Flexible Bio-tensegrity Manipulator with Multi-degree of Freedom and Variable Structure

Conventional manipulators with rigid structures and sti ness actuators have poor flexibility,limited obstacle avoidance capability,and constrained workspace.Some developed flexible or soft manipulators in recent years have the characteristics of infinite degrees of freedom,high flexibility,environmental adaptability,and extended manipulation capability.However,these existing manipulators still cannot achieve the shrinking motion and independent control of specified segments like the animals,which hinders their applications.In this paper,a flexible bio-tensegrity manipulator,inspired by the longitudinal and transversal muscles of octopus tentacles,was proposed to mimic the shrinking behavior and achieve the variable motion patterns of each segment.Such proposed manipulator uses the elastic spring as the backbone,which is driven by four cables and has one variable structure mechanism in each segment to achieve the independent control of each segment.The variable structure mechanism innovatively contains seven lock-release states to independently control the bending and shrinking motion of each segment.After the kinematic modeling and analysis,one prototype of such bionic flexible manipulator was built and the open-loop control method was proposed.Some proof-of-concept experiments,including the shrinking motion,bending motion,and variable structure motion,were carried out by controlling the length of four cables and changing the lock-release states of the variable structure mechanism,which validate the feasibility and validity of our proposed prototype.Meanwhile,the experimental results show the flexible manipulator can accomplish the bending and shrinking motion with the relative error less than 6.8%through the simple independent control of each segment using the variable structure mechanism.This proposed manipulator has the features of controllable degree-of-freedom in each segment,which extend their environmental adaptability,and manipulation capability.

Dark,Beyond Deep:A Paradigm Shift to Cognitive AI with Humanlike Common Sense

Recent progress in deep learning is essentially based on a“big data for small tasks”paradigm,under which massive amounts of data are used to train a classifier for a single narrow task.In this paper,we call for a shift that flips this paradigm upside down.Specifically,we propose a“small data for big tasks”paradigm,wherein a single artificial intelligence(AI)system is challenged to develop“common sense,”enabling it to solve a wide range of tasks with little training data.We illustrate the potential power of this new paradigm by reviewing models of common sense that synthesize recent breakthroughs in both machine and human vision.We identify functionality,physics,intent,causality,and utility(FPICU)as the five core domains of cognitive AI with humanlike common sense.When taken as a unified concept,FPICU is concerned with the questions of“why”and“how,”beyond the dominant“what”and“where”framework for understanding vision.They are invisible in terms of pixels but nevertheless drive the creation,maintenance,and development of visual scenes.We therefore coin them the“dark matter”of vision.Just as our universe cannot be understood by merely studying observable matter,we argue that vision cannot be understood without studying FPICU.We demonstrate the power of this perspective to develop cognitive AI systems with humanlike common sense by showing how to observe and apply FPICU with little training data to solve a wide range of challenging tasks,including tool use,planning,utility inference,and social learning.In summary,we argue that the next generation of AI must embrace“dark”humanlike common sense for solving novel tasks.

Brain remodeling after chronic median nerve compression in a rat model

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common compressive neuropathy,presenting with sensorimotor dysfunction.In carpal tunnel syndrome patients,irregular afferent signals on functional magnetic resonance imaging are associated with changes in neural plasticity during peripheral nerve injury.However,it is difficult to obtain multi-point neuroimaging data of the brain in the clinic.In the present study,a rat model of median nerve compression was established by median nerve ligation,i.e.,carpal tunnel syndrome model.Sensory cortex remodeling was determined by functional magnetic resonance imaging between normal rats and carpal tunnel syndrome models at 2 weeks and 2 months after operation.Stimulation of bilateral paws by electricity for 30 seconds,alternating with 30 seconds of rest period（repeatedly 3 times）,resulted in activation of the contralateral sensorimotor cortex in normal rats.When carpal tunnel syndrome rats received this stimulation,the contralateral cerebral hemisphere was markedly activated at 2 weeks after operation,including the primary motor cortex,cerebellum,and thalamus.Moreover,this activation was not visible at 2 months after operation.These findings suggest that significant remodeling of the cerebral cortex appears at 2 weeks and 2 months after median nerve compression.

Structural,electronic,vibrational,and thermodynamic properties of Zr1-xHfxCo：A first-principles-based study

The physical properties including structural,electronic,vibrational and thermodynamic properties of Zr1-xHfx Co（x is the concentration of constituent element Hf,and changes from 0 to 1） are investigated in terms of the ABINIT program.The results reveal that all of Zr（1-x）Hfx Co have similar physical properties.When Hf concentration x gradually increases from 0.0 to 1.0,the lattice constant decreases from 3.217°A to 3.195°A very slowly.The calculated density of states（DOS）indicates that the metallic nature is enhanced and the electrical conductivity turns better with the increase of Hf.Moreover,as Hf concentration increases from 0 to 1,the Fermi energy gradually increases from-6.96 e V to-6.21 e V,and the electronic density of states at the Fermi level（N（Ef）） decreases from 2.795 electrons/e V f.u.down to 2.594 electrons/e V f.u.,both of which imply the decrease of chemical stability.The calculated vibrational properties show that the increase of Hf concentration from 0 to 1 causes the maximum vibrational frequency to decrease gradually from about 223 cm^-1 to 186 cm^-1,which suggests a lower dispersion gradient and lower phonon group velocities for these modes.Finally,the phonon related thermodynamic properties are obtained and discussed.

Study on Temperature Distribution of Specimens Tested on the Gleeble 3800 at Hot Forming Conditions

Taking Ti-6Al-4V specimens into consideration, the coupled thermal-electrical finite element model has been developed in Abaqus/Explicit to simulate the heating process in Gleeble 3800 and to study the temperature history and distribution in the specimen. In order to verify the finite element （FE） results, thermal tests are carried out on Gleeble 3800 for a Ti-6Al-4V specimen with a slot to in the centre of the specimen. The effects of the specimen size, heating rate, and air convection on the temperature distribution over the specimen have been investigated. The conclusions can be drawn as： the temperature gradient of the specimen decreases as the specimen size, heating rate, and vacuuming decrease.

Analysis of Action Mechanism of Fuxin Decoction on Heart Failure Based on Network Pharmacology

[Objectives]The purpose was to analyze and predict the mechanism of Fuxin decoction in the treatment of heart failure based on network pharmacology.[Methods]Relevant tools and methods of network pharmacology were used to obtain the active ingredients and action targets of Fuxin decoction and action targets of heart failure,find out the key targets and core clusters of Fuxin decoction on heart failure,and analyze related signal pathways,to explore possible molecular mechanisms.[Results]A total of 53 active ingredients and 224 action targets of Fuxin decoction,1010 heart failure-related target genes,and 94 drug-disease directly acting targets were obtained.From the PPI network constructed,225 key targets and a core cluster composed of 56 nodes and 297 interactions were screened out.Association with tumors,glutamate synapse and other related pathways and related genes such as adenylate cyclase and MAPK were known.[Conclusions]The mechanism of Fuxin decoction in the treatment of heart failure is related toβARs-G protein-adenylate cyclase,PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and HSP90,MAPK and other proteins.

First Principles Investigation of the Structure and Properties of Superconducting Cubic Protactinium Hydride PaH3

Cubic protactinium hydrides are very important existing form in superconducting protactinium hydrogen series. In this work, the ground state structure and properties of cubic PaH3 have been studied using the DFT + U method. This systematic study for two bulk properties includes the electronic structures, phonon dispersion curves, structural, mechanical and thermodynamic properties under the effective coulomb U and exchange J PBE + U parameters. Structural relaxation results show that the Pa-H and Pa-Pa distances in α-PaH3 are significantly higher than that in β-PaH3, and the H-H distances in α-PaH3 are slightly smaller than that in β-PaH3. For the ground state electronic structures of α-PaH3 and β-PaH3, we found that α-PaH3 and β-PaH3 are metallic, and the protactinium 5f electronic states and hydrogen have obvious bonding effect, resulting in weakening of the material’s metallicity. This is consistent with observations for the other actinide hydrides such as ThH3 and UH3. The phonon spectrum calculations reveal that the PBE and PBE + U methods give quite different frequencies for the optical branches of phonons of α-PaH3 and β-PaH3. In addition, by including the vibrational entropy and the ZPE using the phonon frequencies obtained from the optimized unit cells we predict that the β-PaH3 phase can not transit into α-PaH3 phase above room temperature.

Life-Cycle Bearing Capacity for Pre-Stressed T-beams Based on Full-Scale Destructive Test

To investigate the evolution of load-bearing characteristics of pre-stressed beams throughout their service life and to provide a basis for accurately assessing the actual working state of damaged pre-stressed concrete T-beams,destructive tests were conducted on full-scale pre-stressed concrete beams.Based on the measurement and ana-lysis of beam deflection,strain,and crack development under various loading levels during the research tests,combined with the verification coefficient indicators specified in the codes,the verification coefficients of bridges at different stages of damage can be examined.The results indicate that the T-beams experience complete,incom-plete linear,and non-linear stages during the destructive test process.In the complete linear elastic stage,both the deflection and bottom strain verification coefficients comply with the specifications,indicating a good structural load-bearing capacity no longer adheres to the code’s requirements.In the non-linear stage,both coefficients exhi-bit a sharp increase,resulting in a further decrease in the structure’s load-bearing capacity.According to the pro-visions of the current code,the beam can be in the incomplete linear stage when both values fall within the code’s specified range.The strain verification coefficient sourced from the compression zone at the bottom of theflange is not recommended for assessing the bridge’s load-bearing capacity.

Preclinical safety evaluation of WangShiBaoChiWan

Wang Shi Bao Chi Wan(WSBCW)is a traditional Chinese medicine with a recorded administration history of more than 180 years.In the present study,the preclinical safety of WSBCW was evaluated the preclinical safety of WSBCW using a toxicity test,which consisted of an administration period of 28 d and a recovery period of 15 d.During the test,male and female SD rats were administered the medicine once a day by oral gavage,at a dose of 60 mg/kg/day,600 mg/kg/day,or 1500 mg/kg/day.As a reference medicine,mosapride citrate was administered at a dose of 37.5 mg/kg/day,which was clinically equivalent to the high-dosage treatment of WSBCW.With all the dosage groups,statistically,no adverse effect was observed in terms of clinical observation,food intake,body weights,organ coefficient,blood biochemistry,and histopathology examination.No intestinal melanosis was observed in the rats.When the data were examined animal by animal,test substance-related adverse effects were found with the high-dosage rats in hematology assay.The deranged,however,reversible changes suggested a compromised intestinal barrier,which was also observed with in mosapride citrate-treated rats.In addition to the histopathology assay,molecular toxicology was explored using high-throughput gene sequencing.No evident toxicity was revealed.In summary,administration of WSBCW was well tolerated within a treatment of 28 d.

An FPS-ZM1-encapsulated zeolitic imidazolate framework as a dual proangiogenic drug delivery system for diabetic wound healing

Inhibitors that target diabetes pathology-related signaling pathways have great therapeutic potential for diabetic wound healing.Metal–organic frameworks(MOFs)are increasingly popular drug delivery systems that have high loading capacity and can release their intrinsic metal ions to act as bioactive agents.In light of this,a receptor for advanced glycation end products(RAGE)inhibitor,4-chloro-N-cyclohexyl-N-(phenylmethyl)-benzamide(FPS-ZM1),was loaded into a cobalt(Co)-based MOF(zeolitic imidazolate framework-67,ZIF-67)to fabricate FPS-ZM1 encapsulated ZIF-67(FZ@ZIF-67)nanoparticles(NPs).As a result,FZ@ZIF-67 NPs could dually deliver Co ions and FPS-ZM1 in a controlled manner for over 14 days.Our in vitro study showed that FZ@ZIF-67 NPs not only enhanced angiogenesis by delivering Co ions but also released FPS-ZM1 to promote M2 macrophage polarization and attenuated high glucose(HG)-and/or inflammation-induced impairment of angiogenesis through RAGE inhibition.Moreover,in an in vivo study,FZ@ZIF-67 NPs markedly improved re-epithelialization,collagen deposition,neovascularization,and relieved inflammation in diabetic wounds in rats.This study not only provides a low-cost,effective,and synergistic proangiogenic bioactive agent but also demonstrates that targeting diabetes-related pathological signaling pathways is necessary to ameliorate vascularization impairment during diabetic wound healing.

A boronate-modified renewable nanointerface for ultrasensitive electrochemical assay of cellulase activity

The saccharification of cellulosic biomass to produce biofuels and chemicals is one of the most promising industries for gree n-power production and sustainable development.Cellulase is the core component in the saccharification process.Simple and efficient assay method to determine cellulase activity in saccharification is thus highly required.In this work,a boronate-affinity surface based renewable and ultrasensitive electrochemical sensor for cellulase activity determination has been fabricated.Through bo ronate-sugar interaction,celluloses are attached to the electrode surface,forming the cellulose na nonetwork at the sensing interface.Cellulase degradation can lead to the variation of electrochemical impedance.Thus,electrochemical impedance signal can reflect the cellulase activity.Importantly,via fully utilizing the boronate-affinity chemistry that enables reversible fabrication of cellulose nanonetwork,a renewable sensing surface has been firstly constructed for cellulase activity assay.Thanks to interfacial diffusion process of electrochemical sensor,the product inhibitory effect in the cellulase activity assays can be circumvented.The proposed electrochemical sensor is ultrasensitive for label-free cellulase activity detection with a very simple fabrication process,showing great potential for activity screen of new enzymes in saccharification conversion.

儿童烟雾病的临床特征、手术治疗及疗效分析

目的分析儿童烟雾病(MMD)的临床特征、手术治疗及疗效。方法回顾性分析2017年6月至2020年6月河南省人民医院收治的17例3~14岁的MMD患儿。17例患儿共27侧病变,其中26侧行脑-硬膜-肌肉-血管融通术(EDMS),1侧行保守治疗。术后6个月对患儿进行临床随访。采用磁共振血管造影(MRA)或数字减影血管造影(DSA)和核磁共振灌注成像(PWI)或动脉自旋标记(ASL)评估患儿术后远期脑血运重建;采用改良Rankin量表评分(mRS)评估患儿神经功能恢复情况。结果术后6个月MRA或DSA显示,26侧出现颈外动脉系统向脑皮质代偿供血,PWI或ASL显示脑灌注缺血情况明显改善;24侧(92.3%)术后患儿神经功能缺损症状得到改善,2侧(7.7%)术后患儿症状稳定,未再出现新发的神经功能缺损症状。3侧术后患儿出现一过性癫痫发作,1侧术后出现头皮局部坏死,无脑梗死和脑出血等严重并发症出现。术后6个月17例患儿的mRS评分为(0.2±0.4)分。结论儿童MMD临床特征和影像学表现与成人MMD存在差异,采用EDMS治疗儿童MMD较安全,可以明显改善脑灌注情况,短期随访效果较好。

An annually laminated stalagmite from the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau provides evidence of climate instability during the early MIS5e in the Asian summer monsoon

The Marine Isotope Stage(MIS5e)is characterized by a warmer climate than that of the pre-industrial period,and serves as an analog for the Current Warm Period(CWP).However,uncertainties persist regarding its climatic stability.Here,we retrieved a stalagmite(WXB075)from Wanxiang Cave in the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,and employed abs-olute^(230)Th dating and relative annual layer data to establish a high-precision chronological framework for reconstructing the history of the Asian summer monsoon(ASM)and environmental evolution during early MIS5e with multiple proxies.The findings indicate that the annually laminated stalagmite was formed during Cooling Event 27(C27).The deposition of WXB075 experienced a hiatus(~125.58 ka BP)due to a significant cooling event in the North Atlantic,which may be linked to the unstable climate in the Northern Hemisphere.Additionally,the impact of meltwater discharge in high northern latitudes results in a two-phase evolution of the ASM,i.e.,an initial weaker stage followed by a gradual increase(with exception of deposition hiatus).The climatic instability of ASM is generally characterized by a quasi-60 year cycle that affects vegetation conditions,biological productivity,and karst hydroclimate dynamics.However,the increase in meltwater and decrease in temperature in the Northern Hemisphere have led to a weakened ASM and subsequent reduction in precipitation.Consequently,vegetation degradation above the cave has occurred along with a slowdown of karst hydroclimate.The vegetation conditions,organic matter content,and wet/drought of the karst hydroclimate were affected by both the large-scale monsoon circulation and local environment during extreme weakening(strengthening)of the monsoon when high-frequency climatic events of ASM occurred.A comparison ofδ^(18)O records between early MIS5e and the past 2000 years reveals that the climate during early MIS5e differed significantly from that of CWP,Medieval Warm Period(MWP),and Dark Age Cold Period(DACP)but was similar to Little Ice Age(LIA).Comparison with other geological records from the Northern Hemisphere indicates that climate instability was a widespread phenomenon during MIS5e.The power spectrum analysis of WXB075δ^(18)O reveals significant quasi-60 and 35 a cycles during the early MIS5e,which is consistent with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO).The comprehensive results demonstrate that the ASM in the early MIS5e was closely linked to solar activity,Intertropical Convergence Zone(ITCZ)position,and Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation(AMOC).

The antioxidant methyl gallate inhibits fungal growth and deoxynivalenol production in Fusarium graminearum

Production of the Fusarium toxin deoxynivalenol(DON)is associated with oxidative stress and has been indicated to be part of an adaptive response to oxidative stress in the important wheat fungus Fusarium graminearum.In this study,we found that the antioxidant methyl gallate(MG)displays inhibitory effects against mycelial growth,conidial formation and germination,and DON biosynthesis in F.graminearum in a dose-dependent manner.Treatment with 0.05%(w/v)MG resulted in an abnormal swollen conidial morphology.The expression of the TRI genes involved in DON biosynthesis was significantly reduced,and the induction of Tri1-GFP green fluorescence signals in the spherical and crescent-shaped toxisomes was abolished in the MG-treated mycelium.RNA-Seq analysis of MG-treated F.graminearum showed that 0.5%(w/v)MG inhibited DON production by possibly altering membrane functions and oxidoreductase activities.Coupled with the observations that MG treatment decreases catalase,POD and SOD activity in F.graminearum.The results of this study indicated that MG displays antifungal activity against DON production by modulating its oxidative response.Taken together,the current study revealed the potential of MG in inhibiting mycotoxins in F.graminearum.

The pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 2(PDK2)is associated with conidiation,mycelial growth,and pathogenicity in Fusarium graminearum

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase(PDK)is a mitochondrial enzyme in a variety of eukaryotes,including the plant pathogen Fusarium graminearum.This enzyme can reduce the oxidation of glucose to acetyl-coA by phosphorylation and selectively inhibits the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase(PDH),which is a kind of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex(PDC).In this study,we investigated the F.graminearum pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase encoded by FgPDK2,which is a homologue of Neurospora crassa PDK2.The disruption of the FgPDK2 gene led to several phenotypic defects including effects on mycelial growth,conidiation,pigmentation,and pathogenicity.The mutants also showed decreased resistance to osmotic stress and cell membrane/wall-damaging agents.The FgPDK2 deletion mutant exhibited reduced virulence.All of these defects were restored by genetic complementation of the mutant with the complete FgPDK2 gene.Overall,the results demonstrated that FgPDK2 is crucial for the growth of F.graminearum and can be exploited as a potential molecular target for novel fungicides to control Fusarium head blight caused by F.graminearum.