Responsiveness and construct validity of two outcome measures of bilateral upper limb function in patients with chronic stroke.

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability among stroke survivors. Despite the availability of numerous stroke rehabilitative therapies, such as mirror therapy, bilateral arm training, and robot-assisted therapy, the recovery of motor function after stroke remains incomplete. Bilateral arm function is a key component in stroke patients to perform activities of daily living and to reflect their functional autonomy. Objective: This clinimetric study investigated and compared the construct validity and responsiveness of 2 bimanual activity outcome measures, the Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory (CAHAI) and the ABILHAND Questionnaire, in individuals receiving stroke rehabilitation. Methods: The present study is a secondary analysis following the framework of the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN). Individuals with chronic stroke (N = 113) were recruited from outpatient rehabilitation settings. Participants received 18 to 20 sessions of robot-assisted therapy, mirror therapy, combined therapy, or conventional rehabilitation for 4 to 6 weeks. The CAHAI, ABILHAND Questionnaire, and a comparison instrument, the Motor Activity Log (MAL), were administered twice at a 4- to 6-week interval to all participants. ABILHAND scores, in logits, were converted from raw ordinal scores into a linear measure. Results: There was medium to large correlation of the CAHAI and the MAL (ρ = 0.60-0.62, p < 0.01) as well as the ABILHAND Questionnaire and the MAL (ρ = 0.44-0.51, p < 0.01). Change scores from the initial measurement to the post-intervention measurement demonstrated small to medium correlation of the CAHAI and the MAL (ρ = 0.27-0.31, p < 0.01) and medium to large correlation of the ABILHAND Questionnaire and the MAL (ρ = 0.37-0.41, p < 0.01). Overall, 7 of 8 hypotheses were supported. The hypothesis testing regarding the construct validity and responsiveness of the CAHAI and ABILHAND Questionnaire was confirmed. Conclusion: The CAHAI and ABILHAND Questionnaire are both responsive and suitable to detect changes in bilateral arm functional daily activities in individuals with chronic stroke. Patient-reported outcome measures are recommended to use along with therapist-rated outcome measures for upper limb capacity evaluation in stroke rehabilitation. Further study with a prospective study design to capture specific clinical features of participants and the use of body-worn sensors, such as the arm accelerometer, is suggested.

Soil amendments alter cadmium distribution and bacterial community structure in paddy soils.

Soil amendments play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of food production by inhibiting the transfer of heavy metal ions from soils to crops. Nevertheless, their impact on soil characteristics and the microbial community and their role in reducing cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice remain unclear. In this study, pot experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of three soil amendments (mineral, organic, and microbial) on the distribution of Cd speciation, organic components, iron oxides, and microbial community structure. The application of soil amendments resulted in significant reductions in the soil available Cd content (16 %-51 %) and brown rice Cd content (16 %-78 %), facilitating the transformation of Cd from unstable forms (decreasing 10 %-20 %) to stable forms (increasing 77 %-150 %) in the soil. The mineral and organic amendments increased the soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) and plant-derived organic carbon (OC), respectively, leading to reduced Cd accumulation in brown rice, while the microbial amendment enhanced OC complexity and the abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota, contributing to the decreased rice Cd uptake. The synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectroscopy indicated that soil amendments regulated soil Cd species by promoting iron oxides and OC coupling. Moreover, both organic and microbial amendments significantly reduced the diversity and richness of the bacterial communities and altered their compositions and structures, by increasing the relative abundances of Bacteroidota and Firmicutes and decreasing those of Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Myxococcota. Soil microbiome analysis revealed that the increase of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota associated with Cd adsorption and sequestration contributed to the suppression of soil Cd reactivity. These findings offer valuable insights into the potential mechanisms by which soil amendments regulate the speciation and bioavailability of Cd, and improve the bacterial communities, thereby providing guidance for agricultural management practices.

Construct validity, responsiveness, minimal detectable change, and minimal clinically important difference of the stroke self-efficacy questionnaire in individuals receiving stroke rehabilitation.

PURPOSE: To assess the clinimetric properties of the Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SSEQ) and estimate the minimal detectable change (MDC) and minimal clinically important difference (MCID) from the database of our randomized controlled trials (RCT) of individuals receiving stroke rehabilitation. METHODS: We retrieved the pre- and post-intervention scores of the SSEQ and Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) from 80 stroke survivors. The analysis of clinimetric properties was performed using: (1) confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory modeling (IRT) for construct validity; (2) standardized response mean and Glass's delta for responsiveness; (3) MDC based on the standard deviation (SD) or standard error of measurement (SEM) of the SSEQ change scores; (4) MCID determined by the external anchor-SIS; (5) conditional MDC (cMDC) derived from the IRT analysis. RESULTS: There was a bi-factorial construct with excellent model-data fit and marked responsiveness. The MDC determined by the SD and SEM were 1.5 and 3.0, respectively, and the MCIDs were 3.3 and 3.7. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that SSEQ is a valid and reliable assessment tool for patients receiving stroke rehabilitation. We also provided practical threshold values, especially demonstrating the benefit of using individualized cMDC, to help clinicians better interpret the change in the SSEQ scores.

This study indicated that the Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SSEQ) is reliable and may involve a bi-factor structure.The SSEQ total scale and the activity domain were highly responsive to change.The self-management domain of the SSEQ was moderately responsive.Using conditional minimal detectable change (cMDC) along with MDC may improve the interpretability of treatment change.

Reliability of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment in people with stroke.

This study examined the relative and absolute reliability of the Taiwanese version of the MoCA (MoCA-T) in people with stroke. The study recruited 114 individuals who were at least 3 months after the onset of a first-ever unilateral stroke. The MoCA-T was administered twice, at a 6-week interval, to all participants. The relative reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and the absolute reliability was assessed using standard error of measurement (SEM), the smallest real difference (SRD), the SRD percentage, and the Bland-Altman method. The ICC analysis showed the MoCA-T was highly reliable (ICC = 0.85). The absolute reliability was between an acceptable and excellent level, where the SEM and the SRD at the 95% confidence interval were 1.38 and 3.83, respectively. The Bland-Altman analyses showed no systematic bias between repeated measurements. The range of the 95% limits of agreement was narrow, indicating a high level of stability over time. These findings suggest that the MoCA-T has high agreement between repeated measurements without systematic bias. The threshold to detect real change stands between an acceptable and excellent level. The MoCA-T is a reliable tool for cognitive screening in stroke rehabilitation.

Mechanism of phenanthrene degradation by the halophilic Pelagerythrobacter sp. N7.

PAHs has shown worldwide accumulation and causes a significant environmental problem especially in saline and hypersaline environments. Moderately halophilic bacteria could be useful for the bioremediation of PAH pollution in hypersaline environments. Pelagerythrobacter sp. N7 was isolated from the PAH-degrading consortium 5H, which was enriched from mixed saline soil samples collected in Shanxi Province, China. 16S rRNA in the genomic DNA revealed that strain N7 belonged to Pelagerythrobacter. Strain N7 exhibited a high tolerance to a wide range of salinities (1-10%) and was highly efficient under neutral to weak alkaline conditions (pH 6-9). The whole genome of strain N7 was sequenced and analyzed, revealing an abundance of catabolic genes. Using the whole genome information, we conducted preliminary research on key enzymes and gene clusters involved in the upstream and downstream PAH degradation pathways of strain N7, thereby inferring its degradation pathway for phenanthrene and naphthalene. This study adds to our understanding of PAH degradation in hypersaline environments and, for the first time, identifies a Pelagerythrobacter with PAH-degrading capability. Strain N7, with its high efficiency in phenanthrene degradation, represents a promising resource for the bioremediation of PAHs in hypersaline environments.

Towards high-sensitivity and high-accuracy forward Brillouin scattering-based optomechanical temperature sensing in thin-diameter fibers.

We numerically and experimentally demonstrated a high-sensitivity and high-accuracy temperature sensor based on guided acoustic radial modes of forward stimulated Brillouin scattering (FSBS)-based optomechanics in thin-diameter fibers (TDF). The dependence of the FSBS-involved electrostrictive force on the fiber diameter is systematically investigated. As the diameters of the fiber core and cladding decrease, the intrinsic frequency of each activated acoustic mode and corresponding FSBS gain are expected to be accordingly increased, which benefits the significant enhancement of its temperature sensitivity as well as the optimization of the measurement accuracy. In validations, by utilizing TDFs with fiber diameters of 80 µm and 60 µm, the proof-of-concept experiments proved that sensitivities of the TDF-based FSBS temperature sensor with radial modes from R0,4 to R0,15 increased from 35.23 kHz/°C to 130.38 kHz/°C with an interval of 8.74 kHz/°C. The minimum measurement error (i.e., 0.15 °C) of the temperature sensor with the 60 µm-TDF is 2.5 times lower than that of the 125 µm-SSMF (i.e., 0.39 °C). The experimental and simulated results are consistent with theoretical predictions. It is believed that the proposed approach with high sensitivity and accuracy could find potential in a wide range of applications such as environmental monitoring, chemical engineering, and cancer detection in human beings.

Effects of stand density on the structure of soil microbial functional groups in Robinia pseudoacacia plantations in the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau, China.

Elucidating the responses of soil microbial functional groups to changes in stand density is crucial for understanding the sustainability of forest development. In this study, we obtained soil samples from Robinia pseudoacacia plantations of three different stand densities (low, middle, and high densities of 750, 1125, and 1550 trees ha-1, respectively) in the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau, China. We sought to determine the effects of stand density on the structure of soil microbial functional groups. Stand density had no significant effects on species diversity indices of fungal trophic modes or bacterial functional groups involved in carbon (C) cycling and nitrogen (N) cycling. However, differences in stand density substantially altered the composition of fungal functional groups. In low-density plantations, saprophytic fungi were the main trophic mode, with a high relative abundance of ∼62 %, whereas the fungal communities associated with middle- and high-density plantations were dominated by other fungi with a combined trophic mode, which accounted for ∼43 % and ∼41 % of the fungal trophic modes, respectively. Furthermore, we detected increases in the relative abundance of plant pathogens, nitrifiers, and nitrous oxide-denitrifying bacteria with increasing stand density. Results of the Monte Carlo test showed that soil pH influenced the composition of soil fungal (but not bacterial) groups. These findings suggested that a high density of trees might inhibit the decomposition of recalcitrant organic material and stimulate nitrous oxide emission, consequently decreasing soil nutrient availability and stimulating soil N loss. Moreover, high-density stands might increase the potential risk for plant disease. Overall, the present study suggested that reducing stand density to coverage between 750 and 1125 trees ha-1 would increase soil nutrient availability and prevent N loss from the soil. To verify these suppositions, further research is needed to determine the links between microbial functional groups composition and soil biogeochemistry.

Research progress of nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) in soil science: Evolution, applications, and challenges.

Nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) has emerged as a powerful analytical tool for investigating various aspects of soils. In recent decades, the widespread adoption of advanced instrumentation and methods has contributed significantly to our understanding of organic-mineral assemblages. However, few literature reviews have comprehensively summarized NanoSIMS and its evolution, applications, limitations, and integration with other analytical techniques. In this review, we addressed this gap by comprehensively overviewing the development of NanoSIMS as an analytical tool in soils. This review covers studies on soil organic matter (SOM) cycling, soil-root interactions, and the behavior of metals, discussing the capability and limitations related to the distribution, composition, and interactions of various soil components that occur at mineral-organic interfaces. Furthermore, we examine recent advancements in high-resolution imaging and mass spectrometry technologies and their impact on the utilization of NanoSIMS in soils, along with potential new applications such as utilizing multiple ion beams and integrating them with other analytical techniques. The review emphasizes the importance of employing advanced techniques and methods to explore micro-interfaces and provide in situ descriptions of organic-mineral assemblages in future research. The ongoing development and refinement of NanoSIMS may yield new insights and breakthroughs in soil science, deepening our understanding of the intricate relationships between soil components and the processes that govern soil health and fertility.

Arbitrarily rotated optical axis waveguide induced by a trimming line.

Rotated optical axis waveguides can facilitate on-chip arbitrary wave-plate operations, which are crucial tools for developing integrated universal quantum computing algorithms. In this paper, we propose a unique technique based on femtosecond laser direct writing technology to fabricate arbitrarily rotated optical axis waveguides. First, a circular isotropic main waveguide with a non-optical axis was fabricated using a beam shaping method. Thereafter, a trimming line was used to create an artificial stress field near the main waveguide to induce a rotated optical axis. Using this technique, we fabricated high-performance half- and quarter-wave plates. Subsequently, high-fidelity (97.1%) Pauli-X gate operation was demonstrated via quantum process tomography, which constitutes the basis for the full manipulation of on-chip polarization-encoded qubits. In the future, this work is expected to lead to new prospects for polarization-encoded information in photonic integrated circuits.

[Effects of Silicon Application on Arsenic Sequestration in Iron Plaque and Arsenic Translocation in Rice].

The As sequestration by iron plaque and the As translocation in rice significantly affect the As accumulation in brown rice, and silicon (Si) application inhibits the As accumulation in rice plants. However, little information is available concerning the effect of Si application on As sequestration by iron plaque and translocation in rice. In this study, a pot experiment using As-contaminated paddy soil with different Si supply levels was conducted to investigate the effects of Si application on the As sequestration by iron plaque on the root surface and the As translocation from different tissues to brown rice. The results showed that the Si2 (0.66 g·kg-1) treatment significantly increased the activities of CAT (1.81 times), SOD (7.98 times), and POD (1.25 times) in the roots, increased the DCB-extractable Fe concentration (44.35%), and promoted the roughness of iron plaque (108.91%), resulting in a significant increase in the DCB-extractable As concentration of iron plaque (88.32%). Moreover, the Si2 treatment significantly promoted the As accumulation in the roots and inhibited the As translocation from the roots and leaves to the brown rice, leading to a significant decrease in the brown rice As concentration (53.12%). The increase in As sequestration by iron plaque with Si application was attributed to the enhancement of iron plaque formation and the promotion of surface roughness of iron plaque, whereas the inhibition of As translocation from the roots and leaves to the brown rice in the Si application treatment was closely related to the competition between Si with As for transporters and the promotion of As-thiol complex formation and As compartmentalization in vacuolar. These findings provide more insight into the mechanisms of As translocation in rice and will be helpful for exploring strategies to reduce rice grain As through Si supply in As-contaminated paddy fields in South China.

Sub-kHz high-order mode Brillouin random fiber laser based on long-period fiber grating and distributed Rayleigh scattering in a half-open linear cavity.

We demonstrate a narrow-linewidth high-order-mode (HOM) Brillouin random fiber laser (BRFL) based on a long-period fiber grating (LPFG) and distributed Rayleigh random feedback in a half-open linear cavity. The single-mode operation of the laser radiation with sub-kilohertz linewidth is achieved thanks to distributed Brillouin amplification and Rayleigh scattering along kilometer-long single mode fibers whilst a few mode fiber-based LPFGs enable the transverse mode conversion among a broadband wavelength range. Meanwhile, a dynamic fiber grating (DFG) is embedded and incorporated to manipulate and purify the random modes, which hence suppresses the frequency drift resulting from random mode hopping. Consequently, the random laser emission with either high-order scalar or vector modes can be generated with a high laser efficiency of 25.5% and an ultra-narrow 3-dB linewidth of 230 Hz. Furthermore, the dependence of the laser efficiency and frequency stability on the gain fiber length are also experimentally investigated. It is believed that our approach could provide a promising platform for a wide range of applications such as coherent optical communication, high-resolution imaging, highly sensitive sensing, etc.

Three Ways to Improve Arm Function in the Chronic Phase After Stroke by Robotic Priming Combined With Mirror Therapy, Arm Training, and Movement-Oriented Therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of bilateral robotic priming combined with mirror therapy (R-mirr) vs bilateral robotic priming combined with bilateral arm training (R-bilat), relative to the control approach of bilateral robotic priming combined with movement-oriented training (R-mov) in patients with stroke. DESIGN: A single-blind, preliminary, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Four outpatient rehabilitation settings. PARTICIPANTS: Outpatients with stroke and mild to moderate motor impairment (N=63). INTERVENTIONS: Patients received 6 weeks of clinic-based R-mirr, R-bilat, or R-mov for 90 min/d, 3 d/wk, plus a transfer package at home for 5 d/wk. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity subscale (FMA-UE), ABILHAND, and Stroke Impact Scale v3.0 scores before, immediately after, and 3 months after treatment as well as lateral pinch strength and accelerometry before and immediately after treatment. RESULTS: The posttest results favored R-mirr over R-bilat and R-mov on the FMA-UE score (P<.05). Follow-up analysis revealed that significant improvement in FMA-UE score was retained at the 3-month follow-up in the R-mirr over R-bilat or R-mov (P<.05). Significant improvements were not observed in the R-mirr over R-bilat and R-mov on other outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Between-group differences were only detected for the primary outcome, FMA-UE. R-mirr was more effective at enhancing upper limb motor improvement, and the effect has the potential to be maintained at 3 months of follow-up.

Directional Torsion Sensor Based on a Two-Core Fiber with a Helical Structure.

A fiber-optic torsion sensor based on a helical two-core fiber (HTCF) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for simultaneously measuring torsion angle and torsion direction. The sensor consists of a segment of HTCF and two single-mode fibers (SMFs) forming a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). The helical structure is implemented by pre-twisting a 1 cm long two-core fiber (TCF). The performance of the sensor with pre-twisted angles of 180°, 360°, and 540° is experimentally analyzed. The results show that the sensor can realize the angular measurement and effectively distinguish the torsion direction. It is worth noting that the sensor has maximum sensitivity when the pre-twist angle is 180 degrees. The obtained wavelength sensitivities of torsion and temperature are 0.242 nm/(rad/m) and 32 pm/°C, respectively. The sensor has the advantages of easy fabrication, low cost, compact structure, and high sensitivity, which is expected to yield potential applications in fields where both torsion angle and direction measurements are required.

Predicting Arm Nonuse in Individuals with Good Arm Motor Function after Stroke Rehabilitation: A Machine Learning Study.

Many stroke survivors demonstrate arm nonuse despite good arm motor function. This retrospective secondary analysis aims to identify predictors of arm nonusers with good arm motor function after stroke rehabilitation. A total of 78 participants were categorized into 2 groups using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity Scale (FMA-UE) and the Motor Activity Log Amount of Use (MAL-AOU). Group 1 comprised participants with good motor function (FMA-UE ≥ 31) and low daily upper limb use (MAL-AOU ≤ 2.5), and group 2 comprised all other participants. Feature selection analysis was performed on 20 potential predictors to identify the 5 most important predictors for group membership. Predictive models were built with the five most important predictors using four algorithms. The most important predictors were preintervention scores on the FMA-UE, MAL-Quality of Movement, Wolf Motor Function Test-Quality, MAL-AOU, and Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. Predictive models classified the participants with accuracies ranging from 0.75 to 0.94 and areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve ranging from 0.77 to 0.97. The result indicates that measures of arm motor function, arm use in activities of daily living, and self-efficacy could predict postintervention arm nonuse despite good arm motor function in stroke. These assessments should be prioritized in the evaluation process to facilitate the design of individualized stroke rehabilitation programs to reduce arm nonuse.

Predicting patient-reported outcome of activities of daily living in stroke rehabilitation: a machine learning study.

BACKGROUND: Machine Learning is increasingly used to predict rehabilitation outcomes in stroke in the context of precision rehabilitation and patient-centered care. However, predictors for patient-centered outcome measures for activities and participation in stroke rehabilitation requires further investigation. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed data collected for our previous studies from 124 participants. Machine Learning models were built to predict postintervention improvement of patient-reported outcome measures of daily activities (i.e, the Motor Activity Log and the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living) and participation (i.e, the Activities of Daily Living domain of the Stroke Impact Scale). Three groups of 18 potential predictors were included: patient demographics, stroke characteristics, and baseline assessment scores that encompass all three domains under the framework of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. For each target variable, classification models were built with four algorithms, logistic regression, k-nearest neighbors, support vector machine, and random forest, and with all 18 potential predictors and the most important predictors identified by feature selection. RESULTS: Predictors for the four target variables partially overlapped. For all target variables, their own baseline scores were among the most important predictors. Upper-limb motor function and selected demographic and stroke characteristics were also among the important predictors across the target variables. For the four target variables, prediction accuracies of the best-performing models with 18 features ranged between 0.72 and 0.96. Those of the best-performing models with fewer features ranged between 0.72 and 0.84. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the feasibility of using Machine Learning for the prediction of stroke rehabilitation outcomes. The study was the first to use Machine Learning to identify important predictors for postintervention improvement on four patient-reported outcome measures of activities and participation in chronic stroke. The study contributes to precision rehabilitation and patient-centered care, and the findings may provide insights into the identification of patients that are likely to benefit from stroke rehabilitation.

27-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery compared with 25-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery on wound closure and need for wound suture and other postoperative parameters in the treatment of vitreoretinal disease: A meta-analysis.

We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of 27-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery compared with 25-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery on wound closure and the need for wound suture and other postoperative parameters in the treatment of vitreoretinal disease. A systematic literature search up to June 2022 was performed and 1264 subjects with the vitreoretinal disease at the baseline of the studies; 562 of them were using the 27-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery, and 722 were using 25-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery. Odds ratio (OR), and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the effect of 27-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery compared with 25-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery on wound closure and the need for wound suture and other postoperative parameters in the treatment of vitreoretinal disease using the dichotomous, and contentious methods with a random or fixed-effect model. The 27-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery subjects had a significantly lower intraoperative and postoperative wound complication (OR, 6.66; 95% CI, 0.46-0.95, P = .02), and wound suture number (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.20-0.71, P = .002), and best corrected visual acuity (MD, -0.03; 95% CI, -0.05 to -0.001, P = .02) compared with 25-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery in subjects with vitreoretinal disease. However, 27-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery subjects had no significant difference in the wound closure time (MD, -8.45; 95% CI, -23.44 to 6.55, P = .27), operation time (MD, 0.85; 95% CI, -1.17 to 2.86, P = .41), intraocular pressure at postoperative day 1 (MD, 0.42; 95% CI, -1.45-2.28, P = .66), primary anatomical success rate (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.42-1.63, P = .58), and central macular thickness (MD, 1.81; 95% CI, -21.76 to 25.37, P = .88) compared to 25-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery in subjects with vitreoretinal disease. The 27-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery subjects had a significantly lower intraoperative and postoperative wound complication, wound suture number, and best corrected visual acuity, and no significant difference in the wound closure time, operation time, intraocular pressure at postoperative day 1, primary anatomical success rate, and central macular thickness compared to 25-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery in subjects with vitreoretinal disease. The analysis of outcomes should be with caution because of the low sample size of 12 out of 15 studies in the meta-analysis and a low number of studies in certain comparisons.

Ultralow birefringent glass waveguide fabricated by femtosecond laser direct writing.

Optical waveguides prepared by femtosecond laser direct writing have birefringent properties, which can affect polarization encoding and entanglement on chips. Here, we first propose a shape-stress dual compensation fabrication scheme to decrease birefringence. Ultralow birefringent waveguides (1 × 10-9) were obtained by controlling the cross sectional shape of the main waveguide and adjusting the position of the auxiliary lines. In addition, we prepared polarization-independent directional coupler and demonstrated the evolution of polarization-independent waveguide array with different polarized light. In the future, ultralow birefringent waveguides will be widely applied in polarization encoding and entangled quantum photonic integrated circuits.

Interactions between organic matter and Fe oxides at soil micro-interfaces: Quantification, associations, and influencing factors.

Iron (Fe) oxides are widely recognized to prevent the degradation of organic matter (OM) in environments, thereby promoting the persistence of organic carbon (OC) in soils. Thus, discerning the association mechanisms of Fe oxides and OC interactions is key to effectively influencing the dynamics and extent of organic C cycling in soils. Previous studies have focused on i) quantifying Fe oxide-bound organic carbon (Fe-OC) in individual environments, ii) investigating the distribution and adsorption capacity of Fe-OC, and iii) assessing the redox cycling and transformation of Fe-OC. Furthermore, the widespread application of high-tech instrumentation and methods has greatly contributed to a better understanding of the mechanism of organic mineral assemblages in the past few decades. However, few literature reviews have comprehensively summarized Fe-OC distributions, associations, and characteristics in soil-plant systems. Here, studies investigating the Fe-OC contents among different environments are reviewed. In addition, the mechanisms and processes related to OM transformation dynamics occurring at mineral-organic interfaces are also described. Recent studies have highlighted that diverse interactions occur between Fe oxides and OC, with organic compounds adhering to Fe oxides due to their huge specific surfaces area and active reaction sites. Moreover, we also review methods for understanding Fe-OC interactions at micro-interfaces. Lastly, developmental prospects for understanding coupled Fe-OC geochemical processes in soil environments at molecular- and nano-scales are outlined. The summary suggests that combined advanced techniques and methods should be used in future research to explore micro-interfaces and in situ descriptions of organic mineral assemblages. This review also suggests that future studies need to consider the functional and spatial complexity that is typical of soil/sediment environments where Fe-OC interactions occur.

Interactivity in learning instructional videos: Sending danmaku improved parasocial interaction but reduced learning performance.

Introduction: The instructional video is considered to be one of the most distinct and effective virtual learning tools. However, one of its biggest drawbacks is the lack of social interaction that occurs. This study tested the impact of participants sending zero danmaku (sending messages on the screen), three danmaku sending, and unlimited danmaku as an instructional video plays on learning performance. Methods: We assessed learners' retention and transfer scores, as well as self-report scores for cognitive load and parasocial interaction. This study sample comprised 104 participants who were randomly assigned to learn from one of three instructional videos on the topic of the heart. Results: The results showed that sending danmaku improved learners' parasocial interaction, while significantly increasing their cognitive load and also hindering learning performance. The observed increase in cognitive load reported by learners was also caused by increased levels of parasocial interaction. Discussion: Our findings suggest that by sending danmaku, learners can promote interactive learning, but that this has a negative impact on learning performance and the process of video learning.

Predictors for Upper-Limb Functional Recovery Trajectory in Individuals Receiving Stroke Rehabilitation: A Secondary Analysis of Data from Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to determine predictors for upper-limb functional recovery trajectory after occupational therapy in a population with chronic stroke. METHODS: In this retrospective secondary analysis, Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) scores before and after intervention and at the 3-month follow-up were used to divide 105 participants with chronic stroke into three groups of recovery trajectories: fast (participants who reached an improvement of 7 after intervention), extended (those who reached an improvement of 7 at follow-up), and limited (those who did not reach an improvement of 7) recovery. Comparisons among the three groups were made in demographics, stroke characteristics, and baseline assessment scores. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine predictors for group membership. RESULTS: Time after onset of stroke and the baseline scores of FMA-UE, Stroke Impact Scale-Hand (SIS-Hand), Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT)-Quality, WMFT-Time scores, Motor Activity Log-Amount of Use (MAL-AOU), and Motor Activity Log-Quality of Movement (MAL-QOM) scores were significantly different among the three groups. Univariate logistic regressions confirmed that SIS-Hand, WMFT-Quality, WMFT-Time, MAL-AOU, and MAL-QOM were significant predictors for both the fast versus limited recovery group membership and the extended versus limited group membership. Time after stroke onset and baseline FMA-UE were additional predictors for the fast versus limited recovery group membership. CONCLUSION: These findings may assist healthcare professionals in making optimal therapeutic decisions and in informing clients and caregivers about the outcomes of stroke recovery.