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Computational approaches can speed up the drug discovery process by predicting drug-target affinity, otherwise it is time-consuming. In this study, we developed a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based model named SMILES2DTA (Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System to Drug-Target Affinity) for predicting the binding affinity between a drug and a target protein. The model utilizes CNNs to process sequences of both drug SMILES and target proteins. SMILES2DTA generates multiple sequences from a single drug SMILES sequence, validates them based on Lipinski's rule of five, and assesses their binding affinity against a target protein sequence. We evaluated our model using publicly available datasets and compared its performance to state-of-the-art methods. The results showed that SMILES2DTA outperformed the existing methods and demonstrated improved accuracy, mean squared error, and area under the precision-recall curve. SMILES2DTA has the potential to speed up the drug discovery process by reducing the time and cost complexity of identifying effective drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Risk Analysis Index (RAI) has been increasingly used to assess surgical frailty in various procedures, but its effectiveness in predicting mortality or in-patient hospital outcomes for spine surgery in metastatic disease remains unclear. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive values of the revised RAI (RAI-rev), the modified frailty index-5 (mFI-5), and advanced age for extended length of stay, 30-day readmission, complications, and mortality among patients undergoing spine surgery for metastatic spinal tumors. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using the 2012–2022 ACS NSQIP database to identify adult patients who underwent spinal surgery for metastatic spinal pathologies. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and multivariable analyses, we compared the discriminative thresholds and independent associations of RAI-rev, mFI-5, and greater patient age with extended length of stay (LOS), 30-day complications, hospital readmission, and mortality. Results: A total of 1,796 patients were identified, of which 1,116 (62.1%) were male and 1,008 (70.7%) were non-Hispanic White. RAI-rev identified 1,291 (71.9%) frail and 208 (11.6%) very frail patients, while mFI-5 identified 272 (15.1%) frail and 49 (2.7%) very frail patients. In the ROC analysis for extended LOS, both RAI-rev and mFI-5 showed modest predictive capabilities with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.5477 and 0.5329, respectively, and no significant difference in their predictive abilities (p = 0.446). When compared to age, RAI-rev demonstrated superior prediction (p = 0.015). With respect to predicting 30-day readmission, no significant difference was observed between RAI-rev and mFI-5 (AUC 0.5394 l respectively, p = 0.354). However, RAI-rev outperformed age (p = 0.001). When assessing the risk of 30-day complications, RAI-rev significantly outperformed mFI-5 (AUC: 0.6016 and 0.5542 respectively, p = 0.022) but not age. Notably, RAI-rev demonstrated superior ability for predicting 30-day mortality compared to mFI-5 and age (AUC: 0.6541, 0.5652, and 0.5515 respectively, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed RAI-rev as a significant predictor of extended LOS [aOR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.13–3.38, p = 0.016] and 30-day mortality [aOR: 5.27, 95% CI: 1.73–16.06, p = 0.003] for very frail patients. Similarly, the RAI-rev significantly predicted 30-day complications for frail [aOR: 2.63, 95% CI: 1.21–5.72, p = 0.015] and very frail [aOR: 3.69, 95% CI: 1.60–8.51, p = 0.002] patients. However, the RAI did not significantly predict 30-day readmission [Very Frail aOR: 1.52, 95% CI: 0.75–3.07, p = 0.245; Frail aOR: 1.46, 95% CI: 0.79–2.68, p = 0.225]. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the utility of RAI-rev in predicting morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing spine surgery for metastatic spinal pathologies. Particularly, the superiority that RAI-rev has in predicting 30-day mortality may have significant implications in multidisciplinary decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent resurgence of traditional medicines, driven by a renewed interest in the medicinal use of plant extracts, has garnered significant scientific attention for their therapeutic efficacy in treating a wide range of diseases. Glycyrrhiza species, commonly known as licorice, are widely recognized both as herbal remedies and as natural sweeteners. Among these, Glycyrrhiza uralensis stands out for its exceptional therapeutic potential, particularly in enhancing muscle regeneration, slowing muscle aging, and promoting skeletal muscle myogenesis. This review explores the traditional uses and biological effects of G. uralensis, highlighting the biological significance of its bioactive constituents, such as saponins and flavonoids. The hepatoprotective, antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiobesity, anti-inflammatory, skeletal muscle-enhancing and cardiovascular effects of G. uralensis are reviewed, along with its toxicity and safety profile. Additionally, we propose directions for future clinical and scientific investigations, advocating for using G. uralensis as a natural therapeutic agent. The primary aim of this review is to contribute to the incorporation of this ancient medicine into modern clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of genetic variability in germplasm accessions facilitates the optimal application of genetic resources to produce new cultivars. In the present study, the genetic diversity among ten linseeds (Linum usitatissimum L.) accessions was studied using different agro-morphological and biochemical parameters. The tested plants were grown in basal doses of zinc fertilization and were maintained in the herbal garden of Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India. The plants were screened for morpho-physiological traits like plant height, seed weight, capsule number, yield characteristics, and biochemical traits like chlorophyll, protein, sugar, oil content, and antioxidant potential at three different plant growth stages. The quantity of lignans like secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) and gallic acid content was also assessed in the tested accessions using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis. The results indicate that at the post-flowering stage, the economically significant characteristics such as seed weight, capsule number, and 1000 seed weight showed remarkable variability among the accessions. Also, yield characteristics, oil content, protein content, antioxidants, SDG, and gallic acid content exhibited a significant amount of genotypic variations among the accessions. Consequently, accession EC1537 (V7) was found to be high-efficient and accession IC0345421 (V1) was found to be low-efficient in terms of morpho-physiological, biochemical, yield characteristics, and metabolite accumulation potential. The genetic variations among the accession were further confirmed using hierarchical cluster analysis. The tested ten accessions were divided into three clusters, with Cluster I representing a degree of similarity of 79.48% and the mean distance to the centroid of 17.67% (V1, V3, and V9), Cluster II representing a degree of similarity of 80.79% and a mean distance of 22.12% to the centroid (V2, V6, V10, V5, V4, V8), and cluster III—associated with accessions V7, respectively. Multiple parameters were employed in conjunction with multivariate analysis to precisely identify the accessions with the highest efficiency as EC1537 (V7) and the accession with the lowest efficiency as IC0345421 (V1). The results indicate the variety of traits that can be utilized in breeding lines to produce a crop that is sustainable, and of great value, while also meeting agricultural and economic requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeletal muscle (SM) contains a diverse population of muscle stem (or satellite) cells, which are essential for the maintenance of muscle tissue and positively regulated by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). However, in aged SM, PGE2 levels are reduced due to increased prostaglandin catabolism by 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), a negative regulator of SM tissue repair and regeneration. Screening of a library of 80,617 natural compounds in the ZINC database against 15-PGDH was conducted from PyRx. Further, drug-likeness rules, including those of Lipinski, Ghose, Veber, Egan, and Muegge were performed. The selected complex was forwarded for MD simulations up to 100ns. Based on free energy of binding obtained from docking revealed that ZINC14557836 and ZINC14638400 more potently inhibiting to 15-PGDH than SW033291 (the control and high-affinity inhibitor of 15-PGDH). The free energies of binding obtained from PyRx for 15-PGDH-ZINC14557836, 15-PGDH-ZINC14638400, and 15-PGDH-SW033291 complexes were − 10.30, -9.80, and − 8.0 kcal/mol, respectively. Root mean square deviations (RMSDs), root mean square fluctuations (RMSFs), radii of gyration (Rg), solvent-accessible surface areas (SASAs), and H-bond parameters obtained by 100 ns MD simulations predicted ZINC14557836 and ZINC14638400 more stably complexed with 15-PGDH than SW033291. The several parameters, including physicochemical properties and drug-likenesses, were within acceptable limits, and ZINC14557836 and ZINC14638400 also satisfied other drug-likeness rules, including those of Lipinski, Ghose, Veber, Egan, and Muegge. These findings suggest that ZINC14557836 and ZINC14638400 provide starting points for the development of medications that increase SM regeneration and muscle stem (or satellite) cell numbers by inhibiting 15-PGDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) often affects newborns of low gestational age and low birth weight, requires critical care for neonates, and is linked to long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. Assessing regional differences in the U.S. in care for neonatal IVH and subsequent outcomes can shed light on ways to mitigate socioeconomic disparities. Methods: Using the 2016–2019 National Inpatient Sample (NIS), patients with a primary diagnosis of IVH were identified using ICD-10-CM codes. A retrospective cohort study was conducted with patients stratified by hospital region. Demographics, comorbidities, presentation, intraoperative variables, and inpatient outcomes were assessed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the impact of insurance status on extended LOS (defined as > 75th percentile of LOS), exorbitant cost (defined as > 75th percentile of cost), and mortality. Results: Included in this study were 1630 newborns with IVH. A larger portion of patients in the South and Midwest were Black, compared to the Northeast and West (Northeast: 12.2% vs Midwest: 30.2% vs South: 22.8% vs West: 5.8%, p < 0.001), while a greater percentage of patients in the West and South were Hispanic (Northeast: 7.3% vs Midwest: 9.5% vs South: 22.8% vs West: 36.2%, p < 0.001). LOS was similar among all regions. Factors associated with prolonged LOS included hydrocephalus and CSF diversions. Median total cost of admission was highest in the West, while the South was associated with decreased odds of exorbitant cost. LOS was associated with exorbitant cost, and large bed-volume hospital, VLBW, and permanent CSF shunt were associated with mortality. Conclusions: Demographic variables, but not presenting or intraoperative variables, differed among regions, pointing to possible geographic health disparities. The West had the highest total cost of admission, while the South was associated with reduced odds of exorbitant admission costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Sealers are an important component in root canal obturation to provide the seal of the root canal system. In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of hydraulic silicate sealers, commonly referred to as bioceramic sealers, due to their many advantageous properties. NeoSealer Flo (NS; Avalon Biomed USA, Houston TX) is a recently introduced premixed bioceramic sealer. There is limited evidence on its properties and clinical performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of root canal treatment using NS in a sealer-based obturation technique. Materials and Methods: The records of patients in a private practice between 2017 and 2022 were analyzed to identify both initial and retreatment cases obturated with either EndoSequence BC sealer or NS using sealer-based obturation with a minimum of one-year follow-up. Treatment outcome between NS and BC was compared with chi-square test. Logistic regression was used to identify additional prognostic factors. Results: Six hundred and eighty-seven teeth met the inclusion criteria for the study. The success rate of cases obturated with BC was 94.9% and 96.5% for the cases obturated with NS. No statistically significant differences were found between the two sealer types. Presence of a periapical radiolucency or periapical radiolucency > 5.00 mm were statistically significant prognostic factors. Conclusions: Endodontic treatment using BC or NS with sealer-based obturation method is a viable treatment option. Clinical Relevance: Root canal obturation with bioceramic sealers, such as NeoSealer Flo and Endosequence BC sealer, provide favorable clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to develop a nanoformulation of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combined with Andrographolide (AG) to synergize their anticancer activity, reduce the dose of 5-FU, and minimize the side effects of 5-FU. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of 5-FU and AG were synthesized and characterized separately for average particle size, EE, DL, TEM, DSC, and FTIR. In vitro cytotoxicity was assessed in A549 lung cancer cells, and in vivo experiments were conducted using Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC)-induced tumors in Balb/c mice, evaluating tumor regression parameters (TRP) and lifespan analysis (LSA). The average particle size of the SLNs was below 150 nm. The combination nanoformulation of AG and 5-FU exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity in A549 cell lines, with an IC50 value of 18.45 ± 1.03 (p < 0.05). In the in vivo study, the combination nanoformulation showed a decrease in tumor size, an increase in mean survival time, and a significant increment in lifespan compared to the toxic control and AG-SLNs treated groups (p < 0.05). These effects were almost comparable to those observed in the 5-FU-treated group. The combination of nanoformulations, AG, at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight and 5-FU at 10 mg/kg body weight, demonstrated a synergistic anticancer effect, reduced dose of 5-FU, improved aqueous solubility of both drugs, and increased oral bioavailability. Additionally, nanoparticles were almost found to be stable and they showed potential for reducing side effects such as anemia or myelosuppression. These findings support the potential of combining AG-based chemotherapy with 5-FU for effective cancer prevention and treatment. Figure showing schematic diagram representing research work performed in this study. Abbreviations: SLN, solid-lipid nanoparticles; TEM, transmission electron microscopy; DSC, differential scanning calorimetry; FTIR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern textile industry integrates video sensors with automated fabric reeling systems for real-time fabric weave pattern inspection. This automation system lessens the human-vision-based cognitive load and improves fabric weave pattern inspection work. However, this automation system poses a unique challenge, particularly when dealing with high-dimensional streaming data from highly precision digital microscope cameras. The complexity arises from the continuous acquisition and management of such high-dimensional streaming video data. Considering the challenges posed by dimensionality reduction in high-dimensional data, this study employs multilinear principal component analysis (MPCA)-based tensor decomposition, a statistical technique designed to effectively reduce high-dimensional datasets into low-dimensional features. This paper proposes an innovative method for fabric weave pattern recognition (FWPR) by leveraging MPCA-based tensor decomposition to extract low-dimensional features from the high-dimensional fabric’s surface texture descriptor tensor (STDT). This proposed method replicates fabric pattern monitoring in automated fabric reeling systems by integrating a digital microscope camera to capture high-dimensional streaming video data from fabric surface texture features. Subsequently high-dimensional video data is converted into sequential image frames representing different fabric weave patterns. These image frames are processed with local binary pattern (LBP) and gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) methods to aggregate fabric’s surface pattern features and construct the high-dimensional STDT. This STDT is subsequently decomposed into low-dimensional features by leveraging MPCA, resulting in an impressive 99.99% reduction in dimension. A supervised machine learning method utilizes the extracted low-dimensional features to enable FWPR, demonstrating superiority of the proposed method over the benchmark methods in evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software-defined networking (SDN) is characterized by the separation of the packet forwarding plane from the network control plane. This separation offers an extensive view of the network's state, enhancing network resilience and management. Network traffic classification can improve SDN control and resource provisioning, particularly for elephant flows (EFs) detection. Existing techniques for detecting EFs utilize preset thresholds and bandwidth that are inadequate for changing traffic concepts. Moreover, these techniques consume high data plane-controller bandwidth and have a high detection time. This research first describes the related management techniques in SDN. Then according to the detecting location, elephant flow detection approaches are classified into four kinds: host-based, switch-based, controller-based, and hybrid controller-switch-based detection. This research examined four types of detection approaches and concluded that host-based detection primarily relies on the flow statistics threshold. Such approaches frequently gather flow statistics by monitoring the socket buffer or via the hypervisor. In contrast, switch-based detection can leverage both the flow statistics threshold and flow characteristics. Controller-based detection techniques in SDN focus on extracting flow feature statistics at the controller level, aiming to reduce switch overhead while potentially increasing controller loads. Finally, hybrid controller-switch-based detection combines both routing aspects, offering fine-grained flow control. However it faces challenges in maintaining a balance in timeliness, accuracy, and cost. Furthermore, the survey incorporates recent SDN advancements such as machine learning-based methods, programmable switches, and real-world SDN applications in data centers, global content delivery networks, healthcare, and IoT. Finally, the article makes a comprehensive comparison and puts forward several points of future prediction in terms of elephant flow detection, taking into account recent advances in SDN research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HSPB8 is a heat shock protein belonging to a family of ATP-independent stress proteins called HSPB which are present far and wide in the cells of various organisms. They are committed to protein quality control (PQC) and strive to avert protein aggregation and to procreate a pool of non-native proteins that can be swiftly folded. Their fundamental expression or stress inducibility is regulated by various cis-elements localized in the HSPB regulatory regions. In the current study we have predicted and confirmed two alternatively spliced novel transcripts of HSPB8 gene in liver, brain, and heart. These spliced variants have smaller sizes owing to smaller N terminal regions and showed remarkable changes in their cellular localization. Novel isoform (HSPB8-N1) was predicted to be majorly localized to nuclear region while the reported isoform (HSPB8) and one of the novel isoforms (HSPB8-N2) were predicted to be cytoplasmic in nature. There were many changes observed in the phosphorylation sites of the novel isoforms as well. The newly reported isoforms lack several structural motifs that are essential for various functional endeavors of the HSPB8 protein. In silico analysis of the conceptually translated protein was carried out using various bioinformatics tools to gain an understanding of their properties in order to explore their possible potential in therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) can ensue permanent neurologic dysfunction, morbidity, and mortality. While previous reports have identified disparities based on patient gender or weight, no prior study has assessed how race may influence in neonatal or infantile IVH patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of race on adverse event (AE) rates, length of stay (LOS), and total cost of admission among newborns with IVH. Methods: Using the 2016–2019 National Inpatient Sample database, newborns diagnosed with IVH were identified using ICD-10-CM codes. Patients were stratified based on race. Patient characteristics and inpatient outcomes were assessed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the impact of race on extended LOS and exorbitant cost. Results: Of 1435 patients, 650 were White (45.3%), 270 African American (AA) (18.8%), 300 Hispanic (20.9%), and 215 Other (15.0%). A higher percentage of AA and Other patients than Hispanic and White patients were < 28 days old (p = 0.008). Each of the cohorts had largely similar presenting comorbidities and symptoms, although AA patients did have significantly higher rates of NEC (p < 0.001). There were no observed differences in rates of AEs, rates of mortality, mean LOS, or mean total cost of admission. Similarly, on multivariate analysis, no race was identified as a significant independent predictor of extended LOS or exorbitant cost. Conclusions: Our study found that in newborns with IVH, race is not associated with proxies of poor healthcare outcomes like prolonged LOS or excessive cost. Further studies are needed to validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase of multiple drug resistance bacteria significantly diminishes the effectiveness of antibiotic armory and subsequently exaggerates the level of therapeutic failure. Phytoconstituents are exceptional substitutes for resistance-modifying vehicles. The plants appear to be a deep well for the discovery of novel antibacterial compounds. This is owing to the numerous enticing characteristics of plants, they are easily accessible and inexpensive, extracts or chemicals derived from plants typically have significant levels of action against infections, and they rarely cause serious adverse effects. The enormous selection of phytochemicals offers very distinct chemical structures that may provide both novel mechanisms of antimicrobial activity and deliver us with different targets in the interior of the bacterial cell. They can directly affect bacteria or act together with the crucial events of pathogenicity, in this manner decreasing the aptitude of bacteria to create resistance. Abundant phytoconstituents demonstrate various mechanisms of action toward multi drug resistance bacteria. Overall, this comprehensive review will provide insights into the potential of phytoconstituents as alternative treatments for bacterial infections, particularly those caused by multi drug resistance strains. By examining the current state of research in this area, the review will shed light on potential future directions for the development of new antimicrobial therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global concern over emerging pollutants, characterized by their low concentrations and high toxicity, necessitates effective remediation strategies. Among these pollutants, pharmaceutical and personal care products, pesticides, surfactants, and persistent organic pollutants have gained significant attention. These contaminants are extensively distributed within aquatic ecosystems, posing threats to both human and aquatic physiological systems. Nickel, a valuable metal renowned for its corrosion-resistant properties, is widely utilized in various industrial processes, leading to the generation of nickel-containing waste streams, including batteries, catalysts, wastewater, and electrolyte bleed-off. Contamination of soil, water, or air by these waste materials can have adverse effects on the environment and human health. This review article focuses on the recent advancements in environmental and economic implications associated with the removal of nickel from diverse waste sources. Physicochemical technologies employed for treating different nickel-containing effluents and wastewater are discussed, alongside bioremediation techniques and the underlying mechanisms by which microorganisms facilitate nickel removal. The recovery of nickel from waste materials holds paramount importance not only from an economic standpoint but also to mitigate environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalating cadmium influx from industrial activities and anthropogenic sources has raised serious environmental concerns due to its toxic effects on ecosystems and human health. This review delves into the intricate mechanisms underlying microbial resistance to cadmium, shedding light on the multifaceted interplay between microorganisms and this hazardous heavy metal. Cadmium overexposure elicits severe health repercussions, including renal carcinoma, mucous membrane degradation, bone density loss, and kidney stone formation in humans. Moreover, its deleterious impact extends to animal and plant metabolism. While physico-chemical methods like reverse osmosis and ion exchange are employed to mitigate cadmium contamination, their costliness and incomplete efficacy necessitate alternative strategies. Microbes, particularly bacteria and fungi, exhibit remarkable resilience to elevated cadmium concentrations through intricate resistance mechanisms. This paper elucidates the ingenious strategies employed by these microorganisms to combat cadmium stress, encompassing metal ion sequestration, efflux pumps, and enzymatic detoxification pathways. Bioremediation emerges as a promising avenue for tackling cadmium pollution, leveraging microorganisms' ability to transform toxic cadmium forms into less hazardous derivatives. Unlike conventional methods, bioremediation offers a cost-effective, environmentally benign, and efficient approach. This review amalgamates the current understanding of microbial cadmium resistance mechanisms, highlighting their potential for sustainable remediation strategies. By unraveling the intricate interactions between microorganisms and cadmium, this study contributes to advancing our knowledge of bioremediation approaches, thereby paving the way for safer and more effective cadmium mitigation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional formulations owing to their holistic approach to health and wellness with minimum side effects are widely used all over the globe. Itrifal Muqawwi Dimagh (IMD) is a traditional polyherbal formulation used in the Unani system of medicine conventionally claimed to support and enhance cognitive function. The formulation is widely used by a large population due to its alleged therapeutic efficacy. Despite being widely used, the formulation lacks scientific validation and justification in establishing its therapeutic potential. The present study was designed to detect and identify bioactives responsible for acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity by thin-layer chromatography (TLC)‒bioautography‒mass spectroscopy (MS) and its validation using in silico molecular approach. Quality control was done using ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC)‒MS fingerprint analysis. The authentication of individual constituents of the formulation was done by using powder microscopy. Ethyl acetate and hydrolyzed ethyl acetate fraction of hydroalcoholic extract of IMD were prepared, and in vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity by Ellman's method was performed. The TLC‒MS bioautography revealed the presence of scopoletin, tannic acid, ellagic acid, and catechin as potential bioactive anticholinesterase metabolites. In silico analysis of the identified metabolites from IMD showed AChE activity of ten identified metabolites, moreover, catechin and naringenin showed the best of potential activity. UPLC‒MS analysis demonstrated separation of 33 phytocompounds in the best active fraction of formulation. Hence, based on our findings, it can be concluded that IMD has a great potential to overcome cholinergic deficiency and can be used for neuroprotection and other neurological disorders after successful in vivo pharmacokinetic and toxicity validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique properties of biosurfactants obtained from microbes, including their activity at extreme temperatures, make them more attractive than synthetic alternatives. Henceforth, the principle objective is to isolate and detect the antibacterial and antifungal activities of the biosurfactants produced from bacteria of the economically competitive mangrove ecosystem. Using the serial dilution method, 53 bacterial strains were recovered from the Manakudy mangrove forest in Kanyakumari, India, for the investigation. Different biosurfactant screening methods and morphological and biochemical tests were opted to select the potential biosurfactant producer. After the initial screening, two strains were discovered by 16S rRNA gene sequencing followed by extraction using chloroform: methanol (2:1) by the precipitation method. The partially purified biosurfactants were then screened for antimicrobial properties against pathogens including Mucor sp., Trichoderma sp. Morphological, biochemical, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified the two strains to be gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria namely Virgibacillus halodentrificans CMST-ZI (GenBank Accession No.: OL336402.1) and Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CMST-ZI (GenBank Accession No (10 K): OL308085.1). The two extracted biosurfactants viz., 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, mono (2-ethylhexyl) ester, as well as cycloheptane efficiently inhibited human pathogens, including Enterococcus faecalis, and fungi, including Mucor sp., Trichoderma sp., indicated by the formation of a zone of inhibition in pharmacological screening. Thus, there is a growing interest in the prospective application of these biosurfactants isolated from marine microbes, exhibiting antimicrobial properties which can be further studied as a potential candidate in biomedical studies and eco-friendly novel drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing significance of social media in research demands new ethical standards and practices. Although a substantial body of literature on social media ethics exists, studies on the ethics of conducting research using social media are scarce. The emergence of new evidence sources, like social media, requires innovative methods and renewed consideration of research ethics. Therefore, we pose the following question: What are the defining characteristics of ethics papers on social media research? Following a modified version of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, we analyzed 34 publications based on ten variables: author gender, publication year, region, academic discipline, type, design, methodology, social media platform in focus, positionality statement, and ethical issues. Our findings suggest contemporary social media research ethics primarily reflects the ethical ideals of the Global North, with limited representation from the Global South. Women authors have published more papers than men authors. Previous studies have prioritized ethical concerns such as privacy, informed consent, and anonymity while overlooking researchers' risks and the ethics of social media sites. We particularly emphasized the lack of researchers' positionality statements in research. Our findings will pave the way to understanding social media ethics better, especially with the rapid growth of social media research in global scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chalcone compound DHPO was synthesized through a chemical reaction between 1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-ethanone and 3,4-dimethoxy benzaldehyde under ultrasound irradiation. The interaction between the DHPO compound and several metal ions was studied using fluorescence behavior, revealing that the chalcone function as a "turn on and turn off" switch fluorescent sensor, for selectively and sensitively detecting Fe3+ ions. The process of fluorescence quenching and complexation of DHPO with Fe3+ ion was further studied using methods such as Benesi-Hildebrand, Stern-Volmer plot, and job plot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher-order interactions shape collective dynamics, but how they affect transitions between different states in swarmalator systems is yet to be determined. To that effect, we here study an analytically tractable swarmalator model that incorporates both pairwise and higher-order interactions, resulting in four distinct collective states: async, phase wave, mixed, and sync states. We show that even a minute fraction of higher-order interactions induces abrupt transitions from the async state to the phase wave and the sync state. We also show that higher-order interactions facilitate an abrupt transition from the phase wave to the sync state bypassing the intermediate mixed state. Moreover, elevated levels of higher-order interactions can sustain the presence of phase wave and sync state, even when pairwise interactions lean towards repulsion. The insights gained from these findings unveil self-organizing processes that hold the potential to explain sudden transitions between various collective states in numerous real-world systems. Exploring the impact of higher-order interactions in swarmalator systems, the authors analyze a model with pairwise and higher-order interactions, revealing four collective states. They find that even with predominantly repulsive pairwise interactions, elevated higher-order interactions sustain correlation among the swarmalators and minute fractions of higher-order interactions induce abrupt transitions between states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Primary osseous neoplasms of the spine, including Ewing's sarcoma, osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and chordoma, are rare tumors with significant morbidity and mortality. The present study aims to identify the prevalence and impact of racial disparities on management and outcomes of patients with these malignancies. Methods: The 2000 to 2020 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry, a cancer registry, was retrospectively reviewed to identify patients with Ewing's sarcoma, osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, or chordoma of the vertebral column or sacrum/pelvis. Study patients were divided into race-based cohorts: White, Black, Hispanic, and Other. Demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment variables, and mortality were assessed. Results: 2,415 patients were identified, of which 69.8% were White, 5.8% Black, 16.1% Hispanic, and 8.4% classified as "Other". Tumor type varied significantly between cohorts, with osteosarcoma affecting a greater proportion of Black patients compared to the others (p < 0.001). A lower proportion of Black and Other race patients received surgery compared to White and Hispanic patients (p < 0.001). Utilization of chemotherapy was highest in the Hispanic cohort (p < 0.001), though use of radiotherapy was similar across cohorts (p = 0.123). Five-year survival (p < 0.001) and median survival were greatest in White patients (p < 0.001). Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanic (p < 0.001) and "Other" patients (p < 0.001) were associated with reduced survival. Conclusion: Race may be associated with tumor characteristics at diagnosis (including subtype, size, and site), treatment utilization, and mortality, with non-White patients having lower survival compared to White patients. Further studies are necessary to identify underlying causes of these disparities and solutions for eliminating them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acyl carrier proteins (ACPs) are universally conserved proteins amongst different species and are involved in fatty acid synthesis. Bacteria utilize ACPs as acyl carriers and donors for the synthesis of products such as endotoxins or acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), which are used in quorum sensing mechanisms. In this study, wehave expressed isotopically labeled holo-ACP from Burkholderia mallei in Escherichia coli to assign 100% of non-proline backbone amide (HN) resonances, 95.5% of aliphatic carbon resonances and 98.6% of aliphatic hydrogen sidechain resonances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone (AHL) quorum sensing regulates virulence in the opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The LasI and RhlI AHL synthases use acyl carrier protein substrates to synthesize, respectively, the 3-oxododecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxoC12-HSL) and butyryl-L-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL) QS signals for this bacterium. Although P. aeruginosa genome contains three open reading frames to encode three acyl carrier proteins, namely the ACP1, ACP2 and ACP3, microarray and gene replacement studies show that only the ACP1 carrier protein is under quorum sensing regulation. In this study, we isotopically enriched one of the acyl carrier proteins, ACP1 from P. aeruginosa and describe the backbone resonance assignments for this protein to delineate the structural and molecular basis of ACP1 recognition in P. aeruginosa AHL quorum sensing signal synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Retraction Note: Near-infrared refractive detection of newly freshly-excised human-liver tissues: an optical refractive index biosensor based on 2D-photonic crystal" from the journal Optical & Quantum Electronics has been retracted by the Publisher and Editors-in-Chief due to concerns about compromised peer-review processes, inappropriate references, and being out of scope for the journal. The retraction was made after an investigation by the Publisher, and the authors have expressed disagreement with the decision. The Publisher, along with the Editors-in-Chief, no longer has confidence in the results and conclusions of the article. [Extracted from the article]

The northern Ganga basin is one of the most densely populated basins in the world. Most agricultural and industrial contaminants drained in the river length are likely to be accumulated in the lower part of the Ganga basin. In this study, we have used ten parameters obtained from 495 sampling locations, besides using long-term climate data (GLDAS_NOAH025_M) to understand the irrigation suitability using the TOPSIS model. Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model using TOPSIS has been used to make the best choices from the available finite number of alternatives based on their ranking. The entropy weights for the irrigation suitability parameters such as electrical conductivity (Ec), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), magnesium hardness (MH), sodium percent (Na%), total hardness (TH), Kelly's ratio (KR), permeability index (PI), chloride concentration (Cl−), groundwater level fluctuation (GWLF), and the Lang factor (Df) are found to be 0.08, 0.14, 0.02, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08, 0.01, 0.32, 0.29, and 0.01, respectively. We find that SAR, Cl−, and GWLF control the water quality for irrigation in the Lower Ganga basin since these parameters have relatively higher entropy weights (more than 0.10). The results obtained from the computed performance index or the closeness coefficient show that the area percent having very good and good groundwater quality for irrigation in the Lower Ganga basin is 77.03% and 22.97% respectively. The land-use change dynamics for the between 2000 and 2015 estimated using the transition matrix shows a positive percentage change for settlement (133.50%), wetland (35.04%), and bare area (0.98%); however, several other classes such as the agriculture (− 0.85%), forest (− 0.49%), grassland (− 14.38%), sparse vegetation (− 11.39%), and water (− 4.12%) show a decreasing trend. The highest amount of percentage change was observed in settlement areas which were contributed by other land-use classes such as agriculture (694.43 km2), water (41.61 km2), forest (16.77 km2), and grassland (1.86 km2). The results may be useful to the concerned organization for the proper planning and management of water resource for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sorcin (Sri), a member of penta EF-hand protein family plays a diverse role in maintaining calcium homeostasis, cell cycle and vesicular trafficking. Sri is highly conserved amongst mammals and consists of N-terminal glycine rich domain and C-terminal calcium binding domain that mediates its dimerization and interacts with different compounds. In the present study, with the help of combination of computational and molecular biology techniques, we have identified a novel isoform (Sri-N) in mouse which differs only in the C-terminal domain with that of Sri reported earlier. The novel isoform contains a new last exon that is different from the one present in the reported transcript (Sri). The presence of the novel isoform was further validated in different tissues by RT-PCR and DNA sequencing. The transcript was conceptually translated and subjected to in-silico analysis using different bioinformatics tools. The novel transcript variant encodes for a longer protein isoform without any change in the sub-cellular localization as predicted by PSORT-II online tool. Molecular modelling was performed to compare the structural changes in Sri-N and Sri isoforms. The structural characterization of the novel isoform using MD simulation depicted its overall stability under the physiological conditions. The molecular docking of proteins with various chemotherapeutic drugs revealed that their binding affinity is more for Sri-N as compared to that for the previously reported transcript Sri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appearance of gyrotactic microorganisms unsteady MHD nanofluid is explored numerically using a cylinder in this study for the two-dimensional scenario. Boundary layer approaches are used to simulate the basic equations of the flow. The novelty of this study is due to the analysis of gyrotactic microorganisms over a cylinder in terms of unsteady nanofluids. The recommended model can greatly improve the fields of thermal and industrial engineering, which is advantageous. Using appropriate variables, the primary mathematical model has been transformed into dimensionless form. Explicit finite difference method (EFDM) is used to model the current statement. Earlier to that a stability test has been performed to gather information on the restrictions of using appropriate parameters. The effects of flow patterns have been studied from a variety of angles. All the computed results and the consequences are analyzed and illustrated graphically. When the findings are contrasted with those from earlier inquiries into the specific situation, there is a significant degree of agreement. The addition of Brownian motion due to the cross-diffusion effect and the coupling parameter for the interaction of the dissipative heat promotes the nanofluid velocity throughout the region, further reverse influence is shown through the shear stress profiles. An important finding of the present investigation can be identified as, the profiles of the heat transport phenomenon increase significantly for the growing values of several parameters such as Brownian, thermophoresis, Eckert number and the resistivity of the magnetic parameter; however, enhanced Lewis number retards it significantly. Furthermore, the present investigation has great use in the field of medical sciences, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, plasma research and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-acting injectable medications, such as atovaquone, offer the prospect of a "chemical vaccine" for malaria, combining drug efficacy with vaccine durability. However, selection and transmission of drug-resistant parasites is of concern. Laboratory studies have indicated that atovaquone resistance disadvantages parasites in mosquitoes, but lack of data on clinically relevant Plasmodium falciparum has hampered integration of these variable findings into drug development decisions. Here we generate atovaquone-resistant parasites that differ from wild type parent by only a Y268S mutation in cytochrome b, a modification associated with atovaquone treatment failure in humans. Relative to wild type, Y268S parasites evidence multiple defects, most marked in their development in mosquitoes, whether from Southeast Asia (Anopheles stephensi) or Africa (An. gambiae). Growth of asexual Y268S P. falciparum in human red cells is impaired, but parasite loss in the mosquito is progressive, from reduced gametocyte exflagellation, to smaller number and size of oocysts, and finally to absence of sporozoites. The Y268S mutant fails to transmit from mosquitoes to mice engrafted with human liver cells and erythrocytes. The severe-to-lethal fitness cost of clinically relevant atovaquone resistance to P. falciparum in the mosquito substantially lessens the likelihood of its transmission in the field. Malaria parasites from patients who fail atovaquone therapies are highly drug-resistant, with mutations at Y268 in cytochrome b. Here the authors show that this mutation results in multiple defects in the parasite's development and prevents transmission from mosquitoes to mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Data Poverty Index (DPI) highlights the prevalence of information poverty in low-income countries and the resulting global information inequality, with high-income countries enjoying greater access to information. This study examines academic responses to this issue by analyzing 48 publications on information poverty from 2000 to 2022. The analysis reveals a notable lack of attention to information poverty in the Global South, where it is a growing concern, with most publications originating from and focusing on the Global North. This suggests a politics of knowledge, as evidenced by the dominance of Global North authors and sources in the literature. While the publications cover topics such as information literacy and the digital divide, a few address broader issues such as social justice, rural areas, information rights, access to information, social exclusion, information management, information processing, socioeconomic factors, poverty, and health services, which are all interconnected with information poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on qualitative interviews with 278 self-identified Muslims from across Canada, this article examines how Muslim Canadians engage with sources of religious authority online. We focus on how participants assess the authoritativeness of websites, which figures they follow, and whether the Canadian context factors into how they interpret Islam-related material online. We both agree and disagree with scholarship that characterizes the Internet as democratizing the traditions of Islam (Bunt, 2018; Eickelman & Anderson, 2003; Mandaville in Theory, Culture & Society, 24:101–115, 2007; Robinson in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 19:339–354, 2009; Sands in Contemporary Islam 4:139–155, 2010), and with who see it as unchanging (Berkey, 2016). Our interlocutors suggest that the online context fosters a notable and visible bi-directionality of authority; moreover, content remains shaped by view counts and algorithms. Lastly, despite the online nature of the World Wide Web, the materiality, textuality, and visual markers of the Qur'an remain vital for our interlocutors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of irrigation suitability plays a crucial role for the socio-economic development of the society, especially in the region of Sundarban. For sustainable agricultural practices, groundwater quality must be suitable for irrigation; otherwise, it can degrade soil and diminish crop yield. The entropy information theory, several irrigational indices, multivariate statistics, GIS, and geostatistics are used in this work to evaluate the geographical distribution and quality of groundwater in the Indian Sundarban region. In total, 33 groundwater samples were collected in 2018 (April and May), and they were evaluated for major cations, anions, as well as other parameters like electrical conductivity (EC), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), potential salinity (PS), total dissolved solids (TDS), Kelly ratio (KR), sodium absorption ratio (SAR), permeability index (PI), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), magnesium hazard (MH), and residual sodium bicarbonate (RSBC). The overall trend of the principal cations and anions is in the sequence of Na+ ≥ Mg2+ ≥ Ca2+ ≥ K2+ and HCO3− ≥ Cl− ≥ NO3− ≥ SO42− ≥ F−, respectively, whereas the spatial variation of %Na, SAR, RSBC, and MH demonstrate very poor irrigation water quality, and spatial variation of KR, RSC, SSP, PI, and PS signifies that the irrigation water quality is excellent to good. In order to identify the specific association and potential source of the dissolved chemical in the groundwater, statistical techniques like correlation and principal component analysis were also employed. The hydrochemical facies indicates that mixed type makes up the bulk (51.51%) of the water samples. Following the Wilcox plot, more than 75% of the water samples are good to doubtful; however, by the US salinity hazard map, roughly 60.60% of the samples had high salinity (C3-S1 zone). The EWQII reports that no samples fall into the very good (no restriction) category, whereas 30.30%, 30.30%, and 39.40% of the sample wells record good (low restriction), average (moderate restriction), and poor (severe restriction) irrigation water quality, respectively. Based on this study, the bulk of the groundwater samples taken from the study area are unsuitable for cultivation. The findings of this study will also help decision-makers develop adequate future plans for irrigation and groundwater resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated effective techniques of teaching vocabulary in an Afghan EFL setting. It also attempts to determine the impacts of the participants' demographic profile ((i.e., gender, age, first language, and teaching experiences) on their responses. The data were collected from 93 randomly selected English teachers through a questionnaire containing 25 items. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 was employed to analyze the data. To answer the reserach questions, descriptive and inferential statistics (independent sample T-test and one-way ANOVA tests) were used. The findings revealed that the overall attitude of Afghan EFL instructors towards applying effective techniques of teaching vocabulary in an Afghan EFL setting is positive. The respondents also reported that they warmly welcomed the techniques which led students to enhance their motivation for learning English vocabulary. Moreover, the study revealed that the participants' gender, age, first language, and teaching experiences had a signficant impact on their responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Immediate care of newborns is essential to scale back the mortality rate. This study tries to search out several aspects of newborn care practices of newborn birth from BDHS 2017-18 data. Methods: Initially, bivariate analysis is employed to look at the differentials' initial newborn care practices by several selected background variables. The study used a simple and multinomial logistic regression model to identify the important determinants of initial care practices. Besides determinates of the factor, the study also compares the results with the cross-sectional survey data of 2014 and 2011. Results: The percentage of employing a clean delivery kit during delivery and skin-to-skin contact are 22.8 and 13.7 respectively in Bangladesh in 2017 which is lower than the previous report in 2014. The odds of clean delivery kits and skin-to-skin are higher for educated mothers (OR = 3.30 and OR = 1.74) and in the case of delayed bathing the odds of the Rangpur division (OR = 1.90) are more likely higher compared to the reference category. Besides, the odds of a mother's age above 25 and birth order 3+ are less likely to reference the category for newborn care practices. Conclusion: Factors identified in early newborn care practices will not only help policy makers undertake a series of interventions for improved newborn health but also ensure good -quality health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arg-specific gingipains of Porphyromonas gingivalis RgpA and RgpB have 97% identical sequences in their catalytic domains yet their propeptides are only 76% identical. RgpA isolates as a proteinase–adhesin complex (HRgpA) which hinders direct kinetic comparison of RgpAcat as a monomer with monomeric RgpB. We tested modifications of rgpA identifying a variant that enabled us to isolate histidine-tagged monomeric RgpA (rRgpAH). Kinetic comparisons between rRgpAH and RgpB used benzoyl-l-Arg-4-nitroanilide with and without cysteine and glycylglycine acceptor molecules. With no glycylglycine, values of Km, Vmax, kcat and kcat/Km for each enzyme were similar, but with glycylglycine Km decreased, Vmax increased and kcat increased ~ twofold for RgpB but ~ sixfold for rRgpAH. The kcat/Km for rRgpAH was unchanged whereas that of RgpB more than halved. Recombinant RgpA propeptide inhibited rRgpAH and RgpB with Ki 13 nM and 15 nM Ki respectively slightly more effectively than RgpB propeptide which inhibited rRgpAH and RgpB with Ki 22 nM and 29 nM respectively (p < 0.0001); a result that may be attributable to the divergent propeptide sequences. Overall, the data for rRgpAH reflected observations previously made by others using HRgpA, indicating rRgpAH fidelity and confirming the first production and isolation of functional affinity tagged RgpA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islands are one of the fragmented ecosystems that cover an extensive range of microhabitats for diverse wildlife fauna. Biodiversity of this unique ecosystem tends to continuous degradation due to various natural and man-made pressure that primarily necessitates the assessment of the current status of species diversity for taking initiatives to protect the insular fauna. We conducted a survey-based study to assess the vertebrate wildlife diversity in Sandwip Island of Bangladesh in alpha and beta levels including abundance, and distribution pattern. The island harboured a total of 151 species of wildlife, including birds (119 spp.), amphibians (14 spp.), reptiles (13 spp.) and the least abundant mammals (5 spp.). According to the Shannon–Wiener index of the wild vertebrate community, the rural areas contained the highest species diversity (H′ = 3.79), while the Pielou index indicated that the semi-urban areas had relatively higher (0.876) species evenness. Species turnover significantly varied among rural, semi-urban and urban sites (Analysis of Similarity test, R = 0.40, P = 0.0001). Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) plot also revealed different species compositions between major three sites. The dendrogram of cluster analysis produced larger species clusters for grasslands, agricultural lands and homestead microhabitats. Sixty-seven species showed the highest clumped distribution pattern. This baseline data signifies the rich biodiversity of the island and has implications for prioritizing conservation measures to protect the insular fauna of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) has been associated with reduced all-cause mortality. While the number of subjects with substance use disorders (SUD) before MBS has been documented, the impact of pre-operative SUD on long-term mortality following MBS is unknown. This study assessed long-term mortality of patients with and without pre-operative SUD who underwent MBS. Materials and Methods: Two statewide databases were used for this study: Utah Bariatric Surgery Registry (UBSR) and the Utah Population Database. Subjects who underwent MBS between 1997 and 2018 were linked to death records (1997–2021) to identify any death and cause for death following MBS. All deaths (internal, external, and unknown reasons), internal deaths, and external deaths were the primary outcomes of the study. External causes of death included death from injury, poisoning, and suicide. Internal causes of death included deaths that were associated with natural causes such as heart disease, cancer, and infections. A total of 17,215 patients were included in the analysis. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of controlled covariates, including the pre-operative SUD. Results: The subjects with pre-operative SUD had a 2.47 times higher risk of death as compared to those without SUD (HR = 2.47, p < 0.01). Those with pre-operative SUD had a higher internal cause of death than those without SUD by 129% (HR = 2.29, p < 0.01) and 216% higher external mortality risk than those without pre-operative SUD (HR = 3.16, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Pre-operative SUD was associated with higher hazards of all-cause, internal cause, and external cause mortality in patients who undergo bariatric surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on the detection and measurement of refractive properties of healthy and cancerous human liver samples taken from real data using a prism pair technique that covers the near-visible and infrared spectral range. Then, according to real samples, an all-optical refractive index biosensor is designed and simulated. Newly used data on the wavelength-dependent refractive index of human liver tissues are presented and detected under different conditions. Remarkably, the real index contrast is mentioned as an index of the difference between normal liver tissue and liver metastases. According to real data from the human body, a special account can be made on the detection of the healthy and cancerous liver in this article. Numerous photon crystal-based biosensors are proposed for various diseases, but no serious research has been done on unhealthy livers, and this article tries to cover this type of disease as well. The obtained sensitivity values are reported as 1000 nm/RIU for the given bio samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Source-sink relationships and the management of carbon partitioning among sinks in plants help us to understand crop physiology and yield limiting issues. The effect of variable leaf fruit ratio alone or in combination with girdling on the yield and fruit quality performance of nectarine peach cv. Silver King was analysed. With increasing leaf fruit ratio alone or in conjunction with girdling, the greatest leaf nutrients, such as N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, decreased. The fruit yield decreased linearly as the leaf fruit ratio increased and the lowest yield was reported with the leaf fruit ratio of 50:1 plus girdling half the bark. However, the fruit quality in terms of fruit size and weight were maximum when the leaf fruit ratio was 40:1 and half the bark was girdled. Other fruit quality indicators such as total soluble solids, total sugars, and sugar acid ratio were highest when the leaf fruit ratio was 50:1 coupled with girdling half the bark. The treatment with the lowest titratable acidity was leaf fruit ratio 40:1 + girdling half the bark, followed by leaf fruit ratio 40:1 + girdling half the bark. When compared to control, all of the leaf fruit ratio treatments alone or in combination with girdling half the bark advanced the harvest date by 1–4 days recording earliest harvest, with leaf fruit ratio 50:1 plus girdling half the bark. Overall, leaf fruit ratios of 40:1 combined with girdling half the bark and leaf fruit ratios of 50:1 combined with girdling half the bark were determined to be acceptable for producing high-quality Silver King nectarine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trypanosoma brucei is a protozoan parasite that causes human African trypanosomiasis. Its major surface antigen VSG is expressed from subtelomeric loci in a strictly monoallelic manner. We previously showed that the telomere protein TbRAP1 binds dsDNA through its 737RKRRR741 patch to silence VSGs globally. How TbRAP1 permits expression of the single active VSG is unknown. Through NMR structural analysis, we unexpectedly identify an RNA Recognition Motif (RRM) in TbRAP1, which is unprecedented for RAP1 homologs. Assisted by the 737RKRRR741 patch, TbRAP1 RRM recognizes consensus sequences of VSG 3'UTRs in vitro and binds the active VSG RNA in vivo. Mutating conserved RRM residues abolishes the RNA binding activity, significantly decreases the active VSG RNA level, and derepresses silent VSGs. The competition between TbRAP1's RNA and dsDNA binding activities suggests a VSG monoallelic expression mechanism in which the active VSG's abundant RNA antagonizes TbRAP1's silencing effect, thereby sustaining its full-level expression. Monoallelic VSG expression is essential for Trypanosoma brucei survival. Competition between TbRAP1's RNA and dsDNA binding activities ensures that TbRAP1 sustains a high level expression of the active VSG while silencing other VSGs globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental investigation on ultrasonic vibration–assisted magnetorheological finishing (VAMRF) process for improved material removal rate (MRR) and surface finishing on glass optics polishing. An additional process parameter, i.e., vibrating motion, is added in the magnetorheological finishing (MRF) process for corrective polishing of glass optics. Influence function, a material removal characteristic of the process and necessary for deterministic processing, was calculated experimentally for the VAMRF. The results show that hybrid VAMRF provides approximately 20% higher MRR (14.3 nm/min) as compared to that of conventional Ball End MRF (BEMRF), which is 11.9 nm/min. Better surface micro-roughness improvement observed in VAMRF process (3.05 nm) as compared to that in BEMRF process (5.1 nm) from initial value (7.06 nm) in surface of N-BK7 glass workpiece. The developed hybrid process is applied in corrective polishing of glass optics of 25 mm diameter, and it is demonstrated that the figure error (RMS) of the surface has reduced down to 34 nm from 131 nm. Experimental results show that the developed hybrid finishing process is a promising candidate for corrective polishing of optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the nasopharyngeal microbiome has not been well characterised. We sequenced genetic material extracted from nasopharyngeal swabs of SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals who were asymptomatic (n = 14), had mild (n = 64) or severe symptoms (n = 11), as well as from SARS-CoV-2-negative individuals who had never-been infected (n = 5) or had recovered from infection (n = 7). Using robust filters, we identified 1345 taxa with approximately 0.1% or greater read abundance. Overall, the severe cohort microbiome was least diverse. Bacterial pathogens were found in all cohorts, but fungal species identifications were rare. Few taxa were common between cohorts suggesting a limited human nasopharynx core microbiome. Genes encoding resistance mechanisms to 10 antimicrobial classes (> 25% sequence coverages, 315 genes, 63 non-redundant) were identified, with β-lactam resistance genes near ubiquitous. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 (asymptomatic and mild) had a greater incidence of antibiotic resistance genes and a greater microbial burden than the SARS-CoV-2-negative individuals. This should be considered when deciding how to treat COVID-19 related bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]