This paper proposes the correction of faulty sensors using a synthesis of the greedy sparse constrained optimization GSCO) technique. The failure of sensors can damage the radiation power pattern in ...terms of sidelobes and nulls. The synthesis problem can recover the wanted power pattern with reduced number of sensors into the background of greedy algorithm and solved with orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) technique. Numerical simulation examples of linear arrays are offered to demonstrate the effectiveness of getting the wanted power pattern with a reduced number of antenna sensors which is compared with the available techniques in terms of sidelobes level and number of nulls.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The production of ethanol from lignocellulosic sources presents increasingly difficult issues for the global biofuel scenario, leading to increased production costs of current second-generation (2G) ...ethanol when compared to first-generation (1G) plants. Among the setbacks encountered in industrial processes, the presence of chemical inhibitors from pre-treatment processes severely hinders the potential of yeasts in producing ethanol at peak efficiency. However, some industrial yeast strains have, either naturally or artificially, higher tolerance levels to these compounds. Such is the case of S. cerevisiae SA-1, a Brazilian fuel ethanol industrial strain that has shown high resistance to inhibitors produced by the pre-treatment of cellulosic complexes. Our study focuses on the characterization of the transcriptomic and physiological impact of an inhibitor of this type, p-coumaric acid (pCA), on this strain under chemostat cultivation via RNAseq and quantitative physiological data. It was found that strain SA-1 tend to increase ethanol yield and production rate while decreasing biomass yield when exposed to pCA, in contrast to pCA-susceptible strains, which tend to decrease their ethanol yield and fermentation efficiency when exposed to this substance. This suggests increased metabolic activity linked to mitochondrial and peroxisomal processes. The transcriptomic analysis also revealed a plethora of differentially expressed genes located in co-expressed clusters that are associated with changes in biological pathways linked to biosynthetic and energetical processes. Furthermore, it was also identified 20 genes that act as interaction hubs for these clusters, while also having association with altered pathways and changes in metabolic outputs, potentially leading to the discovery of novel targets for metabolic engineering toward a more robust industrial yeast strain.
Aims
The aims of this study were to identify the Fusarium isolates based on translation elongation factor (tef) 1α sequence, to determine the genetic diversity among isolates and species using ...selected microsatellite markers and to examine the pathogenicity of Fusarium isolates causing fruit rot disease of banana.
Methods and Results
One‐hundred and thirteen microfungi isolates were obtained from fruit rot infected banana in Peninsular Malaysia. However, this study was focused on the dominant number of the discovered microfungi that belongs to the genus Fusarium; 48 isolates of the microfungi have been identified belonging to 11 species of Fusarium, namely Fusarium incarnatum, Fusarium equiseti, Fusarium camptoceras, Fusarium solani, Fusarium concolor, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium sacchari, Fusarium concentricum and Fusarium fujikuroi. All Fusarium isolates were grouped into their respective clades indicating their similarities and differences in genetic diversity among isolates. Out of 48 Fusarium isolates tested, 42 isolates caused the fruit rot symptom at different levels of severity based on Disease Severity Index (DSI). The most virulent isolate was F. proliferatum B2433B with DSI of 100%.
Conclusions
All the isolated Fusarium species were successfully identified and some of them were confirmed as the causal agents of pre‐ and postharvest fruit rot in banana across Peninsular Malaysia.
Significance and Impact of the Study
Our results will provide additional information regarding new report of Fusarium species in causing banana fruit rot and in the search of potential biocontrol agent of the disease.
The aim of this study is to assess the antifungal action of Averrhoa bilimbi fruit and Garcinia mangostana pericarp ethanolic extracts in altering the morphology and causing cellular damage of ...Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium proliferatum, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Lasiodiplodia theobromae. The pathogens were cultured on media containing both extracts individually and carbendazim as positive control, whereas media alone as negative control. All samples were processed for microscopy observations using scanning (SEM) and transmission electron (TEM) microscopes. Observation via SEM showed significant alterations in the hyphae of F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum and C. gloeosporioides compared to the control in which the hyphae were in normal form. However, no significant alteration in hyphae had been observed in the treated plate compared to the control for L. theobromae. The development of calcium carbonate crystals was also observed abundantly in control compared to treated pathogens for F. oxysporum and F. proliferatum only. This indicated that the plant extracts can inhibit some metabolic processes in the pathogens too. Observations via TEM had been conducted for F. proliferatum and C. gloeosporioides, respectively. The results showed disintegration of cytoplasmic organelles and cell wall, intense vacuolization and lyses part of fungal cells. The plant extracts have equivalent or even greater effects compared to commercial fungicide carbendazim.
Significance and Impact of the Study:
The current findings indicate that the plant extracts used in this study could be a potential antifungal agent to control fruit rot disease through a different mode of actions to replace the synthetic fungicide carbendazim.
The use of green tea and herbal tea for weight loss is increasing worldwide owing to the rising rates of obesity. There are concerns about the safety and quality of these herbal products owing to ...their increased consumption worldwide. In this study, we evaluated randomly collected samples of green tea and herbal tea and tested them for heavy metal and microbial contamination. Eighteen samples of green tea or herbal tea of widely used brands in Palestine were tested for heavy metal and microbial contamination. The results showed that 7 of the samples had toxic heavy metals such as chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb), and their concentrations were above the allowable limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, 6 of the samples that were tested had microbial contamination with high total aerobic microbial count (TAMC) and total yeast and mold count (TYMC). This could be due to improper handling and storage conditions of these herbal products. This study is the first of its kind in Palestine, and its results are forewarning to all the responsible authorities, including the Ministry of Health (MoH), to take immediate corrective actions such as quality control testing, auditing, and registration of marketed tea products.
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is amongst the leading causes of death worldwide. As inflammatory markers, cytokines can predict outcomes, if interpreted together with clinical data and scoring ...systems such as CURB-65, CRB, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II). The aim of this study was to determine the impact of inflammatory biomarkers on the early mortality of hospitalized CAP patients. Twenty-seven CAP patients needing hospitalization were enrolled for the study and samples of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), and homocystein were collected at the time of admission (day 1) as well as on the seventh day of the treatment. There was a significant reduction in the levels of IL-6 between the first and the second collections. Median IL-6 values decreased from 24 pg/mL (day 1) to 8 pg/mL (day 7) (P=0.016). The median levels of TNF-α were higher in patients: i) with acute kidney injury (AKI) (P=0.045), ii) requiring mechanical ventilation (P=0.040), iii) with short hospital stays (P=0.009), iv) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) (P=0.040), v) who died early (P=0.003), and vi) with worse CRB scores (P=0.013). In summary, IL-6 and TNF-α levels were associated with early mortality of CAP patients. Longer admission levels demonstrated greater likelihood of early death and overall mortality, necessity of mechanical ventilation, and AKI.
Background
Discovering and screening for potential anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anticancer, and antioxidant treatments from natural products still in recent times the main goal for many ...pharmaceutical scientists. The present investigation aimed to evaluate the chemical constituents of
Ephedra alata
fruits various extracts and to assess their antioxidant, antiobesity, antidiabetic, and cytotoxic effects.
Result
In this work, high content of flavonoids and phenols were observed in the methanol fraction of
E. alata
fruits, which reached 98.95 mg of RUE/g and 33.22 mg of GAE/g, respectively. The methanol fraction has significant inhibitory activity against DPPH, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and lipase with an IC
50
value of 1.07, 9.43, 46.16, and 66.48 µg/mL. respectively. Also has anticancer activity against HeLa cancer cell line. While the acetone fraction has potent antioxidant activity with IC
50
5 µg/mL.
Conclusion
The DPPH and digestive enzymes assays results showed that the methanolic fraction of
E. alata
fruits has potent antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-obesity activities, which can be an excellent candidate for biological and chemical analysis and can be further subjected for isolation of the therapeutically active compounds with anticancer potency.
Background
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are a high-risk population for suicide. Glutamatergic neurosystem genes have been implicated in the neurobiology of depression in SLE and ...suicidal behaviour in general. However, the role of glutamate receptor gene polymorphisms in suicidal behaviour among SLE patients remains unclear in the context of established clinical and psychosocial factors. We aimed to investigate the association of NR2A gene polymorphism with suicidal ideation in SLE while accounting for the interaction between clinical and psychosocial factors.
Methods
A total of 130 SLE patients were assessed for mood disorders (MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview), severity of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), suicidal behaviour (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale), socio-occupational functioning (Work and Social Adjustment Scale), recent life events (Social Readjustment Rating Scale) and lupus disease activity (SELENA-SLE Disease Activity Index). Eighty-six out of the 130 study participants consented for NR2A genotyping.
Results
Multivariable logistic regression showed nominal significance for the interaction effect between the NR2A rs2072450 AC genotype and higher severity of socio-occupational impairment with lifetime suicidal ideation in SLE patients (p = 0.038, odds ratio = 1.364, 95% confidence interval = 1.018–1.827). However, only the association between lifetime mood disorder and lifetime suicidal ideation remained significant after Bonferroni correction (p < 0.001, odds ratio = 33.834, 95% confidence interval = 7.624–150.138).
Conclusions
Lifetime mood disorder emerged as a more significant factor for suicidal ideation in SLE compared with NR2A gene polymorphism main and interaction effects. Clinical implications include identification and treatment of mood disorders as an early intervention for suicidal behaviour in SLE. More adequately-powered gene–environment interaction studies are required in the future to clarify the role of glutamate receptor gene polymorphisms in the risk stratification of suicidal behaviour among SLE patients.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract Objective Malaysia has a high and rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). While environmental (non-genetic) risk factors for the disease are well established, the role of genetic ...variations and gene–environment interactions remain understudied in this population. This study aimed to estimate the relative contributions of environmental and genetic risk factors to T2D in Malaysia and also to assess evidence for gene–environment interactions that may explain additional risk variation. Study design This was a case–control study including 1604 Malays, 1654 Chinese and 1728 Indians from the Malaysian Cohort Project. Methods The proportion of T2D risk variance explained by known genetic and environmental factors was assessed by fitting multivariable logistic regression models and evaluating McFadden's pseudo R2 and the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC). Models with and without the genetic risk score (GRS) were compared using the log likelihood ratio Chi-squared test and AUCs. Multiplicative interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors was assessed via logistic regression within and across ancestral groups. Interactions were assessed for the GRS and its 62 constituent variants. Results The models including environmental risk factors only had pseudo R2 values of 16.5–28.3% and AUC of 0.75–0.83. Incorporating a genetic score aggregating 62 T2D-associated risk variants significantly increased the model fit (likelihood ratio P -value of 2.50 × 10−4 –4.83 × 10−12 ) and increased the pseudo R2 by about 1–2% and AUC by 1–3%. None of the gene–environment interactions reached significance after multiple testing adjustment, either for the GRS or individual variants. For individual variants, 33 out of 310 tested associations showed nominal statistical significance with 0.001 < P < 0.05. Conclusion This study suggests that known genetic risk variants contribute a significant but small amount to overall T2D risk variation in Malaysian population groups. If gene–environment interactions involving common genetic variants exist, they are likely of small effect, requiring substantially larger samples for detection.
A small electrical metamaterial (MTM) antenna, based on a modified electrical coupled resonator for bandwidth enhancement, is presented. The bandwidth enhancement is achieved using a modified ...electric coupled (MELC) resonator as the antenna's main radiating element. This modification is achieved using two strip lines placed below a conventional electric coupled (CELC) resonator. The measured impedance bandwidth at −10 dB is 20.7% at a resonance frequency of 2.62 GHz. The design is validated by experimental results, and the proposed antenna is suitable for worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMax) applications (2.5–2.69 GHz).
PDF
