No abstract

Sit-to-stand (STS) motion is an important daily activity, and many post-stroke patients have difficulty performing STS motion. Previous studies found that there are four muscle synergies (synchronized muscle activations) in the STS motion of healthy adults. However, for post-stroke patients, it is unclear whether muscle synergies change and which features primarily reflect motor impairment. Here, we use a machine learning method to demonstrate that temporal features in two muscle synergies that contribute to hip rising and balance maintenance motion reflect the motor impairment of post-stroke patients. Analyzing the muscle synergies of age-matched healthy elderly people (n = 12) and post-stroke patients (n = 33), we found that the same four muscle synergies could account for the muscle activity of post-stroke patients. Also, we were able to distinguish post-stroke patients from healthy people on the basis of the temporal features of these muscle synergies. Furthermore, these temporal features were found to correlate with motor impairment of post-stroke patients. We conclude that poststroke patients can still utilize the same number of muscle synergies as healthy people, but the temporal structure of muscle synergies changes as a result of motor impairment. This could lead to a new rehabilitation strategy for poststroke patients that focuses on activation timing of muscle synergies.

We report the synthesis, crystal structure, and magnetic, electrochemical, and carrier-transport properties of vanadyl tetrakis(thiadiazole)porphyrazine (abbreviated as VOTTDPz) with S = ½. X-ray crystal analysis reveals two polymorphs, the α and β forms; the former consists of a 1D regular π stacking, while the latter forms a 2D π network. Molecular orbital calculations suggest a V(4+)(d(1)) ground state and a characteristic spin polarization on the whole molecular skeleton. The temperature dependence of the paramagnetic susceptibility of the α form clearly indicates a ferromagnetic interaction with a positive Weiss constant of θ = 2.4 K, which is well-explained by McConnell's type I mechanism. VOTTDPz forms amorphous thin films with a flat and smooth surface, and their cyclic voltammogram curves indicate a one-electron reduction process, which is highly electrochromic, because of a reduction of the porphyrazine π ring. Thin-film field-effect transistors of VOTTDPz with ionic-liquid gate dielectrics exhibit n-type performance, with a high mobility of μ = 2.8 × 10(-2) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and an on/off ratio of 10(4), even though the thin films are amorphous.

Determination of quercetin in human plasma was carried out by semi-micro high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Peak heights for quercetin were found to be linearly related to the amount of each quercetin injected from 1.5 to 750 pg. The detection limit (signal-noise ratio, S/N = 3) of the present method for quercetin was 0.3 pg. Glucuronic and sulfate forms of quercetin in plasma were hydrolyzed enzymatically using beta-glucuronidase and sulfatase, respectively. Quercetin in plasma and the hydrolyzed solution were extracted with ethyl acetate and determined by the present method. The time courses of concentrations of quercetin in human plasma showed maxima at 1-1.5 h after ingestion of 340 mL of commercial canned green tea.

An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) flow-through cell with a carbon fiber electrode for ECL detection was developed, and a flow injection analysis system containing the cell was established. N-(aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol (ABEI), an ECL reagent, was determined by this system. A straight-line calibration curve for ABEI (r = 0.999) was obtained from 6 fmol to 25 pmol. The detection limit of ABEI was 6 fmol (S/N = 2) and the relative standard deviation was 1.7% at 1.5 pmol (n = 10). The system was used for immunoassay of human immunogloblin G (hIgG) with ABEI-labeled anti-hIgG. A calibration curve of hIgG was obtained from 80 pg/mL to 1.3 ng/mL. The detection limit of hIgG was 80 pg/mL (S/N = 2), and the relative standard deviation was 1.8% at 0.5 ng/mL (n = 10). Sensitivity and accuracy for sera samples were found to considerably exceed those of the conventional methods, such as single-radial immunodiffusion and nepherometric immunoassay. The present system should prove useful for immunoassay.