Inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome attenuates spiral ganglion neuron degeneration in aminoglycoside-induced hearing loss

Aminoglycosides are a widely used class of antibacterials renowned for their effectiveness and broad antimicrobial spectrum.However,their use leads to irreversible hearing damage by causing apoptosis of hair cells as their direct target.In addition,the hearing damage caused by aminoglycosides involves damage of spiral ganglion neurons upon exposure.To investigate the mechanisms underlying spiral ganglion neuron degeneration induced by aminoglycosides,we used a C57BL/6J mouse model treated with kanamycin.We found that the mice exhibited auditory deficits following the acute loss of outer hair cells.Spiral ganglion neurons displayed hallmarks of pyroptosis and exhibited progressive degeneration over time.Transcriptomic profiling of these neurons showed significant upregulation of genes associated with inflammation and immune response,particularly those related to the NLRP3 inflammasome.Activation of the canonical pyroptotic pathway in spiral ganglion neurons was observed,accompanied by infiltration of macrophages and the release of proinflammatory cytokines.Pharmacological intervention targeting NLRP3 using Mcc950 and genetic intervention using NLRP3 knockout ameliorated spiral ganglion neuron degeneration in the injury model.These findings suggest that NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis plays a role in aminoglycoside-induced spiral ganglion neuron degeneration.Inhibition of this pathway may offer a potential therapeutic strategy for treating sensorineural hearing loss by reducing spiral ganglion neuron degeneration.

Performance analysis of single-focus phase singularity based on elliptical reflective annulus quadrangle-element coded spiral zone plates

Optical vortices generated by the conventional vortex lens are usually disturbed by the undesired higher-order foci,which may lead to additional artifacts and thus degrade the contrast sensitivity. In this work, we propose an efficient methodology to combine the merit of elliptical reflective zone plates(ERZPs) and the advantage of spiral zone plates(SZPs) in establishing a specific single optical element, termed elliptical reflective annulus quadrangle-element coded spiral zone plates(ERAQSZPs) to generate single-focus phase singularity. Differing from the abrupt reflectance of the ERZPs, a series of randomly distributed nanometer apertures are adopted to realize the sinusoidal reflectance. Typically, according to our physical design, the ERAQSZPs are fabricated on a bulk substrate;therefore, the new idea can significantly reduce the difficulty in the fabrication process. Based on the Kirchhoff diffraction theory and convolution theorem, the focusing performance of ERAQSZPs is calculated. The results reveal that apart from the capability of generating optical vortices,ERAQSZPs can also integrate the function of focusing, energy selection, higher-order foci elimination, as well as high spectral resolution together. In addition, the focusing properties can be further improved by appropriately adjusting the parameters, such as zone number and the size of the consisted primitives. These findings are expected to direct a new direction toward improving the performance of optical capture, x-ray fluorescence spectra, and forbidden transition.

Transportation and sealing pattern of the temporary plugging ball at the spiral perforation in the horizontal well section

Multistage fracturing of horizontal wells is a critical technology for unconventional oil and gas reservoir stimulation. Ball-throwing temporary plugging fracturing is a new method for realizing uniform fracturing along horizontal wells and plays an important role in increasing oil and gas production. However,the transportation and sealing law of temporary plugging balls(TPBs) in the perforation section of horizontal wells is still unclear. Using COMSOL computational fluid dynamics and a particle tracking module, we simulate the transportation process of TPBs in a horizontal wellbore and analyse the effects of the ball density, ball diameter, ball number, fracturing fluid injection rate, and viscosity on the plugging efficiency of TPB transportation. This study reveals that when the density of TPBs is close to that of the fracturing fluid and a moderate diameter of the TPB is used, the plugging efficiency can be substantially enhanced. The plugging efficiency is greater when the TPB number is close to twice the number of perforations and is lower when the number of TPBs is three times the number of perforations.Adjusting the fracturing fluid injection rate from low to high can control the position of the TPBs,improving plugging efficiency. As the viscosity of the fracturing fluid increases, the plugging efficiency of the perforations decreases near the borehole heel and increases near the borehole toe. In contrast, the plugging efficiency of the central perforation is almost unaffected by the fracturing fluid viscosity. This study can serve as a valuable reference for establishing the parameters for temporary plugging and fracturing.

Tool Path Planning with Confined Scallop Height Error Using Optimal Connected Fermat Spirals

In CNC machining,the tool path planning of the cutter plays an important role.In this paper,we generate a space-filling and continuous tool path for free-form surface represented by the triangular mesh with a confined scallop height.The tool path is constructed from connected Fermat spirals(CFS)but with fewer inflection points.Comparing with the newly developed CFS method,only about half of the number of inflection points are involved.Moreover,the kinematic constraints are simultaneously taken into account to increase the feedrates in machining.Finally,we use a micro-line trajectory technique to smooth the tool path.Experimental results and physical cutting tests are provided to illustrate and clarify our method.

Terahertz quasi-perfect vortex beam with integer-order and fractional-order generated by spiral spherical harmonic axicon

We propose a new method to generate terahertz perfect vortex beam with integer-order and fractional-order. A new optical diffractive element composed of the phase combination of a spherical harmonic axicon and a spiral phase plate is designed and called spiral spherical harmonic axicon. A terahertz Gaussian beam passes through the spiral spherical harmonic axicon to generate a terahertz vortex beam. When only the topological charge number carried by spiral spherical harmonic axicon increases, the ring radius of terahertz vortex beam increases slightly, so the beam is shaped into a terahertz quasi-perfect vortex beam. Importantly, the terahertz quasi-perfect vortex beam can carry not only integer-order topological charge number but also fractional-order topological charge number. This is the first time that vortex beam and quasi-perfect vortex beam with fractional-order have been successfully realized in terahertz domain and experiment.

Motorized spiral enteroscopy:A cautious step forward in technological innovation

With the continuous advancement in medical technology,endoscopy has gained significant attention as a crucial diagnostic tool.The introduction of motorized spiral enteroscopy(MSE)represents a significant advancement in the diagnosis and treatment of small bowel diseases.While there are safety concerns and a high reliance on the operator’s skills,MSE should not be disregarded entirely.Instead,it should be considered as a supplementary endoscopic technique,particularly in situations where conventional endoscopy proves ineffective.Through continuous research and technical optimization,MSE has the potential to become an im-portant addition to the endoscopy toolbox in the future.We call on colleagues in the industry to work together to promote the improvement of MSE technology through continuous research and practice,with the aim to bring out its unique value in endoscopy while ensuring patient safety.

Therapeutic Smart Insole Technology with Archimedean Algorithmic Spiral Triboelectric Nanogenerator‑Based Power System and Sensors

Clinical diagnosis and early intervention employ pedobarometry,which analyzes gait,posture,and foot health.Athletes utilize smart insoles to track step count,distance,and other parameters to improve performance.Current sensor platforms are bulky and limited to indoor or clinical environments,despite the trend of developing specialized insoles for recuperation and therapy.Hence,we presented a fully flexible,typically portable,and multi-functional insole monitoring technology powered by Archimedean algorithmic spiral TENG-based power system strictly produced from biopolymers such as bacterial cellulose,conjugate-blend of polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS),poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate(PEDOT:PSS),and more.Along with exceptional mechanical and electrical performance[current density(JSC)≈40-50μA/cm2 and power density(PD)≈500-600μW/cm2],the smart insole system exhibited good sensor-human foot interfacial analysis results,proving to be capable of biomechanical analysis of gait,posture,and many other podiatry-related conditions,albeit being soft,portable,and having compatibility potential for IoT integration.

Device-assisted enteroscopy: Are we ready to dismiss the spiral?

Motorized spiral enteroscopy(MSE)is the latest advance in device-assisted enteroscopy.Adverse events related to MSE were discussed in a recent large systematic review and meta-analysis and were directly compared with those of balloon enteroscopy in a case-matched study and a randomized controlled trial.Following the real-life application of MSE,an unexpected safety issue emerged regarding esophageal injury and the technique has been withdrawn from the global market,despite encouraging results in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic yield.We conducted an Italian multicenter real-life prospective study,which was prematurely terminated after the withdrawal of MSE from the market.The primary goals were the evaluation of MSE performance(both diagnostic and therapeutic)and its safety in routine endoscopic practice,particularly in the early phase of introduction in the endoscopic unit.A subanalysis,which involved patients who underwent MSE after unsuccessful balloon enteroscopy,demonstrated,for the first time,the promising performance of MSE as a rescue procedure.Given its remarkable performance in clinical practice and its potential role as a backup technique following a previously failed enteroscopy,it may be more appropriate to refine and enhance MSE in the future rather than completely abandoning it.

Study on the Relationship between Structural Aspects and Aerodynamic Characteristics of Archimedes Spiral Wind Turbines

A combined experimental and numerical research study is conducted to investigate the complex relationship between the structure and the aerodynamic performances of an Archimedes spiral wind turbine(ASWT).Two ASWTs are considered,a prototypical version and an improved version.It is shown that the latter achieves the best aerodynamic performance when the spread angles at the three sets of blades areα_(1)=30°,α_(2)=55°,α3=60°,respectively and the blade thickness is 4 mm.For a velocity V=10 m/s,a tip speed ratio(TSR)=1.58 and 2,the maximum CP values are 0.223 and 0.263 for the prototypical ASWT and improved ASWT,respectively,and the maximum C_(P) enhancement is 17.93%.For V=10 m/s and TSR=2,the CP values of the prototypical ASWT and improved ASWT are 0.225 and 0.263,respectively,with an aerodynamic performance enhancement of 16.88%.Through mutual verification of the test outcomes and numerical results,it is concluded that the proposed approach can effectively lead to aerodynamic performance improvement.

Fusion of Spiral Convolution-LSTM for Intrusion Detection Modeling

Aiming at the problems of low accuracy and slow convergence speed of current intrusion detection models,SpiralConvolution is combined with Long Short-Term Memory Network to construct a new intrusion detection model.The dataset is first preprocessed using solo thermal encoding and normalization functions.Then the spiral convolution-Long Short-Term Memory Network model is constructed,which consists of spiral convolution,a two-layer long short-term memory network,and a classifier.It is shown through experiments that the model is characterized by high accuracy,small model computation,and fast convergence speed relative to previous deep learning models.The model uses a new neural network to achieve fast and accurate network traffic intrusion detection.The model in this paper achieves 0.9706 and 0.8432 accuracy rates on the NSL-KDD dataset and the UNSWNB-15 dataset under five classifications and ten classes,respectively.

Effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging and spiral computed tomography in the staging and treatment prognosis of colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)is a prevalent cancer type in clinical settings;its early signs can be difficult to detect,which often results in late-stage diagnoses in many patients.The early detection and diagnosis of CRC are crucial for improving treatment success and patient survival rates.Recently,imaging techniques have been hypothesized to be essential in managing CRC,with magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and spiral computed tomography(SCT)playing a significant role in enhancing diagnostic and treatment approaches.AIM To explore the effectiveness of MRI and SCT in the preoperative staging of CRC and the prognosis of laparoscopic treatment.METHODS Ninety-five individuals admitted to Zhongshan Hospital Xiamen University underwent MRI and SCT and were diagnosed with CRC.The precision of MRI and SCT for the presurgical classification of CRC was assessed,and pathological staging was used as a reference.Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of blood volume,blood flow,time to peak,permeability surface,blood reflux constant,volume transfer constant,and extracellular extravascular space volume fraction on the prognosis of patients with CRC.RESULTS Pathological biopsies confirmed the following CRC stages:23,23,32,and 17 at T1,T2,T3,and T4,respectively.There were 39 cases at the N0 stage,22 at N1,34 at N2,44 at M0 stage,and 51 at M1.Using pathological findings as the benchmark,the combined use of MRI and SCT for preoperative TNM staging in patients with CRC demonstrated superior sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy compared with either modality alone,with a statistically significant difference in accuracy(P<0.05).Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed the predictive values for laparoscopic treatment prognosis,as indicated by the areas under the curve for blood volume,blood flow,time to peak,and permeability surface,blood reflux constant,volume transfer constant,and extracellular extravascular space volume fraction were 0.750,0.683,0.772,0.761,0.709,0.719,and 0.910,respectively.The corresponding sensitivity and specificity values were also obtained(P<0.05).CONCLUSION MRI with SCT is effective in the clinical diagnosis of patients with CRC and is worthy of clinical promotion.

Dark Matter Density Profiles of Selected Spiral Galaxies

Understanding the dark matter distribution throughout a galaxy can provide insight into its elusive nature. Numerous density profiles, such as the Navarro, Frenk and White model, have been created in an attempt to study this distribution through analyzing orbital velocities of luminous matter and modeling dark matter distributions to explain these observations. However, we are interested in a simple model to consider the significant fluctuations in rotation curves at larger radii. Therefore, our model is much simpler compared to those previously mentioned. Our model used all the observational data available for four selected galactic rotation curves. These data present a significant variation in the orbital velocity of matter at the same distances. By running real observational data through our model, we show that the density of the dark matter within them shows real complex structure, which is not suggested by other computational models. Our aim of this paper is to model this structure and then speculate as to the cause and implications of these density fluctuations.

The Origin of the Flat Rotation Curves in Spiral Galaxies: The Hidden Roles of Glitching SMDEOs and Emission of Gravitational Waves

Supermassive DEOs (SMDEOs) are cosmologically evolved objects made of irreducible incompressible supranuclear dense superfluids: The state we consider to govern the matter inside the cores of massive neutron stars. These cores are practically trapped in false vacua, rendering their detection by outside observers impossible. Based on massive parallel computations and theoretical investigations, we show that SMDEOs at the centres of spiral galaxies that are surrounded by massive rotating torii of normal matter may serve as powerful sources for gravitational waves carrying away roughly 1042 erg/s. Due to the extensive cooling by GWs, the SMDEO-Torus systems undergo glitching, through which both rotational and gravitational energies are abruptly ejected into the ambient media, during which the topologies of the embedding spacetimes change from curved into flatter ones, thereby triggering a burst gravitational energy of order 1059 erg. Also, the effects of glitches found to alter the force balance of objects in the Lagrangian-L1 region between the central SMDEO-Torus system and the bulge, enforcing the enclosed objects to develop violent motions, that may explain the origin of the rotational curve irregularities observed in the innermost part of spiral galaxies. Our study shows that the generated GWs at the centres of galaxies, which traverse billions of objects during their outward propagations throughout the entire galaxy, lose energy due to repeatedly squeezing and stretching the objects. Here, we find that these interactions may serve as damping processes that give rise to the formation of collective forces f∝m(r)/r, that point outward, endowing the objects with the observed flat rotation curves. Our approach predicts a correlation between the baryonic mass and the rotation velocities in galaxies, which is in line with the Tully-Fisher relation. The here-presented self-consistent approach explains nicely the observed rotation curves without invoking dark matter or modifying Newtonian gravitation in the low-field approximation.

Time-Varying Mesh Stiffness Calculation and Dynamic Modeling of Spiral Bevel Gear with Spalling Defects

Time-varying mesh stiffness(TVMS)is a vital internal excitation source for the spiral bevel gear(SBG)transmission system.Spalling defect often causes decrease in gear mesh stiffness and changes the dynamic characteristics of the gear system,which further increases noise and vibration.This paper aims to calculate the TVMS and establish dynamic model of SBG with spalling defect.In this study,a novel analytical model based on slice method is proposed to calculate the TVMS of SBG considering spalling defect.Subsequently,the influence of spalling defect on the TVMS is studied through a numerical simulation,and the proposed analytical model is verified by a finite element model.Besides,an 8-degrees-of-freedom dynamic model is established for SBG transmission system.Incorporating the spalling defect into TVMS,the dynamic responses of spalled SBG are analyzed.The numerical results indicate that spalling defect would cause periodic impact in time domain.Finally,an experiment is designed to verify the proposed dynamic model.The experimental results show that the spalling defect makes the response characterized by periodic impact with the rotating frequency of spalled pinion.

水平多层spiral型地埋管数值模拟研究及换热特性分析

本文基于COMSOL软件建立了水平spiral型多层地埋管群传热三维数值模拟模型,并对其换热性能和温度场进行分析研究。结果表明:对比水平spiral多层并联管群来说,远离注入端的地埋管管内温度相对较低。地埋管群周围地层温度有所升高,远离注入端的地层温度变化相对较小。地埋管群的换热量随循环流体的流速增加而增加,但增幅降低。在进行换热器设计时,应合理控制循环水的流速。3层螺旋地埋管群的换热量略高,但层间干扰明显,建议选用2层并联螺旋管群。

儿童新型冠状病毒感染并发纵隔气肿八例影像学及临床特点研究

背景儿童新型冠状病毒感染(COVID-19)影像学与成人有一定差异,主要表现为胸膜下磨玻璃影、斑片状高密度影、实变影等,合并纵隔气肿者并不多见。大量气肿形成可严重影响呼吸及循环功能,导致明显喘憋、低氧血症,需积极处理。目的分析并总结儿童COVID-19并发纵隔气肿的影像学及临床特征。方法回顾分析2022-12-01—2023-01-30在长江大学附属荆州医院儿科住院的8例COVID-19并发纵隔气肿的患儿年龄、性别、影像学、临床特点及诊疗情况。结果8例患儿年龄3岁7个月~12岁,男女比3∶5,高分辨率CT(HRCT)均显示双肺感染合并纵隔气肿。气肿多同时累及颈部及胸壁。肺部表现多种多样:胸膜下磨玻璃影、实变、树芽征、支气管血管束增粗、支气管壁增厚及网格征等,未见大片实变及“白肺”。1例患儿合并少量胸腔积液。临床表现除有发热、咳嗽外,均有明显气促,肺部听诊干湿啰音可不显著。4例合并肺炎支原体感染、1例合并卡他布兰汉菌感染。合并肺炎支原体感染者应用阿奇霉素,合并卡他布兰汉菌感染者给予头孢噻肟治疗。8例患儿均给予氧疗。1例患儿白细胞总数及超敏C反应蛋白明显升高,明显气急,低氧血症,常规治疗无好转,给予有创呼吸机治疗3d后好转撤机。5例应用静脉丙种球蛋白(IVIG),3例使用糖皮质激素。1周后复查胸部CT,纵隔气肿均完全吸收,肺部病灶明显好转。结论COVID-19并发纵隔气肿者多为学龄前期或学龄期儿童,婴幼儿少见。可同时合并颈部及胸壁积气。肺部病变可累及间质或实质、双肺均受累,表现形式多样。起病多有明显气急,积极氧疗。白细胞计数明显升高,同时超敏C反应蛋白明显升高者,要密切关注呼吸情况,积极使用IVIG,适时适量应用糖皮质激素,必要时采用呼吸机人工辅助通气。

基于北方寒地冻土的螺旋式挖坑机设计与试验

针对目前市场上缺少适宜冻土环境作业挖坑机械的问题,以适用于北方寒地的螺旋式挖坑机为研究对象,通过测量哈尔滨的冻土参数并与硬质土壤进行对比,获得工作对象土壤参数。结合移栽白桦树苗所需穴坑尺寸,对挖坑机工作部件进行参数设计。根据运动学分析确定了升运土壤的临界转速,对挖坑机的工作参数进行分析,并得到了装置所需的功率。为便于开展试验验证,运用相似理论对试验装置和作业穴坑进行了等比例缩放,试验用钻头长度为400 mm,叶片长度为200 mm,钻尖半径为100 mm,转速大于155 r/min,动力源额定功率为4 kW。试验结果表明:当刀片组合方式为平刀-锯齿刀时,可以获得最短的挖坑时间。研究结果可为北方寒地秋冬季节冻土条件下,树苗移栽时螺旋式挖坑机的设计提供参考。

术前MSCT对胫骨平台骨折伴半月板损伤的诊断价值

目的探讨术前多层螺旋计算机断层扫描(MSCT)对胫骨平台骨折伴半月板损伤的诊断价值。方法回顾2017年1月至2022年12月聊城市第二人民医院收治的83例行胫骨平台骨折内固定术治疗病人的临床资料,术前均接受MSCT检查,以术中骨折复位内固定后即刻关节镜下所见有无发生半月板损伤为金标准分为半月板损伤组和无半月板损伤组。比较两组病人基线资料及MSCT参数,绘制受试者操作特征曲线(ROC曲线)分析MSCT参数对复杂胫骨平台骨折伴半月板损伤的诊断价值。结果83例胫骨平台骨折病人发生半月板损伤共39例(46.99%),Ⅳ型半月板损伤发生率为18.75%(3/16),低于Ⅱ型的59.52%(25/42)(P<0.05)。半月板损伤组中SchatzkerⅡ型占比高于无半月板损伤组,SchatzkerⅣ型占比及术前MSCT检测骨折切线至塌陷最低点距离、外侧髁切线至骨折块远端距离、塌陷相对面积高于低于无半月板损伤组(P<0.05)。ROC曲线分析显示,骨折切线至塌陷最低点距离、外侧髁切线至骨折块远端距离、塌陷相对面积单独及联合应用诊断胫骨平台骨折伴半月板损伤的ROC曲线下面积(AUC)(95%CI)为0.64(0.56,0.72)、0.70(0.62,0.78)、0.76(0.67,0.83)、0.89(0.83,0.94),联合应用的诊断价值高于单独应用(P<0.05)。结论术前MSCT测量胫骨平台骨折外侧髁切线至骨折块远端距离、塌陷相对面积等参数对半月板损伤的诊断有重要参考价值。

Design of Pinion Machine Tool-settings for Spiral Bevel Gears by Controlling Contact Path and Transmission Errors

This paper proposes a new approach to design pinion machine tool-settings for spiral bevel gears by controlling contact path and transmission errors. It is based on the satisfaction of contact condition of three given control points on the tooth surface. The three meshing points are controlled to be on a predesigned straight contact path that meets the pre-designed parabolic function of transmission errors. Designed separately, the magnitude of transmission errors and the orientation of the contact path are subjected to precise control. In addition, in order to meet the manufacturing requirements, we suggest to modify the values of blank offset, one of the pinion machine tool-settings, and redesign pinion ma- chine tool-settings to ensure that the magnitude and the geometry of transmission errors should not be influenced apart from minor effects on the predesigned straight contact path. The proposed approach together with its ideas has been proven by a numerical example and the manufacturing practice of a pair of spiral bevel gears.

Spiral刺绣针法的路径生成算法

Spiral刺绣针法是一种重要的刺绣针法.首先将待刺绣的区域划分成若干能够生成连续螺旋线的环状子区域,然后将这些子区域组织成一个二叉树结构,采用一个递归过程来连接各个子区域内的螺旋线,最终形成Spiral针法路径.文中算法生成的路径能够由内向外以等距的螺旋线填充任意形状多边形的连通域,并且螺旋线的形状与区域的边界相似.实验结果表明,该算法能获得较好的刺绣效果.