Analytical Treatment of the Oscillating Yukawa Potential

Using a suitable Laguerre basis set that ensures a tridiagonal matrix representation of the reference Hamiltonian, we were able to evaluate in closed form the matrix elements of the generalized Yukawa potential with complex screening parameter. This enabled us to treat analytically both the cosine and sine-like Yukawa potentials on equal footing and compute their bound states spectrum as the eigenvalues of the associated analytical matrix representing their Hamiltonians. Finally we used a carefully designed complex scaling method to evaluate the resonance energies and compared our results satisfactorily with those obtained in the literature.Comment: 8 pages 2 table

Alkaloids: Therapeutic Potential against Human Coronaviruses

Alkaloids are a class of natural products known to have wide pharmacological activity and have great potential for the development of new drugs to treat a wide array of pathologies. Some alkaloids have antiviral activity and/or have been used as prototypes in the development of synthetic antiviral drugs. In this study, eleven anti-coronavirus alkaloids were identified from the scientific literature and their potential therapeutic value against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is discussed. In this study, in silico studies showed an affinity of the alkaloids for binding to the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, putatively preventing it from binding to the host cell. Lastly, several mechanisms for the known anti-coronavirus activity of alkaloids were discussed, showing that the alkaloids are interesting compounds with potential use as bioactive agents against SARS-CoV-2

New Insider Threat Detection Method Based On Recurrent Neural Networks

Insider threat is a significant challenge in cybersecurity. In comparison with outside attackers, inside attackers have more privileges and legitimate access to information and facilities that can cause considerable damage to an organization. Most organizations that implement traditional cybersecurity techniques, such as intrusion detection systems, fail to detect insider threats given the lack of extensive knowledge on insider behavior patterns. However, a sophisticated method is necessary for an in-depth understanding of insider activities that the insider performs in the organization. In this study, we propose a new conceptual method for insider threat detection on the basis of the behaviors of an insider. In addition, gated recurrent unit neural network will be explored further to enhance the insider threat detector. This method will identify the optimal behavioral pattern of insider actions

KCNV2-associated retinopathy: detailed retinal phenotype and structural endpoints-KCNV2 study group report 2

PURPOSE: To describe the detailed retinal phenotype of KCNV2-associated retinopathy.STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter international retrospective case series.METHODS: Review of retinal imaging including fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), including qualitative and quantitative analyses.RESULTS: Three distinct macular FAF features were identified: (1) centrally increased signal (n = 35, 41.7%), (2) decreased autofluorescence (n = 27, 31.1%), and (3) ring of increased signal (n = 37, 44.0%). Five distinct FAF groups were identified based on combinations of those features, with 23.5% of patients changing the FAF group over a mean (range) follow-up of 5.9 years (1.9-13.1 years). Qualitative assessment was performed by grading OCT into 5 grades: (1) continuous ellipsoid zone (EZ) (20.5%); (2) EZ disruption (26.1%); (3) EZ absence, without optical gap and with preserved retinal pigment epithelium complex (21.6%); (4) loss of EZ and a hyporeflective zone at the foveola (6.8%); and (5) outer retina and retinal pigment epithelium complex loss (25.0%). Eighty-six patients had scans available from both eyes, with 83 (96.5%) having the same grade in both eyes, and 36.1% changed OCT grade over a mean follow-up of 5.5 years. The annual rate of outer nuclear layer thickness change was similar for right and left eyes.CONCLUSIONS: KCNV2-associated retinopathy is a slowly progressive disease with early retinal changes, which are predominantly symmetric between eyes. The identification of a single OCT or FAF measurement as an endpoint to determine progression that applies to all patients may be challenging, although outer nuclear layer thickness is a potential biomarker. Findings suggest a potential window for intervention until 40 years of age. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.Ophthalmic researc

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

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

Recent advances in 4-aminoquinazoline based scaffold derivatives targeting EGFR kinases as anticancer agents

Quinazoline derivatives are fused heterocyclic ring systems which have been explored for their inhibitory activity towards various protein kinase enzymes and their role as anticancer agents. The present review to represent the most recent synthetic strategies and medicinal aspects including structure activity relationships of substituted quinazolines as EGFR inhibitors reported to date

Effect of Thyme Oil and Acetic Acid on The Quality and Shelf Life of Fresh Meat

Meat industry is beginning to view meat shelf life as a serious issue. Organic acids and essential oils with antibacterial activities improve preservation of meat safety. Thus, the current study aimed to assess the preservation advantages of thyme oil, acetic acid, and a mixture of thyme oil and acetic acid (2% of each), as well as their effects on sensory characteristics, pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of raw beef meat. The current study's findings demonstrated that treating raw beef meat with thyme oil, acetic acid at a concentration of 2% separately successfully lowered levels of APC, pH, TVBN, and TBARS and prolonged shelf life to 15 days when stored at 4°C. While the treatment with a combination of thyme oil and acetic acid at a concentration of 2% outperformed other treated and control groups leading to improving shelf life, and quality of raw beef meat. In conclusion, natural and organic preservatives may be utilized as an alternative to maintain meat and their products quality and extend their shelf life

Effect of Antibacterial Activity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles against E. coli and Staph. aureus on Quality and Shelf Life of Minced Meat

Metal nanoparticles have attracted a lot of attention recently in several nanotechnology fields. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have attracted the most interest among metal nanoparticles due to their possible antibacterial impact, particularly in regulating the safety of meat and meat products. This study looked at how the quality and shelf life of minced beef were affected by antibacterial activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) against S. aureus and E. coli. So, minced meat samples were inoculated with S. aureus and E. coli and then exposed to various doses of ZnO bulk and nanoparticles, including 4 mM, 6 mM, and 8 mM then kept at 4 °C for 12 days, then E. coli and S. aureus growth and count were examined to assess ZnONPs action on them and on minced meat quality and shelf life. The findings showed that E. coli and S. aureus growth and count in minced beef were significantly reduced by ZnO NPs at 8 mM concentration. The findings suggest that ZnO NPs could be utilized as antibacterial agents and for shelf-life extension in food preservation