Search Results (3)

Background/Objectives: To investigate associations between Follistatin (FST) gene polymorphisms (SNPs) and baseline musculoskeletal traits, and their interactions with 16-week exercise interventions. Methods: A cohort of 470 untrained Northern Han Chinese adults (208 males, 262 females), sourced from the “Research on Key Technologies for an Exercise and Fitness Expert Guidance System” project, was analyzed. These participants were previously randomly assigned to one of four exercise groups (Hill, Running, Cycling, Combined) or a non-exercising Control group, and completed their respective 16-week protocols. Body composition, bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), and serum follistatin levels were all assessed pre- and post-intervention. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was utilized for the body composition, BMC, and BMD measurements. FST SNPs (rs3797296, rs3797297) were genotyped using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF MS) or microarrays. To elucidate the biological mechanisms, we performed in silico functional analyses for rs3797296 and rs3797297. Results: Baseline: In females only, the rs3797297 T allele was associated with higher muscle mass (β = 1.159, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.202–2.116, P_{_adj} = 0.034) and BMC (β = 0.127, 95% CI: 0.039–0.215, P_{_adj} = 0.009), with the BMC effect significantly mediated by muscle mass. Exercise Response: Interventions improved body composition, particularly in females. Gene-Exercise Interaction: A significant interaction occurred exclusively in women undertaking hill climbing: the rs3797296 G allele was associated with attenuated muscle mass gains (β = −1.126 kg, 95% CI: −1.767 to −0.485, P_{_adj} = 0.034). Baseline follistatin correlated with body composition (stronger in males) and increased post-exercise (primarily in males, Hill/Running groups) but did not mediate SNP effects on exercise adaptation. Functional annotation revealed that rs3797297 is a likely causal variant, acting as a skeletal muscle eQTL for the mitochondrial gene NDUFS4, suggesting a mechanism involving muscle bioenergetics. Conclusions: Findings indicate that FST polymorphisms associate with musculoskeletal traits in Northern Han Chinese. Mechanistic insights from functional annotation reveal potential pathways for these associations, highlighting the potential utility of these genetic markers for optimizing training program design. Full article

The seamless operation of interconnected smart devices in wireless sensor networks (WSN) and the Internet of Things (IoT) needs continuously accessible end-to-end routes. However, the sensor node (SN) relies on a limited power source and tends to cause disconnection in multi-hop routes because of a power shortage in the WSN, eventually leading to the inefficiency of the total IoT network. Furthermore, the density of available SNs affects the existence of feasible routes and the level of path multiplicity in the WSN. Thus, an effective routing model is predictable to extend the lifetime of WSN by adaptively choosing the better route for the data transfers between interconnected IoT devices. This study develops a Hybrid Muddy Soil Fish Optimization-based Energy Aware Routing Scheme (HMSFO-EARS) for IoT-assisted WSN. The presented HMSFO-EARS technique majorly focuses on the identification of optimal routes for data transmission in the IoT-assisted WSN. To accomplish this, the presented HMSFO-EARS technique involves the integration of the MSFO algorithm with the Adaptive $\beta$-Hill Climbing (ABHC) concept. Moreover, the presented HMSFO-EARS technique derives a fitness function for maximizing the lifespan and minimizing energy consumption. To demonstrate the enhanced performance of the HMSFO-EARS technique, a series of experiments was performed. The simulation results indicate the better performance of the HMSFO-EARS algorithm over other recent approaches with reduced energy consumption, less delay, high throughput, and extended network lifetime. Full article

The electroencephalogram (EEG) introduced a massive potential for user identification. Several studies have shown that EEG provides unique features in addition to typical strength for spoofing attacks. EEG provides a graphic recording of the brain’s electrical activity that electrodes can capture on the scalp at different places. However, selecting which electrodes should be used is a challenging task. Such a subject is formulated as an electrode selection task that is tackled by optimization methods. In this work, a new approach to select the most representative electrodes is introduced. The proposed algorithm is a hybrid version of the Flower Pollination Algorithm and $\beta$-Hill Climbing optimizer called FPA$\beta$-hc. The performance of the FPA$\beta$-hc algorithm is evaluated using a standard EEG motor imagery dataset. The experimental results show that the FPA$\beta$-hc can utilize less than half of the electrode numbers, achieving more accurate results than seven other methods. Full article