Ultrasound-guided median nerve electrical stimulation to promote upper limb function recovery after stroke

Peripheral electrical nerve stimulation enhances hand function during stroke rehabilitation. Here, we proposed a percutaneous direct median nerve stimulation guided by ultrasound (ultrasound‐guided median nerve electrical stimulation, UG-MNES) and evaluated its feasibility and effectiveness in the treatment of stroke patients with upper limb extremity impairments. Sixty-three stroke patients (2-3 months of onset) were randomly divided into control and UG-MNES groups. Both groups received routine rehabilitation and the UG-MNES group received an additional ultrasound-guided electrical stimulation of the median nerve at 2 Hz, 0.2 ms pulse-width for 20 minutes with gradual intensity enhancement. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment for upper extremity motor function (FMA-UE) was used as the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes were the Functional Test for the Hemiplegic Upper Extremity (FTHUE-HK), Hand Function Rating Scale, Brunnstrom Stages, and Barthel Index scores for motor and daily functions. All the participants completed the trial without any side effects or adverse events during the intervention. After 4 weeks of intervention, the functions of the upper limbs on the hemiplegic side in both groups achieved significant recovery. Compared to the control group, all evaluation indices used in this trial were improved significantly in the UG-MNES group after 2 and 4 weeks of intervention; particularly, the first intervention of UG-MNES immediately improved all the assessment items significantly. In conclusion, the UG-MNES is a safe and feasible treatment for stroke patients with upper limb extremity impairments and could significantly improve the motor function of the affected upper limb, especially in the first intervention. The UG-MNES could be an effective alternative intervention for stroke with upper limb extremity impairments

Study on ventilation effect for a large space in an underground hydropower station

Due to the urgent need for reducing carbon emissions, an increasing number of pumped storage power stations have been constructed and used considering its obvious advantages of energy saving. However, relevant design guidance and technical research failed to meet the development demand. There is only a small number of studies focusing on the prediction and evaluation of ventilation system in singlestory stations, however, little on the integral connected plant floors. Thus, it is significant to study safety operation technology of deep underground pumped storage power stations, especially in terms of thermal and humidity environment. A reduced-scale (1/30) model based on an engineering project was set up, and numerical simulations were carried out to study the temperature and velocity distribution in the large underground space under the summer design condition (L=21.1×104m3/s, T=19°C, Q=997KW). Results show that the temperature on the right side of the powerhouse is slightly higher than that on the left side, and the gap is approximately from 1°C to 4°C. Moreover, local overheating may occur in some places. The side air supply velocity and location should be paid more attention to in designing air distribution

Research on spatial local resistance characteristics in a plenum space for an exhaust fan room

The local resistance loss is of great importance to the structural design of the exhaust room and the selection of fan equipment. In this study, the resistance characteristics of isotropic multi-inlet and single-outlet plenum spaces are investigated using numerical simulations. Orthogonal experiment method was used to determine the key influencing factors. An empirical formula for the local resistance loss law was proposed and the internal flow characteristics of the plenum space were analysed. Results show that the fan interaction rate is an important factor for the drag loss and that the vortex zone is closely related to the magnitude of the local drag loss. The results can provide a theoretical basis for the structural design of the plenum space and the selection of fan equipment

Numerical simulation of sedimentation in the Central Canyon of Lingshui area, Qiongdongnan Basin

Deepwater canyon is now the focus of the research field of offshore oil and gas exploration.In the Qiongdongnan Basin of the northwestern South China Sea, several deepwater exploration boreholes have been deployed in the Central Canyon to reveal the lithologic hydrocarbon reservoir of sediment infill therein.However, due to the relatively limited number of these boreholes, the large distance between each borehole, as well as the low resolution of seismic data, the issues regarding the superposition relationship between different sandstone bodies within the canyon, their contact relationship with boundaries, and sedimentary evolution remain poorly understood, which severely hinder the delicate characterization of reservoir physical properties.This study investigates the Lingshui area of the Central Canyon from the perspective of numerical simulation of sedimentation.Geological and mathematical models are established based on the specific geological observations.The hydrodynamic simulation software ANSYS FLUENT is used for the forward modeling of multiple sedimentary stages and sandstone bodies with different initial conditions (e.g., provenance and inlet velocity) to reveal the geometry of modeled turbidite sedimentation, including the horizontal and vertical distribution patterns of sandstone bodies.The simulation results show that: Within the straight section of the canyon, the flow rate and intensity of the turbidity current gradually decrease due to the effect of substrate friction; Relatively coarse and fine particles can be deposited on the substrate and suspended along with the vortex at the head of the turbidity flow, respectively; Within the narrow section of the canyon, the turbulence of the head of the turbidity flow is strong enough to erode the canyon wall and also shift the strike of the canyon.Suspended particles can be affected by centrifugation force to form the overflow sedimentation; In addition, the results show a vertical heterogeneity of sandstone bodies distributed within the canyon: sandstone bodies are usually interlayered by mudstone that features a small thickness and poor lateral continuity.A comparison with the available seismic and borehole data shows the validity of the obtained simulation results.This study attempts to reveal the hydrodynamic processes in terms of different sedimentary stages and sandstone bodies, and then to predict the configuration of sandstone bodies that provides a favorable basis for reservoir prediction

m6A readers ECT2/ECT3/ECT4 enhance mRNA stability through direct recruitment of the poly(A) binding proteins in Arabidopsis

Abstract Background RNA N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is critical for plant growth and crop yield. m6A reader proteins can recognize m6A modifications to facilitate the functions of m6A in gene regulation. ECT2, ECT3, and ECT4 are m6A readers that are known to redundantly regulate trichome branching and leaf growth, but their molecular functions remain unclear. Results Here, we show that ECT2, ECT3, and ECT4 directly interact with each other in the cytoplasm and perform genetically redundant functions in abscisic acid (ABA) response regulation during seed germination and post-germination growth. We reveal that ECT2/ECT3/ECT4 promote the stabilization of their targeted m6A-modified mRNAs, but have no function in alternative polyadenylation and translation. We find that ECT2 directly interacts with the poly(A) binding proteins, PAB2 and PAB4, and maintains the stabilization of m6A-modified mRNAs. Disruption of ECT2/ECT3/ECT4 destabilizes mRNAs of ABA signaling-related genes, thereby promoting the accumulation of ABI5 and leading to ABA hypersensitivity. Conclusion Our study reveals a unified functional model of m6A mediated by m6A readers in plants. In this model, ECT2/ECT3/ECT4 promote stabilization of their target mRNAs in the cytoplasm