Intervention study of finger-movement exercises and finger weight-lift training for improvement of handgrip strength among the very elderly

AbstractObjectivesTo examine the effects of finger-movement exercises and finger weight-lift training on handgrip strength and Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADLS) values.MethodsA total of 80 very elderly adults (aged ≥80 years) were assigned to either an intervention group (n = 40) or a control group (n = 40). Subjects in the intervention group performed finger-movement exercises and weight-lift training for a period of 3 months, while subjects in the control group received no intervention, and were unaware of the interventions received in the other group.ResultsAfter completing 3 months of finger-movement exercises and weight-lift training, the average handgrip strength of the 40 participants in the intervention group had increased by 2.1 kg, whereas that in the control group decreased by 0.27 kg (P < 0.05). After receiving intervention, the number of subjects in the intervention group with an ADLS score >22 points decreased by 7.5% (P < 0.05, vs. pre-intervention).ConclusionsThe combined use intervention with finger-movement exercises and proper finger weight-lift training improved the handgrip strength and ADLS values of very elderly individuals. These rehabilitation exercises may be used to help the elderly maintain their self-care abilities

SAHARA: A Simplified AtmospHeric Correction AlgoRithm for Chinese gAofen Data: 1. Aerosol Algorithm.

The recently launched Chinese GaoFen-4 (GF4) satellite provides valuable information to obtain geophysical parameters describing conditions in the atmosphere and at the Earth’s surface. The surface reflectance is an important parameter for the estimation of other remote sensing parameters linked to the eco-environment, atmosphere environment and energy balance. One of the key issues to achieve atmospheric corrected surface reflectance is to precisely retrieve the aerosol optical properties, especially Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD). The retrieval of AOD and corresponding atmospheric correction procedure normally use the full radiative transfer calculation or Look-Up-Table (LUT) methods, which is very time-consuming. In this paper, a Simplified AtmospHeric correction AlgoRithm for gAofen data (SAHARA) is presented for the retrieval of AOD and corresponding atmospheric correction procedure. This paper is the first part of the algorithm, which describes the aerosol retrieval algorithm. In order to achieve high-accuracy analytical form for both LUT and surface parameterization, the MODIS Dark-Target (DT) aerosol types and Deep Blue (DB) similar surface parameterization have been proposed for GF4 data. Limited Gaofen observations (i.e., all that were available) have been tested and validated. The retrieval results agree quite well with MODIS Collection 6.0 aerosol product, with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.72. The comparison between GF4 derived AOD and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) observations has a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.86. The algorithm, after comprehensive validation, can be used as an operational running algorithm for creating aerosol product from the Chinese GF4 satellite.N/

Power system transient stability assessment based on quadratic approximation of stability region

This paper presents an approach to estimate the Critical Clearing Time (CCT) of the multi-machine power systems based on the quadratic surface which approximates the boundary of stability region relating to the controlling unstable equilibrium point. A decomposition method is developed to obtain the coefficients of the quadratic approximation surface. The CCT is determined by the crossing point of the quadratic surface and the continuous faulted trajectory. Simulations in IEEE 9-bus and New England system show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. © 2005 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Antitumor activity of mixed heat shock protein/peptide vaccine and cyclophosphamide plus interleukin-12 in mice sarcoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The immune factors heat shock protein (HSP)/peptides (HSP/Ps) can induce both adaptive and innate immune responses. Treatment with HSP/Ps in cancer cell-bearing mice and cancer patients revealed antitumor immune activity. We aimed to develop immunotherapy strategies by vaccination with a mixture of HSP/Ps (mHSP/Ps, HSP60, HSP70, Gp96 and HSP110) enhanced with cyclophosphamide (CY) and interleukin-12 (IL-12).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We extracted mHSP/Ps from the mouse sarcoma cell line S180 using chromatography. The identity of proteins in this mHSP/Ps was assayed using SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis with antibodies specific to various HSPs. BALB/C mice bearing S180 cells were vaccinated with mHSP/Ps ×3, then were injected intraperitoneally with low-dose CY and subcutaneously with IL-12, 100 μg/day, ×5. After vaccination, T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood were analyzed using FACScan and Cytotoxicity (CTL) was analyzed using lactate dehydrogenase assay. ELISPOT assay was used to evaluate interferon γ (IFN-γ), and immune cell infiltration in tumors was examined in the sections of tumor specimen.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In mice vaccinated with enhanced vaccine (mHSP/Ps and CY plus IL-12), 80% showed tumor regression and long-term survival, and tumor growth inhibition rate was 82.3% (30 days), all controls died within 40 days. After vaccination, lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes infiltrated into the tumors of treated animals, but no leukocytes infiltrated into the tumors of control mice. The proportions of natural killer cells, CD8+, and interferon-γ-secreting cells were all increased in the immune group, and tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity was increased.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this mice tumor model, vaccination with mHSP/Ps combined with low-dose CY plus IL-12 induced an immunologic response and a marked antitumor response to autologous tumors. The regimen may be a promising therapeutic agent against tumors.</p

Distribution of Spectral Lags in Gamma Ray Bursts

Using the data acquired in the Time To Spill (TTS) mode for long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) collected by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment on board the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (BATSE/CGRO), we have carefully measured spectral lags in time between the low (25-55 keV) and high (110-320 keV) energy bands of individual pulses contained in 64 multi-peak GRBs. We find that the temporal lead by higher-energy gamma-ray photons (i.e., positive lags) is the norm in this selected sample set of long GRBs. While relatively few in number, some pulses of several long GRBs do show negative lags. This distribution of spectral lags in long GRBs is in contrast to that in short GRBs. This apparent difference poses challenges and constraints on the physical mechanism(s) of producing long and short GRBs. The relation between the pulse peak count rates and the spectral lags is also examined. Observationally, there seems to be no clear evidence for systematic spectral lag-luminosity connection for pulses within a given long GRB.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure

In vivo and in vitro immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of total flavonoids of astragalus

Background: Astragali Radix has long been used to improve immune function in traditional Chinese medicine. However, its main active components and potential immunomodulatory or anti-inflammatory activities have not been elucidated. In the present study, the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities of total flavonoids of Astragalus (TFA) isolated from Astragali Radix were evaluated by using in vivo animal models and in vitro cell models.Materials and Methods: The in vivo Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities of TFA were assessed by measuring macrophage phagocytic index, delayed type hypersensitivity, serum hemolysin level and immune organ index in mice, ear edema test in mice, paw edema test in rats, vascular permeability test in mice and granuloma test in rats. The in vitro Immunomodulatory and  anti-inflammatory activities of TFA were assessed by examining its effect on cytokine and mediator production in un-stimulated and LPS-stimulated murine RAW 264.7 macrophages.Results: The results of in vivo experiments showed that TFA enhanced macrophage phagocytic index, delayed type hypersensitivity, serum hemolysin level and immune organ index in mice, and attenuated mouse ear edema, rat paw edema, mouse vascular permeability and rat granuloma formation. The results of in vitro  experiments showed that TFA stimulated the production of NO and cytokine TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IFN-γ in un-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, and inhibited the overproduction of these inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages in a dose-dependent manner without exerting cytotoxicity.Conclusion: These results of this study indicate that TFA have potential immunostimulatory and anti-inflammatory effects.Key words: Total flavonoids of Astragalus (TFA), Immunomodulation,  Anti-inflammation, In vivo, In vitr

IN VIVO AND IN VITRO IMMUNOMODULATORY AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF TOTAL FLAVONOIDS OF ASTRAGALUS

Background: Astragali Radix has long been used to improve immune function in traditional Chinese medicine. However, its main active components and potential immunomodulatory or anti-inflammatory activities have not been elucidated. In the present study, the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities of total flavonoids of Astragalus (TFA) isolated from Astragali Radix were evaluated by using in vivo animal models and in vitro cell models. Materials and Methods: The in vivo immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities of TFA were assessed by measuring macrophage phagocytic index, delayed type hypersensitivity, serum hemolysin level and immune organ index in mice, ear edema test in mice, paw edema test in rats, vascular permeability test in mice and granuloma test in rats. The in vitro immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities of TFA were assessed by examining its effect on cytokine and mediator production in un-stimulated and LPS-stimulated murine RAW 264.7 macrophages. Results: The results of in vivo experiments showed that TFA enhanced macrophage phagocytic index, delayed type hypersensitivity, serum hemolysin level and immune organ index in mice, and attenuated mouse ear edema, rat paw edema, mouse vascular permeability and rat granuloma formation. The results of in vitro experiments showed that TFA stimulated the production of NO and cytokine TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IFN-γ in un-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, and inhibited the overproduction of these inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages in a dose-dependent manner without exerting cytotoxicity. Conclusion: These results of this study indicate that TFA have potential immunostimulatory and anti-inflammatory effects

catena-Poly[[[[2-(2-pyridyl-κN)-1H-benzimidazole-κN 3]copper(II)]-μ-l-methio­ninato-κ3 N,O:O′] perchlorate]

The structure of the title compound, {[Cu(C5H10NO2S)(C12H9N3)]ClO4}n, has ortho­rhom­bic symmetry. The chain structure is constructed from square-pyramidally coordinated CuII atoms linked through l-methio­nate ligands. The chains propagate along the a-axis direction and are linked to perchlorate anions via N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Validation of Aerosol Products from AATSR and MERIS/AATSR Synergy Algorithms—Part 1: Global Evaluation

The European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Aerosol Climate Change Initiative (CCI) project intends to exploit the robust, long-term, global aerosol optical thickness (AOT) dataset from Europe’s satellite observations. Newly released Swansea University (SU) aerosol products include AATSR retrieval and synergy between AATSR and MERIS with a spatial resolution of 10 km. In this study, both AATSR retrieval (SU/AATSR) and AATSR/MERIS synergy retrieval (SU/synergy) products are validated globally using Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) observations for March, June, September, and December 2008, as suggested by the Aerosol-CCI project. The analysis includes the impacts of cloud screening, surface parameterization, and aerosol type selections for two products under different surface and atmospheric conditions. The comparison between SU/AATSR and SU/synergy shows very accurate and consistent global patterns. The global evaluation using AERONET shows that the SU/AATSR product exhibits slightly better agreement with AERONET than the SU/synergy product. SU/synergy retrieval overestimates AOT for all surface and aerosol conditions. SU/AATSR data is much more stable and has better quality; it slightly underestimates fine-mode dominated and absorbing AOTs yet slightly overestimates coarse-mode dominated and non-absorbing AOTs.N/

Technical note: Intercomparison of three AATSR Level 2 (L2) AOD products over China

One of four main focus areas of the PEEX initiative is to establish and sustain long-term, continuous, and comprehensive ground-based, airborne, and seaborne observation infrastructure together with satellite data. The Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) aboard ENVISAT is used to observe the Earth in dual view. The AATSR data can be used to retrieve aerosol optical depth (AOD) over both land and ocean, which is an important parameter in the characterization of aerosol properties. In recent years, aerosol retrieval algorithms have been developed both over land and ocean, taking advantage of the features of dual view, which can help eliminate the contribution of Earth's surface to top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance. The Aerosol_cci project, as a part of the Climate Change Initiative (CCI), provides users with three AOD retrieval algorithms for AATSR data, including the Swansea algorithm (SU), the ATSR-2ATSR dual-view aerosol retrieval algorithm (ADV), and the Oxford-RAL Retrieval of Aerosol and Cloud algorithm (ORAC). The validation team of the Aerosol-CCI project has validated AOD (both Level 2 and Level 3 products) and AE (Ångström Exponent) (Level 2 product only) against the AERONET data in a round-robin evaluation using the validation tool of the AeroCOM (Aerosol Comparison between Observations and Models) project. For the purpose of evaluating different performances of these three algorithms in calculating AODs over mainland China, we introduce ground-based data from CARSNET (China Aerosol Remote Sensing Network), which was designed for aerosol observations in China. Because China is vast in territory and has great differences in terms of land surfaces, the combination of the AERONET and CARSNET data can validate the L2 AOD products more comprehensively. The validation results show different performances of these products in 2007, 2008, and 2010. The SU algorithm performs very well over sites with different surface conditions in mainland China from March to October, but it slightly underestimates AOD over barren or sparsely vegetated surfaces in western China, with mean bias error (MBE) ranging from 0.05 to 0.10. The ADV product has the same precision with a low root mean square error (RMSE) smaller than 0.2 over most sites and the same error distribution as the SU product. The main limits of the ADV algorithm are underestimation and applicability; underestimation is particularly obvious over the sites of Datong, Lanzhou, and Urumchi, where the dominant land cover is grassland, with an MBE larger than 0.2, and the main aerosol sources are coal combustion and dust. The ORAC algorithm has the ability to retrieve AOD at different ranges, including high AOD (larger than 1.0); however, the stability deceases significantly with increasing AOD, especially when AOD > 1.0. In addition, the ORAC product is consistent with the CARSNET product in winter (December, January, and February), whereas other validation results lack matches during winter