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BackgroundIndividuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia have impaired physical and cognitive functions, leading to a reduced quality of life compared with those without such impairment. Exergaming, which is defined as a combination of exercise and gaming, is an innovative, fun, and relatively safe way to exercise in a virtual reality or gaming environment. Therefore, exergaming may help people living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia to overcome obstacles that they may experience regarding regular exercise and activities. ObjectiveThe aim of this systematic review was to review studies on exergaming interventions administered to elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia, and to summarize the results related to physical and cognitive functions such as balance, gait, executive function, and episodic memory. MethodsWe searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Amed, and Nursing Database for articles published from the inception of the respective databases to January 2019. We included all clinical trials of exergaming interventions in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia for review. The risk of bias was independently evaluated by two reviewers using the Cochrane Collaboration and Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions tools. ResultsTen studies involving 702 participants were included for review. There was consistent evidence from 7 studies with a low risk of bias showing statistically significant effects of exergaming on cognitive functioning in people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. With respect to physical function, 3 of 5 full-scale studies found positive results, and the intensity of most games was classified as moderate. ConclusionsOverall, exergaming is an innovative tool for improving physical and cognitive function in people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia, although there is high heterogeneity among studies in terms of the duration, frequency, and gaming platform used. The quality of the included articles was moderate to high. More high-quality studies with more accurate outcome indicators are needed for further exploration and validation of the benefits of exergaming for this population.

Cognitive dysfunction refers to the functional impairment in one or more cognitive domains, mostly occurs in older adults. Cognitive dysfunction can commonly be divided into subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, depending on the degree of cognitive impairment. People with SCD or MCI have a higher risk of dementia, which seriously affects their quality of life, and imposes a huge burden on families and society. Numerous studies have demonstrated that physical activity is one effective non-pharmacological intervention for cognitive dysfunction, but there are no uniform standards for physical activity programs for cognitive dysfunction worldwide, and China still has no physical activity guidelines based on the values and preferences of older adults with cognitive dysfunction, partially impeding the dissemination and application of relevant evidence. In view of this, we developed a guideline containing eight recommendations that is applicable in China, namely the Clinical Practice Guideline on Non-pharmacological Interventions for Older Adults with Cognitive Dysfunction: Physical Activity, by the use of existing evidence, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) framework combined with values and preferences of Chinese older adults with cognitive dysfunction. This guideline will contribute to the reduction of the incidence of cognitive dysfunction, and preventing or slowing the progression of cognitive dysfunction to dementia.

BACKGROUND Apatite is a common U-bearing accessory mineral with a U-Pb closure temperature of ~500℃, making U-Pb dating of apatite a potentially valuable thermochronometer. However, its low U concentration, high common lead concentration and lack of reference material has limited widespread application to LA-ICP-MS dating. OBJECTIVES To develop a technique for U-Pb dating of apatite using laser ablation sector field inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-HR-ICP-MS). METHODS The U-Pb isotope ratio in apatite samples was determined by LA-HR-ICP-MS, with apatite MAD2 as the external standard to correct U-Pb and Pb-Pb elemental fractionation directly without a common Pb correction. RESULTS Long-term U-Pb analysis of Madagascar apatite sample (MAD2) showed homogeneous distribution of U, Pb and U-Pb isotope ratios, with average contents of U and Pb ~23.8×10-6 and ~13.5×10-6, respectively and weighted average 207Pb/206Pb and 206Pb/238U ratios of 0.0941±0.0006 and 0.0794±0.0004, respectively. Taking MAD2 apatite as a reference mineral, combined with 207Pb-correction method, the ages of apatite samples, McClure Mountain (521±5Ma), Tory-Hill-apt (1021±16Ma), a Durango (30.7±1.5Ma) and Fagnshan diorite apatite (~131Ma) can be determined accurately. CONCLUSIONS The Madagascar apatite sample (MAD2) can be used to calibrate apatite U-Pb isotope ratio measured by LA-ICP-MS directly, without common-Pb correction, similar to the calibration strategy in zircon U-Pb dating. The method greatly reduces the difficulty of data processing during apatite U-Pb dating by LA-ICP-MS, which is conducive to the wide application of the method.

This paper presents a robust point cloud registration method based on a multi-scale covariance matrix descriptor and an accurate transformation estimation. Compared with state-of-the-art feature descriptors, such as FPH, 3DSC, spin image, etc., our proposed multi-scale covariance matrix descriptor is superior for dealing with registration problems in a higher noise environment since the mean operation in generating the covariance matrix can filter out most of the noise-damaged samples or outliers and also make itself robust to noise. Compared with transformation estimation, such as feature matching, clustering, ICP, RANSAC, etc., our transformation estimation is able to find a better optimal transformation between a pair of point clouds since our transformation estimation is a multi-level point cloud transformation estimator including feature matching, coarse transformation estimation based on clustering, and a fine transformation estimation based on ICP. Experiment findings reveal that our proposed feature descriptor and transformation estimation outperforms state-of-the-art feature descriptors and transformation estimation, and registration effectiveness based on our registration framework of point cloud is extremely successful in the Stanford 3D Scanning Repository, the SpaceTime dataset, and the Kinect dataset, where the Stanford 3D Scanning Repository is known for its comprehensive collection of high-quality 3D scans, and the SpaceTime dataset and the Kinect dataset are captured by a SpaceTime Stereo scanner and a low-cost Microsoft Kinect scanner, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of three CGSP‐P phosphate matrix reference materials, with variable element mass fractions, were synthesised by co‐precipitation with CaCl2 and (NH4)3PO4 to form a hydroxylapatite matrix. Each powder sample was packaged into multiple bottles and pressed into tablets as replicates. The within‐bottle homogeneity was evaluated by the repeatability of element mass fractions of six spots in per tablet of CGSP‐Ps by LA‐ICP‐MS. For the between‐bottle homogeneity evaluation, one approach adopted the % RSD of element mass fractions in twelve different tablets from twelve bottles in the same reference material in comparison with the repeatability field of LA‐ICP‐MS analyses obtained from homogeneous glasses, and the other used a one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) approach. Most of the elements (e.g., Mg, Ca, P, Mn and REE) were homogenous within 10% RSD, and other elements (e.g., Si, Al, K, Rb, Cs and Ni) were considered heterogeneous (with > 20% RSD). All of the elements passed the t‐test except Ni in CGSP‐P3, and V, Cr, Ni, Zr, Gd, Dy and Th in CGSP‐P4 after a 29‐month period stability examination by LA‐ICP‐MS. The preliminary reference values and standard uncertainties for CGSP‐Ps are given with a network of methods and eight laboratories by bulk analysis according to ISO Guide 35:2006 and JJF 1343‐2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the country that emits the most carbon in the world, China needs significant and urgent changes in carbon emission control in the transportation sector in order to achieve the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Therefore, the promotion of new energy vehicles has become the key factor to achieve these two objectives. For the reason that the comprehensive transportation cost directly affects the end customer's choice of heavy truck models, this work compares the advantages, disadvantages, and economic feasibility of diesel, liquefied natural gas (LNG), electric, hydrogen, and methanol heavy trucks from a total life cycle cost and end-user perspective under various scenarios. The study results show that when the prices of diesel, LNG, electricity, and methanol fuels are at their highest, and the price of hydrogen is 35 CNY/kg, the total life cycle cost of the five types of heavy trucks from highest to lowest are hydrogen heavy trucks (HHT), methanol heavy trucks (MHT), diesel heavy trucks (DHT), electric heavy trucks (EHT), and LNG heavy trucks (LNGHT), ignoring the adverse effects of cold environments on car batteries. When the prices of diesel, LNG, electricity, and methanol fuels are at average or lowest levels, and the price of hydrogen is 30 CNY/kg or 25 CNY/kg, the life cycle cost of the five heavy trucks from highest to lowest are HHT, DHT, MHT, EHT, and LNGHT. When considering the impact of cold environments, even with lower electricity prices, EHT struggle to be economical when LNG prices are low. If the electricity price is above 1 CNY/kWh, regardless of the impact of cold environments, the economic viability of EHT is lower than that of HHT with a purchase cost of 500,000 CNY and a hydrogen price of 25 CNY/kg. Simultaneously, an exhaustive competitiveness analysis of heavy trucks powered by diverse energy sources highlights the specific categories of heavy trucks that ought to be prioritized for development during various periods and the challenges they confront. Finally, based on the analysis results and future development trends, the corresponding policy recommendations are proposed to facilitate high decarbonization in the transportation sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are vital nutrients in human physiology and are implicated in various chronic diseases. However, the relationship between PUFAs and gastric polyps remains unclear. This study employed liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to assess PUFA levels in the serum of 350 patients, along with analyzing the ω-6 to ω-3 ratio. The results revealed significant differences in the levels of C16:1, C18:1, C18:2, α-C18:3, γ-C18:3, C20:1, C20:4, C20:5, ω-3-C22:5, ω-6-C22:5, and C22:6, as well as ω-6 to ω-3 ratio between the control and gasteic polyp groups. Moreover, setting the threshold for ω-6: ω-3 at 10 revealed a close correlation between polyp occurrence and this ratio. These findings suggest that PUFAs and the ω-6 to ω-3 ratio hold promise as potential early screening markers for gastric polyps. However, further research is imperative to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and therapeutic potential of PUFAs in managing gastric polyps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]