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Human Keypoints Detection is a relatively basic task in computer vision; it is the pre-task of human action recognition, behavior analysis and human–computer interaction. Since most abnormal actions occur at night, how to effectively extract skeleton sequence data in a low-light or completely dark environment poses a huge challenge for its identification. This paper proposes to use far infrared images to detection key points of the human body, which can solve the problem of human pose estimation under challenging weather conditions such as total darkness, smoke, inclement weather and glare. However, far-infrared images have some shortcomings, such as low resolution, noise and thermal characteristics; the skeleton data need to be provided in real time for the next stage of task. Based on the above reasons, this paper proposes a lightweight multi-stage attention network (LMANet) to detect the key points of human at night. This new network structure adds context information through the large receptive field, which helps to assist the detection of neighboring key points through this information, but for the sake of lightweight consideration, this article only extends the network to two stages. In addition, this article uses the attention module to effectively select channels with a large amount of information and highlight the features of key points, while eliminating background interference. In order to detect key points of the human in various complex environments, we use techniques such as difficult sample mining which improves the accuracy of key points with low confidence. Our network has been verified on two visible light datasets, fully demonstrating excellent performance. This paper successfully introduces far-infrared images into the field of pose estimation, because there is no public dataset for far-infrared pose estimation. In this paper, 700 images are selected for annotation from multiple public far-infrared object detection, segmentation and action recognition datasets; our algorithm is verified on this dataset; the effect is very good. After the paper is published, we will publish our key points of the human body annotated documents.

Energy storage devices with high volumetric and gravimetric capacitance are in urgent demand due to the booming market of portable and wearable electronics. Using redox-active molecules as electrol...

Advanced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts matching with the chlor-alkali reaction serve as a vital link to realize the cost-effective and environmentally-benign co-production of hydrogen and chlor-alkali. The core problem in this field is to design and fabricate the HER electrocatalysts with high activity and stability under the harsh condition of chlor-alkali electrolysis. This review highlights the scientific, technical and engineering advances and challenges in this co-production of hydrogen and chlor-alkali. In detail, working mechanism and performance test criteria of HER electrocatalysts in chlor-alkali condition are provided. Recently developed HER electrocatalysts can be worked in chlor-alkali electrolysis are summarised, with a special emphasis on the relationship between their structure and electrolytic properties. Simultaneously, the latest progress in technology and engineering of co-production process is also listed. Finally, the opportunities and the direction of forward motion for this hydrogen and chlor-alkali co-production are also discussed.

In the vision task of a self-driving system, the use of visible light images to segment an object often loses its functionality at night or in harsh weather. The far-infrared image shows different pixel values according to the thermal radiation quantity of the object itself, so it can be adapted to perform well at night and in harsh weather conditions. However, at the same time, it has insufficient texture features, blurred object boundaries and temperature inversion, which has a great impact on the segmentation task of traditional algorithms. In response to the above problems, this article proposes a far-infrared object segmentation algorithm using deep learning. In the current popular encoding-decoding structure, multi-scale pooling layers are used to obtain receptive fields of different sizes. This is used to solve the effects caused by the blurring of infrared objects. The feature enhancement module is designed for the multi-receptive field feature map, which can filter out the most versatile and highly semantic feature channels to reduce the effect of temperature inversion on segmentation. The obtained high semantic feature map is guided into the decoding structure and is fused with the features obtained by the encoder and the decoder. This allows richer information to be obtained between different feature maps. Finally, we also release a new low-resolution far-infrared segmentation dataset. Experiments are performed on three datasets, and the segmentation result of the mIoU(mean Intersection over Union) reaches 70.59%, 30.98% and 60.67%. A large number of experiments confirm the effectiveness and robustness of the network in far-infrared images and verify that the dataset released in this article has strong reference significance.

To translate the English version of general medication adherence scale (GMAS) into a Chinese version and test its reliability and validity in Chinese patients with chronic diseases.After translating the original English version into Chinese (GMAS-C) following the forward-backward translation and expert review procedure, we conducted a pilot study among 10 chronic disease patients. Each patient took about 10 min to complete the scale and was asked about the difficulty of understanding or filling the scale. Then a total of 312 patients aged 18 years or older with chronic illness were selected from the outpatient departments of two tertiary hospitals and a community center in Tianjin from April 2019 to May 2020 by convenience sampling. Cronbach's α coefficient, item-total correlation and test-retest reliability were used to evaluate the scale reliability; expert evaluation method was used to evaluate the content validity of the scale; and exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and known group validity were used to evaluate the construct validity of the scale.As a result of the adaptation process, the GMAS-C's structure was determined. It included 3 dimensions and 11 items and was reliable and valid for Chinese patients with chronic diseases. Total Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.781 and test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.883 after two weeks. The item-level content validity indexes (CVIs) were ≥ 0.78 for all items. A Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and Bartlett' test of sphericity test indicated that the sample met the requirements of factor analysis. Exploratory factor analysis extracted three factors with eigenvalue1, and 60% of the total variance was explained by three-factor solution. Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable fit indices (The GMAS-C demonstrates satisfactory reliability and validity. This scale can be a clinically useful tool to identify the levels of medication adherence and possible barriers for adherence of the medication regime in patients with chronic diseases.

With the development of renewable energy generation (REG) such as wind power, the economic operation of power system is greatly challenged by the phenomenon of wind curtailment. To reduce the operation cost of power system and improve the accommodation capacity of renewable energy, a unit commitment (UC) model with integrated energy system (IES) considering primary frequency regulation (PFR) and secondary frequency regulation (SFR) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, establishing the model to co-optimize the electric system, gas system and thermal system. Then, for the nonlinear problem of natural gas pipeline flow, an incremental piece-wise method is proposed for linearization, from which the nonlinear non-convex programming problem can be transformed into a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problem. Finally, 24-bus electric system, 20-bus natural gas system and 16-bus thermal system are used to simulate and verify the proposed model in this paper. Numerical results illustrate that the unit commitment considering integrated energy system is beneficial to improve the energy efficiency and the economy of the system operation.

The CPU-based deep learning seatbelt detection cannot satisfy the real-time requirements. The precision of seatbelt detection obviously decrease on the basis of deep learning due to the influence of some factors, like the light, rain and snow, window reflection etc. In order to improving detection precision under running CPU in real-time, the SSD MobileNet V2 network is simplified from network pruning and quantitative processing in this paper. The precision and speed of the detection have been improved according to the above optimization. The precision of seatbelt detection can be improved utilizing the regression constraint of seatbelt within the driver after integrating into one classifier. After that, the feature augmentation was added into the samples in order to improve the precision of seatbelt detection in deeply. Finally, the same driver was tracked by the particle filter algorithm. If the tracking failure, the obtained driver feature vector of deep learning will be used to instead of the histogram feature of particle filter and used for the following multi-frame image detection of seat belt. Finally, the detection results are 95.21% for detected precision, 97.19% for recall rate, and 21FPS for detected speed, respectively.

Previous work from our laboratory showed that motor nerve injury by lumbar 5 ventral root transection (L5-VRT) led to interleukin-6 (IL-6) over-expression in bilateral spinal cord, and that intrathecal administration of IL-6 neutralizing antibody delayed the induction of mechanical allodynia in bilateral hind paws. However, early events and upstream mechanisms underlying spinal IL-6 expression following L5-VRT require elucidation. The model of L5-VRT was used to induce neuropathic pain, which was assessed with von Frey hairs and the plantar tester in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Calpain-2 (CALP2, a calcium-dependent protease) knockdown or over-expression and microglia depletion were conducted intrathecally. Western blots and immunohistochemistry were performed to explore the possible mechanisms. Here, we provide the first evidence that both IL-6 and CALP2 levels are increased in lumbar spinal cord within 30 min following L5-VRT. IL-6 and CALP2 co-localized in both spinal dorsal horn (SDH) and spinal ventral horn. Post-operative (PO) increase in CALP2 in ipsilateral SDH was evident at 10 min PO, preceding increased IL-6 at 20 min PO. Knockdown of spinal CALP2 by intrathecal CALP2-shRNA administration prevented VRT-induced IL-6 overproduction in ipsilateral spinal cord and alleviated bilateral mechanical allodynia. Spinal microglia activation also played a role in early IL-6 up-regulation. Macrophage/microglia markers ED1/Iba1 were increased at 30 min PO, while glial fibrillary acidic protein (astrocyte) and CNPase (oligodendrocyte) markers were not. Increased Iba1 was detected as early as 20 min PO and peaked at 3 days. Morphology changed from a small soma with fine processes in resting cells to an activated ameboid shape. Depletion of microglia using Mac-1-saporin partially prevented IL-6 up-regulation and attenuated VRT-induced bilateral mechanical allodynia. Taken together, our findings provide evidence that increased spinal cord CALP2 and microglia cell activation may have early causative roles in IL-6 over-expression following motor nerve injury. Agents that inhibit CALP2 and/or microglia activation may therefore prove valuable for treating neuropathic pain.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) possesses tumorigenic and proangiogenic properties, and is overexpressed in many human cancer types. However, only few studies have demonstrated the mechanisms of action of IL‑8 regarding the ability to promote proliferation and to inhibit apoptosis in prostate cancer. Here, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of IL‑8 on the prostate cancer cell line and determine possible mechanisms underlying its effect. In this study, IL‑8 was shown to be significantly upregulated in prostate cancer compared with paired normal control tissues. The data showed that IL‑8 exhibits direct oncogenicity, which significantly induced cell proliferation, invasion and attenuated apoptosis in prostate cancer cells via signal transducer and activator of transcription 3/protein kinase B/nuclear factor‑κB signaling pathways. In conclusion, modulation of IL‑8 expression or its associated signaling pathway may provide a novel working mechanism of IL‑8 in prostate cancer, and a promising strategy for controlling the progression and metastasis of prostate cancer.

Background: Self-management is crucial for blood pressure control and subsequent disease prevention. Health literacy and acceptance of illness may contribute to self-management behaviour; in addition, acceptance of illness may mediate the effects of health literacy on self-management behaviour among patients with hypertension. Objective: The aims of the research were to examine whether health literacy and acceptance of illness were associated with both pharmacological and non-pharmacological management behaviour and examine the possible mediating effects of the acceptance of illness in patients with hypertension. Methods: Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to analyse the relationships between health literacy, acceptance of illness, pharmacological and non-pharmacological management behaviours. Mediation effects were examined by the PROCESS macro. Results: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 478 hypertensive patients completed measures of health literacy, acceptance of illness, self-management, social support, depression, physical function and demographic and clinical characteristics. Functional, communicative, critical health literacy and acceptance of illness showed positive associations to pharmacological and non-pharmacological management behaviour. Acceptance of illness mediated the relationships between three types of health literacy, pharmacological and non-pharmacological management but the effects size and pathway differed. In detail, functional health literacy influenced pharmacological and non-pharmacological management behaviour mainly by indirect effects mediated by the acceptance of illness, but communicative and critical health literacy influenced pharmacological and non-pharmacological management behaviour mainly by direct effects. Conclusions: Acceptance of illness mediated the relationships between three types of health literacy and self-management. Health literacy and acceptance of illness should be addressed when taking measures to improve patients’ self-management behaviour.

As newcomers to the clinical workplace, nursing students will encounter a high degree of role stress, which is an important predictor of burnout and engagement. Professional identity is theorised to be a key factor in providing high-quality care to improve patient outcomes and is thought to mediate the negative effects of a high-stress workplace and improve clinical performance and job retention.To investigate the level of nursing students' professional identity and role stress at the end of the first sub-internship, and to explore the impact of the nursing students' professional identity and other characteristics on role stress.A cross-sectional study.Three nursing schools in China.Nursing students after a 6-month sub-internship in a general hospital (n=474).The Role Stress Scale (score range: 12-60) and the Professional Identity Questionnaire for Nursing students (score range: 17-85) were used to investigate the levels of nursing students' role stress and professional identity. Higher scores indicated higher levels of role stress and professional identity. Basic demographic information about the nursing students was collected. The Pearson correlation, point-biserial correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyse the data.The mean total scores of the Role Stress Scale and Professional Identity Questionnaire for Nursing Students were 34.04 (SD=6.57) and 57.63 (SD=9.63), respectively. In the bivariate analyses, the following independent variables were found to be significantly associated with the total score of the Role Stress Scale: the total score of the Professional Identity Questionnaire for Nursing Students (r=-0.295, p0.01), age (r=0.145, p0.01), whether student was an only child or not (r=-0.114, p0.05), education level (r=0.295, p0.01) and whether student had experience in community organisations or not (r=0.151, p0.01). In the multiple linear regression analysis, the total score of the Professional Identity Questionnaire for Nursing Students (standardised coefficient Beta: -0.260, p0.001), education level (standardised coefficient Beta: 0.212, p0.001) and whether or not student had experience in community organisations (standardised coefficient Beta: 0.107, p0.016) were the factors significantly associated with the total score of the Role Stress Scale. The multiple linear regression model explained 18.2% (adjusted RThe nursing students' level of role stress at the end of the first sub-internship was high. The students with higher professional identity values had lower role stress levels. Compared with other personal characteristics, professional identity and education level had the strongest impact on the nursing students' level of role stress. This is a new perspective that shows that developing and improving professional identity may prove helpful for nursing students in managing role stress.

Experimental investigation of transient characteristics is an important way to design transformer winding insulation structures. Of the previous measuring methods, there has been the problem of direct electrical connection with the winding, which may influence the transient characteristics. This paper presents a new non-invasive method for measuring the transient voltage distribution in transformer windings based on our previous study. The measuring method is based on the capacitive sensor with the stray capacitance between sensing electrode and transformer discs as the high-voltage arm and the film capacitance as low-voltage arm. An RC integrator and impedance adapter have been designed into the measurement circuit to enhance the sensor worked in the integrating mode and broaden its bandwidth respectively. The final measurement circuit can satisfy the need for measuring various kinds of waveforms, with 0.64 Hz lower cut-off frequency and 76 MHz higher cut-off frequency, respectively. The sensor array has been set up to measure the transient voltage distribution in a transformer winding. In this case, a mathematical conversion is put forward to decouple the influence of the adjacent discs on the corresponding disc to get the voltage distribution of different discs of the transformer winding.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with cognitive impairment in heart failure (HF).The purpose of this study was to examine whether AF independently predicted cognitive function in HF patients after controlling for more demographic, medical and psychological characteristics, and whether the timing of AF onset in relation to HF diagnosis independently contributed to cognitive function in HF patients with AF.A total of 188 hospitalized HF patients (62.8% male, age 66.3±10.6 years) completed cognitive function assessment with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). A history of AF, along with other medical characteristics, was ascertained through a review of participants' medical charts. The timing of AF onset in relation to HF diagnosis was categorized into AF occurring prior to HF diagnosis (i.e. prior AF) and AF developing after HF diagnosis (i.e. incident AF).Altogether 72 participants had a positive diagnostic history of AF. Specifically, 41 had prior AF, and 31 developed AF subsequently. In HF patients, AF was associated with poorer performance on cognitive function after controlling for more confounders (β=-0.112, ΔRAF independently contributes to cognitive function in HF patients after adjusting for more confounding variables. The timing of AF onset in relation to HF diagnosis independently predicts cognitive function in HF patients with AF. Prospective studies are needed to elucidate possible mechanisms for the association between AF and cognitive function in HF populations.

Objective: To determine the factors associated with activities of daily living (ADL) among the disabled elders post-stroke. Methods: A total of 158 patients were chosen from community health service stations in eighteen regions of Tianjin city by convenience sampling from March to November in 2013. The Barthel Index (BI) and the short-form mini-nutritional assessment (MNA-SF) were used to evaluate the ADL, the nutritional status respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analysis. Barthel ADL index was the main outcome. Results: The mean score of ADL was 50.50 ± 27.125. The multiple linear regression showed that the factors which had significant impact on ADL were stroke frequency, types of stroke, nutritional status, financial status, and age. Conclusions: Disabled elders with recurrent strokes, hemorrhagic stroke, dependent financial resources, older age, worse nutritional status and living with family had poorer stroke-related outcome. Healthcare providers can discover the high-risk groups of disability and implement individualized preventive interventions in accordance with the related factors. Keywords: Activities of daily living, Disabled persons, Frail elders, Stroke

Online transaction log records the relevant information of the users, commodities and transactions, as well as changes over time, which can help analysts understand commodities’ sales. The existing visualization methods mainly analyze the purchase behavior from the perspective of users, while analyzing the sales trend of commodities can better help merchants to make business decisions. Based on the transaction log, this paper puts forward the visual analysis framework of commodity sales trend and the corresponding data processing algorithm. The concepts of volatility and dynamic performance of sales trend are proposed, through which the multi-dimensional sales data of time-oriented are displayed in two-dimensional space. The “Feature Ring” is designed to display the detailed sales information of the products. Based on the above methods, a visual analysis system is designed and implemented. The usability and validity of the visualization methods are verified by using JD online transaction data. The visualization methods enable manufacturers to formulate production plans and carry out product research and develop better.

Injury associated pain involves subjective perception and emotional experience. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a key area involved in the affective component of pain processing. However, the neuroimmune mechanisms underlying enhanced ACC excitability following peripheral nerve injury are still not fully understood. Our previous work has shown that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) overexpression leads to peripheral afferent hyperexcitability and synaptic transmission potentiation in spinal cord. Here, we aimed to reveal the potential role of ACC TNF-α in ACC hyperexcitability and neuropathic pain. c-Fos, a widely used neuronal activity marker, was induced especially in contralateral ACC early [postoperative (PO) 1 h] and later (PO day 7 and 10) during the development of neuropathic pain. Spared nerve injury (SNI) elevated TNF-α level in contralateral ACC from PO day 5 to 14, delayed relative to decreased ipsilateral paw withdrawal threshold apparent from PO day 1 to 14. Microinjection of anti-TNF-α antibody into the ACC completely eliminated c-Fos overexpression and greatly attenuated pain aversion and mechanical allodynia induced by SNI, suggesting an important role of ACC TNF-α in the pain aversiveness and pain maintenance. Furthermore, modulating ACC pyramidal neurons via a Gi-coupled human M4 muscarinic receptor (hM4Di) or a Gq-coupled human M3 muscarinic receptor (hM3Dq), a type of designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD), greatly changed the ACC TNF-α level and the mechanical paw withdrawal threshold. The positive interactions between TNF-α and ACC neurons might modulate the cytokine microenvironment thus contribute to the neuropathic pain.

Depression and anxiety have been considered as the most common comorbidities in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. This study aimed to assess mental disorder in hemodialysis patients and to study the indicators and correlates of psychological disturbance among patients receiving MHD in China. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 187 outpatients undergoing regular hemodialysis for at least 3 months. All the participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue, Chinese mainland version), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Family APGAR Index (PAGAR), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES II, Chinese version) and the Social Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ). Based on the cutoff point of HADS-D/A ≥8, 51 (27.3 %) and 29 (15.5 %) patients reported depression and anxiety, respectively; 26 (13.9 %) of all reported both depression and anxiety. Depressive patients had lower economic status, less subsidies, less than 3 years duration on hemodialysis and comorbidities when compared to patients without depression (all P

Context Fatigue is a common symptom reported by patients with end-stage renal disease, and it can significantly decrease patients' quality of life. A brief and convenient fatigue assessment tool is needed for Chinese patients on maintenance dialysis. Objectives To determine the psychometric characteristics of the Chinese version of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue) in patients receiving maintenance dialysis. Methods The Chinese version of the FACIT-Fatigue was obtained from the FACIT system. Test-retest reliability of this scale was examined using intraclass correlation coefficients, and the internal consistency was calculated by Cronbach's alpha. Content validity was examined using the content validity index (CVI), scale-level CVI/universal agreement, and scale-level CVI/average agreement. Construct validity was tested using Pearson product-moment correlations of the FACIT-Fatigue scores with the Revised Piper Fatigue Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and disease characteristics during the same period. Results A total of 172 patients (111 males and 61 females, mean age 52.6 ± 12.5 years) completed this study, with a median FACIT-Fatigue score of 41 (first and third quartiles 34.3–46). The Chinese version of the FACIT-Fatigue had excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.98) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92); the validity of the scale was supported by CVI, scale-level CVI/universal agreement, and scale-level CVI/average agreement values of at 0.67–1, 0.85, and 0.96, respectively. The standard error of measurement of the FACIT-Fatigue was 1.2. The significant correlations between the FACIT-Fatigue score and the Revised Piper Fatigue Scale ( r = −0.658), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (−0.566), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (−0.489) were supported by the FACIT-Fatigue, with good construct validity (all P Conclusion The FACIT-Fatigue had acceptable validity and reliability for maintenance dialysis patients and can be used as a valid tool for the measurement of fatigue among these Chinese patients.

The self-assembly of π-conjugated molecules into low-dimensional luminescent nanomaterials has attracted much attention for their applications in optoelectronics and photonics. Herein, a new tolane derivative (1) containing donor and acceptor units has been designed and synthesized. The compound 1 shows the effect of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) due to the donor–acceptor interaction. In solution, it is weakly emissive, but becomes highly emissive upon aggregation, demonstrating the novel phenomenon of aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Moreover, through controlled self-assembly of 1, different micro/nanostructures (ribbons, rods and flower-like clusters) with high emission efficiency can be obtained, which paves the way for its photonic and electronic applications.

Both calpain-2 (CALP2) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) contribute to persistent bilateral hypersensitivity in animals subjected to L5 ventral root transection (L5-VRT), a model of selective motor fiber injury without sensory nerve damage. However, specific upstream mechanisms regulating TNF-α overexpression and possible relationships linking CALP2 and TNF-α have not yet been investigated in this model. We examined changes in CALP2 and TNF-α protein levels and alterations in bilateral mechanical threshold within 24 h following L5-VRT model injury. We observed robust elevation of CALP2 and TNF-α in bilateral dorsal root ganglias (DRGs) and bilateral spinal cord neurons. CALP2 and TNF-α protein induction by L5-VRT were significantly inhibited by pretreatment using the calpain inhibitor MDL28170. Administration of CALP2 to rats without nerve injury further supported a role of CALP2 in the regulation of TNF-α expression. Although clinical trials of calpain inhibition therapy for alleviation of neuropathic pain induced by motor nerve injury have not yet shown success, our observations linking CALP2 and TNF-α provide a framework of a systems’ approach based perspective for treating neuropathic pain.

Exercise and low-fat diets are common lifestyle modifications used for the treatment of hypertension besides drug therapy. However, unrestrained low-fat diets may result in deficiencies of low-unsaturated fatty acids and carry contingent risks of delaying neurodevelopment. While aerobic exercise shows positive neuroprotective effects, it is still unclear whether exercise could alleviate the impairment of neurodevelopment that may be induced by certain low-fat diets. In this research, developing spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were treated with chronic swimming exercise and/or a low-soybean-oil diet for 6 weeks. We found that performance in the Morris water maze was reduced and long-term potentiation in the hippocampus was suppressed by the diet, while a combination treatment of exercise and diet alleviated the impairment induced by the specific low-fat diet. Moreover, the combination treatment effectively increased the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR), which were both down-regulated by the low-soybean-oil diet in the hippocampus of developing SHR. These findings suggest that chronic swimming exercise can ameliorate the low-soybean-oil diet-induced learning and memory impairment in developing SHR through the up-regulation of BDNF and NMDAR expression.

As an important dielectric liquid, transformer oil is widely used in power systems due to its higher breakdown strength than compressed gases. The key factor affecting the safe operation of power apparatus is decided by the steep impulse electric strength. In this paper, an impulse voltage generator with adjustable pulse width was set up to generate 0.12/50µs impulse voltage. Breakdown characteristics in transformer oil under pulsed voltages are studied over a range of electrode sizes and gap distances with a hemisphere electrode configuration of various geometric configurations. It is verified that both area and volume effects simultaneously lead to the degradation of the breakdown strength in transformer oil. The impulse breakdown strength is statistically analyzed by using Weibull distribution. By comparing two results of Weibull fitting function, it reveals that the 3-parameter Weibull distribution has a higher goodness-of-fit than the 2-parameter for impulse breakdown in transformer oil. The 3-parameter Weibull shape parameter m for the quasi-uniform field are estimated to be 2.4 to 2.58 and 2.79 to 4.11 under different electrode area and gap distance respectively. These effects are corresponding to the variation of breakdown initiation and propagation process when the dimension of electrode configuration changes. The relationships between the shape parameter m and electrode diameter as well as gap distance are in the forms of m(D)=0.004D+2.384(d=0.5mm) and m(d)=5.27−1.25d−0.423(D=30mm) and the field utilization factor η as a function of shape parameter m has been calculated in which case the relationship between electrode physical dimension and stressed area is established, which can be provided for insulation design directly.

BACKGROUND Personal digital assistants, technology with various functions, have been applied in international clinical practice. Great benefits in reducing medical errors and enhancing the efficiency of clinical work have been achieved, but little research has investigated nurses' satisfaction with the use of personal digital assistants. AIM To investigate nurses' satisfaction with use of personal digital assistants, and to explore the predictors of this. DESIGN This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey targeting nurses who used personal digital assistants in a comprehensive tertiary hospital in Beijing. RESULTS A total of 383 nurses were recruited in this survey in 2015. The total score of nurses' satisfaction with use of personal digital assistants was 238.91 (SD 39.25). Nurses were less satisfied with the function of documentation, compared with the function of administering medical orders. The time length of using personal digital assistants, academic degree, and different departments predicted nurses' satisfaction towards personal digital assistant use (all P

Background The world is facing increasing pressure with the continuous growth of the older population. Older patients are usually discharged with complex medical problems, high stress and vulnerability, and these factors place the elderly at risk for poor outcomes. Purpose The present review summarizes a method for providing appropriate and affordable health services by nursing professionals to meet older patient's health care needs during their transitional period which is defined as a period from discharge after hospitalization for a major disorder to recovery in a home setting. Summary Older patients with chronic diseases need seamless health care during a transitional period-a highly stressful and vulnerable period for them. Nurse professionals can conduct decent discharge planning to assist older patients with transitional problems through continuous healthcare. This review summarized the need of continuing care for older patients during the transitional period, the definition of discharge planning, the conceptual framework of discharge planning, and the professionals involved in discharge planning. It also highlights the problems of discharge planning and follow up intervention implementation in the mainland of China. Clinical implications Inadequate discharge planning and follow-up were leading factors associated with the readmission of discharged older patients. Further nursing-led discharge planning should be reinforced in China.

Treatment of neuropathic pain with opioid analgesics remains controversial and a major concern is the risk of addiction. Here, we investigated this issue with spared nerve injury (SNI) model of neuropathic pain in rats and mice. SNI prevented conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by low dose (3.5 mg/kg) of morphine (MOR), which was effective for anti-allodynia, but not by high dose (⩾5.0 mg/kg) of MOR. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was upregulated in nucleus accumbens (NAcc) following SNI. The inhibitory effect of SNI on MOR-induced CPP was blocked by either genetic deletion of TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) or microinjection of anti-TNF-α into the NAcc and was mimicked by intra-NAcc injection of TNF-α in sham rats. Furthermore, SNI reduced dopamine (DA) level and upregulated dopamine transporter (DAT) in the NAcc, but did not affect total tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) or phospho-TH ( p -TH), a rate-limiting enzyme of catecholamine biosynthesis, in ventral tegmental area (VTA). Accordingly, the increase in DA reuptake but not decrease in its synthesis may lead to the reduction of DA level. Finally, the upregulation of DAT in the NAcc of SNI animals was again blocked by either genetic deletion of TNFR1 or NAcc injection of anti-TNF-α, and was mimicked by NAcc injection of TNF-α in sham animals. Thus, our data provided novel evidence that upregulation of TNF-α in NAcc may attenuate MOR-induced rewarding by upregulation of DAT in NAcc under neuropathic pain condition.

The process of converting structural models derived from single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments into physical models for the purposes of visualization/communication and collaboration by the use of three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques is described. Digital information regarding the relative positioning of atoms in a crystal structure is translated, using a suite of computer programs, into a 3D computer model of a solid form, corresponding to that information which can then be saved in a file format for 3D printing. These files are then used to produce to-scale physical models of the structural information using two different 3D printing methodologies.

Aims and objectives To test the effect of a Health Belief Model-based nursing intervention on healthcare outcomes in Chinese patients with moderate to severe COPD. Background The Health Belief Model (HBM) has been internationally validated in a variety of chronic conditions. However, nursing intervention based on the HBM is less explored in Chinese patients with COPD. Design A randomised controlled trial. Methods Enrolled patients were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. Patients in the intervention group received a 20- to 30-minute HBM-based nursing intervention every 2 days during the hospitalisation period after disease conditions were stable, with additional follow-ups after discharge. Patients in the control group received routine nursing care. Results Patients had significantly increased scores of health belief and self-efficacy after receiving the HBM-based nursing intervention. After receiving the 3-month follow-up, patients in the intervention group had significantly higher mean total scores in the Health Belief Scale and the COPD Self-Efficacy Scale, as well as in all the subscales, than those in the control group except the perceived disease seriousness. Results showed that the value of FEV1/FVC ratio had a significant difference between study groups before and after the intervention. Results also indicated that mean scores of the Dyspnea Scale, 6-minute walking distance and ADL were significantly different between the groups and between the study time-points. Conclusions Among patients with moderate to severe COPD, nursing intervention based on the HBM can enhance their health belief and self-efficacy towards the disease management, decrease dyspnoea and improve exercise tolerance and ADL. Relevance to clinical practice Nurses can use the HBM-based intervention to enhance patients' health belief and self-efficacy towards the management of COPD, and subsequently benefit healthcare outcomes.

A series of 2D sheet Bi2OxS3-x/Nb6O17 (Bi/Nb) heterostructure photocatalysts were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal vulcanization method between Bi(3+) exchanged K4Nb6O17 and thiourea (NH2CSNH2). XRD results confirm that the heterostructures were composed of Bi2OxS3-x and Nb6O17. HRTEM indicates that Bi2OxS3-x was successfully intercalated into layers of K4Nb6O17. Such large interfacial contacts can be beneficial to the transfer and separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Thus the composites exhibit good photocatalytic performance for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation (λ400 nm), which is superior to that of both precursors, pure Bi2S3 and K4Nb6O17. Radical capture tests reveal that photogenerated holes h(+) and ˙O2(-) play important roles in the photodegradation of MO. And based on the UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and the band gap of the semiconductors, the mechanism of the enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of these composites has been proposed.

Fatigue is considered as a common symptom in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and can significantly decrease patients' quality of life. This study aimed to assess fatigue in hemodialysis patients and to investigate risk factors of fatigue in Chinese patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) in China.Eligible patients completed questionnaires including demographic information, a Chinese version of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue), the Family APGAR Index (APGAR), the medical outcomes study health status-Social Functioning subscale (SF-36,SocF), and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Laboratory parameters were abstracted by medical records review. The multiple linear regression model was used to relate parameters with the FACIT-Fatigue score.A total of 345 MHD patients (216 men and 129 women, age 55.6 ± 12.8) were recruited in this study. The score of FACIT-Fatigue was 39 (Interquartile Range, 31-44). Fatigue was correlated with PSQI scores (p 0.001), SocF scores (p 0.001), comorbidity (p = 0.006), exercise time 1 hour per day (p = 0.003), adequacy of dialysis (Kt/V) 1.2 (p = 0.016), APGAR scores (p = 0.014), and high Scr (p = 0.043).Fatigue is related to sleep disturbance, social and family functioning, taking physical exercise time, comorbidity condition, Kt/V and serum creatinine level in Chinese MHD patients. Future studies and interventions should focus on developing strategies and improving the quality of life in patients by addressing these significant contributing factors.

Diazepam binds with the same high affinity to the central benzodiazepine receptor (CBR) and the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, which has been renamed translocator protein (TSPO). Both receptors could promote neurosteroid synthesis. In the present study, we investigated whether a single dose of diazepam could inhibit neuropathic pain induced by L5 spinal nerve ligation (L5 SNL), and whether CBR and TSPO mediated this effect. We found that a single intraperitoneal injection of diazepam 9 d after L5 SNL significantly depressed the established mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, which persisted until the end of the experiments. Furthermore, the effects were mimicked by a single intraperitoneal injection of Ro5-4864, a specific TSPO agonist and pregnenolone, a neurosteroid precursor. In addition, we found that the inhibitory effect of diazepam was also completely blocked by pretreatment with a specific CBR antagonist, flumazenil. The effects of diazepam or Ro5-4864 on neuropathic pain were completely blocked by pretreatment with a neurosteroid synthesis inhibitor, aminoglutethimide (AMG). Finally, any one of the three drugs, diazepam, Ro5-4864 and pregnenolone, could reduce the activation of astrocytes and the production of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) in the L5 spinal dorsal horn 14 d after L5 SNL. These results suggest that in addition to exerting effects on CBR, diazepam may inhibit neuropathic pain via TSPO, which promotes neurosteroid formation, subsequently reducing the activation of astrocytes and production of cytokines.

Peripheral nerve injury often induces chronic neuropathic pain. Peripheral nerve is consisted of sensory fibers and motor fibers, it is questioned injury to which type of fibers is responsible for generation of neuropathic pain? Because neuropathic pain is sensory disorder, it is generally believed that the disease should be induced by injury to sensory fibers. In recent years, however, emergent evidence shows that motor fiber injury but not sensory fiber injury is necessary and sufficient for induction of neuropathic pain. Motor fiber injury leads to neuropathic pain by upregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in pain pathway.

Aims and objectives: To explore which sociodemographic and clinical factors could interfere in the parameters of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and determine the affecting factors of Ambulato ...

Previous studies have shown that Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) is implicated in the modulation of pain sensitivity. In the present study, we found that a single peri-sciatic administration of rat recombinant IL-1β (rrIL-1β) at doses of 20 and 200 pg (100, 1000 ng/l, in 200 μl volume) induced mechanical allodynia in bilateral hindpaws in rats, lasting for about 50 days. No axonal or Schwann cell damage at the drug administration site was found following 1000 ng/l rrIL-1β administration. The results of immunofluorescence showed that microglial cells in bilateral spinal dorsal horn were activated after peri-sciatic administration of rrIL-1β (1000 ng/l). The immunoreactivity (IR) of Iba1 (a marker for microglia) and phosphorylated src-family kinases (p-SFKs) increased significantly in the ipsilateral and contralateral lumbar spinal dorsal horn on day 1 and day 3 after rrIL-1β administration, respectively. Double immunofluorescence staining revealed that the increased p-SFKs-IR was almost restricted within the microglia. Intrathecal delivery of minocycline (100 μg in 10 μl volume), a selective inhibitor of microglia, started 30 min before rrIL-1β administration and once daily thereafter for 7 days, blocked mechanical allodynia induced by rrIL-1β completely and inhibited the upregulation of p-SFKs. Intrathecal delivery of SFKs inhibitor PP2 (12 μg in 10 μl volume) also blocked mechanical allodynia induced by rrIL-1β completely. These data suggest that activation of SFKs in spinal microglia mediates mechanical allodynia induced by peri-sciatic administration of rrIL-1β.

Aim. (1) To explore the prognostic factors of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (2) To calculate the recrudescence time (the time from discharge to acute exacerbation again) of postdischarge patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Background. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is an airflow limitation illness that is preventable and treatable. To find out the prognostic factors will make effective postdischarge care, which can help patients reduce readmission times and prolong recrudescent time. Design. Cohort study. Method. From November 2007–October 2008, 136 patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were analysed by gender, age, career, education level, body mass index, smoking, oxygen therapy, drug-taken compliance, respiratory function exercise, blood gas, lung function, six-minute walking test and degree of dyspnoea. Factors related to prognosis were analysed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression. Kaplan–Meier method was used for survival analysis and log-rank test for comparison of survival curve. Results. A total of 121 patients recrudesced up to October 2009. Recrudescence rate was 7·35% in a month, 25·00% in three months, 55·62% in six months and 88·23% in 12 months. Higher drug-taken compliance and respiratory function exercise were the factors influencing patients’ acute exacerbation (p

Activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) is critical for the development of neuropathic pain. Tetraodontoxin-sensitive Nav1.3 channel, expressed at a very low level in the adult nervous system, is up-regulated in DRG neurons after peripheral nerve injury or peri-sciatic administration of rat recombinant tumour necrosis factor-alpha (rrTNF-α). To test if activation of p38 MAPK and JNK is required for the re-expression of Nav1.3 channel in cultured adult rat DRG neurons, we administrated rrTNF to cultured adult rat DRG neurons to induce Nav1.3 re-expression, and pre-treated with p38 MAPK inhibitor (SB203580 at 2.65, 26.5 and 265 μM) or JNK inhibitor (SP600125 at 1, 10 and 100 μM) 2 h before rrTNF to observe changes of Nav1.3-immunoreactivity. Compared with the DMSO vehicle pre-treatment group, SB203580 at 2.65 μM partially blocked the re-expression of Nav1.3 (P

Here, we report two novel POM-based MOFs: a nano-caged hybrid compound [Ni2(BIMB)2(MoVI4MoV2O19)] (1), whose cages are based on [Mo6O19]4− units and a [Mo6O19]2−-templated framework [Zn4(BIMB)4(PO4)2(Mo6O19)]·2H2O (2) (BIMB = 1,4-bis(1-imidazolyl)benzene). According to topological analysis, the first is a 3D (4,6)-connected self-penetrating framework with polycatenanes motif. In contrast, the second metal–organic framework has no interpenetration for the templated [Mo6O19]2− occupying the cavity. The UV-vis absorption spectrum of 1 was investigated to prove the existence of MoV atoms and the typical peak at 577 nm can be attributed to MoV → MoVI charge transfer. Furthermore, the diffuse reflectivity spectrum shows that its band gap can be assessed as 3.06 eV, which can be regarded as a wide gap semiconductor. Additionally, cyclic voltammogram of compound 1 shows two redox peaks in the range of 0–800 mV in H2SO4 aqueous solution.

A large body of evidence has demonstrated that the ectopic discharges of action potentials in primary afferents, resulted from the abnormal expression of voltage gated sodium channels (VGSCs) in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons following peripheral nerve injury are important for the development of neuropathic pain. However, how nerve injury affects the expression of VGSCs is largely unknown. Here, we reported that selective injury of motor fibers by L5 ventral root transection (L5-VRT) up-regulated Nav1.3 and Nav1.8 at both mRNA and protein level and increased current densities of TTX-S and TTX-R channels in DRG neurons, suggesting that nerve injury may up-regulate functional VGSCs in sensory neurons indirectly. As the up-regulated Nav1.3 and Nav1.8 were highly co-localized with TNF-α, we tested the hypothesis that the increased TNF-α may lead to over-expression of the sodium channels. Indeed, we found that peri-sciatic administration of recombinant rat TNF-α (rrTNF) without any nerve injury, which produced lasting mechanical allodynia, also up-regulated Nav1.3 and Nav1.8 in DRG neurons in vivo and that rrTNF enhanced the expression of Nav1.3 and Nav1.8 in cultured adult rat DRG neurons in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, inhibition of TNF-α synthesis, which prevented neuropathic pain, strongly inhibited the up-regulation of Nav1.3 and Nav1.8. The up-regulation of the both channels following L5-VRT was significantly lower in TNF receptor 1 knockout mice than that in wild type mice. These data suggest that increased TNF-α may be responsible for up-regulation of Nav1.3 and Nav1.8 in uninjured DRG neurons following nerve injury.

Aims and objectives. (1) To explore the effect of continued nursing intervention on hypertensive patients based on chronotherapeutics. (2) To identify the factors affecting hypertensive patients’ compliance to the chronotherapeutics-oriented nursing interventions. Background. Chronotherapy provides a means of individual treatment for hypertension according to the circadian blood-pressure profile of each patient and constitutes a new option in optimising blood-pressure control and reducing risk from hypertension. Design. Experimental study. Methods. All participants enrolled were randomly divided into the intervention group and the control group and they all took antihypertensive medicine prescribed by their doctors under ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. According to individual ambulatory blood pressure monitoring measures, interventions were implemented. Results. (1) There were significant differences in blood pressure and compliance to chronotherapeutics between the two groups before and after the intervention. (2) Single variant and multiple factors analysis revealed different characteristics influencing chronotherapeutic compliance of hypertensive patients. Conclusions. Under ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, continued nursing intervention for hypertensive patients guided by chronotherapeutics could effectively improve blood-pressure control and chronotherapeutic compliance. Relevance to clinical practice. Health care providers who deal with Chinese hypertensive patients can improve patients’ therapeutic compliance and blood pressure control guided by chronotherapeutics. According to different influencing factors on patients’ chronotherapeutic compliance nurses should pay more attention to those whose compliance might be worse.

BACKGROUND/AIMS A large number of studies have shown that function constipation (FC) has an extremely high incidence of mental and psychological disorders. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) was applied to the treatment of psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. We explored the effects of CES combined with biofeedback therapy (BFT) on the psychological state, clinical symptoms, and anorectal function in patients with FC. METHODS A total of 74 patients with FC were randomly divided into 2 groups. The control group received BFT. CES combined with BFT was carried out in the experiment group. All patients were assessed using the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), and Wexner constipation score at baseline and the end of each course. Anorectal manometry and balloon expulsion tests were performed before and after treatment. RESULTS After treatment, the participants in the experiment group had significantly lower score SAS, SDS, and Wexner constipation scores than the control group (all P < 0.05). The number of successful expulsion in the experiment group was larger than the control group (P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS CES combined with BFT was effective in improving the psychological status of anxiety, depression, and bowel symptoms in patients with FC.

Background: The development of immunomodulatory agents has represented a major advance in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). To date, immunomodulatory agents approved for the treatment of relapsing MS in the United States include 3 forms of recombinant interferon (IFN) beta (2 formulations of IFN beta-1a and 1 of IFN beta-1b) and synthetic glatiramer acetate (GA). Recognition of how these agents work to regulate the immune system may lead to a better understanding of disease mechanisms, as well as to development of more effective therapies or combinations of therapy. Objective: This article reviews the potential mechanisms of action of IFN beta products and GA in the context of their regulatory effects on autoimmune components that may be of importance in MS. Methods: MEDLINE and Current Contents/Clinical Medicine were searched for articles published in English from 1993 to the present using the search terms interferon beta, glatiramer acetate , and multiple sclerosis . Results: IFN beta products affect the disease process in MS through multiple potential mechanisms of action, including antiviral, antiproliferative, and anti-inflammatory effects. The mechanisms of action of GA are less clear, but may involve immune regulation induced by a gradual shift of T-cell phenotype from proinflammatory (type 1 T-helper cells) to anti-inflammatory (type 2 T-helper cells) and interference with antigen presentation. Conclusion: Understanding the mechanisms of action of IFN beta products and GA provides important insights into the disease processes involved in MS.

Objective To explore nurses' understanding of continuity of care and existing problems in implementation of continuity of care for Chinese elders with chronic illnesses. Design and Sample Cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interview were performed on 15 nurses and older patients and 1,902 older patients between July 2010 and February 2011. Measures Semi-structured interview guideline and four-section scale were used. Results The interviews showed nurses lacked knowledge of continuity of care, and nurses from small towns or rural areas had less understanding of continuity of care and discharge planning than nurses from central cities. Significant differences were found among patients located in referred areas in selection of medical institutions for treatment, suggesting older adults were more likely to choose general hospitals for treatment. Self-reported surveys demonstrated more than 70% of hospitalized elders chose community hospitals for further recovery after discharge from general hospitals. Conclusions Chinese nurses lack knowledge of continuity of care, and significant discontinuity exists between health care provided by general hospitals, community hospitals and other institutions for elders. A further model for the development of continuity of care should be established that addresses older patients' demands and current barriers in China.

Motor nerve injury by L5 ventral root transection (L5-VRT) initiates interleukin-6 (IL-6) up-regulation in primary afferent system contributing to neuropathic pain. However, the early upstream regulatory mechanisms of IL-6 after L5-VRT are still unknown. Here, we monitored both the activity of calpain, a calcium-dependent protease suggested as one of the earliest mediators for cytokine regulation, and the expression of IL-6 in bilateral L4–L6 dorsal root ganglias (DRGs) soon after L5-VRT. We found that the protein level of calpain-2 in DRGs, but not calpain-1 was increased transiently in the first 10 min−1 h ipsilaterally and 20 min−1 h contralaterally after L5-VRT, long before mechanical allodynia was initiated (5–15 h ipsilaterally and 15 h−1 d contralaterally). The early activation of calpain evaluated by the generation of spectrin breakdown products (SBDP) correlated well with IL-6 up-regulation in bilateral DRGs. Double immunofluorescence staining revealed that almost all the calpain-2 positive neurons expressed IL-6, indicating an association between calpain-2 and IL-6. Inhibition of calpain by pre-treatment with MDL28170 (25 mg/kg, i.p.) attenuated the rat mechanical allodynia and prevented the early up-regulation of IL-6 following L5-VRT. Addition of exogenous calpain-2 onto the surface of left L5 DRG triggered a temporal allodynia and increased IL-6 in bilateral DRGs simultaneously. Taken together, the early increase of calpain-2 in L5-VRT rats might be responsible for the induction of allodynia via up-regulating IL-6 in DRG neurons.

Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is a common form of peripheral neuropathy, yet the mechanisms responsible for chronic pain in this disease are poorly understood. The up-regulation of the expression and function of voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7 has been implicated in DN, however, the exact mechanism is unclear. In the present study, we found that a proportion of streptozotocin (STZ)-treated rats suffered from mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia for a long-lasting time. Nav1.7 was up-regulated in spinal dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of rats with DN, double immunofluorescence staining showed that the increased Nav1.7 was co-localized with large and small sized neurons but not satellite glial cells. Inhibiting the synthesis of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) by thalidomide prevented DN, accompanied by strongly blocking the up-regulation of Nav1.7, TNF-α and p-nucleus factor-kappa B (p-NF-κB) in DRG. Intrathecal injection of NF-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) significantly attenuated the pain behaviors and over-expression of Nav1.7 in DRG neurons. These data suggest that increased TNF-α may be responsible for up-regulation of Nav1.7 in DRG neurons of rats with DN, and NF-κB signal pathway is involved in this process. The findings might provide potential target for preventing diabetic neuropathy.

Aims and objectives To explore the effect of continuous nursing intervention guided by chronotherapeutics so as to provide the easy, noninvasive, effective and acceptable intervention for older hypertensive patients in the community. Background Many researchers studied the effect of administration at different times on blood pressure control and circadian rhythm. However, the individual administrative time was set ambiguously in previous studies. Design A semi-experimental study. Methods In the study, 90 eligible patients were recruited and separated into three groups randomly, which were the control group, intervention group A (behaviour and chronotherapy intervention) and intervention group B (behaviour intervention). At 6 and 12 months after the study, the intervention groups were measured 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Results There were significant differences in ambulatory blood pressure monitoring parameters of the two intervention groups at different measurement times, and there were interaction between measurement time and different groups. The number of patients with dipper increased and reverse dipper decreased in group A as the intervention applied. There were statistical differences between two groups. The number of patients with morning surge in group A decreased more, and there were statistical differences between two groups at six months after the intervention. Conclusions The behaviour and chronotherapy intervention based on the patients' ambulatory blood pressure monitoring can control casual blood pressure much better and last longer, which can also improve patients' indexes of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring better than behaviour intervention only. The behaviour and chronotherapy intervention can increase patients' nocturnal blood pressure drop, increase the number of patients with dipper and decrease reverse dipper, and improve blood pressure surge in the morning. Relevance to clinical practice Nurses can use continuous nursing intervention guided by chronotherapeutics to help improve hypertension of older patients better in the community.

At present, effective drug for treatment of neuropathic pain is still lacking. Recent studies have shown that the ligands of translocator protein (TSPO, 18 kDa), a peripheral receptor for benzodiazepine, modulate inflammatory pain. Here, we report that TSPO was upregulated in astrocytes and microglia in the ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn of rats following L5 spinal nerve ligation (L5 SNL), lasting until the vanishing of the behavioral signs of neuropathic pain (∼50 d). Importantly, a single intrathecal injection of specific TSPO agonists Ro5-4864 or FGIN-1-27 at 7 and 21 d after L5 SNL depressed the established mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia dramatically, and the effect was abolished by pretreatment with AMG, a neurosteroid synthesis inhibitor. Mechanically, Ro5-4864 substantially inhibited spinal astrocytes but not microglia, and reduced the production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)in vivoandin vitro. The anti-neuroinflammatory effect was also prevented by AMG. Interestingly, TSPO expression returned to control levels or decreased substantially, when neuropathic pain healed naturally or was reversed by Ro5-4864, suggesting that the role of TSPO upregulation might be to promote recovery from the neurological disorder. Finally, the neuropathic pain and the upregulation of TSPO by L5 SNL were prevented by pharmacological blockage of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). These data suggested that TSPO might be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

In order to understand the optimization parameters including helicoper flight altitude, direction and speed etc., while the unmanned helicopter conducts supplementary pollination, in this paper, a Wireless Wind Speed Sensor Network measurement system (WWSSN) was used to measure the wind field of Unmanned Gasoline Engine Single-Rotor Helicopter (UGESRH) and Unmanned Electric Engine Single-Rotor Helicopter(UEESRH). The measured wind directions of the WWSSN include parallel to the direction of male parent ridge (X), perpendicular to the direction of male parent ridge (Y), and the vertical direction (H). The test results showed that the wind speed value of two types unmanned helicopter is Vx> Vy> Vh, and the wind in direction X is more useful to the supplementary pollination. The wind speed value and wind field width value of UGESRH are significantly greater than the value of UEESRH. The test results also showed that the wind speed is so small while unmanned helicopter flight at the against wind direction compare with its flight at the downwind direction that the wind speed reaching the rice canopy is small and it is difficult to form the wind field width of the rice seed pollination agronomic requirements to meet, and the wind field width is larger in the downwind direction. Comprehensive consideration of various factors, including the operating efficiency and the flight security, the downwind direction is suggested, the UGESRH operated more widely and effected better than UEESRH, while using UGESRH to conduct supplementary pollination.

With the rapid development of computer technology, network technology, semiconductor technology, sensor technology etc., the wireless sensor networks was born, has been concerned more and more worldwide and develops rapidly. However, the energy is the bottleneck for restriction of its development, and domestic and overseas research deeply. This paper summarizes solution of the existing wireless sensor network in terms of energy acquiring, protocol energy saving etc.

Our previous works have shown that pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays an important role in neuropathic pain produced by lumber 5 ventral root transection (L5-VRT). In the present work we evaluate the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6), another key inflammatory cytokine, in the L5-VRT model. We found that IL-6 was up-regulated in the ipsilateral L4 and L5 dorsal root ganglian (DRG) neurons and in bilateral lumbar spinal cord following L5-VRT. Double immunofluorescence stainings revealed that in DRGs the increased immunoreactivity (IR) of IL-6 was almost restricted in neuronal cells, while in the spinal dorsal horn IL-6-IR up-regulated in both glial cells (astrocyte and microglia) and neurons. Intrathecal administration of IL-6 neutralizing antibody significantly delayed the induction of mechanical allodynia in bilateral hindpaws after L5-VRT. Furthermore, inhibition of TNF-α synthesis by intraperitoneal thalidomide prevented both mechanical allodynia and the up-regulation of IL-6 in DRGs following L5-VRT. These data suggested that the increased IL-6 in afferent neurons and spinal cord contribute to the development of neuropathic pain following motor fiber injury, and that TNF-α is responsible for the up-regulation of IL-6.

It has been shown that following peripheral nerve injury brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) released by activated microglia contributes to neuropathic pain, but whether BDNF affects the function of microglia is still unknown. In the present work we found that spinal application of BDNF, which induced long-term potentiation (LTP) of C-fiber evoked field potentials, activated spinal microglia in naive animals, while pretreatment with microglia inhibitor minocycline blocked BDNF-induced LTP. In addition, following LTP induction by BDNF, both phosphorylated Src-family kinases (p-SFKs) and phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38 MAPK) were up-regulated only in spinal microglia but not in neurons and astrocytes, whilst spinal application of SFKs inhibitor (PP2 or SU6656) or p38 MAPK inhibitor (SB203580) blocked BDNF-induced LTP and suppressed microglial activation. As spinal LTP at C-fiber synapses is considered to underlie neuropathic pain, we subsequently examined whether BDNF may contribute to mechanical hypersensitivity by activation of spinal microglia using spared nerve injury (SNI) model. Following SNI BDNF and TrkB receptor were up-regulated mainly in dorsal horn neurons and in activated microglia, and p-SFKs and p-p38 MAPK were increased exclusively in microglia. Intrathecal injection of BDNF scavenger TrkB-Fc starting before SNI, which prevented the behavioral sign of neuropathic pain, suppressed both microglial activation and the up-regulation of p-SFKs and p-p38 MAPK produced by SNI. Thus, the increased BDNF/TrkB signaling in spinal dorsal horn may contribute to neuropathic pain by activation of microglia following peripheral nerve injury and inhibition of SFKs or p38 MAPK may selectively inhibit microglia in spinal dorsal horn.

To improve stored legumes protection, and to implement timely targeted insect pest control measures, it is essential to have better tools for accurate early detection and quantification of damage caused by the cowpea weevils. The hyperspectral spectrometry and a backpropagation neural network (BPNN) model were used to detect the cowpea weevils (Callosobruchus maculatus (F.)) in soybean. Spectrum of each sample was measured using a ASD FieldSpec® 3 Spectroradiometer fitted with a High Intensity Contact Probe. Spectra data were processed by ANOVA (Analysis of variance) and BPNN using MATLAB. After the optimum eigenvalues were determined based on the spectral curves, they are used as input vectors to create the BPNN model. Results showed that: The sensitive bands 780–900nm, 920–1000nm, and 1205–1560nm, have the potential to detect the infestation caused by cowpea weevils in soybeans; The eigenvalues, such as the crest or trough positions of the spectral curves, and the slope degree of the edges of the first derivative spectrum, were found to be useful and optimum eigenvalues for differentiating the infested soybean samples caused by cowpea weevils from non-infested soybean samples; The correct classification of the obtained BPNN model arrived 87.5% for the testing samples set and 93.5% for the total samples set. It can be concluded that cowpea weevils in soybean could be detected using hyperspectral spectrometry and a BPNN model.