Anti-inflammatory effect of Zanthoxylum bungeanum-cake-separated moxibustion on rheumatoid arthritis rats

Background: Zanthoxylum bungeanum-cake-separated moxibustion (ZBCS-moxi), a kind of traditional therapy of moxibustion, has been used in China since 340 B.C. However, its mechanism remains unclear. So, this study was attempted to reveal the anti-inflammatory effect of ZBCS-moxi on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats.Methods and Materials: Forty health SD female rats were randomly divided into 4 groups  (n=10/group): control group, model group, Zanthoxylum bungeanum-cake-separated moxibustion group (ZBCS-moxi group) and Aconitum carmichaeli-cake-separated moxibustion group (ACCS-moxi group). RA model was induced by injecting 0.1 ml Freund’s complete adjuvant (FCA) into the right hind paw of rats. Eleven days after CFA injection, the rats in ZBCS-moxi group received Zanthoxylum bungeanum- cake-separated moxibustion on Shenshu (BL23), Zusanli (ST36) acupoints and the dorsum right hind paw respectively for 3 weeks. The ACCS-moxi group was used as a positive control, while the rats were treated with Aconitum carmichaeli-cake-separated moxibustion on the same acupoints and courses. After a 3-week treatment, we investigated anti-inflammatory effect by measuring the paw volume,  observing the pathologic morphology of synovial membranes and detecting the concentration of IL-1β and TNF-α in serum.Results: Compared to model group, the swollen paw volumes, the synovial hyperplasia and pannus formation of synovial membranes and the concentration of IL-1β and TNF-α in serum decreased obviously (P<0.01, P<0.05) in ZBCS-moxi group, as well as in ACCS-moxi group. However, the swollen paw volumes, the synovial hyperplasia and pannus formation of synovial membranes and the concentration of IL-1β and TNF-α in serum in ZBCS-moxi and ACCS-moxi group did not show significant differences (P>0.05)Conclusions: ZBCS-moxi displays anti-inflammatory effect on RA rats via suppressing the expression of cytokines and has similar effect to ACCS-moxi.Key words: Anti-inflammatory effect; Zanthoxylum bungeanum-cake-separated moxibustion; Aconitum carmichaeli-cake-separated moxibustion; Rheumatoid Arthritis

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECT OF ZANTHOXYLUM BUNGEANUM-CAKE-SEPARATED MOXIBUSTION ON RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS RATS

Background: Zanthoxylum bungeanum-cake-separated moxibustion (ZBCS-moxi), a kind of traditional therapy of moxibustion, has been used in China since 340 B.C. However, its mechanism remains unclear. So, this study was attempted to reveal the anti-inflammatory effect of ZBCS-moxi on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats. Methods and Materials: Forty health SD female rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=10/group): control group, model group, Zanthoxylum bungeanum-cake-separated moxibustion group (ZBCS-moxi group) and Aconitum carmichaeli-cake-separated moxibustion group (ACCS-moxi group). RA model was induced by injecting 0.1 ml Freund’s complete adjuvant (FCA) into the right hind paw of rats. Eleven days after CFA injection, the rats in ZBCS-moxi group received Zanthoxylum bungeanum- cake-separated moxibustion on Shenshu (BL23), Zusanli (ST36) acupoints and the dorsum right hind paw respectively for 3 weeks. The ACCS-moxi group was used as a positive control, while the rats were treated with Aconitum carmichaeli-cake-separated moxibustion on the same acupoints and courses. After a 3-week treatment, we investigated anti-inflammatory effect by measuring the paw volume, observing the pathologic morphology of synovial membranes and detecting the concentration of IL-1β and TNF-α in serum. Results: Compared to model group, the swollen paw volumes, the synovial hyperplasia and pannus formation of synovial membranes and the concentration of IL-1β and TNF-α in serum decreased obviously (

Influence of the initial hydrostatic pressure on contact area coefficient under drainage condition

The expression of effective stress proposed by Terzaghi has always been questioned. Many correction formulas are modification of pore pressure term. The pore pressure factor is related to porosity, contact area and other factors. When the particles are in point contact, the expression of the effective stress is that proposed by Terzaghi, while for the surface contact particles, the actual effective stress increases the stress produced by pore pressure passing through the contact surface based on the Terzaghi effective stress. There are many factors that affect the development of contact area and pore pressure, therefore, a series of the drained triaxial tests were carried out on four groups of sand samples with different initial hydrostatic pressures to study the influence of different initial hydrostatic pressures on the effective stress due to the term of contact area (σα). The test results show that the shear strength is increases with the initial hydrostatic pressure under the same effective confining pressure, which indirectly indicates that the initial hydrostatic pressure increases the contact area stress

Anti-Disturbance Finite-Time Adaptive Sliding Mode Backstepping Control for PV Inverter in Master–Slave-Organized Islanded Microgrid

With the aim to solve the problem related to the power chattering and anti-disturbance performance of a photovoltaic (PV) inverter in master–slave-organized islanded microgrid, an anti-disturbance finite-time adaptive sliding mode backstepping (DFA-SMB) controller is designed in this paper. First, the topology and the second-order dynamic model of PV inverter are established based on constant DC voltage and constant reactive power control method. Subsequently, the backstepping method is adopted to perform the control of a high-order system. Moreover, a second-order sliding mode differentiator is used to realize the function of command-filter, solving the differential expansion problem caused by the derivation of virtual controller. Besides, the terminal sliding mode control (TSMC) is introduced into the q-axis controller and d-axis inner loop controller, increasing the robustness and reducing the convergence time of the system. Adaptive control and disturbance-observer (DO) are used to perform the adaptive estimation of model parameters and the observation of lumped disturbances, respectively, enhancing the dynamic characteristics of the controller. Finally, a master–slave-organized islanded microgrid with 100 kW PV array is established in MATLAB/Simulink. The results demonstrate that the proposed control method can effectively reduce power chattering and improve the anti-disturbance ability of the PV system

An analytical solution for integrity detection of a floating pile embedded in saturated viscoelastic half-space

A new mathematical model of a floating pile embedded in a viscoelastic saturated soil for low-strain integrity detection is proposed using the theory of porous media. The saturated surrounding soil is divided into Novak’s thin layers along the pile length and a homogeneous half-space underlying the pile base to consider the effect of excitation frequency on the dynamic stiffness of the soil beneath the pile base. And the corresponding analytical solutions for the dynamic impedance and the reflected wave signal of vertical velocity at the pile head are derived and verified by comparing its reduced solution with the existing solutions for the end-bearing pile. In addition, an extensive parametric analysis is further conducted to investigate the effects of the slenderness ratio of pile, the modulus ratio of pile to the surrounding soil, and the permeability coefficient of saturated soil on the vertical vibration characteristics of the pile–soil interaction system

Modeling and Robust Trajectory Tracking Control for a Novel Six-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Modeling and trajectory tracking control of a novel six-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is concerned to solve problems such as smaller payload capacity and lack of both hardware redundancy and anticrosswind capability for quad-rotor. The mathematical modeling for the six-rotor UAV is developed on the basis of the Newton-Euler formalism, and a second-order sliding-mode disturbance observer (SOSMDO) is proposed to reconstruct the disturbances of the rotational dynamics. In consideration of the under-actuated and strong coupling properties of the six-rotor UAV, a nested double loops trajectory tracking control strategy is adopted. In the outer loop, a position error PID controller is designed, of which the task is to compare the desired trajectory with real position of the six-rotor UAV and export the desired attitude angles to the inner loop. In the inner loop, a rapid-convergent nonlinear differentiator (RCND) is proposed to calculate the derivatives of the virtual control signal, instead of using the analytical differentiation, to avoid “differential expansion” in the procedure of the attitude controller design. Finally, the validity and effectiveness of the proposed technique are demonstrated by the simulation results

Courses reform of mould courses based on field augmented reality facing engineering education certification

Mould courses are crucial components of the mechanical manufacturing course system, and their innovation and reform can inspire new approaches to college education reform, as for the engineering education certification process. The augmented reality mould disassembly and assembly teaching scheme that is proposed in this paper can help students master the structure and processing of complicated moulds, and thus make comprehensive use of the relating learning knowledge and skills. By understanding of the typical structural design and assembly of moulds, students can learn actively by interaction of the three teaching strands of instruction, case study, and assessment. This will raise the level of instruction throughout the courses as well as student participation and interest. The proposed AR auxiliary system is a new approach to essentially foster students’ capacity for independent learning, knowledge understanding, and innovation and production in the age of digital learning and engineering education certification

Courses reform of mould courses based on field augmented reality facing engineering education certification

Mould courses are crucial components of the mechanical manufacturing course system, and their innovation and reform can inspire new approaches to college education reform, as for the engineering education certification process. The augmented reality mould disassembly and assembly teaching scheme that is proposed in this paper can help students master the structure and processing of complicated moulds, and thus make comprehensive use of the relating learning knowledge and skills. By understanding of the typical structural design and assembly of moulds, students can learn actively by interaction of the three teaching strands of instruction, case study, and assessment. This will raise the level of instruction throughout the courses as well as student participation and interest. The proposed AR auxiliary system is a new approach to essentially foster students’ capacity for independent learning, knowledge understanding, and innovation and production in the age of digital learning and engineering education certification

Bacterial Diversity and Lactic Acid Bacteria with High Alcohol Tolerance in the Fermented Grains of Soy Sauce Aroma Type Baijiu in North China

Soy sauce aroma type baijiu (also known as Maotai-flavor baijiu) is one of the most popular types of baijiu in China. Traditionally, it is mainly produced in Southwest China. However, in recent decades, some other regions in China have also been able to produce high-quality soy sauce aroma type baijiu, but their microbial flora characteristics during fermentation are still unclear. Here, the bacterial microbial community structure of fermented grains in different rounds of Lutaichun soy sauce aroma type baijiu produced in North China was studied by high-throughput sequencing technology, and the potential probiotics strains with good characteristics (alcohol tolerance, etc.) were screened. The results showed that lactic acid bacteria were the main bacteria in the process of baijiu fermentation. However, as the number of repeated fermentation rounds increased, the proportion of lactic acid bacteria decreased. Firmicutes (96.81%) were the main bacteria in baijiu fermentation at the phylum level, and Lactobacillus (66.50%) were the main bacteria at the genus level. Finally, two strains with high resistance to alcohol stress, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LTJ12 and Pediococcus acidilactici LTJ28, were screened from 48 strains of lactic acid bacteria in the fermented grains. The survival rates of L. plantarum LTJ12 and P. acidilactici LTJ28 under the 8% alcohol stress treatment were 59.01% and 55.50%, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to reveal the microbial succession of fermented grains in different rounds of soy sauce aroma type baijiu from North China, and has the benefit of explaining the deep molecular mechanism in the process of baijiu fermentation. In addition, the obtained lactic acid bacteria strains with high alcohol tolerance could be conducive to the development of new products such as active probiotic alcoholic beverages and may have important industrial development prospects also