The Effects of Changes in Workplace Environment on Sedentary Behavior and Work Efficiency: A Natural Pre-Post Study

Jiameng Ma(Jiameng Ma),Dongmei Ma(Dongmei Ma),Qiang Wang(Qiang Wang),Hyunshik Kim(Hyunshik Kim) 사피엔시아 2020 Exercise Medicine Vol.4 No.-

Objectives: The workplace environment has an influence on the physical well-being of workers and their productivity. This study examined how sedentary time and work efficiency changed before and after an intervention to improve the ergonomics of a workplace environment. Methods: This study was designed as a natural pre-post study. Workers were evaluated 101 (77% men, mean [SD] age=44.6[9.8] years) after the intervention. The intervention included the addition of sit-stand desks, fitness rooms, and rest areas at the workplace. The effect of the intervention was assessed after a period of three months. Sedentary behavior and physical activities were evaluated using triaxial accelerometers, body fat percentage and fat-free mass were calculated from body composition, and work engagement and work performance were evaluated through questionnaires. T-tests were used to compare the differences. Results: The percentage of time spent sitting decreased post-intervention (-1.7, 95% CI: -0.4, -3.1). Work performance compared to either three months pre-survey increased significantly post-intervention (Most workers assessment: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.8, 0.3; Self-rated performance the past year or two: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.6, 0.4; Self-rated performance the past 4 weeks: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.6, 0.3). Work engagement improved significantly in terms of vigor at work (0.8, 95% CI: 1.1, 0.5), dedication to work (0.8, 95% CI: 1.1, 0.7), and absorption in work (0.7, 95% CI: 1.1, 0.5). Conclusions: Improving a workplace environment using existing facilities decreased sedentary time and enhanced work efficiency—these findings are useful for workplace health promotion and public health policies.

The Correlation between Sedentary Behavior by Time Period and Physical Activity and Health Indicators among Japanese Workers

Jiameng Ma(Jiameng Ma),Dongmei Ma(Dongmei Ma),Qiang Wang(Qiang Wang),Hyunshik Kim(Hyunshik Kim) 사피엔시아 2019 Exercise Medicine Vol.3 No.-

Objectives: In order to reduce the sedentary behavior of workers who remain seated for extended periods of time, the correlation between sedentary behavior by time period and health indicators must be investigated. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between the sedentary behavior during work hours or per day and the amount of physical activity and health indicator. Methods: Based on an objective measurement method using an accelerometer and Inbody, the correlation among sedentary behavior, amount of physical activity, body fat percentage, muscle mass, and demographic variables in the survey of 101 Japanese workers was analyzed. For the amount of physical activity, a triaxial accelerometer was used to measure light-intensity lifestyle activity [1.6–2.9 metabolic equivalents (METs)], sedentary time (≤1.5 METs), and vigorous physical activity (3 METs or above), which was evaluated every 10 seconds. Results: The results reveal that the sedentary behavior by time period is related to gender, age, type of occupation, low-intensity physical activity, and walking time, in which low-intensity physical activity has a greater effect on the sedentary behavior than moderate-intensity or higher physical activity. Specifically, for the sedentary time during work hours, the subjects who perform more low-intensity physical activity had a shorter sedentary time than those who do not (OR = 0.41, 95 % CI = 0.17-0.97), and those who have longer walking times per day had a shorter sedentary time than those who do not (OR = 0.21,95 % CI = 0.62-0.72). Conclusions: In order to reduce the SB of workers in the future, research on developing a strategic intervention method based on the results of this study should be conducted.

Power Allocation in Heterogeneous Networks: Limited Spectrum-Sensing Ability and Combined Protection

Ma, Yuehuai,Xu, Youyun,Zhang, Dongmei The Korea Institute of Information and Commucation 2011 Journal of communications and networks Vol.13 No.4

In this paper, we investigate the problem of power allocation in a heterogeneous network that is composed of a pair of cognitive users (CUs) and an infrastructure-based primary network. Since CUs have only limited effective spectrum-sensing ability and primary users (PUs) are not active all the time in all locations and licensed bands, we set up a new multi-area model to characterize the heterogeneous network. A novel combined interference-avoidance policy corresponding to different PU-appearance situations is introduced to protect the primary network from unacceptable disturbance and to increase the spectrum secondary-reuse efficiency. We use dual decomposition to transform the original power allocation problem into a two-layer optimization problem. We propose a low-complexity joint power-optimizing method to maximize the transmission rate between CUs, taking into account both the individual power-transmission constraints and the combined interference power constraint of the PUs. Numerical results show that for various values of the system parameters, the proposed joint optimization method with combined PU protection is significantly better than the opportunistic spectrum access mode and other heuristic approaches.

Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis Correlates With Long COVID-19 at One-Year After Discharge

Zhang Dongmei,Zhou Yaya,Ma Yanling,Chen Ping,Tang Jian,Yang Bohan,Li Hui,Liang Mengyuan,Xue YuE,Liu Yao,Zhang Jianchu,Wang Xiaorong 대한의학회 2023 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.38 No.15

Background: Long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in recovered patients (RPs) is gradually recognized by more people. However, how long it will last and the underlining mechanism remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a prospective follow-up study to evaluate the long-term symptoms and clinical indices of RPs at one-year after discharge from Union Hospital, Wuhan, China between December 2020 to May 2021. We also performed the 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples from RPs and healthy controls (HCs) and analyzed the correlation between the gut microbiota and long COVID-19. Results: In total, 187 RPs were enrolled, among them, 84 (44.9%) RPs reported long COVID-19 symptoms at one-year after discharge. The most common long-term symptoms were cardiopulmonary symptoms, including chest tightness after activity (39/187, 20.9%), palpitations on exercise (27/187, 14.4%), sputum (21/187, 11.2%), cough (15/187, 8.0%) and chest pain (13/187, 7.0%), followed by systemic symptoms including fatigue (34/187, 18.2%) and myalgia (20/187, 10.7%), and digestive symptoms including constipation (14/187, 7.5%), anorexia (13/187, 7.0%), and diarrhea (8/187, 4.3%). Sixty-six (35.9%) RPs presented either anxiety or depression (42/187 [22.8%] and 53/187 [28.8%] respectively), and the proportion of anxiety or depression in the long symptomatic group was significantly higher than that in the asymptomatic group (41/187 [50.6%] vs. 25/187 [24.3%]). Compared with the asymptomatic group, scores of all nine 36-Item Short Form General Health Survey domains were lower in the symptomatic group (all P < 0.05). One hundred thirty RPs and 32 HCs (non-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infected subjects) performed fecal sample sequencing. Compared with HCs, symptomatic RPs had obvious gut microbiota dysbiosis including significantly reduced bacterial diversities and lower relative abundance of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing salutary symbionts such as Eubacterium_hallii_group, Subdoligranulum, Ruminococcus, Dorea, Coprococcus, and Eubacterium_ventriosum_group. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of Eubacterium_hallii_group, Subdoligranulum, and Ruminococcus showed decreasing tendencies between HCs, the asymptomatic group, and the symptomatic group. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the presence of long COVID-19 which correlates with gut microbiota dysbiosis in RPs at one-year after discharge, indicating gut microbiota may play an important role in long COVID-19.

Power Allocation in Heterogeneous Networks: Limited Spectrum-Sensing Ability and Combined Protection

Yuehuai Ma,Youyun Xu,Dongmei Zhang 한국통신학회 2011 Journal of communications and networks Vol.13 No.4

In this paper, we investigate the problemof power alloca-tion in a heterogeneous network that is composed of a pair of cog-nitive users (CUs) and an infrastructure-based primary network. Since CUs have only limited effective spectrum-sensing ability and primary users (PUs) are not active all the time in all locations and licensed bands, we set up a new multi-area model to charac-terize the heterogeneous network. A novel combined interference-avoidance policy corresponding to different PU-appearance situ-ations is introduced to protect the primary network from unac-ceptable disturbance and to increase the spectrum secondary-reuse efficiency. We use dual decomposition to transform the original power allocation problem into a two-layer optimization problem. We propose a low-complexity joint power-optimizing method to maximize the transmission rate between CUs, taking into account both the individual power-transmission constraints and the com-bined interference power constraint of the PUs. Numerical results show that for various values of the system parameters, the pro-posed joint optimization method with combined PU protection is significantly better than the opportunistic spectrum access mode and other heuristic approaches.

A Rapid and Effective Colony PCR Procedure for Screening Transformants in Several Common Mushrooms

( Yuanyuan Wang ),( Danyun Xu ),( Dongmei Liu ),( Xueyan Sun ),( Yue Chen ),( Lisheng Zheng ),( Liguo Chen ),( Aimin Ma ) 한국균학회 2019 Mycobiology Vol.47 No.3

In the post-genomic era, gene function analysis has attracted much attention. Transformation is often needed to investigate gene function. In this study, an easy, rapid, reliable, and cost-effective colony polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for screening mushroom transformants was developed: picking up a suitable amount of transformant’s tissue (1-10 lg) to 20 ll 0.25% Lywallzyme solution, and vortexing for 10 s followed by incubation at 34 ℃ for 15 min. Finally, 2 ll of the suspension was used as templates to perform PCR and single target bands were successfully amplified from respective transformants of Tremella fuciformis, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Pleurotus tuber-regium. This procedure could be widely employed for screening transformants in mushroom transformation experiments.

An Improved Total RNA Extraction Method for White Jelly Mushroom Tremella fuciformis Rich in Polysaccharides

( Hanyu Zhu ),( Xueyan Sun ),( Dongmei Liu ),( Liesheng Zheng ),( Liguo Chen ),( Aimin Ma ) 한국균학회 2017 Mycobiology Vol.45 No.4

An improved method for extracting high quality and quantity RNA from a jelly mushroom and a dimorphic fungus―Tremella fuciformis which is especially rich in polysaccharides, is described. RNA was extracted from T. fuciformis mycelium M1332 and its parental monokaryotic yeast-like cells Y13 and Y32. The A260/280 and A260/230 ratios were both approximately 2, and the RNA integrity number was larger than 8.9. The yields of RNA were between 108 and 213 μg/g fresh wt. Downstream molecular applications including reverse transcriptional PCR and quantitative real-time PCR were also performed. This protocol is reliable and may be widely applicable for total RNA extraction from other jelly mushrooms or filamentous fungi rich in polysaccharides.

Phylogenetic Analysis of 16S rDNA Sequences Manifest Rumen Bacterial Diversity in Gayals (Bos frontalis) Fed Fresh Bamboo Leaves and Twigs (Sinarumdinaria)

Deng, Weidong,Wanapat, Metha,Ma, Songcheng,Chen, Jing,Xi, Dongmei,He, Tianbao,Yang, Zhifang,Mao, Huaming Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2007 Animal Bioscience Vol.20 No.7

Six male Gayal (Bos frontalis), approximately two years of age and with a mean live weight of $203{\pm}17$ kg ($mean{\pm}standard\;deviation$), were housed indoors in metabolism cages and fed bamboo (Sinarundinaria) leaves and twigs. After an adjustment period of 24 days of feeding the diet, samples of rumen liquor were obtained for analyses of bacteria in the liquor. The diversity of rumen bacteria was investigated by constructing a 16S rDNA clone library. A total of 147 clones, comprising nearly full length sequences (with a mean length of 1.5 kb) were sequenced and submitted to an on-line similarity search and phylogenetic analysis. Using the criterion of 97% or greater similarity with the sequences of known bacteria, 17 clones were identified as Ruminococcus albus, Butyrivibrio fibrosolvens, Quinella ovalis, Clostridium symbiosium, Succiniclasticum ruminis, Selenomonas ruminantium and Allisonella histaminiformans, respectively. A further 22 clones shared similarity ranging from 90-97% with known bacteria but the similarity in sequences for the remaining 109 clones was less than 90% of those of known bacteria. Using a phylogenetic analysis it was found that the majority of the clones identified (57.1%) were located in the low G+C subdivision, with most of the remainder (42.2% of clones) located in the Cytophage-Flexibacter-Bacteroides (CFB) phylum and one clone (0.7%) was identified as a Spirochaete. It was apparent that Gayal have a large and diverse range of bacteria in the rumen liquor which differ from those of cattle and other ruminants. This may explain the greater live weights of Gayal, compared to cattle, grazing in the harsh natural environments in which Gayal are located naturally.

Linking the gut microbiota to persistent symptoms in survivors of COVID-19 after discharge

Zhou Yaya,Zhang Jianchu,Zhang Dongmei,Ma Wan-Li,Wang Xiaorong 한국미생물학회 2021 The journal of microbiology Vol.59 No.10

Several follow-up studies have found that COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) patients had persistent symptoms after discharge. Gut microbiota play an important role in human health and immune responses. Therefore, this study investigated the gut microbiota of recovered COVID-19 patients and the correlations between gut microbiota and persistent symptoms after discharge. Stool samples were collected from 15 recovered healthcare workers (HCWs) with COVID-19 at three months after discharge, in addition, stool samples were collected from 14 healthy controls (HCs) to perform 16S rRNA gene sequencing between May and July 2020. Compared with HCs, recovered HCWs had reduced bacterial diversity at three months after discharge, with a significantly higher relative abundance of opportunistic pathogens, and a significantly lower relative abundance of beneficial bacteria. In addition, Escherichia unclassified was positively correlated with persistent symptoms at three months after discharge, including fatigue (r = 0.567, p = 0.028), chest tightness after activity (r = 0.687, p = 0.005), and myalgia (r = 0.523, p = 0.045). Intestinibacter bartlettii was positively correlated with anorexia (r = 0.629, p = 0.012) and fatigue (r = 0.545, p = 0.036). However, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii was negatively correlated with chest tightness after activity (r = -0.591, p = 0.02), and Intestinimonas butyriciproducens was negatively correlated with cough (r = -0.635, p = 0.011). In conclusion, the gut microbiota of recovered HCWs with COVID-19 at three months after discharge was different from that of HCs, and altered gut microbiota was correlated with persistent symptoms after discharge, highlighting that gut microbiota may play an important role in the recovery of patients with COVID-19.