Urban Kano Insecurity: A Study Proposal of Five Factor Analysis

Fear, anxiety and hopeless future are some major characteristics in most parts of the developing world. Perhaps the genesis is traced to poor public leadership. This gives rise to absence of rule of law. As a societal pillar, poor governance results in other negative effects such as unemployment, poverty, law enforcement corruption and police inadequacies. These factors are alleged to be most significant in triggering societal insecurity. It is in this context that the literature argued on the impact of these factors in causing human insecurity. The write up is a proposal paper of a PhD research being conducted in urban Kano, Nigeria. Although there are numerous issues related but these five are considered to be the most crucial. Hence, the findings are expected to indicate possible relationship with insecurity of urban Kano. The research is to be guided by Broken Windows theory (Wilson and Kelling, 1982). Meanwhile, innovative solutions may need to be initiated. An obligation that demands the participation of the general public

Current Approaches for the Non-surgical Management of Peri-implant Diseases

Abstract Purpose of the Review Peri-implant diseases are inflammatory reactions to bacterial infections affecting osseointegrated dental implants. In recent years, scientific interest on this topic has increased, as demonstrated by the appearance of a large number of protocols for treating peri-implant mucositis (PIM) and peri-implantitis (PI). The aim of the present narrative review is to provide an overview of the recent (e.g., 2014–present) published protocols for the non-surgical treatment of peri-implant diseases. Recent Findings Several adjunctive measures for mechanical debridement have been proposed and investigated to achieve implant surface decontamination and resolution of mucosal inflammation. However, none of the adjunctive measures has been shown to significantly improve peri-implant conditions compared with non-surgical mechanical debridement alone. Summary Non-surgical approaches for the treatment of peri-implant diseases have been proved to be reliable in reducing clinical signs of peri-implant inflammation (e.g., BoP), although with limited capability to achieve complete disease resolution. Due to the limited benefits from the use of currently proposed adjunctive methods (e.g., chlorhexidine, lasers, photodynamic therapy, systemic probiotics) their application is not recommended until further investigations prove their clinical utility

Computational Physics on Graphics Processing Units

The use of graphics processing units for scientific computations is an emerging strategy that can significantly speed up various different algorithms. In this review, we discuss advances made in the field of computational physics, focusing on classical molecular dynamics, and on quantum simulations for electronic structure calculations using the density functional theory, wave function techniques, and quantum field theory.Comment: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference, PARA 2012, Helsinki, Finland, June 10-13, 201

Chronic Delivery of Antibody Fragments Using Immunoisolated Cell Implants as a Passive Vaccination Tool

BACKGROUND: Monoclonal antibodies and antibody fragments are powerful biotherapeutics for various debilitating diseases. However, high production costs, functional limitations such as inadequate pharmacokinetics and tissue accessibility are the current principal disadvantages for broadening their use in clinic. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We report a novel method for the long-term delivery of antibody fragments. We designed an allogenous immunoisolated implant consisting of polymer encapsulated myoblasts engineered to chronically release scFv antibodies targeted against the N-terminus of the Aβ peptide. Following a 6-month intracerebral therapy we observed a significant reduction of the production and aggregation of the Aβ peptide in the APP23 transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, functional assessment showed prevention of behavioral deficits related to anxiety and memory traits. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The chronic local release of antibodies using immunoisolated polymer cell implants represents an alternative passive vaccination strategy in Alzheimer's disease. This novel technique could potentially benefit other diseases presently treated by local and systemic antibody administration

Broad betacoronavirus neutralization by a stem helix–specific human antibody

The spillovers of betacoronaviruses in humans and the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants highlight the need for broad coronavirus countermeasures. We describe five monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) cross-reacting with the stem helix of multiple betacoronavirus spike glycoproteins isolated from COVID-19 convalescent individuals. Using structural and functional studies, we show that the mAb with the greatest breadth (S2P6) neutralizes pseudotyped viruses from three different subgenera through the inhibition of membrane fusion, and we delineate the molecular basis for its cross-reactivity. S2P6 reduces viral burden in hamsters challenged with SARS-CoV-2 through viral neutralization and Fc-mediated effector functions. Stem helix antibodies are rare, oftentimes of narrow specificity, and can acquire neutralization breadth through somatic mutations. These data provide a framework for structure-guided design of pan-betacoronavirus vaccines eliciting broad protection

Salmonella enterica biofilm-mediated dispersal by nitric oxide donors in association with cellulose nanocrystal hydrogels

Protected by extracellular polymers, microbes within biofilms are significantly more resistant to disinfectants. Current research has been instrumental in identifying nitric oxide donors and hydrogels as potential disinfectant additives. Nitric oxide (NO) donors are considered a very promising molecule as biofilm dispersal agents and hydrogels have recently attracted a lot of interest due to their biocompatible properties and ability to form stable thin films. When the NO donor MAHMA NONOate was dissolved in phosphate saline buffer, it was able to reduce the biomass of well-established biofilms up to 15% for at least 24 h of contact time. Encapsulation of MAHMA NONOate and molsidomine within a hydrogel composed of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) has shown a synergistic effect in dispersing well-established biofilms: after 2 h of exposure, moderate but significant dispersion was measured. After 6 h of exposure, the number of cells transitioning from the biofilm to the planktonic state was up to 0.6 log higher when compared with non-treated biofilms. To further explore the transport processes of NO donors within hydrogels, we measured the nitric oxide flux from gels, at 25°C for a composite of 0.1 µM MAHMA NONOate–CNC. Nitric oxide diffuses up to 500 µm from the hydrogel surface, with flux decreasing according to Fick’s law. 60% of NO was released from the hydrogel composite during the first 23 min. These data suggest that the combined treatments with nitric oxide donor and hydrogels may allow for new sustainable cleaning strategies