Inhibition and kinetic studies of lignin degrading enzymes of Ganoderma boninense by naturally occurring phenolic compounds

Aim Lignolytic (lignin degrading) enzyme, from oil palm pathogen Ganoderma boninense Pat. (Syn G. orbiforme (Ryvarden)), is involved in the detoxification and the degradation of lignin in the oil palm and is the rate‐limiting step in the infection process of this fungus. Active inhibition of lignin‐degrading enzymes secreted by G. boninense by various naturally occurring phenolic compounds and estimation of efficiency on pathogen suppression was aimed at. Methods and Results In our work, 10 naturally occurring phenolic compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory potential towards the lignolytic enzymes of G. boninense. Additionally, the lignin‐degrading enzymes were characterized. Most of the peholic compounds exhibited an uncompetitive inhibition towards the lignin‐degrading enzymes. Benzoic acid was the superior inhibitor to the production of lignin‐degrading enzymes, when compared between the 10 phenolic compounds. The inhibitory potential of the phenolic compounds towards the lignin‐degrading enzymes are higher than that of the conventional metal ion inhibitor. The lignin‐degrading enzymes were stable in a wide range of pH but were sensitive to higher temperature. Conclusion The study demonstrated the inhibitor potential of 10 naturally occurring phenolic compounds towards the lignin‐degrading enzymes of G. boninense with different efficacies. Significance and Impact of the Study The study has shed a light towards a new management strategy to control basal stem rot disease in oil palm. It serves as a replacement for the existing chemical control

User Intent Prediction in Information-seeking Conversations

Conversational assistants are being progressively adopted by the general population. However, they are not capable of handling complicated information-seeking tasks that involve multiple turns of information exchange. Due to the limited communication bandwidth in conversational search, it is important for conversational assistants to accurately detect and predict user intent in information-seeking conversations. In this paper, we investigate two aspects of user intent prediction in an information-seeking setting. First, we extract features based on the content, structural, and sentiment characteristics of a given utterance, and use classic machine learning methods to perform user intent prediction. We then conduct an in-depth feature importance analysis to identify key features in this prediction task. We find that structural features contribute most to the prediction performance. Given this finding, we construct neural classifiers to incorporate context information and achieve better performance without feature engineering. Our findings can provide insights into the important factors and effective methods of user intent prediction in information-seeking conversations.Comment: Accepted to CHIIR 201

Larval Development of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Peri-Urban Brackish Water and Its Implications for Transmission of Arboviral Diseases

Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Aedes albopictus Skuse mosquitoes transmit serious human arboviral diseases including yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya in many tropical and sub-tropical countries. Females of the two species have adapted to undergo preimaginal development in natural or artificial collections of freshwater near human habitations and feed on human blood. While there is an effective vaccine against yellow fever, the control of dengue and chikungunya is mainly dependent on reducing freshwater preimaginal development habitats of the two vectors. We show here that Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus lay eggs and their larvae survive to emerge as adults in brackish water (water with <0.5 ppt or parts per thousand, 0.5–30 ppt and >30 ppt salt are termed fresh, brackish and saline respectively). Brackish water with salinity of 2 to 15 ppt in discarded plastic and glass containers, abandoned fishing boats and unused wells in coastal peri-urban environment were found to contain Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus larvae. Relatively high incidence of dengue in Jaffna city, Sri Lanka was observed in the vicinity of brackish water habitats containing Ae. aegypti larvae. These observations raise the possibility that brackish water-adapted Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus may play a hitherto unrecognized role in transmitting dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever in coastal urban areas. National and international health authorities therefore need to take the findings into consideration and extend their vector control efforts, which are presently focused on urban freshwater habitats, to include brackish water larval development habitats

Generalised Shastry-Sutherland Models in three and higher dimensions

We construct Heisenberg anti-ferromagnetic models in arbitrary dimensions that have isotropic valence bond crystals (VBC) as their exact ground states. The d=2 model is the Shastry-Sutherland model. In the 3-d case we show that it is possible to have a lattice structure, analogous to that of SrCu_2(BO_3)_2, where the stronger bonds are associated with shorter bond lengths. A dimer mean field theory becomes exact at d -> infinity and a systematic 1/d expansion can be developed about it. We study the Neel-VBC transition at large d and find that the transition is first order in even but second order in odd dimensions.Comment: Published version; slightly expande

Aeroacoustic response of an array of tubes with and without bias-flow

Heat exchangers, consisting of tube arrays in a cross-flow are a vital component of power generation systems. They are of interest from an acoustic point of view, because they can reflect, transmit and absorb an incident sound wave; in other words, they have the potential to act as a sound absorber and even as a passive control device to prevent a thermoacoustic instability in the power generation system. This paper presents a fundamental study of the aeroacoustic response of a tube array with and without bias-flow (also called cross-flow). The study has a theoretical and experimental side. On the theoretical side, a new model, based on the assumption of quasi-steady flow, was developed to predict the acoustic reflection and transmission coefficient of a tube array with bias-flow. Also, the model by Huang and Heckl (Huang and Heckl, 1993, Acustica 78, 191–200) for the case without bias-flow was evaluated. On the experimental side, flow-duct experiments using a multi-microphone technique were performed to validate the predictions from both models. The agreement was found to be very good for low frequencies. The measurements revealed the limit of validity of the quasi-steady model in terms of the Strouhal number. Although this limit is quite low, our quasi-steady model can serve as a valuable tool for designers of heat exchangers

A 3-SNP gene risk score and a metabolic risk score both predict hypertriglyceridemia and cardiovascular disease risk.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the causal link between plasma triglyceride (TG) levels and risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) has recently emerged. Individuals with the metabolic syndrome have an increased risk for acquiring elevated TG levels later in life. Moreover, common DNA sequence variations in genes affecting TG levels identify individuals at risk for elevated plasma TG levels. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated whether a 3-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) TG gene risk score (GRS) and a metabolic risk score (MetRS) both improved CVD risk prediction. METHODS: A 3-SNP GRS and MetRS were generated in the EPIC-Norfolk cohort (n = 20,074) based on 3 SNPs in LPL and APOA5 or the number of Metabolic Syndrome criteria present (maximum 5), respectively. The associations between the 3-SNP GRS, MetRS, TG levels, and CVD risk were evaluated. RESULTS: The 3-SNP GRS and MetRS were both linearly associated with plasma TG levels, that is, +0.25 mmol/L [95% CI 0.22-0.27] per allele change (P < .001) and +0.72 mmol/L [95% CI 0.70-0.73] per increase of number of metabolic syndrome risk score points (P < .001), respectively. We observed a positive association between the 3-SNP GRS and the risk of CVD with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.35 [95% CI 1.04-1.74] for the highest versus the lowest GRS, which was independent of the MetRS. For the MetRS, the adjusted HR was 2.03 [95% CI 1.73-2.40] for the highest versus the lowest MetRS. CONCLUSION: Both the 3-SNP GRS and the MetRS are associated with increased plasma TG levels and increased risk for CVD

Linking Food Security with Household’s Adaptive Capacity and Drought Risk: Implications for Sustainable Rural Development

In spite of green revolution and rapid economic growth, India’s vast population still suffers from hunger and poverty, especially in the rural areas. Moreover, drought adversely affects India’s economy by declining agricultural production and purchasing power. It also escalates rural unemployment which ultimately affects household food security. Our study investigated the food security of drought prone rural households in a broader context by linking the dimensions of food security with dimensions of climate change vulnerability. We used the primary data of 157 drought prone rural households of Odisha state in India for analysis. This study employed polychoric principal component analysis to construct an aggregate food security index. An ordered probit model was used to estimate the determinants of food security. The FSI showed that three-fourth of the respondents were facing food security issues with varying degrees. The estimates of ordered probit model indicated that joint family, education, migration and health insurance are key variables that determine food security, whereas drought adversely affected food security of rural households. Overarching strategies are required to effectively address food security issues in the wake of increased drought risk. This study provides an insight for policy makers in India and in similar south Asian countries who must consider food security in the light of drought

Drivers of food acquisition practices in the food environment of peri-urban Hyderabad, India: a qualitative investigation

This study investigates drivers of food acquisition practices in the food environment of peri-urban Hyderabad, India. We used a multi-method qualitative methodology that included in-depth interviews (n = 18) and an innovative qualitative geographical information systems (Q-GIS) approach, featuring participatory photo mapping and follow-up graphic-elicitation interviews (n = 22). Secondary data from eight focus group discussions (n = 94) was used to corroborate findings related to fruits and vegetables. Thematic analysis identified three primary drivers of food acquisition practices among adults: 1) Food prices and affordability; 2) Vendor and product properties, including (a) quality and freshness, and (b) adulteration and contamination; and 3) Social capital. Drivers of food acquisition and consumption among children and adolescents were a key concern for our participants, and included food availability and accessibility, desirability, and convenience. Findings reveal a need for targeted interventions in external and personal food environments to improve diets, nutrition, and health in this setting

Type I tympanoplasty meta-analysis : a single variable analysis

OBJECTIVE : To determine which independent variables influencing the efficacy of type I tympanoplasty in adult and pediatric populations. DATA SOURCES : A search of the PubMed database and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews using the key words "tympanoplasty OR myringoplasty" from January 1966 to July 2014 was performed. STUDY COLLECTION : Studies reporting outcomes of myringoplasty or Type I tympanoplasty in primary non-cholesteatomatous chronic tympanic membrane (TM) perforation were included. DATA EXTRACTION : Of 4,698 abstracts reviewed, 214 studies involving 26,097 patients met our inclusion criteria and contributed to meta-analysis. DATA SYBTHESIS : The primary outcome of success was defined as closure rate at 12 months. The independent variables analyzed were age, follow-up period, approach, graft material, perforation cause, size, location, ear dryness, and surgical technique. Only those studies providing data on a given parameter of interest could be included when comparing each variable. CONCLUSION : The weighted average success rate of tympanic closure was 86.6%. Based on this meta-analysis, pediatric surgery has a 5.8% higher failure rate than adults and there is no correlation between follow-up period and success. Other variables associated with improved closure rates include perforation with a size less than 50% of total area (improved by 6.1%) and the use of cartilage as a graft (improved by 2.8% compared with fascia), while ears that were operated on while still discharging, those in different locations of the pars tensa, or using different surgical approaches or techniques did not have significantly different outcomes.http://journals.lww.com/otology-neurotology2017-06-30hb2016Speech-Language Pathology and Audiolog