Preliminary Experiments Research Articles

Coupled Multimodal Emotional Feature Analysis Based on Broad-Deep Fusion Networks in Human-Robot Interaction.

A coupled multimodal emotional feature analysis (CMEFA) method based on broad-deep fusion networks, which divide multimodal emotion recognition into two layers, is proposed. First, facial emotional features and gesture emotional features are extracted using the broad and deep learning fusion network (BDFN). Considering that the bi-modal emotion is not completely independent of each other, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is used to analyze and extract the correlation between the emotion features, and a coupling network is established for emotion recognition of the extracted bi-modal features. Both simulation and application experiments are completed. According to the simulation experiments completed on the bimodal face and body gesture database (FABO), the recognition rate of the proposed method has increased by 1.15% compared to that of the support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVMRFE) (without considering the unbalanced contribution of features). Moreover, by using the proposed method, the multimodal recognition rate is 21.22%, 2.65%, 1.61%, 1.54%, and 0.20% higher than those of the fuzzy deep neural network with sparse autoencoder (FDNNSA), ResNet-101 + GFK, C3D + MCB + DBN, the hierarchical classification fusion strategy (HCFS), and cross-channel convolutional neural network (CCCNN), respectively. In addition, preliminary application experiments are carried out on our developed emotional social robot system, where emotional robot recognizes the emotions of eight volunteers based on their facial expressions and body gestures.

High Level of Adropin Promotes the Progression of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Preliminary experiments have revealed the abnormally high expression level of adropin in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). This study investigated the role of adropin in the progression of PDA. The paraffin-embedded samples of 20 patients with PDA were obtained from the hospital biobank, and immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate adropin expression. PDA cell lines were cultured and treated with recombinant adropin or adropin knockdown. Cell behavior was assessed, and the expression of phospho-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (p-VEGFR2) and other related proteins was detected. The cell-derived xenograft (CDX) of PDA was established, and the effects of adropin or adropin knockdown on tumor growth were observed. The PDA cancer tissues exhibited elevated adropin protein expression compared with the paracancerous tissues, and the expression was positively correlated with carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels in patients. Adropin significantly promoted the proliferation and migration of PDA cells and upregulated the expression of p-VEGFR2, Ki67, cyclin D1, and matrix metalloprotein 2 (MMP2). After the knockdown of adropin expression or blockade of VEGFR2, the above effects of adropin were significantly reversed. Adropin supplementation significantly accelerated tumor growth in PDA CDX; upregulated the expression of p-VEGFR2, Ki67, cyclin D1, and MMP2; and promoted angiogenesis in tumor tissue microenvironment. However, CDX inoculated with adropin knockdown cells produced the opposite results. Adropin overexpression in PDA promotes cancer cell proliferation and angiogenesis in tumor microenvironment by continuously activating VEGFR2 signaling, thereby creating conditions for tumor progression. Thus, targeting adropin may be an effective anti-PDA strategy.

Revealing ANXA6 as a Novel Autophagy-related Target for Pre-eclampsia Based on the Machine Learning

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe pregnancy complication associated with autophagy. Objective: This research sought to uncover autophagy-related genes in pre-eclampsia through bioinformatics and machine learning. Methods: GSE75010 from the GEO series was subjected to WGCNA to identify key modular genes in PE. Autophagy genes retrieved from the THANATOS overlapped with the modular genes to yield PErelated autophagy genes. Furthermore, the crucial step involved the utilization of two machine learning algorithms (LASSO and SVM-RFE) for dimensionality reduction. The candidate gene was further verified by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Preliminary experiments were conducted on HTR-8/SVneo cell lines to explore the role of candidate genes in autophagy regulation. Results: WGCNA identified 291 genes from 5 hubs, and after overlapping with 1087 autophagy-related genes obtained from THANATOS, 42 PE-related ARGs were identified. ANXA6 was recognized as a potential target through SVM-RFE and LASSO analyses. The mRNA and protein expression of ANXA6 were verified in placenta samples. In HTR8/SVneo cells, modulating ANXA6 expression altered autophagy levels. Knocking down ANXA6 resulted in an anti-autophagy effect, which was reversed by treatment with CAL101, an inhibitor of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR. Conclusion: We observed that ANXA6 may serve as a possible PE action target and that autophagy may be crucial to the pathogenesis of PE.

Novel Adaptive Control for Flexible-Joint Robots With Unknown Measurement Sensitivity

For the existing tracking control schemes of flexible-joint robots, precise sensor measurement is an implicit premise. However, idealized sensors are difficult to achieve due to manufacturing technology or other external factors. To this end, this paper further investigates the tracking control problem for flexible-joint robots with unknown measurement sensitivity. Specifically, for such multi-input multi-output Euler-Lagrange systems with completely unknown system dynamics, a novel measurement values-based adaptive control method is proposed by fusing sensitivity information and system variables into Lyapunov function candidates, where the restriction on system states in other the approximation lemma-based results is removed, since unknown nonlinearities are scaled by the structural characteristics of system variables. Above all, even if there are measurement errors, satisfactory tracking performance can be obtained by adjusting the design parameters, which is proved by rigorous theoretical analysis. Finally, hardware experiments further verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Note to Practitioners</i> —This work is motivated by the trajectory tracking control problem for flexible-joint robots under imprecise sensor measurements. Due to manufacturing technology limitations and component aging, there is inevitably a deviation between the measured values of sensors and real values, and this problem may become more prominent as the working environment of flexible-joint robots tends to become more complex. To our knowledge, most of the existing solutions for flexible-joint robots are developed based on precise sensor measurements, and they may fail to achieve satisfactory performance when real state information is not available. Moreover, the prior knowledge about model parameters and measurement sensitivity is difficult or impossible to exactly obtain in practice, which seriously hinders the further application of control methods that are dependent on system dynamics. To this end, this paper proposes a novel tracking control scheme based on measurement information for flexible-joint robots with unknown measurement sensitivity, where the dependence on model information is eliminated with the elaborately constructed Lyapunov function candidates, and the real tracking error is still adjusted to an acceptable range even if there are measurement errors. Preliminary experiments on a flexible-joint robot developed by Quanser company demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. In future studies, designing an effective scheme to achieve direct preset tracking control is the focus of the work.

Proximal Policy Optimization With Time-Varying Muscle Synergy for the Control of an Upper Limb Musculoskeletal System

Because of their unique adaptability, flexibility, and robustness, musculoskeletal robotic systems are regarded potentially as next-generation robots. However, motion learning and generation of such a robotic system are still challenging. This paper presents a neuromuscular control method, namely, TMS-PPO, based on time-varying muscle synergy (TMS) and proximal policy optimization (PPO). The electromyogram (EMG) activation signals of actual human motions are decomposed to obtain TMSs based on the temporal properties of the TMS. The weights of networks are trained to generate the scale and phase coefficients through the PPO. The coefficients modulate the TMSs to generate appropriate activation patterns to optimize motion learning of the musculoskeletal system. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the TMSs are extracted from human upper limb muscle activation signals, and we compare TMS-PPO with PPO in the motion learning and generation process of an upper limb musculoskeletal system. The results show that TMS-PPO can complete the control tasks because the average errors of the joints are less than 0.05 rad. In the meantime, TMSs are used as motion primitives of the musculoskeletal system to simulate the process of the human CNS controlling muscles. It shows that TMS-PPO reduces the energy consumption and improves the learning rate significantly compared with the PPO. The learning episodes reduce from <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\(10^4\)</tex-math> </inline-formula> to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\(10^3\)</tex-math> </inline-formula> , which indicates that TMS-PPO has a stronger learning ability and better physiological explanation. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Note to Practitioners</i> —Due to the superiorities of the musculoskeletal system, humanoid robots that imitate human driven mechanisms are vigorously carried out worldwide. Taking advantages of human-like characteristics, the musculoskeletal robot provides new opportunities to understand and validate the human mechanisms of muscle control and motion learning, to compare the performance of the robot to that of humans as well as work in real world, e.g., human interactive robots, amusement robots and medical training robots in the future. However, strong redundancy, coupling, and nonlinearity of the system also raises many challenges for the investigation of the control problem. Inspired by how the human CNS controls a musculoskeletal system and realize motion generalization, a novel muscle-synergies-based neuromuscular control that combines time-varying muscle synergy (TMS) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), namely, TMS-PPO is proposed in this paper. The learning efficiency of PPO and the physiological interpretation of the control process are improved during the motion learning and generation processes of the musculoskeletal system. Preliminary simulation experiments suggest that this method is feasible in terms of control accuracy and efficiency. Moreover, the performance of the TMS-PPO is comparable to the PPO without significant improvement. To solve this problem, in future work, we will introduce the cerebellar model into the control method which plays the role of adjusting and correcting the motions of the limbs to achieve accurate and stable control in the actions process of humans.

Analytical quality by design based on knowledge organization: A case study of developing an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography method for the detection of phenolic compounds.

Despite numerous successful cases, there are still some challenges in using analytical quality by design (AQbD) for the development of analytical methods. Knowledge organization helps to enhance the objectivity of risk assessment, reduce the number of preliminary exploratory experiments, identify potential critical method parameters (CMPs) and their scope. In the present study, we aimed to develop a simple, rapid, and robust analytical method for detecting phenolic compounds in Xiaochaihu capsule intermediates utilizing knowledge organization. Knowledge organization and AQbD were combined to obtain the initial analytical conditions through knowledge collection, extraction, reorganization, and analysis. The quantitative relationship between critical method attributes (CMAs) and CMPs was then established by a definitive screening design. The method operable design region was calculated using an exhaustive Monte Carlo approach based on the probability of reaching the standard. Robustness investigation and methodological validation were finally performed. Analytical target profiles, CMAs, potential CMPs, and initial analytical conditions were initially identified, and the optimized ranges of operating parameters were obtained. A UHPLC method was successfully established for the analysis of phenolic compounds in ginger-ginger pinellia percolate, and the method validation outcomes were also satisfactory. The developed method can be a reliable means to detect the phenolic compounds of Xiaochaihu capsule intermediates. Knowledge organization provides a new approach for making better use of prior knowledge, significantly enhancing the efficiency of analytical method development. The approach is versatile and can be similarly applied to the development of other methods.

Simple Fabrication of Mesoporous Praseodymium Cerate via an Eco-Friendly Route for Development of Carbendazim Electrochemical Sensor

This study introduces an easy and efficient ultrasonic-assisted approach for the preparation of mesoporous praseodymium cerate (MS-Pr2Ce2O7) by employing maltose as a novel and eco-friendly capping agent. Some techniques such as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used for the characterization of nanoparticles. For the detection of carbendazim (CBZ), a new electrochemical sensor based on the modified screen-printed electrode (SPE) has been presented. The modification of the electrode surface was made using praseodymium cerate. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) has been utilized to study the electrochemical behavior of the MS-Pr2Ce2O7/SPE and better electrochemical performance was observed compared to bare SPE for the oxidation of CBZ. The optimization of pH and accumulation time was done. Under optimized conditions (pH = 7 and accumulation time:160 s), the oxidation peak currents that responded to CBZ concentration between 0.01 and 175.0 μM exhibited a linear relationship (R2 = 0.9977), and the detection limit was calculated 4.6 nM. In addition, MS-Pr2Ce2O7/SPE showed high stability and repeatability. At last, real sample tests of the MS-Pr2Ce2O7/SPE were validated by applying them to the detection of CBZ in vegetable samples, which were promising in our preliminary experiments.

Amorphous calcium carbonate enhances osteogenic differentiation and myotube formation of human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells and primary skeletal muscle cells under microgravity conditions

Astronauts are exposed to severely stressful physiological conditions due to microgravity and increased space radiation. Space environment affects every organ and cell in the body and the significant adverse effects of long-term weightlessness include muscle atrophy and deterioration of the skeleton (spaceflight osteopenia). Amorphous Calcium Carbonate (ACC) emerges as a promising candidate for prevention of these effects, owing to its unique physicochemical properties and its potential to address the intricately linked nature of bone-muscle crosstalk. Reported here are two studies carried out on the International Space Station (ISS). The first, performed in 2018 as a part of the Ramon-Spacelab project, was a preliminary experiment, in which stromal murine cells were differentiated into osteoblasts when ACC was added to the culture medium. A parallel experiment was done on Earth as a control. The second study was part of Axiom-1‘s Rakia project mission launched to the ISS on 2022 utilizing organ-on-a-chip methodology with a specially designed autonomous module. In this experiment, human bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) and human primary muscle cells were cultured in the presence or absence of ACC, in duplicates. The results showed that ACC enhanced differentiation of human primary skeletal muscle cells into myotubes. Similarly, hBM-MSCs were differentiated significantly better into osteocytes in the presence of ACC leading to increased calcium deposits. The results, combined with previous data, support the use of ACC as an advantageous supplement for preventing muscle and bone deterioration in outer space conditions, facilitating extended extraterrestrial voyages and colonization.

Outdoor cultivation and metabolomics exploration of Chlamydomonas engineered for bisabolene production

Demonstrating outdoor cultivation of engineered microalgae at considerable scales is essential for their prospective large-scale deployment. Hence, this study focuses on the outdoor cultivation of an engineered Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strain, 3XAgBs-SQs, for bisabolene production under natural dynamic conditions of light and temperature. Our preliminary outdoor experiments showed improved growth, but frequent culture collapses in conventional Tris-acetate-phosphate medium. In contrast, modified high-salt medium (HSM) supported prolonged cell survival, outdoor. However, their subsequent outdoor scale-up from 250 mL to 5 L in HSM was effective with 10 g/L bicarbonate supplementation. Pulse amplitude modulation fluorometry and metabolomic analysis further validated their improved photosynthesis and uncompromised metabolic fluxes towards the biomass and the products (natural carotenoids and engineered bisabolene). These strains could produce 906 mg/L bisabolene and 54 mg/L carotenoids, demonstrating the first successful outdoor photoautotrophic cultivation of engineeredC. reinhardtii,establishing it as a one-cell two-wells biorefinery.

Facile Access of Olefins from Ketones and Arylboroxines Enabled by Rhodium Catalysis

AbstractOlefination of carbonyl compounds is a typical strategy for the synthesis of olefins. Herein, we reported a rhodium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reaction of ketones with arylboroxines for straightforward access of olefins. The reaction displays a good functional group tolerance and affords the corresponding products in good to excellent yields. Addition and elimination are suggested as the indispensable steps in catalytic cycle by preliminary mechanistic experiments. This reaction provided a complementary method in catalytic construction of olefins from ketones and organoboron compounds.

Design of Self-Matching Photonic Lantern for High-Order Transverse-Mode Laser Systems

High-order transverse-mode lasers have important potential application value in many fields. To address the current issue of the limited controllability of modes in high-order transverse-mode lasers, we have designed a self-matching photonic lantern (SMPL). The SMPL is formed by introducing a few-mode fiber into the input fiber array of the traditional photonic lantern. The parameters of the few-mode fiber match those of the tapered few-mode port of the SMPL; thus, it can transmit high-order modes in a closed loop. The designed SMPL exhibits dual-band multiplexing characteristics at 980/1550 nm, manifesting specifically as high-order mode selectivity excitation at 980 nm and mode preservation at 1550 nm. These characteristics have been validated through simulation and preliminary experiments. The SMPL is designed for constructing all few-mode fiber ring cavity lasers, enabling the pumping of the 980 nm fundamental mode to high-order modes and the transmission of multiple high-order transverse-mode lasers at 1550 nm in a closed loop. The proposed SMPL extends the configuration and functionality of the photonic lantern family, offering a flexible and effective approach to facilitate the generation of multiple high-order transverse-mode lasers. The SMPL combined with fiber laser systems could effectively broaden communication channels and enhance communication bandwidth. It also holds significant value in optical sensing, high-resolution imaging, laser micro-processing, and other fields.

Simultaneous sensing profiles of beam attenuation coefficient and volume scattering function at 180° using a single-photon underwater elastic-Raman lidar.

Lidar has emerged as a promising technique for vertically profiling optical parameters in water. The application of single-photon technology has enabled the development of compact oceanic lidar systems, facilitating their deployment underwater. This is crucial for conducting ocean observations that are free from interference at the air-sea interface. However, simultaneous inversion of the volume scattering function at 180° at 532 nm (βm) and the lidar attenuation coefficient at 532 nm (K l i d a r m) from the elastic backscattered signals remains challenging, especially in the case of near-field signals affected by the geometric overlap factor (GOF). To address this challenge, this work proposes adding a Raman channel, obtaining Raman backscattered profiles using single-photon detection. By normalizing the elastic backscattered signals with the Raman signals, the sensitivity of the normalized signal to variations in the lidar attenuation coefficient is significantly reduced. This allows for the application of a perturbation method to invert βm and subsequently obtain the K l i d a r m. Moreover, the influence of GOF and fluctuations in laser power on the inversion can be reduced. To further improve the accuracy of the inversion algorithm for stratified water bodies, an iterative algorithm is proposed. Additionally, since the optical telescope of the lidar adopts a small aperture and narrow field of view design, K l i d a r m tends to the beam attenuation coefficient at 532 nm (cm). Using Monte Carlo simulation, a relationship between cm and K l i d a r m is established, allowing cm derivation from K l i d a r m. Finally, the feasibility of the algorithm is verified through inversion error analysis. The robustness of the lidar system and the effectiveness of the algorithm are validated through a preliminary experiment conducted in a water tank. These results demonstrate that the lidar can accurately profile optical parameters of water, contributing to the study of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the ocean.

A Digital Twin Platform Integrating Process Parameter Simulation Solution for Intelligent Manufacturing

The present work aims to develop a digital twin system typical of intelligent manufacturing applications, which has integrated visualization technologies, as well as the process parameter simulation solution. The application under consideration is a typical machining process, with a gantry machine tool controlled by Siemens Programmable Logic Controller(PLC) S7-1200. With the establishment of dual-directional data communication between the physical machine tool and its virtual counterpart based on TCP/IP protocol, real-time visualization, monitoring, and control of the entire working process can be achieved. Furthermore, we integrated with the digital twin system as a solution for real-time process parameter simulation based on finite element modeling (FEM), which enables the real-time monitoring of necessary process parameters, e.g., surface deformation, during the machining process. A preliminary experiment was conducted to validate our proposed digital twin system, and the results demonstrated that our proposed method has satisfactory performance in terms of both control and monitoring of the traditional machining process, and synchronization between the physical and virtual models is also proven to be positive with minimal latency.

DEVELOPMENT OF MOBILE AIR-SCREW GRAIN DRYER

The article studies the issue of grain drying and its importance in agriculture. Various methods of grain drying are considered, analyzed to determine their effectiveness and applicability. There is a risk of problems associated with improper drying of grain and negative consequences for the safety of grain and its further processing. For timely and qualitative cleaning and drying of grain an innovative design is offered - mobile air-screw dryer for grain. This device cleans grain from light weed impurities by means of air flow and removes surface moisture from grain by blowing it with heated air flow. The paper describes in detail the design and principle of operation of the dryer. The results of preliminary experiments confirming the performance of the dryer are given.

Study on Treatment of Ciprofloxacin in Water with Co, N Co-doped TiO2 Photocatalysts on Vermiculite

This paper presents the results of the treatment of ciprofloxacin in water with Co, N-doped TiO2 photocatalysts on a vermiculite background. Vermiculite (Ver) material after activation with HNO3 at three concentrations of 10%, 30%, and 40% exhibits a rougher surface. The 40% HNO3 activated material has the higest porosity and has a surface area greater than 79.4 times the total surface area of ​​the raw material. Co- and N-doped TiO2 photocatalysts on vermiculite were prepared by sol-gel method, using a mixture of tetraisopropylorthotitanate Ti(OC3H7)4 (TTIP), ethanol (EtOH), diethanolamine C4H11NO2 (DEA), and Co(NO3)2.6H2O. The influence of doped cobalt on the structure, surface morphology, and photocatalytic properties of N,Cox-TiO2/Ver (x=0.04;0.06;0.08 mol) was studied through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The SEM image shows that anatase-TiO2 crystals are evenly coated on the surface of Ver and the spherical particles are evenly dispersed on the surface of the material. The absorption spectrum shows that the band gap of the sample N,Cox-TiO2/Ver (x=0.04, 0.06, 0.08 mol) decreases from 3.32 eV to 2.64 eV. We implemented the preliminary experiments to test the efficiency of our synthesized material to treat the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in hospital wastewater. N,Co0,08-TiO2/Ver materials showed over 80% efficiency of removing the ciprofloxacin in these hospital wastewater samples.&#x0D;

Understanding the impact of risankizumab on keratinocyte-derived IL-23A in a novel organotypic 3D skin model containing IL-23A responsive and IL-17A producing γδ-T-cells

Purpose To study the effects of the anti-IL-23A antibody risankizumab on the IL-36γ/IL-23A/IL-17A signalling cascade we used a newly developed 3D skin model consisting of primary human keratinocytes, fibroblasts and γδ-T-cells. Methods In this in vitro study we developed new full-thickness 3D skin models containing normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK), normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) and IL-23A responsive and IL-17A producing γδ-T-cells. The effects of IL-36γ stimulation with and without risankizumab treatment on IL-23A and IL-17A expression were examined at the RNA and protein levels. Results In preliminary monolayer experiments stimulation of γδ-T-cells with IL-23A promoted the IL-17A expression that was inhibited after risankizumab treatment. Using 3D skin models containing γδ-T-cells, we found that stimulation with IL-36γ significantly increased not only IL-23A but also IL-17A expression. These effects were inhibited by concomitant treatment with risankizumab. Conclusions Our results showed that blockade of IL-23A has inhibitory effects on the IL-36γ/IL-23A feedforward loop. Our newly developed 3D skin model containing IL-23A responsive and IL-17A producing γδ-T-cells enables molecular analysis of targeted therapies aimed at the IL-36γ/IL-23A/IL-17A signalling cascade in psoriasis.

Abstract A078: Characterization of normal human male mammary cells and their de novo transformed derivatives

Abstract Men normally develop and maintain bi-layered mammary glands that appear structurally and histologically similar to those that develop in women, but with reported deficient lobule formation. Men also develop breast cancer, mostly of the ER+ subtype and an age-associated increasing onset, but at a 100-fold lower incidence and overall worse outcome. However, the classification and treatment of male breast cancers are largely based on strategies developed for female patients, despite their known hormonal and other differences. This is likely due, at least in part, to the fact that adult male mice, unlike humans do not develop full mammary glands. Thus, experimental access to mouse models have been lacking and studies of “normal” male mammary tissue have thus been largely restricted to analysis of human male gynecomastia samples. We now report the utility of multiple systems for analyzing normal adult human female mammary cell properties to this source of freshly obtained and viably cryopreserved normal human male mammary tissue. Histological examination of male mammary tissues (3 donors) confirmed their reported bi-layered structure surrounded by fibroblasts and lack of gross evidence of lobules. Use of procedures created for analyzing female breast tissue indicates that the human male mammary glands contain the same subsets but in different relative proportions; i.e., the proportion of EpCAM+CD49f- mammary cells (Luminal Cells, LCs) is relatively increased and of the EpCAM+CD49f+ cells (Luminal Progenitors, LPs) and EpCAM-CD49f+ cells (Basal Cells, BCs) is correspondingly decreased, consistent with a lack of alveolae. However, the freshly isolated male LPs and BCs contain a similar frequency of EGF-responsive colony-forming cells (CFCs) as female LPs and BCs. Subcutaneous transplantation of the male mammary cells in both male and female immunodeficient mice resulted in the generation of hollow mammary structures 4 weeks later as previously shown for female cells, and these were also found to contain LC, LP and BC populations including some with detectable levels of CFCs suggesting their derivation from a male mammary stem cell population (Eirew et al Nat Med 2008). We have also found evidence from qPCR and RNA-seq analyses of reduced progesterone signaling and alveologenesis in male LPs and LCs. These findings suggest hormonal differences may play a major role in regulating the altered ratios of cell types present in the normal adult human male mammary gland in comparison to premenopausal female. Interestingly, preliminary experiments also indicate that normal human male mammary cells transduced with KRASG12D without, or with BMI1+MYC+TP53R273C , generate analogous slowly-growing ER+, and rapidly-growing, highly aggressive tumours, respectively, in male immunodeficient mice. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the potential of established cell culture, xenotransplantation and molecular analytical tools to reveal the altered mechanisms that account for the different structure and biology of human male mammary tissue. Citation Format: Shengsen Ding, Susanna Tan, Ebrahim Eskandari-Nasab, Shrinka Sen, Martin Hirst, Connie Eaves. Characterization of normal human male mammary cells and their de novo transformed derivatives [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Breast Cancer Research; 2023 Oct 19-22; San Diego, California. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(3 Suppl_1):Abstract nr A078.

Flyable Mirror: Airborne laser Doppler vibrometer for large engineering structures

Large engineering structures are subjected to extreme loads that may lead to early damage and hazards for the national economy and public safety. The laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) has been widely used for conducting ambient vibration testing (AVT) of large structures, such as towers and historical buildings. Its superior sensitivity and the possibility to measure at hard-to-reach locations make it a versatile tool. However, two challenges limit LDV performance significantly for AVTs of large structures: (a) optically inaccessible surfaces in which the LDV beam cannot reach the spot or the beam has a flat incline; and (b) significant optical deficiencies in long-range measurements due to air turbulence and laser speckle effects. In this paper, we report the development progress of a new LDV-based measurement system, Flyable Mirror. This system consists of a commercial LDV with novel noise suppression means at the ground and an optical beam steering unit (a mirror) carried by an unmanned aerial vehicle. Several preliminary experiments were conducted to build and test the first airborne LDV. Flyable Mirror will enable new insights into monitoring structural-aging mechanisms for which ground-mounted LDVs cannot be used.

Prototype System for Unmanned Reference Point Determination at the Sub‐Millimeter Level

AbstractThe determination of reference points for telescopes is crucial for obtaining the local‐tie vector for a multi‐technology co‐located station. Traditional methods suffer from labor‐intensive fieldwork, long execution cycles, and systematic errors due to the incident angle of the total station's laser beam on the prism. In this paper, we propose an algorithm aligning the prism pointing vector with the prism‐to‐total station vector and introduce a pan‐tilt platform and the Tianma VGOS telescope for sub‐millimeter unmanned reference point monitoring. Our results show that the prototype system based on the pan‐tilt achieves a formal error of ±100 μm (1σ) in reference point positions with just 2.5 hr of automated monitoring. The consistency of reference point positions is comparable to the local control network accuracy. Single‐direction observations may introduce a deviation of ±1 mm in the reference point compared to multiple direction observations. Preliminary experiments on the Tianma VGOS telescope have also shown that this system can efficiently automate the monitoring of prism scatter points (one measurement every minute) and achieve sub‐millimeter horizontal precision in reference point positions within a single day.

Preparation of an activated adsorbent from water treatment plant sludge for phosphate removal from wastewater: optimization, characterization, isotherm, and kinetics studies

Abstract Purifying water for diverse uses is vital, but concerns lie with the sustainability and accessibility of purification materials. As such, this study converted readily available water treatment plant sludge (WTPS) into activated adsorbent for phosphate removal in wastewater. WTPS was activated via thermal activation at 300 °C temperature and chemical activation processes of 3 M acid concentration, 4 h activation time, and 75 °C activation temperature, and then characterized using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared, elemental analyzer, and differential scanning calorimetry. SEM and BET analyses revealed a highly porous adsorbent (279.2 m2/g) for efficient adsorption. On top of the activation process, preliminary experiments and numerical optimization using response surface methodology (RSM) were designed and conducted. Through optimizing conditions, it was found that 70 min of contact time, pH 3, 3 g/L adsorbent dose, and 30 mg/L initial phosphate concentration as optimal, yielding 83% removal efficiency. Furthermore, adsorption kinetics and isotherm models were examined and the second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models indicated best fit. Notably, the activated sludge could be regenerated for three cycles before efficiency dropped below 70%. Thus, activated WTPS presents a promising, sustainable, and readily available adsorbent for phosphate removal in wastewater treatment.