Transmissible gastroenteritis virus: Identification of M protein-binding peptide ligands with antiviral and diagnostic potential

The membrane (M) protein is one of the major structural proteins of coronavirus particles. In this study, the M protein of transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) was used to biopan a 12-mer phage display random peptide library. Three phages expressing TGEV-M-binding peptides were identified and characterized in more depth. A phage-based immunosorbent assay (phage-ELISA) capable of differentiating TGEV from other coronaviruses was developed using one phage, phTGEV-M7, as antigen. When the phage-ELISA was compared to conventional antibody-based ELISA for detecting infections, phage-ELISA exhibited greater sensitivity. A chemically synthesized, TGEV-M7 peptide (pepTGEV-M7; HALTPIKYIPPG) was evaluated for antiviral activity. Plaque-reduction assays revealed that pepTGEV-M7 was able to prevent TGEV infection in vitro (p \u3c 0.01) following pretreatment of the virus with the peptide. Indirect immunofluorescence and real-time RT-PCR confirmed the inhibitory effects of the peptide. These results indicate that pepTGEV-M7 might be utilized for virus-specific diagnostics and treatment

On the Performance Trade-off of Distributed Integrated Sensing and Communication Networks

In this letter, we analyze the performance trade-off in distributed integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) networks. Specifically, with the aid of stochastic geometry theory, we derive the probability of detection of that of the coverage given user number. Based on the analytical derivations, we provide a quantitative description of the performance limits and the performance trade-off between sensing and communication in a distributed ISAC network under the given transmit power and bandwidth budget. Extensive simulations are conducted and the numerical results validate the accuracy of our derivations

FTBC: Forward Temporal Bias Correction for Optimizing ANN-SNN Conversion

Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) offer a promising avenue for energy-efficient computing compared with Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), closely mirroring biological neural processes. However, this potential comes with inherent challenges in directly training SNNs through spatio-temporal backpropagation -- stemming from the temporal dynamics of spiking neurons and their discrete signal processing -- which necessitates alternative ways of training, most notably through ANN-SNN conversion. In this work, we introduce a lightweight Forward Temporal Bias Correction (FTBC) technique, aimed at enhancing conversion accuracy without the computational overhead. We ground our method on provided theoretical findings that through proper temporal bias calibration the expected error of ANN-SNN conversion can be reduced to be zero after each time step. We further propose a heuristic algorithm for finding the temporal bias only in the forward pass, thus eliminating the computational burden of backpropagation and we evaluate our method on CIFAR-10/100 and ImageNet datasets, achieving a notable increase in accuracy on all datasets. Codes are released at a GitHub repository

Transmissible gastroenteritis virus: Identification of M protein-binding peptide ligands with antiviral and diagnostic potential

The membrane (M) protein is one of the major structural proteins of coronavirus particles. In this study, the M protein of transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) was used to biopan a 12-mer phage display random peptide library. Three phages expressing TGEV-M-binding peptides were identified and characterized in more depth. A phage-based immunosorbent assay (phage-ELISA) capable of differentiating TGEV from other coronaviruses was developed using one phage, phTGEV-M7, as antigen. When the phage-ELISA was compared to conventional antibody-based ELISA for detecting infections, phage-ELISA exhibited greater sensitivity. A chemically synthesized, TGEV-M7 peptide (pepTGEV-M7; HALTPIKYIPPG) was evaluated for antiviral activity. Plaque-reduction assays revealed that pepTGEV-M7 was able to prevent TGEV infection in vitro (p \u3c 0.01) following pretreatment of the virus with the peptide. Indirect immunofluorescence and real-time RT-PCR confirmed the inhibitory effects of the peptide. These results indicate that pepTGEV-M7 might be utilized for virus-specific diagnostics and treatment

A Mild Dyssynchronous Contraction Pattern Detected by SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Predicts Super-Response to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Background: Using single photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT MPI) with phase analysis (PA), we aimed to identify the predictive value of a new contraction pattern in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) response. Methods: Left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (LVMD) was evaluated using SPECT MPI with PA in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) indicated for CRT. CRT super-response was defined as LV ejection fraction (EF) ≥50% or an absolute increase of LVEF \u3e15%. The LV contraction was categorized as the mild dyssynchronous pattern when the phase standard deviation (PSD) ≤ 40.3° and phase histogram bandwidth (PBW) ≤ 111.9°, otherwise it was defined as severe dyssynchronous pattern which was further characterized as U-shaped, heterogeneous or homogenous pattern. Results: The final cohort comprised 74 patients, including 32 (43.2%) in mild dyssynchronous group, 17 (23%) in U-shaped group, 19 (25.7%) in heterogeneous group, and 6 (8.1%) in homogenous group. The mild dyssynchronous group had lower PSD and PBW than U-shaped, heterogeneous, and homogenous groups ( \u3c 0.0001). Compared to patients with the heterogeneous pattern, the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CRT super-response were 10.182(2.43-42.663), 12.8(2.545-64.372), and 2.667(0.327-21.773) for patients with mild dyssynchronous, U-shaped, and homogenous pattern, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, mild dyssynchronous group remained associated with increased CRT super-response (adjusted OR 5.709, 95% CI 1.152-28.293). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that mild dyssynchronous group demonstrated a better long-term prognosis. Conclusions: The mild dyssynchronous pattern in patients with DCM is associated with an increased CRT super-response and better long-term prognosis

Fabrication and Growing Kinetics of Highly Dispersed Gadolinium Zirconate Nanoparticles

Highly dispersed gadolinium zirconate (GZ) nanoparticles with fluorite structure were successfully synthesized by co-precipitation method, and their phase composition and microstructure, formation mechanism, and grain growth kinetics were investigated. The results suggest that the nanoparticles were obtained through hydroxide dehydration and solid phase reaction. High dispersion was accomplished by ethanol solvent to reduce the hydrogen bond and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) surfactant to increase the electrostatic repulsion between the nanoparticles. The grain growth activation energy of GZ powders calcined at lower temperature ( 1200 °C) is 148.4 kJ/mol (Qh ). The current study shows that the optimal process to synthesize dispersed GZ nanoparticles includes ethanol solvent, 3 wt.% SDBS surfactant, and 1100 °C as calcining temperature