Motivation of school children participating in Chicago's dental health programs utilizing group dynamic techniques.
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FOCUS is a program for analyzing molecular dynamics simulations. It enables the researcher to monitor structural and energetic properties during the trajectory, and to calculate the corresponding statistical averages, correlation functions and Fourier transforms. In addition to these conventional methods, the program also utilizes novel methods based on digital signal-processing techniques to characterize the various motions. The characteristic frequencies in the system are revealed by the frequency distribution function g(v), which is calculated from the Fourier transform of the atomic coordinates. A filtering technique is employed to remove uninteresting motion (e.g., high-frequency bond stretching) while retaining and focusing on important motion (e.g., low-frequency conformational motion). The filtering technique enables fast display of slow events without getting a blurry or jittery picture due to the high-frequency motions. Another new way for analyzing the motion is by extracting "characteristic modes" and associated frequencies. This yields a pictorial description of the oscillatory motions in a manner analogous to normal mode analysis.
The new program DYANA (DYnamics Algorithm for Nmr Applications) for efficient calculation of three-dimensional protein and nucleic acid structures from distance constraints and torsion angle constraints collected by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments performs simulated annealing by molecular dynamics in torsion angle space and uses a fast recursive algorithm to integrate the equations of motions. Torsion angle dynamics can be more efficient than molecular dynamics in Cartesian coordinate space because of the reduced number of degrees of freedom and the concomitant absence of high-frequency bond and angle vibrations, which allows for the use of longer time-steps and/or higher temperatures in the structure calculation. It also represents a significant advance over the variable target function method in torsion angle space with the REDAC strategy used by the predecessor program DIANA. DYANA computation times per accepted conformer in the "bundle" used to represent the NMR structure compare favorably with those of other presently available structure calculation algorithms, and are of the order of 160 seconds for a protein of 165 amino acid residues when using a DEC Alpha 8400 5/300 computer. Test calculations starting from conformers with random torsion angle values further showed that DYANA is capable of efficient calculation of high-quality protein structures with up to 400 amino acid residues, and of nucleic acid structures.
Drinking and driving are still a serious concern on the roads, even though the last twenty years has seen an increase in exposure to various designated driver programs. Even though a majority of people have either been one or used one, most designated drivers have still consumed some alcohol. Another option is that of an outside driver, such as a safe ride program in which a safe ride is offered for free by taxis or volunteers. One such program under study, offers a ride home for both the driver as well as their vehicle. To examine the population who utilizes such a program two studies were conducted which included 1,985 participants (1206 male, 744 female) from two major California cities. The volunteer drivers gathered data during their rounds between January 2002 and September 2002. If the current safe ride program not been in place 632 Participants (44%) reported that they would have driven themselves home. 582 participants (40%) have used back roads in the past to evade being stopped by the police; on average they used back roads 3.4 times in the past month. When questioned about having control over not drinking and driving 455 (32%) participants didn't feel they had control over their choice to avoid drinking and driving. Participants who reported having driven back roads in the past to avoid confrontation with the police after drinking had significantly higher estimated BAC levels than those who said they had never done so. This sample reflected similar populations.
In short axis left ventricular MR images, endocardial borders are the major parameters in evaluation of cardiovascular functions such as end diastolic volume, end systolic volume, and ejection fraction. Functional analysis captures the dynamic behavior of the cardiovascular system as revealed by the movement of the endocardial borders over time. Because of the huge number of MR images, an effective computerized tool is required for real time applications. One of the widely used automatic border detection algorithm-dynamic programming-generates zigzag borderlines, which lead to measurement errors. This paper surveys the performance of the wavelet adaptive filter, the snake, and the medial filter in smoothing over the zigzag borders generated by dynamic programming. Statistical analysis of two hundred and sixty four images from sixteen subjects show that all three algorithms can reduce the border line errors in terms of Hausdorff distance and border area error; however, only the wavelet adaptive filter is effective in providing the physiological measurements such as ejection fraction, end systolic volume and end diastolic volume.
This study tested whether a 12-week dynamic resistance strength training program can change gait velocity and improve measures of balance among adults age 65 and older. Fifty-five community-dwelling adults (mean age = 71.1) were randomized into an exercise (n = 25) or control (n = 30) group. The exercisers were requested to complete three bouts of strength training per week for 12 weeks using elastic tubing. At posttest the exercisers demonstrated slower gait velocity, enhanced balance, and an improved ability to walk backward, although none of these posttest measures was significantly different from the control group.
This paper presents a dialogue computer program, DIABLOG, for the education of diabetic patients with insulin therapy. Through mathematical modelling of glucose-insulin dynamics this program is able to simulate glucose and insulin profiles of a 24 h period and display them graphically as curves. The subjects could vary the carbohydrate content of meals, the injection time and dose of short-acting and intermediate-acting insulin and could switch to insulin pump therapy. For a first evaluation 22 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus tested the program and their comments were recorded by a questionnaire. The results indicate a good acceptance of the program even by patients with no previous computer experience. Further suggestions by the patients will be discussed as well.
"The objective of the research program presented in this note is to analyse the interrelations between biological and social factors in the process of demographic renewal. Population registers of various communities, among them those of Saint-Barthelemy (French Antilles) and Ile-aux-Coudres (Quebec), are used. The genealogies which were obtained from these registers contribute to the study of genetical epidemiology. The research program also includes the identification of social factors which may have contributed to the biological structure of the communities under study." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of a 6-week strength and proprioception training program on clinical measures of balance, and to introduce characteristics of a single-case research design that may be beneficial to the athletic training profession as both a research and a clinical tool. DESIGN AND SETTING: A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to assess the effects of the intervention. The training program was performed three times a week and consisted of manual muscle strengthening and proprioception training for the plantar flexor, dorsiflexor, inversion, and eversion muscle groups. SUBJECTS: Three subjects (age = 17.6 +/- 1.24 yr, wt = 78.6 +/- 1.07 kg, ht = 186.2 +/- 4.3 cm) who had previously sustained first-degree lateral ankle sprains. MEASUREMENTS: Dynamic balance was tested three times a week using a single-plane balance board (SPBB). Each subject was tested for two double-leg conditions (forward/backward, right/left) and one single-leg condition (forward/backward) for each extremity. The dependent variable was the number of times that the balance board made contact with the floor. Visual inspection was used to evaluate whether the treatment resulted in a change of performance. RESULTS: Although the intervention did not produce obvious improvements in balance for all evaluation criteria for all testing conditions, it is apparent that the strength and proprioception training program positively influenced all three subjects' ability to balance dynamically on an SPBB. A change in mean scores from baseline to intervention phase was evident for all testing conditions. However, a change in slope and level was not as apparent for all testing conditions, especially the single-leg conditions. CONCLUSION: The results revealed that the strength and proprioception training program produced improvements in the ability to balance as assessed dynamically on an SPBB.
The dynamic development of APD causes the increasing importance of issues regarding the adequacy of this renal replacement therapy method. Basic parameters of effective dialysis are still Kt/V and weekly creatinine clearance. The lack of steady state of substance concentration in different body compartments is a potential cause of mistakes in calculation of APD adequacy kinetic parameters. The solute removal index (SRI) may be used as an alternative method of dialysis efficacy assessment. However, there is no "ideal" marker of adequacy. Therefore, it should be assessed on the base of analysis including kinetic, clinical and biochemical data. Residual renal function (RRF) is an important factor of successful APD, but there are different opinions concerning the influence of automatic dialysis on RRF preservation presented in literature. The characteristics of peritoneal transport is the basic criterion for the qualification of patients to APD program. Automated techniques are recommended for patients being high-average transporters and particularly high transporters. The evolution of APD creates new perspectives for adequacy assessment and improvement of dialysis efficacy. The performance of multicenter studies and usage of new parameters of adequate dialysis will be very important for the development of APD. The employment of alternative fluids, introduction of modernized catheters and construction of "intelligent cyclers" will create new possibilities for programming and monitoring of dialysis and improvement of patient's life quality.
Programs for voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for HIV play an increasingly important role in comprehensive prevention and care strategies. New technological advancements and behavioral interventions can improve the effectiveness of VCT as a tool for preventing new HIV infections and helping HIV-positive individuals access appropriate care. With growing consensus that early access to HIV therapy increases its effectiveness, and that individuals diagnosed with HIV reduce risk behavior, VCT has become integral to the continuum of HIV primary care. However, federal funding of VCT has declined, with concomitant decreases in numbers of people being tested. An estimated 200,000 people in the United States remain unaware that they are HIV positive, and many at-risk individuals do not seek out standard HIV counseling and testing services. To increase the acceptability and effectiveness of VCT, the authors recommend that VCT programs employ outreach programs offering anonymous testing to reach those at heightened risk of HIV infection, and to make rapid use of new technologies and counseling strategies to improve the reach and efficacy. Given the important role that VCT can play in both prevention and early treatment, the authors recommend significant increases in federal support.
The software program ChromWin simulates interconversion profiles in dynamic chromatography (rearrangements, isomerizations, epimerizations, diastereomerizations and, notably, enanatiomerizations) on a personal computer in a user-friendly environment. ChromWin is especially suited for systems involving large plate numbers, e.g. gas chromatography (GC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE, CEC, MEKC), and first or pseudo-first order reactions. ChromWin (1) simulates the elution profiles of interconverting enantiomers by different models and yields the rate constant, (2) allows automation of the 'find enantiomerization barrier' function, (3) helps to optimise separation parameters by visualization of the separation process and (4) provides other useful tools for chromatography. In addition to the theoretical plate and the stochastic model a modified and improved stochastic model has been developed and implemented in the program.
Molecular dynamics simulations investigate local and global motion in molecules. Several parallel computing approaches have been taken to attack the most computationally expensive phase of molecular simulations, the evaluation of long range interactions. This paper develops a straightforward but effective algorithm for molecular dynamics simulations using the machine-independent parallel programming language, Linda. The algorithm was run both on a shared memory parallel computer and on a network of high performance Unix workstations. Performance benchmarks were performed on both systems using two proteins. This algorithm offers a portable cost-effective alternative for molecular dynamics simulations. In view of the increasing numbers of networked workstations, this approach could help make molecular dynamics simulations more easily accessible to the research community.
Thirty hands with 50 extensor tendon lacerations, excluding mallet finger injuries, were examined. They were treated with surgical repair followed by immediate motion which included a dynamic splinting and tendon mobilization program. The average follow-up period was 7 months (range, 8 weeks to 2 years). Forty-five of the 50 tendons regained full range of motion (average total active motion, 262 degrees) within an average time of 9 weeks; the remaining 5 tendons had extension lags of < or = 10 degrees. All patients regained at least 93% of their predicted normal strength within 9 to 12 weeks and returned to their previous level of activity in an average of 10 weeks. These results, which include complex lacerations, are an improvement from previously published data. This is probably due to the addition of a tendon mobilization program to dynamic splinting following extensor tendon repair.
The recently-developed genetic programming paradigm is used to evolve a computer program to classify a given protein segment as being a transmembrane domain or non-transmembrane area of the protein. Genetic programming starts with a primordial ooze of randomly generated computer programs composed of available programmatic ingredients and then genetically breeds the population of programs using the Darwinian principle of survival of the fittest and an analog of the naturally occurring genetic operation of crossover (sexual recombination). Automatic function definition enables genetic programming to dynamically create subroutines dynamically during the run. Genetic programming is given a training set of differently-sized protein segments and their correct classification (but no biochemical knowledge, such as hydrophobicity values). Correlation is used as the fitness measure to drive the evolutionary process. The best genetically-evolved program achieves an out-of-sample correlation of 0.968 and an out-of-sample error rate of 1.6%. This error rate is better than that reported for four other algorithms reported at the First International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology. Our genetically evolved program is an instance of an algorithm discovered by an automated learning paradigm that is superior to that written by human investigators.
A major part of biological processes can be modeled as dynamical systems (DS), that is, as a time-varying state. In this article, we advocate a declarative approach for prototyping the simulation of DS. We introduce the concepts of collection, stream and fabric. A fabric is a multi-dimensional object that represents the successive values of a structured set of variables. A declarative programming language, called 8 1/2 has been developed to support the concept of fabrics. Several examples of working 8 1/2 programs are given to illustrate the relevance of the fabric data structure for simulation applications and to show how recursive fabric definitions can be easily used to model various biological phenomena in a natural way (a resolution of PDE, a simulation in artificial life, the Turing diffusion-reaction process and various examples of genetic networks). In the conclusion, we recapitulate several lessons we have learned from the 8 1/2 project.
Molecular dynamics simulations investigate local and global motion in molecules. Several parallel computing approaches have been taken to attack the most computationally expensive phase of molecular simulations, the evaluation of long range interactions. This paper reviews these approaches and develops a straightforward but effective algorithm using the machine-independent parallel programming language, Linda. The algorithm was run both on a shared memory parallel computer and on a network of high performance Unix workstations. Performance benchmarks were performed on both systems using two proteins. This algorithm offers a portable cost-effective alternative for molecular dynamics simulations. In view of the increasing numbers of networked workstations, this approach could help make molecular dynamics simulations more easily accessible to the research community.
Two new programs perform molecular dynamics simulations on molecular and ionic materials, respectively. The first simulates systems of small molecules, treated dynamically as rigid bodies, with interactions of the site-site Lennard-Jones form, plus point charges. The second simulates systems of point ions, which may be made polarizable by means of the shell model, treated by the method of adiabatic dynamics. Both programs handle Coulombic interactions in periodic boundaries by means of the Ewald sum. Force evaluations make use of efficient neighbor-search algorithms. The programs incorporate extensive analysis options in terms of structural and dynamic correlation functions. The programs are controlled by a command language, Dynamo, which provides a good environment for further development, as well as ease of use and flexibility in the choice of simulation protocol.