Effect of Mulligan's and Kinesio knee taping on adolescent ballet dancers knee and hip biomechanics during landing.

Taping is often used to manage the high rate of knee injuries in ballet dancers; however, little is known about the effect of taping on lower-limb biomechanics during ballet landings in the turnout position. This study investigated the effects of Kinesiotape (KT), Mulligan's tape (MT) and no tape (NT) on knee and hip kinetics during landing in three turnout positions. The effect of taping on the esthetic execution of ballet jumps was also assessed. Eighteen pain-free 12-15-year-old female ballet dancers performed ballet jumps in three turnout positions, under the three knee taping conditions. A Vicon Motion Analysis system (Vicon Oxford, Oxford, UK) and Advanced Mechanical Technology, Inc. (Watertown, Massa chusetts, USA) force plate collected lower-limb mechanics. The results demonstrated that MT significantly reduced peak posterior knee shear forces (P = 0.025) and peak posterior (P = 0.005), medial (P = 0.022) and lateral (P = 0.014) hip shear forces compared with NT when landing in first position. KT had no effect on knee or hip forces. No significant differences existed between taping conditions in all landing positions for the esthetic measures. MT was able to reduce knee and the hip forces without affecting the esthetic performance of ballet jumps, which may have implications for preventing and managing knee injuries in ballet dancers.

Rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor of the fourth ventricle in an elderly patient.

Rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor of the fourth ventricle (RGNT) is a rare condition, which previously has been described predominantly in middle-aged patients. There is limited experience with this kind of tumor in the elderly. Clinical, neuroimaging, and histological features of an example in a 70-year-old male who presented initially with vertigo are detailed and compared with published cases. Neuroimaging studies demonstrated a 4-cm cystic lesion in posterior fossa containing a 1-cm contrast-enhancing nodule on its lateral margin. The lesion was confined to the fourth ventricle and initially thought to be a hemangioblastoma until angiography clarified the minimal tumor vascularization. Gross total resection was achieved. Pathological examination showed a rosette-forming low grade tumor with a cell proliferation rate of 2% being consistent with RGNT. The postoperative course was uneventful and clinical symptoms resolved completely. There was no tumor recurrence after 2 years follow-up. We confirm that the rare and only recently characterized tumor entity of RGNT can also be found in elderly patients; furthermore, it can be associated with a benign course. The main differential diagnosis of RGNT resulting from CNS-imaging modalities in elderly patients are pilocytic astrocytoma and hemangioblastoma of the posterior fossa, which after metastasis are the most common primary adult intra-axial posterior fossa tumors. Therefore, a subtle preoperative radiological diagnosis is warranted and surgery should be performed by experienced hands to avoid neurological deterioration.

Free-radical oxidants in natural waters.

Photooxidation of cumene (isopropylbenzene) and pyridine in dilute solution in natural waters gives products characteristic of reactions with alkylperoxy (RO(2).) and hydroxyl (HO.) radicals. On the basis of the rates of formation of the products, the average concentrations of RO(2). and HO. are estimated to be about 10(-9) and 10(-17) mole per liter, respectively. The concentration of RO(2). is large enough that, for some classes of reactive chemicals, oxidation can be an important process in natural waters.

A complex fistula caused by an eroding pelvic mesh sling.

Pelvic mesh slings are increasingly used to create abdomino-pelvic partitions. This procedure is usually safe and carries low morbidity and mortality rates. However, we report a case of a 60-year-old male with a history of an abdomino-perineal resection for a low rectal carcinoma followed by adjuvant radiotherapy, who presented with an entero-vesicle-cutaneous fistula as a result of the polypropylene mesh eroding into his small bowel. He had to have a total cystectomy, small bowel resection and mesh removal in order to alleviate his symptoms.

Supercritical water oxidation of a model fecal sludge without the use of a co-fuel.

A continuous supercritical water oxidation reactor was designed and constructed to investigate the conversion of a feces simulant without the use of a co-fuel. The maximum reactor temperature and waste conversion was determined as a function of stoichiometric excess of oxygen in order to determine factor levels for subsequent investigation. 48% oxygen excess showed the highest temperature with full conversion. Factorial analysis was then used to determine the effects of feed concentration, oxygen excess, inlet temperature, and operating pressure on the increase in the temperature of the reacting fluid as well as a newly defined non-dimensional number, NJa representing heat transfer efficiency. Operating pressure and stoichiometric excess oxygen were found to have the most significant impacts on NJa. Feed concentration had a significant impact on fluid temperature increase showing an average difference of 46.4°C between the factorial levels.

Artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of low-back pain and sciatica.

In a prospective trial of 200 patients with low-back pain or sciatica, the diagnostic performance of a computer was compared with that of a clinician in a variety of clinical settings. The results indicate that artificial intelligence techniques can be used for the differential diagnosis of low-back disorders, can outperform clinicians, and can be used to develop better methods of human differential diagnosis.

IP core implementation of a self-organizing neural network.

This paper reports on the design issues and subsequent performance of a soft intellectual property (IP) core implementation of a self-organizing neural network. The design is a development of a previous 0.65-/spl mu/m single silicon chip providing an array of 256 neurons, where each neuron stores a 16 element reference vector. Migrating the design to a soft IP core presents challenges in achieving the required performance as regards area, power, and clock speed. This same migration, however, offers opportunities for parameterizing the design in a manner which permits a single soft core to meet the requirements of many end users. Thus, the number of neurons within the single instruction multiple data (SIMD) array, the number of elements per reference vector, and the number of bits of each such element are defined by synthesis time parameters. The construction of the SIMD array of neurons is presented including performance results as regards power, area, and classifications per second . For typical parameters (256 neurons with 16 elements per reference vector) the design provides over 2 000 000 classifications per second using a mainstream 0.18-/spl mu/m digital process. A RISC processor, the array controller (AC), provides both the instruction stream and data to the SIMD array of neurons and an interface to a host processor. The design of this processor is discussed with emphasis on the control aspects which permit supply of a continuous instruction stream to the SIMD array and a flexible interface with the host processor.

Observing behavior during interval schedules.

Experiment 1 showed that the three stimuli associated with three chained fixed-interval links could be used to maintain observing behavior. Experiment 2 showed that three stimuli correlated with the passage of time since the last reinforcement in a fixed-interval schedule could be used to maintain observing behavior. In both experiments most observing responses occurred midway between reinforcements. Few occurred just before or just after reinforcement. Experiment 3 showed that the decline in the rate of observing behavior just before reinforcement was reduced when more stimuli could be observed. The relatively high terminal rate of observing behavior that resulted was maintained even when at least 4 sec intervened between the reinforcement and the last observed stimulus.

Periodic shock with added clock.

Rats were shocked every 6 min while responding was maintained on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement. With some rats, shocks were interspersed with a sequence of three different stimulus conditions (S3-->S2-->S1), or clock cues, each lasting 2 min. For other rats, a single stimulus condition prevailed between shocks at the beginning of the experiment and clock cues were introduced later. Response rate decreased from S3 to S1. Response rate in S3, S2, and S1 was inversely related to shock intensity. When clock cues were added, response rate increased in all 2-min intershock periods. During clock cues, an index of curvature, indicating the degree of negative acceleration of response rate, was greatest for S1 and least for S3, and was directly related to shock intensity. The response-facilitating effect of shock and its relation to a possible discriminative function of shock and to behavioral contrast is discussed.

Generalization of conditioned suppression after differential training.

In a modified conditioned suppression procedure, clicks at one frequency (danger signal) preceded shocks, while no shocks followed clicks at a different frequency (safe signal). During generalization tests, the maximal response rate was frequently shifted from the safe signal in the direction away from the danger signal, and the minimal response rate was frequently shifted in the opposite direction, away from the safe signal. There was considerable variability in the results from one animal to another. The generalization tests also suggested different generalization functions according to whether the danger signal was a lower or a higher frequency than the safe signal. The results also showed the development of systematic differences in response rate during and after the safe and danger signals, notably a relatively high rate at the beginning of the safe signal and after the danger signal.

Urease activity of Brucella species.

Examination of the urease activity of 604 brucella strains showed a limited correlation with species. Most strains of B canis, B neotomae and B suis gave a positive urease reaction within 15 minutes, although some exceptions were noted. A substantial proportion of strains of B abortus and B melitensis also hydrolysed urea as rapidly as most B suis strains. Although most B ovis strains were negative to the urease test, 28.9 per cent of those examined gave positive reactions.

Disc electrophoresis of phenol:acetic acid:water-soluble proteins for the identification of Yersinia species.

Disc electrophoresis of phenol:acetic acid:water extracts of Yersinia pestis, Y produced pseudotuberculosis, Y enterocolitica, Y philomiragia and Y ruckeri protein separation patterns characteristic of each species. The patterns produced by Y pestis, Y pseudotuberculosis, Y enterocolitica and Y ruckeri showed features in common. Those given by Y philomiragia strains were quite distinctive and showed little similarity to the other Yersinia species. All Y enterocolitica strains produced similar patterns irrespective of biochemical properties. Strains classified as Y intermedia or Y enterocolitica-like produced patterns indistinguishable from those given by Y enterocolitica.

Babesia divergens in splenectomised calves: titration of the infective dose.

Two experiments were carried out in which Babesia divergens was titrated in splenectomised calves. In the first experiment, a linear relationship was observed between infective dose (10(5)--10(9)) parasites) and onset of disease. In the second experiment, a similar trend was observed for infective doses of 10(2)--10(6) parasites, but 10(3) parasites appeared to be the minimum dose required to produce overt disease or resistance to homologous challenge in inoculated animals.

The haematology of experimentally-induced B divergens and E phagocytophila infections in splenectomised calves.

An examination was made of the haematology of spenectomised calves experimentally infected with Babesia divergens and Ehrlichia phagocytophila, inoculated separately or simultaneously. Animals infected with both pathogens had less marked changes in their haematology than those inoculated with either pathogen separately. This appeared to result from the early elimination of the more pathogenic Babesia as Ehrlichia spread through the granulocytes. The apparent suppression of Babesia by Ehrlichia would appear to merit further investigation.

Separation and recombination of Babesia divergens and Ehrlichia phagocytophila from a field case of redwater from Eire.

A blood sample received from a field case of redwater in Eire caused simultaneous infections of Babesia divergens and Ehrlichia phagocytophila when inoculated into a splenectomised calf. Each disease agent was isolated in a separate splenectomised calf by suppressive drug treatment of the other agent, and blood stabilates were made. The disease agents were inoculated synchronously or asychronously into groups of calves, whose reactions were observed. Infection with B divergens had no effect on the severity of reaction of the calves to E phagocytophila but E phagocytophila infection tended to delay the establishment of B divergens if inoculated simultaneously or one week previously. If the inoculations were simultaneous there was also a tendency for the B divergens infection to be partially or completely suppressed. There was no evidence of recrudescence of one infective agent when the other was inoculated one month later.

A unique case of penile necrotizing fasciitis secondary to spontaneous corpus cavernosal abscess.

Corpus cavernosal abscess and necrotizing fasciitis occur rarely, and precipitating factors can usually be elicited with careful history and examination. Whilst both conditions share common risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, this is the first reported case of penile necrotizing fasciitis secondary to spontaneous corpus cavernosal abscess in an otherwise healthy patient. A 32-year-old man presented with 4-day history of swollen, painful penis, with ultrasound confirming corpus cavernosal abscess. Biopsies were taken and the cavity aspirated, but, despite intravenous antibiotics, he developed penile necrotizing fasciitis necessitating open cavernostomy and debridement. The overlying skin defect healed by secondary intention, but the patient experienced persistent postoperative erectile dysfunction, so he was referred for penile prosthesis insertion.