A personal computer based system used in electromyography for interpretation and reporting

Programs for rule based electromyography (EMG) interpretation and reporting are described. A number of parameters are obtained during an EMG investigation. The combination of these data leads to a neurophysiological conclusion. Knowledge from the literature, research and experience is the basis for rule development. Rules have been developed for 14 of the most commonly used classifications of an EMG. The syntax is relatively easy and the user may change the rules, add rules or apply the system for other types of data. The results are displayed in a new graphical way. The system presented here is part of an integrated EMG laboratory with administrative routines, distributed databases for storage of results and routines for automatic report generation.     

Postural and symptomatic improvement after physiotherapy in patients with dizziness of suspected cervical origin

OBJECTIVE: To assess postural performance in patients with dizziness of suspected cervical origin in whom extracervical causes had been excluded, and to assess the effects of physiotherapy on postural performance and subjective complaints of neck pain and dizziness. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Primary care centers and a tertiary referral center. PATIENTS AND SUBJECTS: Of 65 referrals, 43 patients were excluded because extracervical etiology was suspected. Of the remaining 22 patients, 17 completed the study (15 women, 2 men, x age 37 yr, range 26-49). The controls were 17 healthy subjects (15 women, 2 men, x age 36 yr, range 25-55). INTERVENTION: Physiotherapy based on analysis of symptoms and findings, and aimed to reduce cervical discomfort. Patients were randomized either to receive immediate physiotherapy (n = 9), or to wait 2 months, undergo repeat measurements, and then receive physiotherapy (n = 8). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Posturography, measuring velocity and variance of vibration-induced body sway and variance of galvanically induced body sway. Subjective intensity of neck pain (Visual Analog Scale ratings, 0-100), intensity and frequency of dizziness (subjective score 0-4). RESULTS: The patients manifested significantly poorer postural performance than did healthy subjects (.05 > p > .0001). Physiotherapy significantly reduced neck pain and intensity and the frequency of dizziness (p < .01), and significantly improved postural performance (.05 > p > .0007). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with dizziness of suspected cervical origin are characterized by impaired postural performance. Physiotherapy reduces neck pain and dizziness and improves postural performance. Neck disorders should be considered when assessing patients complaining of dizziness, but alternative diagnoses are common.     

Hypoglycemic activity of glyburide (glibenclamide) metabolites in humans

OBJECTIVE: To assess the hypoglycemic effect and the insulin-releasing effect of the main glyburide (glibenclamide) metabolites 4-trans-hydroxy-glibenclamide (M1) and 3-cis-hydroxy-glibenclamide (M2) in humans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Eight healthy subjects participated in a placebo-controlled, randomized, single-blind crossover study with five single-dose tests, 3 months apart: 3.5 mg glibenclamide (Gb) orally, 3.5 mg Gb intravenously, 3.5 mg M1 intravenously, 3.5 mg M2 intravenously, and placebo intravenously, each in the fasting state. Standardized meals were given 0.5 and 5.5 h after each medication. Blood glucose levels were measured by a glucose oxidase method, and serum insulin concentrations were analyzed by a specific immunoassay. RESULTS: Blood glucose levels during the first 5 h were significantly lowered not only by Gb but also by M1 and M2. The mean +/- SE blood glucose reductions (versus placebo) expressed as percent of area under the curve (AUC) (0-5 h) were 18.2 +/- 3.3% for M1, 12.5 +/- 2.3% for M2, 19.9 +/- 2.1% for intravenous Gb, and 23.8 +/- 1.2% for Gb orally. Serum insulin levels were significantly increased by Gb as well as by M1 and M2. and M2. CONCLUSIONS: The two main metabolites of glyburide (glibenclamide) have a hypoglycemic effect in humans, which is due to increased insulin secretion.     

Friction of linerboard based on recycled fiber

The purpose of this investigation was to study the origin of the differences in paper‐to‐paper friction of linerboards based on old corrugated containers (OCC). The sheets were subjected to two extraction stages and analyzed with respect to, surface roughness, and their content of low‐molecular‐mass lipophilic compounds (LLC). Friction was measured using a friction tester based on the horizontal plane principle. The surface roughness was measured using a Perthometer profiler and the low molecular mass lipophilic constituent of the paper sheets was determined by gas chromatography‐mass spectroscopy. The sheets were imaged using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), and the relative compositions of inorganic ions on the paper surfaces were determined by energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed that a high amount of LLC in the sheets lead to low friction, due to lubrication. It was also observed that large CaCO₃ particles on the surface had a friction‐increasing effect, and that there was no relationship between the surface roughness and the friction. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 1511–1520, 2002     

FETI‐DP,BDDC, and block Cholesky methods

The FETI‐DP and BDDC algorithms are reformulated using Block Cholesky factorizations, an approach which can provide a useful framework for the design of domain decomposition algorithms for solving symmetric positive definite linear system of equations. Instead of introducing Lagrange multipliers to enforce the coarse level, primal continuity constraints in these algorithms, a change of variables is used such that each primal constraint corresponds to an explicit degree of freedom. With the new formulation of these algorithms, a simplified proof is provided that the spectra of a pair of FETI‐DP and BDDC algorithms, with the same set of primal constraints, are essentially the same. Numerical experiments for a two‐dimensional Laplace's equation also confirm this result. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Open Embedded Control

Embedded control devices today usually allow parameter changes, and possibly activation of different pre-implemented algorithms. Full reprogramming using the complete source code is not allowed for safety, efficiency, and proprietary reasons. For these reasons, embedded regulators are quite rigid and closed concerning the control structure. In several applications, like industrial robots, there is a need to tailor the low level control to meet specific application demands. In order to meet the efficiency and safety demands, a way of building more generic and open regulators has been developed. The key idea is to use pieces of compiled executable code as functional operators, which in the simplest case may appear as ordinary control parameters. In an object oriented framework, this means that new methods can be added to controller objects after implementation of the basic control, even at run-time. The implementation was carried out in industrially well accepted languages such as C and C++. The dynamic binding at run-time differs from ordinary dynamic linking in that only a subset of the symbols can be used. This subset is defined by the fixed part of the system. The safety demands can therefore still be fulfilled. Encouraged by results from fully implemented test cases, we believe that extensive use of this concept will admit more open, still efficient, embedded systems.     

Distributed dynamic load balancing with applications in radio access networks

Managing and balancing load in distributed systems remains a challenging problem in resource management, especially in networked systems where scalability concerns favour distributed and dynamic approaches. Distributed methods can also integrate well with centralised control paradigms if they provide high‐level usage statistics and control interfaces for supporting and deploying centralised policy decisions. We present a general method to compute target values for an arbitrary metric on the local system state and show that autonomous rebalancing actions based on the target values can be used to reliably and robustly improve the balance for metrics based on probabilistic risk estimates. To balance the trade‐off between balancing efficiency and cost, we introduce 2 methods of deriving rebalancing actuations from the computed targets that depend on parameters that directly affects the trade‐off. This enables policy level control of the distributed mechanism based on collected metric statistics from network elements. Evaluation results based on cellular radio access network simulations indicate that load balancing based on probabilistic overload risk metrics provides more robust balancing solutions with fewer handovers compared to a baseline setting based on average load.     

New Insights in the Control of Fat Homeostasis: The Role of Neurotensin

Neurotensin (NT) is a small peptide with pleiotropic functions, exerting its primary actions by controlling food intake and energy balance. The first evidence of an involvement of NT in metabolism came from studies on the central nervous system and brain circuits, where NT acts as a neurotransmitter, producing different effects in relation to the specific region involved. Moreover, newer interesting chapters on peripheral NT and metabolism have emerged since the first studies on the NT-mediated regulation of gut lipid absorption and fat homeostasis. Intriguingly, NT enhances fat absorption from the gut lumen in the presence of food with a high fat content, and this action may explain the strong association between high circulating levels of pro-NT, the NT stable precursor, and the increased incidence of metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer observed in large population studies. This review aims to provide a synthetic overview of the main regulatory effects of NT on several biological pathways, particularly those involving energy balance, and will focus on new evidence on the role of NT in controlling fat homeostasis, thus influencing the risk of unfavorable cardio–metabolic outcomes and overall mortality in humans.     

FEM Study of Fatigue Response of 3‐Sheet Spot Welded Joints

The commercial software used for predicting fatigue strength for load‐carrying spot welds in sheet structures, like car bodies, is mainly developed for two‐sheet joints. The purpose of this work was to study the fatigue properties of three‐sheet spot welded joints with a dimensioning method used in the automotive industry and to compare such computational results to those obtained from a more accurate method and to experimental data. Eleven three‐sheet, single spot welded specimens were studied using a structural stress approach, followed by shell element simulations, similar to those used in commercial software. These results were compared to calculations based on fine meshed solid element models. Fracture mechanics was used to evaluate the loading conditions at the spot welds. Comparison between the results from the different methods and experimental results for three shear loaded specimens, consisting of triple sheets, found in literature showed good correlation. The shell element method in shear loaded cases gives stress intensities within +35% to ‐5% of the solid element method results. In peel loaded cases the results differ up to ‐60%, an under‐estimation that leads to an increase of estimated fatigue life up to 65 times.