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Analysis of postural sway using entropy measures of signal complexity.

A stochastic complexity analysis is applied to centre-of-pressure (COP) time series, by using different complexity features, namely the spectral entropy, the approximate entropy, and the singular value decomposition spectrum entropy. A principal component analysis allows an estimate of the overall signal complexity in terms of the ensemble complexity score; the difference in values between open-eyes (OE) and closed-eyes (CE) trials is used for clustering purposes. In experiments on healthy young adults, the complexity of the mediolateral component is shown not to depend on the manipulation of vision. Conversely, the increase of the anteroposterior complexity in OE conditions can be statistically significant, leading to a functional division of the subjects into two groups: the Romberg ratios (RRs), namely the ratios of the CE measure to the OE measure, are: RR = 1.19 +/- 0.15 (group 1 subjects), and RR = 1.05 +/- 0.14 (group 2 subjects). Multivariate statistical techniques are applied to the complexity features and the parameters of a postural sway model recently proposed; the results suggest that the complexity change is the sign of information-generating behaviours of postural fluctuations, in the presence of a control strategy which aims at loosening long-range correlation and decreasing stochastic activity when visual feedback is allowed.

Adult↗

Orientation of intrinsic proteins in photosynthetic membranes. Polarized infrared spectroscopy of chloroplasts and chromatophores.

In order to estimate the degree of orientation of the alpha-helices of intrinsic proteins in photosynthetic membranes, polarized infrared spectroscopy has been used to measure the dichroism of the amide I and amide II absorption bands of air-dried oriented samples of purple membranes, chloroplasts and chromatophores from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides. Using purple membrane, in which the orientation of the alpha-helices is precisely known (Henderson, R. (1977) Annu. Rev. Biophys. Bioeng. 6, 87-109), as a standard to calibrate our measurements and estimating the mosaic spread (extent of orientation) of the membranes from linear dichroism measurements performed in the visible spectral range, it is concluded that in photosynthetic membranes, the alpha-helices of intrinsic proteins are tilted at less than 40 degrees with respect to the normal to the plane of the membrane.

Amides↗

A novel a-type terminal oxidase from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius with cytochrome c oxidase activity.

Cytochrome C oxidase was solubilized with a nonionic detergent n-decanoyl-N-methyl glucamide from the membranes of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, a thermoacidophilic archaebacterium, and was purified. The enzyme oxidized horse heart cytochrome C with a Vmax of 63 mumols/min/mg at 50 degrees C. The activity was sensitive to cyanide. The enzyme also catalyzed oxygen uptake detergent on N, N, N', N'-tetramethyl p-phenylene diamine. An apparent molecular mass was estimated to be 150 kDa. The enzyme is composed of three subunits of 37, 23 and 14 kDa. Spectral characteristics were similar to typical bacterial aa3 except for the presence of a novel 583 nm peak observed in reduced minus oxidized difference spectrum.

Archaea↗

Light transmittance of the human cornea from 320 to 700 nm for different ages.

In vivo relative corneal transmittance was estimated using Tan's [(1971) Vision in the ultraviolet, thesis, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands] data on scotopic spectral sensitivity in aphakic eyes. This was combined with in vitro corneal transmittance data and in vivo light scattering data to arrive at absolute data. All data combined, the following function (no age dependence is found) resulted: log(transmittance) = -0.016-c*lambda-4 (lambda = wavelength in nm, lambda > 310 nm). c = 85*10(8) nm4 for direct transmittance (acceptance angle of the order of 1 deg) and c = 21*10(8) nm4 for total transmittance (acceptance angle close to 180 deg).

Adolescent↗

Circadian rhythms in depression. Part II: Circadian rhythms in inpatients with various mental disorders.

We investigated longitudinally the circadian body temperature rhythms in 65 inpatients with various mental disorders, 38 of whom had major depressive episodes, by estimating the deep body temperature from the skin surface every 2 h for a consecutive 48-h period. To estimate the circadian rhythm, the data obtained were analyzed by the least-squares method and maximum entropy spectral analysis (MEM). Circadian rhythm disturbances in patients with depression were likely to be manifested in phase variability rather than in phase advance. The amplitude of body temperature of the depressed group was significantly less than that of the control group. A positive correlation between the mesor and the severity of the depressive symptoms was found. Moreover, the body temperature of the patients with affective disorders, both in the depressive and in the manic state, tended to fluctuate so much as not only to fit poorly to sinusoid curves, but also to reduce the periodicity of the circadian rhythm. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that the essential feature of the rhythm disturbances in affective disorders is not the phase shift but the instability of the circadian temperature rhythm.

Adult↗

Nonstationary fluctuation analysis of the delayed rectifier K channel in cardiac Purkinje fibers. Actions of norepinephrine on single-channel current.

We have studied the large increase in macroscopic potassium channel current caused by catecholamines in mammalian cardiac cells. An increase in macroscopic K current could result from either an increase in the single-channel current or by an increase in the number of channels that are open. Therefore, we have measured nonstationary potassium current fluctuations under voltage clamp conditions to determine whether norepinephrine increases the current through this channel. The single-channel current (at a potential of -30 mV in 4 mM external [K]) was estimated to be 3.7 pA and was not altered by concentrations of norepinephrine up to 2 microM. The spectral density of the current fluctuations were fitted well by a sum of 2 Lorentzians with corner frequencies that correspond with the measured time constants for deactivation of the macroscopic K current tails. We conclude that the increase in macroscopic K current caused by norepinephrine in these cells is not the result of an increase in single-channel conductance and therefore must involve an increase in the number of open K channels.

Animals↗

RESP-24: a computer program for the investigation of 24-h breathing abnormalities in heart failure patients.

In this paper, we describe a computer program (RESP-24) specifically devised to assess the prevalence and characteristics of breathing disorders in ambulant chronic heart failure patients during the overall 24 h period. The system works on a single channel respiratory signal (RS) recorded through a Holter-like portable device. In the pre-processing stage RESP-24 removes noise, baseline drift and motion artefacts from the RS using a non-linear filter, enhances respiratory frequency components through high-pass filtering and derives an instantaneous tidal volume (ITV) signal. The core processing is devoted to the identification and classification of the breathing pattern into periodic breathing (PB), normal breathing or non-classifiable breathing using a 60 s segmentation, and to the identification and estimation of apnea and hypopnea events. Sustained episodes of PB are detected by cross analysis of both the spectral content and time behavior of the ITV signal. User-friendly interactive facilities allow all the results of the automatic analysis procedure to be edited. The final report provides a set of standard and non-standard parameters quantifying breathing abnormalities during the 24 h period, the night-time and the day-time, including the apnea/hypopnea index, the apnea index, the total time spent in apnea or in hypopnea and the prevalence of non-apneic and apneic PB. The accuracy of these measurements was appraised on a data set of 14 recordings, by comparing them with those provided by a trained analyst. The mean and standard deviation of the error of the automatic procedure were below respectively 6 and 8% of the reference value for all parameters considered and the mean total classification accuracy was 92%. In most cases, the individual error was <12%. We conclude that measurements provided automatically by the RESP-24 software are suitable for screening purposes and clinical trials, although a preventive check of signal quality should be recommended.

Apnea↗

Numbers and exchangeability with water of oxygen-17 atoms coupled to molybdenum (V) in different reduced forms of xanthine oxidase.

The effect of using [17O]water (24-50% enriched) as solvent on the Mo(V) electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of different reduced forms of xanthine oxidase has been investigated. All the Mo(V) signals are affected. Procedures are described, based on the use of difference spectral techniques, that facilitate interpretation of such spectra. The number of coupled oxygen atoms may be determined by estimation of the fraction of the spectrum that remains unchanged by the isotope at a known enrichment. For a species having two coupled oxygen atoms, the use of two different isotope enrichments permits elimination from the difference spectra of the contribution of the two singly substituted species. From the application of these methods, it is concluded that not only the strength of the hyperfine coupling of oxygen ligands of molybdenum but also their number and their exchangeability with the solvent vary from one reduced form of the enzyme to another. The inhibited species from active xanthine oxidase has been studied in the most detail. It has two weakly coupled oxygen atoms [A(17O)av = 0.1-0.2 mT] that do not exchange with the solvent. A cyclic structure is proposed for this species in which two oxygen ligands of molybdenum are bonded to the carbon of the formaldehyde or other alcohol or aldehyde molecule that reacted in producing the signal. Structures of the other signal-giving species from active xanthine oxidase (Very Rapid and Rapid types 1 and 2) are discussed, as is corresponding information on species from the desulfo enzyme and from sulfite oxidase.

Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy↗

Lanthanide clusters with internal Ln ions: highly emissive molecules with solid-state cores.

"Er(SePh)(2.5)I(0.5)" reacts with elemental S to give (THF)10Er6S6I6, a double cubane cluster with one face of the Er4S4 cube capped by an additional Er2S2. Reactions with a mixture of elemental S/Se results in the formation of (THF)14Er10S6(Se2)6I6, a cluster composed of an Er6S6 double cubane core, with two "Er2(Se2)3" units condensed onto opposing rectangular sides of the Er6S6 fragment. This deposition of Er2Se6 totally encapsulates the two central Er with chalcogen atoms (4 S, 4 Se) and excludes neutral THF donors or iodides from the two primary coordination spheres. The Er10 compound is the first lanthanide cluster to contain internal, chalcogen encapsulated Ln. This cluster shows strong fluorescence at 1544 nm with a measured decay time of 3 ms and an estimated quantum efficiency of 78%, which is comparable to Er doped solid-state materials. The unusual fluorescence spectral properties of (THF)14Er10S6Se12I6 are unprecedented for a molecular Er complex and are attributed to the low phonon energy host environment provided by the I-, S(2-), and Se2(2-) ligands.

Journal Article↗

Polar solvation and solvation dynamics in supercritical CHF3: Results from experiment and simulation.

Solvation dynamics of the probe trans-4-(dimethylamino)-4'-cyanostilbene (DCS) have been measured in supercritical fluoroform at 310 K (1.04 Tc) and solvent densities over the range 1.4-2.0 rho(c) using optical Kerr-gated emission spectroscopy. Steady-state measurements and computer simulations of this and the related system coumarin 153 (C153) in fluoroform are used to help interpret the observed dynamics. The solvent contribution to the Stokes shift of DCS is estimated to be 2300 +/- 400 cm(-1) and nearly density independent over the range (0.7-2.0)rho(c). Spectral response functions are bimodal and can be fit to biexponential functions having time constants of approximately 0.5 ps (85%) and 3-10 ps (15%) over the observable range ((1.4-2.0)rho(c)). Computer simulations based on a 2-site model of fluoroform and assuming an electrostatic solvation mechanism appear to properly account for the magnitude and weak density dependence of the Stokes shifts but predict much faster solvation than is observed. Possible reasons for the discrepancy are discussed.

Journal Article↗

Effect on mutagenicity of the stepwise removal of hydroxyl group and chlorine atoms from 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone: 13C NMR chemical shifts as determinants of mutagenicity.

The response of mutagenicity to the stepwise replacement of chlorine atoms and the hydroxyl group by hydrogen in 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (MX, 1) was determined in several assays by using Salmonella typhimurium tester strain (TA100). In all, eight MX derivatives were assayed. Several were studied together in at least one assay. In addition to MX, the seven included 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-2(5H)-furanone (RMX, 2), 3-chloro-4-(chloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (3), 3-chloro-4-(chloromethyl)-2(5H)-furanone (4), 4-(chloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (5), 4-chloromethyl-2(5H)-furanone (6), and 4-(dichloromethyl)-2(5H)-furanone (8). Compounds 1-6 were mutagenic. Compound 8 gave erratic results. 4-(Acetoxymethyl)-2(5H)-furanone (11) was nonmutagenic. The largest drop in mutagenicity amounted to a factor of about 10(2) for the replacement of the hydroxyl group or a C-3 chlorine atom from 3. Other replacements of the hydroxyl group or a C-3 or C-6 chlorine atom amounted to mutagenicity diminished by a factor of only 10. On the basis of the rates of UV spectral changes under assay conditions, chemical half-life values (ct 1/2) for 1-6 and 8 were estimated as indicators of compound stability. However, mutagenicity differences were shown to result principally from the intrinsic mutagenicities of the six compounds 1-6 rather than from differences in stability.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Carbon Isotopes↗

Impaired baroreflex function and arterial compliance in primary aldosteronism.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if changes in vascular properties were related to baroreflex function in patients with primary aldosteronism. Twenty-three patients with primary aldosteronism, 22 essential hypertensive patients and 16 normal controls were studied. Continuous finger blood pressure (BP) was recorded by Portapres device during supine rest and active stand up. Compliance was estimated from the time constant of pressure decay during diastole. Baroreflex sensitivity was calculated by autoregressive cross-spectral analysis of systolic BP and interbeat interval. The result was that baroreflex gain and compliance were lower in primary aldosteronism patients in the supine position (P = 0.002 and P < 0.05 respectively). Aldosterone plasma levels (R2 = 0.31, P = 0.01), age, systolic and diastolic BP, high and low frequency components of diastolic BP variability were independently related to compliance in primary aldosteronism. In conclusion primary aldosteronism is associated with an impaired baroreflex function related in part to a reduced arterial compliance. Despite a reduction of BP values and aldosterone levels, surgical or pharmacological treatment did not significantly change compliance values.

Adult↗

Analysis of the high-spin states of the 2[4Fe-4Se]+ ferredoxin from Clostridium pasteurianum by Mössbauer spectroscopy.

A Mössbauer study of the three spin states of the reduced selenium-substituted 2[4Fe-4Se]+ ferredoxin from Clostridium pasteurianum was carried out at T = 1.6 K, in perpendicular and parallel applied magnetic fields of up to 10 T. In low (0.1 T) applied fields, the spectra of the classical S = 1/2 state exhibit magnetic hyperfine patterns arising from two pairs of iron atoms with opposite hyperfine fields. The S = 7/2 state is in the slow relaxation limit at T less than or equal to 4 K in the absence of applied field. The corresponding Mössbauer spectrum can be understood in terms of anti-parallel coupling between one high-spin Fe3+ ion (Hhf = +21.2 T) and three high-spin Fe2+ ions (Hhf,xy = -25.5 T, Hhf,z = -28.5 T). For the S = 3/2 spin state, the use of high (8-10 T) applied fields was necessary to ensure the validity of the high-field approximation and overcome the intercluster spin-spin interaction. The spectral data obtained under such conditions allowed the determination of the hyperfine field (-4.2 T) and a tentative estimation of the zero-field splitting (D approximately less than 3 cm-1).

Clostridium↗

Use of alpha spectroscopy for conducting rapid surveys of transuranic activity on air sample filters and smears.

This paper demonstrates the utility of a portable alpha Continuous Air Monitor (CAM) as a bench top scalar counter for multiple sample types. These include using the CAM to count fixed air sample filters and radiological smears. In counting radiological smears, the CAM is used very much like a gas flow proportional counter (GFPC), albeit with a lower efficiency. Due to the typically low background in this configuration, the minimum detectable activity for a 5-min count should be in the range of about 10 dpm which is acceptably below the 20 dpm limit for transuranic isotopes. When counting fixed air sample filters, the CAM algorithm along with other measurable characteristics can be used to identify and quantify the presence of transuranic isotopes in the samples. When the radiological control technician wants to take some credit from naturally occurring radioactive material contributions due to radon progeny producing higher energy peaks (as in the case with a fixed air sample filter), then more elaborate techniques are required. The techniques presented here will generate a decision level of about 43 dpm for such applications. The calibration for this application should alternatively be done using the default values of channels 92-126 for region of interest 1. This can be done within 10 to 15 min resulting in a method to rapidly evaluate air filters for transuranic activity. When compared to the 1-h count technique described by , the technique presented in the present work demonstrates a technique whereby more than two thirds of samples can be rapidly shown (within 10 to 15 min) to be within regulatory compliant limits. In both cases, however, spectral quality checks are required to insure sample self attenuation is not a significant bias in the activity estimates. This will allow the same level of confidence when using these techniques for activity quantification as is presently available for air monitoring activity quantification using CAMs.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗

Assessment of muscle fatigue during biking.

The analysis of the surface myoelectric signal recorded while a muscle is performing a sustained contraction is a valuable tool for assessing the progression of localized fatigue. It is well known that the modifications of the spectral content of the myoelectric signal are mainly related to changes in the interstitial fluid pH, which, in turn, affect the membrane excitability of the active muscle fibers. This paper describes the effects of muscle fatigue on the surface myoelectric signal recorded from three thigh and leg muscles during biking, on a population consisting of 22 young healthy volunteers. The purpose of this study was to obtain normative data relative to an exercise protocol mild enough to be applicable, in the future, to pathological subjects as well. Each subject was asked to exercise 30 min on a cycloergometer at a constant velocity and against a constant torque. While subjects were biking, the surface myoelectric signal was recorded from the rectus femoris, the biceps femoris, and the gastrocnemius muscles. In this study, we considered two different aspects of muscle fatigue: first, the localized muscle fatigue as shown by the decrement of the instantaneous frequency of the myoelectric signal during the exercise; second, the modifications of the muscle ON-OFF timing, which could be explained as a strategy for increasing endurance by modifying the role of different muscles during the exercise. The first aspect was studied by obtaining the spectral characteristics of the signals by means of bilinear time-frequency transforms and by applying an original estimator of the instantaneous frequency of stochastic processes based on cross time-frequency transforms. Our results demonstrated that none of the subjects showed significant signs of localized muscle fatigue, since the decrement of the instantaneous frequency during the exercise was always lower than 5% of its initial value. Muscle ON-OFF timing was obtained by applying to the raw myoelectric signal a double threshold statistical detector to identify the time intervals during which the observed muscles were active. This demonstrated that the subjective feeling of fatigue each subject reported during the exercise did not cause a change of the activation strategy of the observed muscles. It is concluded that the experimental protocol herein described and the signal processing procedures adopted are appropriate for monitoring different effects of muscle fatigue during biking. Moreover, data obtained from our sample population can be considered as a reference for studying the manifestations of muscle fatigue in pathological subjects asked to follow a similar experimental protocol.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Metal-free and metal-substituted cytochromes c. Use in characterization of the cytochrome c binding site.

The luminescent properties of metal-free, tin(IV) and zinc(II) cytochromes c have been used to characterize the interaction of cytochrome c with mitochondria and cytochrome oxidase. Diminution in the fluorescence yields of tin and zinc cytochrome c occur when these derivates bind to cytochrome oxidase or mitochondria. Based upon spectral overlap and quantum yield, the distance between the porphyrin rings of cytochrome a and cytochrome c is estimated according to Forster theory to be in the neighborhood of 3.5 nm. Measurements of the polarized emission of metal-free 'porphyrin' cytochrome c when bound to oriented layers of cytochrome c oxidase indicate that the porphyrin is bound obliquely to the plane of the oxidase layers with an angle of about 70 degrees C from heme plane to membrane plane. It is proposed that these data have significance for elucidation of electron transfer mechanisms.

Animals↗

Physical imaging performance of a compact computed radiography acquisition device.

A comprehensive investigation of the physical imaging performance of a Philips AC3 computed radiography system using fifth-generation image plate technology has been undertaken. Measurements include characteristic response, modulation transfer function (MTF) and Wiener spectra (WS) for standard and high resolution image plates sampled at 10 pixels/mm. These results were used to calculate noise equivalent quanta (NEQ) and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) spectral descriptions of system performance. Luminescence noise and x-ray quantum noise components were separated. From an estimate of the luminescence noise power, the average system gain was calculated and results show a substantial improvement over earlier generations of computed radiography systems for standard image plates.

Calibration↗

US of neurovascular occlusive disease: interpretive pearls and pitfalls.

Ultrasonography (US) of the head and neck is a convenient but operator-dependent screening tool for detection and diagnosis of neurovascular occlusive disease. In US examination of the extracranial carotid arteries, stenosis is most commonly graded according to the peak systolic Doppler velocity in the region of maximal luminal narrowing rather than according to the percentage of atheromatous plaque occupying the lumen. However, the peak systolic velocity is not always reliable in estimation of the degree of stenosis. General diagnostic pitfalls include technical difficulties with scanning, failure to review the spectral waveform patterns, the presence of additional stenotic lesions, and anatomic variants. Specific examples of pitfalls include tandem lesions, differentiation of pseudo-occlusion from true total occlusion, pseudonormalization of velocities in cases of very severe stenosis, lesions of the carotid artery origin or aortic valve, progression of subclavian steal, underestimation of severe stenosis due to heavily calcified plaque, a persistent trigeminal artery, and contralateral carotid artery stenosis. Although conventional angiography remains the standard of reference for assessment of carotid artery disease, recognition of these common sources of error in US can improve the accuracy of this noninvasive test in diagnosis of carotid artery occlusion.

Arterial Occlusive Diseases↗