Amarasekera, Dilru C; Resende, Arthur F; Waisbourd, Michael; Puri, Sanjeev; Moster, Marlene R; Hark, Lisa A; Katz, L Jay; Fudemberg, Scott J; Mantravadi, Anand V

2018-01-01

This study evaluates two rapid electrophysiological glaucoma diagnostic tests that may add a functional perspective to glaucoma diagnosis. This study aimed to determine the ability of two office-based electrophysiological diagnostic tests, steady-state pattern electroretinogram and short-duration transient visual evoked potentials, to discern between glaucomatous and healthy eyes. This is a cross-sectional study in a hospital setting. Forty-one patients with glaucoma and 41 healthy volunteers participated in the study. Steady-state pattern electroretinogram and short-duration transient visual evoked potential testing was conducted in glaucomatous and healthy eyes. A 64-bar-size stimulus with both a low-contrast and high-contrast setting was used to compare steady-state pattern electroretinogram parameters in both groups. A low-contrast and high-contrast checkerboard stimulus was used to measure short-duration transient visual evoked potential parameters in both groups. Steady-state pattern electroretinogram parameters compared were MagnitudeD, MagnitudeD/Magnitude ratio, and the signal-to-noise ratio. Short-duration transient visual evoked potential parameters compared were amplitude and latency. MagnitudeD was significantly lower in glaucoma patients when using a low-contrast (P = 0.001) and high-contrast (P state pattern electroretinogram stimulus. MagnitudeD/Magnitude ratio and SNR were significantly lower in the glaucoma group when using a high-contrast 64-bar-size stimulus (P state pattern electroretinogram was effectively able to discern between glaucomatous and healthy eyes. Steady-state pattern electroretinogram may thus have a role as a clinically useful electrophysiological diagnostic tool. © 2017 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

The effect of nucleotides and adenosine on stimulus-evoked glutamate release from rat brain cortical slices.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, G C; Boarder, M R

2000-10-01

Evidence has previously been presented that P1 receptors for adenosine, and P2 receptors for nucleotides such as ATP, regulate stimulus-evoked release of biogenic amines from nerve terminals in the brain. Here we investigated whether adenosine and nucleotides exert presynaptic control over depolarisation-elicited glutamate release. Slices of rat brain cortex were perfused and stimulated with pulses of 46 mM K(+) in the presence of the glutamate uptake inhibitor L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (0.2 mM). High K(+) substantially increased efflux of glutamate from the slices. Basal glutamate release was unchanged by the presence of nucleotides or adenosine at concentrations of 300 microM. Adenosine, ATP, ADP and adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphoshate) at 300 microM attenuated depolarisation-evoked release of glutamate. However UTP, 2-methylthio ATP, 2-methylthio ADP, and alpha,beta-methylene ATP at 300 microM had no effect on stimulated glutamate efflux. Adenosine deaminase blocked the effect of adenosine, but left the response to ATP unchanged. The A(1) antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1, 3-dipropylxanthine antagonised the inhibitory effect of both adenosine and ATP. Cibacron blue 3GA inhibited stimulus-evoked glutamate release when applied alone. When cibacron blue 3GA was present with ATP, stimulus-evoked glutamate release was almost eliminated. However, this P2 antagonist had no effect on the inhibition by adenosine. These results show that the release of glutamate from depolarised nerve terminals of the rat cerebral cortex is inhibited by adenosine and ATP. ATP appears to act directly and not through conversion to adenosine.

New direct estimates of Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water transport through the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone and its relationship to the North Atlantic Current

Science.gov (United States)

Bower, Amy; Furey, Heather; Xu, Xiaobiao

2015-04-01

Detailed observations of the pathways, transports and water properties of dense overflows associated with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) provide critical benchmarks for climate models and mixing parameterizations. A recent two-year time series from eight moorings offers the first long-term simultaneous observations of the hydrographic properties and transport of Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) flowing westward through the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ), a major deep gap in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) connecting the eastern and western basins of the North Atlantic. In addition, current meters up to 500-m depth and satellite altimetry allow us to investigate the overlying North Atlantic Current (NAC) as a source of ISOW transport variability. Using the isohaline 34.94 to define the ISOW layer, the two year mean and standard deviation of ISOW transport was -1.7 ± 1.5 Sv, compared to -2.4 ± 3.0 Sv reported by Saunders for a 13-month period in 1988-1989 using the same isohaline. Differences in the two estimates are partly explained by limitations of the Saunders array, but more importantly reflect the strong low-frequency variability in ISOW transport through CGFZ (which includes complete reversals). Both the observations and output from a multi-decadal simulation of the North Atlantic using the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) forced with interannually varying wind and buoyancy fields indicate a strong positive correlation between ISOW transport and the strength of the NAC through the CGFZ. This result raises new questions regarding the interaction of the upper and lower limbs of the AMOC, downstream propagation of ISOW transport variability in the Deep Western Boundary Current and alternative pathways of ISOW across the MAR.

Click-evoked otoacoustic emissions in children and adolescents with gender identity disorder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burke, Sarah M; Menks, Willeke M; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T; Klink, Daniel T; Bakker, J.

2014-01-01

Click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) are echo-like sounds that are produced by the inner ear in response to click-stimuli. CEOAEs generally have a higher amplitude in women compared to men and neonates already show a similar sex difference in CEOAEs. Weaker responses in males are proposed to

Click-Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions in Children and Adolescents with Gender Identity Disorder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burke, S.M.; Menks, W.M.; Cohen-Kettenis, P.T.; Klink, D.T.; Bakker, J.

2014-01-01

Click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) are echo-like sounds that are produced by the inner ear in response to click-stimuli. CEOAEs generally have a higher amplitude in women compared to men and neonates already show a similar sex difference in CEOAEs. Weaker responses in males are proposed to

Temporal analysis of E. coli, TSS and wastewater micropollutant loads from combined sewer overflows: implications for management.

Science.gov (United States)

Anne-Sophie, Madoux-Humery; Dorner, Sarah M; Sauvé, Sébastien; Aboulfadl, Khadija; Galarneau, Martine; Servais, Pierre; Prévost, Michèle

2015-05-01

A combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfall was monitored to assess the impact of temporal mass loads on the appropriateness of treatment options. Instantaneous loads (mass per s) varied by approximately three orders of magnitude during events (n = 9 in spring, summer and the fall) with no significant seasonal variations. The median fraction of total loads discharged with the first 25% of the total volume ranged from 28% (theophylline) to 40% (Total Suspended Solids (TSS)) and loads remained high for the duration of the events. E. coli and TSS loads originated primarily from wastewater (WW) (63% and 75%, respectively). However, a mix of stormwater (SW) and sewer deposit (SD) resuspension contributed from 73 to 95% for the first 50% of the volume discharged of total TSS loads for 2 events. The contribution of SD resuspension was not negligible for Wastewater Micropollutants (WWMPs), especially for carbamazepine. Sustained high loads over the course of CSOs highlight the need to revisit current CSO and SW management strategies that focus on the treatment of early discharge volumes.

Normative data for Aδ contact heat evoked potentials in adult population: a multicenter study.

Science.gov (United States)

Granovsky, Yelena; Anand, Praveen; Nakae, Aya; Nascimento, Osvaldo; Smith, Benn; Sprecher, Elliot; Valls-Solé, Josep

2016-05-01

There has been a significant increase over recent years in the use of contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) for the evaluation of small nerve fiber function. Measuring CHEP amplitude and latency has clinical utility for the diagnosis and assessment of conditions with neuropathic pain. This international multicenter study aimed to provide reference values for CHEPs to stimuli at 5 commonly examined body sites. Contact heat evoked potentials were recorded from 226 subjects (114 females), distributed per age decade between 20 and 79 years. Temperature stimuli were delivered by a thermode (32°C-51°C at a rate of 70°C/s). In phase I of the study, we investigated side-to-side differences and reported the maximum normal side-to-side difference in Aδ CHEP peak latency and amplitude for leg, forearm, and face. In phase II, we obtained normative data for 3 CHEP parameters (N2P2 amplitude, N2 latency, and P2 latency), stratified for gender and age decades from face, upper and lower limbs, and overlying cervical and lumbar spine. In general, larger CHEP amplitudes were associated with higher evoked pain scores. Females had CHEPs of larger amplitude and shorter latency than males. This substantive data set of normative values will facilitate the clinical use of CHEPs as a rapid, noninvasive, and objective technique for the assessment of patients presenting with neuropathic pain.

Limb venous distension evokes sympathetic activation via stimulation of the limb afferents in humans

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Cui, Jian; McQuillan, Patrick M.; Blaha, Cheryl; Kunselman, Allen R.

2012-01-01

We have recently shown that a saline infusion in the veins of an arterially occluded human forearm evokes a systemic response with increases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and blood pressure. In this report, we examined whether this response was a reflex that was due to venous distension. Blood pressure (Finometer), heart rate, and MSNA (microneurography) were assessed in 14 young healthy subjects. In the saline trial (n = 14), 5% forearm volume normal saline was infused in an arterially occluded arm. To block afferents in the limb, 90 mg of lidocaine were added to the same volume of saline in six subjects during a separate visit. To examine whether interstitial perfusion of normal saline alone induced the responses, the same volume of albumin solution (5% concentration) was infused in 11 subjects in separate studies. Lidocaine abolished the MSNA and blood pressure responses seen with saline infusion. Moreover, compared with the saline infusion, an albumin infusion induced a larger (MSNA: Δ14.3 ± 2.7 vs. Δ8.5 ± 1.3 bursts/min, P blood pressure responses. These data suggest that venous distension activates afferent nerves and evokes a powerful systemic sympathoexcitatory reflex. We posit that the venous distension plays an important role in evoking the autonomic adjustments seen with postural stress in human subjects. PMID:22707559

Modulation of visually evoked postural responses by contextual visual, haptic and auditory information: a 'virtual reality check'.

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Meyer, Georg F; Shao, Fei; White, Mark D; Hopkins, Carl; Robotham, Antony J

2013-01-01

Externally generated visual motion signals can cause the illusion of self-motion in space (vection) and corresponding visually evoked postural responses (VEPR). These VEPRs are not simple responses to optokinetic stimulation, but are modulated by the configuration of the environment. The aim of this paper is to explore what factors modulate VEPRs in a high quality virtual reality (VR) environment where real and virtual foreground objects served as static visual, auditory and haptic reference points. Data from four experiments on visually evoked postural responses show that: 1) visually evoked postural sway in the lateral direction is modulated by the presence of static anchor points that can be haptic, visual and auditory reference signals; 2) real objects and their matching virtual reality representations as visual anchors have different effects on postural sway; 3) visual motion in the anterior-posterior plane induces robust postural responses that are not modulated by the presence of reference signals or the reality of objects that can serve as visual anchors in the scene. We conclude that automatic postural responses for laterally moving visual stimuli are strongly influenced by the configuration and interpretation of the environment and draw on multisensory representations. Different postural responses were observed for real and virtual visual reference objects. On the basis that automatic visually evoked postural responses in high fidelity virtual environments should mimic those seen in real situations we propose to use the observed effect as a robust objective test for presence and fidelity in VR.

Mechanisms of constitutive and ATP-evoked ATP release in neonatal mouse olfactory epithelium

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Hayoz Sébastien

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background ATP is an extracellular signaling molecule with many ascribed functions in sensory systems, including the olfactory epithelium. The mechanism(s by which ATP is released in the olfactory epithelium has not been investigated. Quantitative luciferin-luciferase assays were used to monitor ATP release, and confocal imaging of the fluorescent ATP marker quinacrine was used to monitor ATP release via exocytosis in Swiss Webster mouse neonatal olfactory epithelial slices. Results Under control conditions, constitutive release of ATP occurs via exocytosis, hemichannels and ABC transporters and is inhibited by vesicular fusion inhibitor Clostridium difficile toxin A and hemichannel and ABC transporter inhibitor probenecid. Constitutive ATP release is negatively regulated by the ATP breakdown product ADP through activation of P2Y receptors, likely via the cAMP/PKA pathway. In vivo studies indicate that constitutive ATP may play a role in neuronal homeostasis as inhibition of exocytosis inhibited normal proliferation in the OE. ATP-evoked ATP release is also present in mouse neonatal OE, triggered by several ionotropic P2X purinergic receptor agonists (ATP, αβMeATP and Bz-ATP and a G protein-coupled P2Y receptor agonist (UTP. Calcium imaging of P2X2-transfected HEK293 “biosensor” cells confirmed the presence of evoked ATP release. Following purinergic receptor stimulation, ATP is released via calcium-dependent exocytosis, activated P2X1,7 receptors, activated P2X7 receptors that form a complex with pannexin channels, or ABC transporters. The ATP-evoked ATP release is inhibited by the purinergic receptor inhibitor PPADS, Clostridium difficile toxin A and two inhibitors of pannexin channels: probenecid and carbenoxolone. Conclusions The constitutive release of ATP might be involved in normal cell turn-over or modulation of odorant sensitivity in physiological conditions. Given the growth-promoting effects of ATP, ATP-evoked ATP

Roles of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors during the sensory stimulation-evoked field potential responses in mouse cerebellar cortical molecular layer.

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Xu, Yin-Hua; Zhang, Guang-Jian; Zhao, Jing-Tong; Chu, Chun-Ping; Li, Yu-Zi; Qiu, De-Lai

2017-11-01

The functions of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) in cerebellar cortex have been widely studied under in vitro condition, but their roles during the sensory stimulation-evoked responses in the cerebellar cortical molecular layer in living animals are currently unclear. We here investigated the roles of NMDARs during the air-puff stimulation on ipsilateral whisker pad-evoked field potential responses in cerebellar cortical molecular layer in urethane-anesthetized mice by electrophysiological recording and pharmacological methods. Our results showed that cerebellar surface administration of NMDA induced a dose-dependent decrease in amplitude of the facial stimulation-evoked inhibitory responses (P1) in the molecular layer, accompanied with decreases in decay time, half-width and area under curve (AUC) of P1. The IC 50 of NMDA induced inhibition in amplitude of P1 was 46.5μM. In addition, application of NMDA induced significant increases in the decay time, half-width and AUC values of the facial stimulation-evoked excitatory responses (N1) in the molecular layer. Application of an NMDAR blocker, D-APV (250μM) abolished the facial stimulation-evoked P1 in the molecular layer. These results suggested that NMDARs play a critical role during the sensory information processing in cerebellar cortical molecular layer in vivo in mice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gating of the vertex somatosensory and auditory evoked potential P50 and the correlation to skin conductance orienting response in healthy men

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arnfred, S M; Eder, D N; Hemmingsen, R P

2001-01-01

A defect in auditory evoked potential (AEP) P50 gating supports the theory of information-processing deficits in schizophrenia. The relationship between gating of the mid-latency evoked potentials (EP) in the somatosensory and the auditory modalities has not been studied together before. In schiz...

Sensory-Evoked Intrinsic Imaging Signals in the Olfactory Bulb Are Independent of Neurovascular Coupling

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Roberto Vincis

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Functional brain-imaging techniques used in humans and animals, such as functional MRI and intrinsic optical signal (IOS imaging, are thought to largely rely on neurovascular coupling and hemodynamic responses. Here, taking advantage of the well-described micro-architecture of the mouse olfactory bulb, we dissected the nature of odor-evoked IOSs. Using in vivo pharmacology in transgenic mouse lines reporting activity in different cell types, we show that parenchymal IOSs are largely independent of neurotransmitter release and neurovascular coupling. Furthermore, our results suggest that odor-evoked parenchymal IOSs originate from changes in light scattering of olfactory sensory neuron axons, mostly due to water movement following action potential propagation. Our study sheds light on a direct correlate of neuronal activity, which may be used for large-scale functional brain imaging.

Long-term visuo-gustatory appetitive and aversive conditioning potentiate human visual evoked potentials

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Christoffersen, Gert R.J.; Laugesen, Jakob L.; Møller, Per

2017-01-01

Human recognition of foods and beverages are often based on visual cues associated with flavors. The dynamics of neurophysiological plasticity related to acquisition of such long-term associations has only recently become the target of investigation. In the present work, the effects of appetitive...... and aversive visuo-gustatory conditioning were studied with high density EEG-recordings focusing on late components in the visual evoked potentials (VEPs), specifically the N2-P3 waves. Unfamiliar images were paired with either a pleasant or an unpleasant juice and VEPs evoked by the images were compared...... before and 1 day after the pairings. In electrodes located over posterior visual cortex areas, the following changes were observed after conditioning: the amplitude from the N2-peak to the P3-peak increased and the N2 peak delay was reduced. The percentage increase of N2-to-P3 amplitudes...

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials in healthy cats recorded with surface electrodes

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Mihai Musteata

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the brainstem auditory evoked potentials of seven healthy cats, using surface electrodes. Latencies of waves I, III and V, and intervals I–III, I–V and III–V were recorded. Monaural and binaural stimulation of the cats were done with sounds ranging between 40 and 90 decibel Sound Pressure Level. All latencies were lower than those described in previous studies, where needle electrodes were used. In the case of binaural stimulation, latencies of waves III and V were greater compared to those obtained for monaural stimulation (P P > 0.05. Regardless of the sound intensity, the interwave latency was constant (P > 0.05. Interestingly, no differences were noticed for latencies of waves III and V when sound intensity was higher than 80dB SPL. This study completes the knowledge in the field of electrophysiology and shows that the brainstem auditory evoked potentials in cats using surface electrodes is a viable method to record the transmission of auditory information. That can be faithfully used in clinical practice, when small changes of latency values may be an objective factor in health status evaluation.

The functional neuroanatomy of odor evoked autobiographical memories cued by odors and words.

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Arshamian, Artin; Iannilli, Emilia; Gerber, Johannes C; Willander, Johan; Persson, Jonas; Seo, Han-Seok; Hummel, Thomas; Larsson, Maria

2013-01-01

Behavioral evidence indicates that odor evoked autobiographical memories (OEAMs) are older, more emotional, less thought of and induce stronger time traveling characteristics than autobiographical memories (AMs) evoked by other modalities. The main aim of this study was to explore the neural correlates of AMs evoked by odors as a function of retrieval cue. Participants were screened for specific OEAMs and later presented with the odor cue and its verbal referent in an fMRI paradigm. Because the same OEAM was retrieved across both cue formats (odor and word), potential cue dependent brain activations were investigated. The overall results showed that odor and word cued OEAMs activated regions typically associated with recollection of autobiographical information. Although no odors were presented, a verbal cuing of the OEAMs activated areas associated with olfactory perception (e.g., piriform cortex). However, relative to word cuing, an odor cuing of OEAMs resulted in more activity in MTL regions such as the parahippocampus, and areas involved in visual vividness (e.g., occipital gyrus and precuneus). Furthermore, odor cues activated areas related to emotional processing, such as limbic and tempopolar regions significantly more. In contrast, word cues relative to odor cues recruited a more widespread and bilateral prefrontal activity. Hippocampus activity did not vary as function of the remoteness of the memory, but recollection of OEAMs from the 1(st) vs the 2(nd) decade of life showed specific activation in the right OFC, whereas the 2(nd) reflected a higher activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parabrachial complex glutamate receptors modulate the cardiorespiratory response evoked from hypothalamic defense area.

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Díaz-Casares, A; López-González, M V; Peinado-Aragonés, C A; González-Barón, S; Dawid-Milner, M S

2012-08-16

To characterize the possible role of glutamate in the interaction between Hypothalamic Defense Area (HDA) and Parabrachial complex (PBc) nuclei, cardiorespiratory changes were analyzed in response to electrical stimulation of the HDA (1 ms pulses, 30-50 μA given at 100 Hz for 5s) before and after the microinjection of the nonspecific glutamate receptor antagonist kynurenic acid (50 nl, 5 nmol), NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 (50 nl, 50 nmol), non-NMDA receptor antagonist CNQX (50 nl, 50 nmol) or metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist MCPG (50 nl, 5 nmol) within the PBc. HDA stimulation evoked an inspiratory facilitatory response, consisting of an increase in respiratory rate (pHDA stimulation. Similarly, the magnitude of the tachycardia and the pressor response was decreased after the microinjection of MK-801 (pHDA stimulation but the respiratory response persisted unchanged after MK-801 or CNQX microinjection into the lPB. Kynurenic acid within the medial parabrachial region (mPB) abolished the tachycardia (pHDA stimulation. MK-801 and CNQX microinjection in this region decreased the magnitude of the tachycardia (pHDA stimulation was not changed after the microinjection of kynurenic acid, MK-801 or CNQX within the mPB. No changes were observed in the cardiorespiratory response evoked to HDA stimulation after MCPG microinjection within lPB and mPB. These results indicate that glutamate PBc receptors are involved in the cardiorespiratory response evoked from the HDA. The possible mechanisms involved in these interactions are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Developmental Changes in Sensory-Evoked Optical Intrinsic Signals in the Rat Barrel Cortex

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Mikhail Sintsov

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Optical Intrinsic Signal imaging (OISi is a powerful technique for optical brain studies. OIS mainly reflects the hemodynamic response (HR and metabolism, but it may also involve changes in tissue light scattering (LS caused by transient cellular swelling in the active tissue. Here, we explored the developmental features of sensory-evoked OIS in the rat barrel cortex during the first 3 months after birth. Multispectral OISi revealed that two temporally distinct components contribute to the neonatal OIS: an early phase of LS followed by a late phase of HR. The contribution of LS to the early response was also evidenced by an increase in light transmission through the active barrel. The early OIS phase correlated in time and amplitude with the sensory-evoked electrophysiological response. Application of the Modified Beer-Lambert Law (MBLL to the OIS data revealed that HR during the early phase involved only a slight decrease in blood oxygenation without any change in blood volume. In contrast, HR during the late phase manifested an adult-like increase in blood volume and oxygenation. During development, the peak time of the delayed HR progressively shortened with age, nearly reaching the stimulus onset and overlapping with the early LS phase by the fourth postnatal week. Thus, LS contributes to the sensory-evoked OIS in the barrel cortex of rats at all ages, and it dominates the early OIS phase in neonatal rats due to delayed HR. Our results are also consistent with the delayed blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD signal in human preterm infants.

Direct detection of a single evoked action potential with MRS in Lumbricus terrestris.

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Poplawsky, Alexander J; Dingledine, Raymond; Hu, Xiaoping P

2012-01-01

Functional MRI (fMRI) measures neural activity indirectly by detecting the signal change associated with the hemodynamic response following brain activation. In order to alleviate the temporal and spatial specificity problems associated with fMRI, a number of attempts have been made to detect neural magnetic fields (NMFs) with MRI directly, but have thus far provided conflicting results. In this study, we used MR to detect axonal NMFs in the median giant fiber of the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, by examining the free induction decay (FID) with a sampling interval of 0.32 ms. The earthworm nerve cords were isolated from the vasculature and stimulated at the threshold of action potential generation. FIDs were acquired shortly after the stimulation, and simultaneous field potential recordings identified the presence or absence of single evoked action potentials. FIDs acquired when the stimulus did not evoke an action potential were summed as background. The phase of the background-subtracted FID exhibited a systematic change, with a peak phase difference of (-1.2 ± 0.3) × 10(-5) radians occurring at a time corresponding to the timing of the action potential. In addition, we calculated the possible changes in the FID magnitude and phase caused by a simulated action potential using a volume conductor model. The measured phase difference matched the theoretical prediction well in both amplitude and temporal characteristics. This study provides the first evidence for the direct detection of a magnetic field from an evoked action potential using MR. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Premature infants display increased noxious-evoked neuronal activity in the brain compared to healthy age-matched term-born infants.

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Slater, Rebeccah; Fabrizi, Lorenzo; Worley, Alan; Meek, Judith; Boyd, Stewart; Fitzgerald, Maria

2010-08-15

This study demonstrates that infants who are born prematurely and who have experienced at least 40days of intensive or special care have increased brain neuronal responses to noxious stimuli compared to healthy newborns at the same postmenstrual age. We have measured evoked potentials generated by noxious clinically-essential heel lances in infants born at term (8 infants; born 37-40weeks) and in infants born prematurely (7 infants; born 24-32weeks) who had reached the same postmenstrual age (mean age at time of heel lance 39.2+/-1.2weeks). These noxious-evoked potentials are clearly distinguishable from shorter latency potentials evoked by non-noxious tactile sensory stimulation. While the shorter latency touch potentials are not dependent on the age of the infant at birth, the noxious-evoked potentials are significantly larger in prematurely-born infants. This enhancement is not associated with specific brain lesions but reflects a functional change in pain processing in the brain that is likely to underlie previously reported changes in pain sensitivity in older ex-preterm children. Our ability to quantify and measure experience-dependent changes in infant cortical pain processing will allow us to develop a more rational approach to pain management in neonatal intensive care. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Music evokes vicarious emotions in listeners.

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Kawakami, Ai; Furukawa, Kiyoshi; Okanoya, Kazuo

2014-01-01

Why do we listen to sad music? We seek to answer this question using a psychological approach. It is possible to distinguish perceived emotions from those that are experienced. Therefore, we hypothesized that, although sad music is perceived as sad, listeners actually feel (experience) pleasant emotions concurrent with sadness. This hypothesis was supported, which led us to question whether sadness in the context of art is truly an unpleasant emotion. While experiencing sadness may be unpleasant, it may also be somewhat pleasant when experienced in the context of art, for example, when listening to sad music. We consider musically evoked emotion vicarious, as we are not threatened when we experience it, in the way that we can be during the course of experiencing emotion in daily life. When we listen to sad music, we experience vicarious sadness. In this review, we propose two sides to sadness by suggesting vicarious emotion.

Temporal suppression of long-latency click-evoked otoacoustic emissions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verhulst, Sarah; Harte, James; Dau, Torsten

2007-01-01

A comprehensive set of results from double click suppression experiments on otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) have been presented by Hine and Thornton (2002) and Kapadia and Lutman (2000). They found that suppression of a click-evoked otoacoustic emission (CEOAE) varied with the timing and level...... subjects showed that the nonlinear suppression effect remained on the long-latency CEOAE, indicating that both SOAEs and CEOAEs originate from the same cochlear nonlinearities, as earlier suggested by Kemp and Chum (1980). The apparent similar origin of both types of emissions implies that the same...

[The modified method registration of kinesthetic evoked potentials and its application for research of proprioceptive sensitivity disorders at spondylogenic cervical myelopathy].

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Gordeev, S A; Voronin, S G

2016-01-01

To analyze the efficacy of modified (passive radiocarpal articulation flexion/extension) and «standard» (passive radiocarpal articulation flexion) methods of kinesthetic evoked potentials for proprioceptive sensitivity assessment in healthy subjects and patients with spondylotic cervical myelopathy. The study included 14 healthy subjects (4 women and 10 men, mean age 54.1±10.5 years) and 8 patients (2 women and 6 men, mean age 55.8±10.9 years) with spondylotic cervical myelopathy. Muscle-joint sensation was examined during the clinical study. A modified method of kinesthetic evoked potentials was developed. This method differed from the "standard" one by the organization of a cycle including several passive movements,where each new movement differed from the preceding one by the direction. The modified method of kinesthetic evoked potentials ensures more reliable kinesthetic sensitivity assessment due to movement variability. Asignificant increaseof the latent periods of the early components of the response was found in patients compared to healthy subjects. The modified method of kinesthetic evoked potentials can be used for objective diagnosis of proprioceptive sensitivity disorders in patients with spondylotic cervical myelopathy.

Effects of myelin or cell body brainstem lesions on 3-channel Lissajous' trajectories of feline auditory brainstem evoked potentials

OpenAIRE

Pratt, H; Zaaroor, M; Bleich, N; Starr, A

1991-01-01

Auditory brainstem evoked potentials (ABEP) were recorded from 16 awake cats to obtain 3-Channel Lissajous' Trajectories (3CLTs) using three orthogonal differential electrode configurations (nasion - midline nuchal ridge, left - right mastoids, vertex - midline under the mandible). Potentials, evoked by monaural 80 dBnHL (re. human threshold) clicks, were studied before, and up to 7 weeks after inducing neuronal lesions localized to the cochlear nucleus (CN) or the superior olivary complex (S...

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Evokes Unique Segment-Specific Vasoconstriction of the Renal Microvasculature

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Singletary, Sean T.; Cook, Anthony K.; Hobbs, Janet L.; Pollock, Jennifer S.; Inscho, Edward W.

2014-01-01

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive sphingolipid metabolite, has been implicated in regulating vascular tone and participating in chronic and acute kidney injury. However, little is known about the role of S1P in the renal microcirculation. Here, we directly assessed the vasoresponsiveness of preglomerular and postglomerular microvascular segments to exogenous S1P using the in vitro blood-perfused juxtamedullary nephron preparation. Superfusion of S1P (0.001–10 μM) evoked concentration-dependent vasoconstriction in preglomerular microvessels, predominantly afferent arterioles. After administration of 10 μM S1P, the diameter of afferent arterioles decreased to 35%±5% of the control diameter, whereas the diameters of interlobular and arcuate arteries declined to 50%±12% and 68%±6% of the control diameter, respectively. Notably, efferent arterioles did not respond to S1P. The S1P receptor agonists FTY720 and FTY720-phosphate and the specific S1P1 receptor agonist SEW2871 each evoked modest afferent arteriolar vasoconstriction. Conversely, S1P2 receptor inhibition with JTE-013 significantly attenuated S1P-mediated afferent arteriolar vasoconstriction. Moreover, blockade of L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels with diltiazem or nifedipine attenuated S1P-mediated vasoconstriction. Intravenous injection of S1P in anesthetized rats reduced renal blood flow dose dependently. Western blotting and immunofluorescence revealed S1P1 and S1P2 receptor expression in isolated preglomerular microvessels and microvascular smooth muscle cells. These data demonstrate that S1P evokes segmentally distinct preglomerular vasoconstriction via activation of S1P1 and/or S1P2 receptors, partially via L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels. Accordingly, S1P may have a novel function in regulating afferent arteriolar resistance under physiologic conditions. PMID:24578134

Spontaneous and Evoked Activity from Murine Ventral Horn Cultures on Microelectrode Arrays

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Bryan J. Black

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Motor neurons are the site of action for several neurological disorders and paralytic toxins, with cell bodies located in the ventral horn (VH of the spinal cord along with interneurons and support cells. Microelectrode arrays (MEAs have emerged as a high content assay platform for mechanistic studies and drug discovery. Here, we explored the spontaneous and evoked electrical activity of VH cultures derived from embryonic mouse spinal cord on multi-well plates of MEAs. Primary VH cultures from embryonic day 15–16 mice were characterized by expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT by immunocytochemistry. Well resolved, all-or-nothing spontaneous spikes with profiles consistent with extracellular action potentials were observed after 3 days in vitro, persisting with consistent firing rates until at least day in vitro 19. The majority of the spontaneous activity consisted of tonic firing interspersed with coordinated bursting across the network. After 5 days in vitro, spike activity was readily evoked by voltage pulses where a minimum amplitude and duration required for excitation was 300 mV and 100 μs/phase, respectively. We characterized the sensitivity of spontaneous and evoked activity to a host of pharmacological agents including AP5, CNQX, strychnine, ω-agatoxin IVA, and botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A. These experiments revealed sensitivity of the cultured VH to both agonist and antagonist compounds in a manner consistent with mature tissue derived from slices. In the case of BoNT/A, we also demonstrated intoxication persistence over an 18-day period, followed by partial intoxication recovery induced by N- and P/Q-type calcium channel agonist GV-58. In total, our findings suggest that VH cultures on multi-well MEA plates may represent a moderate throughput, high content assay for performing mechanistic studies and for screening potential therapeutics pertaining to paralytic toxins and neurological disorders.

Language related differences of the sustained response evoked by natural speech sounds.

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Christina Siu-Dschu Fan

Full Text Available In tonal languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, the pitch contour of vowels discriminates lexical meaning, which is not the case in non-tonal languages such as German. Recent data provide evidence that pitch processing is influenced by language experience. However, there are still many open questions concerning the representation of such phonological and language-related differences at the level of the auditory cortex (AC. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG, we recorded transient and sustained auditory evoked fields (AEF in native Chinese and German speakers to investigate language related phonological and semantic aspects in the processing of acoustic stimuli. AEF were elicited by spoken meaningful and meaningless syllables, by vowels, and by a French horn tone. Speech sounds were recorded from a native speaker and showed frequency-modulations according to the pitch-contours of Mandarin. The sustained field (SF evoked by natural speech signals was significantly larger for Chinese than for German listeners. In contrast, the SF elicited by a horn tone was not significantly different between groups. Furthermore, the SF of Chinese subjects was larger when evoked by meaningful syllables compared to meaningless ones, but there was no significant difference regarding whether vowels were part of the Chinese phonological system or not. Moreover, the N100m gave subtle but clear evidence that for Chinese listeners other factors than purely physical properties play a role in processing meaningful signals. These findings show that the N100 and the SF generated in Heschl's gyrus are influenced by language experience, which suggests that AC activity related to specific pitch contours of vowels is influenced in a top-down fashion by higher, language related areas. Such interactions are in line with anatomical findings and neuroimaging data, as well as with the dual-stream model of language of Hickok and Poeppel that highlights the close and reciprocal interaction

Language related differences of the sustained response evoked by natural speech sounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Christina Siu-Dschu; Zhu, Xingyu; Dosch, Hans Günter; von Stutterheim, Christiane; Rupp, André

2017-01-01

In tonal languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, the pitch contour of vowels discriminates lexical meaning, which is not the case in non-tonal languages such as German. Recent data provide evidence that pitch processing is influenced by language experience. However, there are still many open questions concerning the representation of such phonological and language-related differences at the level of the auditory cortex (AC). Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we recorded transient and sustained auditory evoked fields (AEF) in native Chinese and German speakers to investigate language related phonological and semantic aspects in the processing of acoustic stimuli. AEF were elicited by spoken meaningful and meaningless syllables, by vowels, and by a French horn tone. Speech sounds were recorded from a native speaker and showed frequency-modulations according to the pitch-contours of Mandarin. The sustained field (SF) evoked by natural speech signals was significantly larger for Chinese than for German listeners. In contrast, the SF elicited by a horn tone was not significantly different between groups. Furthermore, the SF of Chinese subjects was larger when evoked by meaningful syllables compared to meaningless ones, but there was no significant difference regarding whether vowels were part of the Chinese phonological system or not. Moreover, the N100m gave subtle but clear evidence that for Chinese listeners other factors than purely physical properties play a role in processing meaningful signals. These findings show that the N100 and the SF generated in Heschl's gyrus are influenced by language experience, which suggests that AC activity related to specific pitch contours of vowels is influenced in a top-down fashion by higher, language related areas. Such interactions are in line with anatomical findings and neuroimaging data, as well as with the dual-stream model of language of Hickok and Poeppel that highlights the close and reciprocal interaction between

[Recommendations for the clinical use of motor evoked potentials in multiple sclerosis].

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, V; Valls-Sole, J; Relova, J L; Raguer, N; Miralles, F; Dinca, L; Taramundi, S; Costa-Frossard, L; Ferrandiz, M; Ramió-Torrentà, Ll; Villoslada, P; Saiz, A; Calles, C; Antigüedad, A; Alvarez-Cermeño, J C; Prieto, J M; Izquierdo, G; Montalbán, X; Fernández, O

2013-09-01

To establish clinical guidelines for the clinical use and interpretation of motor evoked potentials (MEP) in diagnosing and monitoring patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Recommendations for MEP use and interpretation will help us rationalise and optimise resources used in MS patient diagnosis and follow up. We completed an extensive literature review and pooled our own data to produce a consensus statement with recommendations for the clinical use of MEPs in the study of MS. MEPs, in addition to spinal and cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), help us diagnose and assess MS patients whose disease initially presents as spinal cord syndrome and those with non-specific brain MRI findings, or a normal brain MRI and clinical signs of MS. Whenever possible, a multimodal evoked potential study should be performed on patients with suspected MS in order to demonstrate involvement of the motor pathway which supports a diagnosis of dissemination in space. Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Acquisition of MDMA self-administration: pharmacokinetic factors and MDMA-induced serotonin release.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradbury, Sarah; Bird, Judith; Colussi-Mas, Joyce; Mueller, Melanie; Ricaurte, George; Schenk, Susan

2014-09-01

The current study aimed to elucidate the role of pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters and neurotransmitter efflux in explaining variability in (±) 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) self-administration in rats. PK profiles of MDMA and its major metabolites were determined after the administration of 1.0 mg/kg MDMA (iv) prior to, and following, the acquisition of MDMA self-administration. Synaptic levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) and dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens were measured following administration of MDMA (1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg, iv) using in vivo microdialysis and compared for rats that acquired or failed to acquire MDMA self-administration. Effects of the 5HT neurotoxin, 5,7 dihydroxytryptamine (5, 7-DHT), on the acquisition of MDMA and cocaine self-administration were also determined. In keeping with previous findings, approximately 50% of rats failed to meet a criterion for acquisition of MDMA self-administration. The PK profiles of MDMA and its metabolites did not differ between rats that acquired or failed to acquire MDMA self-administration. MDMA produced more overflow of 5HT than DA. The MDMA-induced 5HT overflow was lower in rats that acquired MDMA self-administration compared with those that did not acquire self-administration. In contrast, MDMA-induced DA overflow was comparable for the two groups. Prior 5,7-DHT lesions reduced tissue levels of 5HT and markedly increased the percentage of rats that acquired MDMA self-administration and also decreased the latency to acquisition of cocaine self-administration. These data suggest that 5HT limits the initial sensitivity to the positively reinforcing effects of MDMA and delays the acquisition of reliable self-administration. © 2013 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Modulation of visually evoked postural responses by contextual visual, haptic and auditory information: a 'virtual reality check'.

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Georg F Meyer

Full Text Available Externally generated visual motion signals can cause the illusion of self-motion in space (vection and corresponding visually evoked postural responses (VEPR. These VEPRs are not simple responses to optokinetic stimulation, but are modulated by the configuration of the environment. The aim of this paper is to explore what factors modulate VEPRs in a high quality virtual reality (VR environment where real and virtual foreground objects served as static visual, auditory and haptic reference points. Data from four experiments on visually evoked postural responses show that: 1 visually evoked postural sway in the lateral direction is modulated by the presence of static anchor points that can be haptic, visual and auditory reference signals; 2 real objects and their matching virtual reality representations as visual anchors have different effects on postural sway; 3 visual motion in the anterior-posterior plane induces robust postural responses that are not modulated by the presence of reference signals or the reality of objects that can serve as visual anchors in the scene. We conclude that automatic postural responses for laterally moving visual stimuli are strongly influenced by the configuration and interpretation of the environment and draw on multisensory representations. Different postural responses were observed for real and virtual visual reference objects. On the basis that automatic visually evoked postural responses in high fidelity virtual environments should mimic those seen in real situations we propose to use the observed effect as a robust objective test for presence and fidelity in VR.

Auditory evoked responses to binaural beat illusion: stimulus generation and the derivation of the Binaural Interaction Component (BIC).

Science.gov (United States)

Ozdamar, Ozcan; Bohorquez, Jorge; Mihajloski, Todor; Yavuz, Erdem; Lachowska, Magdalena

2011-01-01

Electrophysiological indices of auditory binaural beats illusions are studied using late latency evoked responses. Binaural beats are generated by continuous monaural FM tones with slightly different ascending and descending frequencies lasting about 25 ms presented at 1 sec intervals. Frequency changes are carefully adjusted to avoid any creation of abrupt waveform changes. Binaural Interaction Component (BIC) analysis is used to separate the neural responses due to binaural involvement. The results show that the transient auditory evoked responses can be obtained from the auditory illusion of binaural beats.

Evidence for evoked release of adenosine and glutamate from cultured cerebellar granule cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schousboe, A.; Frandsen, A.; Drejer, J.

1989-01-01

Evoked release of [ 3 H]-D-aspartate which labels the neurotransmitter glutamate pool in cultured cerebellar granule cells was compared with evoked release of adenosine from similar cultures. It was found that both adenosine and [3H]-D-aspartate could be released from the neurons in a calcium dependent manner after depolarization of the cells with either 10-100 microM glutamate or 50 mM KCl. Cultures of cerebellar granule cells treated with 50 microM kainate to eliminate GABAergic neurons behaved in the same way. This together with the observation that cultured astrocytes did not exhibit a calcium dependent, potassium stimulated adenosine release strongly suggest that cerebellar granule cells release adenosine in a neurotransmitter-like fashion together with glutamate which is the classical neurotransmitter of these neurons. Studies of the metabolism of adenosine showed that in the granule cells adenosine is rapidly metabolized to ATP, ADP, and AMP, but in spite of this, adenosine was found to be released preferential to ATP

On the Dynamics of Action Representations Evoked by Names of Manipulable Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Bub, Daniel N.; Masson, Michael E. J.

2012-01-01

Two classes of hand action representations are shown to be activated by listening to the name of a manipulable object (e.g., cellphone). The functional action associated with the proper use of an object is evoked soon after the onset of its name, as indicated by primed execution of that action. Priming is sustained throughout the duration of the…

Modulation of Visually Evoked Postural Responses by Contextual Visual, Haptic and Auditory Information: A ‘Virtual Reality Check’

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Georg F.; Shao, Fei; White, Mark D.; Hopkins, Carl; Robotham, Antony J.

2013-01-01

Externally generated visual motion signals can cause the illusion of self-motion in space (vection) and corresponding visually evoked postural responses (VEPR). These VEPRs are not simple responses to optokinetic stimulation, but are modulated by the configuration of the environment. The aim of this paper is to explore what factors modulate VEPRs in a high quality virtual reality (VR) environment where real and virtual foreground objects served as static visual, auditory and haptic reference points. Data from four experiments on visually evoked postural responses show that: 1) visually evoked postural sway in the lateral direction is modulated by the presence of static anchor points that can be haptic, visual and auditory reference signals; 2) real objects and their matching virtual reality representations as visual anchors have different effects on postural sway; 3) visual motion in the anterior-posterior plane induces robust postural responses that are not modulated by the presence of reference signals or the reality of objects that can serve as visual anchors in the scene. We conclude that automatic postural responses for laterally moving visual stimuli are strongly influenced by the configuration and interpretation of the environment and draw on multisensory representations. Different postural responses were observed for real and virtual visual reference objects. On the basis that automatic visually evoked postural responses in high fidelity virtual environments should mimic those seen in real situations we propose to use the observed effect as a robust objective test for presence and fidelity in VR. PMID:23840760

The effectiveness of FES-evoked EMG potentials to assess muscle force and fatigue in individuals with spinal cord injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibitoye, Morufu Olusola; Estigoni, Eduardo H; Hamzaid, Nur Azah; Wahab, Ahmad Khairi Abdul; Davis, Glen M

2014-07-14

The evoked electromyographic signal (eEMG) potential is the standard index used to monitor both electrical changes within the motor unit during muscular activity and the electrical patterns during evoked contraction. However, technical and physiological limitations often preclude the acquisition and analysis of the signal especially during functional electrical stimulation (FES)-evoked contractions. Hence, an accurate quantification of the relationship between the eEMG potential and FES-evoked muscle response remains elusive and continues to attract the attention of researchers due to its potential application in the fields of biomechanics, muscle physiology, and rehabilitation science. We conducted a systematic review to examine the effectiveness of eEMG potentials to assess muscle force and fatigue, particularly as a biofeedback descriptor of FES-evoked contractions in individuals with spinal cord injury. At the outset, 2867 citations were identified and, finally, fifty-nine trials met the inclusion criteria. Four hypotheses were proposed and evaluated to inform this review. The results showed that eEMG is effective at quantifying muscle force and fatigue during isometric contraction, but may not be effective during dynamic contractions including cycling and stepping. Positive correlation of up to r = 0.90 (p peak-to-peak amplitude of the eEMG and the decline in the force output during fatiguing isometric contractions has been reported. In the available prediction models, the performance index of the eEMG signal to estimate the generated muscle force ranged from 3.8% to 34% for 18 s to 70 s ahead of the actual muscle force generation. The strength and inherent limitations of the eEMG signal to assess muscle force and fatigue were evident from our findings with implications in clinical management of spinal cord injury (SCI) population.

The Effectiveness of FES-Evoked EMG Potentials to Assess Muscle Force and Fatigue in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

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Morufu Olusola Ibitoye

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The evoked electromyographic signal (eEMG potential is the standard index used to monitor both electrical changes within the motor unit during muscular activity and the electrical patterns during evoked contraction. However, technical and physiological limitations often preclude the acquisition and analysis of the signal especially during functional electrical stimulation (FES-evoked contractions. Hence, an accurate quantification of the relationship between the eEMG potential and FES-evoked muscle response remains elusive and continues to attract the attention of researchers due to its potential application in the fields of biomechanics, muscle physiology, and rehabilitation science. We conducted a systematic review to examine the effectiveness of eEMG potentials to assess muscle force and fatigue, particularly as a biofeedback descriptor of FES-evoked contractions in individuals with spinal cord injury. At the outset, 2867 citations were identified and, finally, fifty-nine trials met the inclusion criteria. Four hypotheses were proposed and evaluated to inform this review. The results showed that eEMG is effective at quantifying muscle force and fatigue during isometric contraction, but may not be effective during dynamic contractions including cycling and stepping. Positive correlation of up to r = 0.90 (p < 0.05 between the decline in the peak-to-peak amplitude of the eEMG and the decline in the force output during fatiguing isometric contractions has been reported. In the available prediction models, the performance index of the eEMG signal to estimate the generated muscle force ranged from 3.8% to 34% for 18 s to 70 s ahead of the actual muscle force generation. The strength and inherent limitations of the eEMG signal to assess muscle force and fatigue were evident from our findings with implications in clinical management of spinal cord injury (SCI population.

Altered Evoked Gamma-Band Responses Reveal Impaired Early Visual Processing in ADHD Children

Science.gov (United States)

Lenz, Daniel; Krauel, Kerstin; Flechtner, Hans-Henning; Schadow, Jeanette; Hinrichs, Hermann; Herrmann, Christoph S.

2010-01-01

Neurophysiological studies yield contrary results whether attentional problems of patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are related to early visual processing deficits or not. Evoked gamma-band responses (GBRs), being among the first cortical responses occurring as early as 90 ms after visual stimulation in human EEG, have…

Chaos analysis of the electrical signal time series evoked by acupuncture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jiang; Sun Li; Fei Xiangyang; Zhu Bing

2007-01-01

This paper employs chaos theory to analyze the time series of electrical signal which are evoked by different acupuncture methods applied to the Zusanli point. The phase space is reconstructed and the embedding parameters are obtained by the mutual information and Cao's methods. Subsequently, the largest Lyapunov exponent is calculated. From the analyses we can conclude that the time series are chaotic. In addition, differences between various acupuncture methods are discussed

Modeling the Developmental Patterns of Auditory Evoked Magnetic Fields in Children

OpenAIRE

Kotecha, Rupesh; Pardos, Maria; Wang, Yingying; Wu, Ting; Horn, Paul; Brown, David; Rose, Douglas; deGrauw, Ton; Xiang, Jing

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: As magnetoencephalography (MEG) is of increasing utility in the assessment of deficits and development delays in brain disorders in pediatrics, it becomes imperative to fully understand the functional development of the brain in children. METHODOLOGY: The present study was designed to characterize the developmental patterns of auditory evoked magnetic responses with respect to age and gender. Sixty children and twenty adults were studied with a 275-channel MEG system. CONCLUSIONS:...

What reported food-evoked emotions may add : A model to predict consumer food choice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gutjar, Swetlana; Dalenberg, Jelle R.; de Graaf, Cees; de Wijk, Rene A.; Palascha, Aikaterini; Renken, Remco J.; Jager, Gerry

2015-01-01

Food-evoked emotions provide information that goes beyond the information from traditional hedonic ratings. The objectives of our study were: (i) to investigate how intrinsic (sensory) and extrinsic (packaging) cues affect consumers' emotional responses to foods, and (ii) to explore whether

What reported food-evoked emotions may add: A model to predict consumer food choice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gutjar, S.; Dalenberg, J.R.; Graaf, de C.; Wijk, de R.A.; Palascha, A.; Renken, Remco J.; Jager, G.

2015-01-01

Food-evoked emotions provide information that goes beyond the information from traditional hedonic ratings. The objectives of our study were: (i) to investigate how intrinsic (sensory) and extrinsic (packaging) cues affect consumers’ emotional responses to foods, and (ii) to explore whether

Motor unit activation order during electrically evoked contractions of paralyzed or partially paralyzed muscles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thomas, CK; Nelson, G; Than, L; Zijdewind, Inge

The activation order of motor units during electrically evoked contractions of paralyzed or partially paralyzed thenar muscles was determined in seven subjects with chronic cervical spinal cord injury. The median nerve was stimulated percutaneously with pulses of graded intensity to produce

Evoked bioelectrical brain activity following exposure to ionizing radiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Loganovsky, K; Kuts, K

2017-12-01

The article provides an overview of modern physiological evidence to support the hypothesis on cortico limbic sys tem dysfunction due to the hippocampal neurogenesis impairment as a basis of the brain interhemispheric asym metry and neurocognitive deficit after radiation exposure. The importance of the research of both evoked poten tials and fields as a highly sensitive and informative method is emphasized.Particular attention is paid to cerebral sensor systems dysfunction as a typical effect of ionizing radiation. Changes in functioning of the central parts of sensory analyzers of different modalities as well as the violation of brain integrative information processes under the influence of small doses of ionizing radiation can be critical when determining the radiation risks of space flight. The possible long term prospects for manned flights into space, including to Mars, given the effects identified are discussed. Potential risks to the central nervous system during space travel comprise cognitive functions impairment, including the volume of short term memory short ening, impaired motor functions, behavioral changes that could affect human performance and health. The remote risks for CNS are considered to be the following possible neuropsychiatric disorders: accelerated brain aging, Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. The new radiocerebral dose dependent effect, when applied cog nitive auditory evoked potentials P300 technique with a possible threshold dose of 0.05 Gy, manifesting in a form of disruption of information processing in the Wernicke's area is under discussion. In order to identify neurophys iological biological markers of ionizing radiation further international researches with adequate dosimetry support are necessary. K. Loganovsky, K. Kuts.

The cortical spatiotemporal correlate of otolith stimulation: Vestibular evoked potentials by body translations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ertl, M; Moser, M; Boegle, R; Conrad, J; Zu Eulenburg, P; Dieterich, M

2017-07-15

The vestibular organ senses linear and rotational acceleration of the head during active and passive motion. These signals are necessary for bipedal locomotion, navigation, the coordination of eye and head movements in 3D space. The temporal dynamics of vestibular processing in cortical structures have hardly been studied in humans, let alone with natural stimulation. The aim was to investigate the cortical vestibular network related to natural otolith stimulation using a hexapod motion platform. We conducted two experiments, 1. to estimate the sources of the vestibular evoked potentials (VestEPs) by means of distributed source localization (n=49), and 2. to reveal modulations of the VestEPs through the underlying acceleration intensity (n=24). For both experiments subjects were accelerated along the main axis (left/right, up/down, fore/aft) while the EEG was recorded. We were able to identify five VestEPs (P1, N1, P2, N2, P3) with latencies between 38 and 461 ms as well as an evoked beta-band response peaking with a latency of 68 ms in all subjects and for all acceleration directions. Source localization gave the cingulate sulcus visual (CSv) area and the opercular-insular region as the main origin of the evoked potentials. No lateralization effects due to handedness could be observed. In the second experiment, area CSv was shown to be integral in the processing of acceleration intensities as sensed by the otolith organs, hinting at its potential role in ego-motion detection. These robust VestEPs could be used to investigate the mechanisms of inter-regional interaction in the natural context of vestibular processing and multisensory integration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Potenciais evocados audotivos de longa latências: um estudo de caso de afasia de expressão Long latency evoked audition potentials: expression aphasia case study

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Iracema Hermes Pires de Melo

2007-09-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: relatar os resultados do teste de potencial evocado auditivo de longa latência (PEALL e da avaliação de linguagem de um paciente com afasia. MÉTODOS: o estudo avaliou um individuo do gênero masculino que sofreu uma lesão cortical na área frontal esquerda há 20 meses participando de terapia fonoaudiológica por 4 meses submetido ao exame PEALL no pré e pós tratamento. RESULTADOS: a avaliação da linguagem revelou 64,94% de acertos do total de pontos, apresentando melhor atuação na atividade de compreensão/expressão da linguagem oral, porém com maior dificuldade em organização da linguagem escrita. Quanto à avaliação do N2, foi observado atraso em hemisfério cerebral direito (HD e esquerdo (HE, a amplitude do N2 encontrou-se diminuída em ambos os hemisférios, a latência do P3 encontrou-se atrasada em HE. Para a amplitude do P3, observou-se valores aumentados em HE. A melhora observada nos componentes N2 e P3 no exame pós tratamento, possivelmente seja devido à influência da estimulação dos exercícios fonoaudiológicos. CONCLUSÃO: esses resultados sugerem a importância da fonoterapia em indivíduos portadores de afasia e do exame de PEALL no acompanhamento da evolução clínica.PURPOSE: to report the test results for evoked potential auditory of long latency (PEALL and the language evaluation of a patient with aphasia. METHODS: a man volunteer that suffered a cortical injury in the left frontal area for 20 months took part in a speech therapy for 4 months and was submitted to PEALL examination in the pre and post treatment. RESULTS: the evaluation of the language showed 64.94% of hits with regards to the total of points, showing better performance in the activity of understanding/expression as for the verbal language, however, with more difficulty in organizing the written language. As for the evaluation of N2, a delay was observed in the right cerebral hemisphere (HR and left hemisphere (HL. The

Influence of gender on the vestibular evoked myogenic potential Influência do gênero no potencial miogênico evocado vestibular

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Aline Tenório Lins Carnaúba

2011-04-01

Full Text Available There is no consensus on the relevance of factors that influence gender differences in the behavior of muscles. Some studies have reported a relationship between muscle tension and amplitude of the vestibular evoked myogenic potential; others, that results depend on which muscles are studied or on how much load is applied. AIMS: This study aims to compare vestibular evoked myogenic potential parameters between genders in young individuals. METHODS: Eighty young adults were selected - 40 men and 40 women. Stimuli were averaged tone-bursts at 500 Hz, 90 dBHL intensity, and a 10-1000 Hz bandpass filter with amplification of 10-25 microvolts per division. The recordings were made in 80 ms windows. STUDY TYPE: An experimental and prospective study. RESULTS: No significant gender differences were found in wave latency - p = 0.19 and p = 0.50 for waves P13 and N23, respectively. No differences were found in amplitude values - p = 0.28 p = 0.40 for waves P13 and N23, respectively. CONCLUSION: There were no gender differences in latency and amplitude factors; the sternocleidomastoid muscle strain was monitored during the examination.Não existe consenso sobre a relevância dos fatores que influenciam as diferenças entre gêneros no comportamento dos músculos. Alguns estudos relatam existir uma relação entre tensão muscular e amplitude do potencial miogênico evocado vestibular, outros apenas que os resultados dependem dos músculos estudados ou do aumento da carga imposta. OBJETIVOS: Este estudo tem como objetivo comparar os parâmetros do potencial miogênico evocado vestibular, entre os gêneros, em indivíduos jovens. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Selecionaram-se 80 adultos jovens, sendo 40 homens e 40 mulheres. Foram promediados estímulos tone burts na frequência de 500Hz, na intensidade de 90 dBNA, utilizando-se um filtro passa banda de 10 a 1000 Hz, com amplificação de 10 a 25 microvolts por divisão. Os registros foram realizados em janelas de 80

Video outside versus video inside the web: do media setting and image size have an impact on the emotion-evoking potential of video?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verleur, R.; Verhagen, Pleunes Willem; Crawford, Margaret; Simonson, Michael; Lamboy, Carmen

2001-01-01

To explore the educational potential of video-evoked affective responses in a Web-based environment, the question was raised whether video in a Web-based environment is experienced differently from video in a traditional context. An experiment was conducted that studied the affect-evoking power of

Multifocal Visual Evoked Potential in Eyes With Temporal Hemianopia From Chiasmal Compression: Correlation With Standard Automated Perimetry and OCT Findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Sousa, Rafael M; Oyamada, Maria K; Cunha, Leonardo P; Monteiro, Mário L R

2017-09-01

To verify whether multifocal visual evoked potential (mfVEP) can differentiate eyes with temporal hemianopia due to chiasmal compression from healthy controls. To assess the relationship between mfVEP, standard automated perimetry (SAP), and Fourier domain-optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) macular and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements. Twenty-seven eyes with permanent temporal visual field (VF) defects from chiasmal compression on SAP and 43 eyes of healthy controls were submitted to mfVEP and FD-OCT scanning. Multifocal visual evoked potential was elicited using a stimulus pattern of 60 sectors and the responses were averaged for the four quadrants and two hemifields. Optical coherence tomography macular measurements were averaged in quadrants and halves, while peripapillary RNFL thickness was averaged in four sectors around the disc. Visual field loss was estimated in four quadrants and each half of the 24-2 strategy test points. Multifocal visual evoked potential measurements in the two groups were compared using generalized estimated equations, and the correlations between mfVEP, VF, and OCT findings were quantified. Multifocal visual evoked potential-measured temporal P1 and N2 amplitudes were significantly smaller in patients than in controls. No significant difference in amplitude was observed for nasal parameters. A significant correlation was found between mfVEP amplitudes and temporal VF loss, and between mfVEP amplitudes and the corresponding OCT-measured macular and RNFL thickness parameters. Multifocal visual evoked potential amplitude parameters were able to differentiate eyes with temporal hemianopia from controls and were significantly correlated with VF and OCT findings, suggesting mfVEP is a useful tool for the detection of visual abnormalities in patients with chiasmal compression.

The Duration of Motor Responses Evoked with Intracortical Microstimulation in Rats Is Primarily Modulated by Stimulus Amplitude and Train Duration.

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Meghan Watson

Full Text Available Microstimulation of brain tissue plays a key role in a variety of sensory prosthetics, clinical therapies and research applications, however the effects of stimulation parameters on the responses they evoke remain widely unknown. In particular, the effects of parameters when delivered in the form of a stimulus train as opposed to a single pulse are not well understood despite the prevalence of stimulus train use. We aimed to investigate the contribution of each parameter of a stimulus train to the duration of the motor responses they evoke in forelimb muscles. We used constant-current, biphasic, square wave pulse trains in acute terminal experiments under ketamine anaesthesia. Stimulation parameters were systematically tested in a pair-wise fashion in the caudal forelimb region of the motor cortex in 7 Sprague-Dawley rats while motor evoked potential (MEP recordings from the forelimb were used to quantify the influence of each parameter in the train. Stimulus amplitude and train duration were shown to be the dominant parameters responsible for increasing the total duration of the MEP, while interphase interval had no effect. Increasing stimulus frequency from 100-200 Hz or pulse duration from 0.18-0.34 ms were also effective methods of extending response durations. Response duration was strongly correlated with peak time and amplitude. Our findings suggest that motor cortex intracortical microstimulations are often conducted at a higher frequency rate and longer train duration than necessary to evoke maximal response duration. We demonstrated that the temporal properties of the evoked response can be both predicted by certain response metrics and modulated via alterations to the stimulation signal parameters.

A utilização da teoria da aprendizagem significativa no ensino da Enfermagem

OpenAIRE

Alana Tamar Oliveira de Sousa; Nilton Soares Formiga; Simone Helena dos Santos Oliveira; Marta Miriam Lopes Costa; Maria Júlia Guimarães Oliveira Soares

2015-01-01

RESUMO Objetivo: sintetizar a produção científica acerca da Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa no processo de ensino-aprendizagem em Enfermagem. Método: revisão integrativa realizada nas bases de dados MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO, BDENF e CINAHL, com artigos que abordaram a temática ou aspectos da teoria da aprendizagem significativa de David Ausubel. Fizeram parte da amostra dez artigos, sendo seis escritos no idioma português e quatro no inglês, publicados de 1998 a 2013. Resultados: cinco...

Temporal suppression and augmentation of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verhulst, Sarah; Harte, James; Dau, Torsten

2008-01-01

This study investigates and models temporal suppression of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs). This suppression-effect is created when a suppressor-click is presented close in time to a test-click. The analysis was carried out for short time-frames of short- and long-latency CEOAEs...... suppression is present in all CEOAEs for inter-click intervals (ICIs) less than 8 ms. The long-latency CEOAEs showed augmentation (i.e., negative suppression) for ICIs of 6-7 ms which was not reported for the short-latency CEOAE at these ICIs. A phenomenological approach is adopted here to explain both...

Presynaptic nicotinic α7 and non-α7 receptors stimulate endogenous GABA release from rat hippocampal synaptosomes through two mechanisms of action.

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Stefania Zappettini

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Although converging evidence has suggested that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR play a role in the modulation of GABA release in rat hippocampus, the specific involvement of different nAChR subtypes at presynaptic level is still a matter of debate. In the present work we investigated, using selective α7 and α4β2 nAChR agonists, the presence of different nAChR subtypes on hippocampal GABA nerve endings to assess to what extent and through which mechanisms they stimulate endogenous GABA release. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS: All agonists elicited GABA overflow. Choline (Ch-evoked GABA overflow was dependent to external Ca(2+, but unaltered in the presence of Cd(2+, tetrodotoxin (TTX, dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE and 1-(4,4-Diphenyl-3-butenyl-3-piperidinecarboxylic acid hydrochloride SKF 89976A. The effect of Ch was blocked by methyllycaconitine (MLA, α-bungarotoxin (α-BTX, dantrolene, thapsigargin and xestospongin C, suggesting that GABA release might be triggered by Ca(2+ entry into synaptosomes through the α7 nAChR channel with the involvement of calcium from intracellular stores. Additionally, 5-Iodo-A-85380 dihydrochloride (5IA85380 elicited GABA overflow, which was Ca(2+ dependent, blocked by Cd(2+, and significantly inhibited by TTX and DHβE, but unaffected by MLA, SKF 89976A, thapsigargin and xestospongin C and dantrolene. These findings confirm the involvement of α4β2 nAChR in 5IA85380-induced GABA release that seems to occur following membrane depolarization and opening calcium channels. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Rat hippocampal synaptosomes possess both α7 and α4β2 nAChR subtypes, which can modulate GABA release via two distinct mechanisms of action. The finding that GABA release evoked by the mixture of sub-maximal concentration of 5IA85380 plus sub-threshold concentrations of Ch was significantly larger than that elicited by the sum of the effects of the two agonists is compatible with the possibility that

Observed and Modeled Pathways of the Iceland Scotland Overflow Water in the eastern North Atlantic

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Sijia; Lozier, Susan; Zenk, Walter; Bower, Amy; Johns, William

2017-04-01

The Iceland Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW), one of the major components of the lower limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), is formed in the Nordic Seas and enters the eastern North Atlantic subpolar gyre via the Iceland-Scotland sill. After entraining the ambient waters, the relatively homogeneous ISOW spreads southward into the North Atlantic. An understanding of the distribution and variability of the spreading pathways of the ISOW is fundamental to our understanding of AMOC structure and variability. Three major ISOW pathways have been identified in the eastern North Atlantic by previous studies: 1) across the Reykjanes Ridge via deep gaps, 2) through the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone, and 3) southward along the eastern flank of the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR). However, most of these studies were conducted using an Eulerian frame with limited observations, especially for the third pathway along the eastern flank of the MAR. In this work, we give a comprehensive description of ISOW pathways in the Eulerian and Lagrangian frames, quantify the relative importance of each pathway and examine the temporal variability of these pathways. Our study distinguishes itself from past studies by using both Eulerian (current meter data) and Lagrangian (eddy-resolving RAFOS float data) observations in combination with modeling output (1/12° FLAME) to describe ISOW spreading pathways and their variability.

Impact of Combined Sewer Overflow on Wastewater Treatment and Microbiological Quality of Rivers for Recreation

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Franz Mascher

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Within the framework of a one-year study the treatment capacity of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP was evaluated, with regard to fecal indicator bacteria (FIB and to their influence on the recipient. The logarithmic reduction rates for fecal coliforms (FC, Escherichia coli (EC and intestinal enterococci (IE were 2.84, 2.90 and 2.93. In the investigated period of time, the tested treatment plant released 4.3% of the total annual load flow volume as combined sewer overflow (CSO, that is, when the influent into the combined sewer exceeds the capacity of the treatment plant and coarsely cleaned wastewater arrives at the recipient. This CSO discharge increased the number of FIB significantly by 1.2 × 102 MPN/100 mL for EC, and by 1.8 × 101 MPN/100 mL for IE. For the Styrian part of the Mur River (1.6 million inhabitants, a calculation of FIB of all sewage treatment plants estimating the same ratio of CSO (4.3% and a given mean flow rate (QM results in a significant increase of the FIB load in the recipient: 3.8 × 103 MPN/100 mL for EC and 5.8 × 102 MPN/100 mL for IE. On the basis of these values the standards of water quality for recreational purposes cannot be met.

Novel Eye Movement Disorders in Whipple’s Disease—Staircase Horizontal Saccades, Gaze-Evoked Nystagmus, and Esotropia

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Aasef G. Shaikh

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Whipple’s disease, a rare systemic infectious disorder, is complicated by the involvement of the central nervous system in about 5% of cases. Oscillations of the eyes and the jaw, called oculo-masticatory myorhythmia, are pathognomonic of the central nervous system involvement but are often absent. Typical manifestations of the central nervous system Whipple’s disease are cognitive impairment, parkinsonism mimicking progressive supranuclear palsy with vertical saccade slowing, and up-gaze range limitation. We describe a unique patient with the central nervous system Whipple’s disease who had typical features, including parkinsonism, cognitive impairment, and up-gaze limitation; but also had diplopia, esotropia with mild horizontal (abduction more than adduction limitation, and vertigo. The patient also had gaze-evoked nystagmus and staircase horizontal saccades. Latter were thought to be due to mal-programmed small saccades followed by a series of corrective saccades. The saccades were disconjugate due to the concurrent strabismus. Also, we noted disconjugacy in the slow phase of gaze-evoked nystagmus. The disconjugacy of the slow phase of gaze-evoked nystagmus was larger during monocular viewing condition. We propose that interaction of the strabismic drifts of the covered eyes and the nystagmus drift, putatively at the final common pathway might lead to such disconjugacy.

Abnormalities in auditory evoked potentials of 75 patients with Arnold-Chiari malformations types I and II

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Henriques Filho Paulo Sergio A.

2006-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency and degree of severity of abnormalities in the auditory pathways in patients with Chiari malformations type I and II. METHOD: This is a series-of-case descriptive study in which the possible presence of auditory pathways abnormalities in 75 patients (48 children and 27 adults with Chiari malformation types I and II were analyzed by means of auditory evoked potentials evaluation. The analysis was based on the determination of intervals among potentials peak values, absolute latency and amplitude ratio among potentials V and I. RESULTS: Among the 75 patients studied, 27 (36% disclosed Arnold-Chiari malformations type I and 48 (64% showed Arnold-Chiari malformations type II. Fifty-three (71% of these patients showed some degree of auditory evoked potential abnormalities. Tests were normal in the remaining 22 (29% patients. CONCLUSION: Auditory evoked potentials testing can be considered a valuable instrument for diagnosis and evaluation of brain stem functional abnormalities in patients with Arnold-Chiari malformations type I and II. The determination of the presence and degree of severity of these abnormalities can be contributory to the prevention of further handicaps in these patients either through physical therapy or by means of precocious corrective surgical intervention.

Effect of surgery on sensory threshold and somatosensory evoked potentials after skin stimulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, C; Hansen, O B; Kehlet, H

1990-01-01

We have studied the effect of surgical injury on cutaneous sensitivity and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) to dermatomal electrical stimulation in 10 patients undergoing hysterectomy. Forty-eight hours after surgery, sensory threshold increased from 2.2 (SEM 0.3) mA to 4.4 (1.1) mA (P less...

Model evaluation of faecal contamination in coastal areas affected by urban rivers receiving combined sewer overflows.

Science.gov (United States)

Shibata, T; Kojima, K; Lee, S A; Furumai, H

2014-01-01

Odaiba seaside park is one of the most popular waterfronts in Tokyo Bay, but is easily affected by wet weather pollutant loads through combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The monitoring data of Escherichia coli clearly showed high faecal contamination after a rainfall event on 9-11 November 2007. We estimated the amounts of discharge volume and E. coli pollutant loads of urban rivers receiving CSO from rainfall chambers as well as pumping stations and primary effluent discharge. The result suggested that Sumida River and Meguro River were more influential to the Odaiba coastal area than other sources including the nearest wastewater treatment plant. Subsequently, we simulated the dynamic behaviour of E. coli by a three-dimensional (3D) hydro-dynamic and water quality model. The model simulation reproduced that E. coli concentration after the rainfall event increased rapidly at first and later gradually decreased. The simulations with and without inflow pollutant loads from urban rivers suggested that the E. coli concentration can be influenced by the Meguro River just after the rainfall event and Sumida River about 1 week later. From the spatial and temporal distribution of surface E. coli concentration, after at least 6 days from the rainfall event, high faecal contamination spread to the whole of the coastal area.

Differential effect of intravenous S-ketamine and fentanyl on atypical odontalgia and capsaicin-evoked pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baad-Hansen, Lene; Juhl, Gitte Irene; Jensen, Troels Staehelin

2007-01-01

temporal summation were compared between groups and sides. Both drugs failed to produce an analgesic effect on spontaneous AO pain, but fentanyl effectively reduced capsaicin-evoked pain. AO patients showed increased sensitivity to capsaicin and heat pain, but no significant differences in cold......Atypical odontalgia (AO) is an intraoral pain condition of currently unknown mechanisms. In 10 AO patients and 10 matched healthy controls, we examined the effect of intravenous infusion of an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist S-ketamine and a mu-opioid agonist fentanyl on spontaneous...... AO pain and on an acute intraoral nociceptive input evoked by topical application of capsaicin. The drugs were administered in a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over manner. Furthermore, measures of intraoral sensitivity to mechanical and thermal quantitative sensory testing (QST) including...

Publicidade e ética: um estudo da construção da imagem da mulher

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Elizabeth Moraes Gonçalves

2010-02-01

Full Text Available O texto propõe uma reflexão sobre a ética da responsabilidade na publicidade veiculada nas revistas Claudia e Nova. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva, resultante da leitura dos anúncios selecionados, subsidiada por teóricos da Análise do Discurso da linha francesa, que busca averiguar como a mulher é representada. Constatou-se que no contexto da sociedade contemporânea o retrato da mulher como sedutora ainda está presente, mesmo que em vários momentos ela apareça como protagonista de sua própria vida.

Functional MRI brain imaging studies using the Contact Heat Evoked Potential Stimulator (CHEPS in a human volunteer topical capsaicin pain model

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Shenoy R

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Ravikiran Shenoy1, Katherine Roberts1, Anastasia Papadaki2, Donald McRobbie2, Maarten Timmers3, Theo Meert3, Praveen Anand11Peripheral Neuropathy Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London; 2Imaging Sciences Department, Charing Cross Hospital, London, United Kingdom; 3Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Beerse, BelgiumAbstract: Acute application of topical capsaicin produces spontaneous burning and stinging pain similar to that seen in some neuropathic states, with local hyperalgesia. Use of capsaicin applied topically or injected intradermally has been described as a model for neuropathic pain, with patterns of activation in brain regions assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI and positron emission tomography. The Contact Heat Evoked Potential Stimulator (CHEPS is a noninvasive clinically practical method of stimulating cutaneous A-delta nociceptors. In this study, topical capsaicin (1% was applied to the left volar forearm for 15 minutes of twelve adult healthy human volunteers. fMRI scans and a visual analog pain score were recorded during CHEPS stimulation precapsaicin and postcapsaicin application. Following capsaicin application there was a significant increase in visual analog scale (mean ± standard error of the mean; precapsaicin 26.4 ± 5.3; postcapsaicin 48.9 ± 6.0; P < 0.0001. fMRI demonstrated an overall increase in areas of activation, with a significant increase in the contralateral insular signal (mean ± standard error of the mean; precapsaicin 0.434 ± 0.03; postcapsaicin 0.561 ± 0.07; P = 0.047. The authors of this paper recently published a study in which CHEPS-evoked A-delta cerebral potential amplitudes were found to be decreased postcapsaicin application. In patients with neuropathic pain, evoked pain and fMRI brain responses are typically increased, while A-delta evoked potential amplitudes are decreased. The protocol of recording fMRI following CHEPS stimulation

Chaos analysis of the electrical signal time series evoked by acupuncture

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Wang Jiang [School of Electrical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China)]. E-mail: jiangwang@tju.edu.cn; Sun Li [School of Electrical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Fei Xiangyang [School of Electrical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Zhu Bing [Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100700 (China)

2007-08-15

This paper employs chaos theory to analyze the time series of electrical signal which are evoked by different acupuncture methods applied to the Zusanli point. The phase space is reconstructed and the embedding parameters are obtained by the mutual information and Cao's methods. Subsequently, the largest Lyapunov exponent is calculated. From the analyses we can conclude that the time series are chaotic. In addition, differences between various acupuncture methods are discussed.

Impact of substance P on the correlation of spike train evoked by electro acupuncture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Chen; Zhang, Xuan; Wang, Jiang; Guo, Yi; Zhao, Xue; Guo, Yong-Ming

2016-01-01

Highlights: • We analyze spike trains induced by EA before and after inhibiting SP in PC6 area. • Inhibiting SP leads to an increase of spiking rate of median nerve. • SP may modulate membrane potential to affect the spiking rate. • SP has an influence on long-range correlation of spike train evoked by EA. • SP play an important role in EA-induced neural spiking and encoding. - Abstract: Substance P (SP) participates in the neural signal transmission evoked by electro-acupuncture (EA). This paper investigates the impact of SP on the correlation of spike train in the median nerve evoked by EA at 'Neiguan' acupoint (PC6). It shows that the spiking rate and interspike interval (ISI) distribution change obviously after inhibiting SP. This variation of spiking activity indicates that SP affects the temporal structure of spike train through modulating the action potential on median nerve filaments. Furtherly, the correlation coefficient and scaling exponent are considered to measure the correlation of spike train. Scaled Windowed Variance (SWV) method is applied to calculate scaling exponent which quantifies the long-range correlation of the neural electrical signals. It is found that the correlation coefficients of ISI increase after inhibiting SP released. In addition, the scaling exponents of neuronal spike train have significant differences between before and after inhibiting SP. These findings demonstrate that SP has an influence on the long-range correlation of spike train. Our results indicate that SP may play an important role in EA-induced neural spiking and encoding.

Correlação do potencial evocado P300 com aspectos cognitivos e depressivos do envelhecimento Correlation of the P300 evoked potential in depressive and cognitive aspects of aging

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Elisiane Crestani de Miranda

2012-10-01

Full Text Available O P300 é um potencial evocado auditivo de longa latência dependente das habilidades cognitivas. Acredita-se que alterações cognitivas decorrentes ou não por sintomas depressivos possam interferir no P300. OBJETIVO: Verificar a influência do envelhecimento, dos aspectos cognitivos e depressivos na latência do P300 em idosos. MÉTODO: Estudo clínico e experimental com 60 idosos com perda auditiva neurossensorial de grau leve a moderadamente grave, sendo 20 do sexo masculino e 40 feminino e idade média de 71,1 anos. Os participantes realizaram o potencial evocado auditivo de longa latência, no qual foi estudada a latência do P300 (milissegundos. Os aspectos cognitivos foram avaliados por meio do Miniexame do Estado Mental (MEEM e Escala de Avaliação da Doença de Alzheimer (ADAS-Cog. Na avaliação da sintomatologia depressiva, foi aplicada a Escala de Depressão Geriátrica (EDG-15. RESULTADOS: Observou-se uma correlação positiva significante entre a Latência e Idade (p = 0,031. Entretanto, não houve diferença significante entre a latência do P300 e as categorias do ADAS-Cog (p = 0,584, MEEM (p = 0,199 e EDG (p = 0,541. CONCLUSÃO:O avanço da idade ocasionou um aumento da latência do P300, porém, o desempenho cognitivo e a presença de sintomatologia depressiva não influenciaram os resultados do P300 nesta população de idosos.The P300 is a long-latency auditory evoked potential highly dependent on cognitive skills. It is believed that cognitive changes caused or not by depressive symptoms may interfere with the P300. AIM: To investigate the influence of aging, cognitive and depression aspects of the P300 latency in elderly people. METHODS: Clinical and experimental study with 60 elderly patients with sensorineural hearing loss of mild to moderately severe level, 20 males and 40 females, average age of 71.1. Participants were submitted to the long latency auditory evoked potential, in which the P300 latency (milliseconds