Fast Refocusing Algorithm Based on Three-dimensional Wall Compensation

Ultra-wideband through-wall radar, leveraging its ability to penetrate walls, can be used together with Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology to image hidden targets behind walls. This approach provides rich information for detecting and locating people within buildings. This paper introduces a closed-loop interferometric calibration method based on a multitransmitter multireceiver ultrawideband wall-penetrating radar system in the Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) regime. This method aims to correct scattering issues caused by internal system errors. The presence of walls causes the target imaging position to deviate from the real position. To address this, this paper derives a three-Dimensional (3D) wall compensation algorithm jointing channels and pixel points. Then, a fast refocusing algorithm is proposed based on the geometric properties of the imaging area. The first step involves removing the influence of walls on delay time and determining the presence of the target. Subsequently, in view of the geometric properties of the region, a spherical coordinate grid division adapted to the region shape is selected. Localized refocusing is then performed in the subregion. This avoids the issue of electromagnetic wave attenuation, causing strong targets to mask weak ones in the imaging results. At the same time, the adoption of spherical coordinates for gridding and localized imaging greatly reduces the overall time consumption by the algorithm. Through simulation analysis and experimental verification, the proposed calibration method can effectively compensate for system errors. The fast refocusing algorithm can be used to realize multitarget 3D localization of the human body behind walls, with the localization accuracy of each dimension surpassing 10 cm and computational speeds improving by five times compared with those of existing algorithms. In terms of target detection probability, the proposed algorithm consistently identifies weak targets that other algorithms may overlook

Temporal and Tissue Specific Regulation of RP-Associated Splicing Factor Genes PRPF3, PRPF31 and PRPC8—Implications in the Pathogenesis of RP

Genetic mutations in several ubiquitously expressed RNA splicing genes such as PRPF3, PRP31 and PRPC8, have been found to cause retina-specific diseases in humans. To understand this intriguing phenomenon, most studies have been focused on testing two major hypotheses. One hypothesis assumes that these mutations interrupt retina-specific interactions that are important for RNA splicing, implying that there are specific components in the retina interacting with these splicing factors. The second hypothesis suggests that these mutations have only a mild effect on the protein function and thus affect only the metabolically highly active cells such as retinal photoreceptors.We examined the second hypothesis using the PRPF3 gene as an example. We analyzed the spatial and temporal expression of the PRPF3 gene in mice and found that it is highly expressed in retinal cells relative to other tissues and its expression is developmentally regulated. In addition, we also found that PRP31 and PRPC8 as well as snRNAs are highly expressed in retinal cells.Our data suggest that the retina requires a relatively high level of RNA splicing activity for optimal tissue-specific physiological function. Because the RP18 mutation has neither a debilitating nor acute effect on protein function, we suggest that retinal degeneration is the accumulative effect of decades of suboptimal RNA splicing due to the mildly impaired protein

A Novel Type of Pseudo-Decoupling Method for Two Degree-of-Freedom Piezoelectrically Driven Compliant Mechanisms Based on Elliptical Parameter Compensation

At present, a large number of two-degree-of-freedom piezoelectrically driven compliant mechanisms (2-DOF PDCMs) have been widely adopted to construct various elliptical vibration machining (EVM) devices employed in precisely fabricating functional micro-structured surfaces on difficult-to-cut materials, which have broad applications in many significant fields like optical engineering and precision manufacturing. For a higher precision of conventional 2-DOF PDCMs on tracking elliptical trajectories, a novel type of pseudo-decoupling method is proposed based on phase difference compensation (PDC). With finite element analysis (FEA), the dependences of elliptical trajectory tracking precision on PDC angles will then be investigated for optimizing PDC angles under different elliptical parameters. As the modification of the PDC-based method, another type of pseudo-decoupling method will be improved based on elliptical parameter compensation (EPC) for much higher tracking precision, an amplification coefficient and a coupling coefficient will be introduced to mathematically construct the EPC-based model. A series of FEA simulations will also be conducted on a conventional 2-DOF PDCM to calculate the amplification and coupling coefficients as well as optimize the EPC parameters under four series of elliptical parameters. The tracking precision and operational feasibility of these two new pseudo-decoupling methods on four series of elliptical trajectories will be further analyzed and discussed in detail. Meanwhile, a conventional 2-DOF PDCM will be practically adopted to build an experimental system for investigating the pseudo-decoupling performances of an EPC-based method, the input and output displacements will be measured and collected to actually calculate the amplification coefficients and coupling coefficients, further inversely solving the actual input elliptical parameters with EPC. The error distances between the expected and experimental elliptical trajectories will also be calculated and discussed. Finally, several critical conclusions on this study will be briefly summarized

DrugDevCovid19: An Atlas of Anti-COVID-19 Compounds Derived by Computer-Aided Drug Design

Since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, numerous compounds against COVID-19 have been derived by computer-aided drug design (CADD) studies. They are valuable resources for the development of COVID-19 therapeutics. In this work, we reviewed these studies and analyzed 779 compounds against 16 target proteins from 181 CADD publications. We performed unified docking simulations and neck-to-neck comparison with the solved co-crystal structures. We computed their chemical features and classified these compounds, aiming to provide insights for subsequent drug design. Through detailed analyses, we recommended a batch of compounds that are worth further study. Moreover, we organized all the abundant data and constructed a freely available database, DrugDevCovid19, to facilitate the development of COVID-19 therapeutics

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting for Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle and Flapping Wing Sensing Based on Flexible Polyvinylidene Fluoride

The flapping wing micro air vehicle (FWMAV) has been attracting lots of interest since the 1990s and is one of the research hotspots in microminiaturization design. However, along with the miniaturization of FWMAV development, flight endurance becomes the bottleneck that significantly impedes the rapid development for these aircrafts because of the critical limit in energy supply due to the limited overall size and weight. In this paper, energy recovery technology was developed for FWMAV with the new type polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric wing which could generate the electric potential energy caused by the wing deformation due to the characteristics of the PVDF material. A single crank double rocker mechanism flapping platform was designed to test the deformation energy collection effect and aerodynamic lift. The PVDF wing surface was divided into 16 grid areas to be measured respectively. The lift, output voltage and output power variations for the different flapping frequency was successfully obtained in tests. By analyzing test data, if could be found that the output power could reflect the flutter condition without equipping other sensors and adding extra weight to the aircraft. Moreover, when the flapping frequency was accelerated to 12 Hz, the output power and root mean square (RMS) voltage could increase to 21 μW and 6 V respectively, which is enough to power micro electronic devices such as LED lights

Interactions between dyslipidemia and the immune system and their relevance as putative therapeutic targets in atherosclerosis

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide with atherosclerosis being the major underlying pathology. The interplay between lipids and immune cells is believed to be a driving force in the chronic inflammation of the arterial wall during atherogenesis. Atherosclerosis is initiated as lipid particles accumulate and become trapped in vessel walls. The subsequent immune response, involving both adaptive and immune cells, progresses plaque development, which may be exacerbated under dyslipidemic conditions. Broad evidence, especially from animal models, clearly demonstrates the effect of lipids on immune cells from their development in the bone marrow to their phenotypic switching in circulation. Interestingly, recent research has also shown a long-lasting epigenetic signature from lipids on immune cells. Traditionally, cardiovascular therapies have approached atherosclerosis through lipid-lowering medications because, until recently, anti-inflammatory therapies have been largely unsuccessful in clinical trials. However, the recent Canakinumab Antiinflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study (CANTOS) provided pivotal support of the inflammatory hypothesis of atherosclerosis in man spurring on anti-inflammatory strategies to treat atherosclerosis. In this review, we describe the interactions between lipids and immune cells along with their specific outcomes as well as discuss their future perspective as potential cardiovascular targets

Study on the Effect of Isotropic Initial Stress on the Anchoring Performance of Self-Expanding Bolts

In order to study the anchoring performance of a new type of self-expanding, high-strength, precompression anchoring technology with a large amount of expansion agent (ω ≥ 5) cement slurry as anchoring solids under confined surrounding rock conditions, a rock mass anchoring device and methods that simulate in situ stress are developed, and real-time monitoring of expansion stress and anchor pull-out tests are carried out. The results show that the internal interface stress has a loss effect over time, and the stress loss value shows a linear increase trend with the dosage, but the loss rate shows a linear decreasing relationship with the dosage. This paper defines the coordinated additional stress and obtains its temporal and spatial evolution law in the rock mass. It is pointed out that there is a lag time difference between the peak of internal interface stress and the peak of coordinated additional stress, explaining its mechanical mechanism from the perspective of stress transfer. The strong restraint of the sealing section of the anchor hole causes the anchor solid to form a “shuttle-shaped” microexpanded head with thin ends and a middle drum under the expansion stress. During the drawing process, the microexpanded head is “stuck” in the anchor hole and moves upward to form the unique “load platform effect” of the anchoring system. And the mechanical mechanism diagram of this effect is obtained. It is pointed out that this effect can greatly improve the ductility of the anchoring system and the ultimate energy consumption value of damage. A prediction model for the ultimate pull-out force of self-expanding bolts is established. It is pointed out that the initial confining stress value has an exponential effect on the ultimate pull-out force. It shows that the surrounding rock with strong confinement constraints can greatly increase the ultimate pull-out resistance of the bolt. The self-expanding strengthening coefficient λ and the surrounding rock stress influence coefficient k are introduced, the bolt interface mechanics formula and energy equation of the self-expanding anchor system are established, and the feasibility of the formula is verified by the calculation example. It is concluded that the ultimate pull-out resistance of the anchorage with ω = 30 is increased by 3.38 times compared with the ordinary anchorage under the initial confining stress condition of 0.7 MPa, the prepeak displacement of the bolt is increased by 2.08 times, and the prepeak energy consumption of the anchoring system is increased by 7.34 times. The cost only increased by 0.023% based on the literature example

Circulating white blood cell traits and prolonged night shifts: a cross-sectional study based on nurses in Guangxi

Abstract This study aimed to elucidate the effects of long day and night shifts on immune cells in a population of nurses. This cross-sectional study in December 2019 was based on a group of nurses. 1568 physically healthy caregivers were included, including 1540 women and 28 men. 1093 nurses had long-term shift work (working in a rotating system for > 1 year). The receiver operating characteristic curve, Ensemble Learning, and Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate factors related to long-term shift work. The night shift group nurses had significantly higher MPV, PLCR, and WBC and significantly lower BASO%, ELR, MCHC, PLR, RDW-CV, and RDW-SD (P < 0.01). ROC curves showed that WBC, PLR, ELR, RDW_CV, and BASO% were more related to the night shift. Ensemble Learning, combined with the LASSO model, finally filtered out three indicators of night shifts related to ELR, WBC, and RDW_SD. Finally, logistic regression analysis showed that the nurses’ night shift situation greatly influenced two peripheral blood ELR and WBC indicators (ELR: log (OR) =  − 3.9, 95% CI: − 5.8– − 2.0; WBC: log (OR) = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.18–0.32). Finally, we showed that, unlike WBC, the relative riskiness of ELR showed opposite results among junior nurses and middle-senior nurses (log (OR) 6.5 (95% CI: 1.2, 13) and − 7.1 (95% CI: − 10, − 3.8), respectively). Our study found that prolonged night shifts were associated with abnormal WBC and ELR, but after strict age matching, WBC remained significantly different. These findings help to confirm that COVID-19 and tumorigenesis (e.g., breast cancer) are significantly associated with circadian rhythm disruption. However, more detailed studies are needed to confirm this