Interactions of solitary waves in integrable and nonintegrable lattices.

We study how the dynamics of solitary wave (SW) interactions in integrable systems is different from that in nonintegrable systems in the context of crossing of two identical SWs in the (integrable) Toda and the (non-integrable) Hertz systems. We show that the collision process in the Toda system is perfectly symmetric about the collision point, whereas in the Hertz system, the collision process involves more complex dynamics. The symmetry in the Toda system forbids the formation of secondary SWs (SSWs), while the absence of symmetry in the Hertz system allows the generation of SSWs.

Using a Web-Based Approach to Assess Test-Retest Reliability of the "Hypertension Self-Care Profile" Tool in an Asian Population: A Validation Study.

Essential hypertension often requires affected patients to self-manage their condition most of the time. Besides seeking regular medical review of their life-long condition to detect vascular complications, patients have to maintain healthy lifestyles in between physician consultations via diet and physical activity, and to take their medications according to their prescriptions. Their self-management ability is influenced by their self-efficacy capacity, which can be assessed using questionnaire-based tools.

Role of histamine H1-receptor on behavioral states and wake maintenance during deficiency of a brain activating system: A study using a knockout mouse model.

Using knockout (KO) mice lacking the histamine (HA)-synthesizing enzyme (histidine decarboxylase, HDC), we have previously shown the importance of histaminergic neurons in maintaining wakefulness (W) under behavioral challenges. Since the central actions of HA are mediated by several receptor subtypes, it remains to be determined which one(s) could be responsible for such a role. We have therefore compared the cortical-EEG, sleep and W under baseline conditions or behavioral/pharmacological stimuli in littermate wild-type (WT) and H1-receptor KO (H1-/-) mice.

Structure and phase behavior of colloidal dumbbells with tunable attractive interactions.

We investigate thermodynamic and structural properties of colloidal dumbbells in the framework provided by the Reference Interaction Site Model (RISM) theory of molecular fluids and Monte Carlo simulations. We consider two different models: in the first one we set identical square-well attractions on the two tangent spheres constituting the molecule (SW-SW model); in the second scheme, one of the square-well interactions is switched off (HS-SW model). Appreciable differences emerge between the physical properties of the two models.

Automatic detection and analysis of the EEG sharp wave-slow wave patterns evoked by fluorinated inhalation anesthetics.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a method for the automatic detection of sharp wave-slow wave (SWSW) patterns evoked in EEG by volatile anesthetics and to identify the patterns' characteristics.

Methods: The proposed method consisted in the k-NN classification with a reference set obtained using expert knowledge, the morphology of the EEG patterns and the condition for their synchronization. The decision rules were constructed and evaluated using 24h EEG records in ten patients.

Seasonality and heterogeneity of live fish movements in Scottish fish farms.

Movement of live animals is a key contributor to disease spread. Farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, rainbow trout Onchorynchus mykiss and brown/sea trout Salmo trutta are initially raised in freshwater (FW) farms; all the salmon and some of the trout are subsequently moved to seawater (SW) farms. Frequently, fish are moved between farms during their FW stage and sometimes during their SW stage.

[Wakefulness and central basal nuclei: experimental observations and possible implications in Parkinson's disease].

Movement disorders in Parkinson disease, notably dampened during sleep, are associated with hyperactivity of the subthalamic nucleus (STN), whose origin is controversial. We have studied, on non-anaesthetized head-restrained rats, the STN spontaneous unit activity and the one of its principal GABAergic afferents, the globus pallidus (GP). In normal rats, STN neurons shifted from a random discharge in wakefulness (W) to a bursting pattern in slow wave sleep (SWS), without any change in their mean firing rate.

The switch of subthalamic neurons from an irregular to a bursting pattern does not solely depend on their GABAergic inputs in the anesthetic-free rat.

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) powerfully controls basal ganglia outputs and has been implicated in movement disorders observed in Parkinson's disease because of its pathological mixed burst firing mode and hyperactivity. A recent study suggested that reciprocally connected glutamatergic STN and GABAergic globus pallidus (GP) neurons act in vitro as a generator of bursting activity in basal ganglia. In vivo, we reported that GP neurons increased their firing rate in wakefulness (W) compared with slow-wave sleep (SWS) without any change in their random pattern.

Truncation patterns in English-speaking children's word productions.

This study examines English-speaking children's truncation patterns (i.e., syllable deletion patterns) in multisyllabic words to determine if they are consistent with metrical constraints or perceptual biases.

Differential response of plasma prolactin to freshwater transfer of smolts and postsmolts of seawater-adapted coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch).

Prolactin (PRL) was purified from chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, pituitary glands and was used to develop a homologous radioimmunoassay for the measurement of PRL from salmon. The plasma PRL response to freshwater (FW) transfer differed in seawater (SW)-adapted postsmolt (250 g) and smolts (15 g) of coho salmon. Postsmolts had a pronounced and prolonged elevation of plasma titers of PRL with hypercalcemia and stable plasma sodium levels.