WenTong HuoXue Cream Can Inhibit the Reduction of the Pain-Related Molecule PLC- β

WenTong HuoXue Cream (WTHX-Cream) has been shown to effectively alleviate clinical symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). This study investigated the gene and protein expression of the pain-related molecule PLC-β3 in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of DPN rats. 88 specific pathogen-free male Wistar rats were randomly divided into placebo (10 rats) and DPN model (78 rats) groups, and the 78 model rats were used to establish the DPN model by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin and were then fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks. These rats were randomly divided into the model group, the high-, medium-, and low-dose WTHX-Cream + metformin groups, the metformin group, the capsaicin cream group, and the capsaicin cream + metformin group. After 4 weeks of continuous drug administration, the blood glucose, body weight, behavioral indexes, and sciatic nerve conduction velocity were measured. The pathological structure of the DRG and the sciatic nerve were observed. PLC-β3 mRNA and protein levels in the DRG of rats were measured. Compared with the model group, the high-dose WTHX-Cream group showed increased sciatic nerve conduction velocity, improved sciatic nerve morphological changes, and increased expression of PLC-β3 mRNA and protein in the DRG. This study showed that WTHX-Cream improves hyperalgesia symptoms of DPN by inhibiting the reduction of PLC-β3 mRNA and protein expression in the diabetic DRG of DPN rats

Evaluating State-of-the-Art EEG Source Localization Algorithms Using Spatially Propagated Sources and Realistic Head Model

The accurate reconstruction of deep cortical regional source activities from EEG recordings is crucial for understanding spatiotemporal cognitive processes and the origins of impairments in brain disorders. Recently, several state-of-the-art source localization algorithms have been developed that claim to outperform standard methods. However, a rigorous comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of these methods in EEG source localization has yet to be conducted. This study aims to evaluate the algorithms, namely Full Dugh, Thin Dugh, and Mackay, against standard methods, namely minimum norm and eLORETA, using a realistic head model and simulated spatially-propagated source signals. Results indicate that Thin Dugh performed superiorly in both spatial and temporal source reconstruction, followed by Mackay. Both Thin Dugh and Mackay effectively identified contributing sources and diminished the amplitudes of non-contributing sources. Additionally, we have also proven that there are serious theoretical flaws within Full Dugh algorithm through both mathematical analysis and simulation results

Seismic Performance and Optimization Design of a Post-Installed Elevator Shear Wall Structure

Post-installed elevator projects have grown significantly in recent years in response to the problem of insufficient vertical traffic capacity in existing buildings, but research on the seismic performance of post-installed elevator structures has been relatively limited. This study takes a 26-story-frame shear wall structure as an example. The seismic response characteristics of this structure before and after the installation of elevators were analyzed. In order to optimize the design scheme of the post-installed elevator structure, this study further analyzed how factors such as the standard height of the elevator shaft frame, the elevator location, and the way the post-installed elevator is connected to the structure affect the seismic response of the elevator structure. The results show that the post-installed elevators have a small impact on the seismic performance of the existing building and can slightly reduce the seismic response of the structure. In addition, the stiffness of the elevator shaft will be reduced, and its seismic response will be slightly increased as the standard shaft height is increased, but the construction cost can be reduced. The installation location has a greater impact on the seismic response of the post-installed elevator. The seismic response of the post-installed elevator is minimal when it is arranged near the elevator shaft of the existing building

The Self-Multiset Sampler

<p>The multiset sampler has been shown to be an effective algorithm to sample from complex multimodal distributions, but the multiset sampler requires that the parameters in the target distribution can be divided into two parts: the parameters of interest and the nuisance parameters. We propose a new self-multiset sampler (SMSS), which extends the multiset sampler to distributions without nuisance parameters. We also generalize our method to distributions with unbounded or infinite support. Numerical results show that the SMSS and its generalization have a substantial advantage in sampling multimodal distributions compared to the ordinary Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm and some popular variants. Supplemental materials for the article are available online.</p

Efficient Coding and Energy Efficiency Are Promoted by Balanced Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Currents in Neuronal Network

Selective pressure may drive neural systems to process as much information as possible with the lowest energy cost. Recent experiment evidence revealed that the ratio between synaptic excitation and inhibition (E/I) in local cortex is generally maintained at a certain value which may influence the efficiency of energy consumption and information transmission of neural networks. To understand this issue deeply, we constructed a typical recurrent Hodgkin-Huxley network model and studied the general principles that governs the relationship among the E/I synaptic current ratio, the energy cost and total amount of information transmission. We observed in such a network that there exists an optimal E/I synaptic current ratio in the network by which the information transmission achieves the maximum with relatively low energy cost. The coding energy efficiency which is defined as the mutual information divided by the energy cost, achieved the maximum with the balanced synaptic current. Although background noise degrades information transmission and imposes an additional energy cost, we find an optimal noise intensity that yields the largest information transmission and energy efficiency at this optimal E/I synaptic transmission ratio. The maximization of energy efficiency also requires a certain part of energy cost associated with spontaneous spiking and synaptic activities. We further proved this finding with analytical solution based on the response function of bistable neurons, and demonstrated that optimal net synaptic currents are capable of maximizing both the mutual information and energy efficiency. These results revealed that the development of E/I synaptic current balance could lead a cortical network to operate at a highly efficient information transmission rate at a relatively low energy cost. The generality of neuronal models and the recurrent network configuration used here suggest that the existence of an optimal E/I cell ratio for highly efficient energy costs and information maximization is a potential principle for cortical circuit networks.SummaryWe conducted numerical simulations and mathematical analysis to examine the energy efficiency of neural information transmission in a recurrent network as a function of the ratio of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections. We obtained a general solution showing that there exists an optimal E/I synaptic ratio in a recurrent network at which the information transmission as well as the energy efficiency of this network achieves a global maximum. These results reflect general mechanisms for sensory coding processes, which may give insight into the energy efficiency of neural communication and coding

Monitoring the Production Information of Conventional Machining Equipment Based on Edge Computing

A production status monitoring method based on edge computing is proposed for traditional machining offline equipment to address the deficiencies that traditional machining offline equipment have, which cannot automatically count the number of parts produced, obtain part processing time information, and discern anomalous operation status. Firstly, the total current signal of the collected equipment was filtered to extract the processing segment data. The processing segment data were then used to manually calibrate the feature vector of the equipment for specific parts and processes, and the feature vector was used as a reference to match with the real-time electric current data on the edge device to identify and obtain the processing start time, processing end time, and anomalous marks for each part. Finally, the information was uploaded to further obtain the part processing time, loading and unloading standby time, and the cause of the anomaly. To verify the reliability of the method, a prototype system was built, and extensive experiments were conducted on many different types of equipment in an auto parts manufacturer. The experimental results show that the proposed monitoring algorithm based on the calibration vector can stably and effectively identify the production information of each part on an independently developed edge device

An investigation into the beneficial effects and molecular mechanisms of humic acid on foxtail millet under drought conditions.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of humic acid (HA) on foxtail millet (Setaria italica Beauv.) under drought conditions. The rainless climate of the Shanxi Province (37°42'N, 112°58'E) in China provides a natural simulation of drought conditions. Two foxtail millet cultivars, Jingu21 and Zhangza10, were cultivated in Shanxi for two consecutive years (2017-2018) based on a split-plot design. Plant growth, grain quality, and mineral elements were analyzed in foxtail millet treated with HA (50, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg L-1) and those treated with clear water. Transcriptome sequencing followed by bioinformatics analysis was performed on plants in the normal control (CK), drought treatment (D), and drought + HA treatment (DHA) groups. Results were verified using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). HA at a concentration of 100-200 mg L-1 caused a significant increase in the yield of foxtail millet and had a positive effect on dry weight and root-shoot ratio. HA also significantly increased P, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mg content in grains. Moreover, a total of 1098 and 409 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in group D vs. CK and D vs. DHA, respectively. A protein-protein interaction network and two modules were constructed based on DEGs (such as SETIT_016654mg) between groups D and DHA. These DEGs were mainly enriched in the metabolic pathway. In conclusion, HA (100 mg L-1) was found to promote the growth of foxtail millet under drought conditions. Furthermore, SETIT_016654mg may play a role in the effect of HA on foxtail millet via control of the metabolic pathway. This study lays the foundation for research into the molecular mechanisms that underlie the alleviating effects of HA on foxtail millet under drought conditions