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In this study, the combination of crossover algorithm and particle swarm optimization—crossover algorithm-particle swarm optimization (CS-PSO) algorithm—to optimize photovoltaic hybrid energy storage scheduling, improving global search and convergence speed, is discussed. The new method reduces energy storage costs and energy losses, ensures supply–demand balance and interaction power constraints, and maintains population diversity through cross-search. The CS-PSO algorithm introduces battery state of charge optimization for energy storage scheduling, improving global search and convergence speed, and obtaining accurate multi-objective scheduling results. The experiment shows that the optimal configuration for photovoltaic energy storage is 10 045 batteries + 687 244 supercapacitors, with a cost of 3.452 × 105 yuan and an energy loss of less than 5%. CS-PSO has similar costs but lower losses and faster convergence compared to traditional methods.

Abstract The intestinal lumen acts as a critical interface connecting the external environment with the body’s internal state. It’s essential to prevent the passage of harmful antigens and bacteria while facilitating nutrient and water absorption. The intestinal barriers encompass microbial, mechanical, immunological, and chemical elements, working together to maintain intestinal balance. Numerous studies have associated m6A modification with intestinal homeostasis. This review comprehensively outlines potential mechanisms through which m6A modification could initiate, exacerbate, or sustain barrier damage from an intestinal perspective. The pivotal role of m6A modification in preserving intestinal equilibrium provides new insights, guiding the exploration of m6A modification as a target for optimizing preventive and therapeutic strategies for intestinal homeostasis.

This study assessed the effect of filter parameters on gait characteristics and the performance of machine-learning models. Overground walking trials (n = 99) with and without perturbations (slips, trips) were collected for 33 healthy older adults. Kinematics were collected by a motion capture system. Different Butterworth low-pass parameters were applied to the raw data, including three orders (2–6) and nine cutoffs (4–20 Hz). Spatiotemporal gait outcomes were then calculated to develop classification models to automatically identify the trial type (gait, gait–slip, or gait–trip) using Logistic Regression, Support Vector Classification, and Random Forest Classification. A 3 × 9 ANOVA showed main effects of order and cutoff (p < 0.01 for all) on gait characteristics during both perturbed and regular walking trials. However, the gait characteristics were different between them. The filter parameters significantly affected the performance of classification models using different classifiers, with significant main effects of the filter order (p < 0.05) and cutoff (p < 0.01) on AUC and overall accuracy for all of the models. Our results suggest that the standard Butterworth filter (fourth-order, cutoff: 6 Hz) is suitable for the development of classification models with low–medium complexity, while for models with high complexity (i.e., ensemble models), a filter with a higher order and cutoff (sixth-order, cutoff 10–12 Hz) might yield better performance.

One emerging method in home stroke rehabilitation is digital technology. However, existing approaches typically target one domain (e.g., upper limb). Moreover, existing interventions do not cater to older adults with stroke (OAwS), especially those with high motor impairment, who require adjunct therapeutic agents to independently perform challenging exercises. We examined the feasibility of Smartphone-based Exercise Training after Stroke (SETS) with Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). A total of 12 participants (67 ± 5 years) with stroke (onset > 6 months) exhibiting moderate-to-high motor impairment (Chedoke McMaster Leg ≤ 4/7) underwent 6 weeks of multicomponent (gait, functional strength, dynamic balance) training integrated with FES to paretic lower limb muscles. Primary measures included safety and adherence. Secondary measures included motivation, acceptability and attitude, usability, and clinical measures of gait and balance function like the 10-Meter Walk Test and Mini-BESTest. Participants reported no adverse events and moderate-to-high adherence (84.17 ± 11.24%) and improvement (up to 40%) in motivation, acceptability, and attitude and system usability. Participants also showed pre-post improvements in all measures of gait and balance function (p < 0.05). Integrating SETS and FES is feasible and yields short-term gains in gait and balance function among OAwS. Future studies could validate our findings by examining its efficacy with control groups to identify the differential effects of SETS and FES.

Treadmill-based repeated perturbation training (PBT) induces motor adaptation in reactive balance responses, thus lowering the risk of slip-induced falls. However, little evidence exists regarding intervention-induced changes in neuromuscular control underlying motor adaptation. Examining neuromuscular changes could be an important step in identifying key elements of adaptation and evaluating treadmill training protocols for fall prevention. Moreover, identifying the muscle synergies contributing to motor adaptation in young adults could lay the groundwork for comparison with high fall-risk populations. Thus, we aimed to investigate neuromuscular changes in reactive balance responses during stance slip-PBT. Lower limb electromyography (EMG) signals (4/leg) were recorded during ten repeated forward stance (slip-like) perturbations in twenty-six young adults. Muscle synergies were compared between early-training (slips 1-2) and late-training (slips 9-10) stages. Results showed that 5 different modes of synergies (named on dominant muscles: WTA, W $_{\text {S}\_{\text {VL}\text {AT}}}$ , W $_{\text {R}\_{\text {GA}\text {S}}}$ , W $_{\text {R}\_{\text {VL}\text {AT}}}$ , and W $_{\text {S}\_{\text {GA}\text {S}}}\text {)}$ were recruited in both stages. 3 out of 5 synergies (WTA, W $_{\text {R}\_{\text {VL}\text {AT}}}$ , and W $_{\text {S}\_{\text {GA}\text {S}}}\text {)}$ showed a high similarity (r >0.97) in structure and activation between stages, whereas W $_{\text {R}\_{\text {GA}\text {S}}}$ and W $_{\text {S}\_{\text {VL}\text {AT}}}$ showed a lower similarity (r $_{\text {R}\_{\text {VL}\text {AT}}}$ and the activation onset in W $_{\text {R}\_{\text {GA}\text {S}}}$ showed a reduction from early- to late-training stage (p

Filters are essential components for maintaining the stability of drip irrigation systems, effectively reducing the risk of clogging. However, when applied to slurry drip irrigation systems, the complexity of slurry water quality makes it unclear how different filter types and their combinations affect the hydraulic performance of the system. This study provides a comprehensive performance evaluation of two common filter types and their combinations, considering various flow rates and biogas slurry-to-water ratios under drip irrigation conditions. The results revealed the following key findings: (1) In the application of biogas slurry drip irrigation, an increase in the concentration or flow rate of the slurry significantly affects the hydraulic performance of the filter, increasing the risk of clogging and shortening the operational lifespan. Notably, the impact of changes in slurry concentration on the hydraulic performance of the filter is much greater than that of the flow rate. Compared to mesh filters, disk filters offer better hydraulic performance, with the contaminant capacity of disk filters being approximately three times that of mesh filters. (2) In biogas slurry drip irrigation, the filter combination generally outperforms single filters in terms of hydraulic performance and contaminant removal capacity. Due to the unique nature of the water source in biogas slurry, a selection process for filter combinations was conducted. It was found that when a disk filter is used as the pre-filter and a mesh filter as the post-filter, the overall rate of head loss change is the smallest, and the clogging uniformity is the least. (3) In the entropy weight-TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation, the filter’s operating time and contaminant capacity are key factors affecting its overall performance. From the perspective of improving the operational stability of the biogas slurry drip irrigation system, it is recommended to use a disk filter + mesh filter combination. This study conducts practical measurements on the hydraulic performance, contaminant removal capacity, filtration accuracy, and other indicators of commonly used mesh and disk filters, aiming to provide useful references for the practical application of biogas slurry drip irrigation filters.

Summary: Among various electrocatalysts, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have gained significant attention for their unique properties and excellent catalytic activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the precise synthesis of HEA catalysts in small sizes remains challenging, which limits further improvement in their catalytic performance. In this study, boron- and nitrogen-doped HEA porous carbon nanofibers (HE-BN/PCNF) with an in situ–grown dendritic structure were successfully prepared, inspired by the germination and growth of tree branches. Furthermore, the dendritic fibers constrained the growth of HEA particles, leading to the synthesis of quantum dot-sized (1.67 nm) HEA particles, which also provide a pathway for designing HEA quantum dots in the future. This work provides design ideas and guiding suggestions for the preparation of borated HEA fibers with different elemental combinations and for the application of dendritic nanofibers in various fields.

Since the dead-zone fault in substations often has a relatively long removal time, it may damage the insulation of power equipment and even threaten the stability of the power system. In this paper, the movement of the dead-zone fault electric arc in a 220-kV substation is investigated. The arc chain model for the dead-zone fault electric arc is developed; the influences of electromagnetic force, thermal buoyancy, and the air resistance stressed on the electric arc are comprehensively considered. The electric arc velocity and displacement are computed. Then, the spreading characteristics of the dead-zone electric arc under various conditions are studied. The spreading trend of the dead-zone fault electric arc is summarized. Finally, measures to inhibit the spreading of the electric arc are suggested. The study indicates that the movement of the electric arc in the dead zone during the early stage is primarily influenced by the electromagnetic force resulting from the overpass and conductor, and the arc is concave and has an irregular trajectory. The inclination angle of the conductor significantly affects the direction of the electromagnetic force. If the conductor is laid horizontally, the electric arc is subjected to a smaller force. The electromagnetic force stressed on the electric arc is mainly attributed to the fault phase conductor and the electric arc body itself, whereas those from the other phase conductors are minor. The initial position of the arc root has a certain impact on the movement of the electric arc. The use of the insulating materials restricts the arc root movement.

We examined the effect of aging and cortical stroke on the rate of motor adaptation (adaptation rate) and amount of performance gains (adaptation plateau) in balance skills. Fourteen older (≥60 years) and fifteen younger (p < 0.05). There were no differences in the adaptation rate for proactive and reactive variables and plateau for proactive variables (p > 0.05). However, both stroke groups demonstrated a smaller adaptation plateau for the majority of reactive variables compared to healthy older adults (p < 0.05). The rate of adaptation to gait-slips does not slow with aging and cortical stroke; however, cortical stroke, age notwithstanding, may reduce performance gains in reactive balance skills, possibly hindering retention and transfer to real-life scenarios. People with stroke may need adjunctive therapies/supplemental agents to apply laboratory-acquired balance skills to daily life.

Abstract Individuals can rapidly develop adaptive skills for fall prevention after their exposure to the repeated-slip paradigm. However, the changes in neuromuscular control contributing to such motor adaptation remain unclear. This study investigated changes in neuromuscular control across different stages of slip-adaptation by examining muscle synergies during slip training. Electromyography signals during 24 repeated slip trials in gait were collected for 30 healthy older adults. Muscle synergies in no-adaptation (novel slip), early-adaptation (slip 6 to 8), and late-adaptation trials (slip 22 to 24) were extracted. The similarity between the recruited muscle synergies in these different phases was subsequently analyzed. Results showed that participants made significant improvements in their balance outcomes from novel slips to adapted slips. Correspondingly, there was a significant increase in the muscle synergy numbers from no-adaptation slips to the adapted slips. The participants retained the majority of muscle synergies (5 out of 7) used in novel slips post adaptation. A few new patterns (n = 8) of muscle synergies presented in the early-adaptation stage to compensate for motor errors due to external perturbation. In the late-adaptation stage, only 2 out of these 8 new synergies were retained. Our findings indicated that the central nervous system could generate new muscle synergies through fractionating or modifying the pre-existing synergies in the early-adaptation phase, and these synergies produce motor strategies that could effectively assist in recovery from the slip perturbation. During the late-adaptation phase, the redundant synergies generated in the early-adaptation phase get eliminated as the adaptation process progresses with repeated exposure to the slips, which further consolidates the slip adaptation. Our findings improved the understanding of the key muscle synergies involved in preventing backward balance loss and how neuromuscular responses adapt through repeated slip training, which might be helpful to design synergy-based interventions for fall prevention.

BackgroundPerturbation-based training has shown to be effective in reducing fall-risk in people with chronic stroke (PwCS). However, most evidence comes from treadmill-based stance studies, with a lack of research focusing on training overground perturbed walking and exploring the relative contributions of the paretic and non-paretic limbs. This study thus examined whether PwCS could acquire motor adaptation and demonstrate immediate retention of fall-resisting skills following bilateral overground gait-slip perturbation training.Methods65 PwCS were randomly assigned to either (i) a training group, that received blocks of eight non-paretic (NP-S1 to NP-S8) and paretic (P-S1 to P-S8) overground slips during walking followed by a mixed block (seven non-paretic and paretic slips each interspersed with unperturbed walking trials) (NP-S9/P-S9 to NP-S15/P-S15) or (ii) a control group, that received a single non-paretic and paretic slip in random order. The assessor and training personnel were not blinded. Immediate retention was tested for the training group after a 30-minute rest break. Primary outcomes included laboratory-induced slip outcomes (falls and balance loss) and center of mass (CoM) state stability. Secondary outcomes to understand kinematic contributors to stability included recovery strategies, limb kinematics, slipping kinematics, and recovery stride length.ResultsPwCS within the training group showed reduced falls (p 0.01). On comparing the first and last training trial (S1 vs. S15), post-slip stability improved on both non-paretic and paretic slips, however, pre-slip stability improved only on the non-paretic slip (p

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most pervasive RNA modification in eukaryotic cells. The dynamic and reversible m6A modification of RNA plays a critical role in the occurrence and progression of tumors by regulating RNA metabolism, including translocation, mRNA stability or decay, pre-mRNA splicing, and lncRNA processing. Numerous studies have shown that m6A modification is involved in the development of various cancers. This review aims to summarize the significant role of m6A modification in the proliferation and tumorigenesis of CRC, as well as the potential of modulating m6A modification for tumor treatment. These findings may offer new therapeutic strategies for clinical implementation of m6A modification in CRC in the near future.

Abstract Reactive stepping responses are essential to prevent falls after a loss of balance. It has previously been well described that both voluntary and reactive step training could improve the efficacy of reactive stepping in different populations. However, the effect of aging on neuromuscular control during voluntary and reactive stepping remains unclear. Electromyography (EMG) signals during both backward voluntary stepping in response to an auditory cue and backward reactive stepping elicited by a forward slip-like treadmill perturbation during stance were recorded in ten healthy young adults and ten healthy older adults. Using muscle synergy analysis, we extracted the muscle synergies for both voluntary and reactive stepping. Our results showed that fewer muscle synergies were used during reactive stepping than during voluntary stepping in both young and older adults. Minor differences in the synergy structure were observed for both voluntary and reactive stepping between age groups. Our results indicate that there is a low similarity of muscle synergies between voluntary stepping and reactive stepping and that aging had a limited effect on the structure of muscle synergies. This study enhances our understanding of the neuromuscular basis of both voluntary and reactive stepping as well as the potential effect of aging on neuromuscular control during balance tasks.

The prediction of photovoltaic power generation is helpful to the overall allocation of power planning departments and improves the utilization rate of photovoltaic power generation. Therefore, this study puts forward an ultra-short-term power forecasting model of a photovoltaic power station based on modal decomposition and deep learning. The methodology involved taking the data of a 50 MW photovoltaic power generation system in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as a sample. Furthermore, the weather conditions were classified, and the historical power data were decomposed into multiple VMF subcomponents and residual terms by the VMD method. Then, the residual term was decomposed twice by the CEEMDAN method. All subcomponents were sent to the LSTM network for prediction, and the predicted value of the photovoltaic power station was obtained by superimposing the subcomponent prediction results. ARIMA, SVM, LSTM, and VMD-LSTM models were built to compare the accuracy with the proposed models. The results revealed that the prediction accuracy of a non-combination forecasting model was limited when the weather suddenly changed. The VMD method was used to decompose the residual term twice, which could fully extract the complex data information in the residual term, and when compared with the VMD-LSTM model, the eRMSE, eMAPE, and eTIC of the VMD-CEEMDAN-LSTM model were reduced by 0.104, 16.596, and 0.038, respectively. The second decomposition technology has obvious prediction advantages. The proposed quadratic modal decomposition model effectively improves the precision of ultra-short-term prediction of photovoltaic power plants.

Trip perturbations are proposed to be a leading cause of falls in older adults. To prevent trip-falls, trip-related fall risk should be assessed and subsequent task-specific interventions improving recovery skills from forward balance loss should be provided to the individuals at risk of trip-fall. Therefore, this study aimed to develop trip-related fall risk prediction models from one’s regular gait pattern using machine-learning approaches. A total of 298 older adults (≥60 years) who experienced a novel obstacle-induced trip perturbation in the laboratory were included in this study. Their trip outcomes were classified into three classes: no-falls (n = 192), falls with lowering strategy (L-fall, n = 84), and falls with elevating strategy (E-fall, n = 22). A total of 40 gait characteristics, which could potentially affect trip outcomes, were calculated in the regular walking trial before the trip trial. The top 50% of features (n = 20) were selected to train the prediction models using a relief-based feature selection algorithm, and an ensemble classification model was selected and trained with different numbers of features (1–20). A ten-times five-fold stratified method was utilized for cross-validation. Our results suggested that the trained models with different feature numbers showed an overall accuracy between 67% and 89% at the default cutoff and between 70% and 94% at the optimal cutoff. The prediction accuracy roughly increased along with the number of features. Among all the models, the one with 17 features could be considered the best model with the highest AUC of 0.96, and the model with 8 features could be considered the optimal model, which had a comparable AUC of 0.93 and fewer features. This study revealed that gait characteristics in regular walking could accurately predict the trip-related fall risk for healthy older adults, and the developed models could be a helpful assessment tool to identify the individuals at risk of trip-falls.

The number of high-voltage parallel cables is rapidly increasing. The alternating magnetic field generated by the working current of power cable cores induces voltage in the adjacent metal sheath; if the sheath and earth form a circuit, the metal sheath will create a circulating current, resulting in a reduction in the load capacity of power cable and the life of cable insulation. This paper uses MATLAB to construct a model for calculating the circulating current of cables connected in parallel in the same phase, and the effects of cable arrangement, phase sequence, and loop distance of cables connected in parallel on the sheath circulating current are investigated. The induced voltage in power cable sheaths is decomposed into two components, i.e., the component resulting from the core current and the component resulting from the metal sheath. Two new sheath connection methods are proposed to suppress the sheath circulating current. Compared with traditional cross-connection grounding, the proposed methods can reduce the coupling degree between loops, thus decreasing the induced voltage and circulating current. The different grounding methods of the sheath are modeled in the environment of an electromagnetic transient program (EMTP), and the sheath circulating current is simulated and compared with the conventional cross-connection grounding method. In the asymmetric arrangement, the proposed series connection method can reduce the sheath circulating current by at least 50%; however, its increases the sheath circulating current in the symmetric arrangement.

For human society, all activities require energy support. Solar cells are a means of converting solar energy into electrical energy using the photovoltaic effect of semiconductor materials. This photoelectric absorber layer has been developed for more than 70 years. Currently, the layered solar panel industry has achieved an energy conversion efficiency of 47%. In addition to efficiency, the cost of solar cells has been optimized, and the cost of commercial silicon solar cells has been greatly reduced. There is an urgent need for energy transfer research through the solar cell interface. Many researchers are studying and discovering new elements in this field. On this basis, the transmission ion interface of ultra-thin in-amplified quantum solar cell panels was studied, and very effective conclusions were drawn on the basis of experimental preparation and analysis.

This study examined the effects of perturbation training on the contextual interference and generalization of encountering a novel opposing perturbation. One hundred and sixty-nine community-dwelling healthy older adults (69.6 ± 6.4 years) were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: slip-perturbation training (St, n = 67) group received 24 slips, trip-perturbation training (Tt, n = 67) group received 24 trips, and control (Ctrl: n = 31) group received only non-perturbed walking trials (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03199729; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03199729). After training, all groups had 30 min of rest and three post-training non-perturbed walking trials, followed by a reslip and a novel trip trial for St, a retrip and a novel slip trial for Tt, and randomized novel slip and trip trials for Ctrl. The margin of stability (MOS), step length, and toe clearance of post-training walking trials were compared among three groups to examine interferences in proactive adjustment. Falls, MOS at the instant of recovery foot touchdown, and hip height of post-training perturbation trials were investigated to detect interferences and generalization in reactive responses. Results indicated that prior adaptation to slip perturbation training, resulting in walking with a greater MOS (more anterior) and a shorter step length (p < 0.01) than that of the Ctrl group, would be associated with a greater likelihood to forward balance loss if encountered with a trip. The trip adaptation training mainly induced a higher toe clearance during walking (p < 0.01) than the Ctrl group, which could lead to reduced effectiveness of the reactive response when encountered with a novel slip. However, there was no difference in the reactive MOS, limb support, and falls between the control group and the slip and trip training groups on their respective opposing novel perturbation post-training (MOS, limb support, and falls for novel slip: Tt = Ctrl; for the novel trip: St = Ctrl, both p > 0.05). Current findings suggested that, although perturbation training results in proactive adjustments that could worsen the reactive response (interference) when exposed to an unexpected opposing perturbation, older adults demonstrated the ability to immediately generalize the training-induced adaptive reactive control to maintain MOS, to preserve limb support control, and to reduce fall risk.

During balance recovery from slip perturbations, forward flexion (elevation) of the arms serves to counterbalance the posteriorly displaced center of mass (CoM). We aimed to investigate whether aging affects modulation of arm responses to various intensities of unpredictable slip perturbations and whether arm responses are related to compensatory stepping stability. Ten healthy young adults and ten healthy older adults participated. Participants were asked to react naturally to three randomly administered levels of slip-like surface perturbations (intensity 1 (7.75 m/s2), intensity 2 (12.00 m/s2) and intensity 3 (16.75 m/s2), which occurred by means of forward acceleration of the treadmill belt while standing. Kinematic data were collected using a motion capture system. Outcomes included arm elevation displacement, velocity, and margin of stability (MoS) of compensatory stepping. The results reveal no modulation of arm elevation velocity in older adults from perturbation intensity 1 to 2, whereas younger adults demonstrated progressive increases from intensity 1 to 2 to 3. At intensity 3, older adults demonstrated reduced maximal arm elevation velocity compared to younger adults (p = 0.02). The results in both groups combined reveal a positive correlation between maximal arm elevation velocity and first compensatory step MoS at intensity 3 (p = 0.01). Together, these findings indicate age-related decreases in arm response modulation and the association of arm elevation response with protective stepping stability, suggesting that fall prevention interventions may benefit from an emphasis on arm elevation velocity control in response to greater perturbation intensities.

Several InN film samples with superb properties were prepared on a self-supporting diamond substrate for different nitrogen flow rates using an electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (ECR-PEMOCVD) system. After the InN film samples were obtained, the samples were characterized via reflected high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), and electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) to study the effect of the nitrogen flow on the quality of the InN films. The experimental results show that the variation in the nitrogen flow has a great impact on the preferential growth of the (0002) crystal plane of the InN thin film. By increasing the nitrogen flow moderately, the crystal quality of the film is improved. Under the growth condition of appropriate nitrogen flow, InN thin films with a preferred orientation along the c-axis can be obtained, and the surface of the resulting InN thin films is relatively flat. However, a high nitrogen flow does not improve the film crystal quality. The results of the experiment and of the analysis show that the InN films prepared with a nitrogen flow rate of 80 sccm have an excellent preferential orientation. The result of the EPMA test shows that the percentages of the In and N atoms in the prepared film samples are close to a ratio of 1:1, and a small amount of metal In droplets is present. In addition, the InN thin films prepared in such condition have an excellent surface morphology and composition.

Slip-induced falls are a growing health concern for older adults, and near-fall events are associated with an increased risk of falling. To detect older adults at a high risk of slip-related falls, this study aimed to develop models for near-fall event detection based on accelerometry data collected by body-fixed sensors. Thirty-four healthy older adults who experienced 24 laboratory-induced slips were included. The slip outcomes were first identified as loss of balance (LOB) and no LOB (NLOB), and then the kinematic measures were compared between these two outcomes. Next, all the slip trials were split into a training set (90%) and a test set (10%) at sample level. The training set was used to train both machine learning models (n = 2) and deep learning models (n = 2), and the test set was used to evaluate the performance of each model. Our results indicated that the deep learning models showed higher accuracy for both LOB (>64%) and NLOB (>90%) classifications than the machine learning models. Among all the models, the Inception model showed the highest classification accuracy (87.5%) and the largest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), indicating that the model is an effective method for near-fall (LOB) detection. Our approach can be helpful in identifying individuals at the risk of slip-related falls before they experience an actual fall.

Diabetic nephropathy is a common complication in diabetes, but still lack of effective therapeutic strategies. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in db/db mice with diabetic nephropathy and explore its possible metabolic mechanisms using a nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomic approach. We found that bFGF treatment significantly alleviate urinary albumin to creatinine ratio and renal fibrosis in db/db mice, suggesting a potential renal protective effect. Metabolomics results reveal that bFGF remodeled metabolic phenotypes of the kidney and urine in db/db mice, mainly involving energy metabolism, methylamine metabolism, osmoregulation, and oxidative stress. Furthermore, the results show that bFGF-induced reductions of oxidative stress and apoptosis in db/db mice might be mediated by NOX-ROS-Nrf2 signaling. Therefore, our study suggests that the protective effect of bFGF on diabetic nephropathy could be mediated by remodeling metabolic phenotype and suppressing oxidative stress.

Inertial sensors (IS) enable the kinematic analysis of human motion with fewer logistical limitations than the silver standard optoelectronic motion capture (MOCAP) system. However, there are no data on the validity of IS for perturbation training and during the performance of dance. The aim of this present study was to determine the concurrent validity of IS in the analysis of kinematic data during slip and trip-like perturbations and during the performance of dance. Seven IS and the MOCAP system were simultaneously used to capture the reactive response and dance movements of fifteen healthy young participants (Age: 18–35 years). Bland Altman (BA) plots, root mean square errors (RMSE), Pearson’s correlation coefficients (R), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to compare kinematic variables of interest between the two systems for absolute equivalency and accuracy. Limits of agreements (LOA) of the BA plots ranged from −0.23 to 0.56 and −0.21 to 0.43 for slip and trip stability variables, respectively. The RMSE for slip and trip stabilities were from 0.11 to 0.20 and 0.11 to 0.16, respectively. For the joint mobility in dance, LOA varied from −6.98–18.54, while RMSE ranged from 1.90 to 13.06. Comparison of IS and optoelectronic MOCAP system for reactive balance and body segmental kinematics revealed that R varied from 0.59 to 0.81 and from 0.47 to 0.85 while ICC was from 0.50 to 0.72 and 0.45 to 0.84 respectively for slip–trip perturbations and dance. Results of moderate to high concurrent validity of IS and MOCAP systems. These results were consistent with results from similar studies. This suggests that IS are valid tools to quantitatively analyze reactive balance and mobility kinematics during slip–trip perturbation and the performance of dance at any location outside, including the laboratory, clinical and home settings.

In this paper, the adsorption and anoxic degradation of No. 0 diesel oil in Bohai coastal sediments were studied. The results showed that the adsorption of oil on the coastal sediments matched pseudo-second-order kinetics, which indicated that adsorption processes were essentially chemical reactions. Part of oil could be degraded in natural coastal sedimentary environment, and the additions of nutrients and proper electron acceptors could promote the degradation of oil effectively. The addition of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients increased the removal ratio of oil from 54 % to 61 %. Different electron acceptors showed different effects on the degradation of oil in coastal sediment. Nitrate greatly promoted the degradation of oil, but sulfate had an adverse effect on that. Three oil-degrading strains named B1, B2, B3 were domesticated and isolated from Bohai coastal sediments. All the three strains could promote the degradation of oil, and the effect of B2 on the degradation of oil was the most significant, which increased the removal ratio of oil by nearly 30 %.

This paper aims to disclose the adsorption and anoxic degradation processes of three typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the coastal sediments of China’s Bohai Sea region. The PAHs are naphthalene (Nap), phenanthrene (Phe) and pyrene (Pyr). Several sediments samples were collected from Qinhuangdao Port, and subjected to adsorption and biodegradation experiments. Then, pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were tested to explain the kinetics of liquid-solid phase adsorption systems. It is discovered that the adsorption of the three PAHs on the coastal sediments matched pseudo- second-order kinetics, revealing that adsorption processes were essentially chemical reactions. In terms of equilibrium adsorption capacity, the three PAHs are ranked as Pyr>Phe>Nap. Next, Freundlich and Langmuir models were employed to fit the experimental data. The fitting results show that the adsorption of Nap, Phe and Pyr on the coastal sediments can be explained as mono-molecular layer adsorption. All the adsorptions of Nap, Phe and Pyr were exothermic reactions. In the anoxic sediments, 93.2% of Nap was removed after 30h, 96.6% of Phe was removed after 7d, and 98.1% of Pyr was removed after 42d. The detected metabolites of Nap were [4,4-dimethyl-2-cyclohexene-1-ol], [1-carboxyl,2-hydroxy, 4-methyl-cyclohexane], the metabolites of Phe were [3-ethoxy ethyl benzoate], [Phthalate (2-methyl propyl) ester] and the metabolites of Pyr were [2- methyl succinic acid, double (2-methyl propyl) ester], [Phthalate (2-methyl propyl) ester], [Phthalic acid butyl ester, 14 alkyl ester]. The findings shed new light on the research of PAHs adsorption and anoxic degradation in coastal sediments.

At present, the qualities of the coastal aquatic ecosystems and sediments have seriously deteriorated as a result of excessive using the pyrethroid insecticides in the tidal farms. Deltamethrin is one of the most frequently detected pyrethroid in the coastal sediment. In this paper, the anoxic degradation behavior and mechanism of deltamethrin in bohai coastal sediment was studied. The results showed that deltamethrin could be degraded in natural coastal sedimentary environment at a relatively slow rate. The degradation kinetics followed the first-order kinetic with the rate constant 0.0055 h-1.The m-phenoxyphenyl-acetonitril was the main metabolic product, and the possible degradation pathway was that deltamethrin was hydrolyzed at ester bond firstly, and then was reduced to be m-phenoxyphenyl-acetonitril. Adequate addition of carbon sources could significantly promote the microbial degradation of deltamethrin, but oversupplying carbon source inhibited it.

A type of iron and nitrogen codoped titania thin film was prepared by sol-gel method to degrade three typical indoor air pollutants: formaldehyde (HCHO), ammonia (NH3), and benzene (C6H6) under solar light. X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectra (EDS) were employed to characterize the photocatalysts. The results showed that the Fe/N codoped TiO2 had a stronger absorption in the visible region than pure, Fe-doped, and N-doped TiO2 and exhibited excellent photocatalytic ability for the degradation of indoor HCHO, NH3, and C6H6. When the three pollutants existed in indoor air at the same time, the removal percentages of HCHO, NH3, or C6H6 after 6 h photocatalytic reaction under solar light reached 48.8%, 50.6%, and 32.0%. The degradation reaction of the three pollutants followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics with the reaction rate constants in the order of 0.110 h−1 for ammonia, 0.109 h−1 for formaldehyde, and 0.060 h−1 for benzene. The reaction rate constant decreased with the increase of initial reactant concentration, which reflected that there was oxidation competition between the substrate and its intermediate during the photocatalytic process.

A polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-type chelating membrane bearing poly(amino phosphonic acid) groups, denoted as ethylenediamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid) (EDTMPA)-tetrabutyl orthotitanate (TBOT)/PVDF, was employed to remove Ni(II) from the aqueous solution. The effects of coexisting Ca(II), Pb(II), citrate, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) on the Ni(II) adsorption by this chelating membrane were revealed using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Pb(II) showed a more detrimental effect than Ca(II) on the Ni(II) uptake; EDTA interfered with the capture of Ni(II) more remarkably than citrate and NTA. The results derived from DFT calculations were consistent with the experimental data. Ni(II) and Pb(II) showed more excellent affinity to the EDTMPA-TBOT/PVDF membrane than Ca(II). The stabilities between Ni(II) and the [EDTMPA-TBOT]7− chelating ligand of the membrane and those between Ni(II) and the three aforementioned complexing reagents followed the sequence: [Ni(II)-(EDTMPA-TBOT)]5− > Ni(II)-EDTA > Ni(II)-NTA > Ni(II)-citrate. The complexation between Ni(II) and the chelating membrane was prominent with the presence of citrate, NTA and EDTA.

Judgment and early danger warning of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is meaningful to the diagnosis of sleep illness. This paper proposed a novel method based on wavelet information entropy spectrum to make an apnea judgment of the OSA respiratory signal detected by bio-radar in wavelet domain. It makes full use of the features of strong irregularity and disorder of respiratory signal resulting from the brain stimulation by real, low airflow during apnea. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method is effective for detecting the occurrence of sleep apnea and is also able to detect some apnea cases that the energy spectrum method cannot. Ultimately, the comprehensive judgment accuracy resulting from 10 groups of OSA data is 93.1%, which is promising for the non-contact aided-diagnosis of the OSA.

Developing an effective strategy to solve the "focus effect" of the traditional electrokinetic remediation (EKR) method during treatment of Pb-contaminated soil is challenging, but meaningful. Here, a novel permeable reactive barrier was constructed by coupling H+ modified D001 resins (H-type D001) with the electrokinetic remediation (EKR) method to achieve this goal. Owing to the existence of ion exchange between Pb2+ and H+, after introduction of H-type D001 resin into the EKR systems, the "focusing effect" was significantly weakened. To be specific, Pb2+ ions were effectively adsorbed by the resin barrier (RB) before migrating to the precipitation zone, and the adsorption of Pb2+ ions enabled H+ ions to be desorbed from the H-type D001 resins, thus improving the pH environment required for EKR. As a result, Pb2+ removal efficiency of the traditional EKR method was improved. Compared with the EKR method, the removal efficiency of Pb in soil by the RB-EKR method improved by 37.8%, relatively. Analysis on mass distribution proportion of Pb removed indicated that the majority (53.01%) of Pb was removed by RB adsorption process. This work provides a simple but effective method for modifying the traditional electrokinetic remediation system to improve remediation ability towards treating heavy metal-polluted soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose was to examine and compare the longer-termgeneralization between 2 different practice dosages for a single-session treadmill slip-perturbation training when reexposed to an overground slip 6 months later. A total of 45 older adults were conveniently assigned to either 24 or 40 slip-like treadmill perturbation trials or a third control group. Overground slips were given immediately after initial training, and at 6 months after initial training in order to examine immediate and longer-term effects. The performance (center of mass stability and vertical limb support) and fall percentage from the laboratory-induced overground slips (at initial posttraining and at 6 mo) were measured and compared between groups. Both treadmill slip-perturbation groups showed immediate generalization at the initial posttraining test and longer-termgeneralization at the 6-month retest. The higher-practice-dosage group performed significantly better than the control group (P < .05), with no difference between the lower-practice-dosage and the control groups at the 6-month retest (P > .05). A single session of treadmill slip-perturbation training showed a positive effect for reducing older adults' fall risk for laboratory-induced overground slips. A higher-practice dosage of treadmill slip perturbations could be more beneficial for further reducing fall risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]