Münster (Westfalen), Universiẗat, Diss. : 1995.

Proefschrift Maastricht. / Met lit. opg., reg. - Met samenvatting in het Nederlands.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Zürich. / Description based on print version record.

<p> The effectiveness of auditory frontalis EMG feedback as a means of teaching general relaxation to spastic and athetoid cerebral palsy individuals was investigated in a pilot study. It was hypothesized that an increase in voluntary ability to reduce levels of muscle activity would translate into improved functional skills and act as an effective coping response in dealing with stress and anxiety.</p> <p> Two subjects - one athetoid (female; 16 years old) and the other spastic (male; 19 years old were studied in depth, each through the use of an A-B-A single-subject design, where the B phase consisted of ten 15-minute sessions of auditory feedback of the frontalis muscle. Generalization of relaxation was assessed by monitoring forearm flexor and extensor muscle activity, peripheral skin temperature, and respiration rate. A Tektronix 4051 desktop computer was utilized to facilitate data management. In addition to the physiological measures, functional evaluations were conducted prior to and after training and a questionnaire was answered by the subject's relatives. Although there was no clear tendency for either subject to reduce absolute levels of EMG, one subject demonstrated a striking reduction in variability of muscle activity across sessions. Functional assessments for these subjects indicated mild to moderate improvements.</p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

Southern pine beetle (SPB; Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman), a native insect that has historically affected pine ecosystems in the southeastern U.S., has recently expanded northward causing extensive tree mortality in pitch pine (Pinus rigida) and pitch pine-oak (Quercus spp.) forests across much of eastern Long Island, NY. Given the historic lack of SPB within these fire-dependent ecosystems, little is known regarding its impacts to forest composition, forest structure, or fuel loading. This study examined the short-term effects of SPB-induced tree mortality on the structure, composition, and fuel loading of pitch pine and pitch pine-oak communities to inform management recommendations and projections of future forest conditions and fire hazard. Overstory pine basal area declined following SPB infestation and infestation suppression management, particularly in pitch pine forests. These treatments did not impact the density or composition of seedlings and saplings, with hardwood species, including scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea), scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia), and black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), making up the majority of species in this layer and pine representing <6% of stems. Likelihood of herbivory was influenced partly by species, with pitch pine less likely to be browsed than white oak and scarlet oak. SPB infestation significantly increased the snag component of both forest types, which largely became downed coarse woody debris (CWD) following suppression management. Treatments did not significantly influence understory species assemblages. Understory communities in pitch pine stands were characterized by Vaccinium angustifolium prior to SPB or suppression management, with these disturbances leading to an increase in the diversity of understory communities. In contrast, infestation decreased variation in understory species assemblages in pine-oak forests and encouraged regeneration of pitch pine and scarlet oak, while suppression increased diversity largely through increases in disturbance-adapted species, such as Smilax rotundifolia. SPB infestation decreased the biomass of live fuels and subsequently increased loading of dead fuels in both forest cover types. Suppression management felled preexisting and SPB-generated snags, especially in pitch pine forests, transforming vertical fuels into horizontal CWD. Collectively, results indicate SPB could functionally eliminate pitch pine without additional management intervention to maintain this species. Suppression efforts to reduce SPB impacts may accelerate succession towards hardwood dominance, particularly in pine-oak stand, leading to dramatic shifts in forest conditions across the Long Island Pine Barrens. SPB and suppression management significantly increase dead fuel loading and felling of snags during suppression served to decrease the density of ladder fuels effectively decreasing the risk of crowning. However, heavy CWD loading may also promote volatile fire behavior. Therefore, forest managers must weigh the expected potential impacts of SPB relative to changes to fuel structure and composition generated by suppression management activities. Our results demonstrate short-term effects of SPB and suppression management. Given the limited experience with SPB in these forests and the results of this study, further research on fire behavior effects and patterns of stand development over the long-term are needed.

The near-threatened southern African hedgehog, Atelerix frontalis (A. Smith, 1831) is divided into two subspecies based on its disjunct distribution of two allopatric populations. This is despite reservations because its nature and extent of geographic variation remains virtually unknown. The present study, therefore, represents the first analysis of geographic variation within A. frontalis and is based on a multidisciplinary approach involving traditional and two-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of the cranium and mandible, and molecular data in order to test the validity of the subspecies designations. The results of all univariate and multivariate analyses of both traditional and geometric morphometric data were congruent and provide evidence for a north-westerly–south-easterly clinal pattern of variation with cranial configuration being positively correlated with both latitude and longitude. These results are supported by Neighbour-joining, Maximum Likelihood, and Maximum Parsimony analyses of Cyt-b and ND2 data that revealed no variation across a 377 bp and 1034 bp region sequenced for each gene, respectively, while a 377 bp control region sequenced revealed low levels of variation between representatives of the two recognized subspecies (0.54 % pairwise sequence divergence). These results together with the lack of pronounced steps in the clinal pattern of variation suggest that the recognition of subspecies within A. frontalis may be untenable such that its disjunct distribution may represent a recent divergence event. If this is the case, then the results in this study may have implications in the conservation management strategies for A. frontalis, since it could be argued that one disjunct population could act as a source population for the other. However, it is recommended that prior to the implementation of conservation management plans for the species, further studies involving a wide range of alternative systematic techniques need to be undertaken first in order to gain a better understanding of the nature and extent of geographic variation within A. frontalis. These suggested studies should focus on comprehensive sampling and analyses involving a range of environmental and/or climatic variables in an attempt to identify factors that may explain the disjunct distribution and the clinal pattern of variation within the southern African hedgehog. / Dissertation (MS)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

To date, numerous studies have examined the range of cranial thickness variation in modern humans. The purpose of this investigation is to present a new method that would be easier to replicate, and to examine sex and age variation in cranial thickness in a white sample. The method consists of excising four cranial segments from the frontal and parietal regions. The sample consists of 165 specimens collected at autopsy and 15 calvarial specimens. An increase in cranial thickness with age was observed. The results suggest that cranial thickness is not sexually dimorphic outside the onset of hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI).

Abstract Background: Due to its clinical importance and due to a suggestion regarding the afferent innervation, the microscopic appearance of the frontalis muscle was investigated. Methods: From seven human cadavers, serial sections of the frontalis muscle were studied using light microscopy. Immunhistochemistry was performed using antibodies against collagen XXII and neurofilament. Results: The macroscopic appearance of the muscle was in accordance with the literature. At both insertion sides, the muscle fiber endings expressed collagen XXII, a marker for myotendinous junctions, although no tendons were present at the origin side. Neuromuscular junctions were seen in the middle part of the muscle belly (insertion of the nerve fibers of the facialis nerve) and in the cranial part toward the galea aponeurotica (possible afferent fibers?). Conclusions: This study summarizes the microscopic appearance of the frontalis muscle. It is a first example that collagen XXII can be expressed even without tendon formation. It confirms the absence of corpuscular afferent neuronal structures within the muscle.

No description available.

This study investigates the status of biofeedback treatment and locus of control (LOC) affiliation on the reduction of tension headache. Three LOC groups designated as internals, powerful-other externals and chance externals (using Wallston and Wallston's, 1978, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale) were administered an eight week electromyogram (EMG) frontalis muscle biofeedback training program using an Autogen 1700 biofeedback unit. Subjects were 12 female and four male undergraduate students who had a history of tension headache. Results indicated no significant difference in frontalis muscle tension between the beginning and end of sessions in either a biofeedback or self-control condition for any of the LOC groups. Further, there was no significant difference among LOC groups in ability to reduce muscle tension in either the training or self-control condition. Finally, neither biofeedback training nor LOC groups were significant predictors of headache reduction. Extreme within-group variability and small sample size affected study findings and these and other implications for future research are discussed.