Given the rising incidence of stroke, several technology-driven methods for rehabilitation have recently been developed. Virtual reality (VR) is a promising therapeutic technology among them. We recently developed a neuroscientifically grounded VR system to aid recovery of motor function poststroke. The developed system provides unilateral and bilateral upper extremity (UE) training in a fully immersive virtual environment that may stimulate and activate mirror neurons (MNs) in the brain necessary for UE rehabilitation. Twenty-three participants were randomized to a VR group (n = 12) to receive VR intervention (8 h within 2 weeks) plus 8-h occupational therapy (OT) or a control group (n = 11) to receive time-matched OT alone. Treatment effects on motor recovery and cortical reorganization were investigated using the Barthel Index (BI), Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity (FM-UE), and resting-state fMRI. Both groups significantly improved BI (P < 0.05), reflecting the recovery of UE motor function. The VR group revealed significant improvements on FM-UE scores (P < 0.05) than the control group. Neural activity increased after the intervention, particularly in the brain areas implicating MNs, such as in the primary motor cortex. Overall, results suggested that using a neuroscientifically grounded VR system might offer additional benefits for UE rehabilitation in patients receiving OT.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have aroused extensive interests in recent years, and their energy conversion efficiency increased gradually under massive efforts. Applied force and dielectric thickness are two important factors accounting for the high output performance. Nevertheless, for the most commonly used TENGs in the contact-separation mode, the comprehensive dependence of dielectric thickness and impact force is still expected to be further deeply researched and optimized. Hence, we fabricated a nylon-PTFE TENG in the contact-separation mode and explored the dual influence of dielectric thickness and applied force on the output performance. The results indicate that the dielectric thickness and the magnitude of force have a comprehensive influence on the outputs, which is due to the dual effect of charge transport properties and the microcosmic deformation at different thicknesses. In general, the optimum thickness increases from 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm obviously as the force magnitude increases from 15 N to 60 N, but stays steadily with varying fabric count. With the continuous enlargement of impact force, the dielectric thickness reaches a boundary limitation of 0.8 mm. This work contributes greatly not only to the design and optimization of TENG devices, but also to the deeper understanding of the nano-triboelectric effect mechanism.

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In this study, a novel anode material of SnS hollow nanofibers (SnS HNFs) was rationally synthesized by a facile process and demonstrated to be a promising anode candidate for sodium-ion batteries.

A graphene oxide/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-β-cyclodextrin) (GO/poly(NIPAM-co-β-CD)) hydrogel has been synthesized through host–guest interaction between β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and the isopropyl group of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM). The product exhibits rapid responses to the stimuli of...

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The dispersed phase of the water-in-oil-in-water emulsion system appears to be useful as a novel drug-delivery system in pharmaceuticals, food, and cosmetics applications. Until recently, achieving the storage stability of double emulsions under extreme conditions was unthinkable. Here, we prepared highly stable dispersion systems from polyether-modified siloxanes (PMS1 and PMS2) in fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether that stabilized outer water of double emulsions. The effects of the PMS1/PMS2 stabilizer on the stability and rheological behaviors of double emulsions were investigated. It was found that the used polymer type controlled the final double emulsion properties. Double emulsions obtained from PMS1 dispersion had lower stabilities than PMS2 dispersion that was stable for more than six months and about 20 days under 50−60 °C storage conditions. Interestingly, this double emulsion showed a dominant elastic modulus under the low shear ranges that were absent in the PMS1 double emulsion system.