We reviewed the biological elements supporting the usefulness of a specifically designed particulate form of demineralized bone matrix (DBM) with spinal fusion, and report some limitations of its use described in the medical literature and in the interbody space using a cadaveric biomechanical model. A literature review and description of the techniques used to augment spinal fusion are present...

The authors are developing a novel type of spinal cord stimulator, designed to be placed directly on the pial surface of the spinal cord, for more selective activation of target tissues within the dorsal columns. For pre-clinical testing of the device components, an ovine model has been implemented which utilizes the agility and flexibility of a sheep's cervical and upper thoracic regions, thus...

The interest in the influence of videogame experience on our daily life is constantly growing. "First Person Shooter" (FPS) games require players to develop a flexible mindset to rapidly react to fast moving visual and auditory stimuli, and to switch back and forth between different subtasks. This study investigated whether and to which degree experience with such videogames generalizes to othe...

While brain research shows great potential for advancing critical national security interests, the products of the laboratory cannot be realized in operational practice without the polishing and maturing demanded by federal science and technology (S&T) acquisition processes, particularly those of the Department of Defense. Although many acquisition planning functions are relatively conventional...

A s the “baby boomers” approach and enter their retirement years, the accumulation phase of their life-cycle is nearly over. Thus, the focus of many researchers, fi nancial services fi rms, and public policymakers concerned with retirement saving is shifting from the accumulation of resources while working to the drawdown of resources during retirement. Retired households are dependent on the a...

Cognitive flexibility reflects both a trait that reliably differs between individuals and a state that can fluctuate moment-to-moment. Whether individuals can undergo persistent changes in cognitive flexibility as a result of reward learning is less understood. Here, we investigated whether reinforcing a periodic shift in an object selection strategy can make an individual more prone to switch ...

background: spinal cord injury (sci) is a devastating situation.  spinal cord injury affects functional, psychological and socioeconomic aspects of patients' lives. the ability to accomplish and explicate the one’s own and other’s feelings and emotions to spread over appropriate information for confirming thoughts and actions is defined as emotional intelligence (ei). the goal of this study was...