Tuberculosis (TB) kills more individuals in the world than any other disease, and a threat made direr by the coverage of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Bacillus ...Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the single TB vaccine licensed for use in human beings and effectively protects infants and children against severe military and meningeal TB. We applied advanced computational techniques to develop a universal TB vaccine. In the current study, we select the very conserved, experimentally confirmed Mtb antigens, including Rv2608, Rv2684, Rv3804c (Ag85A), and Rv0125 (Mtb32A) to design a novel multi-epitope subunit vaccine. By using the Immune Epitopes Database (IEDB), we predicted different B-cell and T-cell epitopes. An adjuvant (Griselimycin) was also added to vaccine construct to improve its immunogenicity. Bioinformatics tools were used to predict, refined, and validate the 3D structure and then docked with toll-like-receptor (TLR-3) using different servers. The constructed vaccine was used for further processing based on allergenicity, antigenicity, solubility, different physiochemical properties, and molecular docking scores. The in silico immune simulation results showed significant response for immune cells. For successful expression of the vaccine in E. coli, in-silico cloning and codon optimization were performed. This research also sets out a good signal for the design of a peptide-based tuberculosis vaccine. In conclusion, our findings show that the known multi-epitope vaccine may activate humoral and cellular immune responses and maybe a possible tuberculosis vaccine candidate. Therefore, more experimental validations should be exposed to it.
As non-literary accounts of post-traumatic stress disorder victims depict, and contribute to, history and memory, the present study uses the theoretical underpinnings of the psychological trauma ...theory to reflect on the flashbacks of Afghan trauma survivors, portrayed in the selected Afghan Anglophone fiction. The research project attempts to see how far the flashbacks of the traumatic memories of these characters contribute to the oft-quoted factual history. Borrowing from Caruth, Herman, Tal and LaCapra for the analysis, the study investigates the selected literary text to see how cultural productions from this war-torn country keep a record of the traumatic memories of the war that the Afghans were faced with during the Soviet invasion from 1979 to 1989. This trauma analysis of Atiq Rahimi’s Earth and Ashes (2002) shows that analyses of trauma-induced flashbacks in literary portrayals of traumatized characters may, simultaneously, contribute to the officially recorded history of the actual event of trauma. The study concludes that related literary texts may be studied in conjunction with factual historical documents to get a holistic picture of any traumatic event as well as the related memory.
ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the effectiveness of e-Health in imparting continuing medical education to general practitioners of rural areas of Sindh. Study Design: Prospective comparative study ...Place and Duration of study: Department of Path, Indus Medical College, Tando Muhammad Khan, Pakistan from Feb to Jul 2021. Methodology: General Practitioners of any age group gender and working experience, presently practising in rural areas of Sindh, attended all five e-Health Continuing Medical Education sessions organized by the Department of Pathology. Before each online session, pre-tests and post-tests were conducted on completing each of the five online sessions. Scores of all pre-and post-session tests were calculated for analysis for each participant. Results: One hundred participants were included in the study, of which the majority (73%) were male compared to their counterparts. There was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between the pre and post-test scores of all study participants (24.92±6.98 and 30.91±6.19), respectively. While a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between pre and post-test scores of male and female participants (24.47±6.43 and 26.11±8.31) and (30.64±5.62 and 31.62±7.59) respectively. Conclusion: Continuing e-Health medical education sessions revealed a significant improvement in general practitioners' medical knowledge and professional competency, as reflected in the testing score.
This paper assesses the vulnerability of Asiatic black bear to poaching in a key ecological zone in Northern Pakistan. Evidence about black bear hunting and cubs poaching were collected from Siran ...and Kaghan valleys of district Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province through three different methods including participants’ observations, interviews from key informants and structured questionnaire. We find local community members of both valleys to be active observers of hunting and poaching in the study area. The structured interviews with locals of the study area revealed striking facts about ongoing trafficking by hunters and traders of the neighboring districts (i.e. Kohistan and Battagram). The study identifies a tribe known as Maddi Khel in the neighboring district Battagram the member of which regularly travel to the study area for hunting of black bear, pheasants, gray goral and snow leopard. According to interviews with the local people, hunters and traders in groups from 10 to 25 persons with their own poaching arrangements including guns, pistols and well-trained domesticated dogs were seen every winter. For hunters in the study area, the main target was the killing of female black bear because killing of mothers allows them to poach their cubs. We also identify the routes i.e. Raam Gali, Door Gali, and Kunda Gali through which hunters enter from the neighboring districts Kohistan and Battagram for the purpose of poaching. During each four months season (December to March), on average, approximately 2–5 mothers are killed that carry 12 to 20 cubs. The small cubs have higher black-market demand in different cities in Pakistan that motivates hunters to continue poaching in the study area. Despite the conservation claims by the government department in the province, the ground survey reveals severe risk to the population of black bear from hunting and illegal trafficking. The government’s wildlife department staff is less equipped to tackle with hunters in winter due to the extreme weather conditions in the area and their inability to stay for longer time.
Cytokines play an important role in SARS-CoV-2 infection progression and severity. A number of inflammatory cytokines have been directly associated with disease severity including IL-6 ...(interleukin-6), IL-10, TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor alpha), IFN-γ (interferon-gamma). Here, in this study, the aim was to better understand the interplay between host immune response mediated by cytokines and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection by assessing cytokine expression. Therefore, we measured expression levels of a total of 12 genes (IFNA-1, IFN-γ, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-7, IL-10, IL-11, IL-13, IL-15, and IL-27) encoding inflammatory, anti-inflammatory and regulatory cytokines using QRT-PCR in hospitalized patients with severe infection compared to mildly infected. IFN-γ was identified as a potent marker of disease severity as indicated previously. Moreover, levels of IL-7 were also found to be partially reduced in patients compared to the healthy controls and linked negatively to disease severity. Identification of these cytokines may be helpful in not only understanding disease pathogenesis but also in better management of the patients after covid infection.
The gut microbiota (GM) plays an important role in the physiology and pathology of the host. Microbiota communicate with different organs of the organism by synthesizing hormones and regulating body ...activity. The interaction of the central nervous system (CNS) and gut signaling pathways includes chemical, neural immune and endocrine routes. Alteration or dysbiosis in the gut microbiota leads to different gastrointestinal tract disorders that ultimately impact host physiology because of the abnormal microbial metabolites that stimulate and trigger different physiologic reactions in the host body. Intestinal dysbiosis leads to a change in the bidirectional relationship between the CNS and GM, which is linked to the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders. Increasing preclinical and clinical studies/evidence indicate that gut microbes are a possible susceptibility factor for the progression of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this review, we discuss the crucial connection between the gut microbiota and the central nervous system, the signaling pathways of multiple biological systems and the contribution of gut microbiota-related neurological disorders.
Our main intension behind this work is to investigate Prandtl-Eyring nanomaterial in presence of gyrotactic microorganisms. Flow is generated via stretching sheet and is subject to melting heat ...effect. Radiation and dissipation are addressed. Entropy rate is also reported. Nanofluid effects are explored through Buongiorno model for nanofluid by considering Brownian motion and thermophoresis impacts. Problem related modelling is done by obtaining PDEs and these PDEs are then transmitted into ODEs by using appropriate similarity variables. Homotopic technique has been employed to obtain a convergent series solution of the considered problem. Graphical results have been presented to investigate the impact of different prominent variables over fluid velocity, temperature distribution, nanofluid concentration and on microorganism concentration. Entropy analysis has been discussed and the physical quantities such as surface drag force, Nusselt number, local Sherwood number and microorganism density number for the current problem is obtained. Velocity boost against higher melting and fluid parameters. Temperature of the fluid reduces with an increment in melting and radiation parameters while it intensifies through Prandtl and Eckert number, Brownian motion and thermophoresis parameters. Decay in concentration is noticed against higher values of melting and thermophoresis parameters while it increases for higher Schmidt number and Brownian motion parameter. Microorganism field boosts with higher values of Peclet number and microorganism concentration difference parameter. Moreover entropy generation rate intensifies against higher radiation parameter and Brickman number.
Economic reforms are inevitable for the development of an economy like Pakistan. During the last two decades, Pakistan has passed through phenomenal economic changes and reforms. In the 1990’s, we ...had seen privatisation plans initiated by the government as a major economic reform. Similarly, to demonstrate the seriousness of the government in encouraging foreign investment flows in Pakistan; there has been a perceptible liberalisation of the foreign exchange regime. Allied to these efforts, the trade regime was opened up and the maximum tariff rates were cut down to 25 percent with only four slabs and the average tariff rate was lowered to 14 percent. The financial sector too, was restructured and opened up to the foreign competition. Foreign and domestic private banks currently operating in Pakistan have been able to increase their market share to more than 60 percent of assets and deposits. Central to the economic reforms process is a clear progression towards deregulation of the economy. Prices of petroleum products, gas, energy, agricultural commodities and other key inputs are mostly determined by market. Imports and domestic marketing of petroleum products have been deregulated and opened up to the private sector. More importantly, taxation reforms have been prominently on the government’s agenda, with no real reforms undertaken. This is another area where policy makers and business community has innumerable grievances and dissatisfaction with the arbitrary nature of tax administration.
There are several daily life problems where we have to deal with the uncertainties and we are forced to solve the uncertain linear programming models. Certain methods have been presented for dealing ...with linear programming problems based on fuzzy sets and intuitionistic fuzzy sets which are characterized by membership degree, membership and non-membership degrees, respectively. In this study, we first extend the concept of crisp linear programming problem in Pythagorean fuzzy environment based on triangular Pythagorean fuzzy numbers. The profit/cost coefficients in objective function, input/output coefficients and right-hand side coefficients and decision variables of a linear programming problem are considered as triangular Pythagorean fuzzy numbers. Further, we present methods for solving fully Pythagorean fuzzy linear programming problems for non-negative and unrestricted triangular Pythagorean fuzzy numbers with equality constraints. We also apply the proposed technique to solve practical models.
Ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM)-based search engines play an important role in networking routers. The search space demands of TCAM applications are constantly rising. However, existing ...realizations of TCAM on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) suffer from storage inefficiency. This paper presents a multipumping-enabled multiported SRAM-based TCAM design on FPGA, to achieve an efficient utilization of SRAM memory. Existing SRAM-based solutions for TCAM reduce the impact of the increase in the traditional TCAM pattern width from an exponential growth in memory usage to a linear one using cascaded block RAMs (BRAMs) on FPGA. However, BRAMs on state-of-the-art FPGAs have a minimum depth limitation, which limits the storage efficiency for TCAM bits. Our proposed solution avoids this limitation by mapping the traditional TCAM table divisions to shallow sub-blocks of the configured BRAMs, thus achieving a memory-efficient TCAM memory design. The proposed solution operates the configured simple dual-port BRAMs of the design as multiported SRAM using the multipumping technique, by clocking them with a higher internal clock frequency to access the sub-blocks of the BRAM in one system cycle. We implemented our proposed design on a Virtex-6 xc6vlx760 FPGA device. Compared with existing FPGA-based TCAM designs, our proposed method achieves up to 2.85 times better performance per memory.
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