Step sequence and direction detection of four square step test

Poor balance control and falls are big issues for older adults that due to aging decline have a lower postural balance and directional control in balance performance than younger age groups. The four square step test (FSST) was developed to evaluate rapid stepping that is often required when changing direction and avoiding obstacles while walking. However, previous researchers used only the total time as the assessment in the test. The aim of this letter is to objectively quantify the sequence and direction of the steps in FSST, by using two inertial sensors placed on both feet. An algorithm was developed to automatically segment the steps performed during the test, and calculate the stepping direction from the linear velocity of the foot. Experiments were conducted with 100 Japanese healthy older adults, where sensor data and video of 20 subjects were randomly subtracted for algorithm verification. The results showed that the algorithm succeeded for 71.7% trials in recognizing both the step sequence and step direction in FSST, while 90.2% of the detection failure could be excluded with an auto verification method

The status and potential of regional integrated energy systems in sub-Saharan Africa: an investigation of the feasibility and implications for sustainable energy development

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is experiencing rapid economic growth and rising demand for energy, accompanied by significant low energy access and sustainability challenges. Globally, to address similar issues and unlock a region's energy potential, regional integrated energy systems have gained traction, and initiatives such as establishing power pools for regional electricity markets, cross-border power exchanges, and integrating renewable energy resources are being promoted. This paper describes the status of regional integrated energy systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. We analyze the energy growth achieved through effective strategies and policies that support regional integrated energy systems in developed and developing regions (the United Kingdom and China). Our findings show that challenges, including limited access to financing, regulatory barriers, lack of effective energy planning model, inadequate supporting policies, and fragmented institutional frameworks, hinder the region's widespread deployment of regional integrated energy systems. Taking lessons from the case studies, addressing SSA's energy challenges requires concerted efforts from governments, international organizations, and the private sector to create enabling policy environments, mobilize investments, and build technical capacity and supporting infrastructures. Regional integrated energy systems can enhance energy security by diversifying energy sources, fostering economic development, and stimulating cross-border energy trade. In the United Kingdom, the implementation of integrated energy systems has contributed to a 25% reduction in carbon emissions and a 15% increase in energy efficiency over the past decade. Similarly, in China, the integration of renewable energy sources into regional energy systems has led to a 30% increase in renewable energy capacity and a 20% decrease in coal consumption since 2010. China owns 32% of global renewable energy market, alongside an installed capacity of about 1.26 TW in the first quarter of 2023. Our findings from the power pools indicate that three out of the four pools possess significant hydro energy resources. Specifically, within the CAPP region, 7 out of 10 countries heavily rely on hydro energy, while in EAPP, 6 out of 11 countries exhibit a similar dependency. Moreover, within SAPP, 9 out of 12 countries and within WAPP, 5 out of 14 countries rely significantly on hydro energy

Introduction:Practicing citizenship in contemporary China

Citizenship in China—and elsewhere in the global South—has been perceived as either a distorted echo of the ‘real’ democratic version in Europe and North America, or an orientalized ‘other’ that defines what citizenship is not. In contrast, adopting a ‘connected histories’ perspective makes Chinese citizenship a constitutive part of a modernity that is still unfolding. Since the nineteenth century, concerns about citizenship have been central to debates about the building of state and society in China. Some of these concerns are echoed in key tensions related to the practices of citizenship in China today, particularly in three areas: a state preference for sedentarism and governing citizens in place vs. growing mobility, sometimes facilitated by the state; a perception that state-building and development requires a strong state vs. ideas and practices of participatory citizenship; and submission of the individual to the ‘collective’ (state, community, village, family etc.) vs. the rising salience of conceptions of self-development and self-making projects. Exploring manifestations of these tensions can contribute to thinking about citizenship beyond China, including the role of the local in forming citizenship orders; how individualization works in the absence of liberal individualism; and how ‘social citizenship’ is increasingly becoming a reward to ‘good citizens’, rather than a mechanism for achieving citizen equality

Synthesis of CpM(CO)(3)-DAB and -PAMAM Dendrimer Conjugates and Preliminary Evaluation of Their Biological Activity

Dendrimers of different generations and core structures [diaminobutane poly(propylenimine) (DAB) G1, G2, G3; poly( amidoamine) (PAMAM) G1] were chosen as carriers for bioactive organometallic half-sandwich complexes of the type CpM(CO)(3) (Cp = cyclopentadienyl, M = Mn or Re) to study the influence of these parameters on their biological activity against cancer cells. Structure-activity relationships were determined by variation of the metal center as well as the type, molecular weight, and number of terminal functional groups of the dendrimer conjugates. All conjugates were characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy as well as HPLC. Their biological activity was determined on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells by the resazurin assay. Interestingly, the mostactive compounds were the first-generation dendrimer conjugates. The Mn and Re series showed nearly the same activities. Thus, the cytotoxicity of the dendrimer conjugates does not seem to directly correlate with the type or number of terminal functional groups. Rather, it points to a mechanism of action that is different from that previously observed for peptide conjugates with similar CpM(CO)(3) functional groups