Acupuncture plays a dominant role in treating functional dyspepsia （FD）. By reviewing and e- valuating clinical ROT and fundamental research with high quality in the past 17 years, it is found that specific acupoint...Acupuncture plays a dominant role in treating functional dyspepsia （FD）. By reviewing and e- valuating clinical ROT and fundamental research with high quality in the past 17 years, it is found that specific acupoints are the chief in the treatment of FD; additionally, there are differences between specific acupoints and non-specific acupoints in therapeutic effect, explaining that the specificity of meridian points plays an im- portant role in treatment. However, because of inadequate high-quality researches in clinics, the specificity of acupoints can＇t be proved until the researches of clinical effect and mechanism of therapeutic difference are intensified.展开更多
Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of moxibustion of some specific acupoints for treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD, qi-distension type). Methods:A total of 50 cases of FD patients were randomly divided i...Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of moxibustion of some specific acupoints for treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD, qi-distension type). Methods:A total of 50 cases of FD patients were randomly divided into treatment group (n=26) and medication group (n=24). In treatment group, bird-pecking moxibustion was applied to Zhongwan (CV 12), Qihai (CV 6), Neiguan (PC 6) and Gongsun (SP 4) 5～6 times in every treatment till the local skin got flush. The treatment was given once daily, continuously for 10 days. In control group, the patients were ordered to take Motilium 10 mg/time, 3 times daily. Following 10 days’ treatment the therapeutic effect was assessed.Results:After treatment, of the 26 cases in treatment group, 11 (42.3%) were cured, 7 (26.92%) had remarkable improvement in their symptoms, 6 (23.07%) had improvement and 2 (7.69%) failed, with a total effective rate of 92.31%. Of the 24 cases in medication group, 9 (37.50%) were cured, 6 (25.00%) experienced remarkable improvement in their symptoms, 6 (25.00%) were improved and 3 (12.50%) failed, with a total effective rate of 87.50%. Comparison between two groups showed that the therapeutic effect of moxibustion was significantly superior to that of medication (P<0.05). In addition, the difference value of the therapeutic effect index (TEI) between post-and pre-treatment in treatment group was also significantly higher than that of medication group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Bird-pecking moxibustion of specific acupoints can effectively improve clinical symptoms of FD patients.展开更多
Livestock grazing has a significant impact on natural grasslands,with approximately one-third of the world’s land area dedicated to this industry.Around 20%of global grasslands are highly degraded due to overgrazing,...Livestock grazing has a significant impact on natural grasslands,with approximately one-third of the world’s land area dedicated to this industry.Around 20%of global grasslands are highly degraded due to overgrazing,affecting their productivity and conservation capacity.Best practices are required to ensure sustainable livestock production that supports biodiversity.The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis(IDH)suggests that environments with moderate levels of disturbance exhibit a higher species diversity.Moderate grazing can reduce the dominance of certain species,thereby enhancing plant diversity.However,concerns arise regarding the increase of exotic and unpalatable species under moderate grazing levels,complicating grassland conservation efforts.The impact of livestock grazing on the functional structure of grasslands depends on factors such as grazing intensity,livestock species,and environmental conditions.Variations in grazing intensity may increase specific and functional diversity under moderate grazing,potentially masking the presence of invasive exotic species.In the Austral Pampas(Pampean phytogeographic province,Buenos Aires,Argentina),grasslands face various pressures from domestic livestock grazing that endanger their integrity if not properly managed.Therefore,our study aims to investigate potential differences in species richness and diversity,functional diversity,exotic plant abundance,and the number and distribution of plant functional groups across varying grazing intensities.The IDH is utilized as a tool to regulate livestock pressure for grassland conservation.Species and functional diversity indices were used to assess the impact of grazing on grassland diversity.Moderate grazing increased species and functional diversity,while intensively grazed or ungrazed areas showed reduced diversity.Livestock presence influenced the balance between native and exotic plants,with ungrazed areas having higher native plant abundance and grazed areas exhibiting higher exotic plant abundance.Grazing also influenced the composition of functional groups,with grazing-avoiding species being more prevalent in heavily grazed areas.Principal Component Analysis revealed a clear association between vegetation composition and livestock grazing intensity.These findings offer valuable insights into effectively managing grazing intensity for biodiversity conservation purposes.展开更多
Objective To investigate the globalclognitive function and the function of specific cognitive domains in hypertensive patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease in China,and to explore the impact of cognition fun...Objective To investigate the globalclognitive function and the function of specific cognitive domains in hypertensive patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease in China,and to explore the impact of cognition function on blood pressure control.Methods This is a cross-sectional survey.Data were obtained from the ESPRIT study.Patients with a history of hypertension who participated in the ESPRIT study from September 2019 to July 2020were selected.Mini-mental state examination(MMSE)was used to evaluate patients'overall cognition and the function of each cognitive domain.According to the total MMSE score,patients were divided into the cognitive-intact group(MMSE total score=30 points),cognitive-declined group(MMSE total score<30 points,but did not reach the dementia screening threshold)andcognitive-impaired group(MMSE total score reached the dementia screening threshold).A multivariable logistic regression model was used to explore the effects of cognitive function and MMSE score on blood pressure control.The years of education were removed from the adjustment variables for sensitivity analysis.The interaction effect modeling of stratified variables and exposed variables was used for hierarchical analysis.Results A total of 10834 patients with hypertension at high risk of cardiovascular disease were enrolled,aged 65(60,69)years and 4476(41.3%)patients were female.There were 989 patients in cognitiveintact group,8676 patients in cognitive-declined group and 1169 patients in cognitive-impaired group.The MMSE score of all included patients was(25.6±3.8)points.In the overall study population,10.8%(1169/10834)of hypertensive patients had cognitive impairment,with an MMSE total score of(18.6+4.1)points.The cognitive domains with obvious impairment were recall memory(-80%),visuospatial function(-64%),attention and computation(-60%);80.1%(8676/10834)of hypertensive patients did not meet the criteria for cognitive dysfunction,but had cognitive decline,and the cognitive domains with significant impairment were recall memory(-51%)and visuospatial structure(-23%).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that cognitive dysfunction(OR=0.88,95%CI:0.72-1.08,P=0.212)and cognitive decline(0R=0.96,95%CI:0.83-1.12,P=0.629)were not correlated with blood pressure control.MMSE total score and scores in each cognitive domain were not correlated with blood pressure control(P>0.05).Sensitivity analysis showed that cognitive function was not related to blood pressure control(all P>0.05).Stratified analysis according to different frequency of medication showed that cognitive function and MMSE score were not correlated with blood pressure control(P>0.05).Conclusion One in ten hypertensive patients who were at high risk of cardiovascular disease has comorbid cognitive impairment.In patients with high risk of cardiovascular disease,the most affected cognitive domains were recall memory,visuospatial function,attention and calculation.Some of hypertensive patients have not reached the level of cognitive dysfunction,but have begun to show cognitive decline.Cognitive function is not an independent influencing factor on blood pressure control.展开更多
A new method is presented to generate two-directional (2D) grid multi-scroll chaotic attractors via a specific form of the sine function and sign function series, which are applied to increase saddle points of index 2...A new method is presented to generate two-directional (2D) grid multi-scroll chaotic attractors via a specific form of the sine function and sign function series, which are applied to increase saddle points of index 2. The scroll number in the x-direction is modified easily through changing the thresholds of the specific form of the sine function, while the scroll number in the y-direction is controlled by the sign function series. Some basic dynamical properties, such as equilibrium points, bifurcation diagram, phase portraits, and Lyapunov exponents spectrum are studied. Furthermore, the electronic circuit of the system is designed and its simulation results are given by Multisim 10.展开更多
Background Previous neuroimaging studies primarily focused on the spatial distribution of acupuncture needling stimulation. However, a salient feature of acupuncture was its long-lasting effect. This study attempted t...Background Previous neuroimaging studies primarily focused on the spatial distribution of acupuncture needling stimulation. However, a salient feature of acupuncture was its long-lasting effect. This study attempted to detect the spatial-temporal neural responses evoked by acupuncture at an analgesia acupoint ST36 by using magnetoencephalography. To further verify its functional specificity, we also adopted acupuncture at Pericardium 6 and nonacupoint as separated controls.Methods Forty-two college students, all right-handed and acupuncture naive, participated in this study. Every participant received only one acupoint stimulation, resulting in 14 subjects in one group. Both magnetoencephalography data （151-channel whole-head system） and structural functional magnetic resonance imaging data （3D sequence with a voxel size of 1 mm3 for anatomical localization） were collected for each subject. All processing procedures were performed in BrainStorm Toolbox.Results Acupuncture at ST36 showed a significantly time-varied brain activities with different onset time. Our results presented that acupuncture at different acupoints （or comparing with nonacupoint） can specifically induce neural responses in different brain areas-acupuncture at ST36 can specifically induce the neural responses of pain-inhibition areas, while acupuncture at PC6 can specifically induce the activities of the insula and amygdala.Conclusions In the present study, we attempted to detect the temporal neural responses underlying the functional specificity of acupuncture at ST36, using acupoint belonging to different meridians and non-acupoint with efficacy-irreverent as separate controls. The specific neural substrates involving acupuncture at different acupoints may be related to its functional specificity in clinical settings.展开更多
Function performance specification (FPS) is one of the value management (VM) techniques developed for the explicit statement of optimum product definition. This technique is widely used in software engineering and man...Function performance specification (FPS) is one of the value management (VM) techniques developed for the explicit statement of optimum product definition. This technique is widely used in software engineering and manufacturing industry, and proved to be successful to perform product defining tasks. This paper describes an FPS-oriented approach for construction briefing, which is critical to the successful delivery of construction projects. Three techniques, i.e., function analysis system technique, shared space, and computer-aided toolkit, are incorporated into the proposed approach. A computer-aided toolkit is developed to facilitate the implementation of FPS in the briefing processes. This approach can facilitate systematic, efficient identification, clarification, and representation of client requirements in trail running. The limitations of the approach and future research work are also discussed at the end of the paper.展开更多
基金the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (Grant No .2006CB504501)
文摘Acupuncture plays a dominant role in treating functional dyspepsia （FD）. By reviewing and e- valuating clinical ROT and fundamental research with high quality in the past 17 years, it is found that specific acupoints are the chief in the treatment of FD; additionally, there are differences between specific acupoints and non-specific acupoints in therapeutic effect, explaining that the specificity of meridian points plays an im- portant role in treatment. However, because of inadequate high-quality researches in clinics, the specificity of acupoints can＇t be proved until the researches of clinical effect and mechanism of therapeutic difference are intensified.
文摘Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of moxibustion of some specific acupoints for treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD, qi-distension type). Methods:A total of 50 cases of FD patients were randomly divided into treatment group (n=26) and medication group (n=24). In treatment group, bird-pecking moxibustion was applied to Zhongwan (CV 12), Qihai (CV 6), Neiguan (PC 6) and Gongsun (SP 4) 5～6 times in every treatment till the local skin got flush. The treatment was given once daily, continuously for 10 days. In control group, the patients were ordered to take Motilium 10 mg/time, 3 times daily. Following 10 days’ treatment the therapeutic effect was assessed.Results:After treatment, of the 26 cases in treatment group, 11 (42.3%) were cured, 7 (26.92%) had remarkable improvement in their symptoms, 6 (23.07%) had improvement and 2 (7.69%) failed, with a total effective rate of 92.31%. Of the 24 cases in medication group, 9 (37.50%) were cured, 6 (25.00%) experienced remarkable improvement in their symptoms, 6 (25.00%) were improved and 3 (12.50%) failed, with a total effective rate of 87.50%. Comparison between two groups showed that the therapeutic effect of moxibustion was significantly superior to that of medication (P<0.05). In addition, the difference value of the therapeutic effect index (TEI) between post-and pre-treatment in treatment group was also significantly higher than that of medication group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Bird-pecking moxibustion of specific acupoints can effectively improve clinical symptoms of FD patients.
基金funded by CONICET(Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas)and SGCyT(Secretaría General de Ciencia y Tecnología,Universidad Nacional del Sur,Argentina).
文摘Livestock grazing has a significant impact on natural grasslands,with approximately one-third of the world’s land area dedicated to this industry.Around 20%of global grasslands are highly degraded due to overgrazing,affecting their productivity and conservation capacity.Best practices are required to ensure sustainable livestock production that supports biodiversity.The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis(IDH)suggests that environments with moderate levels of disturbance exhibit a higher species diversity.Moderate grazing can reduce the dominance of certain species,thereby enhancing plant diversity.However,concerns arise regarding the increase of exotic and unpalatable species under moderate grazing levels,complicating grassland conservation efforts.The impact of livestock grazing on the functional structure of grasslands depends on factors such as grazing intensity,livestock species,and environmental conditions.Variations in grazing intensity may increase specific and functional diversity under moderate grazing,potentially masking the presence of invasive exotic species.In the Austral Pampas(Pampean phytogeographic province,Buenos Aires,Argentina),grasslands face various pressures from domestic livestock grazing that endanger their integrity if not properly managed.Therefore,our study aims to investigate potential differences in species richness and diversity,functional diversity,exotic plant abundance,and the number and distribution of plant functional groups across varying grazing intensities.The IDH is utilized as a tool to regulate livestock pressure for grassland conservation.Species and functional diversity indices were used to assess the impact of grazing on grassland diversity.Moderate grazing increased species and functional diversity,while intensively grazed or ungrazed areas showed reduced diversity.Livestock presence influenced the balance between native and exotic plants,with ungrazed areas having higher native plant abundance and grazed areas exhibiting higher exotic plant abundance.Grazing also influenced the composition of functional groups,with grazing-avoiding species being more prevalent in heavily grazed areas.Principal Component Analysis revealed a clear association between vegetation composition and livestock grazing intensity.These findings offer valuable insights into effectively managing grazing intensity for biodiversity conservation purposes.
文摘Objective To investigate the globalclognitive function and the function of specific cognitive domains in hypertensive patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease in China,and to explore the impact of cognition function on blood pressure control.Methods This is a cross-sectional survey.Data were obtained from the ESPRIT study.Patients with a history of hypertension who participated in the ESPRIT study from September 2019 to July 2020were selected.Mini-mental state examination(MMSE)was used to evaluate patients'overall cognition and the function of each cognitive domain.According to the total MMSE score,patients were divided into the cognitive-intact group(MMSE total score=30 points),cognitive-declined group(MMSE total score<30 points,but did not reach the dementia screening threshold)andcognitive-impaired group(MMSE total score reached the dementia screening threshold).A multivariable logistic regression model was used to explore the effects of cognitive function and MMSE score on blood pressure control.The years of education were removed from the adjustment variables for sensitivity analysis.The interaction effect modeling of stratified variables and exposed variables was used for hierarchical analysis.Results A total of 10834 patients with hypertension at high risk of cardiovascular disease were enrolled,aged 65(60,69)years and 4476(41.3%)patients were female.There were 989 patients in cognitiveintact group,8676 patients in cognitive-declined group and 1169 patients in cognitive-impaired group.The MMSE score of all included patients was(25.6±3.8)points.In the overall study population,10.8%(1169/10834)of hypertensive patients had cognitive impairment,with an MMSE total score of(18.6+4.1)points.The cognitive domains with obvious impairment were recall memory(-80%),visuospatial function(-64%),attention and computation(-60%);80.1%(8676/10834)of hypertensive patients did not meet the criteria for cognitive dysfunction,but had cognitive decline,and the cognitive domains with significant impairment were recall memory(-51%)and visuospatial structure(-23%).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that cognitive dysfunction(OR=0.88,95%CI:0.72-1.08,P=0.212)and cognitive decline(0R=0.96,95%CI:0.83-1.12,P=0.629)were not correlated with blood pressure control.MMSE total score and scores in each cognitive domain were not correlated with blood pressure control(P>0.05).Sensitivity analysis showed that cognitive function was not related to blood pressure control(all P>0.05).Stratified analysis according to different frequency of medication showed that cognitive function and MMSE score were not correlated with blood pressure control(P>0.05).Conclusion One in ten hypertensive patients who were at high risk of cardiovascular disease has comorbid cognitive impairment.In patients with high risk of cardiovascular disease,the most affected cognitive domains were recall memory,visuospatial function,attention and calculation.Some of hypertensive patients have not reached the level of cognitive dysfunction,but have begun to show cognitive decline.Cognitive function is not an independent influencing factor on blood pressure control.
文摘A new method is presented to generate two-directional (2D) grid multi-scroll chaotic attractors via a specific form of the sine function and sign function series, which are applied to increase saddle points of index 2. The scroll number in the x-direction is modified easily through changing the thresholds of the specific form of the sine function, while the scroll number in the y-direction is controlled by the sign function series. Some basic dynamical properties, such as equilibrium points, bifurcation diagram, phase portraits, and Lyapunov exponents spectrum are studied. Furthermore, the electronic circuit of the system is designed and its simulation results are given by Multisim 10.
基金This work was supported by the grants from the National Key Basic Research and Development Program ＂973＂ Project （No. 2007CB512503）, the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Nos. 30873462, 81071137, 81071217, 30770617 and 81071139）, and Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University （No. NCET-08-0801）.
文摘Background Previous neuroimaging studies primarily focused on the spatial distribution of acupuncture needling stimulation. However, a salient feature of acupuncture was its long-lasting effect. This study attempted to detect the spatial-temporal neural responses evoked by acupuncture at an analgesia acupoint ST36 by using magnetoencephalography. To further verify its functional specificity, we also adopted acupuncture at Pericardium 6 and nonacupoint as separated controls.Methods Forty-two college students, all right-handed and acupuncture naive, participated in this study. Every participant received only one acupoint stimulation, resulting in 14 subjects in one group. Both magnetoencephalography data （151-channel whole-head system） and structural functional magnetic resonance imaging data （3D sequence with a voxel size of 1 mm3 for anatomical localization） were collected for each subject. All processing procedures were performed in BrainStorm Toolbox.Results Acupuncture at ST36 showed a significantly time-varied brain activities with different onset time. Our results presented that acupuncture at different acupoints （or comparing with nonacupoint） can specifically induce neural responses in different brain areas-acupuncture at ST36 can specifically induce the neural responses of pain-inhibition areas, while acupuncture at PC6 can specifically induce the activities of the insula and amygdala.Conclusions In the present study, we attempted to detect the temporal neural responses underlying the functional specificity of acupuncture at ST36, using acupoint belonging to different meridians and non-acupoint with efficacy-irreverent as separate controls. The specific neural substrates involving acupuncture at different acupoints may be related to its functional specificity in clinical settings.
文摘Function performance specification (FPS) is one of the value management (VM) techniques developed for the explicit statement of optimum product definition. This technique is widely used in software engineering and manufacturing industry, and proved to be successful to perform product defining tasks. This paper describes an FPS-oriented approach for construction briefing, which is critical to the successful delivery of construction projects. Three techniques, i.e., function analysis system technique, shared space, and computer-aided toolkit, are incorporated into the proposed approach. A computer-aided toolkit is developed to facilitate the implementation of FPS in the briefing processes. This approach can facilitate systematic, efficient identification, clarification, and representation of client requirements in trail running. The limitations of the approach and future research work are also discussed at the end of the paper.
