Abstract This study investigates the effects of different types of physical activity (PA) on the physical fitness (PF) of young children in Japan, with a particular focus on how substituting ...sedentary behavior (SB) with active behaviors influences PF. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 1843 participants aged 3–6 years from northeastern Japan. Using triaxial accelerometers, we quantified PA, and PF was assessed via standardized tests. The innovative application of isotemporal substitution modeling (ISM) allowed us to analyze the impact of reallocating time from SB to more active states, specifically moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and light physical activity (LPA). Our findings reveal a robust association between increased MVPA and enhanced PF outcomes, underscoring the health benefits of reducing SB. Notably, replacing SB with LPA also showed beneficial effects on certain PF metrics, indicating LPA's potential role in early childhood fitness. These results highlight the critical importance of promoting MVPA and minimizing sedentary periods to bolster PF in young children. The study offers vital insights for shaping public health policies and emphasizes the need to cultivate an active lifestyle from an early age to secure long-term health advantages.
Prolonged sedentary time and sleep deprivation are associated with mental health problems such as depression and stress symptoms. Moreover, mental illness is linked with suicidal thoughts and suicide ...attempts. However, it is not clear whether sedentary time and sleep duration are associated with stress symptoms and suicidal thoughts independent of physical activity. Thus, our study aimed to identify if sedentary time and sleep duration were associated with both stress symptoms and suicidal thoughts. The participants in present cross-sectional study were 4,674 general Korean adults (1,938 male; 2,736 female), aged ≥ 20 years. Prolonged sedentary time (≥ 420 min/day) was significantly associated with the increased risk of stress symptoms (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.04-1.62) compared with sedentary time of < 240 min/day. The OR for stress symptoms was significant for individuals who had ≤ 5 h/day of sleep time (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.48-2.38) compared with sleep duration of ≥ 7 h/day. Moreover, prolonged sedentary time (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.01-2.42 in ≥ 420 min/day vs. < 240 min/day) and short sleep duration (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.17-2.62 in ≤ 5 h/day vs. ≥ 7 h/day) were significantly associated with an increased risk for suicidal thoughts after adjusting for confounding factors including physical activity. Thus, prolonged sedentary time and sleep deprivation are independently associated with both the risk of stress symptoms and suicidal thoughts. From a public health perspective, reducing sedentary time and improvement of sleep deprivation may serve as an effective strategy for preventing mental illness.
For the application to all-solid-state thin film batteries, LiCoO2 thin films are deposited by RF-sputtering with controlling the lattice orientations to maximize lithium-ion diffusivity in film ...textures. The nano-sized crystalline grains grow up with the (003) preferred orientation parallel to the substrates at room temperature due to the lowest surface energy of this atomic plane. However, because the surface energy difference of atomic planes of LiCoO2 reduces with increasing substrate temperature, the influence of surface energy becomes weaker at high temperature. The LiCoO2 thin films with the (110) preferred orientation are obtained at higher temperatures by dominant influence from the lowest the volume strain energy of this orientation. To take advance of this orientation effect in full cell, the influences of the metallic current collector layer on the structural properties of sputtered cathode are investigated. It turns out that the Li2O buffer layers between the cathode films and the metallic current collector layers can suppress the formation of lithium-deficient phase, Co3O4, and the growth of (003) plane by reducing the lattice match between of LiCoO2 plane and Al(111) plane. The LiCoO2 films with the controlled orientation show enhanced rate performance owing to improved interfacial resistance and lithium-ion conductivity.
► Lithium cobalt oxide thin film cathodes for the all-solid-state thin film batteries. ► The enhancement of ionic and electrical conductivities by controlling the lattice orientation. ► The improved rate performance of the cathode films with the controlled grain growth.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of the type, concentration, and nanoparticle diameter of dose enhancement materials on the dose enhancement of low- and high-energy ...megavoltage (MV) X-rays acquired from a medical linear accelerator using Monte Carlo simulation. Monte Carlo simulation was performed with the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport (MCNPX) code, using the energy spectrum of the linear accelerator and a mathematical Snyder head phantom. A 5-cm-diameter virtual tumour was defined in the centre of the phantom. Gold, gadolinium, iodine and iron oxide were used as dose enhancement materials. Varying concentrations (7, 18 and 30 mg/g) of nanoparticles of different diameters (25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 nm) were applied, and the dose enhancement was comparatively evaluated for 4, 6, 10 and 15 MV X-rays, and a 60Co source. Higher dose enhancement factors (DEFs) were observed when the incident energy was low. Moreover, the dose enhancement effects were greatest with gold nanoparticles, followed by gadolinium, iodine, and iron oxide nanoparticles; the DEFs were 1.011–1.047 (gold), 1.005–1.030 (gadolinium), 1.002–1.028 (iodine) and 1.002–1.014 (iron oxide). The dose enhancement effects increased with increasing nanoparticle diameter and concentration. However, the concentration of the material had a greater impact than the diameter of the nanoparticles. As the concentration and diameter of nanoparticles increased, the DEF also increased. The 4 and 6 MV X-rays demonstrated higher dose enhancement compared with the 10 and 15 MV X-rays.
United States government personnel experienced potential exposures to uncharacterized directional phenomena while serving in Havana, Cuba, from late 2016 through May 2018. The underlying ...neuroanatomical findings have not been described.
To examine potential differences in brain tissue volume, microstructure, and functional connectivity in government personnel compared with individuals not exposed to directional phenomena.
Forty government personnel (patients) who were potentially exposed and experienced neurological symptoms underwent evaluation at a US academic medical center from August 21, 2017, to June 8, 2018, including advanced structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging analytics. Findings were compared with imaging findings of 48 demographically similar healthy controls.
Potential exposure to uncharacterized directional phenomena of unknown etiology, manifesting as pressure, vibration, or sound.
Potential imaging-based differences between patients and controls with regard to (1) white matter and gray matter total and regional brain volumes, (2) cerebellar tissue microstructure metrics (eg, mean diffusivity), and (3) functional connectivity in the visuospatial, auditory, and executive control subnetworks.
Imaging studies were completed for 40 patients (mean age, 40.4 years; 23 57.5% men; imaging performed a median of 188 range, 4-403 days after initial exposure) and 48 controls (mean age, 37.6 years; 33 68.8% men). Mean whole brain white matter volume was significantly smaller in patients compared with controls (patients: 542.22 cm3; controls: 569.61 cm3; difference, -27.39 95% CI, -37.93 to -16.84 cm3; P < .001), with no significant difference in the whole brain gray matter volume (patients: 698.55 cm3; controls: 691.83 cm3; difference, 6.72 95% CI, -4.83 to 18.27 cm3; P = .25). Among patients compared with controls, there were significantly greater ventral diencephalon and cerebellar gray matter volumes and significantly smaller frontal, occipital, and parietal lobe white matter volumes; significantly lower mean diffusivity in the inferior vermis of the cerebellum (patients: 7.71 × 10-4 mm2/s; controls: 8.98 × 10-4 mm2/s; difference, -1.27 × 10-4 95% CI, -1.93 × 10-4 to -6.17 × 10-5 mm2/s; P < .001); and significantly lower mean functional connectivity in the auditory subnetwork (patients: 0.45; controls: 0.61; difference, -0.16 95% CI, -0.26 to -0.05; P = .003) and visuospatial subnetwork (patients: 0.30; controls: 0.40; difference, -0.10 95% CI, -0.16 to -0.04; P = .002) but not in the executive control subnetwork (patients: 0.24; controls: 0.25; difference: -0.016 95% CI, -0.04 to 0.01; P = .23).
Among US government personnel in Havana, Cuba, with potential exposure to directional phenomena, compared with healthy controls, advanced brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant differences in whole brain white matter volume, regional gray and white matter volumes, cerebellar tissue microstructural integrity, and functional connectivity in the auditory and visuospatial subnetworks but not in the executive control subnetwork. The clinical importance of these differences is uncertain and may require further study.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) triggers progressive neurodegeneration resulting in brain atrophy that continues months‐to‐years following injury. However, a comprehensive characterization of the ...spatial and temporal evolution of TBI‐related brain atrophy remains incomplete. Utilizing a sensitive and unbiased morphometry analysis pipeline optimized for detecting longitudinal changes, we analyzed a sample consisting of 37 individuals with moderate‐severe TBI who had primarily high‐velocity and high‐impact injury mechanisms. They were scanned up to three times during the first year after injury (3 months, 6 months, and 12 months post‐injury) and compared with 33 demographically matched controls who were scanned once. Individuals with TBI already showed cortical thinning in frontal and temporal regions and reduced volume in the bilateral thalami at 3 months post‐injury. Longitudinally, only a subset of cortical regions in the parietal and occipital lobes showed continued atrophy from 3 to 12 months post‐injury. Additionally, cortical white matter volume and nearly all deep gray matter structures exhibited progressive atrophy over this period. Finally, we found that disproportionate atrophy of cortex along sulci relative to gyri, an emerging morphometric marker of chronic TBI, was present as early as 3 month post‐injury. In parallel, neurocognitive functioning largely recovered during this period despite this pervasive atrophy. Our findings demonstrate msTBI results in characteristic progressive neurodegeneration patterns that are divergent across regions and scale with the severity of injury. Future clinical research using atrophy during the first year of TBI as a biomarker of neurodegeneration should consider the spatiotemporal profile of atrophy described in this study.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) triggers progressive neurodegeneration resulting in brain atrophy that continues months‐to‐years following injury. Our findings demonstrate msTBI results in characteristic progressive neurodegeneration patterns that are divergent across regions and scale with the severity of injury. Future clinical research using atrophy during the first year of TBI as a biomarker of neurodegeneration should consider the spatiotemporal profile of atrophy described in this study.
•During the first year post-injury, cerebral blood flow (CBF) was decreased in TBI.•CBF worsened overall from 3 to 6 months post-injury in multiple regions.•From 6 to 12 months post-injury, CBF of ...the right precuneus increased in TBI.•CBF changes in TBI were not explained by concurrent cortical atrophy.•Individual-specific analysis of CBF revealed a relationship with executive function.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with alterations in cerebral blood flow (CBF), which may underlie functional disability and precipitate TBI-induced neurodegeneration. Although it is known that chronic moderate-severe TBI (msTBI) causes decreases in CBF, the temporal dynamics during the early chronic phase of TBI remain unknown. Using arterial spin labeled (ASL) perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we examined longitudinal CBF changes in 29 patients with msTBI at 3, 6, and 12 months post-injury in comparison to 35 demographically-matched healthy controls (HC). We investigated the difference between the two groups and the within-subject time effect in the TBI patients using whole-brain voxel-wise analysis. Mean CBF in gray matter (GM) was lower in the TBI group compared to HC at 6 and 12 months post-injury. Within the TBI group, we identified widespread regional decreases in CBF from 3 to 6 months post-injury. In contrast, there were no regions with decreasing CBF from 6 to 12 months post-injury, indicating stabilization of hypoperfusion. There was instead a small area of increase in CBF observed in the right precuneus. These CBF changes were not accompanied by cortical atrophy. The change in CBF was correlated with change in executive function from 3 to 6 months post-injury in TBI patients, suggesting functional relevance of CBF measures. Understanding the time course of TBI-induced hypoperfusion and its relationship with cognitive improvement could provide an optimal treatment window to benefit long-term outcome.
A closed-loop far-field wireless power transfer (WPT) system with adaptive waveform and beamforming using limited feedback is designed, prototyped, and experimented. Spatial domain and frequency ...domain are jointly exploited by utilizing waveform and beamforming at the transmitter in WPT system to adapt to the multipath fading channel and boost the output dc power. A closed-loop architecture based on a codebook design and an over-the-air limited feedback with low complexity is proposed. The codebook consists of multiple codewords where each codeword represents particular waveform and beamforming. The transmitter sweeps through the codebook and the receiver then feeds the optimal codeword index back to the transmitter, so that the waveform and beamforming can be adaptive for maximizing the output dc power without requiring explicit channel estimation and the knowledge of accurate Channel State Information. The proposed closed-loop WPT with adaptive waveform and beamforming using limited feedback is prototyped using a Software Defined Radio equipment and measured in two real indoor environments. It is experimentally shown that the proposed closed-loop WPT with adaptive waveform and beamforming is able to enhance the output dc power by up to 14.7 dB in comparison with conventional 1-tone 1-antenna WPT system.
Flexible polymers have gained much attention in the development of low cost, magnetic resonance compatible, and nonfragile implantable medical devices. However, efficacy of the conventional polymer ...encapsulations containing hybrid interfaces is limited due to their relatively high moisture absorption and unstable interfacial adhesion in aqueous environments. As an alternative, we report on a monolithic encapsulation platform for neuroprosthetic devices using liquid crystal polymers (LCPs), which have a very low degree of moisture absorption (<;0.04%) and a fusion bondable interface. This platform offers monolithic encapsulation by fusion bonding of the hemispherical LCP package lids and LCP-based microelectrode arrays. The package lids were fabricated by thermoforming of the LCP films to provide the desired shape and size for encasing the electronic components and wireless telemetry coils. Fusion-bonded LCP encapsulations were evaluated using electrical leakage current measurements during in vitro soak tests. The measurements were done in both 37°C and 75°C phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution and showed that LCP encapsulation was superior and more reliable in PBS than polyimide and parylene-C encapsulations. In addition, LCP-based monolithic encapsulation provided reliable electrical insulation for more than 300 days in both 37°C and 75°C PBS solution.
Pin1, a
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isomerase of peptidyl-prolyl peptide bonds, plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of many human cancers. Although chemical inhibitors of Pin1 show potent antitumor therapeutic properties ...against various cancers, their effect on colorectal cancer, especially colorectal tumor-initiating cells, remains unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of Juglone and KPT6566 on Caco-2 cells and tumor-initiating Caco-2 cells. Juglone and KPT6566 inhibited cell growth and colony formation, and induced apoptosis of Caco-2 cells. We also found that Juglone and KPT6566 downregulated expression of G1-phase-specific cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases in a time-dependent manner, consistent with suppression of Caco-2 cell proliferation and colony formation. Although tumor-initiating cells are thought to be responsible for resistance to traditional chemotherapeutic drugs, our experiments demonstrate that Juglone or KPT6566 kill both tumor-initiating and non-tumor-initiating Caco-2 cells with equal or similar efficacy. Finally, when CD44
CD133
tumor-initiating Caco-2 cells were injected into NSG mice, Juglone or KPT6566 led to a meaningful reduction in tumor volume and mass compared with tumors isolated from mice that received control treatment. Overall, these results indicate that chemical Pin1 inhibitors may be a valuable therapeutic option against colorectal tumor-initiating cancer cells.
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