A novel method for in vivo measurement of dynamic ischiofemoral space based on MRI and motion capture

Purpose: To use a novel in vivo method to simulate a moving hip model. Then, measure the dynamic bone-to-bone distance, and analyze the ischiofemoral space (IFS) of patients diagnosed with ischiofemoral impingement syndrome (IFI) during dynamic activities.Methods: Nine healthy subjects and 9 patients with IFI were recruited to collect MRI images and motion capture data. The motion trail of the hip during motion capture was matched to a personalized 3D hip model reconstructed from MRI images to get a dynamic bone model. This personalized dynamic in vivo method was then used to simulate the bone motion in dynamic activities. Validation was conducted on a 3D-printed sphere by comparing the calculated data using this novel method with the actual measured moving data using motion capture. Moreover, the novel method was used to analyze the in vivo dynamic IFS between healthy subjects and IFI patients during normal and long stride walking.Results: The validation results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) of slide and rotation was 1.42 mm/1.84° and 1.58 mm/2.19°, respectively. During normal walking, the in vivo dynamic IFS was significantly larger in healthy hips (ranged between 15.09 and 50.24 mm) compared with affected hips (between 10.16 and 39.74 mm) in 40.27%–83.81% of the gait cycle (p = 0.027). During long stride walking, the in vivo dynamic IFS was also significantly larger in healthy hips (ranged between 13.02 and 51.99 mm) than affected hips (between 9.63 and 44.22 mm) in 0%–5.85% of the gait cycle (p = 0.049). Additionally, the IFS of normal walking was significantly smaller than long stride walking during 0%–14.05% and 85.07%–100% of the gait cycle (p = 0.033, 0.033) in healthy hips. However, there was no difference between the two methods of walking among the patients.Conclusions: This study established a novel in vivo method to measure the dynamic bone-to-bone distance and was well validated. This method was used to measure the IFS of patients diagnosed with IFI, and the results showed that the IFS of patients is smaller compared with healthy subjects, whether in normal or long stride walking. Meanwhile, IFI eliminated the difference between normal and long stride walking

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF THE STABILITY IN CVD Nb3Sn SUPERCONDUCTING COMPOSITE TAPES

La stabilité dynamique de rubans composites de Nb3Sn a été étudiée. En considérant la limite d'élasticité des matériaux et un modèle à deux dimensions, un critère de stabilité a été déterminé théoriquement. En utilisant ce critère, on peut montrer qu'il existe une épaisseur optimale pour la couche de cuivre, épaisseur pour laquelle un maximum de densité de courant critique peut être obtenu. Les résultats théoriques sont en bon accord avec les expériences faites avec des bobines maquettes et avec les résultats publiés. En se basant sur la stabilité dynamique, l'unification des critères de stabilité cryostatique, dynamique et adiabatique est discuté.The dynamic stabi1ity of CVD Nb3Sn superconducting composite tapes has been studied. Considering plastic yield of the materials and based on a two-dimensional model, the stability criterion has been obtained theoretically. Using the above criterion, one can show that there exists an optimum thickness of the copper cladding, at which a maximum of the overall critical current density can be reached. The theoretical results are in good agreement with our experiments with simulation coils or with the reported results. Based on the theory of the dynamic stability, the unification of the cryostatic, dynamic and adiabatic stability has been discussed

Seed Traits Research Is on the Rise: A Bibliometric Analysis from 1991–2020

Seed traits (ST) influence seedling establishment, population dynamics, community composition and ecosystem function and reflect the adaptability of plants and the environmental conditions they experienced. There has been a historical and global accumulation of studies on ST, but with few pertaining to visual and quantitative analyses. To understand the trends in the field of ST research in the past 30 years, we conducted a bibliometric analysis based on the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E) database. The analysis provided annual publications, time trends for keywords, the most productive journals, authors, institutions and countries, and a comprehensive overview of the ST field. Our results showed that in the past 30 years, the number of publications in ST research has increased at an average annual growth rate of 9.1%, while the average number of citations per paper per year showed a rapid increase–slow increase–decrease trend. Keyword analysis showed that “germination” was the most popular research section. Crop Science ranked first among the top journals and Theoretical and Applied Genetics had greater influence in this area and more citations than other journals. The 10 most productive institutions were mostly located in the United States, China and Australia. Furthermore, the three countries also had the largest number of publications and citations. Our analysis showed that the research interests in ST have evolved from genetics and agricultural science to ecological research over the last thirty years; as more fields embrace ST research, there are opportunities for international and interdisciplinary collaborations, cooperative institutions and new advances in the field

Ground state description of bound polarons in parabolic quantum wires

The Feynman-Haken variational path integral theory is, for the first time, generalized to calculate the ground-state energy of an electron coupled simultaneously to a Coulomb potential and to a longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon field in parabolic quantum wires. It is shown that the polaronic correction to the ground-state energy is more sensitive to the electron-phonon coupling constant than the Coulomb binding parameter and monotonically stronger as the effective wire radius decreases. We apply our calculations to several semiconductor quantum wires and find that the polaronic correction can be considerably large

Gravity and magnetic field features and basement relief of the Sanjiang Basin in Heilongjiang Province, China

The Sanjiang Basin has received more attention in Mesozoic stratum and petroleum potential research because of its particularity in geographic and tectonic position. There remains debate on the basement structure of the basin since igneous rocks and faults make the structure and stratigraphy more complicated. In this paper we utilize gravity and magnetic data as well as petrophysical properties and drilling logs to understand the structure of the Sanjiang Basin. The study is focused on the comparison between the western and eastern parts of the basin. The comparison reveals that there are distinct differences in the gravity and magnetic field between the western and eastern parts. The integrated analysis of the gravity, magnetic, geological, petrophysical data and drilling logs indicates that the difference in the gravity and magnetic field results from the different basement structure and caprock formation of the two parts of the basin. The basement consists of three parts from west to east, the Proterozoic crystalline basement, the Neopaleozoic fold basement and the Lower Mesozoic fold basement separately. The Tongjiang–Yingchun Fault and the Qinglongshan–Xiaoheyan Fault controlled the formation and development of depressions and uplifts and also affected the sedimentation and volcanic activities of the basin. The Sanjiang Basin has relatively thin and stable crust thickness, varying around 33 km, and the deep structure has control and constraint over the shallow conformations

Table_1_Exploring the potential of the sit-to-stand test for self-assessment of physical condition in advanced knee osteoarthritis patients using computer vision.DOCX

IntroductionKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent condition often associated with a decline in patients’ physical function. Objective self-assessment of physical conditions poses challenges for many advanced KOA patients. To address this, we explored the potential of a computer vision method to facilitate home-based physical function self-assessments.MethodsWe developed and validated a simple at-home artificial intelligence approach to recognize joint stiffness levels and physical function in individuals with advanced KOA. One hundred and four knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients were enrolled, and we employed the WOMAC score to evaluate their physical function and joint stiffness. Subsequently, patients independently recorded videos of five sit-to-stand tests in a home setting. Leveraging the AlphaPose and VideoPose algorithms, we extracted time-series data from these videos, capturing three-dimensional spatiotemporal information reflecting changes in key joint angles over time. To deepen our study, we conducted a quantitative analysis using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), resulting in two wavelet coefficients: the approximation coefficients (cA) and the detail coefficients (cD).ResultsOur analysis specifically focused on four crucial joint angles: “the right hip,” “right knee,” “left hip,” and “left knee.” Qualitative analysis revealed distinctions in the time-series data related to functional limitations and stiffness among patients with varying levels of KOA. In quantitative analysis, we observed variations in the cA among advanced KOA patients with different levels of physical function and joint stiffness. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the cD between advanced KOA patients, demonstrating different levels of physical function and joint stiffness. It suggests that the primary difference in overall movement patterns lies in the varying degrees of joint stiffness and physical function among advanced KOA patients.DiscussionOur method, designed to be low-cost and user-friendly, effectively captures spatiotemporal information distinctions among advanced KOA patients with varying stiffness levels and functional limitations utilizing smartphones. This study provides compelling evidence for the potential of our approach in enabling self-assessment of physical condition in individuals with advanced knee osteoarthritis.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Exploring the potential of the sit-to-stand test for self-assessment of physical condition in advanced knee osteoarthritis patients using computer vision.ZIP

IntroductionKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent condition often associated with a decline in patients’ physical function. Objective self-assessment of physical conditions poses challenges for many advanced KOA patients. To address this, we explored the potential of a computer vision method to facilitate home-based physical function self-assessments.MethodsWe developed and validated a simple at-home artificial intelligence approach to recognize joint stiffness levels and physical function in individuals with advanced KOA. One hundred and four knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients were enrolled, and we employed the WOMAC score to evaluate their physical function and joint stiffness. Subsequently, patients independently recorded videos of five sit-to-stand tests in a home setting. Leveraging the AlphaPose and VideoPose algorithms, we extracted time-series data from these videos, capturing three-dimensional spatiotemporal information reflecting changes in key joint angles over time. To deepen our study, we conducted a quantitative analysis using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), resulting in two wavelet coefficients: the approximation coefficients (cA) and the detail coefficients (cD).ResultsOur analysis specifically focused on four crucial joint angles: “the right hip,” “right knee,” “left hip,” and “left knee.” Qualitative analysis revealed distinctions in the time-series data related to functional limitations and stiffness among patients with varying levels of KOA. In quantitative analysis, we observed variations in the cA among advanced KOA patients with different levels of physical function and joint stiffness. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the cD between advanced KOA patients, demonstrating different levels of physical function and joint stiffness. It suggests that the primary difference in overall movement patterns lies in the varying degrees of joint stiffness and physical function among advanced KOA patients.DiscussionOur method, designed to be low-cost and user-friendly, effectively captures spatiotemporal information distinctions among advanced KOA patients with varying stiffness levels and functional limitations utilizing smartphones. This study provides compelling evidence for the potential of our approach in enabling self-assessment of physical condition in individuals with advanced knee osteoarthritis.</p

C-Structures in Mesospheric Na and K Layers and Their Relations with Dynamical and Convective Instabilities

We analyzed the C-structures in the mesospheric metal layers. We used two datasets: one from a narrow band Sodium (Na) Density and Temperature LIDAR and the other from a high-resolution dual band Na and Potassium (K) LIDAR, both operated at São José dos Campos, Brazil (23° S, 46° W). We also investigated the Es layer occurrence and wind shear influences forming these structures. We found three C-type events over 82 analyzed nights in the first data set. They all showed lower temperatures inside C-structures compared to the borders. The squared Brunt-Väissälä frequency analyses showed positive values in the region of C-structures. In two out of three cases, dynamical instability was present (Ri < 0.25). We compared these results with the nine simultaneous C-type events identified in the 185 nights from the second data set. They showed height and time simultaneity correspondence as observed in the Na and K layers. Our results showed a low correlation between Es occurrence and C-structures. Additionally, strong wind shears in the altitude and time where C-structures appeared were always present. The advection of a metal cloud to the LIDAR station and a wind distortion seems to be the plausible mechanism that can explain all the observations