Contribution of mechanical forces to structural synaptic plasticity:insights from 3D cellular motility mechanisms

Cells,tissues,and organs are constantly subjected to the action of mechanical forces from the extracellular environment-and the nervous system is no exception.Cell-intrinsic properties such as membrane lipid composition,abundance of mechanosensors,and cytoskeletal dynamics make cells more or less likely to sense these forces.Intrinsic and extrinsic cues are integrated by cells and this combined information determines the rate and dynamics of membrane protrusion growth or retraction(Yamada and Sixt,2019).Cell protrusions are extensions of the plasma membrane that play crucial roles in diverse contexts such as cell migration and neuronal synapse formation.In the nervous system,neurons are highly dynamic cells that can change the size and number of their pre-and postsynaptic elements(called synaptic boutons and dendritic spines,respectively),in response to changes in the levels of synaptic activity through a process called plasticity.Synaptic plasticity is a hallmark of the nervous system and is present throughout our lives,being required for functions like memory formation or the learning of new motor skills(Minegishi et al.,2023;Pillai and Franze,2024).

Decoding molecular mechanisms:brain aging and Alzheimer's disease

The complex morphological,anatomical,physiological,and chemical mechanisms within the aging brain have been the hot topic of research for centuries.The aging process alters the brain structure that affects functions and cognitions,but the worsening of such processes contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders,such as Alzheimer's disease.Beyond these observable,mild morphological shifts,significant functional modifications in neurotransmission and neuronal activity critically influence the aging brain.Understanding these changes is important for maintaining cognitive health,especially given the increasing prevalence of age-related conditions that affect cognition.This review aims to explore the age-induced changes in brain plasticity and molecular processes,differentiating normal aging from the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease,thereby providing insights into predicting the risk of dementia,particularly Alzheimer's disease.

Pyroptosis,ferroptosis,and autophagy in spinal cord injury:regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic targets

Regulated cell death is a form of cell death that is actively controlled by biomolecules.Several studies have shown that regulated cell death plays a key role after spinal cord injury.Pyroptosis and ferroptosis are newly discovered types of regulated cell deaths that have been shown to exacerbate inflammation and lead to cell death in damaged spinal cords.Autophagy,a complex form of cell death that is interconnected with various regulated cell death mechanisms,has garnered significant attention in the study of spinal cord injury.This injury triggers not only cell death but also cellular survival responses.Multiple signaling pathways play pivotal roles in influencing the processes of both deterioration and repair in spinal cord injury by regulating pyroptosis,ferroptosis,and autophagy.Therefore,this review aims to comprehensively examine the mechanisms underlying regulated cell deaths,the signaling pathways that modulate these mechanisms,and the potential therapeutic targets for spinal cord injury.Our analysis suggests that targeting the common regulatory signaling pathways of different regulated cell deaths could be a promising strategy to promote cell survival and enhance the repair of spinal cord injury.Moreover,a holistic approach that incorporates multiple regulated cell deaths and their regulatory pathways presents a promising multi-target therapeutic strategy for the management of spinal cord injury.

Design and Experimental Research on Seedling Pick-Up Mechanism of Planetary Gear Train with Combined Non-circular Gear Transmission

Currently, transplanting mechanisms for dryland plug seedlings in China are mainly semiautomatic and have low efficiency. The rotary seedling pick-up mechanism with a planetary gear train for non-uniform intermittent transmission, and a concave and convex locking arc device, has a large rigid impact. To solve these problems, according to the design requirements for a dryland plug seedling transplanting mechanism, a rotary seedling pick-up mechanism of a planetary gear train with combined non-circular gear transmission of incomplete eccentric circular and noncircular gears was proposed. This has the characteristics of two-times greater fluctuation of the transmission ratio in a cycle, and can achieve a non-uniform continuous drive. Through analysis of the working principle of the seedling pick-up mechanism, its kinematics model was established. The human–computer interaction optimization method and self-developed computer-aided analysis and optimization software were used to obtain a set of parameters that satisfy the operation requirements of the seedling pick-up mechanism. According to the optimized parameters, the structure of the seedling pick-up mechanism was designed, a virtual prototype of the mechanism was created, and a physical prototype was manufactured. A virtual motion simulation of the mechanism was performed, high-speed photographic kinematics tests were conducted, and the kinematic properties of the physical prototype were investigated, whereby the correctness of the theoretical model and the optimized design of the mechanism were verified. Further, laboratory seedling pick-up tests were conducted. The success ratio of seedling pick-up was 93.8% when the seedling pick-up efficiency of the mechanism was 60 plants per minute per row, indicating that the mechanism has a high efficiency and success ratio for seedling pick-up and can be applied to a dryland plug seedling transplanter.

Design of Vegetable Pot Seedling Pick‑up Mechanism with Planetary Gear Train

It has been challenging to design seedling pick-up mechanism based on given key points and trajectories,because it involves dimensional synthesis and rod length optimization.In this paper,the dimensional synthesis of seedling pickup mechanism with planetary gear train was studied based on the data of given key points and the trajectory of the endpoint of seedling pick-up mechanism.Given the positions and orientations requirements of the five key points,the study first conducted a dimensional synthesis of the linkage size and center of rotation.The next steps were to select a reasonable solution and optimize the data values based on the ideal seedling trajectory.The link motion was driven by the planetary gear train of the two-stage gear.Four pitch curves of noncircular gears were obtained by calculating and distributing the transmission ratio according to the data.For the pitch curve with two convex points,the tooth profile design method of incomplete noncircular gear was applied.The seedling pick-up mechanism was tested by a virtual prototype and a physical prototype designed with the obtained parameter values.The results were consistent with the theoretical design requirements,confirming that the mechanism meets the expected requirements for picking seedlings up.This paper presents a new design method of vegetable pot seedling pick-up mechanism for an automatic vegetable transplanter.

Automatic Scallion Seedling Feeding Mechanism with an Asymmetrical High-order Transmission Gear Train

The current automatic scallion-transplanting machine is a complicated mechanism composed of two linkage mechanisms and two band carriers.It delivers seedlings ine ciently because of the movement limitations of the linkage mechanism.This paper proposes a new high-order non-circular gear train for an automatic scallion-seedling feeding mechanism.The proposed gear train has an asymmetrical transmission ratio;i.e.,its transmission ratio varies.This allows the mechanism’s execution component to move in a long displacement and rotate in a large rotation angle.The long displacement enables the execution component to reach the designed working position,and the large rotation angle allows it to feed a scallion in the required pose.A mathematical model for calculating the asymmetrical transmission ratio was established according to the closure requirements and the full-cycle motion of the driven gear pitch curve.Then,the parameter-design model of the new seedling-feeding mechanism was established,based on precise pose points and trajectory-shape control points.Moreover,an aided-design program was developed to obtain the parameter-solution domain of the scallion-seedling feeding mechanism.The mechanism parameters,which met the seedling-feeding function,were optimized to determine the transmission ratio,using a program and a kinematic simulation.Finally,a prototype of the mechanism was produced,and a seedling-feeding experiment was carried out.One-thousand seedlings were tested at a rate of 100 seedlings per minute,and the statistical success rate was 93.4%.Thus,the automatic scallion-seedling feeding mechanism significantly improves the e ciency of automatically transplanting scallions.

Kinematic Modeling and Characteristic Analysis of Eccentric Conjugate Non-circular Gear & Crank-Rocker & Gears Train Weft Insertion Mechanism

A novel weft insertion mechanism named eccentric conjugate non-circular gear & crank-rocker & gears train weft insertion mechanism was proposed in order to better meet the requirements of rapier loom's weft insertion mechanism as well as reduce the manufacturing difficulty. Meanwhile, based on the working principle of this mechanism, kinematical mathematic models of this mechanism were established and an aided analysis and simulation software was compiled. The influences of eccentricity ratio, deformation coefficient, and other important parameters on the kinematics characteristics of this mechanism were analyzed by using the software. A group of preferable parameters which could meet the requirements of weft insertion technology were obtained by means of human-computer interactive optimization method. The maximum velocity, maximum acceleration, and variation of acceleration of this mechanism are smaller than those of the conjugate cam weft insertion mechanism applied on TT96 rapier loom under the conditions of the same unilateral total stroke of rapier head and the same rotary speed of loom spindle; meanwhile the other demands of weaving technology can be met by this novel weft insertion mechanism.

Mathematical Model and Geometrical Model of Double Pitch ZN-type Worm Gear Set Based on Generation Mechanism

The current researches on the tooth surface mathematical equations and the theory of gearing mainly pay attention to the ordinary type worm gear set（e.g., ZN, ZA, or ZK）. The research of forming mechanism and three-dimensional modeling method for the double pitch worm gear set is not enough. So there are some difficulties in mathematical model deducing and geometry modeling of double pitch ZN-type worm gear set based on generation mechanism. In order to establish the mathematical model and the precise geometric model of double pitch ZN-type worm gear set, the structural characteristics and generation mechanism of the double pitch ZN-type worm gear set are investigated. Mathematical model of the ZN-type worm gear set is derived based on its generation mechanism and the theory of gearing. According to the mathematical model of the worm gear set which has been developed, a geometry modeling method of the double pitch ZN-type worm and worm gear is presented. Furthermore, a geometrical precision calculate method is proposed to evaluate the geometrical quality of the double pitch worm gear set. As a result, the maximum error is less than 6′10–4 mm in magnitude, thus the model of the double pitch ZN-type worm gear set is available to meet the requirements of finite element analysis and engineering application. The derived mathematical model and the proposed geometrical modeling method are helpful to guiding the design, manufacture and contact analysis of the worm gear set.

Design and Experiment of Non-circular Combined Gear Train Beating-up Mechanism

The most important performance of a beating-up mechanism is that the dwelling time of the sley must ensure the completion of the weft insertion. To meet this requirement, a new non-circular combined gear train beating-up mechanism which is composed of two-stage planetary gear trains is proposed. The first-stage is a Fourier planetary gear train and the second-stage is a non-circular planetary gear train. For designing of this new mechanism, the ideal kinematic equations of the sley are constructed first. Then the kinematic model of the first-stage Fourier planetary gear train is established and the reverse solution for the pitch curves of the second-stage non-circular gears is deduced. With a computer-aided design program, the influences of several important parameters on the pitch curves of the second-stage non-circular gears are analyzed, and a set of preferable structural parameters are obtained. Finally, a test bed of this mechanism is developed and the experimental results show that this new beating-up mechanism can achieve the designed dwelling time, namely it can meet the requirements of beating-up process.

Dual cycloid gear mechanism for automobile safety pretensioners

The most conventional vehicle pretensioner system consists of an internal gear pair with involute teeth. However, it has been well known that the corresponding gear pairs are relatively weak under the situation of impact loadings. To improve this phenomenon, a new pretensioning gear system with cycloid teeth rather than the involute ones was proposed, and dual cycloidal gear mechanisms were designed for satisfying geometric constraints and dynamic loading conditions. The simulations of the prototypes were conducted by LS-DYNA program and the experiments for a prototype were performed for a dynamic model with impact loading devices. The results show that the better operation and the smoother motion are confirmed in the proposed cycloidal gear system rather than the conventional one without interferences between gear teeth under the impact of a crash.

Reverse Design and Test of Non-circular Gear & Crank-Rocker & Gear Trains Weft Insertion Mechanism

For the purpose of obtaining satisfactory performance of the non-circular gear & crank-rocker & gear trains (NCCRG) weft insertion mechanism which was proposed in this paper, the ideal kinematic curve of this weft insertion mechanism was given, and the reverse solution models of this mechanism were established. A reverse design and simulation software was compiled based on Visual Basic 6.0 to obtain the mechanism parameters, including the pitch curves and tooth profiles of the non-circular gears. A test-bed of this mechanism was developed according to these parameters. The kinematic performance of this weft insertion mechanism was tested by high-speed video tape recorder with its corresponding video analytical software Blaster's MAS. And the test results were identical with the theoretical calculation. Compared with the conjugate cam weft insertion mechanism which is applied on TT96 rapier loom, under the condition of same weft insertion rate, the variation of acceleration of this mechanism is smaller. This novel weft insertion mechanism can meet the requirements of weft insertion on rapier looms with smooth and steady motion.

Structure Analysis of Locking Mechanism of Gear-Rack Typed Ship-Lift

Contact nonlinear theory was researched. Contact problem was transformed into optimization problem containing Lagrange multiplier, and unsymmetrical stiffness matrix was transformed into symmetrical stiffness matrix. A finite element analysis （FEA） model defining more than 300 contact pairs for long nut-short screw locking mechanism of a large-scale vertical gear-rack typed ship-lift was built. Using augmented Lagrange method and symmetry algorithm of contact element stiffness, the FEA model was analyzed, and the contact stress of contact interfaces and the von Mises stress of key parts were obtained. The results show that the design of the locking mechanism meets the requirement of engineering, and this method is effective for solving large stole nonlinear contact pairs.

Kinematic Analysis of Elliptic-Gear & Eccentric Slider-Crank & Uniform-Pitch Screw Weft-Insertion Mechanism

In order to analyze the kinematic performances of elliptic-gear & eccentric slider-crank & uniform-pitch screw weft-insertion mechanism proposed by us,kinematic mathematic models of the mechanism were established,and an aided analytic software was compiled.Influences of some important parameters on the kinematic characteristics of the mechanism were analyzed.A group of preferable parameters were obtained according to the software and some requirements.Comparisons of kinematic performances were made between the proposed mechanism and the variable-pitch screw insertion mechanism of C401 rapier loom manufactured by Vamatex Corp in Italy.The results show that the proposed mechanism can meet the requirements of inserting wefts.

Drive Characteristic Analysis and Design of an Elliptic Gear Mechanism

One notable transmission characteristic of an elliptic gear mechanism is that the driven gear will rotate at varying speed according to a given rule when the drive gear rotates at a uniform speed, which can just meet some special requirements that a common mechanism cannot meet. It is important for the design of special mechanisms. In this paper, the transmission characteristic of an elliptic gear mechanism was analyzed and the design method was researched. The application of the elliptic gear used in the grooved gearing mechanism was designed and the validity was proved.

Topological Expression Model of Satellite Gear Mechanism

By investigation of the topological characteristics of the kinematic structure of Satellite Gear Mechanism (SGM) with graph theory, the graph model of SGM is analyzed, and a topological expression model between input and output of SGM is established based on systematic design point. Meanwhile, the mathematical expression for SGM is deduced by integrating matrix theory and graph theory; thus, the topological characteristics of the kinematic structure of SGM can be converted into a matrix model, and the topological design problem of SGM into a matrix operation problem. In addition, a brief discussion about the measures for identification of isomorphism of the graph mode is made.

Kinematic Analysis and Test Study of Elliptic-Gear and Crank-Rocker Beating-Up Mechanism

In order to analyze the kinematic performances of elliptic-gear and crank-rocker(EGCR) beating-up mechanism, kinematic mathematic models of the mechanism were established, and an aided analysis and simulation software were compiled. This software can display the kinematic characteristics and simulation motion of the mechanism according to different parameters. It also supplies a platform for human-computer interaction. A group of satisfactory parameters were selected by the software. A test bed of EGCR beating-up mechanism was developed according to these parameters. The kinematic performances of the mechanism were verified by high-speed video tape recorder.

Gear Drive Mechanism for Continuous Variable Valve Timing of IC Engines

Continuous variable valve actuating (CVVA) technology provides high potential in achieving high performance, low fuel consumption and pollutant reduction. To get full benefits from (CVVT) various types of mechanisms have been proposed and designed. Some of these mechanisms are in production and have shown significant benefits in improving engine performance. In this investigation a newly designed gear drive mechanism that controls the intake valve opening (IVO) and closing (IVC) angles is studied. The control scheme is based on maximizing the engine brake power (P) and specific fuel consumption (BSFC) at any engine speed by continuously varying the phase between the cam shaft angle and the crank shaft angle. A single-cylinder engine is simulated by the “LOTUS” software to find out the optimum phase angle for maximum power and minimum fuel consumption at a given engine speed. The mechanism is a planetary gear drive designed for precise and continuous control. This mechanism has a simple design and operation conditions which can change the phase angle without limitation.

Matching between mechanics and thermodynamics among 4 individual strokes in a 4-stroke engine by non-circular gear mechanism

The relationship between engine mechanics and thermo-dynamics has been investigated by means of numerical simulation.The inherent mismatching between the mechanical behaviors and the thermodynamic process in internal combustion engine is identified,which is believed to be one of the important limiting factors of energy efficiency for conventional engines available in the current market.An approach for engine efficiency improvement through optimal matching between mechanics and thermodynamics(OMBMT)is proposed.An ideal matching model is defined and the conflicts due to the constraints among the mapping strokes in a 4-stroke engine are analyzed.A novel mechanical model is built for approaching optimal matching among all 4 individual strokes in a 4-stroke spark-ignition engine,which is composed of non-circular gears(NCG)and integrated with conventional slider crank engine mechanism.By means of digital mechanical model and numerical simulation,the matching gains among all 4 strokes are defined and calculated for quantifying the NCG engine efficiency improvement by comparing with a baseline engine.The potentials with the OMBMT implemented and the enhancements made by NCG mechanism for engines in terms of overall engine efficiency are reported.Based on the results achieved,it is recommended that the feasibility studies and the experimental validations should be conducted to verify the engine matching concept and effectiveness of the NCG mechanism engine model proposed,and the engine performance and NCG design parameters should be further optimized.

Microdynamic mechanical properties and fracture evolution mechanism of monzogabbro with a true triaxial multilevel disturbance method

The far-field microdynamic disturbance caused by the excavation of deep mineral resources and underground engineering can induce surrounding rock damage in high-stress conditions and even lead to disasters.However,the mechanical properties and damage/fracture evolution mechanisms of deep rock induced by microdynamic disturbance under three-dimensional stress states are unclear.Therefore,a true triaxial multilevel disturbance test method is proposed,which can completely simulate natural geostress,excavation stress redistribution(such as stress unloading,concentration and rotation),and subsequently the microdynamic disturbance triggering damaged rock failure.Based on a dynamic true triaxial test platform,true triaxial microdynamic disturbance tests under different frequency and amplitudes were carried out on monzogabbro.The results show that increasing amplitude or decreasing frequency diminishes the failure strength of monzogabbro.Deformation modulus gradually decreases during disturbance failure.As frequency and amplitude increase,the degradation rate of deformation modulus decreases slightly,disturbance dissipated energy increases significantly,and disturbance deformation anisotropy strengthens obviously.A damage model has been proposed to quantitatively characterize the disturbance-induced damage evolution at different frequency and amplitude under true triaxial stress.Before disturbance failure,the micro-tensile crack mechanism is dominant,and the micro-shear crack mechanism increases significantly at failure.With the increase of amplitude and frequency,the micro-shear crack mechanism increases.When approaching disturbance failure,the acoustic emission fractal dimension changes from a stable value to local large oscillation,and finally increases sharply to a high value at failure.Finally,the disturbance-induced failure mechanism of surrounding rock in deep engineering is clearly elucidated.

Failure mechanism and infrared radiation characteristic of hard siltstone induced by stratification effect

The deformation in sedimentary rock induced by train loads has potential threat to the safe operation of tunnels. This study investigated the influence of stratification structure on the infrared radiation and temporal damage mechanism of hard siltstone. The uniaxial compression tests, coupled with acoustic emission(AE) and infrared radiation temperature(IRT) were conducted on siltstones with different stratification effects. The results revealed that the stratigraphic structure significantly affects the stress-strain response and strength degradation characteristics. The mechanical parameters exhibit anisotropy characteristics, and the stratification effect exhibits a negative correlation with the cracking stress and peak stress. The failure modes caused by the stratification effect show remarkable anisotropic features, including splitting failure(Ⅰ: 0°-22.50°, Ⅱ: 90°), composite failure(45°), and shearing failure(67.50°). The AE temporal sequences demonstrate a stepwise response characteristic to the loading stress level. The AE intensity indicates that the stress sensitivity of shearing failure and composite failure is generally greater than that of splitting failure. The IRT field has spatiotemporal migration and progressive dissimilation with stress loading and its dissimilation degree increases under higher stress levels. The stronger the stratification effect, the greater the dissimilation degree of the IRT field. The abnormal characteristic points of average infrared radiation temperature(AIRT) variance at local stress drop and peak stress can be used as early and late precursors to identify fracture instability. Theoretical analysis shows that the competitive relationship between compaction strengthening and fracturing damage intensifies the dissimilation of the infrared thermal field for an increasing stress level. The present study provides a theoretical reference for disaster warnings in hard sedimentary rock mass.