There is an increasing need to introduce socially interactive robots as a means of assistance in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) treatment and rehabilitation, to improve the effectiveness of ...rehabilitation training and the diversification of treatment, and to alleviate the shortage of medical personnel in mainland China and other places in the world. In this preliminary clinical study, three different socially interactive robots with different appearances and functionalities were tested in therapy-like settings in four different rehabilitation facilities/institutions in Shenzhen, China. Seventy-four participants, including 52 children with ASD, whose processes of interacting with robots were recorded by three different cameras, all received a single-session three-robot intervention. Data were collected from not only the videos recorded, but also the questionnaires filled mostly by parents of the participants. Some insights from the preliminary results were obtained. These can contribute to the research on physical robot design and evaluations on robots in therapy-like settings. First, when doing physical robot design, some preferential focus should be on aspects of appearances and functionalities. Second, attention analysis using algorithms such as estimation of the directions of gaze and head posture of a child in the video clips can be adopted to quantitatively measure the prosocial behaviors and actions (e.g., attention shifting from one particular robot to other robots) of the children. Third, observing and calculating the frequency of the time children spend on exploring/playing with the robots in the video clips can be adopted to qualitatively analyze such behaviors and actions. Limitations of the present study are also presented.
Colletotrichum australisinense
, a member of the
Colletotrichum acutatum
species complex, is an important pathogen causing rubber tree anthracnose. Genome-wide comparative analysis showed this ...species complex contains more genes encoding necrosis- and ethylene-inducing peptide 1-like proteins (NLPs) than other
Colletotrichum
species complexes, but little is known about their necrosis-inducing roles in host. The aim of this study was to analyze NLPs number and type in
C. australisinense
, and characterize their necrosis-inducing activity in host or non-host. According to phylogenetic relationship, conserved the cysteine residues and the heptapeptide motif (GHRHDWE), 11 NLPs were identified and classified into three types. Five of the eleven NLPs were evaluated for necrosis-inducing activity. CaNLP4 (type 1) could not induce necrosis in host or non-host plants. By contrast, both CaNLP5 and CaNLP9 (type 1) induced necrosis in host and non-host plants, and necrosis-inducing activity was strongest for CaNLP9. CaNLP10 (type 2) and CaNLP11 (type 3) induced necrosis in host but not non-host plants. Substitution of key amino acid residues essential for necrosis induction activity led to loss of CaNLP4 activity. Structural characterization of CaNLP5 and CaNLP9 may explain differences in necrosis-inducing activity. We evaluated the expression of genes coding CaNLP by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) at different time-points after pathogen infection. It was found that genes encoding CaNLPs with different activities exhibited significantly different expression patterns. The results demonstrate that CaNLPs are functionally and spatially distinct, and may play different but important roles in
C. australisinense
pathogenesis.
This study aimed to observe the osseointegration of hollow porous titanium prostheses （HPTP） loaded with cancellous bone matrix （CBM） in rabbits using histological and biomechanical ...perspectives.Experimental samples were implanted into the lateral femoral condyles of 66 New Zealand rabbits,allocated into the following groups：non-porous prosthesis group （Group A,n=22）;HPTP group （Group B,n=22）;HPTP＋CBM group （Group C,n=22）.The rabbits were sacrificed at 3,8 and 12 weeks,postoperatively.X-ray analyses,microscopy techniques and morphological measurement software and mechanical tests were used for evaluation.At each time point,the tissues surrounding the implants were similar in all of the groups,with bony in-growth into the 2-mm round holes observed for the defects in Groups B and C.However,the internal bone formation was significantly better in Group C than in Group B at different time points （P〈0.01）.Biomechanically,the pull-out forces were significantly greater in Groups B and C than in Group A （P〈0.01）,with no difference between Groups B and C （P〉0.05）.These results suggest that bone can grow into the cavities of HPTP to achieve more stable locking fixation,and those osteogenic materials,such as CBM,can enhance osteogenesis to achieve better osseointegration between the implant and the host bone.
•This work reviews advances of bio-carbon KIBs anode with diverse microstructures.•A discussion on biomass carbons and biomass carbon-metal composites are presented.•The geometries, synthesis, and ...electrochemical characteristics are both summarized.•Investigations on the electrochemical kinetics of bio-carbon KIBs anode are provided.•Perspectives to achieve structurally-tuned bio-carbon KIBs anode are highlighted.
Pursuit of advanced batteries with high energy density and low cost is the eternal goal for electrochemists. Potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) become a core focus to meet the need for scalable power sources in both academic and industrial energy-harvesting area. As the key to boosting development of KIBs, the advancement of high-performance anode materials helps to increase their competitiveness and feasibility. In this sense, biomass-based carbon materials with elaborate biological structures, strong physicochemical adsorptions, environmental benignity and cost effectiveness tick almost all the right boxes as a material for biocompatible energy-storage systems. More importantly, their intrinsic diversity of bio-microstructures provide considerable merits involving rapid ion/electron channels, strengthened mechanical substrates as well as in-situ templates for further electrode designs, allowing for achieving structurally-tuned surface chemistry in KIBs anodes. In this review, by focusing on the aspects of pure biomass carbons and biomass carbon-metal composites, a rapid glimpse at biomass carbon-based anode materials with various micro-architectures is provided, covering the architectural geometries, synthetic strategies, energy-storing mechanisms and electrochemical characteristics. In addition, a brief perspective on the imminent challenges and future directions of bio-carbon anodes in KIBs is also highlighted. We hope to cast a valuable outlook for structurally-controlled biomass-based anode materials in KIBs.
Background Studies of the associations between in utero 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) exposure and risk of childhood asthma, wheeze, and respiratory tract infections are inconsistent and inconclusive. ...Objectives We sought to assess associations between 25(OH)D levels in cord blood or maternal venous blood and risk of offspring's asthma, wheeze, and respiratory tract infections. Methods Data were derived from PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, references from relevant articles, and de novo results from published studies until December 2015. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted among 16 birth cohort studies. Results Comparing the highest with the lowest category of 25(OH)D levels, the pooled odds ratios were 0.84 (95% CI, 0.70-1.01; P = .064) for asthma, 0.77 (95% CI, 0.58-1.03; P = .083) for wheeze, and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.66-1.09; P = .187) for respiratory tract infections. The observed inverse association for wheeze was more pronounced and became statistically significant in the studies that measured 25(OH)D levels in cord blood (0.43; 95% CI, 0.29-0.62; P < .001). Conclusions Accumulated evidence generated from this meta-analysis suggests that increased in utero exposure to 25(OH)D is inversely associated with the risk of asthma and wheeze during childhood. These findings are in keeping with the results of 2 recently published randomized clinical trials of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy.
There has been a long debate on the stable phase of iron under the Earth’s inner core conditions. Because of the solid‐liquid coexistence at the inner core boundary, the thermodynamic stability of ...solid phases directly relates to their melting temperatures, which remains considerable uncertainty. In the present study, we utilized a semi‐empirical potential fitted to high‐temperature ab initio data to perform a thermodynamic integration from classical systems described by this potential to ab initio systems. This method provides a smooth path for thermodynamic integration and significantly reduces the uncertainty caused by the finite‐size effect. Our results suggest the hcp phase is the stable phase of pure iron under the inner core conditions, while the free energy difference between the hcp and bcc phases is tiny, on the order of 10 s meV/atom near the melting temperature.
Plain Language Summary
The structure of Earth’s solid inner core is a fundamental question in understanding the Earth’s interior. Fe is the major element in the Earth’s solid inner core, while its stable phase under inner core conditions is still under debate. The inaccuracy of present ab initio free energy calculations was too large to estimate the small free energy difference between different Fe phases, making this debate unsolved. In this paper, we developed a method to determine Fe’s melting temperatures from ab initio calculations. This was achieved by utilizing a potential fitted to high‐temperature ab initio data and performing a thermodynamic integration from classical systems described by this potential to ab initio systems. This method significantly reduces the uncertainty caused by the finite size effect in the ab initio calculations. Using this method, we calculated the free energy difference and melting temperatures of hcp and bcc Fe under inner‐core boundary and center conditions. We show that the hcp phase is the stable phase of pure Fe throughout the inner core condition. However, the bcc and hcp phases show a very small free energy difference that may be altered by other elements in the inner core.
Key Points
Thermodynamic integration with a potential fitted to high‐temperature ab initio data allows precise melting temperature determinations
Hcp and bcc Fe’s melting temperatures are computed at the same ab initio accuracy at 323 and 360 GPa
Bcc Fe is metastable while its free energy is only ∼10 meV/atom higher than the stable hcp phase under inner core conditions
Background
Previous articles about MAKO robotic‐assisted total hip replacement (THR) were mainly in patients with comparatively normal anatomy.
Methods
From July 2020 to June 2021, we performed MAKO ...robotic‐assisted THR in three hip‐fused patients. We assessed the accuracy of prostheses implantation, collected clinical data, and discussed the value of this technique in this kind of patients.
Result
All three patients achieved good leg length and prostheses position. A patient got femoral artery injury during the surgery. Moreover, she developed a thrombus. All three patients got acceptable Visual Analogue Scale scores and function recovery 6 months later.
Conclusion
MAKO robotic‐assisted THR achieved excellent prosthesis position in hip fused patients. More cases are needed to confirm this advantage. The function recovery was acceptable. Caution should be paid to protect the surrounding abnormal arteries, especially in a limited surgical field.
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•Four modifications are applied on CF surface prior to GO electrophoretic deposition.•A comparison based on different evaluations on surface modifications was proposed.•Chemical ...activity and micro-interlocking contribute a lot in composite adhesion.•Electrochemical oxidation coupled with EPD is effective in enhancing conductivity.
In this paper, four surface modifications have been applied on carbon fiber (CF) prior to graphene oxide (GO) electrophoretic deposition (EPD) for preparing GO/CF hybrid fiber reinforced epoxy (GO/CF/EP) composites, including acid oxidation, sizing coating, silane coupling coating and electrochemical oxidation. Note that electrochemical oxidation coupled with EPD was a feasible way to evenly disperse GO on CF surface and construct conductive network. In contrast, acid modification could increase surface roughness while sizing and coupling coating were responsible for chemical activity. Furthermore, after comparative analyses between different modifications, it can be concluded that surface oxygen-containing functional groups and micromechanical interlocking contributed a lot in robust strengthening and electrical conduction of GO/CF/EP composites, as proved by GO/CFs-eco and GO/CFs-acid reinforced composite samples. Based on these results, an in-depth comparison based on interfacial shear strength (IFSS) and other adopted evaluating factors on four kinds of surface modifications was proposed, demonstrating that proper treatments should be chosen for the combination of optimizing interfacial properties in GO/CF/EP composites.
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