INTRODUCTION The neural substrates of states devoted to processing self-related information ("self-related states") remain not fully elucidated. Besides the complexity of the problem, there is evidence suggesting that self-related states vary according to the information domain being considered. Here, we investigated brain correlates for self-related states concerning historical aspects of one'...

Dendritic spines undergo the processes of formation, maturation, and pruning during development. Molecular mechanisms controlling spine maturation and pruning remain largely unknown. The gene for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) produces two pools of mRNA, with either a short or long 3' untranslated region (3' UTR). Our previous results show that short 3' UTR Bdnf mRNA is restricted to ...

The principles underlying regeneration in planarians have been explored for over 100 years through surgical manipulations and cellular observations. Planarian regeneration involves the generation of new tissue at the wound site via cell proliferation (blastema formation), and the remodeling of pre-existing tissues to restore symmetry and proportion (morphallaxis). Because blastemas do not repla...

A unified framework is established for general balance stability criteria of biped systems. The regions balanced and steppable states are partitions the center-of-mass (COM) state space that augmented systems tasks. Their boundaries set maximum allowable COM velocity perturbations, under which a specified contact can be maintained (balanced) or desired step made (steppable). Whole-body models w...

Carpet weaving is a high risk occupation for developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The objectives of the present study, which was carried out in the Iranian hand-woven carpet industry, were determination of the prevalence of MSD symptoms, identification of major factors associated with MSD symptoms and development of guidelines for workstation design. 1,439 randomly selected weavers part...

Sunscreen users are often inadequately protected and become sunburned. This study aimed to investigate how much two consecutive sunscreen applications increased the quantity of sunscreen applied and decreased the skin area left without sunscreen (missed area) compared to a single application. Thirty-one healthy volunteers wearing swimwear were included and applied sunscreen two consecutive time...

Participants in this study practiced with feedback to anticipate the left-right direction of forehand tennis shots played by stick-figure players. A technique based on principal component analysis was used to remove dynamical differences that are associated with shots to different directions. Different body regions of the stick-figure players were neutralized with this procedure in the pretests...

Conjunctival biopsies constitute a fairly large number of cases in a typical busy ophthalmic pathology practice. They range from a single biopsy through multiple mapping biopsies to assess the extent of a particular pathological process. Like most anatomical sites, the conjunctiva is subject to a very wide range of pathological processes. This article will cover key, commonly encountered nonneo...