Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on upper limb motor function with stroke: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy pilot study.

Background: Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) emerges as a promising neuromodulatory technique. However, taVNS uses left ear stimulation in stroke survivors with either left or right hemiparesis. Understanding its influence on the cortical responses is pivotal for optimizing post-stroke rehabilitation protocols. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to elucidate the influence of taVNS on cortical responses in stroke patients presenting with either left or right hemiparesis and to discern its potential ramifications for upper limb rehabilitative processes. Methods: We employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to ascertain patterns of cerebral activation in stroke patients as they engaged in a "block transfer" task. Additionally, the Lateralization Index (LI) was utilized to quantify the lateralization dynamics of cerebral functions. Results: In patients exhibiting left-side hemiplegia, there was a notable increase in activation within the pre-motor and supplementary motor cortex (PMC-SMC) of the unaffected hemisphere as well as in the left Broca area. Conversely, those with right-side hemiplegia displayed heightened activation in the affected primary somatosensory cortex (PSC) region following treatment.Significantly, taVNS markedly amplified cerebral activation, with a pronounced impact on the left motor cortical network across both cohorts. Intriguingly, the LI showcased consistency, suggesting a harmonized enhancement across both compromised and uncompromised cerebral regions. Conclusion: TaVNS can significantly bolster the activation within compromised cerebral territories, particularly within the left motor cortical domain, without destabilizing cerebral lateralization. TaVNS could play a pivotal role in enhancing upper limb functional restoration post-stroke through precise neuromodulatory and neuroplastic interventions.

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of disorders of consciousness: mechanisms and applications.

This review provides an in-depth exploration of the mechanisms and applications of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in treating disorders of consciousness (DOC). Beginning with an exploration of the vagus nerve's role in modulating brain function and consciousness, we then delve into the neuroprotective potential of taVNS demonstrated in animal models. The subsequent sections assess the therapeutic impact of taVNS on human DOC, discussing the safety, tolerability, and various factors influencing the treatment response. Finally, the review identifies the current challenges in taVNS research and outlines future directions, emphasizing the need for large-scale trials, optimization of treatment parameters, and comprehensive investigation of taVNS's long-term effects and underlying mechanisms. This comprehensive overview positions taVNS as a promising and safe modality for DOC treatment, with a focus on understanding its intricate neurophysiological influence and optimizing its application in clinical settings.

[Characteristics of haze and its impact factors in four megacities in China during 2006-2009].

The meteorological and environmental data including visibility, SO2, NO2 and PM10 were collected in four major megacities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu) in the years 2006-2009. Based on the data, seasonal and annual variations of the haze frequency and the key impact factors were discussed. The results indicated that the highest frequencies of haze occurred in summer, winter, spring and autumn for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, respectively. The trends of haze frequency decreased in Beijing and Guangzhou, while increased in Shanghai and Chengdu during the studied period. The PM10 concentration and relative humidity were the key factors for visibility degradation in the four megacities. The variation of visibility was sensitive to relative humidity in Beijing, to PM10 in Shanghai and Guangzhou, and to both in Chengdu.

An optimization method based on scenario analysis for watershed management under uncertainty.

In conjunction with socioeconomic development in watersheds, increasingly challenging problems, such as scarcity of water resources and environmental deterioration, have arisen. Watershed management is a useful tool for dealing with these issues and maintaining sustainable development at the watershed scale. The complex and uncertain characteristics of watershed systems have a great impact on decisions about countermeasures and other techniques that will be applied in the future. An optimization method based on scenario analysis is proposed in this paper as a means of handling watershed management under uncertainty. This method integrates system analysis, forecast methods, and scenario analysis, as well as the contributions of stakeholders and experts, into a comprehensive framework. The proposed method comprises four steps: system analyses, a listing of potential engineering techniques and countermeasures, scenario analyses, and the optimal selection of countermeasures and engineering techniques. The proposed method was applied to the case of the Lake Qionghai watershed in southwestern China, and the results are reported in this paper. This case study demonstrates that the proposed method can be used to deal efficiently with uncertainties at the watershed level. Moreover, this method takes into consideration the interests of different groups, which is crucial for successful watershed management. In particular, social, economic, environmental, and resource systems are all considered in order to improve the applicability of the method. In short, the optimization method based on scenario analysis proposed here is a valuable tool for watershed management.

Dynamic phosphorus budget for lake-watershed ecosystems.

Lake eutrophication caused by excess phosphorus (P) loading from point sources (PS) and nonpoint sources (NPS) is a persistent and serious ecological problem in China. A phosphorus budget, based on material flow analysis (MFA) and system dynamic (SD), is proposed and applied for the agriculture-dominated Qionghai Lake watershed located in southwestern China. The MFA-SD approach will not only cover the transporting process of P in the lake-watershed ecosystems, but also can deal with the changes of P budget due to the dynamics of watershed. P inflows include the fertilizer for agricultural croplands, soil losses, domestic sewage discharges, and the atmospheric disposition such as precipitation and dust sinking. Outflows are consisted of hydrologic export, water resources development, fishery and aquatic plants harvesting. The internal P recycling processes are also considered in this paper. From 1988 to 2015, the total P inflows for Lake Qionghai are in a rapid increase from 35.65 to 78.73 t/a, which results in the rising of P concentration in the lake. Among the total P load 2015, agricultural loss and domestic sewage account for 70.60% and 17.27% respectively, directly related to the rapid social-economic development and the swift urbanization. Future management programs designed to reduce P inputs must be put into practices in the coming years to ensure the ecosystem health in the watershed.