Background: Despite various treatment methods, many functional ankle instability (FAI) patients continue to experience functional deficits. Objectives: To investigate the effect of additional auditory feedback on balance and ankle function in task-oriented balance training for FAI patients. Design: Randomized controlled trial design. Methods: Forty FAI patients were randomly assigned to the auditory feedback task-oriented balance training (ATBT) group (n=20) and the task-oriented balance training (TBT) group (n=20). The training program was implemented for 4 weeks, 3 days a week. Results: After training, the COG movement area, speed, and distance significantly decreased in both the ATBT and TBT groups (P<.05). Additionally, the COG movement speed and distance in the ATBT group were significantly decreased compared to the TBT group (P<.05). The 6-meter crossover hop test time decreased in both the ATBT and TBT groups (P<.05). The ATBT group exhibited a significantly decreased 6-meter crossover hop test time compared to the TBT group (P<.05). Conclusion: Both ATBT and TBT enhanced balance and ankle function in FAI patients. ATBT was more effective in improving balance and ankle function than TBT.

This study examined planting seasons, crop rotation, and seed utilization across nine Andean p rovinces i n Ecuador: Carchi, I mbabura, Pichincha, C otopaxi, T ungurahua, C himborazo, Cañar, Azuay, and Loja. A total of 67 farms, representing 60.9% of those surveyed, employed legumes such as peas, beans, broad beans, lupins, and green beans to enhance soil fertility through rotation or intercropping. Among the 110 farms surveyed, 59 (53.6%) implemented a combined crop rotation scheme (including both pastures-to-crop and crop-to-crop rotations), 27 (24.5%) utilized a crop-to-crop rotation, and 18 (16.4%) focused solely on pastures-to-crop rotation. High-quality or certified seeds developed by the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP) were used in 58 fields (19% of the surveyed fields), while the remaining 81% relied on self-saved seeds. These findings indicate that family farming in the Ecuadorian Andes is increasingly adopting sustainable agricultural practices that are resilient to climate change, thereby promoting biodiversity through the use of locally adapted agricultural resources.

Symptomatic joint degeneration is a common chronic musculoskeletal disorder worldwide. The literature has noted that some clinicians find treating this condition “technically challenging,” while others find it to be “unchallengingly routine.” We believe that all clinicians treating symptomatic joint degeneration should have a robust understanding of the mechanobiological interactions between the synovial lining, synovial cells, synovial fluid, articular cartilage, and subchondral bone. This four-part narrative review describes how inner lining synovitis and cellular changes in the subchondral region, including the development of bone marrow edema, are symptom generators in some patients with various grades of joint degeneration. This review suggests that physical therapists (PTs) should acquaint themselves with the concept of mechanotransduction and more fully consider cellular mechanosensitivity and mechanoresponsiveness as exercise loading and manual interventions loads are placed upon joints with degenerative change. We call for additional research efforts in the area of protocol development for low-load exercise intervention and between PTs and physicians who may have access to laboratory facilities and imaging equipment. This research could allow for both direct and indirect assessment of intra-articular pressure, synovial fluid, and bone marrow edema after the application of therapeutic exercise and joint mobilization.

Between July 2024 and July 2025, we collected spleen samples from 119 wild rodents captured across various zoogeographical regions of Gwangju City, Republic of Korea, to screen for major zoonotic pathogens, including Anaplasma, Babesia, Bartonella, Borrelia, Coxiella, Ehrlichia, and Rickettsia species. Of these, 13 samples (10.92%) tested positive for Bartonella spp. The positive samples were cultured on blood agar, resulting in eight bacterial isolates. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis confirmed all Bartonella-positive samples as B. grahamii. Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed that all B. grahamii isolates exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR) to ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, cefoxitin, streptomycin, and tetracycline, and showed intermediate resistance to ampicillin. In contrast, the isolates were susceptible to ceftazidime, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, imipenem, gentamicin, amikacin, azithromycin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. These findings provide essential baseline data on the presence and resistance patterns of B. grahamii in wild rodent populations inhabiting peri-urban environments. The detection of MDR Bartonella strains underscores a potential public health concern, particularly regarding zoonotic spillover via ectoparasites such as ticks. Sustained molecular surveillance and antimicrobial resistance monitoring are warranted to mitigate future zoonotic threats.

Tannic acid (TA) is one of the active components in the Galla Chinensis and has various effects, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, research on its antiviral properties remains limited. Here, tannic acid carbon dots (TA-CDs) were prepared as potential antiviral drugs from polyphenol TA under different temperature conditions (180, 200, 220 and 240 °C). Compared to TA alone, TA-CDs exhibited lower cytotoxicity and a tenfold enhanced in antiviral activity. Additionally, the antiviral effects of TA-CDs varied with preparation temperatures, with the best effect observed at 200 °C (CDs-2), reaching a titer of 2.8 orders of magnitude in porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), mainly due to its relatively higher number of functional groups and smaller particle size. Mechanically, CDs-2 was shown to inhibit PRRSV by targeting the stages of inactivation, adsorption, invasion, replication, and down-regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Moreover, CDs-2 exhibited a high inhibitory effect on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), reaching a titer of 7 orders of magnitude. This study reveals the importance of temperature in synthesis of traditional Chinese medicine-derived carbon dots (TCM-CDs) and confirms their potential as antiviral drugs, providing valuable information for development of TCM antiviral drugs.

In this study, nitrogen and fluorine co-doped carbon nanocages (NF-CNCs) were synthesized as anode materials for potassium- ion batteries (KIBs), and their structural evolution with heat treatment and electrochemical behavior with different functional groups was investigated. NF-CNCs were prepared by physically mixing coal tar pitch (CTP) with a SiO2 template, followed by heat treatment and subsequent fluorination with NF3 gas. A systematic investigation of the structural properties revealed that graphitization increased with increasing heat treatment temperature as the carbon structure transitioned from amorphous at 500 and 1000 °C to graphite-like at 1500 °C. Furthermore, nitrogen and fluorine functional group analysis revealed significant changes, particularly in terms of covalent and semi-ionic C‒F bonds. Among the samples, NF-CNC 1000 displayed excellent electrochemical performance, with a specific capacity of 395.1 mAh g− 1 and a capacity retention rate of 94% during 1000 cycles at 50 mA g− 1. The exceptional performance of NF-CNC 1000 is attributed to its high porosity, amorphous carbon structure, and semi-ionic C‒F bonds, which facilitate the efficient adsorption and intercalation of potassium ions. These findings provide valuable insights into the design of advanced anode materials for next-generation KIBs.

All-vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) has been considered as a promising candidate for the construction of renewable energy storage system. Expanded graphite possesses immense potential for use as typical bipolar plates in VRFB stacks. Nevertheless, the pure expanded graphite bipolar plates suffer from severe swelling in electrolyte, resulting in the losses of mechanical stability and electrical conductivity, thus leading to the efficiency decay within several cycles. Herein, we present a “nanoglue” strategy for tuning the structure/surface properties of expanded graphite by employing polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer as structural sealant. Such PVDF “nanoglue” on expanded graphite results in the fine-repairment toward the surface microcracks and cross-section edges, which is beneficial to suppress the electrolyte permeation and improve the anti-swelling capacity. Moreover, it has been found that the PVDF “nanoglue” can improve the flexibility, allowing for the fabrication of ultrathin bipolar plates (0.67 mm) with low electrical resistivity. Benefiting from these integrated characteristics, the VRFB employing the as-fabricated composite bipolar plates delivers excellent cyclic efficiencies (voltage efficiency, coulombic efficiency, and energy efficiency) and ultralow ohmic voltage loss of less than 1.1 mV (< 0.1% of the VRFB rated voltage of 1.25 V) at a high current density of 200 mA cm− 2.

The Challan instrument is a solar full-disk imaging spectroscopic telescope planned to be installed at three sites with a 120-degree longitudinal difference, enabling continuous 24-hour observations of the Sun. It will take data every 2.5 min with a spatial resolution of 2–3′′ and a spectral resolving power (R) of >43,000 in Hα and Ca ii 8542 Å bands simultaneously. Challan is composed of two modules, each dedicated to a specific waveband. This modular design is beneficial in minimizing the scattered light and simplifying the structure and engineering. The primary scientific goal of Challan is to investigate solar flares and filament eruptions. It is also expected to detect small-scale events in the solar chromosphere. In 2025, Challan will be installed at the Big Bear Solar Observatory for test observational runs, followed by scientific runs in 2026.