SARS-CoV-2 infects the human kidney and drives fibrosis in kidney organoids

Kidney failure is frequently observed during and after COVID-19, but it remains elusive whether this is a direct effect of the virus. Here, we report that SARS-CoV-2 directly infects kidney cells and is associated with increased tubule-interstitial kidney fibrosis in patient autopsy samples. To study direct effects of the virus on the kidney independent of systemic effects of COVID-19, we infected human-induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived kidney organoids with SARS-CoV-2. Single-cell RNA sequencing indicated injury and dedifferentiation of infected cells with activation of profibrotic signaling pathways. Importantly, SARS-CoV-2 infection also led to increased collagen 1 protein expression in organoids. A SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitor was able to ameliorate the infection of kidney cells by SARS-CoV-2. Our results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect kidney cells and induce cell injury with subsequent fibrosis. These data could explain both acute kidney injury in COVID-19 patients and the development of chronic kidney disease in long COVID

Estimation of Annual Mileage Budgets for a Multiple Discrete-Continuous Choice Model of Household Vehicle Ownership and Utilization

This paper presents an empirical comparison of the following approaches to estimate annual mileage budgets for multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MDCEV) models of household vehicle ownership and utilization: (a) a log-linear regression approach to model observed total annual household vehicle miles traveled (AH-VMT), (b) a stochastic frontier regression approach to model latent annual vehicle mileage frontier, and (c) other approaches used in the literature to assume annual household vehicle mileage budgets. For the stochastic regression approach, MDCEV and multiple discrete-continuous heteroscedastic extreme value (MDCHEV) models were estimated and examined. When model predictions were compared with observed distributions of vehicle ownership and utilization in a validation data sample, the log-linear regression approach performed better than other approaches. However, policy simulations demonstrate that the log-linear regression approach does not allow for AH-VMT to increase or decrease as a result of changes in vehicle-specific attributes, such as changes in fuel economy. The stochastic frontier approach overcomes that limitation. Policy simulation results with the stochastic frontier approach suggest that increasing the fuel economy of a category of vehicles increases the ownership and use of those vehicles. But this does not necessarily translate into an equal decrease in the use of other household vehicles, confirming previous findings in the literature that improvements in fuel economy tend to induce additional travel. In view of policy responsiveness and prediction accuracy, using the stochastic frontier regression (for estimating mileage budgets) in conjunction with the MDCHEV model for discrete-continuous choice analysis of household vehicle ownership and utilization is recommended

Ultrasound assisted green synthesis of zinc oxide nanorods at room temperature

221-226<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-bidi-font-family:mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;="" mso-bidi-language:hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Nanostructured ZnO (without stabilizers) has been synthesized using conventional (non-ultrasound i.e. NUS) as well as sonochemically assisted (US) synthesis method. Zinc nitrate hexahydrate (Zn(NO3)2.6H2O) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) have been used as raw materials (synthesis precursors). Zinc nitrate hexahydrate reacts with sodium hydroxide at room temperature (35 ± 2°C) to form ZnO powder. It is found that equilibrium conversion occurred in a shorter time in sonochemically (US) assisted method when compared to conventional (NUS) method. The ZnO powders synthesized by both the methods have shown to have nanometric-sized crystallites. It was found that the crystallite size of the sonochemically (US) synthesized ZnO and conventionally (NUS) synthesized ZnO are 23 ± 1 nm and 32 ± 1 nm respectively. The FTIR spectra analysis confirms the occurrence of the reaction to form Zinc Oxide by both NUS and US methods. Needle shaped structures agglomerated in the forms of bundles were also found in SEM micrographs. It was found that sonochemical synthesis method have saved more than 90% of energy utilized by conventional synthesis method along with the reduced in the reaction duration by 110 minutes.</span

Expression and subcellular localization of organophosphate hydrolase in acephate-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain Ind01 and its use as a potential biocatalyst for elimination of organophosphate insecticides

Organophosphate hydrolase (OPH), the product of an organophosphate‐degrading (opd) gene cloned from Brevundimonas diminuta, hydrolyses the triester linkage found in neurotoxic organophosphate (OP) insecticides and nerve agents. Despite the fact that OPHs have a broad substrate range, OP compounds with a P‐S linkage, such as insecticides like acephate, are poor substrates for the enzyme. Expression of OPH in acephate‐utilizing Pseudomonas sp. Ind01 generated a live biocatalyst capable of degrading a wide range of OP insecticides. The heterologously expressed OPH, which is a substrate of twin arginine transport (Tat) pathway, successfully targeted to the membrane of Pseudomonas sp. Ind01. The membrane‐associated OPH had a size that coincided with the mature form of OPH (mOPH), suggesting successful processing and targeting of the expressed OPH to the membrane. Pseudomonas sp. Ind01 expressing OPH degraded a variety of OP insecticides besides using acephate as sole carbon source

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: HI" lang="EN-GB">Structural and electrical properties of y(Ni_0.7Co_0.2Cd_0.1Fe₂O₄) + (1-y)Ba_0.9Sr_0.1TiO₃ magnetoelectric composite</span>

279-283<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Magnetoelectric (ME) composites of ferrite and ferroelectric phase with y(Ni0.7Co0.2Cd0.1Fe2O4) + (1-y)Ba0.9Sr0.1TiO3 with y=0.15, 0.30 and 0.45, respectively were prepared by standard double sintering ceramic method. The constituent phases, i.e., ferrite and ferroelectric phase presence were confirmed by X-ray diffraction pattern. Scanning electron micrographs were studied to understand microstructure of the prepared samples. The dielectric constant (έ) and loss tangent (tanδ) were measured as a function of frequency and also function of temperature at the fixed frequencies 1, 10, 100 kHz and 1 MHz. The AC conductivity was studied to understand conduction mechanism.</span

Energy efficient, clean and solvent free photochemical benzylic bromination using NBS in concentrated solar radiation (CSR)

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. An environmentally benign, clean, solvent free approach for the benzylic bromination have been developed using concentrated solar radiation (CSR). CSR methodology was used as an energy source to the reaction media. The protocol was found to be superior to the conventional photochemical and thermal methods in terms of reaction time and total energy requirement. This method was adapted with concentrated solar radiations in solvent free conditions without the use of radical initiators and has proved to provide good yields. Incorporation of renewable energy source, minimisation of raw materials makes the process not only green but energy efficient also

Phase transformation of nanostructured titanium dioxide from anatase-to-rutile via combined ultrasound assisted sol-gel technique

An effort was made to synthesize nanostructured TiO2 via sol-gel technique to obtain a 100% rutile polymorph of nanostructured TiO2. The sol-gel synthesis technique was suitably modified by incorporating ultrasound to study the effect of cavitation on the phase transformation, crystallite size, crystallinity and morphological (scanning electron microscopy) properties of the obtained nano-TiO2. It was observed that using ultrasound, yield of the nano-TiO2 was improved from 86.35% to 95.078%. The phase transformation of anatase-to-rutile of TiO2 was studied for both (ultrasound assisted and conventional) the processes. Complete phase transformation of the TiO2 was observed as expected with and without the use of ultrasound but the marked reduction in the required calcination temperature for obtaining 100% phase transformation with ultrasound was the major achievement in the present study, leading to 70% energy savings during calcination

Synthesis of chalcone (3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one): advantage of sonochemical method over conventional method

In this work, an attempt was made to synthesize chalcone (3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one) by condensation of 4-fluorobenzaldehyde with 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanone under basic conditions by using both conventional (NUS) and sonochemical (US) methods. A simple condensation reaction of 4-fluorobenzaldehyde and 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanone using potassium hydroxide as a base was carried out for the study. The synthesized chalcone derivative was characterized for FTIR, NMR, elemental analyses and studied for XRD, PSM, TGA and SEM properties to evaluate its performance obtained under ultrasonic energy. It was observed that complete conversion to chalcone occurred in 10 min by sonochemical method and in 4 h by conventional method. Also it was found that crystallinity of the US synthesized chalcone was found to be increased by 63% than that of NUS synthesized chalcone. Finally, it has been observed that chalcone synthesis using sonochemical method is an energy efficient technique over conventional method (almost 90% of energy saving)