Investigation of the argonaute protein variants in Toxoplasma gondii and the contribution of argonaute to RNA silencing

Argonaute protein is a vital component in the RNA interference pathway and post-transcriptional gene regulation in eukaryotes and the protein was recently identified in Toxoplasma gondii. However, the molecular mechanism by which the argonaute protein participates in regulating gene regulation pathways is unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the presence of argonaute protein variants in T. gondii (TgAgo), and its contribution in post-transcriptional gene silencing pathway. Furthermore, the study was designed to elucidate the influence of TgAgo on parasite growth and bradyzoite development. Using PCR analysis, I did not detect any transcript variants of TgAgo. A single transcript of TgAgo was identified to have 2,232 nucleotides encompassing 5 exons. Protein immunoblot assay showed a single protein of ~58.5 kDa. Gene silencing assays demonstrated that knockout of argonaute expression (AGOKO) reduced the gene silencing ability of an RNAi-like mechanisms in T. gondii, suggesting the importance of TgAgo in post transcriptional gene regulation pathways. T. gondii growth pattern was unaffected by the removal of Ago expression. However, bradyzoite formation was increased in AGOKO strains. The study suggests that TgAgo is a vital component of bradyzoite formation in the life cycle of T. gondii

Impact of Continuous Professional Education on Leadership for Rehabilitation Professionals in Bangladesh: A Pilot Study

Background: In healthcare and rehabilitation profession, continuous professional education (CPE) is deemed as an essential tool by institutions, regulatory bodies and organizations. It is considered to be a safeguard to professional practice to ensure patient safety and efficient service delivery. Leadership program is an emerging subject that integrates technical, management and leadership skill that found indispensable to enhance ultimate professional development. Objective: The purpose of this article is to explore the potential impact of CPE on leadership training for rehabilitation professionals in Bangladesh. Methodology: This pilot study was a mixed methods study. 20 rehabilitation professionals participated in the study. Quantitative data were collected by structured questionnaire and qualitative data were obtained by face to face video recording interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)   and thematic analysis was considered for qualitative data. Result: Study findings showed that 95% of the participants (n=19) were in their 2nd to 3rd decade of life, there mean age were 26 and male participation (n=12) were higher than female (n=8). Highest academic qualification was master’s degree and none of the participants attended leadership training before. Overall objective, planning and atmosphere of the training course, quality of trainers and time management seemed effective and satisfactory to the participants they agreed with. Leadership qualities and elements have profound impacts on knowledge and attitude towards positivity in performing professional duties and Responsibilities. The training also enhances motivation to be a skilled professional in clinical practice, also encourages serving with outmost excellence towards patients or clients. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that education on leadership to professionals have an impact on motivation and positivity towards developing technical, management and professional skills. The study may have impact on developing diverse qualities of a professional in personal and organizational perspective; this can be explored by continuing education on leadership and evaluation of the behavioral changes, professional and management skills in rehabilitation professionals’ serving in an organization in longer run

Integration of Large-Scale Electric Vehicles into Utility Grid: An Efficient Approach for Impact Analysis and Power Quality Assessment

Electric vehicles (EVs) have received massive consideration in the automotive industries due to their improved performance, efficiency and capability to minimize global warming and carbon emission impacts. The utilization of EVs has several potential benefits, such as increased use of renewable energy, less dependency on fossil-fuel-based power generations and energy-storage capability. Although EVs can significantly mitigate global carbon emissions, it is challenging to maintain power balance during charging on-peak hours. Thus, it mandates a comprehensive impact analysis of high-level electric vehicle penetration in utility grids. This paper investigates the impacts of large-scale EV penetration on low voltage distribution, considering the charging time, charging method and characteristics. Several charging scenarios are considered for EVs’ integration into the utility grid regarding power demand, voltage profile, power quality and system adequacy. A lookup-table-based charging approach for EVs is proposed for impact analysis, while considering a large-scale integration. It is observed that the bus voltage and line current are affected during high-level charging and discharging of the EVs. The residential grid voltage sag increases by about 1.96% to 1.77%, 2.21%, 1.96 to 1.521% and 1.93% in four EV-charging profiles, respectively. The finding of this work can be adopted in designing optimal charging/discharging of EVs to minimize the impacts on bus voltage and line current

Hypoglycemic, hypolippidemic and antioxidant effects of leaves methanolic extract of Baccaurea ramiflora

The present study was designed for investigating the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activity of the leaves of B. ramiflora. Antioxidant potential was assayed by measuring the free radical scavenging activity using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Diabetes was induced in adult albino rats of both sexes by intra peritoneal (i.p) injection of alloxan (120 mg/kg). Methanolic extract of B. ramiflora leaves (200 mg/kg) was administered as a single dose per day to the diabetic rats for 14 days. The control group received distilled water for the same duration. Blood glucose levels and serum lipid profiles were measured in the diabetic and non-diabetic rats. The methanolic extract showed potent free radical scavenging activity with IC value of 23.83 (μg/ml). It produced substantial hypoglycemia and reduced the elevated blood glucose level in the diabetic rats towards normal and it was statistically highly significant (

Evolution of Vanadium Redox Flow Battery in Electrode

The vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is a highly regarded technology for large-scale energy storage due to its outstanding features, such as scalability, efficiency, long lifespan, and site independence. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of its performance in carbon-based electrodes, along with a comprehensive review of the system‘s principles and mechanisms. It discusses potential applications, recent industrial involvement, and economic factors associated with VRFB technology. The study also covers the latest advancements in VRFB electrodes, including electrode surface modification and electrocatalyst materials, and highlights their effects on the VRFB system‘s performance. Additionally, the potential of two-dimensional material MXene to enhance electrode performance is evaluated, and the author concludes that MXenes offer significant advantages for use in high-power VRFB at a low cost. Finally, the paper reviews the challenges and future development of VRFB technology

Chronic Aflatoxin Exposure and Cognitive and Language Development in Young Children of Bangladesh : A Longitudinal Study

Aflatoxin can cross the blood–brain barrier, damage brain tissues, and have the potential to harm the development of the human brain. Although dietary aflatoxin exposure is common in children, there is a paucity of data on aflatoxin exposure and child developmental outcomes. The child’s cognitive, motor, and language functions were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III or BSID-III at the same time points. Association between exposure to aflatoxin and subtests of BSID-III were examined using mixed-effect linear regression. Aflatoxin assays were performed on 194, 167, and 163 children at 15, 24, and 36 months of age, and chronic aflatoxin exposure was detected in 20.6%, 16.8%, and 60.7% of children, respectively. Multi-variable analyses showed that aflatoxin exposure was independently related to the children’s cognitive score (β: −0.69; 95% CI: −1.36, −0.02), receptive language score (β: −0.90; 95% CI: −1.62, −0.17), and expressive language score (β: −1.01; 95% CI: −1.96, −0.05). We did not observe any association between exposure to aflatoxin and the motor function of children. Chronic exposure to aflatoxin exposure was linked to reduced cognitive, expressive, and receptive language scores of the study children. Further research is needed in a different setting to confirm this novel finding.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

The assessment of musculoskeletal disorders, quality of life, and comorbidities in older people in Bangladesh

Musculoskeletal disorders are debilitating conditions that significantly impact the state of health, especially in older people. The study, which employed a cross-sectional design and practical sampling, included 206 participants among them 124 (62.2%) were men and 82 (39.8%) were women, from all over Bangladesh with musculoskeletal issues of varying severity and impact. The mean age of the participants was 64.9 (SD 4.3). The study was carried out between January and June of 2022. The majority of participants experienced musculoskeletal pain. Back pain was the most commonly complained of symptom among the participants (74.9%). It was also common to have limited mobility as a result of arthritic change, which eventually affected daily activities like taking care of oneself. To improve the health of the older adult population, more studies must be conducted to identify the many factors that contribute to musculoskeletal issues. The development of effective prevention and rehabilitation programs must then be based on this knowledge

Microwave brain imaging system to detect brain tumor using metamaterial loaded stacked antenna array

In this paper, proposes a microwave brain imaging system to detect brain tumors using a metamaterial (MTM) loaded three-dimensional (3D) stacked wideband antenna array. The antenna is comprised of metamaterial-loaded with three substrate layers, including two air gaps. One 1 x 4 MTM array element is used in the top layer and middle layer, and one 3 x 2 MTM array element is used in the bottom layer. The MTM array elements in layers are utilized to enhance the performance concerning antenna's efficiency, bandwidth, realized gain, radiation directionality in free space and near the head model. The antenna is fabricated on cost-effective Rogers RT5880 and RO4350B substrate, and the optimized dimension of the antenna is 50 x 40 x 8.66 mm3. The measured results show that the antenna has a fractional bandwidth of 79.20% (1.37-3.16 GHz), 93% radiation efficiency, 98% high fidelity factor, 6.67 dBi gain, and adequate field penetration in the head tissue with a maximum of 0.0018 W/kg specific absorption rate. In addition, a 3D realistic tissue-mimicking head phantom is fabricated and measured to verify the performance of the antenna. Later, a nine-antenna array-based microwave brain imaging (MBI) system is implemented and investigated by using phantom model. After that, the scattering parameters are collected, analyzed, and then processed by the Iteratively Corrected delay-multiply-and-sum algorithm to detect and reconstruct the brain tumor images. The imaging results demonstrated that the implemented MBI system can successfully detect the target benign and malignant tumors with their locations inside the brain. 2022, The Author(s).This research work is supported by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) research Grant DIP-2020-009.Scopu