631 research outputs found
Poor sleep quality and progression of gait impairment in an incident Parkinson’s disease cohort
Abnormal sleep may associate with cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease (PD). Furthermore, sleep dysfunction may associate with worse motor outcome. We hypothesised that PD patients with poor quality sleep would have greater progression in gait dysfunction, due to structural and functional overlap in networks subserving sleep and gait regulation. 12 PD patients and 12 age-matched controls completed longitudinal follow-up over 36 months. Poor sleep efficiency and greater sleep fragmentation correlated significantly with progression of step-width variability, a gait characteristic mediated by postural control, providing evidence that poor sleep in PD is associated with a more rapid deterioration in gait
Recommended from our members
Aerothermal Performance of Shroudless Turbine Blade Tips with Relative Casing Movement Effects
Qualitatively different heat transfer characteristics between a transonic blade tip and a subsonic one have recently been discovered. High-resolution experimental data can be acquired for blade-tip heat transfer research using a high-speed linear cascade. A combined experimental and computational fluid dynamics study on several high-pressure turbine blade-tip configurations is conducted to understand the flow physics in both stationary and moving casing setups. Extensive tests measuring aerodynamic loss and heat transfer have been performed on a stationary squealer tip at engine-representative aerodynamic conditions. A systematic validation of the computational fluid dynamics solver (Rolls–Royce, plc. HYDRA code) is introduced, showing good agreement with the experimental data obtained. Relative casing movement effects are then evaluated for two tip configurations at three different tip gaps. The moving casing is shown to affect the aerothermal performance considerably; the trends are consistently captured for the large and medium tip gaps, both in the stationary and moving casing instances. Presented results confirm that, even with a moving casing, the blade tips remain transonic. It is also shown that the heat transfer is not only dependent on the tip gap size but also the tip-geometry configuration. The squealer cavity is subsonic regardless of the tip gap size, whereas the local flow state over a flat tip is much more responsive to tip gap size
Peer support for patients with type 2 diabetes: cluster randomised controlled trial
Objective To test the effectiveness of peer support for patients with type 2 diabetes
A survey of Internet-mediated intercultural foreign language education in China
In all educational contexts, technological developments and changes in pedagogical theory mean that any picture of current practice and attitudes must be dynamic. In many countries, the learning outcomes of foreign language courses now include intercultural communicative competence (ICC), although the precise model for teaching ICC varies even across the English-speaking world. Internet-mediated approaches are widely used to support intercultural learning. In China, the geographical scale of the country and the speed and extent of contemporary socio-economic evolution, allied to long-established and distinctive cultures of learning, make the interface of new technologies and intercultural learning objectives particularly interesting and significant. A small-scale study of college teachers’ and learners’ perceptions of intercultural classroom instruction, with a special focus on Internet mediation, was conducted in mid-2007, using questionnaires and semi-structured questions, to explore the professional, personal and technical issues associated with Internet-mediated learning of languages and cultures. The results show that textbooks remain the predominant authority, while Internet tools are used as a source of information rather than a means of communication. Findings suggest recognition by teachers and students of the potential of the medium, and of the validity of intercultural goals for foreign language classes, although there are some divergences between the views of teachers and students. However, it is suggested that national policy, local incentives and resources and above all educational traditions do not yet allow optimal use of Internet-mediated approaches
Distinct miRNA profile of cellular and extracellular vesicles released from chicken tracheal cells following avian influenza virus infection
Innate responses provide the first line of defense against viral infections, including the
influenza virus at mucosal surfaces. Communication and interaction between different host cells at
the early stage of viral infections determine the quality and magnitude of immune responses against
the invading virus. The release of membrane-encapsulated extracellular vesicles (EVs), from host
cells, is defined as a refined system of cell-to-cell communication. EVs contain a diverse array of
biomolecules, including microRNAs (miRNAs). We hypothesized that the activation of the tracheal
cells with different stimuli impacts the cellular and EV miRNA profiles. Chicken tracheal rings were
stimulated with polyI:C and LPS from Escherichia coli 026:B6 or infected with low pathogenic avian
influenza virus H4N6. Subsequently, miRNAs were isolated from chicken tracheal cells or from
EVs released from chicken tracheal cells. Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified
in treated groups when compared to the control group. Our results demonstrated that there were
67 up-regulated miRNAs, 157 down-regulated miRNAs across all cellular and EV samples. In the next
step, several genes or pathways targeted by DE miRNAs were predicted. Overall, this study presented
a global miRNA expression profile in chicken tracheas in response to avian influenza viruses (AIV)
and toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands. The results presented predicted the possible roles of some DE
miRNAs in the induction of antiviral responses. The DE candidate miRNAs, including miR-146a,
miR-146b, miR-205a, miR-205b and miR-449, can be investigated further for functional validation
studies and to be used as novel prophylactic and therapeutic targets in tailoring or enhancing antiviral
responses against AIV
Spatial tracking of individual fluid dispersed particles via Raman spectroscopy
This is the final version. Available on open access from Nature Research via the DOI in this recordWe demonstrate a method for the spatial tracking of individual particles, dispersed in a fluid host, via Raman spectroscopy. The effect of moving a particle upon the intensity of different bands within its Raman spectrum is first established computationally through a scattering matrix method. By comparing an experimental spectrum to the computational analysis, we show that the position of the particle can be obtained. We apply this method to the specific cases of molybdenum disulfide and graphene oxide particles, dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal, and contained within a microfluidic channel. By considering the ratio and difference between the intensities of the two Raman bands of molybdenum disulfide and graphene oxide, we demonstrate that an accurate position can be obtained in two dimensions.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Federal Target Program of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federatio
Host Galaxy Evolution in Radio-Loud AGN
We investigate the luminosity evolution of the host galaxies of radio-loud
AGN through Hubble Space Telescope imaging of 72 BL Lac objects, including new
STIS imaging of nine z > 0.6 BL Lacs. With their intrinsically low accretion
rates and their strongly beamed jets, BL Lacs provide a unique opportunity to
probe host galaxy evolution independent of the biases and ambiguities implicit
in quasar studies. We find that the host galaxies of BL Lacs evolve strongly,
consistent with passive evolution from a period of active star formation in the
range 0.5 <~ z <~ 2.5, and inconsistent with either passive evolution from a
high formation redshift or a non-evolving population. This evolution is broadly
consistent with that observed in the hosts of other radio-loud AGN, and
inconsistent with the flatter luminosity evolution of quiescent early types and
radio-quiet hosts. This indicates that active star formation, and hence galaxy
interactions, are associated with the formation for radio-loud AGN, and that
these host galaxies preferentially accrete less material after their formation
epoch than galaxies without powerful radio jets. We discuss possible
explanations for the link between merger history and the incidence of a radio
jet.Comment: 37 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, for full PDF
incl. figures see
http://www.ph.unimelb.edu.au/~modowd/papers/odowdurry2005.pd
Novel synchronous DPSK optical regenerator based on a feed-forward based carrier extraction scheme
We experimentally demonstrate a novel synchronous 10.66Gbit/s DPSK OEO regenerator which uses a feed-forward carrier extraction scheme with an injection-locked laser to synchronize the regenerated signal wavelength to the incoming signal wavelength. After injection-locking, a low-cost DFB laser used at the regenerator exhibited the same linewidth characteristics as the narrow line-width transmitter laser. The phase regeneration properties of the regenerator were evaluated by emulating random Gaussian phase noise applied to the DPSK signal before the regenerator using a phase modulator driven by an arbitrary waveform generator. The overall performance was evaluated in terms of electrical eye-diagrams, BER measurements, and constellation diagrams
Host immune response modulation in avian coronavirus infection : tracheal transcriptome profiling in vitro and in vivo
Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a highly contagious Gammacoronavirus causing moderate to severe respiratory infection in chickens. Understanding the initial antiviral response in the respiratory mucosa is crucial for controlling viral spread. We aimed to characterize the impact of IBV Delmarva (DMV)/1639 and IBV Massachusetts (Mass) 41 at the primary site of infection, namely, in chicken tracheal epithelial cells (cTECs) in vitro and the trachea in vivo. We hypothesized that some elements of the induced antiviral responses are distinct in both infection models. We inoculated cTECs and infected young specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens with IBV DMV/1639 or IBV Mass41, along with mock-inoculated controls, and studied the transcriptome using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) at 3 and 18 h post-infection (hpi) for cTECs and at 4 and 11 days post-infection (dpi) in the trachea. We showed that IBV DMV/1639 and IBV Mass41 replicate in cTECs in vitro and the trachea in vivo, inducing host mRNA expression profiles that are strain- and time-dependent. We demonstrated the different gene expression patterns between in vitro and in vivo tracheal IBV infection. Ultimately, characterizing host–pathogen interactions with various IBV strains reveals potential mechanisms for inducing and modulating the immune response during IBV infection in the chicken trachea
SSGSS: The Spitzer-SDSS-GALEX Spectroscopic Survey
The Spitzer-SDSS-GALEX Spectroscopic Survey (SSGSS) provides a new sample of
101 star-forming galaxies at z < 0.2 with unprecedented multi-wavelength
coverage. New mid- to far-infrared spectroscopy from the Spitzer Space
Telescope is added to a rich suite of previous imaging and spectroscopy,
including ROSAT, Galaxy Evolution Explorer, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Two
Micron All Sky Survey, and Spitzer/SWIRE. Sample selection ensures an even
coverage of the full range of normal galaxy properties, spanning two orders of
magnitude in stellar mass, color, and dust attenuation. In this paper we
present the SSGSS data set, describe the science drivers, and detail the sample
selection, observations, data reduction, and quality assessment. Also in this
paper, we compare the shape of the thermal continuum and the degree of silicate
absorption of these typical, star-forming galaxies to those of starburst
galaxies. We investigate the link between star formation rate, infrared
luminosity, and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon luminosity, with a view
to calibrating the latter for spectral energy distribution models in
photometric samples and at high redshift. Last, we take advantage of the 5-40
micron spectroscopic and far-infrared photometric coverage of this sample to
perform detailed fitting of the Draine et al. dust models, and investigate the
link between dust mass and star formation history and active galactic nucleus
properties.Comment: 60 pages, 20 figure
- …