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Halotolerant bacteria get adapted to a saline environment through modified physiological/structural characteristics and may provide stress tolerance along with enhanced growth to the host plants by different direct and indirect mechanisms. This study reports on multiple halotolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria isolated from the coastal soils in Bangladesh, in fields where the halophytic wild rice Oryza coarctata is endemic. The aim was to find halotolerant bacteria for potential use as biofertilizer under normal/salt-stressed conditions. In this study, eight different strains were selected from a total of 20 rhizobacterial isolates from the saline-prone regions of Debhata and Satkhira based on their higher salt tolerance. 16S rRNA gene sequencing results of the rhizobacterial strains revealed that they belonged to Halobacillus, Bacillus, Acinetobactor, and Enterobactor genera. A total of ten halotolerant rhizobacteria (the other 2 bacteria were previously isolated and already reported as beneficial for rice growth) were used as both single inoculants and in combinations and applied to rice growing in pots. To investigate their capability to improve rice growth, physiological parameters such as shoot and root length and weight, chlorophyll content at the seedling stage as well as survival and yield at the reproductive stage were measured in the absence or presence (in concentration 40 or 80 mmol/L) of NaCl and in the absence or presence of the rhizobacteria. At the reproductive stage, only 50% of the uninoculated plants survived without setting any grains in 80 mmol/L NaCl in contrast to 100% survival of the rice plants inoculated with a combination of the rhizobacteria. The combined halotolerant rhizobacterial inoculations showed significantly higher chlorophyll retention as well as yield under the maximum NaCl concentration applied compared to application of single species. Thus, the use of a combination of halotolerant rhizobacteria as bioinoculants for rice plants under moderate salinity can synergistically alleviate the effects of stress and promote rice growth and yield.

In this article a sandwich beam structure with honeycomb core filled of MRE (magnetorheological elastomer) with different ratios of Elastomer and iron particles is proposed. Modal response for structures with Nylon and Resin8000 honeycomb core filled with MRE and sandwiched between aluminum face sheets were analyzed and compared for two different ratios of MRE by placing magnets at free end and center of the structure. The force generated by magnets on the sandwich beam structure was calculated using ANSYS EDT and the modal response of the structure was then observed under generated magnetic force using ANSYS Workbench. The results showed that the resonance frequency of the structure decreased as the magnetic intensity was increased for all the cases specially for the first mode. Secondly structure with Nylon honeycomb core showed lower frequency drop and higher deformation than the structure with Resin8000 honeycomb core.

In this article, a nonlinear piezoelectric harvester coupled with a standard rectifying circuit is developed. Contrary to traditional Duffing-type magnetic harvester mechanism, the nonlinear effect...

Since the origin of the SARS-CoV2 from Wuhan, in China, it has become a global threat to public health and a WHO-declared world epidemic within 2 month of identification of the first case. This has led to the race of scientists all over the world to discover a therapeutic to combat the SARS-CoV-2. Two proteins, namely, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and 3C-like proteinase work in facilitating the entry of the virus into host cell, viral transcription and replication. Among various treatment options, siRNA, also known as small interfering RNA is a prospective tool of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway that controls virus-mediated infections of human by suppressing the expression of viral gene through hybridization and neutralization of complementary mRNA. In the current study, siRNA molecules were designed against RdRp and 3C-like proteinase gene. 12 conserved sequences were obtained from the genome 101 SARS-CoV-2 strains sequenced in different countries. A total of 38 siRNAs were predicted that can inactivate RdRp and 3C-like proteinase genes. Finally, after analyzing the GC ratio (%), free energy of folding-binding, melting temperature and efficacy prediction of all the predicted siRNAs, 6 siRNA molecules were selected which are proposed to exert the highest action. These screened siRNAs should effectively silence the RdRp and 3C-like proteinase genes of SARS-CoV-2 by siRNA mediated prospective treatment of COVID-19 patients.

This paper examines a new, non-conventional, gauge-shaped beam (GSB) cantilever for enhanced vibration energy scavenging. The stress evolution of the GSB as well as its eigenfrequency and energy harvesting capability (when coupled with macro fiber composite (MFC) transducer) are investigated by finite element method. A comparison of performance between the proposed GSB cantilever configuration and conventional harvester of equal mass is also conducted. Both the simulation and experimental validation results showed that the gauge-shaped beam cantilever configuration has lower resonant frequencies and improved power output when used as harvester substrate. Further, we evaluated the effect of tip mass orientation/position on the GSB harvester performance by considering five different configurations namely, Confg A, Confg B, Confg C, Confg D and Confg E. The analysis shows that Confg A with $$5 \times 20 \times 5\,{\text{mm}}^{3}$$ tipmass dimension has the highest effect of 9.8% on the output power of the harvester compared to the other configurations. However, Confg C and D have the lowest resonant frequencies at fundamental vibration mode.

Recently, non-prismatic beams have been considered as perfect substitutes to replace uniform cantilever beam structures in harvester design. This is due to their tendencies to provide uniform strai...

Magnetorheological (MR) materials are classified as smart materials that can alter their rheological features once exposed to peripheral magnetic fields. MR materials have been a standard and one of the primary smart materials for the last few decades due to their outstanding vibration control performance in adaptive sandwich structures and systems. This paper reviews the vibration suppression investigations of flexible constructions using MR elastomers (MREs). In relations of field-dependent controllability, physical features such as stiffness and the damping of different geometrical structures integrated with the core layer of MREs are explored. The veracity of the knowledge is discussed in this article, whereby sandwich structures with different MR treatment configurations are analyzed for free and forced vibration, MRE sandwich structures are analyzed for stability under different working conditions, and the optimal positions of fully and partially treated MRE sandwich structures for improved vibration control are identified. MR materials′ field-dependent stiffness and damping characteristics are also discussed in this article. A few of the most noteworthy research articles over the last several years have been summarized.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), although most commonly demonstrates respiratory symptoms, but there is a growing set of evidence reporting its correlation with the digestive tract and faeces. Interestingly, recent studies have shown the association of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection with gastrointestinal symptoms in infected patients but any sign of respiratory issues. Moreover, some studies have also shown that the presence of live SARS-CoV-2 virus in the faeces of patients with COVID-19. Therefore, the pathophysiology of digestive symptoms associated with COVID-19 has raised a critical need for comprehensive investigative efforts. To address this issue we have developed a bioinformatics pipeline involving a system biological framework to identify the effects of SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA expression on deciphering its association with digestive symptoms in COVID-19 positive patients. Using two RNA-seq datasets derived from COVID-19 positive patients with celiac (CEL), Crohn’s (CRO) and ulcerative colitis (ULC) as digestive disorders, we have found a significant overlap between the sets of differentially expressed genes from SARS-CoV-2 exposed tissue and digestive tract disordered tissues, reporting 7, 22 and 13 such overlapping genes, respectively. Moreover, gene set enrichment analysis, comprehensive analyses of protein–protein interaction network, gene regulatory network, protein–chemical agent interaction network revealed some critical association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the presence of digestive disorders. The infectome, diseasome and comorbidity analyses also discover the influences of the identified signature genes in other risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection to human health. We hope the findings from this pathogenetic analysis may reveal important insights in deciphering the complex interplay between COVID-19 and digestive disorders and underpins its significance in therapeutic development strategy to combat against COVID-19 pandemic.

Liquid food packages consist of various polymers films, which are bonded together with Aluminum foil (Al-foil) using adhesion or by direct heat. The main aim of this research was to define important material properties such as fracture toughness and some FE-simulation material model parameters such as damage initiation, damage evolution, and the adhesion between Al-foil and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film. This investigation is based on both physical experiments and FE simulations in ABAQUS with and without initial cracks of different lengths for comparison purposes. The final FE model in ABAQUS was used to compare the numerical input parameters in an extensive study with the ambition to investigate the materials’ parameters in cases with or without adhesion between laminates. Finally, the relation between the theoretical and experimental results for Al-foil using linear elastic fracture mechanics and modified strip yield model were shown, and the fracture toughness was calculated for two different thicknesses of Al-foil. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. open access

Reproducibility of scientific results is a key element of science and credibility. The lack of reproducibility across many scientific fields has emerged as an important concern. In this piece, we assess mathematical model reproducibility and propose a scorecard for improving reproducibility in this field., Reproducibility of scientific results is a key element of science and credibility. This piece assesses the reproducibility of mathematical models and presents an 8‐point scorecard for improving model reproducibility.

HSP90 (Heat shock protein 90), molecular chaperone contains various oncogenic client proteins, which play a significant role in initiating cancer cell hallmarks. The “HSP90-addiction” of cancer cells, makes it a suitable target in cancer treatment. Inhibition of HSP90 mitigates the tumor progression but results in over-expression of the HSP70 family (The 70-kDa heat shock proteins). HSP70 family is expressed abundantly in human tumors. High expression of HSP70 in cancer cells is responsible for tumor progression. It has been found that, inhibition of both Heat shock 70 kDa protein 1a, HSP72 and Heat shock cognate 71-kDa proteins and HSC70 (two isoforms of the HSP70 family) simultaneously lead to the inhibition of HSP90 client proteins. In this study, molecular docking approach was done in search of the best possible inhibitors of HSP72 and HSC70. Zafirlukast was used as a reference drug that is a potent inhibitor of both the isoforms HSP72 and HSC70. The binding affinity of Zafirlukast with HSP72 (PDB ID-5AQZ) and HSC70 (PDB ID-4H5N) is -10.5 and -9.9 kcal/mol respectively. 100 potential inhibitors (Anti-diabetic drugs, anti-rheumatic drugs, anti-inflammatory, statins and small molecule inhibitors) were screened through In silico approach and Apoptozole was found to be a potential inhibitor of both HSP72 and HSC70 with strong binding affinities of -11.0 and -10.2 kcal/mol respectively. Protein-ligand interaction was monitored and visualized by discovery studio to better understand the nature of intermolecular bonds. Furthermore, ADMET properties were obtained from admetSAR 2.0 and were compared with reference drug for validation.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyse the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of critical COVID-19 cases and investigate risk factors including comorbidities and age in relation with the clinical aftermath of COVID-19 in critical cases in Bangladesh. Methods: In this retrospective study, epidemiological and clinical characteristics, complications, laboratory results, and clinical management of the patients were studied from data obtained from 168 individuals diagnosed with an advanced prognosis of COVID-19 admitted in two hospitals in Bangladesh. Results: Individuals in the study sample contracted COVID-19 through community transmission. 56.5% (n = 95) cases died in intensive care units (ICU) during the study period. The median age was 56 years and 79.2% (n=134) were male. Typical clinical manifestation included Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) related complications (79.2%), fever (54.2%) and cough (25.6%) while diabetes mellitus (52.4%), hypertension (41.1%) and heart diseases (16.7%) were the conventional comorbidities. Clinical outcomes were detrimental due to comorbidities rather than age and comorbid individuals over 50 were at more risk. In the sample, oxygen saturation was low (< 95% SpO2) in 135 patients (80.4%) and 158 (93.4%) patients received supplemental oxygen. Identical biochemical parameters were found in both deceased and surviving cases. Administration of antiviral drug Remdesivir and the glucocorticoid, Dexamethasone increased the proportion of surviving patients slightly. Conclusions: Susceptibility to developing critical illness due to COVID-19 was found more in comorbid males. These atypical patients require more clinical attention from the prospect of controlling mortality rate in Bangladesh., Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, Vol. 62 No. 1 (2021): 2021621

In this article a sandwich beam structure with honeycomb core filled of MRE (magnetorheological elastomer) with different ratios of Elastomer and iron particles modeled in ANSYS is proposed. The simulation (resonance frequency, total deformation, equivalent stress and equivalent strain) results for structures with PLA (Polylactic acid) and ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) honeycomb core were analyzed and compared for two different cases. The results showed that the resonance frequency of the structure decreased as the ratio of iron particles was increased for all the cases, this is due to the increase in stiffness of the structure due to higher ratio of iron particles. Secondly structure with ABS honeycomb core showed lower frequency and higher deformation than the structure with PLA honeycomb core.

The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak had devastating consequences globally with 20,675,770 affected and 749,061 dead. Despite different measures to restrict transmission, the death toll continues to rise. The SAARC group of countries comprising eight nations—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, where 23.75% of the world population reside, implemented containment measures at different stages of the outbreak with varying consequences. In this review, we examined the onset and transmission of the virus in each country at an early stage and critically appraised their response with respect to their medical facilities for diagnosis and management. We found that countries that succeeded to contain the spread of COVID-19 were able to do so by prioritizing non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g. early and stricter lockdowns). Currently, the epicentre of COVID-19 appears to be shifting to India (the largest SAARC nation), the death toll is likely to steeply increase if effective and aggressive measures are not taken urgently. The authors believe that authorities of each of the SAARC countries should act decisively and cooperatively as a matter of urgency increasing the regional collaboration in an eloquent and durative way.

This paper presents a comparative study of a thickness tapered beam (TTB) and width tapered beam (WTB) harvesters for potential vibration-based energy harvesting applications. Prior to the power output analysis, mathematical models are developed to evaluate strain distribution of the two configurations for proper implementation as substrates for unimorph harvester designs. The derived models were validated in commercial finite element analysis (FEA) software, COMSOL Multiphysics, at different dimension ratios. In addition, vibration analysis was conducted to evaluate and compare the Eigen frequency and mode shape of the geometries when coupled with piezoelectric material namely, Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT-5H). The theoretical studies show that beam truncated in thickness direction exhibits about 18% lower resonant frequency and 6.4% (μW) higher power output than width tapered harvester with equal mass and large output impedance, respectively.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the leading bacterial killer disease worldwide, causes Human tuberculosis (TB). Due to the growing problem of drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains, new anti-TB drugs are urgently needed. Natural sources such as plant extracts have long played an important role in tuberculosis management and can be used as a template to design new drugs. A wide screening of natural sources is time consuming but the process can be significantly sped up using molecular docking. In this study, we used a molecular docking approach to investigate the interactions between selected natural constituents and three proteins MtPanK, MtDprE1 and MtKasA involved in the physiological functions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis which are necessary for the bacteria to survive and cause disease. The molecular docking score, a score that accounts for the binding affinity between a ligand and a target protein, for each protein was calculated against 150 chemical constituents of different classes to estimate the binding free energy. The docking scores represent the binding free energy. The best docking scores indicates the highest ligand protein binding which is indicated by the lowest energy value. Among the natural constituents, Shermilamine B showed a docking score of - 8.5kcal/mol, Brachystamide B showed a docking score of −8.6 kcal/mol with MtPanK, Monoamphilectine A showed a score of −9.8kcal/mol with MtDprE1.These three compounds showed docking scores which were superior to the control inhibitors and represent the opportunity of in vitro biological evaluation and anti-TB drug design. Consequently, all these compounds belonged to the alkaloid class. Specific interactions were studied to further understand the nature of intermolecular bonds between the most active ligands and the protein binding site residues which proved that among the constituents monoamphilectine A and Shermilamine B show more promise as Anti-TB drugs. Furthermore, the ADMET properties of these compounds or ligands showed that they have no corrosive or carcinogenic parameters.Graphical Abstract

Cancer is the major burden of diseases around the world. The incidence and mortality rate of cancers is mounting up with the passage of days. Breast cancer is the most demoralizing cause of death, where both diseases interlocked with each other due to some genetic, biological and behavioral motives. The molecular mechanism of breast cancer through which they crop up and manifest together remains questionable. The genetic basis of protein-protein interactions and gene networks has elucidated a group of gene regulatory systems in Breast cancer. Thus, the extraction of all genomic and proteomic data has enabled unprecedented views of gene-protein co-expression, co-regulation, and interactions in the biological system. This study explored the biological system to develop a gene-disease interaction model by implementing the extracted genomic and proteomic data of Breast cancer. The disease-specific and correlated genes were pulled out and their cabling studied by PPI, disease pathway and drug-disease interaction data to articulate their role in disease development. By analyzing mined genes that are related to breast cancer, a network model is also proposed. Exploration of all the correlated genes, Hub and common genes have given some promising pieces of evidence surrounding the genetic networking models. The result of this prospective study disclosed breast cancer mediated crosslinking or possible metastatic relation on a genetic basis. Moreover, other diseases like prostate, colorectal and ovarian cancers are at the same risk and might count into consideration. The finding provides a narrative broad approach for understanding the genetic basis of these fatal diseases by the pathway analysis with gene regulatory network evaluation.

Bone drilling processes are often carried out in numerous surgical areas in all operational theatre room in various hospitals across the world, these processes includes orthopedic surgeries, which is mending and fixing of broken bones. Bone drilling is classed as one of the most sensitive milling processes in biomedical engineering field. One of the most critical problems encountered during bone drilling is high cutting force which causes an increase in temperature rise more than the tolerable limit. Optimum concentration is also needed, in order to avoid extended cracks due to high vibration which could also cause more damage to the surrounding tissues, experimental results showed that it is better to keep bone external temperature below 50°C, if exceeded, the bone could be exposed to serious damage called thermal osteonecrosis which can result to loose of bone implant interface. Previous studies are only limited to investigate the relationship between the cutting force and temperature. However, the concept of this research work is an eye opener, which will also help us to predict the relationship between drilling vibration frequency and the temperature rise of the bone. Our discovery shows that vibrational drilling is good for surgical bone drilling, when applied moderately, a drastic reduction in bone temperature was observed, this could be used as a standard procedure to prevent necrosis during surgical bone drilling. Reduction in the cutting force and increase vibrational (frequency) is good for bone drilling, and this is to be investigated in this research work.

Bone drilling is known as one of the most sensitive milling processes in biomedical engineering field. Fracture behavior of this cortical bone during drilling has attracted the attention of many researchers; however, there are still impending concerns such as necrosis, tool breakage, and microcracks due to high cutting forces, torques, and high vibration while drilling. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the cutting forces, torques, and vibration resulted on different bone samples (bovine, porcine, and artificial femur) using a 6dof Robot arm effector with considerations of its stiffness effects. Experiments were conducted on two spindle speeds of 1000 and 1500 rpm with a drill bit diameter of 2.5 mm and 6 mm depth of cut. The results obtained from the specimens were processed and analyzed using MATLAB R2015b and Visio 2000 software; these results were then compared with a prior test using manual and conventional drilling methods. The results obtained show that there is a significant drop in the average values of maximum drilling force for all the bone specimens when the spindle speed changes from 1000 rev/min to 1500 rev/min, with a drop from (20.07 to 12.34 N), approximately 23.85% for bovine, (11.25 to 8.14 N) with 16.03% for porcine, and (5.62 to 3.86 N) with 33.99% for artificial femur. The maximum average values of torque also decrease from 41.2 to 24.2 N·mm (bovine), 37.0 to 21.6 N·mm (porcine), and 13.6 to 6.7 N·mm (artificial femur), respectively. At an increase in the spindle speed, the vibration amplitude on all the bone samples also increases considerably. The variation in drilling force, torque, and vibration in our result also confirm that the stiffness of the robot effector joint has negative effect on the bone precision during drilling process.

Conventional methods of transformation for crop improvement and functional studies using Agrobacterium tumefaciens are still the method of choice, even though genotype specificity in indica rice can cause poor efficiencies of cell regeneration into transgenic plants. In such cases, tissue culture-independent in planta transformation using Agrobacterium has been shown to be highly effective to produce transgenic plants. Transient transformation using both biolistics and Agrobacterium has paved the way for rapid functional assays of genes or determining the efficacy of promoter sequences. However, biolistics or RNP-mediated delivery of gene editing components using CRISPR-Cas technology is more advantageous over Agrobacterium-mediated transformation methods because the foreign components get quickly degraded after nucleotide changes have taken place. For the Agrobacterium-mediated gene editing method, at least 2–3 generations are required to select only for mutations without the gene editing components. In all cases, however, gene editing can produce improved rice and other crop varieties without the “transgenic tag.” Crop improvement has been achieved for many biotic and abiotic tolerance traits as well as yield enhancement, which are cited here. Advances in gene sequencing technologies and the management of public databases with information on many new germplasm resources mean that many novel traits can now be incorporated for tailor-made crops to defend against threats to food security from increasing population and climate change.

An outbreak, caused by an RNA virus, SARS-CoV-2 named COVID-19 has become pandemic with a magnitude which is daunting to all public health institutions in the absence of specific antiviral treatment. Surface glycoprotein and nucleocapsid phosphoprotein are two important proteins of this virus facilitating its entry into host cell and genome replication. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a prospective tool of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway for the control of human viral infections by suppressing viral gene expression through hybridization and neutralization of target complementary mRNA. So, in this study, the power of RNA interference technology was harnessed to develop siRNA molecules against specific target genes namely, nucleocapsid phosphoprotein gene and surface glycoprotein gene. Conserved sequence from 139 SARS-CoV-2 strains from around the globe was collected to construct 78 siRNA that can inactivate nucleocapsid phosphoprotein and surface glycoprotein genes. Finally, based on GC content, free energy of folding, free energy of binding, melting temperature, efficacy prediction and molecular docking analysis, 8 siRNA molecules were selected which are proposed to exert the best action. These predicted siRNAs should effectively silence the genes of SARS-CoV-2 during siRNA mediated treatment assisting in the response against SARS-CoV-2., Highlights • We Identified and Validated siRNA molecules that are predicted to be highly effective and cleave specified mRNA • In-silico structural modelling was done for all 8 siRNA • Interaction with argounaute protein classified the siRNAs in two groups • This study might help to lead diversified approach to develop new and effective therapeutics against SARS-COV-2

Sandwich beams with an aluminium face sheet and a magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) of varying proportions of elastomer and magnetic particles (weight to weight)% filled in a honeycomb core of Nylon and Resin8000 are manufactured and experimentally analysed in this study. To evaluate the dynamic properties of sandwich beams, manufactured structures subjected to sine sweep and classic shock tests and assessed both with and without magnetic field of varying intensities applied on the free end of the beam. The experimental results demonstrated good performance in vibration level attenuation, particularly in the structure’s primary vibration mode under consideration. The magnetic field applied was capable of lowering the first natural frequency of the proposed sandwich beam structures. Experiment results showed that an increase in an induced magnetic field shifted the natural frequencies, vibration amplitude, and damping ratio of sandwich panels with MRE honeycomb core.

Aim: Rabies virus infections are a global threat to human and animal health, yet no progressive curative therapy has been developed. In this study, the nucleoprotein gene of rabies virus which is responsible for viral infection was used as a target to design our desired siRNA. Methods: The conserved regions were analyzed by doing alignment of sequences from different strains. Subsequently, different computational tools were used for designing and validation of siRNA molecules. Results: We identified four probable siRNA molecules from twelve different strains of rabies virus which may silence the nucleoprotein gene and inhibit the multiplication of the virus. Conclusion: Our study may help to take an effective therapeutic approach against rabies virus and lead to better control of rabies in humans.

Plants need to maintain a low Na+/K+ ratio for their survival and growth when there is high sodium concentration in soil. Under these circumstances, the high affinity K+ transporter (HKT) and its homologs are known to perform a critical role with HKT1;5 as a major player in maintaining Na+ concentration. Preferential expression of HKT1;5 in roots compared to shoots was observed in rice and rice-like genotypes from real time PCR, microarray, and RNAseq experiments and data. Its expression trend was generally higher under increasing salt stress in sensitive IR29, tolerant Pokkali, both glycophytes; as well as the distant wild rice halophyte, Porteresia coarctata, indicative of its importance during salt stress. These results were supported by a low Na+/K+ ratio in Pokkali, but a much lower one in P. coarctata. HKT1;5 has functional variability among salt sensitive and tolerant varieties and multiple sequence alignment of sequences of HKT1;5 from Oryza species and P. coarctata showed 4 major amino acid substitutions (140 P/A/T/I, 184 H/R, D332H, V395L), with similarity amongst the tolerant genotypes and the halophyte but in variance with sensitive ones. The best predicted 3D structure of HKT1;5 was generated using Ktrab potassium transporter as template. Among the four substitutions, conserved presence of aspartate (332) and valine (395) in opposite faces of the membrane along the Na+/K+ channel was observed only for the tolerant and halophytic genotypes. A model based on above, as well as molecular dynamics simulation study showed that valine is unable to generate strong hydrophobic network with its surroundings in comparison to leucine due to reduced side chain length. The resultant alteration in pore rigidity increases the likelihood of Na+ transport from xylem sap to parenchyma and further to soil. The model also proposes that the presence of aspartate at the 332 position possibly leads to frequent polar interactions with the extracellular loop polar residues which may shift the loop away from the opening of the constriction at the pore and therefore permit easy efflux of the Na+. These two substitutions of the HKT1;5 transporter probably help tolerant varieties maintain better Na+/K+ ratio for survival under salt stress.

Safety and precision are highly crucial in orthopedic drilling operations, therefore, the study of vibration resistance is essential. Proper clamping of fractured bone may be difficult during surgical drilling since bone is surrounded by soft tissues, hence, to prevent this, a model clamping system embedded with regulated pressurized air balloon which serves as a damper was developed. Laser vibration sensor was attached to measure the reduced permissible signal resulted from the drilling at varying effector drill speeds. The finite element analysis of the vibration characteristics of both the drill and femur bone to deformation, stress and strain was obtained using ANSYS software. This proposed method will enhance the safety as well as reduce high possibility of complications due to uncontrolled cutting forces that cause extreme vibration during surgical drilling of bone.

Vibration is experienced when a body is subjected to either internal or external forces which cause oscillation, with most operators of industrial equipment often exposed to high dosage, higher than the stipulated values. In this research, Digital Real-Time Frequency Analyzer (RSA 5106A) was used, while the results obtained were evaluated and compared with the health guidelines of the ISO 2631-1 : 1997 and ISO 2631-5 : 2004 standards, as described in the Health Guidance Caution Zone for a daily exposure action value (EAV) of 0.47 m/s2 and a daily exposure limit value (ELV) of 0.93 m/s. High acceleration was mostly seen on the z-axis in all the results obtained, whereas many were not within the HGCZ (Arms 0.93 m/s2). Comparing (VDV 1.75 and >17 m/s1.75) with the ISO standard, the accelerations on all x- and y-axes were slightly within the HGCZ, with just a little below 0.47 m/s2 limit. The results obtained clearly showed that urgent action is needed virtually on all the equipment in both the Secondary Manufacturing Department (SMD) and Primary Manufacturing Department (PMD) to minimize vibration exposure on the technical operators.

Ephrin type-A receptor 3 (EPHA3) is a receptor tyrosine kinase involved in many biological functions, including migration, adhesion, and so on. Dysregulation of the EPHA3 receptor gene can lead to various oncogenic events, such as prostate cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, in silico SNP analysis is required to screen out the deleterious SNPs. Using ten bioinformatics tools, 41 non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) were predicted as potentially harmful among 631 nsSNPs retrieved from the dbSNP database and as non-synonymous SNPs alter the wild-type amino acids; these substitutions may lead to deformity of the structure and hamper proper functionality of the protein. ConSurf review showed that all 41 harmful SNPs were mainly found in heavily conserved regions. These predicted deleterious SNPs were studied extensively for their effects on protein stability, dynamic behavior, surface accessibility, secondary structure, and interactions with other molecules. Many of these predicted SNPs resided in the alpha-helix, extended sheet, and β turn of secondary structure, and they conferred a significant impact on the structure due to changes in charge density, hydrophobicity, hydrogen bond, and other favorable bonds. Using the phenotypic effect predicted by HOPE and combining it with modeled structures, R799C and R750Q were expected to have the most significant functional impact on the three-dimensional structure of proteins. 21SNPs related to the alteration of miRNA target site at 3’UTR region, which may affect post-transcriptional regulation of EPHA3 gene. These findings will provide necessary data to explore various diseases or cancer pertinent to the EPHA3 receptor protein, provide remedial biomarkers, aid in molecular diagnosis, and assist in designing target-specific therapeutic agents.