PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Y F Ng

Publications and source records attributed to Y F Ng.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

The detection of small relative simulated field defects using multifocal VEPs.

INTRODUCTION: The multifocal visual-evoked potential (mfVEP) has been widely used in the study of diseases of the visual system. However, the sensitivity of the mfVEP in the objective detection of relative field defects has not been determined. This study investigates variations in mfVEP responses while simulating relative field defects by using different luminous transmission masks [neutral density (ND) filters] on the stimulus pattern. METHODS: Simulated relative field defects with four different luminous transmissions were obtained by using 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 ND filters, 5 degrees in size, at two different retinal eccentricities (10 and 16 degrees) on a standard mfVEP dartboard stimulus. Eleven normal subjects were recruited for mfVEP measurements. The response amplitudes and latencies of the N1 and P1 of the mfVEP, with and without small simulated relative field defects, were compared. RESULTS: The mfVEP amplitudes of N1 and P1 decreased substantially when 0.6 and 0.8 ND filters were introduced. The effects were similar at both the 10- and 16-degree eccentricities but there was no change in latency with simulated field defects at either location. CONCLUSIONS: The mfVEP can detect a simulated relative field defect 5 degrees in size starting with 0.6 log unit reduction in luminance at both 10-degree and 16-degree eccentricities. This illustrates that the sensitivity of the mfVEP measurement is nearly comparable with that of the Humphrey Visual Field Analyser.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Active finite element analysis of skeletal muscle-tendon complex during isometric, shortening and lengthening contraction.

An active finite element model was developed to predict the mechanical behaviors of skeletal muscle-tendon complex during isometric, shortening and lengthening contraction. The active finite element was created through incorporation of a user-defined material property into ABAQUS finite element code. The active finite element is controlled by a motor element that is activated by a mathematical function. The nonlinear passive behavior of the muscle was defined by the viscoelastic elements and can be easily altered to other properties by using other elements in the material library without the need of re-defining the constitutive relation of the muscle. The isometric force-length relationship, force-strain relations of the muscle-tendon complex during both shortening and lengthening contraction and muscle relaxation response were predicted using the proposed finite element model. The predicted results were found to be in good agreement with available experimental data. In addition, the stress distribution in the muscle-tendon complex during isometric, shortening and lengthening contractions was simulated. The location of the maximum stress may provide useful information for studying muscle damage and fatigue in the future.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning): implications for the medical practitioner.

The current century will bring tremendous changes to the science and the practice of medicine. This century will be acknowledged as the century of Biology as the fusion of molecular genetics and experimental embryology pushes the barriers of science beyond perimeters that we have thought existed, as much as the past century was the century of Physics, with all the exact scientific calculations and predictions, resulting in electricity, nuclear power and quantum physics. The first major breakthrough has been the pioneering work of Wilmut and Campbell, first with the birth of Megan and Moran in 1995 (1), followed by the birth of Dolly the sheep, the first reported mammalian clone from a fully differentiated adult cell, reported in July 1996 (2). However, current cloning techniques are an extension of over 40 years of research using nuclei derived from non-human embryonic and fetal cells. However, following the birth of Dolly, the prospects of cloning technology have extended to ethically hazier areas of human cloning and embryonic stem cell research. This review hopes to bring the reader closer to the science and the ethics of this new technology, and what the implications are for the medical practitioner.

Animals↗