Analysis and modeling of radio propagation fading characteristics in tunnel construction.

With the development of underground rail transit, the concept of intelligent tunnel construction has been proposed and promoted. High-quality networking during tunnel construction is a prerequisite for this, making it highly urgent to establish networking during tunnel construction. When studying intra-tunnel networking, it is necessary to consider the propagation characteristics of radio waves in the tunnel. In this paper, according to the actual needs of engineering in tunnel construction and the characteristics of tunnel scenes, an improved ray tracing method is proposed, which considers the type and installation position of antennas, transceiver frequency band and power in channel modeling, and proposes a field strength calculation method under different coordinate systems according to the characteristics of straight and curved segments during tunnel construction. In addition, the propagation characteristics of radio waves in dynamic tunnel construction scenarios are quantitatively analyzed. In this paper, by establishing antenna diagram, two-dimensional and three-dimensional models of tunnels, the computer simulation method is applied to compare with the improved algorithm, and the results have good consistency, in addition, the improved algorithm does not require a lot of modeling work in the early stage, and has high applicability and portability. Not only that, this paper also makes actual measurements of the subway under construction in Zhengzhou, China in different scenarios, and verifies the effectiveness of the method.

Immune persistence after different polio sequential immunization schedules in Chinese infants.

Trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (tOPV) has been withdrawn and instead an inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and bivalent type 1 and type 3 OPV (bOPV) sequential immunization schedule has been implemented since 2016, but no immune persistence data are available for this polio vaccination strategy. This study aimed to assess immune persistence following different polio sequential immunization schedules. Venous blood was collected at 24, 36, and 48 months of age from participants who had completed sequential schedules of combined IPV and OPV in phase III clinical trials. The serum neutralizing antibody titers against poliovirus were determined, and the poliovirus-specific antibody-positive rates were evaluated. A total of 1104 participants were enrolled in this study. The positive rates of poliovirus type 1- and type 3-specific antibodies among the sequential immunization groups showed no significant difference at 24, 36, or 48 months of age. The positive rates of poliovirus type 2-specific antibody in the IPV-IPV-tOPV group at all time points were nearly 100%, which was significantly higher than the corresponding rates in other immunization groups (IPV-bOPV-bOPV and IPV-IPV-bOPV). Immunization schedules involving one or two doses of IPV followed by bOPV failed to maintain a high positive rate for poliovirus type 2-specific antibody.

Clinical thought-based software for diagnosing developmental dysplasia of the hip on pediatric pelvic radiographs.

Background: The common methods of radiographic diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) include measuring hip parameters and quantifying the degree of hip dislocation. However, clinical thought-based analysis of hip parameters may be a more effective way to achieve expert-like diagnoses of DDH. This study aims to develop a diagnostic strategy-based software for pediatric DDH and validate its clinical feasibility. Methods: In total, 543 anteroposterior pelvic radiographs were retrospectively collected from January 2017 to December 2021. Two independent clinicians measured four diagnostic indices to compare the diagnoses made by the software and conventional manual method. The diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves and confusion matrix, and the consistency of parametric measurements was assessed using Bland-Altman plots. Results: In 543 cases (1,086 hips), the area under the curve, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the software for diagnosing DDH were 0.988-0.994, 99.08%-99.72%, 98.07%-100.00%, and 99.59%, respectively. Compared with the expert panel, the Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement for the acetabular index, as determined by the software, were -2.09°-2.91° (junior orthopedist) and -1.98°-2.72° (intermediate orthopedist). As for the lateral center-edge angle, the 95% limits were -3.68°-5.28° (junior orthopedist) and -2.94°-4.59° (intermediate orthopedist). Conclusions: The software can provide expert-like analysis of pelvic radiographs and obtain the radiographic diagnosis of pediatric DDH with great consistency and efficiency. Its initial success lays the groundwork for developing a full-intelligent comprehensive diagnostic system of DDH.

Efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of hexavalent rotavirus vaccine in Chinese infants.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial was conducted in healthy Chinese infants to assess the efficacy and safety of a hexavalent live human-bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine (HRV) against rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE). A total of 6400 participants aged 6-12 weeks were enrolled and randomly assigned to either HRV (n â€‹= â€‹3200) or placebo (n â€‹= â€‹3200) group. All the subjects received three oral doses of vaccine four weeks apart. The vaccine efficacy (VE) against RVGE caused by rotavirus serotypes contained in HRV was evaluated from 14 days after three doses of administration up until the end of the second rotavirus season. VE against severe RVGE, VE against RVGE hospitalization caused by serotypes contained in HRV, and VE against RVGE, severe RVGE, and RVGE hospitalization caused by natural infection of any serotype of rotavirus were also investigated. All adverse events (AEs) were collected for 30 days after each dose. Serious AEs (SAEs) and intussusception cases were collected during the entire study. Our data showed that VE against RVGE caused by serotypes contained in HRV was 69.21% (95%CI: 53.31-79.69). VE against severe RVGE and RVGE hospitalization caused by serotypes contained in HRV were 91.36% (95%CI: 78.45-96.53) and 89.21% (95%CI: 64.51-96.72) respectively. VE against RVGE, severe RVGE, and RVGE hospitalization caused by natural infection of any serotype of rotavirus were 62.88% (95%CI: 49.11-72.92), 85.51% (95%CI: 72.74-92.30) and 83.68% (95%CI: 61.34-93.11). Incidences of AEs from the first dose to one month post the third dose in HRV and placebo groups were comparable. There was no significant difference in incidences of SAEs in HRV and placebo groups. This study shows that this hexavalent reassortant rotavirus vaccine is an effective, well-tolerated, and safe vaccine for Chinese infants.

Microplastics separation using stainless steel mini-hydrocyclones fabricated with additive manufacturing.

Microplastics have been widely detected in natural and engineered water systems and removing microplastics from various water matrices has become a major challenge. Mini-hydrocyclones (MHCs) have been previously applied to separate mediums of different phases. Given MHCs' capability of separating fine particles from liquid phase, three MHCs were designed and fabricated in stainless steel with 3D printing. Microplastics of densities that were both lower (<1 g·cm-3) and higher (>1 g·cm-3) than water's density were used to test the separation efficiency in ultra-purified water. The separation test was performed on single-stage MHC as well as MHCs in series in a closed hydraulic circuit. A range of important operational parameters, including split ratio, feed pressure, feed flow rate, and solid concentration, were evaluated to optimize the separation efficiency. The single-stage MHC experiment revealed that >80 % microplastics >20 µm can be effectively removed at the concentration tested, and the separation efficiency peaked at the split ratio of 35 %. MHCs in series demonstrated their ability to further enhance the separation efficiency of the ones with the same density, as well as separate microplastics of different densities. Mini-hydrocyclones' were also used to separate microplastics in synthetic stormwater, and separation efficiency reached 84 % and 98.1 % for low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyamide (PA). The results indicated the MHCs' potential for large-scale application in microplastic separation for industrial and municipal wastewater.

The Comparable Microenvironment Shared by Colorectal Adenoma and Carcinoma: An Evidence of Stromal Proteomics.

Tumor microenvironment (TME) is a key factor involved in cancer development and metastasis. In the TME of colorectal cancer (CRC), the gene expression status of stromal tissues could influence the CRC process from normal to adenoma then carcinoma; however, the expression status at the protein level has not yet been well evaluated. A total of 22 CRC patients were recruited for this study, and the tissue regions corresponding with adjacent, adenoma, and carcinoma were carefully excised by laser capture microdissection (LCM), including a patient with adenoma and carcinoma. The individual proteomes of this cohort were implemented by high-resolution mass spectrometer under data-independent acquisition (DIA) mode. A series of informatic analysis was employed to statistically seek the proteomic characteristics related with the stroma at different stages of CRC. The identified proteins in the colorectal stromal tissues were much less than and almost overlapped with that in the corresponding epithelial tissues; however, the patterns of protein abundance in the stroma were very distinct from those in the epithelium. Although qualitative and quantitative analysis delineated the epithelial proteins specifically typified in the adjacent, adenoma, and carcinoma, the informatics in the stroma led to another deduction that such proteomes were only divided into two patterns, adjacent- and adenoma/carcinoma-dependent. The comparable proteomes of colorectal adenoma and carcinoma were further confirmed by the bulk preparation- or individual LCM-proteomics. The biochemical features of the tumor stromal proteomes were characterized as enrichment of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, upregulated pathways of antigen presentation, and enhancement of immune signal interactions. Finally, the features of lymphoid lineages in tumor stroma were verified by tissue microarray (TMA). Based on the proteomic evidence, a hypothesis was raised that in the colorectal tissue, the TME of adenoma and carcinoma were comparable, whereas the key elements driving an epithelium from benign to malignant were likely decided by the changes of genomic mutations or/and expression within it.

Stimulation and Sequestration Mechanism of CO2 Waterless Fracturing for Continental Tight Oil Reservoirs.

CO2 fracturing is a promising technology for oil field development in tight, continental deposits, with potential advantages of enhanced oil recovery (EOR), CO2 sequestration, and water conservation. Compared with CO2-EOR techniques, such as CO2 huff and puff and CO2 flooding, CO2 can interact with reservoir rock and fluid under higher pressure conditions during fracturing, resulting in CO2 stimulation and sequestration effects that differ from those that occur during conventional CO2-EOR. In this paper, the CO2 interactions between CO2 and reservoirs in continental tight oil reservoirs under fracturing conditions are systematically studied through laboratory experiments. The results show that under high pressure, CO2 effectively changes the pore structure through the extraction of hydrocarbons, dissolution of the rock matrix, and migration of minerals. CO2 dissolution of the rock matrix can significantly increase the number and complexity of fractures. Furthermore, CO2 has a higher solubility in formation fluid under high-pressure conditions. Given the higher pressures, CO2 forms a miscible phase with crude oil, diffuses more deeply into the formation, and reacts fully with the reservoir minerals and fluid during CO2 fracturing. Accordingly, CO2 can improve the permeability of the reservoir and flowability of crude oil significantly. Hence, CO2 fracturing can enhance oil recovery and CO2 sequestration more effectively. Core displacement experiments indicate that oil recovery of CO2 soaking process after CO2 fracturing is 36%, which is 12% and 9% higher than those of CO2 huff and puff and CO2 flooding with 5 pore volume, respectively. Field tests show that average oil production after CO2 fracturing is 1.42 times higher than that after CO2 flooding, which further validates the advantage of CO2 fracturing and demonstrates its huge application potential.

Generation and characterization of a monoclonal antibody against human BCL6 for immunohistochemical diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Human B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) gene, usually coding protein of 706 amino acids, is closely associated with large B cell lymphoma. Researches showed that protein mutation or change of expression levels usually happened in the mounting non-hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Thus BCL6 is considered to be involved in germinal center (GC)-derived lymphoma. RESULTS: The BCL61-350 gene codons were optimized for prokaryotic system. After expression of BCL61-350 in E. coli, the BCL61-350 protein was purified with Ni column. Then the BCL61-350 protein, mixing with QuickAntibody-Mouse5W adjuvant, was injected into Balb/c mice. After immunization and cell fusion, a stable cell line named 1E6A4, which can secrete anti-BCL6 antibody, was obtained. The isotype of 1E6A4 mAb was determined as IgG2a, and the affinity constant reached 5.12×1010 L/mol. Furthermore, the specificity of the mAb was determined with ELISA, western blot and immunohistochemistry. Results indicated that the 1E6A4 mAb was able to detect BCL6 specifically and sensitively. CONCLUSIONS: BCL61-350 antigen has been successfully generated with an effective and feasible method, and a highly specific antibody named 1E6A4 against BCL6 has been screened and characterized in this study, which was valuable in clinical diagnosis.

Preparation of Anti-Human Podoplanin Monoclonal Antibody and its application in Immunohistochemical Diagnosis.

Podoplanin (PDPN), a 38 kDa transmembrane sialoglycoprotein from human, is expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells but not in vascular endothelial cells, and has been considered as a specific marker of lymph. In this study, the gene encoding the extracellular part of PDPN (ePDPN) was synthesized and used to expressed fusion protein ePDPN-His and GST-ePDPN, respectively, in E.coli. The purified GST-ePDPN fusion protein was mixed with QuickAntibody-Mouse5W adjuvant to immune mice, and the antiserum titer was determined by indirect ELISA. A stable cell line named 5B3 generating anti-PDPN monoclonal antibody (mAb) was obtained by hybridoma technology. The isotype of 5B3 cell line was IgG2b, and the chromosome number was 102 ± 4. The 5B3 mAb was purified successfully from ascites fluid through Protein G column, and its affinity constant was 2.94 × 108 L/mol. Besides, excellent specificity of the 5B3 mAb was further demonstrated in ELISA, western blot and immunohistochemistry experiments, suggesting that 5B3 mAb displays similar application value to D2-40, a commercial available antibody. Hence, the current study provides conclusive guidelines for preparation of other mAbs and their applications in immunohistochemistry diagnosis.

MicroRNA hsa-let-7e-5p as a potential prognosis marker for rectal carcinoma with liver metastases.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression that target mRNAs for translational repression or cleavage. The present study was conducted to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in primary tumor tissues of rectal carcinoma (RC) that may be associated with heterochrony hepatic metastasis (HHM). Samples were collected exclusively from patients with RC but not colon cancer (CC); Next-generation high-throughput sequencing technology and bioinformatics tools were used to profile and analyze small RNAs and their corresponding targets in primary tumor tissues with HHM (n=2) or without metastases (non-metastatic, NM; n=2). A total of 24 known miRNAs were identified to be differentially expressed (P<0.01; absolute value of log2-fold change ≥1). Hsa-let-7e-5p exhibited the most significant elevation in tissues with HHM (log2-fold change=2.62). By combining online informatics resources and previous mRNA sequencing data, it was identified that 54 validated target genes of let-7e were downregulated in primary tumor tissues with HHM. A number of these target genes have been demonstrated to be directly involved in tumor metastasis (including MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor, high-mobility group AT-Hook 2, peptidase inhibitor 3, KIT proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase, Jun proto-oncogene, AP-1 transcription factor subunit and ribonuclease T2), or have physiological associations to immunity (including C-C motif chemokine receptor 4 and cluster of differentiation 40 ligand) and cellular metabolism (including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, coactivator 1 α). Next, 14 target genes were selected for reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis in non-sequenced samples, and the downregulation of 10 target genes in RC samples with HHM was confirmed. In addition, it was demonstrated that hsa-let-7e-5p stimulated colorectal cancer cell migration in vitro. The miRNA hsa-let-7e-5p may serve as a potential biomarker for rectal carcinoma-associated HHM, facilitating the identification of patients with RC who are at risk of developing HHM.

Effective preparation of a monoclonal antibody against human chromogranin A for immunohistochemical diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Human chromogranin A (CgA) is a ~ 49 kDa secreted protein mainly from neuroendocrine cells and endocrine cells. The CgA values in the diagnosis of tumor, and in the potential role in prognostic and predictive tumor as a biomarker. RESULTS: The synthesized gene of CgA coding area was cloned and expressed as fusion protein CgA-His in procaryotic system. Then the purified CgA-His protein was mixed with QuickAntibody-Mouse5W adjuvant, and injected into mice. The CgA-His protein was also used as coating antigen to determine the antiserum titer. By screening, a stable cell line named 4E5, which can generate anti-CgA monoclonal antibody (mAb), was obtained. The isotype of 4E5 mAb was IgG2b, and the chromosome number was 102 ± 4. Anti-CgA mAb was purified from ascites fluid, and the affinity constant reached 9.23 × 109 L/mol. Furthermore, the specificity of the mAb was determined with ELISA, western blot and immunohistochemistry. Results indicated that the mAb 4E5 was able to detect chromogranin A specifically and sensitively. CONCLUSIONS: A sensitive and reliable method was successfully developed for rapid production of anti-CgA mAb for immunohistochemistry diagnosis in this study, and the current study also provides conclusive guidelines for preparation of mAbs and implements in immunohistochemistry diagnosis.

A chaotic map-based authentication scheme for telecare medicine information systems.

With the development of Internet, patients could enjoy health-care delivery services through telecare medicine information systems (TMIS) in their home. To control the access to remote medical servers' resources, many authentication schemes using smart cards have been proposed. However, the performance of these schemes is not satisfactory since modular exponential operations are used in these schemes. In the paper, we propose a chaotic map-based authentication scheme for telecare medicine information systems. The security and performance analysis shows our scheme is more suitable for TMIS.

[Prevalence and correlates of herpes simplex virus infections among AIDS patients in a county of Shanxi province, China].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and its correlates among HIV/AIDS patients in a county of Shanxi. METHODS: All HIV-infected patients in a county in Shanxi province who were receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) were included in this study. Participants were interviewed using standard questionnaires. Serum samples were tested to determine HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections. RESULTS: A total of 195 AIDS patients were recruited and 195 blood samples were collected. Among 195 AIDS patients, 189 (96.9%) were farmers; 116 (59.5%) were men while 79 were women; 146 (74.9%) were between 20 - 50 years old; 180 (92.3%) were married. The major routes of HIV transmission were blood/plasma donation or transfusion (176 patients, 90.3%). CD(4)(+) T cell counts were between (1 - 1531) × 10(6) cells/L ((323.6 ± 14.8) × 10(6) cells/L), with 44 (26.5%) patients' CD(4)(+) T cell counts less than 200 × 10(6) cells/L. Of which, 154 patients (79.0%) had sexual partners. 86.8% (118 patients) consistently used condoms during the past 6 months, while for the last sexual act, 91.8% (123 patients) used condoms. For anti-HSV-1 status, there were about 164 patients (84.1%) were positive, and 26 (13.3%) were positive for anti-HSV-2. While, 14 (7.2%) were positive for both anti-HSV-1 and anti-HSV-2. Logistic regression analysis indicated that marital status were correlated with HSV-2 infection (OR = 7.41; 95%CI: 2.42 - 22.73; P < 0.01). No socio-demographic and sexual characteristics were identified to be correlated with HSV-1 infection. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of AIDS patients in a rural county of Shanxi province of China were co-infected with HSV-1 and/or HSV-2. Marital status was correlated with HSV-2 infection.

[Survival and immune response of rural HIV/AIDS patients after free antiretroviral therapy].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the adherence, immunologic and survival responses in HIV-infected patients receiving free antiretroviral therapy (ART). METHODS: All adult HIV-infected patients in Wenxi county who started antiretroviral treatment (ART) between 01 July 2001 and 31 December 2006 and aged above 18 years were included in this study. Epidemiological survey and laboratory tests were performed before, 0.5 months after, 1 months after, 2 months after and every 3 months after initiation of ART to recognize the adherence, efficacy (CD(4)(+) T cell counts) and survival to the regimens. RESULTS: The median follow-up time period was 16.5 months (Interquartile: 15.5 - 20.8 months). At baseline, the median of CD(4)(+) T cell counts were 154 cells/microl (Interquartile: 81 - 212 cells/microl). Treatment was effective in most of the patients, the CD(4)(+) T cell count of patients increased after the initiation of ART. The maximum increase was recorded at month 3, from the median of 154 cells/microl to 220 cells/microl (P < 0.001), and thereafter the count remained stable. When comparing with patients with baseline CD(4)(+) T cell count > or = 100 cells/microl, those with baseline CD(4)(+) T cell count < 100 cells/microl showed a higher mean increase in the first three months of treatment. The cumulative probability rates of remaining alive were 0.94, 0.88 and 0.87 at 3, 12, 24 months, respectively. In multivariate Cox's proportional hazard models, after adjustment for the type ofinitial regimens (NVP vs. EFV/IDV), CD(+)(4) T cell count of less than 50 cells/microl (vs. 50 cells/microl or more) was strongly associated with death hazard ratio 0.21 (95%CI: 0.06 - 0.68). CONCLUSION: Our data showed that ART was effective for improving immunologic response of adult patients with HIV/AIDS. CD(4)(+) T cell count at initiation was associated with survival time in patients starting ART, suggesting that monitoring of CD(4)(+) T count should be strengthened to early initiate antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected patients.

[The value of using an AMACR/34betaE12/p63 cocktail double staining for diagnosis of prostate carcinoma and precarcinomatous lesions].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of using an AMACR/34betaE12/p63 cocktail and double-staining for the diagnosis of small focal protatic carcinoma and precarcinomatous lesions. METHODS: A total of 130 consecutive cases were examined over a 3-month period, including 105 prostate needle biopsy samples, 6 radical prostatectomy specimens and 19 benign prostatic hyperplasia specimens which were excised transurethra or above pubis. 262 paraffin blocks of all the 1030 ones were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and by immunostains for AMACR, 34betaE12, p63, and an antibody cocktail comprising all the three with double-chromogen reaction. The diagnoses were then made according to the immunostaining, HE staining and clinical information. RESULTS: In the sections stained by the 3-antibody cocktail, blue-black cytoplasmic staining was observed in the epithelial cells of prostatic carcinoma and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) the basal cells of benign glands were stained red. There were no red basal cells around the blue-black glandular epithelium of carcinoma, but discontinuous or consecutive red basal cells were present around the blue-black glandular epithelium of HGPIN. Prostatic carcinoma was found in 214 paraffin blocks (82%), including 31 small focal carcinoma. HGPIN were observed in 64 paraffin blocks (24%), including focal HGPIN and small gland alveolus HGPIN. AAH was found in one block. No benign glands were simultaneously positive for AMACR and negative for basal cell markers. CONCLUSION: Inmmunohistochemistry studies using a 3-antibody cocktail and double staining can improve the detection rate of small focal prostatic carcinoma and HGPIN.