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Recently, m -polar fuzzy graph ( m PF graph) becomes a growing research topic as the generalization of fuzzy graph. In this paper, at first m PF path, m PF cycle in an m PF graph are defined. The strength of connectedness of m PF path is introduced. Next, strongest and strong m PF path, m PF bridges, m PF cut nodes, m PF tree and m PF forests in an m PF graph are considered. Also, it is proved that an arc of m PF tree is strong m PF arc if and only if it is an m PF bridge. Finally, m PF end nodes in an m PF graph is defined and investigated some properties of it. An application of strongest path problem in 3-polar fuzzy graph is also given at the end.

The wheelchair is a widely used rehabilitation device, which is indispensable for people with limited mobility. In the process of using a wheelchair, they often face the situation of sitting for a long time, which is easy to cause fatigue of the waist muscles of the user. Therefore, this paper hopes to provide more scientific guidance and suggestions for the daily use of wheelchairs by studying the relationship between the development of muscle fatigue and sitting posture. First, we collected surface Electromyography (sEMG) of human vertical spine muscle and analyzed it in the frequency domain. The obtained Mean Power Frequency (MPF) was used as the dependent variable. Then, the pose information of the human body, including the percentage of pressure points, span, and center of mass as independent variables, was collected by the array of thin film pressure sensors, and analyzed by a multivariate nonlinear regression model. When the centroid row coordinate of the cushion pressure point is about 16(range, 7.7-16.9), the cushion pressure area percentage is about 80%(range, 70.8%-89.7%), and the cushion pressure span range is about 27(range, 25-31), the backrest pressure point centroid row coordinate is about 15(range, 9.1-18.2), the backrest pressure area percentage is about 35%(range, 11.8%-38.7%), and the backrest pressure span range is about 16(range, 9-22). At this time, the MPF value of the subjects decreased by a small percentage, and the fatigue development of the muscles was slower. In addition, the pressure area percentage at the seat cushion is a more sensitive independent variable, too large or too small pressure area percentage will easily cause lumbar muscle fatigue. The results show that people should sit in the middle and back of the seat cushion when riding the wheelchair, so that the Angle of the hip joint can be in a natural state, and the thigh should fully contact the seat cushion to avoid the weight of the body concentrated on the buttocks; The back should be fully in contact with the back of the wheelchair to reduce the burden on the waist, and the spine posture can be adjusted appropriately according to personal habits, but it is necessary to avoid maintaining a chest sitting position for a long time, which will cause the lumbar spine to be in an unnatural physiological Angle and easily lead to fatigue of the waist muscles.

Macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) is a quantitative MRI parameter describing the magnetization transfer (MT) effect and defined as a relative amount of protons bound to biological macromolecules with restricted molecular motion, which participate in magnetic cross-relaxation with water protons. MPF attracted significant interest during past decade as a biomarker of myelin. The purpose of this mini review is to provide a brief but comprehensive summary of MPF mapping methods, histological validation studies, and MPF applications in neuroscience. Technically, MPF maps can be obtained using a variety of quantitative MT methods. Some of them enable clinically reasonable scan time and resolution. Recent studies demonstrated the feasibility of MPF mapping using standard clinical MRI pulse sequences, thus substantially enhancing the method availability. A number of studies in animal models demonstrated strong correlations between MPF and histological markers of myelin with a minor influence of potential confounders. Histological studies validated the capability of MPF to monitor both demyelination and re-myelination. Clinical applications of MPF have been mainly focused on multiple sclerosis where this method provided new insights into both white and gray matter pathology. Besides, several studies used MPF to investigate myelin role in other neurological and psychiatric conditions. Another promising area of MPF applications is the brain development studies. MPF demonstrated the capabilities to quantitatively characterize the earliest stage of myelination during prenatal brain maturation and protracted myelin development in adolescence. In summary, MPF mapping provides a technically mature and comprehensively validated myelin imaging technology for various preclinical and clinical neuroscience applications.

Carangidae fish feature streamlined, oval, or rhomboid bodies with flat and high sides, making them adept at swimming swiftly through water with minimal resistance. Dielectric elastomers (DEs), known for their high strain, rapid response times, and high electromechanical coupling efficiency under an electric field, are intelligent materials suitable for creating various actuators widely employed in flexible bionic robots. By utilizing smart material-driven soft fins, bionic robot fish can more realistically simulate the movements of actual fish, improving their swimming performance. In this study, we employed a DE-based actuator to develop a bionic robot fish resembling Carangidae, driven by fins. Leveraging the minimum energy structure of DE material, we designed a structure inspired by the Carangidae family to replicate the fin swing of the bionic robot fish. We investigated the swimming behavior of this bionic robot fish under sinusoidal voltage signals of varying amplitudes and frequencies. The bionic robot fish swims in the medium and/or paired fin (MPF) propulsion mode, achieving a maximum speed of 8.6 mm/s. This work presents a novel scheme and theoretical foundation for the application of dielectric elastomers in bionic Carangidae robots.

Insomnia and depression are severe sequelae of COVID-19 and often occur simultaneously. Our study examined associations of insomnia and/or depression with cognitive impairments, white matter changes, and serum biomarkers. In total, 76 long COVID patients and 22 healthy controls were examined using neuropsychiatric (ISI, HADS, and HDRS) and cognitive (MoCA, Stroop, WMT, and TMT) tests, with their blood biomarkers (anti-SARS-CoV-2, BDNF, anti-S100, anti-MBP, and anti-PLP) investigated, and underwent MRI using macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) mapping to quantify myelination. The Insomnia (n = 14), Depression (n = 12), InsDep (comorbid insomnia–depression, n = 13), and PostCovid (long COVID without depression and insomnia, n = 32) groups were identified based on psychiatric/neurological diagnoses and neuropsychiatric assessment. Cognitive performance was most affected in the Insomnia group in the MoCA and CW Stroop tests. The Depression group underperformed in the TMT and W Stroop task; the InsDep group underperformed in the WMT. The Insomnia group showed the greatest demyelination, affecting commissural (CC and tapetum), projection (CR, IC, CST, cerebral peduncles, CP, and ML), and some association pathways (SLF, SFOF), as well as most juxtacortical regions, the thalamus, and the midbrain; these changes correlated with insomnia severity. The Depression and InsDep groups showed smaller but significant overall demyelination correlated with depression severity. The Depression group exhibited the highest MPF decrease in the globus pallidus, putamen, and external capsule, while the InsDep group demonstrated the highest demyelination of the association pathways IFOF, UF, and cingulum. The anti-PLP levels were the highest in the Insomnia group and correlated with both the persistence of insomnia/depression symptoms and demyelination. Demyelination in long COVID is associated with high levels of myelin-specific autoantibodies, but symptoms of insomnia and/or depression are associated with demyelination of a different set of brain structures.

Oocyte activation via dual inhibition of protein synthesis and phosphorylation has improved in vitro embryo production in different mammalian species. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the combination of cycloheximide (CHX), dimethyl amino purine (DMAP), and anisomycin (ANY) on the activation of bovine oocytes, particularly on dynamics of MPF and MAPKs, embryonic developmental potential, and quality. The results showed that the cleavage and blastocyst rates, as well as levels of CCNB1, CDK1, p-CDK1Thr161, and p-CDK1Thr14-Tyr15, were similar among groups; ANY and ANY + CHX reduced the expression of ERK1/2 compared to DMAP-combinations (p < 0.05), whereas ANY + DMAP, CHX + DMAP, and ANY + CHX + DMAP reduced p-ERK1/2 compared to ANY and ANY + CHX treatments (p < 0.05). The quality of blastocysts in terms of cell counts, their allocation, and the numbers of TUNEL-positive cells did not differ among groups. However, transcript levels of POU5F1 were higher in embryos derived from ANY + CHX + DMAP treatment compared to other groups, while expression levels of CDX2 did not show differences. In addition, the BCL2A1/BAX ratio of the ANY + CHX + DMAP treatment was significantly low compared to the ANY treatment (p < 0.05) and did not differ significantly from the other treatments. In conclusion, oocyte activation by dual inhibition of protein synthesis and phosphorylation induces MPF inactivation without degradation of CCNB1, while MAPK inactivation occurs differentially between these inhibitors. Thus, although the combined use of these inhibitors does not affect early developmental competence in vitro, it positively impacts the expression of transcripts associated with embryonic quality.

Objective A retrospective analysis was conducted to evaluate the application of the intraoperative fluoroscopic positioning and anatomical landmark positioning methods in medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction for recurrent patellar dislocation. The aim was to summarize the positioning accuracy and clinical efficacy of each method, to serve as a reference for femoral positioning. Method We conducted a retrospective analysis of a cohort comprising 75 patients who underwent treatment for recurrent patellar dislocation at our institution between January 2014 and September 2020.Based on the different positioning methodologies utilized for identifying the MPFL femoral footprint, the included patients were systematically allocated to either the fluoroscopy group or the palpation group.Preoperative evaluations and assessments at the latest follow-up encompassed the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Lysholm score, and Kujala score for both groups.We utilized immediate postoperative CT scans for our evaluations. A total of 48 knee 3D-CT scans were acquired using Mimics Medical 21.0 for both groups. From these scans, we constructed a standard lateral Schottle point on a 3D-CT image. To assess the relative positions between the actual and standard location points in both groups, we established a coordinate system based on a simplified, constructed standard point baseline (as illustrated in Chart e). Subsequently, the relative positions of the actual points were evaluated. Result All 75 patients were followed up for a period ranging from 36 to 96 months( mean: 62.27 ± 21.36 months). Significant improvements were observed in the IKDC score, Lysholm score, and Kujala score from preoperative to the latest follow-up ( p  < 0.05) (Table 2), indicating statistical significance.Furthermore, the latest follow-up revealed no significant differences in knee function scores between the two groups ( P  > 0.05) (Table 3). Similarly, the latest evaluation showed no significant differences in knee function scores between patients undergoing MPFLR and MPFLR + TTO In their respective groups ( P  > 0.05) (Table 4).CT-3D reconstruction was conducted on 48 postoperative patients (24 in the fluoroscopy group and 24 in the palpation group). Evaluation of the positioning revealed that most cases in the palpation group were located in quadrants 1 and 3, whereas those in the fluoroscopy group were primarily distributed across quadrants 1, 3, and 4 ( p  < 0.05), indicating statistical significance.In the palpation group, the isometric distance was 3.90 ± 2.17 mm, with an isometric rate of 75%. In the fluoroscopy group, the isometric distance was 7.55 ± 3.94 mm, with an isometric rate of 29.2%.The femoral tunnel isometric rate was significantly higher in the palpation group, at 75%, compared to 29.2% in the fluoroscopy group. among the two positioning methods, there was no statistical difference in the positioning of the femoral footprint at the anterior and posterior ends of the standard point, but there was a statistical difference at the proximal and distal ends ( P  < 0.05). Conclusion Clinical outcomes significantly improved and were similar in both groups. Nevertheless, the palpation of femoral anatomical landmarks exhibited superior convenience and efficiency for experienced sports medicine practitioners, and additionally, it frequently achieved a more isometric femoral footprint than fluoroscopic positioning in certain scenarios.

A well-known problem in ultra-high-field MRI is generation of high-resolution three-dimensional images for detailed characterization of white and gray matter anatomical structures. T1-weighted imaging traditionally used for this purpose suffers from the loss of contrast between white and gray matter with an increase of magnetic field strength. Macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) mapping is a new method potentially capable to mitigate this problem due to strong myelin-based contrast and independence of this parameter of field strength. MPF is a key parameter determining the magnetization transfer effect in tissues and defined within the two-pool model as a relative amount of macromolecular protons involved into magnetization exchange with water protons. The objectives of this study were to characterize the two-pool model parameters in brain tissues in ultra-high magnetic fields and introduce fast high-field 3D MPF mapping as both anatomical and quantitative neuroimaging modality for small animal applications. In vivo imaging data were obtained from four adult male rats using an 11.7T animal MRI scanner. Comprehensive comparison of brain tissue contrast was performed for standard R1 and T2 maps and reconstructed from Z-spectroscopic images two-pool model parameter maps including MPF, cross-relaxation rate constant, and T2 of pools. Additionally, high-resolution whole-brain 3D MPF maps were obtained with isotropic 170µm voxel size using the single-point synthetic-reference method. MPF maps showed 3-6-fold increase in contrast between white and gray matter compared to other parameters. MPF measurements by the single-point synthetic reference method were in excellent agreement with the Z-spectroscopic method. MPF values in rat brain structures at 11.7T were similar to those at lower field strengths, thus confirming field independence of MPF. 3D MPF mapping provides a useful tool for neuroimaging in ultra-high magnetic fields enabling both quantitative tissue characterization based on the myelin content and high-resolution neuroanatomical visualization with high contrast between white and gray matter. [Display omitted] •Macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) mapping was used to image rat brain at 11.7T.•MPF provided the effective source of ultra-high-field brain tissue contrast.•Fast single-point MPF mapping method was validated for high-field MRI applications.•MPF mapping enables high-resolution and high-contrast imaging of brain anatomy.

Multiple-partner fertility (MPF) occurs when a person has biological children with more than one partner. The 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), a nationally representative panel study of individuals and households in the United States, is the first such survey to include a direct question about whether respondents are MPF parents. Understanding the prevalence of such families is important given the known socioeconomic correlates of MPF and the ramifications of entering MPF for both individuals and families. In this study, the new SIPP data are used to generate key benchmarks for a national sample, present subpopulation estimates, and describe the sample of adults with children by multiple partners.

We show that specific inactivation of the protein kinase Cdk1/cyclin B (Cdc28/Clb2) triggers exit from mitosis in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cells carrying the allele cdc28-as1, which makes Cdk1 (Cdc28) uniquely sensitive to the ATP analog 1NM-PP1, were arrested with spindle poisons and then treated with 1NM-PP1 to inhibit Cdk1. This caused the cells to leave mitosis and enter G1-phase as shown by initiation of rebudding (without cytokinesis), induction of mating projections (“shmoos”) by α-factor, stabilization of Sic1, and degradation of Clb2. It is known that Cdk1 must be inactivated for cells to exit mitosis, but our results show that inactivation of Cdk1 is not only necessary but also sufficient to initiate the transition from mitosis to G1-phase. This result suggests a system in which to test requirements for particular gene products downstream from Cdk1 inactivation, for example, by combining cdc28-as1 with conditional mutations in the genes of interest. Using this approach, we demonstrate that protein phosphatase 1 (PPase1; Glc7 in S. cerevisiae) is required for mitotic exit and reestablishment of interphase following Cdk1 inactivation. This system could be used to test the need for other protein phosphatases downstream from Cdk1 inactivation, such as PPase 2A and Cdc14, and it could be combined with phosphoproteomics to gain information about the substrates that the various phosphatases act upon during mitotic exit.