Search

Among many applications of DC–DC isolated converters, power supplies, renewable energy sources, and electric vehicles are prominent. These converters are the basic, easy to use, low component count and being used in industry from a few decades. In this study, a unique operation mode of DC–DC isolated converter called “green mode” is proposed to increase the efficiency of converter under light load conditions. Switching losses of the converter can be reduced by using the converter’s secondary-side control method, which enables a reduction in the primary-side switches' switching frequency and turn-off duration. The converter also uses a soft switching mechanism to further minimize the switching losses. The converter achieves the output voltage of 24 V under different load conditions. Under No load condition the efficiency of the converter has significantly improved, which is 82.3%, due to reduced power losses under light load conditions. It is demonstrated through experimental data that validates the green-mode operation. Although the efficiency under full load conditions is around 79.7%. These DC–DC converters shall enhance the range of electric vehicle (EV) and shall be a boon to EV technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current practice for chemotherapy in most oncology departments is the use of dedicated venous access for the continuous and frequent delivery of drugs, fluids and blood products, and the monitoring of the effects of treatment. The frequent venipuncture of peripheral veins is associated with various complications and discomfort to the patients. Permanent central venous access is therefore very important. Totally Implantable Vascular Access Device (TIVAD) is a type of central venous access that utilizes the central veins; the internal jugular vein, the subclavian or the femoral veins. It is a kind of permanent central venous access where a central venous catheter is connected to a subcutaneously buried port or septum which can be accessed at any time and has the ability to stay for almost 5 years. They are therefore the preferred form of long-term central venous access in patients treated by oncology departments. We share our initial experience of 5 patients in our institution. There were 4 females and one young boy who had been diagnosed with Hemophilia. Three of the patients had new implantation, one had removal of her 5-year-old TIVAD that had been implanted in another country and one had the TIVAD accessed when she had been referred to our hospital for breast surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Diaphragmatic injuries may be associated with thoracoabdominal blunt or penetrating traumas. The diagnosis is often delayed, despite the availability of several medical imaging modalities. The surgical management remains controversial, in terms of the choice of surgical approach and the surgical repair technique. Aim: To evaluate the surgical management experience of traumatic diaphragmatic rupture in our institution over a ten-year period in the local setting of a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Material and methods: A retrospective review of the medical records of patients who had undergone surgery for traumatic diaphragmatic rupture. Results: A total of 35 cases of diaphragmatic rupture were seen from thoracoabdominal injuries. There were 29 (82.86%) males. The mean age was 36.25 ±12.98 years with a range of 16–65 years. There were 3 cases of right diaphragmatic rupture and 32 cases of left diaphragmatic rupture. Penetrating chest injury caused 18 (51%) of the ruptures. The leading cause of injury was road traffic accident, which constituted 48.57%, closely followed by stab (25.71%), gunshot injuries (14.29%) and impalement injury (11.48%). Seventeen (49%) patients had their diaphragmatic ruptures repaired via laparotomy and the remaining 18 (51%) via thoracotomy. The commonest herniated organ was the stomach. One patient died in theatre from cardiac arrest after failed intubation. Conclusions: Surgery is the treatment of choice in traumatic diaphragmatic rupture and it is repaired via laparotomy or thoracotomy based on the presence or absence of concomitant abdominal injury and the presence or absence of a cardiothoracic surgeon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India being an agrarian economy, rainfall is an essential component that directly or indirectly influences agricultural produce. With the increasing impacts of the changing climate scenario, it is anticipated that in the near future, frequent and extreme rainfall episodes will trigger events like severe floods, landslides, etc. Therefore, it is extremely important to make precise predictions so that the intensity of the impacts on life and property can be reduced. In recent times, with the advancement of AI/ML applications, it has become popular in weather and climate sciences. The current work uses 121 years of rainfall data for analysis and prediction purposes, where deep learning (DL) approaches like LSTM (Long Short Term Memory), BiLSTM (Bi-directional LSTM) and GRU (Gated Recurrent Unit) have been adopted. The long-term rainfall analysis and prediction over selected smart cities of India is based on their location in the homogenous monsoon regions. The results obtained from the models indicated that for univariate forecasting, the overall performance of BiLSTM is better than others for most cities considered, while GRU predicted well for places with higher rainfall variability. In the multivariate approach, LSTM's performance is superior. Therefore, a combination of BiLSTM and GRU might offer a better result in the univariate approach, or an advanced version of LSTM might enrich the outcomes in the multivariate approach for rainfall analysis and forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empowerment of women is fundamental for the progress of the country. Women play an important role in the socioeconomic development of the country and in India they play a dual role. Women of the present day has extended her foot in every sphere and excelled through the same. They have broken the boundaries restricted to the house-hold work and the prejudice that women are homemaker and that they cannot compete with men. Women have increased their participation in economic activities especially in dairy farming activity as a as manager, decision makers and skilled workers. Therefore the study was planned to assess the decision making ability of the women entrepreneurs involved in dairy farming. This study was conducted in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh and a total of 120 women respondents were selected for study. Decision making ability of the respondents in dairy enterprise was studied under six subheads feeding, viz., breeding and management, health care, marketing and processing and miscellaneous activities. The response was collected by using a pretested structured interview schedule. The result shows that majority of respondents had decision making ability in feeding practices i.e., 68.18 per cent, 52.71 involved in breeding practices, 60.08 per cent involve in management practices, 57.92 per cent involved in health care, 61.46 per cent involved in marketing practices, 42.33 per cent involved in miscellaneous practices as insurance of dairy animals, advantage of dairy schemes etc. Though much of work of dairy farming is carried out by women but extension efforts and capacity building programmes are not generally designed for greater involvement of women and extending benefits to them. Therefore training module for scientific dairy farming can be formulated especially for women to improve their efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has a centuries-old tradition of sheep production and breeding that accomplish economic, agricultural, and religious roles. In addition to the 44 registered sheep breeds, there is a fat-tailed sheep population referred to as Dumba. This study evaluated genetic variation in Dumba sheep and its differentiation from other Indian sheep breeds using mitochondrial DNA and genomic microsatellite loci. Haplotype and nucleotide diversity based on mitochondrial DNA analysis revealed substantially high maternal genetic diversity in Dumba sheep. Major ovine haplogroups A and B observed in sheep populations across the globe registered their presence in the Dumba sheep. The molecular genetic analysis using microsatellite markers also showed high measures of allele (10.125 ± 0.762) and gene diversity (0.749 ± 0.029). Results correspond to the non-bottleneck population that is near mutation-drift equilibrium despite some deficiency in the number of heterozygotes (FIS = 0.043 ± 0.059). Phylogenetic clustering confirmed Dumba to be a distinct population. Results of this study endow authorities with critical information imperative for sustainable utilization and conservation of Indian fat-tailed sheep, which is considered to be an untapped genetic resource contributing to the food security, livelihood, and economic sustainability of rural households in marginal areas of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AI methods Accelerated Drug Screening and Design with structure and Ligand-based methods. • AI Learning models for categorizing data-driven drug discovery. • Applications and Limitations of AI models for drug discovery in pharmaceutical industries. • Need for balance between AI-driven predictions and experimental validations. Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly deep learning as a subcategory of AI, provides opportunities to accelerate and improve the process of discovering and developing new drugs. The use of AI in drug discovery is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way new drugs are discovered and developed. As AI technology continues to evolve, it is likely that AI will play an even greater role in the future of drug discovery. AI is used to identify new drug targets, design new molecules, and predict the efficacy and safety of potential drugs. The inclusion of AI in drug discovery can screen millions of compounds in a matter of hours, identifying potential drug candidates that would have taken years to find using traditional methods. AI is highly utilized in the pharmaceutical industry by optimizing processes, reducing waste, and ensuring quality control. This review covers much-needed topics, including the different types of machine-learning techniques, their applications in drug discovery, and the challenges and limitations of using machine learning in this field. The state-of-the-art of AI-assisted pharmaceutical discovery is described, covering applications in structure and ligand-based virtual screening, de novo drug creation, prediction of physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties, drug repurposing, and related topics. Finally, many obstacles and limits of present approaches are outlined, with an eye on potential future avenues for AI-assisted drug discovery and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipopolysaccharide and β-1,3-glucan-binding protein (LGBP) is a pattern recognition protein (PRP) purified from the Penaeus monodon by Blue-Sepharose, Phenyl-Sepharose followed by Sephadex G-100 chromatography. P. monodon LGBP consist of 36 and 48 kDa subunits on 10% SDS-PAGE under reducing and non-reducing conditions respectively. Purified P. monodon LGBP agglutinates the fungal pathogen Candida glabrata, due to the presence of β-glucan (βG) on its surface. This agglutination was cross checked with the in silico docking analysis of LGBP-βG and LGBP-laminarin (isomeric form βG) interaction. As part of a strategy, to determine the precise role of P. monodon LGBP (Pm-LGBP) in pattern recognition mechanism mutations were introduced by in silico approach. In crustacean LGBP, RGD motif (Arg, Gly, Asp) plays the vital role in the cell adhesion and pattern recognition mechanism. Role of Asp in RGD motif was determined through amino acid substitution, introduction of a specific mutation D134K into a central area of the sugar-binding (βG) site resulted in complete loss of pathogen recognition and binding of Pm-LGBP to βG. These results demonstrate that, the RGD motif of Asp134 is essential for sugar binding in P. monodon. To our knowledge, P. monodon D134K is the first mutant shrimp LGBP which is unable to bind with the sugar residues. This mutant could be useful in the discovery of actual function of Pm-LGBP in the recognition of homologous symbionts. Docking analysis of LGBP binding towards β-glucan (i) LGBP without mutationv (ii) LGBP with mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) affects the children at any infancy in the childhood. The diagnosis of DIPGs reports for 10% of Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors originating in the area of brain's Glial tissue called Pons which governs the eye activity, gesture movements, breathing, blood pressure and blood rate. The tumor's prevalence is still limitless but the statistics propounded 300-400 children are spotted with DIPG year after year. Authenticated competent medication method in DIPG debris Radiation Therapy. As long as for the larger part of the convalescent, this medication method is sole of short term effect. Modernistic Development in the era of molecular biology of DIPG have embossed unaccustomed belief moreover unlocked different boulevard for curative opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prophenoloxidase is a metalloprotinase and closely associated with the copper proteins family like hemocyanin; both are extracellular proteins that are structurally similar and functionally vary in their roles. In this study, we used the mud crab Scylla serrata as a model organism to explore the mechanism of phenoloxidase (PO) and structure analysis through in silico approach also attempting to discover the chemical inhibitors for the protein molecule from different databases. We have purified metalloprotein, prophenoloxidase (proPO), exhibits the 76 kDa molecular weight in SDS-PAGE, widely distributed in hemocytes and consisted of 2 homologous polypeptide chains, proPO1 and proPO2. Enhanced PO activity was observed when using microbial pathogen-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) and metals as an activator. In vitro and in silico approaches were employed to characterize the structural and functional properties of phenoloxidases, and also we used the virtually screened ligands to check the activity of the protein. Through virtual screening method to screen the new ligands to bind with proPO from zinc and binding databases, the binding interactions are also analyzed via docking scores. This present report paves the way to develop the new immunomodulatory ligands targeting toward the prophenoloxidase and also gives new insights about the structure of the protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y-chromosome genetic diversity in and around its domestication origin and a better understanding of indicine-specific microsatellite alleles are imperative concerns but less -targeted. We analysed Y-chromosome markers in 301 bulls representing 19 native Indian cattle (Bos indicus) and identified new alleles and haplotypes. Compared to other indicine studies, the high Y-haplotype diversity found in Indian cattle supports the hypothesis of greater genetic variability across the centre of origin decreasing along migratory routes with increasing distance. Hence, a considerable paternal genetic diversity of Indian cattle appears to have been lost in transboundary commercial indicine breeds. The Khillar and Gir are the most diversified populations where the first tends to be the well-differentiated traditional breed carrying strikingly distinct Y-lineages with typical BM861-158 bp allele, characteristics of taurine cattle, while retaining standard indicine lineages for all other markers. Geographical distribution found to be an unreliable predictor of parental variation, and Y-lineages seemed closely related to Indian breed function/utility. The comprehensive Y-chromosome information will be useful to examine the demographic expansion/spread of Bos indicus lineages from close proximity to the domestication centre across different countries worldwide and such diversity should be preserved through effective management and conservation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High risk human papillomaviruses are highly associated with the cervical carcinoma and the other genital tumors. Development of cervical cancer passes through the multistep process initiated from benign cyst to increasingly severe premalignant dysplastic lesions in an epithelium. Replication of this virus occurs in the fatal differentiating epithelium and involves in the activation of cellular DNA replication proteins. The oncoprotein E7 of human papillomavirus expressed in the lower epithelial layers constrains the cells into S-phase constructing an environment favorable for genome replication and cell proliferation. To date, no suitable drug molecules exist to treat HPV infection whereas anticipation of novel anti-HPV chemotherapies with distinctive mode of actions and identification of potential drugs are crucial to a greater extent. Hence, our present study focused on identification of compounds analogue to EGCG, a green tea molecule which is considered to be safe to use for mammalian systems towards treatment of cancer. A three dimensional similarity search on the small molecule library from natural product database using EGCG identified 11 potential small molecules based on their structural similarity. The docking strategies were implemented with acquired small molecules and identification of the key interactions between protein and compounds were carried out through binding free energy calculations. The conformational changes between the apoprotein and complexes were analyzed through simulation performed thrice demonstrating the dynamical and structural effects of the protein induced by the compounds signifying the domination. The analysis of the conformational stability provoked us to describe the features of the best identified small molecules through electronic structure calculations. Overall, our study provides the basis for structural insights of the identified potential identified small molecules and EGCG. Hence, the identified analogue of EGCG can be potent inhibitors against the HPV 16 E7 oncoprotein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune cells secrete small protein molecules that aim for cell–cell communications. These small molecules are called cytokines. Targeting cancer cells with administration of bispecific antibodies and natural extracts results in elevated circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines, including interferon-γ and interleukin (IL)-6, which lead to cell toxicity. Sustained release of cytokines due to immunotherapy or hormonal issues causes various diseases. Novel T cell-engaging therapies and monoclonal antibodies cause cytokine release syndrome. Efforts are being carried out to maximize the chance for therapeutic benefit from immunotherapy while minimizing the risk for life-threatening complications of sustained cytokine release. Neurodegeneration and cardiac diseases are the prominent diseases caused by inflammatory cytokines. The phenomenon is called cytokine storm. Cytokines can act antagonistically or synergistically. Constitutive expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-3 and IL-6 causes organ damage and unbearable pain. In this review, we will discuss the regulators of cytokine release, its types, its implications on human health, and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental temperatures and oxygen availability are important for the balance between oxygen supply and demand. Terrestrial organisms are generally perceived to be less limited by access to oxygen than their aquatic counterparts. Nevertheless, even terrestrial environments can be deficient in oxygen, especially for organisms occurring in soil, litter, wood, rotten fruit or at high elevations. While isopods are the best adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle among crustaceans, many species, including woodlice, occupy environmental gradients of temperature and oxygen. To investigate whether mismatches between oxygen supply and demand can result in a loss of performance in a terrestrial organism, we studied the effects of atmospheric oxygen concentration on the thermal performance of the common rough woodlouse (Porcellio scaber). We compared the thermal preference, thermal sensitivity of running speed, and tolerance to extreme temperatures of woodlice exposed to one of two oxygen concentrations (21% - normoxia, 7% - hypoxia). Under hypoxia, P. scaber preferred microhabitats with temperatures that were on average 3°C lower than those preferred under normoxia. The running speed tended to reach its maximum at a lower temperature under hypoxia than under normoxia (25.13°C vs 28.87°C, respectively, although p was equal to 0.09), and normoxic woodlice ran approximately 1.5-fold faster than hypoxic woodlice at the point of maximum speed. Heat tolerance was significantly lower under hypoxia (38.9°C) than under normoxia (40.7°C), but there was no difference in cold tolerance (5.81°C under normoxia and 5.44°C under hypoxia). Overall, our results indicate that environmental gradients of temperature and oxygen may shape the physiological performance of terrestrial ectotherms, likely via their effects on the balance between oxygen supply and demand, which may have fitness consequences for these organisms in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclic thermal processing results in accelerated kinetics [Sahay et al. Acta Mater. 51, 339 (2003)], with significant impact on the productivity and energy consumption. Considering the commercial significance of thermal processing operations, it is imperative that the mechanism of such behavior be understood and quantitatively modeled. In the present work, the cyclic annealing kinetics has been quantitatively modeled by incorporating an additional nonisothermal rate constant to the Arrhenius equation. The model closely describes the experimental recrystallization and grain growth kinetics data carried out under cyclic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients undergoing solid organ transplantation are at a higher risk of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections especially during the immediate post operative period. Objective: To audit the usage, dosage appropriateness and safety of colistin use in abdominal solid organ transplant recipients to treat immediate post-transplant bacterial infections. Methods: After completion of 1000 abdominal solid organ transplants at our institute, data of the transplant recipients who received colistin between October 2010 and December 2019 was extracted from the hospital health information system. Data of all microbiological culture isolates, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of colistin, appropriateness of colistin dosing and nephrotoxicity associated with colistin use was assessed. Results: Of the 1170 (732 liver and 438 renal) solid organ transplant recipients, 82 (66 liver and 16 renal) received colistin to treat posttransplant MDR bacterial infections. Nearly 60% received colistin as definitive therapy and 87.81% received colistin as combination. Mean duration of colistin therapy was found to be higher in renal than liver transplant recipients. Out of the total 89 bacterial isolates, there were 2 colistin resistant Klebsiella strains. Colistin in combination with meropenem (36.4%) was the most commonly used dual therapy. Out of the total 89 bacterial isolates, there were 2 colistin resistant Klebsiella strains. Overall in-hospital mortality of patients who received colistin was 43.9%. Renal impairment occurred in 28.8% of liver transplant recipients. Conclusion: Infection necessitating colistin use increases mortality by three folds in liver transplant recipients and by five percentage points in renal transplant recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pheochromocytoma is a neuroendocrine tumour of chromaffin cells, though rare but a known cause of paroxysmal hypertension with a triad of headache, diaphoresis and palpitation. The biochemical diagnosis of pheochromocytoma is based on estimation of plasma nor-adrenaline, adrenaline and their metabolites in plasma or urine. Clonidine suppression test is performed to differentiate the raised catecholamine level due to pheochromocytoma or other than pheochromocytoma especially in cases where plasma nor-adrenaline levels are less than 2000 pg/ml. Clonidine is stated to be unable to suppress catecholamine level in cases of pheochromocytoma, therefore we tested the other α2-agonist Dexmedetomidine intravenous in a case of Pheochromocytoma with remarkably raised nor- adrenaline (25,183 pg/ml) and found 49.42% suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented on the case study of a 35-year-old White female with six-month history of burning epigastric abdominal pain unchanged by meals, in which the esophagogastroduodenoscopy(EGD) conducted to the patient showed two superficial nonbleeding ulcers on pylorus and antrum.

In the present work, impact of Double Gate RingFET (DG-RingFET) has been investigated for better gate control and suppressed Short Channel Effects (SCEs) using ATLAS 3D device simulator. The analog performance metrics explored in this paper are drain current (Ids - Vgs), trans-conductance (gm), device efficiency (gm/Ids), and early voltage (Vea). In addition to this linearity behaviour of DGRingFET has been investigated in terms of third-order voltage intercept point (VIP3), third-order current intercept point (IIP3), third-order inter modulation distortion (IMD3) and results are also compared with the single gate architecture. The two-dimensional analytical model for DG-RingFET architecture has also been developed in this paper using parabolic approach. Moreover, the impact of technology variations like drain radii and position of drain, i.e. inside or outside the channel ring on the performance of DG-RingFET architecture has also been assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, a novel device architecture Skin Deep Insulated Extension-RingFET (i.e. SDIE-RingFET) has been reported that incorporates the better known dielectric pocket in RingFET architecture. Various analog performance matrices like I ON /I OFF , V th roll off, Sub-threshold slope (SS), Device efficiency (g m /I ds ), conduction band energy (CBE) and electron temperature (T E ) have been studied to investigate the impact of Skin Deep Insulated Extension (SDIE) on RingFET architecture. Insulated extension enhances the immunity of the device against Short Channel Effects by reducing I OFF and providing a higher I ON /I OFF ratio apart from improved threshold voltage roll-off. In addition, SDIE also prevents dopant diffusion from source/drain to bulk, thereby alleviating the bulk punch-through effect and hence DIBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, an analytical drain current model for Gate and Channel Engineered RingFET (GCE-RingFET) has been developed by solving 2D-Poisson equation in cylindrical coordinates. The authenticity of proposed model for GCE-RingFET architecture has been justified by comparing the analytical results with simulation results obtained using ATLAS 3D device simulation. Performance comparison of GCE-RingFET with the conventional RingFET device architectures has been performed. Various important performance metrics such as surface potential, transfer characteristic (I ds -V gs ), I ON /I OFF ratio, Threshold voltage roll off, Sub-threshold Slope (SS), Drain Induced Barrier Lowering (DIBL), Trans -conductance Generation Efficiency (g m /I ds ), have been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging infections of Zika virus (ZIKV) are associated with serious consequences like microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. It leads to a situation of global health emergency and demand an intensive research investigation to develop safe and effective therapeutics. Various efforts have been made to reduce the pathological pressure of ZIKV, but no effective drug has been introduced against ZIKV infections. A recent study has reported the inhibition of ZIKV entry into the host cells by an active green tea ingredient, Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) in Vero E6cells. The effect of EGCG seems remarkable but lacking the information of the mechanism of action. In this study, we have investigated the binding site (Site1) of EGCG on envelope protein and provided the insights into various interactions of molecule with the binding site using molecular docking studies. Further, using molecular dynamics approaches we proposed the possible associated mechanism of inhibition of ZIKV entry by EGCG molecule. EGCG has found to interact with several residues and providing stability to the protein conformations up to 50 ns simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The irrational use of antibiotics is a leading contributor to antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic stewardship (AS) interventions predominantly focus on prescribers. This study investigated the influence and participation of inpatients in infection‐related care, including antibiotic decision‐making, within and across two tertiary hospitals in South Africa (Cape Town) and India (Kerala). Methods: Through ethnographic enquiry of clinical practice in surgical pathways, including direct nonparticipant observation of clinical practices, healthcare worker (HCW), patient and carer interactions in surgical ward rounds and face‐to‐face interviews with participants (HCWs and patients), we sought to capture the implicit and explicit influence that patients and carers have in infection‐related care. Field notes and interview transcripts were thematically coded, aided by NVivo 12® Pro software. Results: Whilst observational data revealed the nuanced roles that patients/carers play in antibiotic decision‐making, HCWs did not recognize these roles. Patients and carers, though invested in patient care, are not routinely involved, nor are they aware of the opportunities for engagement in infection‐related decision‐making. Patients associated clinical improvement with antibiotic use and did not consider hospitalization to be associated with infection acquisition or transmission, highlighting a lack of understanding of the threat of infection and antibiotic resistance. Patients' economic and cultural positionalities may influence their infection‐related behaviours. In the study site in India, cultural norms mean that carers play widespread but unrecognized roles in inpatient care, participating in infection prevention activities. Conclusion: For patients to have a valuable role in AS and make informed decisions regarding their infection‐related care, a mutual understanding of their role in this process among HCWs and patients is crucial. The observed differences between the two study sites indicate the critical need for understanding and addressing the contextual drivers that impact effective patient‐centred healthcare delivery. Patient or Public Contribution: Ethnographic observations and interviews conducted in this study involved patients as participants. Patients were recruited for interviews after obtaining signed informed consent forms. Patients' identities were completely anonymized when presenting the study findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 encodes eight accessory proteins, one of which, ORF8, has a poorly conserved sequence with SARS-CoV and its role in viral pathogenicity has recently been identified. ORF8 in SARS-CoV-2 has a unique functional feature that allows it to form a dimer structure linked by a disulfide bridge between Cys20 and Cys20 (S-S). This study provides structural characterization of natural mutant variants as well as the identification of potential drug candidates capable of binding directly to the interchain disulfide bridge. The lead compounds reported in this work have a tendency to settle in the dimeric interfaces by direct interaction with the disulfide bridge. These molecules may disturb the dimer formation and may have an inhibition impact on its potential functional role in host immune evasion and virulence pathogenicity. This work provides detailed insights on the sequence and structural variability through computational mutational studies, as well as potent drug candidates with the ability to interrupt the intermolecular disulfide bridge formed between Cys20 and Cys20. Furthermore, the interactions of ORF8 peptides complexed with MHC-1 is studied, and the binding mode reveals that certain ORF8 peptides bind to MHC-1 in a manner similar to other viral peptides. Overall, this study is a narrative of various computational approaches used to provide detailed structural insights into SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 interchain disulfide bond disruptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene expression varies due to the intrinsic stochasticity of transcription or as a reaction to external perturbations that generate cellular mutations. Co-regulation, co-expression and functional similarity of substances have been employed for indoctrinating the process of the transcriptional paradigm. The difficult process of analysing complicated proteomes and biological switches has been made easier by technical improvements, and microarray technology has flourished as a viable platform. Therefore, this research enables Microarray to cluster genes that are co-expressed and co-regulated into specific segments. Copious search algorithms have been employed to ascertain diacritic motifs or a combination of motifs that are performing regular expression, and their relevant information corresponding to the gene patterns is also documented. The associated genes co-expression and relevant cis-elements are further explored by engaging Escherichia coli as a model organism. Various clustering algorithms have also been used to generate classes of genes with similar expression profiles. A promoter database 'EcoPromDB' has been developed by referring RegulonDB database; this promoter database is freely available at www.ecopromdb.eminentbio.com and is divided into two sub-groups, depending upon the results of co-expression and co-regulation analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated the contact-doping effect on high performance n-channel C60 organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) using the air-stable rhodocene dimer as an n-type dopant. The average charge mobility improved from a value of 0.48 cm2/(Vs) in a reference device to 1.65 cm2/(Vs) for contact-doped devices with a channel length of 25 μm. The operational stability of contact-doped OFETs under continuous stress bias was found similar to the reference devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paternally inherited Y chromosome markers have been used widely in population genetic studies to trace paternal lineages, to understand differences in migration pattern and populations admixture in animals. In the absence of crossing over, Y-chromosomal markers in the non-recombining male-specific region (MSY) are mostly transmitted as a haplotype. Recent studies of five polymorphic sites on DDX3Y, UTY and ZFY genes of bull MSY assisted in the identification of three haplogroups (Y1, Y2 and Y3) in contemporary cattle. Here we report the screening of five SNPs (ZFY9-120> C/T; ZFY10-655> C/T; DDX3Y1-425>C/T; DDX3Y7-123>C/T and UTY19-423>C/A) of bull MSY employing optimized and validated allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) protocols that are useful in effective differentiation of bull/semen samples of Bos indicus and Bos taurus origin. Three haplogroups (Y1, Y2 and Y3) were identified in the present study by the screening of 181 bulls from 10 native cattle breeds and 50 HF crossbred. Y1 and Y2 haplogroups were restricted to HF crossbred with a frequency of 0.98 and 0.02, respectively. The high frequency of Y1 haplogroups is possibly due to the occurrence of Y1 lineage predominantly in HF bulls. All the native cattle breeds were observed to have pure indicine lineage (Y3). These cost effective AS-PCR protocols may be useful for reliable and accurate genotyping of Y-SNPs in diverse native cattle breeds, exotic and crossbred cattle populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some Turán type inequalities for Struve functions of the first kind are deduced by using various methods developed in the case of Bessel functions of the first and second kind. New formulas, like Mittag–Leffler expansion, infinite product representation for Struve functions of the first kind, are obtained, which may be of independent interest. Moreover, some complete monotonicity results and functional inequalities are deduced for Struve functions of the second kind. These results complement naturally the known results for a particular case of Lommel functions of the first kind, and for modified Struve functions of the first and second kind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prophenoloxidase (ProPO) cascade is a principal defense system in crustaceans, which consists of a variety of pattern recognition proteins (lipopolysaccharide and β-glucan-binding protein [β-GBP], β-GBP, and β-glucan recognition protein), proteases (serine protease), and protease inhibitors (α2-macroglobulin and pacifastin) to regulate the protection mechanism in crustaceans. In the prophneoloxidase pathway, the protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and other immune-related analyses still have not been reported. Moreover, the structural features of ProPO cascade proteins have not yet been reported, hence we constructed the three-dimensional structural features for all ProPO pathway proteins. Their PPIs were studied through an in silico approach. Laminarin has been identified as a triggering activator and it showed energetic binding with homology modeled β-GBP and activated the β-GBP, followed by the protein-protein complex formation leading to phenoloxidase synthesis. These findings provided a novel view of the ProPO mechanism and enhanced our knowledge of the innate immune system in crustaceans via computation. In conclusion, we propose a combined experimental and computational approach to analyze the mechanism of ProPO cascade proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measured the picoseconds (ps) transient dynamics of photoexcitations in blends of poly(3-hexyl-thiophene) (P3HT; donors-D) and fullerene [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM; acceptor-A), using the transient pump/probe photomodulation technique in an unprecedented broad spectral range from 0.25 to 2.5 eV, and compared the results with organic solar cell performance based on the same blends. In D-A blends with maximum domain separation such as regio-regular P3HT/PCBM with (1.2:1) weight ratio having solar cell power conversion efficiency of ∼4%, we found that, although the photogenerated intrachain excitons in the polymer nano-domains decay within ∼10 ps, no charge polarons are generated on their expense up to ∼2 ns. Instead, there is a buildup of charge transfer (CT) excitons at the D-A interfaces having the same kinetics as the exciton decay, which dissociate into separate polarons in the D and A domains at a much later time (≫1 ns). This two-step charge photogeneration process may be typical in organic bulk heterojunction cells. Although the CT excitons are photogenerated on the exciton expense much faster in D-A blends having smaller domain size such as in regio-random P3HT/PCBM, their dissociation is less efficient because of larger binding energy. This explains the poor solar cell power conversion efficiency (<0.1%) based on this blend. Our results support the two-step charge photogeneration mechanism in polymer/fullerene blends and emphasize the important role of the CT binding energy in generating free charge polarons in organic solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Louis Pasteur has long been heralded as one of the fathers of microbiology and immunology. Less known is Pasteur's vision on infection prevention and control (IPC) that drove current infection control, public health, and much of modern medicine and surgery. In this Review, we revisited Pasteur's pioneering works to assess progress and challenges in the process and technological innovation of IPC. We focused on Pasteur's far-sighted conceptualisation of the hospital as a reservoir of microorganisms and amplifier of transmission, aseptic technique in surgery, public health education, interdisciplinary working, and the protection of health services and patients. Examples from across the globe help inform future thinking for IPC innovation, adoption, scale up and sustained use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental performance of transnational corporations (TNCs) may need to be updated to include evidence of increased corporate environmental responsibility. This is a challenge to geographical perspectives that have been critical of the environmental performance of TNCs. The paper reports the findings of a survey of TNCs with branches in Singapore. Using the survey evidence, TNCs are classified according to their degree of participation in a range of voluntary environmental initiatives. According to the classification, there is a similar proportion of low and high performers but a dominance of medium level activity that can involve little organisational change. A significant association between organisational size and environmental activity is found. Respondents most frequently report that corporate environmental standards motivate environmental action in Singapore. Overall the survey evidence indicates that few TNCs are significantly changing their environmental behaviour. The absence of citizen, NGO and government pressure on TNCs is reducing the extent of voluntary environmental action in Singapore and expectations of widespread corporate greening overlook organisational differences in their opportunity to benefit from investment in environmental management. It is concluded that voluntary corporate environmentalism does not reduce the need for government regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, there are no antimicrobial agents available in the market that have absolute control over the growing threat of bacterial strains. The increase in the production capacity of antibiotics and the growing antibacterial resistance of bacteria have majorly affected a variety of businesses and public health. Bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) with two separate metals have been found to have stronger antibacterial potential than their monometallic versions. This enhanced antibacterial efficiency of bimetallic nanoparticles is due to the synergistic effect of their participating monometallic counterparts. To distinguish between bacteria and mammals, the existence of diverse metal transport systems and metalloproteins is necessary for the use of bimetallic Au–Ag NPs, just like any other metal NPs. Due to their very low toxicity toward human cells, these bimetallic NPs, particularly gold–silver NPs, might prove to be an effective weapon in the arsenal to beat emerging drug-resistant bacteria. The cellular mechanism of bimetallic nanoparticles for antibacterial activity consists of cell membrane degradation, disturbance in homeostasis, oxidative stress, and the production of reactive oxygen species. The synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles can be performed by a bottom-up and top-down strategy. The bottom-up technique generally includes sol-gel, chemical vapor deposition, green synthesis, and co-precipitation methods, whereas the top-down technique includes the laser ablation method. This review highlights the key prospects of the cellular mechanism, synthesis process, and antibacterial capabilities against a wide range of bacteria. Additionally, we also discussed the role of Au–Ag NPs in the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infection and wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-amyloid (Aβ) 25–35 peptide-induced oxidative stress is one of the primary reasons for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study, α-bisabolol β- D -fucopyranoside (ABFP) was evaluated for its protective effect against β-amyloid (Aβ) 25–35 peptide-induced toxicity in Neuro-2a cells. The results of the current study revealed that ABFP inhibits acetylcholinesterase, apart from reducing the formation of lipid peroxides, protein carbonyls, and nitric oxides in Neuro-2a cells during the treatment of β-amyloid (Aβ) 25–35 peptide. Additionally, ABFP effectively prevented the mitochondrial membrane damage induced by the β-amyloid (Aβ) 25–35 peptide in Neuro-2a cells. Furthermore, ABFP was found to significantly inhibit caspase 3 production in Neuro-2a cells, which was confirmed through AO/EtBr, Annexin-V/FITC, and PI fluorescent microscopic images, indicating that ABFP has anti-apoptotic properties. In addition, ABFP also increased the anti-apoptotic protein expression and protected the Neuro-2a cell from β-amyloid (Aβ) 25–35 peptide-induced toxicity. The in silico molecular docking analysis of ABFP with GSK-3beta showed that it was able to bind with Asn 186, Asp 200, and Lys 183 residues of the enzyme. Overall, the results suggest that ABFP acts as a potent drug against oxidative stress-mediated cell death in AD. [Display omitted] • α-bisabolol β- D -fucopyranoside was found to exhibit Anti-cholinesterase, Anti-oxidant, and Anti-apoptotic property. • It formed a stable complex with Glycogen synthase kinase-3β when compared to Tau and N-methyl D-aspartate receptors. • Overall, ABFP acts as a potential lead against β-amyloid peptide and it can be suggested for the treatment of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Existing policies do not recognize the role of carers in infection prevention and control. • Carers have critical roles to play in the physical environment of the patient. • Carers contribute to clinical decision-making through their knowledge of the patient. • Carers do not receive standard or formal education or training to support these roles. • Infection prevention and control policies need to consider cultural contexts. We investigated the roles of patient carers in infection-related care on surgical wards in a South Indian hospital from the perspective of healthcare workers (HCWs), patients, and their carers. Ethnographic study included ward-round observations (138 hours) and face-to-face interviews (44 HCWs, 6 patients/carers). Data (field notes, interview transcripts) were coded in NVivo 12 and thematically analyzed. Data collection and analysis were iterative, recursive, and continued until thematic saturation. Carers have important, unrecognized roles. At the study site, institutional expectations are formalized in policies, demanding a carer to always accompany in-patients. Such intense presence embeds families in the patient care environment, as demonstrated by their high engagement in direct personal (bathing patients) and clinical care (wound care). Carers actively participate in discussions on patient progress with HCWs, including therapeutic options. There is a misalignment between how carers are positioned by the organization (through policy mandates, institutional practices, and HCWs expectations), and the role that they play in practice, resulting in their role, though indispensable, remaining unrecognized. Current models of patient and carer involvement in infection prevention and control are poorly aligned with sociocultural and contextual aspects of care. Culture-sensitive infection prevention and control policies which embrace the roles that carers play are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular level understanding on the role of viral infections causing cervical cancer is highly essential for therapeutic development. In these instances, systems pharmacology along with multi omics approach helps in unraveling the multi-targeted mechanisms of novel biologically active compounds to combat cervical cancer. The immuno-transcriptomic dataset of healthy and infected cervical cancer patients was retrieved from the array express. Further, the phytocompounds from medicinal plants were collected from the literature. Network Analyst 3.0 has been used to identify the immune genes around 384 which are differentially expressed and responsible for cervical cancer. Among the 87 compounds reported in plants for treating cervical cancer, only 79 compounds were targeting the identified immune genes of cervical cancer. The significant genes responsible for the domination in cervical cancer are identified in this study. The virogenomic signatures observed from cervical cancer caused by E7 oncoproteins serve as the potential therapeutic targets whereas, the identified compounds can act as anti-HPV drug deliveries. In future, the exploratory rationale of the acquired results will be useful in optimizing small molecules which can be a viable drug candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer is the third most frequent cause of cancer worldwide and is more prevalent in older individuals of all ages. The recent statistics from World Health Organisation (WHO) on cancer accounted for 1.93 million new cases of colorectal cancer alone, in 2020[1]. The exact cause of this disease is still unknown; however, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and changed food consumption habit are thought to be driving forces. Earlier clinical studies have found non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to be potent in treating colorectal cancer by inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzyme, and further research ascertained cyclooxygenase-2 gene (COX-2) inhibitors to be the most effective chemotherapy treatment. The aim of this study is to find the most effective inhibitor with a superior affinity against COX-2 protein and its pharmacological profile. The pre-established compound, parecoxib (PubChem ID: 119828) was taken up for Structure-based Virtual Screening to identify a novel compound (PubChem ID: 10151468) that has a strong binding affinity than the established compound. Additionally, the comparative studies of both the screened and established compounds were examined using the MD simulation approach to confirm structural stability. Our conclusion suggests that the virtual screened compound (PubChem ID: 10151468) could be a potential therapeutic for the treatment of colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In invertebrates, the prophenoloxidase (proPO) pathway is involved in the phenol-like antioxidant production against invading pathogens. Overproduction of melanin and phenolic substances leads to the disruption of hemocytes (own host cells); therefore, there is a prerequisite to regulate the antioxidant production, which is performed by the proteases and proPO-associated cell adhesion protein peroxinectin (PX). PX is a macromolecular structure consisting of protein involved in the proPO pathway, which is a potential target in the regulatory mechanism in crustaceans. In the proPO cascade, pattern recognition proteins initiate the proPO cascade by the consequent reaction, and PX is involved in the key step in the regulatory mechanism of phenoloxidase enzyme synthesis. In the present study, Indian white shrimp Fenneropenaeus indicus PX ( Fein-PX) gene sequence was used. Upregulation of Fein-PX was determined using immunostimulants β-glucan (agonists) and examined its expression by quantitative RT-PCR. To find the downregulation or negative regulation of Fein-PX, inhibitors were screened, and its 3D model provides molecular insights into the rationale inhibitor design for developing an effective molecule against Fein-PX. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genome of Leishmania donovani , the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, codes for approximately 65% of both conserved and non-conserved hypothetical proteins. Studies on ‘conserved hypothetical’ proteins are expected to reveal not only new and crucial aspects of Leishmania biochemistry, but it could also lead to discovery of novel drug candidates. Conserved hypothetical protein, LdBPK_070020, is a 31.14 kDa protein, encoded by an 810 bp gene. BLAST analysis of LdBPK_070020, performed against NCBI non-redundant database , showed 80–99% similarity with conserved hypothetical proteins of Leishmania belonging to other species. Using homologues recombination method, we have performed gene knockout of LdBPK_070020 and effects of the same were investigated on the parasite. The gene knocked out strain shows significant retardation in growth with respect to wild type. Detailed biochemical studies indicated towards important role of LdBPK_070020 in the parasite survival and growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study accounts for the successional changes that took place in vegetation structure and composition over a time span of 25 years at reclaimed manganese mine site. Adjoining natural forest site was also studied for comparison of floral composition. The results corroborate the fact that as the age of succession increases, the reclaimed area gets invaded by higher successional species leading to an ecologically sound self-sustaining restructured system. This is an indication of the efficacy of the restoration programme. Plant species diversity of reclaimed site was 3.34, 2.81 and 2.12 for herbs, shrubs and trees, respectively, whereas in the adjoining natural forest site (Pench national park, reserved forest), it was 2.74, 1.88 and 2.13 for herbs, shrubs and trees, respectively. Phytodiversity assessments at both sites led to the conclusion that higher values of importance value index (IVI) were obtained for shrubs and herbs at the reclaimed site when compared to the adjoining natural forest site. However, higher values of tree diversity and IVI were associated with the natural forest site than the 25-year-old reclaimed site. This paper compares the composition of flora, species diversity and rapid succession of phytodiversity of a 25-year-old reclaimed site with nearby natural reserved forest site. Plant species richness of reclaimed site was 141, 38 and 18 for herbs, shrubs and trees, respectively, as compared to reserved forest site values of 55, 11 and 20 for herbs, shrubs and trees, respectively. Also, this paper evaluates the total and available nutrient, and microbial diversity in both the newly formed ecosystem and the adjacent natural forest site. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, using a 2-D Poisson equation (in cylindrical coordinates), an analytical drain current model of a nanoscale RingFET architecture has been developed for the first time. Major short-channel effects, such as channel length modulation, velocity scattering, and drain-induced barrier lowering, are taken under consideration while developing the model. A bandgap narrowing model has been employed to investigate the impact of higher channel doping. The modeled results of the surface potential, electric field, threshold voltage ( V\mathrm{ th} ), subthreshold slope, and drain current have been verified by comparing with those of the ATLAS 3-D device simulation. The influence of the drain radius and position of the source/drain regions on the electrical characteristics of the device has also been demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) facilitate fast and accurate identification of infectious disease microorganisms and are a valuable component of multimodal antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs but are currently underutilized in the Asia-Pacific region. An experienced group of infectious diseases clinicians, clinical microbiologists, and a clinical pharmacist used a modified Delphi consensus approach to construct 10 statements, aiming to optimize the utility and applicability of infection-related RDTs for AMS in the Asia-Pacific region. They provide guidance on definition, types, optimal deployment, measuring effectiveness, and overcoming key challenges. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system was applied to indicate the strength of the recommendation and the quality of the underlying evidence. Given the diversity of the Asia-Pacific region, the trajectory of RDT development will vary widely; the collection of local data should be prioritized to allow realization and optimization of the full benefits of RDTs in AMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Beyond the provision of services, quality of care and patient safety measures such as optimal clinical handover at shift changes determine maternity outcomes. We aimed to establish the proportion of women handed over and the content of clinical handovers and communication between shifts within 3 diverse obstetrics units in Kerala, India, and to describe the handover environment. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted for six weeks during February and March 2015at three hospitals in Kerala, India, during nurses obstetric handover in one tertiary private, one tertiary government and one secondary government hospital. Nursing handovers in obstetric post-operative, in-patient and labour wards were sampled. An SBAR-based (situation, background, assessment and recommendation) data schedule was completed whilst observing handover at nursing shift changes. Since obstetricians had no scheduled handover, qualitative interviews were conducted with obstetricians in two hospitals to establish how they acquire information when beginning a shift. Results: Data was obtained on 258 patients handed over, within 67 shift changes. The median percentage of women handed over was 100% in two of the hospitals and 27.6% in the other. The median number of information items included out of a possible 25 was 11, 5 and 4,and did not change significantly for women with high-risk status. Important items regarding assessment and recommendation for care were often missed, including high-risk status. The median number of environment items achieved was good at 7 out of 10 in all hospitals. Obstetricians sought information in various ways when required. All supported the development of structured tools, face-to-face and team handovers. Conclusions: Maternity unit handovers for doctors and nurses were inadequate. Ensuring handover of all women and including critical information, between shifts as well as between doctors, needs to be improved to increase patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A full-length cDNA of a β-glucan binding protein ( β-GBP) gene was identified from the mangrove crab Episesarma tetragonum. The open reading frame of the E. tetragonum β-GBP ( Epte β-GBP) is 1,167 bp long, encoding a polypeptide of 389 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of Epte β-GBP gene has conserved a potential recognition motif for β-1,3 linkages of polysaccharides and putative RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) cell adhesion sites. Phylogenetic analysis of the Epte β-GBP gene showed the similarity with β-GBPs of other crustaceans and arthropods. Quantitative RT-PCR results showed the upregulation of Epte β-GBP gene expression in E. tetragonum hemocytes following a 12-H challenge in response to β-glucan (β-G). Epte β-GBP was involved in the regulation and activation of the prophenoloxidase cascade. A three-dimensional structure of active Epte β-GBP was modeled by homology modeling and refined with molecular dynamics simulations. A structural aspect of the protein is discussed based on experimental and theoretical results obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retroviruses HTLV-1 and HIV-1 are the primary causative agents of fatal adult T-cell leukemia and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) disease. Both retroviruses are similar in characteristics mechanism, and it encodes for protease that mainly involved in the viral replication process. On the basis of the therapeutic success of HIV-1 PR inhibitors, the protease of HTLV-1 is mainly considered as a potential target for chemotherapy. At the same time, structural similarities in both enzymes that originate HIV PR inhibitors can also be an HTLV-1 PR inhibitor. But the expectations failed because of rejection of HIV PR inhibitors from the HTLV-1 PR binding pocket. In this present study, the reason for the HIV PR inhibitor rejection from the HTLV-1 binding site was identified through sequence analysis and molecular dynamics simulation method. Functional analysis of M37A mutation in HTLV PR clearly shows that the MET37 specificity and screening of potential inhibitors targeting MET37 is performed by using approved 90% similar HIV PR inhibitor compounds. From this approach, we report few compounds with a tendency to accept/donate electron specifically to an important site residue MET37 in HTLV-1 PR binding pocket. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus anthracis is a pathogenic, Gram-positive bacterium which chiefly affects the livestock of animals and humans through acute disease anthrax. All around the globe this bio-threat organism damages millions of lives in every year and also most of the drugs were not responding properly in inhibition against this diseased pathogen. In recent development, phage therapy is considered as alternative solution to treat this serious infectious disease. In this study, we elucidated the binding of γ phage lysin plyG enzymes toward the SrtA along with its activator peptide LPXTG. Through protein-protein docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies, we showed the distinguished structure complementarity of SrtA and plyG complex. Especially, MD simulation relates strong and stable interaction occurs between the protein complex structures. These results suggest that additional experimental studies on our approach will lead to availability of better inhibitor against the SrtA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The COVID-19 pandemic has helped challenge the usual way of doing research. • A prolonged on-site presence at the early stage of projects is critical. • Research should rely on a capacity-building strategy to provide local skills. • Funding should be proportionate to the cost of resources and gaps in each low middle income countries setting. This article summarizes the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, on an international project to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The research leadership and process, the access to data, and stakeholders were deeply disrupted by the national and international response to the pandemic, including the interruption of healthcare delivery, lockdowns, and quarantines. The key principles to deliver the research through the pandemic were mainly the high degree of interdisciplinary engagement with integrated teams, and equitable partnership across sites with capacity building and leadership training. The level of preexisting collaboration and partnership were also keys to sustaining connections and involvements throughout the pandemic. The pandemic offered opportunities for realigning research priorities. Flexibility in funding timelines and projects inputs are required to accommodate variance introduced by external factors. The current models for research collaboration and funding need to be critically evaluated and redesigned to retain the innovation that was shown to be successful through this pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]