Superhydrophobic Waterborne Epoxy Composite Coating with Good Mechanical Properties, Icing Resistance, Self-Cleaning Properties, and Corrosion Resistance.

Epoxy resins with higher corrosion resistance typically employ environmentally harmful organic solvents such as xylene, while the corrosion resistance of waterborne epoxy resins, which are relatively environmentally friendly, is not as good as that of oil-based epoxy resins. In this study, by coating the surface of waterborne epoxy resin with a superhydrophobic zinc oxide coating, the corrosion resistance of waterborne epoxy resin was enhanced. During the initial immersion, its impedance value can reach 1010 Ω·cm2. The superhydrophobic nature of the coating itself also ensures the surface's resistance to immersion, delaying the intrusion of corrosive media into the coating. Furthermore, this coating exhibits good mechanical properties, self-cleaning performance, anti-icing performance, and so on. The introduction of superhydrophobic surfaces greatly optimizes the performance of traditional waterborne epoxy resin coatings, opening up directions for the metal anticorrosion field of coatings. Meanwhile, during the EIS testing of the superhydrophobic coating, we observed the occurrence of negative impedance in the results. After studying, we speculated that this phenomenon might be related to the degree of wetting of the superhydrophobic coating. Based on this conjecture, we can evaluate the basic properties of the superhydrophobic coating through this phenomenon.

The relationship between weight-adjusted-waist index and suicidal ideation: evidence from NHANES.

BACKGROUND: Amidst growing evidence of the intricate link between physical and mental health, this study aims to dissect the relationship between the waist-to-weight index (WWI) and suicidal ideation within a representative sample of the US population, proposing WWI as a novel metric for suicide risk assessment. METHODS: The study engaged a sample of 9500 participants in a cross-sectional design. It employed multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses to probe the association between WWI and suicidal ideation. It further examined potential nonlinear dynamics using a weighted generalized additive model alongside stratified analyses to test the relationship's consistency across diverse demographic and health variables. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between increased WWI and heightened suicidal ideation, characterized by a nonlinear relationship that persisted in the adjusted model. Subgroup analysis sustained the association's uniformity across varied population segments. CONCLUSIONS: The study elucidates WWI's effectiveness as a predictive tool for suicidal ideation, underscoring its relevance in mental health evaluations. By highlighting the predictive value of WWI, our findings advocate for the integration of body composition considerations into mental health risk assessments, thereby broadening the scope of suicide prevention strategies.

[Modeling and comfort analysis of arrayed air cushion mattress for pressure ulcer prevention and assisted repositioning].

Assisting immobile individuals with regular repositioning to adjust pressure distribution on key prominences such as the back and buttocks is the most effective measure for preventing pressure ulcers. However, compared to active self-repositioning, passive assisted repositioning results in distinct variations in force distribution on different body parts. This incongruity can affect the comfort of repositioning and potentially lead to a risk of secondary injury, for certain trauma or critically ill patients. Therefore, it is of considerable practical importance to study the passive turning comfort and the optimal turning strategy. Initially, in this study, the load-bearing characteristics of various joints during passive repositioning were examined, and a wedge-shaped airbag configuration was proposed. The airbags coupled layout on the mattress was equivalently represented as a spring-damping system, with essential model parameters determined using experimental techniques. Subsequently, different assisted repositioning strategies were devised by adjusting force application positions and sequences. A human-mattress force-coupled simulation model was developed based on rigid human body structure and equivalent flexible springs. This model provided the force distribution across the primary pressure points on the human body. Finally, assisted repositioning experiments were conducted with 15 participants. The passive repositioning effectiveness and pressure redistribution was validated based on the simulation results, experimental data, and questionnaire responses. Furthermore, the mechanical factors influencing comfort during passive assisted repositioning were elucidated, providing a theoretical foundation for subsequent mattress design and optimization of repositioning strategies.

Control of the injection velocity of embolic agents in embolization treatment.

BACKGROUND: Embolization is a common treatment method for tumor-targeting, anti-organ hyper-function, and hemostasis. However, the injection of embolic agents largely depends on the experiences of doctors, and doctors need to work in an X-ray environment that hurts their health. Even for a well-trained doctor, complications such as ectopic embolism caused by excessive embolic agents are always inevitable. RESULTS: This paper established a flow control curve model for embolic injection based on local arterial pressure. The end-vessel network was simplified as a porous media. The hemodynamic changes at different injection velocities and embolization degrees were simulated and analyzed. Sponge, a typical porous medium, was used to simulate the blocking and accumulation of embolic agents by capillary networks in the in vitro experimental platform. CONCLUSIONS: The simulation and experimental results show that the local arterial pressure is closely related to the critical injection velocity of the embolic agent reflux at a certain degree of embolization. The feasibility of this method for an automatic embolic injection system is discussed. It is concluded that the model of the flow control curve of embolic injection can effectively reduce the risk of ectopic embolism and shorten the time of embolic injection. The clinical application of this model is of great value in reducing radiation exposure and improving the success rate of interventional embolization.

Method of depth simulation imaging and depth image super-resolution reconstruction for a 2D/3D compatible CMOS image sensor.

This paper presents a depth simulation imaging and depth image super-resolution (SR) method for two-dimensional/three-dimensional compatible CMOS image sensors. A depth perception model is established to analyze the effects of depth imaging parameters and evaluate the real imaging effects. We verify its validity by analyzing the depth error, imaging simulation, and auxiliary physical verification. By means of the depth simulation images, we then propose a depth SR reconstruction algorithm to recover the low-resolution depth maps to the high-resolution depth maps in two types of datasets. With the best situation in depth accuracy kept, the root mean square error (RMSE) of Middlebury dataset images are 0.0156, 0.0179, and 0.0183 m. The RMSE of RGB-D dataset images are 0.0223 and 0.0229 m. Compared with other listed conventional algorithms, our algorithm reduces the RMSE by more than 16.35%, 17.19%, and 23.90% in the Middlebury dataset images. Besides, our algorithm reduces the RMSE by more than 9.71% and 8.76% in the RGB-D dataset images. The recovery effects achieve optimized results.

A Novel Evaluation Index and Optimization Method for Ankle Rehabilitation Robots Based on Ankle-Foot Motion.

The ability of ankle rehabilitation robots to accurately mimicking the actual human ankle motion is an important judgment basis for robot-assisted rehabilitation training. This paper proposes an evaluation index and mechanism parameter optimization method based on ankle-foot motion trajectory by exploring the human ankle-foot motion principle. First, the ankle UR equivalent model and a 3-degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel ankle rehabilitation robot are described. Second, the ankle-foot motion data are measured by the body surface marker method, which proved the coupling of ankle-foot motion. Then, a new evaluation index, the ankle-foot motion comfort zone, is proposed, which is essentially the superimposed ankle-foot motion trajectory measured about 3-5 mm wide. Third, a mechanism parameter optimization method, is proposed in terms of the ankle-foot motion comfort zone as the evaluation index, which is applied to the 3-DOF parallel ankle rehabilitation robot, and the optimization results proved the feasibility of the method. Finally, the optimized rehabilitation robot is fitted with different ankle motions, and a prototype model is designed for kinematics simulation, which verifies the adaptability of the optimization method. This study provides a theoretical basis for the configuration design of ankle rehabilitation robots and provides a new direction for the optimization of the mechanism parameters.

One-stage tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy for asymptomatic calculous pyonephrosis.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the safety and effectiveness of one-stage percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for the treatment of calculous pyonephrosis have been proven. In order to further reduce postoperative pain and hospital stay, we first proposed and practiced the idea of one-stage tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy for calculous pyonephrosis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of case data of 30 patients with asymptomatic calculous pyonephrosis treated in our center with one-stage PCNL from January 2016 to January 2021. Patients were routinely given 20 mg of furosemide and 10 mg of dexamethasone sodium phosphate injection intravenously at the beginning of anesthesia. Among them, 27 patients successfully underwent one-stage tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy, while 3 cases were given indwelling nephrostomy tubes because of proposed second-stage surgery or the number of channels was greater than or equal to 3. All patients were operated on by the same surgeon. RESULTS: Preoperatively, 11 of 30 patients (8 men and 22 women) had positive urine bacterial cultures, and all were given appropriate antibiotics based on drug sensitivity tests. All patients completed the surgery successfully. The mean operative time was 66.6 ± 34.7 min, the mean estimated blood loss was 16.67 ± 14.34 mL and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 5.0 ± 3.1 days. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 4.6 ± 2.5 days among the 27 patients with one-stage tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Of the 3 patients with postoperative fever, 2 had the tubeless technique applied. One patient with 3 channels was given renal artery interventional embolization for control of postoperative bleeding. None of the 30 patients included in the study developed sepsis. The final stone-free rate was 93.3% (28/30) on repeat computed tomography at 1 month postoperatively. The final stone-free rate was 92.6% in the 27 patients undergoing one-stage tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (25/27). CONCLUSIONS: One-stage tubeless PCNL is an available and safe option in carefully evaluated and selected calculous pyonephrosis patients.

Thorax Dynamic Modeling and Biomechanical Analysis of Chest Breathing in Supine Lying Position.

During respiration, the expansion and contraction of the chest and abdomen are coupled with each other, presenting a complex torso movement pattern. A finite element (FE) model of chest breathing based on the HUMOS2 human body model was developed. One-dimensional muscle units with active contraction functions were incorporated into the model based on Hill's active muscle model so as to generate muscle contraction forces that can change over time. The model was validated by comparing it to the surface displacement of the chest and abdomen during respiration. Then, the mechanism of the coupled motion of the chest and abdomen was analyzed. The analyses revealed that since the abdominal wall muscles are connected to the lower edge of the rib cage through tendons, the movement of the rib cage may cause the abdominal wall muscles to be stretched in both horizontal and vertical in a supine position. The anteroposterior and the right-left diameters of the chest will increase at inspiration, while the right-left diameter of the abdomen will decrease even though the anteroposterior diameter of the abdomen increases. The external intercostal muscles at different regions had different effects on the motion of the ribs during respiration. In particular, the external intercostal muscles at the lateral region had a larger effect on pump handle movement than bucket handle movement, and the external intercostal muscles at the dorsal region had a greater influence on bucket handle movement than pump handle movement.

[Research on injection flow velocity planning method for embolic agent injection system].

Interventional embolization therapy is widely used for procedures such as targeted tumour therapy, anti-organ hyperactivity and haemostasis. During embolic agent injection, doctors need to work under X-ray irradiation environment. Moreover, embolic agent injection is largely dependent on doctors' experience and feelings, and over-injection of embolic agent can lead to reflux, causing ectopic embolism and serious complications. As an effective way to reduce radiation exposure and improve the success rate of interventional embolization therapy, embolic agent injection robot is highly anticipated, but how to decide the injection flow velocity of embolic agent is a problem that remains to be solved. On the basis of fluid dynamics simulation and experiment, we established an arterial pressure-injection flow velocity boundary curve model that can avoid reflux, which provides a design basis for the control of embolic agent injection system. An in vitro experimental platform for injection system was built and validation experiments were conducted. The results showed that the embolic agent injection flow speed curve designed under the guidance of the critical flow speed curve model of reflux could effectively avoid the embolic agent reflux and shorten the embolic agent injection time. Exceeding the flow speed limit of the model would lead to the risk of embolization of normal blood vessels. This paper confirms the validity of designing the embolic agent injection flow speed based on the critical flow speed curve model of reflux, which can achieve rapid injection of embolic agent while avoiding reflux, and provide a basis for the design of the embolic agent injection robot.

Soft-Contact Acoustic Microgripper Based on a Controllable Gas-Liquid Interface for Biomicromanipulations.

The manipulation of microscale bioentities is desired in many biological and biomedical applications. However, the potential unobservable damage to bioparticles due to rigid contact has always been a source of concern. Herein, a soft-contact acoustic microgripper to handle microparticles to improve the interaction safety is introduced. The system takes advantage of the acoustic-enhanced adhesion of flexible gas-liquid interfaces to capture-release, transport, and rotate the target, such as microbeads (20-65 µm) and zebrafish embryos (from 950 µm to 1.4 mm). The gas-liquid interface generated at the tip of a microcapillary can be precisely controlled by a pneumatic pressure source. The gas-liquid interface oscillation excited by acoustic energy imposes coupled radiation force and drag force on the microparticles, enabling multidimensional movements. Experiments with the microbeads are conducted to evaluate the claimed function and quantify the key parameters that influence the manipulation result. Additionally, 250 zebrafish embryos are captured, transported, and rotated. The hatching rate of the 250 manipulated embryos is approximately 98% similar to that of the nonmanipulated group, which proves the noninvasiveness of the method. The derived theories and experimental data indicate that the developed soft-contact microgripper is functional and beneficial for biological and medical applications.

[Kinematics analysis and scale optimization of four degree of freedom generalized spherical parallel mechanism for ankle joint rehabilitation].

By analyzing the physiological structure and motion characteristics of human ankle joint, a four degree of freedom generalized spherical parallel mechanism is proposed to meet the needs of ankle rehabilitation. Using the spiral theory to analyze the motion characteristics of the mechanism and based on the method of describing the position with spherical coordinates and the posture with Euler Angle, the inverse solution of the closed vector equation of mechanism position is established. The workspace of mechanism is analyzed according to the constraint conditions of inverse solution. The workspace of the moving spherical center of the mechanism is used to match the movement space of the tibiotalar joint, and the workspace of the dynamic platform is used to match the movement space of subtalar joint. Genetic algorithm is used to optimize the key scale parameters of the mechanism. The results show that the workspace of the generalized spherical parallel mechanism can satisfy the actual movement space of human ankle joint rehabilitation. The results of this paper can provide theoretical basis and experimental reference for the design of ankle joint rehabilitation robot with high matching degree.

[Unconstrained detection of ballistocardiogram and heart rate based on vibration acceleration].

The requirement for unconstrained monitoring of heartbeat during sleep is increasing, but the current detection devices can not meet the requirements of convenience and accuracy. This study designed an unconstrained ballistocardiogram (BCG) detection system using acceleration sensor and developed a heart rate extraction algorithm. BCG is a directional signal which is stronger and less affected by respiratory movements along spine direction than in other directions. In order to measure the BCG signal along spine direction during sleep, a 3-axis acceleration sensor was fixed on the bed to collect the vibration signals caused by heartbeat. An approximate frequency range was firstly assumed by frequency analysis to the BCG signals and segmental filtering was conducted to the original vibration signals within the frequency range. Secondly, to identify the true BCG waveform, the accurate frequency band was obtained by comparison with the theoretical waveform. The J waves were detected by BCG energy waveform and an adaptive threshold method was proposed to extract heart rates by using the information of both amplitude and period. The accuracy and robustness of the BCG detection system proposed and the algorithm developed in this study were confirmed by comparison with electrocardiogram (ECG). The test results of 30 subjects showed a high average accuracy of 99.21% to demonstrate the feasibility of the unconstrained BCG detection method based on vibration acceleration.

A two-ply polymer-based flexible tactile sensor sheet using electric capacitance.

Traditional capacitive tactile sensor sheets usually have a three-layered structure, with a dielectric layer sandwiched by two electrode layers. Each electrode layer has a number of parallel ribbon-like electrodes. The electrodes on the two electrode layers are oriented orthogonally and each crossing point of the two perpendicular electrode arrays makes up a capacitive sensor cell on the sheet. It is well known that compatibility between measuring precision and resolution is difficult, since decreasing the width of the electrodes is required to obtain a high resolution, however, this may lead to reduction of the area of the sensor cells, and as a result, lead to a low Signal/Noise (S/N) ratio. To overcome this problem, a new multilayered structure and related calculation procedure are proposed. This new structure stacks two or more sensor sheets with shifts in position. Both a high precision and a high resolution can be obtained by combining the signals of the stacked sensor sheets. Trial production was made and the effect was confirmed.

A neonate with hand, foot, and mouth disease complicated with brainstem encephalitis and pulmonary edema:A complete recovery.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) with serious complications and fatal cases have been reported over the last decade worldwide. The authors report a rare case of HFMD in a neonate complicated with brainstem encephalitis and pulmonary edema. She had fever, lethargy, dyspnea. Physical examination revealed shock signs, fine rales on both lungs, absent Moro reflex. The patient had a rapidly progressive course with seizures, coma, no spontaneous breathing, chemosis. There were some vesicles on left sole and red maculopapular rashes on perianal skin. She had a history of exposure to HFMD. Fecal sample was positive for EV71 RNA by real-time PCR. Chest X-rays showed bilateral pulmonary infiltrates. MRI of the brain showed significant hypointensity in the brainstem on T1WI and hyperintensity on T2WI. She recovered well. This case highlights severe HFMD in neonates is rare. Medical history and physical examination are important in making diagnosis.

The relationship between chronic disease variety and quantity and suicidal ideation: A cross-sectional study of NHANES.

BACKGROUND: This cross-sectional study examines the link between chronic diseases and suicidal thoughts in U.S. adults using 2013-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, aiming to identify potential risk factors for suicidal ideation. METHODS: Using NHANES data, we analyzed the association between various chronic conditions (hypertension, diabetes, asthma, etc.) and suicidal thoughts, employing logistic regression models adjusted for demographics and lifestyle factors. RESULTS: The analysis of 8891 participants revealed a significant association between suicidal thoughts and chronic diseases such as liver disease, diabetes, and asthma. The risk of suicidal ideation is higher with the number of chronic conditions. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a strong link between the presence and number of chronic diseases and the risk of suicidal thoughts, emphasizing the importance of integrated care approaches that address both physical and mental health needs.

Coordinating Obstacle Avoidance of a Redundant Dual-Arm Nursing-Care Robot.

Collision safety is an essential issue for dual-arm nursing-care robots. However, for coordinating operations, there is no suitable method to synchronously avoid collisions between two arms (self-collision) and collisions between an arm and the environment (environment-collision). Therefore, based on the self-motion characteristics of the dual-arm robot's redundant arms, an improved motion controlling algorithm is proposed. This study introduces several key improvements to existing methods. Firstly, the volume of the robotic arms was modeled using a capsule-enveloping method to more accurately reflect their actual structure. Secondly, the gradient projection method was applied in the kinematic analysis to calculate the shortest distances between the left arm, right arm, and the environment, ensuring effective avoidance of the self-collision and environment-collision. Additionally, distance thresholds were introduced to evaluate collision risks, and a velocity weight was used to control the smooth coordinating arm motion. After that, experiments of coordinating obstacle avoidance showed that when the redundant dual-arm robot is holding an object, the coordinating operation was completed while avoiding self-collision and environment-collision. The collision-avoidance method could provide potential benefits for various scenarios, such as medical robots and rehabilitating robots.