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Antibiotic resistance is a global concern. Two members of the bacterial genus Elizabethkingia, namely, E. anophelis and E. meningoseptica have raised much concern in recent years because of their resistance to multiple commonly used antibiotics. Identification of multidrug resistant and pan-drug resistant bacteria has propelled the search for new antibiotics that can act on unconventional targets. Researches are going on to find out the possibility of using bacterial ribonucleotide reductases as a novel target for antibiotic development. Through in silico evaluations, this study aims for characterization and functional annotation of ribonucleotide reductase enzymes of E. anophelis and E. meningoseptica. Binding affinities with these enzymes of the compounds that have shown promising results in inhibiting Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth by acting on its ribonucleotide reductase were also assessed by molecular docking and dynamics simulations. Insights from this study will help in battling these infections in the near future. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Waste production is associated with human inhabitation and its rate is increasing over time. Globally, the major proportion of waste is disposed of through landfilling and open dumping, which is en...

The shift of the Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) from the poverty-lending approach to the financial system approach is likely to have two counterbalancing effects on the social mission of poverty alleviation and women empowerment. On the one hand – and as is desirable – financial sustainability could cause MFIs to increase the depth and breadth of their outreach. But on the other hand – and possibly at the cost of the social mission – financial sustainability may become the core objective of the MFIs. The aim of this paper is to investigate which of the two outcomes is most likely in MFIs following the financial system approach. For this purpose, the paper first develops a theoretical framework to deduce testable hypotheses. The hypotheses are then tested with data from 158 rated MFIs, using various panel data estimation techniques. Results obtained thus reveal that majority of the MFIs in developing countries hold some market power. Besides, we find that financial sustainability is at odds with the social mission of alleviating poverty and empowering women and does not translate into depth and breadth of outreach. The study also discusses some policy implications of the results.

Traditional maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max (L) Merrill) intercropping practice cannot be adapted to modern agriculture due to low light use efficiency, radiation use efficiency, low comparative profits of soybeans and incompatibility with mechanization. However, a new type of maize and soybean intercropping system (MSIS) with high land equivalent ratio (LER) provides substantial benefits for small-land hold farmers worldwide. Our research team has done a wide range of research to suggest the appropriate planting geometry that ensures high yield and LER as high as 2.36, nutrient acquisition and mechanical operations in MSISs. Increase in the distance between soybean and maize rows and decrease in the spacing of maize narrow rows is useful for the high light interception for the short soybean in MSISs. This review concludes that MSIS has multifold and convincing results of LER and compatible with mechanization, while those practiced other than China still require technological advancements, agronomic measures and compatible mechanization to further explore its adaptability.