Koch’s Postulatesfor New Species of Sooty Blotch and Flyspeck

Sooty blotch and flyspeck fungi(SBFS) infect the cuticles of the apples resulting in dark blemishes on the surface. The number of species identified in the SBFS has increased with the help of molecular techniques. The following report summarizes the progress of confirming the identity of additional SBFS species using a modified Koch’s postulates. Molecular techniques of DNA extraction and amplification were applied to fungi isolated from signs on apples

Design of probe for NQR/NMR detection

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a RF technique that is able to detect any compound by sensing the excited resonance signals from atomic nuclei having non-zero spin. NQR is similar to NMR but the only difference is NMR needs a DC magnetic field and due to this its application in the field is limited. A FPGA based NQR spectrometer is designed using a single FPGA chip to perform the digital tasks required for NQR spectrometer. Design of Probe for NMR/NQR spectrometer is researched. Parallel tuned and series tuned Probes are discussed and simulated.14N NQR from NaNO2 is observed from spectrometer designed with parallel tuned probe

Off-balance sheet items and the financial crisis: An empirical evidence of the United Kingdom Banks

The last couple of decades, our financial systems around the world have drastically evolved and given rise to potentially extremely high levels of risk. Borrowing has become extremely easy and at cheaper rates than ever before, opening up a great source of investments to everyone for their specific risk and return needs. Have these complex financial products but in fact hampered our growth? What are the central banks doing about the same? How did we lead ourselves into the crisis and what have we done to avert any further ones? What were the main causes of this devastating fallout and how badly were we affected? By evaluating the role of off-balance sheet items in the process of securitization with context to the financial crisis of 2007-2008, it is possible to explain its root causes. These issues are addressed in this piece of work

The Building of Pulsed NQR/NMR Spectrometer

NQR spectrometer designed is composed of four modules; Transmitter, Probe, Receiver and computer controlled (FPGA & Software) module containing frequency synthesizer, synchronous demodulator, pulse programmer and display. The function of the Transmitter module is to amplify the RF pulse sequence to about 200 W power level into the probe (50 Ohm) which is a parallel resonance circuit with a tapped capacitor. The probe excites the nucleus and picks-up the signal emitted from the nuclei. The nuclear signal at the same frequency as the excitation, which is typically in the range of a few microvolts is amplified, demodulated and filtered (1 kHz to 100 kHz) by receiver module. 14N NQR, 1H and 2H NMR signals are observed from the spectrometer.As the SNR of NQR signal is very low, NQR signal processing based on Adaptive Line Enhancement is presented

First Report of Alphacoronavirus Circulating in Cavernicolous Bats from Portugal

The emergence of novel coronaviruses (CoVs) has emphasized the need to understand their diversity and distribution in animal populations. Bats have been identified as crucial reservoirs for CoVs, and they are found in various bat species worldwide. In this study, we investigated the presence of CoVs of four cavernicolous bats in six locations in the centre and south of Portugal. We collected faeces, anal, and buccal swab samples, as well as air samples from the locations using a Coriolis air sampler. Our results indicate that CoVs were more readily detected in faecal samples compared to anal and buccal swab samples. No CoVs were detected in the air samples. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the detected viruses belong to the Alphacoronavirus genus. This study represents the first report of Alphacoronaviruses circulating in bats in Portugal and highlights the importance of continuous surveillance for novel CoVs in bat populations globally. Ongoing surveillance for CoVs in bat populations is essential as they are a vital source of these viruses. It is crucial to understand the ecological relationships between animals, humans, and the environment to prevent and control the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases. Further ecological studies are needed to investigate the factors contributing to the emergence and transmission of zoonotic viruses.Mahima Hemnani thanks Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) for the financial support of her PhD work under the Maria de Souza scholarship contract number 2021.09380.BD. This work was also funded by FCT, under the projects UIDB/04750/2020, LA/P/0064/2020, UIDP/00772/2020 and LA/P/0059/2020

Sociodemographic profile of Helicobacter pylori positive functional dyspepsia patients in central India

Background: Dyspepsia is one of the common complaints in all sectors of the Indian population. It is diagnosed in the presence of symptoms thought to originate from gastroduodenal region and if there is no organic cause to explain dyspeptic symptoms on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, the patient is labeled as functional dyspepsia (FD). Helicobacter pylori, a Gram-negative bacilli harboring in the acidic gastric environment has been said to be the causative agent, but this association has not been proved in Indian population. Hence, this study was conducted to find out the prevalence of H. pylori in FD.Methods: After the approval from Institutional Ethics Committee, patients presenting with symptoms of dyspepsia of both sex, within age group of 18-60 years and any dietary habit were enrolled in the study. After a detailed history and complete general and systemic examination, patients were subjected to gastroduodenoscopy. On endoscopy, if no lesion was observed, then the patient was labeled as FD. The severity of dyspepsia symptoms was assessed by seven-point global overall symptom (GOS) scale. Patients were then screened for H. pylori infection by both invasive (rapid urease, Gram staining, and culture) and non-invasive tests (C-14 urea breath test).Results: The prevalence of H. pylori in FD was found to be 63.38%. Among 90 H. pylori positive FD patients, 56% were male, 58.89% were below the age of 40 years, and 53.33% belonged to middle income group. The average GOS score for dyspepsia symptoms was 6.01±0.64. Epigastric pain and mild gastritis were the most common presenting symptom and endoscopic finding, respectively.Conclusion: Our results suggest that H. pylori is an important causative factor for dyspeptic symptoms in patients of FD. Hence, all the FD patients must be investigated for H. pylori and treated promptly

A Systematic Review of Hepatitis E Virus Detection in Camels

Simple Summary: Acute hepatitis, which is a rising public health issue globally, is mostly caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV). There is a potential risk of camel-borne zoonotic HEV infection in the desert regions of the Middle East and Africa, where camels frequently interact with human populations and camel-derived food products constitute a component of the food chain. To better understand the current state of this subject, the current work's objective is to provide a scientific review of the detection of HEV genotypes seven and eight in camels around the world. Until today, no review paper has been published compiling and discussing the reports available on HEV in camels. More studies are required to ascertain the prevalence of HEV infection in camels worldwide. Additionally, because camels are utilized as a form of transportation in many countries and because HEV in these animals may pose a threat to public health, there is a possibility of foodborne transmission through contaminated camel products. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) represents a major cause of acute hepatitis and is considered an emerging public health problem around the world. In the Middle East's and Africa's arid regions, where camels frequently interact with human populations and camel-derived food products are a component of the food chain, camel-borne zoonotic HEV infection is a potential threat. To date, no review paper has been published on HEV in camels. As such, the purpose of the current work is to provide a scientific review of the identification of HEV genotypes seven and eight in camels worldwide to have a better understanding of the current status of this topic and to identify gaps in the current knowledge. Searches were carried out in the electronic databases PubMed, Mendeley, Web of Science, and Scopus, including studies published until 31 December 2022 (n = 435). Once the databases were checked for duplicate papers (n = 307), the exclusion criteria were applied to remove any research that was not relevant (n = 118). As a result, only 10 papers were found to be eligible for the study. Additionally, in eight of the ten studies, the rates of HEV infection were found to be between 0.6% and 2.2% in both stool and serum samples. Furthermore, four studies detected HEV genotype seven in dromedary camels, and two studies have shown HEV genotype eight in Bactrian camels. Interestingly, these genotypes were recently reported in camels from the Middle East and China, where one human infection with HEV genotype seven has been associated with the consumption of contaminated camel meat and milk. In conclusion, more research will be needed to determine the prevalence of HEV infection in camels around the world as well as the risk of foodborne transmission of contaminated camel products. As camels are utility animals in several countries, HEV in these animals may pose a potential risk to public health.This research was funded by Fundacao para Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT), grant number 2021.09461.BD

Assessing the pedestrian experience in public spaces

The assessment of the pedestrian experience in public spaces is increasingly becoming an essential constituent of urban street design. This paper first presents a new methodology for evaluating pedestrian environments through on-street surveys, building upon well-established comprehensive pedestrian audit tools, such as PERS and PEDS. The methodology is applied on the South Kensington area of London, in light of recent redevelopments seeing the conversion of the previous car-oriented layout to a more pedestrian-friendly one. The results suggest that the new design is generally perceived positively by pedestrians, but point out that there may be room for improvement in terms of pedestrian comfort. The results are then further analysed statistically in order to draw generic conclusions and investigate the effects of different aspects of the pedestrian environment on each other with respect to the pedestrian experience. By fitting a series of ordered logistic regression models, a number of interdependences are identified and interpreted