Dual-task motor performance with a tongue-operated assistive technology compared with hand operations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To provide an alternative motor modality for control, navigation, and communication in individuals suffering from impairment or disability in hand functions, a Tongue Drive System (TDS) has been developed that allows for real time tracking of tongue motion in an unobtrusive, wireless, and wearable device that utilizes the magnetic field generated by a miniature disk shaped magnetic tracer attached to the tip of the tongue. The purpose of the study was to compare the influence of a concurrent motor or cognitive task on various aspects of simple movement control between hand and tongue using the TDS technology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirteen young able-bodied adults performed rapid and slow goal-directed movements of hand and tongue (with TDS) with and without a concurrent motor (hand or tongue) or cognitive (arithmetic and memory) task. Changes in reaction time, completion time, speed, correctness, accuracy, variability of displacement, and variability of time due to the addition of a concurrent task were compared between hand and tongue.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The influence of an additional concurrent task on motor performance was similar between the hand and tongue for slow movement in controlling their displacement. In rapid movement with a concurrent motor task, most aspects of motor performance were degraded in hand, while tongue speed during rapid continuous task was maintained. With a concurrent cognitive task, most aspects of motor performance were degraded in tongue, while hand accuracy during the rapid discrete task and hand speed during the rapid continuous task were maintained.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Rapid goal-directed hand and tongue movements were more consistently susceptible to interference from concurrent motor and cognitive tasks, respectively, compared with the other movement.</p

Cholecystectomy Is Risker in Male Patients

Introduction: While cholecystitis has a female preponderance, some observe a trend towards more challenging disease in male patients. The confluence of sex and patient acuity has not been thoroughly investigated. We hypothesize that men present with worse disease compared with women, as evidenced by higher rates of open surgery and higher resource consumption. Methods: An inpatient registry from a 5-hospital system was queried for cholecystectomy procedures not associated with neoplasm or malignancy. Cases from 2015 to 2021 were included. Demographics, clinical and outcome variables were analyzed. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were performed. The data were de-identified before analysis and deemed exempt from IRB review, and were analyzed using R within R-Studio. Results: There were 2789 cholecystectomy patients, 1616 (58%) were women and 1173 (42%) were men. Demographics and baseline health characteristics differed across sex. Univariate analysis highlighted that males experienced more harms (1.35 vs 1.14; p = 0.002), more open approaches (18% vs 11%; p \u3c 0.001), longer inpatient lengths of stays (median: 4 vs 3 days; p \u3c 0.001), higher hospital cost ($15,694 vs$13,173; p \u3c 0.001), increased laboratory orders (37.65 vs 30.01; p \u3c 0.001), higher MS-DRG weight (2.104 vs 1.842; p \u3c 0.001) and greater mortality risk (56% vs 36%; p \u3c 0.001). Further, multivariate analysis found male cholecystectomy patients were correlated with higher instances of open surgical approach (OR: 1.80; p \u3c 0.001), hospital readmission (OR: 1.50; p = 0.008), and higher cost (β: $981; R2: 0.27; p = 0.006). Conclusion: Inpatient male cholecystectomy patients present with worse disease and require more hospital resources

Not All Nitrogen Is Created Equal: Differential Effects of Nitrate and Ammonium Enrichment in Coastal Wetlands

Excess reactive nitrogen (N) flows from agricultural, suburban, and urban systems to coasts, where it causes eutrophication. Coastal wetlands take up some of this N, thereby ameliorating the impacts on nearshore waters. Although the consequences of N on coastal wetlands have been extensively studied, the effect of the specific form of N is not often considered. Both oxidized N forms (nitrate, NO3−) and reduced forms (ammonium, NH4+) can relieve nutrient limitation and increase primary production. However, unlike NH4+, NO3− can also be used as an electron acceptor for microbial respiration. We present results demonstrating that, in salt marshes, microbes use NO3− to support organic matter decomposition and primary production is less stimulated than when enriched with reduced N. Understanding how different forms of N mediate the balance between primary production and decomposition is essential for managing coastal wetlands as N enrichment and sea level rise continue to assail our coasts

Accountability: Construct Definition and Measurement of a Virtue Vital to Flourishing

Embracing accountability to others for one’s responsibilities within relationships is important for flourishing, yet underexamined. An interdisciplinary team defined the construct of accountability and developed an 11-item single-factor Accountability Scale. In national samples with US census demographic representation (total N = 1257), we conducted psychometric analyses using methods from classical test theory (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses) and item response theory. The Accountability Scale demonstrated internal consistency, construct validity, test-retest reliability, and incremental validity. Accountability correlated positively with relational variables (agreeableness, empathy) responsibility-oriented variables (conscientiousness, self-regulation), virtues (gratitude, forgiveness, limitations-owning humility), relational repair, perceived meaning presence, and flourishing, inversely with symptoms (personality disorders, temper, anxiety, depression), and weakly with searching for meaning and social desirability. Accountability scores superseded demographic variables, conscientiousness, and agreeableness to predict relational repair, perceived presence of meaning in life, and flourishing. We offer the accountability construct and scale to advance human flourishing research and applied work

Lipidomic Evaluation of Feline Neurologic Disease after AAV Gene Therapy

GM1 gangliosidosis is a fatal lysosomal disorder, for which there is no effective treatment. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy in GM1 cats has resulted in a greater than 6-fold increase in lifespan, with many cats remaining alive at \u3e 5.7 years of age, with minimal clinical signs. Glycolipids are the principal storage product in GM1 gangliosidosis whose pathogenic mechanism is not completely understood. Targeted lipidomics analysis was performed to better define disease mechanisms and identify markers of disease progression for upcoming clinical trials in humans. 36 sphingolipids and subspecies associated with ganglioside biosynthesis were tested in the cerebrospinal fluid of untreated GM1 cats at a humane endpoint ( approximately 8 months), AAV-treated GM1 cats ( approximately 5 years old), and normal adult controls. In untreated GM1 cats, significant alterations were noted in 16 sphingolipid species, including gangliosides (GM1 and GM3), lactosylceramides, ceramides, sphingomyelins, monohexosylceramides, and sulfatides. Variable degrees of correction in many lipid metabolites reflected the efficacy of AAV gene therapy. Sphingolipid levels were highly predictive of neurologic disease progression, with 11 metabolites having a coefficient of determination (R(2)) \u3e 0.75. Also, a specific detergent additive significantly increased the recovery of certain lipid species in cerebrospinal fluid samples. This report demonstrates the methodology and utility of targeted lipidomics to examine the pathophysiology of lipid storage disorders

Robust plasmon waveguides in strongly-interacting nanowire arrays

Arrays of parallel metallic nanowires are shown to provide a tunable, robust, and versatile platform for plasmon interconnects, including high-curvature turns with minimum signal loss. The proposed guiding mechanism relies on gap plasmons existing in the region between adjacent nanowires of dimers and multi-wire arrays. We focus on square and circular silver nanowires in silica, for which excellent agreement between both boundary element method and multiple multipolar expansion calculations is obtained. Our work provides the tools for designing plasmon-based interconnects and achieving high degree of integration with minimum cross talk between adjacent plasmon guides.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

The Grizzly, September 14, 2006

Activities Fair Held at Ursinus • Employment at Ursinus • Frustration with Changes • New Exhibit Opens at the Berman • Career Services Offers Help for Seniors • A Look at the Upcoming Theater Season • Spotlight on New Faculty: Dr. Jonathan Marks • Steering Clear of a Sperm Shortage • 2006 MTV Video Music Awards • Trappe Historical Society Presents Program About Historic Route 113 • Opinions: Gays in the Scouts; Be Wary of Your Wording: Response to the UC Republicans • Spoiled Start • Women\u27s Soccer a Contender • Men\u27s Soccer Ties #14 Salisbury • Bears Tame Lions in Road Openerhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1717/thumbnail.jp

Between roost contact is essential for maintenance of European bat lyssavirus type-2 in Myotis daubentonii bat reservoir: 'The Swarming Hypothesis'

Many high-consequence human and animal pathogens persist in wildlife reservoirs. An understanding of the dynamics of these pathogens in their reservoir hosts is crucial to inform the risk of spill-over events, yet our understanding of these dynamics is frequently insufficient. Viral persistence in a wild bat population was investigated by combining empirical data and in-silico analyses to test hypotheses on mechanisms for viral persistence. A fatal zoonotic virus, European Bat lyssavirus type 2 (EBLV-2), in Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) was used as a model system. A total of 1839 M. daubentonii were sampled for evidence of virus exposure and excretion during a prospective nine year serial cross-sectional survey. Multivariable statistical models demonstrated age-related differences in seroprevalence, with significant variation in seropositivity over time and among roosts. An Approximate Bayesian Computation approach was used to model the infection dynamics incorporating the known host ecology. The results demonstrate that EBLV-2 is endemic in the study population, and suggest that mixing between roosts during seasonal swarming events is necessary to maintain EBLV-2 in the population. These findings contribute to understanding how bat viruses can persist despite low prevalence of infection, and why infection is constrained to certain bat species in multispecies roosts and ecosystems

The coronal line regions of planetary nebulae NGC6302 and NGC6537: 3-13um grating and echelle spectroscopy

We report on advances in the study of the cores of NGC6302 and NGC6537 using infrared grating and echelle spectroscopy. In NGC6302, emission lines from species spanning a large range of ionization potential, and in particular [SiIX]3.934um, are interpreted using photoionization models (including CLOUDY), which allow us to reestimate the central star's temperature to be about 250000K. All of the detected lines are consistent with this value, except for [AlV] and [AlVI]. Aluminium is found to be depleted to one hundredth of the solar abundance, which provides further evidence for some dust being mixed with the highly ionized gas (with photons harder than 154eV). A similar depletion pattern is observed in NGC6537. Echelle spectroscopy of IR coronal ions in NGC6302 reveals a stratified structure in ionization potential, which confirms photoionization to be the dominant ionization mechanism. The lines are narrow (< 22km/s FWHM), with no evidence of the broad wings found in optical lines from species with similar ionization potentials, such as [NeV]3426A. We note the absence of a hot bubble, or a wind blown bipolar cavity filled with a hot plasma, at least on 1'' and 10km/s scales. We also provide accurate new wavelengths for several of the infrared coronal lines observed with the echelle.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Identifying Ligand Binding Conformations of the β2-Adrenergic Receptor by Using Its Agonists as Computational Probes

Recently available G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) structures and biophysical studies suggest that the difference between the effects of various agonists and antagonists cannot be explained by single structures alone, but rather that the conformational ensembles of the proteins need to be considered. Here we use an elastic network model-guided molecular dynamics simulation protocol to generate an ensemble of conformers of a prototypical GPCR, β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR). The resulting conformers are clustered into groups based on the conformations of the ligand binding site, and distinct conformers from each group are assessed for their binding to known agonists of β2AR. We show that the select ligands bind preferentially to different predicted conformers of β2AR, and identify a role of β2AR extracellular region as an allosteric binding site for larger drugs such as salmeterol. Thus, drugs and ligands can be used as "computational probes" to systematically identify protein conformers with likely biological significance. © 2012 Isin et al