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Shiya Yu,1,2 Zhimo Yang,1,2 Baoyu Chen,1,2 Lisheng Wang,1,2 Jielei Huang,1,2 Li Gou,1,2 Lin Yang1,2 1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Center, Sichuan University West China Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People’s Republic of China; 2Rehabilitation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Lin Yang, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Center, Sichuan University West China Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People’s Republic of China, Email green.yanglin@scu.edu.cnBackground: Electrical detection threshold (EDT) and electrical pain threshold (EPT) measured via PainVision® offer a non-invasive method to objectively assess sensory function, directly targeting specific nerve fibers. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and preliminary validity of EDT and EPT across different anatomical sites in healthy young adults.Patients and Methods: Forty-six participants underwent EDT and EPT assessments at four sites across two sessions separated by 2– 3 days. Pain intensity at the medial forearm was recorded using the visual analogue scale (VAS) following 30-second electrical stimulation. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and minimal detectable changes (MDC) were calculated, and correlations between EPT and VAS were analyzed.Results: EDT and EPT showed good to excellent reliability (ICC 0.75– 0.95 and 0.83– 0.99, respectively). MDC ranged from 1.26– 1.81 for EDT and 1.18– 1.99 for EPT. EPT was negatively correlated with VAS scores (r = − 0.746, 95% CI [− 0.852, − 0.582]).Conclusion: EDT and EPT measurements using PainVision® demonstrated robust reliability and preliminary validity in healthy young adults, highlighting their potential as a standardized, non-invasive tool for assessing electrical sensory thresholds. This study provides baseline data for future research in clinical populations.Keywords: electrical detection threshold, electrical pain threshold, reliability, validity, pain assessment

Electrical detection threshold (EDT) and electrical pain threshold (EPT) measured via PainVision offer a non-invasive method to objectively assess sensory function, directly targeting specific nerve fibers. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and preliminary validity of EDT and EPT across different anatomical sites in healthy young adults. Forty-six participants underwent EDT and EPT assessments at four sites across two sessions separated by 2-3 days. Pain intensity at the medial forearm was recorded using the visual analogue scale (VAS) following 30-second electrical stimulation. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and minimal detectable changes (MDC) were calculated, and correlations between EPT and VAS were analyzed. EDT and EPT showed good to excellent reliability (ICC 0.75-0.95 and 0.83-0.99, respectively). MDC ranged from 1.26-1.81 for EDT and 1.18-1.99 for EPT. EPT was negatively correlated with VAS scores (r = -0.746, 95% CI [-0.852, -0.582]). EDT and EPT measurements using PainVision demonstrated robust reliability and preliminary validity in healthy young adults, highlighting their potential as a standardized, non-invasive tool for assessing electrical sensory thresholds. This study provides baseline data for future research in clinical populations.

Background/Objectives: Electrical threshold testing (ETT) offers a promising method for assessing somatosensory function. Despite its growing use, fundamental aspects such as the physiological recovery time required between repeated threshold measurements remain poorly understood. This gap is critical when evaluating sensory, motor, or pain thresholds (EST, EMT, EPT) in pre–post designs or rapid intra-session protocols. The aim is to investigate the short-term recovery dynamics of electrical thresholds following electrical threshold testing, and to determine the minimum interval required for values to return to a stable baseline. Methods: In this pilot, repeated-measures study, 10 healthy adults (20 upper limbs) underwent three progressive stimulation trials (sensory, motor, and pain). Electrical thresholds were assessed at fixed recovery intervals (0–120 s), with duplicate measurements at each time point. Stability was defined as the absence of significant differences between repeated measures. Results: EST stabilized rapidly after sensory or motor stimulation, showing no significant differences beyond 0 and 15 s, respectively. Within pain stimulation, EST recovered at 60 s. EMT showed immediate recovery with motor stimulation and required longer recovery with pain stimulation, with stabilization observed at 90 s. EPT exhibited the highest variability, with the smallest time-dependent differences observed immediately after the first assessment. Conclusion: Recovery time after electrical stimulation varies by threshold type and intensity of the stimuli. EST and EMT can be reliably reassessed immediately after sensory and motor stimulation, respectively. However, when stimulation reaches EPT level, EST requires 60 s to recover and EMT needs 90 s. EPT demonstrates higher variability, indicating the need for further investigation. These findings support the implementation of standardized recovery intervals in ETT and underscore the importance of interpreting EPT results with caution during rapid assessments.

An important goal in Brain-Computer Interfacing (BCI) is to find and enhance procedural strategies for users for whom BCI control is not sufficiently accurate. To address this challenge, we conducted offline analyses and online experiments to test whether the classification of different types of motor imagery could be improved when the training of the classifier was performed on the data obtained with the assistive muscular stimulation below the motor threshold. 10 healthy participants underwent three different types of experimental conditions: a) Motor imagery (MI) of hands and feet b) sensory threshold neuromuscular electrical stimulation (STM) of hands and feet while resting and c) sensory threshold neuromuscular electrical stimulation during performance of motor imagery (BOTH). Also, another group of 10 participants underwent conditions a) and c). Then, online experiments with 15 users were performed. These subjects received neurofeedback during MI using classifiers calibrated either on MI or BOTH data recorded in the same experiment. Offline analyses showed that decoding MI alone using a classifier based on BOTH resulted in a better BCI accuracy compared to using a classifier based on MI alone. Online experiments confirmed accuracy improvement of MI alone being decoded with the classifier trained on BOTH data. In addition, we observed that the performance in MI condition could be predicted on the basis of a more pronounced connectivity within sensorimotor areas in the frequency bands providing the best performance in BOTH. These finding might offer a new avenue for training SMR-based BCI systems particularly for users having difficulties to achieve efficient BCI control. It might also be an alternative strategy for users who cannot perform real movements but still have remaining afferent pathways (e.g., ALS and stroke patients). •Afferent stimulation (STM) in the calibration phase was used to enhance BCI performance.•Concurrent motor imagery and STM had stronger modulation of sensorimotor oscillations.•STM significantly improved BCI accuracy particularly for poorly performing subjects.•Classifiers trained with STM can be successfully used online even without stimulation.•These findings ease the practical applicability of STM-based BCI systems.

The enhancement of the electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency (EMI SE) for conductive polymer composites (CPCs) has garnered increasing attention. The shielding performance is influenced by conductivity, which is dependent on the establishment of effective conductive pathways. In this review, Schelkunoff’s theory on outlining the mechanism of electromagnetic interference shielding was briefly described. Based on the mechanism, factors that influenced the electrical percolation threshold of CPCs were presented and three main kinds of efficient methods were discussed for establishing conductive pathways. Furthermore, examples were explored that highlighted the critical importance of such conductive pathways in attaining optimal shielding performance. Finally, we outlined the prospects for the future direction for advancing CPCs towards a balance of enhanced EMI SE and cost–performance.

Quantitative sensory testing has been used to assess the somatosensory system. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of electrical (ENT), mechanical (MNT) and thermal (TNT) nociceptive testing and the effect of a conditioning stimulus on MNT. Sixteen healthy client-owned dogs were included in this study. Stimulation was applied bilaterally to the dorsal and plantar aspect of the metacarpus and metatarsus respectively, using transcutaneous electrical stimulator, algometry and a cold nociceptive device in a randomized order until a behavior response was observed or a cut-off reached. Tests were performed twice (60 seconds apart) by two observers. Retesting was performed 5 hours later. The diffuse noxious inhibitory control was tested by comparing MNT pre- and post-conditioning stimuli. Sham-testing was performed for ENT and TNT. Statistical analysis included linear model and intra-class correlation coefficient ( <0.05). Feasibility was 99% (ENT), 93.5% (MNT) and 93.6% (TNT). Data for TNT were not analyzed due to inconsistent results. Mean ± SD were 48±22.6 mA (ENT) and 11.9±3.5 N (MNT). MNT was higher for thoracic than for pelvic limbs ( =0.002). Conditioning stimulus increased MNT ( =0.049). Inter-observer reliability was 91.4% (ENT) and 60.9% (MNT). False-positive responses were 15% (ENT) and 35.7% (TNT). ENT was feasible, repeatable and superior to MNT and TNT. The assessment of the diffuse noxious inhibitory control with a conditioning stimulus showed promising results in dogs. These tools could be used in naturally-occurring disease to provide insight on their underlying mechanisms and therapeutics.

This paper reports, for the first time, on the electrical percolation threshold in oxidized carbon nanohorns (CNHox)–polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) films. We demonstrate—starting from the design and synthesis of the layers—how these films can be used as sensing layers for resistive relative humidity sensors. The morphology and the composition of the sensing layers are investigated through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and RAMAN spectroscopy. For establishing the electrical percolation thresholds of CNHox in PVP, these nanocomposite thin films were deposited on interdigitated transducer (IDT) dual-comb structures. The IDTs were processed both on a rigid Si/SiO2 substrate with a spacing of 10 µm between metal digits, and a flexible substrate (polyimide) with a spacing of 100 µm. The percolation thresholds of CNHox in the PVP matrix were equal to (0.05–0.1) wt% and 3.5 wt% when performed on 10 µm-IDT and 100 µm-IDT, respectively. The latter value agreed well with the percolation threshold value of about 4 wt% predicted by the aspect ratio of CNHox. In contrast, the former value was more than an order of magnitude lower than expected. We explained the percolation threshold value of (0.05–0.1) wt% by the increased probability of forming continuous conductive paths at much lower CNHox concentrations when the gap between electrodes is below a specific limit. The change in the nanocomposite’s longitudinal Young modulus, as a function of the concentration of oxidized carbon nanohorns in the polymer matrix, is also evaluated. Based on these results, we identified a new parameter (i.e., the inter-electrode spacing) affecting the electrical percolation threshold in micro-nano electronic devices. The electrical percolation threshold’s critical role in the resistive relative-humidity sensors’ design and functioning is clearly emphasized.

The abnormally large strain properties in (Bi, Na)TiO 3 (BNT)-based ceramics have been intensively investigated for nearly two decades. However, it is still a serious challenge that the threshold electric field for triggering large strain is excessively high, obstructing them toward practical applications. To overcome this issue, this study investigated that large strain properties under a low electric field can be realized by the synthesis of a ternary system with co-modifying BiAlO 3 (BA) and SrTiO 3 (ST) in BNT-based ceramics. Consequentially, a high S max / E max value of 850 pm/V was obtained in BNT-BA-24ST ceramics under a low electric field of 2 kV/mm. it was successfully suggested that the coexisting static PNRs in the ergodic relaxor state are responsible for changing the internal free energy (Δ E ) of BNT-BA-24ST ceramics. This leads to a significant reduction of the threshold electric field to induce phase transition from ER to ferroelectrics, resulting in the realization of large strain under a low electric field.

Background: Hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle (MC) influence pain perception, potentially affecting exercise performance and rehabilitation in women. This effect may be more pronounced in individuals with primary dysmenorrhea (PD), requiring tailored physiotherapeutic and exercise interventions. Objective: To analyze the influence of MC phases on sensory electrical threshold (SET) and pain electrical threshold (PET) in eumenorrheic women with and without PD, considering the potential implications for physical activity and rehabilitation. Methods: An observational longitudinal study was conducted with 34 physically active women, divided into a control group (CG) and a PD group. SET and PET were measured using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) at the forearm (peripheral site) and lower abdomen (pain-referred site) across five MC phases. Pain intensity was assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results: SET and PET were significantly lower in the premenstrual phase (p < 0.001), suggesting increased pain sensitivity. VAS scores were higher in the PD group during all phases, except for the follicular phase (p < 0.033), with the highest pain levels recorded in the menstrual and premenstrual phases. While no significant differences in SET and PET were found between groups across most phases, the PD group exhibited a significantly higher SET in the forearm during the premenstrual phase (p = 0.005), potentially indicating altered central pain modulation. Conclusions: MC-related hormonal fluctuations affect pain sensitivity, particularly in women with PD. These findings underscore the need for phase-specific exercise adaptations and rehabilitation strategies to improve performance, pain management, and recovery in physically active women.

The rate of force development (RFD) has been widely used as an indicator of muscle strength in the clinical practice. Our previous study showed that the RFD within short time intervals could be increased by low-load isometric resistance training (IRT) with sub-motor threshold electrical neuromuscular stimulation (SMT ENMS) compared with the low-load IRT alone. However, the effect of the combined method on the excitability of spinal motoneurons remained unknown. Our study aimed to clarify a possible synergic effect of low-load IRT with SMT ENMS on the motoneuronal excitability in healthy adults. Ten healthy subjects randomly received four interventions (low-load IRT combined with SMT ENMS, low-load IRT alone, SMT ENMS alone, and the control). The results showed that the RFD and excitability of spinal motoneurons significantly increased under low-load IRT with SMT ENMS conditions than under control conditions. In conclusion, the increase in the RFD by the above combined intervention is related to a significant increase in the excitability of spinal motoneurons.