Search

Rope-driven robots are increasingly used to safely and efficiently clean complex glass curtain walls. However, continuous global cleaning is difficult for most robots because of their poor performance in overcoming obstacles and adapting to curved surfaces, and an inconvenient winch calibration on complex surfaces further burdens such work. This paper presents a 3-DOF rope-driven robot and a winch self-calibration method for efficient cleaning. The robot, by integrating a 5-rope parallel configuration, a self-adaptive cleaning body, and a self-compensating driving winch, is designed to perform continuous, compliant, and accurate spatial motion on curved walls with obstacles. By deducing the kinematic model, the constraint relationship related to orderly arranged winch positions, maneuverable body positions, and accessible rope lengths is established during the robot tracking 3D trajectory. Combining the established relationship, a series of regulations are formulated for easily acquiring body positions and rope lengths, and then a self-calibration method is proposed by accurately calculating winch positions without using professional instruments. Experimental results show that the robot can perform global and precise movement on complex glass surfaces. Applying the proposed method, the maximum winch calibration error is 6.6 mm, and the maximum body tracking error is controlled within 9.6 mm.

Abstract The iron core in the circuit breaker of oil dashpot is mainly affected by the electromagnetic force, spring force and oil damping force, which can play the function of anti‐time protection when overload current is excited. At low temperature, the viscosity of the methyl silicone oil damping fluid will change, and the parameters of spring and iron core will also change with temperature. The change of these parameters will lead to the change of the resultant force on the iron core, which will affect the operation time. To analyze this problem, a correlation model is established. Through the measurement of parameters at low temperature, numerical calculation, electromagnetic analysis, simulation analysis and compared with the experimental results, the study found that the viscosity of the damping fluid increases, the iron core is deformed, and the spring stiffness increases at low temperature. The influence of a single factor on the operation characteristics of the tripper is not enough to reflect its overall characteristics, and the comprehensive effect of each factor needs to be considered. After comprehensively considering all factors, the results are closer to the experimental results. The results provide a theoretical basis for the optimization design of the circuit breaker.

Cellulose-based hierarchical porous beads exhibit significant application potential in adsorption and separation systems due to their degradation and biocompatibility. However, the current fabrications of cellulose beads show poor mechanical properties and a difficult-to-regulate hierarchical porous structure, reducing their lifespan of use and limiting their application in fine separation. Here, we reported the facile creep–drop method to prepare cellulose beads that enabled systemic regulation of the macro-size, micropore structures, and mechanical properties by optimizing injection nozzle diameter, the composition of the coagulation bath, the temperature of the coagulation bath, and cellulose concentration. Notably, during the molding process, the H2SO4-Na2SO4 composite solidification bath endowed cellulose beads with a dense shell layer and a loose core layer, which achieved the integration of mechanical properties and high porosity. The cellulose beads exhibited high porosity (93.38–96.18%) and high sphericity (86.78–94.44%) by modulating the shell thickness of the cellulose beads. In particular, the cellulose beads exhibited excellent mechanical properties with a high compressive strength of 544.24 kPa at a 5% cellulose concentration. It is expected that these cellulose beads with tunable microstructures can realize their potential for applications in the fields of wastewater treatment, chemical engineering, bioengineering, medicine, and pharmaceuticals.

A low-voltage circuit breaker thermal trip plays a role in power systems, including opening and closing, control, protection, and more. Their reliability directly affects the security and stability of the power distribution system. The Wiener process model is established according to the accelerated degradation data of thermal trips, and remaining life prediction is carried out. In this paper, firstly, the constant stress accelerated degradation test is carried out on a thermal trip with temperature as the accelerated stress and specific thermal deflection as the degradation eigenquantity to characterise the degradation trajectory according to the degradation data and analyse the degradation law; then, it is verified by the test of normal distribution that the degradation data of the thermal trip conform to the Wiener process. The Wiener process, using the great likelihood estimation method to estimate the parameters of the remaining life, calculates the remaining life probability density function and reliability function under different temperature stresses and obtains the remaining life of the thermal trip under each accelerated stress conditions; finally, the remaining life of the thermal trip at the initial moment is taken as the pseudo-failure life, and the Arrhenius accelerated model is utilised to launch the external thermal trip under normal stress. Finally, the Arrhenius acceleration model is used to extrapolate the lifespan of the thermal trip under normal stress.

The DC circuit breaker is a crucial equipment for eliminating faults in DC transmission lines. The electromagnetic release functions as a critical component that restricts the circuit breaker’s lifespan. It is essential to prioritize its safety and reliability during usage and predicting its remaining useful life (RUL) is paramount. This paper proposes a new prediction technique based on particle filtering (PF) and the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) for the remaining useful life of electromagnetic release. The particle filtering algorithm is a commonly used technique in practical engineering fields such as target tracking and RUL prediction. It is a mainstream method for solving the parameter estimation of non-linear non-Gaussian systems. The WOA is introduced to improve the PF algorithm in order to ensure the diversity of particles and lessen the effect of particle degradation. The WOA replaces the traditional resampling process, and after each computation is finished, the weights of the particles in the particle set are reassigned in order to improve the particle distribution and increase algorithm accuracy. The rate of loss of the spring reaction force and the striker counterforce are chosen as the degradation characteristics after the degradation factors of electromagnetic release are analyzed. The degradation curves at different temperatures of electromagnetic release are obtained using the accelerated life test, and the full-life data during normal operation are derived using the Arrhenius equation. Finally, the RUL is predicted by comparing this paper’s method with the conventional PF method. The experimental results demonstrate that the method presented in this paper can more accurately predict the RUL of the electromagnetic release and has a higher prediction accuracy.

In this paper, we report an antibacterial, recyclable nanocellulose–titanium dioxide/polyester nonwoven fabric (NC-TiO2/PET) composite for the highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of dyes. The NC-TiO2 was loaded onto the surface of flexible PET nonwoven fabric through a simple swelling and dipping method. The NC-TiO2 in the particle size range of ~10 nm were uniformly attached to the surface of the PET fibers. The NC-TiO2/PET composite has the ability to achieve the stable photocatalytic degradation of dyes and presents antibacterial properties. The degradation rates to methylene blue (MB) and acid red (AR) of the NC-TiO2/PET composite reached 90.02% and 91.14%, respectively, and the inhibition rate of Escherichia coli was >95%. After several rounds of cyclic testing, the photocatalytic performance, antibacterial performance, and mechanical stability of the NC-TiO2/PET composite remained robust.

Abstract Background Glyphosate (GLY), as the active ingredient of the most widely used herbicide worldwide, is commonly detected in the environment and living organisms, including humans. Its toxicity and carcinogenicity in mammals remain controversial. Several studies have demonstrated the hepatotoxicity of GLY; however, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are still largely unknown. Methods Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), immunofluorescent staining, and in vivo animal studies, we analyzed the liver tissues from untreated and GLY-treated mice. Results We generated the first scRNA-seq atlas of GLY-exposed mouse liver. GLY induced varied cell composition, shared or cell-type-specific transcriptional alterations, and dysregulated cell–cell communication and thus exerted hepatotoxicity effects. The oxidative stress and inflammatory response were commonly upregulated in several cell types. We also observed activation and upregulated phagocytosis in macrophages, as well as proliferation and extracellular matrix overproduction in hepatic stellate cells. Conclusions Our study provides a comprehensive single-cell transcriptional picture of the toxic effect of GLY in the liver, which offers novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of the GLY-associated hepatotoxicity.

Abstract Background The laboratory mouse was domesticated from the wild house mouse. Understanding the genetics underlying domestication in laboratory mice, especially in the widely used classical inbred mice, is vital for studies using mouse models. However, the genetic mechanism of laboratory mouse domestication remains unknown due to lack of adequate genomic sequences of wild mice. Results We analyze the genetic relationships by whole-genome resequencing of 36 wild mice and 36 inbred strains. All classical inbred mice cluster together distinctly from wild and wild-derived inbred mice. Using nucleotide diversity analysis, Fst, and XP-CLR, we identify 339 positively selected genes that are closely associated with nervous system function. Approximately one third of these positively selected genes are highly expressed in brain tissues, and genetic mouse models of 125 genes in the positively selected genes exhibit abnormal behavioral or nervous system phenotypes. These positively selected genes show a higher ratio of differential expression between wild and classical inbred mice compared with all genes, especially in the hippocampus and frontal lobe. Using a mutant mouse model, we find that the SNP rs27900929 (T>C) in gene Astn2 significantly reduces the tameness of mice and modifies the ratio of the two Astn2 (a/b) isoforms. Conclusion Our study indicates that classical inbred mice experienced high selection pressure during domestication under laboratory conditions. The analysis shows the positively selected genes are closely associated with behavior and the nervous system in mice. Tameness may be related to the Astn2 mutation and regulated by the ratio of the two Astn2 (a/b) isoforms.

Abstract Object Early‐life neglect has irreversible emotional effects on the central nervous system. In this work, we aimed to elucidate distinct functional neural changes in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of model rats. Methods Maternal separation with early weaning was used as a rat model of early‐life neglect. The excitation of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in rat mPFC was recorded and analyzed by whole‐cell patch clamp. Results Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons of mPFC were distinguished by typical electrophysiological properties. The excitation of mPFC glutamatergic neurons was significantly increased in male groups, while the excitation of mPFC GABAergic neurons was significant in both female and male groups, but mainly in terms of rest membrane potential and amplitude, respectively. Conclusions Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in medial prefrontal cortex showed different excitability changes in a rat model of early‐life neglect, which can contribute to distinct mechanisms for emotional and cognitive manifestations.

IntroductionDespite the widespread use of the unilateral striatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion model in mice in recent years, the stability of behavioral deficits in the 6-OHDA striatal mouse model over time is not yet clear, raising concerns about using this model to evaluate a compound’s long-term therapeutic effects.Materials and methodsIn the current study, mice were tested at regular intervals in the cylinder test and gait analysis beginning 3 days after 6-OHDA injection of 4 and 8 μg and lasting until 56 days post-lesion. Apomorphine-induced rotational test and rotarod test were also performed on Day 23 and 43 post-lesion, respectively. Immunohistochemistry for dopaminergic neurons stained by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was also performed.ResultsOur results showed that both the 4 and 8 μg 6-OHDA lesion groups exhibited forelimb use asymmetry with a preference for the ipsilateral (injection) side on Day 3 and until Day 21 post-lesion, but did not show forelimb asymmetry on Day 28 to 56 post-lesion. The 8 μg 6-OHDA lesion group still exhibited forelimb asymmetry on Day 28 and 42 post-lesion, but not on Day 56. The gait analysis showed that the contralateral front and hind step cycles increased from Day 3 to 42 post-lesion and recovered on Day 56 post-lesion. In addition, our results displayed a dose-dependent reduction in TH+ cells and TH+ fibers, as well as dose-dependent apomorphine-induced rotations. In the rotarod test, the 8 μg 6-OHDA lesion group, but not the 4 μg group, decreased the latency to fall on the rotarod on Day 43 post-lesion.ConclusionIn summary, unilateral striatal 6-OHDA injections of 4 and 8 μg induced spontaneous motor impairment in mice, which partially recovered starting on Day 28 post-lesion. Forced motor deficits were observed in the 8 g 6-OHDA lesion group, which remained stable on Day 43 post-lesion. In addition, the rotarod test and apomorphine-induced rotational test can distinguish between lesions of different extents and are useful tools for the assessment of functional recovery in studies screening novel potential therapies.

Abstract SARS-CoV-2 has been reported to show a capacity for invading the brains of humans and model animals. However, it remains unclear whether and how SARS-CoV-2 crosses the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Herein, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was occasionally detected in the vascular wall and perivascular space, as well as in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) in the infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mice. Moreover, the permeability of the infected vessel was increased. Furthermore, disintegrity of BBB was discovered in the infected hamsters by administration of Evans blue. Interestingly, the expression of claudin5, ZO-1, occludin and the ultrastructure of tight junctions (TJs) showed unchanged, whereas, the basement membrane was disrupted in the infected animals. Using an in vitro BBB model that comprises primary BMECs with astrocytes, SARS-CoV-2 was found to infect and cross through the BMECs. Consistent with in vivo experiments, the expression of MMP9 was increased and collagen IV was decreased while the markers for TJs were not altered in the SARS-CoV-2-infected BMECs. Besides, inflammatory responses including vasculitis, glial activation, and upregulated inflammatory factors occurred after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Overall, our results provide evidence supporting that SARS-CoV-2 can cross the BBB in a transcellular pathway accompanied with basement membrane disrupted without obvious alteration of TJs.

The hallmark event of the canonical transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) family signaling is the assembly of the Smad-complex, consisting of the common Smad, Smad4, and phosphorylated receptor-regulated Smads. How the Smad-complex is assembled and regulated is still unclear. Here, we report that active Arl15, an Arf-like small G protein, specifically binds to the MH2 domain of Smad4 and colocalizes with Smad4 at the endolysosome. The binding relieves the autoinhibition of Smad4, which is imposed by the intramolecular interaction between its MH1 and MH2 domains. Activated Smad4 subsequently interacts with phosphorylated receptor-regulated Smads, forming the Smad-complex. Our observations suggest that Smad4 functions as an effector and a GTPase activating protein (GAP) of Arl15. Assembly of the Smad-complex enhances the GAP activity of Smad4 toward Arl15, therefore dissociating Arl15 before the nuclear translocation of the Smad-complex. Our data further demonstrate that Arl15 positively regulates the TGFβ family signaling.

The removal of cationic methylene blue (MB) and anionic acid red 1 (AR1) dyes from aqueous solution was studied using cellulose-g-p(AA-co-AM) bio-adsorbent (CP bio-adsorbent). The CP bio-adsorbent with surface multiple functional groups and macroporous network structure was synthesized via grafting the acrylic acid (AA) and acrylamide (AM) onto cellulose molecules. The adsorption behavior of the bio-adsorbent to dyes in the aqueous solution was studied. The effects of solution pH, temperature, initial dye concentration, and contact time on the adsorption capacity of the bio-adsorbent were investigated. Due to the abundant functional groups and macroporous network structure, the CP bioadsorbent exhibited remarkable adsorption performance for the removal of type dyes with an equilibrium adsorption capacity of 998 mg.g-1 for MB and 523 mg.g-1 for AR1. The kinetic studies revealed that the adsorption of dyes was exactly described by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Comparison with other bio-adsorbents confirmed that the eco-friendly CP bio-adsorbent possessed excellent potential for water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complicated interactions between genetic background, environment and lifestyle factors make it difficult to study the genetic basis of complex phenotypes, such as cognition and anxiety levels, in humans. However, environmental and other factors can be tightly controlled in mouse studies. The Collaborative Cross (CC) is a mouse genetic reference population whose common genetic and phenotypic diversity is on par with that of humans. Therefore, we leveraged the power of the CC to assess 52 behavioral measures associated with locomotor activity, anxiety level, learning and memory. This is the first application of the CC in novel object recognition tests, Morris water maze tasks, and fear conditioning tests. We found substantial continuous behavioral variations across the CC strains tested, and mapped six quantitative trait loci (QTLs) which influenced these traits, defining candidate genetic variants underlying these QTLs. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of the CC population in behavioral genetic research, while the identified genomic loci and genes driving the variation of relevant behavioral traits provide a foundation for further studies.

Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus Post-transcriptional Regulatory Element (WPRE) is thought to enhance transgene expression of target genes delivered by adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors. This study assessed the protein expression of α-synuclein, phosphorylated α-synuclein at Serine 129, extent of nigrostriatal degeneration as well as subsequent behavioral deficits induced by unilateral intranigral stereotactic injection in male adult C57BL/6J mice of an AAV2/9 expressing A53T human α-synuclein under the control of the synapsin promoter in presence or absence of the WPRE. The presence of WPRE enabled to achieve greater nigrostriatal degeneration and synucleinopathy which was concomitant with worsened forelimb use asymmetry. This work refines a mouse Parkinson's disease model in which anatomo-pathology is related to behavioral deficits.

Early-life neglect in critical developmental periods has been associated with emotional and cognitive consequences. Maternal separation (MS) has been commonly used as a rodent model to identify the developmental effects of child neglect. However, reports have shown considerable variability in behavioral results from MS studies in both mice and rats. Difficulties in developing reliable child neglect models have impeded advances in identifying the effects of early-life stress. Accumulating evidence shows that neuronal intrinsic excitability plays an important role in information processing and storage in the brain. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) integrates information from many cortical and subcortical structures. No studies to date have examined the impact of early-life stress on glutamatergic neuronal excitability in the PFC. This study aimed to develop a reliable child neglect rat model and observe glutamatergic neuronal excitability in the PFC. An MS with early weaning (MSEW) rat model was developed. Rats were separated from the dam for 4 h per day on postnatal days (PNDs) 2–5 and for 8 h per day on PNDs 6–16 and then weaned on PND 17. A battery of behavioral tests was used to assess anxiety-like behavior, coping behavior, working memory, spatial reference memory, and fear memory. The action potentials (APs) of glutamatergic neuronal membranes were recorded. MSEW resulted in anxiety-like behavior, a passive coping strategy and increased fear memory in male rats and decreased locomotor activity in both sexes. MSEW slightly impaired working memory during non-stressful situations in female rats but did not change spatial reference memory or associative learning under stressful circumstances in either sex. MSEW reduced the number of glutamatergic neuron APs in male rats. Our findings showed that MS with early weaning induced anxiety-like behavior in male rats. The reduced glutamatergic neuronal excitability may be associated with the emotional alteration induced by MSEW in male rats. In addition, MSEW induced adaptive modification, which depended on a non-stressful context.

Abstract Background Bupleurum yinchowense Shan et Y. Li is widely used to treat depressive and anxiety disorders for hundreds of years in China. Total saikosaponins (TSS) is the major ingredient of Bupleurum yinchowense. A-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor and subsequent mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling is responsible for synaptic maturation and may contribution to the synaptic alteration underlying depression. The aim of the study was to investigate the antidepressant-like and anxiolytic effect of TSS in chronic corticosterone-treated mice. The effect of TSS on synaptic proteins expression and AMPA receptor-mTOR signaling pathway alteration was also evaluated. Methods Dose-response effect of TSS (12.5, 25, 50 mg/kg) was investigated in forced swim test (FST) in ICR male mice. In the chronic corticosterine-treated model, TSS was given intragastrically once a day for 2 weeks and continued through the behavior testing period. Behavior tests and AMPA receptor related signaling pathway were investigated. Results TSS (25 and 50 mg/kg) decreased the immobility time in the FST when compared with the control group. TSS (25 mg/kg) showed antidepressant-like and anxiolytic effects in the chronic corticosterone treatment model in mice. TSS increased hippocampal synaptic proteins (synapsin-1 and postsynaptic density protein 95) expression. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that TSS significantly increased the synapsin-1 expression in CA3 of hippocampus. TSS also increased hippocampal phosphorylation expression of GluR1 Ser 845 (AMPA receptor subunit) and its downstream regulators extracellular signaling-regulated kinase (ERK), protein kinase B (Akt) and mTOR. Conclusion TSS produces antidepressant-like and anxiolytic effects and increases synaptic proteins expression which may be mediated by induction of AMPA receptor and subsequent mTOR signaling pathway.

In this paper we use $A_{infty }$-modules to study the derived category of a finite dimensional algebra over an algebraically closed field. We study varieties parameterising $A_{infty }$-modules. These varieties carry an action of an algebraic group such that orbits correspond to quasi-isomorphism classes of complexes in the derived category. We describe orbit closures in these varieties, generalising a result of Zwara and Riedtmann for modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitophagy plays a key role in cleaning damaged and depolarized mitochondria to maintain cellular homeostasis and viability. Although it was originally found in neurodegenerative diseases, mitophagy is reported to play an important role in acute kidney injury. PINK1 and Parkin are key molecules in mitophagy pathway. Here, we used PINK1 knockout rats to examine the role of PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy in cisplatin nephrotoxicity. After cisplatin treatment, PINK1 knockout rats showed lower plasma creatinine and less tubular damage when compared with wild-type rats. Meanwhile, mitophagy indicated by autophagosome formation and LC3B-II accumulation was also attenuated in PINK1 knockout rats. Renal expression of PINK1 and Parkin were down-regulated while BNIP3L was up-regulated by cisplatin treatment, indicating a major role of BNIP3/BNIP3L pathway in cisplatin-induced mitophagy. Transmission electron microscopy showed that PINK1 deficiency inhibited cisplatin-induced mitochondrial fragmentation indicating an involvement of mitochondrial fusion and fission. Renal expression of mitochondrial dynamics related proteins including Fis1, Drp1, Mfn1, Mfn2, and Opa1 were checked by real-time PCR and western blots. The results showed PINK1 deficiency distinctly prevented cisplatin-induced up-regulation of DRP1. Finally, PINK1 deficiency alleviated cisplatin-induced tubular apoptosis indicated by TUNEL assay as well as the expression of caspase3 and cleaved caspase3. Together, these results suggested PINK1 deficiency ameliorated cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury in rats, possibly via inhibiting DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission and excessive mitophagy.