Acupuncture at the “Huatuojiaji” point affects nerve root regional interleukin-1 level in a rat model of lumbar nerve root compression

BACKGROUND：It has been shown that interleukin-1 （IL-1） may cause inflammatory reactions, which stimulate the nerve root of patients with lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion and leads to pain. Whether the clinical curative effects of acupuncture in the treatment of lumbar and leg pain are linked to an inhibition of local IL-1 secretion is unknown. OBJECTIVE： To assess the influence of acupuncture on IL-1, this study was designed to verify the effects of acupuncture at the ＂Huatuojiaji （Extra）＂ point on the nerve root in a rat model of lumbar nerve root compression, compared with administration of meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Randomized, controlled, molecular biology experiment, performed at the Experimental Center, Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University between September 2005 and April 2006. MATERIALS： Forty healthy adult Sprague Dawley rats of either gender were included in this study. The rats were randomly and evenly divided into the following four groups： normal control, model, acupuncture and meloxicam groups. Lumbar nerve root compression was induced in rats in the model, acupuncture, and meloxicam groups by inserting a specially made silicon rubber slice at the juncture of the L5 nerve root and the dural sac. The acupuncture needle （pattern number N3030, 30#, 1.5 inch） was purchased from Suzhou Medical Appliance Factory, China. IL-1 enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） kit was purchased from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., USA. METHODS： The acupuncture group was acupunctured at the ＂Huatuojiaji＂ point, which is lateral to the compressed L5-6 nerve root, with an acupuncture depth of 0.5 cm. There were two treatment courses, each of involved seven 20-minute acupuncture sessions, one session a day. The meloxicam group was administered intragastrically 3.75 mg/kg meloxicam （5 mg meloxicam /10 mL physiological saline）. Rats in the normal control group and model group received an intragastric administration of 10 mL/kg physiological saline. All administrations were performed once a day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： At day 14 post-surgery, the IL-1 level in the compressed nerve root was determined by a streptavidin-peroxidase （S-P） immunohistochemical method, and IL-1β mRNA expression in the compressed nerve root was simultaneously detected by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS： The expression levels of IL-1 and IL-1β mRNA in the L5 nerve root were significantly higher in the model group than in the control group （P 〈 0.01）. However, the expression levels of IL-1 and IL-1β mRNA were significantly lower in the acupuncture and meloxicam groups than in the model group （P 〈 0.05–0.01）. Expression levels of IL-1 and IL-1β mRNA were significantly higher in the acupuncture group than in the meloxicam group （P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： Acupuncture at the ＂Huatuojiaji＂ point decreases the IL-1 level by inhibiting IL-1β mRNA expression to a greater extent than meloxicam administration.

THE TREATMENT OF CERVICAL SPONDYLOPATHY BY LASER ACUPUNCTURE AT THE CERVICAL JIAJI POINTS: AN ANALYSIS OF THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF 102 CASES

Laser acupuncture therapy was employed in the treatment of spondylopathy.Thetherapeutic effect of the three types of the spondylopathy,nerve root type,vertebral artery type andspinal cord type were stuied and compared.The results indicate a significant difference between thethree types of spondylopathy.The best therapeutic effect was obtained in nerve root type with a remarkable effective rate of 98.5％;the effective rates for the vertebral artery type and the spinal cordtype were 92.3％and 25％,respectively.Combining laser irradiatlon with acupuncture,the therapyposseses the functions of acupuncture,heat effect and mild moxibustion action.Therefore,it showedeffect quickly and had the advantages of short treatment course and high therapeutic effect.Clinicalobservation has confirmed that laser acupuncture is more effective than single laser irradiation.Thistherapy offers another simple but effective method for the treatment of spondylopathy.

Effect of electroacupuncture at Jiaji (EX-B2) points on the expression of microRNA-21 and neuronal apoptosis in rats with acute spinal cord injury

Objective:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture at Jiaji (EX-B2) points on the expression of microRNA-21 and neuronal apoptosis in rats with acute spinal cord injury. Methods:SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group, model group, electro-acupuncture group and methylprednisolone group. The model of acute spinal cord injury was reproduced by modified Allen's method. Each group was given corresponding intervention treatment 2 hours after modeling. The electroacupuncture group was treated with electro-acupuncture at Jiaji (EX-B2) points in T8 to T12, the methylprednisolone group was given intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone sodium succinate, and the sham operation group and model group were not treated. After treatment, BBB scores were observed to evaluate the motor function of posterior limb in each group, and the injured spinal cord tissues were taken. The pathological changes of spinal cord neuropathy were observed by Nissl staining. The expression of microRNA-21 was detected by RT-qPCR, and the expression of apoptotic proteins (Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved-Caspase-3) was detected by Western-Blot. Result:Compared with sham operation group, BBB, neuron survival rate and expression of microRNA-21 were significantly lower, apoptotic rate of neurons was significantly higher, expression of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved Caspase-3 protein and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were significantly increased in model group (P< 0.05). Electroacupuncture could significantly increase BBB score, neuron survival rate and expression of microRNA-21, reduce apoptotic rate of neurons and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, and inhibit the expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved Caspase-3 protein in tissues, which were significantly different from those of model group (P< 0.05). Conclusions: Electroacupuncture at Jiaji (EX-B2) points can significantly promote the recovery of neurological function in rats after ASCI, and its mechanism may be closely related to the up-regulation of the expression of microRNA-21 in tissues and the inhibition of the activation of Bax/Bcl-2/cleaved Caspase-3 signaling pathway.

TREATMENT OF POSTAPOPLECTIC THALAMIC SPONTANEOUS PAIN BY ELECTROACUPUNCTURE AT HUATUOJIAJI POINTS

The authors have treated 30 cases of postapoplectic thalamic spontaneous pain (PTSP) by electro-acupuncture at Huatuojiaji points (Extra), with the other 30 cases of PTSP treated by oral administration of carbamazepine as the controls. The total effective rate was 90% in the acupuncture group, and 86.7% in the control group. The difference in the total effective rate between the two groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05), suggesting that electroacupuncture at Huatuojiaji (Extra) is a better therapy for PTSP.

THE THIRD LUMBAR TRANSVERSE PROCESS SYNDROME TREATED BY ELECTROACUPUNCTURE AT HUATUOJIAJI POINTS

32 cases of the third lumbar transverse process syndrome were treated mainly byelectroacupuncture at Huatuojiaji points of the first and second lumbar vertebrae, andanother 30 cases of the syndrome by conventional acupuncture as the controls. The resultsshowed that treatment by electroacupuncture at Huatuojiaji points was superior inanalgesic effect and clinical total effective rate to that by conventional acupuncture. It isconsidered that the mechanism of treatment by electroacupuncture at Huatuojiaji pointsis related to the trunk of posterior ramus of the spinal nerve where the points are located.

基于轻量化PointNet网络的林果园喷雾作业靶标实时识别方法

为了进一步提高喷雾机器人靶标检测的精准性、实时性和应用部署的实用性,该研究提出一种基于轻量化PointNet网络的林果园喷雾作业靶标实时识别方法。首先通过区域提取降采样、地面分割和改进DBSCAN聚类等点云预处理方法提取原始点云中的靶标;然后通过移动最小二乘上采样将靶标点云转化为满足点云识别网络输入要求的点云数据;最终通过在PointNet网络中引入残差模块和改进循环剪枝算法轻量化PointNet网络,完成林果树靶标的实时识别。试验结果表明,在ModelNet40数据集上,轻量化PointNet网络可达89.7%的准确率;在实际苗圃环境的试验中,该研究方法对靶标的识别准确率可达92.49%,同时误识率与拒识率分别为13.4%和6.47%,相较PointNet网络识别准确率提升了4.38个百分点,误识率和拒识率分别降低了7.2和4.07个百分点;轻量化PointNet网络识别准确率仅比PointNet++网络低1.14个百分点,误识率和拒识率分别高了0.9和1.12个百分点。但是轻量化PointNet网络的模型参数量较PointNet网络和PointNet++网络的模型参数量显著减少,仅为PointNet网络的11.5%,PointNet++网络的27.02%;运算量相较PointNet网络、PointNet++网络分别减少13.3和76.79个百分点。该研究提出的轻量化PointNet网络具有较高的实时性、精确性和鲁棒性,能够满足林果园喷雾作业的靶标识别需求,可为林果园喷雾作业靶标实时识别提供参考。

Coexistence of Dirac and Weyl points in non-centrosymmetric semimetal NbIrTe_(4)

Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations methods,we investigate the electronic structures and topological properties of ternary tellurides NbIrTe_(4),a candidate for type-II Weyl semimetal.We demonstrate the presence of several Fermi arcs connecting their corresponding Weyl points on both termination surfaces of the topological material.Our analysis reveals the existence of Dirac points,in addition to Weyl points,giving both theoretical and experimental evidences of the coexistence of Dirac and Weyl points in a single material.These findings not only confirm NbIrTe_(4) as a unique topological semimetal but also open avenues for exploring novel electronic devices based on its coexisting Dirac and Weyl fermions.

Enhanced Mechanism for Link Failure Rerouting in Software-Defined Exchange Point Networks

Internet Exchange Point(IXP)is a system that increases network bandwidth performance.Internet exchange points facilitate interconnection among network providers,including Internet Service Providers(ISPs)andContent Delivery Providers(CDNs).To improve service management,Internet exchange point providers have adopted the Software Defined Network(SDN)paradigm.This implementation is known as a Software-Defined Exchange Point(SDX).It improves network providers’operations and management.However,performance issues still exist,particularly with multi-hop topologies.These issues include switch memory costs,packet processing latency,and link failure recovery delays.The paper proposes Enhanced Link Failure Rerouting(ELFR),an improved mechanism for rerouting link failures in software-defined exchange point networks.The proposed mechanism aims to minimize packet processing time for fast link failure recovery and enhance path calculation efficiency while reducing switch storage overhead by exploiting the Programming Protocol-independent Packet Processors(P4)features.The paper presents the proposed mechanisms’efficiency by utilizing advanced algorithms and demonstrating improved performance in packet processing speed,path calculation effectiveness,and switch storage management compared to current mechanisms.The proposed mechanism shows significant improvements,leading to a 37.5%decrease in Recovery Time(RT)and a 33.33%decrease in both Calculation Time(CT)and Computational Overhead(CO)when compared to current mechanisms.The study highlights the effectiveness and resource efficiency of the proposed mechanism in effectively resolving crucial issues inmulti-hop software-defined exchange point networks.

On a Heuristic Point of View about the Generalization of Curie Law to Cosmic Higgs Fields with the Casimir Effect

Condensed state physics demonstrates that the Curie temperature is the point at which spontaneous magnetization drops to zero, marking the critical transition where ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic materials transform into paramagnetic substances. Below the Curie temperature, a material remains ferromagnetic;above it, the material becomes paramagnetic, with its magnetic field easily influenced by external magnetic fileds. For example, the Curie temperature of iron (Fe) is 1043 K, while that of neodymium magnets ranges from 583 to 673 K. From both physics and mathematics perspectives, examining the temperature properties of materials is essential, as it provides valuable insights into their electromagnetic and thermodynamic behaviors. This paper makes a bold assumption and, for the first time, carefully verifies the existence of a Casimir temperature at 0.00206 K under conditions of one-atomic spacing.

Qualitative Properties of Equilibrium Point in a Discrete Predator-Prey Model

In this paper, the dynamic properties of a discrete predator-prey model are discussed. The properties of non-hyperbolic fixed points and hyperbolic fixed points of the model are analyzed. First, by using the classic Shengjin formula, we find the existence conditions for fixed points of the model. Then, by using the qualitative theory of ordinary differential equations and matrix theory we indicate which points are hyperbolic and which are non-hyperbolic and the associated conditions.

Efficacy comparison of multipoint and single point scanning panretinal laser photocoagulation in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy treatment

BACKGROUND Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR)poses a significant challenge in diabetes management due to its microvascular changes in the retina.Laser photocoagulation,a conventional therapy,aims to mitigate the risk of progressing to proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR).AIM To compare the efficacy and safety of multi-spot vs single-spot scanning panretinal laser photocoagulation in NPDR patients.METHODS Forty-nine NPDR patients(86 eyes)treated between September 2020 and July 2022 were included.They were randomly allocated into single-spot(n=23,40 eyes)and multi-spot(n=26,46 eyes)groups.Treatment outcomes,including bestcorrected visual acuity(BCVA),central macular thickness(CMT),and mean threshold sensitivity,were assessed at predetermined intervals over 12 months.Adverse reactions were also recorded.RESULTS Energy levels did not significantly differ between groups(P>0.05),but the multi-spot group exhibited lower energy density(P<0.05).BCVA and CMT improvements were noted in the multi-spot group at one-month posttreatment(P<0.05).Adverse reaction incidence was similar between groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION While energy intensity and safety were comparable between modalities,multi-spot scanning demonstrated lower energy density and showed superior short-term improvements in BCVA and CMT for NPDR patients,with reduced laser-induced damage.

Building Facade Point Clouds Segmentation Based on Optimal Dual-Scale Feature Descriptors

To address the current issues of inaccurate segmentation and the limited applicability of segmentation methods for building facades in point clouds, we propose a facade segmentation algorithm based on optimal dual-scale feature descriptors. First, we select the optimal dual-scale descriptors from a range of feature descriptors. Next, we segment the facade according to the threshold value of the chosen optimal dual-scale descriptors. Finally, we use RANSAC (Random Sample Consensus) to fit the segmented surface and optimize the fitting result. Experimental results show that, compared to commonly used facade segmentation algorithms, the proposed method yields more accurate segmentation results, providing a robust data foundation for subsequent 3D model reconstruction of buildings.

Existence of Monotone Positive Solution for a Fourth-Order Three-Point BVP with Sign-Changing Green’s Function

This paper is concerned with the following fourth-order three-point boundary value problem , where , we discuss the existence of positive solutions to the above problem by applying to the fixed point theory in cones and iterative technique.

基于Point Transformer v2的点云枝叶分离方法研究

准确高效的点云枝叶分离对精确计算森林树木的垂直参数至关重要。然而,当前的研究方法计算成本高,且依赖先验知识导致泛化能力不足。针对以上问题,文章提出利用基于点特征的Transformer网络进行自动化的森林场景三维点云的枝叶分离研究。该方法使用Point Transformer v2网络,首先利用网格编码模块提取可学习的局部结构关系,保留点云的几何拓扑结构;其次使用分组注意力实现多通道联合学习,降低特征的冗余度,提高计算的效率;最后构建了基于点的Transformer网络实现高精度森林树木三维点云语义分割,降低了对于先验知识的需求。使用地基激光扫描仪获取的加拿大和芬兰7个不同树种样地的三维点云数据,进行枝叶分离实验和精度评价。实验结果表明,网络整体精度(OA)为94.42%,mIoU为78.89%,能够适应不同树种、不同点云密度的森林场景的枝叶分离。

Point Cloud Classification Using Content-Based Transformer via Clustering in Feature Space

Recently, there have been some attempts of Transformer in 3D point cloud classification. In order to reduce computations, most existing methods focus on local spatial attention,but ignore their content and fail to establish relationships between distant but relevant points. To overcome the limitation of local spatial attention, we propose a point content-based Transformer architecture, called PointConT for short. It exploits the locality of points in the feature space(content-based), which clusters the sampled points with similar features into the same class and computes the self-attention within each class, thus enabling an effective trade-off between capturing long-range dependencies and computational complexity. We further introduce an inception feature aggregator for point cloud classification, which uses parallel structures to aggregate high-frequency and low-frequency information in each branch separately. Extensive experiments show that our PointConT model achieves a remarkable performance on point cloud shape classification. Especially, our method exhibits 90.3% Top-1 accuracy on the hardest setting of ScanObjectN N. Source code of this paper is available at https://github.com/yahuiliu99/PointC onT.

Material point method simulation of hydro-mechanical behaviour in twophase porous geomaterials: A state-of-the-art review

The material point method(MPM)has been gaining increasing popularity as an appropriate approach to the solution of coupled hydro-mechanical problems involving large deformation.In this paper,we survey the current state-of-the-art in the MPM simulation of hydro-mechanical behaviour in two-phase porous geomaterials.The review covers the recent advances and developments in the MPM and their extensions to capture the coupled hydro-mechanical problems involving large deformations.The focus of this review is aiming at providing a clear picture of what has or has not been developed or implemented for simulating two-phase coupled large deformation problems,which will provide some direct reference for both practitioners and researchers.

基于DenseNet与PointNet融合算法的三维点云分割

点云分割对于智能驾驶、物体检测和识别、逆向工程等任务非常重要。PointNet是一种能够直接处理点云数据的方法,近年来在点云分割任务中得到广泛应用,但其分割精度较低,而PointNet++的计算成本又较高。针对以上问题,提出一种融合DenseNet和PointNet的算法,用于点云分割,并引入三分支混合注意力机制,以提高PointNet在提取局部特征方面的能力。基于密集连接卷积网络(DenseNet)思想,提出用DenseNet-STN和DenseNet-MLP结构来替代PointNet中的空间变换网络(STN)和多层感知机(MLP);同时,使用Add连接代替密集块(DenseBlock)中的Concat连接,以提高对点特征间相关性的准确性,同时不显著增加模型复杂度。DenseNet-PointNet能够提高复杂分类问题的泛化能力,实现对复杂函数更好的逼近,从而提高点云分割的准确率。有效性和消融实验结果表明,本文算法具有良好的性能。点云分割实验结果表明,DenseNet-PointNet在大多数类别中的交并比(IoU)都高于PointNet的IoU,并在部分类别中也高于PointNet++,参数量是PointNet++的47.6%,浮点运算量(FLOPs)是PointNet++的49.1%。实验结果验证了DenseNet-PointNet的可行性和有效性。

Two-Staged Method for Ice Channel Identification Based on Image Segmentation and Corner Point Regression

Identification of the ice channel is the basic technology for developing intelligent ships in ice-covered waters,which is important to ensure the safety and economy of navigation.In the Arctic,merchant ships with low ice class often navigate in channels opened up by icebreakers.Navigation in the ice channel often depends on good maneuverability skills and abundant experience from the captain to a large extent.The ship may get stuck if steered into ice fields off the channel.Under this circumstance,it is very important to study how to identify the boundary lines of ice channels with a reliable method.In this paper,a two-staged ice channel identification method is developed based on image segmentation and corner point regression.The first stage employs the image segmentation method to extract channel regions.In the second stage,an intelligent corner regression network is proposed to extract the channel boundary lines from the channel region.A non-intelligent angle-based filtering and clustering method is proposed and compared with corner point regression network.The training and evaluation of the segmentation method and corner regression network are carried out on the synthetic and real ice channel dataset.The evaluation results show that the accuracy of the method using the corner point regression network in the second stage is achieved as high as 73.33%on the synthetic ice channel dataset and 70.66%on the real ice channel dataset,and the processing speed can reach up to 14.58frames per second.

Automatic Extraction Method of 3D Feature Guidelines for Complex Cultural Relic Surfaces Based on Point Cloud

Cultural relics line graphic serves as a crucial form of traditional artifact information documentation,which is a simple and intuitive product with low cost of displaying compared with 3D models.Dimensionality reduction is undoubtedly necessary for line drawings.However,most existing methods for artifact drawing rely on the principles of orthographic projection that always cannot avoid angle occlusion and data overlapping while the surface of cultural relics is complex.Therefore,conformal mapping was introduced as a dimensionality reduction way to compensate for the limitation of orthographic projection.Based on the given criteria for assessing surface complexity,this paper proposed a three-dimensional feature guideline extraction method for complex cultural relic surfaces.A 2D and 3D combined factor that measured the importance of points on describing surface features,vertex weight,was designed.Then the selection threshold for feature guideline extraction was determined based on the differences between vertex weight and shape index distributions.The feasibility and stability were verified through experiments conducted on real cultural relic surface data.Results demonstrated the ability of the method to address the challenges associated with the automatic generation of line drawings for complex surfaces.The extraction method and the obtained results will be useful for line graphic drawing,displaying and propaganda of cultural relics.

Diagnosis of indirectly driven double shell targets with point-projection hard x-ray radiography

We present an application of short-pulse laser-generated hard x rays for the diagnosis of indirectly driven double shell targets. Coneinserted double shell targets were imploded through an indirect drive approach on the upgraded SG-II laser facility. Then, based on thepoint-projection hard x-ray radiography technique, time-resolved radiography of the double shell targets, including that of their near-peakcompression, were obtained. The backlighter source was created by the interactions of a high-intensity short pulsed laser with a metalmicrowire target. Images of the target near peak compression were obtained with an Au microwire. In addition, radiation hydrodynamicsimulations were performed, and the target evolution obtained agrees well with the experimental results. Using the radiographic images, arealdensities of the targets were evaluated.