The objective of the present study was to investigate whether oxytocinergic mechanisms may contribute to the antinociceptive effect of non-noxious, sensory stimulation. To test this hypothesis, oxytocin levels in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured in control rats as well as in rats exposed for 30 min to electro-acupuncture (2 Hz), thermal stimulation (40 degrees C) or vibration ...

OBJECTIVE This 7-year longitudinal study examines the potential impact of aldose reductase gene (AKR1B1) polymorphisms on the decline of nerve function in an adolescent diabetic cohort. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Patients with type 1 diabetes (n = 262) were assessed with three cardiovascular autonomic tests (heart rate variation during deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, and during standing f...

The past few years have seen an increasing interest in the development of wireless sensor networks. But the unsatisfactory or limited available energy source is one of the major bottlenecks which are limiting the wireless sensor technology from mass deployment. Ambient energy harvesting is the most promising solution towards autonomous sensor nodes by providing low cost, permanent, and maintena...

A novel sintered cutting stainless steel fiber felt with internal channels (SCSSFFC) composed of a stainless-steel fiber skeleton, three-dimensional interconnected porous structure and multiple circular microchannels is developed. SCSSFFC has a jagged and rough surface morphology and possesses a high specific surface area, which is approximately 2.4 times larger than that of the sintered bundle...

| The frequency-temperature characteristics of quartz crystal resonators, particularly the frequency stability in a speciic temperature range in which the vibration modes could be strongly coupled, has been an important requirement in most applications. The analytical work on the frequency-temperature relations has been done over last decades in many aspects, ranging from fundamental theory of ...

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) has been used to assess neurological function in various chronic pain patient populations. In the present study, we investigated the ability of QST to reliably characterize somatosensory dysfunction in subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) and neuropathic pain by measuring mechanical, vibration, and thermal detection and pain thresholds. Test-retest reliabili...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether central pain in patients with spinal cord injury is only dependent on the lesioning of spinothalamic pathways. METHODS In sixteen patients with spinal cord injury and central dysaesthesia pain, somatosensory abnormalities in painful denervated skin areas were compared with somatosensory findings in normal skin areas as well as in non-painful denervated skin area...

This paper presents theoretical models and simulation results for the synchronous, thermal transient, instability phenomenon known as the Morton effect. A transient analysis of the rotor supported by tilting pad journal bearing is performed to obtain the transient asymmetric temperature distribution of the journal by solving the variable viscosity Reynolds equation, a 2D energy equation, the he...

The effects of annealing temperatures on composition and strain in SixGe1-x, obtained by rapid melting growth of electrodeposited Ge on Si (100) substrate were investigated. Here, a rapid melting process was performed at temperatures of 1000, 1050 and 1100 °C for 1 s. All annealed samples show single crystalline structure in (100) orientation. A significant appearance of Si-Ge vibration mode pe...

The present paper is concerned with the free vibration analysis of double-walled carbon nanotubes embedded in an elastic medium and based on Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory. The effects of the transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia are included according to the Timoshenko beam theory. The governing equations of motion which are coupled with each other via the van der Waals interla...