Virtual Exercise Architecture for People with Lower Body Disabilities Using Virtual Reality Technologies

This doctoral dissertation presents the research and design of the Remote Exercise and Game Architecture Language (REGAL), which was developed in the Industrial Virtual Reality Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Long-term wheelchair users have inactive lifestyle and resultant poor health condition. To promote their lifestyle, regular exercise regimen is needed. Currently, most outdoor exercises are either unavailable or unsafe for ordinary wheelchair users, while indoor exercise is too boring to adhere to. REGAL is an architecture to provide them with a safe, interactive, engaging and fully accessible indoor exercise environment with properly designed equipment. A new Virtual Exercise Environment can be conveniently built using the REGAL architecture. Different sensors are employed to track the users’ head and arm movements so that they can interact with the surrounding environment. Stereo 3D perspective is calculated based on the position and orientation of user’s eyes to provide an immersive experience in the virtual exercise environment. To make exercise games even more motivating, internet is induced in the REGAL architecture to allow multiple users at different locations to exercise together. Users can also exercise together with computers when internet is unavailable. Competition and partnership bring more fun and more motivation to exercise game players. More importantly, REGAL provides powerful support to convert existing PC games into VEEs. The traditional keyboard and mouse input of PC games can be mapped to the body movement input using REGAL. This mapping changes the fine motor control into an interactive gross motor interface, so that users can expend more energy and have a healthier lifestyle when they play PC games. Considering the huge user base of PC games and the bad effects on health, this mapping might benefit most game players and has a positive influence on people’s health in the whole world

Mechanism of Photocatalytic Cyclization of Bromoalkenes with a Dimeric Gold Complex

In recent years, dimeric gold complexes have been extensively used in photoredox reactions and have successfully mediated a series of traditionally challenging organic reactions. However, little is known about the function of the dimeric gold complexes in these reactions. In this study, we systematically studied the mechanism of the photocatalytic cyclization of bromoalkenes with the dimeric gold complex [Au₂(dppm)₂]²⁺ (dppm denotes bis­(diphenylphosphino)­methane). It is found that the dimeric gold complex acts as the radical initiator and terminator in this radical chain reaction. In the radical initiation step, the gold complex first promotes the electron transfer from amine to the bromoalkene substrate (via a reductive quenching mode) and then accepts the released bromide (from bromoalkene) to stabilize the reaction system. In the radical termination step, the dimeric gold complex mainly works as an unsynchronized bromine and electron donor. In the photocatalytic cyclization of bromoalkenes, the radical propagation step operates between the alkyl radical and the dehydrogenated amine radical. This study sheds light on the function of the dimeric gold complex in photoredox reactions and will hopefully benefit the future understanding of similar synthetic reactions

Mechanism of Photocatalytic Cyclization of Bromoalkenes with a Dimeric Gold Complex

In recent years, dimeric gold complexes have been extensively used in photoredox reactions and have successfully mediated a series of traditionally challenging organic reactions. However, little is known about the function of the dimeric gold complexes in these reactions. In this study, we systematically studied the mechanism of the photocatalytic cyclization of bromoalkenes with the dimeric gold complex [Au₂(dppm)₂]²⁺ (dppm denotes bis­(diphenylphosphino)­methane). It is found that the dimeric gold complex acts as the radical initiator and terminator in this radical chain reaction. In the radical initiation step, the gold complex first promotes the electron transfer from amine to the bromoalkene substrate (via a reductive quenching mode) and then accepts the released bromide (from bromoalkene) to stabilize the reaction system. In the radical termination step, the dimeric gold complex mainly works as an unsynchronized bromine and electron donor. In the photocatalytic cyclization of bromoalkenes, the radical propagation step operates between the alkyl radical and the dehydrogenated amine radical. This study sheds light on the function of the dimeric gold complex in photoredox reactions and will hopefully benefit the future understanding of similar synthetic reactions

Fluorine Effect on α‑Imino-ketone- and Phenoxyiminato Nickel-Catalyzed Ethylene Homo- and Copolymerization

The synthesis of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) using late transition metal catalysts is highly challenging. In this work, 3,5-bis­(trifluoromethyl)­phenyl and m-xylyl groups were selected to introduce at the ortho position of 4-(trifluoromethyl)­aniline and 4-methylaniline. These amines were condensed with 2,3-butandione and 3-substituted salicylaldehyde and subsequently with nickel precursors to afford cationic keto-imine-based Ni1 and Ni2, as well as 3-substituted neutral phenoxyiminato Ni3 and Ni4 catalysts. The properties of these nickel complexes in ethylene polymerization and copolymerization were studied in detail. Ni2 with a keto-imine framework was found to be highly active in ethylene polymerization with an activity of up to 6.9 × 106 g·mol–1·h–1, whereas the fluorinated Ni1 generated UHMWPE with Mn of up to 2.79 × 106 g·mol–1, along with very low branch density and high Tm values. These nickel catalysts also showed good activity and incorporation of long-chain special polar monomers. It is believed that the higher steric hindrance of fluorine atoms around the metal center may involve suppressing the chain transfer process

Additional file 2: of RaPID: ultra-fast, powerful, and accurate detection of segments identical by descent (IBD) in biobank-scale cohorts

Supplementary Tables S1–S4. (XLSX 26 kb

Additional file 1: of RaPID: ultra-fast, powerful, and accurate detection of segments identical by descent (IBD) in biobank-scale cohorts

Supplementary Figures S1–S9. (PDF 1307 kb

Data for High-Density EEG Facilitates Detection of Small Stimuli in C-VEP BCIs

High-Density EEG Facilitates Detection of Small Stimuli in C-VEP BCIs, Data</p

Systematic Investigations of Ligand Steric Effects on α‑Diimine Nickel Catalyzed Olefin Polymerization and Copolymerization

So far, ligand steric effects of the α-diimine nickel catalysts on the polyolefin branching densities are not systematically investigated. Generally, in contrast to the α-diimine palladium systems, the branching densities of the polyethylene obtained by the α-diimine nickel catalysts increased when the more sterically encumbering substituent was employed. In this contribution, we described the synthesis and characterization of a series of α-diimine ligands and the corresponding nickel catalysts bearing the diarylmethyl moiety and varied steric ligands. In ethylene polymerization, the catalytic activities [(2.82–15.68) × 106 g/(mol Ni·h)], polymer molecular weights [Mn: (0.37–131.51) × 104 g mol–1], branching densities [(28–81)/1000 C], and polymer melting temperatures (−4.7–122.9 °C) can be tuned over a very wide range. To our surprise, the polymer branching density first rose and then fell when we systematically increased the steric bulk of α-diimine nickel catalysts, like a downward parabola, not in line with previous conclusions. In ethylene-methyl 10-undecenoate (E-UA) copolymerization, the catalytic activities [(1.0 × 103) – (104.8 × 104) g/(mol Ni·h)], copolymer molecular weights [(1.2 × 103) – (242.4 × 103) g mol–1], branching densities [(42–70)/1000 C], and UA incorporation ratio (0.17–2.12%) can also be controlled over a very wide range. The tuning in steric ligands enables the tuning of the polymer microstructures such as molecular weight and branching density. In this way, the best polyethylene elastomer catalysts are screened out