ABSTRACT
Given the large amounts of water, land, and food embodied in the trade of goods and services, a key step in decoupling extensive resource consumption from the economic system is to understand the full impact of socioeconomic development on the water-land-food nexus. This study integrates input-output analysis, ecological network analysis, and Dempster-Shafer evidence theory into a supernetwork model to detect the water-land-food nexus among economic sectors with an aim to explore effective strategic paths for resource management and to facilitate the construction of a resource-saving society. Results show that most sectors of China are resource inefficient and that all resource systems are unsustainable as reflected in the low performance of their Finn's cycling index and system robustness. Meanwhile, results of flow networks analysis show an extremely uneven land resource allocation where more than 94% of the land used in China is classified as direct agricultural land. The water-land-food nexus can gain resource saving bonus via enhancing the robustness of economy. However, the co-benefits from the nexus are negligibly small for the resource utilization efficiency. The results also indicate that the relevant resource-saving policies on food and water are highly likely to gain resource co-benefits due to their similarities in sectoral importance. Correspondingly, a set of strategic measures, including adopting a tiered resource price, deepening industrial convergence of agriculture, enhancing agriculture-food nexus, and managing water or land use from the food consumer side, are designed to build a resource-saving society. The findings of this study can provide additional insights into the impacts of the economy on the water-land-food nexus, which is beneficial for achieving an efficient and coordinated management of resources.
ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the effectiveness of a myoelectricity-driven hand robot on the recovery of hand motor function early after a stroke.Methods Thirty stroke survivors were randomly assigned to either a control group (n=15) or an experimental group (n =15).Both groups received routine rehabilitation exercises,while the experimental group additionally received hand training using a robotic hand exoskeleton.Before and after 4 weeks of treatment,the motor function of the wrist and fingers in both groups were measured using the Fugl-Meyer assessment.Spasticity in the index,middle,ring and little fingers was quantified using the modified Ashworth scale.The muscle force of the fourth finger,thumb and all of the fingers during maximum voluntary extension and flexion were recorded using the robot's surface electromyography system.Results Significant increases in the average Fugl-Meyer scores in both groups were observed after 4 weeks of treatment,but the experimental group's average score was by then significantly higher than that of the control group.The experimental group's average Ashworth score and the average sEMG amplitudes were also significantly better than those of the control group.Conclusion Supplementing routine rehabilitation exercises with a hand robot can improve hand motor function and muscle force significantly,as well as relieving hand spasticity early after a stroke.
ABSTRACT
Undergraduate education started late in rehabilitation medicine in mainland China.At present,there are some shortcomings in current undergraduate education for rehabilitation medicine in mainland China,mainly due to the shortage of teachers,the poor pertinence of professional subjects,the broad and superficial knowledge,and the lack of close connection with the necessary professional knowledge of rehabilitation technologies.The Department of Rehabilitation in Taiwan starts its undergraduate education earlier.The curriculum has been sub-professionally oriented.Its subjects are highly targeted and detailed in content.At the same time,it emphasizes forward-looking education such as "statistics".In view of this,the mainland colleges and universities should standardize the undergraduate education of rehabilitation therapies,strengthen the training of professional teachers,pay attention to the cross-mutualism of theory and practice in the teaching plan,enrich the number of professional courses,the appropriate introduction of teaching methods of scientific research,standardize the teaching management system.
ABSTRACT
Objective To study the effects of the rehabilitation robot-assisted task-oriented training on the hand function in patients after stroke. Methods From June, 2015 to September, 2016, 35 inpatients suffering from stroke were randomly allocated to control group (n=17) and trial group (n=18). Based on the routine rehabilitation, the trial group accepted robot-assisted task-oriented training, while the control group accepted therapist-assisted task-oriented training, for two weeks. They were measured the active range of motion (AROM) of fingers, assessed with fingers motor of Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and modified Barthel Index (MBI) invovled with hands before and after train-ing. Results The inpatients dropped three in the control group, two in the trial group. AROM of extension and flexion of all the fingers, the AROM of extension and total of three fingers of thumb, index and middle, and the total AROM of each finger improved in the trial group af-ter training (t>2.937, P2.528, P2.535, P2.000, P2.000, P0.05). The scores of feeding, dressing, toilet transfers, bathing, groom-ing of MBI and the total score of them improved in the trial group after training (Z>2.041, P0.05). Conclusion The rehabilitation robot-assisted task-oriented training can improve AROM of hemiplegic fingers and grip function.
