THE PREDICTION OF FATIGUE-RELATED MUSCLE ADAPTATION IN DIFFERENT WORKLOAD DURING CYCLING ROWING EXERCISE

The purpose of this study was to identify the fatigue-related muscles during the different percentage of the maximal workload. Seven subjects were recruited and, firstly, performed the maximal workload test for 3 minutes. After 24 hours, the different workload tests (60%, 70% and 80% of the maximal workload) were used to reveal the fatigue-related muscle. The result showed that the biceps and triceps had the extreme contribution at the minor and greater workload. However, the neuromuscular fatigue threshold (NFT) is to predict the possibly fatigue muscle condition during the entire exercise. And the most contribution of the EMG expression didn’t stand for the greater value of the EMG number

Polythiophenes comprising conjugated pendantstoward long-term air-stable inverted polymer solar cellswith high open circuit voltages

A series of polythiophenes (PTs) functionalized with bulky conjugated side chains comprising tert-butylsubstituted carbazole (tCz) as an electron donor pendant and bisbenzothiazolylvinyl (DBT) as anelectron acceptor pendant were synthesized via Stille copolymerization for polymer solar cell (PSC)applications. We use the descriptors PTtCz, PT(tCz)0.9(DBT)0.1, PT(tCz)0.64(DBT)0.36, PT(tCz)0.45(DBT)0.55,and PTDBT to identify each of these conjugated polymers, with the names denoting the compositionsof the bulky pendants. The tunable energy levels of the PTs were accomplished by incorporating bothtCz as a donor pendant and DBT as an acceptor pendant, while retaining the low-lying HOMO levels( 5.26 to 5.39 eV). Furthermore, lower bandgaps were observed for the DBT-derived PTs because ofstronger donor–p–acceptor characteristics and more efficient intramolecular charge transfer.Conventional PSCs were fabricated by spin-coating the blend of each PT and the fullerene derivative(PC71BM). The conventional PSC devices exhibited high open circuit voltages (Voc) of around 0.79–0.91 V. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the PSCs based on PTtCz : PC71BM (w/w ¼ 1 : 2.5)reached 2.48% with a Voc of 0.91 V, short circuit current (Jsc) of 6.58 (mA cm 2) and fill factor (FF) of41% under the illumination of AM1.5, 100 mW cm 2. Furthermore, a PTtCz/PC71BM-based inverted PSCwith ZnOx and MoO3 as an electron extraction layer and a hole extraction layer respectively was capableof retaining ca. 80% of its original efficiency after storage under ambient conditions (withoutencapsulation) for 1032 h, according to the ISOS-D-1 shelf protocol. The highly durable inverted PSCaccompanied by a large Voc value was achieved for the PT-type polymers

Finite production rate model with backlogging, service level constraint, rework, and random breakdown

In most real-life production systems, both random machine breakdown and the production of nonconforming items are inevitable, and adopting a backlogging policy with a predetermined minimum acceptable service level can sometimes be an effective strategy to help the management reduce operating cost or smoothen the production schedule. With the aim of addressing the aforementioned practical situations in production, this study explores the optimal production runtime for the finite production rate (FPR) model with allowable backlogging and service level constraint, rework of defective products, and random machine breakdown. Mathematical modelling is employed along with optimization techniques to derive the optimal production runtime that minimizes the long-run average system costs for the proposed FPR model. The joint effects of the allowable backlogging with a planned service level, rework, and random machine breakdown on optimal runtime decision have been carefully investigated through a numerical example and sensitivity analysis. As a result, important insights regarding various system parameters are revealed in order to enable the management to better understand, plan, and control such a practical production system

Protective Effects of 18β-Glycyrrhetinic Acid on Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Rats

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a destructive and rare disorder characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary artery pressure and vasoconstriction, ultimately leading to right ventricular failure and death. 18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid (18β-GA) is an active ingredient in the commonly used Chinese herbal medicine radix glycyrrhizae, and it possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and other pharmacological properties. This study aimed to determine whether 18β-GA has protective effects against monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH and whether it is associated with oxidative stress. The PAH of rats was induced by MCT (60 mg/kg) and oral administration of 18β-GA (100, 50, or 25 mg/kg/day), sildenafil (30 mg/kg), or saline for 21 consecutive days. The development of PAH was evaluated by hemodynamic parameters and right ventricular hypertrophy index. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, Masson trichrome staining, and electron microscopy were used to determine the degree of vascular remodeling and proliferation in lung tissue. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde levels in the lungs were measured according to the instructions provided by the test kits, and the expression levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase-2 (Nox2) and Nox4 were detected through Western blot analysis. Results of our study indicated that 18β-GA treatment significantly improved the hemodynamic and pathomorphological data of the rats, reduced the changes in oxidative stress biomarkers, and inhibited Nox2 and Nox4 expression. Our research indicated that 18β-GA has a protective effect against MCT-induced PAH by inhibiting oxidative stress in rats

Efficacy and safety of combination therapy with vildagliptin and metformin versus metformin up-titration in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: study design and rationale of the vision study

Background and aim: Limitations of the currently recommended stepwise treatment pathway for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), especially the failure of monotherapies to maintain good glycemic control, have prompted use of early, more aggressive combination therapies. The VISION study is designed to explore the efficacy and safety of vildagliptin as an add-on to metformin therapy compared with up-titration of metformin monotherapy in Chinese patients with T2DM. Methods: VISION, a 24-week, phase 4, prospective, randomized, multicenter, open-label, parallel-group study, will include 3312 Chinese T2DM patients aged >= 18 years who are inadequately controlled (6.5% >HbA1c <= 9%) by metformin (750-1000 mg/day). Eligible patients will be randomized to receive either vildagliptin plus metformin or up-titration of metformin monotherapy (5: 1). Patients will also be subgrouped (1: 1: 1: 1) based on their age and body mass index (BMI): <60 years and <24 kg/m(2); <60 years and >= 24 kg/m(2); >= 60 years and <24 kg/m(2); and >= 60 years and >= 24 kg/m(2). Conclusion: The VISION study will test the hypothesis that early use of combination therapy with vildagliptin and metformin will provide good glycemic control and will be better tolerated than up-titration of metformin monotherapy. The study will also correlate these benefits with age and BMI.Cardiac & Cardiovascular SystemsEndocrinology & MetabolismSCI(E)PubMed1ARTICLE1181

Laboratory observation of ion acceleration via reflection off laser-produced magnetized collisionless shocks

Fermi acceleration by collisionless shocks is believed to be the primary mechanism to produce high energy charged particles in the Universe,where charged particles gain energy successively from multiple reflections off the shock front.Here,we present the first direct experimental evidence of ion energization from reflection off a supercritical quasi perpendicular collisionless shock,an essential component of Fermi acceleration in a laser produced magnetized plasma. We observed a quasi monoenergetic ion beam with 2,4 times the shock velocity in the upstream flow using time of flight method. Our related kinetic simulations reproduced the energy gain and showed that these ions were first reflected and then accelerated mainly by the motional electric field associated with the shock. This mechanism can also explain the quasi monoenergetic fast ion component observed in the Earth's bow shock

Compressed Magnetic Field in the Magnetically Regulated Global Collapsing Clump of G9.62+0.19

How stellar feedback from high-mass stars (e.g., H II regions) influences the surrounding interstellar medium and regulates new star formation is still unclear. To address this question, we observed the G9.62+0.19 complex in 850 mu m continuum with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope/POL-2 polarimeter. An ordered magnetic field has been discovered in its youngest clump, the G9.62 clump. The magnetic field strength is determined to be similar to 1 mG. Magnetic field plays a larger role than turbulence in supporting the clump. However, the G9.62 clump is still unstable against gravitational collapse even if thermal, turbulent, and magnetic field support are taken into account together. The magnetic field segments in the outskirts of the G9.62 clump seem to point toward the clump center, resembling a dragged-in morphology, indicating that the clump is likely undergoing magnetically regulated global collapse. However, the magnetic field in its central region is aligned with the shells of the photodissociation regions and is approximately parallel to the ionization (or shock) front, indicating that the magnetic field therein is likely compressed by the expanding H II regions that formed in the same complex.Peer reviewe

A New Microsphere-Based Immunoassay for Measuring the Activity of Transcription Factors

There are several traditional and well-developed methods for analyzing the activity of transcription factors, such as EMSA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and reporter gene activity assays. All of these methods have their own distinct disadvantages, but none can analyze the changes in transcription factors in the few cells that are cultured in the wells of 96-well titer plates. Thus, a new microsphere-based immunoassay to measure the activity of transcription factors (MIA-TF) was developed. In MIA-TF, NeutrAvidin-labeled microspheres were used as the solid phase to capture biotin-labeled double-strand DNA fragments which contain certain transcription factor binding elements. The activity of transcription factors was detected by immunoassay using a transcription factor-specific antibody to monitor the binding with the DNA probe. Next, analysis was performed by flow cytometry. The targets hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) were applied and detected in this MIA-TF method; the results that we obtained demonstrated that this method could be used to monitor the changes of NF-κB or HIF within 50 or 100 ng of nuclear extract. Furthermore, MIA-TF could detect the changes in NF-κB or HIF in cells that were cultured in wells of a 96-well plate without purification of the nuclear protein, an important consideration for applying this method to high-throughput assays in the future. The development of MIA-TF would support further progress in clinical analysis and drug screening systems. Overall, MIA-TF is a method with high potential to detect the activity of transcription factors