Separately tracking the sources of hydrophobic and hydrophilic dissolved organic matter during a storm event in an agricultural watershed.

The hydrophobicity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) affects various aspects of its environmental impacts in terms of water quality, sorption behaviors, interactions with other pollutants, and water treatment efficiency. In this study, source tracking of river DOM was conducted separately for hydrophobic acid (HoA-DOM) and hydrophilic (Hi-DOM) fractions using end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) in an agricultural watershed during a storm event. EMMA with optical indices of bulk DOM revealed larger contributions of soil (24 %), compost (28 %), and wastewater effluent (23 %) to riverine DOM under high versus low flow conditions. Molecular level analysis of bulk DOM revealed more dynamic features, showing an abundance of CHO and CHOS formulae in riverine DOM under high- and low flow conditions. CHO formulae originated from soil (78 %) and leaves (75 %) and contributed to the increasing CHO abundance during the storm event, whereas CHOS formulae likely originated from compost (48 %) and wastewater effluent (41 %). The characterization of bulk DOM at the molecular level demonstrated that soil and leaves are the dominant contributors for the high-flow samples. However, in contrast to the results of bulk DOM analysis, EMMA with HoA-DOM and Hi-DOM revealed major contributions from manure (37 %) and leaf DOM (48 %) during storm events, respectively. The results of this study highlight the importance of individual source tracking of HoA-DOM and Hi-DOM for the proper evaluation of the ultimate roles of DOM in affecting river water quality and for a better understanding of DOM dynamics and transformation in natural and engineered systems.

Is robot-assisted therapy effective in upper extremity recovery in early stage stroke? -a systematic literature review.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to systematically investigate the effects of robot-assisted therapy on the upper extremity in acute and subacute stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] The papers retrieved were evaluated based on the following inclusion criteria: 1) design: randomized controlled trials; 2) population: stroke patients 3) intervention: robot-assisted therapy; and 4) year of publication: May 2012 to April 2016. Databased searched were: EMBASE, PubMed and COCHRAN databases. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. [Results] Of the 637 articles searched, six studies were included in this systematic review. The PEDro scores range from 7 to 9 points. [Conclusion] This review confirmed that the robot-assisted therapy with three-dimensional movement and a high degree of freedom had positive effects on the recovery of upper extremity motor function in patients with early-stage stroke. We think that the robot-assisted therapy could be used to improve upper extremity function for early stage stroke patients in clinical setting.

Relationship between Postural Sway and Dynamic Balance in Stroke Patients.

[Purpose] The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between postural sway and dynamic balance in post stroke patients. [Subjects] Thirty-one stroke patients (20 men and 11 women; age 64.25 years; stroke duration 12.70 months; MMSE-K score 26.35) participated in this study. [Methods] This study applied a cross-sectional design. A Good Balance system was used for measurement of the postural sway velocity (anteroposterior and mediolateral) and velocity moment of subjects under the eyes open and eyes closed conditions in a standing posture. The postural sway of subjects was measured under two surface conditions (stable and unstable surfaces). [Results] On the unstable surface (foam), no significant correlation was observed between postural sway and dynamic balance except for the berg balance scale (BBS) score and anteroposterior postural sway velocity under the eyes open condition, anteroposterior postural sway velocity under the eyes closed condition, and postural sway velocity moment. In addition, in the stable condition, no significant correlation was observed between postural sway and dynamic balance. [Conclusion] Our results indicate that a decrease in postural sway does not necessarily reflect improvement of dynamic balance ability. We believe that this finding may be useful in balance rehabilitation for prevention of falls after a stroke.

Effect of gross motor group exercise on functional status in chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to understand the effects of task-oriented gross motor group exercise based on motor development on chronic stroke patients' joint, bone, muscle, and motor functions and activities of daily living. [Subjects] Twenty-eight stroke patients hospitalized at P municipal nursing facility for the severely handicapped were randomly assigned to the gross motor group exercise group (experimental group, n=14) or the control group (n=14). [Methods] The two groups performed morning exercise led by a trainer for 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week for 6 weeks in total. The experimental group performed a gross motor group exercise in addition to this exercise for 50 minutes a day, 3 times a week for 6 weeks in total. Before the experiment, all subjects were measured with the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and for their neuromuscular skeletal and motor-related functions according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. [Results] Significant improvements were found in the experimental group's neuromusculoskeletal and motor-related functions and MBI test, except for the stability of joint functions. The control group showed no significant difference from the initial evaluation. [Conclusion] The gross motor group exercise based on motor development is recommended for chronic stroke patients with severe handicaps.