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Chemosphere Jan 2022Recently, a new sustainable anionic surfactant called bio-based internal olefin sulfonate (Bio IOS) has been developed. This surfactant enables excellent water...
Recently, a new sustainable anionic surfactant called bio-based internal olefin sulfonate (Bio IOS) has been developed. This surfactant enables excellent water solubility and high surface activity. It has a unique structure of long hydrophobic alkyl chains (C16 to C18) with two types of hydrophilic groups in its midsection, which distinguish it from other conventional anionic surfactants. However, the effects of the specific structural features of the surfactant on its environmental properties and the consequent effects on the environment remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the environmental fate and ecotoxicity of Bio IOS and the effects of the types and positions of hydrophilic groups on biodegradability and ecotoxicity. Biodegradation studies demonstrated that Bio IOS was readily biodegradable with >99.5% removal in wastewater treatment activated sludge (test concentration: 1 mg/L) and a fast half-life of 5.8 h in river water (test concentration: 10 μg/L); the excellent biodegradability was likely due to the high water solubility attributed to the internal hydrophilic groups. Meanwhile, moderately toxic effects were observed, whereby the 50% lethal and effect concentrations of the three freshwater species were above 1 mg/L. Ecotoxicity studies with different types and positions of hydrophilic groups revealed that hydroxyalkane sulfonate was less toxic and that toxicity was reduced in the presence of more internally located hydrophilic groups. These findings suggest that the hydroxyl group and the internal positions of hydrophilic groups that constitute the molecular configuration resembling two separate shorter alkyl chains may reduce the adverse effects on organisms despite the long alkyl chains.
Topics: Alkanesulfonates; Biodegradation, Environmental; Surface-Active Agents; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Purification
PubMed: 34346340
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131676 -
Age and Ageing Nov 2016there is currently limited support for the reliability and validity of the EASY-Care independence scale, with little work carried out in low- or middle-income countries....
BACKGROUND
there is currently limited support for the reliability and validity of the EASY-Care independence scale, with little work carried out in low- or middle-income countries. Therefore, we assessed the internal construct validity and hierarchical and classical scaling properties among frail dependent older people in the community.
OBJECTIVE
we assessed the internal construct validity and hierarchical and classical scaling properties among frail dependent older people in the community.
METHODS
three primary care physicians administered EASY-Care comprehensive geriatric assessment for 150 frail and/or dependent older people in the primary care setting. A Mokken model was applied to investigate hierarchical scaling properties of EASY-Care independence scale, and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the scale was also examined.
RESULTS
we found that EASY-Care independence scale is highly internally consistent and is a strong hierarchical scale, hence providing strong evidence for unidimensionality. However, two items in the scale (unable to use telephone and manage finances) had much lower item Loevinger H coefficients than others. Exclusion of these two items improved the overall internal consistency of the scale.
CONCLUSIONS
the strong performance of the EASY-Care independence scale among community-dwelling frail older people is encouraging. This study confirms that EASY-Care independence scale is highly internally consistent and a strong hierarchical scale.
Topics: Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Dependency, Psychological; Disability Evaluation; Frail Elderly; Frailty; Geriatric Assessment; Humans; Independent Living; Observer Variation; Predictive Value of Tests; Primary Health Care; Prognosis; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 27496925
DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afw106 -
Cognitive Science Apr 2021Eye behavior is increasingly used as an indicator of internal versus external focus of attention both in research and application. However, available findings are partly...
Eye behavior is increasingly used as an indicator of internal versus external focus of attention both in research and application. However, available findings are partly inconsistent, which might be attributed to the different nature of the employed types of internal and external cognition tasks. The present study, therefore, investigated how consistently different eye parameters respond to internal versus external attentional focus across three task modalities: numerical, verbal, and visuo-spatial. Three eye parameters robustly differentiated between internal and external attentional focus across all tasks. Blinks, pupil diameter variance, and fixation disparity variance were consistently increased during internally directed attention. We also observed substantial attentional focus effects on other parameters (pupil diameter, fixation disparity, saccades, and microsaccades), but they were moderated by task type. Single-trial analysis of our data using machine learning techniques further confirmed our results: Classifying the focus of attention by means of eye tracking works well across participants, but generalizing across tasks proves to be challenging. Based on the effects of task type on eye parameters, we discuss what eye parameters are best suited as indicators of internal versus external attentional focus in different settings.
Topics: Attention; Cognition; Humans; Saccades
PubMed: 33877694
DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12977 -
Hua Xi Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi = Huaxi... Jul 2022This study aimed to investigate the clinical application effect of double eyelid incision in the internal fixation of suturae zygomatico-frontalis fracture.
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to investigate the clinical application effect of double eyelid incision in the internal fixation of suturae zygomatico-frontalis fracture.
METHODS
A total of 12 patients with zygomatic complex fracture and evident fracture segment displacement, accompanied by facial collapse or mouth opening limitation and other functional disorders, were selected for open reduction and internal fixation. The suturae zygomatico-frontalis fracture was fixed using a double eyelid approach. Postoperative evaluation was performed on fracture reduction and fixation to evaluate the improvement of function and deformity, postoperative scar, and other conditions.
RESULTS
All fractures had convenient reduction and fixation, and all patients had satisfactory facial appearance, evident functional improvement, and hidden postoperative scar.
CONCLUSIONS
As a surgical approach to reduce and internally fix zygomatic complex fracture, double eyelid incision can reduce not only the fracture, but also the trauma, thereby indicating its certain clinical value.
PubMed: 38596960
DOI: 10.7518/hxkq.2022.04.010 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2018Research highlights the detrimental effect that directing too much conscious attention toward movement can have on postural control. While this concept has received...
Research highlights the detrimental effect that directing too much conscious attention toward movement can have on postural control. While this concept has received support from many studies, recent evidence demonstrates that this principle does not always translate to aging clinical populations. Given the increasing clinical interest in this topic, the current study evaluated if the original notion (that an internal focus results in compromised balance performance) is upheld in young and older adults during a challenging balance task where we are able to objectively corroborate changes in attentional focus; using an electroencephalography (EEG) method previously identified as an objective indicator of conscious movement control. This method assesses the neural coherence, or "communication," between T3 (verbal-analytical) and Fz (motor-planning) regions of the brain. Thirty-nine young and 40 older adults performed a challenging balance task while holding a 2-meter pole under two randomized conditions: Baseline and Internal focus of attention (directing attention internally toward movement production). Results showed that young adults demonstrated increased EEG T3-Fz coherence in conjunction with increased sway path during the Internal focus condition. However, no significant differences were observed in older adults between conditions for any measure. The current study provides supporting evidence for the detrimental effect that adopting an Internal focus can have on postural control-especially in populations able to govern these processes in a relatively "automatic" manner (e.g., young adults). However, this work illustrates that such observations may not readily translate between populations and are not robust to age-related changes. Further work is necessary to examine mechanisms underlying this clear translational issue.
PubMed: 30687212
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.01131 -
American Journal of Translational... 2022To screen risk factors for the recurrence in children with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP) and to develop and validate a nomogram for recurrence in children with HSP.
BACKGROUND
To screen risk factors for the recurrence in children with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP) and to develop and validate a nomogram for recurrence in children with HSP.
METHODS
During September 2019 and September 2021, 212 children with HSP were selected in this study. The children were divided into two sets in a proportion of 7:3 using R language, with the first group as the training sets and the second as the internal validation sets. The related variables were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, and a nomogram for predicting the recurrence in HSP children was established. The nomogram was evaluated by ROC curve, calibration curve and decision curve, and 1000 times bootstrap resampling method was used to verify the model internally.
RESULTS
Univariate and multivariate regression analyses identified respiratory infection, without preventive medication and diet restriction, age, allergen positive and abnormal urine routine as risk factors for the recurrence in children with HSP. Those risk factors were used to construct a predictive nomogram. The calibration curves revealed excellent accuracy of the predictive nomogram model, internally and externally.
CONCLUSIONS
We constructed and validated a clinical nomogram to predict the recurrence in children with HSP. We confirmed that respiratory tract infection, without preventive medication and diet restriction, age, allergen positive and abnormal urine routine were independent recurrence risk factors. This nomogram had a good performance in clinical decision-making.
PubMed: 35958486
DOI: No ID Found -
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2017Shifting between one's external and internal environments involves orienting attention. Studies on differentiating subprocesses associated with external-to-internal...
Shifting between one's external and internal environments involves orienting attention. Studies on differentiating subprocesses associated with external-to-internal orienting attention are limited. This study aimed to reveal the characteristics of the disengagement, shifting and reengagement subprocesses by using somatosensory external stimuli and internally generated images. Study participants were to perceive nociceptive external stimuli (External Low (E) or External High (E)) induced by electrical stimulations (50 ms) followed by mentally rehearsing learned subnociceptive images (Internal Low (I) and Internal High (I)). Behavioral responses and EEG signals of the participants were recorded. The three significant components elicited were: fronto-central negativity (FCN; 128-180 ms), fronto-central P2 (200-260 ms), and central P3 (320-380 ms), which reflected the three subprocesses, respectively. Differences in the FCN and P2 amplitudes during the orienting to the subnociceptive images revealed only in the E but not E stimulus condition that are new findings. The results indicated that modulations of the disengagement and shifting processes only happened if the external nociceptive stimuli were of high salience and the external-to-internal incongruence was large. The reengaging process reflected from the amplitude of P3 correlated significantly with attenuation of the pain intensity felt from the external nociceptive stimuli. These findings suggested that the subprocesses underlying external-to-internal orienting attention serve different roles. Disengagement subprocess tends to be stimulus dependent, which is bottom-up in nature. Shifting and reengagement tend to be top-down subprocesses, which taps on cognitive control. This subprocess may account for the attenuation effects on perceived pain intensity after orienting attention.
PubMed: 28970787
DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00428 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2021We are still lacking a pathophysiological mechanism for functional disorders explaining the emergence and manifestation of characteristic, severely impairing bodily...
We are still lacking a pathophysiological mechanism for functional disorders explaining the emergence and manifestation of characteristic, severely impairing bodily symptoms like chest pain or dizziness. A recent hypothesis based on the predictive coding theory of brain function suggests that in functional disorders, internal expectations do not match the actual sensory body states, leading to perceptual dysregulation and symptom perception. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the account of internal expectations and sensory input on gaze stabilization, a physiologically relevant parameter of gaze shifts, in functional dizziness. We assessed gaze stabilization in eight functional dizziness patients and 11 healthy controls during two distinct epochs of large gaze shifts: during a counter-rotation epoch (CR epoch), where the brain can use internal models, motor planning, and resulting internal expectations to achieve internally driven gaze stabilization; and during an oscillation epoch (OSC epoch), where, due to terminated motor planning, no movement expectations are present, and gaze is stabilized by sensory input alone. Gaze stabilization differed between functional patients and healthy controls only when internal movement expectations were involved [(1,17) = 14.63, = 0.001, and partial η = 0.463]: functional dizziness patients showed reduced gaze stabilization during the CR ( = 0.036) but not OSC epoch ( = 0.26). While sensory-driven gaze stabilization is intact, there are marked, well-measurable deficits in internally-driven gaze stabilization in functional dizziness pointing at internal expectations that do not match actual body states. This experimental evidence supports the perceptual dysregulation hypothesis of functional disorders and is an important step toward understanding the underlying pathophysiology.
PubMed: 34354560
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.685590 -
Medical Physics May 2015Most clinically deployed strategies for respiratory motion management in lung radiotherapy (e.g., gating and tracking) use external markers that serve as surrogates for...
PURPOSE
Most clinically deployed strategies for respiratory motion management in lung radiotherapy (e.g., gating and tracking) use external markers that serve as surrogates for tumor motion. However, typical lung phantoms used to validate these strategies are based on a rigid exterior and a rigid or a deformable-interior. Such designs do not adequately represent respiration because the thoracic anatomy deforms internally as well as externally. In order to create a closer approximation of respiratory motion, the authors describe the construction and experimental testing of an externally as well as internally deformable, programmable lung phantom.
METHODS
The outer shell of a commercially available lung phantom (RS-1500, RSD, Inc.) was used. The shell consists of a chest cavity with a flexible anterior surface, and embedded vertebrae, rib-cage and sternum. A custom-made insert was designed using a piece of natural latex foam block. A motion platform was programmed with sinusoidal and ten patient-recorded lung tumor trajectories. The platform was used to drive a rigid foam "diaphragm" that compressed/decompressed the phantom interior. Experimental characterization comprised of determining the reproducibility and the external-internal correlation of external and internal marker trajectories extracted from kV x-ray fluoroscopy. Experiments were conducted to illustrate three example applications of the phantom-(i) validating the geometric accuracy of the VisionRT surface photogrammetry system; (ii) validating an image registration tool, NiftyReg; and (iii) quantifying the geometric error due to irregular motion in four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT).
RESULTS
The phantom correctly reproduced sinusoidal and patient-derived motion, as well as realistic respiratory motion-related effects such as hysteresis. The reproducibility of marker trajectories over multiple runs for sinusoidal as well as patient traces, as characterized by fluoroscopy, was within 0.25 mm RMS error. The motion trajectories of internal and external radio-opaque markers as measured by fluoroscopy were found to be highly correlated (R > 0.95). Using the phantom, it was demonstrated that the motion trajectories of regions-of-interest on the surface as measured by VisionRT are highly consistent with corresponding fluoroscopically acquired surface marker trajectories, with RMS errors within 0.26 mm. Furthermore, it was shown that the trajectories of external and internal marker trajectories derived from NiftyReg deformation vector fields were within 1 mm root mean square errors comparing to trajectories obtained by segmenting markers from individual fluoro frames. Finally, it was shown that while 4DCT can be used to localize internal markers for sinusoidal motion with reasonable accuracy, the localization error increases significantly (by a factor of ∼ 2) in the presence of cycle-to-cycle variations that are observed in patient-derived respiratory motion.
CONCLUSIONS
The authors have developed a realistic externally and internally deformable, programmable lung phantom that will serve as a valuable tool for clinical and investigational motion management studies in thoracic and abdominal radiation therapies.
Topics: Equipment Design; Fluoroscopy; Four-Dimensional Computed Tomography; Humans; Latex; Linear Models; Lung; Motion; Phantoms, Imaging; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 25979050
DOI: 10.1118/1.4918581 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2020Reductionism relies on expectations that it is possible to make sense of the whole by studying its parts, whereas emergentism considers that program to be unattainable,...
Reductionism relies on expectations that it is possible to make sense of the whole by studying its parts, whereas emergentism considers that program to be unattainable, partly due to the existence of emergent properties. The emergentist holistic stance is particularly relevant in biology and cognitive neuroscience, where interactions amongst system components and environment are key. Here we consider Alfred North Whitehead's philosophy as providing important insights to metaphysics of science in general, and to the reductionism vs. emergentism debate in particular. An appraisal of Whitehead's perspective reveals a difficulty shared by both approaches, referred to him as "simple location": the commitment to the idea that the nature of things is exhausted by their intrinsic or internal properties, and does not take into account relations or dynamic interactions denoting "togetherness." In a word, that things are simply where they are. Whitehead criticizes this externalist ontological perspective in which each interacting element exists, and can be thought, without essential reference to other elements. The aim of this work is to uncover such a stance, particularly in the context of dynamical systems, and to show its shortcomings. We propose an alternative relational approach based on Whitehead's notion of "internal relations," which we explicate and illustrate with several examples. Our work aims to criticize the notion of simple location, even in the framework of emergentist accounts, so as to contribute to a "relational turn" that will conceive "inter-identities" as "intra-identities" in which interactants are not enduring substances, but internally related processes. In sum, we argue that the notion of internal relations has a strong theoretical power to overcome some fundamental difficulties in the study of life and mind.
PubMed: 33551889
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.523885