The effectiveness of core stabilization exercise using ultrasound biofeedback on motor function, balance control, gait speed and activities of daily living in stroke patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients with hemiparetic stroke experience diminished motor function, dynamic balance, and gait speed, which influence their activities of daily living (ADL). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the therapeutic effects of ultrasound biofeedback core exercise (UBCE) on Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA), Time up and go (TUG), 10-meter walking test (10MWT) and functional independent measure (FIM) in participants with stroke. METHODS: Twenty-four stroke survivors consistently underwent UBCE or abdominal draw-in maneuver (ADIM) for 30 min/session, 3 days a week for 4 weeks. Clinical outcome measurements - the FMA, TUG, 10MWT, and FIM - were observed pre-and post-intervention. RESULTS: We detected significant changes in the FMA-lower extremities, TUG, 10MWT, and FIM scores between the UBCE and ADIM groups. UBCE and ADIM showed significant improvements in FMA-lower extremities, TUG, 10MWT, and FIM scores. However, UBCE showed more favorable results than ADIM in patients with stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Our research provides novel therapeutic suggestion of neurorehabilitation in stroke patients.

Untacted automated robotic upper-trunk- lower reciprocal locomotor training for knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Although millions of people with osteoarthritis (OA) have altered biomechanical alignment, movement, and knee joint pain during gait, there are no effective and sustainable interventions. To mitigate such impairments, we developed an untacted self-automated robotic and electromyography (EMG)-augmented upper-trunk-lower reciprocal locomotor training (SRGT) intervention. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of SRGT and conventional treadmill gait training (CTGT) on the medial knee joint space width (JSW), hip adduction moment (HAM), knee varus deformity, pain, and physical function in community-dwelling older adults with OA. METHODS: Older adults diagnosed with medial compartment knee OA (5 men, 35 women; mean age = 78.50 ± 9.10 years) were recruited and underwent either SRGT or CTGT, 30 min a day, 3 times a week, over a 4-week period. Outcome measurements included the JSW, HAM, knee varus angle (VA), and Western Ontario McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC). RESULTS: Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that SRGT ed to greater changes in medial knee JSW (p= 0.00001), HAM (p= 0.00001), VA (p= 0.00001), and WOMAC (p= 0.00001) scores. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first evidence for the long-term clinical and biomechanical effects of SRGT on JSW, knee joint kinematics, kinetics, and WOMAC scores in older adults with OA. Most importantly, self-automatic robotic gait training may be an alternative, effective, and sustainable treatment for the upper-trunk-lower reciprocal locomotor training in older adults with OA.

Versatile Mesoporous Microblocks Prepared by Pattern-Induced Cracking of Colloidal Films.

Mesoporous microparticles have the potential to be used in various fields, such as energy generation, sensing, and the environmental field. Recently, the process of making homogeneous microparticles in an economical and environmentally friendly way has gained much attention. Herein, rectangular mesoporous microblocks of various designs are produced by manipulating the fragmentation of colloidal films consisting of micropyramids while controlling the notch angles of pyramidal edges. During calcination of the colloidal films, cracks are generated in the valleys of micropyramids acting as notches, and the angle of notches can be controlled by the prepattern underneath the micropyramids. By changing the location of notches with sharp angles, the shape of microblocks can be controlled with excellent uniformity. After detaching the microblocks from substrates, mesoporous microparticles of various sizes with multiple functions are easily produced. This study demonstrates anti-counterfeiting functions by encoding the rotation angles of rectangular microblocks of various sizes. In addition, the mesoporous microparticles can be utilized for separating desired chemicals mixed with chemicals of different charges. The method of fabricating size-tunable functionalized mesoporous microblocks can be a platform technology to prepare special films and catalysts and for environmental applications.

Effectiveness of Proprioceptive Body Vibration Rehabilitation on Motor Function and Activities of Daily Living in Stroke Patients with Impaired Sensory Function.

Stroke patients experience impaired sensory and motor functions, which impact their activities of daily living (ADL). The current study was designed to determine the best neurorehabilitation method to improve clinical outcomes, including the trunk-impairment scale (TIS), Berg balance scale (BBS), Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA), and modified Barthel index (MBI), in stroke patients with impaired sensory function. Forty-four stroke survivors consistently underwent proprioceptive body vibration rehabilitation training (PBVT) or conventional physical therapy (CPT) for 30 min/session, 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Four clinical outcome variables-the FMA, TIS, BBS, and MBI-were examined pre- and post-intervention. We observed significant differences in the FMA, BBS, and MBI scores between the PBVT and CPT groups. PBVT and CPT showed significant improvements in FMA, BBS, TIS, and MBI scores. However, PVBT elicited more favorable results than CPT in patients with stroke and impaired sensory function. Collectively, this study provides the first clinical evidence of optimal neurorehabilitation in stroke patients with impaired sensory function.

COVID-19 Case Tracking System in Quarantine Policy: Focus on the Privacy Shift Concept and Application in South Korea.

This study analyzed how Korea's quarantine policy manages personal information to prevent and control COVID-19. Korea effectively halted the spread of COVID-19 through epidemiological investigations and cell-broadcast systems. In this process, the route of infection is presented without identifying the patient, and the necessary participants are selected only through authentication. We found a correlation between the number of emergency text messages sent by the Ministry of Interior and Safety in 2020 and the number of confirmed cases (R2 = 0.465, p < 0.001). Based on Korea's case, we propose a new concept for solving the personal information problems that might arise during a pandemic response.

Cracking of Colloidal Films to Generate Rectangular Fragments.

Cracks are common in nature. Cracking is known as an irreversible and uncontrollable process. To control the cracking patterns, many researchers have proposed methods to prepare notches for stress localization on films. In this work, we investigate a method of controlling cracks by making microscale pyramid patterns that have notches between the pyramids. After preparing pyramid patterns consisting of colloidal particles with organic residue, we annealed them to induce volume shrinkage and cracking between the pyramids. We studied the effect of film thickness on cracking and the generation of rectangular fragments consisting of multiple pyramids. The area of rectangular fragments was in good agreement with the results of scaling analysis. The concept of controlling cracks by imprinting notches on a film and the relationship with the film thickness can guide the study of cracking phenomena.

Investigation on photopolymerization of PEGDA to fabricate high-aspect-ratio microneedles.

Microneedles (MNs) are micron-sized needles that can penetrate the stratum corneum, enabling the non-invasive and painless administration of drugs and vaccines. In this work, fabrication conditions for high-aspect-ratio MNs by the photopolymerization of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) were investigated. Ultraviolet (UV) light was used to crosslink photocurable prepolymers in specific areas defined by a photomask. The aspect ratio of solidified MNs is too small to penetrate the stratum corneum if the degree of polymerization is insufficient. However, if the degree of polymerization is too high, a film is formed between the MNs by solidification of an undesired area owing to the scattering effect, reducing needle height. The influence of prepolymer molecular weight and the degree of UV absorption by the photoinitiator (PI) were studied to optimize the conditions for obtaining high-aspect-ratio MNs. Additionally, the effect of spacing ratio on high-aspect-ratio MNs without film formation has been discussed. A penetration test was conducted with porcine skin to analyze the effect of mechanical properties of MN. This study could guide the fabrication of MNs by the photopolymerization of biocompatible polymers with a photomask.

Comparative accuracy of a shoulder range motion measurement sensor and Vicon 3D motion capture for shoulder abduction in frozen shoulder.

BACKGROUND: Although patients with frozen shoulders have the range of motion (ROM) of their shoulder's abduction movements measured at hospital and the physical therapy visits, multiple visits to check for progress is often difficult. Thus, we developed an artificial intelligence-based image recognition detectable sensor (AIRDS) intended for easy use at home. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of a sensor (AIRDS) measuring shoulder abduction angle, thus offering a valid and feasible system for monitoring patients with frozen shoulder. METHODS: Ten patients with frozen shoulder (5 males, 5 females) performed shoulder joint movements while being measured with the AIRDS system and the 3-dimensional Vicon system. The measure of the outcome included the linear regression of the shoulder abduction joint kinematics. RESULTS: Linear regression analysis of the AIRDS system and the Vicon system demonstrated a significant correlation coefficient of R2= 0.9979 (P< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide novel, promising evidence that AIRDS can accurately measure the timing and total spatial characteristics of clinical movements. AIRDS is designed to provide real-time ROM measurements for joint mobility using artificial intelligence instead of the judgement of the physical therapist.

A precision neurorehabilitation using SSEP for early detection of sensory deficit and restoration of the motor recovery in balance, gait and activities of daily living in acute stroke.

BACKGROUND: Impaired sensory in acute stroke patients results in dynamic balance, gait and activities of daily living (ADL) impairment. OBJECTIVE: The aim of present study was to examine the correlation between somatosensory-evoked potential (SSEP) parameters and motor recovery in balance, gait and ADL performance in hemiparetic stroke survivors. METHODS: One hundred and one participants with hemiparetic stroke (43 males, 58 females; mean age, 6538 ± 1222 years; post-stroke duration, 199 ± 0.74 month) participated in this study. The Electro Synergy system (Viasys Healthcare; San Diego, CA, USA) was applied to measure SSEP measurement. The 101 stroke survivors were divided into three groups consistent with their SSEP results: sensory normal group; sensory impaired group; sensory absent group. All the subject participated the inpatient rehabilitation intervention for 4 weeks. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to verify the group difference among the three groups after the treatment. RESULTS: ANOVA revealed the significant difference (p< 0.01). The Scheffe test demonstrated that the sensory normal group showed greater increasement in Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Fugl-Myer Assessment (FMA), Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS), Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) scores than the sensory impaired and absent group (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our research provides therapeutic evidence that correlation of somatosensory functions on motor recovery, balance, gait, and ADL in patients with hemiplegic stroke.

Electronic effects of nano-confinement in functional organic and inorganic materials for optoelectronics.

When various optically and/or electronically active materials, such as conjugated polymers, perovskites, metals, and metal oxides, are confined at the nanoscale, they can exhibit unique nano-confined behavior that significantly differs from the behavior observed at the macroscale. Although controlled nano-confinement of functional materials can allow modulation of their electronic properties without the aid of any synthetic methodologies or additional chemical treatments, limited assembly approaches for nano-confinement and insufficient analytical tools for electronic characterization remain critical challenges in the development of novel optoelectronic materials and the investigation of their modulated properties. This review describes how the nano-confined features of organic and inorganic materials are related to the control and improvement of their optoelectronic properties. In particular, we focus on various assembly approaches for effective nano-confinement as well as methods for nano-electronic characterization. Then, we briefly present challenges and perspectives on the direction of nano-confinement in terms of the preparation of optoelectronic materials with desired functionalities. Furthermore, we believe that this review can provide a basis for developing and designing next-generation optoelectronics through nano-confinement.

Manipulation of light transmission from stable magnetic microrods formed by the alignment of magnetic nanoparticles.

Due to the increasing energy consumption, smart technologies have been considered to automatically control energy loss. Smart windows, which can use external signals to modulate their transparency, can regulate solar energy by reflecting excess energy and retaining the required energy in a building without using additional energy to cool or heat the interiors of the building. Although many technologies have been developed for smart windows, they still need to be economically optimised. Here, we propose a facile method to synthesise magnetic microrods from magnetic nanoparticles by alignment using a magnetic field. To maximise the transparency difference in the ON and OFF states, we controlled the nanoparticle concentration in a dispersion liquid, magnetic field application time, and viscosity of the dispersant. Interestingly, the magnetic microrods remained stable when we mixed short-chain polymers (polyethylene glycol) with a liquid dispersant (isopropyl alcohol). Furthermore, the Fe2O3 microrods maintained their shape for more than a week, while the Fe3O4 microrods clustered after a day because they became permanent magnets. The anisotropic features of the magnetic rods were used as a light valve to control the transparency of the smart window.

Estimating System State through Similarity Analysis of Signal Patterns.

State prediction is not straightforward, particularly for complex systems that cannot provide sufficient amounts of training data. In particular, it is usually difficult to analyze some signal patterns for state prediction if they were observed in both normal and fault-states with a similar frequency or if they were rarely observed in any system state. In order to estimate the system status with imbalanced state data characterized insufficient fault occurrences, this paper proposes a state prediction method that employs discrete state vectors (DSVs) for pattern extraction and then applies a naïve Bayes classifier and Brier scores to interpolate untrained pattern information by using the trained ones probabilistically. Each Brier score is transformed into a more intuitive one, termed state prediction power (SPP). The SPP values represent the reliability of the system state prediction. A state prediction power map, which visualizes the DSVs and corresponding SPP values, is provided a more intuitive way of state prediction analysis. A case study using a car engine fault simulator was conducted to generate artificial engine knocking. The proposed method was evaluated using holdout cross-validation, defining specificity and sensitivity as indicators to represent state prediction success rates for no-fault and fault states, respectively. The results show that specificity and sensitivity are very high (equal to 1) for high limit values of SPP, but drop off dramatically for lower limit values.

Dielectrophoretic Manipulation of Janus Particle in Conductive Media for Biomedical Applications.

Janus particles are applied to many fields including biomedical applications. To expand the usability of Janus particles, a technique to manipulate the particle movement is required. A dielectrophoresis (DEP) method can be a promising candidate; however, independent manipulation or separation of Janus particle by DEP is still challenging. Additionally, DEP of Janus particles in conductive media is important especially for biomedical applications where ion-rich media are typically used. Here, the experimental results of DEP-induced transport and separation of the Janus particle in conductive media are presented. To predict the DEP behavior, the Clausius-Mossotti (CM) factors of both Janus and homogeneous particles are calculated, depending on the alternating current (AC) frequency and medium conductivity. The Janus particles show the positive-DEP behavior at the entire AC frequency region tested due to the metal-coated half surface. On the other hand, the homogeneous particles show the negative-DEP behavior at the high AC frequency or in conductive media. Additionally, in the conductive media, an electrohydrodynamic flow hinders the DEP-driven particle transport below MHz AC frequencies. Finally, the separation of the Janus particles from the homogeneous ones is experimentally demonstrated and the separation efficiency is discussed based on the evaluation parameters established in this study.

Enhanced Vertical Charge Transport of Homo- and Blended Semiconducting Polymers by Nanoconfinement.

The morphology of conjugated polymers has critical influences on electronic and optical properties of optoelectronic devices. Even though lots of techniques and methods are suggested to control the morphology of polymers, very few studies have been performed inducing high charge transport along out-of-plane direction. In this study, the self-assembly of homo- and blended conjugated polymers which are confined in nanostructures is utilized. The resulting structures lead to high charge mobility along vertical direction for both homo- and blended conjugated polymers. Both semicrystalline and amorphous polymers show highly increased population of face-on crystallite despite intrinsic crystallinity of polymers. They result in more than two orders of magnitude enhanced charge mobility along vertical direction revealed by nanoscale conductive scanning force microscopy and macroscale IV characteristic measurements. Moreover, blends of semicrystalline and amorphous polymers, which are known to show inferior optical and electrical properties due to their structural incompatibility, are formed into harmonious states by this approach. Assembly of blends of semicrystalline and amorphous polymers under nanoconfinement shows charge mobility in out-of-plane direction of 0.73 cm2 V-1 s-1 with wide range of absorption wavelength from 300 to 750 nm demonstrating the synergistic effects of two different polymers.

Mechanoresponsive Tuning of Anisotropic Wetting on Hierarchically Structured Patterns.

Here, we propose a simple mechanoresponsive system on patterned soft surfaces to manipulate both anisotropy and orientation of liquid wetting. On the poly(dimethylsiloxane) embedding line patterned structures, additional topographies, such as wrinkles and cracks, can be provided by applying compressive and tensile stress, respectively. This tunable hierarchy of structures with the different scales and directions of lines, wrinkles, and cracks allow the mechanoresponsive control of anisotropic wetting in a single platform. In addition, the wetting behavior on those surfaces is precisely investigated based on the concept of critical contact angle to overcome the ridges in a step flow.

Transfer Tiling of Nanostructures for Large-Area Fabrication.

The fabrication of nanoscale patterns over a large area has been considered important but difficult, because there are few ways to satisfy both conditions. Previously, visually tolerable tiling (VTT) for fabricating nanopatterns for optical applications has been reported as a candidate for large area fabrication. The essence of VTT is the inevitable stitching of the nanoscale optical component, which is not seen by the naked eye if the boundary is very narrow while the tiles are overlapped. However, it had been difficult to control the shape of the spread of liquid prepolymers in the previous work, and there was room for the development of tiling. Here, we propose a method for transferring various shapes of tiles, which can be defined with a shadow mask. The method of using a transparent shadow mask can provide a wide process window, because it allows the spreading of a liquid prepolymer to be more easily controlled. We optimize the coating condition of a liquid prepolymer and the ultraviolet (UV) exposure time. Using this method, we can attach tiles of various shapes without a significant visible trace in the overlapped region.

Mechano-responsive lateral buckling of miniaturized beams standing on flexible substrates.

We fabricate an elastomeric beam standing on a flexible substrate using 3D printing and soft lithography and investigate lateral buckling generated in the part of the wall when this beam is under pure bending. We also observe changes in the morphology of wrinkling along the applied strain and geometry of the wall, and then analyze it with scaling concepts. Furthermore, the degree of lateral buckling is controlled through the tip design in the ratchet structure and it is verified with finite element simulation. Based on this, a millimeter scale device with a visual difference according to the curvature is manufactured.

Isolated Mesoporous Microstructures Prepared by Stress Localization-Induced Crack Manipulation.

Cracks observed in brittle materials are mostly regarded as defects or failures. However, they can be a valuable tool when implemented in a controlled way. Here, we introduce a strategy to control the crack propagation of mesoporous micropatterns (prisms and pyramids), which leads to the isolation of well-defined microstructures. Mesoporous micropatterns were fabricated by the soft imprinting technique with wet TiO2 nanoparticle (NP) pastes, followed by sintering to remove organic components. Since the volume of the paste significantly shrinks during the sintering step, stress is localized at the edge of micropatterns, in good agreement with finite element method simulations, creating well-defined cracks and their propagation. It was demonstrated that the degree of stress localization is determined by the thickness of residual layers, NP size, and heating rate. After controlled crack propagation and delamination of microparticles from the substrates, mesoporous microwires and microparticles were successfully produced and functionalized from the isolated mesoporous prisms and pyramids. The method proposed in this study for controlled crack manipulation and delamination opens a door for straightforward and economical fabrication of well-defined mesoporous microparticles.

Separation of multiple images via directional guidance using structured prism and pyramid arrays.

We propose a new concept of separating images through a directional guide of multi-visuals by using structured prism or pyramid arrays. By placing prism arrays onto two different image arrays, the two collective images below the facets are guided to different directions. Using optical calculations, we identify a condition for successful image separation. Transparent pyramid arrays are used to separate four images into four directions. The direction of refracted rays can be controlled by the refractive index of prisms and liquid filled into the voids. In addition, the images can be switched by stretching and releasing an elastomeric prism array.

The formation and control of highly crumpled metal surfaces on a photocurable viscous liquid.

Folds, highly deformed structures, have received extensive attention for their nonlinear responses due to a large strain on soft matters. To investigate the folding phenomena, here, we exploit residual tensile stress during metal deposition, which is large enough to compress a thin film coating and introduce a photocurable viscous fluid to decrease the resistance of the substrate against compressive stress. The system has the advantages of the abilities for freezing the highly deformed surfaces by post-UV exposure to the UV-crosslinkable substrate and manipulating the substrate effect by controlling the thickness of the substrate. We theoretically investigated the dependence on the substrate thickness using scaling analysis and demonstrated self-generated ladder and flower-like graphoepitaxial structures originated from the thickness design of the viscous substrate.