Brain network mechanism on cognitive control task in the elderly with brain aging: A functional near infrared spectroscopy study

ObjectiveTo study the brain network mechanism of cognitive control in the elderly with brain aging.Materials and methods21 normal young people and 20 elderly people were included in this study. Mini-mental State Examination and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) synchronous judgment test (including forward tests and reverse judgment tests) were performed on all subjects. To observe and compare differences in brain region activation and brain functional connectivity between subjects and forward and reverse trials by recording functional connectivity (FC) in different task paradigms and calculating bilateral prefrontal and primary motor cortical (PMC) areas.ResultsIn the forward and reverse judgment tests, the reaction time of the elderly group was significantly longer than the young group (P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the correct rate. In the homologous regions of interest (ROI) data, the FC of PMC and prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the elderly group was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In the heterologous ROI data, except for left primary motor cortex (LPMC)-left prefrontal cortex (LPFC), the other PMC and PFC of the elderly group were significantly lower than the young group (P < 0.05) while processing the forward judgment test. However, the heterologous ROI data of LPMC-right prefrontal cortex (RPFC), LPMC-LPFC and RPFC-LPFC in the elderly group were significantly lower than the young group (P < 0.05) while processing the reverse judgment test.ConclusionThe results suggest that brain aging affected degeneration of whole brain function, which reduce the speed of information processing and form a brain network functional connection mode different from that of young people

Development of a Single-Borehole Radar for Well Logging

An impulse-based single-borehole radar prototype has been developed for well logging. The borehole radar is comprised of subsurface sonde and surface equipment. An armored 7-conductor well logging cable is used to connect subsurface sonde and surface equipment which is well compatible with the other well logging instruments. The performance experiments of the prototype have been conducted in a test field. The results show that the prototype system is capable of detecting the target which is 8 meters away from the borehole. This radar prototype has been employed in a real oil field well with a depth of about 1600 meters. Compared with conventional resistivity well logging tools, the prototype system provides comprehensive well-bore formation analysis information. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/telkomnika.v10i8.162

The use of mobile health technology in the management of osteoarthritis: A scoping review with scientometric analyses

INTRODUCTION: Although mHealth technology is an emerging approach for enabling self-management/education of hip/knee osteoarthritis (OA) that may reduce burdens in primary and secondary care, no scoping review has been conducted to comprehensively review the scope of mHealth technology in managing hip/knee OA. This scoping review and scientometric analyses aimed to summarize the current state of research on the use of mHealth technology (mobile applications/web-based interventions) for self-management/education of adults with hip/knee OA, identify key research activities, and provide future directions on the development/usage of mHealth technology. METHODS: The Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework was employed, augmented with scientometric analyses. Six databases were searched from inception to 31 May 2021. Findings were reported according to the PRISMA extension for scoping review. Co-word, co-author, and co-citation scientometric analyses were conducted to examine the social and intellectual connections of the research field (e.g., research hotspots and researcher collaborations). RESULTS: Twenty mHealth programs for promoting self-management of hip/knee OA were identified. The programs mainly included exercises or directives on performance of exercises. Compared to no interventions, mHealth technology was usable and might be more effective in improving pain, physical function, and quality of life in individuals with OA. The scientometric analyses identified multiple co-occurring keywords that reflected conceptual properties of this research domain. Although some intellectual connections among authors, research articles, and journals were noted, there were insufficient international collaborations in this field. DISCUSSION: While individual small-scale studies highlighted promising short-term effects of mHealth technology in self-managing hip/knee OA, many mHealth technologies were developed without clinicians' and/or patients' contributions. Future mHealth programs should be developed based on a strong theoretical background and professional inputs. The long-term benefits and cost-effectiveness of mHealth technologies, user experience, as well as cross-cultural adaptation of these technologies should be evaluated

Thermochromic Smart Windows Assisted by Photothermal Nanomaterials

Thermochromic smart windows are optical devices that can regulate their optical properties actively in response to external temperature changes. Due to their simple structures and as they do not require other additional energy supply devices, they have great potential in building energy-saving. However, conventional thermochromic smart windows generally have problems with high response temperatures and low response rates. Owing to their great effect in photothermal conversion, photothermal materials are often used in smart windows to assist phase transition so that they can quickly achieve the dual regulation of light and heat at room temperature. Based on this, research progress on the phase transition of photothermal material-assisted thermochromic smart windows is summarized. In this paper, the phase transition mechanisms of several thermochromic materials (VO2, liquid crystals, and hydrogels) commonly used in the field of smart windows are introduced. Additionally, the applications of carbon-based nanomaterials, noble metal nanoparticles, and semiconductor (metal oxygen/sulfide) nanomaterials in thermochromic smart windows are summarized. The current challenges and solutions are further indicated and future research directions are also proposed

Table_1_Effects of motor-cognitive interaction based on dual-task gait analysis recognition in middle age to aging people with normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment.docx

BackgroundMild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered a transitional stage between cognitive normality and dementia among the elderly, and its associated risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is 10–15 times higher than that of the general population. MCI is an important threshold for the prevention and control of AD, and intervention in the MCI stage may be the most effective strategy to delay the occurrence of AD.Materials and methodsIn this study, 68 subjects who met the inclusion criteria were divided into an MCI group (38 subjects) and normal elderly (NE) group (30 subjects). Both groups underwent clinical function assessments (cognitive function, walking function, and activities of daily living) and dual-task three-dimensional gait analysis (walking motor task and walking calculation task). Spatial-temporal parameters were obtained and reduced by principal component analysis, and the key biomechanical indexes were selected. The dual-task cost (DTC) was calculated for intra-group (task factor) and inter-group (group factor) comparisons.ResultsThe results of the principal component analysis showed that the cadence parameter had the highest weight in all three walking tasks. In addition, there were significant differences in the cadence both walking motor task (WMT) vs. walking task (WT) and walking calculation task (WCT) vs. WT in the MCI group. The cadence in the NE group only showed a significant difference between WMT and WT. The only differences between the MCI group and NE group was DTC cadence in WCT, and no differences were found for cadence in any of the three walking tasks.ConclusionThe results show that dual tasks based on cognitive-motor gait analysis of DTCcadence in MCI have potential value for application in early identification and provide theoretical support to improve the clinical diagnosis of MCI.</p