5,252 research outputs found
Validation of an electrogoniometry system as a measure of knee kinematics during activities of daily living
Purpose: The increasing use of electrogoniometry (ELG) in clinical research requires the validation of different instrumentation. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the concurrent validity of an ELG system during activities of daily living.
Methods: Ten asymptomatic participants gave informed consent to participate. A Biometrics SG150 electrogoniometer was directly compared to a 12 camera three dimensional motion analysis system during walking, stair ascent, stair descent, sit to stand, and stand to sit activities for the measurement of the right knee angle. Analysis of validity was undertaken by linear regression. Standard error of estimate (SEE), standardised SEE (SSEE), and Pearson’s correlation coefficient r were computed for paired trials between systems for each functional activity.
Results: The 95% confidence interval of SEE was reasonable between systems across walking (LCI = 2.43 °; UCI = 2.91 °), stair ascent (LCI = 2.09 °; UCI = 2.42 °), stair descent (LCI = 1.79 °; UCI = 2.10 °), sit to stand (LCI = 1.22 °; UCI = 1.41 °), and stand to sit (LCI = 1.17 °; UCI = 1.34 °). Pearson’s correlation coefficient r across walking (LCI = 0.983; UCI = 0.990), stair ascent (LCI = 0.995; UCI = 0.997), stair descent (LCI = 0.995; UCI = 0.997), sit to stand (LCI = 0.998; UCI = 0.999), and stand to sit (LCI = 0.996; UCI = 0.997) was indicative of a strong linear relationship between systems.
Conclusion: ELG is a valid method of measuring the knee angle during activities representative of daily living. The range is within that suggested to be acceptable for the clinical evaluation of patients with musculoskeletal conditions
The Nature of Radio Continuum Emission in the Dwarf Starburst Galaxy NGC 625
We present new multi-frequency radio continuum imaging of the dwarf starburst
galaxy NGC 625 obtained with the Very Large Array. Data at 20, 6, and 3.6 cm
reveal global continuum emission dominated by free-free emission, with only
mild synchrotron components. Each of the major HII regions is detected; the
individual spectral indices are thermal for the youngest regions (showing
strongest H Alpha emission) and nonthermal for the oldest. We do not detect any
sources that appear to be associated with deeply embedded, dense, young
clusters, though we have discovered one low-luminosity, obscured source that
has no luminous optical counterpart and which resides in the region of highest
optical extinction. Since NGC 625 is a Wolf-Rayet galaxy with strong recent
star formation, these radio properties suggest that the youngest star formation
complexes have not yet evolved to the point where their thermal spectra are
significantly contaminated by synchrotron emission. The nonthermal components
are associated with regions of older star formation that have smaller ionized
gas components. These results imply a range of ages of the HII regions and
radio components that agrees with our previous resolved stellar population
analysis, where an extended burst of star formation has pervaded the disk of
NGC 625 over the last ~ 50 Myr. We compare the nature of radio continuum
emission in selected nearby dwarf starburst and Wolf-Rayet galaxies,
demonstrating that thermal radio continuum emission appears to be more common
in these systems than in typical HII galaxies with less recent star formation
and more evolved stellar clusters.Comment: ApJ, in press; 27 pages, 5 figures. Full-resolution version may be
obtained at http://www.astro.umn.edu/~cannon/n625.vla.p
Bacteriorhodopsin: Biphasic kinetics of phototransients and of light-induced proton transfer by sub-bacterial Halobacterium halobium particles and by reconstituted liposomes
A Simple Model for the Absorption of Starlight by Dust in Galaxies
We present a new model to compute the effects of dust on the integrated
spectral properties of galaxies, based on an idealized prescription of the main
features of the interstellar medium (ISM). The model includes the ionization of
HII regions in the interiors of the dense clouds in which stars form and the
influence of the finite lifetime of these clouds on the absorption of
radiation. We compute the production of emission lines and the absorption of
continuum radiation in the HII regions and the subsequent transfer of line and
continuum radiation in the surrounding HI regions and the ambient ISM. This
enables us to interpret simultaneously all the observations of a homogeneous
sample of nearby UV-selected starburst galaxies, including the ratio of far-IR
to UV luminosities, the ratio of Halpha to Hbeta luminosities, the Halpha
equivalent width, and the UV spectral slope. We show that the finite lifetime
of stellar birth clouds is a key ingredient to resolve an apparent discrepancy
between the attenuation of line and continuum photons in starburst galaxies. In
addition, we find that an effective absorption curve proportional to
lambda^-0.7 reproduces the observed relation between the ratio of far-IR to UV
luminosities and the UV spectral slope. We interpret this relation most simply
as a sequence in the overall dust content of the galaxies. The shallow
wavelength dependence of the effective absorption curve is compatible with the
steepness of known extinction curves if the dust has a patchy distribution. In
particular, we find that a random distribution of discrete clouds with optical
depths similar to those in the Milky Way provides a consistent interpretation
of all the observations. Our model for absorption can be incorporated easily
into any population synthesis model. (abridged)Comment: To appear in the 2000 July 20 issue of the Astrophysical Journal; 19
pages with 13 embedded PS figures (emulateapj5.sty
Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome
Background: The presentation of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) features neuropsychiatric symptoms in the context of predominantly white matter cerebral edema in the setting of a diverse variety of underlying clinical entities. Objective: To illustrate the presentation and diagnostic strategy for this under-recognized condition. Method: We present two cases of PRES and review the available literature. Results: PRES may be due to a number of underlying conditions, but typically presents with symptoms consistent with delirium. Conclusions: Psychiatrist practicing in the general hospital should be aware of the presentation and appropriate work-up of PRES to forestall serious potential sequelae
522 GENE EXPRESSION CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH CHONDROGENIC DIFFERENTIATION OF HUMAN MSCS J.F. Welter
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Stromule extension along microtubules coordinated with actin-mediated anchoring guides perinuclear chloroplast movement during innate immunity.
Dynamic tubular extensions from chloroplasts called stromules have recently been shown to connect with nuclei and function during innate immunity. We demonstrate that stromules extend along microtubules (MTs) and MT organization directly affects stromule dynamics since stabilization of MTs chemically or genetically increases stromule numbers and length. Although actin filaments (AFs) are not required for stromule extension, they provide anchor points for stromules. Interestingly, there is a strong correlation between the direction of stromules from chloroplasts and the direction of chloroplast movement. Stromule-directed chloroplast movement was observed in steady-state conditions without immune induction, suggesting it is a general function of stromules in epidermal cells. Our results show that MTs and AFs may facilitate perinuclear clustering of chloroplasts during an innate immune response. We propose a model in which stromules extend along MTs and connect to AF anchor points surrounding nuclei, facilitating stromule-directed movement of chloroplasts to nuclei during innate immunity
A comparison between Pa alpha and H alpha emission: The relation between HII region mean reddening, local gas density and metallicity
We measure reddenings to HII regions in NGC 2903, NGC 1512, M51, NGC 4449 and
NGC 6946 from Hubble Space Telescope Pa alpha and H alpha images. Extinctions
range from A_V ~ 5 - 0 depending upon the galaxy. For the galaxies with HST
images in both lines, NGC 2903, NGC 1512 and M51, the Pa alpha and H alpha
emission are almost identical in morphology which implies that little emission
from bright HII regions is hidden from view by regions of comparatively high
extinction. The scatter in the measured extinctions is only +- 0.5 mag.
We compare the reddenings we measure in five galaxies using the Pa alpha to H
alpha ratios to those measured previously from the Balmer decrement in the LMC
and as a function of radius in M101 and M51. We find that luminosity weighted
mean extinctions of these ensembles of HI regions are correlated with gas
surface density and metallicity. The correlation is consistent with the mean
extinction depending on dust density where the dust to gas mass ratio scales
with the metallicity. This trend is expected if HII regions tend to be located
near the mid-plane of a gas disk and emerge from their parent molecular clouds
soon after birth. In environments with gas densities below a few hundred
Msol/pc^2 star formation rates estimated from integrated line fluxes and mean
extinctions are likely to be fairly accurate.Comment: accepted for publication in A
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