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Antiviral drugs do not currently exist for the treatment of enterovirus infections, which are often severe and potentially life-threatening. We conducted high-throughput molecular screening and identified a structurally diverse set of compounds that inhibit the replication of coxsackievirus B3, a commonly encountered enterovirus. These compounds did not interfere with the function of the viral internal ribosome entry site or with the activity of the viral proteases, but they did drastically reduce the synthesis of viral RNA and viral proteins in infected cells. Sequence analysis of compound-resistant mutants suggests that the viral 2C protein is targeted by most of these compounds. These compounds demonstrated antiviral activity against a panel of the most commonly encountered enteroviruses and thus represent potential leads for the development of broad-spectrum anti-enteroviral drugs.

Antiviral drugs do not currently exist for the treatment of enterovirus infections, which are often severe and potentially life-threatening. We conducted high-throughput molecular screening and identified a structurally diverse set of compounds that inhibit the replication of coxsackievirus B3, a commonly encountered enterovirus. These compounds did not interfere with the function of the viral internal ribosome entry site or with the activity of the viral proteases, but they did drastically reduce the synthesis of viral RNA and viral proteins in infected cells. Sequence analysis of compound-resistant mutants suggests that the viral 2C protein is targeted by most of these compounds. These compounds demonstrated antiviral activity against a panel of the most commonly encountered enteroviruses and thus represent potential leads for the development of broad-spectrum anti-enteroviral drugs.

The events of hurricane seasons and the threat of terrorist attacks have made evacuation during disruptions a leading management issue. Transportation networks, which form the backbone of any emergency management plan, should be able to respond to disruptions by ensuring safe, organized and quick movement of people at the time of crisis. This work proposes two models to capture the highly uncertain and time-dependent nature of transportation systems in the face of an emergency. The first model addresses the location of safety shelters. It uses risk management tools, the classical facility location model and traffic assignment techniques with Wardrop’s principle to determine the optimal location of shelters. The second model deals with real time decision-making during evacuations. It incorporates a simulation algorithm with the successive shortest path algorithm to model evacuation. Detailed traffic information in the network can be obtained from this algorithm to facilitate the evacuation.

The events of hurricane seasons and the threat of terrorist attacks have made evacuation during disruptions a leading management issue. Transportation networks, which form the backbone of any emergency management plan, should be able to respond to disruptions by ensuring safe, organized and quick movement of people at the time of crisis. This work proposes two models to capture the highly uncertain and time-dependent nature of transportation systems in the face of an emergency. The first model addresses the location of safety shelters. It uses risk management tools, the classical facility location model and traffic assignment techniques with Wardrop’s principle to determine the optimal location of shelters. The second model deals with real time decision-making during evacuations. It incorporates a simulation algorithm with the successive shortest path algorithm to model evacuation. Detailed traffic information in the network can be obtained from this algorithm to facilitate the evacuation.