Kinematics Estimation Using a Skin-Adhesive Strain Patch for Shoulder Rehabilitation: A Preliminary Study.

Shoulder kinematics has been required to be estimated using compact sensors to provide visual feedback on joint movements for patients undergoing home rehabilitation due to musculoskeletal diseases, such as stroke. Multiple strain patches have been used for shoulder kinematics estimation, either embedded in tight shirts or attached directly to the skin. However, it is desirable to eliminate the tight shirt while minimizing the number of strain patches for convenient use in home rehabilitation.

Augmented Thermoelectric in-Plane Power Factor of 0.8 mW M∙K in Solution-Processed 2D MoS at Room-Temperature by Current Confinement.

In the past decade, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have gained significant attention as energy materials because of their unique structure and promising properties. Specifically, TMDC-based thermoelectric (TE) power generation has emerged as a sustainable solution to produce electricity using waste heat. However, the dimensional requirement of TMDC thin films for device utilization and their low electrical conductivity have constrained their in-plane TE properties.

Efficient and Inexpensive Synthesis of N-Labeled 2-Azido-1,3-dimethylimidazolinium Salts Using NaNO Instead of NaNNN.

N-Labeled azides are important probes for infrared and magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. They can be synthesized by reaction of primary amines with a N-labeled diazo-transfer reagent. We present the synthesis of N-labeled 2-azido-1,3-dimethylimidazolinium salts as a N-labeled diazo-transfer reagent.

Comparative Analysis of Muscle Synergy between Patients with Shoulder Impingement Syndrome and Healthy Controls: A Preliminary Study.

Shoulder impingement syndrome can be caused by a muscle imbalance around the shoulder joint. It would be beneficial for therapy to implement rehabilitation exercises based on intermuscular coordination in order to achieve muscle balance. This study presents the muscle synergy characteristics of patients with shoulder impingement syndrome, which can be used to develop rehabilitation exercises.

Feasibility of Isokinetic Training to Modify Coupling of Upper Limb Muscle Synergy Activation in Stroke-affected Upper Limb.

Abnormal intermuscular coordination in stroke-affected upper limbs contributes to motor deficits after stroke. In particular, abnormalities in the activation of upper limb muscle synergies after stroke were demonstrated for endpoint force control during isokinetic exercises. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of isokinetic training to alter these abnormal synergy activations and improve motor control.

TfNNN: A γ-N-Labeled Diazo-Transfer Reagent for the Synthesis of β-N-Labeled Azides.

Azides are infrared (IR) probes that are important for structure and dynamics studies of proteins. However, they often display complex IR spectra owing to Fermi resonances and multiple conformers. Isotopic substitution of azides weakens the Fermi resonance, allowing more accurate IR spectral analysis.

Comparative Study of Bioactivity and Safety Evaluation of Ethanolic Extracts of Fruit and Pericarp.

The fruit and pericarp of (ZS) have been used in traditional medicine; however, few studies have characterized ZS fruit and pericarp. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the safety of ZS fruit (ZSF) and pericarp (ZSP) extracts and compared their bioactivity. To evaluate the safety of ZSF and ZSP, mutagenicity, cytotoxicity, and oxidative stress assays were performed and nontoxic concentration ranges were obtained.

Quantum Beats and Phase Shifts in Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectra of Zinc Naphthalocyanine Monomer and Aggregate.

The origin of quantum coherence in two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectra of molecular aggregates and light-harvesting complexes still remains an open question. In particular, it could be challenging to distinguish between electronic and vibrational coherences for a coupled system, where both degrees of freedom can be simultaneously excited. In this Letter, we examine quantum beats in the 2D spectra of zinc naphthalocyanine (ZnNc) aggregate and monomer, and compare their characteristic features in terms of the frequency and relative phase of diagonal and off-diagonal amplitude oscillations.

Infrared probing of 4-azidoproline conformations modulated by azido configurations.

4-Azidoproline (Azp) can tune the stability of the polyproline II (P(II)) conformation in collagen. The azido group in the 4R and 4S configurations stabilizes and destabilizes the P(II) conformation, respectively. To obtain insights into the dependence of the conformational stability on the azido configuration, we carried out Fourier transform (FT) IR experiments with four 4-azidoproline derivatives, Ac-(4R/S)-Azp-(NH/O)Me.