It is likely that BPPV after TBI is more difficult to treat than idiopathic BPPV, but no tendency to recur was observed in patients who developed BPPV after TBI compared with idiopathic BPPV. Further prospective clinical meta-analytic studies are needed to investigate the outcome of BPPV after TBI.

Introduction and hypothesis This study describes a technique to quantify muscle fascicle directions in the levator ani (LA) and tests the null hypothesis that the in vivo fascicle directions for each LA subdivision subtend the same parasagittal angle relative to a horizontal reference axis. Methods Visible muscle fascicle direction in the each of the three LA muscle subdivisions, the pubovisceral (PVM; synonymous with pubococcygeal), puborectal (PRM), and iliococcygeal (ICM) muscles, as well as the external anal sphincter (EAS), were measured on 3-T sagittal MRI images in a convenience sample of 14 healthy women in whom muscle fascicles were visible. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) angle values relative to the horizontal were calculated for each muscle subdivision. Repeated measures ANOVA and post-hoc paired t tests were used to compare muscle groups. Results Pubovisceral muscle fiber inclination was 41±8.0°, PRM was −19±10.1°, ICM was 33±8.8°, and EAS was −43±6.4°. These fascicle directions were statistically different (p<0.001). Pairwise comparisons among levator subdivisions showed angle differences of 60° between PVM and PRM, and 52° between ICM and PRM. An 84° difference existed between PVM and EAS. The smallest angle difference between levator divisions was between PVM and ICM 8°. The difference between PRM and EAS was 24°. All pairwise comparisons were significant (p<0.001). Conclusions The null hypothesis that muscle fascicle inclinations are similar in the three subdivisions of the levator ani and the external anal sphincter was rejected. The largest difference in levator subdivision inclination, 60°, was found between the PVM and PRM.

Aims The levator ani muscle (LA) injury associated with vaginal birth occurs in a characteristic site of injury on the inner surface of the pubic bone to the pubovisceral portion of the levator ani muscle's origin. This study investigated the gross and microscopic anatomy of the pubic origin of the LA in this region. Methods Pubic origin of the levator ani muscle was examined in situ then harvested from nine female cadavers (35 - 98 years). A combination of targeted feature sampling and sequential sampling was used where each specimen was cut sequentially in approximately 5 mm thick slices apart in the area of known LA injury. Histological sections were stained with Masson's trichrome. Results The pubovisceral origin is transparent and thin as it attaches tangentially to the pubic periosteum, with its morphology changing from medial to lateral regions. Medially, fibers of the thick muscle belly coalesce towards multiple narrow points of bony attachment for individual fascicles. In the central portion there is an aponeurosis and the distance between muscle and periosteum is wider (~ 3 mm) than in the medial region. Laterally, the LA fibers attach to the levator arch where the transition from pubovisceral muscle to the iliococcygeal muscle occurs. Conclusions The morphology of the levator ani origin varies from the medial to lateral margin. The medial origin is a rather direct attachment of the muscle, while lateral origin is made through the levator arch.

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Excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) of 1-hydroxy-2-acetonaphthone (HAN) has been in controversy, mainly because its Stokes shift is small compared to those of typical ESIPT molecules. We have investigated excited state dynamics of HAN by time-resolved fluorescence with a resolution high enough to record the nuclear wave packet motions in the excited state. Population dynamics of both the normal and tautomer forms were recorded together with the wave packet motions of the tautomer in the excited state, which confirm the ESIPT of HAN. The population dynamics of the normal and tautomer forms imply that the ESIPT dynamics is biphasic with two time constants <25 and 80 fs. Theoretical analysis of the vibrational modes of the tautomer excited impulsively reveals that major part of the change for the ESIPT reaction is on the naphthalene ring.

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Altitudinal patterns in the population ecology of mountain bird species are useful for predicting species occurrence and behavior. Numerous hypotheses about the complex interactions among environmental factors have been proposed; however, these still remain controversial. This study aimed to identify the altitudinal patterns in breeding bird species richness or density and to test the hypotheses that climate, habitat heterogeneity (horizontal and vertical), and heterospecific attraction in a temperate forest, South Korea. We conducted a field survey of 142 plots at altitudes between 200 and 1,400 m a.s.l in the breeding season. A total of 2,771 individuals from 53 breeding bird species were recorded. Altitudinal patterns of species richness and density showed a hump-shaped pattern, indicating that the highest richness and density could be observed at moderate altitudes. Models constructed with 13 combinations of six variables demonstrated that species richness was positively correlated with vertical and horizontal habitat heterogeneity. Density was positively correlated with vertical, but not horizontal habitat heterogeneity, and negatively correlated with migratory bird ratio. No significant relationships were found between spring temperature and species richness or density. Therefore, the observed patterns in species richness support the hypothesis that habitat heterogeneity, rather than climate, is the main driver of species richness. Also, neither habitat heterogeneity nor climate hypotheses fully explains the observed patterns in density. However, vertical habitat heterogeneity does likely help explain observed patterns in density. The heterospecific attraction hypothesis did not apply to the distribution of birds along the altitudinal gradient. Appropriate management of vertical habitat heterogeneity, such as vegetation cover, should be maintained for the conservation of bird diversity in this area.

The hot-wire silicon chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was approached by the new concept of the theory of charged clusters (TCC). The role of a hot wire is to enhance the rate of negative surface ionization producing negative ions. These ions induce nucleation and produce negatively charged silicon clusters, which deposit as polycrystalline films at low temperatures. During the deposition of silicon, an appreciable amount of negative current (~nA/cm 2 ) was measured, and clusters, a few nanometers in size, were captured and observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effect of bias on the deposition behavior of the clusters indicated that most of the clusters were negatively charged. In order to deposit films with a large grain size with a high mobility, both the generation of neutral clusters and the cluster size should be minimized. A working pressure of 0.3 Torr and a wire temperature of 1800°C were found to be optimal. Under these conditions, the film with grain size of almost 1 µm could be deposited with a mobility of 175 cm 2 /Vsec.