Biomedical subjects

R C Schmidt

Publications and source records attributed to R C Schmidt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Distinguishing the noise and attractor strength of coordinated limb movements using recurrence analysis.

The variability of coupled rhythmic limb movements is assumed to be a consequence of the strength of a movement's attractor dynamic and a constant stochastic noise process that continuously perturbs the movement system away from this dynamic. Recently, it has been suggested that the nonlinear technique of recurrence analysis can be used to index the effects of noise and attractor strength on movement variability. To test this, three experiments were conducted in which the attractor strength of bimanual wrist-pendulum movements (using coordination mode, movement frequency and detuning), as well as the magnitude of stochastic perturbations affecting the variability of these movements (using a temporally fluctuating visual metronome) was manipulated. The results of these experiments demonstrate that recurrence analysis can index parametric changes in the attractor strength of coupled rhythmic limb movements and the magnitude of metronome induced stochastic perturbations independently. The results of Experiments 1 and 2 also support the claim that differences between the variability of inphase and antiphase coordination, and between slow and fast movement frequencies are due to differences in attractor strength. In contrast to the standard assumption that the noise that characterizes interlimb coordination remains constant for different magnitudes of detuning (Delta omega) the results of Experiment 3 suggest that the magnitude of noise increases with increases in |Delta omega|.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

PubMed2005

Effects of visual and verbal interaction on unintentional interpersonal coordination.

Previous research has demonstrated that people's movements can become unintentionally coordinated during interpersonal interaction. The current study sought to uncover the degree to which visual and verbal (conversation) interaction constrains and organizes the rhythmic limb movements of coactors. Two experiments were conducted in which pairs of participants completed an interpersonal puzzle task while swinging handheld pendulums with instructions that minimized intentional coordination but facilitated either visual or verbal interaction. Cross-spectral analysis revealed a higher degree of coordination for conditions in which the pairs were visually coupled. In contrast, verbal interaction alone was not found to provide a sufficient medium for unintentional coordination to occur, nor did it enhance the unintentional coordination that emerged during visual interaction. The results raise questions concerning differences between visual and verbal informational linkages during interaction and how these differences may affect interpersonal movement production and its coordination.

Extremities↗

PubMed2002

Movement sequencing and phonological fluency in (putatively) nonimpaired readers.

Reading-disabled children often have accompanying deficits in motor coordination. Rather than assuming impairment of a shared neural mechanism, we conjecture that coordination difficulties that undermine normal speech would also undermine development of phonological awareness, which is necessary for reading fluency. Nonimpaired readers who vary in fluency, therefore, should also covary in coordination. Reliable interrelationships between phonological decoding skills and the speed and variability of sequentially tapping the fingers of one hand (either dominant or nondominant) were, indeed, found for college undergraduates. Reading measures that do not emphasize phonological decoding did not show the same connection. Characterizing phonological decoding as a skill and the long-term consequences of failure to master that skill suggest that it could benefit from practice even in high-literacy populations.

Hand↗

PubMed2000

Visual perception of mean relative phase and phase variability.

Perception of relative phase and phase variability may play a fundamental role in interlimb coordination. This study was designed to investigate the perception of relative phase and of phase variability and the stability of perception in each case. Observers judged the relative phasing of two circles rhythmically moving on a computer display. The circles moved from side to side, simulating movement in the frontoparallel plane, or increased and decreased in size, simulating movement in depth. Under each viewing condition, participants observed the same displays but were to judge either mean relative phase or phase variability. Phase variability interfered with the mean-relative-phase judgments, in particular when the mean relative phase was 0 degrees. Judgments of phase variability varied as a function of mean relative phase. Furthermore, the stability of the judgments followed an asymmetric inverted U-shaped relation with mean relative phase, as predicted by the Haken-Kelso-Bunz model.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Mammographic image quality and exposure in South East Asia.

Generally there is a significant delay before optimized performance of mammography is fully realized in the developing countries. To evaluate the status of mammographic performance, a survey of mammographic image quality and exposure was performed in nine hospitals from four selected South East Asian countries. The entrance exposure on the surface of the American College of Radiology (ACR) mammographic phantom (ACR-RMI model 156) was made using both thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and an ionization chamber. The TLDs were mailed from the University of Wisconsin Radiation Calibration Laboratory (UWRCL) to the cooperating hospitals. The surveyed hospitals processed the images and returned them to the UWRCL for subsequent evaluation of the image quality of the mammographic phantom. Machine-specific data, technique factors and sensitometric data were also obtained. At 28 kVp, the mean entrance exposure is 0.91 R (0.46 to 2.6 R), mean glandular dose is 1.61 mGy (0.90 to 4.15 mGy), mean optical density is 1.37 (0.66 to 2.30), mean total phantom image score is 9.1(4-12). Only three of the nine hospitals tested achieved an acceptable score above the minimum 10. Results for 25 and 30 kVp showed similar trend. The variation between the ion chamber measurements and TLD measurements ranged from 4 to 24%. There is a wide variation in the image quality and entrance exposure among hospitals in South East Asia. There is a need for a quality assurance program. The factors that cause low score in the phantom images must be corrected. Calibration and the use of appropriate ionization chambers for mammography is important.

Asia, Southeastern↗

PubMed1999

Visual perception of the relative phasing of human limb movements.

Studies of bimanual coordination have found that only two stable relative phases (0 degree and 180 degrees) are produced when a participant rhythmically moves two joints in different limbs at the same frequency. Increasing the frequency of oscillation causes an increase in relative phase variability in both of these phase modes. However, relative phasing at 180 degrees is more variable than relative phasing at 0 degree, and when the frequency of oscillation reaches a critical frequency, a transition to 0 degree occurs. These results have been replicated when 2 people have coordinated their respective limb movements using vision. This inspired us to investigate the visual perception of relative phase. In Experiment 1, recordings of human interlimb oscillations exhibiting different frequencies, mean relative phases, and different amounts of phase variability were used to generate computer displays of spheres oscillating either side to side in a frontoparallel plane or in depth. Participants judged the stability of relative phase. Judgments covaried with phase variability only when the mean phase was 0 degree or 180 degrees. Otherwise, judgments covaried with mean relative phase, even after extensive instruction and demonstration. In Experiment 2, mean relative phase and phase variability were manipulated independently via simulations, and participants were trained to perceive phase variability in testing sessions in which mean phase was held constant. The results of Experiment 1 were replicated. The HKB model was fitted to mean judgment standard deviations.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

A comparison of intra- and interpersonal interlimb coordination: coordination breakdowns and coupling strength.

Intra- and interpersonal interlimb coordination of pendulums swung from the wrist was investigated. For both kinds of coordination, the steady state and breakdown of bimanual rhythmic coordination as indexed by the time series of the relative phase angle phi were studied under the manipulation of coordination mode, frequency of oscillation, and the difference in the eigenfrequencies (preferred tempos) of the individual oscillating limbs. The properties observed for both intra- and interpersonal coordination were those predicted by a dynamical model of rhythmic coordination that considers the coordinated limbs coupled to be nonlinear oscillators. Using a regression method, the coupling strengths of the coupled system were recovered. As predicted by the dynamical model, the strength of the dynamic was generally greater for the in-phase than the anti-phase mode and decreased with increasing frequency. Further, the strength of the interpersonal interlimb coupling was weaker than that of intrapersonal interlimb coupling.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1997

Cerebellar atrophy decreases the threshold of carbamazepine toxicity in patients with chronic focal epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: Cerebellar atrophy (CA) is a frequent finding in patients with chronic epilepsy. Since gaze-evoked nystagmus, dizziness, and ataxia are some of the typical adverse effects (AEs) of the dose-dependent toxicity of carbamazepine, preexisting CA could possible explain in part the interindividual variation in the tolerance of high serum concentrations of carbamazepine. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether CA reduces the threshold for overdose symptoms with carbamazepine in patients with chronic focal epilepsy in a prospective study. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: A fourth-level epilepsy center to which patients were referred. PATIENTS: Twenty-six consecutive patients with chronic focal epilepsy were prospectively studied while they were receiving high-dose monotherapy with carbamazepine. Patients were slowly titrated to doses at which the first toxic AEs of carbamazepine occurred. The determination of multiple serum levels was carried out, together with an evaluation of toxicity that comprised a standardized neurologic examination, a questionnaire for AEs, and posturography. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum concentrations of carbamazepine at the occurrence of the first dose-dependent AEs were related to the presence or absence of CA in magnetic resonance imaging studies as rated by 2 independent and blinded neuroradiologists. RESULTS: In 9 patients (35%), magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed moderate (n = 7) or severe (n = 2) CA. In these patients, gaze-evoked nystagmus (P = .001, log rank test), dizziness (P = .008), and ataxia of stance as measured by posturography (P = .02) occurred at significantly lower serum concentrations of carbamazepine compared with patients without CA. This was also found for the first individually observed AE (P = .03). CONCLUSION: Cerebellar atrophy occurs in a considerable percentage of patients with chronic focal epilepsy and obviously increases the susceptibility for cerebellar AEs of carbamazepine.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Cerebellar atrophy and prognosis after temporal lobe resection.

OBJECTIVE: Experimental data indicate inhibitory effects of the cerebellum on seizure activity. Structural damage such as cerebellar atrophy, which is a common finding in patients with chronic epilepsy, may reduce these effects. METHODS: Outcome after temporal lobectomy was studied in 78 consecutive patients, with or without cerebellar atrophy diagnosed by MRI. RESULTS: Thirty five patients (45%) showed cerebellar atrophy. At a mean follow up of 14.6 (range, 6-40) months, 50 patients (64%) had no postoperative seizures. In these patients, the frequency of cerebellar atrophy was significantly lower (34%) than in patients who relapsed (64%, p < 0.01). Occurrence of generalised tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) within two years before surgery, occurrence of GTCS at any time preoperatively, long duration of epilepsy, and older age at surgery were also associated with recurrence of seizures. Multiple logistic regression analysis suggested occurrence of GTCS within two years before surgery and cerebellar atrophy as the main predictive indicators. When both factors were present, the percentage of patients remaining seizure free since surgery fell to 30%, compared with 60% when only GTCS were present, 78.6% when only cerebellar atrophy was present, and 87.5% when both factors were absent. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebellar atrophy shown by MRI was a frequent finding in surgically treated patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. The presence of cerebellar atrophy seems to worsen the prognosis after temporal lobe resection.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Transgenic tobacco plants expressing the Arabidopsis thaliana nitrilase II enzyme.

Nitrilase (E.C. 3.5.5.1) cloned from Arabidopsis thaliana converts indole-3-acetonitrile to the plant growth hormone, indole-3-acetic acid in vitro. To probe the capacity of ths enzyme under physiological conditions in vivo, the cDNA PM255, encoding nitrilase II, was stably integrated into the genome of Nicotiana tabacum by direct protoplast transformation under the control of the CaMV-35S promotor. The regenerated plants appeared phenotypically normal. Nitrilase II was expressed, based on the occurrence of its mRNA and polypeptide. The enzyme was catalytically active, when extracted from leaf tissue of transgenic plants (specific activity: 25 fkat mg(-1) protein with indole-3-acetonitrile as substrate). This level of activity was lower than that found in A. thaliana, and this was deemed essential for the in vivo analysis. Leaf tissue from the transgenic plants converted 1-[13C]-indole-3-acetonitrile to 1-[13C]-indole-3-acetic acid in vivo as determined by HPLC/GC-MS analysis. Untransformed tobacco was unable to catalyze this reaction. When transgenic seeds were grown on medium in the absence of indole-3-acetonitrile, germination and seedling growth appeared normal. In the presence of micromolar levels of exogenous indole-3-acetonitrile, a strong auxin-overproducing phenotype developed resulting in increased lateral root formation (at 10 microM indole-3-acetonitrile). Collectively, these data prove the ability of nitrilase II to convert low micromolar levels of indole-3-acetonitrile to indole-3-acetic acid in vivo, even when expressed at subphysiological levels thereby conferring a high-auxin phenotype upon transgenic plants. Thus, the Al thaliana nitrilase activity, which exceeds that of the transgenic plants, would be sufficient to meet the requirements for auxin biosynthesis in vivo.

Aminohydrolases↗

PubMed1995

Linear and nonlinear stiffness and friction in biological rhythmic movements.

Biological rhythmic movements can be viewed as instances of self-sustained oscillators. Auto-oscillatory phenomena must involve a nonlinear friction function, and usually involve a nonlinear elastic function. With respect to rhythmic movements, the question is: What kinds of nonlinear friction and elastic functions are involved? The nonlinear friction functions of the kind identified by Rayleigh (involving terms such as theta3) and van der Pol (involving terms such as theta2theta), and the nonlinear elastic functions identified by Duffing (involving terms such as theta3), constitute elementary nonlinear components for the assembling of self-sustained oscillators, Recently, additional elementary nonlinear friction and stiffness functions expressed, respectively, through terms such as theta2theta3 and thetatheta2, and a methodology for evaluating the contribution of the elementary components to any given cyclic activity have been identified. The methodology uses a quantification of the continuous deviation of oscillatory motion from ideal (harmonic) motion. Multiple regression of this quantity on the elementary linear and nonlinear terms reveals the individual contribution of each term to the oscillator's non-harmonic behavior. In the present article the methodology was applied to the data from three experiments in which human subjects produced pendular rhythmic movements under manipulations of rotational inertia (experiment 1), rotational inertia and frequency (experiment 2), and rotational inertia and amplitude (experiment 3). The analysis revealed that the pendular oscillators assembled in the three experiments were compositionally rich, braiding linear and nonlinear friction and elastic functions in a manner that depended on the nature of the task.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Frequency detuning of the phase entrainment dynamics of visually coupled rhythmic movements.

An order parameter equation for correlated limb movements was applied to rhythmic coordination between the limbs of two people. The interlimb coordination was established and maintained through vision. Manipulations of frequency competition, coupled frequency, and intended mode (in-phase or anti-phase) produced equilibria and fluctuations in relative phase predicted by the order parameter equation and confirmed originally in within-person coordination. It was concluded that there is an elementary coordination dynamics governing the rhythmic coordination between organisms as well as between components of a single organism.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Models of interlimb coordination--equilibria, local analyses, and spectral patterning: comment on Fuchs and Kelso (1994).

This article is a comment on A. Fuchs and J. A. S. Kelso's (1994) theoretical note on models of interlimb coordination. The generality of the order parameter equation derived by H. Haken, J. A. S. Kelso, and H. Bunz (HKB; 1985) for correlated limb movements is underscored through the correct and nonintuitive predictions it makes about steady state behavior. Local and global dynamical models are contrasted, and experimental situations in which local models are pragmatic alternatives to global models, like the HKB equation, are described. Questions are raised about the basis for interpreting detuning in HKB as a simple frequency difference and about the ability of the system of coupled nonlinear oscillators proposed by A. Fuchs and J. A. S. Kelso (1994) to model fully the experimental findings on the spectrum of relative phase.

Extremities↗

PubMed1995

Dynamics and the orientation of kinematic forms in visual event recognition.

The authors investigated event dynamics as a determinant of the perceptual significance of forms of motion. Patch-light displays were recorded for 9 simple events selected to represent rigid-body dynamics, biodynamics, hydrodynamics, and aerodynamics. Observers described events in a free-response task or by circling properties on a list. Cluster analyses performed on descriptor frequencies reflected the dynamics. Observers discriminated hydro- versus aerodynamic events and animate versus inanimate events. The latter result was confirmed by using a forced-choice task. Dynamical models of the events led us to consider energy flows as a determinant of kinematic properties that allowed animacy to be distinguished. Orientation was manipulated in 3 viewing conditions. Descriptions varied with absolute display orientation rather than the relative orientation of display and observer.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Molecular characterization of two cloned nitrilases from Arabidopsis thaliana: key enzymes in biosynthesis of the plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid.

As in maize [Wright, A.D., Sampson, M. B., Neuffer, M. G., Michalczuk, L., Slovin, J. P. & Cohen, J. D. (1991) Science 254, 998-1000], the major auxin of higher plants, indole-3-acetic acid, is synthesized mainly via a nontryptophan pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana [Normanly, J., Cohen, J. D. & Fink, G. R. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 10355-10359]. In the latter species, the hormone may be accessible from the glucosinolate glucobrassicin (indole-3-methyl glucosinolate) and from L-tryptophan via indoleacetaldoxime under special circumstances. In each case, indole-3-acetonitrile is the immediate precursor, which is converted into indole-3-acetic acid through the action of nitrilase (nitrile aminohydrolase, EC 3.5.5.1). The genome of A. thaliana contains two nitrilase genes. Nitrilase I had been cloned earlier in our laboratory. The cDNA for nitrilase II (PM255) was cloned and encodes an enzyme that converts indole-3-acetonitrile to indole-3-acetic acid, the plant hormone. We show that the intracellular location as well as the expression pattern of the two A. thaliana nitrilases are distinctly different. Nitrilase I is soluble and is expressed throughout development, but at a very low level during the fruiting stage, while nitrilase II is tightly associated with the plasma membrane, is barely detectable in young rosettes, but is strongly expressed during bolting, flowering, and especially fruit development. The results indicate that more than one pathway of indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis via indole-3-acetonitrile exists in A. thaliana and that these pathways are differentially regulated throughout plant development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Phase-entrainment dynamics of visually coupled rhythmic movements.

Do interlimb rhythmic coordinations between individuals exhibit the same relations among the same observable quantities as interlimb rhythmic coordination within an individual? The 1:1 frequency locking between the limbs of two people was investigated using a paradigm in which each person oscillated a hand-held pendulum, achieving and maintaining the mutual entrainment through vision. The intended coordination was antiphase, phi = pi, and the difference between the uncoupled eigen-frequencies, delta omega, was manipulated through differences in the lengths of the two pendulums. The mean phase relation and its variance for visually coupled coordinations differing in delta omega were predicted by an order parameter equation developed by Haken et al. (1985) and Schöner et al. (1986) for the relative phase of correlated movements of limb segments. Specifically, the experiment revealed that: (1) the deviation of phi from pi increased with increasing deviation of delta omega from 0; and (2) fluctuations in phi increased with increasing deviation of delta omega from 0. With deviations of delta omega from 0, new peaks were added at higher harmonics in phi's power spectrum. These results were in agreement with previous research on the stable states of interlimb coordination within a person, mediated by mechanoreceptive rather than photoreceptive mechanisms. Additionally, they were in agreement with previous research on phase transitions in interlimb coordination which have been shown to conform to the same order parameter dynamics whether the coupling be mechanoreceptively or photoreceptively based. It was suggested that phase entrainment in biological movement systems may abide by dynamical principles that are indifferent to the details of the coupling.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Cerebellar atrophy does not increase susceptibility to carbamazepine toxicity.

Cerebellar atrophy (CA) is a frequent finding in patients with chronic epilepsy. To find out whether the existence of CA has an influence on the tolerance of high-dose monotherapy with carbamazepine, we compared the lowest individual toxic serum levels in patients with complex focal seizures, with CA (n = 27) and without CA (n = 20) in computerized tomography (CT). There was no statistical difference between the groups, even after separating patients with mild CA (n = 20) from those with more severe damage (n = 7). In addition, other clinical, EEG and CT data also seemed to have no influence on the individual toxic threshold serum levels of carbamazepine.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Constants underlying frequency changes in biological rhythmic movements.

When an animal increases or decreases the frequency of its limb motions, how should the transformation in timing be characterized? It has been hypothesized that the transformation is adiabatic, even though the biological conditions are nonconservative and non-rate-limited (Kugler and Turvey 1987). An adiabatic transformation requires that the rhythmic system's action (energy/frequency) and entropy production remain time-invariant throughout the transformation. The non-conservative adiabatic hypothesis was evaluated through an experiment on human rhythmic hand movements. On each trial, a subject began at a prescribed frequency and then, over a 30 s interval, increased (or decreased) the frequency continuously at will. For each subject, on each increasing and decreasing trial, cycle kinetic energy was a linear function of cycle frequency with a negative energy intercept. By the adiabatic hypothesis, the slope of the function defines the constant action and the intercept defines the constant dissipation - changes in cycle frequency incur no changes in energy dissipated per cycle. Slopes and intercepts were correlated suggesting a common basis for the two constants, and the variety of cycle amplitude-cycle duration relations were in agreement with the nonmonotonic, nonlinear space-time function predicted by the hypothesis. The possibilities of addressing aspects of the data through (a) muscle modeled as a continuum of Kelvin bodies with a continuous relaxation spectrum, and (b) various classes of autonomous differential equations, were discussed. Most importantly, the discussion focused on the puzzling independence of energy cost and speed exhibited by locomoting animals differing in morphology, physiology, size, and taxa. It was suggested that the independence may reflect a very general principle - adiabatic transformability of biological movement systems.

Adult↗