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The hysteretic damping tuned mass damper (HD-TMD) is composed of a spring element, a hysteretic damping (HD) element, and a mass. The HD force is proportional to the displacement of the tuned mass damper (TMD). Recently, the application of HD-TMD has emerged, but its optimal design is still lacking. To fill this academic gap, numerical solutions for optimal parameters of HD-TMD subjected to white-noise excitation were obtained based on the H2 optimization criterion. Performance balance optimization with a weighting factor was carried out to improve the response of a structure with the HD-TMD system. A set of earthquake records and harmonic excitations were conducted to prove the effectiveness of the optimal numerical solutions and the performance balance design. It was found that the performance of the HD-TMD is slightly better than that of the traditional optimized TMD. As a real TMD application of HD-TMD, the variable friction pendulum TMD (VFP-TMD) was selected to experience earthquakes with the proposed optimal methods. Results showed that the optimal solutions provided the best performance but raised the problem of difficulty in maintaining linearity with a large displacement. Nevertheless, the performance balance design helped reduce this defect and provided impressive seismic mitigation capacity. Compared with the optimal numerical solution results, the performance balance design demonstrated 2.847% of loss in the maximum structural displacement reduction rate and 3.709% of loss in the root mean square reduction rate during the earthquake-excited period, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem that the vibration of space robot will reduce the dynamic accuracy of robot, a method of vibration suppression of space robot through trajectory planning is proposed. First, the joint was simplified to a linear torsion spring, and the flexible rod was modelled using the finite element method, resulting in a flexible motion model of the robot. Then, a rigid-soft coupled dynamic model that combined the flexible motion model with the Lagrange method was established. Using the dynamic model, the factors influencing the vibration behaviour of space robots were analysed. Finally, the space robot was subjected to vibration suppression through trajectory planning. As verified by experimental analysis, different trajectories and loads affect the excitation force and inherent characteristics of the robot. In the design process, it is necessary to consider the relationship between the excitation force and natural frequency. The trajectory planning method has apparent effects on vibration suppression. The vibration amplitude was significantly reduced, which can improve the positioning accuracy and work efficiency of the robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to develop and optimize ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) for shikonin from Arnebia euchroma using response surface methodology (RSM) and to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of shikonin. The maximum yield of shikonin was 1.26% under the optimal extraction conditions (ultrasound power, 93 W; time, 87 min; temperature, 39°C; and liquid-solid ratio, 11 : 1). Shikonin showed inhibitory activity against standard strains and clinical isolates to varying extents (MICs ranging from 128 to 1024 μg/mL, MBCs ranging from 256 to 2048 μg/mL), and it was more effective for Gram-positive bacteria as indicated by lower MIC and MBC values. Time-kill curves revealed that antibacterial activity of shikonin exhibited a dose-response relationship. In summary, via this study, we identified ultrasound-assisted RSM as the optimal extraction method for shikonin, which is a potential material for the treatment of bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: With the increasing access of distributed generation (DG), the investment decision of distribution network (DN) has become a large‐scale portfolio optimization problem with various reconstruction strategies, which reduces the applicability of the traditional investment decision optimization model. Therefore, aiming at reliability of DN, a novel deep belief networks (DBN)‐based correlation constraint‐integrated investment decision model is proposed in this paper. With the DBN‐based correlation constraint replacing the nonlinear and nonconvex constraints in the traditional model, a new investment decision model is established aiming at maximizing the reliability index and minimizing the total investment cost. In this way, the effects of different reconstruction strategies can be analysed, from which the optimal investment reconstruction plans are identified. Finally, an example of a regional distribution network in a city is provided to verify the rapidity, feasibility, and effectiveness of the investment decision model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a study on the relationship between the protective effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on senescent neural stem cells and Wnt-β/catenin signaling pathway. Background. Recent studies have shown that overactivation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is closely related to stem cell senescence. Whether Rg1 delays the senescence of NSCs is related to the regulation of this signaling pathway. Methods. The whole brain of Nestin-GFP transgenic newborn rat was extracted, and NSCs were extracted and cultured to P3 generation. The following indicators were detected: (1) NSC culture identification, (2) the effect of LiCl on the proliferation and survival rate of NSCs, (3) the effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on the proliferation and survival of NSCs, (4) the growth of NSCs in each group observed by an optical microscope, (5) the cell cycle of each group detected by flow cytometry, (6) the proliferative ability of each group detected by BrdU, (7) the fluorescence intensity of Nestin and Sox2 of NSCs in each group observed by a fluorescence microscope, (8) the positive rate of senescence staining analyzed by SA-β-Gal staining, (9) the localization of β-catenin in NSCs observed by laser confocal microscopy, and (10) the changes of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related proteins in each group detected by Western blotting. Results. LiCl activates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and promotes mouse neural stem cell senescence. Ginsenoside Rg1 promotes proliferation of neural stem cells and inhibits Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation. Conclusions. LiCl can activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway of NSCs, and ginsenoside Rg1 can antagonize the senescence of NSCs caused by activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and delay brain aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To demonstrate the effect of Ginsenoside Rg1 on the differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). Subsequently, a rational mechanism for the detection of Rg1 which affects mesenchymal stem cell differentiation was explored. Methods. Flow cytometry is used for cell identification. The differentiation ability of hBM-MSCs was studied by differentiation culture. SA-β-gal staining is used to detect cell senescence levels. Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to determine protein expression levels. RT-qPCR is used to detect mRNA expression levels. Results. Rg1 regulates the differentiation of hBM-MSCs. Differentiation culture analysis showed that Rg1 promoted cells to osteogenesis and chondrogenesis. Western blot results showed that Rg1 regulated the overactivation of the β-catenin signaling pathway and significantly adjusted the phosphorylation of GSK-3β. GSK-3β inhibitor (Licl) significantly increased Rg1-induced phosphorylation of GSK-3β, which in turn reduced Rg1-induced differentiation of hBM-MSCs. Conclusion. Ginsenoside Rg1 can reduce the excessive activation of the Wnt pathway in senescent cells by inhibiting the phosphorylation of GSK-3β and regulate the mesenchymal stem cell differentiation ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]