bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Overview of Herbal Antiviral Compounds Against Dengue Virus (A. Aegypti)
Authors: Tabassum Sobia , Abdul Rashid Faiza , Javed Hina , Ashraf Muhammad
Published: August 2021

Dengue is the current prevalent disease caused by vector A. aegypti having four serotypes DENV 1,2,3,4. Natural biological systems are disrupted by the repeated use of synthetic repellants and often result in the development of resistance against dengue virus. These problems have emphasized the need for the development of new strategies for the selective control of mosquito larvae. Therefore antiviral active compounds are extracted from natural herbs to treat dengue virus. The aim of this paper is to review some opportunities in the development of anti-dengue drugs from celery, black seed, ponneem, Cucurbitaceae U. tomentosa, Gastrodiaelata Bl, L. alba and L. citriodora, Vitextrifolia and citrus plants like lemon, orange which might be helpful to control the epidemic.
Sequence Analysis of PreS2 Region of Hepatitis B Virus Genotype D Isolates
Authors: Anwar Amania , Murad Sheeba , Sadia Hajra
Published: August 2021

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a well known agent of liver diseases. HBV disease burden varies across theglobe with regions from low to high endemicity. Pakistan lies in the intermediate endemic zone, withhigh rate of mortality due to liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. There is a wide rangeof heterogeneity in relation to HBV genotypes and sub-genotypes and in their patterns of pathogenesis,virulence and response to antiviral therapy. A large number of HBV genomic variations are associatedwith clinical outcomes such as hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis. Thus, the present study aimsto analyze PreS2 gene sequences from HBV isolates and their phylogeny. To investigate this, a study wasconducted on twenty one HBV chronically infected individuals, serum samples were subjected to PCRwith specific primers for PreS2 region of HBV genotype D and then sequenced. Point mutations: A39V,P41H and L42I were found in cell permeability domain of PreS2 protein. However, MHC class I and IIepitopes were conserved in all sequences. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out by comparing thenucleotide sequence with 22 reference sequences of HBV sub-genotype D retrieved from the GeneBank.Phylogenetic analysis showed that two of our isolates, ASAB1 (2266) and ASAB3 (PIMS 7) sharedcluster 1 with China D1, Pakistan D1, Iran D1 and Turkey D1. Meanwhile, ASAB2 (HF2) was grouped incluster 2 with Lebanese D2 and Brazil D2.
A NOVEL MULTI-EPITOPE PEPTIDE VACCINE CONSTRUCT AGAINST INFLUENZA A VIRUS AND STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE CO-INFECTION: AN IN SILICO APPROACH
Authors: Kaiser Maha , Ali Amjad
Published: August 2021

Viral and bacterial respiratory tract co-infections in the same host often result in severity and heightened pathology of illness compared to single infections. This has proven to be true for combined infections with Influenza A virus and the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. Separate vaccines do exist for each individual infection but they prove to be ineffective and non-specific when the infection has multiplied in case of co-infection. The study utilised in silico approaches and proposed a structural design for multi-epitope peptide vaccine having the ability to target co-infection caused by A/New York/392/2004 (H3N2) and R6 strains of Influenza A virus (NCBI Accession: PRJNA15622) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (NCBI Accession: PRJNA278), respectively. Epitope prediction followed by protein prioritization was performed using the reference sequence of each strain to short list the epitopes that can later be used for constructing multi-epitope structure. The multi-epitope constructs having Cholera Toxin Subunit B as adjuvant and (Gly4Ser)3 as flexible linker were then analyzed for their ability to induce an effective immune response in human body for which Macrophage receptor with collagenous structure, Toll-like receptor 2, 4 and 5 were taken as Pattern Recognition Receptors. The significant immune response generated through each Pattern Recognition Receptor helped to conclude that multi-epitope peptide structures can be used as probable candidates for the design of vaccine. The combination of the epitopes LWSYNAELL and FTGKQLQVG of Influenza A virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae, respectively, induced highly significant immune response in case of each Pattern Recognition Receptor when tested through in-silico predictive tools.
KARNAL BUNT RESISTANCE IN SYNTHETIC HEXAPLOID/BREAD WHEAT DERIVATIVES
Authors: Amir Rabia , Salah-ud-Din Lodhi Sumaira , John Peter , Kazi Abdul Mujeeb , Gul Alvina
Published: August 2021

Karnal bunt is caused by a smut fungus (Tilletiaindica), which results in blackening of seeds in wheat. It is one of the most common fungal diseases of wheat and is subjected to quarantine in many countries of the world. The disease symptoms are usually blackening of seeds and fishy smell. The flour made by infested wheat is unlikely to be purchased and consumed by the public. The disease spores stay potent for a long period of time for upto 5 years or more, thereby reducing the chances of its eradication. Certain methods have been used to increase the resistance of plants against Karnal bunt, which includes use of fungicides as well as exposure to artificial extreme environments to kill the pathogen. Breeding for disease resistance is of huge interest to scientists as it is cheap and also results in better quality of crop for export purposes. We screened a set of synthetic/bread wheat derivatives against Karnal bunt and identified two resistant derivatives for breeders.
Profiling and need assessment of third year bachelor of nursing sciences adult learners at the University of Namibia, Main Campus
Authors: Nghitanwa Emma Maano
Published: August 2021

There is an increase of adult learners in higher education which can be challenging during their study period as they have to balance their social responsibilities with academic activities. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the profile and need assessment of third year Bachelor of nursing sciences adult learners at the University of Namibia, main campus. A quantitative, descriptive cross sectional study design was utilized during this study. Data was collected through self-administered online questionnaire among 29 participants. The study found that most participants are aged 21 years, single with no children. Furthermore, most participants reside in the informal settlement with nonconductive learning environment due to noise and are using public transport to reach the campus. Most participants indicated that they are receiving study loan from the Namibia Financial Assistance Fund while few got financial assistance from the family members. Some students indicated having disabilities and most students indicated that they have used online teaching and learning before the outbreak of COVID 19 in March 2020 that cause shift in education. The study serves as the baseline information on student profiling and serve as a basis for further strategies to address the situation or for further research.
Enhancing the Nutritional Quality of Vegetable Amaranth through Specific Food Preparation Methods
Authors: Nyonje Winnie A. , Yang Ray-Yu , Wu Wan-Jen , Makokha Anselimo O. , Owino Willis O. , Abukutsa-Onyango Mary O.
Published: August 2021

Food preparation methods applied to African traditional vegetables vary greatly depending on preferences of various consumers. Vegetable amaranth is one of the most preferred vegetable, with high nutritional quality. The bioaccessibility of some minerals such as iron is, however, low since it is non-heme, and is also bound by anti-nutrients such as oxalates. This study aimed at evaluating the nutrient retention of amaranth vegetable dishes prepared using selected Kenyan traditional recipes, and to enhance the iron bioavailability of amaranth dishes using food preparation methods. Nutrient retentions of amaranth prepared by three common food methods were analyzed. In-vitro iron bioavailability of amaranth dishes with or without bioavailability enhancers as well as an amaranth meal incorporating a common maize meal staple food was also studied. The nutrient retentions of the various dishes used in this study was fairly high with at least 85% retention of minerals and an increase of up to 45% in three carotenoids. It can be concluded that incorporating vitamin C, adding an iron rich vegetable and boiling of the vegetable significantly improves the iron bioavailability and hence improves the iron uptake by the body. Incorporating lemon juice enhanced dialysable iron of the selected recipe by up to 66%. There was no significant (P≤0.05) effect by the amaranth components on the iron bioavailability of ugali. These methods could therefore be incorporated into household recipes to increase micronutrient intake.
Experimental Investigation and Mathematical Modelling of Heat Transfer Coefficient in Double Slope Solar Still
Authors: Patel Raj Vardhan , Yadav Anshul , Winczek Jerzy Adam
Published: August 2021

In this study, a double slope solar still has been designed and fabricated with the help of locally available materials for the climatic condition of Sultanpur, India. The experimental study was performed to investigate the effect of basin water, wind velocity on the heat transfer coefficient (convective, evaporative, and radiative) and yield of solar still. A mathematical model is developed to understand the impact of wind velocity and basin water depth in the double slope solar still on the heat transfer coefficient. It was found that the convective heat transfer coefficient depends upon the water mass and the temperature of basin mass, and glass cover temperature. The maximum value of hew (55.05 W/(m²K) and 31.80 W/(m²K)) and hcw , (2.48 W/(m²K) and 2.38 W/(m²K)) found for depths of 2 cm and 5 cm, respectively. The radiative heat transfer coefficient found to be a maximum of 8.31 W/(m²K) for 2 cm depth, and it increases as the condensation increases, because the glass surface temperature increases as vapour transfers its energy to the surface. On increasing the depth from 2 cm to 5 cm, the yield from the solar still decreases by 25.45 %. The maximum yield of 2.5 l/m²/day was found for a 2 cm water depth. The theoretical and experimental yield agreed with an error of 7.5 %, 3.25 %, 7.4 %, and 8.4 % for water depths of 2 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm, and 5 cm, respectively. It was also found that the yield from the solar still increases as the wind speed increase because this leads the faster condensation at the glass surface.
Adverse childhood experiences in persons with excessive and destructive online behaviour
Authors: Marx Caroline M. , Müller Kai W. , Beutel Manfred E.
Published: August 2021

Despite the widespread use of online sexual material in the general population, the overlap of deviant use of online sexual material (child sexual abusive material) with other types of online sex and gaming addictions has remained controversial. The purpose of this study is to determine, how users of child sexual abusive material (CSAM) differ from persons consulting for problematic online sex and for gaming (sociodemographic details, Internet use patterns, adverse childhood experiences). We assessed online addiction criteria and adverse childhood experiences in 479 consecutive patients (57 CSAM, 67 users of online sexual material, 355 online gamers) by standardized self-report questionnaires (AICA, CTS). Patients presenting with CSAM consumption were well-educated, socially and professionally integrated middle-aged men. While the quantity of Internet use was less excessive compared to users of online sexual material and online gamers, their average online use was mostly addictive and disruptive regarding partnership or family. They reported significantly higher rates of own experiences of sexual childhood abuse and emotional neglect compared to gamers. Better understanding of CSAM consumption in the context of online addictions is a prerequisite for developing specific therapeutic approaches. These need to consider addictive behavior as well as sustained childhood adversities, which might lead to these maladaptive coping strategies.
Securitisation of space and time
Authors: Nauman Sari
Published: August 2021

This article introduces the concept of securitisation for early modern studies. It identifies security studies� implicit state-centric approach as one of the main culprits for early modern scholars� hesitance to use the concept and argues that, for historians, there is a twofold problem with placing the state at the centre of research. The problem pertains to how scholars have dealt with the interactions between time and space when approaching the state. First, the definition of state is space- and time-centred; it is built to accommodate the system of 19th- and 20th-century Europe, with the idea of the sovereign state at its centre. To fit the early modern period, we need to acknowledge the role of other entities and varieties in securitisation processes. Second, the concept of the state needs to be problematised by acknowledging the changing nature of its space�that is, by temporalising its spatiality.
The second part of the text focuses on two interconnected areas especially prone to securitisation, where historians have much to offer those studying securitisation processes: migration and border making. Questions of how to control the future and how to secure it are most often translated into a spatial problem: as long as the border is secure, change will not enter. By focusing on local responses to perceived security threats and studying the effects that measures taken had on local communities, historians can seek not only to understand the underlying assumptions made about the future by our objects of investigation, but also to gain considerable insight into de-securitisation processes.
S�o Jorge da Mina and Macao: a comparative reappraisal of European encounters
Authors: Boscariol Mariana
Published: August 2021

The early modern Portuguese empire presents a variety of case studies to explore the process of border making experienced in direct response to European activity and imperialism. Considering its scale and dispersion, the Portuguese empire shows both fluidity and rigidity of borders and the strategies of control and security taken in response to or within their establishments. The Portuguese factory of S�o Jorge da Mina, that was built in 1482, and Macao, one of the most important European harbours in Asia in the 1550s, offer valuable insights into early Portuguese/non-European relations. Both cases constitute a concession of a limited and well-defined land where the Portuguese could stay, with full control, resulting from agreement with the terms stipulated by the local authorities. Considering the asymmetries of historiography when treating the two cases, rather than a direct comparison, this article aims to bring some reflections on these experiences as paradigms of the limit of action of the early modern Portuguese empire.
Study on Optimal Design of a Folding-Type Hatch Cover Considering Material Selection
Authors: Putra Gerry Liston , Kitamura Mitsuru , Takezawa Akihiro
Published: August 2021

Most shipyard companies maintain efficiency in all aspects of their business to survive. One of these aspects is ship production costs and their reduction. This study proposes a solution to this problem using an optimization method. A hatch cover composed of plates and stiffeners was selected as a case study. In this study, the mass and material cost of the hatch cover was optimized as an objective function using the Pareto approach with developed optimization methods. Plate thickness t, stiffener shape s, and plate material type m were selected as the design variables in this study along with some constraints. To estimate the optimal plate thickness, an expression of stress equations was developed using an optimization technique. Furthermore, stiffener shape and plate material type selection were optimized using a genetic algorithm (GA). The results show that the optimization method is effective to decrease the mass and material cost of a hatch cover.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s defensive denial of the Rohingya massacre: A rhetorical analysis of denial and positive-image construction
Authors: Putra Idhamsyah Eka , Selvanathan Hema Preya , Mashuri Ali , Montiel Cristina J.
Published: August 2021

In December 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accused the Myanmar government of genocide against Rohingya Muslims. Represented by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar authorities denied such accusations. To understand how a political leader can deny ingroup wrongdoings, we unpacked Suu Kyi’s ICJ speech and analyzed her defensive rhetorical style through critical narrative analysis. We aimed to identify and describe the denial strategies Suu Kyi used as well as how she maintained a positive ingroup image to support her position. Our findings showed that Suu Kyi engaged in interpretative denial of genocide by arguing that genocide cannot occur when there is armed conflict, that there were victims and perpetrators on both sides, and that misconducts by law enforcement had been addressed. To maintain the ingroup’s positive image, she portrayed Myanmar as moral by emphasizing the government’s knowledge of ethical standards and laws, as well as their support for peace and justice. By examining political discourse used by a national leader internationally renowned for supporting human rights, our findings shed light on the dynamic, constructive nature of denial. Theoretical and applied contributions to understanding denial of ingroup wrongdoing are discussed.
Analysis of the Impact Factor of Rail Grinding on Their Condition
Authors:   , Ivanovs Viktors
Published: August 2021

The Doctoral Thesis “Analysis of the impact of rail grinding on their condition” is developed by Viktors Ivanovs to obtain a Doctoral Degree in Engineering. The scientific supervisor is Assoc. Professor Dr. sc. ing. Pāvels Gavrilovs. In this Doctoral Thesis rail steels are considered according to standards EN 13674-1:2011 and GOST R 51685-2013. Rail steel defects and reasons for their causes are reviewed. The statistics of damaged and heavily damaged rails in the network “Latvijas dzelzceļš” in the period 2011–2019 is studied and analysed in detail. The statistics of rail grinding train operation in “Latvijas dzelzceļš” within the year period 2011–2019 is gathered and analysed. A research of hardness of 60 E1 type rail running surface, of metal chemical composition of the damaged rail with code X 10.1., and structure analysis was performed. Likewise, statistics of wheelset rejection in the network “Latvijas dzelzceļš” in the period 2016–2019 are gathered and analysed, as well as the number of wheel rim defects in the railway of Russian Federation. The main defects of wheelsets are reviewed. The actual wear of wheels and rails in Latvia and the stated wear in the railway of Russia are modelled. Repair profiles of rail head grinding for Latvian rail ways are modelled and their influence on side wear determined due to the rail and wheel surface interaction. Calculations regarding the wheels with flange angle of 66.8° from worn out profile durability coefficient were performed for Latvian railway according to the entry conditions on rail profiles, developed in this dissertation. A rail grinding method was developed. The wheelset repair and wheel grinding economic expenses were calculated. Recommendations for wheel and rail side wear reduction are presented.
Semantic oscillations of supporting music of the ancient cult as the foundation of metamodernism elements in the works of contemporary opera directors
Authors: Kirillova Anna Nikolaevna , Belomytsev Arsenii Anatolevich
Published: August 2021

In recent decade, modernism as one of the varieties of post-postmodernism, draws interest of the researchers. It is suggested that modern culture has transgressed the situation of postmodernism, gravitating towards conceptual and semantic sustainability. As a language of self-description of the new era, the foundations of metamodernism are reflected in various forms of art. The opera house, overcoming the inertia of conservatism, perceives these trends, refracting them in a characteristic oscillation between the extreme semantic poles, which formed during the period of antiquity. The subject of this research is the correlation between the ancient musical heritage and metamodernistic trends in the modern opera theater. It is determined that translation of the principles of musical score of the ancient cult within the framework of the works of modern opera directors implies the characteristic to the supporting music of the cult forms of Ancient Greece and Rome oscillation between the poles of monophony – polyphony, instrumentality of accompaniment – a cappella, improvisational – preset of musical pieces. Paradigmatic assimilation of the fluctuations inherent to the cult of antiquity, as well as the absence of intentionality in their manifestations (which partially reflects the religious-ecstatic procedurality of art), largely determine the specific attributes of metamodernism, emphasized in the works of R. Castellucci, P. Sellars, R. Wilson, and D. Chernyakov.
Book Review of "Global Nuclear Developments: Insights from a Former IAEA Nuclear Inspector" by Pantelis F. Ikonomou
Authors: Banerjee Arjun
Published: August 2021

With a touching dedication to his grandchildren “in the hope that they will live in a world free of nuclear weapons,” a sentiment shared by numerous professionals working in the nuclear security and disarmament circuits, Pantelis F. Ikonomou sets the perfect stage for what is to follow in this excellent work. The author brings in his career-long expertise from important and sensitive programs, projects, and missions he has served in with the mother of all nuclear 3S (safety, safeguards, and security) organizations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Book Review of "Underestimated: Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future" by Henry D. Sokolski
Authors: Menon G. Shreekumar
Published: August 2021

Underestimated: Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future by Henry D. Sokolski is a compact book of just three chapters and running 135 pages, but it is likely to unnerve any reader who knows about the growing stockpiles of separated plutonium and stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium. Discussions revolve around the need for a well-protected second-strike capability, the call for a new generation of nuclear weapons that would be easier to use, and the growing interest in the early use of tactical nuclear weapons to quickly de-escalate a conflict. The book commences with the current popular views on nuclear proliferation and proceeds to analyze the consequences of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Three currently-held views – arms control, hawkish, and academic neorealist – are analyzed in-depth. The first of these schools – arms control – postulates that nuclear weapons are ineffective at deterring aggression, their use is extremely remote, and proliferation is of no vital consequence. To buttress this argument, they cite examples of the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, the Korean and Vietnam wars, and the terror attacks of 9/11 in 2001 and Mumbai in 2008. Hence, John Mueller concluded that “nuclear weapons do a poor job of deterring small or major wars” (9). The Obama administration went on to make reducing nuclear arms a prerequisite for preventing their future spread (6). However, hawkish supporters of nuclear weapons hold the view that reducing American and Russian nuclear arms has a negligible impact on the nuclear ambitions of other countries; North Korea and Iran are cited as apposite examples. Therefore, they believe that nuclear weapons in the U.S. and allied hands help maintain peace.
Unemployment and Youth Restiveness in Africa: Implications for Counselling
Authors: Eberechukwu Chigbu Francisca , Ekejiuba Oguzie Alphonsus , Chisara Obi Joy Sylvia
Published: August 2021

Restiveness among youths has become one of the nagging global challenges. Consequently, its prevalence in Africa has become more worrisome now than ever before. This paper therefore examined unemployment and the incidences of youth restiveness in Africa: Implication for counseling. The paper adopted a qualitative approach relying mainly on secondary materials from documented evidences. Available data indicates persistent rise in the level of unemployment across different African countries. By the same token there have also been high incidences of restiveness among the youths in Africa within the same period. However, the paper brought to the fore specific instances of restiveness in select African countries namely; militancy and insurgency in Nigeria Niger Delta, xenophobic attacks in South Africa, socio-political crises in southern Cameroun, ethnic and religiously motivated restiveness in Mali and rising piracy and terrorism in Somalia as case studies. The paper identified poverty, unemployment, socio-economic and political inequality and marginalization as factors of youth restiveness. These factors no doubt are in high prevalence in Africa. Given the scenario, the implication for counseling is of great consequence as the concern revolves around how counselling services can be leveraged in the context so that the youths can be properly engaged to embrace genuine efforts towards self-development, skills acquisition, self-reliance and nation building. It is argued that the solution to unemployment and youth restiveness problems lie in part on counsellors constructive engagement with youths, on awareness creation through the media, education of the youth towards self-realization and on their pivotal roles in nation building.
A Comprehensive Survey for Hadoop Distributed File System
Authors: Merceedi Karwan Jameel , Sabry Nareen Abdulla
Published: August 2021

In the last few days, data and the internet have become increasingly growing, occurring in big data. For these problems, there are many software frameworks used to increase the performance of the distributed system. This software is used for available ample data storage. One of the most beneficial software frameworks used to utilize data in distributed systems is Hadoop. This software creates machine clustering and formatting the work between them. Hadoop consists of two major components: Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and Map Reduce (MR). By Hadoop, we can process, count, and distribute each word in a large file and know the number of affecting for each of them. The HDFS is designed to effectively store and transmit colossal data sets to high-bandwidth user applications. The differences between this and other file systems provided are relevant. HDFS is intended for low-cost hardware and is exceptionally tolerant to defects. Thousands of computers in a vast cluster both have directly associated storage functions and user programmers. The resource scales with demand while being cost-effective in all sizes by distributing storage and calculation through numerous servers. Depending on the above characteristics of the HDFS, many researchers worked in this field trying to enhance the performance and efficiency of the addressed file system to be one of the most active cloud systems. This paper offers an adequate study to review the essential investigations as a trend beneficial for researchers wishing to operate in such a system. The basic ideas and features of the investigated experiments were taken into account to have a robust comparison, which simplifies the selection for future researchers in this subject.

According to many authors, this paper will explain what Hadoop is and its architectures, how it works, and its performance analysis in a distributed systems. In addition, assessing each Writing and compare with each other.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Positivity and Sensitivity in Invasive Bloodstream Infections Using Automated Bactec in Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital of North India
Authors: Katoch Pankaj , Roach Vipin
Published: August 2021

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most commonly encountered gram-negative aerobic bacilli in the differential diagnosis of several probable hospital-acquired infections. Hence, the present study is designed to determine the Pseudomonas positivity and sensitivity in Invasive bloodstream infections using automated Bactec systems as the Antibiotic Sensitivity Profiles differ from one clinical setting to another.

Material and Methods: All the blood culture samples received in the Department of Microbiology for culture by Bactec Bd fx from July 2015 to June 2016 were included in the study. The blood culture was observed in the Bactec bd fx system for at least 5 days before they are reported as sterile.

Results: Among the total 1275 cultures which were positive for bacteria, 931(73.02%) were positive for gram-negative bacteria. Among the total of 931culture which were positive for gram-negative bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated in 120(12.89%) cultures. Maximum was found in the age group of 0-1 years 33(27.50%) followed by 19-45 years 26(21.67%). Pseudomonas spp isolates were 100.00% sensitive to Colistin followed by Levofloxacin 84.44%, Piperacillin Tazobactum 82.50%, PB 77.50%, Amikacin 75.00%, Cefepime 75.00% while Pseudomonas spp isolates were 90% resistant to Ampicillin followed by Ceftazidime clavulanic acid 82.64% and Aztreonam 70.31%.

Conclusion: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most common organisms among Gram-Negative isolates and the most commonly isolated in the neonate and infant age group. All the Pseudomonas isolates showed maximum sensitivity to Colistin followed by Levofloxacin, Piperacillin Tazobactum, Amikacin while they were most resistant to Ampicillin followed by Ceftazidime clavulanic acid and Aztreonam. Some alternative novel techniques need to be developed to counter the increasing menace of antibiotic resistance in this particular pathogenic bacteria
Seasonal Growth, Physiological and Biochemical Characterization of Five Prunus spinosa Ecotypes
Authors: Wanjiku James Gacheru , Bohne Heike
Published: August 2021

Prunus spinosa species is distributed across wide range of geographical areas which are subject to climatic, edaphic factors and long-term divergent selection. This could lead to local adaptation hence ecotypes in terms of morphological, physiologically and or biochemical inclination to their local environment. To investigate whether the species (Prunus spinosa) has been influenced by their local environmental conditions and whether populations (ecotypes) are adapted to local conditions, cuttings from different demarcated areas of origin in Germany and Italy were sourced and cultivated optimally in common container area. Growth, bud sprout and bud set were evaluated in spring, summer and autumn respectively. Soluble sugars (Glucose, fructose, sucrose and starch), N, P, K, and proline concentrations were analysed in spring and autumn for three years. The findings indicated that plants grown from different locations mostly differed in N, P, K, soluble sugars and starch in spring. Nonetheless, these geographic variations were hardly observed either in summer or in autumn. On phenology, German populations did not differ at all in phenology (flushing and growth cessation) while the Italian population always sprouted earlier and ceased growth later. The results indicate that the German populations are not differentiated by climatic variations across latitude or altitude. In contrast the Italian population is differentiated from German population Brandenburg mostly by latitudinal differentiation. Nevertheless, their inherent ability to sprout earlier and late  growth cessation might expose the population to frequent frost damage when transplanted to more northern latitude.
Comparative Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes in Oral Leukoplakia and Oral Submucous Fibrosis Using Bioinformatics Approach
Authors: Budakoti Akansha , More Chandramani B. , Seth Avinash K. , Sharma Priyanka
Published: August 2021

Aims and Objectives: There is lack of understanding of distinct molecular pathways and associated gene mediators of the Potentially malignant disorders of the oral cavity (OPMD), such as Leukoplakia and Oral sub mucous fibrosis. This microarray data analysis aims to highlight common and distinct gene signatures by identifying the differentially expressed genes and the pathways in which they participate to help researchers & clinicians to distinctly characterize the Oral Leukoplakia and Oral Submucous Fibrosis disease conditions for developing appropriate treatment strategies

Methods: Gene Expression Omnibus datasets of Oral leukoplakia GSE85195 (OL) and Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) GSE64216 were analyzed using GEO2R package (using Log 2 fold change; false discovery rate < 0.05). The lists of differentially expressed genes of both datasets were analyzed for common and distinct members. These were then submitted to Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) for gene set enrichment analysis and functional annotation, to identify enriched Gene Ontology terms and KEGG pathways (Fisher's Exact Test for P-value < 0.05).         

Results: In total 1107 in OL, 607 in OSMF and 143 common differentially expressed genes in both OL and OSMF were identified. The gene set enrichment analysis by DAVID revealed 26% integral component of membrane, 20% extracellular region and 14% nucleus as cellular components and molecular functions. The distinct gene signatures and altered biological pathways reported here clearly distinguish molecular profiles of both OL and OSMF, which may help to identify potential drug targets for developing and designing new treatment strategies in future.
Investigation of Drug-Excipient Compatibility Studies Using Validated RP-HPLC Method for Azelnidipine and Telmisartan Tablets
Authors: Kumar Manish , Chandra Umesh , Garg Arun , Gupta Pankaj
Published: August 2021

Aims: The Drug-Excipient compatibility testing was conducted at an early product development stage to determined that Excipients were compatible with drugs used in formulation and to distinguish as many degradation products as possible using validated gradient RP-HPLC method.

Study Design: Drug-Excipient Compatibility study was conducted in glass vials at different stability conditions namely, at 300C + 20C/75% + 5% RH, 400C + 20C/ 75% + 5% RH for 04 weeks and another set of closed vials were stored in stability chamber at temperature 600C + 20C for 02 weeks.

Methodology: Samples were analyzed by validated RP-HPLC method using Inertsil C-18 Column 150 × 4.6 mm ×5 µm, column oven temperature 40°C, flow rate 1.5 mL/min,  Injection volume 10 µL with run time 12.0 minutes at 254 nm using Acetonitrile and buffer as mobile phase in gradient mode.

Results: The developed method meets all system suitability parameters and found specific to determine the drug in the presence of Excipient as no interference was observed at the Retention time (Rt) of analyte.

Conclusion: There was no physical and chemical incompatibility observed with Drug-Excipient and did not observe significant increase in the related substances.
The Association of Adiponectin and AdipoR1 Polymorphism rs1342387 in Some Obesity-related Cancers in Kurdistan Iraq
Authors: Khaleel Mahmood , Al-Ali Shereen , Habeeb Baker Shalal
Published: August 2021

Background: Adiponectin (APN) is a novel hormone produced mainly by white adipose tissue that contribute to various physiological functions. APN has been related to cancer development specially the ones related to obesity such as breast cancer (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, it also has been related body mass index (BMI). This study aims to investigate the role of APN and AdipoR1 polymorphism rs1342387 in some obesity-related cancer patients living in Erbil province (Kurdistan-Iraq).

Method: The study includes 82 subjects (66 cancer patients, 16 healthy controls) from 4 medical facilities in Erbil, all participants were subjected to a questionnaire and signed a consent form before taking the samples. The serum level of APN was estimated by ELISA and the  AdipoR1 polymorphism (rs1342387) was detected by RFLP-PCR.

Results: The results showed that the prevalence of BC cases were more than CRC cases. Furthermore, females were the dominant sex in BC. Moreover, the level of APN was significantly decreased in obesity-related cancer groups (BC, CRC) in compare to HC. Regarding APN correlation with BMI the results showed a weak non-significant negative correlation. The attempt to investigate the genotype of Kurdish people showed the frequency of GG genotype among Kurdish people but the recessive AA genotype showed more effects on decreasing the level of APN despite the non-significant results.

Conclusion: This study is the first to investigate AdipoR1 polymorphism and its correlation to obesity-related cancers in Kurdistan-Iraq and although GG was the more frequent genotype, AA was more effective on APN levels in obesity-related cancers.
Evolving Devil's Staircase Magnetization from Tunable Charge Density Waves in Nonsymmorphic Dirac Semimetals
Authors: Singha Ratnadwip , Salters Tyger H. , Teicher Samuel M. L. , Lei Shiming , Khoury Jason F. , Ong N. Phuan , Schoop Leslie M.
Published: August 2021

While several magnetic topological semimetals have been discovered in recent years, their band structures are far from ideal, often obscured by trivial bands at the Fermi energy. Square‐net materials with clean, linearly dispersing bands show potential to circumvent this issue. CeSbTe, a square‐net material, features multiple magnetic‐field‐controllable topological phases. Here, it is shown that in this material, even higher degrees of tunability can be achieved by changing the electron count at the square‐net motif. Increased electron filling results in structural distortion and formation of charge density waves (CDWs). The modulation wave‐vector evolves continuously leading to a region of multiple discrete CDWs and a corresponding complex “Devil's staircase” magnetic ground state. A series of fractionally quantized magnetization plateaus is observed, which implies direct coupling between CDW and a collective spin‐excitation. It is further shown that the CDW creates a robust idealized nonsymmorphic Dirac semimetal, thus providing access to topological systems with rich magnetism.
Automatically Adaptive Ventilated Metamaterial Absorber for Environment with Varying Noises
Authors: Tian Hongxing , Xiang Xiao , He Keming , Liu Chuanyu , Hou Suxia , Wang Shuxia , Huang Yingzhou , Wu Xiaoxiao , Wen Weijia
Published: August 2021

An automatically adaptive metamaterial sound absorber is designed, which can absorb tunable low‐frequency (<500 Hz) sounds under ventilated conditions by designing a feedback circuit to actively detect the noise signals and adjust the sliders on the reconfigurable absorbers. The automatically adaptive ventilated absorber provides an intelligent route to adapt for different low frequencies, through adjusting the sound absorption units directly in accordance with the external environment while retaining high‐efficiency absorption and ventilation. The intelligent sound absorber is demonstrated experimentally and the effective model of coupled lossy oscillators is employed to understand its mechanism. In the future, the absorber that is fabricated can be adjusted to adapt for different working frequencies in stunning applications such as ventilated smart windows, which not only effectively solves the influence of external noise but also provides a fresh and bright working environment. The automatically adaptive absorber should also find promising applications in ducts, where the frequencies of noises can vary time by time, and it is often difficult and inaccurate to manually tune an absorber in such scenarios.
Deep intronic variant in the ARSB gene as the genetic cause for Maroteaux–Lamy syndrome (MPS VI)
Authors: Marek‐Yagel Dina , Eliyahu Aviva , Veber Alvit , Shalva Nechama , Philosoph Amit Mary , Barel Ortal , Javasky Elisheva , Pode‐Shakked Ben , Loewenthal Neta , Anikster Yair , Staretz‐Chacham Orna
Published: August 2021

Maroteaux–Lamy syndrome (MPS‐VI) is a rare autosomal‐recessive disorder with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from an attenuated to a rapidly progressive disease. It is caused by variants in ARSB, which encodes the lysosomal arylsulfatase B (ARSB) enzyme, part of the degradation process of glycosaminoglycans in lysosomes. Over 220 variants have been reported so far, with a majority of missense variants. We hereby report two siblings of Bedouin origin with a diagnosis of MPS‐VI. Western blots in patient fibroblasts revealed total absence of ARSB protein production. Complete sequencing of the coding region of ARSB did not identify a candidate disease‐associated variant. However, deep sequencing of the noncoding region of ARSB by whole genome sequencing (WGS) revealed a c.1142+581A to G variant. The variant is located within intron 5 and fully segregated with the disease in the family. Determination of the genetic cause for these patients enabled targeted treatment by enzyme replacement therapy, along with appropriate genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for the family. These results highlight the advantage of WGS as a powerful tool, for improving the diagnostic rate of rare disease‐causing variants, and emphasize the importance of studying deep intronic sequence variation as a cause of monogenic disorders.
A novel rat tail disc degeneration model induced by static bending and compression
Authors: Ji Yichao , Zhu Pengfei , Zhang Linlin , Yang Huilin
Published: August 2021

Background

A new rat tail intervertebral disc degeneration model was established to observe the morphologic and biologic changes of static bending and compression applied to the discs.

Methods

In total, 20 Sprague‐Dawley rats with similar weight were randomly divided into 4 groups. Group 1 served as a control group for a baseline assessment of normal discs. Group 2 underwent a sham surgery, using an external device to bend the vertebrae of coccygeal 8‐10. Groups 3 and 4 were the loaded groups, and external devices were instrumented to bend the spine with a compression level of 1.8 N and 4.5 N, respectively. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), histological, and quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) analysis were performed on all animals on day 14 of the experiment.

Results

Magnetic resonance imaging and histological results showed that the changes of intervertebral disc degeneration increased with the size of compression load. Some architecture disorganizations in nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus were found on both of the convex and concave side in the groups of 1.8 N and 4.5 N. An upregulation of MM‐3, MM‐13, and collagen 1‐α1 mRNA expression and a downregulation of collagen 2‐α1 and aggrecan mRNA expression were observed in the sham and loading groups. Significant changes were found between the loading groups, whereas the sham group showed similar results to the control group.

Conclusions

Static bending and compression could induce progressive disc degeneration, which could be used for biologic study on disc degeneration promoted by static complex loading.
Interaction between Preterm White Matter Injury and Childhood Thalamic Growth
Authors: Cayam‐Rand Dalit , Guo Ting , Synnes Anne , Chau Vann , Mabbott Connor , Benavente‐Fernández Isabel , Grunau Ruth E. , Miller Steven P.
Published: August 2021

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine how preterm white matter injury (WMI) and long‐term thalamic growth interact to predict 8‐year neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Methods

A prospective cohort of 114 children born at 24 to 32 weeksʼ gestational age (GA) underwent structural and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging early in life (median 32 weeks), at term‐equivalent age and at 8 years. Manual segmentation of neonatal WMI was performed on T1‐weighted images and thalamic volumes were obtained using the MAGeT brain segmentation pipeline. Cognitive, motor, and visual‐motor outcomes were evaluated at 8 years of age. Multivariable regression was used to examine the relationship among neonatal WMI volume, school‐age thalamic volume, and neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Results

School‐age thalamic volumes were predicted by neonatal thalamic growth rate, GA, sex, and neonatal WMI volume (p < 0.0001). After accounting for total cerebral volume, WMI volume remained associated with school‐age thalamic volume (β = −0.31, p = 0.005). In thalamocortical tracts, fractional anisotropy (FA) at term‐equivalent age interacted with early WMI volume to predict school‐age thalamic volumes (all p < 0.02). School‐age thalamic volumes and neonatal WMI interacted to predict full‐scale IQ (p = 0.002) and adverse motor scores among those with significant WMI (p = 0.01). Visual‐motor scores were predicted by thalamic volumes (p = 0.04).

Interpretation

In very preterm‐born children, neonatal thalamic growth and WMI volume predict school‐age thalamic volumes. The emergence at term of an interaction between FA and WMI to impact school‐age thalamic volume indicates dysmaturation as a mechanism of thalamic growth failure. Cognition is predicted by the interaction of WMI and thalamic growth, highlighting the need to consider multiple dimensions of brain injury in these children. ANN NEUROL 2021;90:584–594
Synthesis and characterization of tailor‐made N‐vinylpyrrolidone copolymers and their blend membranes with polyvinyl alcohol for bioethanol dehydration by pervaporation
Authors: Angelini Alessandro , Fodor Csaba , Leva Luigi , Car Anja , Dinu Ionel Adrian , Yave Wilfredo , Meier Wolfgang
Published: August 2021

Tailor‐made poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone‐co‐(2‐[dimethylamino]ethyl methacrylate)) P(NVP‐co‐DMAEMA) and poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone‐co‐N‐vinylimidazole) P(NVP‐co‐PNVIm) with defined monomer molar ratio are synthesized via free radical polymerization. The random copolymers are fully characterized and then blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to investigate their chemical and thermal properties as membrane materials. Composite membranes are further prepared from the PVA/copolymer blends on a porous support, which are evaluated in terms of separation performance for the dehydration of ethanol by pervaporation. The membranes prepared from the blends exhibit up to four times higher water permeances than pristine PVA membrane, albeit the selectivity is slightly lower. Nevertheless, the membranes from blends with a ratio of 95:5 (PVA/copolymer) show improved selectivity and higher permeance values compared to the commercial PERVAP™ 4155–80, especially the blends composed by the copolymers of coPDMAEMA60 and coPDMAEMA20. The membrane prepared from the blend containing the homopolymer coPDMAEMA100 exhibits the highest water/ethanol selectivity and shows stable separation performance throughout the whole long‐term stability test. Thus, this study demonstrated that by synthesizing tailored copolymers (rather using the commercial ones) and blending with PVA, the separation performance of membranes can be significantly improved and tuned for specific dehydration processes.