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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Improved excitation pulse bandwidths using shaped pulses, with application to heteronuclear half filters in macromolecular NMR.

The advantageous use of sinc-shaped pulses in heteronuclear half filters is explored for studying biological macromolecules. The typical square, or hard, pulse used in half-filter pulse sequences for heteronuclear excitation results in suboptimal suppression of unwanted resonances due to incomplete inversion of spins. The novel use of short-duration shaped pulses applied at high power achieves more uniform excitation profiles over the extended frequency ranges often needed for heteronuclear filtering. This approach is used in the development of a double-tuned omega 1, omega 2-double-half-filtered, double-quantum-filtered COSY experiment. The efficiency of this experiment incorporating sinc pulses compares favorably with that obtained with square pulses in a mixture of 13C-labeled and unlabeled amino acids. Sinc-pulse-filtered spectra of the 24 kDa methionine repressor protein dimer MetJ, uniformly 13C-labeled expect at two unlabeled methionine residues, were also obtained to demonstrate the utility of this approach in biomacromolecular studies.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Mechanical response to photolytic ATP pulses of skinned muscle fibres pre-activated with a small pulse of ATP.

(1) Skinned fibres from rat psoas muscle were placed in oil and activated at 10 degrees C by pulse photolysis of caged ATP. From the force and stiffness transients on small ATP pulses, we estimated the concentration and rate of ATP hydrolysis of the crossbridges in the fibres. They were 0.14 mM and 0.16 mMs-1, respectively, and thus the turnover rate was 1.1 s-1. (2) To examine the mechanical properties of the physiological ADP-bound crossbridges, we took a double-pulse protocol: the skinned fibre was first activated with a conditioning ATP pulse (0.2-0.5 mM). Several (3-5) seconds later, when almost all the ATP should have been hydrolysed into ADP+P(i), we applied another ATP pulse (0.2-1 mM) to test the fibre. (3) An analysis of the transients on the test pulses indicated that the conditioning pulse slowed the rate of crossbridge detachment. The time course of force development was thus expected to be also delayed, but was not. (4) We suggested that the rigor crossbridge might differ from the nucleotide-free intermediate in the physiological reaction cycle.

Actomyosin↗

Forehead pulse oximetry compared with finger pulse oximetry and arterial blood gas measurement.

Usual monitoring sites for pulse oximetry involve the fingers, toes, ear lobe, and nasal septum. This study examined the performance of a forehead sensor compared with a finger sensor for the pulse oximeter and arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis. Ten healthy adult volunteers and 22 ventilator-dependent patients were studied. The arterial oxygen saturation detected by forehead pulse oximetry (SpO2) correlated well with finger SpO2 and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) determined by arterial blood gas analysis in the healthy volunteers. Forehead SpO2 in mechanically ventilated patients correlated well with finger SpO2 and SaO2 when heart rate detected by pulse oximeter differed less than 10% from apical heart rate. Factors that caused a difference in oximeter-detected heart rate and apical heart rate were extensive tissue edema, head movement, and difficulty securing good tape placement. This suggests that when signal strength is weak, causing poor pulse rate detection, there will also be problems associated with accurate SpO2. The forehead pulse oximeter sensor works well on healthy, well-oxygenated volunteers. Difficulty was experienced when applying and using the sensor on critically ill patients. The reliability of the forehead pulse oximeter sensor has not been established at low saturations.

Adolescent↗

The pulse in reflectance pulse oximetry: modeling and experimental studies.

OBJECTIVE: Reflectance pulse oximetry permits the use of alternative monitoring sites such as the face or torso, and is the approach commonly employed in fetal pulse oximetry systems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of assumptions about the nature of arterial pulsatility on the calibration of such systems. METHODS: Monte Carlo simulations of reflectance pulse oximetry were run on a six-layer tissue model, varying depth and magnitude of the arterial pulse. SpO2 readings on and off the femoral artery obtained during desaturation studies in newborn piglets were compared to predictions. Results. Monte Carlo simulation results clarified the difference between deep and shallow pulsatility found with photon diffusion models, agreeing with earlier in vivo observations. Significant overestimation of SpO2 <75% and slight underestimation >75% is expected if a sensor is placed on a highly pulsatile site. The on- and off-artery SpO2 readings recorded during desaturation in the newborn piglet follow the model predictions. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity of reflectance pulse oximetry calibration to the depth and magnitude of arterial pulsatility reinforces the observation that monitoring site selection is of importance in optimizing reflectance pulse oximetry performance, particularly fetal pulse oximetry. Sites with palpable pulsatility should be avoided.

Animals↗

Sequential pulse defibrillation in humans: orthogonal sequential pulse defibrillation with epicardial electrodes.

A newly described sequential pulse technique, using four mesh electrodes positioned to approximate a true orthogonal system around the heart, was compared with a single pulse system using two of these same electrodes, which were located in positions that would be used for an automatic implantable defibrillator. The influence of electrode size was also assessed. The minimal energy necessary for defibrillation (defibrillation threshold) was determined intraoperatively in 21 volunteer patients undergoing accessory pathway ablation of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Ventricular fibrillation was induced with alternating current. Ten seconds after fibrillation onset defibrillation shocks were begun using either the single or the sequential pulse technique with stored voltage incremented until defibrillation was accomplished (defibrillation threshold). Selection of the use of a single or sequential pulse technique for the initial attempt was randomized. Defibrillation thresholds were determined in three groups of patients: 1) those with four small mesh electrodes (6 cm2), 2) those with two small and two large (13 cm2) mesh electrodes, and 3) those with four large mesh electrodes. In all cases, the average minimal energy needed for sequential pulse defibrillation was less than that required for single pulse defibrillation in the same patients with the same electrodes (four small, 24.8 +/- 24.7 J single versus 6.7 +/- 8.3 J sequential; two small plus two large, 11.4 +/- 15.0 J single versus 2.7 +/- 1.4 J sequential; four large, 8.1 +/- 5.3 J single versus 3.9 +/- 2.6 J sequential). Using the 6 cm2 electrodes for single pulse defibrillation energies delivered at greater than 45 J in two patients failed to defibrillate the heart.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Pattern pulses: design of arbitrary excitation profiles as a function of pulse amplitude and offset.

A novel class of pulses is presented which can be regarded as a generalization of both frequency-selective pulses and B1-selective pulses. The excitation profile of these pulses forms a pre-defined pattern in two dimensions, which are spanned by pulse offset and radio-frequency (RF) amplitude. The presented pulses were designed numerically based on principles of optimal control theory. For simple test patterns, we demonstrate the flexibility of this approach by simulations and experiments. This previously unknown flexibility may trigger novel applications in NMR spectroscopy and imaging. As a first practical application, we demonstrate a direct approach for calibrating RF pulses.

Journal Article↗

Combined simulated annealing and Shinnar-Le Roux pulse design of slice-multiplexed RF pulses for multi-slice imaging.

Slice-multiplexed RF pulses have recently been introduced for simultaneous multi-slice imaging. Their novel aspect is that each slice is given a different linear phase profile, and hence a different slice-rephasing requirement, by the pulse. During readout, extra slice gradients are applied such that when one slice is rephased, the others are dephased to prevent aliasing. In this paper, an improved method of designing slice-multiplexed RF pulses is presented: component pulses which are optimized with simulated annealing for a specific rephasing are combined using Shinnar-Le Roux methods. In this way, non-linearities at higher flip angles are taken into account and more slices can be excited. Bloch simulations show the phase and amplitude profile of component pulses are faithfully preserved in the multiplexed pulse. Three- and four-slice multiplex pulses are demonstrated in gradient- and spin-echo in-vivo imaging.

Algorithms↗

Effects of finite-width pulses in the pulsed-field gradient measurement of the diffusion coefficient in connected porous media.

We analytically compute the apparent diffusion coefficient D(app) for an open restricted geometry, such as an extended porous medium, for the case of a pulsed-field gradient (PFG) experiment with finite-width pulses. In the short- and long-time limits, we give explicit, model-independent expressions that correct for the finite duration of the pulses and can be used to extract the pore surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio as well as the tortuosity. For all times, we compute D(app) using a well-established model form of the actual time-dependent diffusion coefficient D(t) that can be obtained from an ideal narrow-pulse PFG. We compare D(app) and D(t) and find that, regardless of pulse widths and geometry-dependent parameters, the two quantities deviate by less than 20%. These results are in sharp contrast with the studies on closed geometries [J. Magn. Reson. A 117 (1995) 209], where the effects of finite gradient-pulse widths are large. The analytical results presented here can be easily adapted for different pulse protocols and time sequences.

Computer Simulation↗

Molecular isomerization induced by ultrashort infrared pulses. I. Few-cycle to sub-one-cycle Gaussian pulses and the role of the carrier-envelope phase.

Using 550 previously calculated vibrational energy levels and dipole moments we performed simulations of the HCN-->HNC isomerization dynamics induced by sub-one-cycle and few-cycle IR pulses, which we represent as Gaussian pulses with 0.25-2 optical cycles in the pulse width. Starting from vibrationally pre-excited states, isomerization probabilities of up to 50% are obtained for optimized pulses. With decreasing number of optical cycles a strong dependence on the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) emerges. Although the optimized pulse parameters change significantly with the number of optical cycles, the distortion by the Gaussian envelope produces nearly equal fields, with a positive lobe followed by a negative one. The positions and areas of the lobes are also almost unchanged, irrespective of the number of cycles in the half-width. Isomerization proceeds via a pump-dumplike mechanism induced by the sequential lobes. The first lobe prepares a wave packet incorporating many delocalized states above the barrier. It is the motion of this wave packet across the barrier, which determines the timing of the pump and dump lobes. The role of the pulse parameters, and in particular of the CEP, is to produce the correct lobe sequence, size and timing within a continuous pulse.

Journal Article↗

Motor adaptation to single force pulses: sensitive to direction but insensitive to within-movement pulse placement and magnitude.

Although previous experiments have identified that errors in movement induce adaptation, the precise manner in which errors determine subsequent control is poorly understood. Here we used transient pulses of force, distributed pseudo-randomly throughout a movement set, to study how the timing of feedback within a movement influenced subsequent predictive control. Human subjects generated a robust adaptive response in postpulse movements that opposed the pulse direction. Regardless of the location or magnitude of the pulse, all pulses yielded similar changes in predictive control. All current supervised and unsupervised theories of motor learning presume that adaptation is proportional to error. Current neural models that broadly encode movement velocity and adapt proportionally to motor error can mimic human insensitivity to pulse location, but cannot mimic human insensitivity to pulse magnitude. We conclude that single trial adaptation to force pulses reveals a categorical strategy that humans adopt to counter the direction, rather than the magnitude, of movement error.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

The effect of hypothermia on myogenic motor-evoked potentials to electrical stimulation with a single pulse and a train of pulses under propofol/ketamine/fentanyl anesthesia in rabbits.

UNLABELLED: In the present study, we investigated the effect of hypothermia on myogenic motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in rabbits. The influence of stimulation paradigms to induce MEPs was evaluated. Twelve rabbits anesthetized with ketamine, fentanyl, and propofol were used for the study. Myogenic MEPs in response to electrical stimulation of the motor cortex with a single pulse and a train of three and five pulses were recorded from the soleus muscle. After the control recording of MEPs at 38 degrees C of esophageal temperature, the rabbits were cooled by surface cooling. Esophageal temperature was maintained at 35 degrees C, 32 degrees C, 30 degrees C, and 28 degrees C, and MEPs were recorded at each point. MEP amplitude to single- pulse stimulation was significantly reduced with a re-duction of core temperature to 28 degrees C compared with the control value at 38 degrees C (0.8 +/- 0.4 mV versus 2.3 +/- 0.3 mV; P < 0.05), whereas MEP amplitude to train-pulse stimulation did not change significantly during the cooling. MEP latency was increased linearly with a reduction of core temperature regardless of stimulation paradigms. In conclusion, these results indicate that a reduction of core temperature to 28 degrees C did not influence MEP amplitudes as long as a train of pulses, but not a single pulse, was used for stimulation in rabbits under propofol/ketamine/fentanyl anesthesia. IMPLICATIONS: Intraoperative monitoring of myogenic motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) may be required under hypothermic conditions because of its neuroprotective efficacy. However, data on the influence of hypothermia on myogenic MEPs are limited. The results indicate that multipulse stimulation may be better than single-pulse stimulation when monitoring MEPs during hypothermia.

Anesthesia, General↗

Characterization of ultrashort electron pulses by electron-laser pulse cross correlation.

An all-optical method to determine the duration of ultrashort electron pulses is presented. This technique makes use of the laser pulse ponderomotive potential to effectively sample the temporal envelope of the electron pulse by sequentially scattering different sections of the pulse out of the main beam. Using laser pulse parameters that are easily accessible with modern tabletop chirped-pulse amplification laser sources, it is possible to measure the instantaneous duration of electron pulses shorter than 100 fs in the energy range that is most useful for electron diffraction studies, 10-300 keV.

Journal Article↗

Effects of pulse strength and pulse duration on in vitro DNA electromobility.

Interstitial transport of DNA is a rate-limiting step in electric field-mediated gene delivery in vivo. Interstitial transport of macromolecules, such as plasmid DNA, over a distance of several cell layers, is inefficient due to small diffusion coefficient and inadequate convection. Therefore, we explored electric field as a novel driving force for interstitial transport of plasmid DNA. In this study, agarose gels were used to mimic the interstitium in tissues as they had been well characterized and could be prepared reproducibly. We measured the electrophoretic movements of fluorescently labeled plasmid DNA in agarose gels with three different concentrations (1.0%, 2.0% and 3.0%) subjected to electric pulses at three different field strengths (100, 200 and 400 V/cm) and four different pulse durations (10, 50, 75, 99 ms). We observed that: (1) shorter pulses (10 ms) were not as efficient as longer pulses in facilitating plasmid transport through agarose gels; (2) plasmid electromobility reached a plateau at longer pulse durations; and (3) plasmid electromobility increased with applied electric energy, up to a threshold, in all three gels. These data suggested that both pulse strength and duration needed to be adequately high for efficient plasmid transport through extracellular matrix. We also found that electric field was better than concentration gradient of DNA as a driving force for interstitial transport of plasmid DNA.

DNA↗

[A noninvasive method for radial pulse-wave velocity and the determinants of pulse-wave velocity].

An effective experimental method has been proposed and used to determine the pulse-wave velocity (PWV) of 257 radial pulse signals. Experimental results show that, compared with the normal pulse, the wiry pulse has an increased PWV(P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), the thready pulse has a decreased PWV(P < 0.05), but the PWV of the smooth pulse is not significantly different from the normal's (P > 0.05). PWV highly correlates with the artery blood pressure. The possible determinants of PWV are analyzed and discussed in reference to clinical diagnosis.

Blood Pressure↗

The new-generation, high-energy, 595 nm, long pulse-duration, pulsed-dye laser effectively removes spider veins of the lower extremity.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Lower-extremity spider veins are a cosmetic problem that poses formidable clinical difficulty for laser removal. They are significantly harder to remove than facial telangiectasias. A new-generation, pulsed-dye laser (PDL), capable of administering pulses that clinically behave like true 40-millisecond pulses has been developed, by doubling the number of sub-pulses comprising each laser pulse. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen subjects with Fitzpatrick skin types I-III were enrolled in the study and treated to 35 sites. Subjects were treated three times at 6-week intervals using an average fluence of 20.4 J/cm(2), a 3 x 10 mm spot, and a dynamic cooling device to protect the epidermis. Digital photographs were taken before initiating treatment and 8 weeks following the final treatment. RESULTS: Mean improvement scores using a 4-point scale as rated subjectively by the treating physician were 0.92 (<25%), 2.7 (approximately 40-50%), and 3.6 (approximately 65-75%), 6 weeks following 1st and 2nd treatments and 8 weeks following the 3rd and final treatment, respectively. Improvement was also determined by three physicians, rating digital photographs and blinded as to which photographs were pre- or post-treatment. They rated improvement as mild (0-25%) in 10.5% of photographs, moderate (26-50%) in 15.2%, marked (51-75%) in 38.1%, and excellent (76-100%) in 6.3%. There was no textural change in any treatment site. CONCLUSIONS: The new-generation, high-energy, 595 nm, long pulse-duration, PDL effectively removes lower-extremity spider veins in subjects with skin types I-III.

Adult↗