Obtaining maximum muscle excitation for normalizing shoulder electromyography in dynamic contractions

Muscle specific maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) are commonly used to elicit reference amplitudes to normalize electromyographic signals (EMG). It has been questioned whether this is appropriate for normalizing EMG from dynamic contractions. This study compares EMG amplitude when shoulder muscle activity from dynamic contractions is normalized to isometric and isokinetic maximal excitation as well as a hybrid approach currently used in our laboratory. Anterior, middle and posterior deltoid, upper and lower trapezius, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi and infraspinatus were monitored during (1) manually resisted MVICs, and (2) maximum voluntary dynamic concentric contractions (MVDC) on an isokinetic dynamometer. Dynamic contractions were performed (a) at 30°/s about the longitudinal, frontal and sagittal axes of the shoulder, and (b) during manual bi-rotation of a tilted wheel at 120°/s. EMG from the wheel task was normalized to the maximum excitation from (i) the muscle specific MVIC, (ii) from any MVIC (MVIC_ALL), (iii) for any MVDC, (iv) from any exertion (maximum experimental excitation, MEE). Mean EMG from the wheel task was up to 45% greater when normalized to muscle specific isometric contractions (method i) than when normalized to MEE (method iv). Seventy-five percent of MEE’s occurred during MVDCs. This study presents an 20 useful and effective process for obtaining the greatest excitation from the shoulder muscles when normalizing dynamic efforts.     

Modeling of homogeneous cloned enzyme donor immunoassay

One of the most widely used analytical techniques for sensitive detection of biologically and clinically significant analytes is the immunoassay. In recent years direct immunoprobes allowing label-free detection of the interaction between the antibody and the target analyte have proved their capabilities as fast, simple, and nevertheless highly sensitive methods. Cloned enzyme donor immunoassay (CEDIA) homogeneous assay is based on the bacterial enzyme beta-galactosidase, which has been genetically engineered into two inactive fragments, enzyme donor and enzyme acceptor. Reassociation of the fragments in the assay forms active enzyme, which acts on substrate to generate a colored product. A comprehensive kinetic model of CEDIA is developed to aid in understanding this method and to facilitate development of a truly homogeneous version, potentially applicable to a dipstick-type multianalyte point of care analytical device (ChemChip). Although the standard assay involves a two-step process, we also chose to model a single-combined process, which would be simpler to apply in a ChemChip device. From the modeling simulation, we obtain the time courses of the amounts of product and active enzyme, from which the dynamic ranges can be obtained as 10(-6)-10(-7) and 10(-5)-10(-7)M analyte concentration for two-step and single-combined processes under the conditions of the assumed parameters, respectively. A simple one-step immunoassay has the merit of reducing time and cost and has an improved dynamic range.     

小麦不同蘖位叶片出生的两段线性模式及其品种、播期效应

叶片出生动态是小麦生长发育进程及其协调状况的重要表现,研究发现,小科叶片出生与播后累积ＧＤＤ（ｆｇｒｏｗｉｎｇ ｄｅｇｒｅｅ ｄａｙｓ ａｆｔｅｒ ｓｏｗｉｎｇ）的关系遵循两段（阶段Ⅰ快于阶段Ⅱ）线性模式,护颖分化期为两段模式的分界点,这一规律在正常发育的冬性和春性品种的７主茎及分蘖中表现一致,冬性品种播期１（９月３０日）、播期３（３月２日）的主茎及冬、春性品种各播期的Ｔ３分蘖,因生长发育异常而”     

HepG2细胞中线粒体形状的动态变化

目的:研究HepG2细胞中线粒体形状动态变化过程中的功能变化及其初步分子机制。方法:HepG2细胞经过HBSS缓冲液饥饿处理后,使用线粒体氧化磷酸化解偶联剂CCCP、脂肪酸受体GPR40/120激动剂GW9508、脂肪酸油酸OA和钙离子载体Ionomycin等4种不同药物处理,通过共聚焦显微镜观察和流式细胞分析的手段检测细胞中线粒体形状和功能发生的改变。然后,通过基因沉默Drp1,Mff或者Fis1蛋白,初步研究调控线粒体形状改变的分子机制。结果:经过CCCP和GW9508处理细胞中产生甜甜圈线粒体,而OA和Ionomycin处理产生球状线粒体。CCCP,OA和Ionomycin使线粒体去极化,CCCP、GW9508、OA或者Ionomycin单独处理在一定程度上影响细胞中活性氧化簇ROS。甜甜圈线粒体产生由Drp1介导,而球状线粒体形成依赖于Drp1和Mff。结论:线粒体的形态与其功能相互联系,Drp1和Mff蛋白对于细胞线粒体形状动态改变过程中形状的调整和适应具有很重要的作用。     

关帝山森林景观异质性及其动态的研究

以４期航片为基础资料,在ＡＲＣ／ＩＮＦＯ支持下,应用地理信息系统（ＧＩＳ）技术,通过景观要素优势度指数、景观多样性指数、景观斑块密度、景观边缘密度、景观镶嵌度指数和景观聚集度指数５类指标,对关帝山林区５０年代末以来的景观异质性及其动态特征进行了全面分析,并介绍了各指标的数据来源和计算方法,分析了各指标的实用性．在ＧＩＳ支持下,上述各指标可以从不同侧面描述和反映景观异质结构特征,用于景观异质性动态变化规律的研究．研究表明,自５０年代末以来,关帝山森林景观受环境异质性、植被自然演替和人为活动的共同控制,总体异质性发生了很大变化,３个时期表现出不同的动态特征．对人为活动频繁的次生林区的森林景观异质性动态变化的基本规律和控制因素进行了讨论     

DCE-MRI联合DWI对直肠癌患者术前T、N分期及系膜淋巴结良恶性的诊断价值

摘要 目的：探讨动态对比增强磁共振(DCE-MRI)联合弥散加权成像（DWI）诊断直肠癌术前T、N分期和系膜淋巴结良恶性的价值。方法：收集2017年2月至2019年10月中国医科大学附属本溪中心医院和中国医科大学附属盛京医院接诊的80例直肠癌患者,均进行常规核磁共振成像（MRI）、DCE-MRI、DWI扫描,获得DCE-MRI、DWI定量参数[转运常数（K ^trans ）、细胞外血管外空间的体积分数（V _e ）、速率常数（K _ep ）、表观扩散系数(ADC)],比较不同T、N分期、不同性质系膜淋巴结DCE-MRI、DWI参数,及其对T、N分期和系膜淋巴结性质的诊断效能。结果：直肠癌癌灶K ^trans 、 K _ep 、V _e 高于正常肠壁,ADC低于正常肠壁（P＜0.05）。TNM分期为T_Ⅲ～Ⅳ期的患者K ^trans 、 K _ep 、V _e 高于T_Ⅰ～Ⅱ期,ADC低于T_Ⅰ～Ⅱ期（P＜0.05）;TNM分期为N₁期的患者K ^trans 、K _ep 、V _e 高于N₀期,ADC低于N₀期（P＜0.05）。联合诊断的灵敏度、特异度、阳性预测值、阴性预测值较高。结论：DCE-MRI联合DWI对直肠癌术前T、N分期、系膜淋巴结性质诊断价值较高。     

Simpler is better: fewer non‐target insects trapped with a four‐component chemical lure vs. a chemically more complex food‐type bait for Drosophila suzukii

Baits – fermented food products – are generally attractive to many types of insects, which makes it difficult to sort through non‐target insects to monitor a pest species of interest. We test the hypothesis that a chemically simpler and more defined attractant developed for a target insect is more specific and attracts fewer non‐target insects than a chemically more complex food‐type bait. A four‐component chemical lure isolated from a food bait and optimized for the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), was compared to the original wine/vinegar bait to assess the relative responses of non‐target insects. In several field experiments in Washington State, USA, it was shown that numbers of pest muscid flies, cutworm and armyworm moths, and pest yellowjackets were reduced in traps baited with the chemical lure compared to the wine/vinegar bait. In other field experiments in the states of Washington, Oregon, and New York, numbers of non‐target drosophilid flies were also reduced in traps baited with the chemical lure relative to wine/vinegar bait. In Washington, numbers of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen and Drosophila obscura Fallen species groups and Drosophila immigrans Sturtevant were reduced in the chemical lure traps, whereas in New York, D. melanogaster and D. obscura species groups, D. immigrans, Drosophila putrida Sturtevant, Drosophila simulans Sturtevant, Drosophila tripunctata Loew, and Chymomyza spp. numbers were reduced. In Oregon, this same effect was observed with the D. melanogaster species group. Taken together, these results indicate that the four‐component SWD chemical lure will be more selective for SWD compared to fermentation baits, which should reduce time and cost involved in trapping in order to monitor SWD.     

Electrotactile stimulation on the tongue: Intensity perception,discrimination, and cross-modality estimation

Due to its high sensitivity and conductivity, electrotactile stimulation (ETS) on the tongue has proven to be a useful and technically convenient tool to substitute and/or augment sensory capabilities. However, most of its applications have only provided spatial attributes and little is known about (a) the ability of the tongue's sensory system to process electrical stimuli of varying magnitudes and (b) how modulation of ETS intensity affects subjects’ ability to decode stimulus intensity. We addressed these questions by quantifying: (1) the magnitude of the dynamic range (DR; maximal comfortable intensity/perception threshold) and its sensitivity to prolonged exposure; (2) subjects’ ability to perceive intensity changes; and (3) subjects’ ability to associate intensity with angular excursions of a protractor's handle. We found that the average DR (17 dB) was generally large in comparison with other tactile loci and of a relatively constant magnitude among subjects, even after prolonged exposure, despite a slight but significant upward drift (p < 0.001). Additionally, our results showed that as stimulus intensity increased, subjects’ ability to discriminate ETS stimuli of different intensities improved (p < 0.05) while estimation accuracy, in general, slightly decreased (increasing underestimation). These results suggest that higher ETS intensity may increase recruitment of rapidly adapting mechanoreceptor fibers, as these are specialized for coding stimulus differences rather than absolute intensities. Furthermore, our study revealed that the tongue's sensory system can effectively convey electrical stimuli despite minimal practice and when information transfer is limited by memory and DR drift.     

Analytical methods for detecting pesticide switches with evolution of pesticide resistance

After a pest develops resistance to a pesticide, switching between different unrelated pesticides is a common management option, but this raises the following questions: (1) What is the optimal frequency of pesticide use? (2) How do the frequencies of pesticide applications affect the evolution of pesticide resistance? (3) How can the time when the pest population reaches the economic injury level (EIL) be estimated and (4) how can the most efficient frequency of pesticide applications be determined? To address these questions, we have developed a novel pest population growth model incorporating the evolution of pesticide resistance and pulse spraying of pesticides. Moreover, three pesticide switching methods, threshold condition-guided, density-guided and EIL-guided, are modelled, to determine the best choice under different conditions with the overall aim of eradicating the pest or maintaining its population density below the EIL. Furthermore, the pest control outcomes based on those three pesticide switching methods are discussed. Our results suggest that either the density-guided or EIL-guided method is the optimal pesticide switching strategy, depending on the frequency (or period) of pesticide applications.