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Abstract Shopping malls are crowded areas which makes the evacuation routes unable to meet personnel evacuation needs. Therefore, this paper proposes the idea of using escalators evacuation to increasing evacuation routes. In addition, the effects of escalator fire shutters on the use of escalator evacuation paths, and the efficiency of mall personnel evacuation under different conditions were simulated. The results show that the different states of fire shutters have different effects on the emergency evacuation. When the fire shutter is not lowered, it will result in 1 person not being evacuated to complete. However, when the fire shutter is lowered to 1.8 m from the ground or sprinklers are set, escalators can be used for evacuation routes are verified. And compared to the normal descent of the fire shutter (only the staircase evacuation, 2 people not evacuate completed), the evacuation of people is completed and the efficiency of evacuation is improved. This result can improve the new evacuation model for emergency evacuation plans of shopping malls with escalators.

PurposeWe prospectively evaluate the short-term clinical and radiographic outcomes of the only Chinese domestically produced trabecular titanium acetabular cup(3D ACT™ cup) in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA), aiming to provide evidence-based support for its clinical application.MethodsA total of 236 patients, who underwent primary THA using 3D ACT™ cup in the Department of Joint Surgery at our hospital between January 2017 and June 2019, were included in this study. General patient data, imaging information, functional scores, and complications were collected to evaluate the early clinical efficacy.ResultsAll patients were followed up for 33–52 months, with an average of (42.2 ± 9.2) months. At the last follow-up, the preoperative HHS score increased significantly from 43.7 ± 6.8 to 85.6 ± 9.3 points (P

Entomoceuticals define a subset of pharmaceuticals derived from insects. The therapeutic effect of insect-derived drugs has been empirically validated by the direct use of various folk medicines originating from three sources in particular: the glandular secretions of insects (e.g., silk, honey, venom), the body parts of the insect or the whole used live or by various processing (e.g., cooked, toasted, ground), and active ingredients extracted from insects or insect-microbe symbiosis. Insects have been widely exploited in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) relative to other ethnomedicines, especially in the prospect of insect species for medicinal uses. It is noticeable that most of these entomoceuticals are also exploited as health food for improving immune function. In addition, some edible insects are rich in animal protein and have high nutritional value, which are used in the food field, such as insect wine, health supplements and so on. In this review, we focused on 12 insect species that have been widely used in traditional Chinese herbal formulae but have remained less investigated for their biological properties in previous studies. We also combined the entomoceutical knowledge with recent advances in insect omics. This review specifies the underexplored medicinal insects from ethnomedicine and shows their specific medicinal and nutritional roles in traditional medicine.

Due to recalcitrant microangiopathy and chronic infection, traditional treatments do not easily produce satisfactory results for chronic diabetic ulcers. In recent years, due to the advantages of high biocompatibility and modifiability, an increasing number of hydrogel materials have been applied to the treatment of chronic wounds in diabetic patients. Research on composite hydrogels has received increasing attention since loading different components can greatly increase the ability of composite hydrogels to treat chronic diabetic wounds. This review summarizes and details a variety of newly loaded components currently used in hydrogel composites for the treatment of chronic diabetic ulcers, such as polymer/polysaccharides/organic chemicals, stem cells/exosomes/progenitor cells, chelating agents/metal ions, plant extracts, proteins (cytokines/peptides/enzymes) and nucleoside products, and medicines/drugs, to help researchers understand the characteristics of these components in the treatment of diabetic chronic wounds. This review also discusses a number of components that have not yet been applied but have the potential to be loaded into hydrogels, all of which play roles in the biomedical field and may become important loading components in the future. This review provides a “loading component shelf” for researchers of composite hydrogels and a theoretical basis for the future construction of “all-in-one” hydrogels.

This work aims to study the role of Digital Twins (DTs) technology combined with the Metaheuristic Optimization Algorithm in manufacturing energy efficiency optimization. Firstly,a machine tool model is established based on DTs technology to study the energy consumption of the milling process of Computer Numerical Machine Tools. Besides, the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is introduced to optimize the milling parameters of the machining process. Meanwhile, the tool machining path is optimized by combining the Optimized Genetic algorithm and Simulated Annealing algorithm and find the optimal solution of the machining path. On the premise of ensuring the machining quality, this scheme improves the machining efficiency, reduces the energy consumption of the processing process, and improve the energy efficiency. The results demonstrate that the optimized milling parameters can ensure the lowest milling power while considering the maximum material removal rate. Take the plane model as an example. The Improved Genetic Algorithm-Simulated Annealing algorithm can significantly reduce the number of empty walking knife by adopting projection machining and helical machining. The total length of the milling path is reduced by 69.45 ​mm at most, a relative reduction of 10.01%. The average measured energy consumption of milling is reduced by 5.62W∗h compared with the empirical value; the measured average energy consumption of the optimized idle tool is reduced by 0.17W∗h; the total measured energy consumption of milling processing is reduced by 5.73W∗h compared with the empirical value. It can be seen that the optimization algorithm can improve the processing efficiency and reduce the energy consumption.

Purpose: To explore the effect of blood flow restriction training (BFRT) on the recovery of knee function in patients after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM).Methods: Forty patients undergoing APM surgery were included in this parallel group, two-arm, single-assessor blinded, randomized clinical trial. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: routine rehabilitation group (RR Group, n = 20) and routine rehabilitation + blood flow restriction training group (RR + BFRT Group, n = 20). One subject in each group dropped out during the experiment. All patients received 8 weeks of routine rehabilitation starting from the second day after APM. In addition, patients in the RR + BFRT group required additional BFRT twice a week. Visual analogue scale (VAS) score, range of motion (ROM), one-leg standing test (OLST) score, Lysholm knee score, quadriceps muscle strength, quadriceps thickness, and thigh circumference were evaluated at preoperative, postoperative, 4 and 8 weeks after surgery. SPSS 25.0 software was used for statistical analysis of the data. Repeated measures ANOVA was used if the data were normally distributed and had homogeneity of variance. Generalized estimating equations were chosen if the data were not normally distributed or had homogeneity of variance.Results: There were no significant differences in VAS score, ROM, OLST score, Lysholm knee score, quadriceps muscle strength, quadriceps thickness, and thigh circumference between the two groups before surgery (p > 0.05). Compared with postoperative, VAS score, ROM, OLST score, Lysholm knee score, and thigh circumference were significantly improved in the RR group (p < 0.05), while quadriceps muscle strength and quadriceps thickness were not significantly enhanced at 8 weeks postoperatively (p > 0.05). However, VAS score, ROM, OLST score, Lysholm knee score, quadriceps muscle strength, quadriceps thickness, and thigh circumference were all significantly improved in the RR + BFRT group at 8 weeks postoperatively (p < 0.05). Furthermore, compared with the RR group, VAS score (50% vs. 86%), ROM (7.9% vs. 16.0%), OLST score (57.3% vs. 130.1%), Lysholm knee score (38.4% vs. 55.7%), relative peak torque (11.0% vs. 84.7%), mean power (20.6% vs. 88.1%), rectus femoris thickness (0.40% vs. 13.0%), vastus medialis (0.29% vs. 5.32%), vastus lateralis (0% vs. 6.2%), vastus internus (0% vs. 5.8%), and thigh circumference (2.7% vs. 5.8%) in the RR + BFRT group were significantly improved at 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively (p < 0.05).Conclusion: BFRT combined with routine rehabilitation training can better promote the recovery of knee joint function in patients after APM, especially the improvement of quadriceps muscle strength and thickness.

Abstract Background Lateral condylar humerus fractures (LCHFs) are the second most common pediatric distal humerus fractures. Open reduction and internal fixation is recommended for fractures displaced by more than 2 mm. Few studies described using closed reduction and percutaneous pinning (CRPP) for treating fractures with greater displacements. This study aims to explore the feasibility of CRPP in treating displaced LCHFs. Methods All patients underwent attempted CRPP first. Once a satisfying reduction was obtained, as determined using fluoroscopy based on the relative anatomical position of the fragments, an intraoperative arthrogram was performed to further confirm the congruence of the articular surface of the distal humerus. Open reduction is necessary to ensure adequate reduction if the fracture gap is more than 2.0 mm on either anteroposterior view or oblique internal rotational view by fluoroscopy after CRPP. All included fractures were treated by a single pediatric surgeon. Results Forty-six patients were included, 29 boys and 17 girls, with an average age of 5.2 years. Of these, 22/28 (78%) Jakob type II fractures and 14/18 (78%) Jakob type III fractures were treated with CRPP. All cases in Song stages II and III, 19/25 (76%) cases in Song stage IV, and 14/18 (78%) cases of Song stage V were treated with CRPP. The remaining converted to open reduction with internal fixation. Overall, 36 of the 46 patients (78%) were treated with CRPP. The average pre-op displacement was 7.2 mm, and the average post-op displacement was 1.1 mm on the anteroposterior or oblique internal rotational radiograph in cases treated with CRPP. CRPP was performed in an average of 37 min. The average casting period was 4 weeks and the average time of pin removal was 6 weeks postoperatively. The average time of follow-up was 4 months. All patients achieved union, regardless of closed or open reduction. No infection, delayed union, cubitus varus or valgus, osteonecrosis of the trochlea or capitellum, or pain were recorded during follow-up. Conclusions Closed reduction and percutaneous pinning effectively treats LCHFs with displacement more than 4 mm. More than 3/4 of Song stage V or Jakob type III patients can avoid an incision.

Residual stresses are one of the main factors determining the failure of aircraft engine materials. It is not possible to reliably and accurately predict the remaining service life of aircraft engine components without properly accounting for the presence of residual stresses. The absolute level and spatial distribution of the residual stress is uncertain in aircraft engines because the residual stress profile is highly susceptible to variations in the manufacturing process. In addition, residual stresses keep evolving under complex thermal-mechanical loadings. Non-destructive techniques are desired by the aerospace industries for the regular monitoring of subsurface residual stress profile in aircraft engine components. The insufficient penetrating capability of the only currently available non-destructive residual stress assessment technique X-ray diffraction has prompted an active search for alternative non-destructive techniques. This paper provides an overview of the principle, practical applications, advantages, and limitations of four categories of nondestructive (diffraction, ultrasonic, and electromagnetic) techniques for residual stress profiling of metallic components in aircraft engines.

Oxytocin (OT) is a crucial regulator of reproductive behaviors, including parturition in mammals. Arg-vasopressin (AVP) is a nonapeptide homologous to Arg-vasotocin (AVT) in teleosts that has comparable affinity for the OT receptor. In the present study, ovoviviparous guppies (Poecilia reticulata) were used to study the effect of AVT on delivery mediated by the activation of prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis via isotocin (IT) receptors (ITRs). One copy each of it and avt and two copies of itrs were identified in guppies. The results of the affinity assay showed that various concentrations of AVT and IT (10−6, 10−7, and 10−8 mol/L) significantly activated itr1 (P < 0.05). In vitro experiments revealed significant upregulation (P < 0.05) of cyclooxygenase 2 (cox2), which is the rate-limiting enzyme involved in PG biosynthesis, and itr1 by AVT and IT. Furthermore, dual in situ hybridization detected positive signals for itr1 and cox2 at the same site, implying that ITR1 may regulate cox2 gene expression. Measurement of prostaglandin F2a (PGF2a) concentrations showed that AVT induced PGF2a synthesis (P < 0.05) and that the effect of IT was not significant. Finally, intraperitoneal administration of PGF2a significantly induced premature parturition of guppies. This study is the first to identify and characterize AVT and ITRs in guppies. The findings suggest that AVT promotes PG biosynthesis via ITR and that PGF2a induces delivery behavior in ovoviviparous guppies.

The Future Health Index (FHI) is developed by the Royal Philips to help determine the readiness of countries to address global health challenges and build sustainable, fit-for-purpose national health systems. The FHI 2018 presents the Value Measure to measure the value of 16 health systems, which is formulated by taking the arithmetic average of Access, Satisfaction and Efficiency. However, this scheme is not the Pareto optimal and loses association with weights. For these reasons, this paper proposes to apply the social choice theory and Stochastic Multicriteria Acceptability Analysis for group decision making (SMAA-2) to measure the value of health systems, by means of re-constructing the Value Measure. Specifically, we begin with considering all possible individual preferences among Access, Satisfaction and Efficiency, which is mathematically represented by ranked weights of them; the pessimistic and optimistic outcomes under certain individual preference are derived in a closed-form manner, according to which an interval decision matrix is then formulated; the SMAA-2 is then lastly applied to compute the holistic acceptability index, which is considered as a revised Value Measure. An empirical study using the data of 16 health systems is conducted to show the effectiveness and superiority of our method. It is demonstrated that our method always outperforms the Value Measure, by means of comparing the Spearman's rank correlation coefficients.

The balance between anti- and pro-oxidant activities is of great important to maintain the biochemical and physiological homeostasis in the human body. Developing new therapeutic strategies to reduce health risks caused by free radicals has always been research focus over the past decades. Szechuan pepper, a characteristic pungent-flavored spice in Sichuanese cuisine, recently attracts the attention of researchers for its widespread therapeutic effects on acute and chronic diseases. The plant produces the innocuous ‘tingling and numbing’ sensations across the oral cavity by stirring specific neuron types, which are mechanically distinct from those excited by capsaicin. Furthermore, the extracts or the compounds of Szechuan pepper are biochemically proven to possess strong antioxidant activities that could scavenge free radicals and inhibit overactive peroxidase system in pathological models. Herein, the review emphasizes the molecular basis underlying the neurophysiological and antioxidant activities of the plant by a comprehensive analysis of various signaling pathways in disease models treated by Szechuan pepper. Further, we performed a broadening analysis to unearth potential signaling pathways associated with the antioxidant roles of the plant.

Bioinspired optimization algorithms have been widely used to solve various scientific and engineering problems. Inspired by biological lifecycle, this paper presents a novel optimization algorithm called lifecycle-based swarm optimization (LSO). Biological lifecycle includes four stages: birth, growth, reproduction, and death. With this process, even though individual organism died, the species will not perish. Furthermore, species will have stronger ability of adaptation to the environment and achieve perfect evolution. LSO simulates Biological lifecycle process through six optimization operators: chemotactic, assimilation, transposition, crossover, selection, and mutation. In addition, the spatial distribution of initialization population meets clumped distribution. Experiments were conducted on unconstrained benchmark optimization problems and mechanical design optimization problems. Unconstrained benchmark problems include both unimodal and multimodal cases the demonstration of the optimal performance and stability, and the mechanical design problem was tested for algorithm practicability. The results demonstrate remarkable performance of the LSO algorithm on all chosen benchmark functions when compared to several successful optimization techniques.