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•We design and fabricate a modularized, pneumatically actuated RFiSFA through multi-material 3D printing.•We develop an 11-DoF anthropomorphic hand with one thumb and four fingers ...made of 12 RFiSFAs.•We evaluate the motion and force performance of the fingers and the dexterity of the hand.
Owing to the integrated muscular, ligamentous and skeletal structures and coupled degrees of freedom (DoFs), it is a long-term challenge in the field of robotics to design an anthropomorphic hand that mimics the biological structures and dexterous motions of human hands. In this paper, we present pneumatical, multi-material 3D-printed, modularized rigid-flexible integrated soft finger actuators (RFiSFAs) that can be directly assembled to an anthropomorphic hand. First, we introduce the mechanism of the RFiSFA with a pneumatic bellow chamber and a joint structure, and investigate the influence of the chamber material and the bellow number on the flexion angles and output forces performances of the RFiSFA. Next, we design and fabricate a 2-DoF flexion finger with two serial RFiSFAs and a 3-DoF thumb with two serial RFiSFAs and two parallel RFiSFAs. Then, we perform tests to characterize the motion and force performance of the fingers and thumb. Finally, we integrate and assemble an 11-DoF anthropomorphic hand with four flexion fingers and one thumb, and experimental results demonstrate the capability of the hand in grasping objects with different dimensions, shapes and textures.
Neuroprosthetic hands are typically heavy (over 400 g) and expensive (more than US$10,000), and lack the compliance and tactile feedback of human hands. Here, we report the design, fabrication and ...performance of a soft, low-cost and lightweight (292 g) neuroprosthetic hand that provides simultaneous myoelectric control and tactile feedback. The neuroprosthesis has six active degrees of freedom under pneumatic actuation, can be controlled through the input from four electromyography sensors that measure surface signals from residual forearm muscles, and integrates five elastomeric capacitive sensors on the fingertips to measure touch pressure so as to enable tactile feedback by eliciting electrical stimulation on the skin of the residual limb. In a set of standardized tests performed by two individuals with transradial amputations, we show that the soft neuroprosthetic hand outperforms a conventional rigid neuroprosthetic hand in speed and dexterity. We also show that one individual with a transradial amputation wearing the soft neuroprosthetic hand can regain primitive touch sensation and real-time closed-loop control.
Currently, brain-computer interface technology still poses hidden dangers in the complete control of ideas. Additionally, there are issues with the low sampling frequency and accuracy of EEG signal ...acquisition equipment. To address these concerns, this study proposes a combined model for EEG signal recognition and classification analysis by combining frequency division multi-feature complex brain networks with parallel convolutional neural networks. The effectiveness of this model has been verified. In model visualization analysis, the visualization results of t-distribution random neighborhood embedding in the third separable convolutional layer indicate that the two types of imagination have already experienced separation. There is a clear boundary between the two at position 0 on both the horizontal and vertical axes. This is a significant improvement compared to the comparative model. In the model performance verification, the full band classification accuracy in the synchronous network was maintained between 60% to 84%, and the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\mu </tex-math></inline-formula>-rhythm was maintained between 59% to 81%. The average classification accuracy of the combined model was 77.40% with higher performance, which was higher than 68.53% and 70.87% of the single scale convolutional neural network. In comparison with deep learning algorithms, the average classification accuracy of the combined model was 85.74%, much higher than the 66.20% and 76.69% of the comparative models. The composite model constructed has good performance in recognizing and classifying electroencephalogram signals. It can be effectively applied in practical brain-computer interface technology or electroencephalogram signal analysis. The potential application area of this study in the future is the recognition and processing of complex EEG signals in medical institutions, which can improve the efficiency of signal processing in this field and reduce the manpower expenditure of medical personnel.
Aberrant activation of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) plays an important role in pathogenesis of B-cell lymphomas, suggesting that inhibition of BTK is useful in the treatment of hematological ...malignancies. The discovery of a more selective on-target covalent BTK inhibitor is of high value. Herein, we disclose the discovery and preclinical characterization of a potent, selective, and irreversible BTK inhibitor as our clinical candidate by using in vitro potency, selectivity, pharmacokinetics (PK), and in vivo pharmacodynamic for prioritizing compounds. Compound BGB-3111 (31a, Zanubrutinib) demonstrates (i) potent activity against BTK and excellent selectivity over other TEC, EGFR and Src family kinases, (ii) desirable ADME, excellent in vivo pharmacodynamic in mice and efficacy in OCI-LY10 xenograft models.
This work evaluated the methane potential and methane production rate of the stem bark (SB), stem pith (SP), and leaves (LV) of corn stover from batch anaerobic digestion. The obtained cumulative ...methane potential and the hydrolysis kinetics constant were 0.201, 0.214, and 0.199 L g−1 VS (volatile solids) and 0.090, 0.149, and 0.227 d−1 for SB, SP, and LV, respectively. The chemical composition and the crystalline structure of the substrates as well as their changes during the anaerobic digestion were inspected, and their impacts on the characteristics of methane production were assessed. The methane production rate correlated positively with the hemicellulose and soluble compounds content and negatively with the cellulose and lignin content, but the degradation rates of hemicellulose and cellulose in the specific substrate were complex and comparable. The methane production has limit correlation with the crystalline structure of the substrates. Microbial community structure was analyzed to elucidate functional microorganism contributing to methane production of different substrate. The abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes was most affected by the substrate, and positively related to methane yields.
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•The methane yields and hydrolysis kinetic constants of SB, SP, and LV were evaluated.•The chemical and physical changes of the substrates during digestion were inspected.•Correlation was established between chemical changes and methane production.•The crystalline structure of cellulose had limit effect to anaerobic digestion of SB.•The abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes was positively related to methane yields.
Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common clinical spinal disorder, yet its etiology remains unclear. We aimed to explore the role of cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) and identify potential diagnostic ...biomarkers. Our analysis involved interrogating the GSE124272 and GSE150408 datasets for differential gene expression profiles associated with CRGs and immune characteristics. Molecular clustering was performed on LDH samples, followed by expression and immune infiltration analyses. Using the WGCNA algorithm, specific genes within CRG clusters were identified. After selecting the most predictive genes from the optimal model, four machine learning models were constructed and validated. This study identified nine CRGs associated with copper-regulated cell death. Two copper-containing molecular clusters linked to death were detected in LDH samples. Elevated expression and immune infiltration levels were found in LDH patients, particularly in CRG cluster C2. Utilizing XGB, five genes were identified for constructing a diagnostic model, achieving an area under the curve values of 0.715. In conclusion, this research provides valuable insights into the association between LDH and copper-regulated cell death, alongside proposing a promising predictive model.
Schematic illustration of the fabrication of bioactive calcium silicate nanowires reinforced poly (ε-caprolactone) electrospun fibrous membrane and its osteogenic properties in vitro and in vivo via ...potential osteogenic mechanism.
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•Calcium silicate reinforced poly (ε-caprolactone) electrospun fibrous membranes were fabricated by electrospun.•The addition of CS improved the mechanical and hydrophilic properties of CS-PCL EFMs.•CS incorporated CS-PCL EFMs showed great osteogenic bioactivity both in vitro and in vivo.•The CS component stimulate bone regeneration via FAK/JNK/p38 signaling pathways.
Bone defects arise from tumors, trauma and congenital disease cause permanent damage to patients. Electrospun technique has attracted great attentions since it can produce nano-/micro-fibers continuously, Furthermore, materials prepared by electrospun can mimic the structure of natural extracellular matrix which play a good biomimetic effect and affect cell behaviors. Our study aimed to fabricate bioactive calcium silicate nanowires reinforced poly (ε-caprolactone) (CS-PCL) composite electrospun fibrous membranes (EFMs) to promote bone regeneration. To prepare CS-PCL composite electrospun fibrous membranes, firstly, hydrothermal treatment was applied to prepare CS nanowires. Secondly, CS were added into PCL solution to fabricate CS-PCL EFMs. The results indicated that the addition of CS into PCL can improve the mechanical properties and hydrophilicity of EFMs. In addition, cell adhesion, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the expression of osteogenic genes were also improved via FAK/JNK/p38 signaling pathways. Lastly, according to the bone regeneration results in skull defect areas, the bone healing effect was significantly enhanced after the addition of CS nanowires. In conclusion, the fabricated CS-PCL EFMs can be a great candidate for bone regeneration.
Vegetable waste is one of the major organic solid residues available for sustainable biogas production. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility and optimal controlling strategy for ...acidogenic fermentation of wasted potato (WP). Three leaching bed reactors (LBRs) were operated at various pH values (6.0, 7.0 and 8.0) with an organic loading rate (OLR) of 6.7 g volatile solid/(L·d) and hydraulic retention time of 6 d. Butyric acid-type fermentation with butyric acid as predominant volatile fatty acid (VFA) was observed with a concentration and proportion (of total VFAs) of butyric acid, which were 7.8 g/L, 49.7 % and 9.6 g/L and 52.2 % at pH 6.0 and 7.0, respectively. Conversely, at pH 8.0, mixed acid-type fermentation was observed with acetic and butyric acid as the major VFAs. Control experiment without pH manipulation didn't perform well in VFAs production at first 6 days and then VFAs concentration increased as pH value was adjusted to 8. It was indicated that the inhibition was caused by high undissociated VFAs concentration due to low pH and the VFAs production could be improved through pH control strategy to regulate the undissociated VFAs concentration. According to the bacterial analysis, the microbial community was diverse and Firmicutes were the most important bacteria at different pH conditions. Therefore, the results suggested that a process of pH control might be feasible for stable and efficient acidogenic fermentation.
Core flow distribution is closely related to the thermal–hydraulic performance and safety of reactors. For natural circulation reactors with a limited driving force, flow distribution optimization is ...of particular significance, which can be contrived by suitably assigning the inlet resistance of a core assembly channel in reactor design. In the present work, core flow distribution optimization during the fuel life cycle is regarded as a global optimization problem. The optimization objective is to minimize the maximal outlet temperature difference of assembly channels during the fuel life cycle, while the input variable is the inlet resistance coefficient of each assembly channel. The simulated annealing algorithm is applied to the optimization code. The results show that the maximal outlet temperature difference is significantly reduced after optimization, and the resultant core outlet temperature distribution becomes more uniformed. Further evaluation indicates that the optimal solution has good applicability and stability under different reactor conditions. A comparison of the optimization objective function using different temperature difference definitions is also studied in the current study.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a neurological disease with high morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have shown that abnormally expressed synapse-related genes are closely related to the occurrence ...and development of SCI. However, little is known about the interaction of these aberrantly expressed genes and the molecular mechanisms that play a role in the injury response. Therefore, deeply exploring the correlation between synapse-related genes and functional recovery after spinal cord injury and the molecular regulation mechanism is of great significance.
First, we selected the function GSE45006 dataset to construct three clinically meaningful gene modules by hierarchical clustering analysis in 4 normal samples and 20 SCI samples. Subsequently, we performed functional and pathway enrichment analyses of key modules.
The results showed that related module genes were significantly enriched in synaptic structures and functions, such as the regulation of synaptic membranes and membrane potential. A protein-protein interaction network (PPI) was constructed to identify 10 hub genes of SCI, and the results showed that Snap25, Cplx1, Stxbp1, Syt1, Rims1, Rab3a, Syn2, Syn1, Cask, Lin7b were most associated with SCI. Finally, these hub genes were further verified by quantitative real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in the spinal cord tissues of the blank group and SCI rats, and it was found that the expression of these hub genes was significantly decreased in the spinal cord injury compared with the blank group (P ≤ 0.05).
These results suggest that the structure and function of synapses play an important role after spinal cord injury. Our study helps to understand the underlying pathogenesis of SCI patients further and identify new targets for SCI treatment.
