Superior performance by two new methods in identifying the online reaction time of reaching movements.

Reaching movements can be redirected during their progress to handle unexpected visual changes, such as a change in target location. It is important to know when these redirections start, i.e.

Patterns and Factors Influencing Parrot (Order: Psittaciformes) Success in Establishing Thriving Naturalized Populations within the Contiguous United States.

Parrots (Order: Psittaciformes) represent one of the most striking and ecomorphologically diverse avian clades, spanning more than two orders of magnitude in body size with populations occupying six continents. The worldwide diaspora of parrots is largely due to the pet trade, driven by human desire for bright, colorful, and intelligent animals as companions. Some introduced species have aptly inserted themselves into the local ecosystem and established successful breeding colonies all around the globe.

Locomotor characteristics of the ground-walking chameleon Brookesia superciliaris.

Understanding the locomotor characteristics of early diverging ground-walking chameleons (members of the genera Brookesia, Rhampholeon, Palleon, and Rieppeleon) can help to explain how their unique morphology is adapted to fit their environment and mode of life. However, nearly all quantitative studies of chameleon locomotion thus far have focused on the larger "true arboreal" chameleons. We investigated kinematics and spatiotemporal gait characteristics of the Brown Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia superciliaris) on different substrates and compared them with true arboreal chameleons, nonchameleon lizards, and other small arboreal animals.

What does climbing mean exactly? Assessing spatiotemporal gait characteristics of inclined locomotion in parrots.

At what inclination does climbing begin? In this paper, we investigate the transition from walking to climbing in two species of parrot (Agapornis roseicollis and Nymphicus hollandicus) that are known to incorporate both their tail and their craniocervical system into the gait cycle during vertical climbing. Locomotor behaviors ranging in inclination were observed at angles between 0° and 90° for A. roseicollis, and 45°-85° degrees for N.

Accuracy and effort costs together lead to temporal asynchrony of multiple motor commands.

The timing of motor commands is critical for task performance. A well-known example is rapidly raising the arm while standing upright. Here, reaction forces from the arm movement to the body are countered by leg and trunk muscle activity starting before any sensory feedback from the perturbation and often before the onset of arm muscle activity.

Improving Perception of Perturbations and Balance Using a Novel Dynamic Computerized Biofeedback Based Intervention after Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) impairs the integration and organization of the visual, auditory, and somatosensory inputs that permit body position awareness in relation to self and environment resulting in balance dysfunction (BD). The sensitivity levels to which the environmental perturbations are perceived are also critical for attaining the position awareness and the equilibrium. Undetectable perturbations, however small they may be, can result in fatal falls, especially after TBI.

Resonances in rotationally inelastic scattering of OH(X2Π) with helium and neon.

We present detailed calculations on resonances in rotationally and spin-orbit inelastic scattering of OH (X(2)Π, j = 3/2, F(1), f) radicals with He and Ne atoms. We calculate new ab initio potential energy surfaces for OH-He, and the cross sections derived from these surfaces compare well with the recent crossed beam scattering experiment of Kirste et al. [Phys.

Racial differences in hospice revocation to pursue aggressive care.

Background: Hospice provides supportive care to terminally ill patients at the end of life. However, some enrollees leave hospice before death in search of therapies that may prolong survival. Because of a greater preference for life-sustaining therapies at the end of life, African American patients may be more likely than white patients to withdraw from hospice to seek life-prolonging therapies.

Comparison of botulinum neurotoxin preparations for the treatment of cervical dystonia.

Background: Comparative studies of botulinum neurotoxin preparations to date have generally examined 2 preparations at prespecified dose ratios in relatively homogeneous groups of patients under controlled study conditions. It is unclear whether the differences in adverse-event rates that have been noted under these controlled conditions can be generalized to the broader population of cervical dystonia patients, who are treated with a wider range of doses in a variety of settings.

Objective: We conducted a systematic review and analysis of the published literature to compare rates of dysphagia and dry mouth in studies of botulinum neurotoxin products.

Racial differences in the growth of noncancer diagnoses among hospice enrollees.

Patients with noncancer life-limiting illnesses now represent over half of all hospice enrollees, compared to only one-quarter of enrollees in 1992. Whether this growth in enrollees with noncancer diagnoses has been similar for Caucasians and African Americans, a group historically underrepresented in hospice, has not been described. The purpose of this study was to compare rates of noncancer diagnoses among African American and Caucasian hospice enrollees.

The relationship between migraine pain and other associated symptoms.

This study explores the relationship of the pain of the migraine headache and the associated features of migraine. Migraineurs (n=1025) (ICHD-2, 1.1-1.

Ethnic differences in the place of death of elderly hospice enrollees.

Elderly minorities are more likely to die in inpatient settings than their Caucasian counterparts. It is not known whether this difference is due to cultural preferences for place of death or decreased access to hospice. This analysis examines ethnic differences in the place of death of elderly hospice patients.

Bacterial tracheitis with upper airway obstruction in a patient with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Bacterial tracheitis after an upper viral respiratory infection is a well-recognized entity in the pediatric literature. Bacterial tracheitis has only recently been reported in adults, and it is a potentially life-threatening illness. We report a case of bacterial tracheitis in a patient with AIDS.

Computer applications to electrophysiologic studies.

The automated studies performed at implant require little extra time and provide essential information for postoperative troubleshooting and patient management. The automated testing and analysis system is but one component in a comprehensive patient management system designed for and dedicated to pacing; the system is an integral part of a complete data management system which includes extensive follow-up and management sections.

Some cardiovascular effects of noise.

We recently reported that exposure to moderately high noise levels for 9 months produced sustained blood pressure elevations in rhesus monkeys (M. mulatta) without impairing their auditory sensitivity (Peterson et al, Science, 1981, 211, 143Off). In the present study, a continuation and elaboration of the earlier work, 4 chair-restrained monkeys (M.

Noise raises blood pressure without impairing auditory sensitivity.

Two rhesus monkeys, exposed continuously to realistic patterns and levels of noise for 9 months, exhibited sustained elevations in blood pressure that did not return to baseline values after the noise ended. Auditory brainstem responses, measured before and after exposure, indicated no change in auditory sensitivity.