BACKGROUND Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese mind-body exercise that has been widely practiced in the People's Republic of China for many centuries. This exercise has also been applied as a training modality in pulmonary rehabilitation programs for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of Tai Chi on exercise capa...

Effects of accelerated and natural weathering on the molecular weight distribution (MWD) and crystallinity of polypropylene (PP) in wood plastic composites (WPC) were investigated. The composites were produced from pine fibers (60%) and PP (40%). Prolonged weathering caused an increase in wood degradation and erosion thereby leaving cracks and ‘‘pits’’ on the surface. Pyrolysis gas chromatograp...

Simplification techniques have mainly been applied on static models. However in movie and game industries, many models are designed to be animated. We extend the progressive mesh technique to handle skeletallyarticulated meshes in order to obtain a continuous levelof-detail (CLOD) representation that retains its ability to be animated. Our technique is not limited to any simplification metric, ...

Amine end-modified poly(β-amino ester)s (PBAEs) have generated interest as efficient, biodegradable polymeric carriers for plasmid DNA (pDNA). For cationic, non-degradable polymers, such as polyethylenimine (PEI), the polymer molecular weight (MW) and molecular weight distribution (MWD) significantly affect transfection activity and cytotoxicity. The effect of MW on DNA transfection activity fo...

Desorption/ionization on porous silicon-mass spectrometry (DIOS-MS) is a novel soft ionization MS technique that does not require any matrix reagent, ideally resulting in fewer obstructive peaks in the lower mass region. In this study, the etching conditions of porous silicon spots as an ionization platform of DIOS-MS were investigated for determining the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of ...

The aim of this study was to produce mulch by combining natural mineral and organic substances in order to reach soil stabilization and improve soil physical and mechanical properties in Koopal area. The effects of organic mulch (at 3 levels of O1: combination of 1% sugarcane bagasse biochar+0.5% gum Arabic+0.5% gelatin; O2: combination of 3% sugarcane bagasse biochar+1% gum Arabic+1% gelatin; ...

background: despite the importance of hamstring tendon autograft, one major disadvantage in applying this technique in the surgical reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament is individual variability in the tendon diameter. hence, the purpose of the present study was to use anthropometric parameters such as gender, height and body mass index to predict 4-strand (quadruple) hamstring tendons ...

The evaluation at detailed spatial scale of soil status after severe fires may provide useful information on the recovery burned forest ecosystems. Here, we aimed to assess potential combining multispectral imagery different spectral and resolutions estimate indicators burn severity. study was conducted in a area located northwest Iberian Peninsula (Spain). One month fire, measured severity fie...