Validity and reliability of a wearable blood flow restriction training device for arterial occlusion pressure assessment.

Purpose: The blood flow restriction (BFR) training is an effective approach to promoting muscle strength, muscle hypertrophy, and regulating the peripheral vascular system. It is recommended to use to the percentage of individual arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) to ensure safety and effectiveness. The gold standard method for assessing arterial occlusive disease is typically measured using Doppler ultrasound. However, its high cost and limited accessibility restrict its use in clinical and practical applications. A novel wearable BFR training device (Airbands) with automatic AOP assessment provides an alternative solution. This study aims to examine the reliability and validity of the wearable BFR training device. Methods: Ninety-two participants (46 female and 46 male) were recruited for this study. Participants were positioned in the supine position with the wearable BFR training device placed on the proximal portion of the right thigh. AOP was measured automatically by the software program and manually by gradually increasing the pressure until the pulse was no longer detected by color Doppler ultrasound, respectively. Validity, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. Results: The wearable BFR training device demonstrated good validity (ICC = 0.85, mean difference = 4.1 ± 13.8 mmHg [95% CI: -23.0 to 31.2]), excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.97, mean difference = -1.4 ± 6.7 mmHg [95% CI: -14.4 to 11.7]), and excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.94, mean difference = 0.6 ± 8.6 mmHg [95% CI: -16.3 to 17.5]) for the assessment of AOP. These results were robust in both male and female subgroups. Conclusion: The wearable BFR training device can be used as a valid and reliable tool to assess the AOP of the lower limb in the supine position during BFR training.

Research on rice starch gel preparation and crosslink network structure-rheological property based on direct-writing 3D printing.

Amylopectin and amylose components are natural polymers within rice starch granules, intertwined in specific conditions to form gel polymerized with pore crosslink network, has potential printing properties. In this study, a rice starch gel preparation scheme is proposed for stable properties, and starch granule phase transition mechanism is analyzed based on RVA test during preparation, it can be divided into four-stage, swelling, reacting, homogenizing and self-assembling stages. Gel surface tension and contact angle tested with starch concentration effect, a correlation is developed, reflecting a competition result to gel droplet macro-morphology between the intermolecular cohesion and crosslink network. SEM is used to reveal typical crosslink structures of different starch molecular component proportions, providing objective support for starch gel rheologic property change. Results indicate gel interior crosslink network formed under concentration 12 %, the gel with amylose 4.475 % presents better printing accuracy. Gel shear modulus positively correlated with amylose proportion. Japonica gel under 20 % is of higher viscosity and rapid reassembly ability after interior crosslink network is broken. Max dynamic viscosity is positively correlated with starch concentration. The study aims to provide theoretical and practical support for in-depth analysis of rice starch material application in direct-write 3D printing.

Enhanced photocatalytic disinfection of P. expansum in cold storage using a TiO2/ACF film.

Spores of Penicilliumexpansum are the most important airborne component of fungal contamination and are commonly present in the moist air in cold storage rooms where fruits and vegetables are stored. To improve the ability of activated carbon felt-supported titanium dioxide (TiO2/ACF) to remove spores of P. expansum from the atmosphere, measurements for the removal efficiency of the spores at a temperature of 3 degrees C+/-1 degrees C and relative humidity of 90%+/-3% had been made on photocatalytically-activated (PC) silver-doped TiO2/ACF prepared by ion sputtering in two different modes and photoelectrocatalytically-activated (PEC) TiO2/ACF films. The Weibull distribution model was used to define the degree of microbial inactivation attributable to the PC or PEC films. The key parameters of the PC or PEC affecting the disinfection efficiency in terms of the reliable life (t(R) value) of this model were studied. Both silver-doped TiO2/ACF and PEC on TiO2/ACF improved destruction of this airborne microbe. Silver deposited on the surface of the prepared ACF-supported TiO2 films (Ag/Ti=0.012, atomic ratios) dramatically reduced t(R) value. With respect to the PEC, a model was established using response surface methodology to describe the relationship between the t(R) value and the key affecting parameters, including light intensity and bias voltage. The optimized parameters were found to be a light intensity of 2.3 mW x cm(-2) with a bias voltage of 66.7 V.