Body Massage Performance Investigation by Brain Activity Analysis

Massage has been widely applied to improve health and reduce stress. However, the performance difference between hands-on treatment and treatment by mechanical devices has been little mentioned. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to investigate a subject's EEG performance under massage treatment applied by hand and treatment applied by mechanical devices. Massage was applied to four acupoints for three minutes each. The massage acupoint sequence was from left Jian-wai-yu, right Jian-wai-yu, left Zuo-fei-yu, and finally right Zuo-fei-yu. An EEG system of 32 channels was used. Twenty-four volunteers, mainly college students, were enrolled. EEG rhythm powers of each massage sessions were derived. Two-way ANOVA revealed that there were also significant interactions between the massage stage and the massage type on delta (P < 0.01), theta (P < 0.05), and beta rhythms (P < 0.01), and there were significant differences at different stages for the mechanical massage group (F = 5.557, P < 0.01). The mechanical massage group had more significant differences than the hands-on group for stage coherence of around coherence on alpha rhythm. Further rhythm power scalp topography between two massage methods is also investigated

Numerical analysis of nonlinear interaction between a gas bubble and free surface in a viscous compressible liquid

Liquid viscosity has a potential effect on bubble dynamics. This paper is concerned with bubble dynamics in a compressible viscous liquid near the free surface. The liquid-gas flow is modeled using the Eulerian finite element method coupled with the volume of fluid method. The numerical results have been shown to be in excellent agreement with those from the spherical bubble theory and experiment. Parametric studies are carried out regarding the Reynolds number Re and the stand-off parameter γd. It clearly demonstrated that the liquid viscosity inhibits bubble pulsation, jet flow, free surface jet, and bubble splitting. Quantitatively, as Reynolds number Re decreases, the maximum bubble volume, jet tip velocity, free surface spike, and crown height decrease, and the toroidal bubble splitting weakens. As the stand-off parameter γd increases, the maximum bubble volume, jet velocity, and bubble average pressure peak increase while the height of the free surface spike decreases. Close observation reveals that the free surface crown tends to disappear at small Re or large γd, further indicating the complex mechanism behind the crown spike evolution

Adaptive weights learning in CNN feature fusion for crime scene investigation image classification

The combination of features from the convolutional layer and the fully connected layer of a convolutional neural network (CNN) provides an effective way to improve the performance of crime scene investigation (CSI) image classification. However, in existing work, as the weights in feature fusion do not change after the training phase, it may produce inaccurate image features which affect classification results. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an adaptive feature fusion method based on an auto-encoder to improve classification accuracy. The method includes the following steps: Firstly, the CNN model is trained by transfer learning. Next, the features of the convolution layer and the fully connected layer are extracted respectively. These extracted features are then passed into the auto-encoder for further learning with Softmax normalisation to obtain the adaptive weights for performing final classification. Experiments demonstrated that the proposed method achieves higher CSI image classification performance compared with fix weights feature fusion. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Using a new fish indicator-based index with scoring and evaluation criteria to assess the ecological status in a disturbed subtropical river of China

Rivers are constantly disturbed by anthropogenic stressors. Developing robust biotic indicators to assess river environments across large spatial scales is important. In the subtropical Liuxi River of China, 34 native fish indicators, including 4 genera and 30 species, were selected from 108 fish species by linear discriminant analysis. These indicators were grouped into 19 ecological items and assigned evaluation scores according to the roles they played in the food web (e.g., keystoneness and trophic level) and their positive feedback on the environment (e.g., requirements for feeding, spawning/nursing, and migrating). Three formulae for calculating the index of fish indicators (IFI) were developed based on the scoring of each indicator and weighted by relative abundance (individual number, i.e., IFIN) and relative biomass (wet weight, i.e., IFIB). Spearman correlation analysis showed that IFIB, which had positive (P&lt; 0.05) correlations with elevation (m), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), flow velocity (cm/s), Shannon-Wiener diversity, benthic index of biotic integrity, exhibited a more powerful explanation of biodiversity and environmental factors than IFIN and unweighted IFI. Therefore, IFIB was most suitable for constructing a scoring system to evaluate ecological status (e.g., water and habitat quality). These results suggested that fish indicator-based scoring and evaluation system was effectively in not only assessing the site- or region-specific ecological status bot also reflecting the fluvial biodiversity and food web integrity. Further application and promotion of this indicator-based evaluation method may improve field investigation efficiency and contribute greatly to the conservation and management of river ecosystems

Therapeutic Effects of Liposome-Enveloped Ligusticum chuanxiong Essential Oil on Hypertrophic Scars in the Rabbit Ear Model

Hypertrophic scarring, a common proliferative disorder of dermal fibroblasts, results from an overproduction of fibroblasts and excessive deposition of collagen. Although treatment with surgical excision or steroid hormones can modify the symptoms, numerous treatment-related complications have been described. In view of this, we investigated the therapeutic effects of essential oil (EO) from rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (Umbelliferae) on formed hypertrophic scars in a rabbit ear model. EO was prepared as a liposomal formulation (liposome-enveloped essential oil, LEO) and a rabbit ear model with hypertrophic scars was established. LEO (2.5, 5, and 10%) was applied once daily to the scars for 28 days. On postoperative day 56, the scar tissue was excised for masson's trichrome staining, detection of fibroblast apoptosis, assays of the levels of collagens I and III, and analysis of the mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), caspase-3 and -9, and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1). In addition, the scar elevation index (SEI) was also determined. As a result, LEO treatment significantly alleviated formed hypertrophic scars on rabbit ears. The levels of TGF-β1, MMP-1, collagen I, and collagen III were evidently decreased, and caspase -3 and -9 levels and apoptosis cells were markedly increased in the scar tissue. SEI was also significantly reduced. Histological findings exhibited significant amelioration of the collagen tissue. These results suggest that LEO possesses the favorable therapeutic effects on formed hypertrophic scars in the rabbit ear model and may be an effective cure for human hypertrophic scars

Genetic Sharing with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Diabetes Reveals Novel Bone Mineral Density Loci.

Bone Mineral Density (BMD) is a highly heritable trait, but genome-wide association studies have identified few genetic risk factors. Epidemiological studies suggest associations between BMD and several traits and diseases, but the nature of the suggestive comorbidity is still unknown. We used a novel genetic pleiotropy-informed conditional False Discovery Rate (FDR) method to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BMD by leveraging cardiovascular disease (CVD) associated disorders and metabolic traits. By conditioning on SNPs associated with the CVD-related phenotypes, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, triglycerides and waist hip ratio, we identified 65 novel independent BMD loci (26 with femoral neck BMD and 47 with lumbar spine BMD) at conditional FDR < 0.01. Many of the loci were confirmed in genetic expression studies. Genes validated at the mRNA levels were characteristic for the osteoblast/osteocyte lineage, Wnt signaling pathway and bone metabolism. The results provide new insight into genetic mechanisms of variability in BMD, and a better understanding of the genetic underpinnings of clinical comorbidity

Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particles’ surface is essential. During this process, the original coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove the generic character, different functional groups were introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as well as human plasma and serum was investigated to allow implementation in biomedical and sensing applications.status: publishe

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms