NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

esults of this study indicate that the pattern spectrum can be used to analyze and enrich the medial axis (or other skeleton-like)
transforms, and quantify the roughness of the image boundary or surface.
Author
Shapes; Spectra; Morphology
20060001780 Army Research Inst. of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA USA
A Baseline Historical Analysis of Neck and Back-Related Morbidity in the U. S. Army: Occupational Risks Potentially
Related to Head-Supported Mass
Amoroso, Paul J.; Bell, Nicole S.; Toboni, Holly; Krautheim, Mark; Sep. 1, 2005; 68 pp.; In English
Report No.(s): AD-A440190; USARIEM-T06-01; No Copyright; Avail.: Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
This study documents the morbidity of neck and back injuries among U.S. Army Soldiers, focusing on populations at
greatest potential risk (e.g.. pilots. parachutists). We hypothesize that individuals in occupations requiring the use of equipment
that places a heavy load on the head will be at greater risk for acute and chronic neck and back injuries and musculoskeletal
conditions. Analyses include calculation of frequencies and unadjusted rates of each health outcome (hospitalization. accident
report. disability, and outpatient visit). Standardized morbidity ratios, adjusted for age and presented in gender and
rank-specific models. are used to compare risk among Soldiers in select Military Occupational Specialties. Separate models
also compare risk among soldiers exposed to hazardous duty assignments such as parachuting and aviation. Results show that
rates of head and neck injuries vary by occupation. receipt of hazardous duty pay, rank, and gender and by type of health
outcome. These findings point to the need to monitor high-risk occupational specialties and to develop targeted interventions
to reduce neck- and back-related morbidity. They also point to the need for more direct measurement of head-supported mass
exposures and factors that may modify the association between risk exposures and injury or disability.
DTIC
Histories; Injuries; Military Personnel; Risk
20060001783 Uniformed Services Univ. of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD USA
The Role of Layer 4 in Thalamocortical Development
Palmer, Sidney L.; Jan. 1, 1999; 135 pp.; In English
Report No.(s): AD-A440194; No Copyright; Avail.: Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
Thalamic innervation of cortex is a complex process in which specific regions of the thalamus must grow into precise
cortical regions. Once within a specific cortical area, thalamic aflerents terminate largely upon a target population of cortical
cells. within the somatosensory cortex, thalamic afferents terminate largely upon layer 4 cells. To further understand the
importance of layer 4 in shaping the development of thalamic afferents and the specificity of their connectivity within
somatosensory cortex, we disrupted the formation of layer 4 of ferret somatosensory cortex using the anti-mitotic drug,
methylazoxy methanol acetate (MAM) on embryonic day 33 (E33). As a control, MAM was administered to a second group
of animals on E3S to interfere with layer 2 fornation. Following MAM treatment, two sets of experiments were performed.
In the first set of experiments, small crystals of the lipiphilic tracer, Dil were placed into the ventral basal (vB) region of
thalamus of fixed brains obtained at Pi, P7 and P14. The distribution of thalamic fibers within the somatosensory
DTIC
Cerebral Cortex; Neurophysiology; Thalamus
20060001788 Army Medical Research Inst. of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD USA
Chemotherapeutics Targeting Immune Activation by Staphylococcal Superantigens
Krakauer, Teresa; Sep. 1, 2005; 7 pp.; In English
Report No.(s): AD-A440214; RPP-05-131; No Copyright; Avail.: Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) and related superantigenic toxins are potent activators of the immune system and
cause a variety of diseases in humans, ranging from food poisoning to toxic shock. These toxins bind to both MHC class II
molecules and specific V-beta regions of T cell receptors (TCR), resulting in the activation of both monocytes/macrophages
and T lymphocytes. The interactions of these toxins with host cells lead to excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines
and T cell proliferation, causing clinical symptoms that include fever, hypotension and shock. Different domains of SEB
contributing to MHC class II or TCR interactions have been mapped and defined by mutagenesis, crystallography and other
biochemical techniques. This review summarizes the in vitro and in vivo effects of staphylococcal superantigens, and the
therapeutic agents to mitigate their toxic effects. Potential targets to prevent the toxic effects of bacterial superantigens include
blocking the interaction of SEs with MHC or TCR, or other costimulatory molecules; inhibition of signal transduction
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