Displasia renal em um bezerro Limousin

Descreve-se um caso de displasia renal em um bezerro Limousin, macho, de quatro meses. O animal apresentava perda de peso, baixa taxa de crescimento, anorexia, apatia, diarréia escura fétida e uremia, sem melhora apesar de tratamento. O bezerro foi sacrificado para interromper o sofrimento adicional e submetido à necropsia. Ao exame foi observado que os rins estavam pequenos, firmes, pálidos e com superfície rugosa. A cápsula estava aderida à uma superfície subcapsular irregular. O córtex tinha aparência difusamente pálida e fibrosa e apresentava múltiplos focos brancos de fibrose. A junção córtico-medular estava indistinta. O exame histologico dos rins revelou múltiplos glomérulos imaturos com núcleo periférico, capilares inaparentes e padrão arbóreo. O córtex renal apresentou túbulos primitivos com epitélio cubóide ou cilíndrico envolvido por mesênquima corado somente pelo alcian blue e não pelo tricrômico de Masson. Foi também observada leve fibrose intersticial na medula renal. Os rins mostravam estruturas em estágio inapropriado de desenvolvimento ou anômalas

N=2 Super-Born-Infeld from Partially Broken N=3 Supersymmetry in d=4

We employ the non-linear realization techniques to relate the N=1 chiral, and the N=2 vector multiplets to the Goldstone spin 1/2 superfield arising from partial supersymmetry breaking of N=2 and N=3 respectively. In both cases, we obtain a family of non-linear transformation laws realizing an extra supersymmetry. In the N=2 case, we find an invariant action which is the low energy limit of the supersymmetric Born-Infeld theory expected to describe a D3-brane in six dimensions.Comment: 15 pages, no figures, RevTeX4, new comments and references added, some equations corrected, discussion at end of sec. 3 change

Measuring Electrical And Mechanical Properties Of Red Blood Cells With A Double Optical Tweezers

The fluid lipid bilayer viscoelastic membrane of red blood cells (RBC) contains antigen glycolproteins and proteins which can interact with antibodies to cause cell agglutination. This is the basis of most of the immunohematologic tests in blood banks and the identification of the antibodies against the erythrocyte antigens is of fundamental importance for transfusional routines. The negative charges of the RBCs creates a repulsive electric (zeta) potential between the cells and prevents their aggregation in the blood stream. The first counterions cloud strongly binded moving together with the RBC is called the compact layer. This report proposes the use of a double optical tweezers for a new procedure for measuring: (1) the apparent membrane viscosity, (2) the cell adhesion, (3) the zeta potential and (4) the compact layer's size of the charges formed around the cell in the electrolytic solution. To measure the membrane viscosity we trapped silica beads strongly attached to agglutinated RBCs and measured the force to slide one RBC over the other as a function of the relative velocity. The RBC adhesion was measured by slowly displacing two RBCs apart until the disagglutination happens. The compact layer's size was measured using the force on the silica bead attached to a single RBC in response to an applied voltage and the zeta potential was obtained by measuring the terminal velocity after releasing the RBC from the optical trap at the last applied voltage. We believe that the methodology here proposed can improve the methods of diagnosis in blood banks.6326Eylar, E.H., Madoff, M.A., Brody, O.V., Oncley, J.L., The contribution of sialic acid to the surface charge of the erythrocyte (1962) J. Biol. Chem., 237, pp. 1992-2000Pollack, W., Reckel, R.P., A reappraisal of the forces involved in Hemagglutination (1977) Int Archs Allergy Appl. Immun., 54, pp. 29-42Ashkin, A., Dziedzic, J.M., Bjorkholm, J.E., Chu, S., Observation of a single-beam gradient force trap for dielectric particles (1986) Opt. Lett., 11, pp. 288-290Ashkin, A., Dziedzic, J.M., Optical trapping and manipulation of viruses and bacteria (1987) Science, 235, pp. 1517-1520Grier, D.G., A revolution in optical manipulation (2003) Nature, 424, pp. 810-816Zhu, C., Bao, G., Wang, N., Cell Mechanics: Mechanical response, cell adhesion, and molecular deformation (2000) Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng., 2, pp. 189-226Neuman, K.C., Block, S., Optical trapping (2004) Rev. Sci. Instrum., 75, pp. 2787-2809Saffman, P.G., Delbruck, M., Brownian motion in biological membranes (1975) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 72, pp. 3111-3113Dimova, R., Danov, K., Pouligny, B., Ivanov, I.B., Drag of a solid particle trapped in a thin film or at an interface: Influence of surface viscosity and elasticity (2000) J. Colloid and Interface Science, 226, pp. 35-43Hochmuth, R., Worthy, P., Evans, E., Red cell extensional recovery and the determination of membrane viscosity (1979) Biophys. J., 26, pp. 101-114Sze, A., Erickson, D., Ren, L., Li, D., Zeta-potential measurement using the Smoluchowski equation and the slope of the current-time relationship in electroosmotic flow (2003) J. Colloid and Interface Science, 261, pp. 402-410Hunter, R.J., (1981) Zeta Potential in Colloid Science, , Academic Press, New YorkPollack, W., Hager, H.J., Reckel, R., Toren, D.A., Singher, H.O., A study of the forces involved in the second stage of hemaggltination (1965) Transfusion, 5, pp. 158-183Chelidze, T., Dielectric spectroscopy of blood (2002) J. Non-crystalline Solids, 305, pp. 285-294Hymer, W.C., Barlow, G.H., Blaisdell, S.J., Continuous flow electrophoretic separation of proteins and cells from mammalian tissues (1987) Cell Biophys., 10, pp. 61-85Hashimoto, N., Fujita, S., Yokoyama, T., Cell electrophoretic mobility and glycerol lysis of human erythrocytes in various diseases (1998) Electrophoresis, 19, pp. 1227-123

Mechanical Properties Of Stored Red Blood Cells Using Optical Tweezers

We have developed a method for measuring the red blood cell (RBC) membrane overall elasticity μ by measuring the deformation of the cells when dragged at a constant velocity through a plasma fluid by an optical tweezers. The deformability of erythrocytes is a critical determinant of blood flow in the microcirculation. We tested our method and hydrodynamic models, which included the presence of two walls, by measuring the RBC deformation as a function of drag velocity and of the distance to the walls. The capability and sensitivity of this method can be evaluated by its application to a variety of studies, such as, the measurement of RBC elasticity of sickle cell anemia patients comparing homozygous (HbSS), including patients taking hydroxyrea (HU) and heterozygous (HbAS) with normal donors and the RBC elasticity measurement of gamma irradiated stored blood for transfusion to immunosupressed patients as a function of time and dose. These studies show that the technique has the sensitivity to discriminate heterozygous and homozygous sickle cell anemia patients from normal donors and even follow the course of HU treatment of Homozygous patients. The gamma irradiation studies show that there is no significant change in RBC elasticity over time for up to 14 days of storage, regardless of whether the unit was irradiated or not, but there was a huge change in the measured elasticity for the RBC units stored for more than 21 days after irradiation. These finds are important for the assessment of stored irradiated RBC viability for transfusion purposes because the present protocol consider 28 storage days after irradiation as the limit for the RBC usage.593016Ashkin, A., Dziedzic, J.M., Optical trapping and manipulation of viruses and bacteria (1987) Science, 235, pp. 1517-1520Barjas-Castro, M.L., Brandão, M.M., Fontes, A., Costa, F.F., Cesar, C.L., Saad, S.T.O., Elastic properties of irradiated red blood cell units measured by optical tweezer (2002) Transfusion, 42, pp. 1196-1199Brandão, M.M., Fontes, A., Barjas-Castro, M.L., Barbosa, L.C., Costa, F.F., Cesar, C.L., Saad, S.T.O., Optical tweezers for measuring red blood cell elasticity: Application to the study of drug response in sickle cell disease (2003) European Journal of Haematology, 70, pp. 207-211Williamson, L.M., Warwick, R.M., Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease and its prevention (1995) Blood Rev., 9, pp. 251-261Button, L.N., Dewolf, W.C., Newburger, P.E., The effecr of irradiation on blood components (1981) Transfusion, 21, pp. 419-426Platt, O.S., The sickle syndrome (1995) Blood: Principles and Practice of Hematology, , R. I Hadlin, S. E. Lux, T. P. Stossel, J. B. Lippincott, PhiladelphiaBallas, S.K., Dover, G.J., Charache, S., Effect of hydroxyurea on the rheological properties of sickle erythrocytes in vivo (1989) Am. J. Hematol, 32, pp. 104-111Groner, W., Mohandas, N., Bessis, M., New optical technique for measuring erythrocyte deformability with the ektacytometer (1980) Clin. Chem., 26, pp. 1435-1442De Franceschi, L., Bachir, D., Galacteros, F., Tchernia, G., Cynober, T., Alper, S., Platt, O., Brugnara, C., Oral magnesium supplements reduce erythrocyte dehydration in patients with sickle cell disease (1997) J Clin Invest, 100, pp. 1847-1852Hochmuth, R.M., Worthy, P.R., Evans, E.A., Red cell extensional recovery and the determination of membrane viscosity (1979) Biophys. J., 26, pp. 101-114Evans, E.A., La Celle, P.L., Intrinsic material properties of the erythrocyte membrane indicated by mechanical analysis of deformation (1975) Blood, 45, pp. 29-43Itoh, T., Chien, S., Usami, S., Effects of hemoglobin concentration on deformability of individual sickle cells after deoxygenation (1995) Blood, 85, pp. 2245-2253Evans, E.A., Mohandas, N., Membrane-associated sickle hemoglobin: A major determinant of sickle erythrocyte rigidity (1987) Blood, 70, pp. 1443-1449Dong, C., Chadwick, R.S., Schechter, A.N., Influence of sickle hemoglobin polymerization and membrane properties on deformability of sickle erythrocytes in the microcirculation (1992) Biophys. J., 63, pp. 774-783Suzuki, Y., Tateishi, N., Cicha, I., Decreased deformability of the X-ray irradiated red blood cells stored in manitol-adenine-phosphate medium (2000) Clin. Hemorheol. Micro-cire., 22, pp. 131-14

Determination Of Fluid Viscosity And Femto Newton Forces Of Leishmania Amazonensis Using Optical Tweezers

The displacements of a polystyrene microsphere trapped by an optical tweezers (OT) can be used as a force transducer for mechanical measurements in life sciences such as the measurement of forces of living microorganisms or the viscosity of local fluids. The technique we used allowed us to measure forces on the 200 femto Newtons to 4 pico Newtons range of the protozoa Leishmania amazonensis, responsible for a serious tropical disease. These observations can be used to understand the infection mechanism and chemotaxis of these parasites. The same technique was used to measure viscosities of few microliters sample with agreement with known samples better than 5%. To calibrate the force as a function of the microsphere displacement we first dragged the microsphere in a fluid at known velocity for a broad range of different optical and hydrodynamical parameters. The hydrodynamical model took into account the presence of two walls and the force depends on drag velocity, fluid viscosity and walls proximities, while the optical model in the geometric optics regime depends on the particle and fluid refractive indexes and laser power. To measure the high numerical (NA) aperture laser beam power after the objective we used an integration sphere to avoid the systematic errors of usual power meters for high NA beams. After this careful laser power measurement we obtained an almost 45 degrees straight line for the plot of the optical force (calculated by the particle horizontal displacement) versus hydrodynamic force (calculated by the drag velocity) under variation of all the parameters described below. This means that hydrodynamic models can be used to calibrate optical forces, as we have done for the parasite force measurement, or vice-versa, as we did for the viscosity measurements.593017Ashkin, A., Dziedzic, J.M., Bjorkholm, J.E., Chu, S., Observation of a single-beam gradient force optical trap for dieletric particles (1986) Optics Letters, 11, pp. 288-290Ashkin, A., Dziedzic, J.M., Optical trapping and manipulation of viruses and bacteria (1987) Science, 235, pp. 1517-1520Greulich, K.O., (1999) Micromanipulation by Light in Biology and Medicine, , Basel, Boston, Berlin: BirkhäuserSakata-Sogawa, K., Direct measurement of DNA molecular length in solution using optical tweezers: Detection of looping due to binding protein interactions (1998) Eur. Biophys. J., 27, pp. 55-61Konig, K., Determination of motility forces of human spermatozoa using an 800 nm optical trap (1996) Cell. Mol. Biol., 42, pp. 501-509Barjas-Castro, M.L., Elastic properties of irradiated RBCs measured by optical tweezers (2002) Transfusion, 42, pp. 1196-1199Huruta, R.R., Mechanical properties of stored red blood cells using optical tweezers (1998) Blood, 92, pp. 2975-2977Felgner, H., Muller, O., Schliwa, M., Calibration of light forces in optical tweezers (1995) Appl. Optics, 34, pp. 977-982Svoboda, K., Block, S., Biological applications of optical forces (1994) Annu. Rev. Biophys. Biomolec. Struct., 23, pp. 247-285Henon, S., Lenormand, G., Richert, A., Gallet, F., A new determination of the shear modulus of the human erythrocyte membrane using optical tweezers (1999) Biophys. J., 76, pp. 1145-1151Konig, K., Determination of motility forces of human spermatozoa using an 800nm optical trap (1996) Cell. Mol. Biol., 42, pp. 501-509Who, Whorld Health Organization, 2001Herwaldt, B.L., Leishmanias (1999) Lancet, 354, pp. 1191-1199Killick-Kendrick, R., The life-cycle of Leishmania in the sandfly with special reference to the form infective to the vertebrate host (1990) Ann. Parasitol. Hum. Comp., 65 (1 SUPPL.), pp. 37-42Handman, E., Cell biology of Leishmania (2000) Adv. Parasitol, 44, pp. 1-39Happel, J., Brenner, H., (1991) Low Reynolds Number Hydrodynamics with Special Applications to Particulate Media, , Klumer, Dordrecht(1971) Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, , Chemical Rubber, ClevelandPurcell, E.M., Life at low Reynolds number (1977) Am. J. Phys., 45, pp. 124-13

In-hospital mortality of non-st segment elevation myocardial infarction in a Puerto Rican population

Introduction: Currently, there is limited published information on in-hospital mortality regarding ST segment elevation and non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. This information is even scarcer on the Hispanic population. We aim to study if there is a difference on in-hospital mortality between ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in a mostly Hispanic population. Methods: A secondary data analysis of a non-concurrent prospective study was performed using the Puerto Rican Heart Attack study database. Dependent variable was in-hospital mortality and independent variable was type of myocardial infarction (STEMI or NSTEMI). We conducted, sequentially, a descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis. The chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables and t-test for continuous variables. Finally, a logistic regression model was used to perform the multivariate analysis. Results: From the 838 Puerto Rican patients hospitalized with ST classification, 310 (37%) were diagnosed with STEMI. Patients with STEMI were younger (65 years vs 68 years; p=0.008), more likely to receive invasive treatment (47.9% vs 27.5%, p<0.001), and less likely to have a history of hypertension (72.5% vs 79.0%, p=0.033) compared to NSTEMI patients. For every 1- year increase in age, there is a 4% increase in in-hospital mortality. Patients with hyperlipidemia were approximately two times more likely to die in the hospital compared to patients without hyperlipidemia. In the unadjusted analysis, there was no significant association between STEMI and NSTEMI patients and in-hospital mortality. After adjusting for confounders, patients with STEMI had twice the risk of dying than those with NSTEMI. Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that Puerto Ricans with STEMI have double the risk of in-hospital mortality than NSTEMI patients. Our findings were similar to those reported in the literature. A timely recognition of at-risk patients, especially among STEMI patients, may help reduce short-term morality among patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in Puerto Rico

Efeitos do agrostemin em plantas de soja (Glicine max (L.) Merrill cv. IAC-8), através dos parâmetros fisiológicos: razão de área foliar, taxa assimilatória líquida e taxa de crescimento relativo

The objetive of this work was to evaluate the effect of Agrostemmin on the development of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill cv. IAC-8) plants through physiological parameters related to plant growth. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse.Six treatments corresponding to the following dosages, time and application ways were studied: control (T1); 0,125g Agrostemmin/l00g seed (T2); 0,125g Agrostemmin/100g seed and foliar spraying at 333 ppm (T3); 0,125g Agrostemmin/100g seed and foliar spraying at 500 ppm (T4); foliar spraying at 333 ppm (T5) and foliar spaying at 500 ppm (T6). Three samplings were made at 14 day intervals. The experimental layout was completely randomized. The parameters studied were: foliar area ratio (FAR), net assimilation rate (NAR) and relative growth rate (RGR). It could be concluded that in proportion to increased rates there was a decrease in the parameters, in intervals 71-85.O presente estudo teve por finalidade avaliar o efeito de um estimulante vegetal, Agrostemin, no desenvolvimento de plantas de soja (Glycine max (L.) Merrill cv. IAC-8), através de alguns parâmetros que compõem a análise de crescimento. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação. Foram estudados seis tratamentos, correspondentes às seguintes dosagens, épocas e formas de aplicação: testemunha (T1); 0,125g de Agrostemin/100g sementes (T2); 0,125g de Agrostemin/l00g sementes e pulverização foliar à 333 ppm (T3); 0,125g de Agrostemin/100g sementes e pulverização foliar à 500 ppm (T4); pulverização foliar à 333 ppm (T5) e pulverização foliar à 500 ppm (T6). Realizaram-se três épocas de coleta, à intervalos de 14 dias. O experimento foi em delineamento inteiramente casualizado. Os parâmetros estudados foram: razão de área foliar (RAF), taxa assimilatória líquida (TAL) e taxa de crescimento relativo (TCR). Dentre os resultados obtidos, concluiu-se que à medida que aumentou-se a concentração, diminuiram-se os parâmetros estudados, no intervalo 71-85

Wear and surface residual stress evolution on twin-disc tests of rail/wheel steels

Twin disc tribological tests were performed in wheel and rail materials, with specimens taken from a Spanish AVE train wheel and a UIC60 rail, in a program intended to characterize their contact fatigue behavior. The X-ray diffraction technique was used to characterize the residual stress distribution at the initial and damaged stages, as well as in intermediate stages, since existing residual stresses in the surface layers of the railways steels and its evolution during contact loading can have a major influence on crack initiation and propagation

Heterogeneous Multi-Robot Collaboration for Coverage Path Planning in Partially Known Dynamic Environments

This research presents a cooperation strategy for a heterogeneous group of robots that comprises two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and one Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) to perform tasks in dynamic scenarios. This paper defines specific roles for the UAVs and UGV within the framework to address challenges like partially known terrains and dynamic obstacles. The UAVs are focused on aerial inspections and mapping, while UGV conducts ground-level inspections. In addition, the UAVs can return and land at the UGV base, in case of a low battery level, to perform hot swapping so as not to interrupt the inspection process. This research mainly emphasizes developing a robust Coverage Path Planning (CPP) algorithm that dynamically adapts paths to avoid collisions and ensure efficient coverage. The Wavefront algorithm was selected for the two-dimensional offline CPP. All robots must follow a predefined path generated by the offline CPP. The study also integrates advanced technologies like Neural Networks (NN) and Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) for adaptive path planning for both robots to enable real-time responses to dynamic obstacles. Extensive simulations using a Robot Operating System (ROS) and Gazebo platforms were conducted to validate the approach considering specific real-world situations, that is, an electrical substation, in order to demonstrate its functionality in addressing challenges in dynamic environments and advancing the field of autonomous robots.The authors also would like to thank their home Institute, CEFET/RJ, the federal Brazilian research agencies CAPES (code 001) and CNPq, and the Rio de Janeiro research agency, FAPERJ, for supporting this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Blink Reflex: Comparison Of Latency Measurements In Different Human Races

The blink reflex latencies and cephalometric indexes were analysed in 30 male volunteers from three different races, 10 white, 10 black, and 10 Oriental. Ages ranged from 15 to 59 years, height from 1,60 to 1,80 m, and weight from 60 to 80 kg. Blink reflexes were obtained after unilateral electric stimulation of the supraorbital nerve for quantitative analysis of 3 responses, early ipsilateral (R1), late ipsilateral (R2i) and late contralateral (R2c), obtained from the orbicularis oculi muscle. Cephalometric indexes were calculated by multiplying the ratio between the longer transverse and the longer sagital head diameters by 100. The R1, R2i and R2c latencies were consistent with other published papers revealing no differences between the different racial groups. The mean of the cephalometric indexes of each group were consistent with respective racial characteristics. This study revealed that there are no differences between R1, R2i and R2c latencies in the 3 different studied races.603 A563565Kimura, J., Powers, J.M., Allen, M.W.V., Reflex responses of orbicularis oculi muscle to supraorbital nerve stimule (1969) Arch Neurol, 21, pp. 193-199Tokunaga, A., Oka, M., Murao, T., An experimental study on facial reflex by evoked electromyography (1958) Med J Osaka Univ, 9, pp. 397-411Terrell, G.S., Terzis, J.K., An experimental model to study the blink reflex (1958) J Reconstr Microsurg, 10, pp. 175-183Fine, E.J., Sentz, L., Soria, E., The history of the blink reflex (1992) Neurology, 42, pp. 450-454Dejong, R.N., Haerer, A.F., (1992) The Neurologic Examination. 5.Ed., pp. 184-188. , Philadelphia: LippincottOverend, W., Preliminary note on a new cranial reflex (1992) Lancet, 1, p. 619McCarthy, D.J., Der Supraorbitalreflex. ein neuer Reflex im gebeit des 5. und 7. Nervenpaares (1901) Neurol Zentralbl, 20, pp. 800-801Kugelberg, E., Facial reflexes (1952) Brain, 75, pp. 385-396Magladery, J.W., Teasdall, R.D., Corneal reflex an EMG study in man (1961) Arch Neurol, 5, pp. 51-56Rushworth, G., Observations on blink reflexes (1962) J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 25, pp. 93-108Bender, L.F., Maynard, F.M., Hastings, S.V., The blink reflex as a diagnostic procedure (1969) Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 50, pp. 27-31Thatcher, D.B., Allen, M.W.V., Corneal reflexes latency (1971) Neurology, 21, pp. 735-737Shahani, B.T., Young, R.R., Human orbicularis oculi reflex (1972) Neurology, 22, pp. 149-154Testut, L., Latarjet, A., (1988) Tratado de Anatomía Humana. 9.Ed., , Barcelona: SalvatClay, A.S., Ramseyer, J.C., The orbicularis oculi reflex in infancy and childhood (1976) Neurology, 26, pp. 521-524Kimura, J., Bodensteiner, J., Yamada, T., Electrically elicited blink reflex in normal neonates (1977) Arch Neurol, 34, pp. 246-249Blank, A., Ferber, I., Shapira, Y., Electrically elicited blink reflex in children (1983) Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 64, pp. 558-559Vecchierini-Blineau, M.F., Evolution du reflexe de clignement pendant les trois premieres années de la vie chez l'enfant (1983) Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol, 13, pp. 137-144Vecchierini-Blineau, M.F., Guiheneuc, P., Maturation of the blink reflex in infants (1984) Eur Neurol, 23, pp. 449-458Khater-Boidin, J., Duron, B., The orbicularis oculi reflexes in healthy premature and full-term newborns (1987) Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol, 67, pp. 479-484Shahani, B.T., Effects of sleep on human reflexes with a double component (1968) J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 34, pp. 574-579Ferrari, E., Messina, C., Blink reflex during sleep and wakefulness in man (1972) Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol, 32, pp. 55-62Kimura, J., Harada, O., Excitability of the orbicularis oculi reflex in all nigth sleep: Its suppression in NREM and recovery in REM sleep (1972) Electroenceph Clin Neurophysiol, 33, pp. 369-377Silverstein, L.D., Grahan, F.K., Calloway, J.M., Preconditioning and excitability of the human orbicularis oculi reflex as a function of state (1980) Electroenceph Clin Neurophysiol, 48, pp. 406-417Boelhouwer, A.J.W., Brunia, C.H.M., Blink reflex and the state of arousal (1977) J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 40, pp. 58-63Sanes, J.N., Foss, J.A., Ison, J.R., Conditions that affect the thresholds of the components of the eyeblink reflex in humans (1982) J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 45, pp. 543-549Desmedt, J.E., Godaux, E., Habituation of exteroceptive suppression and of exteroceptive reflexes in man as influenced by voluntary contraction (1976) Brain Res, 106, pp. 21-29Lowitisch, K., Habituation of the Blink-reflex: Computer assisted quantitative analysis (1985) Electroenceph Clin Neurophysiol, 60, pp. 525-53