Unraveling the genetic variations underlying virulence disparities among SARS-CoV-2 strains across global regions: insights from Pakistan

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, several SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged that may exhibit different etiological effects such as enhanced transmissibility and infectivity. However, genetic variations that reduce virulence and deteriorate viral fitness have not yet been thoroughly investigated. The present study sought to evaluate the effects of viral genetic makeup on COVID-19 epidemiology in Pakistan, where the infectivity and mortality rate was comparatively lower than other countries during the first pandemic wave. For this purpose, we focused on the comparative analyses of 7096 amino-acid long polyprotein pp1ab. Comparative sequence analysis of 203 SARS-CoV-2 genomes, sampled from Pakistan during the first wave of the pandemic revealed 179 amino acid substitutions in pp1ab. Within this set, 38 substitutions were identified within the Nsp3 region of the pp1ab polyprotein. Structural and biophysical analysis of proteins revealed that amino acid variations within Nsp3's macrodomains induced conformational changes and modified protein-ligand interactions, consequently diminishing the virulence and fitness of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, the epistatic effects resulting from evolutionary substitutions in SARS-CoV-2 proteins may have unnoticed implications for reducing disease burden. In light of these findings, further characterization of such deleterious SARS-CoV-2 mutations will not only aid in identifying potential therapeutic targets but will also provide a roadmap for maintaining vigilance against the genetic variability of diverse SARS-CoV-2 strains circulating globally. Furthermore, these insights empower us to more effectively manage and respond to potential viral-based pandemic outbreaks of a similar nature in the future

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) among Foreigner Food Handlers at Restaurants with Long Operating Hours in Lembah Klang, Malaysia

Introduction: Poor food handling practices in restaurants with long operating hours which is dominated by foreign food handlers that increase the risk of foodborne diseases. This study aims to measure the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) and to compare practice face to face interview with observed food safety practices of foreign food handlers in long-operating hours restaurants in Lembah Klang. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study used face to face interviewer-assisted questionnaires with 117 foreign food handlers. A checklist guided observation was used to identify the actual practice status of 14 respondents. Results: There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers. The mean score of knowledge, attitude and practice were 66.00 ± 13.67, 79.56 ± 16.67 and 66.02 ± 16.05 respectively. A weak and significant correlation (p < 0.01) between mean score of knowledge and attitude; knowledge and practice; and attitude and practice among foreigner food handlers (r = 0.287, r = 0.264, r = 0.285). The findings showed a significant difference (p < 0.001) between mean scores of practice face to face interview compared to observed practice (t = 5.467). Conclusion: Thus, this study demonstrated the food handlers had a good attitude toward food safety despite the moderate level of knowledge and practice that could be further improved. Meanwhile, actual practices that much affected by culture could be further improved with effective enforcement

New risk factors and molecular landscapes of hepatic angiosarcoma in the Taiwanese population

Hepatic angiosarcoma is a rare, highly aggressive malignancy of the liver. The tumorigenesis of hepatic angiosarcoma has been relatively understudied in terms of aetiology and molecular properties. A recent study published in The Journal of Pathology revealed a strong association between hepatic angiosarcoma incidence and chronic kidney disease, particularly in end-stage renal disease using population-based data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan and an institutional cohort. The study also revealed enrichment in the mutational signature of aristolochic acid exposure and is the first reported observation of this mutational signature in human sarcomas. © 2023 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland

Perspectives on cultivation and harvesting technologies of microalgae, towards environmental

The development of algae is seen as a potential and ecologically sound approach to address the increasing demands in multiple sectors. However, successful implementation of processes is highly dependent on effective growing and harvesting methods. The present study provides a complete examination of contemporary techniques employed in the production and harvesting of algae, with a particular emphasis on their sustainability. The review begins by examining several culture strategies, encompassing open ponds, closed photobioreactors, and raceway ponds. The analysis of each method is conducted in a systematic manner, with a particular focus on highlighting their advantages, limitations, and potential for expansion. This approach ensures that the conversation is in line with the objectives of sustainability. Moreover, this study explores essential elements of algae harvesting, including the processes of cell separation, dewatering, and biomass extraction. Traditional methods such as centrifugation, filtration, and sedimentation are examined in conjunction with novel, environmentally concerned strategies including flocculation, electro-coagulation, and membrane filtration. It evaluates the impacts on the environment that are caused by the cultivation process, including the usage of water and land, the use of energy, the production of carbon dioxide, and the runoff of nutrients. Furthermore, this study presents a thorough examination of the current body of research pertaining to Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) studies, presenting a perspective that emphasizes sustainability in the context of algae harvesting systems. In conclusion, the analysis ends up with an examination ahead at potential areas for future study in the cultivation and harvesting of algae. This review is an essential guide for scientists, policymakers, and industry experts associated with the advancement and implementation of algae-based technologies

Staging heritage: the nationalisation of Dabus in Malaysia

The development of a national identity was a shared experience for Southeast Asian countries after World War II. Malaysia, having achieved independence only 66 years ago, still struggles to define its national identity given its multicultural nature. During the post-independence era, the government made efforts to maintain racial harmony due to diverse race categorisations and ethnicities, as well as rising racial tensions. Therefore, a number of policies were implemented towards the development of a Malaysian identity. The implementation of policies, such as the National Culture Policy (NCP) affected both the music and dance heritage specifically, as well as the arts community at large in Malaysia. Dabus as a ritualistic performance which includes self-flagellation undergoes modifications as it was developed as one of Malaysia’s performing arts genre. However, dabus development at the village and national level remained distinct. In this research project, I investigate the institutionalisation of dabus during post-independence Malaysia, focusing on dabus developments as a staged performance. With this thesis, I argue that dabus is representative of Malaysia's cultural and historical experience, considering its presence as a ritual, a local music and dance traditional form, and a government-sponsored performing art genre. By studying the policies of Malaysia that define cultural identities, I use dabus to highlight issues of presentation and representation of Malaysia's heritage through the performing arts. For this purpose, the study compares the repertoires of Perak as a ritual, Kuala Selangor as a local music and dance traditional form, and the choreography of Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negara (JKKN) as a performing art genre, which construct a Malaysian identity at the local, state, and national levels, respectively

Towards a unified image quality assessment technique for cross-content image processing applications

The rise in consumer electronics has led to the daily generation of massive multimedia signals. To make efficient multimedia processing systems, understanding human perception is crucial. This has sparked significant interest in image quality assessment (IQA) and its applications within the research community. This study focuses on creating IQA tools that align with human perception, are practical, and can enhance multimedia content. It addresses two key issues: unified image quality assessment for diverse content and perceptually-driven image reconstruction. The study aims to address gaps in image quality research, particularly the lack of suitable IQA metrics for cross-content multimedia applications. Hence, the issue of cross-content type, i.e., screen-content images (SCIs) and natural-scene images (NSIs), image quality assessment is the main objective of this study. The study’s second objective is to apply IQA practically in image processing applications/operations. It specifically tackles image reconstruction, a vital post-processing task in image systems. Most state-of-the-art (SOTA) image reconstruction methods areapplication-specific (AS), requiring extra information like tuning parameters to correct distortions. However, practical scenarios often involve unknown causes of distortion, making reconstruction complex. While some generic reconstruction methods exist, they lag AS ones in performance. Additionally, these methods often don’t consider visual perception, even though human vision is crucial in most applications. The study aims to develop methods for reconstructing distorted images while prioritizing visually important areas. This leads to the development of a two-stage IQA-based perceptual image refinement framework, acknowledging the challenge of translating IQA metrics into practical applications. In summary, the study develops algorithms for accurate image quality prediction, refining images, and enhancing visual quality. For the first objective, two metric types are created: Permutation Entropy-Based (PEFRF, IW-PEFRF) and Deep Feature Similarity (DFeaSim) for better image quality assessment. For the second objective, the study introduces a two-stage perceptually-driven image reconstruction framework. It can reconstruct images with five distortion types, outperforming SOTA AS algorithms, even under high distortion. The first stage uses an application-specific reconstruction algorithm, while the second stage employs an IQA-based model called the observation-based bilateral filter (OBF) with non-linear weights calculated using a Haar-PSI-based maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimator. Further, the study utilized 13 benchmark IQA databases with diverse image contexts, appearances, and quality distortions to develop and validate the proposed models. Experimental results demonstrated the robustness of the quality assessment and refinement models compared to existing techniques. PEFRF and IW-PEFRF IQA methods achieved significantly higher performance indexes (PLCC, SRCC, KRCC, RMSE) than classical and SOTA techniques, with values of 0.9644, 0.9687, 0.8419, and 0.0585 for PEFRF, and 0.9647, 0.9690, 0.8420, and 0.0584 for IW-PEFRF, averaged over 20,000 images. Subsequently, the HaarPSI-based reconstruction approach improved accuracy from 2% to 84% compared to AS algorithms at both low and high distortion levels. There is no doubt that the findings put forward in the study will aid in the development of perceptually driven image processing systems and applications in the future

Performing arts and the royal Courts of Southeast Asia. volume 1: pusaka as documented heritage

This publication brings together current scholarship that focuses on the significance of performing arts heritage of royal courts in Southeast Asia. Royal courts have long been sites for the creation, exchange, maintenance, and development of myriad forms of performing arts and other distinctive cultural expressions. The first volume, Pusaka as Documented Heritage, consists of historical case studies, contexts and developments of royal court traditions, particularly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Gut impact on mental well-being

If you've never heard of "Go With Your Gut Day" before, well, today is the day. Created in the United States in 2012, Go With Your Gut Day, which has been adopted by other countries, helps to remind people to take proactive steps in improving their gut health

Excessive Checking in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Neurochemical Correlates Revealed by 7T Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Background Compulsive checking, a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), has been difficult to capture experimentally. Therefore, determination of its neural basis remains challenging despite some evidence suggesting that it is linked to dysfunction of cingulostriatal systems. This study introduces a novel experimental paradigm to measure excessive checking and its neurochemical correlates. Methods Thirty-one patients with OCD and 29 healthy volunteers performed a decision-making task requiring them to decide whether 2 perceptually similar visual representations were the same or different under a high-uncertainty condition without feedback. Both groups underwent 7T magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans on the same day. Correlations between out-of-scanner experimental measures of checking and the glutamate/GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) ratio in the anterior cingulate cortex, supplementary motor area, and occipital cortex were assessed. Their relationship with subjective ratings of doubt, anxiety, and confidence was also investigated. Results Patients with OCD exhibited excessive and dysfunctional checking, which was significantly correlated with changes in the glutamate/GABA ratio within the anterior cingulate cortex. No behavioral/neurochemical relationships were evident for either the supplementary motor area or occipital cortex. The excessive checking observed in patients was negatively correlated with their confidence levels and positively related to doubt, anxiety, and compulsivity traits. Conclusions We conclude that experimental measures of excessive and dysfunctional checking in OCD, which have been linked to increased doubt, anxiety, and lack of confidence, are related to an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neural activity within the anterior cingulate cortex. This study adds to our understanding of the role of this region in OCD by providing a laboratory model of the possible development of compulsive checking

Leader humility and employee service performance: examining the role of meaningfulness in Work, thriving at work and trust in the leader

Although the effectiveness of leader humility has been established, there remains a research gap regarding its impact on employee service performance in different industries and cultural contexts. This study examines the perceived influence of leader humility on employee service performance, considering the mediating effects of meaningfulness in work and thriving at work and the moderating effect of trust in a leader. The research focuses specifically on the banking and telecom industries in Bangladesh. Conservation resource theory is the underpinning theory and test of the proposed model. This study investigates how leader humility promotes employee service performance by enhancing meaningfulness in work and thriving at work. Additionally, this study explores the contributions of trust in leaders and leader humility to improve meaningfulness in work. A quantitative research approach is adopted, utilizing a survey instrument adapted from existing studies. Non-probability sampling techniques are employed to collect data from the target respondents. The measurement and structural model analysis are conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). At the same time, the sequential mediation impact of meaningfulness in work and thriving at work and the moderated mediation impact of trust in leaders is analyzed using the PROCESS Macro in SPSS. The hypotheses are validated through a matched manager-employee questionnaire sample comprising 306 participants from two Bangladeshi service companies operating in the banking and telecom sectors. Study findings demonstrate that leader humility improves employee meaningfulness, thriving at work, and service performance. This finding suggests that humble leaders can create a workplace where employees feel purpose, personal growth, and better service. This study also shows that thriving at work mediates the association between meaningfulness in work and employee service performance. This finding shows that meaningful work motivates employees to thrive, improving service performance. This study also finds that meaningfulness and thriving at work sequentially buffer the association between leader humility and employee service performance. Leader humility directly affects meaningfulness, which affects thriving at work and service performance. Trust in the leader also moderates the relationship between leader humility and employee outcomes. This study's noble finding shows that leader humility affects meaningfulness and thriving at work depending on trust in a leader. Trust in the leader influences how well leader humility promotes meaningful work experiences and employee thriving. This study analyzes Bangladesh's banking and telecom sectors, revealing their distinctive dynamics. This discovery makes the results more applicable and has practical implications for these industries. These findings highlight how leader humility improves staff well-being and performance. This study explains leader humility and its contextual factors. This study has theoretical and managerial implications. These consequences are thoroughly investigated, providing practical insights for leaders and companies in comparable situations