Targeting Anion Exchange of Osteoclast, a New Strategy for Preventing Wear Particles Induced- Osteolysis

Joint replacement is essential for the treatment of serious joint disease. However, prosthetic failure remains an important clinical issue, with periprosthesis osteolysis (PO), caused by osteoclastic bone resorption induced by wear particles, being the leading cause of failure. Nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1) appears to play an important role in wear particle-induced osteoclastogenesis, with bicarbonate/chloride exchanger, solute carrier family 4, anion exchanger, member 2, (SLC4A2) being upregulated during osteoclastogenesis in an NFATc1-dependent manner. Anion exchange mediated by SLC4A2 in osteoclasts could affect the bone resorption activity by regulating pHi. This study investigated the role and mechanism of SLC4A2 in wear particle-induced osteoclast differentiation and function in vitro. The use of 4, 4′-diisothiocyano-2,2′-stilbenedisulfonic acid (DIDS), an anion exchange inhibitor, suppressed wear particle-induced PO in vivo. Furthermore, controlled release of DIDS from chitosan microspheres can strengthen the PO therapy effect. Therefore, anion exchange mediated by osteoclastic SLC4A2 may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of aseptic loosening of artificial joints

Biomechanical evaluation of a novel individualized zero-profile cage for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a finite element analysis

Introduction: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a standard procedure for treating symptomatic cervical degenerative disease. The cage and plate constructs (CPCs) are widely employed in ACDF to maintain spinal stability and to provide immediate support. However, several instrument-related complications such as dysphagia, cage subsidence, and adjacent segment degeneration have been reported in the previous literature. This study aimed to design a novel individualized zero-profile (NIZP) cage and evaluate its potential to enhance the biomechanical performance between the instrument and the cervical spine.Methods: The intact finite element models of C3-C7 were constructed and validated. A NIZP cage was designed based on the anatomical parameters of the subject’s C5/6. The ACDF procedure was simulated and the CPCs and NIZP cage were implanted separately. The range of motion (ROM), intradiscal pressure (IDP), and peak von Mises stresses of annulus fibrosus were compared between the two surgical models after ACDF under four motion conditions. Additionally, the biomechanical performance of the CPCs and NIZP cage were evaluated.Results: Compared with the intact model, the ROM of the surgical segment was significantly decreased for both surgical models under four motion conditions. Additionally, there was an increase in IDP and peak von Mises stress of annulus fibrosus in the adjacent segment. The NIZP cage had a more subtle impact on postoperative IDP and peak von Mises stress of annulus fibrosus in adjacent segments compared to CPCs. Meanwhile, the peak von Mises stresses of the NIZP cage were reduced by 90.0–120.0 MPa, and the average von Mises stresses were reduced by 12.61–17.56 MPa under different motion conditions. Regarding the fixation screws, the peak von Mises stresses in the screws of the NIZP cage increased by 10.0–40.0 MPa and the average von Mises stresses increased by 2.37–10.10 MPa.Conclusion: The NIZP cage could effectively reconstruct spinal stability in ACDF procedure by finite element study. Compared with the CPCs, the NIZP cage had better biomechanical performance, with a lower stress distribution on the cage and a more moderate effect on the adjacent segmental discs. Therefore, the NIZP cage could prevent postoperative dysphagia as well as decrease the risk of subsidence and adjacent disc degeneration following ACDF. In addition, this study could serve as a valuable reference for the development of personalized instruments

Rotation Invariant Predictor-Corrector for Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Data Visualization

In order to extract the vortex features more accurately, a new method of vortex feature extraction on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics data is proposed in the current study by combining rotation invariance and predictor-corrector method. There is a limitation in the original rotation invariance, which can only extract the vortex features that perform equal-speed rotations. The limitation is slightly weakened to a situation that the rotation invariance can be used, given that a specific axis is existed in the fluid to replace the axis needed for it. Therefore, as long as the axis exists, the modified rotation invariant method can be used. Meanwhile, the vortex features are extracted by predictor-corrector method. By calculating the cross product of the parallel vector field, the seed candidates of vortex core lines can be obtained, and the real seed points can be gained from the rotation invariant Jacobian. Finally, the seed point and a series of candidates based on the predictor-corrector method are connected to draw the vortex core lines. Compared with the original method, the rotation invariant predictor-corrector method not only expands the application scope, but also ensures the accuracy of extraction. Our method adds the steps of calculating the rotation invariant Jacobian, the performance is slightly lower, but with the increase of the particle number, the performance gradually tends to the original method

Rotation Invariant Predictor-Corrector for Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Data Visualization

In order to extract the vortex features more accurately, a new method of vortex feature extraction on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics data is proposed in the current study by combining rotation invariance and predictor-corrector method. There is a limitation in the original rotation invariance, which can only extract the vortex features that perform equal-speed rotations. The limitation is slightly weakened to a situation that the rotation invariance can be used, given that a specific axis is existed in the fluid to replace the axis needed for it. Therefore, as long as the axis exists, the modified rotation invariant method can be used. Meanwhile, the vortex features are extracted by predictor-corrector method. By calculating the cross product of the parallel vector field, the seed candidates of vortex core lines can be obtained, and the real seed points can be gained from the rotation invariant Jacobian. Finally, the seed point and a series of candidates based on the predictor-corrector method are connected to draw the vortex core lines. Compared with the original method, the rotation invariant predictor-corrector method not only expands the application scope, but also ensures the accuracy of extraction. Our method adds the steps of calculating the rotation invariant Jacobian, the performance is slightly lower, but with the increase of the particle number, the performance gradually tends to the original method

DNA damage response(DDR): a link between cellular senescence and human cytomegalovirus

Abstract The DNA damage response (DDR) is a signaling cascade that is triggered by DNA damage, involving the halting of cell cycle progression and repair. It is a key event leading to senescence, which is characterized by irreversible cell cycle arrest and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that includes the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous pathogen that plays an important role in the senescence process. It has been established that DDR is necessary for HCMV to replicate effectively. This paper reviews the relationship between DDR, cellular senescence, and HCMV, providing new sights for virus-induced senescence (VIS)

High-Temperature Reaction Mechanism of Molybdenum Metal in Direct Coal Liquefaction Residue

In this paper, the extraction residue of direct coal liquefaction residue-DCLR(ER) was used as raw material. The high-temperature reaction mechanism of Mo compound in DCLR(ER) was investigated using a synchronous thermal analyzer and the Factsage database. The high temperature reaction of DCLR(ER)-MoO3 in an oxygen atmosphere consists of pyrolysis of organic components at 400–600 °C, molybdenum trioxide sublimation at 747–1200 °C, and a stable stage at 600–747 °C. The thermal reaction process of the DCLR(ER)-MoS2 system in the oxygen atmosphere involves the pyrolysis of unreacted coal and asphaltene, the oxidation of molybdenum sulfide at 349–606/666 °C, the diffusion of MoO3 at 606/666–85 °C, and the sublimation reaction process of MoO3 at 854–1200 °C. The results show that the lower heating rate can promote the oxidation of the Mo compound and the sublimation of molybdenum trioxide. On the other hand, the oxides of aluminum, calcium, and iron in DCLR(ER) can inhibit the oxidative pyrolysis efficiency of the DCLR(ER)-MoS2 system

A 56 GS/s 8 Bit Time-Interleaved ADC in 28 nm CMOS

This paper presents a real-time output 56 GS/s 8 bit time-interleaved analog-to-digital converter (ADC), where the full-speed converted data are output by 16-lane transmitters. A 64-way 8 bit asynchronous SAR array using monotonous and split switching strategy with 1 bit redundancy is utilized to achieve a high linearity and high-power efficiency. A low-power ring voltage-controlled oscillator-based injection-locked phase-locked loop combining with a phase interpolator-based time-skew adjuster is developed to generate the 8 equally spaced sampling phases. Digital gain correction, digital-detection-analog-correction offset calibration, and coarse–fine two-step time-skew calibration are combined to optimize the ADC’s performances. An edge detector and phase selector associated with a common near-end data-transmission position and far-end data-collection instant are designed to avoid reset competition and implement deterministic latency. Fabricated in a 28 nm CMOS process, the prototype ADC achieves an outstanding SNDR of 36.38 dB at 56 GS/s with a 19.9 GHz input, where 7.25 dB and 9.33 dB are optimized by offset-gain calibration and time-skew calibration, respectively. The ADC core occupies an area of 1.2 mm2 and consumes 432 mW power consumption

Improving Mechanical, Electrical and Thermal Properties of Fluororubber by Constructing Interconnected Carbon Nanotube Networks with Chemical Bonds and F–H Polar Interactions

To improve the properties of fluororubber (FKM), aminated carbon nanotubes (CNTs-NH2) and acidified carbon nanotubes (CNTs-COOH) were introduced to modulate the interfacial interactions in FKM composites. The effects of chemical binding and F–H polar interactions between CNTs-NH2, CNTs-COOH, and FKM on the mechanical, electrical, thermal, and wear properties of the FKM composites were systematically investigated. Compared to the pristine FKM, the tensile strength, modulus at 100% strain, hardness, thermal conductivity, carbon residue rate, and electrical conductivity of CNTs-NH2/CNTs-COOH/FKM were increased by 112.2%, 587.5%, 44.2%, 37.0%, 293.5%, and nine orders of magnitude, respectively. In addition, the wear volume of CNTs-NH2/CNTs-COOH/FKM was reduced by 29.9%. This method provides a new and effective way to develop and design high-performance fluororubber composites

Analysis of Resonance Asymmetry Phenomenon in Resonant Fiber Optic Gyro

This experiment demonstrated the resonance asymmetry phenomenon in the resonant fiber optic gyro. The asymmetry of resonant curve affects the system open-loop bias and its stability, which directly affects the accuracy of angular velocity measurement. In this paper, a new mathematic model is established. The influence of the coupler normal mode loss difference (the phase difference between the coupler cross port output optical field and direct port is less than the ideal π/2) on the symmetry of resonant curve, the resonant signal modulated by the triangular wave, and the demodulation curve are analyzed. Moreover, the asymmetry of the resonant curve leads to the asymmetry of the resonant signal, as modulated by the triangular wave and the demodulation curve from the theoretical simulation and the experiment

A 4-bit 36 GS/s ADC with 18 GHz Analog Bandwidth in 40 nm CMOS Process

This paper presents a 4-bit 36 GS/s analog-to-digital converter (ADC) employing eight time-interleaved (TI) flash sub-ADCs in 40 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process. A wideband front-end matching circuit based on a peaking inductor is designed to increase the analog input bandwidth to 18 GHz. A novel offset calibration that can achieve quick detection and accurate correction without affecting the speed of the comparator is proposed, guaranteeing the high-speed operation of the ADC. A clock distribution circuit based on CMOS and current mode logic (CML) is implemented in the proposed ADC, which not only maintains the speed and quality of the high-speed clock, but also reduces the overall power consumption. A timing mismatch calibration is integrated into the chip to achieve fast timing mismatch detection of the input signal which is bandlimited to the Nyquist frequency for the complete ADC system. The experimental results show that the differential nonlinearity (DNL) and integral nonlinearity (INL) are −0.28/+0.22 least significant bit (LSB) and −0.19/+0.16 LSB, respectively. The signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) is above 22.5 dB and the spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) is better than 35 dB at 1.2 GHz. An SFDR above 24.5 dB and an SNDR above 18.6 dB across the entire Nyquist frequency can be achieved. With a die size of 2.96 mm * 1.8 mm, the ADC consumes 780 mW from the 0.9/1.2/1.8 V power supply