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Domestic sewage in rural regions is mainly treated by small-scale treatment terminals in China. The large quantities and high dispersion of these terminals render the chemical measurement of effluent to be a time and energy intensive work and further hinder the efficient surveillance of terminals' performance. After a thorough investigation of 136 operating terminals, this study successfully employs two artificial neural network (ANN) models to predict effluent total nitrogen (TN) and COD (R2 both higher than 0.8) by setting some easily detectable parameters, e.g., pH and conductivity, as inputs. To prevent ANN models getting stuck on local optima and enhance the model performance, genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) are introduced into ANN, respectively. By comparison, ANN-PSO excels in modelling both TN and COD. The root mean square error (RMSE) and R2 of ANN-PSO in modelling TN are 9.14 and 0.90, respectively, in the training stage, and 11.54 and 0.90, respectively, in the validation stage. The RMSE and R2 of ANN-PSO in modelling COD are 22.10 and 0.90, respectively, in the training stage, and 26.57 and 0.85, respectively, in the validation stage. This is the first study to provide performance prediction models that are available for different terminals. Two established ANN-PSO models show great practical significance in monitoring huge amounts of terminals despite the slight sacrifice of models' accuracy caused by the great heterogeneity of different terminals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a promising method for quantifying brain recovery and investigating the intervention-induced changes in corticomotor excitability after stroke. This study aimed to evaluate cortical reorganization subsequent to virtual reality-enhanced treadmill (VRET) training in subacute stroke survivors. Methods. Eight participants with ischemic stroke underwent VRET for 5 sections per week and for 3 weeks. fMRI was conducted to quantify the activity of selected brain regions when the subject performed ankle dorsiflexion. Gait speed and clinical scales were also measured before and after intervention. Results. Increased activation in the primary sensorimotor cortex of the lesioned hemisphere and supplementary motor areas of both sides for the paretic foot (p<0.01) was observed postintervention. Statistically significant improvements were observed in gait velocity (p<0.05). The change in voxel counts in the primary sensorimotor cortex of the lesioned hemisphere is significantly correlated with improvement of 10 m walk time after VRET (r=−0.719). Conclusions. We observed improved walking and increased activation in cortical regions of stroke survivors after VRET training. Moreover, the cortical recruitment was associated with better walking function. Our study suggests that cortical networks could be a site of plasticity, and their recruitment may be one mechanism of training-induced recovery of gait function in stroke. This trial is registered with ChiCTR-IOC-15006064. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most daily movements require some degree of collaboration between the upper limbs. The neural mechanisms are bimanual-condition specific and therefore should be different between different activities. In this study, we aimed to explore intraregional activation and interregional connectivity during bimanual movement by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Ten right-handed, normal subjects were recruited. The neural correlates of unimanual (right side) and bimanual (in-phase and antiphase) upper limb movements were investigated. Connectivity analyses were carried out using the psychophysiological interaction (PPI) model. The cerebellum was strongly activated in both unimanual and bimanual movements, and the cingulate motor area (CMA) was the most activated brain area in antiphase bimanual movement. Moreover, compared with unimanual movement, CMA activation was also observed in antiphase bimanual movement, but not in in-phase bimanual movement. In addition, we carried out the PPI model to study the differences of effective connectivity and found that the cerebellum was more connected with the CMA during antiphase bimanual movement than in-phase bimanual movement. Our findings elucidate the differences of the cerebellar-cerebral functional connectivity between antiphase and in-phase bimanual movements, which could be used to facilitate the development of a neuroscience perspective on bimanual movement control in patients with motor impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biochemical composition of wild and cultured seahorses Hippocampus kuda Bleeker and Hippocampus trimaculatus Leach was analysed in this study. The crude protein contents (% dry weight) of wild seahorses were high: 72.7±2.5% in H. kuda and 78.5±4.2% in H. trimaculatus. The crude lipid contents (% dry weight) of wild and cultured seahorses (1.1±0.1 vs. 1.4±0.2 for H. kuda and 1.2±0.1 vs. 1.2±0.2 for H. trimaculatus) were low and did not differ significantly ( F3, 12=1.461, P=0.12). The essential amino acids and flavour-enhancing amino acids in wild seahorses were higher than those in cultured seahorses, although the essential amino acid index in wild and cultured H. kuda and H. trimaculatus were generally low. The total amino acid content decreased with growth in cultured H. trimaculatus ( F3, 12=14.927, P<0.05). The poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) contents in wild and cultured H. kuda and H. trimaculatus were 21.69%, 37.72%, 21.39% and 33.89% respectively. The fatty acid content in seahorses first decreased and then increased with growth both in wild and in cultured H. trimaculatus. The PUFA/saturated fatty acid ratio was 1.31 in cultured H. kuda and 0.87 in cultured H. trimaculatus. The trace metal concentrations in the wild seahorses were relatively low. The results presented in this study provide biochemical information necessary for understanding the medicinal value of H. kuda and H. trimaculatus and for elucidating the potential dietary requirements for their culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) is the key enzyme for carotenoid cleavage, and the products of carotenoid cleavage regulate the ability of plants to stress. In this paper, six CCD genes were obtained from Morus notabilis (Mn) by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and we classified them into three subgroups based on gene structures and phylogenetic analysis. The CDS (coding sequence) regions of the six MnCCD genes were 1617, 1620, 1635, 1713, 1746, and 1791 bp in full length, encoding 538, 539, 544, 570, 581, and 596 amino acids, respectively. Then, Pcold–TF-MnCCD plasmids were constructed and independently transferred into E. coli BL21 (DE3), and the MnCCD proteins were successfully expressed by prokaryotic expression with an expected molecular weight of recombinant proteins (∼120 kDa) and high solubility. These results will lay a foundation for the identification of mulberry carotenoid products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Gait performance is an indicator of mobility impairment after stroke. This study evaluated changes in balance, lower extremity motor function, and spatiotemporal gait parameters after receiving body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) and conventional overground walking training (CT) in patients with subacute stroke using 3D motion analysis. Setting. Inpatient department of rehabilitation medicine at a university-affiliated hospital. Participants. 24 subjects with unilateral hemiplegia in the subacute stage were randomized to the BWSTT (n=12) and CT (n=12) groups. Parameters were compared between the two groups. Data from twelve age matched healthy subjects were recorded as reference. Interventions. Patients received gait training with BWSTT or CT for an average of 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week, for 3 weeks. Main Outcome Measures. Balance was measured by the Brunel balance assessment. Lower extremity motor function was evaluated by the Fugl-Meyer assessment scale. Kinematic data were collected and analyzed using a gait capture system before and after the interventions. Results. Both groups improved on balance and lower extremity motor function measures (P<0.05), with no significant difference between the two groups after intervention. However, kinematic data were significantly improved (P<0.05) after BWSTT but not after CT. Maximum hip extension and flexion angles were significantly improved (P<0.05) for the BWSTT group during the stance and swing phases compared to baseline. Conclusion. In subacute patients with stroke, BWSTT can lead to improved gait quality when compared with conventional gait training. Both methods can improve balance and motor function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the concept of integrating global neuron coupling effect is increasingly accepted, investigating causal connection increasingly requires the intervention of large-scale analysis. In this study, a large-scale brain network analysis was carried out by a description length guided framework, which involves a unified Granger causality analysis (uGCA) method and now integrates the concept of large-scale analysis. This will be helpful to make a more comprehensive determination for causal connection among the global brain regions. Distinct from the conventional GCA, which involves a two-stage scheme consisting of Akaike information criterion or Bayesian information criterion (AIC/BIC) and F -test to obtain a causal effect, a unified guided framework can ensure more reliable results while eliminating some confounding influences among network nodes. Then, we performed large-scale network simulation experiments involving 13 nodes; it was found that our proposal was more accurate and robust in guiding the causal connection investigation of large-scale networks. When it comes to the resting-state fMRI datasets, we studied a 90-node network selected from the Anatomical Automatic Labeling (AAL) template. Then, combining a K-means clustering method, we found that most brain nodes in the connection network obtained by uGCA methods were gathered into the corresponding functional brain regions and functionally related regions cooperated with each other. Compared to conventional GCA, their results were more consistent with clinical and anatomical priors. Moreover, in studies of several large-scale functional networks involving default mode network (DMN), dorsal attention network (DAN), and frontoparietal control network (FCN), the uGCA method more clearly revealed their empirical cooperation. As a brain with numerous nodes and massive connections, a unified large-scale analysis method is of great significance for the integration of causal connections in the whole brain network in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing of Pyropia haitanensis, a commercially farmed macroalga, usually increases their densities greatly during cultivation in natural habitats. To explore how the increased algal densities affect their photosynthetic responses to rising CO2, we compared the growth, cell components and photosynthesis of the thalli of P. haitanensis under a matrix of pCO2 levels (ambient CO2, 400 ppm; elevated CO2, 1,000 ppm) and biomass densities [low, 1.0 g fresh weight (FW) L−1; medium, 2.0 g FW L−1; high, 4.0 g FW L−1]. Under ambient CO2, the relative growth rate (RGR) was 5.87% d−1, 2.32% d−1 and 1.51% d−1 in low, medium and high densities, and elevated CO2 reduced the RGR by 27%, 25% and 12% respectively. Maximal photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II (FV/FM) was higher in low than in high densities, so were the light‐utilized efficiency (α), saturation irradiance (EK) and maximum relative electron transfer rate (rETRmax). Elevated CO2 enhanced the FV/FM in low density but not in higher densities, as well as the α, EK and rETRmax. In addition, elevated CO2 reduced the content of chlorophyll a and enhanced that of carotenoids, but unaffected phycoerythrin, phycocyanin and soluble proteins. Our results indicate that the increased algal densities reduced both the growth and the photosynthesis of P. haitanensis and alleviated the elevated CO2‐induced negative impact on growth and positive impact on photosynthesis. Moreover, the elevated CO2‐induced reduction on growth and promotion on photosynthesis indicates that rising CO2 may enhance the loss of photosynthetic products of P. haitanensis through releasing organic matters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This study aimed to translate the English version of the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) into Chinese and to evaluate the initial validation of the Chinese version (C-ARAT) in patients with a first stroke. Methods. An expert group translated the original ARAT from English into Chinese using a forward-backward procedure. Forty-four patients (36 men and 8 women) aged 22–80 years with a first stroke were enrolled in this study. The participants were evaluated using 3 stroke-specific outcome measures: C-ARAT, the upper extremity section of the Fugl–Meyer assessment (UE-FMA), and the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT). Internal consistency was analysed using Cronbach's α coefficients and item-scale correlations. Concurrent validity was determined using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Floor and ceiling effects were considered to be present when more than 20% of patients fell outside the preliminarily set lower or upper boundary, respectively. Results. The C-ARAT items yielded excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach's α of 0.98 (p < 0.001) and item-total correlations ranging from 0.727 to 0.948 (p < 0.001). The C-ARAT exhibited good-to-excellent correlations with the UE-FMA and WMFT functional ability (WMFT-FA) scores, with respective ρ values of 0.824 and 0.852 (p < 0.001), and an excellent negative correlation with the WMFT performance time (WMFT-time), with a ρ value of -0.940 (p < 0.001). The C-ARAT subscales generally exhibited good-to-excellent correlations with stroke-specific assessments, with ρ values ranging from 0.773 to 0.927 (p < 0.001). However, the gross subscale exhibited moderate-to-good correlations with the UE-FMA and WMFT-FA scores, with respective ρ values of 0.665 and 0.720 (p < 0.001). No significant floor effect was observed, and a significant ceiling effect was observed only on the WMFT-time. Conclusions. The C-ARAT demonstrated excellent internal consistency and good-to-excellent concurrent validity. This test could be used to evaluate upper extremity function in stroke patients without cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To critically evaluate the studies that were conducted over the past 10 years and to assess the impact of virtual reality on static and dynamic balance control in the stroke population. Method. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials published between January 2006 and December 2015 was conducted. Databases searched were PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies must have involved adult patients with stroke during acute, subacute, or chronic phase. All included studies must have assessed the impact of virtual reality programme on either static or dynamic balance ability and compared it with a control group. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Results. Nine studies were included in this systematic review. The PEDro scores ranged from 4 to 9 points. All studies, except one, showed significant improvement in static or dynamic balance outcomes group. Conclusions. This review provided moderate evidence to support the fact that virtual reality training is an effective adjunct to standard rehabilitation programme to improve balance for patients with chronic stroke. The effect of VR training in balance recovery is less clear in patients with acute or subacute stroke. Further research is required to investigate the optimum training intensity and frequency to achieve the desired outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study where HC2 strain of genus Pseudomonas is isolated in Hippocampus japonicus with enteritis and its pathogenicity was approved by means of experimental infection. Topics discussed include the extensive use of seahorses in traditional medicine particularly traditional Chinese medicine, vulnerability of seahorses for infection and disease as they are extremely prone to stress, and bacteriosis as the leading cause of mortality during the rearing of seahorses.