Calcium ion-triggered liquid-liquid phase separation of silk fibroin and spinning through acidification and shear stress.

Many studies try to comprehend and replicate the natural silk spinning process due to its energy-efficient and eco-friendly process. In contrast to spider silk, the mechanisms of how silkworm silk fibroin (SF) undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) concerning the various environmental factors in the silk glands or how the SF coacervates transform into fibers remain unexplored. Here, we show that calcium ions, among the most abundant metal ions inside the silk glands, induce LLPS of SF under macromolecular crowded conditions by increasing both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions between SF.

Hand Grasp Motion Intention Recognition Based on High-Density Electromyography in Chronic Stroke Patients.

Stroke is a debilitating condition that leads to a loss of motor function, inability to perform daily life activities, and ultimately worsening quality of life. Robot-based rehabilitation is a more effective method than conventional rehabilitation but needs to accurately recognize the patient's intention so that the robot can assist the patient's voluntary motion. This study focuses on recognizing hand grasp motion intention using high-density electromyography (HD-EMG) in patients with chronic stroke.

Functional MRI Assessment of Brain Activity During Hand Rehabilitation with an MR-Compatible Soft Glove in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Preliminary Study.

Brain plasticity plays a significant role in functional recovery after stroke, but the specific benefits of hand rehabilitation robot therapy remain unclear. Evaluating the specific effects of hand rehabilitation robot therapy is crucial in understanding how it impacts brain activity and its relationship to rehabilitation outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the brain activity pattern during hand rehabilitation exercise using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and to compare it before and after 3-week hand rehabilitation robot training.

Enhanced Results on Sampled-Data Synchronization for Chaotic Neural Networks With Actuator Saturation Using Parameterized Control.

This article investigates a novel sampled-data synchronization controller design method for chaotic neural networks (CNNs) with actuator saturation. The proposed method is based on a parameterization approach which reformulates the activation function as the weighted sum of matrices with the weighting functions. Also, controller gain matrices are combined by affinely transformed weighting functions.

Individual finger movement decoding using a novel ultra-high-density electroencephalography-based brain-computer interface system.

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology enables users to operate external devices without physical movement. Electroencephalography (EEG) based BCI systems are being actively studied due to their high temporal resolution, convenient usage, and portability. However, fewer studies have been conducted to investigate the impact of high spatial resolution of EEG on decoding precise body motions, such as finger movements, which are essential in activities of daily living.

EEG-EMG hybrid real-time classification of hand grasp and release movements intention in chronic stroke patients.

Rehabilitation of the hand motor function is essential for stroke patients to resume activities of daily living. Recent studies have shown that wearable robot systems, like a multi degree-of-freedom soft glove, have the potential to improve hand motor impairment. The rehabilitation system, which is intuitively controlled according to the user's intention, is expected to induce active participation of the user and further promote brain plasticity.

Method to purify and analyze heterogeneous senescent cell populations using a microfluidic filter with uniform fluidic profile.

To precisely purify and study aged (senescent) cells, we have designed, fabricated, and demonstrated a novel diamond-structure (DS) microfluidic filter. Nonuniform flow velocities within the microfilter channel can compromise microfluidic filter performance, but with this new diamond structure, further optimized via simulation, we achieve a uniform microfilter flow field, improving the throughput of size-based separation of senescent cells, as obtained by 39-passaged human dermal fibroblasts. After separating these aged cells into two groups, consisting of large- and small-sized cells, we assessed senescence by measuring lipofuscin accumulation and β-galactosidase activity.