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A class of plant defense and storage proteins, including Putranjiva roxburghii PNP protein (PRpnp), belongs to PNP-UDP family. The PRpnp and related plant proteins contain a disrupted PNP-UDP domain as revealed in previous studies. In PRpnp, the insert disrupting the domain contains the trypsin inhibitory site. In the present work, we analyzed native PRpnp (nPRpnp) complex formation with trypsin and inosine using SAXS experiments and established its dual functionality. Results indicated a relatively compact nPRpnp:Inosine structure, whereas trypsin complex showed conformational changes/flexibility. nPRpnp also exhibited a strong anti-cancer activity toward breast cancer (MCF-7), prostate cancer (DU-145) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines. MCF-7 and DU-145 were more sensitive to nPRpnp treatment as compared to HepG2. However, nPRpnp treatment showed no effect on the viability of HEK293 cells indicating that nPRpnp is specific for targeting the viability of only cancer cells. Further, acridine orange, DAPI and DNA fragmentation studies showed that cytotoxic effect of nPRpnp is mediated through induction of apoptosis as evident from the apoptosis-associated morphological changes and nuclear fragmentation observed after PRpnp treatment of cancer cells. These results suggest that PRpnp has the potential to be used as an anticancer agent. This is first report of anticancer activity as well as SAXS-based analysis for a PNP enzyme with trypsin inhibitory activity.

An experiment was conducted during 2017–18 in the aeroponic unit of ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute inShimla, Himachal Pradesh, to evaluate 3 potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivar’s, viz. Kufri Mohan, Kufri Lauvkarand Kufri Himalini growth and production behaviour under 2 different planting periods spaced 10 days apart duringthe autumnal season. The yield per plant and the total number of mini-tubers were shown to be strongly impactedby the planting season as well as the cultivar, according to the findings. The average number of tubers harvested was 32.7/plant in early (10th September) planting as against 21.2 mini-tubers/plant in late (20th September). Similarly, yield per plant was significantly higher (67.67 g/plant) with early planting than with late planting (35.99 g/plant). The production behaviour of the potato varieties under consideration varied significantly. The maximum yield/plant and mini-tuber numbers were recorded in Kufri Lauvkar (34.17 and 73.12 g/plant, respectively), which were significantly higher than the remaining 2 cultivars, which were statistically at par for both the number of yield/plant and minitubers. A delay in the planting of 10 days under aeroponics results in a significant reduction not only in the vigour of plants but subsequently in the number as well as weight of mini-tubers harvested. Thus, for attaining higher rates of multiplication under aeroponics during the autumn season, planting should not be delayed beyond 10th September in a hilly temperate wet zone.

For optimization of potato mini-tuber production through aeroponics, an experiment was conducted for the standardization of hardening methods for micro-plants in the aeroponic unit of Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, HP, India. Three hardening methods were used: planting in pro-trays, acclimatization (1 week) and direct transplanting. Early tuberization was recorded when the plants were hardened in pro-trays. However, percentage survivability, number of tubers per plant and number of harvests were significantly better when the micro-plants were hardened by gradually acclimatizing to the natural climatic conditions (1 week).

Under field conditions, plants are often simultaneously exposed to several abiotic and biotic stresses resulting in significant reductions in growth and yield; thus, developing a multi-stress tolerant variety is imperative. Previously, we reported the neofunctionalization of a novel PNP family protein, Putranjiva roxburghii purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PRpnp) to trypsin inhibitor to cater to the needs of plant defense. However, to date, no study has revealed the potential role and mechanism of either member of this protein group in plant defense. Here, we overexpressed PRpnp in Citrus aurantifolia which showed nuclear-cytoplasmic localization, where it functions in maintaining the intracellular purine reservoir. Overexpression of PRpnp significantly enhanced tolerance to salt, oxidative stress, alkaline pH, drought, and two pests, Papilio demoleus and Scirtothrips citri in transgenic plants. Global gene expression studies revealed that PRpnp overexpression up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to ABA- and JA- biosynthesis and signaling, plant defense, growth, and development. LC-MS/MS analysis validated higher endogenous ABA and JA accumulation in transgenic plants. Taken together, our results suggest that PRpnp functions by enhancing the endogenous ABA and JA, which interact synergistically and it also inhibits trypsin proteases in the insect gut. Also, like other purine salvage genes, PRpnp also regulates CK metabolism and increases the levels of CK-free bases in transgenic Mexican lime. We also suggest that PRpnp can be used as a potential candidate to develop new varieties with improved plant vigor and enhanced multiple stress resistance.

Citrus is one of the major horticultural crops having high economical and nutraceutical value. Despite the fact that conventional research has developed numerous improved varieties, citriculture is still susceptible to various stresses and requires innovative solutions such as genetic engineering. Among all the currently available modern approaches, the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is the most efficient method for introducing desired traits in citrus. However, being a non-host for Agrobacterium, various citrus species, including Citrus aurantifolia and Citrus sinensis are recalcitrant to this method. The available reports on Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of commercial citrus cultivars show very low transformation efficiency and poor recovery rates of whole transgenic plantlets. Here, we provide an efficient and reliable procedure of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation for both C. aurantifolia and C. sinensis. This protocol depends on providing callus-inducing treatment to explants before and during Agrobacterium co-cultivation, using optimum conditions for shoot regeneration, modifying in-vitro micrografting protocol to combat loss of transgenic lines. As the transgenic citrus shoots are difficult to root, we also developed ideal conditions for their rooting. Using this protocol, the whole transgenic plantlets of C. aurantifolia and C. sinensis can be developed in about ~ 4 months with transformation efficiency of 30% and 22% for respective species.

Radioembolization therapy utilizes yttrium-90 (Y90) impregnated resin (SIR-Spheres) or glass (TheraSpheres) microspheres to selectively target hepatic lesions via transarterial radioembolization. Occasional cases of gastrointestinal tract injury, secondary to nontargeted delivery of microspheres, have been reported, but large descriptive pathology series are lacking. We identified 20 cases of histologically confirmed mucosal injury associated with Y90 from 17 patients and assessed the corresponding clinical and pathologic sequelae. The mucosal biopsies were obtained from 1 to 88 months following Y90 therapy (median: 5 mo). Most cases were gastric (17, 85%), while the remaining were duodenal. Endoscopic ulceration was seen in the majority of cases (16, 80%), and mucosal erythema in the remaining 4. Histologically, a majority (19, 95%) of cases showed rounded, dark blue to purple microspheres measuring 4 to 30 µm, consistent with resin microspheres. A single case with glass microspheres demonstrated 26 µm translucent beads. Histologic evidence of ulceration was appreciated in 14 (70%) cases, and the microspheres were clearly intravascular in 6 (30%). A foreign body giant cell reaction to the microspheres was uncommon (3 cases, 15%). We additionally performed a retrospective review of all gastrointestinal tissue obtained postprocedure from 784 sequential patients treated with Y90 microspheres. Three patients (0.4%) demonstrated the presence of resin microspheres upon histologic examination. No cases involving glass-based Y90 were identified ( P =0.0078), despite the majority of patients having received glass radioembolization (630, 80%). This increased risk of secondary sphere dissemination is likely related to the increased number of particles required per activity for resin versus glass microspheres. We conclude that Y90 microspheres may be encountered in the gastrointestinal tract years after initial liver-targeted therapy and, when present, are often associated with mucosal ulceration. This finding is less likely to be encountered in patients who received Y90 radioembolization utilizing glass microspheres.

This study evaluated outcomes for percutaneous nephrostomy tube placement in pregnant patients, including potential complications that required early, unplanned tube exchange. A retrospective review was conducted for 51 pregnant patients and a nonpregnant cohort matched 1:1 who received percutaneous nephrostomy tube placement between 2012 and 2020. Factors potentially contributing to unplanned tube exchanges were analyzed, including gestational age, prevalence and severity of hydronephrosis, presence of renal calculi, and serum calcium level. The mean tube exchange interval was significantly shorter in the pregnant group (3.4 weeks ± 1.8 [standard deviation] vs 5.7 weeks ± 0.7, P < .0001), and pregnant subjects were significantly more likely to require reintervention before the 6-week scheduled exchange (80.4% vs 21.6%, P < .0001). The serum calcium level was lower in pregnant subjects (8.4 mg/dL ± 0.4 vs 8.9 mg/dL ± 0.7, P = .002). A shorter interval schedule (every 3 weeks) of routine percutaneous nephrostomy tube exchange in pregnant patients may be necessary to avoid complications.

For optimization of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) mini-tuber production through aeroponics, an experiment was conducted for the standardization of plant density through varying in-row and intra-row spacing’s in the aeroponic unit of ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, HP, India. The results revealed that the total number of mini-tubers and yield per plant obtained during all the 14 harvests were in general higher at wider intra-row spacing of 15 cm than 10cm in both the inter-row spacing’s, viz. 15 cm as well as 20 cm. On per unit area basis, the number of tubers/ m2 was maximum at the highest plant density (66 plants/m2) achieved with 15 × 10cm spacing, closely followed and at par with plant density of 44 plants/m2 (15 × 15 cm) and minimum with lowest planting density (33 plants/m2) at 20 × 15 cm. Yield/m2 was not affected significantly with the varying plant density, however, the average weight per tuber was significantly higher (1.74g) at the lowest planting density (33 plants/m2) obtained with 20 × 15cm spacing and was statistically at par among rest of the treatments.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which originated in the capital city of the Hubei Province, Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11th, 2020, COVID-19 has challenged healthcare systems to limit the spread of community and hospital-acquired disease. This article uses a patient case to highlight the importance of infection control during the height of the SARS-CoV-2 surge at a Level I affiliated community hospital in Western New York.

High yielding varieties and sound planting materials are prerequisites for sound seed potato production. Low multiplication rate, high seed (tuber) rate, dynamic amassing of degenerative infections, perishability and massiveness are the inherent issues in seed potato production. This may result in non-accessibility/non-availability of sufficient amounts of value seeds at reasonable cost and seed cost alone reflects 40% which is half of the aggregate expenses of development in potato. To go around a portion of these issues, a few alterations, for example, tuber ordering for infection opportunity, seed increase stages and seed accreditation guidelines have been created and incorporated with regular potato seed generation programs. The advent of tissue culture, in which virus-free plants can be produced through meristem culture, maintained indefinitely under controlled conditions and multiplied in artificial media under sterile conditions in the laboratory throughout the year irrespective of growing season, has revolutionized seed production in potato world over. Recent developments in automation of minitubers production have further enhanced adaptability of these techniques in potato seed production. In addition to quality assurance through meristem culture, aeroponic technique of minitubers production ensures high multiplication rate at initial stages of quality seed potato production.

In this paper, we present a current transport model of MoS2-based dual gate tunnel field effect transistor from both analytical and numerical techniques. In analytical modeling, two-dimensional (2D) model of potential distribution with its corresponding energy level for the hetero-junction has been solved and implemented with Landauer current transport mechanism. The output characteristics have been compared with the quantum mechanical solution obtained from non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formalism. The sub-threshold slope (SS), obtained from analytical and NEGF methods are 10 mV/decade and 12.6 mV/decade with on/off current ratio of 107 and 106, respectively at VDS = 0.5 V. We have considered scattering mechanism into our calculation and have shown that carrier transportation for 20 nm channel length is diffusive. In addition, scattering reduces the on current by an order of magnitude, and resembles good agreement with the atomistic simulation. Lastly, mobility and ionized impurity concentration for our proposed structure have been calculated as 27.2 cm2/Vs and 1.17 × 1013/cm2.

Communicating bad news to a patient or family is as much an art and test of will power as anything. The following article outlines considerations and points of emphasis when performing this task. Also is a list of resources and a case example of how to properly handle an unexpected adverse outcome.

Pulmonary embolism is a significant health concern, affecting mainly the adult and elderly population. The focus of this review article will be on the epidemiology, presentation, treatment, and outcomes of PE arising from deep venous thrombosis.

Stable room temperature operation of field-effect transistor (FET) based on two-dimensional silicon (silicene) has recently been reported. Like graphene, silicene is a Dirac cone material. Silicene-based devices provide high off-state leakage current due to lack of a significant bandgap. However, quantum confined silicene nanoribbon (SiNR) shows observable bandgap which can be used for making switching transistors for digital integrated circuit design. Contrary to metal oxide semiconductor FET (MOSFET), tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) overcomes the physical limit of scaling of supply voltage. In this work, we present structure and characteristics of SiNR TFET using atomistic simulation based on self-consistent solution of 3D Poisson and Schrodinger equations within the non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism. Performances are also compared with the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors projected high performance requirements of 2026 nMOSFETs.

Shear wave propagation in the liver has been a robust subject of research, with shear wave speed receiving the most attention. The correlation between increased shear wave speed and increased fibrosis in the liver has been established as a useful diagnostic tool. In comparison, the precise mechanisms of shear wave attenuation, and its relation to diseased states of the liver, are less well-established. This study focused on the hypothesis that steatosis adds a viscous (lossy) component to the liver, which increases shear wave attenuation. Twenty patients' livers were scanned with ultrasound and with induced shear wave propagation, and the resulting displacement profiles were analyzed using recently developed estimators to derive both the speed and attenuation of the shear waves within 6-cm2 regions of interest. The results were compared with pathology scores obtained from liver biopsies taken under ultrasound guidance. Across these cases, increases in shear wave attenuation were linked to increased steatosis score. This preliminary study supports the hypothesis and indicates the possible utility of the measurements for non-invasive and quantitative assessment of steatosis.

Despite advances in image-guided percutaneous drainage, deep tissue abscesses remain a serious cause of morbidity, mortality, and hospital stay. We initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial exploring safety and feasibility of methylene blue (MB) photodynamic therapy during drainage. Five subjects have been treated, with no study-related adverse events and high technical success. Monte Carlo simulations were used to examine effects of optical properties on delivered light dose. We found that light dose is highly dependent upon MB uptake and Intralipid concentration. These results motivated construction of an optical spectroscopy system for determination of abscess wall optical properties in vivo.

In the United States, underrepresented in medicine (URM) physicians are made up from African American, Hispanic, Native American, Alaskan Native, and Hawaiian/Pacific island populations. With the ever-growing diversity in the US population it is critical for not only the physician workforce as a whole, but also the highest tiers of academic medicine, to be reflective of this heterogeneous population. In conjunction with ethnic diversity, it is of the essential for proportional gender representation to be achieved. This increasing diversity is essential not only for equal healthcare among all individuals, but also equal socioeconomic potential for all genders and ethnicities. The US population, based on the data taken from the US Census Bureau, was then compared to the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Faculty Roster (FAMOUS) data to analyze representation of the medical community to the general US population. The principle metric used in this study was the proportion of faculty from the various gender and ethnic groups to their respective groups in the general population. Women are underrepresented in select departments, leadership roles, and senior faculty positions. Underrepresented in medicine (URM) individuals have not improved enough to reach parity in their representation within the medical community across all metrics. Funding Statement: None. Declaration of Interests: None.

We have utilized the finite-difference approach to explore electron-tunneling properties in gapped graphene through various electrostatic-potential barriers ranging from Gaussian to a triangular envelope function in comparison with a square potential barrier. The transmission coefficient is calculated numerically for each case and applied to the corresponding tunneling conductance. It is well known that Klein tunneling in graphene will be greatly reduced in gapped graphene. Our results further demonstrate that such a decrease of transmission can be significantly enhanced for spatially-modulated potential barriers. Moreover, we investigate the effect from a bias field applied to those barrier profiles, from which we show that it enables the control of electron flow under normal incidence. Meanwhile, the suppression of Klein tunneling is found more severe for a non-square barrier and exhibits a strong dependence on bias-field polarity for all kinds of barriers. Finally, roles of a pointimpurity on electron transmission and conductance are analyzed with a sharp peak appearing in electron conductance as the impurity atom is placed in the middle of a square barrier. For narrow triangular and Gaussian barriers, however, the conductance peaks become significantly broadened, associated with an enhancement in tunneling conductance.

Osteoid osteomas are benign bone tumors commonly treated using thermal ablation. We compare the technical success, complication rates, and long-term efficacy of the two most common ablation types: radiofrequency and microwave. A retrospective study was performed of all osteoid osteoma ablation procedures between 2007 and 2017. A ten-point numerical pain scale was used to quantify symptoms before and after the procedures with > 12-month follow-up. Complications were reported using the Society of Interventional Radiology Adverse Events reporting criteria. Twenty-nine patients successfully underwent 15 radiofrequency ablations and 15 microwave ablations with a technical success rate of 83% for radiofrequency and 100% for microwave (p = 0.23). Long-term recurrence rates (p = 1.0) and complication rates (p = 0.60) were not significantly different for the groups. One patient developed a skin burn following microwave ablation and another developed 12 months of sciatic neuropathy following radiofrequency ablation. Microwave and radiofrequency ablation are safe and effective methods for treating osteoid osteomas with similar long-term efficacies. Although radiofrequency ablation is more commonly reported to result in skin burns, this complication can arise during microwave ablation.

Impedance spectroscopic measurements on spin coated 550 nm thick perovskite films sandwiched between titanium oxide (TiO2) deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates and with a platinum (Pt) counter electrode have been performed to determine the influence of the percentage of PbI2 in methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) compounds. These compounds with perovskite structure have been synthesized by weaving methylammonium iodide (CH3NH3I) and lead iodide (PbI2) in two different weight ratios of 1:4 and 3:7. The surface grains are found from the scanning electron microscoping images to have become relatively larger with increasing PbI2 content in spincoated perovskite film. Nearly 2% increase in optical band gap has been observed with increasing weight ratio of PbI2 content from 1:4 to 3:7.

In-plane electrical characteristics of non-peripherally octyl(C[Formula: see text]H[Formula: see text]- and hexyl(C[Formula: see text]H[Formula: see text]-substituted liquid crystalline (LC) double decker lanthanide bisphthalocyanine (LnPc[Formula: see text] complexes with central metal ions lutetium (Lu), and gadolinium (Gd) have been measured in thin film formulations on interdigitated gold (Au) electrodes for the applied voltage ([Formula: see text] range of [Formula: see text]. The conduction mechanism is found to be Ohmic within the bias of [Formula: see text] while the bulk limited Poole–Frenkel mechanism is responsible for the higher bias. The compounds show individual characteristics depending on the central metal ions, substituent chain lengths and their mesophases. Values of 67.55 [Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] and 42.31 [Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] have been obtained for room temperature in-plane Ohmic conductivity of as-deposited octyl lutetium (C[Formula: see text]LuPc[Formula: see text] and hexyl gadolinium (C[Formula: see text]GdPc[Formula: see text] films, respectively while C[Formula: see text]GdPc[Formula: see text] films exhibit nearly two orders of magnitude smaller conductivity. On annealing at 80[Formula: see text]C, Ohmic conductivities of C[Formula: see text]LuPc[Formula: see text] and C[Formula: see text]GdPc[Formula: see text] are found to have increased but the conductivity of C[Formula: see text]GdPc[Formula: see text] decreased by more than one order of magnitude to 1.5 [Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text]. For physical interpretation of the charge transport behavior of these three molecules, their UV-vis optical absorption spectra in the solution and in as-deposited and annealed solid phases and atomic force microscopy study have been performed. It is believed that both orientation and positional reorganizations are responsible, depending upon the size of the central ion and side chain length.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a minimally invasive procedure performed in interventional radiology to kill cancer cells. TACE is the current standard of care for patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and relatively preserved liver function. Multiple randomized clinical trials demonstrated a survival benefit of TACE, and the treatment has been incorporated into multiple clinical guidelines as standard care for patients with unresectable HCC. In this article, efficacy, technique, indications and contraindications, along with nursing consideration for the preprocedure workup, procedural techniques, and postprocedure management for patients undergoing TACE for nonresectable HCC are reviewed.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars are known to vary in their response to desprouting. Removing the apical sprout of the tuber may induce the formation of multiple sprouts thus contributing to a uniformly sprouted tuber that produces several stems per plant. Due to the lack of information on the response of new potato cultivars of Indian hills to desprouting, a study was conducted in north-western hills at ICAR-Central Potato Research Station,Kufri, Shimla (HP), India. The results revealed significant differences in the sprouting pattern of once desprouted and non-desprouted seed tubers. Desprouting of seed tubers about 20 days before planting resulted in more number of sprouts/tuber, shoot and compound leaves per plant and ultimately in higher number of tubers and yield in almost all the cultivars evaluated. The number of seed sized (20-80g) tubers were also significantly more with desprouting.

Soil solarization is a non-chemical and non-hazardous method known to possess numerous beneficial effects in crop production . It is mainly useful for commercial application in areas with very high air temperatures during the summer; where much of the crop area is kept fallow - due to excessive heat. A review of the available information on soil solarization reveals the numerous advantages of the technique in relation to crop production. Solarization of soil has been reported to manage weeds, control nematodes, soil borne diseases and insects. Besides these, it increases thermo-tolerant micro-fauna in the soil, most of which are beneficial - the bioagents, nutrient solubilizers and nitrifiers, and thus results in higher availability of essential plant nutrients and improvement in soil tilth. The effectiveness of soil solarization as soil-borne pests control method is well demonstrated. In potato, soil solarization is known to increase the potato yield coupled with better quality of tubers through the reduction of several soil borne diseases and weeds.

For the effective utilization of healthy and precious planting material, one-time multiplication of extremely small mini-tubers of potato under protected conditions is an alternative option to improve the size of progeny tubers for making them suitable for field multiplication. With this objective, the extremely small potato mini-tubers, viz.

Chronic upper extremity (UE) occlusive disease and superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) can be debilitating to the patient. Chronic UE venous occlusion is more often because of a benign lesion, whereas SVCS is more likely the result of malignant obstruction. Endovascular treatment with percutaneously placed intravascular stents is increasingly being used to provide relief of symptoms.