BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF DYNAMIC AND STATIC BALANCE WITH DIFFERENT ARM POSITION

This study is aimed to explore the balance of participants between arms-free and arms-control conditions with the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and Romberg\u27s Test. Twenty healthy young males volunteered to participate in the test. Optitrack Optoelectronic system was utilized to capture the spatiotemporal parameters and the three-dimensional coordinates of the lower extremities. Besides, DIERS formetric 4D system was used to analyse the motion amplitude of spine and pelvis. Arms-control could reduce the dynamic balance based on the results of SEBT, and it would increase the static balance in the instability static condition from Romberg’s Test. Results of this study have provided information on clinical evaluation using arm position during dynamic and static balance from a biomechanical perspective

Unraveling the unusually high electrical conductivity of the delafossite metal PdCoO2_2

The prototypical delafossite metal PdCoO$_2$ has been the subject of intense interest for hosting exotic transport properties. Using first-principles transport calculations and theoretical modeling, we reveal that the high electrical conductivity of PdCoO$_2$ at room temperature originates from the contributions of both high Fermi velocities, enabled by Pd $4d_{z^2}-5s$ hybridization, and exceptionally weak electron-phonon coupling, which leads to a coupling strength ($\lambda=0.057$) that is nearly an order of magnitude smaller than those of common metals. The abnormally weak electron-phonon coupling in PdCoO$_2$ results from a low electronic density of states at the Fermi level, as well as the large and strongly facetted Fermi surface with suppressed Umklapp electron-phonon matrix elements. We anticipate that our work will inform the design of unconventional metals with superior transport properties.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Chirality-induced spin splitting in 1D InSeI

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in chiral materials can induce chirality-dependent spin splitting, enabling electrical manipulation of spin polarization. Here, we use first-principles calculations to investigate the electronic states of chiral one-dimensional (1D) InSeI, which has two enantiomorphic configurations with left- and right-handedness. We find that opposite spin states exist in the left- and right-handed 1D InSeI with significant spin splitting. Although the spin states at the conduction band minimum (CBM) and valence band maximum (VBM) are both degenerate, a direct-to-indirect bandgap transition occurs when a moderate tensile strain ($\sim$4%) is applied along the 1D chain direction, leading to chirality-dependent and collinear spin-momentum locking at the CBM. These findings indicate that 1D InSeI is a promising material for chiral spintronics.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Variation of Land-Expropriated Farmers’ Willingness:A Perspective of Employment and Inhabitance

Understanding land-expropriated farmers’ welfare change and the determinants of their willingness to change is very important for sustainable urbanization and social stability in developing countries. However, this issue has been seldom explored in previous studies, especially in China. This paper aims to enrich this field by conducting an empirical study using a household survey in 2014 in Nanjing, a major city in the Yangtze River Delta. The impacts of land expropriation on the variation of land-expropriated farmers’ employment and inhabitance are explored, while the determinants of land-expropriated farmers’ willingness are estimated using ordered logistic regression. Results show that the land-expropriated farmers pay more attention to the changes of employment and inhabitance after land expropriation, rather than land expropriation itself. While employment aspects were key determinants of the farmers’ willingness in 1996, factors relating to inhabitance aspects have become more important nowadays. Moreover, it is necessary to grasp the changing rules of land-expropriated farmers’ interest appeals in order to adjust the compensation and resettlement policies according to local conditions. Thus, this will improve land-expropriated farmers’ willingness. Meanwhile, the government should create a better expectation of employment and inhabitance after land expropriation for farmers. Furthermore, the government should also build a land expropriation information sharing and feedback mechanism in addition to improve the employment and housing security system

Characterization of U-shape streamline fibers: Methods and applications

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI), and Diffusion Spectrum Imaging (DSI) have been widely used in the neuroimaging field to examine the macro-scale fiber connection patterns in the cerebral cortex. However, the topographic and geometric relationships between diffusion imaging derived streamline fiber connection patterns and cortical folding patterns remain largely unknown. This paper specifically identifies and characterizes the U-shapes of diffusion imaging derived streamline fibers via a novel fiber clustering framework and examines their co-localization patterns with cortical sulci based on DTI, HARDI, and DSI datasets of human, chimpanzee and macaque brains. We verified the presence of these U-shaped streamline fibers that connect neighboring gyri by coursing around cortical sulci such as the central sulcus, pre-central sulcus, post-central sulcus, superior temporal sulcus, inferior frontal sulcus, and intra-parietal sulcus. This study also verified the existence of U-shape fibers across data modalities (DTI/HARDI/DSI) and primate species (macaque, chimpanzee and human), and suggests that the common pattern of U-shape fibers coursing around sulci is evolutionarily-preserved in cortical architectures

Human Streptococcus suis Outbreak, Sichuan, China

Streptococcus suis outbreak was associated with exposure to sick or dead pigs

Blockade to pathological remodeling of infarcted heart tissue using a porcupine antagonist

The secreted Wnt signaling molecules are essential to the coordination of cell-fate decision making in multicellular organisms. In adult animals, the secreted Wnt proteins are critical for tissue regeneration and frequently contribute to cancer. Small molecules that disable the Wnt acyltransferase Porcupine (Porcn) are candidate anticancer agents in clinical testing. Here we have systematically assessed the effects of the Porcn inhibitor (WNT-974) on the regeneration of several tissue types to identify potentially unwanted chemical effects that could limit the therapeutic utility of such agents. An unanticipated observation from these studies is proregenerative responses in heart muscle induced by systemic chemical suppression of Wnt signaling. Using in vitro cultures of several cell types found in the heart, we delineate the Wnt signaling apparatus supporting an antiregenerative transcriptional program that includes a subunit of the nonfibrillar collagen VI. Similar to observations seen in animals exposed to WNT-974, deletion of the collagen VI subunit, COL6A1, has been shown to decrease aberrant remodeling and fibrosis in infarcted heart tissue. We demonstrate that WNT-974 can improve the recovery of heart function after left anterior descending coronary artery ligation by mitigating adverse remodeling of infarcted tissue. Injured heart tissue exposed to WNT-974 exhibits decreased scarring and reduced Col6 production. Our findings support the development of Porcn inhibitors as antifibrotic agents that could be exploited to promote heart repair following injury

Polytropic Influence of TRIB3 rs2295490 Genetic Polymorphism on Response to Antihypertensive Agents in Patients With Essential Hypertension

Tribbles homolog 3 (TRIB3) mediating signaling pathways are closely related to blood pressure regulation. Our previous findings suggested a greater benefit on vascular outcomes in patients carrying TRIB3 (251, A > G, rs2295490) G allele with good glucose and blood pressure control. And TRIB3 (rs2295490) AG/GG genotypes were found to reduce primary vascular events in type 2 diabetic patients who received intensive glucose treatment as compared to those receiving standard glucose treatment. However, the effect of TRIB3 genetic variation on antihypertensives was not clear in essential hypertension patients. A total of 368 patients treated with conventional dosage of antihypertensives (6 groups, grouped by atenolol/bisoprolol, celiprolol, doxazosin, azelnidipine/nitrendipine, imidapril, and candesartan/irbesartan) were enrolled in our study. Genetic variations were successfully identified by sanger sequencing. A linear mixed model analysis was performed to evaluate blood pressures among TRIB3 (251, A > G) genotypes and adjusted for baseline age, gender, body mass index, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), total cholesterol and other biochemical factors appropriately. Our data suggested that TRIB3 (251, A > G) AA genotype carriers showed better antihypertensive effect than the AG/GG genotype carriers [P = 0.014 for DBP and P = 0.042 for mean arterial pressure (MAP)], with a maximal reduction of DBP by 4.2 mmHg and MAP by 3.56 mmHg after azelnidipine or nitrendipine treatment at the 4th week. Similar tendency of DBP-change and MAP-change was found for imidapril (ACEI) treatment, in which marginally significances were achieved (P = 0.073 and 0.075, respectively). Against that, we found that TRIB3 (251, A > G) AG/GG genotype carriers benefited from antihypertensive therapy of ARBs with a larger DBP-change during the period of observation (P = 0.036). Additionally, stratified analysis revealed an obvious difference of the maximal blood pressure change (13 mmHg for the MAP between male and female patients with AA genotype who took ARBs). Although no significant difference in antihypertensive effect between TRIB3 (251, A > G) genotypes in patients treated with α, β-ADRs was observed, we found significant difference in age-, sex-dependent manner related to α, β-ADRs. In conclusion, our data supported that TRIB3 (251, A > G) genetic polymorphism may serve as a useful biomarker in the treatment of hypertension

Reconsidering the Barefoot Doctor Programme

This paper examines the widely acclaimed Barefoot Doctor campaign in China. The Barefoot Doctor Campaign has come to symbolize the success of Chinese health care to the extent that it has become a model for WHO public health strategy. Yet little has been done to understand how or whether it worked on the ground and what difficulties and contradictions emerged in its implementation. Using previously unexplored party archives as well as newly collected oral interviews, this paper moves away from a narrow focus on party politics and policy formulation by examining the reality of health care at the local level and the challenges faced by local authorities and individuals as the campaigns evolved

Methodology and experiences of rapid advice guideline development for children with COVID-19: responding to the COVID-19 outbreak quickly and efficiently

BACKGROUND: Rapid Advice Guidelines (RAG) provide decision makers with guidance to respond to public health emergencies by developing evidence-based recommendations in a short period of time with a scientific and standardized approach. However, the experience from the development process of a RAG has so far not been systematically summarized. Therefore, our working group will take the experience of the development of the RAG for children with COVID-19 as an example to systematically explore the methodology, advantages, and challenges in the development of the RAG. We shall propose suggestions and reflections for future research, in order to provide a more detailed reference for future development of RAGs. RESULT: The development of the RAG by a group of 67 researchers from 11 countries took 50 days from the official commencement of the work (January 28, 2020) to submission (March 17, 2020). A total of 21 meetings were held with a total duration of 48 h (average 2.3 h per meeting) and an average of 16.5 participants attending. Only two of the ten recommendations were fully supported by direct evidence for COVID-19, three recommendations were supported by indirect evidence only, and the proportion of COVID-19 studies among the body of evidence in the remaining five recommendations ranged between 10 and 83%. Six of the ten recommendations used COVID-19 preprints as evidence support, and up to 50% of the studies with direct evidence on COVID-19 were preprints. CONCLUSIONS: In order to respond to public health emergencies, the development of RAG also requires a clear and transparent formulation process, usually using a large amount of indirect and non-peer-reviewed evidence to support the formation of recommendations. Strict following of the WHO RAG handbook does not only enhance the transparency and clarity of the guideline, but also can speed up the guideline development process, thereby saving time and labor costs