Standard bacterial suspensions play a crucial role in microbiological diagnosis.Traditional prepar-ation methods,which rely heavily on manual operations,face challenges such as poor reproducibility,low ef-ficiency,and...Standard bacterial suspensions play a crucial role in microbiological diagnosis.Traditional prepar-ation methods,which rely heavily on manual operations,face challenges such as poor reproducibility,low ef-ficiency,and biosafety concerns.In this study,we propose a high-precision automated colony extraction and separation system that combines large-field imaging and artificial intelligence(AI)to facilitate intelligent screening and localization of colonies.Firstly,a large-field imaging system was developed to capture high-resolution images of 90 mm Petri dishes,achieving a physical resolution of 13.2μm and an imaging speed of 13 frames per second.Subsequently,AI technology was employed for the automatic recognition and localiza-tion of colonies,enabling the selection of target colonies with diameters ranging from 1.9 to 2.3 mm.Next,a three-axis motion control platform was designed,accompanied by a path planning algorithm for the efficient extraction of colonies.An electronic pipette was employed for accurate colony collection.Additionally,a bacterial suspension concentration measurement module was developed,incorporating a 650 nm laser diode as the light source,achieving a measurement accuracy of 0.01 McFarland concentration(MCF).Finally,the system’s performance was validated through the preparation of an Esckerichia coli(E.coli)suspension.After 17 hours of cultivation,E.coli was extracted four times,achieving the target concentration set by the system.This work is expected to enable rapid and accurate microbial sample preparation,significantly reducing de-tection cycles and alleviating the workload of healthcare personnel.展开更多
Objective This study aims to investigate the joint associations of sarcopenia and social isolation with mortality risk.Methods Using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey(CLHLS)and the UK Biobank...Objective This study aims to investigate the joint associations of sarcopenia and social isolation with mortality risk.Methods Using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey(CLHLS)and the UK Biobank,sarcopenia was diagnosed according to European and Asian Working Groups for Sarcopenia criteria.Social isolation was assessed using standardized questionnaires,including questions on solitude,frequency of social activities,contact with others,and marital status(for the CLHLS only).Results During the follow-up period,8,249 deaths occurred in the CLHLS and 26,670 deaths in the UK Biobank groups.While no significant interaction was observed between sarcopenia and social isolation in predicting all-cause mortality in the CLHLS cohort,the association between social isolation and mortality was stronger among individuals with sarcopenia in the UK Biobank(P-interaction=0.03,relative risk due to interaction:0.23,95%confidence interval[CI]:0.06–0.41).Further joint analyses showed that participants with sarcopenia and high levels of social isolation had the highest mortality risk(hazard ration[HR]:1.99;95%CI:[1.74–2.28]in the CLHLS and 1.69[1.55–1.85]in the UK Biobank)compared to those without either condition.Conclusion The combination of social isolation and sarcopenia synergistically increases the risk of mortality in middle-aged and older adults across diverse populations.展开更多
Octopuses,due to their flexible arms,marvelous adaptability,and powerful suckers,are able to effortlessly grasp and disengage various objects in the marine surrounding without causing devastation.However,manipulating ...Octopuses,due to their flexible arms,marvelous adaptability,and powerful suckers,are able to effortlessly grasp and disengage various objects in the marine surrounding without causing devastation.However,manipulating delicate objects such as soft and fragile foods underwater require gentle contact and stable adhesion,which poses a serious challenge to now available soft grippers.Inspired by the sucker infundibulum structure and flexible tentacles of octopus,herein we developed a hydraulically actuated hydrogel soft gripper with adaptive maneuverability by coupling multiple hydrogen bond-mediated supramolecular hydrogels and vat polymerization three-dimensional printing,in which hydrogel bionic sucker is composed of a tunable curvature membrane,a negative pressure cavity,and a pneumatic chamber.The design of the sucker structure with the alterable curvature membrane is conducive to realize the reliable and gentle switchable adhesion of the hydrogel soft gripper.As a proof-of-concept,the adaptive hydrogel soft gripper is capable of implement diversified underwater tasks,including gingerly grasping fragile foods like egg yolks and tofu,as well as underwater robots and vehicles that station-keeping and crawling based on switchable adhesion.This study therefore provides a transformative strategy for the design of novel soft grippers that will render promising utilities for underwater exploration soft robotics.展开更多
Isolation technology can reduce the type of structural damage that earthquakes cause.A new type of composite sliding-rolling friction composite seismic isolation bearing(SRF)with composite sliding friction and rolling...Isolation technology can reduce the type of structural damage that earthquakes cause.A new type of composite sliding-rolling friction composite seismic isolation bearing(SRF)with composite sliding friction and rolling friction is proposed.SRF is capable of realizing a parallel arrangement of sliding friction and rolling friction,and the coefficient of dynamic friction shows variability.The proposed static tests on composite bearings were conducted to investigate the effects of the number of shims,loading speed and vertical pressure on the dynamic friction factor.Test results show that the coefficient of dynamic friction first generally decreases and then increases with an increase in sliding speed,prior to again decreasing with an increase in vertical pressure.The dynamic friction factor increases and then decreases with an increase in the number of shims for a four-roll ball.It decreases and then increases with an increase in the number of shims for a five-roll ball.Based on finite element analysis,modeling and analyzing the effects of the coefficient of friction,the number of balls and the number of shims on the hysteresis performance of the support and derive its skeleton curve.The SRF hysteretic performance,dynamic friction factor and the number of rolling balls and shims show significant correlation.展开更多
The multi-terminal direct current(DC)grid has extinctive superiorities over the traditional alternating current system in integrating large-scale renewable energy.Both the DC circuit breaker(DCCB)and the current flow ...The multi-terminal direct current(DC)grid has extinctive superiorities over the traditional alternating current system in integrating large-scale renewable energy.Both the DC circuit breaker(DCCB)and the current flow controller(CFC)are demanded to ensure the multiterminal DC grid to operates reliably and flexibly.However,since the CFC and the DCCB are all based on fully controlled semiconductor switches(e.g.,insulated gate bipolar transistor,integrated gate commutated thyristor,etc.),their separation configuration in the multiterminal DC grid will lead to unaffordable implementation costs and conduction power losses.To solve these problems,integrated equipment with both current flow control and fault isolation abilities is proposed,which shares the expensive and duplicated components of CFCs and DCCBs among adjacent lines.In addition,the complicated coordination control of CFCs and DCCBs can be avoided by adopting the integrated equipment in themultiterminal DC grid.In order to examine the current flow control and fault isolation abilities of the integrated equipment,the simulation model of a specific meshed four-terminal DC grid is constructed in the PSCAD/EMTDC software.Finally,the comparison between the integrated equipment and the separate solution is presented a specific result or conclusion needs to be added to the abstract.展开更多
Objective Observational studies have shown inconsistent associations of loneliness or social isolation(SI)with ischemic heart disease(IHD),with unknown mediators.Methods Using data from genome-wide association studies...Objective Observational studies have shown inconsistent associations of loneliness or social isolation(SI)with ischemic heart disease(IHD),with unknown mediators.Methods Using data from genome-wide association studies of predominantly European ancestry,we performed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian Randomization(MR)study to estimate causal effects of loneliness(N=487,647)and SI traits on IHD(N=184,305).SI traits included whether individuals lived alone,participated in various types of social activities,and how often they had contact with friends or family(N=459,830 to 461,369).A network MR study was conducted to evaluate the mediating roles of 20 candidate mediators,including metabolic,behavioral and psychological factors.Results Loneliness increased IHD risk(OR=2.129;95%confidence interval[CI]:1.380 to 3.285),mediated by body fat percentage,waist-hip ratio,total cholesterol,and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.For SI traits,only fewer social activities increased IHD risk(OR=1.815;95%CI:1.189 to 2.772),mediated by hypertension,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol,triglycerides,fasting insulin,and smoking cessation.No reverse causality of IHD with loneliness and SI was found.Conclusion These findings suggested more attention should be paid to individuals who feel lonely and have fewer social activities to prevent IHD,with several mediators as prioritized targets for intervention.展开更多
Strong surface impact will produce strong vibration,which will pose a threat to the safety of nearby buried pipelines and other important lifeline projects.Based on the verified numerical method,a comprehensive numeri...Strong surface impact will produce strong vibration,which will pose a threat to the safety of nearby buried pipelines and other important lifeline projects.Based on the verified numerical method,a comprehensive numerical parameter analysis is conducted on the key influencing factors of the vibration isolation hole(VIH),which include hole diameter,hole net spacing,hole depth,hole number,hole arrangement,and soil parameters.The results indicate that a smaller ratio of net spacing to hole diameter,the deeper the hole,the multi-row hole,the hole adoption of staggered arrangements,and better site soil conditions can enhance the efficiency of the VIH barrier.The average maximum vibration reduction efficiency within the vibration isolation area can reach 42.2%.The vibration safety of adjacent oil pipelines during a dynamic compaction projection was evaluated according to existing standards,and the measurement of the VIH was recommended to reduce excessive vibration.The single-row vibration isolation scheme and three-row staggered arrangement with the same hole parameters are suggested according to different cases.The research findings can serve as a reference for the vibration safety analysis,assessment,and control of adjacent underground facilities under the influence of strong surface impact loads.展开更多
BACKGROUND Frailty has become a significant public health issue.The recent increase in the number of frail older adults has led to increased attention being paid to psycho-logical care services in communities.The soci...BACKGROUND Frailty has become a significant public health issue.The recent increase in the number of frail older adults has led to increased attention being paid to psycho-logical care services in communities.The social isolation of pre-frail older adults can impact their psychological distress.AIM To explore the mediating effect of health literacy between social isolation and psychological distress among communitydwelling older adults with pre-frailty.METHODS This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 254 pre-frail older individuals aged 60 years and over.Social isolation,health literacy,and psycholo-gical distress were comprehensively measured using the Lubben Social Network Scale-6,12-item Short-Form Health Literacy Questionnaire,and the Kessler Psy-chological Distress Scale-10.Data were evaluated using the SPSS 27.0 package program and the PROCESS macro tool.Descriptive statistical analyses,correlation analyses,and bootstrap mediation tests were used to assess associations between the variables.RESULTS The results showed that social isolation had an effect on health literacy among pre-frail older adults(β=0.240,P<0.001),social isolation impact on psycho-logical distress pre-frail older adults(β=-0.415,P<0.001);health literacy was identified effect on psychological distress among pre-frail older persons(β=-0.307,P<0.001).Health literacy partially mediated the relationship between social isolation and psychological distress among community-dwelling older adults with pre-frailty,with a mediation effect of-0.074,accounting for 17.83%of the total effect.展开更多
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a bacterial pathogen for humans and animals. These bacteria can resist against many antibiotics and this resistance constitute an alarming worldwide human health threat due to the ...Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a bacterial pathogen for humans and animals. These bacteria can resist against many antibiotics and this resistance constitute an alarming worldwide human health threat due to the morbidity and mortality. Phage therapy is one of the alternative treatments. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize lytic phages of S. aureus from different wastewater sources in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Eight strains of S. aureus were isolated from different clinical samples and were used to isolate phages. The isolation and host range of phages were done by the spot test. Phages were purified by the double-layer method. Similar phages after the determination of the host range were characterized using restriction enzymes. A total of 27 phages were obtained after isolation and purification. Nine of the 27 isolates reported a broad host range (≥67%). The results of enzymatic digestion allowed to consider that all phage isolates that presented the same host range and the same genetic fingerprint are the same phage strain;whereas phages that presented the same host range and different genetic fingerprints are different phage strains. Thus, a total of 15 distinct phages isolates specific to S. aureus were characterized. This study highlighted the abundance and lytic capacity of phages isolated from wastewater from Bobo-Dioulasso’s environment against clinical strains of S. aureus. The lytic capacity of these Staphyphages could be an effective alternative tool to combat bacteria multi-resistance.展开更多
This work discusses the strain and acceleration suppression of a flexible beam subjected to different supports analytically.As classical protection,the beam is mounted on a vertical linear spring together with a linea...This work discusses the strain and acceleration suppression of a flexible beam subjected to different supports analytically.As classical protection,the beam is mounted on a vertical linear spring together with a linear damper in parallel.This is called linear isolation.To enhance isolation performance,nonlinearity is employed in the boundary.In addition,quasi-zero isolation is established based on the non-linearly enhanced one by adjusting the installation length of the horizontal spring.To discuss their performance fully and fairly,the amplitude,the acceleration,the potential energy of the beam,the input work of the excitation,the dissipation work of the beam,and the dynamics stress along the beam are investigated based on the same parameters.The comparison shows that all these isolations can protect the beam with high efficiency,even when the basement excitation is tiny.Although the linear isolation and the nonlinearly enhanced one will arouse two resonance peaks on both sides of the primary resonance of the beam without isolation,the maximum amplitudes of them are reduced a lot.But for the low frequency excitation,the quasi-zero isolation has the best performance as it drives the primary resonance to the high frequency region.The simulation shows that the beam needs a relatively soft isolation to avoid the damage caused by the shock vibration,including the quasi-zero one.In general,the quasi-zero isolation shows the best performance.The nonlinearly enhanced one is the suboptimal choice.The present work shows the capacities of three isolations for a flexible beam by the steady-state response and the shock vibration.It provides design suggestions for the isolation of flexible beams.展开更多
Solid lubricating coatings play a crucial role in preventing friction and wear failure of the hot-end sliding components in aviation engines.In this study,VAlN/Ag multi-layer coatings with excellent interfacial matchi...Solid lubricating coatings play a crucial role in preventing friction and wear failure of the hot-end sliding components in aviation engines.In this study,VAlN/Ag multi-layer coatings with excellent interfacial matching were fabricated using a hybrid magnetron sputtering technique.The type and energy of discharge plasmas were analyzed to comprehend their effects on depositing coatings.The coatings exhibit self-adaptive lubrication properties during the designed consecutive friction with stepwise heating from 25℃to 650℃.The microstructure evolution during early friction facilitates sufficient tribo-chemical reaction at 650℃,leading to the formation of a distinctive"ball-on-rail"structure that significantly reduces friction coefficient.Based on the first-principles calculations,it was found that the bond energy of Ag-O is lower than that of V-O in both AgVO_(3)and Ag_(3)VO_(4),which promotes slipping along the(110)crystal plane and contributes to exceptional tribological properties.The fatigue wear failure mechanism of hard coatings under the thermal-force coupling effects has been elucidated,alongside an exploration of consecutive tribology mechanism at atomic scales over a wide temperature range.展开更多
Gecko-inspired van der Waals force-based adhesion technology demonstrates significant potential for robotic operations.While superior adhesion is achieved under parallel contact during testing,engineering operations o...Gecko-inspired van der Waals force-based adhesion technology demonstrates significant potential for robotic operations.While superior adhesion is achieved under parallel contact during testing,engineering operations often involve non-parallel contact,weakening adhesion,and compromising task stability and efficiency.Stable attachment under such non-parallel contacts remains challenging.Inspired by the soft muscle and rigid bone in the gecko’s sole,this study proposes a self-adaptive core-shell dry adhesive by embedding a thin,rigid piece into a soft,thick elastomer comprising a top adhesion tip with a mushroom-like geometry for interfacial adhesion based on the van der Waals force and a bottom core-shell configuration for interface stress regulation.Unlike traditional core-shell structures with a fixed“dead core,”the proposed“live core”rotates within the soft shell,mimicking skeletal joints.This enables stress equalization at the interface and facilitates adaptive contact to macroscopic interfacial angle errors.This innovative core-shell configuration demonstrates an adhesion strength 100 times higher than conventional homogeneous structures under non-parallel contact and offers anti-overturning ability by mitigating torsional effects.The proposed strategy can advance the development of gecko-inspired adhesion-based devices and systems.展开更多
The biological species concept defines species as groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups(Mayr,1942).Reproductive isolation,whether p...The biological species concept defines species as groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups(Mayr,1942).Reproductive isolation,whether prezygotic or postzygotic,plays a central role in maintaining species boundaries.However,hybridization between closely related taxa can challenge these boundaries and provide insight into speciation,gene flow,and evolutionary processes(Coyne and Orr,2004).展开更多
Traditional linear vibration isolators struggle to combine high load-bearing capacity with low-frequency vibration isolation, whereas nonlinear metastructure isolators can effectively fulfill both functions. This pape...Traditional linear vibration isolators struggle to combine high load-bearing capacity with low-frequency vibration isolation, whereas nonlinear metastructure isolators can effectively fulfill both functions. This paper draws inspiration from the Quasi-Zero Stiffness (QZS) characteristics resulting from the buckling deformation of beams, and proposes a gear-based QZS structure by arranging beams in a circular array. We investigated the static mechanical behavior under different structural parameters, loading angles, and gear combinations through experiments and simulations, and demonstrated the mechanical performances could be effectively programmed. Subsequent vibration isolation tests on the double gears prove superior vibration isolation performance at low frequency while maintaining high load-bearing capacities. Additionally, a key contribution of our work is the development of a mathematical model to characterize the buckling behavior of the unit beam within the gear structure, with its accuracy validated through finite element analysis and experimental results. The gear’s modulus, number of teeth, and pressure angle are selected according to standard series, allowing the gear can be seamlessly integrated into existing mechanical systems in critical fields such as aerospace, military, and etc.展开更多
Traffic-induced ground vibrations cause significant problems for residents and nearby structures.Reducing the effect of these vibrations on the neighboring environment is a key challenge,particularly in urban areas.Th...Traffic-induced ground vibrations cause significant problems for residents and nearby structures.Reducing the effect of these vibrations on the neighboring environment is a key challenge,particularly in urban areas.This study presents both numerical and experimental investigations of the performance of mass scatters for screening ground vibrations.A three-dimensional numerical model is validated and extended to conduct a comparative study on the efficiency of three geotechnical methods of isolation.These methods include trench barriers,waveimpeding blocks(WIBs),and mass scatters.The results showed that mass scatters represent an efficient way of scattering ground vibrations,and their efficiency is mainly related to the weights of mass scatters and their natural frequency,which control the dynamic soil response in the frequency domain.Rigid trench barriers are less effective than soft ones,and their efficiency is more pronounced regarding the WIB.Soft barriers with a depth of an order of half of the wavelength can decrease the vibration levels by up to 50%,which is comparable to the performance of enormous mass scatters.The dimensions of WIBs must be chosen according to the wavelength of incident waves and the cutoff frequency of the topsoil layer.Considering the significant wavelength of traffic-induced vibration,the use of trench barriers or WIBs becomes impractical and expensive;therefore,mass scatters appear to be an efficient and practical solution.展开更多
Panax notoginseng is a traditional Chinese medicine containing various constituents,including the saponins,polysaccharides,polyacetylenes,amino acids,etc.It has beneficial functions,such as the anti-inflammatory,antit...Panax notoginseng is a traditional Chinese medicine containing various constituents,including the saponins,polysaccharides,polyacetylenes,amino acids,etc.It has beneficial functions,such as the anti-inflammatory,antitumor,hepatoprotective,and anti-aging effects.Among these,P.notoginseng polysaccharides(PNPs)have been exploited because of their extensive pharmacological effects,being ranked as one of the current research hotspots,especially for the functional foods and medical practice.In this review,the literature related to PNPs in the past 20 years was surveyed and analyzed using both the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)and Web of Science(WOS)databases.The visualization diagram shows that current studies on PNPs mainly focus on the antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities and structural characterization.In addition,the extraction,separation,purification,chemical analysis,structural characteristics,bioactivities,and applications of PNPs are outlined,in detail,aimed to provide valuable information for the further study,development,and utilization regarding PNPs.展开更多
Periodic isolator is well known for its wave filtering characteristic.While in middle and high frequencies,the internal resonances of the periodic isolator are evident especially when damping is small.This study propo...Periodic isolator is well known for its wave filtering characteristic.While in middle and high frequencies,the internal resonances of the periodic isolator are evident especially when damping is small.This study proposes a novel aperiodic vibration isolation for improving the internal resonances control of the periodic isolator.The mechanism of the internal resonances control by the aperiodic isolator is firstly explained.For comparing the internal resonances suppression effect of the aperiodic isolator with the periodic isolator,a dynamic model combing the rigid machine,the isolator,and the flexible plate is derived through multi subsystem modeling method and transfer matrix method,whose accuracy is verified through the finite element method.The influences of the aperiodicity and damping of the isolator on the vibration isolation performance and internal resonances suppression effect are investigated by numerical analysis.The numerical results demonstrate that vibration attenuation performances of the periodic isolator and aperiodic isolator are greatly over than that of the continuous isolator in middle and high frequencies.The aperiodic isolator opens the stop bandgaps comparing with the periodic isolator where the pass bandgaps are periodically existed.The damping of the isolator has the stop bandgap widening effect on both the periodic isolator and the aperiodic isolator.In addition,a parameter optimization algorithm of the aperiodic isolator is presented for improving the internal resonances control effect.It is shown that the vibration peaks within the target frequency band of the aperiodic isolator are effectively reduced after the optimization.Finally,the experiments of the three different vibration isolation systems are conducted for verifying the analysis work.展开更多
BACKGROUND Sleep disorders are common health problems in the elderly.The effect of social isolation on sleep duration and sleep quality remains unclear in the Chinese community-dwelling elderly.AIM To explore the asso...BACKGROUND Sleep disorders are common health problems in the elderly.The effect of social isolation on sleep duration and sleep quality remains unclear in the Chinese community-dwelling elderly.AIM To explore the associations of social isolation with sleep duration and sleep quality in community-dwelling elderly people.METHODS A total of 7762 community-dwelling elderly people aged 60 years and older in Ningbo were recruited from June 2022 to August 2022.Data were collected using a questionnaire.Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the associations of social isolation with sleep duration and sleep quality.The KHB mediating effect model was used to test the mediating effect of depression and anxiety on these associations.RESULTS Among the participants,2656(34.2%)had abnormal sleep duration(<6 hours or>8 hours),1115(14.4%)had poor sleep quality,and 917(11.8%)had social isolation.After adjusting for confounding factors,compared with the elderly without social isolation,the odds ratios(95%CI)of abnormal sleep duration and poor sleep quality in the elderly with social isolation were 1.49(1.29-1.73)and 1.32(1.09-1.59),respectively.Depression partially mediated the associations of social isolation with sleep duration and sleep quality,accounting for 5.68%and 9.87%of the mediating effect,respectively.CONCLUSION Social isolation was found to be associated with sleep duration and sleep quality in community-dwelling elderly people.More attention should be paid to social isolation in the elderly.展开更多
BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation(AF)is the most common cardiac arrhythmia worldwide,hosting numerous serious possible complications such as stroke and heart failure.In the past two decades,managing rhythm control was mo...BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation(AF)is the most common cardiac arrhythmia worldwide,hosting numerous serious possible complications such as stroke and heart failure.In the past two decades,managing rhythm control was more successful via pulmonary vein isolation(PVI)ablation,generally performed via transfemoral access.Patients with anatomical variations may necessitate a dose of creativity and evidence-based techniques.To our knowledge,we present the first PVI case in a patient with AF via right internal jugular(IJ)vein access using pulse field ablation.CASE SUMMARY A 76-year-old male with an extensive medical history notable for type 2 diabetes and severe peripheral vascular disease requiring vascular bypass surgery is identified to have paroxysmal AF.Given functional decline and worsening arrhythmia burden refractory to oral antiarrhythmics,an initial PVI ablation was attempted but failed as the catheter could not be advanced secondary to bilateral iliac vein occlusions.This necessitated a novel approach and a subsequent PVI ablation via the right IJ vein was successful without any complications.The success of this case highlights the feasibility of an IJ approach for PVI in patients where traditional access is not possible.This case can be used as a reference for other practitioners who may face similar challenges when attempting to perform PVI for AF or similar procedures requiring access to similar anatomical locations.CONCLUSION The success of this case highlights the feasibility of an IJ approach for PVI when traditional access is impossible.展开更多
文摘Standard bacterial suspensions play a crucial role in microbiological diagnosis.Traditional prepar-ation methods,which rely heavily on manual operations,face challenges such as poor reproducibility,low ef-ficiency,and biosafety concerns.In this study,we propose a high-precision automated colony extraction and separation system that combines large-field imaging and artificial intelligence(AI)to facilitate intelligent screening and localization of colonies.Firstly,a large-field imaging system was developed to capture high-resolution images of 90 mm Petri dishes,achieving a physical resolution of 13.2μm and an imaging speed of 13 frames per second.Subsequently,AI technology was employed for the automatic recognition and localiza-tion of colonies,enabling the selection of target colonies with diameters ranging from 1.9 to 2.3 mm.Next,a three-axis motion control platform was designed,accompanied by a path planning algorithm for the efficient extraction of colonies.An electronic pipette was employed for accurate colony collection.Additionally,a bacterial suspension concentration measurement module was developed,incorporating a 650 nm laser diode as the light source,achieving a measurement accuracy of 0.01 McFarland concentration(MCF).Finally,the system’s performance was validated through the preparation of an Esckerichia coli(E.coli)suspension.After 17 hours of cultivation,E.coli was extracted four times,achieving the target concentration set by the system.This work is expected to enable rapid and accurate microbial sample preparation,significantly reducing de-tection cycles and alleviating the workload of healthcare personnel.
基金supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2023YFC3606300,No.2022YFC3600300)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.82325043)the National Key Research and Development Program of Hubei Province(2022BCA036)。
文摘Objective This study aims to investigate the joint associations of sarcopenia and social isolation with mortality risk.Methods Using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey(CLHLS)and the UK Biobank,sarcopenia was diagnosed according to European and Asian Working Groups for Sarcopenia criteria.Social isolation was assessed using standardized questionnaires,including questions on solitude,frequency of social activities,contact with others,and marital status(for the CLHLS only).Results During the follow-up period,8,249 deaths occurred in the CLHLS and 26,670 deaths in the UK Biobank groups.While no significant interaction was observed between sarcopenia and social isolation in predicting all-cause mortality in the CLHLS cohort,the association between social isolation and mortality was stronger among individuals with sarcopenia in the UK Biobank(P-interaction=0.03,relative risk due to interaction:0.23,95%confidence interval[CI]:0.06–0.41).Further joint analyses showed that participants with sarcopenia and high levels of social isolation had the highest mortality risk(hazard ration[HR]:1.99;95%CI:[1.74–2.28]in the CLHLS and 1.69[1.55–1.85]in the UK Biobank)compared to those without either condition.Conclusion The combination of social isolation and sarcopenia synergistically increases the risk of mortality in middle-aged and older adults across diverse populations.
基金the financial support from the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB0470303)the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFB4600101)+5 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52175201)the Research Program of Science and Technology Department of Gansu Province (24JRRA059, 24JRRA044, and 24YFFA014)the Science Fund of Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Green Manufacturing at Yantai (AMGM2024F12)the Major Program (ZYFZFX-2) of the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CASthe Special Research Assistant Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciencesthe Oasis Scholar of Shihezi University
文摘Octopuses,due to their flexible arms,marvelous adaptability,and powerful suckers,are able to effortlessly grasp and disengage various objects in the marine surrounding without causing devastation.However,manipulating delicate objects such as soft and fragile foods underwater require gentle contact and stable adhesion,which poses a serious challenge to now available soft grippers.Inspired by the sucker infundibulum structure and flexible tentacles of octopus,herein we developed a hydraulically actuated hydrogel soft gripper with adaptive maneuverability by coupling multiple hydrogen bond-mediated supramolecular hydrogels and vat polymerization three-dimensional printing,in which hydrogel bionic sucker is composed of a tunable curvature membrane,a negative pressure cavity,and a pneumatic chamber.The design of the sucker structure with the alterable curvature membrane is conducive to realize the reliable and gentle switchable adhesion of the hydrogel soft gripper.As a proof-of-concept,the adaptive hydrogel soft gripper is capable of implement diversified underwater tasks,including gingerly grasping fragile foods like egg yolks and tofu,as well as underwater robots and vehicles that station-keeping and crawling based on switchable adhesion.This study therefore provides a transformative strategy for the design of novel soft grippers that will render promising utilities for underwater exploration soft robotics.
文摘Isolation technology can reduce the type of structural damage that earthquakes cause.A new type of composite sliding-rolling friction composite seismic isolation bearing(SRF)with composite sliding friction and rolling friction is proposed.SRF is capable of realizing a parallel arrangement of sliding friction and rolling friction,and the coefficient of dynamic friction shows variability.The proposed static tests on composite bearings were conducted to investigate the effects of the number of shims,loading speed and vertical pressure on the dynamic friction factor.Test results show that the coefficient of dynamic friction first generally decreases and then increases with an increase in sliding speed,prior to again decreasing with an increase in vertical pressure.The dynamic friction factor increases and then decreases with an increase in the number of shims for a four-roll ball.It decreases and then increases with an increase in the number of shims for a five-roll ball.Based on finite element analysis,modeling and analyzing the effects of the coefficient of friction,the number of balls and the number of shims on the hysteresis performance of the support and derive its skeleton curve.The SRF hysteretic performance,dynamic friction factor and the number of rolling balls and shims show significant correlation.
基金supported in part by Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province under Grant BK20230255Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province under Grant ZR2023QE281.
文摘The multi-terminal direct current(DC)grid has extinctive superiorities over the traditional alternating current system in integrating large-scale renewable energy.Both the DC circuit breaker(DCCB)and the current flow controller(CFC)are demanded to ensure the multiterminal DC grid to operates reliably and flexibly.However,since the CFC and the DCCB are all based on fully controlled semiconductor switches(e.g.,insulated gate bipolar transistor,integrated gate commutated thyristor,etc.),their separation configuration in the multiterminal DC grid will lead to unaffordable implementation costs and conduction power losses.To solve these problems,integrated equipment with both current flow control and fault isolation abilities is proposed,which shares the expensive and duplicated components of CFCs and DCCBs among adjacent lines.In addition,the complicated coordination control of CFCs and DCCBs can be avoided by adopting the integrated equipment in themultiterminal DC grid.In order to examine the current flow control and fault isolation abilities of the integrated equipment,the simulation model of a specific meshed four-terminal DC grid is constructed in the PSCAD/EMTDC software.Finally,the comparison between the integrated equipment and the separate solution is presented a specific result or conclusion needs to be added to the abstract.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82322059)the Chinese Academy of Medical·Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences(2021-I2M-1-010)+1 种基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2021YFC2500500)the National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding(2023-GSPRC-19).
文摘Objective Observational studies have shown inconsistent associations of loneliness or social isolation(SI)with ischemic heart disease(IHD),with unknown mediators.Methods Using data from genome-wide association studies of predominantly European ancestry,we performed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian Randomization(MR)study to estimate causal effects of loneliness(N=487,647)and SI traits on IHD(N=184,305).SI traits included whether individuals lived alone,participated in various types of social activities,and how often they had contact with friends or family(N=459,830 to 461,369).A network MR study was conducted to evaluate the mediating roles of 20 candidate mediators,including metabolic,behavioral and psychological factors.Results Loneliness increased IHD risk(OR=2.129;95%confidence interval[CI]:1.380 to 3.285),mediated by body fat percentage,waist-hip ratio,total cholesterol,and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.For SI traits,only fewer social activities increased IHD risk(OR=1.815;95%CI:1.189 to 2.772),mediated by hypertension,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol,triglycerides,fasting insulin,and smoking cessation.No reverse causality of IHD with loneliness and SI was found.Conclusion These findings suggested more attention should be paid to individuals who feel lonely and have fewer social activities to prevent IHD,with several mediators as prioritized targets for intervention.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.52078386 and 52308496SINOMACH Youth Science and Technology Fund under Grant No.QNJJ-PY-2022-02+2 种基金Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program under Grant No.BYESS2023432Fund of State Key Laboratory of Precision Blasting and Hubei Key Laboratory of Blasting Engineering,Jianghan University under Grant No.PBSKL2023A9Fund of China Railway Construction Group Co.,Ltd.under Grant No.LX19-04b。
文摘Strong surface impact will produce strong vibration,which will pose a threat to the safety of nearby buried pipelines and other important lifeline projects.Based on the verified numerical method,a comprehensive numerical parameter analysis is conducted on the key influencing factors of the vibration isolation hole(VIH),which include hole diameter,hole net spacing,hole depth,hole number,hole arrangement,and soil parameters.The results indicate that a smaller ratio of net spacing to hole diameter,the deeper the hole,the multi-row hole,the hole adoption of staggered arrangements,and better site soil conditions can enhance the efficiency of the VIH barrier.The average maximum vibration reduction efficiency within the vibration isolation area can reach 42.2%.The vibration safety of adjacent oil pipelines during a dynamic compaction projection was evaluated according to existing standards,and the measurement of the VIH was recommended to reduce excessive vibration.The single-row vibration isolation scheme and three-row staggered arrangement with the same hole parameters are suggested according to different cases.The research findings can serve as a reference for the vibration safety analysis,assessment,and control of adjacent underground facilities under the influence of strong surface impact loads.
基金Supported by the Scientific Research Fund of Zhejiang Provincial Education Department,No.Y202351104and Huzhou Science and Technology Plan Project,No.2023GZ67。
文摘BACKGROUND Frailty has become a significant public health issue.The recent increase in the number of frail older adults has led to increased attention being paid to psycho-logical care services in communities.The social isolation of pre-frail older adults can impact their psychological distress.AIM To explore the mediating effect of health literacy between social isolation and psychological distress among communitydwelling older adults with pre-frailty.METHODS This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 254 pre-frail older individuals aged 60 years and over.Social isolation,health literacy,and psycholo-gical distress were comprehensively measured using the Lubben Social Network Scale-6,12-item Short-Form Health Literacy Questionnaire,and the Kessler Psy-chological Distress Scale-10.Data were evaluated using the SPSS 27.0 package program and the PROCESS macro tool.Descriptive statistical analyses,correlation analyses,and bootstrap mediation tests were used to assess associations between the variables.RESULTS The results showed that social isolation had an effect on health literacy among pre-frail older adults(β=0.240,P<0.001),social isolation impact on psycho-logical distress pre-frail older adults(β=-0.415,P<0.001);health literacy was identified effect on psychological distress among pre-frail older persons(β=-0.307,P<0.001).Health literacy partially mediated the relationship between social isolation and psychological distress among community-dwelling older adults with pre-frailty,with a mediation effect of-0.074,accounting for 17.83%of the total effect.
文摘Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a bacterial pathogen for humans and animals. These bacteria can resist against many antibiotics and this resistance constitute an alarming worldwide human health threat due to the morbidity and mortality. Phage therapy is one of the alternative treatments. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize lytic phages of S. aureus from different wastewater sources in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Eight strains of S. aureus were isolated from different clinical samples and were used to isolate phages. The isolation and host range of phages were done by the spot test. Phages were purified by the double-layer method. Similar phages after the determination of the host range were characterized using restriction enzymes. A total of 27 phages were obtained after isolation and purification. Nine of the 27 isolates reported a broad host range (≥67%). The results of enzymatic digestion allowed to consider that all phage isolates that presented the same host range and the same genetic fingerprint are the same phage strain;whereas phages that presented the same host range and different genetic fingerprints are different phage strains. Thus, a total of 15 distinct phages isolates specific to S. aureus were characterized. This study highlighted the abundance and lytic capacity of phages isolated from wastewater from Bobo-Dioulasso’s environment against clinical strains of S. aureus. The lytic capacity of these Staphyphages could be an effective alternative tool to combat bacteria multi-resistance.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12002195 and 12372015)the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars(Grant No.12025204)the Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission(Grant No.2019-01-07-00-09-E00018).
文摘This work discusses the strain and acceleration suppression of a flexible beam subjected to different supports analytically.As classical protection,the beam is mounted on a vertical linear spring together with a linear damper in parallel.This is called linear isolation.To enhance isolation performance,nonlinearity is employed in the boundary.In addition,quasi-zero isolation is established based on the non-linearly enhanced one by adjusting the installation length of the horizontal spring.To discuss their performance fully and fairly,the amplitude,the acceleration,the potential energy of the beam,the input work of the excitation,the dissipation work of the beam,and the dynamics stress along the beam are investigated based on the same parameters.The comparison shows that all these isolations can protect the beam with high efficiency,even when the basement excitation is tiny.Although the linear isolation and the nonlinearly enhanced one will arouse two resonance peaks on both sides of the primary resonance of the beam without isolation,the maximum amplitudes of them are reduced a lot.But for the low frequency excitation,the quasi-zero isolation has the best performance as it drives the primary resonance to the high frequency region.The simulation shows that the beam needs a relatively soft isolation to avoid the damage caused by the shock vibration,including the quasi-zero one.In general,the quasi-zero isolation shows the best performance.The nonlinearly enhanced one is the suboptimal choice.The present work shows the capacities of three isolations for a flexible beam by the steady-state response and the shock vibration.It provides design suggestions for the isolation of flexible beams.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52025014)Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province(No.LQ23E010002)+1 种基金Natural Science Foundation of Ningbo(No.2023QL049)Major Special Project of Ningbo(No.2023Z022).
文摘Solid lubricating coatings play a crucial role in preventing friction and wear failure of the hot-end sliding components in aviation engines.In this study,VAlN/Ag multi-layer coatings with excellent interfacial matching were fabricated using a hybrid magnetron sputtering technique.The type and energy of discharge plasmas were analyzed to comprehend their effects on depositing coatings.The coatings exhibit self-adaptive lubrication properties during the designed consecutive friction with stepwise heating from 25℃to 650℃.The microstructure evolution during early friction facilitates sufficient tribo-chemical reaction at 650℃,leading to the formation of a distinctive"ball-on-rail"structure that significantly reduces friction coefficient.Based on the first-principles calculations,it was found that the bond energy of Ag-O is lower than that of V-O in both AgVO_(3)and Ag_(3)VO_(4),which promotes slipping along the(110)crystal plane and contributes to exceptional tribological properties.The fatigue wear failure mechanism of hard coatings under the thermal-force coupling effects has been elucidated,alongside an exploration of consecutive tribology mechanism at atomic scales over a wide temperature range.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation(52025055,52175546,and 52405624)the Shaanxi University Youth Innovation Team.
文摘Gecko-inspired van der Waals force-based adhesion technology demonstrates significant potential for robotic operations.While superior adhesion is achieved under parallel contact during testing,engineering operations often involve non-parallel contact,weakening adhesion,and compromising task stability and efficiency.Stable attachment under such non-parallel contacts remains challenging.Inspired by the soft muscle and rigid bone in the gecko’s sole,this study proposes a self-adaptive core-shell dry adhesive by embedding a thin,rigid piece into a soft,thick elastomer comprising a top adhesion tip with a mushroom-like geometry for interfacial adhesion based on the van der Waals force and a bottom core-shell configuration for interface stress regulation.Unlike traditional core-shell structures with a fixed“dead core,”the proposed“live core”rotates within the soft shell,mimicking skeletal joints.This enables stress equalization at the interface and facilitates adaptive contact to macroscopic interfacial angle errors.This innovative core-shell configuration demonstrates an adhesion strength 100 times higher than conventional homogeneous structures under non-parallel contact and offers anti-overturning ability by mitigating torsional effects.The proposed strategy can advance the development of gecko-inspired adhesion-based devices and systems.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32161143024,31970405)Iran National Science Foundation,Iran-China(INSF-NSFC)joint project(No.4002006).
文摘The biological species concept defines species as groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups(Mayr,1942).Reproductive isolation,whether prezygotic or postzygotic,plays a central role in maintaining species boundaries.However,hybridization between closely related taxa can challenge these boundaries and provide insight into speciation,gene flow,and evolutionary processes(Coyne and Orr,2004).
基金supported in part by National Key R&D Program of China under Grant 2024YFB4708600National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 52305304+3 种基金Jilin Youth Growth Technology Project under Grant 20230508147RCthe Science and Technology Research Project of Jilin Provincial Education Department(No.JJKH20231193KJ)supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 52021003 and Grant 52205565in part by the Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province under Grant 20210101053JC.
文摘Traditional linear vibration isolators struggle to combine high load-bearing capacity with low-frequency vibration isolation, whereas nonlinear metastructure isolators can effectively fulfill both functions. This paper draws inspiration from the Quasi-Zero Stiffness (QZS) characteristics resulting from the buckling deformation of beams, and proposes a gear-based QZS structure by arranging beams in a circular array. We investigated the static mechanical behavior under different structural parameters, loading angles, and gear combinations through experiments and simulations, and demonstrated the mechanical performances could be effectively programmed. Subsequent vibration isolation tests on the double gears prove superior vibration isolation performance at low frequency while maintaining high load-bearing capacities. Additionally, a key contribution of our work is the development of a mathematical model to characterize the buckling behavior of the unit beam within the gear structure, with its accuracy validated through finite element analysis and experimental results. The gear’s modulus, number of teeth, and pressure angle are selected according to standard series, allowing the gear can be seamlessly integrated into existing mechanical systems in critical fields such as aerospace, military, and etc.
文摘Traffic-induced ground vibrations cause significant problems for residents and nearby structures.Reducing the effect of these vibrations on the neighboring environment is a key challenge,particularly in urban areas.This study presents both numerical and experimental investigations of the performance of mass scatters for screening ground vibrations.A three-dimensional numerical model is validated and extended to conduct a comparative study on the efficiency of three geotechnical methods of isolation.These methods include trench barriers,waveimpeding blocks(WIBs),and mass scatters.The results showed that mass scatters represent an efficient way of scattering ground vibrations,and their efficiency is mainly related to the weights of mass scatters and their natural frequency,which control the dynamic soil response in the frequency domain.Rigid trench barriers are less effective than soft ones,and their efficiency is more pronounced regarding the WIB.Soft barriers with a depth of an order of half of the wavelength can decrease the vibration levels by up to 50%,which is comparable to the performance of enormous mass scatters.The dimensions of WIBs must be chosen according to the wavelength of incident waves and the cutoff frequency of the topsoil layer.Considering the significant wavelength of traffic-induced vibration,the use of trench barriers or WIBs becomes impractical and expensive;therefore,mass scatters appear to be an efficient and practical solution.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFC3501805)the Science and Technology Program of Tianjin in China(23ZYJDSS00030)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82374030)the Science&Technology Development Fund of Tianjin Education Commission for Higher Education(2021KJ127)Tianjin Outstanding Youth Fund(23JCJQJC00030).
文摘Panax notoginseng is a traditional Chinese medicine containing various constituents,including the saponins,polysaccharides,polyacetylenes,amino acids,etc.It has beneficial functions,such as the anti-inflammatory,antitumor,hepatoprotective,and anti-aging effects.Among these,P.notoginseng polysaccharides(PNPs)have been exploited because of their extensive pharmacological effects,being ranked as one of the current research hotspots,especially for the functional foods and medical practice.In this review,the literature related to PNPs in the past 20 years was surveyed and analyzed using both the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)and Web of Science(WOS)databases.The visualization diagram shows that current studies on PNPs mainly focus on the antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities and structural characterization.In addition,the extraction,separation,purification,chemical analysis,structural characteristics,bioactivities,and applications of PNPs are outlined,in detail,aimed to provide valuable information for the further study,development,and utilization regarding PNPs.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Plan of China (Grant No.2023YFB3406302)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (Grant No.2024A1515011126)the Key Research and Development Plan of Shanxi (Grant No.2024GH-ZDXM-29)。
文摘Periodic isolator is well known for its wave filtering characteristic.While in middle and high frequencies,the internal resonances of the periodic isolator are evident especially when damping is small.This study proposes a novel aperiodic vibration isolation for improving the internal resonances control of the periodic isolator.The mechanism of the internal resonances control by the aperiodic isolator is firstly explained.For comparing the internal resonances suppression effect of the aperiodic isolator with the periodic isolator,a dynamic model combing the rigid machine,the isolator,and the flexible plate is derived through multi subsystem modeling method and transfer matrix method,whose accuracy is verified through the finite element method.The influences of the aperiodicity and damping of the isolator on the vibration isolation performance and internal resonances suppression effect are investigated by numerical analysis.The numerical results demonstrate that vibration attenuation performances of the periodic isolator and aperiodic isolator are greatly over than that of the continuous isolator in middle and high frequencies.The aperiodic isolator opens the stop bandgaps comparing with the periodic isolator where the pass bandgaps are periodically existed.The damping of the isolator has the stop bandgap widening effect on both the periodic isolator and the aperiodic isolator.In addition,a parameter optimization algorithm of the aperiodic isolator is presented for improving the internal resonances control effect.It is shown that the vibration peaks within the target frequency band of the aperiodic isolator are effectively reduced after the optimization.Finally,the experiments of the three different vibration isolation systems are conducted for verifying the analysis work.
基金Supported by Ningbo Medical and Health Brand Discipline,No.PPXK2024-07and Ningbo Top Medical and Health Research Program,No.2022030410.
文摘BACKGROUND Sleep disorders are common health problems in the elderly.The effect of social isolation on sleep duration and sleep quality remains unclear in the Chinese community-dwelling elderly.AIM To explore the associations of social isolation with sleep duration and sleep quality in community-dwelling elderly people.METHODS A total of 7762 community-dwelling elderly people aged 60 years and older in Ningbo were recruited from June 2022 to August 2022.Data were collected using a questionnaire.Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the associations of social isolation with sleep duration and sleep quality.The KHB mediating effect model was used to test the mediating effect of depression and anxiety on these associations.RESULTS Among the participants,2656(34.2%)had abnormal sleep duration(<6 hours or>8 hours),1115(14.4%)had poor sleep quality,and 917(11.8%)had social isolation.After adjusting for confounding factors,compared with the elderly without social isolation,the odds ratios(95%CI)of abnormal sleep duration and poor sleep quality in the elderly with social isolation were 1.49(1.29-1.73)and 1.32(1.09-1.59),respectively.Depression partially mediated the associations of social isolation with sleep duration and sleep quality,accounting for 5.68%and 9.87%of the mediating effect,respectively.CONCLUSION Social isolation was found to be associated with sleep duration and sleep quality in community-dwelling elderly people.More attention should be paid to social isolation in the elderly.
文摘BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation(AF)is the most common cardiac arrhythmia worldwide,hosting numerous serious possible complications such as stroke and heart failure.In the past two decades,managing rhythm control was more successful via pulmonary vein isolation(PVI)ablation,generally performed via transfemoral access.Patients with anatomical variations may necessitate a dose of creativity and evidence-based techniques.To our knowledge,we present the first PVI case in a patient with AF via right internal jugular(IJ)vein access using pulse field ablation.CASE SUMMARY A 76-year-old male with an extensive medical history notable for type 2 diabetes and severe peripheral vascular disease requiring vascular bypass surgery is identified to have paroxysmal AF.Given functional decline and worsening arrhythmia burden refractory to oral antiarrhythmics,an initial PVI ablation was attempted but failed as the catheter could not be advanced secondary to bilateral iliac vein occlusions.This necessitated a novel approach and a subsequent PVI ablation via the right IJ vein was successful without any complications.The success of this case highlights the feasibility of an IJ approach for PVI in patients where traditional access is not possible.This case can be used as a reference for other practitioners who may face similar challenges when attempting to perform PVI for AF or similar procedures requiring access to similar anatomical locations.CONCLUSION The success of this case highlights the feasibility of an IJ approach for PVI when traditional access is impossible.
