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A cable‐stayed footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists is situated in post‐industrial landscape Lover Vitkovice Area (DOV) of Ostrava. The bridge has two independent sections, 84,3 m and 68,3 m long that leads across the Ostravice river and the railway corridor directly towards the recent blast furnace. The bearing structure consists of outer lattice trusses and the lower steel orthotropic deck and is characterised by outstanding variable shape created by architect. The bridge's deck is supported by three and two pairs of cables, which run directly from top of the middle stiff pylon. Cables are connected to bottom chords of the structure by cylindrical fork with threaded rod and the tie rod structural system with rolled thread (turnbuckles, forks with pin and conical lock covers). The paper describes manufacturing, erection and pre‐stressing procedure, dynamic properties and design and installation of tuned mass dampers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original, seriously damaged concrete footbridge across the Berounka River, which was in a state of disrepair, was replaced by an asymmetric 110 m long steel‐cable‐stayed footbridge using the adapted existing substructure. The 24 m high pylon consists of one tube asymmetrically pinned to the upper chord of the triangular lattice structure above the bearing sliding on the pillar. Another interesting solution is the termination of the ropes by sockets with a threaded bar and tendon, with a turnbuckle and a socket with pin which enable their convenient adjustment. The composite deck of the footbridge is a suitable alternative to timber or steel orthotropic one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi‐functional polymers used for personal care products can be synthesized by radical polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) in alcohol/water solutions with non‐functional monomers such as methyl acrylate (MA) and N‐tert‐butylacrylamide (t‐BuAAm). However, solvents capable of forming or disrupting hydrogen bonds cause the polymerization kinetics of these monomers to deviate from their polymerization behaviour in bulk and non‐polar solvents. In this work, a previous mechanistic model developed for MA/t‐BuAAm copolymerization is extended to represent the terpolymerization system MA/t‐BuAAm/AA. The additional kinetic coefficients required for the system are estimated from fitting to AA homopolymerizations and AA/MA and AA/t‐BuAAm copolymerizations conducted in an ethanol/water solution. In‐situ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is used to follow monomer conversions and composition drift behaviour, with the molar mass distributions of the polymer products characterized by size‐exclusion chromatography. Although AA is more reactive than MA in non‐polar solvents, the reactivities of the two monomers equalize under the experimental conditions examined. Thus, the batch and semi‐batch terpolymerization data collected are represented equally well by a reduced acrylate/t‐BuAAm copolymerization model and the full terpolymerization implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The S‐glycosyltransferase LmbT, involved in the biosynthesis of lincomycin A, is the only known enzyme that catalyzes the enzymatic incorporation of rare amino acid L‐ergothioneine (EGT) into secondary metabolites. Here, we show the structure and function analyses of LmbT. Our in vitro analysis of LmbT revealed that the enzyme shows promiscuous substrate specificity toward nitrogenous base moieties in the generation of unnatural nucleotide diphosphate (NDP)‐D‐α‐D‐lincosamides. Furthermore, the X‐ray crystal structures of LmbT in its apo form and in complex with substrates indicated that the large conformational changes of the active site occur upon binding of the substrates, and that EGT is strictly recognized by salt‐bridge and cation‐π interactions with Arg260 and Trp101, respectively. The structure of LmbT in complex with its substrates, the docking model with the EGT‐S‐conjugated lincosamide, and the structure‐based site‐directed mutagenesis analysis revealed the structural details of the LmbT‐catalyzed SN2‐like S‐glycosylation reaction with EGT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐molecular weight (MW) solvent‐borne functional (meth)acrylic polymers find an important use in coating resins. However, when preparing such polymers through copper‐mediated reversible‐deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP), contamination with colored copper species and the use of expensive ligands represent significant obstacles from the industrial application viewpoint. Here, we investigated the possibilities of diminishing the catalyst levels in metallic coper‐mediated RDRP (Cu(0)‐RDRP) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of a widely used functional monomer, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), targeting a low MW of approximately 3000. Both Cu wire‐ and powder‐catalyzed Cu(0)‐RDRP provided well‐defined, low‐MW poly(GMA) at quantitative conversions when using an inexpensive PMDETA ligand in DMSO. However, only with Cu powder, the contamination of the final polymerization mixture with Cu species could be efficiently diminished to ≤66 ppm while maintaining the polymerization control. Additionally, the in situ block copolymerization was successfully demonstrated, furnishing a poly(GMA)‐b‐poly(MMA) mixture containing only 39 ppm of Cu in a process facilitated by the intrinsic reductive properties of the GMA's epoxide groups. Significantly, the targeted low‐MW poly(GMA) could also be synthesized by low‐catalyst‐concentration ATRP (CuBr/PMDETA system), obtaining well‐defined polymers with quantitative conversions at ca 50 ppm of Cu in the final mixture, both at r.t. and 50 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History, failures, successes and potential of Chemically Sensitive Field Effect Transistors (CHEMFET) are presented, based on fifty years of Author's personal experience working in this field. This article is divided into operation of devices in the liquid phase and in the gas phase. The recognition step in the first is based on ion partitioning. It requires a macroscopic reference electrode, which becomes the principal limiting factor. The CHEMFETs for dry operation rely on selective chemical modulation of work function of the electronically conducting gate material. They do not require an external reference and offer the possibility of miniaturization and multivariate sensing. Fabrication and economic aspects of both types of CHEMFETs are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archival spatial data sources (maps and aerial photographs) allow reconstruction and 3D visualization of landscapes that have been altered by human activity. This article is dedicated to the reconstruction of the 300 km‐long pre‐dam valley of the Vltava River (Czech Republic, Europe) inundated by nine reservoirs built between 1930 and 1992. We used methods based on archival aerial photographs and old maps to reconstruct pre‐dam georelief, which is exceptional because the total area subject to the reconstruction is 1,670 km2. We found that old maps are preferred for terrain reconstruction. The map series "State Map Derived 1:5,000" released between 1950 and 1959 was chosen as the most suitable data source for the pre‐dam valley reconstruction because this map series covers the entire area of interest with elevation information. Based on the processed maps, more than 26,000 km of contour lines were derived by semi‐automatic vectorization. The resulting pre‐dam digital elevation model (DEM) was created using a combination of interpolation techniques. We demonstrated that the methods used for georelief reconstruction under standard conditions should be used carefully while working with such large areas. Geostatistical analysis was performed to verify the accuracy of the resulting DEM. The differences between the model and LiDAR surveyed data were analyzed from three points of view: spatial autocorrelation, normality, and elevation stability. We tested several 3D printing methods for producing a realistic 3D model with a texture applied. The computer numerical control (CNC) milling method was chosen to produce 3D models of the three reservoirs at scales of 1:8,000 and 1:6,000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistical analysis is carried out for the compositional distribution (CD) of binary copolymers prepared by living copolymerization. The CDs of both block and random (Bernoullian) binary copolymers are found to be the product of two Poisson distributions. The analysis is further developed for instantaneous first‐order Markovian copolymers (the terminal model). The relations are derived for the CD of i) copolymers with fixed polymerization degree and ii) of copolymers with variable polymerization degree. The relations ad (i) describe also CD of copolymer end sequences; however, they cannot be used for interpretation of tandem mass spectrometry where end‐sequence CD for isobaric copolymers is required. Such relations are also derived. Stepwise application of the equations affords approximation of high‐conversion living copolymerization. Fair agreement of the derived relations with kinetic Monte–Carlo simulation and qualitative agreement with the experimental data on n‐butyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate copolymers prepared by quasi‐living radical polymerization is found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemically deposited PdmAun metal clusters on a polyaniline-coated Pt electrode have been shown to exhibit an "ordering effect", in which the catalytic activity for n-propanol oxidation depends sensitively on the precise order that the metal atoms are deposited. For example, tri-atomic Pd2Au clusters exhibit different catalytic activity for electrodeposition order Pd-Pd-Au compared to Pd-Au-Pd on the polyaniline (PANI)/Pt matrix. In this work, we utilize density functional theory (DFT) to elucidate the structure and energetics of triatomic PdmAun clusters attached to a model PANI support. We provide a rationale for the experimentally observed "ordering effect" in terms of specific covalent interactions between the metal atoms and PANI framework that alter the net stability of the metal catalyst. We find that hydroxyl radical binding energies computed for the model catalytic systems provide a good descriptor for the experimentally measured catalytic activity for n-propanol oxidation. In addition, the good correlation between experiment/theory serves as additional confirmation of our proposed catalytic structures and rationale of the previously unexplained "ordering effect". Our study highlights the important role of the PANI support in determining the activity of uniquely-defined, atomic metal catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addition of rigid PS to ductile PA6 can lead to higher toughness provided plastic deformation of PS is achieved. The current study deals with upgrading of this system by graphene, graphene oxide (GO), and GO with grafted polystyrene (GO‐g‐PS). Low amount of these carbon nanoplatelets can enhance performance of the PA/PS 90/10 system with the best‐balanced properties achieved with GO‐g‐PS by unique combination of reinforcement with the favorable effect of the GO‐g‐PS‐modified interface on plastic deformation of the PS phase causing higher impact resistance. Simultaneous linking of PA chains and hydrogen bonding causes "anchoring" of PS inclusions in the PA6 phase. This results in support of hydrostatic pressure evolution during loading and thus extensive yielding of PS. Another positive effect is reduction of pullout of in situ formed fibrous inclusions, which is different from rigid short‐fiber composites. The study highlights high potential of GO modified with polymer chains to upgrade polymer systems via tailoring the interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The neuropathophysiology of a debilitating chronic urologic pain condition, bladder pain syndrome (BPS), remains unknown. Our recent data suggests withdrawal of cardiovagal modulation in subjects with BPS, in contrast to sympathetic nervous system dysfunction in another chronic pelvic pain syndrome, myofascial pelvic pain (MPP). We evaluated whether comorbid disorders differentially associated with BPS vs MPP shed additional light on these autonomic differences. Methods: We compared the presence and relative time of onset of 27 other medical conditions in women with BPS, MPP, both syndromes, and healthy subjects. Analysis included an adjustment for multiple comparisons. Results: Among 107 female subjects (BPS alone = 32; BPS with MPP = 36; MPP alone = 9; healthy controls = 30), comorbidities differentially associated with BPS included irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), dyspepsia, and chronic nausea, whereas those associated with MPP included migraine headache and dyspepsia, consistent with the distinct autonomic neurophysiologic signatures of the two disorders. PTSD (earliest), anxiety, depression, migraine headache, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and IBS usually preceded BPS or MPP. PTSD and the presence of both pelvic pain disorders in the same subject correlated with significantly increased comorbid burden. Conclusions: Our study suggests a distinct pattern of comorbid conditions in women with BPS. These findings further support our hypothesis of primary vagal defect in BPS as compared with primary sympathetic defect in MPP, suggesting a new model for chronic these pelvic pain syndromes. Chronologically, PTSD, migraine, dysmenorrhea, and IBS occurred early, supporting a role for PTSD or its trigger in the pathophysiology of chronic pelvic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Controlled synthesis of high‐molecular weight (MW) organic–inorganic hybrid polymers based on polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) monomers has previously proved difficult to achieve by reversible‐deactivation radical polymerization methods. Here, this problem is tackled by employing a rarely used combination of Cu(0) catalysis and nonpolar solvents to polymerize a POSS‐methacrylate monomer, i BuPOSSMA. It is revealed that chain transfer to solvent plays a dominant role in this system as only benzene and not toluene allows for synthesis of low dispersity, ultrahigh MW products (up to 3 500 000). Importantly, the process is characterized by very low amounts (units of ppm) of copper released into the polymerization mixture, leading to products with no discoloration. Finally, benzene use is also shown to be beneficial for copper bromide–catalyzed polymerization of i BuPOSSMA, affording polymers with moderate MWs and extremely low dispersities (down to 1.06). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To describe a sensory map of pelvic dermatomes in women with Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS). We hypothesized that if IC/BPS involves changes in central processing, then women with IC/BPS will exhibit sensory abnormalities in neurologic pelvic dermatomes. Methods: Women with IC/BPS and healthy controls underwent neurologic examination that included evaluation of sharp pain sensitivity and vibration in dermatomes T12, L1, L2, S1‐5. Peripheral nervous system sensitivity to pressure, vibration, and pinprick were scored using numeric rating scales (NRS). Bilateral comparisons were made with Wilcoxon signed‐rank test and comparisons between groups were made by the Mann‐Whitney U‐test. Results: Total of 74 women with IC/BPS and 36 healthy counterparts were included. IC/BPS and control groups had similar age (43.0 ± 14.1 and 38.6 ± 15.3 years, P = 0.14) and BMI (28.9 ± 8.0 kg/m2 and 26.9 ± 8.4 kg/m2, P = 0.24), respectively. Women with IC/BPS reported hyperalgesia (elevated bilateral NRS pain intensity) in all pelvic dermatomes compared to healthy controls. S4‐S5 region had the highest pain intensity in all participants. All IC/BPS participants exhibited vibration sensation hypoesthesia, at least unilaterally, in all of the pelvic dermatomes except L1 compared to healthy controls. Conclusion: This detailed map of neurologic pelvic dermatomes in women with IC/BPS found hyperalgesia in all pelvic dermatomes, and some evidence of vibration sensation hypoesthesia, compared to healthy controls. These findings support the hypothesis that IC/BPS may involve changes in central signal processing biased towards nociception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The incidence of planned home birth is increasing in the United States. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists acknowledges a woman's right to make an informed choice about place of delivery, including home birth. This exploratory study measures obstetricians' attitudes, experiences, and knowledge about planned home birth, identifies associations between these factors, and compares obstetricians' responses in Ohio to those in Arizona and New Mexico. Methods A survey about attitudes, experiences, and knowledge of planned home birth was distributed to obstetricians in Ohio, Arizona, and New Mexico. Attitude and knowledge scores were calculated for each respondent and used to evaluate associations through linear regression. Attitude and knowledge scores in states that have regulation of direct entry midwives (Arizona and New Mexico) were compared to a state which does not (Ohio). Results Obstetricians in all three states reported little experience and knowledge of planned home birth and overall negative attitudes. Obstetricians with stronger knowledge did not differ in their attitudes from those with less knowledge. No statistically significant differences were found when comparing attitude and knowledge scores in Ohio to Arizona and New Mexico, but Ohio obstetricians responded most negatively to the attitude questions. Conclusions Obstetricians have limited knowledge and experience and hold very negative attitudes about planned home birth. Research is necessary to determine: 1) whether negative obstetrician attitudes would be modified by exposure to home birth education and experience, and, 2) whether negative obstetrician beliefs deter safe and timely transfer from home or compromise hospital care for transferred parturients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly synthesized material with highly controllable, but partial selectivity is proposed for the construction of catalytic sensors comprising an olfactory array. The transduction principle proposed for this array is that of a fuel-cell-type amperometric sensor. In the example discussed here, it is based on electrochemical oxidation of lower aliphatic alcohols in an alkaline medium. Since a cyclic voltammogram of each sensor in the olfactory array provides high-dimesional data, a pattern recognition technique including mutidimensional data generation, feature extraction, and classification is indispensable. The combination of the new sensor array with a sophisticated pattern recognition algorithm might lead to the next generation of olfactory sensing array. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defined diblock and triblock copolymers composed of methyl methacrylate- co-glycidyl methacrylate block and 3-{3,5,7,9,11,13,15-hepta(2-methylpropyl)-pentacyclo[9.5.1.13,9.15,15.17,13]-octasiloxan-1-yl}propyl methacrylate block(s), i.e., P(MMA- co-GMA)- b-PiBuPOSSMA and PiBuPOSSMA- b-P(MMA- co-GMA)- b-PiBuPOSSMA, were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). First, monofunctional and bifunctional P(MMA- co-GMA) copolymers were synthesized by ATRP. Subsequently, these copolymers were successfully used as macroinitiators for ATRP of POSS-containing methacrylate monomer. The process showed high initiation efficiency of macroinitiators and led to products with low dispersity. The synthesized block copolymers were characterized by size exclusion chromatography, 1H-NMR spectroscopy and their glass transition temperatures were determined by differential scanning calorimetry. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Singing in one's mind or forming expectations about upcoming notes both require that mental images of one or more pitches will be generated. As with other musical abilities, the acuity with which such images are formed might be expected to vary across individuals and may depend on musical training. Results from several behavioral tasks involving intonation judgments indicate that multiple memory systems contribute to the formation of accurate mental images for pitch, and that the functionality of each is affected by musical training. Electrophysiological measures indicate that the ability to form accurate mental images is associated with greater engagement of auditory areas and associated error-detection circuitry when listeners imagine ascending scales and make intonation judgments about target notes. A view of auditory mental images is espoused in which unified mental image representations are distributed across multiple brain areas. Each brain area helps shape the acuity of the unified representation based on current behavioral demands and past experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radical polymerization of selected 1-alkenes, (1-hexene, 1-octene and 2-methyl-1-heptene), initiated with classical radical initiators and catalyzed by lithium salts of selected carboranes was studied. In accordance with recently published results it was found that the use of radical initiators under catalysis by 'naked' lithium cation of carboranes promotes the radical polymerization of 1-alkenes, otherwise nonpolymerizable by the radical mechanism. However, although in our experiments relatively high monomers conversions are reached for some of the thermal initiators used, only low-molecular-weight oligomers with Mn < 1000 are formed, regardless of the initiator and carborane anion used. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we present the first example of application of single-electron transfer living radical polymerization (SET-LRP) process to a controlled grafting of cellulose esters, cellulose diacetate (CDA), and cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB). The cellulose ester macroinitiators with various functionality densities have been prepared by acylation of the backbones with 2-bromoisobutyryl (BrIB) and dichloroacetyl (DCA) groups, respectively. Methacrylate monomers were polymerized using DCA-functionalized macroinitiators in the presence of pentamethyldiethylene triamine as a ligand. At 30 °C, the reaction is rather slow, reaching about 10% conversion after 3 to 6 h of polymerization, whereas the higher temperature (60 °C) perceptibly speeds up the polymerization so that methyl methacrylate (MMA) conversion is ∼30% after 5 h. Graft copolymers with random-type and diblock-type grafts having amphiphilic character were also synthesized. For acrylate grafting (BuA and t-BuA), BrIB-functionalized macroinitiators are more convenient in a combination with a low concentration of Cu(0) and Me6TREN as a ligand and polymerization is detectably faster even at the lower temperature than that of MMA. Kinetic studies show 'living' character of both the graftings. Important advantages of SET-LRP, compared with classic ATRP, are (i) higher polymerization rate, (ii) lower extent of recombination of the growing grafts and (iii) negligible coloration of the products with catalytic residua, so that the prepared polymers do not require additional careful purification. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Recently, a novel cooling pad was developed for rapid induction of mild hypothermia after cardiac arrest. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cooling efficacy of three different pad designs for in-hospital cooling. Methods: Included in this prospective interventional study were patients with esophageal temperature (Tes) > 34°C on admission. The cooling pad consists of multiple cooling units, filled with a combination of graphite and water, which is precooled to –18°C (design A) or to –9°C (designs B and C) before use. The designs of the cooling pad differed in number, shape, and thickness of the cooling units, with weights of 9.7 kg (design A), 5.3 kg (design B), and 6.2 kg (design C). All three designs were tested in sequential order and were changed according to the results found in the previous trial. Cooling was started after admission until Tes = 34°C, when the cooling pad was removed. The target temperature of Tes = 32–34°C was maintained for 24 hours. Data are presented as medians and interquartile ranges (IQRs = 25%–75%) or proportions. Results: Cooling rates were 3.4°C/hour (IQR = 2.5–3.7) with design A ( n = 12), 2.8°C/hour (IQR = 1.6–3.3) with design B ( n = 7), and 2.9°C/hour (IQR = 1.9–3.6) with design C ( n = 10; p = 0.5). To reach 34°C, the cooling pad had to be exchanged with a new one due to melting and therefore depleting cooling capacity in three patients with design A, in five patients with design B, and in no patient with design C (p = 0.004). Conclusions: With adequate design and storage temperature, the cooling pad proved to be efficient for rapid in-hospital cooling of patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:360–367 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of earlier induction of hypothermia already during the ‘no-flow’ period of cardiac arrest with non-invasive surface cooling or invasive aortic flush cooling. Methods: This was a prospective randomized experimental study that included 14 pigs, Large White breed (30–38 kg), with ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest plus blanket surface and an invasive cold saline flush cooling. The endpoint was a decline in brain temperature ( Tbr) at 35 min after cardiac arrest. Results: With surface cooling, Tbr decreased from 38.7±0.2 °C to 37.4±0.8 °C ( P=0.02) and with invasive cooling Tbr decreased from 38.8±0.13 °C to 19.0±2.8 °C within 216±23 s ( P=0.02) and increased back to 33.0±0.6 °C at 35 min of cardiac arrest ( P=0.02 vs. Tbr at 15 min, P=0.002 vs. Tbr at 35 min in the surface cooling groups). Conclusion: Invasive cooling by aortic flush with cold saline rapidly induces deep cerebral hypothermia, whereas non-invasive surface cooling only marginally decreases brain temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare-associated infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) hitherto have been observed mainly in hemodialysis settings as well as in hematology and oncology wards. In this communication, molecular and epidemiologic investigations to elucidate an HCV outbreak in an orthopedic ward are reported. One hundred and thirty-five patients hospitalized in the ward and 104 staff members were tested. In addition to extensive epidemiologic reviews and hygienic inspections, direct sequencing of HCV PCR fragments and phylogenetic analysis of more than 300 partial HCV sequences obtained by end-point limiting-dilution real-time PCR assay were carried out. Six patients were infected with very closely related HCV variants. Patient-to-patient spread of the virus was inferred to have started from one patient with previous HCV infection to the other five patients during their hospital stay. Inspections did not reveal substantial breaches in basic infection control practices and did not identify a specific activity that might have led to nosocomial transmission. As a result of the investigations, the hospital corrected the documentation of all medical and nursing activities undertaken in the ward, abandoned the use of all multidose saline and other medication vials, and included explicitly recommendations for the safe preparation and administration of injectable drugs into internal infection control guidelines. Thereafter, no further nosocomial transmissions of HCV have been recorded in the orthopedic ward. The events observed suggest that nosocomial transmission of HCV is not limited to hemodialysis, hematology or oncology settings, and they also reinforce the mandatory adherence to basic infection control practices. J. Med. Virol. 81:249-257, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term monitoring of patients at risk of arrhythmias would benefit from a miniaturized device. This study evaluated the quality of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals recorded by a miniaturized ECG recorder. Methods: ECG data were concurrently recorded with an investigational device (Philips Medical Systems, Seattle, WA, USA) and a Holter recorder from patients with cardiac-related symptoms at the emergency department of a tertiary care university hospital. The device was attached in one of four locations (L1: below left clavicle, L2: midsternal, L3: below left breast, L4: left anterior axillary line in 5th intercostal space). Selected ECG strips were analyzed for atrial activity, QRS width, and basic rhythm by two physicians. Patients were divided into groups based on their number of strips (A 2–5, B 6–9, C 10–21) for descriptive presentation of the data. For statistical analyses, nonlinear mixed-effects models were used. Results: In 90 patients, 574 pairs of strips were analyzed. In L1 (n = 37), agreement between the device and the Holter recorder on presence of P wave was 58–80% in groups A–C and in L2 (n = 28):94–98%, L3 (n = 12):30–72%, and L4 (n = 13):0–70%; on PR interval in L1:58–80%, L2:94–98%, L3:30–62%, and L4:0–70%; on rhythm in L1:56–79%, L2:94–98%, L3:30–62%, and L4:0–70%; on QRS width in L1:86–100%, L2:88–98%, L3:100%, and L4:96–100%. The agreement of L2 in the parameters P wave, PR interval, and rhythm diagnosis was better than in the other locations (P < 0.01). Conclusions: A miniature ECG monitor provided accurate assessment of atrial beats and rhythm diagnosis at a midsternal location and of QRS width at all locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the synthesis and characterization of new amphiphilic polymer conetworks containing hydrophilic poly(2,3‐dihydroxypropyl methacrylate) or poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) and hydrophobic polyisobutylene chains. This conetworks were prepared by a two‐step polymer synthesis. In the first step, a cationic copolymer of isobutylene and 3‐isopropenyl‐α,α‐dimethylbenzyl isocyanate (IDI) was prepared. The isocyanate groups of the IB‐IDI random copolymer were subsequently transformed in situ to methacrylate (MA) groups in reaction with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). In the second step, the resulting MA‐multifunctional PIB‐based crosslinker, PIB(MA)n, with an average functionality of approximately four per chain, was copolymerized with 2,3‐dihydroxypropyl methacrylate or poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate by radical mechanism in tetrahydrofuran giving rise to amphiphilic conetworks containing 11–60 mol % of DHPMA or 10–12 mol % of PEGMA. The synthesized conetworks were characterized with solid‐state 13C‐NMR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The amphiphilic nature of the conetworks was proved by swelling in both water and n‐heptane. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4074–4081, 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the functional neuroimaging literature grows, it becomes increasingly apparent that music and musical activities engage diverse regions of the brain. In this paper I discuss two studies to illustrate that exactly which brain areas are observed to be responsive to musical stimuli and tasks depends on the tasks and the methods used to describe the tasks and the stimuli. In one study, subjects listened to polyphonic music and were asked to either orient their attention selectively to individual instruments or in a divided or holistic manner across multiple instruments. The network of brain areas that was recruited changed subtly with changes in the task instructions. The focus of the second study was to identify brain regions that follow the pattern of movement of a continuous melody through the tonal space defined by the major and minor keys of Western tonal music. Such an area was identified in the rostral medial prefrontal cortex. This observation is discussed in the context of other neuroimaging studies that implicate this region in inwardly directed mental states involving decisions about the self, autobiographical memory, the cognitive regulation of emotion, affective responses to musical stimuli, and familiarity judgments about musical stimuli. Together with observations that these regions are among the last to atrophy in Alzheimer disease, and that these patients appear to remain responsive to autobiographically salient musical stimuli, very early evidence is emerging from the literature for the hypothesis that the rostral medial prefrontal cortex is a node that is important for binding music with memories within a broader music-responsive network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The LmbB1 protein, participating in the biosynthesis of lincomycin, was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, purified in its active form, and characterized as a dimer of identical subunits. Methods for purification and analysis of the LmbB1 reaction product were developed. Molecular mass and fragmentation pattern of the product revealed by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry were in agreement with its proposed structure, 4-(3-carboxy-3-oxopropenyl)- 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid. The LmbB1 is therefore a dioxygenase catalysing the 2,3-extradiol cleavage of the L-3,4-dihydroxyphenyl alanine aromatic ring.The finalLmbB1reaction product, a unique compound found in biosynthesis of lincomycin and expected in anthramycins, arises through subsequent cyclization of the primary cleavage product, 2,3-secodopa. A possible role of LmbB1 in 2,3-secodopa cyclization and alternative ways of the cyclization in the formation of biosynthetically related compounds, muscaflavin and stizolobinic acid, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a single-subject experiment testing two methods of using EMG biofeedback in the treatment of TMJ dysfunction. Following a baseline period, electrodes were placed on the left and right masseter muscles, and the subject was taught general relaxation of this area using visual biofeedback. Although data supported the conclusion that the subject had indeed learned to relax, this was not associated with any change in the report of pain or dysfunction. Equalization training, the goal being to equalize the levels of EMG in the right and left masseter muscles, was then begun. Once the patient had learned to maintain equal levels of EMG, relaxation was then re-introduced. This produced substantial decreases in her reported pain, both within the session and averaged across days for the time between sessions. These treatment gains were maintained at 2-month follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]