A novel easy-to-desorb eluant contributes to address environmental contamination of African swine fever virus.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly pathogenic and rapidly disseminated virus with strong viability in the environment, suggesting the importance of environmental detection for prevention and control in all the pig industry. However, the detection results of environmental swabs cannot always reflect the accurate status of viral pollution, leading to persistent ASFV environmental contamination. In this study, we developed an ASFV eluant with higher environmental ASFV detection efficiency relative to 0.85% saline solution, which obtains the patent certificate issued by the China Intellectual Property Office (patent number:202010976050.9). qPCR analysis showed that in the environmental swab samples, the number of viral copies was 100 times higher for the ASFV eluant treatment than the traditional eluant treatment (0.85% saline solution). And besides, the high sensitivity of the ASFV eluant had be verified in a slaughterhouse environmental sampling detection. In soil samples, the ASFV eluent showed the same extraction effect as the TIANamp Soil DNA Kit, in contrast to no extraction effect for 0.85% saline solution. Simultaneously, this eluent could protect ASFV from degradation and allow the transportation of samples at ambient temperature without refrigeration. In clinical practice, we monitored the environmental contamination condition of the ASFV in a large-scale pig farm. The results shown that the ASFV load decreased after every disinfection in environment. This study provides an effective solution for surveilling the potential threat of ASFV in environment.

Latency-aware Unified Dynamic Networks for Efficient Image Recognition.

Dynamic computation has emerged as a promising strategy to improve the inference efficiency of deep networks. It allows selective activation of various computing units, such as layers or convolution channels, or adaptive allocation of computation to highly informative spatial regions in image features, thus significantly reducing unnecessary computations conditioned on each input sample. However, the practical efficiency of dynamic models does not always correspond to theoretical outcomes. This discrepancy stems from three key challenges: 1) The absence of a unified formulation for various dynamic inference paradigms, owing to the fragmented research landscape; 2) The undue emphasis on algorithm design while neglecting scheduling strategies, which are critical for optimizing computational performance and resource utilization in CUDA-enabled GPU settings; and 3) The cumbersome process of evaluating practical latency, as most existing libraries are tailored for static operators. To address these issues, we introduce Latency-Aware Unified Dynamic Networks (LAUDNet), a comprehensive framework that amalgamates three cornerstone dynamic paradigms-spatially-adaptive computation, dynamic layer skipping, and dynamic channel skipping-under a unified formulation. To reconcile theoretical and practical efficiency, LAUDNet integrates algorithmic design with scheduling optimization, assisted by a latency predictor that accurately and efficiently gauges the inference latency of dynamic operators. This latency predictor harmonizes considerations of algorithms, scheduling strategies, and hardware attributes. We empirically validate various dynamic paradigms within the LAUDNet framework across a range of vision tasks, including image classification, object detection, and instance segmentation. Our experiments confirm that LAUDNet effectively narrows the gap between theoretical and real-world efficiency. For example, LAUDNet can reduce the practical latency of its static counterpart, ResNet-101, by over 50% on hardware platforms such as V100, RTX3090, and TX2 GPUs. Furthermore, LAUDNet surpasses competing methods in the trade-off between accuracy and efficiency. Code is available at: https://www.github.com/LeapLabTHU/LAUDNet.

Safe Disposal of Accident Wastewater in Chemical Industrial Parks Using Non-Thermal Plasma with ZnO-Fe3O4 Composites.

Chemical wastewater has a high concentration of toxic and hazardous antibiotic pollutants, which not only devastates the ecological environment and disrupts the ecological balance, but also endangers human health. This research proposed a non-thermal plasma (NTP) combined with a ZnO-Fe3O4 nano-catalyst system to achieve the efficient degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in chemical wastewater. Firstly, ZnO-Fe3O4 composite materials were prepared using hydrothermal method and characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), etc. With the sole NTP, NTP/ZnO, and NTP/ZnO-Fe3O4 systems, the removal efficiency of CIP can reach 80.1%, 88.2%, and 99.6%, respectively. The optimal doping amount of Fe3O4 is 14%. Secondly, the capture agent experiment verified that ·OH, ·O2-, and 1O2 all have a certain effect on CIP degradation. Then, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to detect the intermediate and speculate its degradation pathway, which mainly included hydroxyl addition, hydroxyl substitution, and piperazine ring destruction. After treatment with the NTP/ZnO-Fe3O4 system, the overall toxicity of the product was reduced. Finally, a cyclic experiment was conducted, and it was found that the prepared ZnO-Fe3O4 catalyst has good reusability. The NTP/ZnO-Fe3O4 was also applied in practical pharmaceutical wastewater treatment and has practical applicability.

Biomechanical behavior of the three-dimensionally printed surgical plates for mandibular defect reconstruction: a finite element analysis.

The aim of the study was to investigate the biomechanical behavior of three-dimensionally (3D)-printed surgical plates used for mandibular defect reconstruction, compare them with conventional surgical plates, and provide experimental evidence for their clinical application. Three-dimensional models were created for the normal mandible and for mandibular body defects reconstructed using free fibula and deep circumflex iliac artery flaps. Three-dimensional finite element models of reconstructed mandibles fixed using 3D-printed and conventional surgical plates were established. Vertical occlusal forces were applied to the remaining teeth and the displacement and Von Mises stress distributions were studied using finite element analysis. The normal and reconstructed mandibles had similar biomechanical behaviors. The displacement distributions for the surgical plates were similar, and the maximum total deformation occurred at the screw hole of the anterior segment of the surgical plates. However, there were differences in the Von Mises stress distributions for the surgical plates. In reconstructed mandibles fixed using 3D-printed surgical plates, the maximum equivalent Von Mises stress occurred at the screw hole of the posterior segment, while in those fixed using conventional surgical plates, the maximum equivalent Von Mises stress was at the screw hole of the anterior segment. In the mandible models reconstructed with the same free flap but fixed with different surgical plates, the plates had similar biomechanical behaviors. The biomechanical behavior of 3D-printed surgical plates was similar to conventional surgical plates, suggesting that 3D-printed surgical plates used to reconstruct mandibular body defects with vascularized autogenous bone grafts could lead to secure and stable fixation.

Epidemiological Investigation, Risk Factors, Spatial-Temporal Cluster, and Epidemic Trend Analysis of Pseudorabies Virus Seroprevalence in China (2017 to 2021).

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a double-stranded linear DNA virus capable of infecting various animals, including humans. We collected blood samples from 14 provinces in China between December 2017 and May 2021 to estimate PRV seroprevalence. The PRV gE antibody was detected using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Logistic regression analysis identified potential risk factors associated with PRV gE serological status at the farm level. Spatial-temporal clusters of high PRV gE seroprevalence were explored using SaTScan 9.6 software. Time-series data of PRV gE seroprevalence were modeled using the autoregressive moving average (ARMA) method. A Monte Carlo sampling simulation based on the established model was performed to analyze epidemic trends of PRV gE seroprevalence using @RISK software (version 7.0). A total of 40,024 samples were collected from 545 pig farms across China. The PRV gE antibody positivity rates were 25.04% (95% confidence interval [CI], 24.61% to 25.46%) at the animal level and 55.96% (95% CI, 51.68% to 60.18%) at the pig farm level. Variables such as farm geographical division, farm topography, African swine fever (ASF) outbreak, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) control in pig farms were identified as risk factors for farm-level PRV infection. Five significant high-PRV gE seroprevalence clusters were detected in China for the first time, with a time range of 1 December 2017 to 31 July 2019. The monthly average change value of PRV gE seroprevalence was -0.826%. The probability of a monthly PRV gE seroprevalence decrease was 0.868, while an increase was 0.132. IMPORTANCE PRV is a critical pathogen threatening the global swine industry. Our research fills knowledge gaps regarding PRV prevalence, infection risk factors, spatial-temporal clustering of high PRV gE seroprevalence, and the epidemic trend of PRV gE seroprevalence in China in recent years. These findings are valuable for the clinical prevention and control of PRV infection and suggest that PRV infection is likely to be successfully controlled in China.

Risk Factors and Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Seroprevalence in China Before and After African Swine Fever Outbreak.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is an infectious viral disease that causes great harm to the pig industry. PRRS virus (PRRSV), the causative agent of PRRS, is characterized by severe reproductive failure and respiratory confusion. This study performed a cross-sectional investigation of PRRSV seroprevalence and collected 14,134 serum samples in pig farms without PRRSV vaccination from 12 provinces and two cities in China from 2017 to 2021 to detect PRRSV antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The apparent and true PRRSV antibody prevalence was estimated and compared based on the Clopper-Pearson method and Pearson chi-square test, respectively. Risk factors associated with the PRRSV serological status of pig farms were analyzed through univariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis. An automatic autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model procedure was used for time-series analysis for PRRSV seroprevalence. Spatial clusters of high PRRSV seroprevalence were detected by SaTScan software. The total true PRRSV seroprevalence of the animal level was 62.56% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 61.74-63.37%). Additionally, 286 out of 316 pig farms were positive for PRRSV antibodies at the herd level. Pig farms without pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection were 5.413 (95% CI: 1.977-17.435) times more likely to be PRRSV antibody positive than those with PRV. Identically, the possibility of pig farms being PRRSV antibody positive before an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak was 3.104 (95% CI: 1.122-10.326) times more than after ASF. The odd ratio values of medium and large pig farms with PRRSV infection are 3.076 (95% CI: 1.005-9.498) and 6.098 (95% CI: 1.814-21.290). A fluctuant decline pattern for PRRSV prevalence was observed in the temporal analysis. Three significant clusters of high PRRSV seroprevalence were first detected in China, covering a time frame from January 2018 to September 2018, which reveals high PRRSV prevalence before the outbreak of ASF. These findings show the epidemic situation and spatial-temporal distribution of PRRSV infection in China in recent years and could help develop reasonable measures to prevent PRRSV infection.

Correction to "Research on a Lost Circulation Zone Location Method Based on Transient Pressure Wave".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c04359.].

Seroprevalence Investigation of Classic Swine Fever Virus Before, During, and After African Swine Fever Virus Outbreak in Some Provinces of China from 2017 to 2021.

Classic swine fever is a severe infectious and fatal disease in pigs caused by the classic swine fever virus (CSFV). Surveillance and investigation for CSFV seroprevalence contribute to knowing the immune efficiency of CSFV vaccines and reflect health status of swine herd, especially since the African swine fever virus (ASFV) outbreak in China in 2018. A total of 40,489 pig serum samples with related descriptive variables were obtained from 12 provinces and 2 cities of China from December 2017 to May 2021, covering before, during, and after three periods of ASFV outbreak. Pearson chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to identify impact factors related to variations in CSFV seroprevalence. Total CSFV seroprevalence was 60.40% (95% confidence interval: 59.92-60.88). Seroprevalence and antibody blocking rate mean of CSFV before outbreak of ASFV in China are higher and change gently compared with that after outbreak of ASFV. Serum collected from "summer and autumn," "north, southwest and northwest of China," "pig farm located in hill or mountain," " period before outbreak of ASFV," "PRRSV negative farm," and "replacement gilts, multiparous sows and boars" show high seroprevalence of CSFV. These results show trends in prevalence of CSFV antibody in recent years in China, especially when ASFV entered China. Identified impact factors provide references for improving immune efficiency of CSFV vaccine and benefit for prevention of CSFV.

Research on an Lost Circulation Zone Location Method Based on Transient Pressure Wave.

Accurately identifying the location of loss zone after lost circulation is the key to subsequent plugging operation. In view of the difficulty of identifying the location of lost circulation zone, a method of identifying the location of loss zone by transient pressure wave signal is proposed. When lost circulation occurs, transient back pressure is applied to the wellhead at the surface choke manifold to produce transient pressure wave. The transient pressure wave propagates downward from the wellhead. The propagation process of transient pressure wave in an annulus system is analyzed, and the position of loss zone is determined according to the change of pressure signal at the choke manifold. Based on the simulation of this method, relevant experiments are also carried out. Aiming at the problem of excessive noise of the pressure wave signal collected in the experiment, variational modal decomposition (VMD) is used to decompose the signal into multiple band-limited intrinsic mode function (BIMF) components. Combined with a Hilbert spectrum, the time-frequency characteristics and energy distribution of each BIMF component are analyzed in turn. The main frequency component is selected to reconstruct the signal to achieve the denoising effect. On this basis, a wavelet modulus maxima method is used to decompose the denoised signal, extract the characteristic points of the signal, identify the loss circulation information in the signal, and then identify the thief zone position by a time-domain method. Through experimental verification, the existence of loss zone will affect the change trend of pressure wave; a VMD-wavelet modulus maxima algorithm can effectively remove the noise of the pressure wave signal and locate the pressure change point. The experimental recognition error range of this method is 0.10-9.22%, which has certain guiding significance for field application.

Thermal Characteristics of Borehole Stability Drilling in Hot Dry Rock.

Due to high temperature of formation and low temperature of the drilling fluid while drilling in the hot dry rock, thermal stress around the borehole is easy to appear. The thermal stress causes cracks in the borehole wall. In severe cases, the cracks caused borehole instability and lost-circulation. Based on the theory of transient heat transfer in formation, the method of Bessel infinite series is adopted to analyze the distribution of temperature around the borehole. The results showed that the specific heat of rock and the coefficient of heat conduction changing with temperature fiercely influences the transient heat conduction in the rock and had no significant effect on the heat conduction velocity in the rock. The crack propagation is related to the stress intensity factor at the crack tip and the crack opening width. Compared with the thermal conductivity coefficient and elastic modulus, the linear expansion coefficient has a stronger effect on the peak value of thermal stress. The deeper the crack around the borehole, the weaker the influence of the drilling fluid temperature on it. The temperature gradient of the borehole wall changes gently in space. The stress intensity factor of the crack tip around the borehole is far higher than the fracture toughness of the rock, and the crack opening width near the crack tip is more than 1 mm. Therefore, the rock around the borehole while drilling in the hot dry rock would almost inevitably crack and expand, influenced by the thermal stress.

Evaluation of immunoprotective effects of recombinant protein and DNA vaccine based on Eimeria tenella surface antigen 16 and 22 in vivo.

Coccidiosis triggered by Eimeria tenella is accompanied by haemorrhagic caecum and high morbidity. Vaccines are preferable choices to replace chemical drugs against coccidiosis. Surface antigens of apicomplexan parasites can adhere to host cells during the infection process. Therefore, truncated fragments coding E. tenella surface antigen 16 (EtSAG16) and 22 (EtSAG22) were cloned into pET-28a prokaryotic vector to express recombinant protein 16 (rEtSAG16) and 22 (rEtSAG22), respectively. Likewise, pEGFP-N1-EtSAG16 and pEGFP-N1-EtSAG22 plasmids were constructed using pEGFP-N1 eukaryotic vector. Further, pEGFP-N1-EtSAG4-16-22 multiple gene plasmid carrying EtSAG4, 16 and 22 were designed as cocktail vaccines to study integral immunoprotective effects. Western blot and RT-PCR (reverse transcription) assay were performed to verify expressions of EtSAG16 and 22 genes. Immunoprotective effects of recombinant protein or DNA vaccine were evaluated using different doses (50 or 100 µg) in vivo. All chickens in the vaccination group showed higher cytokine concentration (IFN-γ and IL-17), raised IgY antibody level, increased weight gain, lower caecum lesion score and reduced oocyst shedding compared with infection control groups (p < 0.05). The highest anticoccidial index (ACI) value 173.11 was from the pEGFP-N1-EtSAG4-16-22 plasmid (50 µg) group. In conclusion, EtSAG16 and 22 might be alternative candidate genes for generating vaccines against E. tenella infection.

Comparative research on morphology and mechanical property of integument of Rana dybowskii, Xenopus laevis and Ambystoma mexicanum.

Amphibians' integument is a multifunctional organ offering protection from the exterior surroundings and facilitating the physiological change of gas, water and salts with the environment, which is a natural biomaterial with multifunctional features. Interspecies comparison of biomechanical characters and microstructure possibly related to them were performed on the integument of three species of amphibians, two anurans(Rana dybowskii and Xenopus laevis) and one urodeles(Ambystoma mexicanum) using tensile testing and morphological characterization. It was found that the integument of Rana dybowskii and Xenopus laevis was covered by polygonal epidermal cells, while the trunk surface of Ambystoma mexicanum presented irregular microstructure with the lack of keratinization. The integument of Rana dybowskii and Xenopus laevis exhibited good performance on stiffness and strength, which showed quite high mean elastic modulus, 931MPa and 1048MPa,respectively.