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Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic and degenerative condition that persists and progresses over time. Sipeimine (Sip), a steroidal alkaloid derived from Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus, has attracted considerable attention due to its exceptional anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, and anti-cancer characteristics. However, Sip's effects on OA and its mechanism still need further research. Methods: This study utilized network pharmacology to identify initial targets for Sip. Functional associations of Sip in OA were clarified through Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, bioinformatically analyzing a list of targets. Subsequently, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis assessed pathways linked to Sip's therapeutic efficacy in OA. Molecular docking techniques explored Sip's binding affinity with key targets. In vitro experiments assessed Sip's impact on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro-inflammatory factors and its protective effects on collagen-II and aggrecan degradation within the extracellular matrix (ECM). Western blotting and fluorescence analyses were conducted to determine Sip-mediated signaling pathways. Moreover, in vivo experiments using a mouse OA model validated Sip's therapeutic efficacy. Results: The results from network pharmacology revealed a total of 57 candidate targets for Sip in OA treatment. GO enrichment analysis demonstrated a robust correlation between Sip and inflammatory response, response to LPS and NF-κB-inducing kinase activity in OA. KEGG enrichment analysis highlighted the significance of NF-κB and PI3K-AKT pathways in Sip's therapeutic potential for OA. Furthermore, molecular docking results demonstrated Sip's robust binding affinity with p65 and PI3K. In vitro experiments demonstrated Sip's effectively suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory factors induced by LPS, such as COX-2, iNOS, IL-1β, and IL-18. Besides, Sip counteracted the degradation of collagen-II and aggrecan within the ECM and the expression of MMP-13 and ADAMTS-5 mediated by LPS. The safeguarding effects of Sip were ascribed to its inhibition of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome mediated pyroptosis. Additionally, in vivo experiments revealed that Sip could alleviate the subchondral remodeling, cartilage degeneration, synovitis as well as ECM degradation a mouse model of OA. Conclusion: Sip exhibited potential in attenuating OA progression by suppressing the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway, consequently inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis. The translational potential statement: The translational potential of this articleThis study provides a biological rationale for the use of Sip as a potential candidate for OA treatment, provide a new concept for the cartilage targeted application of natural compounds.

Abstract Background Marital status is a potentially essential factor for cognitive impairment. Relevant research examining the potential pathways through which the marital status of spouseless older people is associated with cognitive impairment needs to be more adequate. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the serial mediating effects of various forms of social support and depression between marital status and cognitive impairment in older Chinese people. Methods This study involved a secondary analysis of data from the 2014–2018 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), with a total of 2,647 Chinese older adults and 53.6% being males. Mediation analysis using the SPSS process macro was conducted. Results The results indicated that marital status was significantly predictive of cognitive impairment among older people, and those with a spouse exhibited higher cognitive functioning. Informal social support and depression were found to play partial mediating roles in the association between marital status and cognitive impairment. The findings also revealed that marital status was unrelated to formal social support, and no association between formal social support and cognitive impairment was found. Conclusions The study findings highlight the need for social service providers to design programs for promoting connections associated with informal support to reduce their risk of depression and cognitive impairment and for policymakers to develop effective formal social support systems for older people without spouses. This study indicated that older people could regain the benefits of marriage to lower the risk of depression and improve their mental health.

Abstract Background Implant choice for the fixation of femoral neck fracture is one of the most important management controversies. This study aims to evaluate and compare the short-term outcomes associated with the use of the Femoral Neck System (FNS), Multiple Cancellous Screws (MCS), and Dynamic Hip Screws (DHS) in treating femoral neck fractures in a young patient population. Methods From June 2018 to June 2021, a total of 120 surgeries for a primary femoral neck fracture were retrospectively analyzed. This review encompassed demographic details of the patients and the mechanisms behind the injuries. Key surgical parameters such as operation duration, intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy duration, and hospital stay were meticulously documented. The employed surgical technique was described. All patients were followed up at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months postoperatively. Avascular necrosis of the femoral head (AVN), nonunion, malreduction, implant failure or other complications were noted. The functional status at the last follow-up was assessed using the Harris functional scoring criteria. Results There were 90 males and 30 females, with a mean age of 40.4 years. As to patient characteristics, there were no significant differences between the three groups. DHS group showed longer operation time(52.15 ± 4.80 min), more blood loss(59.05 ± 5.87 ml) and longer time of hospitalization(7.6 ± 0.90 d) than FNS group (39.65 ± 2.84 min, 45.33 ± 9.63 ml and 4.87 ± 0.48 d) and MCS group (39.45 ± 3.10 min, 48.15 ± 7.88 ml and 5.04 ± 0.49 d) (p

Abstract The utilization of optimal orthodontic force is crucial to prevent undesirable side effects and ensure efficient tooth movement during orthodontic treatment. However, the sensitivity of existing detection techniques is not sufficient, and the criteria for evaluating optimal force have not been yet established. Here, by employing 3D finite element analysis methodology, we found that the apical distal region (A-D region) of mesial roots is particularly sensitive to orthodontic force in rats. Tartrate-resistant acidic phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts began accumulating in the A-D region under the force of 40 grams (g), leading to alveolar bone resorption and tooth movement. When the force reached 80 g, TRAP-positive osteoclasts started appearing on the root surface in the A-D region. Additionally, micro-computed tomography revealed a significant root resorption at 80 g. Notably, the A-D region was identified as a major contributor to whole root resorption. It was determined that 40 g is the minimum effective force for tooth movement with minimal side effects according to the analysis of tooth movement, inclination, and hyalinization. These findings suggest that the A-D region with its changes on the root surface is an important consideration and sensitive indicator when evaluating orthodontic forces for a rat model. Collectively, our investigations into this region would aid in offering valuable implications for preventing and minimizing root resorption during patients’ orthodontic treatment.

To fill the research gap in the mechanical and physical properties of different varieties of sweet potatoes at different points in the harvest period and to provide a theoretical basis for the design of key components of the sweet potato harvester, the physical properties of Su-Shu 16, Su-Shu 36, and Ning-Zi 4 during the harvest period were studied at three time points: 15 October, 25 October, and 4 November 2023. The moisture content of sweet potatoes was determined using the DGF30/7-IA electric hot air-drying oven. The results showed that the moisture content of sweet potatoes decreased with increasing growth time at three different time points during the harvest period. The moisture content of Su-Shu 16 was, on average, 12.74% higher than that of Su-Shu 36, while the moisture content of Ning-Zi 4 was, on average, 8.07% higher than that of Su-Shu 36. The density of Su-Shu 36 measured by the drainage method is greater than that of Su-Shu 16 and Ning-Zi 4, but the difference is relatively small, and the density tends to decrease slowly with the increase of growth time. Using an electronic universal testing machine, compression tests were conducted on Su-Shu 16, Su-Shu 36, and Ning-Zi 4 at loading speeds of 5 mm/min and 10 mm/min, respectively. The results showed that the compressive strength limit range of Su-Shu 36 was slightly higher than that of Su-Shu 16 and significantly higher than that of Ning-Zi 4. The Poisson’s ratio, elastic modulus, and shear modulus values of Su-Shu 16 and Su-Shu 36 were similar and much higher than those of Ning-Zi 4. Studying sweet potatoes’ growth and physical characteristics for different purposes can provide data references for the design of digging depth, working width, and conveyor chain gap of sweet potato harvesters, as well as data references for sweet potato simulation experiments.

Through hydrocarbon explorations, deep carbonate reservoirs within a craton were determined to be influenced by deep strike-slip faults, which exhibit small displacements and are challenging to identify. Previous research has established a correlation between seismic attributes and deep geological information, wherein large-scale faults can cause abrupt waveform discontinuities. However, due to the inherent limitations of seismic datasets, such as low signal-to-noise ratios and resolutions, accurately characterizing complex strike-slip faults remains difficult, resulting in increased uncertainties in fault characterization and reservoir prediction. In this study, we integrate advanced techniques such as principal component analysis and structure-oriented filtering with a fault-centric imaging approach to refine the resolution of seismic data from the Tarim craton. Our detailed evaluation encompassed 12 distinct seismic attributes, culminating in the creation of a sophisticated model for identifying strike-slip faults. This model incorporates select seismic attributes and leverages fusion algorithms like K-means, ellipsoid growth, and wavelet transformations. Through the technical approach introduced in this study, we have achieved multi-scale characterization of complex strike-slip faults with throws of less than 10 m. This workflow has the potential to be extended to other complex reservoirs governed by strike-slip faults in cratonic basins, thus offering valuable insights for hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir characterization in similar geological settings.

In the process of lithology discrimination from a conventional well logging dataset, the imbalance in sample distribution restricts the accuracy of log identification, especially in the fine-scale reservoir intervals. Enhanced sampling balances the distribution of well logging samples of multiple lithologies, which is of great significance to precise fine-scale reservoir characterization. This study employed data over-sampling and under-sampling algorithms represented by the synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE), adaptive synthetic sampling (ADASYN), and edited nearest neighbors (ENN) to process well logging dataset. To achieve automatic and precise lithology discrimination on enhanced sampled well logging dataset, support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) models were trained using cross-validation and grid search methods. Aimed to objectively evaluate the performance of different models on different sampling results from multiple perspectives, the lithology discrimination results were evaluated and compared based on the Jaccard index and F1 score. By comparing the predictions of eighteen lithology discrimination workflows, a new discrimination process containing ADASYN, ENN, and RF has the most precise lithology discrimination result. This process improves the discrimination accuracy of fine-scale reservoir interval lithology, has great generalization ability, and is feasible in a variety of different geological environments.

Abstract This paper presents a command‐filter‐based formation control scheme for the leader‐follower omnidirectional mobile robots (OMRs) subject to the absence of the velocity measurements, input saturation and unknown bounded disturbances. First, an adaptive velocity observer is designed based on a novel state transformation of the OMR dynamics. Then, a finite‐time command filtering strategy is proposed, where the Levant filter is used to estimate the time derivative of the virtual control law, and an error compensator with finite time convergence is constructed to eliminate the filtering error correspondingly. Moreover, the anti‐saturation module and adaptive law are designed to attenuate the influence caused by input saturation and external disturbances. The proposed control scheme can ensure that all signals of the closed‐loop system including the formation error are uniformly bounded, and the effectiveness is verified by the simulations results.

ObjectiveTo analyze the relationship between serum complement component 1q (C1q) levels and functional prognosis in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), and to reveal its clinical value.MethodsIn this prospective cohort study, we collected clinical data of aSAH patients admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Hangzhou First People’s Hospital from January 2020 to October 2022. Parameters such as serum C1q levels, Hunt-Hess grade, modified Fisher grade, and the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 3 months were included for evaluation. Patients were grouped based on the occurrence of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Spearman rank correlation test and Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test were used to analyze the correlation between serum C1q levels, disease severity, and prognosis. Potential risk factors affecting prognosis and the occurrence of DCI were screened through Independent sample t-test or Mann–Whitney U test. Variables with significant differences (p

Abstract Bone regeneration remains a great clinical challenge. Low intensity near-infrared (NIR) light showed strong potential to promote tissue regeneration, offering a promising strategy for bone defect regeneration. However, the effect and underlying mechanism of NIR on bone regeneration remain unclear. We demonstrated that bone regeneration in the rat skull defect model was significantly accelerated with low-intensity NIR stimulation. In vitro studies showed that NIR stimulation could promote the osteoblast differentiation in bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and MC3T3-E1 cells, which was associated with increased ubiquitination of the core circadian clock protein Cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) in the nucleus. We found that the reduction of CRY1 induced by NIR light activated the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathways, promoting SMAD1/5/9 phosphorylation and increasing the expression levels of Runx2 and Osterix. NIR light treatment may act through sodium voltage-gated channel Scn4a, which may be a potential responder of NIR light to accelerate bone regeneration. Together, these findings suggest that low-intensity NIR light may promote in situ bone regeneration in a CRY1-dependent manner, providing a novel, efficient and non-invasive strategy to promote bone regeneration for clinical bone defects.

A 83-year-old male presented with itchy plaques and nodules at the base of the penis for 9 years, and with ulceration for 3 years. Physical examination showed a dark red, 4.5 cm×2.5 cm plaque on the root of the penis, with scattered nodules and thick yellow-brown crust. Erythema, papules, erosions, and scales were also seen on the lower abdomen, groin, and scrotum. He was diagnosed with extramammary Paget's disease. Histopathology showed a large number of basophilic tumor lumps and contraction fissures between tumor and the peripheral tissues in the dermis. Tumor cell nuclei were large with dark stain, arranged in a palisade pattern around the tumor. The diagnosis was basal cell carcinoma. After resection of the plaque, the patient was treated with photodynamic therapy for 3 times, and followed up for 20 months with no recurrence.

Background: The puncture procedure in percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) is non-visual, and the learning curve for PELD is steep. Methods: An augmented reality surgical navigation (ARSN) system was designed and utilized in PELD. The system possesses three core functionalities: augmented reality (AR) radiograph overlay, AR puncture needle real-time tracking, and AR navigation. We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial to evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness. A total of 20 patients with lumbar disc herniation treated with PELD were analyzed. Of these, 10 patients were treated with the guidance of ARSN (ARSN group). The remaining 10 patients were treated using C-arm fluoroscopy guidance (control group). Results: The AR radiographs and AR puncture needle were successfully superimposed on the intraoperative videos. The anteroposterior and lateral AR tracking distance errors were 1.55 ± 0.17 mm and 1.78 ± 0.21 mm. The ARSN group exhibited a significant reduction in both the number of puncture attempts (2.0 ± 0.4 vs. 6.9 ± 0.5, p = 0.000) and the number of fluoroscopies (10.6 ± 0.9 vs. 18.5 ± 1.6, p = 0.000) compared with the control group. Complications were not observed in either group. Conclusions: The results indicate that the clinical application of the ARSN system in PELD is effective and feasible.

Summary: Background: Tumor-resident microbiota has been documented for various cancer types. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is also enriched with microbiota, while the significance of microbiota in shaping the OSCC microenvironment remains elusive. Methods: We used bioinformatics and clinical sample analysis to explore relationship between F. nucleatum and OSCC progression. Xenograft tumor model, metabolic screening and RNA sequencing were performed to elucidate mechanisms of pro-tumor role of F. nucleatum. Findings: We show that a major protumorigenic bacterium, F. nucleatum, accumulates in invasive margins of OSCC tissues and drives tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) formation. The mechanistic dissection shows that OSCC-resident F. nucleatum triggers the GalNAc-Autophagy-TBC1D5 signaling, leading to GLUT1 aggregation in the plasma membrane and the deposition of extracellular lactate. Simultaneous functional inhibition of GalNAc and GLUT1 efficiently reduces TAMs formation and restrains OSCC progression. Interpretation: These findings suggest that tumor-resident microbiota affects the immunomodulatory and protumorigenic microenvironment via modulating glycolysis and extracellular lactate deposition. The targeted intervention of this process could provide a distinct clinical strategy for patients with advanced OSCC. Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Key Program Projects (82030070, to LC) and Distinguished Young Scholars (31725011, to LC), as well as Innovation Team Project of Hubei Province (2020CFA014, to LC).

BackgroundPercutaneous balloon compression (PBC) is an effective and well-established surgery for treating trigeminal neuralgia (TN). However, if the initial attempt fails to produce a distinct pear shape, there is no conventional strategy to follow: repeat a few days later or re-puncture?AimsThis study aimed to analyze the risk and gain of re-puncturation in PBC surgery for TN treatment.MethodsWe reviewed radiographs and medical records from 79 consecutive PBC cases. The complications and surgical outcomes were compared between one-time success pears and multiple re-puncturing pears. Re-puncturing methods included selecting a more appropriate entry point, a more possible entry angle, finding a stretchy spot around the margin of foramen ovale (FO) with a trocar, and exploring the direction with more resistance using a thinner guiding needle.ResultsIn 50% of cases, satisfactory pears were obtained after the first puncture, and in 35% of cases, satisfactory pears were obtained following re-puncturation. Except for hemihypogeusia, which was significantly more in multiple punctures cases (p < 0.05), no additional adverse effects were statistically different between the two groups. There are very few rare complications associated with re-puncturation. Log-Rank test of pain-free rate revealed no statistically significant differences between the two groups (p = 0.129).ConclusionThis study establishes the safety of re-puncturation in PBC surgery for TN treatment. The operation increases pears and does not cause any serious complications. The surgical outcomes of re-puncturation pears are almost identical to those one-time success pears.

Background: In minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS), where the surgeon cannot directly see the patient’s internal anatomical structure, the implementation of augmented reality (AR) technology may solve this problem. Methods: We combined AR, artificial intelligence, and optical tracking to enhance the augmented reality minimally invasive spine surgery (AR-MISS) system. The system has three functions: AR radiograph superimposition, AR real-time puncture needle tracking, and AR intraoperative navigation. The three functions of the system were evaluated through beagle animal experiments. Results: The AR radiographs were successfully superimposed on the real intraoperative videos. The anteroposterior (AP) and lateral errors of superimposed AR radiographs were 0.74 ± 0.21 mm and 1.13 ± 0.40 mm, respectively. The puncture needles could be tracked by the AR-MISS system in real time. The AP and lateral errors of the real-time AR needle tracking were 1.26 ± 0.20 mm and 1.22 ± 0.25 mm, respectively. With the help of AR radiographs and AR puncture needles, the puncture procedure could be guided visually by the system in real-time. The anteroposterior and lateral errors of AR-guided puncture were 2.47 ± 0.86 mm and 2.85 ± 1.17 mm, respectively. Conclusions: The results indicate that the AR-MISS system is accurate and applicable.

Abstract Curved graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with hybrid edge structures have recently attracted increasing attention due to their unique band structures and electronic properties as a result of their nonplanar conformation. This work reports the solution synthesis of a long and curved multi‐edged GNR (cMGNR) with unprecedented cove–armchair–gulf edge structures. The synthesis involves an efficient A2B2‐type Diels–Alder polymerization between a diethynyl‐substituted prefused bichrysene monomer (3b) and a dicyclopenta[e,l]pyrene‐5,11‐dione derivative (6) followed by FeCl3‐mediated Scholl oxidative cyclodehydrogenation of the obtained polyarylenes (P1). Model compounds 1a and 1b are first synthesized to examine the suitability and efficiency of the corresponding polymers for the Scholl reaction. The successful formation of cMGNR from polymer P1 bearing prefused bichrysene units is confirmed by FTIR, Raman, and solid‐state NMR analyses. The cove‐edge structure of the cMGNR imparts the ribbon with a unique nonplanar conformation as revealed by density functional theory (DFT) simulation, which effectively enhances its dispersibility in solution. The cMGNR has a narrow optical bandgap of 1.61 eV, as estimated from the UV–vis absorption spectrum, which is among the family of low‐bandgap solution‐synthesized GNRs. Moreover, the cMGNR exhibits a carrier mobility of ≈2 cm2 V−1 s−1 inferred from contact‐free terahertz spectroscopy.

Background: Gastrodin (Gas) exhibits anti-inflammatory properties against diseases associated with the central nervous system (CNS). This study aimed to investigate the potential neuroprotective role of Gas in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: A rat TBI model was established in male adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats by controlled cortical impingement (CCI), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was applied to induce the activation of BV2 microglia and HT22 hippocampal neurons. Neurological deficits, motor function and brain water content were evaluated in TBI rats. TUNEL and Nissl’s staining were applied to measure neuronal degeneration and apoptosis. Microglial activation, the mRNA and protein profiles of pro-inflammatory cytokines were tested by immunohistochemistry (IHC), quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Results: Gas significantly reduced neurological deficits, cerebral edema, and neuronal apoptosis and improved motor function in TBI mice. In addition, Gas inactivated microglia and blocked the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines on the damaged side of the TBI rat brain. In vitro, Gas attenuated BV2 microglia inflammation and reduced HT22 hippocampal neuronal apoptosis. On the other hand, Gas activated the PKA/CREB/BDNF pathway both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusions: Gas blocks microglial activation-mediated inflammation through the PKA/CREB/BDNF pathway, thereby improving neurobehavioral function after TBI, which provides a potential therapeutic benefit for treating TBI.

Objective: Day type II crescent fracture–dislocation is a subtype of pelvic lateral compression injury. At present, there is still a controversy on the operative approach and fixation technique. We have put forward closed reduction and percutaneous crossed screws fixation for treating type-II crescent fracture–dislocation. Finite element analysis is used to compare the biomechanical properties between percutaneous crossed screws and other internal fixations. Methods: A three-dimensional finite element model of Day type-II crescent fracture–dislocation was simulated using 5 implants, including double anterior plates (Model A), one posterior plate and one iliac screw (Model B), one sacroiliac joint screw (Model C), crossed one iliac screw and one sacroiliac joint screw (Model D), and crossed two iliac screws and one sacroiliac joint screw (Model E). 600-N stress was applied to S1 vertebral end-plate. To evaluate the biomechanical properties, the stress distribution and displacement distribution of the pelvis, stress distribution of the crescent fragment and stress distribution of plate and cannulated screw were recorded and analyzed. Results: Under the loading of 600N, the maximum pelvic displacements in the finite element model were compared as follows: model E (0.070 ​mm), model D (0.071 ​mm), model A (0.080 ​mm), model C (0.096 ​mm), and model B (0.112 ​mm). The maximum displacements of crescent fragment were compared as follows: model E (0.018 ​mm), model B (0.022 ​mm), model D (0.023 ​mm), model A (0.030 ​mm), and model C (0.043 ​mm). The maximum stress of all implants were compared as follows: model D (90.01 ​Mpa), model E (81.60 ​Mpa), model C (69.07 ​Mpa), model A (56.51 ​Mpa), model B (18.29 ​Mpa). Model E and model D could provide better mechanical support for whole pelvic. Conclusions: With sufficient biomechanical stability and minimally invasive advantage, percutaneous crossed screw fixation is a recommended treatment for Day Type-II Crescent Fracture–dislocation. It is recommended to fix crescent fracture fragment and sacroiliac joint simultaneously during the operation. If it is difficult to fix the both position, the sacroiliac joint is preferentially fixed. The translational potential of this article: There is a controversy on the operative approach and fixation technique of Day type-II crescent fracture–dislocation. This article proves that percutaneous crossed screw fixation is a recommended treatment for Day type-II crescent fracture–dislocation by finite element analysis. Keywords: Crescent fracture-dislocation, Day type, Finite element analysis, Internal fixation, Pelvic fracture

When and how was the Tibetan Plateau (TP), one of the least habitable regions on Earth, occupied by humans are important questions in the research of human evolution. Among tens of Paleolithic archaeological sites discovered over the past decades, only five are considered coeval with or older than the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ∼27–19 ka). As one of them, the Siling Co site in the central TP was previously announced to be ∼40–30 ka based on radiocarbon dating and stratigraphic correlation. Given the loose chronological constraint in previous studies, we here re-examined the chronology of the Siling Co site with the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating technique. Four sections from the paleo-shoreline at an elevation of ∼4,600 m in southeastern Siling Co were investigated, with stone artifacts found from the ground surface. Dating results of nine samples delineated the age of ∼4,600 m paleo-shoreline to be ∼10–7 ka (∼8.54 ± 0.21 ka in average). This age indicates that the Siling Co site is not earlier than the early Holocene, much younger than the former age. The revised age of the Siling Co site is consistent with the wet and humid climate conditions on the TP during the early Holocene.

Abstract Background Both-bone forearm fractures are a common fracture, accounting for 3.4% of all paediatric fractures. For now, elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) and open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) are the common surgical procedures for paediatric both-bone forearm fractures. Both ORIF and ESIN have their shortcomings. Therefore, we need to find another surgical treatment which can decrease the rate of complications and improve the clinical efficacy. Our study plans to test hybrid fixation, using an ESIN fixation for the radius and an ORIF for the ulna. Our study will conduct a randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing double plate fixation with hybrid fixation for treatment of both-bone forearm fractures in older children between 10 and 16 years of age. The objectives of this trial are to compare the effectiveness between double plate fixation and hybrid fixation for treatment of both-bone forearm fractures in older children. Methods An RCT will be conducted, and the participants included will be randomly divided into either the hybrid fixation group or the double plate fixation group, at a ratio of 1:1. The primary clinical outcome measures are the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score and radiological evaluation. Secondary clinical outcome measures are intraoperative blood loss, surgical duration, visual analogue scale score after surgery, hospital duration after surgery and complications. Follow-up will be conducted at 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Discussion The trial will provide a new surgical treatment for forearm fractures in older children. Our hypothesis is that there is no clinically relevant difference in the primary outcome measures between the two treatment groups. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800018060. Registered on 26 August 2018.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the use of three-dimensional (3D) printing models for preoperative planning in cases of complex fracture. Methods In total, 48 patients with AO type C fractures of the distal radius were enrolled in the study between January 2014 and January 2015. They were divided randomly into 3D model (n = 23) and routine treatment (n = 25) groups. A 3D digital model of each distal radius fracture in the former group was constructed. The model was exported to a 3D printer for construction of a full solid model. During each operation, the operative time, amount of blood loss, and frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy were recorded, which were regarded as primary outcome measures. Patients were followed to evaluate surgical outcomes by Gartland–Werley scores, radiological evaluation, and range of motion of wrist, and these were regarded as the secondary outcome measures. In addition, we invited surgeons and patients to complete questionnaires. Results The treatment of complex fractures using the 3D printing approach reduced the frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy, blood loss volume, and operative time, but did not improve postoperative function compared with routine treatment. The patients wanted the doctor to use the 3D model to describe the condition and introduce the operative plan because it facilitated their understanding. The orthopaedic surgeons thought that the 3D model was useful for communication with patients, but were much less satisfied with its use in preoperative planning. Conclusion Our study revealed that 3D printing models effectively help the doctors plan and perform the operation and provide more effective communication between doctors and patients, but can not improve postoperative function compared with routine treatment. Trial Registration This trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on May 9, 2017 (ChiCTR-IRP-17011343, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=19264).

Recent years, there has been an ever increasing interest and investment on Artificial Intelligence (AI), both academic and industrial. As the hotspots in AI, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have already been applied to a lot of different applications. However, traditional ANNs have disadvantages, such as fixed and redundant structure, resulting in requirement of large amount of training data and training time. Biological researches have shown that the biological neural network behaves in a more flexible way, with synapses building or withering according to requirement. In this paper, we present a Correlation Analysis Based Neural Network Self-Organizing Genetic Evolutionary Algorithm. Based on correlation analysis of training process, self-organizing combined with genetic evolutionary algorithm is applied to improve the performance efficiency and structural efficiency of the built neural network. Results show that our algorithm could generate neural networks with more compact structure and reasonable classification accuracy.

Purpose: This study was aimed to compare conventional surgery and surgery assisted by 3D printing technology in the treatment of calcaneal fractures. In addition, we also investigated the effect of 3D printing technology on the communication between doctors and patients. Methods: we enrolled 75 patients with calcaneal fracture from April 2014 to August 2016. They were divided randomly into two groups: 35 cases of 3D printing group, 40 cases of conventional group. The individual models were used to simulate the surgical procedures and carry out the surgery according to plan in 3D printing group. Operation duration, blood loss volume during the surgery, number of intraoperative fluoroscopy and fracture union time were recorded. The radiographic outcomes Böhler angle, Gissane angle, calcaneal width and calcaneal height and final functional outcomes including VAS and AOFAS score as well as the complications were also evaluated. Besides, we made a simple questionnaire to verify the effectiveness of the 3D-printed model for both doctors and patients. Results: The operation duration, blood loss volume and number of intraoperative fluoroscopy for 3D printing group was 71.4 ± 6.8 minutes, 226.1 ± 22.6 ml and 5.6 ± 1.9 times, and for conventional group was 91.3 ± 11.2 minutes, 288.7 ± 34.8 ml and 8.6 ± 2.7 times respectively. There was statistically significant difference between the conventional group and 3D printing group (p < 0.05). Additionally, 3D printing group achieved significantly better radiographic results than conventional group both postoperatively and at the final follow-up (p < 0.05). However, No significant difference was noted in the final functional outcomes between the two groups. As for complications, there was no significant difference between the two groups. Furthermore, the questionnaire showed that both doctors and patients exhibited high scores of overall satisfaction with the use of a 3D printing model. Conclusion: This study suggested the clinical feasibility of 3D printing technology in treatment of calcaneal fractures.

Development of computer science has led to the blooming of artificial intelligence (AI), and neural networks are the core of AI research. Although mainstream neural networks have done well in the fields of image processing and speech recognition, they do not perform well in models aimed at understanding contextual information. In our opinion, the reason for this is that the essence of building a neural network through parameter training is to fit the data to the statistical law through parameter training. Since the neural network built using this approach does not possess memory ability, it cannot reflect the relationship between data with respect to the causality. Biological memory is fundamentally different from the current mainstream digital memory in terms of the storage method. The information stored in digital memory is converted to binary code and written in separate storage units. This physical isolation destroys the correlation of information. Therefore, the information stored in digital memory does not have the recall or association functions of biological memory which can present causality. In this paper, we present the results of our preliminary effort at constructing an associative memory system based on a spiking neural network. We broke the neural network building process into two phases: the Structure Formation Phase and the Parameter Training Phase. The Structure Formation Phase applies a learning method based on Hebb's rule to provoke neurons in the memory layer growing new synapses to connect to neighbor neurons as a response to the specific input spiking sequences fed to the neural network. The aim of this phase is to train the neural network to memorize the specific input spiking sequences. During the Parameter Training Phase, STDP and reinforcement learning are employed to optimize the weight of synapses and thus to find a way to let the neural network recall the memorized specific input spiking sequences. The results show that our memory neural network could memorize different targets and could recall the images it had memorized.

This article studies the neural network–based adaptive dynamic surface control for trajectory tracking of full-state constrained omnidirectional mobile robots. The barrier Lyapunov function method is adopted to handle the full-state constraints of the omnidirectional mobile robot, and thus state variables will never violate the restrictions. Then, the neural network is used to approximate the uncertain system dynamics, and the adaptive law is proposed to adjust the weights. Moreover, the dynamic surface control is adopted to avoid the derivation of virtual variables, and the complexity of the controller can be simplified in comparison with the classical backstepping technique. The auxiliary system is proposed as the compensator to address the input saturation of omnidirectional mobile robots. All signals including tracking errors, state variables, adaptive parameters, and control inputs in the closed-loop system are proved to be uniformly bounded, while the control gains are chosen properly. Numerical simulations are tested to validate the effectiveness and advancements of the given control strategy.

It is evident through biology research that, biological neural network could be implemented through two means: by congenital heredity, or by posteriority learning. However, traditionally, artificial neural network, especially the Deep learning Neural Networks (DNNs) are implemented only through exhaustive training and learning. Fixed structure is built, and then parameters are trained through huge amount of data. In this way, there are a lot of redundancies in the implemented artificial neural network. This redundancy not only requires more effort to train the network, but also costs more computing resources when used. In this paper, we proposed a bionic way to implement artificial neural network through construction rather than training and learning. The hierarchy of the neural network is designed according to analysis of the required functionality, and then module design is carried out to form each hierarchy. We choose the Drosophila's visual neural network as a test case to verify our method's validation. The results show that the bionic artificial neural network built through our method could work as a bionic compound eye, which can achieve the detection of the object and their movement, and the results are better on some properties, compared with the Drosophila's biological compound eyes.

Wheat is the staple food for the world’s major populations. However, chemical characters of geographically authentic wheat samples, especially for the lipids, have not been deeply studied. The present research aimed to investigate lipid compositions of Chinese wheat samples and clarify the major markers that contribute to the geographical differences. A total of 94 wheat samples from eight main wheat-producing provinces in China were evaluated to differentiate their lipid compositions. Based on the data collected from ultra-high-performance-liquid-chromatography tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF MS), an optimized non-targeted lipidomic method was utilized for analyses. As the results, 62 lipid compounds, including fatty acids, phospholipids, galactolipids, triglycerides, diglycerides, alkylresorcinol, and ceramide were tentatively identified. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) demonstrated a more satisfying performance in distinguishing wheat samples from different origins compared with principal component analysis (PCA). Further, the abundances of triglycerides and glycerophospholipids with more unsaturated fatty acids were found greater in wheat samples from northern origins of China, while more glycolipids and unsaturated fatty acids arose in southern original wheat samples. These findings describe the lipid profiles of wheat samples in China and could contribute to the quality and safety control for the wheat flour products.