A predictive score developed based on a panel of 10 top candidate

A predictive score developed based on a panel of 10 top candidate biomarkers (five for high mood and five for low mood) shows sensitivity and specificity for high mood and low mood states, in two independent cohorts. Our studies suggest that blood biomarkers may offer an unexpectedly informative window into brain functioning

and disease state.”
“A new JNK-IN-8 MAPK inhibitor measurement method of thermal analysis for solid state nuclear tracks is proposed. The annealing heat emitted by the unit mass of solid state nuclear tracks in heavy particles of the sample is determined via micro-thermal analysis method. Hence, the number of solid state nuclear tracks in the unit mass of sample is determined.

In particular, this paper introduces the method and its significance to measure the number of alpha-particles high throughput screening nuclear tracks in apatite by measuring the annealing heat of alpha-particles nuclear tracks. In addition, the mechanism of the measurement and potential applications are discussed.”
“Background: Many Countries fail to use regional techniques for either labor analgesia or obstetric anesthesia. Kybele, all international outreach group, seeks to improve obstetric anesthesia practices worldwide. Its educational program in Croatia was evaluated by studying the change in use of regional anesthetic techniques in obstetrics after a Kybele visit.\n\nMethods: An international Kybele team spent two weeks in an educational program in Croatia in September 2005. Croatian anesthesiologists evaluated its benefit via a questionnaire two months after the program. In addition, hospitals that hosted a Kybele member compiled data on rates of regional blockade for cesarean section and labor analgesia before and after the Kybele visit.\n\nResults: All Croatian anesthesiologists rated the overall experience as excellent or good. Eight out of nine hospitals contributed data AZD6244 solubility dmso to evaluate the program’s impact on obstetric anesthesia practice. The average

rate of use of regional anesthesia for cesarean section increased across the eight hospitals (P < 0.001) after Kybele; some institutions used neuraxial blockade for the majority of cesarean sections following the Kybele educational program. The average rate of epidural analgesia for labor also increased among the eight hospitals after the Kybele visit (P < 0.02), although absolute rates were still modest (maximum rate = 5%).\n\nConclusion: In Croatia, a two-week educational program in obstetric anesthesia increased the use of regional anesthesia and analgesia for labor and delivery in the year that followed the program. Multiple factors limit availability of analgesia for childbirth in Croatia. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The introduction of both sulfur and selenium atoms at C-4 of the

The introduction of both sulfur and selenium atoms at C-4 of the proline ring seems to enhance significantly the cis geometry at AZD1480 the prolyl amide bond.”
“Current infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) vaccines suffer from maternal antibody interference and mimotope vaccines might be an alternative. Previously we demonstrated an IBDV VP2 five-mimotope polypeptide, 5EPIS, elicited protective immunity in chickens. In the current study, the 5epis gene was inserted into

a plasmid carrying human hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc) gene at its major immunodominant region site. The recombinant gene was efficiently expressed in Escherichia coil to produce chimeric protein HBc-5EPIS which self-assembles to virus-like particles (VLP). Two-week old specific-pathogen-free chickens were immunized intramuscularly with HBc-5EPIS VLP or 5EPIS polypeptide without adjuvant (50 mu g/injection) on day 0, 7, 14 and 21. Anti-5EPIS antibody was first detected on day 7 and day 21 in HBc-5EPIS and

5EPIS groups, respectively; on day 28, anti-5EPIS titers reached 12,800 or 1600 by ELISA, and 3200 or 800 by virus neutralization assay in HBc-5EPIS and 5EPIS groups, respectively. No anti-5EPIS antibody was detected in the buffer control group selleck chemicals throughout the experiment. Challenge on day 28 with a virulent IBDV strain (GX8/99) resulted in 100%, 40.0% and 26.7% survival for chickens immunized with HBc-5EPIS, 5EPIS and buffer, respectively. These data suggest epitope presentation on chimeric VLP is a promising approach for improving mimotope vaccines for IBDV. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain could be a powerful tool for discovering early biomarkers in clinically presymptomatic URMC-099 clinical trial carriers of the Huntington’s disease gene mutation (preHD). The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of resting-state perfusion MRI in preHD and to identify neural changes, which could serve as biomarkers for future clinical trials. Differences

in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in 18 preHD and 18 controls were assessed with a novel MRI method based on perfusion images obtained with continuous arterial spin labeling. High-resolution structural data were collected to test for changes of brain volume. Compared with controls, preHD individuals showed decreased rCBF in medial and lateral prefrontal regions and increased rCBF in the precuneus. PreHD near to symptom onset additionally showed decreased rCBF in the putamen and increased rCBF in the hippocampus. Network analyses revealed an abnormal lateral prefrontal pattern in preHD far and near to motor onset. These data suggest early changes of frontostriatal baseline perfusion in preHD independent of substantial reductions of gray matter volume.

0% of all MRSA isolates The first six spa types (t309, t189, t03

0% of all MRSA isolates. The first six spa types (t309, t189, t034, t377, t078 and t091) accounted for about one third of all MSSA isolates. 121 of 151 MRSA isolates (80.1%) were identified as SCCmec type III. pvl gene was found in 32 MSSA (18.7%) and 5 MRSA (3.3%) isolates, with ST22-MSSA-t309 as the most commonly identified strain. Compared with non-epidemic MRSA clones, epidemic MRSA clones ATM/ATR tumor (corresponding to ST239) exhibited a lower susceptibility to rifampin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, a higher prevalence of sea gene and a lower prevalence of seb, sec, seg, sei and tst genes. The increasing prevalence of multidrug resistant spa-t030 MRSA represents a major

public health problem in China.”
“This study was conducted to define the regulatory mechanisms underlying stress-induced decreases in food intake and weight gain. Rats received a single or 4 daily injections of dexamethasone (0.1 or Metabolism inhibitor cancer 1 mg/kg). Food intake and weight gain were recorded, and plasma leptin, brain contents of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT), 5-hydroxy-indole-acetic acid (5-HIAA) and the raphe expression of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) and 5-HT reuptake transporter (5-HTT) genes were examined. A single injection of dexamethasone did not acutely affect food intake, but cumulative food intake and weight gain were suppressed dose-dependently by daily injections of dexamethasone. Both a single and repeated

injections of dexamethasone elevated plasma leptin in a dose dependent manner. 5-HT contents in the hypothalamus was decreased, but 5-HIAA increased, both by a single and repeated dexamethasone. A single injection of dexamethasone did not affect mRNA expressions of TPH, NIAO-A and 5-HTT genes, but repeated dexamethasone increased them in the dorsal raphe nucleus. These results suggest that plasma leptin may play a role in dexamethasone-induced anorexia. Additionally, increased expression of NIAO-A and 5-HTT genes by repeated dexamethasone appears

to be implicated in decreases of the brain 5-HT contents. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Background: This study was performed to test the hypothesis that 5-HT-1a receptors, as assessed by the cortisol (post-synaptic) and temperature (pre-synaptic) Daporinad responses to the 5-HT-1a agonist, Ipsapirone (IPSAP), play a role in the regulation of impulsive aggressive behavior in human subjects.\n\nMethods: Fifty-two healthy subjects (28 with Personality Disorder: PD; 24 Healthy Volunteers: HV) underwent acute challenge with the selective 5-HT-1a agonist, ipsaprione (IPSAP:.3 mg/kg po). Residual Peak Delta Cortisol (Delta CORT[IPSAP]-R; after removal of Basal CORT and IPSAP plasma levels) was used as the primary 5-HT-1a post-synaptic receptor variable. Residual Nadir Delta Temperature (Delta TEMP[IPSAP]-R; after removal of Basal TEMP) was used as the primary 5-HT-1a somatodendritic (pre-synaptic) receptor variable.

The corresponding nu(3) CO32- antisymmetric stretching modes are

The corresponding nu(3) CO32- antisymmetric stretching modes are found at around 1410 and 1475 cm(-1). Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.”
“We report a

case of a 56-year-old woman with occult breast cancer (OBC) who presented with a hard metastatic mass in the left axilla, but no breast mass was palpable. Selleck Cilengitide Biopsy of the lymph node was performed and histological examination identified a metastatic ductal carcinoma poorly differentiated. Immunohistochemistry showed that the resected lymph node was positive for both estrogen and progesterone receptor. No pathological findings were obtained through mammography, ultrasonography and MRI of both breasts. Systemic examinations (CT, endoscopy) releaved no extramammary primary lesions. All these data suggested an OBC and a left modified radical

mastectomy was performed. Pathological examination failed to find the primary cancer lesion on the removed specimen. The patient was treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and hormonal therapy and she presents no evidence of disease 4 years after surgery. Eur. J. Oncol., 14 (2), 109-113, 2009″
“The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercising at different intensities over 7 weeks on components of physical fitness and CVD risk factors. Forty-seven boys and 10 girls, (16.4 buy MAPK Inhibitor Library +/- 0.7 years of age) were divided into a moderate, high intensity, or a control group. All participants had indices of obesity and blood pressure recorded in addition to four physical performance measures pre- and post-intervention. In addition, the intervention groups repeated the physical performance measures at the 4th week phase of the intervention. Following the intervention, significant improvements

(P < 0.05) in the high-intensity group were found in the 20 MSFT, agility, CMJ and 10m sprint post-intervention. BIX 01294 Participants in the moderate intensity group displayed significant improvements (P < 0.05) in both the CMJ and 20 MSFT post-intervention. Body fat % significantly improved (P < 0.01) in the moderate group only post-intervention. Interestingly, Systolic blood pressure significantly improved post-intervention (112 +/- 10 vs 106 +/- 11 mmHg) (P = 0.017) in the high intensity group. In conclusion, high-intensity exercise over 7 weeks is a very time efficient means of improving important components of physical fitness in adolescents.”
“In this study we examined the inhibition of hepatic dyslipidemia by Eucommia ulmoides extract (EUE). Using a screening assay for BAX inhibition we determined that EUE regulates BAX-induced cell death. Among various cell death stimuli tested EUE regulated palmitate-induced cell death, which involves lysosomal BAX translocation.

It has been known that CDs can reduce the antimicrobial effective

It has been known that CDs can reduce the antimicrobial effectiveness of preservatives by formation of inclusion complexes.\n\nObjectives: In this study the interaction between commonly used preservatives, benzalkonium chloride (BZCl) or methyl paraben (MP), with synthetic CDs (HP gamma-CD or SBE beta-CD) in the presence or absence of ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA), as a preservative potentiator, and fluorometholone was investigated.\n\nMaterials and Methods: The tests were performed during a 4 week period according to the preservative

effectiveness test of USP 2010.\n\nResults: The results showed that CDs reduce the effectiveness of BZCl and MP even in check details the presence of drug molecules. The only exception was HP gamma-CD

5% solution with BZCl and EDTA which was effective against tested microorganisms both in the presence and absence of drug molecules.\n\nConclusions: The solution of HP gamma-CD 5% with BZCl 0.02% and EDTA 0.1% was selected as a good carrier for dissolving fluorometholone for use as an eye drop.”
“Purpose Recent policy changes in the USA have led to an increasing number of patients being placed into observation units rather than admitted directly to the hospital. Studies of administrative data that use inpatient diagnosis codes to identify cohorts, outcomes, or covariates may be affected by this change in practice. To understand the potential impact of observation stays on research using administrative healthcare data, we examine the trends of observation stays, short (2days) inpatient admissions, and all inpatient admissions. Methods We examined a large administrative claims Y-27632 manufacturer database of commercially insured individuals in the USA between 2002 and 2011. Observation stays were defined on the basis of the procedure codes reimbursable by Medicare or commercial insurers. We report monthly rates of observation stays and short inpatient admissions overall and by patient demographics. Results We identified

5355752 observation stays from 2002 to 2011. Over the course of study, the rate of observation stays increased, whereas the rate of short inpatient stays declined. The most common reason for observation stays was nonspecific chest pain, also the third most common reason for short inpatient www.selleckchem.com/products/byl719.html stays. The increasing trend of observation stays related to circulatory diseases mirrors the decreasing trend of short inpatient stays. Conclusions The use of observation stays has increased in patients with commercial insurance. Failure to account for observation stays may lead to an under-ascertainment of hospitalizations in contemporary administrative healthcare data from the USA. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.”
“Glycinebetaine (GB) seed priming enhances stress tolerance in various plants during the germination and seedling growth stage; however, information regarding turfgrass is limited.

Generally, elevated temperature and higher nutrient levels caused

Generally, elevated temperature and higher nutrient levels caused an

increase in the bacterial growth rate and a shortening of the response time (lag phase). However, at the lowest nutrient concentration, bacterial growth was low at all tested temperatures, find more implying a stronger dependence on resource availability than on temperature for bacterial growth. Furthermore, data indicated that different bacterial assemblages had varying temperature responses and that community composition was strongly affected by the combination of high nutrient addition and high temperature. These results support the concern that climate change will promote heterotrophy in aquatic systems, where nutrient levels will increase considerably. In such environments, the bacterial community composition will change, their growth rates will increase, and their response time will be shortened compared to the present situation.”
“A high minority carrier effective lifetime tau(eff) of crystalline silicon was achieved by hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si: H) films formed by a combination of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 150 degrees C with high-pressure H2O vapor heat treatment. tau(eff) was 1.6 x 10(-4), 3.0 x 10(-4), and 1.15 x 10(-3) s for n-type silicon

substrates click here coated with 3-, 10-, and 50-nm-thick a-Si:H films treated with 1.0 x 10(6) Pa H2O vapor heat treatment between 180 and 300 degrees C for 1 h. Light-induced passivation enhancement was demonstrated when 620-nm light was illuminated at the 50-nm-thick a-Si:H surface. tau(eff) increased from 8.5 x selleck products 10(-4) to 1.15 x 10(-3) s probably caused

by field effect passivation induced by hole trapping at the SiOx formed by H2O vapor heat treatment for 1 h. On the other hand, tau(eff) was further increased to 1.2 x 10(-3) s by 1.0 x 10(6) Pa H2O vapor heat treatment at 300 degrees C for 3 h for the sample formed with the 50-nm-thick a-Si:H film. However, no increase in tau(eff) was observed by light illumination at the a-Si: H surface, probably because the SiOx clusters became stable and had no hole trapping property. (C) 2012 The Japan Society of Applied Physics”
“It is still unknown what exact role interspecific gene flow and reticulate patterns of gene transfer may play in adaptive radiations. To contribute to a better understanding of gene flow in a morphologically diverse and species-rich lineage, we investigated pollen transfer in the adaptively radiated Macaronesian Crassulaceae-Sempervivoideae. We aimed at comparing pollinator spectra and pollen transfer rates among sympatric species of Aeonium. Field studies were conducted on Tenerife (Canary Islands) including pollinator observations and estimations of pollen transfer using fluorescent dye powder as pollen analogue. Our results indicate an overlap in visiting insects among four sympatric species pairs of Aeonium.

These results provide support to the neuropsychophysiological mod

These results provide support to the neuropsychophysiological model that HHs have more effective sensory integration and gating (or filtering) of irrelevant stimuli than LHs.”
“Background: Major vessel stenoses are currently successfully treated with stent implantation. Recently, new

cobalt-chromium stents (Andrastents XL and XXL, Ardramed, Germany) have been introduced into clinical practice. This alloy combines high biocompatibility with radial strength and flexibility.\n\nAim: To present our experience with the use of Andrastents XL and XXL for the dilatation of stenosed pulmonary arteries, coarctation of the aorta (CoA), and a stenosed superior vena cava (SVC).\n\nMethods: The study group included 24 patients treated with 26 Andrastents.

In 7 patients aged 23.3 (range 18-27) years, with the mean body weight of 64.7 (range 50-77) kg, prestenting of a calcified pulmonary homograft was selleck performed using 9 Andrastents XL or XXL (length of 30, 39, or 48 mm) before the Melody valve implantation. In one patient with a long and stiff stenosis, 3 stents were necessary. In 12 patients check details with native CoA aged 30.1 (range 9-55) years, with the mean body weight of 60 (range 25-105) kg, twelve Andrastents XL or XXL (length of 30, 39, or 48 mm) were implanted. In 4 patients with the right or left pulmonary artery stenosis close to the bifurcation (age 8.5 [range 6-10] years, body weight 27.3 [range 17-33] kg), 4 Andrastents 30 XL were implanted. In one child (age 7.5 years, body weight 21.7 kg) with a iatrogenic SVC stenosis (after 2 venous cannulations necessary for 2 surgical corrections of his double-outlet right ventricle), the stenosed site was dilated using Andrastent 21 XL.\n\nResults:

All procedures were performed successfully. No stent fractures were observed during the follow-up. The mean pressure gradient was reduced from 42.4 to 18 mm Hg (RVOT) in patients who underwent Andrastent and Melody valve implantation, from 54.1 to 13.2 mm Hg in patients with CoA, and from 49 to 21.7 mm Hg in patients with pulmonary artery stenosis. No aneurysm formation, stent migration, or rupture of the treated vessel during stent implantation LB-100 mw were observed in any patient. The mean fluoroscopy time during stent implanatation was 6.6 min in CoA, 8.8 min in pulmonary artery stenosis, 24.8 min during implantation of Melody valve (with prestenting of RVOT with Andrastents) and 17.6 min during SVC dilation. Procedural outcomes (evaluated using noninvasive methods) remained favourable during the follow-up (0.5-21 months), with no complications observed.\n\nConclusions: Implantation of Andrastents XL or XXL is a very good therapeutic option in the treatment of major vessel stenoses.”
“Background and Aims Models simulating nitrogen use by plants are potentially efficient tools to optimize the use of fertilizers in agriculture.

The imprinted genes MPC, HOMEODOMAIN GLABROUS6 (HDG6), and HDG3 a

The imprinted genes MPC, HOMEODOMAIN GLABROUS6 (HDG6), and HDG3 are particularly interesting cases that

have different functions from their paralogs. This study indicates that a large number of imprinted genes in Arabidopsis are evolutionarily recent duplicates and that many of them show changes in expression profiles and accelerated sequence Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor evolution. Acquisition of imprinting is a mode of duplicate gene divergence in plants that is more common than previously thought.”
“The increasing use of eye movement paradigms to assess the functional integrity of brain systems involved in sensorimotor and cognitive processing in clinical disorders requires greater attention to effects of pharmacological treatments on these β-Nicotinamide chemical structure systems. This is needed to better differentiate disease and medication effects in clinical samples, to learn about neurochemical systems relevant for identified disturbances, and to facilitate identification of oculomotor biomarkers of pharmacological effects. In this review, studies of pharmacologic treatment effects on eye movements in healthy individuals are summarized and the sensitivity of eye movements to a variety of pharmacological manipulations is established. Primary findings from these studies of healthy individuals involving mainly acute effects indicate that: (i) the most consistent finding across several classes of drugs, including benzodiazepines, first-

and second-generation anti psychotics, anticholinergic

agents, and anticonvulsant/mood stabilizing medications is a decrease in saccade and smooth Pursuit velocity (or increase in saccades during pursuit); (ii) these oculomotor effects largely reflect the general sedating effects of these medications on central nervous system functioning and are often GDC-0973 mouse dose-dependent; (iii) in many cases changes in oculomotor functioning are more sensitive indicators of pharmacological effects than other Measures; and (iv) other agents. including the antidepressant class of serotonergic reuptake inhibitors, direct serotonergic agonists, and Stimulants including amphetamine and nicotine, do not appear to adversely impact oculomotor functions in healthy individuals and may well enhance aspects of saccade and Pursuit performance. Pharmacological treatment effects on eye movements across several clinical disorders including schizophrenia, affective disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease are also reviewed. While greater recognition and investigation into pharmacological treatment effects in these disorders is needed, both beneficial and adverse drug effects are identified. This raises the important caveat for oculomotor studies of neuropsychiatric disorders that performance differences from healthy individuals cannot be attributed to illness effects alone.


“Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third highest cause


“Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third highest cause of cancer-related deaths globally. One of the cellular hallmarks of this disease is dysregulation of selleck chemicals llc apoptosis, and a better understanding of this process is important if progress is to be made toward effectively treating HCC. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K) is a RNA-binding protein that is implicated in apoptosis and is upregulated in various cancers, including HCC. In this study, we report new evidence for a crucial role of hnRNP K in suppressing apoptosis in HCC cells. We used the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil to induce apoptosis in HCC cell lines and found that hnRNP

K was downregulated, independent of both p53 and caspases. Prolonged downregulation of hnRNP K using small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly decreased cell viability and increased apoptosis in HCC cell lines in a p53-independent manner. Moreover, enhanced tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand potency, independent of BH3-interacting domain death agonist (BID) cleavage, was also observed in hnRNP K siRNA-treated cells. Examination of the underlying mechanism revealed that hnRNP K suppresses the activity of various caspases through controlling transcription of the caspase inhibitor XIAP. Taken together, this study establishes that hnRNP K plays an antiapoptotic

Rigosertib role in HCC cell lines, independent of p53 status, via the maintenance of high levels of endogenous caspase inhibitors, and also identifies hnRNP K as a possible therapeutic marker for cancer treatment.”
“Two new types of lentiviral vectors expressing a reporter transgene encoding either firefly luciferase

(fLuc) for bioluminescence imaging or the HSV1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-TK) for radiopharmaceutical-based imaging were constructed to monitor human embryonic stem cell (hESC) engraftment and proliferation in live mice after transplantation. The constitutive expression of either transgene did not alter the properties of hESCs in the culture. We next monitored the formation of teratomas in SCID mice to test (1) whether the gene-modified hESCs maintain their developmental pluripotency, and (2) whether Selleckchem SN-38 sustained reporter gene expression allows noninvasive, whole-body imaging of hESC derivatives in a live mouse model. We observed teratoma formation from both types of gene-modified cells as well as wild-type hESCs 2-4 months after inoculation. Using an optical imaging system, bioluminescence from the fLuc-transduced hESCs was easily detected in mice bearing teratomas long before palpable tumors could be detected. To develop a noninvasive imaging method more readily translatable to the clinic, we also utilized HSV1-TK and its specific substrate, 1-(2′-deoxy-2′-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-[(125)I]iodouracil ([(125)I]FIAU), as a reporter/probe pair.

GBV-C reappeared in the scientific scene when some research group

GBV-C reappeared in the scientific scene when some research groups, in an attempt to find the interference of the virus among HIV seropositive CBL0137 chemical structure patients, reported a lower mortality rate and slower disease progression among co-infected patients. From then on, several mechanisms have been proposed to clarify this putative benefit; however, the question whether GBV-C exerts a protective effect in HIV-infected patients remains to be resolved.”
“Psychological stress is common in everyday life and is believed to affect emotion, cognition and health. Previous brain imaging studies have been able to identify the brain

regions involved in the stress response. However, our understanding of the temporal neurological response to psychological stress is limited. The present work aims to investigate the time

course of psychological stress induced by a mental arithmetic task, utilizing event-related potentials (ERPs). The elicitation of stress was verified by self-reports of stress and increases in salivary cortisol levels. The subjective and physiological data showed that the stress-elicitation paradigm successfully induced a mild-to-moderate level of psychological stress. The electrophysiological data showed that the amplitude of occipital N1 selleck products was more negative in the control task than in the stress task, and the latency of frontal P2 was shorter in the stress task than in the control task Our results provide electrophysiological evidence that psychological stress occurs primarily buy Lazertinib at the early stage of cognitive processing. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Humans can robustly locomote over complex terrains even while simultaneously attending to other tasks such as accurate foot placement on the ground. We investigated whether subjects would exploit motor redundancy across the joints of the leg to stabilize overall limb kinematics when presented with a hopping task that constrained foot placement position. Subjects hopped

in place on one leg (2.2 Hz) while having to place their foot into one of three target sizes upon landing (0.250, 0.063, 0.010 m(2)). As takeoff and landing angles are critical to this task performance, we hypothesized smaller target sizes would increase the need to stabilize (i.e., make more consistent) the leg orientation through motor equivalent combinations of segment angles. As it was not critical to the targeting task, we hypothesized no changes for leg length stabilization across target size. With smaller target sizes, we saw total segment angle variance increase due to greater signal-dependent noise associated with an increased activation of leg extensor muscles (medial and lateral gastrocnemius, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis and rectus femoris). At smaller target sizes, more segment angle variance was aligned to kinematic deviations with the goal of maintaining leg orientation trajectory.