Effect of smartphone use on cervical spine stability.

Using a smartphone often involves a sustained head-forward tilt posture, which may deteriorate the mechanism of muscle reaction efficiency or reduce the stiffness of connective tissues of the cervical spine. These changes in muscular and connective tissues can impair cervical spine stability and contribute to developing neck pain symptoms. In this experiment, change in the cervical spine stability associated with a sustained smartphone use posture was evaluated by quantifying the effective stiffness and the reflexive responses of the head to sudden perturbations. Seventeen young smartphone users maintained their heads tilted forward approximately 30° for 30 min while watching videos on their smartphones in sitting. Data show that the measures of cervical spine stability did not change significantly after the smartphone use task despite developing mild to moderate neck and upper body discomfort symptoms. Study findings imply that keeping the head tilt posture for 30 min for smartphone use did not significantly alter spinal stability, rejecting its association with neck discomfort.

The range of visual detection of ground-level cues during distracted walking: Effect of cue contrast and walking speed.

Walking while distracted by a smartphone has been a major safety concern for pedestrians. Visual and cognitive attention paid to the smartphone while walking with the head tilted downward would affect the ability to perceive walkway hazards and elevate risks for pedestrian accidents associated with physical contact with obstacles. A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of detecting ground-level visual cues during texting while walking. Forty young smartphone users performed walking trials at faster, preferred, and slower speeds for the dual-task walking on a treadmill and detected approaching cues of three contrast levels. Detection distance was quantified from the location of cue detection to the participants to assess the effects of walking speed and cue contrast on detection performance. Results show that detection distance varied from 1.7 m to 2.9 m for Low to High contrast cues and from 2.3 m to 2.5 m for Slower to Faster walking speeds, and the effects of contrast and speed were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Study findings suggest that higher contrast fixtures or in-ground signals and slower walking would help smartphone users perceive walkway hazards and in-ground safety signals earlier during their distracted walking.

Comparison of Extraction Methods and Extraction Optimization in Aqueous Two-Phase System for Ethyl Carbamate Analysis in Model Systems for Maesil Wine.

Ethyl carbamate (EC) is a known carcinogen, and therefore its intake is regulated internationally. The objectives of this study were to compare the EC recovery yields under different liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) conditions and to investigate the optimum conditions of the aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) for EC extraction. Our results showed that for the LLE method, addition of 15% NaCl improved the EC yield by 15%, and dichloromethane as the extraction solvent showed a slightly higher yield (about 5%) than chloroform. However, there was little difference in the yield when mixing was performed using an ultrasonic bath compared to a vortex mixer. Using response surface methodology with central composite design to analyze the ATPS results, optimal extraction was found to occur at 21.5°C for 2.8 h in the sample containing 70% alcohol and 15% phosphate, showing a recovery yield of 75.64%. This information can be applied to alcoholic beverages and other fermented food products to analyze EC with better extraction methods, depending on the types of food.

Performance of ground-level signal detection when using a phone while walking.

Ground-level traffic lights or safety signs have been introduced recently as a prevention measure for smartphone-related pedestrian accidents. However, quantitative evaluation of smartphone users' detection performance during distracted walking has been scarce. A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of detecting ground-level visual cues during the concurrent use of a smartphone while walking. Thirty-eight young smartphone users performed ground-level visual cue detection trials, 1) while walking upright on a treadmill without using a smartphone; 2) when conducting one-handed browsing while walking; and, 3) when conducting two-handed texting while walking. Visual cues were presented on the ground at 24 locations by a ceiling-mounted projector, and participants were asked to respond verbally when they perceived the appearance of each cue. Study results show that the concurrent use of a smartphone decreased the detection rate significantly (p < 0.05) from 93.5 % to 76.3∼74.1 %, and increased the reaction time from 0.90 s to 1.04∼1.15 s. Among the 24 cue locations, cues that were presented closer to participants were detected significantly (p < 0.05) more often and faster than cues that were shown at further locations. The results of this laboratory-based study imply that the ground-level signals might not be detected well by smartphone users, specifically when they were conducting more demanding tasks such as texting while walking. However, the laboratory conditions were confined to a specific usage environment; therefore, future research should be focused on the situation awareness of smartphone users under various usage scenarios and more realistic environments.

Plant Extracts as Possible Agents for Sequela of Cancer Therapies and Cachexia.

Cancer is a leading cause of the death worldwide. Since the National Cancer Act in 1971, various cancer treatments were developed including chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and so forth. However, sequela of such cancer therapies and cachexia are problem to the patients. The primary mechanism of cancer sequela and cachexia is closely related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation. As antioxidant properties of numerous plant extracts have been widely reported, plant-derived drugs may have efficacy on managing the sequela and cachexia. In this study, recent seventy-four studies regarding plant extracts showing ability to manage the sequela and cachexia were reviewed. Some plant-derived antioxidants inhibited cancer proliferation and inflammation after surgery and others prevented chemotherapy-induced normal cell apoptosis. Also, there are plant extracts that suppressed radiation-induced oxidative stress and cell damage by elevation of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and regulation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BcL-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax). Cachexia was also alleviated by inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) by plant extracts. This review focuses on the potential of plant extracts as great therapeutic agents by controlling oxidative stress and inflammation.

A Chromone Based Fluorescent Probe for the Effective Detection of Aluminium Ion.

A new chromone moiety fused with phenyl hydrazine carboxamide as a binding site for metal ion was designed and synthesized as a colorimetric/fluorimetric probe for selective sensing of Al3+ ion. The absorption and fluorescence spectral results showed selective and sensitive recognition of Al3+ with no significant interference from other competitive metal ions. The addition of Al3+ to R brought a prompt color change from colorless to yellow and the turn-on fluorescence response with Al3+ among different cations was studied. The visible color change and turn-on fluorescence Al3+ ion with R was attributed to the intra molecular charge transfer transition. The plausible binding nature of the receptor with Al3+ has also been anticipated by the results of 1H NMR and mass spectral analysis. For the practical effectiveness, test strip prepared using probe R was successfully applied to monitor the presence of Al3+ ion in aqueous medium.

Ultrasound-assisted method to improve the structure of CeO2@polyprrole core-shell nanosphere and its photocatalytic reduction of hazardous Cr6.

In this work, the CeO2@polypyrrole (CeO2@PPy) core-shell nanosphere has been synthesized via an ultra-sonication method using bath type (WUC-D22H, Daihan Scientific, Korea) and they are utilized for the photo-reduction of hazardous Cr6+ to benign Cr3+. The ultrasonic frequency and power were 20 kHz and 100 W, respectively. The PPy shielded CeO2 in aqueous solution could prevent the dissolution of CeO2 and to improve the photocatalytic ability of CeO2. X-ray diffraction was used to confirm the crystalline structure of as prepared CeO2@PPy core-shell and FT-IR was used to identify the functional groups. The uniform sized core of PPy and shell of CeO2 were observed by transition electron microscopy. The ultrasonic assisted synthesized CeO2@PPy core-shell exhibits a narrow bandgap (UV-DRS) and good reduction efficiency with higher reusability and stability compared to pure CeO2, PPy and mechanical mixing of CeO2@PPy. Moreover, the synergistic effect of CeO2 and PPy core-shell structure facilitate a higher electron transfer rate and prolong lifetime of photogenerated electron-hole pairs which can achieve good reduction rate of 98.6% within 30 min. In particular, the pH, catalyst, and Cr6+ concentration effects were optimized in photocatalytic reduction reactions. Meanwhile, this photocatalysis with fast and effective electron transfer mechanism for the Cr6+ reduction was elucidated. This method opens a new window for simple fabrication of conducting polymers-based metal oxide nanocomposite towards wastewater remediation and beyond.

Visible Light Photo-Sensitized Metallo-Porphyrin/TiO2 Photocatalyst and Its Related Self-Cleaning Effects in Poly Ethylene Terephthalate.

Dye degrading property to exhibit self-cleaning effect in Poly Ethylene Terephthalate (PET) through photocatalytic effect by Metallo porphyrin and TiO2 has been studied in detail. PET has been modified by step wise deposition of anatase TiO2 and Metallo porphyrin (CuTCNPP, NiTCNPP, ZnTCNPP), self-cleaning property of the modified PET has been studied by photo degradation of rhodamine B (RB) by irradiation under visible light and the degrading ability and the efficiency has been monitored using UV-Vis spectral technique by measuring the change in concentration of RB in the PET at different time intervals. Stability of Metallo porphyrin in PET also measured by UV-Vis spectral method. Indicating the porphyrin attached in PET are highly stable after washing the samples with detergent, water even after irradiating under visible light for more than 5 h. The degradation effectiveness found to be in the order of PET/TiO2/ZnTCNPP > PET/TiO2/CuTCNPP > PET/TiO2/NiTCNPP > TiO2 > PET. The modification made in the PET samples were characterized and confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) analysis and the prepared Metallo porphyrin has been confirmed through mass analysis.

Synthesis, Generic Dyeing of Nindigo Derivatives on Unmodified Polypropylene; First Time Application in Dyeing Technology.

Hydrophobic nindigo dyes were designed and successfully synthesized from indigo by reacting with substituted anilines in a simple route. Four nindigo dyes were fruitfully analyzed by 1H NMR 13C NMR, electronic and mass spectrometry. Here, we have firstly introduced these nindigo dyes into dyeing area for the dyeing of unmodified polypropylene fiber in aqueous medium. Dyeing experiments has been performed by using didodecyldimethylammonium bromide dispersing agent to make dye-dispersant complex for enhancing the dispersion of dyes. All the dyes were displayed profound blue color hue on polypropylene. The dyeing efficiency and dye fixation order of the nindigo dyes are 3d > 3c ≥ 3b > 3a. Compound 3d having higher the hydrophobic character (logP ═ 7.04), so greater the dye ability on the polypropylene fiber and exhibiting deep coloration.

Mobile Health Technology Using a Wearable Sensorband for Female College Students With Problem Drinking: An Acceptability and Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of mobile app interventions have been developed for problem drinking among college students; however, few studies have examined the integration of a mobile app with continuous physiological monitoring and alerting of affective states related to drinking behaviors. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of Mind the Moment (MtM), a theoretically based intervention for female college students with problem drinking that combines brief, in-person counseling with ecological momentary intervention (EMI) on a mobile app integrated with a wearable sensorband. METHODS: We recruited 10 non-treatment seeking, female undergraduates from a university health clinic who scored a 3 or higher on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) to participate in this pilot study. Study activities involved an in-person baseline intake and 1 follow-up assessment, 2 in-person alcohol brief intervention counseling sessions, and use of MtM technology components (sensorband and EMI on a mobile app) for approximately 3-4 weeks. The intervention used motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies for reducing risks associated with drinking. We used both qualitative and quantitative assessments to measure acceptability of the intervention and feasibility of delivery. Use patterns of the sensorband and mobile app were also collected. RESULTS: Quantitative and qualitative data indicated high levels of acceptability for the MtM intervention. Altogether, participants made reports on the app on 26.7% (78/292) the days the technology was available to them and completed a total of 325 reports with wide variation between participants. Qualitative findings indicated that sensorband-elicited alerts promoted an increase in awareness of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to current environmental stressors and drinking behaviors in theoretically meaningful ways. Specific challenges related to functionality and form of the sensorband were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Delivering intervention material "just-in-time," at the moment participants need to use behavioral strategies has great potential to individualize behavioral interventions for reducing problem drinking and other health behaviors. These findings provide initial evidence for the promise of wearable sensors for increasing potency of theoretically grounded mobile health interventions and point to directions for future research and uptake of these technologies.