People use their smartphones for everything from web browsing to tracking fitness metrics. However, it is unclear whether smartphone-based apps that use photoplethysmography to measure heart rate are an accurate or valid measure of exercise intensity. Purpose was to determine the accuracy and validity of two iOS-based heart rate monitors, Runtastic Heart Rate Monitor and Pulse Tracker PRO by Ru...

The Lightweight SRM Evaluation is a project operated by the UK Grid Engineering Taskforce (ETF). Its purpose is to evaluate a lightweight Storage Resource Manager (SRM) implementation, namely the Disk Pool Manager (DPM) software developed by CERN, for suitability for production deployments on the UK National Grid Service infrastructure. DPM is lightweight in that it implements SRM protocol serv...

BACKGROUND Medication related harm (MRH) is a common cause of morbidity and hospital admission in the elderly, and has significant cost implications for both primary and secondary healthcare resources. The development of risk prediction models has become an increasingly common phenomenon in medicine and can be useful to guide objective clinical decision making, resource allocation and intervent...

In sepsis, phagocytosis and the killing of bacteria by phagocytes are important. Similarly, the clearance of accumulating apoptotic cells is critical in maintaining normal immunity. Upon maturation, peritoneal macrophages (PM) become a major source of proinflammatory cytokines, while losing their efficacy of phagocytosis. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here we investigated t...

PURPOSE Neural tension technique (NTT) is a therapy believed to reduce spasticity and to increase range of motion (ROM). This study compared the ability of NTT and random passive movements (RPMs) to reduce spasticity in the knee flexors in 10 spastic patients with brain injury. METHODS An RCT study with crossover design evaluated muscle tone measured by: 1) hand-held dynamometer; 2) Modified ...

The copulatory neuromuscular system of lizards is highly sexually dimorphic. Adult males possess bilateral penises called hemipenes, which are independently controlled by two muscles, the retractor penis magnus (RPM) and transversus penis (TPN). These structures are not obvious in adult females. However, in adult female leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius), testosterone induces hemipene grow...

The Scientific Discovery Through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) project has implemented a Scalable Systems Software (SSS) center. The SSS center is charged with building a scalable and robust operating environment for high end computing systems. Part of the approach is building a general solution for multiple platforms, to include both clusters and individual machines. This starts a trend toward s...

Data recorded automatically by harvesters are a promising and potentially very useful source of information for scientific analyses. Most researchers have used StanForD files this purpose, but these troublesome to obtain require some pre-processing. This study utilized new similar data: JDLink, cloud-based service, run the machine manufacturer, that stores data from sensors in real time. The va...

NOTICE This technical report does not necessarily represent final EPA decisions or positions. It is intended to present technical analysis of issues using data that are currently available. The purpose in the release of such reports is to facilitate the exchange of technical information and to inform the public of technical developments which may form the basis for a final EPA decision, positio...

Plants must respond to environmental stress including drought and harsh winters. Overcoming these stresses depend heavily on timing of stomatal closure and seed germination. My research focused on both chemical and genetic aspects involved in the abscisic acid pathway that controls both stomatal closures in leaves and seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana. My first study focused on recognizi...