Assessment of plantar flexors activation capacity: nerve versus muscle stimulation by single versus double pulse

This study was designed to investigate if the relationship between the interpolated twitch-torque (IT) and voluntary torque (VT) is affected by the number of electrical stimuli (single vs. double) and the stimulation site (nerve trunk vs. muscle). The results showed that the IT–VT relationship of the plantar flexors is appropriately described by a composite (linear + curvilinear) model. Indeed, whatever the stimulation method, the IT–VT relationship was linear between approximately 25 and 75% of the maximal voluntary torque (MVT) and curvilinear for higher contraction intensities. The four stimulation conditions are equivalent in assessing the maximal voluntary activation (VA% range 96.2 ± 5.0 to 98.5 ± 3.1%) as well as in determining the true maximal torque expected for total twitch occlusion (MT_exp range 171.4 ± 21.2 to 179.0 ± 26.8 Nm). The gap between the MVT and MT_exp should be viewed as an index of muscle inactivation. This gap was comparable for the four stimulation methods (2–6%) and close to the deficit in VA% (2–4%). No pulse-number effect was found on the IT–VT relationship when the nerve was stimulated but an effect on the concavity of the composite relationship was observed when the stimulation was applied over the muscle. Even though the four stimulation techniques are equivalent in assessing the maximal activation capacity our results demonstrate that the neural stimulation method is the most consistent as it guarantees the same motor pool recruitment independently from the number of pulses.     

Voluntary activation in the triceps brachii at short and long muscle lengths

The aim was of this study was to determine whether voluntary activation calculated using the interpolated twitch technique (ITT) would be underestimated by muscle length–induced changes in the twitch amplitude evoked at rest after maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) in the elbow extensors. In 12 healthy men, calculated voluntary activations were compared at short (20° of elbow flexion) and long muscle lengths (120°) using the actual post‐MVC doublet, and the predicted post‐MVC doublet estimated from linear or nonlinear extrapolations. Actual post‐MVC doublet amplitudes were smaller at 20° versus 120°. At 20°, the predicted post‐MVC doublet obtained from nonlinear extrapolation was larger, and voluntary activation values improved by 5–33% at the submaximal voluntary contraction intensities (≤80% of MVC). When voluntary drive is compromised, this method of extrapolation is useful to account for mechanical limitations that blunt the actual post‐MVC doublet, which otherwise leads to underestimation of voluntary activation. Muscle Nerve, 2010     

Feasibility of using interpolated contours of targets and organs at risk in intensity‐modulated radiation therapy treatment planning for advanced‐stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma

To assess the dosimetric effect of using interpolated contours in planning intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for advanced T‐stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The present study focused on T3–T4 tumours where the proximity of targets to neurological organs poses a stringent test on the feasibility of such an approach. Contours of targets and organs were delineated on CT images of 2.5‐mm interval and a reference IMRT plan was generated. An investigative (INV) IMRT plan was then generated with the same planning protocol, but based on interpolated contours that replaced deleted contours on alternate slices. The reference and INV plans were compared. Regarding target coverage, all targets in the INV plans met the acceptance criteria except for the PTV in one case. Regarding organs, the mean dose to 1% volume of the brainstem and spinal cord in the INV plans were kept below their dose limits. No significant differences in the mean doses to others organs were found. Satisfactory target coverage and protection of critical organs to a degree similar to full‐scale contouring could be achieved with use of interpolated contours. The saving in manpower time for contouring is expected to significantly improve the throughput of the IMRT planning process.     

FDK算法中一种新的插值方法

针对在FDK算法的反投影过程中，各个体素在探测器上投影分布的特点，本文提出一种新的插值方法。该方法根据体素投影的特点，采用在重建过程中，根据其在不同扫描角度下在各个探测器单元上的投影所占面积的加权和作为反投影值。实际实验结果表明，在FDK算法中这个新的插值方法比传统的插值方法（如：最近邻插值，双线性插值）重建出来的图像边缘清晰，而且能更好地抑制噪声。     

数字插值波束形成器在医学超声成像中的应用

在医学超声成像系统中,数字波束形成器是影响其性能及硬件复杂度的关键部分,它要求A/D采样率大大高于奈奎斯特频率以满足延时精度的要求。报告采用数字插值波束形成器,通过插零、滤波的方法实现精延时。结果表明,数字插值波束形成器大大降低了A/D转换电路的复杂度。     

A unified model of illusory and occluded contour interpolation

Models of contour interpolation have been proposed for illusory contour interpolation but seldom for interpolation of occluded contours. The identity hypothesis ( [Kellman and Loukides, 1987] and [Kellman and Shipley, 1991]) posits that an early interpolation mechanism is shared by interpolated contours that are ultimately perceived as either illusory or occluded. Here we propose a model of such a unified interpolation mechanism for illusory and occluded contours, building on the framework established in Heitger, von der Heydt, Peterhans, Rosenthaler, and Kubler (1998). We show that a single, neurally plausible mechanism that is consistent with the identity hypothesis also generates contour interpolations in agreement with perception for cases of transparency, self-splitting objects, interpolation with mixed boundary assignment, and “quasimodal” interpolations. Limiting cases for this local, feed-forward approach are presented, demonstrating that both early, local interpolation mechanisms and non-local scene constraints are necessary for describing the perception of interpolated contours.     

Voxel‐shift and interpolation for hadamard‐encoded MR images

Although Fourier gradient phase‐encoding and Hadamard radio‐frequency encoding are two established spatial MR localization techniques, the absence of voxel‐shift and interpolation postprocessing algorithms for the latter has always placed it at a discouraging disadvantage. This article presents a method for voxel‐shift and interpolation of Hadamard‐encoded data and demonstrates both theoretically and experimentally the similarities of the respective operations between the two localization methods. Magn Reson Med 60:524–535, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Bayesian spatial modeling of disease risk in relation to multivariate environmental risk fields

The relationship between exposure to environmental chemicals during pregnancy and early childhood development is an important issue that has a spatial risk component. In this context, we have examined mental retardation and developmental delay (MRDD) outcome measures for children in a Medicaid population in South Carolina and sampled measures of soil chemistry (e.g. As, Hg, etc.) on a network of sites that are misaligned to the outcome residential addresses during pregnancy. The true chemical concentration at the residential addresses is not observed directly and must be interpolated from soil samples. In this study, we have developed a Bayesian joint model that interpolates soil chemical fields and estimates the associated MRDD risk simultaneously. Having multiple spatial fields to interpolate, we have considered a low‐rank Kriging method for the interpolation that requires less computation than the Bayesian Kriging. We performed a sensitivity analysis for a bivariate smoothing, changing the number of knots and the smoothing parameter. These analyses show that a low‐rank Kriging method can be used as an alternative to a full‐rank Kriging, reducing the computational burden. However, the number of knots for the low‐rank Kriging model needs to be selected with caution as a bivariate surface estimation can be sensitive to the choice of the number of knots. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Central fatigue of the first dorsal interosseous muscle during low-force and high-force sustained submaximal contractions

The aim of this study was to compare the extent of central fatigue in the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle of healthy adults in low, moderate and high-force submaximal contractions. Nine healthy adults completed four experimental sessions where index finger abduction force was recorded during voluntary contractions and in response to brief trains (five pulses at 100 Hz) of electrical stimulation. The ability to maximally activate FDI under volition, or voluntary activation, and its change with sustained activity (central fatigue) was assessed using the twitch interpolation technique. The fatigue tasks consisted of continuous isometric index finger abduction contractions held until exhaustion at four target force levels: 30%, 45%, 60% and 75% of the maximal voluntary contraction. The main finding was the presence of central fatigue for the 30% task, but not for the three other fatigue tasks. The extent of central fatigue was also associated with changes in a measure reflecting the status of peripheral structures/mechanisms. It appears that central fatigue contributed to task failure for the lowest force fatigue task (30%), but not for the other (higher) contraction intensities.     

Release phenomena of insulin from an implantable device composed of a polyion complex of chitosan and sodium hyaluronate

An implant controlled-release system for protein drug delivery based on a polyion complex device composed of chitosan (CS) and sodium hyaluronate (HA) was investigated. The conditions which generated the greatest amount of the polyion solid complex were studied to ascertain the formation of polyion complex between CS and HA. The greatest amount of the polyion complex was formed at the weight ratio of 3 to 7 (CS:HA) at pH 3.5. Furthermore, the CS–HA pellets were prepared and then drug release from CS–HA pellets was evaluated using insulin as a model drug. The results demonstrated that the insulin release from CS–HA pellets was markedly influenced by both the change in the polymer mixing ratio and the total pellet weight, whereas the compression pressure did not affect the release significantly. An artificial neural network (ANN) and biharmonic spline interpolation (HSI) were employed to predict the actual relation between causal factors and the release rate constant of insulin. Although both the ANN and HSI successfully represented a non-linear relationship between the formulation factors and the release rate constant, HSI methodology gave a better estimation than that of the ANN.