A Stochastic Model Based on Optimal Satellite Subset Selection Strategy for Smartphone Pseudorange Relative Positioning.

In order to overcome the limitations of traditional stochastic models for smartphones, we introduce a double-difference code pseudorange residual (DDPR)-dependent stochastic model based on an optimal satellite subset, with the goal of mitigating the constraints imposed by the quality of GNSS observations in smartphones on the accuracy and reliability of phone-based GNSS positioning. In our methodology, the satellite selection process involved considering the integrated carrier-to-noise density ratio (C/N0) index of both the reference station and the smartphone, enabling us to construct a satellite subset characterized by superior observation quality. Furthermore, by leveraging the optimal subset of satellites and incorporating the C/N0-dependent stochastic model, we could determine the approximate location of the terminal through pseudorange differential positioning. Subsequently, we estimated the DDPRs for all satellites and utilized these values as prior information to build a stochastic model of the observations. Our findings indicate that in occluded environments, the DDPR-dependent stochastic model significantly enhances positioning accuracy for both the Huawei Mate40 and P40 terminals compared to the C/N0-dependent model. Numerically, the improvements in the north (N), east (E), and up (U) directions were approximately 30%, 32%, and 34% for the Mate40, and 26%, 33%, and 24% for the P40 terminal. This suggests that the proposed DDPR-dependent stochastic model effectively identifies and mitigates large gross error signals caused by multipath and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signals, thereby assigning lower weights to these problematic observations and ultimately enhancing positioning accuracy. Moreover, the weighting method involves minimal computations and is straightforward to implement, making it particularly suitable for GNSS positioning applications on smartphones in complex urban environments.

Effects of cluster nursing interventions on the prevention of pressure ulcers in intensive care units patients: A meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was conducted to comprehensively evaluate the impact of cluster nursing interventions on the prevention of pressure ulcers (PUs) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Computer searches were performed in databases including Embase, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Wanfang and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) implementing cluster nursing interventions for PUs prevention in ICU patients, with the search period covering the database inception to November 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data and conducted quality assessments. Stata 17.0 software was employed for data analysis. Overall, 17 RCTs involving 1463 ICU patients were included. The analysis showed that compared with conventional nursing, cluster nursing interventions significantly reduced the incidence of PUs (odds ratio: 0.24, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.17-0.34, p < 0.001) and also significantly improved the levels of anxiety (standardized mean difference [SMD]: -1.39, 95% CI: -1.57 to 1.22, p < 0.001) and depression (SMD: -1.64, 95% CI: -2.02 to 1.26, p < 0.001) in ICU patients. This study indicates that the application of cluster nursing interventions in ICU patients can effectively reduce the incidence of PUs, as well as improve patients' anxiety and depression levels, thereby enhancing their quality of life, which is worth clinical promotion and application.

Imaging Investigation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progress via Monitoring γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase Level with a Near-Infrared Fluorescence/Photoacoustic Bimodal Probe.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the main principal causes of cancer death, and the late definite diagnosis limits therapeutic approaches in time. The early diagnosis of HCC is essential, and the previous investigations on the biomarkers inferred that the γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) level could indicate the HCC process. Herein, a near-infrared fluorescence/photoacoustic (NIRF/PA) bimodal probe, CySO3-GGT, was developed for monitoring the GGT level and thus to image the HCC process. After the in-solution tests, the bimodal response was convinced. The various HCC processes were imaged by CySO3-GGT at the cellular level. Then, the CCl4-induced HCC (both induction and treatment) and the subcutaneous and orthotopic xenograft mice models were selected. All throughout the tests, CySO3-GGT achieved NIRF and PA bimodal imaging of the HCC process. In particular, CySO3-GGT could effectively realize 3D imaging of the HCC nodule by visualizing the boundary between the tumor and the normal tissue. The information here might offer significant guidance for the dynamic monitoring of HCC in the near future.

Dichromatic "Breather Molecules" in a Mode-Locked Fiber Laser.

Bound states of solitons ("molecules") occur in various settings, playing an important role in the operation of fiber lasers, optical emulation, encoding, and communications. Soliton interactions are generally related to breathing dynamics in nonlinear dissipative systems, and maintain potential applications in spectroscopy. In the present work, dichromatic breather molecules (DBMs) are created in a synchronized mode-locked fiber laser. Real-time delay-shifting interference spectra are measured to display the temporal evolution of the DBMs, that cannot be observed by means of the usual real-time spectroscopy. As a result, robust out-of-phase vibrations are found as a typical intrinsic mode of DBMs. The same bound states are produced numerically in the framework of a model combining equations for the population inversion in the mode-locked laser and cross-phase-modulation-coupled complex Ginzburg-Landau equations for amplitudes of the optical fields in the fiber segments of the laser cavity. The results demonstrate that the Q-switching instability induces the onset of breathing oscillations. The findings offer new possibilities for the design of various regimes of the operation of ultrafast lasers.

The Common Neural Mechanism of Somatic Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Disorders: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

INTRODUCTION: Somatic symptoms often occur as a manifestation of depression and anxiety. The subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) has been shown to be closely related to both depression and anxiety and plays an important role in somatic symptoms. However, little is known regarding whether the abnormal function of the sgACC contributes to the common somatic symptoms of depression and anxiety. METHODS: Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analysis based on the seed of the sgACC was investigated in 23 major depressive disorder (MDD) patients with somatic symptoms, 20 generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients with somatic symptoms, and 22 demographically matched healthy controls (HCs). The severity of depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), and the 15-item somatic symptom severity scale from the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), respectively. An analysis of covariance analysis (ANCOVA) was conducted to determine RSFC alterations among GAD, MDD, and HC groups with age, gender, and head motion as covariates. Correlation analyses were conducted between the RSFC of the sgACC and PHQ-15. RESULTS: The significantly different RSFC of right sgACC among the three groups was found in right STG, left cerebellum, and right postcentral. Post hoc analysis indicated that both MDD and GAD patients showed a decreased RSFC between the right sgACC and right STG than HCs, and both were negatively correlated with the PHQ-15 scores. CONCLUSION: The abnormally decreased RSFC of the sgACC and STG may be the underlying common mechanisms of depression and anxiety combined with somatic symptoms.

Elastic Stable Intramedullary Nailing Improves Fracture Healing and Mobility in Children with Femoral Fractures.

Objective: To explore the application value and safety of elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) in pediatric femoral fractures (FFs), providing more reliable safety for the treatment of FFs in the future. Methods: This study selected 60 cases of pediatric FFs who completed fracture treatment in our hospital between March 2014 and January 2023, with 32 cases undergoing ESIN fixation included in the research group (RG) and another 28 cases receiving plate internal fixation assigned to the control group (CG). The operative time (OT), intraoperative blood loss (IBL), incision length, fracture healing time, fixator removal time, weight-bearing time, and hospital length of stay (HLOS) of the two groups were counted, and the pain of the children was evaluated by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The clinical efficacy and complication rate were recorded, and the hip and knee functions before and after treatment were evaluated by the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score. After the completion of treatment, the child's family was surveyed about their satisfaction with the treatment. Results: The research group had less OT, IBL, and incision length, as well as shorter fracture healing time, fixator removal time, weight-bearing time, and HLOS than the control group (P < .05), with markedly lower VAS scores at 12h-48h postoperatively (P < .05). In addition, the research group demonstrated an obviously higher overall response rate (96.88%) and a lower complication rate (15.63%) than the control group (P < .05). Furthermore, HSS scores and treatment satisfaction were higher in the research group than in the control group (P < .05). Conclusions: ESIN is a highly effective treatment for pediatric femoral fractures, leading to accelerated fracture healing, improved mobility, and exhibiting high clinical application value.

Nrf2/PINK1-mediated mitophagy induction alleviates sodium fluoride-induced hepatic injury by improving mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

Mitophagy has distinct functions, which can lead to either protection or damage of tissues. Though current evidence indicated that NaF triggers mitophagy, the role and regulation of mitophagy in sodium fluoride (NaF)-induced liver injury still remain unclear. Therefore, we exployed the cell and mouse models and confirmed that NaF treatment activates mitophagy. Knocking down PTEN-induced putative kinase protein 1 (PINK1) expression attenuated mitophagy and increased the degree of mitochondrial impairment, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in NaF-treated HepG2 cells. In vivo experiments indicated that PINK1 deficiency weakened NaF-induced mitophagy. Moreover, PINK1-deficient mices aggravated NaF-induced hepatic mitochondrial injury, oxidative stress, and inflammation in livers, evidenced by the increased number of abnormal mitochondria, decreased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and glutathione (GSH) levels, elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, enhanced hepatic macrophage infiltration and inflammatory cytokine levels. Notably, NaF exposure activated Nrf2 signaling both in vitro and in vivo. Nrf2 siRNA transfection blocked the upregulation of PINK1 expression and the induction of mitophagy in NaF-treated HepG2 cells. Also, ML385 (Nrf2 inhibitor) partially blocked the upregulation of PINK1 expression caused by NaF in mice livers. To sum up, the present study provided the demonstration that Nrf2/PINK1-mediated mitophagy activation offers a hepatoprotective effect by inhibiting NaF-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

Safety and Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in Patients With Chronic Liver Diseases (CHESS-NMCID 2101): A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of inactivated whole-virion severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD) in this study. METHODS: This was a prospective, multi-center, open-label study. Participants aged over 18 years with confirmed CLD and healthy volunteers were enrolled. All participants received 2 doses of inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Adverse reactions were recorded within 14 days after any dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, laboratory testing results were collected after the second dose, and serum samples of enrolled subjects were collected and tested for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies at least 14 days after the second dose. RESULTS: A total of 581 participants (437 patients with CLD and 144 healthy volunteers) were enrolled from 15 sites in China. Most adverse reactions were mild and transient, and injection site pain (n = 36; 8.2%) was the most frequently reported adverse event. Three participants had grade 3 aminopherase elevation (defined as alanine aminopherase >5 upper limits of normal) after the second dose of inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, and only 1 of them was judged as severe adverse event potentially related to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The positive rates of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies were 76.8% in the noncirrhotic CLD group, 78.9% in the compensated cirrhotic group, 76.7% in the decompensated cirrhotic group (P = .894 among CLD subgroups), and 90.3% in healthy controls (P = .008 vs CLD group). CONCLUSION: Inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are safe in patients with CLD. Patients with CLD had lower immunologic response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines than healthy population. The immunogenicity is similarly low in noncirrhotic CLD, compensated cirrhosis, and decompensated cirrhosis.

Safety and immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (CHESS-NMCID 2101): A multicenter prospective study.

Data on safety and immunogenicity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are limited. In this multicenter prospective study, HCC patients received two doses of inactivated whole-virion COVID-19 vaccines. The safety and neutralizing antibody were monitored. Totally, 74 patients were enrolled from 10 centers in China, and 37 (50.0%), 25 (33.8%), and 12 (16.2%) received the CoronaVac, BBIBP-CorV, and WIBP-CorV, respectively. The vaccines were well tolerated, where pain at the injection site (6.8% [5/74]) and anorexia (2.7% [2/74]) were the most frequent local and systemic adverse events. The median level of neutralizing antibody was 13.5 (interquartile range [IQR]: 6.9-23.2) AU/ml at 45 (IQR: 19-72) days after the second dose of vaccinations, and 60.8% (45/74) of patients had positive neutralizing antibody. Additionally, lower γ-glutamyl transpeptidase level was related to positive neutralizing antibody (odds ratio = 1.022 [1.003-1.049], p = 0.049). In conclusion, this study found that inactivated COVID-19 vaccinations are safe and the immunogenicity is acceptable or hyporesponsive in patients with HCC. Given that the potential benefits may outweigh the risks and the continuing emergences of novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants, we suggest HCC patients to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Future validation studies are warranted.

Interaction of HnRNP F with the guanine-rich segments in viral antigenomic RNA enhances porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus-2 replication.

BACKGROUND: Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (HnRNP) F is a member of HnRNP family proteins that participate in splicing of cellular newly synthesized mRNAs by specifically recognizing tandem guanine-tracts (G-tracts) RNA sequences. Whether HnRNP F could recognize viral-derived tandem G-tracts and affect virus replication remain poorly defined. METHODS: The effect of HnRNP F on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) propagation was evaluated by real-time PCR, western blotting, and plaque-forming unit assay. The association between HnRNP F and PRRSV guanine-rich segments (GRS) were analyzed by RNA pulldown and RNA immunoprecipitation. The expression pattern of HnRNP F was investigated by western blotting and nuclear and cytoplasmic fractionation. RESULTS: Knockdown of endogenous HnRNP F effectively blocks the synthesis of viral RNA and nucleocapsid (N) protein. Conversely, overexpression of porcine HnRNP F has the opposite effect. Moreover, RNA pulldown and RNA immunoprecipitation assays reveal that the qRMM1 and qRRM2 domains of HnRNP F recognize the GRS in PRRSV antigenomic RNA. Finally, HnRNP F is redistributed into the cytoplasm and forms a complex with guanine-quadruplex (G4) helicase DHX36 during PRRSV infection. CONCLUSIONS: These findings elucidate the potential functions of HnRNP F in regulating the proliferation of PRRSV and contribute to a better molecular understanding of host-PRRSV interactions.

Safety and immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (CHESS2101): A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The development of COVID-19 vaccines has progressed with encouraging safety and efficacy data. Concerns have been raised about SARS-CoV-2 vaccine responses in the large population of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The study aimed to explore the safety and immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccination in NAFLD. METHODS: This multicenter study included patients with NAFLD without a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. All patients were vaccinated with 2 doses of inactivated vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The primary safety outcome was the incidence of adverse reactions within 7 days after each injection and overall incidence of adverse reactions within 28 days, and the primary immunogenicity outcome was neutralizing antibody response at least 14 days after the whole-course vaccination. RESULTS: A total of 381 patients with pre-existing NAFLD were included from 11 designated centers in China. The median age was 39.0 years (IQR 33.0-48.0 years) and 179 (47.0%) were male. The median BMI was 26.1 kg/m2 (IQR 23.8-28.1 kg/m2). The number of adverse reactions within 7 days after each injection and adverse reactions within 28 days totaled 95 (24.9%) and 112 (29.4%), respectively. The most common adverse reactions were injection site pain in 70 (18.4%), followed by muscle pain in 21 (5.5%), and headache in 20 (5.2%). All adverse reactions were mild and self-limiting, and no grade 3 adverse reactions were recorded. Notably, neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected in 364 (95.5%) patients with NAFLD. The median neutralizing antibody titer was 32 (IQR 8-64), and the neutralizing antibody titers were maintained. CONCLUSIONS: The inactivated COVID-19 vaccine appears to be safe with good immunogenicity in patients with NAFLD. LAY SUMMARY: The development of vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has progressed rapidly, with encouraging safety and efficacy data. This study now shows that the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine appears to be safe with good immunogenicity in the large population of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Stable 5-GHz fundamental repetition rate passively SESAM mode-locked Er-doped silica fiber lasers.

A stable passively mode-locked Er-doped silica fiber laser with a fundamental repetition rate of up to 5 GHz is demonstrated, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the highest repetition rate for 1.5 µm semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) mode-locked Er-doped silica fiber (EDF) lasers. A segment of commercially available EDF with a net gain coefficient of 1 dB/cm is employed as gain medium. The compact Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavity features a fiber mirror, namely multiple-layer dielectric films (DFs) directly coated on end facet of a passive fiber ferrule, enabling a short cavity length of 2 cm configured. The mode-locked oscillator operates at 1561.0 nm with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 62.1 dB, whose average power is boosted to 27 mW by a single-mode Er-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and spectral bandwidth is broadened form 0.69 nm to 1.16 nm with a pulse width of 3.86 ps. The fiber laser shows excellent spectral stability without conspicuous wavelength drifting for 3 hours. Moreover, the basic guidelines of selecting SESAM for high repetition rate passively mode-locked fiber lasers is given.

Aberrant brain network topology in the frontoparietal-limbic circuit in bipolar disorder: a graph-theory study.

Characterizing the properties of brain networks across mood states seen in bipolar disorder (BP) can provide a deeper insight into the mechanisms involved in this type of affective disorder. In this study, graph theoretical methods were used to examine global, modular and nodal brain network topology in the resting state using functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired from 95 participants, including those with bipolar depression (BPD; n = 30) and bipolar mania (BPM; n = 39) and healthy control (HC) subjects (n = 26). The threshold value of the individual subjects' connectivity matrix varied from 0.15 to 0.30 with steps of 0.01. We found that: (1) at the global level, BP patients showed a significantly increased global efficiency and synchronization and a decreased path length; (2) at the nodal level, BP patients showed impaired nodal parameters, predominantly within the frontoparietal and limbic sub-network; (3) at the module level, BP patients were characterized by denser FCs (edges) between Module III (the front-parietal system) and Module V (limbic/paralimbic systems); (4) at the nodal level, the BPD and BPM groups showed state-specific differences in the orbital part of the left superior-frontal gyrus, right putamen, right parahippocampal gyrus and left fusiform gyrus. These results revealed abnormalities in topological organization in the whole brain, especially in the frontoparietal-limbic circuit in both BPD and BPM. These deficits may reflect the pathophysiological processes occurring in BP. In addition, state-specific regional nodal alterations in BP could potentially provide biomarkers of conversion across different mood states.

Perfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water sources along the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province, China: Human health and ecological risk assessment.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in source water is of growing concern for its adverse effects on human health and wildlife as well. The Yangtze River is the vital drinking water source in Jiangsu Province of China, but little attention has been paid on PFASs. The occurrence, spatial distribution and temporal trend of PFASs in 21 water sources along the Jiangsu section of the Yangtze River was investigated with sampling from 2018 to 2020. Moreover, health risk of PFASs was assessed by estimated intake dose and derived tolerable intake dose, while ecological risk was assessed by selected effect concentration and environmental exposure. PFASs concentrations in source water ranged from 12.0 to 128 ng/L, with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as the dominated congener. Fluorine chemical industry lead to a great increase of perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) in its nearest water source. The estimated daily intake of PFASs through drinking was 0.54 and 0.82 ng/kg bw/day for adults and children. The major health risk was from perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and PFOA for their toxicity on liver, reproduction, development and immunity, with the maximum hazard quotient of 0.029 and 0.043 for adults and children in the worst scenario. The ecological risks from PFASs on nine species groups ranged from 2.7 × 10-10 to 5.2. PFOA and Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) were causing significant risk on wildlife, particularly on worms, mussels, and fish, which may further influence the structure and processes in the foodweb. Overall, PFASs, especially PFOS, PFOA and PFBS, induced considerable risk on human health and aquatic species in some hotspot area. It would be necessary to include them into monitoring in China and develop standards for different protection purposes.

Extra-Wide Lane Ambiguity Resolution and Validation for a Single Epoch Based on the Triple-Frequency BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.

The ambiguity resolution (AR) and validation of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) have been challenging tasks for some decades. Considering the reliability problem of extra-wide-lane (EWL) ambiguity in the triple-carrier ambiguity resolution (TCAR), a method for validating the reliability of the EWL ambiguity using a single epoch was proposed for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). For the initial EWL ambiguity, obtained using a rounding estimator with a geometry-free (GF) model, the double-difference ionospheric delay was first estimated to construct a relative positioning model with an initial fixed ambiguity. Second, based on the theory of gross error detection and the AR characteristics of EWL, the second-best ambiguity candidate was constructed. Finally, among the two sets of ambiguities, the one with the smaller posterior variance was taken as the reliable ambiguity. The study showed that, for a single epoch, when only one or two satellites had incorrect ambiguities, the AR success rate after ambiguity validation and correction could reach 100% for medium baselines. For long baselines, due to the increase of atmospheric error, the validation was affected to some extent. However, the AR success rates for two long baselines increased from 96.82% and 98.44% to 98.80% and 99.67%, respectively.

Antibiotic contamination in a typical water-rich city in southeast China: a concern for drinking water resource safety.

The occurrence and distribution in the aquatic environment of Nanjing of 49 antibiotics from seven therapeutic classes were investigated using an improved analytical method developed for multiclass target analysis. The results showed that these antibiotics are widely present in the water bodies of this city, with a total concentration of up to 1.958 µg L-1. The most abundant class was tetracyclines, contributing 43.7% to the total antibiotic burden. Lincomycin was detected in all samples, and the detection rate of clindamycin was 90.5%. An exploratory analysis of the data points was performed by unsupervised pattern recognition (hierarchical cluster analysis, HCA) in an attempt to clarify the pollution level in different sampling areas, and robust cluster solutions grouped the data according to their different antibiotic contaminant profiles. The safety of drinking water resources was emphasized, and the rivers, as the main receiving water body for treated and untreated wastewater in this city, were more seriously contaminated than the surrounding lakes and reservoir, not only in concentration but also in detection frequency, in our study as well as in similar research studies. A correlation analysis between the presence of antibiotics and the environmental factors was conducted, and it was found that antibiotic contamination and water quality were closely connected; the better the water quality, the lower the antibiotic contamination. Positive correlations existed between the antibiotics and tested heavy metals, as well as between antibiotics and boron and arsenic. However, whether these correlations resulted from their reaction or a common source was difficult to determine, and the mechanism requires further exploration.

Suspension culture of Marek's disease virus and evaluation of its immunological effects.

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a cell-associated α-herpesvirus of chickens. It is difficult to grow MDV in suspension culture. Therefore, MDV vaccines are currently produced using adherent primary chicken embryo fibroblasts, and on a large scale this is labour-intensive and costly. In this study, the CVI988 strain of MDV was inoculated into chicken fibroblast cell line UMNSAH/DF-1 (DF-1) cultured by microcarrier suspension for the proliferation experiment. Moreover, the effects of culture conditions, such as inoculation method, multiplicity of infection (MOI), microcarrier concentration, and pH value, on the proliferation of MDV were investigated. The results demonstrated that the maximum viral load of 64.76 ± 2.64 × 106 PFU/flask in a working volume of 100 ml could be obtained using synchronous cell seeding and inoculation method at an MOI of 0.02 and a microcarrier concentration of 5 g/l at pH 7.2. At the same time, the CVI988/DF-1 vaccines prepared by the microcarrier culture process and the traditional adherent cell culture process (CVI988/Rispens) were compared through bird experiments. We found a protective rate of 94.4% using the CVI988/DF-1 vaccine with specific pathogen-free chickens that was equivalent to that of the commercial vaccine CVI988/Rispens (protection rate of 94.1%). In this study, the MDV CVI988/DF-1 vaccine prepared by the microcarrier suspension culture of DF-1 cells could provide effective immune protection for specific pathogen-free chickens, providing a reference for the prevention and control of MD and further development of a large-scale bioreactor for producing the MD vaccine.

Indoor Localization within Multi-Story Buildings Using MAC and RSSI Fingerprint Vectors.

For existing wireless network devices and smart phones to achieve available positioning accuracy easily, fingerprint localization is widely used in indoor positioning, which depends on the differences of the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) from the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) in different places. Currently, most researchers pay more attention to the improvement of online positioning algorithms using RSSI values, while few focus on the MAC (media access control) addresses received from the WLAN. Accordingly, we attempt to integrate MAC addresses and RSSI values simultaneously in order to realize indoor localization within multi-story buildings. A novel approach to indoor positioning within multi-story buildings is presented in this article, which includes two steps: firstly, to identify the floor using the difference of received MAC addresses in different floors; secondly, to implement further localization on the same floor. Meanwhile, clustering operation using MAC addresses as the clustering index is introduced in the online positioning phase to improve the efficiency and accuracy of indoor positioning. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can achieve not only the precise location with the horizontal accuracy of 1.8 meters, but also the floor where the receiver is located within multi-story buildings.

A Highly Sensitive XNA-Based RT-qPCR Assay for the Identification of ALK, RET, and ROS1 Fusions in Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer is often triggered by genetic alterations that result in the expression of oncogenic tyrosine kinases. Specifically, ALK, RET, and ROS1 chimeric receptor tyrosine kinases are observed in approximately 5-7%, 1-2%, and 1-2% of NSCLC patients, respectively. The presence of these fusion genes determines the response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Thus, accurate detection of these gene fusions is essential in cancer research and precision oncology. To address this need, we have developed a multiplexed RT-qPCR assay using xeno nucleic acid (XNA) molecular clamping technology to detect lung cancer fusions. This assay can quantitatively detect thirteen ALK, seven ROS1, and seven RET gene fusions in FFPE samples. The sensitivity of the assay was established at a limit of detection of 50 copies of the synthetic template. Our assay has successfully identified all fusion transcripts using 50 ng of RNA from both reference FFPE samples and cell lines. After validation, a total of 77 lung cancer patient FFPE samples were tested, demonstrating the effectiveness of the XNA-based fusion gene assay with clinical samples. Importantly, this assay is adaptable to highly degraded RNA samples with low input amounts. Future steps involve expanding the testing to include a broader range of clinical samples as well as cell-free RNAs to further validate its applicability and reliability.

A novel XNA-based Luminex assay to detect UBA1 somatic mutations associated with VEXAS syndrome.

Objectives: Patients with VEXAS syndrome carry mutations of UBA1 gene coding for the E1 enzyme. The three most frequent mutations are p.M41T(122T > C), p.M41V (c.121A > G), and p.M41L (c.121A > C) in codon 41 of exon 3. Currently, sanger sequencing was mainly used to detect these mutations, which has low sensitivity and low throughput. There is a need of high sensitivity, simple and high throughput method to characterize patients with VEXAS syndrome. Methods: Based on our proprietary XNA technology, we have developed a QClamp® Plex platform to detect eight mutations in a single reaction using the Luminex xMap technology. The assay sensitivity, specificity and precision were subsequently evaluated. Furthermore, the reference interval and clinical sensitivity/specificity were estimated using clinical healthy/positive DNA samples and the sanger sequencing method was used for comparison. Results: With spiking synthetic mutant DNA in wildtype GM24385 cell line DNA, this assay can detect UBA1 mutations with a detection limit of variant allele frequency (VAF) at 0.1-5%. Our assay shows 100% concordance with Sanger sequencing results when used for analyzing 15 positive and 19 negative clinical samples. Conclusions: The QClamps® Plex UBA1 Mutation Detection Assay is a quicker, simpler, and more sensitive assay that can accurately detect the UBA1 mutations even at early stages with low mutation frequency.