An in silico analysis of neuromodulation for pain relief: Determining the role of classical electrodynamics.

There has been ongoing debate about the efficacy and mechanism of action of neuromodulation devices in pain relief applications. It has recently been suggested that both issues may be resolved if electromagnetic theory is incorporated into the understanding and application of this technology, and we therefore undertook an in silico analysis to further explore this idea. We created a CAD replication of a standard neuromodulation electrode array with a generic linear 3/6 mm 8-contact lead, developed a parameterized algorithmic model for the pulse delivered by the device and assigned material properties to biologic media to accurately reflect their electromagnetic properties.

Solid phase partitioning of metals in managed retreat soils: field changes over the first year of tidal inundation.

Sequential extraction methods were used to determine the effect of saline inundation on partitioning behaviour of metals in soils at Orplands Managed Retreat site, Essex, UK. A suite of metals (Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were analysed in sequential extracts from samples of soil cores extracted immediately before breaching of sea walls in 1995 and 1 year after. Generally, partitioning of most metals was dominated by associations with the residual fraction and an absence of associations with the exchangeable fraction indicating a relatively uncontaminated environment.

Life-span changes in EEG spectral amplitude, amplitude variability and mean frequency.

Objectives: The objectives were to assess life-span alterations in intrasubject variability of EEG spectral amplitudes and in amplitude and mean frequency computed from spectral amplitude profiles.

Methods: EEG was recorded from the central and occipital scalp of 222 healthy males aged 4 to 90 years. Amplitude spectral profiles derived from FFT procedures provided data for the computation of amplitude variability (ampCV), absolute and relative amplitude and mean frequency for each of five spectral bands.