Rapid Detection of Rifampin-resistant Clinical Isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Reverse Dot Blot Hybridization

Objective A PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization （RDBH） assay was developed for rapid detection of rpoB gene mutations in ＇hot mutation region＇ of Mycobacterium tuberculosis （M. tuberculosis）. Methods 12 oligonucleotide probes based on the wild-type and mutant genotype rpoB sequences of M. tuberculosis were designed to screen the most frequent wild-type and mutant genotypes for diagnosing RIF resistance. 300 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates were detected by RDBH, conventional drug-susceptibility testing （DST） and DNA sequencing to evaluate the RDBH assay. Results The sensitivity and specificity of the RDBH assay were 91.2% （165/181） and 98.3% （117/119）, respectively, as compared to DST. When compared with DNA sequencing, the accuracy, positive predictive value （PPV） and negative predictive value （NPV） of the RDBH assay were 97.7% （293/300）, 98.2% （164/167）, and 97.0% （129/133）, respectively. Furthermore, the results indicated that the most common mutations were in codons 531 （48.6%）, 526 （25.4%）, 516 （8.8%）, and 511 （6.6%）, and the combinative mutation rate was 15 （8.3%）. One and two strains of insertion and deletion were found among all strains, respectively. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that the RDBH assay is a rapid, simple and sensitive method for diagnosing RIF-resistant tuberculosis.

COMBINED DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER MICROMETASTASES IN THE LYMPH NODES AND BONE MARROW USING REVERSETRANSCRIPTASE CHAIN REACTION AND SOUTHERN HYBRIDIZATION

Objective: The presence of lymph nodes and bone marrow micrometastases of patients with breast carcinoma by immunohistochemistry (IHC) methods has been strongly correlated to early recurrence and shorter overall survival. The aim of this study was to detect micrometastases in matched sample pairs of lymph nodes and the bone marrow of primary breast cancer patients using a more sensitive method, and compare with other clinical parameters. Methods: Cytokeratin 19 (CK-19) gene mRNA expression was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Southern blot hybridization. Human breast cancer cell line T47D was mixed with bone marrow cells at different proportions. The positive detection rate was compared among RT-PCR, Southern blotting and IHC methods. Results: Cytokeratin 19 gene was expressed in all 6 positive control samples, while the expression wasn’t seen in 18 negative control samples. CK-19 IHC positive cells were detected at a dilution of one T47D cell in 5×105 bone marrow cells, while the sensitivity detected by PCR and Southern blot hybridization was at 1:5×104 and 1:106, respectively. In the samples from the 35 patients, we found CK-19 positive cells in 2 cases (5.7%) by IHC. CK-19 gene expression signal was detected in 14/35 (40%) by RT-PCR, and 17/35 (48.6%) by southern blotting. Four cases were micrometastases positive both in lymph node and bone marrow (11.4%). There was no correlation between CK-19 detection and other clinical parameters. Conclusion: combined detection of micrometastases in lymph node and bone marrow by RT-PCR and Southern blotting, using CK-19 as a biological marker, is a highly sensitive method for breast cancer.

DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER MICROMETASTASES IN BONE MARROW USING REVERSE-TRANSCRIPTASE CHAINREACTION AND SOUTHERN HYBRIDIZATION

Objective: The aim of this study was to detect micrometastases in bone marrow of primary breast cancer patients, and compare with other clinical parameters. Methods: Cytokeratin 19 (CK-19) gene mRNA expression was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Southern blot hybridization. Human breast cancer cell line T47D was mixed with bone marrow cells in different proportions. The positive detection rate was compared among RT-PCR, Southern blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC) methods. Results: Cytokeratin 19 gene was expressed in all 6 positive control samples while the expression was not seen in 8 negative control samples. In all 54 patients 14 cases were CK-19 positive (25.9%) by RT-PCR, another positive signal was obtained in 5/54 (9.3%) of bone marrow samples by Southern blotting. The total positive cases are 19/54 (35.2%). CK-19 IHC+ cells were detected at a dilution of one T47D cell in 5×104 bone marrow cells, while the sensitivity detected by PCR and Southern blot hybridization was at 1∶5×105 and 1∶1×106, respectively. This demonstrates that RT-PCR and Southern blotting was at least 20 times more sensitive than the IHC method. The micrometastases positive rate of the larger tumor size group (>5.0 cm) was significantly (P<0.05) greater than that of the smaller tumor size group (0–2.0 cm). Conclusion: detection of micrometastases in bone marrow by RT-PCR and Southern blotting, using CK-19 as a biological marker, is highly sensitive and it is a method to be used for anticipating the prognosis of breast cancer patients.

Detection of mutation in embB gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from clinical isolates of tuberculous patients in China by means of reverse-dot blot hybridization

The relationship between embB mutation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and ethambutol (EMB) resistance of the clinical isolates of tuberculous patients in China was investigated by reverse dot blot hybridization (RDBH) in addition to evaluating the clinical value with application of PCR-RDBH technique to detect EMB resistance. In the present study, the genotypes of the 258 bp fragments of embB genes from 196 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis were analysed with RDBH and DNA sequencing. It was demonstrated that 60 out of 91 phenotypically EMB-resistant isolates (65.9%) showed 5 types of missense mutations at codon 306 of embB gene, resulting in the replacement of the Met residue of the wild type strain with Val, Ile or Leu residues. In these mutations, the GTP mutation (38/91, 41.8%) and the ATA mutation (16/91, 17.6%) were the most encountered genotypes. The embB mutation at codon 306 could also be found in 69 isolates of phenotypically EMB-sensitive but resistant to other anti-tuberculous drugs, but no such gene mutation could be found in 36 strains of drug-sensitive isolates. Meanwhile, the concordance with the results of DNA sequencing for one wide-type probe and 5 probes for specific mutations was 100% . It was concluded that the EMB-resistance occurring in most M. tuberculosis is due to appearance of embB mutation at codon 306, and the PCR-RDBH assay was proved to be a rapid, simple and reliable method for the detection of gene mutations, which might be a good alternative for the drug-resistance screening.

Dot-Blot Hybridization for Detection of Five Cucurbit Viruses by Digoxigenin-Labelled cDNA Probes

Dot-blot hybridization was applied in this paper to detect five viruses infecting cucurbitaceous crops, Zuccini yellow mosaic virus （ZYMV）, Watermelon mosaic virus （WMV）, Cucumber mosaic virus （CMV）, Papaya ringspot viruswatermelon strain （PRSV-W） and Squash mosaic virus （SqMV）, as a good alternative assay in seed health test and epidemiological and transgenic research. Digoxigenin-labelled cDNA probes of the five viruses were synthesized by PCR with the specific primers and applied in dot-blot hybridization to detect five viruses in crude extraction of the infected leaves. And three SqMV probes of different lengths （0.55, 1.6, and 2.7 kb, respectively） were designed to investigate the effect of hybridization. The results showed that the sensitivity for detecting the crude extraction of infected leaves by ZYMV, WMV, CMV, PRSV-W, and SqMV was down to 1：160, 1：160, 1：320, 1：160, and 1：320, respectively. Three SqMV probes of different length showed no differences on the sensitivity and specificity. The digoxigenin-labelled probes prepared by PCR could be used for accurate and rapid identification of 5 viruses infecting cucurbitaceous crops with good stabilities, sensitivities, specificity, and reproducibilifies.

Development and application of marker-assisted reverse breeding using hybrid maize germplasm

Humankind has been through different periods of agricultural improvement aiming at enhancing our food supply and the performance of food crops. In recent years, whole genome sequencing and deep understanding of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms have facilitated new plant breeding approaches to meet the challenge of growing population, dwindling resources, and changing climate. Here we proposed a simple and fast molecular breeding method, marker-assisted reverse breeding（MARB）, which will revert any maize hybrid into inbred lines with any level of required similarity to its original parent lines. Since all the pericarp DNA of a hybrid is from the maternal parent, whereas one half of the embryo DNA is from the maternal parent and the other half from the paternal parent, so we firstly extract DNA from seed embryo and pericarp of a selected elite hybrid separately and then we derived the genotypes of the two parents with high-density single nucleotide polymorphism（SNP） chips. The following marker-assisted selection was performed based on an Illumina low-density SNP chip designed with 192 SNPs polymorphic between the two parental genotypes, which were uniformly distributed on 10 maize chromosomes. This method has the advantages of fast speed, fixed heterotic mode, and quick recovery of beneficial parental genotypes compared to traditional pedigree breeding using elite hybrids. Meanwhile, MARB has the advantage of not requiring sophisticated transformation and double haploid（DH） technologies over RNA interference（RNAi）-mediated reverse breeding. In addition, MARB can also be used with feed corn harvested from big farms, which is often similar to F_2 populations, and the relevant transgenes in the population can be eliminated by marker-assisted selection. As a result, the whole global commercial maize hybrids can be utilized as germplasm for breeding with MARB technology. Starting with an F_2 population derived from an elite hybrid, our experiment indicates that with three cycles of marker-assisted selection, selected lines could recover over 80% of the parental genotypes and associated beneficial genes in a fixed heterotic mode. The success application of MARB in maize suggests that this technology is applicable to any hybrid crop to breed new inbreds with improved hybrid performance but the same heterotic mode. As chip technology becomes cheap, it would be expected that polymorphism screening and following marker-assisted selection could be done with one all-purpose high density chip. Several issues associated with MARB were discussed, including its rationale, efficiency and advantages, along with food/feed and environmental safety issues and applications of MARB in variety protection and marker-assisted plant breeding.

Hybrid Intelligent Approach for the Selection of Third-Party Reverse Logistics Provider under Uncertainty

A hybrid intelligent approach is proposed to help the decision maker to select the appropriate third-party reverse logistics provider. The following process is included: firstly,the evaluation team is established to determine the selection criteria and evaluate them by triangular fuzzy numbers; secondly,calculate the weight of criteria by the proposed hybrid algorithm integrating particle swarm optimization( PSO) and simulated annealing( SA); then, the performance evaluation for each supplier is predicted by the proposed self-feedback neural network( SFBNN) based on the historical data. A numerical example is also presented to interpret the methodology above.

Identification and Characterization of Reverse Transcriptase Fragments of Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINEs) in the <i>Morus notabilis</i>Genome

Reverse transcriptase (rt) fragments from LINE retrotransposons in the mulberry genome were analyzed in terms of heterogeneity, phylogeny, and chromosomal distribution. We amplified and characterized conserved domains of the rt using degenerate primer pairs. Sequence analyses indicated that the rt fragments were highly heterogeneous and rich in A/T bases. The sequence identity ranged from 31.8% to 99.4%. Based on sequence similarities, the rt fragments were categorized into eight groups. Furthermore, similar stop codon distribution patterns among a series of clones in the same group indicated that they underwent a similar evolutionary process. Interestingly, phylogenetic analyses of the rt fragments isolated from mulberry and 13 other plant species revealed that two distantly related taxa (mulberry and Paeonia suffruticosa) grouped together. It does not appear that this phenomenon resulted from horizontal transposable element transfer. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis revealed that most of the rt fragments were concentrated in the subtelomeric and pericentromeric regions of the mulberry chromosomes, but that these elements were not abundant in the mulberry genome. Future studies will focus on the potential roles of these elements in the subtelomeric and pericentromeric regions of the mulberry genome.

Comparison of the Tellgenplex HPV DNA test with the PCR-reverse dot blot assay for human papillomavirus genotyping

Objective: To access the performance of the Tellgenplex human papillomavirus(HPV) DNA test compared to the polymerase chain reaction-reverse dot blot(PCR-RDB) assay for the HPV genotyping.Methods: Sixty cervical swab samples were genotyped by the Tellgenplex HPV DNA test and the PCR-RDB assay.The Tellgenplex HPV DNA test and the PCR-RDB assay can detect 26 and 23 HPV genotypes, respectively.Each sample showed discrepancy was genotyped using sequencing.Results: The percent agreement between the two tests ranged from 83.3% to 100.0% according to different genotype.This showed perfect agreement(>0.81) for high-risk HPV genotypes(35, 39, 45, 53, 56, 59, 66, 68, and 82), substantial agreement(>0.65) for high-risk HPV genotypes(16, 18, 33, 52, and 58) and low-risk HPV genotype 43 between the two assays by the kappa analysis.The positive rates of the two assays for frequent HPV genotypes(16, 35, 39, 45, 52, 53, 58, 59, 66, and 82) were not statistically different, but the PCR-RDB assay showed higher positive rates than the Tellgenplex HPV DNA test for HPV genotypes 81(P<0.05).As for more than 10 positive results by the Tellgenplex HPV DNA test and/or the PCR-RDB assay, the PCR-RDB assay showed higher relative sensitivity and specificity than the Tellgenplex HPV DNA test for the three HPV genotypes(16, 52, and 81).All HPV genotypes that can be detected by only the Tellgenplex HPV DNA test(HPV genotypes 44 and 55) were confirmed by sequencing.Conclusions: In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the PCR-RDB assay which can detect more multiple HPV genotypes in each specimen shows higher relative sensitivity and specificity than the Tellgenplex HPV DNA test, which makes it a better option for routine clinical use.

DETECTION OF STRAND BREAKS OF DNA IN HUMAN EARLY CHORIONIC VILLUS CELLS INDUCED BY DIAGNOSTIC ULTRASOUND USING ^(32)P-LABELED ALU HYBRIDIZATION

Objective To explore if strand breaks of DNA in human early chorionic villus cells in uterus were induced by diagnostic ultrasound and to evaluate the method used for detection of single-stranded breaks and double-stranded breaks in human DNA. Methods 60 normal pregnant women aged 20-30, who underwent artificial abortion during 6-8 weeks of gestation, were randomly divided into 2 experimental groups: All 30 cases were exposed to diagnostic ultrasound in uterus for 10 minutes, and 24 hours later chorionic villi were extracted; the other 30 cases were taken as the control group. Single-stranded DNA and double-stranded DNA in villus cells in all cases were isolated by the alkaline unwinding combined with hydroxylapatite chromatography, and were quantitatively detected using 32 P-labeled Alu probe for dot-blotting hybridization. Results There was no significant difference in quantity and percentage in single-stranded DNA and double-stranded DNA between 2 groups (P>0.05). 32 P-Alu probe could only hybridize with human DNA, and could detect DNA isolated from as few as 2.5×10 3 chorionic villus cells and 0.45ng DNA in human leukocytes. Conclusion The results suggested that there were no DNA strand damages in human chorionic villus cells when the uterus was exposed to diagnostic ultrasound for 10 minutes. The method,^(32)P-Alu probe for dot-blotting hybridization, was even more specific, sensitive and accurate than conventional approaches.

An Improved Preisach Distribution Function Identification Method Considering the Reversible Magnetization

This paper presents an identification method of the scalar Preisach model to consider the effect of reversible magnetization in the process of distribution function identification.By reconsidering the identification process by stripping the influence of reversible components from the measurement data,the Preisach distribution function is identified by the pure irreversible components.In this way,the simulation accuracy of both limiting hysteresis loops and the inner internal symmetrical small hysteresis loop is ensured.Furthermore,through a discrete Preisach plane with a hybrid discretization method,the irreversible magnetic flux density components are computed more efficiently through the improved Preisach model.Finally,the proposed method results are compared with the traditional method and the traditional method considering reversible magnetization and validated by the laboratory test for the B30P105 electrical steel by Epstein frame.

基于电磁时间反演的VSC-HVDC系统架空线-电缆混合线路故障定位方法

针对传统故障定位方法无法应用于架空线-电缆混合直流线路的问题,提出了一种架空线-电缆混合直流线路的故障定位方法,该方法采用先确定故障点所在区段、后在区段中定位的原理。利用故障附加网络的直流分量定义了故障区段判别函数,通过该判别函数在不同区段发生故障时数值不同实现故障区段的判定。然后,分析了电磁时间反演理论在故障定位中的可行性,分析确定了故障特征谐波。利用线路两端特征谐波的电流行进波作为时间反演电路的电流源,设置与原线路拓扑结构镜像的线路,利用时间反演电流源与镜像线路构建时间反演电路。在此基础上,根据时间反演的能量聚焦特性列写故障区段内的故障定位方程并实现区段内故障定位。利用PSCAD/EMTDC搭建的电压源型换流器高压直流输电(VSC-HVDC)系统仿真证明了所提方法能实现线缆混合直流输电线路的故障定位。

乙腈-水系混合电解液对Zn-Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)电池电化学稳定性的影响

Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)正极材料具有稳定的三维框架结构、较高的工作电压和相对成熟的制备工艺,近年来也逐渐用于水系锌离子电池中。然而,二价Zn^(2+)的脱嵌和活泼的水系反应环境会加速磷酸盐晶格的破坏。本文在Zn-Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)电池体系的水系电解液中加入适量的乙腈(AN),研究电解液中AN与水的比例对离子溶剂化结构和电化学行为的影响规律,并通过非原位XRD探究Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)晶体结构的演变。结果表明:过少的AN会加快正极材料晶格框架的破坏,而过多的AN会减缓电极反应动力学;在含有适量AN的电解液中,Zn-Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)电池不但在50 mA/g的电流密度下具有91.4 mA·h/g的较高比容量,同时在500 mA/g的电流密度下可以稳定循环1000次且无明显容量衰退。

Efficient and Fast X-Ray Luminescence in Organic Phosphors Through High-Level Triplet-Singlet Reverse Intersystem Crossing

Organic scintillators that efficiently generate bright triplet excitons are of critical importance for highperformance X-ray-excited luminescence in radiation detection.However,the nature of triplet-singlet spinforbidden transitions in these materials often result in long-lived phosphorescence,which is undesirable for ultrafast X-ray detection and imaging.Here we demonstrate that the effect of hybridized local and charge-transfer(HLCT)excited states enables organic scintillators to exhibit highly efficient and fast radioluminescence(RL)in response to X-ray irradiation.Our experimental and theoretical investigation shows that the oxidized 1,8-naphthalimide-phenothiazine dyad(OMNI-PTZ 2)with HLCT-excited states has an enhanced overlap integral of the highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO)and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO)on MNIπ-orbitals,and moderate donor–acceptor electron interactions.As a result,the RL of these crystals exhibits a 61-fold increase and its monoexponential decay lifetime is three orders of magnitude faster compared to its corresponding thermally activated delayed fluorescence(TADF)molecule MNI-PTZ 1.We further demonstrate the practical utility of the OMNI-PTZ 2(G)in high-performance X-ray detection and imaging,achieving an X-ray dose sensitivity of 97 nGy s−1 and an exceptional spatial resolution of 20 lp/mm.Our study provides a promising molecular design principle for utilizing triplet excitons to develop high-efficiency and fast X-ray scintillators for the development of next-generation flexible and stretchable X-ray imaging detectors.

姜黄素脂质聚合物杂化纳米颗粒的构建及表征

姜黄素存在的水溶性差、稳定性差及生物利用度低等缺陷限制了其在抗肿瘤领域的临床应用。基于肿瘤组织的弱酸性环境和肿瘤细胞内的还原性环境,设计并合成了一种兼具还原敏感性和电荷反转性能的两亲性聚合物。由该聚合物、磷脂和聚己内酯(PCL)通过自组装方式构建的脂质聚合物杂化纳米颗粒(LPNPs),具有良好的均一性和适宜的粒径尺寸,能够有效负载抗肿瘤药物姜黄素(载药率:6.78%,包封率:92.3%)。在正常的生理条件下(pH值7.4)纳米颗粒表面呈负电性,有助于降低蛋白非特异性吸附,提高其血液相容性。而在弱酸性环境中(pH值6.5),其表面则可以转化为正电性,增强其进入肿瘤细胞的能力。在模拟的还原性条件下纳米颗粒的粒径尺寸和粒径分布能够发生显著性变化,表明其具有良好的还原敏感性,有望在肿瘤细胞内实现微环境响应性释药。本研究所制备的智能纳米载体为实现抗肿瘤药物的高效递送和可控释药提供了一种新的思路。

反渗透海水淡化系统混合膜设计

节能型反渗透海水淡化系统的设计对于进一步降低制水成本,促进海水淡化的普及应用意义深远。混合膜设计(HID)是一种新颖的反渗透系统设计方式,其特色是在同一个压力容器内排列不同类型的膜元件,通过不同膜元件性能互补实现效益最大化。文中采用软件模拟方式,以水质、能耗、配流为考察指标,首先对杜邦(DuPont)、LG、东丽(Toray)、海德能(Hydranautics)四大主流膜产品在HID中的性能差异进行对比,结果表明,Toray膜在平衡流量和节能效率方面具有明显优势。进一步以Toray膜为研究对象,深入探讨温度和配置比例对性能指标的影响,结果表明,温度是影响HID的一个重要因素,在水温低、水质变化较小的北方海域,HID节能效应更突出,效率可达9%,流量平衡效应明显增强。

基于混合密度和微簇聚合的密度峰值聚类算法

密度峰值聚类算法是一种简单高效聚类新算法,但该算法在处理密度分布不均匀数据集时,很难找到正确的类簇中心,并且在样本分配过程中容易出现错误连带现象,导致聚类效果不佳。针对上述问题,提出一种基于混合密度和微簇聚合的密度峰值聚类算法(HMDPC)。HMDPC算法首先根据反向K近邻和样本间的归属关系定义样本的混合密度;其次,将数据划分为多个微簇,定义微簇之间的相似度,基于此相似度对多个微簇进行聚合,从而获得最终的聚类结果。在人工数据集和UCI数据集上进行实验,并将HMDPC算法与其它6种聚类算法比较,实验结果表明HMDPC算法聚类效果较好。

Reverse Droop Control-based Smooth Transfer Strategy for Interface Converters in Hybrid AC/DC Distribution Networks

Hybrid AC/DC distribution networks are promising candidates for future applications due to their rapid advancement in power electronics technology.They use interface converters(IFCs)to link DC and AC distribution networks.However,the networks possess drawbacks with AC voltage and frequency offsets when transferring from grid-tied to islanding modes.To address these problems,this paper proposes a simple but effective strategy based on the reverse droop method.Initially,the power balance equation of the distribution system is derived,which reveals that the cause of voltage and frequency offsets is the mismatch between the IFC output power and the rated load power.Then,the reverse droop control is introduced into the IFC controller.By using a voltage-active power/frequency-reactive power(U-P/f-Q)reverse droop loop,the IFC output power enables adaptive tracking of the rated load power.Therefore,the AC voltage offset and frequency offset are suppressed during the transfer process of operational modes.In addition,the universal parameter design method is discussed based on the stability limitations of the control system and the voltage quality requirements of AC critical loads.Finally,simulation and experimental results clearly validate the proposed control strategy and parameter design method.

Accuracy of a reverse dot blot hybridization assay for simultaneous detection of the resistance of four anti-tuberculosis drugs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from China

Background:Drug resistant tuberculosis poses a great challenge for tuberculosis control worldwide.Timely determination of drug resistance and effective individual treatment are essential for blocking the transmission of drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.We aimed to establish and evaluate the accuracy of a reverse dot blot hybridization(RDBH)assay to simultaneously detect the resistance of four anti-tuberculosis drugs in M tuberculosis isolated in China.Methods:In this study,we applied a RDBH assay to simultaneously detect the resistance of rifampicin(RIF),isoniazid(INH),streptomycin(SM)and ethambutol(EMB)in 320 clinical M.tuberculosis isolates and compared the results to that from phenotypic drug susceptibility testing(DST) and sequencing.The RDBH assay was designed to test up to 42 samples at a time.Pearson's chi-square test was used to compute the statistical measures of the RDBH assay using the phenotypic DST or sequencing as the gold standard method,and Kappa identity test was used to determine the consistency between the RDBH assay and the phenotypic DST or sequencing.Results:The results showed that the concordances between phenotypic DST and RDBH assay were 95%for RIF,92.8%for INH,84.7%for SM,77.2%for EMB and the concordances between sequencing and RDBH assay were 97.8%for RIF,98.8%for INH,99.1%for SM,93.4%for EMB.Compared to the phenotypic DST results,the sensitivity and specificity of the RDBH assay for resistance detection were 92.4 and 98.5%for RIF,90.3 and 97.3%for INH,77.4 and 91.5%for SM,61.4 and 85.7%for EMB,respeaively;compared to sequencing,the sensitivity and specificity of the RDBH assay were 97.7 and 97.9%for RIF,97.9 and 100.0% for INH,97.8 and 1OO.O% for SM,82.6 and 99.1%for EMB,respectively.The turnaround time of the RDBH assay was 7 h for testing 42 samples.Conclusions:Our data suggested that the RDBH assay could serve as a rapid and efficient method for testing the resistance of M. tuberculosis against RIF,INH,SM and EMB,enabling early administration of appropriate treatment regimens to the affected drug resistant tuberculosis patients.

A Simulation of the Effect of Collisional Dissipation of Fast Electrons on the Radial Profiles of the Current Driven by Lower-Hybrid-Waves on the HT-7 Tokamak

For the effect of the collisional dissipation of fast electrons driven by the lower-hybrid waves, a predictive simulation is made for the HT-7 plasma. The simulation results show that the dissipation of fast electrons counteracts the effect of radial diffusion to some extent, thereby making the lower-hybrid driven current profile closer to the power deposition profile. So, in the case of an off-axis lower-hybrid wave power launching, the dissipation is helpful in maintaining a center-hollowed current profile in lower hybrid current drive （LHCD） plasmas, and thus possibly maintains the desired reversed magnetic shear.