Original Article

ネコ32匹について,10% urethane-1% chloralose(5ml/kg)の腹腔内麻酔を行ない,横隔膜運動神経を機能的単一神経発射としてとり出し,その基本的特性と換気機構との相関および横隔膜神経支配について検討した。1)横隔膜運動神経線維について,機能的単一神経発射115本の発射パターンを自発呼吸下における気速曲線と対比し,I〜IV型に分類した。2)横隔膜神経におけるこれらの線維の構成は,I型40%,II型48%,III型10%そしてIV型は2%以下であった。3)I・II・III型の線維の基本的特性は,気道抵抗を加えた場合および呼気反射における発射パターンの変化からI型は相動性の要素を有し,II・III型は緊張性の要素を有している。4)これらの線維と換気機構の相関をみると,I型の線維は,主として効果的な吸気を瞬間的に行なうためにdynamicであり,II型の線維は,静的状態における吸気に主役を演じstaticである。さらに初期の呼出を円滑に行なわせるのにおもな役割を果たしている。III型は,主として腹圧に拮抗した緊張性の線維と考えられる。IV型については,ガンマ-運動線維である可能性について考察した。6)横隔膜筋支配については,腰部はI型,肋骨部は,I・II・III型の線維によって支配されていると考えられる。32 cats weighing 1.8 to 3.4 kg were intraperitoneally anesthetized with 10% urethane and 1% chloralose (5 ml/kg). 115 functionally unitary discharges of the phrenic nerve classified into four different types. Type I fibres initiate their firings after the beginning of the inspiratory phase and cease their activities prior to the onset of the expiratory flow change. Type II fibres fire with the very onset of the inspiratory phase and extend their activites untill the initial part of the expiration. The firings of Type III fibres dominate the whole inspiratory phase and initial two thirds of the expiration. Type IV showed continuously tonic firing throughout the whole respiratory cycle and increase their activities slightly during the inspiratory phase. Type I and II occupied more than 80% of all pattern. Modification of firing mode of each fibre type was observed under spontaneous respiration with air-way resistance and deflation reflex. The results may indicate characteristic features of each fibre type. Type I fibres may contribute to the kinetic contraction of the diaphragm and Type II the tonic one. Type III fibres were more tonic than Type II and may keep diaphragmatic tension against the intra-abdominal pressure. Type IV fibres probably belong to gamma motoneurons. Electromyographic observations suggested dominant innervation of Type I fibres to the pars cruralis. Pars costalis was mainly innervated by Type II fibres

Signalling pathways underlying pulsed electromagnetic fields in bone repair

Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation is a prospective non-invasive and safe physical therapy strategy for accelerating bone repair. PEMFs can activate signalling pathways, modulate ion channels, and regulate the expression of bone-related genes to enhance osteoblast activity and promote the regeneration of neural and vascular tissues, thereby accelerating bone formation during bone repair. Although their mechanisms of action remain unclear, recent studies provide ample evidence of the effects of PEMF on bone repair. In this review, we present the progress of research exploring the effects of PEMF on bone repair and systematically elucidate the mechanisms involved in PEMF-induced bone repair. Additionally, the potential clinical significance of PEMF therapy in fracture healing is underscored. Thus, this review seeks to provide a sufficient theoretical basis for the application of PEMFs in bone repair

Secure transmission for interference networks : user selection and transceiver design

Interference is usually regarded as a detrimental factor that degrades the performance of a wireless network. However, when it is used properly, the security of transmission can be effectively improved. In this paper, user selection and transceiver design are proposed to guarantee the secure transmission in a multiple-input multiple-output interference network with an eavesdropper. First, user selection is performed to select the most suitable user to transmit confidential information according to the topology and path loss in each time slot among all users. Then, based on user selection, the transceivers of the users are jointly designed to maximize the secrecy rate of the selected user while guaranteeing a minimum transmission rate for other users. Due to the non-convexity of the optimization problem, it is transformed into a convex second-order cone programming with the help of successive approximations. An alternate iteration algorithm is proposed to obtain the optimal solution. The fairness of the user selection is considered, and a modified scheme is proposed to share the opportunity of secure transmission among users. Finally, simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed schemes

Monopulse Antenna Based on Singular Spoof Surface Plasmon Polariton Structure for Angle Measurement

Direction finding and target tracking make demanding requirements on the measurement of incoming angles of electromagnetic waves. A monopulse antenna, based on the singular symmetric spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) structure, is proposed for high-accuracy angle sensing. The singular SSPP structure is composed of periodic corrugated grooves for the confinement of the electromagnetic fields. Due to the microstrip–coplanar waveguide transition, the fields along both sides of the SSPP add constructively to form the endfire beam at the sum port and destructively to form the null radiation in the endfire direction at the difference port. An optimization based on the team progress algorithm is adopted to facilitate this antenna design. A prototype is designed and fabricated to validate the design principle, and measured results agree with the simulation. The proposed antenna shows a wide bandwidth ranging from 5.0 GHz to 7.5 GHz for both the sum and difference ports with the return loss greater than 10 dB, realizing a relative bandwidth of 40%. The isolation for the sum and difference ports is higher than 21 dB, and the null depth is larger than 20 dB over the entire operating range, which is favorable for the high accuracy angle sensing and measurement. This monopulse antenna has broad prospect in angle measuring systems such as direction finding and radar tracking scenes

Design of SnO2 Aggregate/Nanosheet Composite Structures Based on Function-Matching Strategy for Enhanced Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance

Hierarchical SnO2 nanocrystallites aggregates (NAs) were prepared with a simple room temperature–based aqueous solution method followed by simple freeze-drying treatment. The as-prepared SnO2 NAs were subsequently combined with SnO2 nanosheet–based structures from the viewpoint of a function-matching strategy, and under an optimized condition, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.59% was obtained for the resultant hybrid photoanode, a remarkable 60% enhancement compared to that of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) fabricated with bare SnO2 NAs architecture. The significantly enhanced efficiency can be attributed to the combination of the desirable electron transport property obtained by the intentionally introduced SnO2 nanosheets (NSs) and the effectively retained inherent characteristics of SnO2 NAs, i.e., large surface area and strong light-scattering effect. This work provides a promising approach for the rapid development of highly efficient SnO2 photoanode film-based DSCs with the properties of simplicity of operation and control over the photoanode composition

Recent advances of bimetallic sulfides-based nanomaterials for photocatalytic hydrogen production

Photocatalytic hydrogen production from water splitting is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology to achieve green hydrogen. In recent years, bimetallic sulfides (BMS) have been considered as promising candidates compared to monometallic sulfides due to the tunable energy band structure, higher number of active sites, and good chemical stability, resulting in high performance of photocatalytic hydrogen production. Herein, recent progress of BMS in photocatalytic hydrogen production has been addressed comprehensively. First, two commonly employed methods for synthesizing BMS with tailored morphological characteristics are discussed and compared. Then, the main functions of BMS are unraveled to aid in promoting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance intrinsically. Detailed applications of BMS both as a single photocatalyst and in heterojunction composite systems of three typical categories with unique properties and catalytic performance are summarized, focusing on their charge transfer behaviors and hydrogen production performance. In the end, research trends and prospects of BMS-based photocatalysts are also proposed. This review is believed to unveil new advances and features of BMS-based nanomaterials toward practical benefits and future research for highly efficient and robust photocatalytic H2 generation catalysts

Experimental Study on the Preparation of Recycled Admixtures by Using Construction and Demolition Waste

The use of construction and demolition waste (CDW) to prepare recycled admixtures is of great significance for the complete resource reutilization of CDW. In this paper, different kinds of CDW were prepared into recycled powder (RP) with a specific particle size (0−45 µm or 0−75 µm). The fineness, water requirement ratio (WRR), fluidity, loss on ignition (LOI), strength activity index (SAI) and compatibility of cement and superplasticizer (CCS) were examined. The above test results were analyzed by advanced analysis tools, such as laser particle size analysis, XRD, XRF, DSC-TGA, SEM, and BET. The properties of different types of RPs varied greatly, which was closely related to the microstructure, particle morphology and chemical composition of the RP. The experimental results showed that all kinds of RPs after grinding had a high fineness and good particle size distribution, and the mineral composition was dominated by SiO2 with the content exceeding 50%. The WRR of various RPs was between 105% and 112%, and the SAI was between 68% and 78%, but the LOI varied greatly. Different types of RPs had a negative impact on the CCS, but the compatibility of cement and naphthalene-based superplasticizer was less affected. The content of recycled brick powder (RBP) in a hybrid recycled powder (HRP) was an important factor. When the content of RBP in HRP exceeded 50%, the HRP could meet the basic performance requirements of fly ash

Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals Autophagy Networks in Rat Livers during the Development of NAFLD and Identifies Autophagy Hub Genes

(1) Autophagy is an important biological process in cells and is closely associated with the development and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the biological function of the autophagy hub genes, which could be used as a potential therapeutic target and diagnostic markers for NAFLD. (2) Male C57BL/6J mice were sacrificed after 16 and 38 weeks of a high-fat diet, serum biochemical indexes were detected, and liver lobules were collected for pathological observation and transcriptome sequencing. The R software was used to identify differentially expressed autophagy genes (DEGs) from the transcriptome sequencing data of mice fed with a normal diet for 38 weeks (ND38) and a high-fat diet for 38 weeks (HFD38). Gene ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed on the DEGs, a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of the DEGs was established using the STRING data website, and the results were visualized through Cytoscape. (3) After 16 weeks and 38 weeks of a high-fat diet, there was a significant increase in body weight, serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) in mice, along with lipid accumulation in the liver, which was more severe at 38 weeks than at 16 weeks. The transcriptome data showed significant changes in the expression profile of autophagy genes in the livers of NAFLD mice following a long-term high-fat diet. Among the 31 differentially expressed autophagy-related genes, 13 were upregulated and 18 were downregulated. GO and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that these DEGs were primarily involved in autophagy, cholesterol transport, triglyceride metabolism, apoptosis, the FoxO signaling pathway, the p53 signaling pathway and the IL-17 signaling pathway. Four hub genes were identified by the PPI network analysis, of which Irs2, Pnpla2 and Plin2 were significantly downregulated, while Srebf2 was significantly upregulated by the 38-week high-fat diet. (4) The hub genes Irs2, Pnpla2, Srebf2 and Plin2 may serve as key therapeutic targets and early diagnostic markers in the progression of NAFLD