1,155 research outputs found
Laserlight visual cueing device for freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease: a case study of the biomechanics involved
AbstractBackground: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a serious gait disorder affecting up to two-thirds of people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Cueing has been explored as a method of generating motor execution using visual transverse lines on the floor. However, the impact of a laser light visual cue remains unclear. Objective: To determine the biomechanical effect of a laser cane on FOG in a participant with PD compared to a healthy age- and gender-matched control. Methods: The participant with PD and healthy control were given a task of initiating gait from standing. Electromyography (EMG) data were collected from the tibialis anterior (TA) and the medial gastrocnemius (GS) muscles using an 8-channel system. A 10-camera system (Qualisys) recorded movement in 6 degrees of freedom and a calibrated anatomical system technique was used to construct a full body model. Center of mass (COM) and center of pressure (COP) were the main outcome measures. Results: The uncued condition showed that separation of COM and COP took longer and was of smaller magnitude than the cued condition. EMG activity revealed prolonged activation of GS, with little to no TA activity. The cued condition showed earlier COM and COP separation. There was reduced fluctuation in GS, with abnormal, early bursts of TA activity. Step length improved in the cued condition compared to the uncued condition. Conclusion: Laserlight visual cueing improved step length beyond a non-cued condition for this patient indicating improved posture and muscle control
Correlations among superconductivity, structural instability, and band filling in Nb1-xB2 at the critical point x=0.2
We performed an extensive investigation on the correlations among
superconductivity, structural instability and band filling in Nb1-xB2
materials. Structural measurements reveal that a notable phase transformation
occurs at x=0.2, corresponding to the Fermi level (EF) in the pseudogap with
the minimum total density of states (DOS) as demonstrated by the
first-principles calculations. Superconductivity in Nb1-xB2 generally becomes
visible in the Nb-deficient materials with x=0.2. Electron energy-loss
spectroscopy (EELS) measurements on B K-edge directly demonstrated the presence
of a chemical shift arising from the structural transformation. Our
systematical experimental results in combination with theoretical analysis
suggest that the emergence of hole states in the sigma-bands plays an important
role for understanding the superconductivity and structural transition in
Nb1-xB2.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure
Nanopillar Arrays on Semiconductor Membranes as Electron Emission Amplifiers
A new transmission-type electron multiplier was fabricated from
silicon-on-insulator (SOI) material by integrating an array of one dimensional
(1D) silicon nanopillars onto a two dimensional (2D) silicon membrane. Primary
electrons are injected into the nanopillar-membrane system from the flat
surface of the membrane, while electron emission from the other side is probed
by an anode. The secondary electron yield (SEY) from nanopillars is found to be
about 1.8 times that of plane silicon membrane. This gain in electron number is
slightly enhanced by the electric field applied from the anode. Further
optimization of the dimensions of nanopillars and membrane and application of
field emission promise an even higher gain for detector applications and allow
for probing of electronic/mechanical excitations in nanopillar-membrane system
excited by incident particles or radiation.Comment: 4 figure
White Lines and 3d-Occupancy for the 3d Transition-Metal Oxides
Electron energy-loss spectrometry was employed to measure the white lines at
the L23 absorption edges of the 3d transition-metal oxides and lithium
transition-metal oxides. The white-line ratio (L3/L2) was found to increase
between d^0 and d^5 and decrease between d^5 and d^10, consistent with previous
results for the transition metals and their oxides. The intensities of the
white lines, normalized to the post-edge background, are linear for the 3d
transition-metal oxides and lithium transition-metal oxides. An empirical
correlation between normalized white-line intensity and 3d occupancy is
established. It provides a method for measuring changes in the 3d-state
occupancy. As an example, this empirical relationship is used to measure
changes in the transition-metal valences of Li_{1-x}Ni_{0.8}Co_{0.2}O_2 in the
range of 0 < x < 0.64. In these experiments the 3d occupancy of the nickel ion
decreased upon lithium deintercalation, while the cobalt valence remained
constant.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
Blooms of Dinoflagellate Mixotrophs in a Lower Chesapeake Bay Tributary: Carbon and Nitrogen Uptake over Diurnal, Seasonal, and Interannual Timescales
A multi-year study was conducted in the eutrophic Lafayette River, a sub-tributary of the lower Chesapeake Bay during which uptake of inorganic and organic nitrogen (N) and C compounds was measured during multiple seasons and years when different dinoflagellate species were dominant. Seasonal dinoflagellate blooms included a variety of mixotrophic dinoflagellates including Heterocapsa triquetra in the late winter, Prorocentrum minimum in the spring, Akashiwo sanguinea in the early summer, and Scrippsiella trochoidea and Cochlodinium polykrikoides in late summer and fall. Results showed that no single N source fueled algal growth, rather rates of N and C uptake varied on seasonal and diurnal timescales, and within blooms as they initiated and developed. Rates of photosynthetic C uptake were low yielding low assimilation numbers during much of the study period and the ability to assimilate dissolved organic carbon augmented photosynthetic C uptake during bloom and non-bloom periods. The ability to use dissolved organic C during the day and night may allow mixotrophic bloom organisms a competitive advantage over co-occurring phytoplankton that are restricted to photoautotrophic growth, obtaining N and C during the day and in well-lit surface waters
Helium irradiation effects in polycrystalline Si, silica, and single crystal Si
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been used to investigate the effects of room temperature 6 keV helium ion irradiation of a thin (≈55 nm thick) tri-layer consisting of polycrystalline Si, silica, and single-crystal Si. The ion irradiation was carried out in situ within the TEM under conditions where approximately 24% of the incident ions came to rest in the specimen. This paper reports on the comparative development of irradiation-induced defects (primarily helium bubbles) in the polycrystalline Si and single-crystal Si under ion irradiation and provides direct measurement of a radiation-induced increase in the width of the polycrystalline layer and shrinkage of the silica layer. Analysis using TEM and electron energy-loss spectroscopy has led to the hypothesis that these result from helium-bubble-induced swelling of the silicon and radiation-induced viscoelastic flow processes in the silica under the influence of stresses applied by the swollen Si layers. The silicon and silica layers are sputtered as a result of the helium ion irradiation; however, this is estimated to be a relatively minor effect with swelling and stress-related viscoelastic flow being the dominant mechanisms of dimensional change
Residual disorder and diffusion in thin Heusler alloy films
Co2FeSi/GaAs(110) and Co2FeSi/GaAs(111)B hybrid structures were grown by
molecular-beam epitaxy and characterized by transmission electron microscopy
(TEM) and X-ray diffraction. The films contained inhomogeneous distributions of
ordered L2_1 and B2 phases. The average stoichiometry was controlled by lattice
parameter measurements, however diffusion processes lead to inhomogeneities of
the atomic concentrations and the degradation of the interface, influencing
long-range order. An average long-range order of 30-60% was measured by
grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction, i.e. the as-grown Co2FeSi films were
highly but not fully ordered. Lateral inhomogeneities of the spatial
distribution of long-range order in Co2FeSi were found using dark-field TEM
images taken with superlattice reflections
The Clumping Transition in Niche Competition: a Robust Critical Phenomenon
We show analytically and numerically that the appearance of lumps and gaps in
the distribution of n competing species along a niche axis is a robust
phenomenon whenever the finiteness of the niche space is taken into account. In
this case depending if the niche width of the species is above or
below a threshold , which for large n coincides with 2/n, there are
two different regimes. For the lumpy pattern emerges
directly from the dominant eigenvector of the competition matrix because its
corresponding eigenvalue becomes negative. For the lumpy
pattern disappears. Furthermore, this clumping transition exhibits critical
slowing down as is approached from above. We also find that the number
of lumps of species vs. displays a stair-step structure. The positions
of these steps are distributed according to a power-law. It is thus
straightforward to predict the number of groups that can be packed along a
niche axis and it coincides with field measurements for a wide range of the
model parameters.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures;
http://iopscience.iop.org/1742-5468/2010/05/P0500
Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of invasive versus conservative management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax
INTRODUCTION: Current management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is variable, with little evidence from randomised controlled trials to guide treatment. Guidelines emphasise intervention in many patients, which involves chest drain insertion, hospital admission and occasionally surgery. However, there is evidence that conservative management may be effective and safe, and it may also reduce the risk of recurrence. Significant questions remain regarding the optimal initial approach to the management of PSP
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