Energy-Efficient Trajectory Optimization for UAV-Based Hybrid FSO/RF Communications with Buffer Constraints.

This paper focuses on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) assisted hybrid free-space optical (FSO)/radio frequency (RF) communication system. Considering the rate imbalance between the FSO and RF links, a buffer is employed at the UAV. Initially, theoretical models of energy consumption and throughput are obtained for the hybrid system. Based on these models, the theoretical expression of the energy efficiency is derived. Then, a nonconvex trajectory optimization problem is formulated by maximizing the energy efficiency of the hybrid system under the buffer constraint, velocity constraint, acceleration constraint, start-end position constraint, and start-end velocity constraint. By using the sequential convex optimization and first-order Taylor approximation, the nonconvex problem is transformed into a convex one. An iterative algorithm is proposed to solve the problem. Numerical results verify the efficiency of the proposed algorithm and also show the effects of buffer size on a UAV's trajectory.

Motor Imagery-Based Brain-Computer Interface Combined with Multimodal Feedback to Promote Upper Limb Motor Function after Stroke: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the brain-computer interface (BCI) has seen rapid development, which may promote the recovery of motor function in chronic stroke patients. METHODS: Twelve stroke patients with severe upper limb and hand motor impairment were enrolled and randomly assigned into two groups: motor imagery (MI)-based BCI training with multimodal feedback (BCI group, n = 7) and classical motor imagery training (control group, n = 5). Motor function and electrophysiology were evaluated before and after the intervention. The Fugl-Meyer assessment-upper extremity (FMA-UE) is the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures include an increase in wrist active extension or surface electromyography (the amplitude and cocontraction of extensor carpi radialis during movement), the action research arm test (ARAT), the motor status scale (MSS), and Barthel index (BI). Time-frequency analysis and power spectral analysis were used to reflect the electroencephalogram (EEG) change before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline, the FMA-UE score increased significantly in the BCI group (p = 0.006). MSS scores improved significantly in both groups, while ARAT did not improve significantly. In addition, before the intervention, all patients could not actively extend their wrists or just had muscle contractions. After the intervention, four patients regained the ability to extend their paretic wrists (two in each group). The amplitude and area under the curve of extensor carpi radialis improved to some extent, but there was no statistical significance between the groups. CONCLUSION: MI-based BCI combined with sensory and visual feedback might improve severe upper limb and hand impairment in chronic stroke patients, showing the potential for application in rehabilitation medicine.

The Muscle Activation Differences in Post-Stroke Upper Limb Flexion Synergy Based on Spinal Cord Segments: A Preliminary Proof-of-Concept Study.

Objective: This study examined the activation difference of muscles innervated by cervical cord 5-6 (C5-C6) and cervical cord 8- thoracic cord 1 (C8-T1) in upper limb flexion synergy after stroke. Methods: Surface electromyography (sEMG) signals were collected during elbow flexion in stroke patients and healthy controls. The study compared normalized activation of two pairs of muscles that could cause similar joint movement but which dominated different spinal cord segments (clavicular part of the pectoralis major, PC vs. Sternocostal part of the pectoralis major, PS; Flexor carpi radialis, FCR vs. Flexor carpi ulnaris, FCU). In each muscle pair, one muscle was innervated by the same spinal cord segment (C5-C6), dominating the elbow flexion and the other was not. The comparison of the activation of the same muscle between patients and healthy controls was undertaken after standardization based on the activation of the biceps brachii in elbow flexion. Results: There was no difference between the PC and PS's normalized activation in healthy controls while the PC's normalized activation was higher than PS in stroke patients during elbow flexion. Similarly, there was no significant difference in normalized activation between FCR and FCU in healthy controls, and the same is true for stroke patients. However, the standardized activation of both FCR and FCU in stroke patients was significantly lower than that in healthy controls. Conclusion: After stroke, the activation of the distal muscles of the upper limb decreased significantly regardless of the difference of spinal cord segments; while the activation of the proximal muscles innervated by the same spinal cord segment (C5-C6) dominating the elbow flexion showed higher activation during flexion synergy. The difference in muscle activation based on spinal cord segments may be the reason for the stereotyped joint movement of upper limb flexion synergy.

Realistic performance analysis for visible light communication with random receivers.

In previous studies, the receivers in indoor visible light communication (VLC) were usually fixed. However, in reality, the receivers in VLC have random locations and orientations. Therefore, it is important to consider these random factors for performance analysis in VLC. In this paper, we consider a typical VLC system with a fixed transmitter and a random receiver. Two types of receivers are investigated: (1) those with random location and (2) those with random orientation. Based on the established system model, the statistical characteristics of the channel were obtained, and closed-form expressions of the average channel capacity and the outage probability were derived, respectively. Finally, numerical results verified the accuracy of derived theoretical expressions. Moreover, the effects of the nominal optical intensity, the dimming target, the transmitter height, the receiver zone's radius, the outage threshold, and the Lambertian emission order on system performance were also provided.

Differential Changed Excitability of Spinal Motor Neurons Innervating Tibialis Anterior and Peroneus Muscles Cause Foot Inversion After Stroke.

Objective: To study differential post-stroke changes of excitability of spinal motor neurons innervating a group of antagonist muscles of ankle and their effects on foot inversion. Methods: F waves in tibialis anterior (TA) and peroneus muscles (PN) were recorded. The condition of spasticity and foot inversion in stroke patients were also evaluated. The differences of F wave parameters between patients and healthy controls (HC), as well as TA and PN, were investigated. Results: There were natural differences in the persistence of the F waves (Fp) and F/M amplitude ratio (F/M) between TA and PN in HC. Stroke patients showed significantly higher F/M in TA and PN, while there was no difference in Fp comparing to HC. The natural differences in F wave parameters between TA and PN were differentially retained after stroke. The natural difference of the two muscles in Fp remained unchanged and the F/M difference disappeared in those without spasticity or foot inversion, while the Fp difference disappeared and the F/M difference remained in those with spasticity or foot inversion. Conclusion: Based on the natural difference of the number and size of spinal motor neurons innervating TA and PN, their excitability may change differently according to the severity of the stroke, which may be the reason of foot inversion.

Effect of Different Clarification Treatments on the Volatile Composition and Aromatic Attributes of 'Italian Riesling' Icewine.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of clarification treatments on volatile composition and aromatic attributes of wine samples. 'Italian Riesling' icewines from the Hexi Corridor Region of China were clarified by fining agents (bentonite (BT) and soybean protein (SP)), membrane filtration (MF), and centrifugation (CF) methods. The clarity, physicochemical indexes, volatile components, and aromatic attributes of treated wines were investigated. Both the fining agents and mechanical clarification treatments increased the transmittance and decreased the color intensity of icewine samples. Bentonite fining significantly influenced the total sugar content, total acidity and volatile acidity. Total acidity decreased 2-3.5% and volatile acidity 2-12%. MF showed the greatest influence on total phenol content, decreasing the initial content by 12%, while other treatments by less than 8%. Volatile analysis indicated that both the categories and contents of volatile compounds of wine samples decreased. MF treatment showed the most significant influence, while SP fining showed much lower impact. Odor activity values indicated the compound with the highest odor activity in Italian Riesling icewines was ß-damascenone. For this compound, BT and SP did not show significant differences, however, in MF and CF it decreased by 20% and 63%, respectively. Furthermore, with high impact on aroma were: ethyl hexanoate which reduced by 20-80% especially in MF; rose oxide which extremely reduced in MF and undetected in BT, SP, and CF; isoamyl acetate which reduced by 3-33% and linalool decreased by 10-20% and undetected for BT. Principle component analysis indicated that icewine clarified by different methods could be distinguished and positively correlated with odor-active compounds. Floral and fruity were the dominant aroma series in icewine samples followed by fatty, earthy, spicy, vegetative and pungent flavor. The total odor active value of these series significantly (p < 0.5) decreased in different clarification treatments. Sensory evaluation showed similar results, but the SP and CF wine samples achieved better sensory quality. This study provides information that could help to optimize the clarification of ice wines.

The effect of magnetic stimulation on differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into neuron.

The effect of stem cell transplantation in the treatment of neural lesions is so far not satisfactory. Magnetic stimulation is a feasible exogenous interference to improve transplantation outcome. However, the effect of magnetic stimulation on the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into neuron has not been studied. In this experiment, an in vitro neuron differentiation system from human iPSCs were established and confirmed. Three magnetic stimuli (high frequency [HF], low frequency [LF], intermittent theta-burst stimulation [iTBS]) were applied twice a day during the differentiation process. Immunofluorescence and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) were performed to analyze the effect of magnetic stimulation. Neural stem cells were obtained on day 12, manifested as floating neurospheres expressing neural precursor markers. All groups can differentiate into neurons while glial cell markers were not detected. Both Immunofluorescence and PCR results showed LF and iTBS increased the transcription and expression of neuronal nuclei (NeuN). HF significantly increased vesicular glutamate transporters2 transcription while iTBS promoted transcription of both synaptophysin and postsynaptic density protein 95. These results indicate that LF and iTBS can promote the generation of mature neurons from human iPSCs; HF may promote differentiate into glutamatergic neurons while iTBS may promote synapse formation during the differentiation.

Motor imagery based brain-computer interface control of continuous passive motion for wrist extension recovery in chronic stroke patients.

Motor recovery of wrist and fingers is still a great challenge for chronic stroke survivors. The present study aimed to verify the efficiency of motor imagery based brain-computer interface (BCI) control of continuous passive motion (CPM) in the recovery of wrist extension due to stroke. An observational study was conducted in 26 chronic stroke patients, aged 49.0 ± 15.4 years, with upper extremity motor impairment. All patients showed no wrist extension recovery. A 24-channel highresolution electroencephalogram (EEG) system was used to acquire cortical signal while they were imagining extension of the affected wrist. Then, 20 sessions of BCI-driven CPM training were carried out for 6 weeks. Primary outcome was the increase of active range of motion (ROM) of the affected wrist from the baseline to final evaluation. Improvement of modified Barthel Index, EEG classification and motor imagery pattern of wrist extension were recorded as secondary outcomes. Twenty-one patients finally passed the EEG screening and completed all the BCI-driven CPM trainings. From baseline to the final evaluation, the increase of active ROM of the affected wrists was (24.05 ± 14.46)˚. The increase of modified Barthel Index was 3.10 ± 4.02 points. But no statistical difference was detected between the baseline and final evaluations (P > 0.05). Both EEG classification and motor imagery pattern improved. The present study demonstrated beneficial outcomes of MI-based BCI control of CPM training in motor recovery of wrist extension using motor imagery signal of brain in chronic stroke patients.

Constrained-induced movement therapy promotes motor function recovery by enhancing the remodeling of ipsilesional corticospinal tract in rats after stroke.

Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), which forces the use of the impaired limb by restraining the unaffected limb, has been used extensively for the recovery of limb motor function after stroke. However, the underlying mechanism of CIMT remains unclear. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a well-known neuroimaging technique that reflects the microstructure of white matter tracts and potential changes associated with different treatments. The aim of this study is to use DTI imaging to determine how corticospinal tract (CST) fibers remodel in ischemic rats with CIMT. In the present study, rats were randomly divided into three groups: a middle cerebral artery occlusion group (MCAO), a therapeutic group (MCAO + CIMT), and a sham-operated group (sham). A plaster cast was used to restrict the unaffected limb of the rats in the MCAO + CIMT group for 14 days. The Catwalk system was used to assess the limb motor function of rats. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and the average diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the CST were quantified through DTI. The expression of the c-Jun-N-terminal kinase signaling pathway (JNK) was examined after 14 days of CIMT. We found that CIMT could accelerate and enhance motor function recovery, and the MCAO + CIMT group showed significantly increased FA values in the ipsilesional posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC) compared with the MCAO group. In addition, we found no significant difference in the ratio of phosphorylated-JNK/total-JNK among the three groups, whereas the expression of P-JNK decreased significantly in the chronic phase of stroke. In conclusion, CIMT-induced functional recovery following ischemic stroke through facilitation of the remodeling of ipsilesional CST, and restoration after ischemic stroke may be associated with the declining value of the ratio of P-JNK/JNK.

Mechanisms of Nα-lauroyl arginate ethyl ester against Penicillium digitatum and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity and mechanisms of Nα-lauroyl arginate ethyl ester (LAE) against Penicillium digitatum and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. The minim inhibitory concentrations of LAE against P. digitatum and P. carotovorum were found to be 400 and 25 µg/ml, respectively. Loss of intracellular protein and nucleic acid increased significantly, and membrane permeability reached 76.28, 54.29 and 85.20%, respectively, when 400 µg/ml of LAE was applied to the hyphae and spores of P. digitatum and to P. carotovorum. Flow cytometry showed that LAE reduced the membrane potential, and the depolarization ratios of P. digitatum and P. carotovorum were 98.19 and 97.25% (P < 0.05), respectively. Transmission electron microscopy photos revealed that LAE caused a rough surface, irregular cellular organelles, protoplast shrinkage, intracytoplasmic coagulation and empty cavities in all three cell types. These results showed that LAE had notable ability to damage the structure of fungal and bacterial cells, making it a possible alternative chemical for use in the preservation of fruits and vegetables.

Physicochemical properties of casein-dextran nanoparticles prepared by controlled dry and wet heating.

Casein-dextran nanoparticles (CDNs) were prepared from casein-dextran conjugates by heating in a dry/wet state and then adjusting the pH to the isoelectric point of the protein (pH 4.6) to investigate their physicochemical characteristics. The effects of the dry and wet heating methods on the properties of the CDNs were also evaluated. The CDNs were spherically shaped and uniformly dispersed, as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Compared with CDNs prepared by wet heating (CDN-W), those prepared by dry heating (CDN-D) were much smaller (P<0.05) and showed superior stability and enhanced the release of curcumin under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. However, both types exhibited the same encapsulation ability of curcumin. Meanwhile, the CDNs displayed good thermal, gastrointestinal and storage stability, and good redispersion behaviour. Our findings indicated CDN-D exhibited superior physicochemical properties and could serve as a potential delivery vehicle to encapsulate hydrophobic active ingredients to intestine.

Protective effect of surface layer proteins isolated from four Lactobacillus strains on hydrogen-peroxide-induced HT-29 cells oxidative stress.

The objective of this study was to explore the antioxidant effect of the surface layer proteins (SLPs) and their mechanism. We investigated four SLPs which were extracted from L. casei zhang, L. rhamnosus, L. gasseri and L. acidophilus NCFM respectively using LiCl. The protective effect of SLPs on H2O2-induced HT-29 cells oxidative injury was investigated. As results, SLPs (100µg/mL) could significantly mitigate HT-29 cells cytotoxicity, improve the activities of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), decrease the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), compared with H2O2-induced group (P<0.05). Furthermore, SLPs were also shown to attenuate the apoptosis rate (10.94-24.03%, P<0.01), suppress the elevation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and calcium levels, restore mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and block the activation of apoptosis-related proteins of caspase-3 and caspase-9 (P<0.05). Considering all the parameters analyzed, we concluded that Lactobacillus SLPs play an essential role in the antioxidant capacity of HT-29 cells induced by H2O2, and the mechanism could be attributed to SLPs' ability to enhance the activity of the intracellular antioxidant enzyme system, reduce ROS accumulation and to inhibit apoptosis by regulating mitochondrial pathway.

Surface layer protein from Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM inhibit intestinal pathogen-induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells.

Intestinal pathogens have been proposed to adhere to epithelial cells and cause apoptosis. This study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of surface layer protein (SLP, 46kDa) from Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM on Escherichia coli and Salmonella-induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells and the mechanism of the inhibition was also studied. The SLP could alleviate the chromatin condensation caused by intestinal pathogens as observed under fluorescent microscope. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the SLP decreased E. coli and Salmonella-induced apoptosis by 46% and 48%, respectively. The SLP could also inhibit the mitochondrial membrane potential reduction and Ca2+ level increase in HT-29 cells. Furthermore, the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 induced by E. coli and Salmonella was significantly decreased by the addition of SLP. These results suggested that L. acidophilus NCFM SLP could protect HT-29 cells against intestinal pathogen-induced apoptosis through a mitochondria-mediated pathway. These findings may reveal a new method for the treatment of intestinal infection and provide a theoretical basis for the practical application of SLP in food, biological and pharmaceutical fields.

Murein hydrolase activity of surface layer proteins from Lactobacillus acidophilus against Escherichia coli.

The aim of this study was to investigate the murein hydrolase activities of the surface layer proteins (SLPs) from two strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus using zymography. The influence of these hydrolase activities on Escherichia coli ATCC 43893 was also evaluated by analysing their growth curve, cell morphology and physiological state. After the incubation of E. coli with SLPs, growth was inhibited, the number of viable cells was significantly reduced, examination by transmission electron microscopy showed that the cell wall was damaged and flow cytometry results indicated that the majority of the cells were sublethally injured. All of these results suggested that the SLPs of both L. acidophilus strains possessed murein hydrolase activities that were sublethal to E. coli cells.

Hydrophobicity of whey protein hydrolysates enhances the protective effect against oxidative damage on PC 12 cells.

The relationship between hydrophobicity and the protective effect of whey protein hydrolysates (WPHs) against oxidative stress was studied. Whey protein was first hydrolysed by pepsin and trypsin to obtain WPHs. After absorbed by macroporous adsorption resin DA201-C, three fractions named as M20, M40, and M60 were eluted by various concentrations of ethanol. The hydrophobicity showed a trend of increase from M20 to M60. Antioxidant ability test in vitro indicated that all the three components of WPHs displayed reasonably good antioxidant ability. Moreover, with the increase of hydrophobicity, antioxidant ability of WPHs improved significantly. Then rat pheochromocytoma line 12 (PC12) cells oxidative model was built to evaluate the suppression of oxidative stress of three components on PC12 cells induced by H2O2. Morphological alterations, cell viability, apoptosis rate, and intracellular antioxidase system tests all indicated that WPHs exert significant protection on PC cells against H2O2-induced damage. Among them, M60 had the highest protective effect by increasing 19·3% cell survival and reducing 28·6% cell apoptosis. These results suggested hydrophobicity of WPHs was contributing to the antioxidant ability and the protective effect against oxidative damage.

Improvement of ACE inhibitory activity of casein hydrolysate by Maillard reaction with xylose.

BACKGROUND: The Maillard reaction is widely used to improve the functional properties or biological activities of food. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the Maillard reaction on angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity in a casein hydrolysate-xylose system. RESULTS: Two-step hydrolysis was used to prepare casein ACE inhibitory peptides. Maillard reaction products (MRPs) were prepared by heating hydrolyzed casein with xylose at pH 8.0, 110 °C for up to 16 h. The results showed that the content of free amino group decreased (P < 0.05); however, browning intensity and absorbance at 294 nm increased because of the Maillard reaction (P < 0.05). The ACE inhibitory activity improved greatly within 2 h (from 63.48% to 90.23%), which was mainly due to carbonyl ammonia condensation reaction in the MRPs. CONCLUSION: The study shows that the Maillard reaction under appropriate conditions can improve the ACE inhibitory activity of casein hydrolysate effectively.

Curcumin inhibits hypoxia-induced migration in K1 papillary thyroid cancer cells.

Curcumin, traditionally used as food and medicinal purposes, has recently been reported to have protective efficacy against hypoxia. Hypoxia is one of the important reactive factors in tumor metastasis, which is a key problem in clinical thyroid cancer therapy. In present study, we investigate the anti-metastatic effect of curcumin on the K1 papillary thyroid cancer cells as well as its potential mechanisms. The results show that curcumin effectively inhibits hypoxia-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) upregulation and significantly decreases the mRNA and protein expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in K1 cells. Curcumin also decreases the DNA binding ability of HIF-1α to hypoxia response element (HRE). Furthermore, curcumin enhances E-cadherin expression, inhibits metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) enzyme activity, and weakens K1 cells migration under hypoxic conditions. In summary, these results indicate that curcumin possesses a potent anti-metastatic effect and might be an effective tumoristatic agent for the treatment of aggressive papillary thyroid cancers.

Characterization of surface layer proteins and its role in probiotic properties of three Lactobacillus strains.

The objective of this study was the characterization of the surface layer proteins (SLPs) and their functional role in the probiotic activity of Lactobacillus helveticus fb213, L. acidophilus fb116 and L. acidophilus fb214. SLPs were extracted and identified by SDS-PAGE, circular dichroism spectra and LC-MS analysis. The results revealed that the molecular masses of the three proteins were 49.7 kDa, 46.0 kDa and 44.6 kDa, respectively. The secondary structures and amino acid compositions of the three proteins were found to be similar. After removing SLPs, the survival of the three lactobacilli in simulated gastric and intestinal juices was reduced by 2-3log as compared with survival of the intact cells. And the adhesion ability of the three strains to HT-29 cells decreased by 61%, 65% and 92%, respectively. SLPs also inhibited the adhesion and invasion of Escherichia coli ATCC 43893 to HT-29 cells. These results suggest that SLPs are advantageous barriers for lactobacilli in the gastrointestinal tract, and these proteins help make it possible for lactobacilli to serve their probiotic functions.

Exopolysaccharide from Lactobacillus planterum LP6: antioxidation and the effect on oxidative stress.

An exopolysaccharide (EPS-3) was isolated from the culture of Lactobacillus planterum LP6 and purified by ion exchange and gel chromatography. The concentrations required to scavenge 50% of the initial radical for DPPH·, OH· and O2(·-) radicals were 1.38, 3.43 and 0.11 mg/mL, respectively. The reducing power (A700 nm) was 0.632 at 5mg/mL. The cell viability of PC12 was improved by 21.67% at 200 µg/mL of EPS-3. Compared with the H2O2 group, the total-antioxidant capacity, activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were enhanced by 65.81%, 41.34% and 59.05%, respectively. Meanwhile, the level of malondialdehyde and lactate dehydrogenase were decreased by 52.80% and 30.24%. The result indicated that EPS-3 had a notable protective effect against oxidative damage on PC12 cells. The study might lay a theoretical foundation for the comprehensive utilization of lactic acid bacteria source which could result in its application in food systems.