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The study of human history suggests that the sources of the energy used to sustain production and consumption are the defining determinants of the productive structure, and by implication of the social structure. This article assesses the economic and sociopolitical changes that one can expect because of the major changes in energy sources required to tackle the threat of global warming. It spells out what we know at present about the risks of climate change arising from global warming, how they are being addressed at present and how the measures that are contemplated at present to cope with the threat of climate change will transform the global energy economy and why this makes possible a substantially more decentralised economy. But it also qualifies this vision and deals with the hurdles that will be faced in the structural transition.

Garcinia L. is a pantropically distributed genus with high species richness in South East Asia. It is a tropical evergreen plant with distinct morphological characteristics and has a high degree of endemism. Outstanding features of the Garcinia L. genus are monopodial growth, leafy texture, oil cavities containing yellow or light-colored resins present on all parts of the plant and polygamodioecious reproductive behavior. The current study was conducted to develop barcodes for different species of the genus Garcinia L., distributed widely in the Western Ghats of India. We assess the discrimination power of the plant DNA barcode (rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA, rpoB-trnCGAR and ITS), across major Garcinia L. species. Our results clearly demonstrate the value of plastid barcode data, previously unavailable for Garcinia L. species. Ten Garcinia L. species and three outgroup taxa selected from the Western Ghats of India for evaluation using four regions in the plastid genome (rbcL matK, trnH-psbA, rpoB-trnCGAR) and nuclear-transcribed spacer (nrITS) in order to discriminate them at the species level. A characteristic feature of all barcodes, maximum likelihood analysis, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for species discrimination. The number of conserved sites were more using matK primer whereas more variables and informative sites found in rpoB-trnCGAR loci. For internal branches of species-specific clusters, maximum likelihood analysis showed a more resolved topology. Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated a higher divergence for coding and non-coding regions. DNA barcoding was found to be a practical and rapid method for identifying more endemic species. These findings will potentially be helpful in delineating the various species of Garcinia L.

To evaluate the feasibility of CT perfusion performed during routine multiphase contrast-enhanced CT on a 160 mm wide-coverage 256-slice scanner in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Fifty-seven patients had a CT perfusion acquisition during their routine multiphase CT. Perfusion was performed 5 to 42.5 s (15 passes at 2.5 s intervals) after intravenous contrast administration (4.2–5 ml/s), followed by pancreatic parenchymal and portal venous phases for clinical interpretation. Perfusion maps were generated and blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), and permeability surface area product (PS) for tumor and uninvolved pancreas were calculated using deconvolution algorithms and compared to existing similar publications. Radiation dose information was recorded and size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) was calculated using body dimensions. Diagnostic quality of standard images was unaffected by performing the perfusion acquisition. Average tumor center BF was 20.8 ± 12.1 ml/100 g/min, BV 2.5 ± 2.1 ml/100 g and PS 15.5 ± 39.4 ml/100 g/min. Average pancreas BF was 90.8 ± 50.2 ml/100 g/min, BV 11.9 ± 4.3 ml/100 g and PS 33.6 ± 27.7 ml/100 g/min. For the perfusion acquisition, mean SSDE was 57 ± 11 mGy, CTDIvol 43 ± 6 mGy and DLP 685 ± 100 mGy-cm. Adding a perfusion CT acquisition to standard pancreatic CT protocol is feasible using a wide-detector 256-slice CT scanner and adds quantitative information while maintaining diagnostic quality of the standard of care examination. This novel protocol adds no time or cost to the examination and yields perfusion parameters that are comparable to existing literature using a separate dedicated perfusion protocol.

Tandem repeats are proposed to contribute to human-specific traits, and more than 40 tandem repeat expansions are known to cause neurological disease. Here, we characterize a human-specific 69 bp variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in the last intron of WDR7, which exhibits striking variability in both copy number and nucleotide composition, as revealed by long-read sequencing. In addition, greater repeat copy number is significantly enriched in three independent cohorts of individuals with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Each unit of the repeat forms a stem-loop structure with the potential to produce microRNAs, and the repeat RNA can aggregate when expressed in cells. We leveraged its remarkable sequence variability to align the repeat in 288 samples and uncover its mechanism of expansion. We found that the repeat expands in the 3′-5′ direction, in groups of repeat units divisible by two. The expansion patterns we observed were consistent with duplication events, and a replication error called template switching. We also observed that the VNTR is expanded in both Denisovan and Neanderthal genomes but is fixed at one copy or fewer in non-human primates. Evaluating the repeat in 1000 Genomes Project samples reveals that some repeat segments are solely present or absent in certain geographic populations. The large size of the repeat unit in this VNTR, along with our multiplexed sequencing strategy, provides an unprecedented opportunity to study mechanisms of repeat expansion, and a framework for evaluating the roles of VNTRs in human evolution and disease.

Gene knockdown using short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) is a promising strategy for targeting dominant mutations; however, delivering too much shRNA can disrupt the processing of endogenous microRNAs (miRNAs) and lead to toxicity. Here, we sought to understand the effect that excessive shRNAs have on muscle miRNAs by treating mice with recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors (rAAVs) that produce shRNAs with 19-nt or 21-nt stem sequences. Small RNA sequencing of their muscle and liver tissues revealed that shRNA expression was highest in the heart, where mice experienced substantial cardiomyopathy when shRNAs accumulated to 51.2% ± 13.7% of total small RNAs. With the same treatment, shRNAs in other muscle tissues reached only 12.1% ± 5.0% of total small RNAs. Regardless of treatment, the predominant heart miRNAs remained relatively stable across samples. Instead, the lower-expressed miR-451, one of the few miRNAs processed independently of Dicer, changed in relation to shRNA level and toxicity. Our data suggest that a protective mechanism exists in cardiac tissue for maintaining the levels of most miRNAs in response to shRNA delivery, in contrast with what has been shown in the liver. Quantifying miRNA profiles after excessive shRNA delivery illuminates the host response to rAAV-shRNA, allowing for safer and more robust therapeutic gene knockdown., Graphical Abstract

AQuasi experimental study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of PTP on knowledge and practices of endotracheal suctioning among (46) nursing students posted in intensive care units with purposive sampling techniques. The objectives of the study were to assess the existing knowledge and practice of endotracheal tube suctioning, to evaluate effectiveness of PTP, to find association of pretest knowledge and practice score with selected variables. The major findings revealed that mean post knowledge score was higher than pre-test knowledge t value i.e. 2nd yearGNM had 12.2, 3rd year GNM had 12.1, and basic BSc had 7.8.With regards to practice, the pre-test and post-test analysis revealed that the mean post practice score was higher than pre-test t- value i.e. 2nd year GNM 16.8, 3rd year GNM 12.9, 2nd Basic BSc 10.2.Thus, the paired t- test result showed significant gain in knowledge (p &nbsp

Electric drives are used to control electric motors, which are pervasive in industrial applications. In this paper we propose enhancing the electric drives to fulfil the role of fog nodes within a Fog Computing Platform (FCP). Fog Computing is envisioned as a realization of future distributed architectures in Industry 4.0. We identify the system-level requirements of such an FCP, including requirements that are extracted from the current architecture of drives, which we consider as a baseline. These requirements are then used to design a system-level architecture, which we model using the Architecture Analysis & Design Language (AADL). We identify the "technology bricks" (components such as hardware, software, middleware, services, methods and tools) needed to implement the FCP. The proposed fog-based architecture is then used to implement a Conveyor Belt industrial use case. We evaluate the resulting use case on several aspects, demonstrating the usefulness of the proposed fog-based approach. By developing the electric drives as fog nodes, that we call fogification, new offerings like programmability, analytics and connectivity to customer Clouds are expected to increase the added value. Increased flexibility allows drives to assume a larger role in industrial and domestic control systems, instrumenting thus also legacy systems by using drives as the data source.

The usage of the citrus wastes for strategic valorization is a concept for the production of various commercial products. Wastes from citrus fruits have a considerate amount of sugar and limonene. In the present work, partially removed limonene from hydrolysed orange peel was used for supplementation as carbon source in minimal media for the production of ethanol. A novel yeast strain, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain BT1 (MK373758) was isolated from Toddy, obtained from Borassus flabellifer (toddy palm), Bhatan, Mumbai. This strain was used in the formulated fermentation media for the production of bioethanol. Optimization of critical parameters was done for pH, temperature and time of fermentation vs production of bioethanol. The Brix, pH, sugar content and ethanol content were measured during the fermentation process. The ethanol content was estimated by dichromate method and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the yield obtained was 0.95%. In addition, limonene was also extracted from hydrolysed orange peel and estimated by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and was found to be 0.4% (v/v). The two valuable products, bioethanol, and d-limonene, obtained from orange peel waste, promises its valorisation at a larger scale.

To evaluate feasibility of a wide detector liver CT protocol with three acquisitions in the hepatic arterial phase. Forty-one patients with cirrhosis prospectively underwent a wide detector axial liver CT protocol. Three 16 cm axial liver acquisitions were obtained during a single breath hold at peak aortic enhancement plus 10, 20, and 25 s. Two readers working separately scored overall exam quality, identified hyperenhancing lesions, and subjectively scored and ranked relative lesion conspicuity. Objective lesion enhancement was measured and CNR calculated. Data were analyzed using a generalized linear models and Tukey’s post hoc testing. Seventy-one hyperenhancing lesions were identified with average size of 1.8 cm (range 0.4–9.6 cm). The two readers separately identified 60 and 54 lesions on the 10 s arterial acquisition, 70 and 67 on the 20 s, and 52 and 51 on the 25 s. The readers determined all exams had diagnostic image quality. Subjective ranking of lesion conspicuity was greatest at 20 s in 62% of lesions but was greatest at 10 or 25 s in 38%. CNR was highest at 20 s in 58% of lesions but was highest at 10 or 25 s in 42%. Overall, there was no significant difference in mean CNR between the three arterial acquisitions. A wide detector axial liver CT protocol with three acquisitions in the hepatic arterial phase is technologically feasible and results in diagnostic image quality. With this protocol, peak subjective and objective hyperenhancing lesion conspicuity may be earlier or later than 20 s in up to 40% of lesions.

Chromium (VI) is one of the most common environmental contaminant due to its tremendous industrial applications. It is non-biodegradable as it is a heavy metal, and hence, of major concern. Therefore, it is pertinent that the remediation method should be such that brings chromium within permissible limits before the effluent is discharged. Several different strategies are adopted by microorganisms for Cr (VI) removal mostly involving biosorption and biotransformation or both. These mechanisms are based on the surface nature of the biosorbent and the availability of reductants. This review article focuses on chromium pollution problem, its chemistry, sources, effects, remediation strategies by biological agents and detailed chromium detoxification mechanism in microbial cell. A summary of applied in situ and ex situ chromium bioremediation technologies is also listed. This can be helpful for developing technologies to be more efficient for Cr (VI) removal thereby bridging the gap between laboratory findings and industrial application for chromium remediation.

Labour is one of the two primary factors determining the level and growth of output. Historically, every episode of growth acceleration has been associated with labour force growth and, even more importantly, with improvements in the quality of the labour force in terms of skills and also in terms of health and living conditions. Employment is the principal means through which individuals acquire a right to an income and the fruits of growth. The extent to which the growth process delivers employment on the scale needed to absorb the increase in the labour force and the manner in which the operations of the labour market and the capital market distribute the fruits of growth between workers, employers and owners of capital is a crucial factor in the state of welfare of the population. Hence, what follows explores the links between employment and two key objectives of development—growth and equity.

Current industrial automation applications particularly within the smart manufacturing domain require mobility, flexibility of deployment, and scalability. In addition to these, it is important to mitigate the risk of safety hazards. In this paper we discuss a flexible, granular, and software-based system design that aims to improve both security and safety of an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) based industrial automation systems. The decentralised control architecture ensures that safety-critical functions are distributed throughout the network. To this end, we first define system-level safety requirements and identify procedures required to satisfy safety-critical functions such as emergency-stop (E-Stop). We then explain the benefits provided by the proposed system architecture vis-a-vis its resilience towards potential safety hazards.

Plants and microbes coexist and compete for survival in their myriad interactions, which plays a key role in adapting them to the extreme of environments. Hence, it is pertinent to understand, explore, and exploit the plant-microbe interactions. The biochemical dynamics of these interactions are very intricate and specific to the type of plant root exudates. These are useful nutrient and energy sources for soil microorganisms, with which they establish an explicit communication systems. There are some beneficial bacteria and fungi, which act as plant growth-promoting microorganisms, may reduce phytotoxicity, and stimulate plant growth indirectly through the induction of defense mechanisms against phytopathogens and/or directly through the solubilization of mineral nutrients (nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, iron, etc.), production of plant growth-promoting substances, and secretion of specific enzymes (e.g., 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase). This chapter focuses on the biochemical dynamics of beneficial plant-microbe interaction, which is important in increasing the crop productivity.

Probiotics are defined as live organisms that are able to confer health benefits to the host by improving their intestinal microbial balance. In the last decade, there has been an increasing interest to reveal health benefits associated with them. The objective of this study was to isolate indigenous probiotic organisms and assess their probiotic activity and therapeutic characteristics. The isolates were identified as Lactobacillus fermentum (isolates 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9), Lactobacillus salivarius (isolate 13), and Lactobacillus plantarum (isolates 32 and 36). Five isolates showed growth at pH 2.5, while all isolates could grow at pH 8.5. All isolates showed good growth upto 5% NaCl concentration while two isolates showed growth in 7% NaCl concentration. All the isolates were susceptible to most of the broad-spectrum antibiotics. Cell-free suspensions from the isolates showed antimicrobial activity against the tested strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and Staphylococcus aureus. Two of the isolates 32 and 36 showed good revival after long-term storage, without any change in the morphology. Hence among all the other isolates these two isolates could have a good marketable potential. These strains can further be formulated into a probiotic drink that can be used as a health supplement.

Background:The increasing prevalence of reported cases of diabetes has evidently become a major global public health concern. Although diabetes management is possible by the administration of synthetic anti-diabetic agents, there are profound side-effects associated with their long-term usage. Hence there is a demand for safer alternatives which could be possibly formulated using specific yet common phytonutrients.Objectives:The main objective of this review is to describe the cellular mechanisms of phytonutrients as an alternative to commercially available synthetic anti-diabetic agents in the management of diabetes and related complications. Furthermore, the clinical evidence that supports this view is also highlighted.Methodology:An in-depth review of published literature was carried out to identify the most promising phytonutrients in the management of diabetes and related complications.Results:A number of phytonutrients are reported to be potential anti-diabetic agents. Few examples include biguanides, resveratrol, lycopene, thymoquinone and quercetin. However, suitable formulations using these phytonutrients and their clinical trials are still underway. Most of the reported findings focus on one aspect of several biochemical processes e.g. enhancement of glucose utilization, antioxidation, induction of insulin production, antiglycation, etc. An in-depth study of phytonutrients with respect to functional, immunological as well as biochemical factors suggesting their efficacy, as well as safety in the management of diabetes, is rarely reported.Conclusion:Our study thus highlights the abundance of clinical evidence of the efficiency of phytonutrients, and at the same time, the scarcity of clinically approved and marketed phytonutrients, as drugs, for the management of diabetes and related complications.

Arsenic is a major contaminating heavy metal due to its frequent occurrence and toxicity. Out of different remediation approaches, bioremediation using bacteria has been extensively studied. In this study, 29 bacterial isolates were screened for their arsenic tolerance capacity. One of the isolate, MUM2 showed maximum arsenic tolerance (10mM). Antioxidant enzymes were assayed in this isolate under arsenic stress. Although, the CAT activity was found to increase significantly, the SOD activity showed a significant decrease under 9mM arsenic stress. The results obtained suggest a possible role of CAT in combating arsenic stress. Further studies at genetic level would help in developing highly tolerant strains for remediation of arsenic.

The purpose of this study was to compare dual-energy CT (DECT) urography with a 50% reduced iodine dose to single-energy CT (SECT) urography with a standard iodine dose with respect to attenuation of renal vascular and urinary tract structures and with respect to image quality.The study included 62 patients undergoing evaluation of urinary tract lithiasis, tumor, or hematuria. Thirty-one patients underwent DECT urography with a 50% reduced iodine dose and reconstruction at 50 and 77 keV. These subjects were sex, age, and size matched to a group of 31 patients who underwent 120-kVp SECT urography with a standard iodine dose. The mean iodine dose was 22 g for DECT and 44 g for SECT. Attenuation was measured at seven locations in the renal arteries, renal veins, and urinary tract. Two reviewers subjectively scored the image quality parameters image noise, sharpness of urinary tract contours, enhancement of urinary structures, and streak artifacts.Mean DECT attenuation at 50 keV was the same as or greater than SECT attenuation at each of the seven locations. Measured image noise was highest at 50-keV DECT but was the same for 77-keV DECT and 120-kVp SECT. Mean subjective scores for DECT image quality parameters were the same as or higher than those of SECT, except for streak artifact and sharpness of urinary tract contours.DECT urography with a 50% reduced iodine dose may result in measured renal vascular and urinary tract attenuation the same as or higher than and image quality measurements and scores similar to those obtained with 120-kVp SECT urography with a standard iodine dose.

Poaching, prey depletion and habitat destruction have decimated the world’s wild tiger population to fewer than 3200–4000. Despite focused efforts, poaching continues to be the key threat to tiger populations in India, home to more than half of the world’s tigers. A rise in the number of incidences of tiger poaching and trafficking may not essentially represent an increase in the actual occurrence of tiger poaching and trafficking, but can instead be an indication of better enforcement. With ad hoc detection rates, it becomes difficult to estimate the true quantum of poaching and the efficiency of enforcement. We empirically estimate the probability of occurrence of tiger crime and that of detecting it during periods of 3–7 years in the past 40 years in the 605 districts of India. We test the hypotheses that tiger crime is influenced by the presence of tiger trade hubs, proximity to a number of tiger habitats, and that tiger poachers prefer to use rail routes over road highways. The annual probability of detecting tiger crime was estimated to be highest (0.46, 95% CI = 0.38–0.54) in the period between 1993 and 1995. Our results identify 73 districts as current tiger crime hotspots with high (>0.5) probability of occurrence of tiger crime. We propose that the probability of occurrence of tiger crime can be a more reliable estimator of changing poaching pressures and that probability of detecting tiger crime provides a robust estimate of the efficiency in tackling tiger poaching and trafficking.

The role of Bcl6 expression in different immune compartments in regulating anti-tumor immunity is relatively unknown. Previous studies have linked Bcl6 expression in PBMC with poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer. We found that high expression of Bcl6 in tumor predicts survival in gastric and ovarian cancers. Using cell type specific conditional knockouts, we were able to investigate the contribution of Bcl6 expression in different lineages in modulating immune response to subcutaneously implanted B16-ova melanoma tumors. Myeloid deficiency of Bcl6 results in decreased tumor growth and metastasis. This is accompanied by enrichment of antigen specific T cells within the tumor. These tumor infiltrating T cells show an increased expression of exhausted markers such as PD-1, Lag-3 and Tim-3. Tumor associated innate cells also upregulate PD-L1. Furthermore, the TILs display an enhanced effector profile measured by robust production of granzyme B, interferon gamma and CCL3 on ex vivo stimulation. This is accompanied by increase in poly-functional CD8 T cells. Our result suggests that Bcl6 expression in the monocyte/macrophage lineage dampens the development of effective anti-tumor immunity and augments immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. We will elucidate the exact underlying mechanisms and evaluate the translational potential of Bcl6 inhibitors in conjunction with immune checkpoint blockade in the future.

A microfluidic assay was developed for screening botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT-A) by using a fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay. Molded silicone microdevices with integral valves, pumps, and reagent reservoirs were designed and fabricated. Electrical and pneumatic control hardware were constructed, and software was written to automate the assay protocol and data acquisition. Detection was accomplished by fluorescence microscopy. The system was validated with a peptide inhibitor, running 2 parallel assays, as a feasibility demonstration. The small footprint of each bioreactor cell (0.5 cm2) and scalable fluidic architecture enabled many parallel assays on a single chip. The chip is programmable to run a dilution series in each lane, generating concentration-response data for multiple inhibitors. The assay results showed good agreement with the corresponding experiments done at a macroscale level. Although the system has been developed for BoNT-A screening, a wide variety of assays can be performed on the microfluidic chip with little or no modification.

It is possible, using hydrophobic organic acids (such as cinnamate) or hydroxyamino acids (such as serine and tyrosine), to modify the temporal profile of the high-potency sweetener neotame. On the basis of Monte Carlo simulations, it was concluded that it is unlikely that this effect is due to direct interaction between the neotame molecule and the taste modifier. It is shown, using conformational analysis and molecular modeling, that the taste modifiers can adopt low-energy conformers which mimic the proposed active conformation of neotame, which suggests that the modifiers may compete for binding at the receptor site.

We carried out extensive conformational analysis of three high-potency sweeteners: neotame, superaspartame, and SC-45647. We then identified six possible pharmacophore features (carboxylate, two hydrophobic groups, and three NH groups) and wrote a computer program to exhaustively compare intramolecular distances among all possible sets of five-point pharmacophores (carboxylate + two hydrophobic groups + two NH groups) for the three compounds. The best pharmacophore model superimposes low-energy conformers of the three compounds in such a way that the five pharmacophore points match well both sterically and with respect to orientation of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors.

A total of 397 natural and artificial comprehensively referenced sweeteners were classified by their structures into nine sets. The sweetness potencies were correlated with quantum Chemical and other molecular descriptors using the heuristic and the best multi-linear regression methods of the CODESSA software package. QSPR models (two-parameter unless otherwise indicated) emerged for each subclass of sweeteners with R2 values of 0.835 for 47 aldoximes, 0.959 for 8 acesulfamates, 0.919 for 9 sulfamates, 0.941 for 10 α-arylsulfonylalkanoic acids, 0.715 for 27 guanidines (0.802 in a three-parameter correlation), 0.769 for 30 ureas/thioureas (0.888 in a three-parameter correlation), 0.905 for 20 natural sweeteners, 0.957 for 7 miscellaneous sweeteners (one-parameter correlation), 0.688 for 87 peptides (five-parameter correlation). A significant global five-parameter QSPR theoretical model with R2 of 0.686 for the entire set of sweeteners is presented and discussed with reference to the possible existence of single or multiple sweetness receptors.