The fundamental challenge for randomly deployed resource-constrained wireless sensor network is to enhance the network lifetime without compromising its performance metrics such as coverage rate and ...network connectivity. One way is to schedule the activities of sensor nodes and form scheduling rounds autonomously in such a way that each spatial point is covered by at least one sensor node and there must be at least one communication path from the sensor nodes to base station. This autonomous activity scheduling of the sensor nodes can be efficiently done with Reinforcement Learning (RL), a technique of machine learning because it does not require prior environment modeling. In this paper, a Nash Q-Learning based node scheduling algorithm for coverage and connectivity maintenance (CCM-RL) is proposed where each node autonomously learns its optimal action (active/hibernate/sleep/customize the sensing range) to maximize the coverage rate and maintain network connectivity. The learning algorithm resides inside each sensor node. The main objective of this algorithm is to enable the sensor nodes to learn their optimal action so that the total number of activated nodes in each scheduling round becomes minimum and preserves the criteria of coverage rate and network connectivity. The comparison of CCM-RL protocol with other protocols proves its accuracy and reliability. The simulative comparison shows that CCM-RL performs better in terms of an average number of active sensor nodes in one scheduling round, coverage rate, and energy consumption.
The Psylloidea, >4000 named species known today, are plant-feeding, sap-sucking insects sleeved under the Sternorrhyncha. Most species of Psylloidea are confined to the tropics. They occur as ...gall-inducing, free-living, and lerp-forming taxa. Lifecycles and generations of gall-inducing Psylloidea vary in temperate and tropical worlds. The Triozidae, Aphalaridae, and Calophyidae include several taxa that induce galls of diverse morphologies, from simple pits and leaf-margin rolls to complex pouches and of two-tier structures. The feeding mechanism and nutritional physiology of the gall-inducing taxa of the Psylloidea differ from those of the free-living and lerp-forming species. A majority of the gall-inducing Psylloidea are associated with the dicotyledons and a small number with the monocotyledons. The gall-inducing Psylloidea are specific to certain plants. Their host specificity is regulated by specific lipids and sterols. The gall-inducing Psylloidea show conservative behavior in terms of geographical distribution. Although the life histories of several gall-inducing Psylloidea are known today, aspects explaining their association with host plants are little known. Details of nutritional physiology of gall-inducing Psylloidea are less known presently compared with that of the free-living species. A better understanding of the association and level of relationship between gall-inducing Psylloidea and their host plants is necessary.
Fis (Factor for inversion stimulation) and H-NS (Histone-like nucleoid-structuring protein) are two well-known nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) in proteobacteria, which play crucial roles in ...genome organization and transcriptional regulation. We performed RNA-sequencing to identify genes regulated by these NAPs. Study reveals that Fis and H-NS affect expression of 462 and 88 genes respectively in Escherichia coli at mid-exponential growth phase. By integrating available ChIP-seq data, we identified direct and indirect regulons of Fis and H-NS proteins. Functional analysis reveals that Fis controls expression of genes involved in translation, oxidative phosphorylation, sugar metabolism and transport, amino acid metabolism, bacteriocin transport, cell division, two-component system, biofilm formation, pilus organization and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis pathways. However, H-NS represses expression of genes in cell adhesion, recombination, biofilm formation and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis pathways under mid-exponential growth condition. The current regulatory networks thus provide a global glimpse of coordinated regulatory roles for these two important NAPs.
•RNA-seq used to decode transcriptional regulation by Fis and H-NS proteins in E. coli at mid-exponential growth stage.•Gene expression and DNA-binding information (ChIP-seq data) integrated to build transcriptional regulatory networks.•Regulatory networks constructed provide a global glimpse of the coordinated regulatory roles of Fis and H-NS.
Breaking a Couple: Disulfide Reducing Agents Mthembu, Sinenhlanhla N.; Sharma, Anamika; Albericio, Fernando ...
Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology,
July 16, 2020, Letnik:
21, Številka:
14
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Cysteine is present in a large number of natural and synthetic (bio)molecules. Although the thiol side chain of Cys can be in a free form, in most cases it forms a disulfide bond either with a second ...Cys (bridge) or with another thiol, as in the case of protecting groups. Efficient reduction of these disulfide bridges is a requirement for many applications of Cys‐containing molecules in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry. Here we review reducing methods for disulfide bonds, taking into consideration the solubility of the substrates when selecting the appropriate reducing reagent.
Breaking bridges: The efficient reduction of disulfide bridges between two cysteine residues or a cysteine and a protecting group is a requirement for many applications of cysteine‐containing molecules in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry.
Innate behaviours, although robust and hard wired, rely on modulation of neuronal circuits, for eliciting an appropriate response according to internal states and external cues.
Drosophila
flight is ...one such innate behaviour that is modulated by intracellular calcium release through inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP
3
Rs). Cellular mechanism(s) by which IP
3
Rs modulate neuronal function for specific behaviours remain speculative, in vertebrates and invertebrates. To address this, we generated an inducible dominant negative form of the IP
3
R (IP
3
R
DN
). Flies with neuronal expression of IP
3
R
DN
exhibit flight deficits. Expression of IP
3
R
DN
helped identify key flight-modulating dopaminergic neurons with axonal projections in the mushroom body. Flies with attenuated IP
3
Rs in these presynaptic dopaminergic neurons exhibit shortened flight bouts and a disinterest in seeking food, accompanied by reduced excitability and dopamine release upon cholinergic stimulation. Our findings suggest that the same neural circuit modulates the drive for food search and for undertaking longer flight bouts.
This review provides an overview of the broad applicability of s-triazine. Our many years working with this intriguing moiety allow us to discuss its wide activity spectrum (inhibition against MAO-A ...and -B, anticancer/antiproliferative and antimicrobial activity, antibacterial activity against MDR clinical isolates, antileishmanial agent, and use as drug nano delivery system). Most of the compounds addressed in our studies and those performed by other groups contain only
-substitution. Exploiting the concept of orthogonal chemoselectivity, first described by our group, we have successfully incorporated different nucleophiles in different orders into s-triazine core for application in peptides/proteins at a temperature compatible with biological systems.
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•Antimalarial potential of FDA-approved drugs through therapeutic switching.•Drug repurposing of anticancer drugs, immunomodulators & antibiotics for malaria.•Idelalisib and ...5-fluorouracil acquired superiority over regorafenib and tamoxifen.•Imiquimod, lenalidomide and leptin exhibited modest parasite suppression.•Moxifloxacin attained superiority over levofloxacin, roxithromycin and erythromycin.
In the era of drug repurposing, speedy discovery of new therapeutic options for the drug-resistant malaria is the best available tactic to reduce the financial load and time in the drug discovery process. Six anticancer drugs, three immunomodulators and four antibiotics were selected for the repositioning against experimental malaria owing to their mode of action and published literature. The efficacy of existing therapeutics was evaluated against chloroquine-resistant in vitro and in vivo strains of Plasmodium falciparum and P. yoelii, respectively. All the pre-existing FDA-approved drugs along with leptin were primarily screened against chloroquine-resistant (PfK1) and drug-sensitive (Pf3D7) strains of P. falciparum using SYBR green-based antiplasmodial assay. Cytotoxic profiling of these therapeutics was achieved on Vero and HepG2 cell lines, and human erythrocytes. Percent blood parasitemia and host survival was determined in chloroquine-resistant P. yoelii N67-infected Swiss mice using appropriate doses of these drugs/immunomodulators. Antimalarial screening together with cytotoxicity data revealed that anticancer drugs, idelalisib and 5-fluorouracil acquired superiority over their counterparts, regorafenib, and tamoxifen, respectively. ROS-inducer anticancer drugs, epirubicin and bleomycin were found toxic for the host. Immunomodulators (imiquimod, lenalidomide and leptin) were safest but less active in in vitro system, however, in P. yoelii-infected mice, they exhibited modest parasite suppression at their respective doses. Among antibiotics, moxifloxacin exhibited better antimalarial prospective than levofloxacin, roxithromycin and erythromycin. 5-Fluorouracil, imiquimod and moxifloxacin displayed 97.64, 81.18 and 91.77 % parasite inhibition in treated animals and attained superiority in their respective groups thus could be exploited further in combination with suitable antimalarials.
Retinopathy refers to disorders that affect the retina of the eye, which are frequently caused by damage to the retina's vascular system. This causes leakage, proliferation, or overgrowth of blood ...vessels through the retina, which can lead to retinal detachment or breakdown, resulting in vision loss and, in rare cases, blindness. In recent years, high-throughput sequencing has significantly hastened the discovery of new long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and their biological functions. LncRNAs are rapidly becoming recognized as critical regulators of several key biological processes. Current breakthroughs in bioinformatics have resulted in the identification of several lncRNAs that may have a role in retinal disorders. Nevertheless, mechanistic investigations have yet to reveal the relevance of these lncRNAs in retinal disorders. Using lncRNA transcripts for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes may aid in the development of appropriate treatment regimens and long-term benefits for patients, as traditional medicines and antibody therapy only provide temporary benefits that must be repeated. In contrast, gene-based therapies can provide tailored, long-term treatment solutions. Here, we will discuss how different lncRNAs affect different retinopathies, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which can cause visual impairment and blindness, and how these retinopathies can be identified and treated using lncRNAs.
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