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Accessory proteins play important roles in the interaction between coronaviruses and their hosts. Accordingly, a comprehensive study of the compositional diversity and evolutionary patterns of accessory proteins is critical to understanding the host adaptation and epidemic variation of coronaviruses. Here, we developed a standardized genome annotation tool for coronavirus (CoroAnnoter) by combining open reading frame prediction, transcription regulatory sequence recognition and homologous alignment. Using CoroAnnoter, we annotated 39 representative coronavirus strains to form a compositional profile for all of the accessary proteins. Large variations were observed in the number of accessory proteins of 1–10 for different coronaviruses, with SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV having the most (9 and 10, respectively). The variation between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 accessory proteins could be traced back to related coronaviruses in other hosts. The genomic distribution of accessory proteins had significant intra-genus conservation and inter-genus diversity and could be grouped into 1, 4, 2 and 1 types for alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-coronaviruses, respectively. Evolutionary analysis suggested that accessory proteins are more conservative locating before the N-terminal of proteins E and M (E-M), while they are more diverse after these proteins. Furthermore, comparison of virus-host interaction networks of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV accessory proteins showed that they share multiple antiviral signaling pathways, those involved in the apoptotic process, viral life cycle and response to oxidative stress. In summary, our study provides a tool for coronavirus genome annotation and builds a comprehensive profile for coronavirus accessory proteins covering their composition, classification, evolutionary pattern and host interaction.

West Nile virus (WNV) is an important neurotropic flavivirus that is widely distributed globally. WNV strain XJ11129 was first isolated in Xinjiang, China, and its genetic and biological characteristics remain largely unknown. In this study, phylogenetic and sequence analyses revealed that XJ11129 belongs to lineage 1a and shares high genetic identity with the highly pathogenic strain NY99. Then, the full-length genomic cDNA of XJ11129 was amplified and assembled using a modified Gibson assembly (GA) method. The virus (named rXJ11129) was successfully rescued in days following this method. Compared with other wild-type WNV isolates, rXJ11129 exhibited virulence indistinguishable from that of the NY99 strain in vivo. In summary, the genomic and virulence phenotypes of rXJ11129 were characterized in vivo and in vitro, and these data will improve the understanding of the spread and pathogenesis of this reemerging virus. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12250-020-00246-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

We established the passive-visible spectroscopy diagnostics (P-VSD) and active-VSD (A-VSD) spectral splitting models for the HL-2A tokamak. Spectral splitting due to the influence of electromagnetic fields on the spectra in VSD is studied. Zeeman splitting induced by the magnetic field ( B ) is used to distinguish reflected light overlap in the divertor for P-VSD. Stark splitting caused by the Lorentz electric field ( E Lorentz) from the neutral beam injection particle’s interaction with the magnetic field ( V beam× B ) is used to measure the safety factor q profile for A-VSD. We give a comparison and error analysis by fitting the experimental spectra with the simulation results. The distinguishing of edge (scrape-off layer and divertor) hydrogen/deuterium spectral lines and the q profile derived from the spectra provides a reference for HL-2M VSD.

Aflatoxins are naturally occurring high-toxic secondary metabolites, which cause worldwide environmental contaminations and wastes of food and feed resources and severely threaten human health. Thus, the highly efficient methods and technologies for detoxification of aflatoxins are urgently needed in a long term. In this work, we report the construction of recombinant

Recently, patients co-infected by two SARS-CoV-2 lineages have been sporadically reported. Concerns are raised because previous studies have demonstrated co-infection may contribute to the recombination of RNA viruses and cause severe clinic symptoms. In this study, we have estimated the compositional lineage(s), tendentiousness, and frequency of co-infection events in population from a large-scale genomic analysis for SARS-CoV-2 patients. SARS-CoV-2 lineage(s) infected in each sample have been recognized from the assignment of within-host site variations into lineage-defined feature variations by introducing a hypergeometric distribution method. Of all the 29,993 samples, 53 (~0.18%) co-infection events have been identified. Apart from 52 co-infections with two SARS-CoV-2 lineages, one sample with co-infections of three SARS-CoV-2 lineages was firstly identified. As expected, the co-infection events mainly happened in the regions where have co-existed more than two dominant SARS-CoV-2 lineages. However, co-infection of two sub-lineages in Delta lineage were detected as well. Our results provide a useful reference framework for the high throughput detecting of SARS-CoV-2 co-infection events in the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data. Although low in average rate, the co-infection events showed an increasing tendency with the increased diversity of SARS-CoV-2. And considering the large base of SARS-CoV-2 infections globally, co-infected patients would be a nonnegligible population. Thus, more clinical research is urgently needed on these patients.

In electrochemical devices, such as batteries, traditional electric double layer (EDL) theory holds that cations in the cathode/electrolyte interface will be repelled during charging, leaving a large amount of free solvents. This promotes the continuous anodic decomposition of the electrolyte, leading to a limited operation voltage and cycle life of the devices. In this work, we design a new EDL structure with adaptive and passivating properties. It is enabled by adding functional anionic additives in the electrolyte, which can selectively bind with cations and free solvents, forming unique cation-rich and branch-chain like supramolecular polymer structures with high electrochemical stability in the EDL inner layer. Due to this design, the anodic decomposition of ether-based electrolytes is significantly suppressed in the high voltage cathodes and the battery shows outstanding performances such as super-fast charging/discharging and ultra-low temperature applications, which is extremely hard in conventional electrolyte design principle. This unconventional EDL structure breaks the inherent perception of the classical EDL rearrangement mechanism and greatly improve electrochemical performances of the device.

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) technology has great application prospects for the detection of biological macromolecules, whereas microfluidic technology uses micro-channel networks to manipulate liquids, which can reduce the influence of hydrogen bonds in liquids on THz waves. The combination of these two technologies makes the detection of THz waves in aqueous solutions of biomolecules more accurate and efficient. In this study, microfluidic technology and THz-TDS technology were applied to study the THz transmission characteristics of xanthan gum, providing three feasible methods for the detection of xanthan gum colloids.

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures have opened new avenues for spintronic applications with novel properties. Here, by density functional theory calculations, we investigated the spin-dependent transport in vdW magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) composed of 1

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a rare type of cancer but frequently occurred in children. However, it is still unclear whether circular RNAs (circRNAs) play key roles in NB tumorigenesis or progression. In this study, we identified 39,022 circRNAs across the 39 neuroblastoma and 2 normal cell lines. With the gene and circRNA expression data, we classified the NB cell lines, identified and characterized the functional circRNAs in the 3 NB classes. Specifically, 29 circRNAs were found to be dysregulated in the NB classes. Notably, 7 circRNAs located within MYCN-amplified regions were upregulated in cell lines with the high activities of MYC targets and MYCN amplification, and were highly correlated with expression of their parental gene, NBAS. Subsequently, we constructed ceRNA networks for the functional circRNAs. Specifically, hsa_circ_0005379 was identified as a critical regulator in the ceRNA networks because of targeting 13 genes, which formed a complex competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Moreover, hsa_circ_0002343, which was connected with few genes, might regulate the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling via RAC1. Furthermore, 3 genes, including NOTCH2, SERPINH1, and LAMC1, involved in epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) were observed to connect with hsa_circ_0001361, suggesting that this circRNA was closely associated with EMT. Consequently, 7 genes, such as DAD1, PPIA, NOTCH2, PGK1, BUB1, EIF2S1, and TCF7L2, were found to be closely associated with both event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). In conclusion, the present study identified functional circRNAs and predicted their functionality in neuroblastoma cell lines, which not only improved the understanding of circRNAs in neuroblastoma, but also provided the evidences for the related researchers.

Infection with live-attenuated vaccines always inevitably induces side effects that reduce their safety. This study suggests a concept of magnetic virus produced by genetically modifying viral surfaces with Fe3 O4 nanoparticles (NPs) to control their tropisms. An iron-affinity peptide is designed to be displayed on the viral surface protein (VP1) of human enterovirus type 71 (EV71), a typical nonenveloped picornavirus, as the model. The modified EV71 can self-bind with Fe3 O4 NPs under physiological conditions, resulting in novel EV71-Fe3 O4 hybrid materials. This rationally engineered EV71 with Fe3 O4 retains its original biological infectivity, but its tropism can be precisely controlled by magnetism. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that EV71-Fe3 O4 can infect only a desired area within the limit of the applied magnetic field, which effectively reduces its pathological damage. More importantly, this characteristic of EV71 can be inherited due to the gene-induced coassembly of viruses and NPs. This achievement provides a proof of concept in virus vaccine improvement by a combination of gene modification and material incorporation, leading to great potential for biomedical developments.

BackgroundThe 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV or SARS-CoV-2) has spread more rapidly than any other betacoronavirus including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. However, the mechanisms responsible for infection and molecular evolution of this virus remained unclear.MethodsWe collected and analyzed 120 genomic sequences of 2019-nCoV including 11 novel genomes from patients in China. Through comprehensive analysis of the available genome sequences of 2019-nCoV strains, we have tracked multiple inheritable SNPs and determined the evolution of 2019-nCoV relative to other coronaviruses.ResultsSystematic analysis of 120 genomic sequences of 2019-nCoV revealed co-circulation of two genetic subgroups with distinct SNPs markers, which can be used to trace the 2019-nCoV spreading pathways to different regions and countries. Although 2019-nCoV, human and bat SARS-CoV share high homologous in overall genome structures, they evolved into two distinct groups with different receptor entry specificities through potential recombination in the receptor binding regions. In addition, 2019-nCoV has a unique four amino acid insertion between S1 and S2 domains of the spike protein, which created a potential furin or TMPRSS2 cleavage site.ConclusionsOur studies provided comprehensive insights into the evolution and spread of the 2019-nCoV. Our results provided evidence suggesting that 2019-nCoV may increase its infectivity through the receptor binding domain recombination and a cleavage site insertion.One Sentence SummaryNovel 2019-nCoV sequences revealed the evolution and specificity of betacoronavirus with possible mechanisms of enhanced infectivity.

Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) switched by spin-orbit torque (SOT) have attracted substantial interest owing to their advantages of ultrahigh speed and prolonged endurance.Both field-free magnetization switching and high tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) are critical for the practical application of SOT magnetic random access memory (MRAM).In this work, we propose an MTJ structure based on an iridium (Ir) bottom layer. Ir metal is a desirable candidate for field-free SOT switching owing to its strong intrinsic spin Hall conductivity (SHC), which can be enhanced via doping. Herein, we study TMR in Ir-based MTJs with symmetric and asymmetric structures.Ir-based MTJs exhibit large TMR, which can be further enhanced by heavy metal symmetry owing to the resonant tunneling effect. Our comprehensive investigations illustrate that Ir-based MTJs are promising candidates for realizing SOT switching and high TMR.

The hydraulic fracture aperture packed by proppants determines the fracture conductivity and is pivotal to oil and gas production. After hydraulic fracturing, the fracture width decreases owing to proppant embedment, deformation, and crushing. However, the analysis of fracture width reduction based on the mechanical properties of the proppant pack is limited. In this study, an experiment is designed to obtain the apparent Young's modulus, which represents the rigidity of the entire pack, and steel sheets are used to replace rock samples to eliminate heterogeneity and weaken the effect of proppant embedment. Subsequently, the effects of proppant type, concentration, and size on the apparent Young's modulus are discussed. Finally, the controlling factors and mechanisms of fracture width reduction are determined. The results indicate that the fracture width decreases linearly with increasing closure pressure for the ceramsite pack, and that the apparent Young's modulus is associated with the fracture aperture variation, which is governed by proppant embedment and deformation. The apparent Young's modulus increases as the proppant concentration increases or the proppant size decreases, whereas the proppant size imposes a more prominent effect. However, the mixed-size ceramsite pack shows only slight improvements in terms of propping ability. This study provides new insights into factors governing proppant pack deformation.

Although the circulation of avian influenza viruses in humans is limited, they can be transmitted from Aves (birds) to humans, representing a great challenge. Herein, we suggest that influenza viruses from Aves might exist in a mineralized state owing to the high calcium concentrations in the avian intestine. Using two typical influenza viruses as examples, we demonstrate that these viruses can self-mineralize in simulated avian intestinal fluid, resulting in egg-like virus-mineral structured composites. The mineralized viruses are more robust, with enhanced infectivity and thermostability. More importantly, the mineral exterior of mineralized viruses can alter their cell internalization, expanding the possible tropisms. The discovery of a mineralized state of influenza viruses highlights the integration of nanomaterials and viruses in the environment, which provides a new understanding of avian influenza infection and its control.

Purpose: The local specific absorption rate (SAR) of tissues is a key consideration in high-field MRI of knee joint. To automatically and rapidly construct individual’s knee model for SAR simulation and estimation, a segmentation method for MR images using U-Net network and tissue simplification is proposed in this paper. Materials and methods: Based on a data set of low-field MR Tl-weighted images in the axial plane, the knee tissues were simplified and classified as muscle, fat, and bone for labeling and segmentation. Single U-net was adopted to segmented images, the number of convolutional layers was 13, the convolution kernel size was 7x7, and the mini batch was 16. The data set consisted of 30 volunteers’ knee joint images (in the axial plane): 14, 4, and 12 for the training, validation, and test set respectively. To overcome the limitation of imaging slice number and make the SAR simulation result more accurate, the constructed knee model was extended in the axial direction using slice extrapolating. Based on the test set, electromagnetic simulation in a 3T coil was carried out and local SAR was evaluated using the models constructed with the proposed method and manual delineation. Result and discussions: The two constructed models had similar SARlOg distribution, the locations of hot spots were basically unchanged, and the mean and standard deviation of the errors between their maximum SARlOg values were relatively small. Conclusions: The method by using single U-Net networks, tissue simplification and model extending shows promising potential for constructing knee model on which approximate local SAR could be estimated.

Objective: To automatically and precisely segment knee tissues for aiding diagnosis or constructing model, a segmentation method using a convolutional neural network which was based on the data set of T1- and T2-weighted MR (magnetic resonance) images was proposed in this paper. Materials and methods: The data set consisted of training set, validation set, and test set, and each of them had image sets of 14, 4, and 12 volunteers, respectively. Each knee image set integrated T1- and T2- weighted MR images in the sagittal plane from a low-field scanner. A fully convolutional network, U-Net, was used to segmented knee tissues, which was composed of cartilage, meniscus, effusion, bone, muscle, and fat. For U-net, convolution layer number was 13, kernel size was 7x7, and cross entropy function was used as the loss function. To eliminate isolated pixels, output images were processed using morphological filtering. This method was compared with those methods that only used T1- or T2-weighted images by several quantitative measures. The manual delineation results were used as the ground truth. Results: Good segmentation performance was demonstrated on the test set. The quantitative measures of most tissues of the proposed method were found to be superior to those of other methods mentioned above. Conclusions: The proposed method adopted an advanced neural network and implemented a comprehensive use of information contained in T1- and T2-weighted images. Therefore, it exhibited promising potential for automatic and precise segmentation of knee tissues.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application value of anteromedial thigh flap(AMT) as alternative flap in repairing maxillofacial soft tissue defects. METHOD: Sixty patients were scheduled to underwent anterolateral thigh flap(ALT) reconstruction. Preoperative CT angiography were conducted. Imaging workstations were used to locate perforator vessels in the anterolateral and anteromedial areas respectively. Four patients had no suitable perforator during the preparation of AMT flaps. In the same operation area, ALT flaps were prepared to reconstruct the defect according to the location of the perforator vessels in the anteromedial areas. RESULT: All four AMT flaps survived uneventfully. Flap sizes ranged from 9 cm×6 cm to 7 cm×4 cm. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 12 months, the functions of recipient and donor sites recovered well. CONCLUSION: Preoperative CT angiography can improve the accuracy of the preparation of skin flap effectively. When no sizable perforator is available during harvest of the ALT flap, successful reconstruction can be achieved using the ipsilateral AMT flap.

Multi-walled carbon nanotube arrays (MWCNTAs) were grown by thermal chemical vapor deposition (TCVD) in a horizontal furnace reactor. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results show that MWCNTAs grown on the bottom and the central of the quartz tube are different in one experiment. Moreover, the MWCNTAs grown on the central position are more aligned and longer than those on the bottom. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was employed to investigate the gas flow field impact on the MWCNTAs growth. The results show that gas circulations appear after carrier gas and carbon source are injected into the quartz tube. Because of the existence of gas circulations, the gas flow field at the central of the quartz tube is more stable, which is conducive to the growth of MWCNTAs. The CFD simulation results match well with the experimental data.

Coiled tubes have been widely used in gas fields with low permeability because of their small flowing section area and low critical gas rate of liquid loading. An accurate prediction of the critical gas rate in coiled tubes is the basis to optimize the production rate of a gas well. In the current study, an experiment was performed using air and water in pipes with inner diameters of 30 mm and 40 mm at an inclination angle of 15–76° from the horizontal. The pressure gradient at a gas rate of 10–160 m 3 /d and a liquid rate of 1–10 m 3 /d was measured. Meanwhile, 72 date points of the critical gas velocity of liquid loading were obtained based on observation and pressure gradient fluctuation characteristics. The effects of the inclination angle, pipe inner diameter and liquid velocity on the critical gas velocity were studied. The correlation between the pressure gradient at the liquid-loading condition and the critical gas velocity was also analysed. The Film model (Xiao, 2010) and the Belfroid model were evaluated against these data points. Two correction items were added to the Belfroid model to consider the effect of the pipe inner diameter and liquid velocity based on the experimental data. The performance of the modified model was significantly improved with an average error of 6.58% and an average absolute error of 11.63%.

The leaf area index (LAI) is an important vegetation biophysical parameter, which plays a critical role in gas-vegetation exchange processes. Several studies have recently been conducted to estimate vegetation LAI using airborne discrete-return Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. However, few studies have been carried out to estimate the LAI of low-statue vegetation, such as the maize. The objective of this research is to explore the potential of estimating LAI for maize using airborne discrete-return LiDAR data. The LAIs of maize were estimated by a method based on the Beer–Lambert law and a method based on the allometric relationship, respectively. In addition, a new height threshold method for separating ground returns from canopy returns was proposed to better estimate the LAI of maize. Moreover, the two LAI estimation methods were also evaluated using the leave-one-out cross-validation method. Results indicate that the new height threshold method performs better than the traditional height threshold method in separating grounds returns from LiDAR returns. The coefficient of variation of detrended return heights within a field was a good parameter to estimate the LAI of maize. In addition, results also indicate that the method based on the Beer–Lambert law ( R 2 = 0.849, RMSE = 0.256) was more accurate than the method based on the allometric relationship ( R 2 = 0.779, RMSE = 0.315) in low-LAI regions, while only the method based on the allometric relationship is suitable for estimating the LAI of maize in high-LAI regions.

Inspired by biomineralized core–shell structures, we suggest a polyethyleneimine–silica hybrid coated vaccine formulation to improve both thermostability and immunogenicity., Exploring formulations that can improve the thermostability and immunogenicity of vaccines holds great promise in advancing the efficacy of vaccination to combat infectious diseases. Inspired by biomineralized core–shell structures in nature, we suggest a polyethyleneimine (PEI)–silica–PEI hybrid coated vaccine formulation to improve both thermostability and immunogenicity. Through electrostatic adsorption, in situ silicification and capping treatment, a hybrid coating of silica and PEI was assembled around a vaccine to produce vaccine@PEI–silica structures. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the thermostability and immunogenicity of the modified vaccine were significantly improved. The modified vaccine could be used efficiently after long-term exposure at room temperature, which would facilitate vaccine transport and storage without a cold chain. Furthermore, mechanistic studies revealed that the PEI–silica–PEI coating acted as a physiochemical anchor as well as a mobility-restricting hydration layer to stabilize the enclosed vaccine. This achievement demonstrates a biomimetic surface-modification-based strategy to confer desired properties on biological products.

Conventional therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are invalid for intracellular viruses but by using in situ biomineralization treatment, they can be successfully delivered into cells to inhibit intracellular viral replication. This achievement significantly expands the applications of mAbs and provides a new intracellular strategy to control viral infections.

A flexible graphene sensor array has been fabricated by in situ reduction of a graphene oxide (GO) array patterned on a paper chip. To achieve cross-reactive sensing and gas discrimination ability, the surface of each reduced GO (rGO) spot was modified with different types of ionic liquids (ILs), which could significantly alter the semiconductor properties and consequently the gas sensing behaviour of the paper-supported rGO sensor.

Hydroquinone (HQ) is produced commercially from benzene by multi-step Hock-type processes with equivalent amounts of acetone as side-product. We describe an efficient biocatalytic alternative using the cytochrome P450-BM3 monooxygenase. Since the wildtype enzyme does not accept benzene, a semi-rational protein engineering strategy was developed. Highly active mutants were obtained which transform benzene in a one-pot sequence first into phenol and then regioselectively into HQ without any overoxidation. A computational study shows that the chemoselective oxidation of phenol by the P450-BM3 variant A82F/A328F leads to the regioselective formation of an epoxide intermediate at the C3=C4 double bond, which departs from the binding pocket and then undergoes fragmentation in aqueous medium with exclusive formation of HQ. As a practical application, an E. coli designer cell system was constructed, which enables the cascade transformation of benzene into the natural product arbutin, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial activities.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of anterolateral thigh (myocutaneous) flap designed with computed tomography angiography (CTA) to reconstruct oral and maxillofacial soft tissue defects. METHODS: Between January 2011 and December 2015, 23 cases of oral and maxillofacial tumors were treated. There were 14 males and 9 females with the age range from 45 to 72 years (mean, 56.8 years). There were 12 cases of tongue carcinoma, 5 cases of buccal mucosa carcinoma, 4 cases of mouth floor carcinoma, and 2 cases of oropharynx carcinoma; all were squamous cell carcinoma. According to standard TNM staging of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), 8 cases were rated as T(2)N(0)M(0), 3 cases as T(2)N(1)M(0), 1 case as T(2)N(2)M(0), 4 cases as T(3)N(0)M(0), 2 cases as T(3)N(1)M(0), 2 cases as T(3)N(2)M(0), 2 cases as T(4)N(1)M(0), and 1 case as T(4)N(2)M(0). The course of disease was 1-6 months (mean, 2.4 months). CTA was performed before operation to locate the perforator vessel and its surface projection of emerging point and to design anterolateral thigh (myocutaneous) flap by computer. The defects of soft tissue ranged from 6 cm×4 cm to 11 cm×7 cm after resection of tumor. The flap was used to repair defects, including 14 thinned anterolateral thigh flaps, 7 anterolateral thigh myocutaneous flaps, and 2 anterolateral bilobed flaps; and the flap area ranged from 7 cm× 5 cm to 12 cm×8 cm. The donor sites were sutured directly. RESULTS: CTA showed that myocutaneous perforators penetrated at the fascias of the vastus lateralis muscles in 22 cases with a location rate of 95.7% (22/23). Submandibular fistula occurred in 1 case at 5 days after operation and fistula healed after changed dressings. Other wounds at recipient site and donor site healed at primary stage. Anastomose with 2 vein was performed because of poor venous return in 1 case, and the flap survived. The other flaps survived well. All the patients were followed up 6-36 months (mean, 16.4 months). At 3 months after operation, the simplified recovery standard of speech function and swallow function was established according to the University of Washington Quality of Life Scale (UW-QOL). The speech and swallow function recovered satisfactorily in 22 cases, and not very satisfactorily in 1 case of well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the right mouth floor (T(4)N(1)M(0)). No obvious tissue atrophy was observed in 23 cases. No dysfunction was found at the donor site. There was no tumor recurrence in 21 patients; 1 patient accepted the second operation due to lymphonodi metastasis of contralateral neck at 6 months after first operation, who died after 23 months; 1 patient died of distant metastasis at 10 months after first operation. CONCLUSION: The anterolateral thigh (myocutaneous) flap designed with CTA could well recover the morphology and function of the recipient site.

We demonstrate a solid glycine–nitrate self-propagation combustion route to fabricate hierarchically porous metallic monoliths. The solidifying temperature (Ts) and environmental gas pressure (P) were effective controlling factors over chemistry, topography and microstructures. This may offer easy scale-up and controllable synthesis of porous metal monoliths for wide applications like electrode current collectors, catalysts, catalyst substrates and sensors.

Graphene oxide (GO) can efficiently capture viruses, destroy their surface proteins, and extract viral RNA in an aqueous environment by using the superficial bioreduction of GO. It follows from these phenomena that GO is an excellent nanomaterial for the high-throughput detection and disinfection of viruses, demonstrating its great potential for the prevention of environmental infections.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectroscopy has been developed for impurity diagnostics in HL-2A tokamak. The EUV spectrometer consists of an entrance slit, a holographic varied-line-space (VLS) grating, a back-illuminated charge-coupled device (CCD) and a laser light source for optical alignment. Spectral lines in wavelength region of 20-500 A observed from HL-2A plasmas were analyzed to study the impurity behavior. Spectral and temporal resolutions used for the analysis were 0.19 A at CV (2×33.73 A) and 6 ms, respectively. It was found that carbon, oxygen and iron impurities were usually dominant in the HL-2A plasma. They almost disappeared when the siliconization was carried out. Although the EUV spectra were entirely replaced by the silicon emissions just after the siliconization, the emissions were considerably decreased with accumulation of discharges. Aluminum and neon were externally introduced into the HL-2A plasma based on laser blow-off (LBO) and supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI) techniques for a trial of the impurity transport study, respectively. The preliminary result is presented for time behavior of EUV spectral lines.

A normal incidence vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and a grazing incidence extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrometers have been developed for the edge and core impurity measurements in HL-2A tokamak. The VUV and the EUV spectrometers cover wavelength ranges of 300~3200 A and 50~500 A, respectively. A spatial resolution of 2 mm has been achieved for the VUV spectrometer when a space-resolved slit 50 μm in width is used. The space-resolved slit is placed between the entrance slit and the grating of the spectrometer. The spectral resolutions of 0.15 A for the VUV spectrometer in the wavelength coverage of the concave 1200 grooves/mm grating and of 0.22 A for the EUV spectrometer at λ=200 A with a flat-field laminar-type holographic grating are obtained. The sensitivity of the VUV spectrometer was calibrated in situ with the plasma bremsstrahlung radiation. The experimental results from both spectrometers are presented, especially the line intensity radial profiles measured by the VUV spectrometer.

Respiratory Pathogen 13 Detection Kit (13× kit) is able to simultaneously detect 11 respiratory viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) and Chlamydia in a single reaction. Using 572 Nasopharyngeal aspirates collected from hospitalized children, the clinical performance of 13× kit for detecting 11 respiratory viruses was evaluated in comparison with a routinely used 2-tube multiplex reverse transcription PCR assay (2-tube assay) at provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in China. The clinical performance of 13× kit for detecting MP and Chlamydia was evaluated by commercial real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) kits or sequencing. For tested viruses, the assay concordance was 95.98% and the kappa coefficient was 0.89. All the MP and Chlamydia positive samples detected by 13× kit were confirmed as true positives. The utilization of the 13× kit in clinical settings will be helpful for doctors to assess clinical outcome according to virus type or multiple infections, and to limit the use of antibiotics., Highlights • A 13× kit allowed for simultaneous detection of 11 respiratory viruses, MP and Ch. • The detection rate of 13× kit was comparable to that of 2-tube assay (kappa >0.75). • A 13× kit has high sensitivity (97.41%) and specificity (91.89%). • MP and Chlamydia detected by 13× kit were verified by qPCR/sequencing as true positives.

Given the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the risks of spread to other regions, a rapid, sensitive and simple method for the detection of the Ebola virus (EBOV) is of great significance for the prevention and control of Ebola. We developed a simple colorimetric isothermal multiple self-matching initiated amplification (IMSA) for rapid detection of the Zaire subtype of the Ebola virus (EBOV-Z). This method employed six primers that recognized seven sites of the EBOV-Z nucleoprotein gene for amplification of nucleic acids under isothermal conditions at 63 degrees C for 1 h. Amplification products were detected through visual inspection of color change by pre-addition of hydroxyl naphthol blue dye. Relative sensitivity was validated by detection of serial tenfold dilutions of virus-like particles containing the partial EBOV-Z nucleoprotein gene and mock clinical sample. Specificity of IMSA was validated by detection of the plasma of 30 healthy volunteers, the dengue virus, and Japanese encephalitis virus. IMSA had comparable sensitivity to Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and cross-reaction with human plasma or other viruses was not observed. Reverse transcription-isothermal multiple self-matching initiated amplification (RT-IMSA) was also evaluated and compared in parallel with the commercial RT-qPCR kit for detection of EBOV-suspected samples of human blood in Sierra Leone. Sensitivity and specificity of the RT-IMSA was 91.4% and 100%, respectively. These data suggest that RT-IMSA is a valuable tool for the detection of the EBOV with the distinct advantages of simplicity and low cost compared with RT-qPCR.

A cylindrical carbon pellet with a size of 1.2L × 1.2 mm to 1.8L × 1.8 mm and a velocity of 100 m/s to 300 m/s was injected into large helical device (LHD) for an efficient fueling based on its deeper deposition instead of hydrogen gas puffing and ice pellet injection. Electron density increment of Δne = 1014 cm−3 is successfully obtained by single carbon pellet injection without plasma collapse. Typical density and temperature of the ablation plasma of the carbon pellet, e.g., 6.5 × 1016 cm−3 and 2.5 eV for CII, are examined respectively by spectroscopic method. A confinement improvement up to 50% compared to ISS-95 stellarator scaling is clearly observed in a relatively low-density regime of ne = 2×1013 cm−3 to 4×1013 cm−3, and high ion temperature Ti(0) of about 6 keV is also observed with an internal transport barrier at ne = 1.2×1013 cm−3. In particular, the improvement in the ion temperature largely exceeds that observed in hydrogen gas-puffed discharges, which typically ranges below 3 keV.

Magnetic dipole forbidden (M1) transition was studied in large helical device (LHD) and F-, Si- and Ti-like Ml transitions are successfully observed for highly ionized Ar, Kr, Mo and Xe ions. The wavelengths measured in visible range for the heavy elements, which are carefully determined with extremely small uncertainties of 0.02 ~ 0.05 A as a standard wavelength of usual electric dipole (E1) plasma emissions, are compared with theoretical predictions. The result shows a good agreement with recent Hatree-Fock calculation including semi-empirical adjustment. The M1 intensity for the F-like ions is examined by analyzing the intensity ratio of M1 to E1. Density dependence of the ratio is experimentally verified by comparing with collisional- radiative model calculation on level population. The M1/E1 line ratio for the F-like ions is applied to the α (He2+) particle diagnostics in ITER, in which a steady-state operation of burning plasmas based on D-T fusion reaction is expected with α particle heating. Unfortunately, the present estimation suggests a negative result for the α particle measurement because the ratio is largely enhanced by the collisional excitation with bulk ions due to high ion temperature of ITER of 10 keV as assumed and the resultant effect of the collisional excitation with α particles becomes less. Meanwhile, the Ml transition, in particular, Ti-like WLIII (W52+) transition (3627 A) emitted in visible range, is very useful for diagnostics of the impurity behavior and the core plasma parameters in ITER.

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) have long been recognized as the cause of more than one-half of acute viral upper respiratory illnesses, and they are associated with more-serious diseases in children, such as asthma, acute otitis media and pneumonia. A rapid and universal test for of HRV infection is in high demand. In this study, a reverse transcription genome exponential amplification reaction (RT-GEAR) assay targeting the HRV 5' untranslated region (UTR) was developed for pan-HRV detection. The reaction was performed in a single tube in one step at 65 °C for 60 min using a real-time fluorometer (Genie(®)II; Optigene). The RT-GEAR assay showed no cross-reactivity with common human enteroviruses, including HEV71, CVA16, CVA6, CVA10, CVA24, CVB5, Echo30, and PV1-3 or with other common respiratory viruses including FluA H3, FluB, PIV1-4, ADV3, RSVA, RSVB and HMPV. With in vitro-transcribed RNA containing the amplified regions of HRV-A60, HRV-B06 and HRV-C07 as templates, the sensitivity of the RT-GEAR assay was 5, 50 and 5 copies/reaction, respectively. Experiments to evaluate the clinical performance of the RT-GEAR assay were also carried out with a panel of 143 previously verified samples, and the results were compared with those obtained using a published semi-nested PCR assay followed by sequencing. The tested panel comprised 91 HRV-negative samples and 52 HRV-positive samples (18 HRV-A-positive samples, 3 HRV-B-positive samples and 31 HRV-C-positive samples). The sensitivity and specificity of the pan-HRVs RT-GEAR assay was 98.08 % and 100 %, respectively. The kappa correlation between the two methods was 0.985. The RT-GEAR assay based on a portable Genie(®)II fluorometer is a sensitive, specific and rapid assay for the universal detection of HRV infection.

To study the effect of Triton X-100 promoting liposome-mediated bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) gene transfection of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs).BMSCs were separated and cultured from the femur and tibia of healthy Wistar rats (8-week-old, male). The 3rd passage BMSCs identified by detecting the surface antigen were used to transfect. The optimum concentration of Triton X-100 for liposome mediated gene transfection was determined with ELISA meter by the way of MTT. In optimum concentration of Triton X-100, liposome mediated BMP-2 gene was transfected to BMSCs. The experiment was divided into 3 groups according to types of trasfection agents: BMSCs were transfected with Triton X-100+liposome+BMP-2 (experimental group), with liposome+ BMP-2 (conventional transfection group), and untransfected BMSCs served as blank control group. After 48 hours of transfecting, the green fluorescent protein (GFP) in cells was detected through inverted fluorescence microscope. After 72 hours of transfection, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was applied to measure the mRNA expression of BMP-2.0.01% Triton X-100 was determined to be the optimum concentration for not only making the BMSCs maintain vitality, but also achieving a certain effect on BMSCs. After trasfecting for 48 hours, GFP was observed through inverted fluorescence microscope in the experimental group and conventional transfection group, but was not observed in the blank control group. After trasfecting for 72 hours, the relative BMP-2 mRNA expression level was 5.94 ± 0.12 in the experimental group, and was 4.99 ± 0.08 in the conventional transfection group, showing significant difference (t = 360.28, P = 0.02). The transfection efficiency was increased by 19% in the experimental group.0.010% Triton X-100 can promote the liposome mediated BMP-2 gene transfection of rat BMSUs, and can improve the transfection efficiency.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the effect of customized titanium mesh, which was designed by mirror imaging and rapid prototyping technique, with Medpor applied for orbital fracture with enophthalmos. METHODS: Orbital axial, coronal, and sagittal CT scan, and three-dimension CT examination were performed routinely in 18 cases of orbital fracture with enophthalmos preoperatively. Based on the CT data, prosthesis model was designed by reverse engineering and rapid prototyping technique. The customized titanium mesh and Medpor were applied for orbital reconstruction and enophthalmos correction. Orbital reduction and globe projection were evaluated by postoperative CT scan and clinical follow-up visits. RESULTS: CT scans revealed that the customized titanium mesh with Medpor had great accuracy to reconstruct the orbital fracture and correct the enophthalmos in all patients without serious complications. The eye and facial appearance and function recovered significantly. No serious complication occurred in the operation and after operation. CONCLUSION: The customized titanium mesh, based on mirror imaging and rapid prototyping technique, can accurately reconstruct the orbital fractures with enophthalmos. The application of Medpor can effectively correct enophthalmos and eyeball mobility malformation.

Dual-functional biomineral-vaccine core-shell nanohybrids are obtained using recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (rAd5) as templates, which efficiently masks the neutralizing epitope of vaccines and preserve their original immunogenicity. The versatile vaccine hybrid can evade the preexisting anti-Ad5 immunity, leading to boosted multifunctional antigen-specific cytokine-secreting T cell responses and presenting promising applications of vaccine-material hybrid for the rational design of vaccines.

Organic, inorganic, and biological pollutants are typical water contaminants and they seriously affect water quality. In this study, we suggested that a novel multifunctional Ag3PO4 loaded hydroxyapatite (HAP) material can remove the typical pollutants from water. The Ag3PO4/HAP composites were synthesized facilely via in-situ precipitation of Ag3PO4 on the pre-existing HAP nanowires. By optimizing the composition of Ag3PO4 and HAP, the material could achieve an optimal photocatalytic activity to decompose rhodamine B (RhB), methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiations with enhanced pH stability. Besides, the adsorption of Pb(II) on the Ag3PO4/HAP reached a maximum capacity of 250 mg/g and this value was approximately three times as that of pure HAP. Furthermore, the composite material exhibited excellent antibacterial activities towards gram-negative bacterium (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive bacterium (Stphylococcus aureus). The results highlighted the cooperative effect between Ag3PO4 and hydroxyapatite (HAP). The simultaneous removals of dyes, toxic metal ions, and bacteria with a high efficiency followed an easy approach for the purification of contaminated water via the rationally designed material, in which the Ag3PO4/HAP composite might be developed as a general water treatment material with multiple functions.

Heat-lability is a key roadblock that strangles the widespread applications of many biological products. In nature, archaeal and extremophilic organisms utilize amorphous silica as a protective biomineral and exhibit considerable thermal tolerance. Here we present a bioinspired approach to generate thermostable virus by introducing an artificial hydrated silica exterior on individual virion. Similar to thermophiles, silicified viruses can survive longer at high temperature than their wild-type relatives. Virus inactivation assays showed that silica hydration exterior of the modified virus effectively prolonged infectivity of viruses by ∼ 10-fold at room temperature, achieving a similar result as that obtained by storing native ones at 4 °C. Mechanistic studies indicate that amorphous silica nanoclusters stabilize the inner virion structure by forming a layer that restricts molecular mobility, acting as physiochemical nanoanchors. Notably, we further evaluate the potential application of this biomimetic strategy in stabilizing clinically approved vaccine, and the silicified polio vaccine that can retain 90% potency after the storage at room temperature for 35 days was generated by this biosilicification approach and validated with in vivo experiments. This approach not only biomimetically connects inorganic material and living virus but also provides an innovative resolution to improve the thermal stability of biological agents using nanomaterials.

A space-resolved grazing-incidence flat-field extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrometer has been developed in the HL-2A tokamak to measure vertical impurity emission profiles with simultaneous spectral, temporal, and spatial resolution. The spectrometer working in the wavelength range of 30-500 Å has been equipped with a gold-coated varied-line-spacing holographic grating with curvature of 5606 mm and a back illuminated charge-coupled device with size of 6.6 × 26.6 mm(2) (255 × 1024 pixels). A lower half of the HL-2A plasma with averaged minor radius of 40 cm is observed when the spectrometer with horizontal dispersion is placed at a distance of 7.5 m away from the plasma center. An excellent spatial resolution of 12 mm is achieved when a space-resolved slit with vertical width of 0.5 mm is adopted. The radial profiles of intrinsic impurities in several ionization stages have been measured with high throughput and extremely low stray light.