Loss of AMIGO2 causes dramatic damage to cardiac preservation after ischemic injury

Background: Recent studies have identified amphoterin-induced gene and open reading frame (AMIGO2). The role of AMIGO2 in tumour research is well-studied, but its role in ischemic heart diseases is seldom reported. In the present study, the role of AMIGO2 in myocardial infarction (MI) is under investigation for the first time. Methods: For in vitro studies, cardiomyocytes (CMs) and endothelial cells (ECs) were isolated from both AMIGO2 knockout (KO) and WT mice. The apoptosis of CMs was tested after 48 h of ischemic stimulation. A proliferation test was implemented after 7 days of normoxic incubation and tube forma­tion on ECs. For in vivo studies, the MI model was built in mice hearts. Echocardiographic evaluation was performed at 3 days and 28 days post-MI, while the hemodynamics test was performed at 28 days post-MI. The histological results of the apoptosis, proliferation, angiogenesis and infarct zone assess­ments were determined using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labelling (TUNEL) assay, Ki67 staining, a-SMA/CD31 immunostain and the Masson-Trichrome method, respectively. The expression changes of the Akt pathway and related proteins were confirmed using both quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. Results: The present results demonstrated that AMIGO2 deficiency caused more CMs suffering apop­tosis, lower proliferation and less angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Weaker cardiac function and larger scar formation were detected in AMIGO2 KO mice, and increased expression of active-caspase-3 and decreased expression of PDK1, p-Akt, Bcl-2/Bax and VEGF occurred. Conclusions: Herein the findings indicate that AMIGO2 deficiency plays an attenuated cardio-pro­tective role in ischemic heart disease via inactivation of the PDK1/Pten/Akt pathway

Multi-Scale Expressions of One Optimal State Regulated by Dopamine in the Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex (PFC), which plays key roles in many higher cognitive processes, is a hierarchical system consisting of multi-scale organizations. Optimizing the working state at each scale is essential for PFC's information processing. Typical optimal working states at different scales have been separately reported, including the dopamine-mediated inverted-U profile of the working memory (WM) at the system level, critical dynamics at the network level, and detailed balance of excitatory and inhibitory currents (E/I balance) at the cellular level. However, it remains unclear whether these states are scale-specific expressions of the same optimal state and, if so, what is the underlying mechanism for its regulation traversing across scales. Here, by studying a neural network model, we show that the optimal performance of WM co-occurs with the critical dynamics at the network level and the E/I balance at the level of individual neurons, suggesting the existence of a unified, multi-scale optimal state for the PFC. Importantly, such a state could be modulated by dopamine at the synaptic level through a series of U or inverted-U profiles. These results suggest that seemingly different optimal states for specific scales are multi-scale expressions of one condition regulated by dopamine. Our work suggests a cross-scale perspective to understand the PFC function and its modulation

Dynamic Characteristics and Seismic Response Analysis of a Long-Span Steel-Box Basket-Handle Railway Arch Bridge

The inside oblique angle between the vertical plane and the arch rib has been shown to be one of the main factors influencing dynamic properties of long-span steel-box basket-handle arch bridges. Details related to the extent, that the inside oblique angle influenced the dynamic characteristics and the seismic response of the arch bridge under the combined longitudinal and vertical seismic excitation and under the combined lateral and vertical seismic excitation, were reported herein. Four oblique angles (0°, 3°, 4.8°, and 6°) were selected based on the arch ribs height and bridge deck width. Findings suggested that a larger inside oblique angle increased the structural stiffness and thus the part internal forces when subjected to seismic excitation. These findings also showed that, when similar structures were designed and seismic considerations were warranted, a suitable inside oblique angle to mitigate dynamic effects should be selected only using a comprehensive analysis. At the same time, traveling wave effect analysis indicated that it couldn’t be ignored when calculating the seismic response of long-span steel-box basket-handle arch bridges

Dynamic characteristics and seismic response analysis of a long-span steel-box basket-handle railway arch bridge

The inside oblique angle between the vertical plane and the arch rib has been shown to be one of the main factors influencing dynamic properties of long-span steel-box basket-handle arch bridges. Details related to the extent, that the inside oblique angle influenced the dynamic characteristics and the seismic response of the arch bridge under the combined longitudinal and vertical seismic excitation and under the combined lateral and vertical seismic excitation, were reported herein. Four oblique angles (0°, 3°, 4.8° and 6°) were selected based on the arch ribs height and bridge deck width. Findings suggested that a larger inside oblique angle increased the structural stiffness and thus the part internal forces when subjected to seismic excitation. These findings also showed that, when similar structures were designed and seismic considerations were warranted, a suitable inside oblique angle to mitigate dynamic effects should be selected only using a comprehensive analysis. At the same time, traveling wave effect analysis indicated that it couldn’t be ignored when calculating the seismic response of long-span steel-box basket-handle arch bridges

Investigation of Cutting Rock by TBM Hob using a SPG Method

TBM (tunnel boring machine) hob is the core component of the TBM for rock cutting, whose cutting performance can directly determine the overall tunneling efficiency of the TBM. The understanding of cutting rock caused by TBM hobs is still not enough due to the complex contact features between the TBM hob and rock. To study the dynamic cutting process of the TBM hobs deeply, the rock cutting numerical model of the TBM hob is built based on the SPG (smooth particle Galerkin) method, the influence of hob penetration and hob spacing on rock breaking dynamic process, rock cutting forces and specific energy consumption are investigated. The results indicate that the dynamic process of sequential cutting of TBM hobs can be simulated well, and the rock breaking patterns caused by TBM hobs can be reflected with the SPG method. It also shows that the cutting forces of the hob are positively correlated with the hob penetration and hob spacing. For a given hob penetration, there exists an optimum hob spacing to acquire the highest rock cutting efficiency. The hob penetrations of 5, 7, 9, and 11 mm correspond to the optimum hob spacing of 60, 80, 90, and 100 mm respectively. Finally, the simulated results based on the SPG method are verified by comparing the experimental results and the CSM model. This study can provide a new method for simulating the rock cutting dynamic process of the TBM hobs

Revisiting the contribution of transpiration to global terrestrial evapotranspiration

Even though knowing the contributions of transpiration (T), soil and open water evaporation (E), and interception (I) to terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET=T+E+I) is crucial for understanding the hydrological cycle and its connection to ecological processes, the fraction of T is unattainable by traditional measurement techniques over large scales. Previously reported global mean T/(E+T+I) from multiple independent sources, including satellite-based estimations, reanalysis, land surface models, and isotopic measurements, varies substantially from 24% to 90%. Here we develop a new ET partitioning algorithm, which combines global evapotranspiration estimates and relationships between leaf area index (LAI) and T/(E+T) for different vegetation types, to upscale a wide range of published site-scale measurements. We show that transpiration accounts for about 57.2% (with standard deviation6.8%) of global terrestrial ET. Our approach bridges the scale gap between site measurements and global model simulations,and can be simply implemented into current global climate models to improve biological CO2 flux simulations

Multi-Cue Event Information Fusion for Pedestrian Detection With Neuromorphic Vision Sensors

Neuromorphic vision sensors are bio-inspired cameras that naturally capture the dynamics of a scene with ultra-low latency, filtering out redundant information with low power consumption. Few works are addressing the object detection with this sensor. In this work, we propose to develop pedestrian detectors that unlock the potential of the event data by leveraging multi-cue information and different fusion strategies. To make the best out of the event data, we introduce three different event-stream encoding methods based on Frequency, Surface of Active Event (SAE) and Leaky Integrate-and-Fire (LIF). We further integrate them into the state-of-the-art neural network architectures with two fusion approaches: the channel-level fusion of the raw feature space and decision-level fusion with the probability assignments. We present a qualitative and quantitative explanation why different encoding methods are chosen to evaluate the pedestrian detection and which method performs the best. We demonstrate the advantages of the decision-level fusion via leveraging multi-cue event information and show that our approach performs well on a self-annotated event-based pedestrian dataset with 8,736 event frames. This work paves the way of more fascinating perception applications with neuromorphic vision sensors

Soft pneumatic muscles for post-stroke lower limb ankle rehabilitation: leveraging the potential of soft robotics to optimize functional outcomes

Introduction: A soft pneumatic muscle was developed to replicate intricate ankle motions essential for rehabilitation, with a specific focus on rotational movement along the x-axis, crucial for walking. The design incorporated precise geometrical parameters and air pressure regulation to enable controlled expansion and motion.Methods: The muscle’s response was evaluated under pressure conditions ranging from 100-145 kPa. To optimize the muscle design, finite element simulation was employed to analyze its performance in terms of motion range, force generation, and energy efficiency. An experimental platform was created to assess the muscle’s deformation, utilizing advanced techniques such as high-resolution imaging and deep-learning position estimation models for accurate measurements. The fabrication process involved silicone-based materials and 3D-printed molds, enabling precise control and customization of muscle expansion and contraction.Results: The experimental results demonstrated that, under a pressure of 145 kPa, the y-axis deformation (y-def) reached 165 mm, while the x-axis and z-axis deformations were significantly smaller at 0.056 mm and 0.0376 mm, respectively, highlighting the predominant elongation in the y-axis resulting from pressure actuation. The soft muscle model featured a single chamber constructed from silicone rubber, and the visually illustrated and detailed geometrical parameters played a critical role in its functionality, allowing systematic manipulation to meet specific application requirements.Discussion: The simulation and experimental results provided compelling evidence of the soft muscle design’s adaptability, controllability, and effectiveness, thus establishing a solid foundation for further advancements in ankle rehabilitation and soft robotics. Incorporating this soft muscle into rehabilitation protocols holds significant promise for enhancing ankle mobility and overall ambulatory function, offering new opportunities to tailor rehabilitation interventions and improve motor function restoration