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At least 973 records · Page 54Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Phytolith assemblages and systematic associations in grassland species of the South-eastern Pampean plains, Argentina.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Phytolith descriptions of South American plant species are scarce. This knowledge is crucial for the interpretation of the fossil phytolith record of a region. In this study phytolith assemblages and systematic relationships of the main grasses and Asteraceae species of Paspalum quadrifarium grassland are described. METHODS: Phytoliths from leaves of Poaceae and Asteraceae species were extracted by using a calcination technique. For each species, 350-400 phytoliths were counted and the relative frequency of each morphotype was calculated. Phytolith assemblages were subject to principal components analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (Morisita index). KEY RESULTS: PCA and cluster analysis showed family (Poaceae vs. Asteraceae) and subfamily (within Poaceae) differentiation. Exceptions to general trends described for other species were detected. Floristic variants of Paspalum quadrifarium grassland can be separated by their phytolith assemblages. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides a reference collection of phytolith assemblages of the main Poaceae and Asteraceae species of Paspalum quadrifarium grassland and describes some phytolith morphotypes/systematic relationships useful for the analysis of fossil phytolith assemblages of the Pampean region.

Argentina↗
PubMed2001

Molecular-phylogenetic analyses of human gastrointestinal microbiota.

Molecular-phylogenetic methods have revolutionized the analysis of complex microbial communities. Polymerase chain reaction amplification and phylogenetic analysis of small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences allow microbes to be identified objectively, even in the absence of cultivation. Furthermore, the sequence information obtained by these means can be used to design sequence-based tools for identifying, tracking, and diagnosing the presence of microbes in complex samples. In this article, we summarize this approach and review its application to the study of the human gastrointestinal microbiota. Although just beginning, molecular-phylogenetic surveys of human gut microbes have revealed that most microbes identified in the gastrointestinal tract represent novel, previously undescribed species. A full description of the microbial constituents of the human gut will set the groundwork for interpreting how the gastrointestinal microbiota influence the health of the host.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Monte Carlo simulations of non-Fickian water transport in a saturated porous gel.

A Monte Carlo algorithm, which incorporates tensile effects as well as diffusion, is proposed. It provides a description of water transport in a drying porous gel close to saturation permitting an interpretation of magnetic resonance imaging profiles. Boltzmann's transformation of the one-dimensional diffusion equation is employed to examine the onset of a non-Fickian transport regime caused by the collective motion of diffusers associated with tensile forces.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

New interpretation of alpha-particle-driven instabilities in deuterium-tritium experiments on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor.

The original description of alpha particle driven instabilities in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor in terms of toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (TAEs) remained inconsistent with three fundamental characteristics of the observations: (i) the variation of the mode frequency with toroidal mode number, (ii) the chirping of the mode frequency for a given toroidal mode number, and (iii) the antiballooning density perturbation of the modes. It is now shown that these characteristics can be explained by observing that cylindrical-like modes can exist in the weak magnetic shear region of the plasma that then make a transition to TAEs as the central safety factor decreases in time.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Core relaxation in atomic ultrastrong laser field ionization.

We have investigated atomic ionization dynamics in Kr in the transition regime from nonrelativistic to relativistic laser intensities (10(16) to 10(18) W/cm2) by measuring yields of highly charged ions stemming from an inner shell. Interpretation of the data is focused on the applicability of the single active electron description, which requires fully relaxed core states between successive ionization steps. In particular, we are concerned with transient core polarization or alignment effects originating from the strong dependence of the ionization rates on the magnetic quantum number. We found that for intense laser pulses with 40 fs pulse width internal m-mixing processes appear to be sufficiently fast to erase any transient core polarization.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Practicing perfection: piano performance as expert memory.

A concert pianist recorded her practice as she learned the third movement, Presto, of J.S. Bach's Italian Concerto. She also described the formal structure of the piece and reported her decisions about basic features (e.g., fingering), interpretive features (e.g., phrasing), and cues to attend to during performance (performance cues). These descriptions were used to identify which locations, features, and cues she practiced most, which caused hesitations when she first played from memory, and which affected her recall 2 years later. Effects of the formal structure and performance cues on all three activities indicated that the pianist used the formal structure as a retrieval scheme and performance cues as retrieval cues. Like expert memorists in other domains, she engaged in extended retrieval practice, going to great lengths to ensure that retrieval was as rapid and automatic from conceptual (declarative) memory as from motor and auditory memory.

Humans↗
PubMed2005

The earliest published electrocardiogram showing ventricular preexcitation.

When in 1930, Wolff, Parkinson, and White published what is today known as the WPW, or preexcitation syndrome, they, and subsequently others, found few comparable cases in the preceding literature. Among these the report of Cohn and Fraser, published in 1913, was the earliest. However, another even earlier documentation in a 1909 article by Hoffmann escaped notice till now. The ECG of a patient with paroxysmal tachycardia reveals a short PR interval and a delta-wave-induced widening of the QRS complex, even though the reproduced tachycardia was not preexcitation related. The interpretation of this poorly reproduced ECG can be confirmed by another and more detailed description of the patient in an electrocardiography textbook published in 1914 by the same author. Thus, the earliest publication of an ECG showing ventricular preexcitation now can be dated back to 1909. Moreover, the Hoffmann monograph contains two additional examples of the WPW syndrome not noticed until now. All three cases published by Hoffmann had their first ECG recordings in 1912 or earlier.

Electrocardiography↗
PubMed1978

Multidimensional classification of normal voice qualities.

This study investigates and acoustically defines some of the perceptual parameters used to distinguish among normal male and female voices. Twenty normal speaking subjects, ten male and ten female, produced speech segments which were paired, randomized, and presented to ten listener judges. The judges rated the similarity of all combinations of voices on a seven-point scale, and these similarities were analyzed by a multidimensional analysis technique, INDSCAL. For each speaker, eight acoustical measures were obtained, and psychophysical ratings of four commonly used descriptive terms were made by ten speech pathologists. These measurements and ratings provided the interpretation of the INDSCAL solution and were also submitted to correlational analyses. The results indicate that, when distinguishing among the voices, the judges gave the greatest weight to the male versus female dimension and its acoustical correlates. The results of both the INDSCAL analysis and the correlational analyses suggest that listeners may use different perceptual strategies to classify male voices than they use to classify females ones.

Acoustics↗
PubMed2006

PTEN regulation, a novel function for the p85 subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase.

Timely regulation of phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate [PI(3,4)P2] and phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate [PI(3,4,5)P3] abundance in cells is essential for the control of cellular homeostasis. The concentrations of these lipids are low in quiescent cells but rapidly and transiently increase following growth factor receptor (GFR) stimulation, which triggers cellular metabolic changes, proliferation, survival, and motility. Class I(A) phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), which is composed of a p85 (regulatory) and p110 (catalytic) subunits, is the enzyme generating PI(3,4)P2 and PI(3,4,5)P3 following GFR stimulation. Although the steps in GFR-induced activation of PI3K , are relatively well known, the mechanisms for subsequent 3-polyphospho-PI down-regulation are less understood. Examination of frequent genetic alterations in human cancer showed that PTEN (phosphatase with tensin homology on chromosome 10) is the major enzyme that decreases PI(3,4)P2 and PI(3,4,5)P3 cell content. Nonetheless, interpretation of the complexity of PTEN regulation remains a matter of debate. The recent description of diminished PTEN activity in liver-conditional knockout mice lacking the p85alpha PI3K regulatory subunit reveals a previously unknown p85alpha-dependent negative-feedback pathway that controls PI(3,4)P2 and PI(3,4,5)P3 half-life by regulating PTEN.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1996

An attractor neural network model of classical conditioning.

Living beings learn to associate known stimuli that exhibit specific temporal correlations. This kind of learning is called associative learning, and the process by which animals change their responses according to the schedule of arriving stimuli is called "classical conditioning". In this paper, a conditionable neural network which exhibits features like forward conditioning, dependency on the interstimulus interval, and absence of backward and reverse conditioning is presented. An asymmetric neural network was used and its ability to retrieve a sequence of embedded patterns using a single recalling input was exploited. The main assumption was that synapses that respond with different time constants coexist in the system. These synapses induce transitions between different embedded patterns. The appearance of a correct transition when only the first stimulus is applied, is interpreted as a realization of the conditioning process. The model also allows the analytical description of the conditioning process in terms of internal and external or researcher-controlled variables.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Task-level object grasping for simulated agents.

Simulating a human figure performing a manual task requires that the agent interact with objects in the environment in a realistic manner. Graphic or programming interfaces to control human figure animation, however, do not allow the animator to instruct the system with concise "high-level" commands. Instructions coming from a high-level planner cannot be directly given to a synthetic agent because they do not specify such details as which end-effector to use or where on the object to grasp. Because current animation systems require joint angle displacement descriptions of motion--even for motions that incorporate upwards of 15 joints--an efficient connection between high-level specifications and low-level hand joint motion is required. In this paper we describe a system that directs task-level, general-purpose, object grasping for a simulated human agent. The Object-Specific Reasoner (OSR) is a reasoning module that uses knowledge of the object of the underspecified action to generate values for missing parameters. The Grasp Behavior manages simultaneous motions of the joints in the hand, wrist, and arm, and provides a programmer with a high-level description of the desired action. When composed hierarchically, the OSR and the Grasp behavior interpret task-level commands and direct specific motions to the animation system. These modules are implemented as part of the Jack system at the University of Pennsylvania.

Computer Graphics↗
PubMed2000

Statistical description of interrater variability in ordinal ratings.

Ordinal categorical assessments are common in medical practice and in research. Variability in such measurements amongst raters making the assessments can be problematic. In this paper we consider how such variability can be described statistically. We review three current approaches, including kappa-type statistics, loglinear models for agreement, and latent class agreement models, and discuss their limitations. We present a new graphical approach to describing interrater variability that involves a simple frequency distribution display of the category probabilities. The method enables description of interrater variability when raters are a random sample from some population as opposed to the traditional setting in which only a few selected raters provide assessments. Advantages of this approach relative to current approaches include the following: (1) it provides a simple visual summary of the rating data, (2) description is closely linked to familiar methods for describing variability in continuous measurements, (3) interpretation is straightforward, and (4) a large sample of raters can be accommodated with ease. We illustrate the method on simulated ordinal data representing radiologists' ratings of mammography images and on rating data from a national image reading study of mammography screening.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗
PubMed1998

Challenging assumptions in end-of-life situations.

An actual case is used to highlight ethical and psychological problems which may arise in the care of terminally ill patients. The case is structured and analysed, focusing on five different situations in which more than one alternative action is possible. This study shows that between description and prediction on the one hand, and decision making on the other, the interpretation of the situation and the consideration of possible alternative actions both play an important role. Different factors that may influence the interpretations made by the staff include their values, knowledge, experiences and empathy.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed2005

Linking brainwaves to the brain: an ERP primer.

This article reviews literature on the characteristics and possible interpretations of the event-related potential (ERP) peaks commonly identified in research. The description of each peak includes typical latencies, cortical distributions, and possible brain sources of observed activity as well as the evoking paradigms and underlying psychological processes. The review is intended to serve as a tutorial for general readers interested in neuropsychological research and as a reference source for researchers using ERP techniques.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2003

Modeling the integration of motion signals across space.

Experiments by Loffler and Orbach on the integration of motion signals across space [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 20, 1461 (2003)] revealed that both three-dimensional analysis and object interpretation play a much smaller role than previously assumed. These results motivated the quantitative description of a low-level, bottom-up model presented here. Motion is computed in parallel at different spatial sites, and excitatory interactions operate between sites. The strength of these interactions is determined mainly by distance. Simulations correctly predict behavior for a variety of manipulations on multi-aperture stimuli: aligned and skewed lines, different presentation times, different inter-aperture gaps, and different spatial frequencies. However, strictly distance-dependent mechanisms are too simplistic to account for all experimental data. Mismatches for grossly misoriented lines suggest collinear facilitation as a promising extension. Once incorporated, collinear facilitation not only correctly predicts results for misoriented patterns but also accounts for the lack of motion integration between heterogeneous stimuli such as lines and dots.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2026

RNA sequencing resolves a novel noncanonical splice-region variant in PHKA2 causing glycogen storage disease type IX α2: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Glycogen storage disease type IX α2 (GSD IX α2) is an X-linked hepatic glycogenosis caused by pathogenic variants in PHKA2. Noncanonical splice-region variants located outside the invariant GT/AG dinucleotides pose significant interpretive challenges, as in silico predictions alone are often insufficient for definitive classification. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a 2.9-year-old boy presenting with short stature, hepatomegaly, markedly elevated aminotransferases, fasting hypoglycemia with ketonuria, hypercholesterolemia, coagulation parameter abnormalities (decreased fibrinogen and prolonged thrombin time), and histological evidence of early hepatic fibrosis as demonstrated by Masson's trichrome staining (portal fibrosis and perisinusoidal fibrosis). Whole-exome sequencing (WES) identified a hemizygous, previously unreported PHKA2 variant [NM_000292.3:c.2517+5G>T, genomic location (GRCh38): NC_000023.11: g.18907895G>T], initially classified as a variant of uncertain significance (VUS) under American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) criteria. RNA sequencing of peripheral blood leukocytes demonstrated predominant exon 22 skipping in 94.2% of informative junction reads, predicting a frameshift and premature termination codon [p.(Gly788Profs*74)] with predicted loss of the C-terminal CBL 2 subdomain. Incorporating this transcript-level evidence, the variant was reclassified as pathogenic (PVS1 + PM2_Supporting + PP4). Following dietary management with uncooked cornstarch supplementation, the patient showed progressive biochemical improvement over a 2.2-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This case expands the mutational spectrum of PHKA2 and demonstrates that RNA sequencing of accessible tissues is a practical and diagnostically informative strategy for resolving noncanonical splice-region variants in pediatric hepatic GSD. Early hepatic fibrosis detected by histological examination before age 3 years underscores the importance of longitudinal hepatic surveillance in GSD IX α2.

Glycogen storage disease type IX α2 (GSD IX ↗
PubMed1999

Seeing to the distant mountain: diagnosis in Tibetan medicine.

To make use of an ancient traditional medical system, we must first comprehend the singular concepts and language that system uses to understand and describe health and illness. The diagnostic procedure is the method by which a person's medical condition is interpreted into the conceptual framework and language of medical science. This article provides a description of traditional Tibetan medical diagnosis and explains how a Tibetan physician perceives and analyzes a presenting illness. It discusses the spiritual, psychological, and physical aspects of the Tibetan medical approach to diagnosis. Addressing these issues can help us to understand what is unique about this system of alternative medicine and how it can inform other models of medical practice.

Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures↗