The Experience and Impact of a Fitbit-Based Physical Activity and Sleep Hygiene Intervention for Older Adults Experiencing Cognitive Decline

Objectives: This study aimed to understand the experience and impact of a physical activity and sleep wrist-worn tracker (Fitbit)-based healthy lifestyle intervention for older patients attending a memory assessment service, who are experiencing cognitive impairment but do not receive a dementia diagnosis. Methods: A qualitative design was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of thirteen participants recruited from a memory assessment service. Thematic analysis, that was data driven and inductive, was undertaken to analyse the data. Results: Two global themes were developed. “Understanding exercise and sleep as part of my lifestyle” was made up of themes representing how participants viewed exercise and sleep as part of their lifestyles in terms of acknowledging the positive impacts and the barriers to exercise and sleep. The second global theme “Understanding my experience of the healthy lifestyle intervention” was made up of themes that identified the positive impact of the intervention regarding improving health and wellbeing, enabling validation of proactive behaviours and motivation to engage in healthy lifestyle behaviours, so promoting positive behaviour change. Conclusion: Patients experiencing age-related cognitive impairment, applied and benefited from a healthy lifestyle Fitbit-based intervention to facilitate and promote physical activity, better sleep hygiene and healthy lifestyles.

Foreword on the Contribution of the University of Kent＇s Applied Optics Group to the Field of Fiber Optics Sensors

Introduction In this special issue of Photonic Sensors the research activities of some of the （ex） members of the Applied Optics Group （AOG） at the University of Kent （UoK） will present brief details of their research in AOG and then describe in greater lengthdetails of their careers since leaving the University. The research group has made significant contributions to many areas of ＂Fiber Optic Sensors＂ （FOS） as indicated in the ＂star diagram＂ below. This review is in recognition of the important advances made at AOG in the field of FOS and I was asked by Professor Y. Rao to organize it.

Route to OCT From OFS at University of Kent

A review is presented of several technical solutions developed by the Applied Optics Group （AOG） in the field of low coherence interferometry applied to optical fiber sensors （OFS） that subsequently allowed AOG to quickly progress in the field of optical coherence tomography （OCT）.

The Pairing Analysis Improvement of Magnetized Structure in Electromagnetic Bulging Process in Case of Tube with Field Shaper

In the current practical science, the accuracy in the formability of metal alloys being the goal when using electromagnetic forming (EMF) technology, which is a high-speed processing technology that uses Lorentz forces to achieve plastic deformation of sheet metal;according to the previous analysis, the results have shown that in most cases, the Lorentz force acting on the workpiece (metal) is not uniform, there are uneven axial deformations of the metal plates which prevent the rapid advancement of today’s technology. In this article, we presented some advanced analyzes which will lead us to improve the technical solution for the problems of non-uniform axial deformations of the metals in the traditional tube electromagnetic forming technology (EMF). A field shaper is used as a practical forming tool to influence the magnetic field and magnetic pressure distribution, thereby improving the forming ability and result during the electromagnetic forming (EMF) process and we see that induced eddy current control is realized by changing the structural parameters of the magnetic field shaper;which improves the strength and controllability of the magnetic force that acts on the workpiece;thereby a greater radial magnetic pressure can be achieved with field shaper than the case without it;the field shaper regulates the electromagnetic force, the distribution of the magnetic pressure decreases, and the uniform force area of the tube increases which effectively enhances the uniform range of the pipe electromagnetic bulging and the electromagnetic induction coupling between the coil and the metallic workpiece is generally required to produce the Lorentz forces. Using COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation software helped us to accurately represent the real world, simulating multiple physical effects that happened in this model during the process.

Selective footprints and genes relevant to cold adaptation and other phenotypic traits are unscrambled in the genomes of divergently selected chicken breeds

Background The genomes of worldwide poultry breeds divergently selected for performance and other phenotypic traits may also be affected by,and formed due to,past and current admixture events.Adaptation to diverse environments,including acclimation to harsh climatic conditions,has also left selection footprints in breed genomes.Results Using the Chicken 50K_CobbCons SNP chip,we genotyped four divergently selected breeds:two aboriginal,cold tolerant Ushanka and Orloff Mille Fleur,one egg-type Russian White subjected to artificial selection for cold tolerance,and one meat-type White Cornish.Signals of selective sweeps were determined in the studied breeds using three methods:(1)assessment of runs of homozygosity islands,(2)F_(ST) based population differential analysis,and(3)haplotype differentiation analysis.Genomic regions of true selection signatures were identified by two or more methods or in two or more breeds.In these regions,we detected 540 prioritized candidate genes supplemented them with those that occurred in one breed using one statistic and were suggested in other studies.Amongst them,SOX5,ME3,ZNF536,WWP1,RIPK2,OSGIN2,DECR1,TPO,PPARGC1A,BDNF,MSTN,and beta-keratin genes can be especially mentioned as candidates for cold adaptation.Epigenetic factors may be involved in regulating some of these important genes(e.g.,TPO and BDNF).Conclusion Based on a genome-wide scan,our findings can help dissect the genetic architecture underlying various phenotypic traits in chicken breeds.These include genes representing the sine qua non for adaptation to harsh environments.Cold tolerance in acclimated chicken breeds may be developed following one of few specific gene expression mechanisms or more than one overlapping response known in cold-exposed individuals,and this warrants further investigation.

Feeding the world: impacts of elevated [CO_(2)] on nutrient content of greenhouse grown fruit crops and options for future yield gains

Several long-term studies have provided strong support demonstrating that growing crops under elevated[CO_(2)]can increase photosynthesis and result in an increase in yield,flavour and nutritional content(including but not limited to Vitamins C,E and pro-vitamin A).In the case of tomato,increases in yield by as much as 80%are observed when plants are cultivated at 1000 ppm[CO_(2)],which is consistent with current commercial greenhouse productionmethods in the tomato fruit industry.These results provide a clear demonstration of the potential for elevating[CO_(2)]for improving yield and quality in greenhouse crops.The major focus of this review is to bring together 50 years of observations evaluating the impact of elevated[CO_(2)]on fruit yield and fruit nutritional quality.In the final section,we consider the need to engineer improvements to photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation to allow plants to take greater advantage of elevated CO_(2) growth conditions.

Anti-Byzantine Attacks Enabled Vehicle Selection for Asynchronous Federated Learning in Vehicular Edge Computing

In vehicle edge computing(VEC),asynchronous federated learning(AFL)is used,where the edge receives a local model and updates the global model,effectively reducing the global aggregation latency.Due to different amounts of local data,computing capabilities and locations of the vehicles,renewing the global model with same weight is inappropriate.The above factors will affect the local calculation time and upload time of the local model,and the vehicle may also be affected by Byzantine attacks,leading to the deterioration of the vehicle data.However,based on deep reinforcement learning(DRL),we can consider these factors comprehensively to eliminate vehicles with poor performance as much as possible and exclude vehicles that have suffered Byzantine attacks before AFL.At the same time,when aggregating AFL,we can focus on those vehicles with better performance to improve the accuracy and safety of the system.In this paper,we proposed a vehicle selection scheme based on DRL in VEC.In this scheme,vehicle’s mobility,channel conditions with temporal variations,computational resources with temporal variations,different data amount,transmission channel status of vehicles as well as Byzantine attacks were taken into account.Simulation results show that the proposed scheme effectively improves the safety and accuracy of the global model.

Beamforming Design for IRS-and-UAV-Aided Two-Way Amplify-and-Forward Relay Networks in Maritime IoT

In this paper,an intelligent reflecting surface(IRS)-and-unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)-assisted two-way amplify-and-forward(AF)relay network in maritime Internet of Things(IoT)is proposed,where ship1(S1)and ship2(S2)can be viewed as data collecting centers.To enhance the message exchange rate between S1 and S2,a problem of maximizing minimum rate is cast,where the variables,namely AF relay beamforming matrix and IRS phase shifts of two time slots,need to be optimized.To achieve a maximum rate,a low-complexity alternately iterative(AI)scheme based on zero forcing and successive convex approximation(LC-ZF-SCA)algorithm is presented.To obtain a significant rate enhancement,a high-performance AI method based on one step,semidefinite programming and penalty SCA(ONSSDP-PSCA)is proposed.Simulation results show that by the proposed LC-ZF-SCA and ONS-SDP-PSCA methods,the rate of the IRS-and-UAV-assisted AF relay network surpass those of with random phase and only AF relay networks.Moreover,ONS-SDP-PSCA perform better than LC-ZF-SCA in aspect of rate.

“Active Feedback” Fitbit-Based Physical Activity and Sleep Hygiene Intervention for Memory Assessment Service (MAS) Patients with Cognitive Deficits: Feasibility, Acceptability, Sleep Quality, Stress, and Wellbeing Outcomes

Research Background: Compared to the general population, people experiencing age-related cognitive decline are more likely to have low levels of physical activity and sleep problems. Sufficient physical activity and quality sleep are protective factors against cognitive decline and poor health and can improve coping with stressors. The “Active Feedback” intervention comprises a wearable activity and sleep tracker (Fitbit), access to Fitbit software healthy lifestyle software apps;one session with Memory Assessment Service (MAS) staff providing physical activity and sleep hygiene advice and two further engagement, discussion, and feedback sessions. Purpose/Aim: This study investigates the acceptability and feasibility of Active Feedback and the effect on stress, mental wellbeing, and sleep quality, and the links between these factors. Methods: An open-label patient cohort design with no control group was used. Pre-intervention, 4-week and 8-week intervention assessments were performed using participant self-report measures: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), and Sleep Conditioning Index (SCI). Twenty-five participants completed an eight-week three-session intervention (18 males and 7 females), with the age range of 66 - 84 years old, and average age of 73.8 years (SD = 5.09). Fifteen participants had a diagnosis of MCI, ten participants did not. Results: There were non-significant improvements in SCI scores from 21.0 (SD = 8.84) to 21.6 (SD = 6.20) at 8 weeks, PSS scores from 17.5 (SD = 5.89) to 17.0 (SD = 6.20) at 8 weeks, and WEMWBS scores from 46.9 (SD = 9.23) to 48.8 (SD = 9.69) at 8 weeks. There were negative correlations between WEMWBS and PSS. Conclusion: Active Feedback intervention was found to be feasible and acceptable. Active Feedback could be enhanced to include motivational interviewing and goal setting.

Assessment of lymph node involvement in colorectal cancer

Lymph node metastasis informs prognosis and is a key factor in deciding further management, particularly adjuvant chemotherapy. It is core to all contemporary staging systems, including the widely used tumor node metastasis staging system. Patients with nodenegative disease have 5-year survival rates of 70%-80%, implying a significant minority of patients with occult lymph node metastases will succumb to disease recurrence. Enhanced staging techniques may help to identify this subset of patients, who might benefit from further treatment. Obtaining adequate numbers of lymph nodes is essential for accurate staging. Lymph node yields are affected by numerous factors, many inherent to the patient and the tumour, but others related to surgical and histopathological practice. Good lymph node recovery relies on close collaboration between surgeon and pathologist. The optimal extent of surgical resection remains a subject of debate. Extended lymphadenectomy, extra-mesenteric lymph node dissection, high arterial ligation and complete mesocolic excision are amongst the surgical techniques with plausible oncological bases, but which are not supported by the highest levels of evidence. With further development and refinement, intra-operative lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy may provide a guide to the optimum extent of lymphadenectomy, but in its present form, it is beset by false negatives, skip lesions and failures to identify a sentinel node. Once resected, histopathological assessment of the surgical specimen can be improved by thorough dissection techniques, step-sectioning of tissue blocks and immunohistochemistry. More recently, molecular methods have been employed. In this review, we consider the numerous factors that affect lymph node yields, including the impact of the surgical and histopathological techniques. Potential future strategies, including the use of evolving technologies, are also discussed.

Investigation and optimization of sampling characteristics of light field camera for flame temperature measurement

It is essential to investigate the light field camera parameters for the accurate flame temperature measurement because the sampling characteristics of the flame radiation can be varied with them. In this study, novel indices of the light field camera were proposed to investigate the directional and spatial sampling characteristics of the flame radiation. Effects of light field camera parameters such as focal length and magnification of the main lens, focal length and magnification of the microlens were investigated. It was observed that the sampling characteristics of the flame are varied with the different parameters of the light field camera. The optimized parameters of the light field camera were then proposed for the flame radiation sampling. The larger sampling angle(23 times larger) is achieved by the optimized parameters compared to the commercial light field camera parameters. A non-negative least square(NNLS) algorithm was used to reconstruct the flame temperature. The reconstruction accuracy was also evaluated by the optimized parameters. The results suggested that the optimized parameters can provide higher reconstruction accuracy for axisymmetric and non-symmetric flame conditions in comparison to the commercial light field camera.

On-line non-intrusive particle size measurement of pulverised fuel through digital imaging

This paper presents the basic principles of particle size measurement and latest industrial results recorded using an innovative optical instrumentation system designed to measure the size distribution of particles in a pneumatic suspension.The system is non-intrusive and cost-effective.A low-cost CCD camera is used to capture images of the particulate flow field,which is illuminated by a low-cost pulsed laser sheet generator.The particle size distribution is then determined by processing the particle images through the use of novel processing algorithms.Experimental results obtained in the past on a small scale particle flow test rig have demonstrated that the system is capable of measuring the size distribution of pneumatically conveyed particles with an accuracy of a few percent.For the present paper results obtained when testing the system at a 4 MW industrial test facility are presented.Comparisons are made with both off-line reference data achieved through sieving and on-line laser diffraction data recorded using an intrusive,extractive,Malvern Instruments system.In general there is good agreement between results when considering the characteristics and limitations of the individual methodologies.The novel imaging system shows itself to be rugged,practical and useful under genuine industrial conditions.

Significant reduction of sperm disomy in six men:effect of traditional Chinese medicine?

Aim： To test the hypothesis that levels of sperm disomy fell significantly in six men treated by traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Methods： Fluorescence in situ hybridization （FISH） was done on the sperm heads of six men before and during treatment by TCM. Results： There was a significant reduction in sperm disomy in all six men. This coincided with TCM treatment. Conclusion： This is the first study reporting a significant reduction in sperm disomy in men over a given time course. The fact that this coincided with TCM treatment is intriguing but no conclusions can be drawn from this until placebo-controlled clinical trials are implemented.

Comparative study of electrostatic sensors with circular and probe electrodes for velocity measurement of pulverised coal

This paper presents recent progress on the velocity measurement of pulverised coal in pneumatic pipelines using electrostatic sensors in combination with correlation signal processing techniques.A comparative study of electrostatic sensors with circular and probe electrodes was conducted on a 94 mm bore horizontal pipeline in a 4 MW furnace.The advantages and limitations of both sensors are discussed.Experimental results demonstrate that both sensors are capable of providing pulverised coal velocity measurement with excellent repeatability and dynamic response.

The involvement of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha in Toll-like receptor 7/8-mediated inflammatory response

Toll-like receptors （TLRs） 7 and 8 are crucial in host defence against single-stranded RNA （ssRNA） viruses. Such viruses cause severe illnesses, which remain a serious medical burden in both industrialised and developing countries. TLR7/8 downstream signaling leads tO a dramatic cellular stress associated with energy consumption. However, the molecular mechanisms of cell survival and adaptation to TLR7/8-induced stress, which give the cells an opportunity to initiate proper inflammatory reactions, are not clear at all. Here we report for the first time that ligand-induced activation of TLR7/8 leads to the accumulation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha （HIF-1α） protein in THP-1 human myeloid macrophages via redoxand reactive nitrogen species-dependent mechanisms. MAP kinases and phosphoinositol-3K are not involved in TLR7/8-mediated HIF-1α accumulation. Experiments with HIF-1α knockdown THP- 1 cells have clearly demonstrated that HIF-1α is important for the protection of these cells against TLR7/8-induced depletion of ATP. Thus, HIF-1α might support both cell survival and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines upon TLR7/8 activation.

Performance Analysis of Sparse Array based Massive MIMO via Joint Convex Optimization

Massive multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO)technology enables higher data rate transmission in the future mobile communications.However,exploiting a large number of antenna elements at base station(BS)makes effective implementation of massive MIMO challenging,due to the size and weight limits of the masssive MIMO that are located on each BS.Therefore,in order to miniaturize the massive MIMO,it is crucial to reduce the number of antenna elements via effective methods such as sparse array synthesis.In this paper,a multiple-pattern synthesis is considered towards convex optimization(CO).The joint convex optimization(JCO)based synthesis is proposed to construct a codebook for beamforming.Then,a criterion containing multiple constraints is developed,in which the sparse array is required to fullfill all constraints.Finally,extensive evaluations are performed under realistic simulation settings.The results show that with the same number of antenna elements,sparse array using the proposed JCO-based synthesis outperforms not only the uniform array,but also the sparse array with the existing CO-based synthesis method.Furthermore,with a half of the number of antenna elements that on the uniform array,the performance of the JCO-based sparse array approaches to that of the uniform array.

Scoring of sperm chromosomal abnormalities by manual and automated approaches：qualitative and quantitative comparisons

It is now well known that levels of sperm disomy correlate to levels of infertility （as well as other factors）.The risk of perpetuating aneuploidy to the offspring of infertile males undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection （ICSI） has become a hotly debated issue in assisted reproduction;however,there remain barriers to the practical implementation of offering sperm disomy screening in a clinical setting. The major barrier is the operator time taken to analyze a statistically meaningful （sufficient） number of cells. The introduction of automated ＇spot counting＇software-hardware combinations presents a potential solution to this problem. In this preliminary validation study,we analyzed 10 patients,both manually and using a commercially available spot counter. Results show a statistically significant correlation between both approaches for scoring of sperm disomy,but no correlation is found when scoring for diploid sperm. The most likely explanation for the latter is an apparent overscoring of two closely associated sperm heads as a single diploid cell. These results,and similar further studies that will ensue,help to inform cost-benefit analyses that individual clinics need to carry out in order to decide whether to adopt sperm aneuploidy screening as a routine tool for the assessment of sperm from men requiring ICSI treatment.

Degradation and mineralization of 2-chloro-, 3-chloro- and 4-chlorobiphenyl by a newly characterized natural bacterial strain isolated from an electrical transformer fluid-contaminated soil

A bacterium classified as Achromobacter xylosoxidans strain IR08 by phenotypic typing coupled with 16S rRNA gene analysis was isolated from a soil contaminated with electrical transformer ?uid for over sixty years using Aroclor 1221 as an enrichment substrate. The substrate utilization profiles revealed that IR08 could grow on all three monochlorobiphenyls (CBs), 2,4’- and 4,4’-dichlorobiphenyl as well as 2-chlorobenzoate (2-CBA), 3-CBA, 4-CBA, and 2,3-dichlorobenzoate. Unusually, growth was poorly sustaine...

Investigation of bone reconstruction using an attenuated immunogenicity xenogenic composite scaffold fabricated by 3D printing

Bone is known to have a natural function to heal itself.However,if the bone damage is beyond a critical degree,intervention such as bone grafting may be imperative.In this work,the fabrication of a novel bone scaffold composed of natural bone components and polycaprolactone(PCL)using 3D printing is put forward.α1,3-galactosyltransferase deficient pigs were used as the donor source of a xenograft.Decellularized porcine bone(DCB)with attenuated immunogenicity was used as the natural component of the scaffold with the aim to promote bone regeneration.The 3D printed DCB-PCL scaffolds combined essential advantages such as uniformity of the interconnected macropores and high porosity and enhanced compressive strength.The biological properties of the DCB-PCL scaffolds were evaluated by studying cell adhesion,viability,alkaline phosphatase activity and osteogenic gene expression of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.The in vitro results demonstrated that the DCB-PCL scaffolds exhibit an enhanced performance in promoting bone differentiation,which is correlated to the DCB content.Furthermore,critical-sized cranial rat defects were used to assess the effect of DCB-PCL scaffolds on bone regeneration in vivo.The results confirm that in comparison with PCL scaffolds,the DCB-PCL scaffolds can significantly improve new bone formation in cranial defects.Thus,the proposed 3D printed DCB-PCL scaffolds emerge as a promising regeneration alternative in the clinical treatment of large bone defects.

Quantum speed-up capacity in different types of quantum channels for two-qubit open systems

A potential acceleration of a quantum open system is of fundamental interest in quantum computation, quantum communication, and quantum metrology. In this paper, we investigate the ＂quantum speed-up capacity＂ which reveals the potential ability of a quantum system to be accelerated. We explore the evolutions of the speed-up capacity in different quantum channels for two-qubit states. We find that although the dynamics of the capacity is varying in different kinds of channels, it is positive in most situations which are considered in the context except one case in the amplitude-damping channel. We give the reasons for the different features of the dynamics. Anyway, the speed-up capacity can be improved by the memory effect. We find two ways which may be used to control the capacity in an experiment： selecting an appropriate coefficient of an initial state or changing the memory degree of environments.