Estimation and visualization of longitudinal muscle motion using ultrasonography: A feasibility study

Ultrasonography is a convenient and widely used technique to look into the longitudinal muscle motion as it is radiation-free and real-time. The motion of localized parts of the muscle, disclosed by ultrasonography, spatially reflects contraction activities of the corresponding muscles. However, little attention was paid to the estimation of longitudinal muscle motion, especially towards estimation of dense deformation field at different depths under the skin. Yet fewer studies on the visualization of such muscle motion or further clinical applications were reported in the literature. A primal–dual algorithm was used to estimate the motion of gastrocnemius muscle (GM) in longitudinal direction in this study. To provide insights into the rules of longitudinal muscle motion, we proposed a novel framework including motion estimation, visualization and quantitative analysis to interpret synchronous activities of collaborating muscles with spatial details. The proposed methods were evaluated on ultrasound image sequences, captured at a rate of 25 frames per second from eight healthy subjects. In order to estimate and visualize the GM motion in longitudinal direction, each subject was asked to perform isometric plantar flexion twice. Preliminary results show that the proposed visualization methods provide both spatial and temporal details and they are helpful to study muscle contractions. One of the proposed quantitative measures was also tested on a patient with unilateral limb dysfunction caused by cerebral infarction. The measure revealed distinct patterns between the normal and the dysfunctional lower limb. The proposed framework and its associated quantitative measures could potentially be used to complement electromyography (EMG) and torque signals in functional assessment of skeletal muscles.     

Crystallization and Preliminary Crystallographic Analysis of β-Trichosanthin, an Isoform of Trichosanthin from the Root Tuber of Trichosanthe kirilowii

β-Trichosanthin, a type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) isolated from the root tuber of Trichosanthe kirilowii Maxim, is an isoform of trichosanthin. Here we report its crystal- lization in two crystal forms using the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method. The form A and form B crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P212121 and monoclinic space group P21, respectively. X-ray data have been collected to 1.6 and 1.2 (A) resolution for form A and form B crystals, respectively, using a synchrotron source.     

柘树根多糖的分离纯化及结构表征

以柘树[Cudrania tricuspidata(Carr.) Bur.]的根为材料, 经热水抽提、木瓜蛋白酶-Sevag法除蛋白、乙醇沉淀和DEAE-Sephadex A-50凝胶柱层析分离纯化, 得到一种水溶性的柘树根多糖(CPS-0). 采用HPLC、糖基组成分析、甲基化分析、GC、GC-MS、NMR(1H NMR, 13C NMR及HMQC)、元素分析、UV和IR等技术对CPS-0的纯度、性质、组成和结构进行表征. 结果表明, CPS-0仅含葡萄糖, 分子量为4.6×103, 主链由1,4-连接的α-D-葡萄糖残基组成, 其侧链由末端及1,4-连接的葡萄糖残基构成, 取代于主链分支点葡萄糖的6位, 平均每10个葡萄糖残基组成的重复单元中含有1个分支.     

Identification of the roselle root rot pathogen and its sensitivity to different fungicides

Root rot is the main disease affecting roselle plantings and production and can seriously affect the yield and quality of calyces. Thus, it is urgent to identify the pathogen causing roselle root rot and screen effective pesticides to control the disease. In the present study, morphological observation, pathogenicity assays and molecular biology methods were used to identify the pathogen causing roselle root rot in Nanning, Guangxi Province, and four biological and four chemical fungicides were evaluated for their effects on the mycelial growth rate of the pathogen. The results showed that the pathogen causing roselle root rot in Nanning, Guangxi, was Fusarium solani, marking the first report of this fungus causing root rot of roselle in China. The fungicidal activity screening revealed differences in the inhibitory effects of the eight fungicides on the colony growth of F. solani. For the biofungicides, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens exhibited the best fungistatic effect, with an IC₅₀ of 1.10 mg/mL. When the mass concentration was 2.5 mg/mL, the mycelial growth of the pathogen was 100% inhibited, while Bacillus subtilis had the worst inhibitory effect, with an IC₅₀ of 46.78 mg/mL. When its mass concentration was 80 mg/mL, mycelial growth was only inhibited by 74.67%. For the chemical fungicides, carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl presented the strongest effects on F. solani, with IC₅₀ values of 0.0082 mg/mL and 0.0243 mg/mL, respectively. When the mass concentrations were 0.03 mg/mL and 0.075 mg/mL, mycelial growth was inhibited by 100%. These results provide a scientific basis for rationally selecting fungicides to control roselle root rot in field production.     

Chemical Constituents from the Root Bark of Rodgersia Sambucifolia

A new demethylacetovanillochromene glycoside, 2,2‐dimethyl‐2H‐(8‐hydroxy‐6‐acetyl)‐[2,3‐b] pyran‐8‐O‐β‐D‐apiofuranosyl‐(1 →6)‐β‐D‐glucopyranoside ( 1 ), together with twenty‐three known compounds, have been isolated from the root bark of Rodgersia sambucifolia. These known compounds include two diterpenoids, three flavonoids, two catechins, four lignans, two benzenoids, two isocoumarins, two steroids and six monoterpene glycosides, which were determined by means of spectral analyses.     

α-glucosidase inhibitory,antioxidant activity,and GC/MS analysis of Descurainia sophia methanolic extract: In vitro,in vivo,and in silico studies

Due to the presence of various phenolic compounds in D.sophia, this plant may have an inhibitory effect on α-Glc and ultimately diabetes control. Therefore, this work aims to scrutinize total phenolic, flavonoid contents, antioxidant capacity, and α-Glc inhibitory activity in aerial parts of methanolic D.sophia extract. The methanolic flower extracts were selected from among aerial parts for the experimental study of anti-diabetic effects by α-Glc inhibitory assays. The flower extracts were also studied by GC/MS to detect the compounds. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were 21.38 ± 0.93 GAE/g and 96.2 ± 0.20 QE/g, respectively. The IC₅₀ value of flower extract for α-Glc inhibition with mixed (Competitive/non-competitive) mode was found to be 20.34 ± 0.11 mg/ml. Furthermore, in-vivo studies showed that the blood glucose level reduced after consumption of flower extract compared to the control group. Twenty-one compounds were identified by GC/MS technique. These compounds were assessed for high docking scores against α-Glc in silico. Docking score calculations exhibited that the DES-α-Glc complex had a significantly higher binding energy (-6.13 Kcal/mol) than other compounds. The DES-α-Glc complex which displayed a higher docking energy value than the ACR was subjected to MDs studies. The findings of this study suggest that the flower extract of D.sophia can be used as a suitable additive in syrups or foods with anti-diabetic capacity.     

Trace formulae for irreducible polynomials over with minimal order roots in

The extension field where q is a prime divisor of (P−1), has a unique structure. This paper describes this unique structure and uses it to derive formulas relating the trace values for elements in . These formulas can be refined for certain elements to produce a formula for the trace.     

Improved performance analysis of Gigabit passive optical networks

Gigabit passive optical networks (GPON) provide a capacity boosts in both the total bandwidth and bandwidth efficiency through the use of larger variable-length packets in Passive Optical Networks technology. In this paper, we have described a purely-passive GPON compatible reach extender using distributed Raman amplification and reported the improved investigation through implementation of a square root module by a distance of 60 km at data rate of 2.5 Gbps. An efficient improvement in Q factor is achieved with square root module, which further helps in increasing the length of GPON.     

Quasi L 3 -Filiform Lie Algebras

Abstract

In this paper, we mainly discuss some properties of quasi L ₃-filiform Lie algebras and their derivation algebras.     

A comparative study of destructive effects resulting from road profile acting on off-road towed vehicles

The more extreme conditions the vehicle is exposed to, the sooner it wears out and deteriorates. In order to determine the forces affecting the lifespan of vehicles we need to know the environmental conditions eliciting these forces.This research aims at elaborating and testing a method which can help to conduct a comparative analysis of forces acting on towed vehicles used in different terrain conditions. Excitation forces acting on a vehicle being towed across terrain cause vibrations which lead to wear and structural deterioration. The rate of deterioration depends on the activating forces resulting from the road profile geometry and the dynamic properties of the vehicle. A knowledge of the relationship between the towed vehicle and the terrain profile will enable the design of an artificial road profile for fatigue testing with which similar stresses arise as during normal use. With the developed comparative method, a connection can be established between stochastic road profiles and road profiles containing artificially built obstacles.