Cloning and expression of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus full-length nonstructural gene in Pichia pastoris.

Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious and rapidly evolving pathogen of major concern to the poultry industry and human health. Rapid and accurate detection of avian influenza virus is a necessary tool for control of outbreaks and surveillance. The AI virus A/Chicken/Malaysia/5858/2004 (H5N1) was used as a template to produce DNA clones of the full-length NS1 genes via reverse transcriptase synthesis of cDNA by PCR amplification of the NS1 region. Products were cloned into pCR2.0 TOPO TA plasmid and subsequently subcloned into pPICZA vector to construct a recombinant plasmid. Recombinant plasmid designated as pPICZA-NS1 gene was confirmed by PCR colony screening, restriction enzyme digestion, and nucleotide sequence analysis. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115 strain by electroporation, and expressed protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and western blotting. A recombinant protein of approximately ~28kDa was produced. The expressed protein was able to bind a rabbit polyclonal antibody of nonstructural protein (NS1) avian influenza virus H5N1. The result of the western blotting and solid-phase ELISA assay using H5N1 antibody indicated that the recombinant protein produced retained its antigenicity. This further indicates that Pichia pastoris could be an efficient expression system for a avian influenza virus nonstructural (NS1)

Review of Manufacturing Process of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites

Lately, natural fibers have been gaining consideration in development of composites due to its biodegradability, availability and low-cost compared to synthetic fibers. Natural fibers are renewable sources, biodegradable, environmentally friendly and effortless in machinery. In this paper, the manufacturing of production for natural fiber reinforced polymer composite (NFRC) will be reviewed. These including injection molding, resin transfer molding (RTM), pultrusion, sheet molding compound (SMC) and compression molding processing technique. Injection molding and compression molding are mostly used in the industry. This is due to the machines give a good finishing surface of the products and low cos

Temporal change detection of land use/land cover using GIS and remote sensing techniques in South Ghor Regions, Al-Karak, Jordan

This study examines the spatial and temporal changes of land use and land cover in South Ghor, Jordan. Satellite images for the years 1972, 1989, 1999 and 2016 were used for LULC supervised classification techniques, four LULC classes were decided: built-up areas, pastures and bare land, agricultural land and water bodies. For the accuracy of assessment classifications, matrix error and KAPPA analysis have been used in this paper. The analysis detected by supervised classification techniques show that agricultural land and built-up land have increased, while barren land and water bodies have decreased. It is predicted that the study would significantly contribute to better policy making, sustainable development and developing useful change detection planes for the south ghor regions and similar regions of the country.Keywords: land use/land cover change; change detection; classification; remote sensing; GI

Limits of the energy-spin phase space beyond the proton drip line: Entry distributions of Pt and Au isobars

Entry distributions in angular momentum and excitation energy have been measured for several very proton-rich isotopes of Pt and Au. This is the first systematic study of the energy-spin phase space for nuclei near and beyond the proton drip line. Comparisons are made between the distributions associated with proton-unbound Au nuclei and more stable Pt isobars. In 173Au the first evidence is seen for the limits of excitation energy and angular momentum which a nucleus beyond the proton drip line can sustain

Identification of excited structures in proton unbound nuclei 173,175,177Au: Shape co-existence and intruder bands

Excited states in the proton-unbound 173,175,177Au nuclei were identified for the first time. Level structures associated with three different shapes were observed in 175Au. While the yrast lines of 175Au and 177Au consist of a prolate band built upon the intruder 1/2+[660] (i13/2) proton orbital, no sign of collectivity was observed in the lighter 173Au isotope. Implications for the deformation associated with these structures are discussed with a focus on shape co-existence in the vicinity of the proton-drip line

Spatial, temporal, and demographic patterns in prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019 : a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Ending the global tobacco epidemic is a defining challenge in global health. Timely and comprehensive estimates of the prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden are needed to guide tobacco control efforts nationally and globally. Methods: We estimated the prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden for 204 countries and territories, by age and sex, from 1990 to 2019 as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study. We modelled multiple smoking-related indicators from 3625 nationally representative surveys. We completed systematic reviews and did Bayesian meta-regressions for 36 causally linked health outcomes to estimate non-linear dose-response risk curves for current and former smokers. We used a direct estimation approach to estimate attributable burden, providing more comprehensive estimates of the health effects of smoking than previously available. Findings: Globally in 2019, 1.14 billion (95% uncertainty interval 1.13-1.16) individuals were current smokers, who consumed 7.41 trillion (7.11-7.74) cigarette-equivalents of tobacco in 2019. Although prevalence of smoking had decreased significantly since 1990 among both males (27.5% [26. 5-28.5] reduction) and females (37.7% [35.4-39.9] reduction) aged 15 years and older, population growth has led to a significant increase in the total number of smokers from 0.99 billion (0.98-1.00) in 1990. Globally in 2019, smoking tobacco use accounted for 7.69 million (7.16-8.20) deaths and 200 million (185-214) disability-adjusted life-years, and was the leading risk factor for death among males (20.2% [19.3-21.1] of male deaths). 6.68 million [86.9%] of 7.69 million deaths attributable to smoking tobacco use were among current smokers. Interpretation: In the absence of intervention, the annual toll of 7.69 million deaths and 200 million disability-adjusted life-years attributable to smoking will increase over the coming decades. Substantial progress in reducing the prevalence of smoking tobacco use has been observed in countries from all regions and at all stages of development, but a large implementation gap remains for tobacco control. Countries have a dear and urgent opportunity to pass strong, evidence-based policies to accelerate reductions in the prevalence of smoking and reap massive health benefits for their citizens

In-beam γ-ray spectroscopy of 172Pt

Collective structures in 172Pt have been investigated by measuring in-beam γ rays with mass selection and the recoil-decay tagging technique. The discrepancy in the ground-state band from previous studies has been resolved, and a new collective structure that is likely based on an octupole vibration has been identified. A band mixing model is used to determine the properties of the competing near-spherical and deformed ground-state sequences in the light Os-Pt-Hg-Pb region. Evidence for a reduction of deformation in the deformed vacuum structure below N=98 is presented

Shape coexistence and band crossings in 174Pt

High-spin states in 174Pt were populated via the 92Mo(84Sr, 2p) and 92Mo(84Sr, 2p2n) reactions. The ground-state band has been extended from I= 14 to 24 (tentatively 26) and a new side band is observed up to a spin of 21 (tentatively 23). A low-frequency crossing is observed in the latter band at a rotational frequency that is similar to that seen in the ground-state band. The first and second i13/2 neutron alignments are also observed in 174Pt. Surprisingly, these crossings occur at approximately the same frequency. Total Routhian surface and cranked shell model calculations are used in an attempt to understand this behavior

Anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2018

Anemia is a globally widespread condition in women and is associated with reduced economic productivity and increased mortality worldwide. Here we map annual 2000–2018 geospatial estimates of anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) across 82 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stratify anemia by severity and aggregate results to policy-relevant administrative and national levels. Additionally, we provide subnational disparity analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of anemia prevalence inequalities within these countries and predict progress toward the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) to reduce anemia by half by 2030. Our results demonstrate widespread moderate improvements in overall anemia prevalence but identify only three LMICs with a high probability of achieving the WHO GNT by 2030 at a national scale, and no LMIC is expected to achieve the target in all their subnational administrative units. Our maps show where large within-country disparities occur, as well as areas likely to fall short of the WHO GNT, offering precision public health tools so that adequate resource allocation and subsequent interventions can be targeted to the most vulnerable populations.Peer reviewe

Mapping subnational HIV mortality in six Latin American countries with incomplete vital registration systems

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a public health priority in Latin America. While the burden of HIV is historically concentrated in urban areas and high-risk groups, subnational estimates that cover multiple countries and years are missing. This paucity is partially due to incomplete vital registration (VR) systems and statistical challenges related to estimating mortality rates in areas with low numbers of HIV deaths. In this analysis, we address this gap and provide novel estimates of the HIV mortality rate and the number of HIV deaths by age group, sex, and municipality in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico.MethodsWe performed an ecological study using VR data ranging from 2000 to 2017, dependent on individual country data availability. We modeled HIV mortality using a Bayesian spatially explicit mixed-effects regression model that incorporates prior information on VR completeness. We calibrated our results to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.ResultsAll countries displayed over a 40-fold difference in HIV mortality between municipalities with the highest and lowest age-standardized HIV mortality rate in the last year of study for men, and over a 20-fold difference for women. Despite decreases in national HIV mortality in all countries-apart from Ecuador-across the period of study, we found broad variation in relative changes in HIV mortality at the municipality level and increasing relative inequality over time in all countries. In all six countries included in this analysis, 50% or more HIV deaths were concentrated in fewer than 10% of municipalities in the latest year of study. In addition, national age patterns reflected shifts in mortality to older age groups-the median age group among decedents ranged from 30 to 45years of age at the municipality level in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico in 2017.ConclusionsOur subnational estimates of HIV mortality revealed significant spatial variation and diverging local trends in HIV mortality over time and by age. This analysis provides a framework for incorporating data and uncertainty from incomplete VR systems and can help guide more geographically precise public health intervention to support HIV-related care and reduce HIV-related deaths.Peer reviewe