Salamanders exhibit an extraordinary ability among vertebrates to regenerate complex body parts. However, scarce genomic resources have limited our understanding of regeneration in adult salamanders. ...Here, we present the ~20 Gb genome and transcriptome of the Iberian ribbed newt Pleurodeles waltl, a tractable species suitable for laboratory research. We find that embryonic stem cell-specific miRNAs mir-93b and mir-427/430/302, as well as Harbinger DNA transposons carrying the Myb-like proto-oncogene have expanded dramatically in the Pleurodeles waltl genome and are co-expressed during limb regeneration. Moreover, we find that a family of salamander methyltransferases is expressed specifically in adult appendages. Using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to perturb transcription factors, we demonstrate that, unlike the axolotl, Pax3 is present and necessary for development and that contrary to mammals, muscle regeneration is normal without functional Pax7 gene. Our data provide a foundation for comparative genomic studies that generate models for the uneven distribution of regenerative capacities among vertebrates.
In this experimental work, a comparative study of convective heat transfer and drop in pressure characteristics of Alumina–Cu/water and Alumina–CNT/water hybrid nanofluids in fully developed laminar ...flow in a uniformly heated tube with circular cross section is presented. For this, Alumina–Cu hybrid nanoparticles (90:10 proportion was taken. Below this proportion for, e.g., 80:20, the nanofluid was not stable. Coagulation was happening) were prepared by using a hydrogen reduction technique. Characterization was done for the prepared powder through XRD and scanning electron microscope (SEM) to validate the chemical constitution, to establish the size of the particle and to investigate the morphology of surface. The synthesized Alumina–Cu hybrid nanopowder is dispersed in deionized water in an ultrasonic bath to form a well-dispersed 0.1% volume concentration of hybrid nanofluid. Carbon nanotube (CNT) functionalization was done by acid treatment method to convert the CNT surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. Scanning electron microscope was used for characterization of the aluminum oxide particles and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes. To prepare 0.1% volume fraction of Alumina–CNT/water nanofluid, required quantities of Alumina powder and functionalized CNT were dispersed in deionized water in 90:10 proportion. Experiments were conducted in the laminar flow range with water, Alumina/water and hybrid nanofluids, and the results obtained have been compared. The convective heat transfer experimental results showed greater enhancement with Alumina–CNT/water hybrid fluid compared to Alumina–Cu/water hybrid fluid. The maximum enhancements of 30.65% and 20.48% in Nusselt number have been obtained for 0.3% volume fraction of Alumina–CNT/water hybrid nanofluid and Alumina–Cu/water hybrid nanofluid, respectively, at Reynolds number of 1350 as compared to the Nusselt number of water.
Abstract
As an environment-dependent pleiotropic gene regulator in Gram-negative bacteria, the H-NS protein is crucial for adaptation and toxicity control of human pathogens such as Salmonella, ...Vibrio cholerae or enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli. Changes in temperature affect the capacity of H-NS to form multimers that condense DNA and restrict gene expression. However, the molecular mechanism through which H-NS senses temperature and other physiochemical parameters remains unclear and controversial. Combining structural, biophysical and computational analyses, we show that human body temperature promotes unfolding of the central dimerization domain, breaking up H-NS multimers. This unfolding event enables an autoinhibitory compact H-NS conformation that blocks DNA binding. Our integrative approach provides the molecular basis for H-NS-mediated environment-sensing and may open new avenues for the control of pathogenic multi-drug resistant bacteria.
Since its emergence in November, 2021, in southern Africa, the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant of concern (VOC) has rapidly spread across the world. We aimed to investigate the severity of omicron and the ...extent to which booster vaccines are effective in preventing symptomatic infection.
In this study, using the Scotland-wide Early Pandemic Evaluation and Enhanced Surveillance of COVID-19 (EAVE II) platform, we did a cohort analysis with a nested test-negative design incident case-control study covering the period Nov 1–Dec 19, 2021, to provide initial estimates of omicron severity and the effectiveness of vaccine boosters against symptomatic disease relative to 25 weeks or more after the second vaccine dose. Primary care data derived from 940 general practices across Scotland were linked to laboratory data and hospital admission data. We compared outcomes between infection with the delta VOC (defined as S-gene positive) and the omicron VOC (defined as S-gene negative). We assessed effectiveness against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, with infection confirmed through a positive RT-PCR.
By Dec 19, 2021, there were 23 840 S-gene-negative cases in Scotland, which were predominantly among those aged 20–39 years (11 732 49·2%). The proportion of S-gene-negative cases that were possible reinfections was more than ten times that of S-gene-positive cases (7·6% vs 0·7%; p<0·0001). There were 15 hospital admissions in S-gene-negative individuals, giving an adjusted observed-to-expected admissions ratio of 0·32 (95% CI 0·19–0·52). The booster vaccine dose was associated with a 57% (54–60) reduction in the risk of symptomatic S-gene-negative infection relative to individuals who tested positive 25 weeks or more after the second vaccine dose.
These early national data suggest that omicron is associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation compared with delta. Although offering the greatest protection against delta, the booster dose of vaccination offers substantial additional protection against the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 for omicron compared with 25 weeks or more after the second vaccine dose.
Health Data Research UK, National Core Studies, Public Health Scotland, Scottish Government, UK Research and Innovation, and University of Edinburgh.
The overall bauplan of the tetrapod brain is highly conserved, yet significant variations exist among species in terms of brain size, structural composition and cellular diversity. Understanding ...processes underlying neural and behavioral development in a wide range of species is important both from an evolutionary developmental perspective as well as for the identification of cell sources with post-developmental neurogenic potential. Here we characterize germinal processes in the brain of
and
during both development and adulthood. Using a combination of cell tracking tools, including clonal analyses in new transgenic salamander lines we examine the origin of neural stem and progenitor cells found in the adult brain, determine regional variability in cell cycle length of progenitor cells, and show spatio-temporally orchestrated neurogenesis. We analyze how maturation of different brain regions and neuronal subpopulations are linked to the acquisition of complex behaviors, and how these behaviors are altered upon chemical ablation of dopamine neurons. Our data analyzed from an evolutionary perspective reveal both common and species-specific processes in tetrapod brain formation and function.
AbstractThis article attempts to explain how the parliamentary left interacted with the social terrain of Kerala, which has a strong presence of organized social pressure groups. Kerala has a unique ...political landscape where radical left politics coexist with reactionary community forces. The early twentieth-century social reform movement has the credit of producing two parallel but antagonistic traditions that influenced modern Kerala politics more or less equally. The scholars have been polarised into two groups to explain what dominates Kerala politics, class, or caste. This work explicates these complexities by analyzing how the Communist Party engaged with the communities with the help of the literature on the democratic approach to social diversity. It tracks the evolution of the communist movement in Kerala in establishing and broadening its social base. It employs primary and secondary resources to examine the subject in question thoroughly. The primary resources used in the article are interviews with significant party leaders and ideologues. In doing so, this work argues that the Communist Party carefully balanced the ideological commitment to an integrationist approach to diversity on the one hand and a practical requirement for social accommodation and recognition on the other hand.
Diabetes is the major health problem in modern civilization which occurs due to inadequate metabolism of carbohydrate and lipid could cause tremendous changes in the metabolic activities of liver. In ...this study, we investigated the antihyperglycemic, antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic effects of hesperetin, a citrus flavonoid against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced experimental rats. To stimulate diabetes mellitus, rats were injected with STZ intraperitoneally at a single dose of 45mg/kg. STZ induced rats showed marked increase in the level of plasma glucose and significant reduction in the level of plasma insulin. The activities of carbohydrate metabolic enzymes, hepatic glycogen, lipid profiles, enzymic antioxidants in circulatory system and pancreas, hepatic and renal functional markers were explored. Supplementation with hesperetin (40mg/kg b.w) to STZ-induced experimental rats for 45days established a significant decline in plasma glucose and a marked improvement in plasma insulin and glycogen levels in STZ-induced rats. The altered activities of hepatic glucose metabolic enzymes, lipid profiles, enzymic antioxidants and serum biomarkers of liver and kidney toxicity were restored to almost normal. The acquired outcome were compared with glibenclamide (1mg/kg b.w), a standard oral hypoglycemic drug. Hesperetin treatment was found to be efficient in protecting the normal histological manifestation of hepatic, renal and insulin positive β-cells in STZ induced rats. On the basis of current experimental findings, we concluded that administration of hesperetin attenuates the hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia through ameliorating antioxidant competence in STZ-induced experimental rats.
K-ion batteries (KIBs) are promising for large-scale electrical energy storage owing to the abundant resources and the electrochemical specificity of potassium. Among the positive electrode materials ...for KIBs, vanadium-based polyanionic materials are interesting because of their high working voltage and good structural stability which dictates the cycle life. In this study, a potassium vanadium oxide phosphate, K
6
(VO)
2
(V
2
O
3
)
2
(PO
4
)
4
(P
2
O
7
), has been investigated as a 4 V class positive electrode material for non-aqueous KIBs. The material is synthesized through pyrolysis of a single metal-organic molecular precursor, K
2
(VOHPO
4
)
2
(C
2
O
4
) at 500 °C in air. The material demonstrates a reversible extraction/insertion of 2.7 mol of potassium from/into the structure at a discharge voltage of ∼4.03 V
vs.
K.
Operando
and
ex situ
powder X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that the material undergoes reversible K extraction/insertion during charge/discharge
via
a two-phase reaction mechanism. Despite the extraction/insertion of large potassium ions, the material demonstrates an insignificant volume change of ∼1.2% during charge/discharge resulting in excellent cycling stability without capacity degradation over 100 cycles in a highly concentrated electrolyte cell. Robustness of the polyanionic framework is proved from identical XRD patterns of the pristine and cycled electrodes (after 100 cycles).
Highly pure K
6
(VO)
2
(V
2
O
3
)
2
(PO
4
)
4
(P
2
O
7
), synthesized from the oxalatophosphate precursor, demonstrates a reversible potassium extraction/insertion capacity of 59 mA h g
−1
with a single discharge voltage plateau at 4.0 V at room temperature.
Summary
For the past few years, Bitcoin plays a vital role in both the economical and financial industries. In order to gain a huge return on investment, the investors are eager to forecast the ...future value of Bitcoin. However, Bitcoin price variation is quite nonlinear and chaotic in nature, so it creates more difficulty in forecasting future value. Researchers found that the multiplicative long short term memory (LSTM) model will be more efficient for predicting those complex variations. So, target mission is about to develop an optimized multiplicative LSTM with an Attention mechanism using Technical Indicators derived from historical data. A modified cuckoo search optimization model is proposed to tune the hyperparameter of the Deep Learning model. This novel optimization algorithm eliminates the local optimum and slower convergence problem of the cuckoo search optimization algorithm. Deibold Mariano test is performed to statistically evaluate the proposed model and it is inferred that the recommended methodology is statistically fit. Regression metrics such as root mean square error, mean square error and mean absolute error has been used for comparative evaluation with related benchmark techniques such as genetic algorithm optimized LSTM (GA–LSTM), particle swarm optimized LSTM (PSO–LSTM) and cuckoo search optimized LSTM (CSO–LSTM). The empirical result shows that the recommended methodology outperforms the taken benchmark models and provides better accuracy.
The use of low-cost, easily obtained and eco-friendly adsorbents has been employed as an ideal alternative to the current expensive methods of removing dyes from wastewater. This study investigates ...the potential use of activated carbons such as aamla seed carbon (ASC), jambul seed carbon (JSC), tamarind seed carbon (TSC) and soapnut carbon (SNC) for the removal of chromotrope (CH) dye from simulated wastewater. The obtained results were compared with that of Commercial Activated Carbon (CAC). The effects of different system variables, adsorbent dosage, pH and particle size were studied. The results showed that as the amount of the adsorbent increased, the amount adsorbed per unit mass decreased accordingly. Optimum pH value for dye adsorption was determined as ∼2.0. The adsorption of chromotrope fit well into pseudo-second-order rate equation. The adsorption also obeyed Langmuir and Redlich–Peterson equations better than Temkin, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) equations. The adsorption capacities of low cost adsorbents were found to be in the following order ASC>JSC>TSC>SNC. The activated carbons prepared were characterized by FT-IR and SEM analysis.
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