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Human visual neurons rely on event-driven, energy-efficient spikes for communication, while silicon image sensors do not. The energy-budget mismatch between biological systems and machine vision technology has inspired the development of artificial visual neurons for use in spiking neural network (SNN). However, the lack of multiplexed data coding schemes reduces the ability of artificial visual neurons in SNN to emulate the visual perception ability of biological systems. Here, we present an artificial visual spiking neuron that enables rate and temporal fusion (RTF) coding of external visual information. The artificial neuron can code visual information at different spiking frequencies (rate coding) and enables precise and energy-efficient time-to-first-spike (TTFS) coding. This multiplexed sensory coding scheme could improve the computing capability and efficacy of artificial visual neurons. A hardware-based SNN with the RTF coding scheme exhibits good consistency with real-world ground truth data and achieves highly accurate steering and speed predictions for self-driving vehicles in complex conditions. The multiplexed RTF coding scheme demonstrates the feasibility of developing highly efficient spike-based neuromorphic hardware. Multiplexed spiking data coding schemes could enable artificial visual neurons to emulate the human visual system in a more biologically plausible way. Here, Li et al. present an artificial neuron device capable of encoding visual analog signals into spike trains using multiplexed rate and temporal fusion coding. Reviewer recognition:

Resurgence and spread of macrolide-resistant Bordetella pertussis (MRBP) threaten global public health. We collected 283 B. pertussis isolates during 2016-2022 in Shanghai, China, and conducted 23S rRNA gene A2047G mutation detection, multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis, and virulence genotyping analysis. We performed whole-genome sequencing on representative strains. We detected pertussis primarily in infants (0-1 years of age) before 2020 and older children (>5-10 years of age) after 2020. The major genotypes were ptxP1/prn1/fhaB3/ptxA1/ptxC1/fim2-1/fim3-1 (48.7%) and ptxP3/prn2/fhaB1/ptxA1/ptxC2/fim2-1/fim3-1 (47.7%). MRBP increased remarkably from 2016 (36.4%) to 2022 (97.2%). All MRBPs before 2020 harbored ptxP1, and 51.4% belonged to multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis type (MT) 195, whereas ptxP3-MRBP increased from 0% before 2020 to 66.7% after 2020, and all belonged to MT28. MT28 ptxP3-MRBP emerged only after 2020 and replaced the resident MT195 ptxP1-MRBP, revealing that 2020 was a watershed in the transformation of MRBP.

To improve the light environment of asymmetric large-span externally insulated plastic greenhouses, a solar radiation model that considers the projection path equations of the insulation quilts and validated the model was established. The model was employed to investigate the impact of different heights, spans, and north lighting projection lengths on the greenhouses’ light environment. The results revealed that ground radiation interception, a key component of winter lighting, was most influenced by height, followed by span, and least influenced by the projection length of the north lighting roof. Additionally, ground radiation spatial uniformity was most affected by height, followed by the projection length of the north lighting roof, and least influenced by span. The optimization objectives for solar radiation were set to maximize solar radiation interception and minimize the coefficient of variation. The optimal structural parameters for the asymmetric large-span externally insulated plastic greenhouse were determined using the NSGA-II method and the entropy weight-TOPSIS method: the height of 6.97 m, and the projection length of north lighting roof is 7.44 m for a greenhouse with a span of 20.00 m. Compared to the initial greenhouse, the optimized design enhances both radiation interception performance and ensures uniform light distribution. These results offer valuable theoretical guidance for greenhouse construction.

Background The investigation into virulence factors, clinical and molecular characteristics, and resistance mechanisms of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) in pediatric populations is currently inadequate. Purpose This study aimed to investigate the virulence factors, clinical and molecular characteristics, and resistance mechanisms of 135 CRPA isolates in Shanghai, China. Methods Analysis of virulence-associated genes and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) provided epidemiological and molecular insights into the isolates. Resistance mechanisms were identified via PCR, sequencing, and qRT-PCR. Results The predominant resistance mechanism to carbapenems was the decreased production of outer membrane porin OprD (75.6%), accompanied by mutational inactivation of the oprD (87.4%). However, elevated production of AmpC (7.4%) and mexB overexpression (5.2%) were uncommon. Thirty-five sequence types (STs) were identified, with clonal complex 244 (CC244;59.3%) representing the majority of infections. Sixteen virulence factor genes were detected, with a significant portion of isolates (40.7%) concurrently possessing Toxin A ( toxA ), Elastase B ( lasB ), Exoenzyme S ( exoS ), staphylolysin ( lasA ), and Pilin ( pilA ). Almost all CC244 isolates carried toxA (100%), exoS (100%), pilA (100%), lasB (98.6%), and lasA (82.5%) while all ST2100, ST274, ST1129, ST446, and ST2069 isolates contained exoY . CC244 + isolates exhibited significantly increased antibiotic resistance, and the isolates from diseased or discharged patients showed comparatively higher resistance than others, except against gentamicin. Most patients (71.9%) received combination therapy, with 65.2% achieving clinical cure or improvement. Conclusion This study predominantly identified OprD-mediated carbapenem resistance in pediatric patients. The CRPA isolates were characterized by a variety of STs and a widespread distribution of virulence-associated genes. CC244 demonstrated significantly higher resistance, with potential outbreaks occurring in 2018 and 2019. These findings could aid in managing nosocomial CRPA infections and enhancing clinical practices.

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) poses a serious threat to global public health. Hypervirulent CRKP (Hv-CRKP) can cause life-threatening infections, with significantly higher virulence and mortality compared to classical CRKP. CRKP strains were isolated from hospitalized patients in Shandong Province, China, 2018–2023. We performed whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatic analyses to determine the multilocus sequence typing (MLST), capsular typing, antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence factors, and plasmid incompatibility (Inc) typing of these strains. 81 CRKP strains were collected, with the major carbapenemase genes were bla NDM−1 (49.4%) and bla KPC−2 (42.0%), and the major MLST types of ST11 (40.7%), ST45 (27.2%), and ST37 (19.8%). ST11-KP was closely associated with bla KPC−2 (100%), and was primarily isolated from adults (93.9%), whereas ST45-KP and ST37-KP were closely linked to bla NDM−1 (100%) and frequently detected in neonates and infants. ST11-KP mostly harbored capsular type O13 (66.7%)/KL47 (63.6%), while the ST45-KP and ST37-KP majorly exhibited O2a (100%)/KL43 (95.5%) and O4 (93.8%)/KL15 (75%), respectively. There were three major CRKP clades: Clade I-ST11- bla KPC−2 (40.7%), Clade II-ST45- bla NDM−1 (27.2%), and Clade III-ST37- bla NDM−1 (18.5%). Notably, Clade I-ST11- bla KPC−2 strains harbored a set of virulence factors including rmpA2 (60.6%) and iucABCD/iutA (81.8%~97.0%), and mainly carried the IncFII/IncR plasmid (84.8%). Compared with non-Hv-CRKP, Hv-CRKP was associated with significantly higher levels of inflammatory factors including C-reactive protein ((34.6 ± 5.0) mg/L vs. (12.6 ± 2.9) mg/L, p  < 0.001) and serum amyloid A ((153.8 ± 40.0) mg/L vs. (23.0 ± 7.6) mg/L, p  < 0.001). ST11-O13/KL47 CRKP, characterized by high antimicrobial resistance and hypervirulence, has spread in China. Continuous surveillance of hypervirulent ST11-O13/KL47 CRKP is of importance.

Experimental studies were conducted on the cultivation of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) at Shandong Agricultural University, China, from 2022 to 2023. Three cultivation patterns were designed as follows: a north–south orientation with a row spacing of 1.40 m (NS-1.4m), a north–south orientation with a row spacing of 1.80 m (NS-1.8m) and an east–west orientation with a row spacing of 1.80 m (EW-1.8m). A functional–structural plant model using the open source interactive modeling platform of GroIMP was constructed for the cultivation of tomatoes. The growth of plants as well as the light distribution and light interception capacity of the crop canopy were simulated and analyzed. The impacts of these cultivation patterns on the growth, photosynthetic characteristics, fruit ripening time, quality and yield of tomato plants were analyzed. The studies revealed that compared with the NS-1.4m treatment, the canopy light interception of tomato plants under the NS-1.8m and EW-1.8m treatments increased by 6.08% and 9.80% in a winter–spring crop and 6.80% and 19.76% in an autumn–winter crop, respectively. Their plant height, leaf area, aboveground dry matter accumulation, leaf net photosynthesis rate as well as the lycopene, vitamin C and sugar–acid ratio of the fruit all exhibited increasing trends, while fruit ripening was accelerated. The yield of the NS-1.8m and EW-1.8m treatments increased by 3.92% and 6.18% in a winter–spring crop and 4.17% and 9.78% in an autumn–winter crop, respectively. Structural equation modeling was used to further analyze the data, confirming that the cultivation of an east–west orientation with wide row spacing is beneficial for tomato cultivation in Chinese solar greenhouses. This cultivation pattern maximizes the canopy’s light interception, thus leading to improved fruit quality and yield. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for optimizing the cultivation pattern of solar greenhouse crops.

Background Carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli (CR-GNB) have been increasingly reported in China. However, dynamic monitoring data on molecular epidemiology of CR-GNB are limited in pediatric patients. Results 300 CR-GNB isolates (200 Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumonia e (CRKP), 50 carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii (CRAB) and 50 carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA)) were investigated. The predominant carbapenemase gene was bla NDM−1 (73%) and bla KPC−2 (65%) in neonates and non-neonates. Meanwhile, the predominant STs were ST11 (54%) in neonates and ST17 (27.0%) and ST278 (20.0%) in non-neonates. Notably, a shift in the dominant sequence type of CRKP infections from ST17 /ST278-NDM-1 to ST11-KPC-2 was observed during the years 2017–2021 and KPC-KP showed relatively higher resistance to aminoglycosides and quinolones than NDM-KP. Bla OXA−23 was isolated from all the CRAB isolates while only one isolate expressing bla BIC and 2 isolates expressing bla VIM−2 were found in CRPA isolates. ST195 (22.0%) and ST244 (24.0%) were the most common in CRAB and CRPA isolates and all the STs of CRAB belonged to CC92 while CRPA presents ST types with diversity distribution. Conclusion CRKP showed different molecular phenotypes in neonates and non-neonates and was changing dynamically and high-risk clone of ST11 KPC-KP should be paid more attention. Most CRKP and CRAB strains shared the same CCs, suggesting that intrahospital transmission may occur, and large-scale screening and more effective measures are urgently needed.

Since May 2015, severe outbreaks of hepatitis-hydropericardium syndrome (HHS) associated with infections of fowl aviadenovirus (FAdV) have emerged in broiler chickens in several Chinese provinces. To identify the genotype and gain a better understanding of the genetic properties of the FAdV strains responsible for the recent HHS outbreaks in China, the complete genome sequences of five isolates from outbreaks of HHS in broiler chickens in five provinces were determined. The results demonstrated that a novel fowl aviadenovirus 4 (FAdV-4) genotype was epidemic in China. To investigate the molecular characteristics of these Chinese FAdV-4 isolates, their genome contents were compared with those of reported pathogenic and non-pathogenic FAdV-4 strains. The comparative analysis revealed that the novel Chinese FAdV-4 isolates contain various genomic deletions and multiple distinct amino-acid mutations in their major structural genes. Two additional putative genetic virulence markers in the fiber 2 gene were identified. These findings confirmed some of the genetic differences between the pathogenic and non-pathogenic FAdV-4 isolates. The data presented in this report will enhance the current understanding of the molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of FAdV-4 isolates in China and will provide additional insight into the critical factors that determine the pathogenicity of FAdV-4 strains. Finally, the emergence of this novel and highly pathogenic FAdV-4 genotype emphasizes that preventive measures against FAdV-4 infections on poultry farms should be implemented in China.

Bloodstream infections (BSIs), especially hospital-acquired BSIs, are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. However, the details about the pathogens and antimicrobial resistance profile of BSIs across China are still lacking. An investigation was conducted in 10 large teaching hospitals from seven geographic regions across China in 2016 based on China Antimicrobial Surveillance Network (CHINET) to profile the clinical and etiological features of BSIs. A total of 2,773 cases of BSIs were identified, a majority (97.3%) of which were monomicrobial. Overall, 38.4% (1,065/2,773) were community-acquired BSIs (CABSIs), and 61.6% (1,708/2,773) were hospital-acquired BSIs (HABSIs). Of the 2,861 pathogenic BSI isolates, 67.5% were Gram-negative bacteria, 29.6% were Gram-positive bacteria, and 2.9% were fungi. The top BSI pathogens were , , coagulase-negative (CNS), , , and . and isolates showed low susceptibility to penicillins, cephalosporins (except ceftazidime and cefepime), and ampicillin-sulbactam (13.1%-43.4% susceptible); moderate susceptibility (about 60% susceptible) to ceftazidime, cefepime, and aztreonam; and high susceptibility (>90%) to β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations other than ampicillin-sulbactam, except strains to piperacillin-tazobactam (59.2% susceptible). HABSIs were associated with significantly higher prevalence of carbapenem-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactamases-producing , methicillin-resistant , methicillin-resistant CNS, and ampicillin-resistant than CABSIs. Overall, 42.0% of the BSI due to strains were resistant to methicillin. The findings about BSIs in teaching hospitals across China add more scientific evidence to inform the appropriate management of the disease.

Objective To investigate the characteristics of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in bone and joint infection (BJI) among children. Methods A total of 338 patients diagnosed with BJI from 2013 to 2022 in Children’s Hospital of Fudan University were enrolled. Demographic information, microbiology culture results and laboratory findings, including white blood counts (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were collected and analyzed. MRSA was confirmed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Other MRSA-caused infections were randomly selected for comparison. Twenty-three virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes were screened for MRSA strains. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and Staphylococcal protein A (spa) typing were performed using PCR amplification and sequencing. Results Of the identified pathogens in BJI, MRSA accounted for 21.0% (47/224). Patients with BJI had high levels of initial CRP, white blood cell count (WBC) and IL-6. ST59 (43.9%) and t437 (37.6%) were the main MRSA subtypes isolated from the children. The major genotypes in BJI were ST59-t437 (29.8%) and ST22-t309 (14.9%), with high carriage of hemolysins including hla (94.4–100%), hlb (66.2–93.3%), and hld (100%). Notably, Panton–Valentine leukocidin ( pvl ) had a high prevalence (53.3%) in ST22-t309-MRSA. Other virulence genes including tst , seg and sei were more commonly detected in ST22-t309-MRSA (40.0–46.7%) than in ST59-t437-MRSA (4.2–9.9%). High-carriage AMR genes in MRSA included aph(3ʹ)/III (66.7–80%) , ermB (57.5–73.3%) and ermC (66.7–78.9%). MRSA presented high-resistance to erythromycin (52.0–100%) and clindamycin (48.0–92.5%), different genotypes displayed variation in their susceptibilities to antibiotics. Conclusions The major MRSA genotype in BJI was ST59-t437, followed by ST22-t309, with a higher prevalence of the pvl gene. Continuous surveillance of pvl -positive ST22-t309-MRSA in pediatric BJI infections is thus required.