Utility of somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials in reflecting gross and fine motor functions after unilateral cervical spinal cord contusion injury

Fine motor skills are thought to rely on the integrity of ascending sensory pathways in the spinal dorsal column as well as descending motor pathways that have a neocortical origin.However, the neurophysiological processes underlying communication between the somatosensory and motor pathways that regulate fine motor skills during spontaneous recovery after spinal cord contusion injury remain unclear.Here, we established a rat model of cervical hemicontusive injury using C5 laminectomy followed by contusional displacement of 1.2 mm(mild injury) or 2.0 mm(severe injury) to the C5 spinal cord.Electrophysiological recordings were performed on the brachial muscles up to 12 weeks after injury to investigate the mechanisms by which spinal cord pathways participate in motor function.After spinal cord contusion injury, the amplitudes of somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials were reduced, and the latencies were increased.The forelimb open field locomotion test, grooming test, rearing test and Montoya staircase test revealed improvement in functions.With increasing time after injury, the amplitudes of somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials in rats with mild spinal cord injury increased gradually, and the latencies gradually shortened.In comparison, the recovery times of somatosensory and motor-evoked potential amplitudes and latencies were longer, and the recovery of motor function was delayed in rats with severe spinal cord injury.Correlation analysis revealed that somatosensoryevoked potential and motor-evoked potential parameters were correlated with gross and fine motor function in rats with mild spinal cord contusion injury.In contrast, only somatosensory-evoked potential amplitude was correlated with fine motor skills in rats with severe spinal cord injury.Our results show that changes in both somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials can reflect the changes in gross and fine motor functions after mild spinal cord contusion injury, and that the change in somatosensory-evoked potential amplitude can also reflect the change in fine motor function after severe spinal cord contusion injury.This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, China(approval No.NFYY-2017-67) on June 11, 2017.

Some Eigenvalue Properties of Third-order Boundary Value Problems with Distributional Potentials

Several eigenvalue properties of the third-order boundary value problems with distributional potentials are investigated.Firstly,we prove that the operators associated with the problems are self-adjoint and the corresponding eigenvalues are real.Next,the continuity and differential properties of the eigenvalues of the problems are given,especially we find the differential expressions for the boundary conditions,the coefficient functions and the endpoints.Finally,we show a brief application to a kind of transmission boundary value problems of the problems studied here.

Transcranial electrical stimulation motor-evoked potentials in a spinal cord ischaemia rabbit model

Background:Spinal cord ischaemia animal models were established by selective ligation of the lumbar artery in a craniocaudal direction between the renal artery and the aortic bifurcation.Transcranial electrical stimulation motor-evoked potentials were measured to enable their use in future studies on spinal cord ischaemia protection.Methods:Thirty-three New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 6 groups.Transcranial electrical stimulation motor-evoked potentials were recorded before vascular ligation,30 min after vascular ligation,and 2days after vascular ligation.Motor functions were assessed after surgery and 2 days after vascular ligation.The specimens were taken 2 days after ligation for histopathologic observation.Results:With increased numbers of ligations,a transient extension of the latency became clear,but there were no significant differences in the statistical analysis.Analysis of variance after ligation at the same time in each group and t tests before and after ligation(P>0.05)were not significant.One or 2 ligations did not cause spinal cord ischaemic damage.There were no significant differences before and after ligation for the amplitude(P>0.05).With increased numbers of ligations,the amplitude before and after ligation was gradually reduced in the 3-5 ligation groups(P<0.05).Conclusions:Ligation of segmental spinal cord vessels on 1 or 2 levels did not cause ischaemic damage.Spinal cord ischaemia was observed after 3,4,or 5 ligations.The amplitude was more sensitive to spinal cord ischaemia than latency.Spinal cord function can be predicted by early changes in the amplitude.

Mass Increase with Strong and Gravitational Potentials, and Mass Defect with Electromagnetic Potential

The proposal is “mass increases due to strong and gravitational potentials, while it decreases due to Electromagnetic potential”. This proposal explains the big difference in mass between hadrons (protons, neutrons, & mesons) and their components (quarks), mass difference between nucleus and its individual components (protons and neutrons), massless of gamma photons, abnormal masses of mesons and bosons, and the excess in galaxy masses (dark matter). Also, this proposal shows the exact relation between mass and energy: Strong Potential=−3.04mc2| Electric Potential |=−5.57×10−3mc2Gravitational Potential=−1.22×10−7mc2where m represents the excess in mass due to strong potential, or gravitational potential and represents the decrease in mass due to electromagnetic potential. Released energy here equals potential energy and doesn’t equal decrease in mass using the formula E = mc2. Released energy is transferred to heat, photons, kinetic energy… Finally, proposal will try to describe the relation between photon energy and mass of its components using the general equation of kinetic energy: Photon Energy=1/2mc2m is the sum of the individual masses of its components, while the total mass of photon is zero.

Median Nerve Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Patients with Chiari Malformation

Abnormal SEP reflects dysfunction of the medial lemniscus and posterior cervical cord. These structures are likely to be affected in Chiari malformation. Therefore, SEP abnormalities may provide valuable information in patients with CM. However, the consistency of SEP abnormality or normality with the damage is a matter of research. Knowing whether median nerve somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) is useful in revealing subclinical damage in patients with Chiari malformation is important in the treatment and follow-up plan of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between median nerve SEP values and the severity of cerebellar ectopia in patients with Chiari type 1 malformation. Median nerve SEP values were obtained from 30 healthy individuals and 146 individuals with Chiari malformation. The cerebellar ectopia degree and McRae line length were measured. SEP values were not significantly different between groups. The McRae line was found to be significantly shorter in the control group than in the Chiari malformation group (p = 0.031). There was no correlation between the degree of cerebellar ectopia and the length of the McRae line (r = 0.002, p = 0.979). Neither cerebellar ectopy degree nor McRae line length had a relationship with SEP values (r = -0.153, p = 0.066;r = -0.056, p = 0.500, respectively). There was no difference in cerebellar ectopy degree or SEP values between the groups with cerebellar ectopy with and without a syrinx (p = 0.899;p = 0.080, respectively). Likewise, McRae line length was not found to be related to the presence of a syrinx (p = 0.139). Median nerve SEP examination was not beneficial for diagnosing asymptomatic-oligosymptomatic Chiari malformation as a subclinical injury, whether accompanied by syringomyelia or not.

Thermal conductivity of GeTe crystals based on machine learning potentials

GeTe has attracted extensive research interest for thermoelectric applications.In this paper,we first train a neuroevolution potential(NEP)based on a dataset constructed by ab initio molecular dynamics,with the Gaussian approximation potential(GAP)as a reference.The phonon density of states is then calculated by two machine learning potentials and compared with density functional theory results,with the GAP potential having higher accuracy.Next,the thermal conductivity of a GeTe crystal at 300 K is calculated by the equilibrium molecular dynamics method using both machine learning potentials,and both of them are in good agreement with the experimental results;however,the calculation speed when using the NEP potential is about 500 times faster than when using the GAP potential.Finally,the lattice thermal conductivity in the range of 300 K-600 K is calculated using the NEP potential.The lattice thermal conductivity decreases as the temperature increases due to the phonon anharmonic effect.This study provides a theoretical tool for the study of the thermal conductivity of GeTe.

A robust method for evaluating the potentials of 15-minute cities:Implications for sustainable urban futures

The‘15-minute city’(15minC)concept,which aspires to bring essential services within reach via a 15-minute walk for all residents,represents a pivotal paradigm shift in sustainable urban development.However,the achievability of this concept for different cities varies considerably across diverse population distributions,urban contexts,and development priorities.In this study,we propose a robust method for evaluating a city’s 15minC potential-a city’s capability to achieve widespread 15-minute accessibility while maintaining an optimal balance between resource efficiency and resident accessibility.We employ the Location Set Covering Problem optimization model to analyze the resources required to achieve full coverage of 15-minute accessibility and the knee point detection algorithm to assess a city’s 15minC potential.Across 23 major Chinese cities,our method exhibits a sharp sensitivity to delineate distinct 15minC potentials.It reveals that cities’current 15minC development level doesn’t align with their inherent potential uniformly.Key determinants include how well current facility locations match population centers and the population density in remote areas.Further,reducing facility constructions by twothirds has only a marginal impact on accessibility,emphasizing the need for tailored,data-driven planning in effective and sustainable urban development based on the distinct potentials of cities.Our approach prioritizes resource efficiency,minimizing the inefficient use of facilities that serve only a small portion of residents while maximizing the benefits of the 15minC and therefore has significant implications for a sustainable urban future.

Quantum-mechanical understanding on structure dependence of image potentials of single-walled boron nitride nanotubes

The recent discovery of field emission devices based on one-dimensional nanostructures has attracted much interest in emerging applications on next-generation flat panel displays,molecule-based sensors,and so forth.To achieve a comprehensive understanding of surface potentials at the nano-emitters during the tunneling process,in this study we systematically investigated the image potentials of single-walled boron nitride nanotubes with different edges,diameters and lengths in the frame of a composite first-principles calculation.The image potentials of zigzag single-walled boron nitride nanotubes are found to be dependent on the non-equivalent sides.Only the image potentials of isolated armchair single-walled boron nitride nanotube can be well fitted with the image potential of an ideal metal sphere of a size comparable to the tube diameter.On the contrary,the image potentials of zigzag and grounded armchair single-walled boron nitride nanotubes exhibit a strong length-dependence characteristic and are significantly different from that of an ideal metal sphere,which originates from the significant axial symmetry breaking of induced charge at the tip for the long tube.The correlation between the testing electron and electronic structure of single-walled boron nitride nanotube has also been discussed.

Clinical characteristics and analysis of vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss in different ages

BACKGROUND Numerous studies have found that patients experiencing sudden sensorineural hearing loss(SSHL),with or without accompanying vertigo,often show impaired vestibular function.However,there is a dearth of studies analyzing vestibularevoked myogenic potentials(VEMPs)in SSHL patients across various age groups.AIM To investigate vestibular condition in SSHL patients across various age demographics.METHODS Clinical data of 84 SSHL patients were investigated retrospectively.Audiometry,cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials(c-VEMPs),and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials(o-VEMPs)were conducted on these patients.Parameters assessed included the latencies of P1 and N1 waves,as well as the amplitudes of P1–N1 waves.Moreover,the study evaluated the influence of factors such as sex,affected side,configuration of hearing loss,and presence of accompanying vertigo.RESULTS Among the 84 SSHL patients,no significant differences were observed among the three groups in terms of gender,affected side,and the presence or absence of vertigo.Group II(aged 41–60 years)had the highest number of SSHL cases.The rates of absent o-VEMPs in the affected ears were 20.83%,31.58%,and 22.72%for the three age groups,respectively,with no statistically significant difference among them.The rates of absent c-VEMPs in the affected ears were 8.3%,34.21%,and 18.18%for the three age groups,respectively,with significant differences.In the unaffected ears,there were differences observed in the extraction rates of o-VEMPs in the unaffected ears among the age groups.In the three age groups,no significant differences were noted in the three age groups in the latencies of P1 and N1 waves or in the amplitude of N1–P1 waves for c-VEMPs and o-VEMPs,either on the affected side or on the unaffected side,across the three age groups.CONCLUSION The extraction rate of VEMPs is more valuable than parameters.Regardless of the presence of vertigo,vestibular organs are involved in SSHL.Notably,SSHL patients aged 41–60 appear more susceptible to damage to the inferior vestibular nerve and saccule.

Tetrathiafulvalene esters with high redox potentials and improved solubilities for non-aqueous redox flow battery applications

The exploitation of high performance redox-active substances is critically important for the development of non-aqueous redoxflow batteries.Herein,three tetrathiofulvalene(TTF)derivatives with different substitution groups,namely TTF diethyl ester(TTFDE),TTF tetramethyl ester(TTFTM),and TTF tetraethyl ester(TTFTE),are prepared and their energy storage properties are evaluated.It has been found that the redox potential and solubility of these TTF derivatives in conventional carbonate electrolytes increases with the number of ester groups.The battery with a catholyte of 0.2 mol L^(-1) of TTFTE delivers a specific capacity of more than 10 Ah L^(-1) at the current density of 0.5 C with two discharge voltage platforms locating at as high as 3.85 and 3.60 V vs.Li/Liþ.Its capacity retention can be improved from 2.34 Ah L^(-1) to 3.60 Ah L^(-1) after 100 cycles by the use of an anion exchange membrane to block the crossover of TTF species.The excellent cycling stability of the TIF esters is supported by their well-delocalized electrons,as revealed by the density function theory calculations.Therefore,the introduction of more and larger electron-withdrawing groups is a promising strategy to simultaneously increase the redox-potential and solubility of redox-active ma-terials for non-aqueous redoxflow batteries.

The Aharonov-Bohm Effect: An Exploration of Quantum Interference and Electromagnetic Potentials

The AB(Aharonov-Bohm)effect is a pivotal quantum mechanical phenomenon that illustrates the fundamental role of the electromagnetic vector potential A in determining the phase of a charged particle’s wave function,even in regions where the magnetic field B is zero.This effect demonstrates that quantum particles are influenced not only by the fields directly present but also by the potentials associated with those fields.In the AB effect,an electron beam is split into two paths,with one path encircling a solenoid and the other bypassing it.Despite the absence of a magnetic field in the regions traversed by the beams,the vector potential A associated with the magnetic flux Φ through the solenoid induces a phase shift in the electron’s wave function.This phase shift,quantified by △φ=qΦ/hc,manifests as a change in the interference pattern observed in the detection screen.The phenomenon underscores the principle of gauge invariance in QED(quantum electrodynamics),where physical observables remain invariant under local gauge transformations of the vector and scalar potentials.This reinforces the notion that the vector potential A has a profound impact on quantum systems,beyond its classical role.This article outlines the AB effect,including its theoretical framework,experimental observations,and implications.The focus on the role of the vector potential in quantum mechanics provides a comprehensive understanding of this important phenomenon.

Methane mitigation potentials and related costs of China’s coal mines

Mitigating methane(CH_(4))emissions from China’s coal mines as the largest contributor to anthropogenic CH_(4)emissions is vital for limiting global warming.However,the knowledge about CH_(4)mitigation potentials and economic costs of Chinese coal mines remain poorly understood,which hinders the formulation of tailored CH_(4)mitigation strategies.Here,we estimate and project China’s provincial coal mine methane(CMM)emissions,mitigation potentials and costs under various coal production scenarios,by integrating the dynamic emission factors of CMM and key abatement technologies.We find that through continuous coal cuts and available CMM mitigation measures,China’s CMM emissions can be reduced by 65%-78%(10.9 Tg-13.1 Tg)in 2060,compared with the 2021 level.CH_(4)emissions from abandoned coal mines will far exceed those from coal mining under the 2060 carbon-neutral scenario,especially in northeastern China.It was also found that CMM mitigation is not economically feasible at present,but may be the most cost-effective solution as CO_(2)prices increase.All coalproducing provinces can achieve CMM mitigation below 50 RMB/t CO_(2)e in 2060.Inner Mongolia is identified as a hotspot for CMM mitigation with huge potential and lower cost.Our prospective assessment can provide insights into China’s CMM mitigation in response to climate change.

Masseter Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials: A new tool to assess the vestibulomasseteric reflex pathway

Purpose: This review article provides the readers with an in-depth insight in understanding and interpreting various research literatures on the masseter vestibular evoked myogenic potentials(mVEMP). The article also reviews the contemporary researches involving the clinical applications of the mVEMP. Conclusions: Masseter VEMP is an evolving yet clinically promising neuro-otology test tool that has recently gained more research interest and is considered an additional tool to diagnose various vestibular disorders. Masseter VEMP assesses the functional integrity of the acoustic-masseteric and vestibulo-masseteric reflex pathways. The mVEMP could be used as a complementary test to evaluate the same peripheral generator as the cervical VEMP but a different central pathway i.e., vestibulo-trigeminal pathway. Various research studies that have experimented on parameters such as the effect of different electrode montages(zygomatic vs mandibular configurations), stimulation rates, filter settings and stimuli used to evoke mVEMP have been discussed in this article that could assist in the optimization of a comprehensive clinical protocol. The latency and the amplitude of mVEMP waveforms serve as significant parameters in differentiating normals from those of the clinical populations. Along with the cVEMPs and oVEMPs, mVEMP might help diagnose brainstem lesions in REM Sleep behaviour disorders, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. However, further studies are required to probe in this area of research.

Mitochondria–cGAS–STING axis is a potential therapeutic target for senescence-dependent inflammaging-associated neurodegeneration

The word “senescence” comes from the Latin senescens, meaning “to begin to age”, and is characterized by a long-lasting but reversible block in proliferation, resulting from stress-induced cell cycle arrest of previously replication-competent cells.

Normalized Solutions of Nonlinear Choquard Equations with Nonconstant Potential

In this paper,we mainly focus on a type of nonlinear Choquard equations with nonconstant potential.Under appropriate hypotheses on potential function and nonlinear terms,we prove that the above Choquard equation with prescribed 2-norm has some normalized solutions by introducing variational methods.

Entrepreneurship training:its influences on innovation potentials among nursing students

Objective:To evaluate the influences of entrepreneurship training on the innovation potential among nursing students.Methods:A quasi-experimental design was utilized to conduct this study.The study was conducted in the classroom at the faculty of nursing,and the“i Hub”center at Ain Shams University(ASU)in Cairo,Egypt.A purposive sample of 42 nursing students who participated in the“Ain Shams University-innovate”competition from the Faculty of Nursing of ASU were included in this study.Data collection tools included(1)Nursing students'innovation skills assessment questionnaire and(2)Innovative projects evaluation tool.Results:There was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of nursing students'total innovation skills pre-and post-implementation of entrepreneurship training,where P-value<0.05.Conclusions:The results of the current study support the research hypothesis because the implementation of entrepreneurship training positively affects nursing students'innovation potential.Developing entrepreneurship education in nursing and integrating it into nursing programs will stimulate creativity,innovation,and entrepreneurship among nursing students and health care services.

Understanding the local structure and thermophysical behavior of Mg-La liquid alloys via machine learning potential

The local structure and thermophysical behavior of Mg-La liquid alloys were in-depth understood using deep potential molecular dynamic(DPMD) simulation driven via machine learning to promote the development of Mg-La alloys. The robustness of the trained deep potential(DP) model was thoroughly evaluated through several aspects, including root-mean-square errors(RMSEs), energy and force data, and structural information comparison results;the results indicate the carefully trained DP model is reliable. The component and temperature dependence of the local structure in the Mg-La liquid alloy was analyzed. The effect of Mg content in the system on the first coordination shell of the atomic pairs is the same as that of temperature. The pre-peak demonstrated in the structure factor indicates the presence of a medium-range ordered structure in the Mg-La liquid alloy, which is particularly pronounced in the 80at% Mg system and disappears at elevated temperatures. The density, self-diffusion coefficient, and shear viscosity for the Mg-La liquid alloy were predicted via DPMD simulation, the evolution patterns with Mg content and temperature were subsequently discussed, and a database was established accordingly. Finally, the mixing enthalpy and elemental activity of the Mg-La liquid alloy at 1200 K were reliably evaluated,which provides new guidance for related studies.

Identifying Three Shapes of Potential Vorticity Streamers Using Mask R-CNN

Potential vorticity(PV)streamers are elongated filaments of high PV intrusions that generally exhibit three distinct shapes:ordinarily southwestward,hook,and treble-clef,each with significant influences on weather.These PV streamers are most frequent over arid and semi-arid Central Asia in the mid–high latitudes.This study applied the Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Network algorithm(Mask R-CNN)to PV streamers on the dynamical tropopause during the warm season(May to September)over the years 2000–04 to train a weighted variational model capable of identifying these different shapes.The trained model demonstrated a strong ability to distinguish between the three shapes.A climatological analysis of PV streamers over Central Asia spanning 2000 to 2021 revealed an increasingly deep and pronounced reversal of circulation from ordinary to treble-clef shapes.The treble-clef shape featured a PV tower and distinct cut-off low in the troposphere,but the associated upward motions and precipitation were confined within approximately 1200 km to the east of the PV tower.Although the hook-shape PV streamers were linked to a weaker cut-off low,the extent of upward motion and precipitation was nearly double that of the treble-clef category.In contrast,the ordinary PV streamer was primarily associated with tropopause Rossby wave breaking and exhibited relatively shallow characteristics,which resulted in moderate upward motion and precipitation to 500 km to its east.

Carboniferous-Early Permian heterogeneous distribution of porous carbonate reservoirs in the Central Uplift of the South Yellow Sea Basin and its hydrocarbon potential analysis

Mesozoic-Palaeozoic marine carbonate rocks are crucial hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Central Uplift area of the South Yellow Sea Basin(SYSB).Due to the scarcity of boreholes and the significant heterogeneity of carbonate reservoirs,the distribution of porous carbonate reservoirs and their related key controlling factors remain unclear.In this study,factors affecting the distribution of porous Carboniferous-Early Permian carbonate reservoirs in the SYSB were investigated through seismic inversion and isotope analysis.The log-seismic characteristics of porous carbonate reservoirs,sensitive lithology parameters,and physical property parameters were extracted and analyzed.The pre-stack simultaneous inversion technique was applied to predict the lithology and physical properties of porous carbonate reservoirs.Moreover,the sedimentary of carbonate was analyzed using isotopes of carbon,oxygen,and strontium.The results show that porous carbonate reservoirs are mainly developed in the open platform sediments with porosities of 3%-5%and are mainly distributed in the paleo-highland(Huanglong Formation and Chuanshan Formation)and the slope of paleo-highland(Hezhou Formation).The porous carbonate reservoirs of the Qixia Formation are only locally developed.In addition,the negativeδ13C excursions indicate a warm and humid tropical climate with three sea-level fluctuations in the study area from the Carboniferous to Early Permian.The favorable conditions for developing porous carbonate rocks include the sedimentary environment and diagenetic process.The primary pore tends to form in high-energy environments of the paleo-highland,and the secondary pore is increased by dissolution during the syngenetic or quasi-syngenetic period.According to the hydrocarbon potential analysis,the Late Ordovician Wufeng Formation and Lower Silurian Gaojiabian Formation are the source rocks in the high-maturity-over-maturity stage,the Carboniferous-Lower Permian carbonate is the good reservoirs,and the Late Permian Longtan-Dalong Formation is the stable seal,ensuring a huge hydrocarbon accumulation potential in SYSB.The methods proposed in this study can be applied to other carbonate-dominated strata worldwide.

Dependent mechanism of Chinese prepositions processing in the brain:evidence from event-related potentials

Objective To compare the event-related potentials （ERPs） waves of verbs and prepositions in the brain. Methods We recorded ERPs in the brain while participants judged the legality of the collocation for verbs and ＂preposition＂. Results Both verbs and prepositions elicited a negativity at the frontal site in 230-330 ms and 350-500 ms window. No difference was seen in 230-330 ms and 350-500 ms window; In difference waves, a negativity was elicited in the left and fight hemisphere at about 270-400 ms and 470-600 ms window for both open and closed-class words. Conclusion These may demonstrate that prepositions in modem Chinese are probably not a separate class from verbs and that N280 may be not a specific component for only prepositions （or closed-class words）.