Isolation And Characterization Of Disease And Stress Related Genes From Muskmelon (Cucumis Melo L.)

Soil salinity and attack by pathogen a re the major abiotic stresses in plant agriculture worldwide. Past efforts to improve plant tolerance to osmotic stress and pathogen attack through breeding and genetic engineering have shown limited success owing to the genetic complexity of stress responses. Large-scale partial sequencing of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) towards cataloging and categorizing genetically abiotic stress responses can assist a means for the rapid discovery of stress-specific genes. A combination of two types of abiotic stresses (200mM of NaCI and 14 min of 254nm UV-irradiation) were applied to muskmelon seedlings prior to the isolation of RNA for cDNA library construction. Cold plaque hybridisation using non-induced cDNA as probe to screen the stress-induced cDNA library for stress and disease-related genes was performed. A total of 550 ESTs were generated from a stress-induced cDNA library with a cDNA insert size ranging between 500-2500bp. Classification of the ESTs based on their designated functions showed that the majority of isolated genes were involved in salt tolerance and disease resistance. The results showed that the generation of stress-induced ESTs by partial sequencing of random cDNA clones along with expression analysis are efficient approach to identify isolated genes that a re responsible for salt tolerance and disease resistance on a large scale. We believe our dbEST and the associated DNA materials would be a useful resource to scientists engaged in studies on stress-tolerance and disease resistance. MYB proteins a re known to regulate different branches of flavonoid metabolism in plants in response to wounding, UV irradiation and ethephon treatment. Their role as transcriptional regulators in response to stress treatment and pathogen attack also has been reported (Urao et al., 1993; Abe et al., 1997). A 279bp partial MYB-related protein was also isolated by an RT-PCR method using the degenerate primers. At the same time, the double induced stress-related muskmelon cDNA library of salt and UV irradiation provide a good source to study the gene expression and regulatory of MYB gene in relation to the stress and UV treatment. Due to the high similarity of the partial MYB sequence to the cloning vector, p Bluescript SK(+), screening of the full length MYB gene was unsuccessful

Inhibition of Enterovirus 71 (EV-71) Infections by a Novel Antiviral Peptide Derived from EV-71 Capsid Protein VP1

Enterovirus 71 (EV-71) is the main causative agent of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). In recent years, EV-71 infections were reported to cause high fatalities and severe neurological complications in Asia. Currently, no effective antiviral or vaccine is available to treat or prevent EV-71 infection. In this study, we have discovered a synthetic peptide which could be developed as a potential antiviral for inhibition of EV-71. Ninety five synthetic peptides (15-mers) overlapping the entire EV-71 capsid protein, VP1, were chemically synthesized and tested for antiviral properties against EV-71 in human Rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells. One peptide, SP40, was found to significantly reduce cytopathic effects of all representative EV-71 strains from genotypes A, B and C tested, with IC50 values ranging from 6–9.3 µM in RD cells. The in vitro inhibitory effect of SP40 exhibited a dose dependent concentration corresponding to a decrease in infectious viral particles, total viral RNA and the levels of VP1 protein. The antiviral activity of SP40 peptide was not restricted to a specific cell line as inhibition of EV-71 was observed in RD, HeLa, HT-29 and Vero cells. Besides inhibition of EV-71, it also had antiviral activities against CV-A16 and poliovirus type 1 in cell culture. Mechanism of action studies suggested that the SP40 peptide was not virucidal but was able to block viral attachment to the RD cells. Substitutions of arginine and lysine residues with alanine in the SP40 peptide at positions R3A, R4A, K5A and R13A were found to significantly decrease antiviral activities, implying the importance of positively charged amino acids for the antiviral activities. The data demonstrated the potential and feasibility of SP40 as a broad spectrum antiviral agent against EV-71

Data-Driven Analysis of COVID-19 Reveals Persistent Immune Abnormalities in Convalescent Severe Individuals

Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection can trigger uncontrolled innate and adaptive immune responses, which are commonly associated with lymphopenia and increased neutrophil counts. However, whether the immune abnormalities observed in mild to severely infected patients persist into convalescence remains unclear. Herein, comparisons were drawn between the immune responses of COVID-19 infected and convalescent adults. Strikingly, survivors of severe COVID-19 had decreased proportions of NKT and Vδ2 T cells, and increased proportions of low-density neutrophils, IgA+/CD86+/CD123+ non-classical monocytes and hyperactivated HLADR+CD38+ CD8+ T cells, and elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as hepatocyte growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor A, long after virus clearance. Our study suggests potential immune correlates of “long COVID-19”, and defines key cells and cytokines that delineate true and quasi-convalescent states

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Intelligent Manufacturing Planning System Using Dispatch Rules: A Case Study in Roofing Manufacturing Industry

This paper aims to investigate the optimal sorting of orders reflecting on the material changing lead time over the machines in the roofing manufacturing industry. Specifically, a number of jobs were sorted together based on the material used and then consolidated for subsequent processes, i.e., assigned to the corresponding machines. To achieve the optimal sorting for the received orders, a combinatorial dispatch rule was proposed, which were Earliest Due Date (EDD), First In First Out (FIFO), and Shortest Processing Time (SPT). The sequence of orders organized by the scheduling algorithm was able to minimize the changing material lead time and also maximize the number of orders to be scheduled in the production. Consequently, on-time delivery could be achieved. Tests based on real data have been set up to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm in sorting the received orders. As a result, the proposed algorithm has successfully reduced the material changing lead time by 47.3% and 40% in the first and second tests, respectively

Building confidence and competency in the delivery of local regional anaesthesia by undergraduate dental students with 3D printed anatomy models and augmented reality technology

Asian Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning9212-222Singapor

Future Military Force Possibilities Study, 2001-2021: Korea, Australia, Japan: a Strategic Decision of National Security Evolution.

This study describes the evolution of a possible future for Asia 2001-2021. It envisions the realization of two longstanding US goals: peaceful political unification of Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, and, peaceful Korean unification. Nothing dramatic occurs on the global front, no major wars break out, and both economic and technological change are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. In short, we develop an example of what Herman Kahn called a “surprise free” scenario. The officer-students in the first class of the Systems Engineering and Integration (SEI- 1) curriculum developed the above scenario in detail for Korea, Australia and Japan. They are responsible for Chapters 3, 4 and 5, which describe the evolution of Korean unificationAustralian efforts to cement protective relations with the United States and others with interests in a peaceful, free Asiaand the “coming out of the penalty box” by Japan as she rides her reinvigorated economy and takes increasing responsibility for her own defense