'On-the ground' strategy matrix for fostering quality participation experiences among persons with disabilities in community-based exercise programs.

Objective: The purposes of this paper are to (1) document the generation and refinement of a quality participation strategy list to ensure resonance and applicability within community-based exercise programs (CBEPs) for persons with physical and intellectual disabilities, and (2) identify theoretical links between strategies and the quality participation constructs.

Methods: To address purpose one, a list of strategies to foster quality participation among members was extracted from qualitative interviews with providers from nine CBEPs serving persons with physical disabilities. Next, providers from CBEPs serving persons with physical (n = 9) and intellectual disabilities (n = 6) were asked to identify the strategies used, and examples of their implementation, within their programs.

Predicting Defects in Soft Sphere Packings near Jamming Using the Force Network Ensemble.

Amorphous systems of soft particles above jamming have more contacts than are needed to achieve mechanical equilibrium. The force network of a granular system with a fixed contact network is thus underdetermined and can be characterized as a random instantiation within the space of the force network ensemble. In this Letter, we show that defect contacts that are not necessary for stability of the system can be uniquely identified by examining the boundaries of this space of allowed force networks.

Hyperuniform jammed sphere packings have anomalous material properties.

A spatial distribution is hyperuniform if it has local density fluctuations that vanish in the limit of long length scales. Hyperuniformity is a well known property of both crystals and quasicrystals. Of recent interest, however, is disordered hyperuniformity: the presence of hyperuniform scaling without long-range configurational order.

Trypanosoma vivax infection in dairy cattle: Parasitological and serological diagnosis and its relationship with the percentage of red blood cells.

Trypanosoma vivax is an emerging infectious agent in Brazil. Trypanosomosis kills cattle, especially in regions where the protozoan is unknown and herd immunity does not occur. The present study aims to report infection by T.

Ultrafast temporal evolution of interatomic Coulombic decay in NeKr dimers.

We investigate interatomic Coulombic decay in NeKr dimers after neon inner-valence photoionization [Ne(2s)] using a synchrotron light source. We measure with high energy resolution the two singly charged ions of the Coulomb-exploding dimer dication and the photoelectron in coincidence. By carefully tracing the post-collision interaction between the photoelectron and the emitted ICD electron we are able to probe the temporal evolution of the state as it decays.

Mean-Field Predictions of Scaling Prefactors Match Low-Dimensional Jammed Packings.

No known analytic framework precisely explains all the phenomena observed in jamming. The replica theory for glasses and jamming is a mean-field theory which attempts to do so by working in the limit of infinite dimensions, such that correlations between neighbors are negligible. As such, results from this mean-field theory are not guaranteed to be observed in finite dimensions.

Direct measurement of force configurational entropy in jamming.

Thermal fluctuations are not large enough to lead to state changes in granular materials. However, in many cases, such materials do achieve reproducible bulk properties, suggesting that they are controlled by an underlying statistical mechanics analogous to thermodynamics. While themodynamic descriptions of granular materials have been explored, they have not yet been concretely connected to their underlying statistical mechanics.

[Validation of the Geriatric Check in a cohort of hospitalized neurological patients].

Background: The Geriatrie-Check was developed as a screening tool for the identification of older patients with geriatric treatment requirements in hospitals. It was recommended by the Baden-Wuerttemberg Hospitals Association for routine use in hospitals in 2014 although no published validation studies are available. The test takes 3-5 min.

Wearables for gait and balance assessment in the neurological ward - study design and first results of a prospective cross-sectional feasibility study with 384 inpatients.

Background: Deficits in gait and balance are common among neurological inpatients. Currently, assessment of these patients is mainly subjective. New assessment options using wearables may provide complementary and more objective information.

Brain-Area Specific White Matter Hyperintensities: Associations to Falls in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Falls are common among people with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) and are suggested to be associated with white matter hyperintensities (WMH) of the brain.

Objective: To investigate the contribution of brain area-specific WMH to the risk of falls in IPD.

Methods: In fifty participants with IPD, occurrence and severity of WMH in specific brain areas were determined using Scheltens (without lateralization) and Age-related white matter changes (ARWMC) (with lateralization) scores.

Corrigendum: White Matter Changes-Related Gait and Executive Function Deficits: Associations with Age and Parkinson's Disease.

[This corrects the article on p. 213 in vol. 9, PMID: 28713264.

White Matter Changes-Related Gait and Executive Function Deficits: Associations with Age and Parkinson's Disease.

White matter changes (WMC) are a common finding among older adults and patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and have been associated with, e.g., gait deficits and executive dysfunction.

No relevant association of kinematic gait parameters with Health-related Quality of Life in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Health-related Quality of Life (HrQoL) is probably the most important outcome parameter for the evaluation and management of chronic diseases. As this parameter is subjective and prone to bias, there is an urgent need to identify objective surrogate markers. Gait velocity has been shown to be associated with HrQoL in numerous chronic diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD).

Photoperiodic induced changes in reproductive state of border canaries (Serinus canaria) are associated with marked variation in hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone immunoreactivity and the volume of song control regions.

In temperate zone songbirds, such as canaries (Serinus canaria), seasonal variation in gonadal activity and behavior are associated with marked brain changes. These include gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) expression and the volume of brain areas controlling song production. Questions have been raised about the consistency of seasonal brain changes in canaries.

High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of rolipram, bupivacaine and omeprazole using a tartardiamide-based stationary phase influence of flow rate and temperature on the enantioseparation.

Chromatographic separation of the chiral drugs rolipram, bupivacaine and omeprazole on a tartardiamide-based stationary phase commercially named Kromasil CHI-TBB is shown in this work. The effect of temperature on the chromatographic separation of the chiral drugs using the Kromasil CHI-TBB stationary phase was determined quantitatively so as to contribute toward the design for the racemic mixtures of the named compound by using chiral columns. A decrease in the retention and selectivity factors was observed, when the column temperature increased.

Coordinated and dissociated effects of testosterone on singing behavior and song control nuclei in canaries (Serinus canaria).

Temperate zone songbirds that breed seasonally exhibit pronounced differences in reproductive behaviors including song inside and outside the breeding season. Springlike long daylengths are associated with increases in plasma testosterone (T) concentrations, as well as with increases in singing and in the volume of several brain nuclei known to control this behavior. The mechanisms whereby T can induce changes in behavior and brain, and whether or not these effects are differentially regulated, have recently begun to be examined, as has the question of the relative contributions of T and its androgenic and estrogenic metabolites to the regulation of this seasonal behavioral and neural plasticity.

Social suppression of song is associated with a reduction in volume of a song-control nucleus in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).

In seasonally breeding songbirds, variations in testosterone and song correlate with volume changes in brain nuclei associated with song, including the HVC. The authors tested whether singing can lead to activity-dependent increases in HVC volume by examining song output in starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). The authors manipulated males' environments so that only some were dominant with nestboxes, whereas others were not.

Steam sterilization and automatic dispensing of [18F]fludeoxyglucose (FDG) for injection.

Unlabelled: For the purpose of implementing steam sterilization of 2-[18F]FDG (FDG) in the final container into routine production, we have validated and established a fully automated dispensing and sterilization system, thereby considerably reducing the radiation burden to the personnel.

Methods: The commercially available system combines aseptic dispensing of the product solution under a miniaturized laminar flow unit with subsequent steam sterilization, realized by heating of the product in the final containers by an autoclave included in the dispensing unit, thus incorporating current pharmaceutical manufacturing standards for the production of parental radiopharmaceuticals. The efficiency of the used sterilization cycle, the stability of FDG under the conditions of sterilization and the stability of the final product towards radiolysis was investigated with respect to various pH-formulations.

Antitumor efficacy of oblimersen Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotide alone and in combination with vinorelbine in xenograft models of human non-small cell lung cancer.

Overexpression of Bcl-2 protein in cancer cells can inhibit programmed cell death and engender chemoresistance. Reducing Bcl-2 protein levels by using antisense oligonucleotides targeting the gene message can increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to cytotoxic agents. The objective of this work was to investigate the antitumor efficacy of the Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotide oblimersen (Genasense; G3139), alone and in combination with vinorelbine (VNB), in an ectopic and orthotopic xenograft model of NCI-H460 human non-small-cell lung cancer.

Seasonal plasticity in the song control system: multiple brain sites of steroid hormone action and the importance of variation in song behavior.

Birdsong, in non-tropical species, is generally more common in spring and summer when males sing to attract mates and/or defend territories. Changes in the volumes of song control nuclei, such as HVC and the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA), are observed seasonally. Long photoperiods in spring stimulate the recrudescence of the testes and the release of testosterone.

Comparison of [18F]FDG-PET and L-3[123I]-iodo-alpha-methyl tyrosine (I-123 IMT)-SPECT in primary lung cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate L-3[123I]-iodo-alpha-methyl tyrosine (IMT)-SPECT and FDG-PET in pulmonary lesions suspected to be lung cancer.

Methods: Whole body PET (measured transmission corrected emission scans) was performed 45 minutes after i.v.

Dose escalation study with rhenium-188 hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate in prostate cancer patients with osseous metastases.

The aim of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose of rhenium-188 hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate (HEDP) in prostate cancer patients with osseous metastases who are suffering from bone pain. Twenty-two patients received a single injection of escalating doses of carrier-added 188Re-HEDP [1.3 GBq (35 mCi), 2.

Effects of Bcl-2 modulation with G3139 antisense oligonucleotide on human breast cancer cells are independent of inherent Bcl-2 protein expression.

We have investigated the effects of transient Bcl-2 down-regulation induced by the Bcl-2 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) G3139 (Genta Incorporated) in high Bcl-2 protein expressing, estrogen receptor (ER) positive MCF-7 and low Bcl-2 expressing, ER negative MDA435/LCC6 human breast cancer cells. Treatment with Bcl-2 antisense ODN in vitro caused > 80% reduction of Bcl-2 protein levels in a sequence specific manner for both cell lines. Maximum mRNA reduction was achieved within 24 h of the first antisense ODN exposure whereas full protein down-regulation required antisense exposure over 48 h.

Quantitative fluorescence cytometric analysis of Bcl-2 levels in tumor cells exhibiting a wide range of inherent Bcl-2 protein expression: correlation with Western blot analysis.

Background: A protocol to measure a wide range of Bcl-2 protein expression using quantitative fluorescence cytometry (QFCM) in different cell types was developed for use with flow cytometry. Bcl-2 measurements obtained by flow cytometry were correlated with Western blot Bcl-2 measurements to confirm specificity of the Bcl-2-FITC staining. This protocol was applied to measure absolute levels of Bcl-2 protein in different tumor cell lines including Bcl-2-transfected breast carcinoma cell lines and in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL).

188Re- and 99mTc-MAG3 as prosthetic groups for labeling amines and peptides: approaches with pre- and postconjugate labeling.

Either radiolabeled Tc-99m- or Re-188-labeled MAG3-4-nitrophenylester or unlabeled Bz-MAG3-4-nitrophenylester was reacted with amines and peptides to follow a pre- or a postconjugate radiolabeling route, respectively. The model compounds were N'-t-butyloxycarbonyl-1,6-diaminohexane (DH-Boc) and a Lys-protected derivative of the somatostatin analog RC-160 (cyclic D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Lys-Val-Cys-Trp-NH2). In the case of labeling DH-Boc, both the preconjugate labeling and the postconjugate labeling were found by using analytical HPLC to provide identical radiolabeled compounds regardless whether Re-188 or Tc-99m was used.