The application of internal suspension technique in retroperitoneal robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy with a new robotic system KangDuo Surgical Robot-01:Initial experience

Objective To assess the feasibility of internal suspension technique in retroperitoneal robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy(rRAPN)with a new robotic platform called KangDuo Surgical Robot-01(KD-SR-01)system(Suzhou KangDuo Robot Co.,Ltd.,Suzhou,China)and discuss its surgical technique.Methods A 44-year-old male patient was admitted with a 2.5 cm tumor on dorsolateral upper pole of the left kidney.The R.E.N.A.L.nephrometry score of this patient was 4x.This patient underwent rRAPN with KD-SR-01.The perinephric fat between the tumor and Gerota's fascia was preserved,which was used for internal suspension traction during tumor resection.Postoperative follow-up data were collected.Results The surgery was successfully carried out with a duration of 127 min,in which the docking time was 6 min 25 s and console time was 60 min.The warm ischemia time was 19 min 53 s,and the estimated blood loss was 0 mL.The pathological histology showed a pathological tumor stage 1a clear cell renal cell carcinoma,with a negative surgical margin.The World Health Organization/International Society of Urological Pathology(WHO/ISUP)grade of this patient was Grade 2.No recurrence was observed during the 6-month follow-up.Conclusion Internal suspension in rRAPN is feasible and effective with use of the new robotic system KD-SR-01.

Millisecond dynamics of colloidal suspension studied by X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility

X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy(XPCS)has emerged as a powerful tool for probing the nanoscale dynamics of soft condensed matter and strongly correlated materials owing to its high spatial resolution and penetration capabilities.This technique requires high brilliance and beam coherence,which are not directly available at modern synchrotron beamlines in China.To facilitate future XPCS experiments,we modified the optical setup of the newly commissioned BL10U1 USAXS beamline at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility(SSRF).Subsequently,we performed XPCS measurements on silica suspensions in glycerol,which were opaque owing to their high concentrations.Images were collected using a high frame rate area detector.A comprehensive analysis was performed,yielding correlation functions and several key dynamic parameters.All the results were consistent with the theory of Brownian motion and demonstrated the feasibility of XPCS at SSRF.Finally,by carefully optimizing the setup and analyzing the algorithms,we achieved a time resolution of 2 ms,which enabled the characterization of millisecond dynamics in opaque systems.

Anticancer Activity of Rice Callus Suspension Cultures from Aromatic Varieties and Metabolites Regulated in Treated Cancer Cell Lines

Tissue culture techniques were used to produce large amounts of bioactive compounds with medicinal potential, overcoming space and time constraints for cancer prevention. Rice callus suspension cultures(RCSC) and seed extracts prepared from aromatic rice varieties were used to evaluate the cytotoxic impact on human colon and lung cancer cell lines, as well as a normal control cell line, using Taxol as a positive control. RCSC and seed extracts from two Indian aromatic rice varieties were applied at different concentrations to treat the cancer cell lines and normal lung fibroblasts over varying time intervals. Apoptosis was assessed in 1:5 dilutions of the A549 and HT-29 cell lines treated with RCSC for 72 h, using propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry. RCSC showed a more potent cytotoxic effect than seed extracts with minimal effect on the normal cell line, in contrast to Taxol. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry further confirmed the apoptotic effect of RCSC. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling identified metabolites involved in cytotoxicity and highlighted altered pathways. RCSC is proposed as an alternative source for the development of novel anticancer drugs with reduced side effects.

Design and Performance Analysis of HMDV Dynamic Inertial Suspension Based on Active Disturbance Rejection Control

This paper addresses the impact of vertical vibration negative effects,unbalanced radial forces generated by the static eccentricity of the hub motor,and road excitation on the suspension performance of Hub Motor Driven Vehicle(HMDV).A dynamic inertial suspension based on Active Disturbance Rejection Control(ADRC)is proposed,combining the vertical dynamic characteristics of dynamic inertial suspension with the features of ADRC,which distinguishes between internal and external disturbances and arranges the transition process.Firstly,a simulation model of the static eccentricity of the hub motor is established to simulate the unbalanced radial electromagnetic force generated under static eccentricity.A quarter-vehicle model of an HMDV with a controllable dynamic inertial suspension is then constructed.Subsequently,the passive suspension model is studied under different grades of road excitation,and the impact mechanism of suspension performance at speeds of 0–20 m/s is analyzed.Next,the three main components within the ADRC controller are designed for the second-order controlled system,and optimization algorithms are used to optimize its internal parameters.Finally,the performance of the traditional passive suspension,the PID-based controllable dynamic inertial suspension,and the ADRC-based controllable dynamic inertial suspension are analyzed under different road inputs.Simulation results show that,under sinusoidal road input,the ADRC-based controllable dynamic inertial suspension exhibits a 52.3%reduction in the low-frequency resonance peak in the vehicle body acceleration gain diagram compared to the traditional passive suspension,with significant performance optimization in the high-frequency range.Under random road input,the ADRC-based controllable dynamic inertial suspension achieves a 29.53%reduction in the root mean square value of vehicle body acceleration and a 14.87%reduction in dynamic tire load.This indicates that the designed controllable dynamic inertial suspension possesses excellent vibration isolation performance.

Advances in Active Suspension Systems for Road Vehicles

Active suspension systems(ASSs)have been proposed and developed for a few decades,and have now once again become a thriving topic in both academia and industry,due to the high demand for driving comfort and safety and the compatibility of ASSs with vehicle electrification and autonomy.Existing review papers on ASSs mainly cover dynamics modeling and robust control;however,the gap between academic research outcomes and industrial application requirements has not yet been bridged,hindering most ASS research knowledge from being transferred to vehicle companies.This paper comprehensively reviews advances in ASSs for road vehicles,with a focus on hardware structures and control strategies.In particular,state-of-the-art ASSs that have been recently adopted in production cars are discussed in detail,including the representative solutions of Mercedes active body control(ABC)and Audi predictive active suspension;novel concepts that could become alternative candidates are also introduced,including series active variable geometry suspension,and the active wheel-alignment system.ASSs with compact structure,small mass increment,low power consumption,high-frequency response,acceptable economic costs,and high reliability are more likely to be adopted by car manufacturers.In terms of control strategies,the development of future ASSs aims not only to stabilize the chassis attitude and attenuate the chassis vibration,but also to enable ASSs to cooperate with other modules(e.g.,steering and braking)and sensors(e.g.,cameras)within a car,and even with high-level decision-making(e.g.,reference driving speed)in the overall transportation system-strategies that will be compatible with the rapidly developing electric and autonomous vehicles.

Integrated Active Suspension and Anti-Lock Braking Control for Four-Wheel-Independent-Drive Electric Vehicles

This paper presents an integrated control scheme for enhancing the ride comfort and handling performance of a four-wheel-independent-drive electric vehicle through the coordination of active suspension system(ASS)and anti-lock braking system(ABS).First,a longitudinal-vertical coupled vehicle dynamics model is established by integrating a road input model.Then the coupling mechanisms between longitudinal and vertical vehicle dynamics are analyzed.An ASS-ABS integrated control system is proposed,utilizing an H∞controller for ASS to optimize load transfer effect and a neural network sliding mode control for ABS implementation.Finally,the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is evaluated through comprehensive tests conducted on a hardware-in-loop(HIL)test platform.The HIL test results demonstrate that the proposed control scheme can significantly improve the braking performance and ride comfort compared to conventional ABS control methods.

Unraveling the Rheology of Nanocellulose Aqueous Suspensions:A Comprehensive Study on Biomass-Derived Nanofibrillated Cellulose

The rheological properties of nanocellulose aqueous suspensions play a critical role in the development of nanocellulose-based bulk materials.High-crystalline,high-aspect ratio,and slender nanofibrillated cellulose(NFC)were extracted from four biomass resources.The cellulose nanofibrils and nanofibril bundles formed inter-connected networks in the NFC aqueous suspensions.The storage moduli of the suspensions with different concentrations were higher than their corresponding loss moduli.As the concentration increased,the storage and loss modulus of NFC dispersion increased.When the shear rate increased to a certain value,there were differences in the changing trend of the rheological behavior of NFC aqueous suspensions derived from different biomass resources and the suspensions with different solid concentrations.NFC dispersion’s storage and loss modulus increased when the temperature rose to nearly 80℃.We hope this study can deepen the understanding of the rheological properties of NFC colloids derived from different biomass resources.

Symmetry of upper eyelid after unilateral blepharoptosis repair with minimally invasive conjoint fascial sheath suspension technique

AIM:To investigate the symmetry of upper eyelid in patients with unilateral mild and moderate blepharoptosis who underwent unilateral minimally invasive combined fascia sheath(CFS)suspension.METHODS:A retrospective study of patients who underwent unilateral minimally invasive CFS suspension surgery between January 2018 and December 2021.Inclusion criteria included unilateral mild and moderate ptosis,good levator muscle function(>9 mm)and follow-up of at least 6mo.Pre-and post-operative symmetry was graded subjectively for marginal reflex distance 1(MRD1),tarsal platform show(TPS)and eyebrow fat span(BFS).A t-test was used to evaluate MRD1,TPS and BFS asymmetry by calculating delta values.The Bézier curve tool of the Image J software was used to extract the upper eyelid contours,where the symmetry was measured by the percentage of overlapping curvatures(POC).RESULTS:Totally 105 patients(105 eyelids)were included(mild group,n=84;moderate group,n=21).Postoperatively,all patients increased MRD1 and decreased TPS in the ptotic eye while maintaining unchanged BFS.The asymmetric delta value for MRD1 was measured to be 1.48±0.86 preoperatively,and it decreased to 0.58±0.67 postoperatively in all cases(P=0.0004).In patients with mild ptosis,the asymmetry value of TPS fell significantly from 1.15±0.62 to 0.68±0.38(P=0.0187).The symmetry of the upper eyelid contour increased in all subgroups of patients,with a POC of 59.39%±13.45%preoperatively and POC of 78.29%±13.80%postoperatively.CONCLUSION:Minimally invasive CFS suspension is proved to be an effective means of improving the symmetry of unilateral ptosis in terms of MRD1(all subgroups),POC(all subgroups)and TPS(only mild group),whereas BFS is unaffected.

Stochastic sampled-data multi-objective control of active suspension systems for in-wheel motor driven electric vehicles

This paper addresses the sampled-data multi-objective active suspension control problem for an in-wheel motor driven electric vehicle subject to stochastic sampling periods and asynchronous premise variables.The focus is placed on the scenario that the dynamical state of the half-vehicle active suspension system is transmitted over an in-vehicle controller area network that only permits the transmission of sampled data packets.For this purpose,a stochastic sampling mechanism is developed such that the sampling periods can randomly switch among different values with certain mathematical probabilities.Then,an asynchronous fuzzy sampled-data controller,featuring distinct premise variables from the active suspension system,is constructed to eliminate the stringent requirement that the sampled-data controller has to share the same grades of membership.Furthermore,novel criteria for both stability analysis and controller design are derived in order to guarantee that the resultant closed-loop active suspension system is stochastically stable with simultaneous𝐻2 and𝐻∞performance requirements.Finally,the effectiveness of the proposed stochastic sampled-data multi-objective control method is verified via several numerical cases studies in both time domain and frequency domain under various road disturbance profiles.

Defect Inspection Technology for Steel Truss Suspension Bridges

Steel truss suspension bridges are prone to developing defects after prolonged use.These defects may include corrosion of the main cable or the steel truss.To ensure the normal and safe functioning of the suspension bridge,it is necessary to inspect for defects promptly,understand the cause of the defect,and locate it through the use of inspection technology.By promptly addressing defects,the suspension bridge’s safety can be ensured.The author has analyzed the common defects and causes of steel truss suspension bridges and proposed specific inspection technologies.This research is intended to aid in the timely discovery of steel truss suspension bridge defects.

Evaluation of the Clinical Advantages of Laparoscopic Transverse Abdominal Wall Suspension in the Treatment of Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Objective:To evaluate the clinical advantages of laparoscopic transverse abdominal wall suspension in treating pelvic organ prolapse.Methods:Sixty patients diagnosed with moderate to severe pelvic organ prolapse and underwent surgical treatment in our hospital between January 2022 and December 2023 were selected.According to different surgical methods,they were divided into an observation group(given laparoscopic transverse abdominal wall suspension)and a control group(given transvaginal mesh implantation),with 30 subjects/group.The data on perioperative-related indicators,quality of life scores,postoperative recurrence,and complications of the two groups of patients were collected.Results:The postoperative hospitalization days and intraoperative bleeding volume of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group,but had longer operation time than that of the control group(P<0.05).The differences between the two groups were statistically significant 6 months after surgery,and the Pelvic Floor Disease Quality of Life Impact Questionnaire(PFIQ-7)score of the observation group was significantly higher than the control group(P<0.05).Both groups of patients completed 12 months of follow-up without any postoperative recurrence.The number of complications in the observation group was slightly lower than that of the control group(P>0.05).Conclusion:Laparoscopic transverse abdominal wall suspension was more effective in treating pelvic organ prolapse and is an ideal surgical procedure.

Effect of preoperative injection of carbon nanoparticle suspension on the outcomes of selected patients with mid-low rectal cancer

Background:Carbon nanoparticles show significant lymphatic tropism and can be used to identify lymph nodes surrounding mid-low rectal tumors.In this study,we analyzed the effect of trans anal injection of a carbon nanoparticle suspension on the outcomes of patients with mid-low rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic resection.Methods:We collected the data of 87 patients with mid-low rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic resection between November 2014 and March 2015 at Cancer Hospital,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College.For 35 patients in the experimental group,the carbon nanoparticle suspension was injected transanally into the submucosa of the rectum around the tumor 30 min before the operation;52 patients in the control group underwent the operation directly without the injection of carbon nanoparticle suspension.We then compared the operation outcomes between the two groups.Results:In the experimental group,the rate of incomplete mesorectal excision was lower than that in the control group,but no significant difference was found(2.9%vs.7.7%,P = 0.342).The distance between the tumor and the circumferential resection margin was 5.8 ± 1.4 mm in the experimental group and 4.8 ±1.1 mm in the control group(P = 0.001).The mean number of lymph nodes removed was 28.2 ± 9.4 in the experimental group and 22.7 ± 7.3in the control group(P = 0.003);the mean number of lymph nodes smaller than 5 mm in diameter was 10.1 ± 7.5and 4.5 ±3.7,respectively(P< 0.001).Three patients in the experimental group received lateral lymph node resection.Among the three patients,we retrieved three nodes(one stained node) from the first patient,three nodes(two stained nodes) from the second patient,and two nodes(no stained nodes) from the third patient.Conclusions:Injecting a carbon nanoparticle suspension improved the outcomes of patients who underwent laparoscopic resection for mid-low rectal cancer;it also improved the accuracy of pathologic staging.Moreover,for selected patients,this technique narrowed the scope of lateral lymph node dissection.

SEMI-ACTIVE CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUSPENSION WITH MAGNETO-RHEOLOGICAL DAMPERS PARTⅡ——EVALUATION OF SUSPENSION PERFORMANCE

The design and analysis of an intelligent vehicle suspension with MR dampers should address hybrid semi-active control goals, such as rejection of current-switching discontinuity and MR-damper hysteresis, asymmetric damping from the symmetric MR-damper design, robustness on the vehicle operation parameter uncertainties and consideration of essential multiple suspension goals. Following the proposed skyhook-based asymmetric semi-active controller （Part I ） for achieving the above goals, herein, a set of suspension performance measures and three kinds of varying amplitude harmonic, rounded pulse and really measured random excitations are systematically defined, and the sensitivity of quarter-vehicle MR-suspension performance to variations in operating conditions is thoroughly analyzed. The results illustrate that the proposed skyhook-based semi-active MR-suspension in the asymmetric mode yields relatively superior dynamic responses to meet the multiple suspension performances of ride, rattle space, road-holding and dynamic tire force transmitted to the pavement, and has desirable robustness on variations in operating conditions of vehicle load and speed and the road roughness.

Accelerated methane storage in clathrate hydrates using surfactantstabilized suspension with graphite nanoparticles

In this study,enhanced kinetics of methane hydrate formation in the sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS)solution with different concentrations of suspended graphite nanoparticles(GNPs)were investigated at 6.1-9.0 MPa and 274.15 K.The GNPs with rough surfaces and excellent thermal conductivity not only provided a considerable number of microsites for hydrate nucleation but also facilitated the fast hydrate heat transfer in the suspension system.At a relatively low pressure of 6.1 MPa,the suspension with 0.4 wt%of GNPs exhibited the minimum induction time of 22 min and maximum methane uptake of 126.1 cm3·cm-3.However,the methane storage performances of the suspensions with higher and lower concentrations of GNPs were not satisfactory.At the applied pressure,the temperature increase arising from the hydrate heat in the suspension system with the optimized concentration(0.4 wt%)of GNPs was more significant than that in the traditional SDS solution.Furthermore,compared with those of the system without GNPs,enhanced hydration rate and storage capacity were achieved in the suspensions with GNPs,and the storage capacities were increased by 3.9%-17.0%.The promotion effect of GNPs on gas hydrate formation at low pressure is much more obvious than that at high pressure.

Influence of Particle Size Distribution on the Optical Properties of Fine-Dispersed Suspensions

Nanofluids have great potential for solar energy harvesting due to their suitable optical and thermophysical properties.One of the promising applications of nanofluids is utilization in solar collectors with the direct absorption of light(DASC).The design of a DASC requires detailed knowledge of the optical properties of nanofluids,which can be significantly affected by the particle size distribution.The paper presents the method to take into account the particle size distribution when calculating nanofluid extinction spectra.To validate the proposed model,the particle size distribution and spectral absorbance were measured for aqueous suspension with multi-walled graphite nanotubes;the minimum size of primary nanoparticles was 49 nm.The proposed model is compared with experiments demonstrating the concentration averaged and maximum discrepancies of 6.6%and 32.2%against 12.6%and 77.7%for a model assuming a monosized suspension.

Synthesis of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Particles by Suspension Polymerization in Silicon Oil

Molecularly imprinted polymers using 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid （2,4-D） as templates were prepared by suspension polymerization in silicon oil. The polymer particles exhibited regular shape in the micro-scale range. The adsorbing experiments indicated that the imprinted polymer particles possessed higher affinity to 2,4-D than the non-imprinted polymer particles.

SEMI-ACTIVE CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUSPENSION WITH MAGNETO-RHEOLOGICAL DAMPERS:PART Ⅰ——CONTROLLER SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION

A modified skyhook-based semi-active controller is proposed for implementing an asymmetric control suspension design with symmetric magneto-rheological （MR） dampers. The controller is formulated in current form, which is modulated by integrating a continuous modulation and an asymmetric damping force generation algorithms, so as to effectively minimize switching and hysteretic effects from the MR-damper. The proposed controller is implemented with a quarter-vehicle MR-suspension model, and its relative response characteristics are thus evaluated in terms of defined performance measures under varying amplitude harmonic, rounded pulse and random excitations. The sensitivity of the semi-active suspension performance to variations in controller parameters is thoroughly evaluated. The results illustrate that the proposed skyhook-based asymmetric semi-active MR-suspension controller has superior robustness on the system parameter variations, and can achieve desirable multi-objective suspension performance.

Stabilization of nickel nanoparticle suspensions with the aid of polymer and surfactant: static bottle tests and dynamic micromodel flow tests

Nickel nanoparticles can work as catalyst for the aquathermolysis reactions between water and heavy oil.A homogeneous and stable suspension is needed to carry the nickel nanoparticles into deeper reservoirs.This study conducts a detailed investigation on how to achieve stabilized nickel nanoparticle suspensions with the use of surfactant and polymer.To stabilize the nickel nanoparticle suspension,three surfactants including sodium dodecyl sulfate,cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and polyoxyalkalene amine derivative(Hypermer) along with xanthan gum polymer were introduced into the nickel nanoparticle suspension.Static stability tests and zeta potential measurements were conducted to determine the polymer/surfactant recipes yielding the most stable nickel nanoparticle suspensions.Dynamic micromodel flow tests were also conducted on three suspensions to reveal how the nickel nanoparticles would travel and distribute in porous media.Test results showed that when the injection was initiated,most nickel nanoparticles were able to pass through the gaps between the sand grains and produced in the outlet of the micromodel;only a small number of the nickel nanoparticles were attached to the grain surface.A higher nickel concentration in the suspension may lead to agglomeration of nickel nanoparticles in porous media,while a lower concentration can mitigate this agglomeration.Moreover,clusters tended to form when the nickel nanoparticle suspension carried an electrical charge opposite to that of the porous media.Follow-up waterflood was initiated after the nanofluid injection.It was found that the waterflood could not flush away the nanoparticles that were remaining in the micromodel.

SEMI-ACTIVE CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUSPENSION WITH MAGNETO-RHEOLOGICAL DAMPERS:PART III—EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION

A hardware-in-the-loop （HIL） test and simulation platform is developed in the laboratory, so as to validate the performance characteristics of the proposed skyhook-based asymmetric semi-active controller in Part I, and examine the validity of the proposed MR-damper model in a system surrounding. A real-time monitor is designed to assess and monitor the responses of the quarter-vehicle model in the HIL platform, and to select the excitation, controller synthesis, and the output displays. A drive current circuit hardware employing PID feedback technique is developed to compensate for the time delays from the servo-controller and drive current circuit, in which a small resistance is integrated in the current amplifier circuit to provide the feedback signal. The experiments were performed to measure the responses of the quarter-vehicle MR-suspension models with fixed current and the proposed semi-active MR-damping variations, under harmonic, rounded pulse and random road excitations. The measured data were compared with the corresponding model results to examine the model and controller validity, and revealed generally good agreements in the model and tested results and very little sensitivity of the tested responses to variations in the sprung mass. The HIL test results validate the effectiveness of the proposed skyhook-based semi-active asymmetric controller and its high robustness against the vehicle load variations in view of the intelligent vehicle suspension design.

Transition and self-sustained turbulence in dilute suspensions of finite-size particles

We study the transition to turbulence of channel flow of finite-size particle suspensions at low volume fraction, i.e., φ ≈0.001. The critical Reynolds number above which turbulence is sustained reduces to Re ≈ 1675, in the presence of few particles, independently of the initial condition, a value lower than that of the corresponding single-phase flow, i.e., Re ≈1775. In the dilute suspension, the initial arrangement of the particles is important to trigger the transition at a fixed Reynolds number and particle volume fraction. As in single phase flows, streamwise elongated disturbances are initially induced in the flow. If particles can induce oblique disturbances with high enough energy within a certain time, the streaks breakdown, flow experiences the transition to turbulence and the particle trajectories become chaotic, Otherwise, the streaks decay in time and the particles immigrate towards the channel core in a laminar flow.