Block Transmission Research Articles

Performance Analysis and Transmission Block Size Optimization for Massive MIMO Vehicular Network With Spatially and Temporally Correlated Channels

Performance Analysis and Transmission Block Size Optimization for Massive MIMO Vehicular Network With Spatially and Temporally Correlated Channels

A new look at the architecture and dynamics of the Hydra nerve net.

The Hydra nervous system is the paradigm of a 'simple nerve net'. Nerve cells in Hydra, as in many cnidarian polyps, are organized in a nerve net extending throughout the body column. This nerve net is required for control of spontaneous behavior: elimination of nerve cells leads to polyps that do not move and are incapable of capturing and ingesting prey (Campbell, 1976). We have re-examined the structure of the Hydra nerve net by immunostaining fixed polyps with a novel antibody that stains all nerve cells in Hydra. Confocal imaging shows that there are two distinct nerve nets, one in the ectoderm and one in the endoderm, with the unexpected absence of nerve cells in the endoderm of the tentacles. The nerve nets in the ectoderm and endoderm do not contact each other. High-resolution TEM (transmission electron microscopy) and serial block face SEM (scanning electron microscopy) show that the nerve nets consist of bundles of parallel overlapping neurites. Results from transgenic lines show that neurite bundles include different neural circuits and hence that neurites in bundles require circuit-specific recognition. Nerve cell-specific innexins indicate that gap junctions can provide this specificity. The occurrence of bundles of neurites supports a model for continuous growth and differentiation of the nerve net by lateral addition of new nerve cells to the existing net. This model was confirmed by tracking newly differentiated nerve cells.

Analysis of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Water Reservoirs and Related Wastewater from Animal Farms in Central China.

This study aimed to explore the phenotype and relationship of drug resistance genes in livestock and poultry farm wastewater and drinking water reservoirs to provide evidence for the transmission mechanisms of drug resistance genes, in order to reveal the spread of drug resistance genes in wastewater from intensive farms in Central China to urban reservoirs that serve as drinking water sources and provide preliminary data for the treatment of wastewater from animal farms to reduce the threat to human beings. DNA extraction and metagenomic sequencing were performed on eight groups of samples collected from four water reservoirs and four related wastewaters from animal farms in Central China. Metagenomic sequencing showed that the top 20 AROs with the highest abundance were vanT_gene, vanY_gene, adeF, qacG, Mtub_rpsL_STR, vanY_gene_, vanW_gene, Mtub_murA_FOF, vanY_gene, vanH_gene, FosG, rsmA, qacJ, RbpA, vanW_gene, aadA6, vanY_gene, sul4, sul1, and InuF. The resistance genes mentioned above belong to the following categories of drug resistance mechanisms: antibiotic target replacement, antibiotic target protection, antibiotic inactivation, and antibiotic efflux. The resistomes that match the top 20 genes are Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus anginosus; Enterococcus faecalis; Enterococcus faecium; Actinomyces viscosus and Bacillus cereus. Enterococcus faecium; Clostridium tetani; Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus anginosus; Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus anginosus; Acinetobacter baumannii, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium longum, Corynebacterium jeikeium, Corynebacterium urealyticum, Mycobacterium kansasii, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Schaalia odontolytica, and Trueperella pyogenes; Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Aeromonas caviae, Enterobacter hormaechei, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio metoecus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus; Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens; Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus equorum; M. avium, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, and Acinetobacter baumannii; Sphingobium yanoikuyae, Acinetobacter indicus, Morganella morganii, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Providencia rettgeri, and Providencia stuartii. Unreported drug resistance genes and drug-resistant bacteria in Central China were identified in 2023. In the transmission path of drug resistance genes, the transmission path from aquaculture wastewater to human drinking water sources cannot be ignored. For the sake of human health and ecological balance, the treatment of aquaculture wastewater needs to be further strengthened, and the effective blocking of drug resistance gene transmission needs to be considered.

Fair Resource Allocation in Virtualized O-RAN Platforms

O-RAN systems and their deployment in virtualized general-purpose computing platforms (O-Cloud) constitute a paradigm shift expected to bring unprecedented performance gains. However, these architectures raise new implementation challenges and threaten to worsen the already-high energy consumption of mobile networks. This paper presents first a series of experiments which assess the O-Cloud's energy costs and their dependency on the servers' hardware, capacity and data traffic properties which, typically, change over time. Next, it proposes a compute policy for assigning the base station data loads to O-Cloud servers in an energy-efficient fashion; and a radio policy that determines at near-real-time the minimum transmission block size for each user so as to avoid unnecessary energy costs. The policies balance energy savings with performance, and ensure that both of them are dispersed fairly across the servers and users, respectively. To cater for the unknown and time-varying parameters affecting the policies, we develop a novel online learning framework with fairness guarantees that apply to the entire operation horizon of the system (long-term fairness). The policies are evaluated using trace-driven simulations and are fully implemented in an O-RAN compatible system where we measure the energy costs and throughput in realistic scenarios.

Recombinant neutralizing secretory IgA antibodies for preventing mucosal acquisition and transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Passive delivery of antibodies to mucosal sites might be a valuable adjunct to COVID-19 vaccination to prevent infection, treat viral carriage, or block transmission. Neutralising monoclonal IgG antibodies are already approved for systemic delivery, and several clinical trials have been reported for delivery to mucosal sites where SARS-CoV-2 resides and replicates in early infection. However, secretory IgA may be preferred, as the polymeric complex is adapted for the harsh, unstable external mucosal environment. Here, we investigated the feasibility of producing neutralising monoclonal IgA antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. We engineered two class-switched mAbs that express well as monomeric and secretory IgA (SIgA) variants with high antigen binding affinities and increased stability in mucosal secretions compared to their IgG counterparts. SIgAs had stronger virus neutralisation activities than IgG mAbs and were protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection in an in vivo murine model. Furthermore, SIgA1 can be aerosolized for topical delivery using a mesh nebulizer. Our findings provide a persuasive case for developing recombinant SIgAs for mucosal application as a new tool in the fight against COVID-19.

Coverage performance of cooperative NOMA MmWave networks with wireless power transfer

The millimeter-wave (mmWave) plays a vital role in the fifth generation (5G) and beyond-5G (B5G) cellular networks, which is also attractive for wireless power transfer (WPT) since the mmWave base stations (BSs) are usually equipped with large antenna arrays. This paper studies a wireless-powered mmWave communication system with non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) cooperative transmission. In this system, the BS intends to transmit signals to a near-wireless device (WD) and a far-WD simultaneously, where the location of near-WD is fixed that can be treated as a relay for cooperatively transferring the signal to a far-WD, which is far away from the BS. Since there are multiple far-WDs in the region, two pairing schemes based on the distance between the near and far WDs are investigated, i.e., 1) near-WD pairs with the nearest far-WD (NNF); 2) near-WD pairs with a randomly selected far-WD (NRF). We evaluate the downlink transmission performance by assuming that the near-WD is energy-constrained and performs cooperative transmission after scavenging sufficient radio frequency (RF) energy while successfully decoding both the signals for near-WD and far-WD. Since the near-WD may accumulate sufficient energy in several transmission blocks, the processes of charging and discharging are analyzed by a finite-state Markov chain. On this basis, the performance of two WD pairing schemes is analyzed by deriving the exact expressions of coverage probabilities for both the near-WD and far-WD. The simulation results show that the considered mmWave cooperative communication system with NOMA schemes can achieve a better coverage performance than the compared OMA and other schemes, while the coverage probability of far-WD with the NNF pairing scheme is better than that with the NRF pairing scheme.

Genetic polymorphisms of Plasmodium vivax ookinete (sexual stage) surface proteins (Pvs25 and Pvs28) from Thailand

Plasmodium vivax is the most geographically widespread malaria parasite in human presently. The ookinete surface proteins of sexual stage of malaria parasites, Pvs25 and Pvs28, are candidates for the transmission blocking vaccine. The antigenic variation in population might be barrier for vaccine development. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of Pvs25 and Pvs28 in endemic areas of Thailand. P. vivax clinical isolates collected from Thai-neighboring border areas were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction and sequencing method. Three and 14 amino acid substitutions were observed in 43 Pvs25 and 48 Pvs28 sequences, respectively. Three haplotypes in Pvs25 and 14 haplotypes with 5–7 GSGGE/D tandem repeats in Pvs28 were identified. The nucleotide diversity of pvs25 (π = 0.00059) had lower level than pvs28 (π = 0.00517). Tajima's D value for both pvs25 and pvs28 genes were negative while no significant difference was found (P > 0.10). Low genetic diversity was found in pvs25 and pvs28 genes in Thailand. The finding of the most frequent amino acid substitutions was consistent with global isolates. Therefore, the data could be helpful in developing of effective transmission blocking vaccine in malaria endemic areas.

Fabrication of carbon dots-embedded luminescent transparent wood with ultraviolet blocking and thermal insulating capacities towards smart window application

To expand functions of transparent wood (TW) including fluorescence, ultraviolet blocking, heat preservation and insulation, we adopted carbon quantum dots (CQDs) to prepare luminescent transparent wood. CQDs with yellow/red fluorescence (YCD/RCD) were prepared by chitosan and o-phenylenediamine. Afterwards, Balsa woods were pretreated to obtain wood frameworks (DW/LW), which were further combined with epoxy resin for achieving transparent woods (DW-TW/LW-TW). Results showed LW retained more lignin, the LW-TW blocked more ultraviolet light, displaying the better visible transmission and mechanical strength than DW-TW. After adding YCD and RCD to LW-TW, the yellow and red fluorescence transparent woods with outstanding mechanical and ultraviolet blocking properties were prepared, especially the red fluorescence transparent wood (RTW). Specifically, the tensile strength and elongation at break of RTW reached up to 19.39 MPa and 5.35 %, respectively. Moreover, RTW could block 78.8 % of UV-B light and 78 % of UV-A light, respectively. Besides, RTW possessed excellent visible transmission (70.3 %) and UV blocking (88.87 %). Significantly, both RTW and YTW displayed outstanding water repellency, excellent durability, good thermal stability and insulation. Predictably, luminescent transparent woods certainly will enhance the adaptability of wood, and broaden its applications in green decoration, lighting setup, sensor and other fields.

Post delivery withdrawal time of tenofovir for blocking mother to child transmission of HBV in women with high HBV load during late pregnancy

Purpose: To study the withdrawal time of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) after delivery in parturient women having high hepatitis B virus (HBV) load who took TDF during late pregnancy to block fetal contact with HBV.
 Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of clinical data of 77 pregnant women close to parturition with high HBV density in Southern Central Hospital of Yunan Province from February 2020 to February 2021. Based on time of drug discontinuation, they were assigned to group A (immediately after delivery, n = 24); group B (1 month after delivery, n = 26), and group C (3 months after delivery, n = 27). All three groups took TDF before delivery. Liver function, with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was assessed using Roche detection system. Deoxyribonucleic acid of hepatitis B virus (HBV-DNA) was assayed by fluorescence quantitative method. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HB e antigen (HBeAg) were measured using chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). All assays were done after 2, 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24 weeks of drug withdrawal.
 Results: All parameters in the three groups of patients returned to normal levels after 2, 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24 weeks of drug withdrawal. In 83 neonates, tests for hepatitis B DNA and surface antigen were negative 1 month after birth, with 100 % block of maternal neonatal transmission, and no HBV infection. The incidence of adverse reactions in pregnant women were 16.67, 19.24 and 18.52 % in groups A, B and C, respectively, with no significant difference (p > 0.05).
 Conclusion: The therapeutic effect of TDF for parturient women with high HBV density is not related to drug withdrawal time after delivery. It is necessary to increase the number of samples in subsequent studies in order to validate the research results.

Characterisation of the merozoite thrombospondin related anonymous protein (MTRAP) of Plasmodium berghei as a transmission-blocking antigen.

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Plasmodium. Human-to-human transmission depends on a mosquito vector; thus, the interruption of parasite transmission from humans to mosquitoes is an important approach in the fight against malaria. The parasite stages infectious to mosquitoes are the gametocytes, sexual stages that are ingested by the vector during a blood meal and transform into male and female gametes in the midgut. Immunity against sexual stage antigens expressed by gametocytes, gametes, and the zygote formed after fertilisation can interrupt the parasite sexual cycle in the mosquito. This transmission blocking immunity is mediated by specific antibodies ingested during the mosquito blood feed, inhibiting the parasite development in the midgut. Merozoite thrombospondin related anonymous protein (MTRAP) is a merozoite and gametocyte surface protein essential for gamete egress from erythrocytes and for parasite transmission to mosquitoes. Here, we evaluated the potential of the P. berghei MTRAP to elicit antibodies with the ability to inhibit gamete fertilisation in vitro. We expressed a soluble recombinant PbMTRAP and used it to immunise BALB/c mice. The transmission blocking activity of the anti-rPbMTRAP antibodies was tested through in vivo challenge experiments followed by in vitro conversion assays. Immunisations with the rPbMTRAP induced a strong antibody response and the antibodies recognised the native protein by Western Blot and IFA. Anti-rPbMTRAP present in the blood stream of immunised mice partially inhibited gamete conversion into ookinetes. Our results indicate that antibodies to PbMTRAP may reduce but are not sufficient to completely block transmission.

Exploring the naturally acquired response to Pvs47 gametocyte antigen.

Malaria represents a challenging global public health task, with Plasmodium vivax being the predominant parasite in Brazil and the most widely distributed species throughout the world. Developing a vaccine against P. vivax malaria demands innovative strategies, and targeting gametocyte antigens shows promise for blocking transmission prevention. Among these antigens, Pvs47, expressed in gametocytes, has shown remarkable efficacy in transmission blocking. However, remains underexplored in vaccine formulations. This study employed in silico methods to comprehensively characterize the physicochemical properties, structural attributes, epitope presence, and conservation profile of Pvs47. Additionally, we assessed its antigenicity in individuals exposed to malaria in endemic Brazilian regions. Recombinant protein expression occurred in a eukaryotic system, and antigenicity was evaluated using immunoenzymatic assays. The responses of naturally acquired IgM, total IgG, and IgG subclasses were analyzed in three groups of samples from Amazon region. Notably, all samples exhibited anti-Pvs47 IgM and IgG antibodies, with IgG3 predominating. Asymptomatic patients demonstrated stronger IgG responses and more diverse subclass responses. Anti-Pvs47 IgM and IgG responses in symptomatic individuals decrease over time. Furthermore, we observed a negative correlation between anti-Pvs47 IgM response and gametocytemia in samples of symptomatic patients, indicating a gametocyte-specific response. Additionally, negative correlation was observed among anti-Pvs47 antibody response and hematocrit levels. Furthermore, comparative analysis with widely characterized blood antigens, PvAMA1 and PvMSP119, revealed that Pvs47 was equally or more recognized than both proteins. In addition, there is positive correlation between P. vivax blood asexual and sexual stage immune responses. In summary, our study unveils a significant prevalence of anti-Pvs47 antibodies in diverse Amazonian samples and the importance of IgM response for gametocytes depuration. These findings regarding the in silico characterization and antigenicity of Pvs47 provide crucial insights for potential integration into P. vivax vaccine formulations.

The role of imbalance of myocardial cell adhesion proteins in cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure

A review of the literature data on the role of imbalance of cellular adhesion proteins (CAP) of the heart in the development of cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. The CAPS of the intercalated discs belonging to the cadherin and desmin groups provide a mechanical connection of cardiomyocytes, proteins from the connexin group are responsible for the transmission of an electrical impulse. The imbalance of CAP has mainly a hereditary origin and is accompanied by the destruction of intercalated discs, blockage of impulse transmission with the development of electrical instability of the myocardium and cardiac arrhythmias, including ventricular and atrial fibrillation. This is the case with cardiomyopathies, coronary heart disease. Endothelial dysfunction also plays an essential role in atrial fibrillation, which is associated with an imbalance in the CAP of the endothelial lining of the endocardium and blood vessels.

Asynchronous Bidirectional Communication in Cell-Free Networks

We consider a bidirectional communication between two single-antenna transceivers using multiple multi-antenna access points (APs) in a cell-free network architecture. In such a network, because of different propagation delays associated with different APs, the end-to-end link is a multi-path channel that results in inter-symbol-interference (ISI) in the signals received at the transceivers. To tackle ISI, we resort to cyclic prefix (CP) assisted block transmission of the information symbols and employ joint pre- and post-channel equalizers at both the transceivers to mitigate the impact of intra-block interference. Considering the amplify-and-forward technique at the APs, we cast the joint design of equalizers, beamforming matrices, and transceivers’ transmit powers as a power minimization problem while guaranteeing predefined data rates at the transceivers. Assuming symmetric beamforming matrices at the APs, we devise a semi-closed-form solution for this problem. We prove rigorously that at the optimum only a synchronous subset of the APs should participate in the information exchange between the two transceivers. This is achieved by proving that at the optimum, the pre-equalizer matrices should be unitary and the post-equalizer matrices should be invertible.

Factors influencing early recurrence of atrial fibrillation among elderly patients following radiofrequency catheter ablation and the impact of different antiarrhythmic regimens.

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who undergo radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) necessitate the administration of antiarrhythmic drugs to prevent early recurrence. The clinical outcomes among these patients may be influenced by varying antiarrhythmic regimens. To identify the risk factors associated with early recurrence and compare the clinical outcomes among different antiarrhythmic regimens in elderly patients with AF following radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) during a 3-month period. A retrospective observational study encompassed 420 elderly patients with AF following RFCA. Baseline data were collected during the initial postoperative visit and clinical outcomes were carefully monitored over a 3-month follow-up period. Logistic regression and Cox-proportional hazard regression analyses were performed to investigate the relationship between various antiarrhythmic regimens and the clinical outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age (p = 0.001), left atrial diameter (p < 0.001), left ventricular diameter (p = 0.015), reactive hyperemia index (RHI) (p < 0.001), antiarrhythmic drug (p < 0.001) and hs-cTnI (p = 0.017) were independent risk factors of early recurrence. Furthermore, in cox survival regression analysis model, survival rate of early recurrence in the amiodarone group was higher than in the propafenone group (HR 2.30, 95%CI 1.17-4.53, p = 0.016) and in the sotalol group (HR 3.60, 95%CI 2.17-5.95, p < 0.001). Compared to the amiodarone group, the incidence of liver dysfunction was lower in the dronedarone group (p = 0.046) and the propafenone group (p = 0.021). The incidence of bradyarrhythmia (p = 0.003), QT interval prolongation (p = 0.035) and atrioventricular transmission block (p = 0.021) were higher in the sotalol group than in the amiodarone group. RHI was identified as an independent risk factor for early recurrence among elderly AF patients after RFCA. Compared to amiodarone, propafenone and sotalol exhibited an elevated risk of early recurrence. Although there was no significant difference in early recurrence between amiodarone and dronedarone, dronedarone emerged as the preferred option due to its lower frequency of adverse drug reactions than amiodarone.

Space–time labeling diversity for distributed Goppa-coded cooperative networks over Nakagami-[formula omitted] channels

This paper proposes the novel space–time labeling diversity for the distributed Goppa-coded cooperation (STLD-DGCC) scheme over the Nakagami-q fading channel to improve the performance of the short-to-medium information block transmission. Two different Goppa codes with the same information length are deployed in the source and the relay, respectively, with the Goppa code at the relay providing additional redundancy. Meanwhile, two distinct labeling mappers of M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) are used in the novel space–time labeling diversity (STLD) to achieve the extra diversity gain and decrease the error floor (EF) region in the Goppa coding scheme. To lower the computational complexity of the maximum likelihood (ML) detection, a near-ML reduced-complexity (RC) detection approach that compromises the system performance and the computation complexity is proposed. In addition, two novel joint decoding algorithms based on the critical signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold are presented at the destination, namely the parallel algorithm and serial algorithm, to enhance the overall performance of the proposed STLD-DGCC scheme. In the case of the Nakagami-q fading model, the analytical union bound of the average bit error probability is provided, which tightly matches the Monte Carlo simulated results at high SNR. The simulation results further indicate that the proposed STLD-DGCC scheme significantly outperforms both the corresponding non-cooperative Goppa coding scheme and the DGCC scheme without the STLD technique under identical conditions. Furthermore, the performance of the STLD-DGCC scheme surpasses that of the existing transmission scheme, offering a promising candidate for further small information block communications.

Aggregation-Induced Emission-Based Macrophage-Like Nanoparticles for Targeted Photothermal Therapy and Virus Transmission Blockage in Monkeypox.

The recent prevalence of monkeypox has led to the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Monkeypox lesions are typically ulcers or pustules (containing high titers of replication-competent virus) in the skin and mucous membranes, which allow monkeypox virus to transmit predominantly through intimate contact. Currently, effective clinical treatments for monkeypox are lacking, and strategies for blocking virus transmission are fraught with drawbacks. Herein, this work constructs a biomimetic nanotemplate (termed TBD@M NPs) with macrophage membranes as the coat and polymeric nanoparticles loading a versatile aggregation-induced emission featured photothermal molecule TPE-BT-DPTQ as the core. In a surrogate mouse model of monkeypox (vaccinia-virus-infected tail scarification model), intravenously injected TBD@M NPs show precise tracking and near-infrared region II fluorescence imaging of the lesions. Upon 808nm laser irradiation, the virus is eliminated by the photothermal effect and the infected wound heals rapidly. More importantly, the inoculation of treated lesion tissue suspensions does not trigger tail infection or inflammatory activation in healthy mice, indicating successful blockage of virus transmission. This study demonstrates for the first time monkeypox theranostics using nanomedicine, and may bring a new insight into the development of a viable strategy for monkeypox management in clinical trials.

Evaluation of a new fusion antigen, cd loop and HAP2-GCS1 domain (cd-HAP) of Plasmodium falciparum Generative Cell Specific 1 antigen formulated with various adjuvants, as a transmission blocking vaccine

BackgroundMalaria is a major global health challenge, and for the elimination and eradication of this disease, transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs) are a priority. Plasmodium falciparum Generative Cell Specific 1 (PfGCS1), a promising TBV candidate, is essential for gamete fertilization. The HAP2-GCS1 domain of this antigen as well as its cd loop could induce antibodies that partially inhibit transmission of P. falciparum.MethodsIn the current study, a new synthetic fusion antigen containing cd loop and HAP2-GCS1 domain (cd-HAP) of PfGCS1 was evaluated as a transmission blocking vaccine candidate. Initially, the profile of naturally acquired IgG antibodies to the cd-HAP antigen was analysed in Iranian individuals infected with P. falciparum, to confirm that this new fusion protein has the appropriate structure containing common epitopes with the native form of PfGCS1. Then, the immunogenicity of cd-HAP was evaluated in BALB/c mice, using different adjuvant systems such as CpG, MPL, QS-21, and a combination of them (CMQ). Furthermore, the blocking efficacy of polyclonal antibodies induced against these formulations was also assessed by oocyst intensity and infection prevalence in the Standard Membrane Feeding Assay (SMFA).ResultsThe naturally acquired antibodies (dominantly IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses) induced in P. falciparum-infected individuals could recognize the cd-HAP antigen which implies that the new fusion protein has a proper conformation that mimics the native structure of PfGCS1. Concerning the immunogenicity of cd-HAP antigen, the highest IgG levels and titers, by a Th1-type immune profile, and elevated antibody avidity were induced in mice immunized with the cd-HAP antigen formulated with a combination of adjuvants (P < 0.0001). Additionally, cytokine profiling of the immunized mice displayed that a high level of IFN-γ response, a Th1-type immune response, was produced by splenocytes from immunized mice that received cd-HAP antigen in combination with CMQ adjuvants (P < 0.0001). This formulation of cd-HAP antigen with CMQ adjuvants could reduce oocyst intensity and infection prevalence by 82%, evidenced by the SMFA and hold significant implications for future malaria vaccine development.ConclusionAltogether, the results showed that cd-HAP antigen formulated with a combination of the adjuvants (CMQ), could be a promising formulation to develop a PfGCS1-based transmission-blocking vaccine.

Localization and tissue tropism of the symbiont Microsporidia MB in the germ line and somatic tissues of Anopheles arabiensis.

Microsporidia MB is a symbiont with a strong malaria transmission-blocking phenotype in Anopheles arabiensis. It spreads in mosquito populations through mother-to-offspring and sexual transmission. The ability of Microsporidia MB to block Plasmodium transmission, together with its ability to spread within Anopheles populations and its avirulence to the host, makes it a very attractive candidate for developing a key strategy to stop malaria transmissions. Here, we report tissue tropism and localization patterns of Microsporidia MB, which are relevant to its transmission. We find that Microsporidia MB accumulates in Anopheles arabiensis tissues, linked to its sexual and vertical transmission. Its prevalence and intensity in the tissues over the mosquito life cycle suggest adaptation to maximize transmission and avirulence in Anopheles arabiensis. These findings provide the foundation for understanding the factors that may affect Microsporidia MB transmission efficiency. This will contribute to the development of strategies to maximize Microsporidia MB transmission to establish and sustain a high prevalence of the symbiont in Anopheles mosquito populations for malaria transmission blocking.

Satellite–Terrestrial Collaborative Object Detection via Task-Inspired Framework

Recently, buoyed by advances in the space industry, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites have become an important part of the Internet of Things (IoT). LEO satellites have entered the era of a big data link with IoT, how to deal with the data from the satellite IoT is a problem worthy of consideration. Conventional object detection method in optical remote sensing simply transmits the raw data to the ground. However, it ignores the properties of the images and the connection with the downstream task. To obtain efficient data transmission and accurate object detection, we propose a task-inspired satellite-terrestrial collaborative object detection framework called STCOD. It detects regions of interest (ROIs) and adopts a block-based adaptive sampling method to compress the background (BG) in optical remote sensing images by introducing satellite edge computing (SEC) on satellites. The STCOD framework also sets the transmission priority of image blocks according to their contributions to the task and uses fountain code to ensure the reliable transmission of important image blocks. We build a whole software simulation framework to validate our method, including the satellite module, the transmission module, and the terrestrial module. Extensive experimental results show that the STCOD framework can reduce the amount of downlink data decreased by 50.04% while losing the detection accuracy by 0.54%. In our simulated satellite-terrestrial link, the STCOD framework can reduce the number of satellite-to-terrestrial transmissions by half. When the packet loss rate is between 5% and 20%, the detection accuracy is lost only 0.05% to 0.5%.

Development of TDP‐43 immunotherapy blocking transmission of seeding‐competent species from ALS/FTD

AbstractBackgroundAccumulation of pathological transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TDP‐43) into intracellular inclusions underlies frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP‐43 pathology (FTLD‐TDP), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and limbic‐predominant age‐related TDP‐43 encephalopathy (LATE). TDP‐43 pathology is present as a co‐pathology in other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Multiple mechanisms contribute to spreading of TDP‐43 pathology including transmission across synaptic terminals, exosomes and release of misfolded TDP‐43 from dying neurons. In fact, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained from ALS/FTLD‐TDP patients contains seeding‐competent TDP‐43 species. Therefore, antibody‐mediated clearance of pathological TDP‐43 represents an attractive therapeutic strategy. Our approach is to develop a TDP‐43‐specific immunotherapy that exploits Fcγ receptor‐mediated removal mechanisms to limit neuronal damage while maintaining physiological TDP‐43 function.MethodHigh affinity monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were generated against various regions of TDP‐43 using AC Immune’s SupraAntigen® platform and evaluated in mechanistic assays in vitro and in vivo models of TDP‐43 proteinopathies. A real‐time quaking‐induced conversion (RT‐QuIC) assay was established using patient’s CSF to evaluate the inhibitory properties of the lead therapeutic mAb on the seeding mechanism. Studies to evaluate the pharmacology and safety of the antibody were carried out in non‐human primates.ResultTargeting the C‐terminal domain of TDP‐43 but not the RNA recognition motifs reduced TDP‐43 pathology and prevented neuronal loss in vivo. This rescue was dependent on Fcγ receptor‐mediated immune complex uptake by microglia. The latter also promoted phagocytic capacity of ALS patient‐derived microglia. Importantly, the antibody efficiently neutralized seeding‐competent pathological TDP‐43 species in CSF from ALS patients. These beneficial effects were achieved while preserving physiological TDP‐43 function demonstrating safety of targeting TDP‐43 by immunotherapy. Modelling from non‐clinical pharmacokinetic studies of the antibody predicted a half‐life supporting target saturation in humans when administered monthly.ConclusionOur studies confirm the presence of extracellular seeding‐competent TDP‐43 species in the CSF of patients with ALS/FTLD‐TDP patients, providing an explanation for the spread of pathology including the non‐contiguous pattern of clinical manifestations observed in ALS. In addition, the binding and inhibitory properties of our lead therapeutic mAb in multiple patho‐mechanistic assays support clinical development in TDP‐43‐driven neurodegenerative diseases.