The role of axon guidance molecules in the pathogenesis of epilepsy

Current treatments for epilepsy can only manage the symptoms of the condition but cannot alter the initial onset or halt the progression of the disease. Consequently, it is crucial to identify drugs that can target novel cellular and molecular mechanisms and mechanisms of action. Increasing evidence suggests that axon guidance molecules play a role in the structural and functional modifications of neural networks and that the dysregulation of these molecules is associated with epilepsy susceptibility. In this review, we discuss the essential role of axon guidance molecules in neuronal activity in patients with epilepsy as well as the impact of these molecules on synaptic plasticity and brain tissue remodeling. Furthermore, we examine the relationship between axon guidance molecules and neuroinflammation, as well as the structural changes in specific brain regions that contribute to the development of epilepsy. Ample evidence indicates that axon guidance molecules, including semaphorins and ephrins, play a fundamental role in guiding axon growth and the establishment of synaptic connections. Deviations in their expression or function can disrupt neuronal connections, ultimately leading to epileptic seizures. The remodeling of neural networks is a significant characteristic of epilepsy, with axon guidance molecules playing a role in the dynamic reorganization of neural circuits. This, in turn, affects synapse formation and elimination. Dysregulation of these molecules can upset the delicate balance between excitation and inhibition within a neural network, thereby increasing the risk of overexcitation and the development of epilepsy. Inflammatory signals can regulate the expression and function of axon guidance molecules, thus influencing axonal growth, axon orientation, and synaptic plasticity. The dysregulation of neuroinflammation can intensify neuronal dysfunction and contribute to the occurrence of epilepsy. This review delves into the mechanisms associated with the pathogenicity of axon guidance molecules in epilepsy, offering a valuable reference for the exploration of therapeutic targets and presenting a fresh perspective on treatment strategies for this condition.

Silk-based nerve guidance conduits with macroscopic holes modulate the vascularization of regenerating rat sciatic nerve

Peripheral nerve injuries induce a severe motor and sensory deficit. Since the availability of autologous nerve transplants for nerve repair is very limited, alternative treatment strategies are sought, including the use of tubular nerve guidance conduits(tNGCs). However, the use of tNGCs results in poor functional recovery and central necrosis of the regenerating tissue, which limits their application to short nerve lesion defects(typically shorter than 3 cm). Given the importance of vascularization in nerve regeneration, we hypothesized that enabling the growth of blood vessels from the surrounding tissue into the regenerating nerve within the tNGC would help eliminate necrotic processes and lead to improved regeneration. In this study, we reported the application of macroscopic holes into the tubular walls of silk-based tNGCs and compared the various features of these improved silk^(+) tNGCs with the tubes without holes(silk^(–) tNGCs) and autologous nerve transplants in an 8-mm sciatic nerve defect in rats. Using a combination of micro-computed tomography and histological analyses, we were able to prove that the use of silk^(+) tNGCs induced the growth of blood vessels from the adjacent tissue to the intraluminal neovascular formation. A significantly higher number of blood vessels in the silk^(+) group was found compared with autologous nerve transplants and silk^(–), accompanied by improved axon regeneration at the distal coaptation point compared with the silk^(–) tNGCs at 7 weeks postoperatively. In the 15-mm(critical size) sciatic nerve defect model, we again observed a distinct ingrowth of blood vessels through the tubular walls of silk^(+) tNGCs, but without improved functional recovery at 12 weeks postoperatively. Our data proves that macroporous tNGCs increase the vascular supply of regenerating nerves and facilitate improved axonal regeneration in a short-defect model but not in a critical-size defect model. This study suggests that further optimization of the macroscopic holes silk^(+) tNGC approach containing macroscopic holes might result in improved grafting technology suitable for future clinical use.

Design methodology of a mini-missile considering flight performance and guidance precision

The design of mini-missiles(MMs)presents several novel challenges.The stringent mission requirement to reach a target with a certain precision imposes a high guidance precision.The miniaturization of the size of MMs makes the design of the guidance,navigation,and control(GNC)have a larger-thanbefore impact on the main-body design(shape,motor,and layout design)and its design objective,i.e.,flight performance.Pursuing a trade-off between flight performance and guidance precision,all the relevant interactions have to be accounted for in the design of the main body and the GNC system.Herein,a multi-objective and multidisciplinary design optimization(MDO)is proposed.Disciplines pertinent to motor,aerodynamics,layout,trajectory,flight dynamics,control,and guidance are included in the proposed MDO framework.The optimization problem seeks to maximize the range and minimize the guidance error.The problem is solved by using the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II.An optimum design that balances a longer range with a smaller guidance error is obtained.Finally,lessons learned about the design of the MM and insights into the trade-off between flight performance and guidance precision are given by comparing the optimum design to a design provided by the traditional approach.

Uniqueness Theorem for the Non-Local Ionization Source in Glow Discharge and Hollow Cathode

The paper is devoted to the proof of the uniqueness theorem for solution of the equation for the non-local ionization source in a glow discharge and a hollow cathode in general 3D geometry. The theorem is applied to wide class of electric field configurations, and to the walls of discharge volume, which have a property of incomplete absorption of the electrons. Cathode is regarded as interior singular source, which is placed arbitrarily close to the wall. The existence of solution is considered also. During the proof of the theorem many of useful structure formulae are obtained. Elements of the proof structure, which have arisen, are found to have physical sense. It makes clear physical construction of non-local electron avalanche, which builds a source of ionization in glow discharge at low pressures. Last has decisive significance to understand the hollow cathode discharge configuration and the hollow cathode effect.

Command filtered integrated estimation guidance and control for strapdown missiles with circular field of view

In this paper,an integrated estimation guidance and control(IEGC)system is designed based on the command filtered backstepping approach for circular field-of-view(FOV)strapdown missiles.The threedimensional integrated estimation guidance and control nonlinear model with limited actuator deflection angle is established considering the seeker's FOV constraint.The boundary time-varying integral barrier Lyapunov function(IBLF)is employed in backstepping design to constrain the body line-of-sight(BLOS)in IEGC system to fit a circular FOV.Then,the nonlinear adaptive controller is designed to estimate the changing aerodynamic parameters.The generalized extended state observer(GESO)is designed to estimate the acceleration of the maneuvering targets and the unmatched time-varying disturbances for improving tracking accuracy.Furthermore,the command filters are used to solve the"differential expansion"problem during the backstepping design.The Lyapunov theory is used to prove the stability of the overall closed-loop IEGC system.Finally,the simulation results validate the integrated system's effectiveness,achieving high accuracy strikes against maneuvering targets.

Endogenous automatic nerve discharge promotes nerve repair: an optimized animal model

Exogenous electrical nerve stimulation has been reported to promote nerve regeneration. Our previous study has suggested that endogenous automatic nerve discharge of the phrenic nerve and intercostal nerve has a positive effect on nerve regeneration at 1 month postoperatively, but a negative effect at 2 months postoperatively, which may be caused by scar compression. In this study, we designed four different rat models to avoid the negative effect from scar compression. The control group received musculocutaneous nerve cut and repair. The other three groups were subjected to side-to-side transfer of either the phrenic(phrenic nerve group), intercostal(intercostal nerve group) or thoracodorsal nerves(thoracic dorsal nerve group), with sural nerve autograft distal to the anastomosis site. Musculocutaneous nerve regeneration was assessed by electrophysiology of the musculocutaneous nerve, muscle tension, muscle wet weight, maximum cross-sectional area of biceps, and myelinated fiber numbers of the proximal and distal ends of the anastomosis site of the musculocutaneous nerve and the middle of the nerve graft. At 1 month postoperatively, compound muscle action potential amplitude of the biceps in the phrenic nerve group and the intercostal nerve group was statistically higher than that in the control group. The myelinated nerve fiber numbers in the distal end of the musculocutaneous nerve and nerve graft anastomosis in the phrenic nerve and the intercostal nerve groups were statistically higher than those in the control and thoracic dorsal nerve groups. The neural degeneration rate in the middle of the nerve graft in the thoracic dorsal nerve group was statistically higher than that in the phrenic nerve and the intercostal nerve groups. At 2 and 3 months postoperatively, no significant difference was detected between the groups in all the assessments. These findings confirm that the phrenic nerve and intercostal nerve have a positive effect on nerve regeneration at the early stage of recovery. This study established an optimized animal model in which suturing the nerve graft to the distal site of the musculocutaneous nerve anastomosis prevented the inhibition of recovery from scar compression.

Trajectory tracking guidance of interceptor via prescribed performance integral sliding mode with neural network disturbance observer

This paper investigates interception missiles’trajectory tracking guidance problem under wind field and external disturbances in the boost phase.Indeed,the velocity control in such trajectory tracking guidance systems of missiles is challenging.As our contribution,the velocity control channel is designed to deal with the intractable velocity problem and improve tracking accuracy.The global prescribed performance function,which guarantees the tracking error within the set range and the global convergence of the tracking guidance system,is first proposed based on the traditional PPF.Then,a tracking guidance strategy is derived using the integral sliding mode control techniques to make the sliding manifold and tracking errors converge to zero and avoid singularities.Meanwhile,an improved switching control law is introduced into the designed tracking guidance algorithm to deal with the chattering problem.A back propagation neural network(BPNN)extended state observer(BPNNESO)is employed in the inner loop to identify disturbances.The obtained results indicate that the proposed tracking guidance approach achieves the trajectory tracking guidance objective without and with disturbances and outperforms the existing tracking guidance schemes with the lowest tracking errors,convergence times,and overshoots.

Magnetic anchor guidance for endoscopic submucosal dissection and other endoscopic procedures

Endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD) is a wellestablished, minimally invasive treatment for superficial neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. The universal adoption of ESD has been limited by its slow learning curve, long procedure times, and high risk of complications. One technical challenge is the lack of a second hand that can provide traction, as in conventional surgery. Reliable tissue retraction that exposes the submucosal plane of dissection would allow for safer and more efficient dissection. Magnetic anchor guided endoscopic submucosal dissection(MAGESD) has potential benefits compared to other current traction methods. MAG-ESD offers dynamic tissue retraction independent of the endoscope mimicking a surgeon's "second hand". Two types of magnets can be used: electromagnets and permanent magnets. In this article we review the MAG-ESD technology, published work and studies of magnets in ESD. We also review the use of magnetic anchor guidance systems in natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery and the idea of magnetic non-contact retraction using surface ferromagentization. We discuss the current limitations, the future potential of MAG-ESD and the developments needed for adoption of this technology.

高校科技期刊的评价与发展导向

分析了高校主办或挂靠高校的科技期刊普遍存在重复办刊、稿源分散和效益差等问题原因。现有科技期刊评价体系与我国科技期刊分类管理的政策和不同层次办刊的实际情况不相适应。采用科学合理的评价方法,全面地认识各类期刊的作用,正确引导其合理定位,有利于高校科技期刊的发展。提出了各类期刊都应当努力提高办刊效益高校学术期刊提高学术水平的途径在于扬长避短,发挥学科优势,突出特色;专业技术期刊应当直接面对经济建设第一线,更加注重新理论、新技术的实用性,切实解决经济建设中的实际问题,在相关专业技术领域或行业取得竞争优势,发挥足够的影响力,并从不同的方面为学校的发展服务。

Optimal Guidance Law to Maximize Terminal Velocity for Missiles with Impact Angle Constraint

In this paper,an optimal guidance law for missiles with impact angle and miss distance constraints is proposed to achieve the maximal terminal velocity. The normal acceleration command that includes the timevarying coefficients is introduced to satisfy the desired impact angle as well as zero miss distance according to the geometric relation and relative motion parameters between missile and target. The problem is formulated as an optimal control problem by defining the angle of velocity error and flight-path angle as state variables and maximizing a performance index of the terminal velocity. The analytical form of the proposed guidance law is obtained as the solution of the optimal control problem combining optimal control theory and numerical value computation method. Nonlinear simulations of various situations demonstrate the performance and feasibility of the proposed optimal guidance law.

Effect of UV radiation aging on creepage discharge characteristics of high temperature vulcanized silicon rubber at high altitude

The physicochemical properties and creepage discharge characteristics of aged high temperature Vulca nized(HTV)silicone rubber materials were investigated by ultraviolet radiati on(UV)aging method in this study.The experimental results show that as the aging time increases,the creepage discharge flashover voltage increases first and then decreases.But the aging time has little effect on the creepage discharge inception voltage.With the aging time prolonged,the discharge endurance time of HTV silicone rubber is shortened,and the creepage discharge development velocity is accelerated.In the short time of applying voltage to aging material,the magnitude of discharge in creases rapidly.According to the partial discharge characteristic parameters of creepage discharge,the whole creepage discharge process is partitioned into four stages.Compared with unaged HTV silicone rubber,the aged HTV silicone rubber has less fluctuation in performance parameters and a clear trend.The study found that UV aging not only affects the physicochemical and hydrophobic properties of the HTV silicone rubber,but also accelerates the development of creepage discharge under AC voltage.

Plasma-Catalytic Decomposition of 2,4-Dichlorophenol in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge with a Vermiculite ZiO2 Composite

The paper presents comparative kinetic characteristics of the decomposition of 2,4-dichlorophenol in a dielectric barrier discharge and a combined plasma-catalytic process. Vermiculite containing 5% zirconium was used as a catalyst. The destruction processes of 2,4-DCP proceed efficiently, the degree of decomposition increases in the combined plasma-catalytic process by a factor of 1.33 and reaches 80%. The experimental results were processed according to the first-order kinetic law (R2 > 0.97), according to which the effective constants (0.36 ± 0.04) and (0.51 ± 0.03) s-1 and the decomposition rates of 2,4-DCP (106 and 123 μmol/l·s) when treating model solutions without a catalyst and with vermiculite + Zr 5%, respectively, and the energy costs are 0.012 and 0.017 molecules/100eV. The main decomposition products present in the solution have been determined to be carboxylic acids, aldehydes, the contribution of which does not exceed 2%, as well as chloride ions, and in the gas phase they are carbon dioxide and molecular chlorine (the share of which does not exceed 1.5% of total chlorine content in the system).

Wastewater Decontamination from Microorganisms by Electrospraying Corona Discharge

A novel water treatment technique, based on a combination of electrospraying and pulsed corona discharge, has been used for bio-decontamination of wastewater. The electrospraying process has been found to increase the surface area of the treated wastewater, and hence increases the efficiency of the corona treatment process. The phase diagram of the discharge, which characterizes the discharge regimes, has been identified experimentally. The survival ratio of the microorganisms has been investigated experimentally as a function of the applied voltage and the numbers of treatment runs using air and oxygen as working gases. Microorganism surface has been examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM), which enabled in understanding the decontamination mechanisms of the treated microorganism. A complete decontamination has been achieved after only one run for an applied voltage higher than 16 kV when the discharge system was operated in oxygen gas. Optical emission spectrum of the electrosprayed water confirmed the existence of OH-radicals responsible for decontamination process.

Improving the Patient Discharge Planning Process through Knowledge Management by Using the Internet of Things

The UK National Health Service (NHS) is faced with problems of managing patient discharge and preventing the problems that result from it such as frequent readmissions, delayed discharge, long waiting lists, bed blocking and other such consequences. The problem is exacerbated by the growth in size, complexity and the number of chronic diseases in the NHS. In addition, there is an increase in demand for high quality care, processes and planning. Effective Discharge Planning (DP) requires practitioners to have appropriate, patient personalised and updated knowledge in order to be able to make informed and holistic decisions about a patients’ discharge. This paper examines the role of Knowledge Management (KM) in both sharing knowledge and using tacit knowledge to create appropriate patient discharge pathways. The paper details the factors resulting in inadequate DP, and demonstrates the use of Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine2Machine (M2M) as candidate technologies and possible solutions which can help reduce the problem. The use of devices that a patient can take home and devices which are perused in the hospital generate information, which can serve useful when presented to the right person at the right time, thus harvesting knowledge. The knowledge when fed back can support practitioners in making holistic decisions with regards to a patients’ discharge.

高功率脉冲非平衡磁控溅射放电特性和参数研究

用线圈电流控制非平衡磁场,用汤森放电击穿形成深度自触发放电,用磁阱捕获放电形成的二次电子和导致漂移电流,形成了高功率非平衡磁控溅射放电。采用偏压为-100V相对磁控靶放置的圆形平面电极收集饱和离子电流;在距离磁控靶14cm的位置由Langmuir探针测量浮置电位;示波器测量磁控靶的脉冲电压、电流、浮置电位和饱和离子电流信号。装置的放电脉冲功率达到0.9MW,脉冲频率最大值为40Hz左右,空间电荷限制条件是控制电子电流和离子电流的主要机制。

On the evolution and formation of discharge morphology in pulsed dielectric barrier discharge

The discharge morphology of pulsed dielectric barrier discharge(PDBD) plays important roles in its applications. Here, we systematically investigated the effects of the voltage amplitude,discharge gap, and O_(2)content on the PDBD morphology, and revealed the possible underlying mechanism of the U-shaped formation. First, the morphological evolution under different conditions was recorded. A unique U-shaped region appears in the middle edge region when the gap is larger than 2 mm, while the entire discharge region remains columnar under a 2 mm gap in He PDBD. The width of the discharge and the U-shaped region increase with the increase in voltage, and decrease with the increase of the gap and O_(2)content. To explain this phenomenon,a two-dimensional symmetric model was developed to simulate the spatiotemporal evolution of different species and calculate the electric thrust. The discharge morphology evolution directly corresponds to the excited-state atomic reduction process. The electric thrust on the charged particles mainly determines the reaction region and strongly influences the U-shaped formation.When the gap is less than 2 mm, the electric thrust is homogeneous throughout the entire region,resulting in a columnar shape. However, when the gap is larger than 2 mm or O_(2)is added, the electric thrust in the edge region becomes greater than that in the middle, leading to the U-shaped formation. Furthermore, in He PDBD, the charged particles generating electric thrust are mainly electrons and helium ions, while in He/O_(2)PDBD those that generate electric thrust at the outer edge of the electrode surface are mainly various oxygen-containing ions.

Recorded recurrent deep reinforcement learning guidance laws for intercepting endoatmospheric maneuvering missiles

This work proposes a recorded recurrent twin delayed deep deterministic(RRTD3)policy gradient algorithm to solve the challenge of constructing guidance laws for intercepting endoatmospheric maneuvering missiles with uncertainties and observation noise.The attack-defense engagement scenario is modeled as a partially observable Markov decision process(POMDP).Given the benefits of recurrent neural networks(RNNs)in processing sequence information,an RNN layer is incorporated into the agent’s policy network to alleviate the bottleneck of traditional deep reinforcement learning methods while dealing with POMDPs.The measurements from the interceptor’s seeker during each guidance cycle are combined into one sequence as the input to the policy network since the detection frequency of an interceptor is usually higher than its guidance frequency.During training,the hidden states of the RNN layer in the policy network are recorded to overcome the partially observable problem that this RNN layer causes inside the agent.The training curves show that the proposed RRTD3 successfully enhances data efficiency,training speed,and training stability.The test results confirm the advantages of the RRTD3-based guidance laws over some conventional guidance laws.

Effect of antenna helicity on discharge characteristics of helicon plasma under a divergent magnetic field

The characteristics of the blue core phenomenon observed in a divergent magnetic field helicon plasma are investigated using two different helical antennas, namely right-handed and lefthanded helical antennas. The mode transition, discharge image, spatial profiles of plasma density and electron temperature are diagnosed using a Langmuir probe, a Nikon D90 camera,an intensified charge-coupled device camera and an optical emission spectrometer, respectively.The results demonstrated that the blue core phenomenon appeared in the upstream region of the discharge tube at a fixed magnetic field under both helical antennas. However, it is more likely to appear in a right-handed helical antenna, in which the plasma density and ionization rate of the helicon plasma are higher. The spatial profiles of the plasma density and electron temperature are also different in both axial and radial directions for these two kinds of helical antenna. The wavelength calculated based on the dispersion relation of the bounded whistler wave is consistent with the order of magnitude of plasma length. It is proved that the helicon plasma is part of the wave mode discharge mechanism.

Machine learning for parameters diagnosis of spark discharge by electro-acoustic signal

Discharge plasma parameter measurement is a key focus in low-temperature plasma research.Traditional diagnostics often require costly equipment,whereas electro-acoustic signals provide a rich,non-invasive,and less complex source of discharge information.This study harnesses machine learning to decode these signals.It establishes links between electro-acoustic signals and gas discharge parameters,such as power and distance,thus streamlining the prediction process.By building a spark discharge platform to collect electro-acoustic signals and implementing a series of acoustic signal processing techniques,the Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients(MFCCs)of the acoustic signals are extracted to construct the predictors.Three machine learning models(Linear Regression,k-Nearest Neighbors,and Random Forest)are introduced and applied to the predictors to achieve real-time rapid diagnostic measurement of typical spark discharge power and discharge distance.All models display impressive performance in prediction precision and fitting abilities.Among them,the k-Nearest Neighbors model shows the best performance on discharge power prediction with the lowest mean square error(MSE=0.00571)and the highest R-squared value(R^(2)=0.93877).The experimental results show that the relationship between the electro-acoustic signal and the gas discharge power and distance can be effectively constructed based on the machine learning algorithm,which provides a new idea and basis for the online monitoring and real-time diagnosis of plasma parameters.

Formation mechanism of bright and dark concentric-ring pattern in dielectric barrier discharge

In this work,a bright and dark concentric-ring pattern is reported in a dielectric barrier discharge for the first time.The spatiotemporal dynamics of the bright and dark concentric-ring pattern are investigated with an intensified charge-coupled device and photomultiplier tubes.The results indicate that the bright and dark concentric-ring pattern is composed of three concentric-ring sublattices.These are bright concentric-ring structures,dark concentric-ring structures and wider concentric-ring structures,respectively.The bright concentric-ring structures and dark concentricring structures are alternately distributed.The bright concentric-ring structures are located at the centre of the wider concentric-ring structures.The wider concentric-ring structures first form from the outer edge and gradually develop to the centre.The essence of all three concentric-ring structures is the individual discharge filaments.The optical emission spectra of different sublattices are acquired and analysed.It is found that the plasma parameters of the three concentricring sublattices are different.Finally,the formation mechanism of the bright and dark concentricring pattern is discussed.