Alterations of Motor Unit Characteristics Associated With Muscle Fatigue.

This study aims to characterize motor unit (MU) features associated with muscle fatigue, using high-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG). The same MUs recruited before/after, and during muscle fatigue were identified for analysis. The surface location of the innervation zones (IZs) of the MUs was identified from the HD-sEMG bipolar motor unit action potential (MUAP) map.

An integrated approach for quantifying trace metal sources in surface soils of a typical farmland in the three rivers plain, China.

The presence of trace metals (TMs) in agricultural soil has garnered considerable attention due to their potential migration into crops, posing a significant risk to human health. In this study, we examined the concentrations of eight trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the soil and investigated various soil physicochemical characteristics in the Three Rivers Plain region, China. The assessment of the geoaccumulation index (I) for the mean concentration of all trace metals indicated that the soils were generally free from significant TM pollution.

Enhanced Dynamic Surface EMG Decomposition Using the Non-Negative Matrix Factorization and Three-Dimensional Motor Unit Localization.

Objective: Surface electromyography (sEMG) signal decomposition is of great importance in examining neuromuscular diseases and neuromuscular research, especially dynamic sEMG decomposition is even more technically challenging.

Methods: A novel two-step sEMG decomposition approach was developed. The linear minimum mean square error estimation was first employed to extract estimated firing trains (EFTs) from the eigenvector matrices constructed using the non-negative matrix factorization (NMF).

Organic ligands activate the dark formation of hydroxyl radicals (HO) in surface soil/sediment: Yields, mechanisms, and applications.

Soil is an important sink for various pollutants. Recent findings suggest that soil and sediment would spontaneously form HO through Fenton or Fenton-like reactions under natural conditions. In this study, the effects and mechanisms of organic ligands (OLs) on the occurrence of HO in surface soil/sediment were experimentally and computationally examined.

Actional Mechanisms of Active Ingredients in Functional Food Adlay for Human Health.

Medicinal and food homologous adlay ( L. var. Stapf) plays an important role in natural products promoting human health.

[A new method for high-density surface electromyography decomposition in dynamic muscle contraction].

In this paper, a new surface electromyography (sEMG) signal decomposition method based on spatial location is proposed for the high-density sEMG signals in dynamic muscle contraction. Firstly, according to the waveform correlation of each muscle motor units (MU) in each channel, the firing times are extracted, and then the firing times are classified by the spatial location of MU. The MU firing trains are finally obtained.

Pivotal role of water molecules in the photodegradation of pymetrozine: New insights for developing green pesticides.

Photodegradation of the insecticide pymetrozine (PYM) was studied on surface of wax films, and in aqueous and nonaqueous phase. The half-life of PYM on the wax surface was approximately 250 times longer than in water. Scavenging experiments, laser flash photolysis, and spectra analysis indicated the first singlet excited state of PYM (S1 *) to be the most important photoinduced species initiating the photodegradation.

Global Innervation Zone Identification With High-Density Surface Electromyography.

Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the performance of three strategies in determining the global innervation zone (IZ) distribution.

Methods: High-density surface electromyography was recorded from the biceps brachii muscle of seven healthy subjects under isometric voluntary contractions at 20%, 50%, and 100% of the maximal voluntary contraction and supramaximal musculocutaneous nerve stimulations. IZs were detected: first, by visual identification in a column-specific manner (IZ-1D); second, based on decomposed bipolar mapping of motor unit action potentials (IZ-2D); and third, by source imaging in the three-dimensional muscle space (IZ-3D).

Multichannel Surface EMG Decomposition Based on Measurement Correlation and LMMSE.

A method based on measurement correlation (MC) and linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) for multichannel surface electromyography (sEMG) signal decomposition was developed in this study. This MC-LMMSE method gradually and iteratively increases the correlation between an optimized vector and a reconstructed matrix that is correlated with the measurement matrix. The performance of the proposed MC-LMMSE method was evaluated with both simulated and experimental sEMG signals.

A simulation study on the relation between the motor unit depth and action potential from multi-channel surface electromyography recordings.

To investigate the spatial information of individual motor unit (MUs) using multi-channel surface electromyography (EMG) decomposition. The K-means clustering convolution kernel compensation (KmCKC) approach was employed to detect the innervation pulse trains (IPTs) from the simulated surface EMG signals, and the motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) were evaluated using the spike-triggered average (STA) technique. The relationships between the features of MUAP and MU depth were determinated with a least square fitting method.

Catalyst-free one step synthesis of large area vertically stacked N-doped graphene-boron nitride heterostructures from biomass source.

A procedure for the one-step preparation of films of few-layer N-doped graphene on top of nanometric hexagonal boron nitride sheets ((N)graphene/h-BN) based on the pyrolysis at 900 °C under an inert atmosphere of a film of chitosan containing about 20 wt% of ammonium borate salt as a precursor is reported. During the pyrolysis a spontaneous segregation of (N)graphene and boron nitride layers takes place. The films were characterized by optical microscopy that shows a thin graphene overlayer covering the boron nitride layer, the latter showing characteristic cracks, and by XPS measurements at different monitoring angles from 0° to 50° where an increase in the proportion of C vs.

One-Step Preparation of Large Area Films of Oriented MoS₂ Nanoparticles on Multilayer Graphene and Its Electrocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Evolution.

MoS₂ is a promising material to replace Pt-based catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), due to its excellent stability and high activity. In this work, MoS₂ nanoparticles supported on graphitic carbon (about 20 nm) with a preferential 002 facet orientation have been prepared by pyrolysis of alginic acid films on quartz containing adsorbed (NH₄)₂MoS₄ at 900 °C under Ar atmosphere. Although some variation of the electrocatalytic activity has been observed from batch to batch, the MoS₂ sample exhibited activity for HER (a potential onset between 0.

Motor unit number estimation based on high-density surface electromyography decomposition.

Objective: To advance the motor unit number estimation (MUNE) technique using high density surface electromyography (EMG) decomposition.

Methods: The K-means clustering convolution kernel compensation algorithm was employed to detect the single motor unit potentials (SMUPs) from high-density surface EMG recordings of the biceps brachii muscles in eight healthy subjects. Contraction forces were controlled at 10%, 20% and 30% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC).

Functional mapping of the pelvic floor and sphincter muscles from high-density surface EMG recordings.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Knowledge of the innervation of pelvic floor and sphincter muscles is of great importance to understanding the pathophysiology of female pelvic floor dysfunctions. This report presents our high-density intravaginal and intrarectal electromyography (EMG) probes and a comprehensive innervation zone (IZ) imaging technique based on high-density EMG readings to characterize the IZ distribution.

Methods: Both intravaginal and intrarectal probes are covered with a high-density surface electromyography electrode grid (8 × 8).

Internal muscle activity imaging from multi-channel surface EMG recordings: a validation study.

The developed muscle activity imaging approach (MAI) was validated with surface EMG and intramuscular EMG signals simultaneously acquired from the biceps of a healthy male subject. 128 unipolar channels were employed for surface EMG measurement and one bipolar channel was employed for simultaneous intramuscular EMG measurement for the validation purpose. Ultrasound scans were also specifically performed to localize the location of the wire electrode inserted into the biceps.

[Comparative study on effect of acupoint heat-sensitive moxibustion and Seretide on the symptoms of bronchial asthma at chronic persistent stage].

Objective: To observe the difference in the efficacy on the symptoms of bronchial asthma at the chronic persistent stage between acupoint heat-sensitive moxibustion and western medicine with Seretide.

Methods: Sixty-four cases were randomly divided into a heat-sensitive moxibustion group (32 cases) and a western medication group (32 cases). In the heat-sensitive moxibustion group, the sensitized points located between Feishu (BL 13) and Geshu (BL 17) or in the region 6-cun lateral from the 1st and the 2nd intercostal spaces of the chest were selected.

Dechlorination of PCBs, CAHs, herbicides and pesticides neat and in soils at 25 degrees C using Na/NH3.

Na/NH3 reductions have been used to dehalogenate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) and pesticides at diffusion controlled rates at room temperature in model compound studies in both dry NH3 and when water was added. The rate ratio of dechlorination (aliphatic and aromatic compounds) versus reaction of the solvated electron with water is very large, allowing wet soils or sludges to be remediated without an unreasonable consumption of sodium. Several soils, purposely contaminated with 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1-chlorooctane and tetrachloroethylene, were remediated by slurring the soils in NH3 followed by addition of sodium.