A Clinical Update on Employing Tocilizumab to Fight COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19, currently regarded as ‘terror’ worldwide, has spread uncontrollably as a serious menace. Till date, limited effective medicines or treatments are available. The mortality and morbidity rates have increased considerably, which have been aggravated by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and new and old cardiovascular injuries. To control COVID-19, many drugs have been taken into consideration, like ACE2 blockers, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibodies against IL-1 and anti-IL-6, Remdesivir, Dexamethasone, Hydroxychloroquine and vaccines. In this chapter, preference is given to Tocilizumab with the latest status of clinical research update available. Despite several clinical research attempts, some have yielded promising results, others are inconclusive

Relativistic Electromagnetic Mass Models: Charged Dust Distribution in Higher Dimensions

Electromagnetic mass models are proved to exist in higher dimensional theory of general relativity corresponding to charged dust distribution. Along with the general proof a specific example is also sited as a supporting candidate.Comment: Latex, 7 pages. Accepted in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Characterization of Non-linear HRV Parameters among Women by Poincare Analysis

Heart rate variability (HRV) is the natural rise and fall of beat-to-beat heart rate as controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS) which, in turn, is affected by various physiological factors e.g. breathing, blood pressure, hormones, emotions, and many others. The research work reported in this paper concentrates on characterization of non-linear measures of HRV in females of different hormonal status and from different demographic regions. A total of 141 women subjects (39.97±14.18) belonging to 4 groups i.e. Reproductive and Post-Menopausal age groups from both the Plane and Hill region of West Bengal were studied for short term HRV. Based on the observations, it may be concluded that the hormonal status is properly reflected in non-linear parameters of HRV irrespective of life style and/or demographic variations

Isolation and identification of poly beta hydroxybutyric acid accumulating bacteria of Staphylococcal sp. and characterization of biodegradable polyester

250-256Staphylococcus sp. strain BP/SU1, capable of degrading the biopolymer and utilize it as a source of carbon and energy, was isolated from activated sludge using METABOLIX (MBX D411G). It was found that this strain was capable of accumulating poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) P(3-HB), as granule poly (3-hydroxybutyric acid), p(3-HB), inclusion bodies when grown under suitable nutrient conditions. These strains could sustain cell growth up to a dry mass of 9.24 g/l with a doubling time of 8 to 10 hr and could accumulate P(3-HB) as granular inclusion bodies to a cell dry weight of more than 12%. P(3-HB) accumulated by this organism was isolated and characterized through NMR, FT- IR spectroscopy, UV Spectroscopy, Mass spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry. P(3-HB) granules so isolated showed physical and chemical properties that should be possessed by a superior quality thermoplastic biopolymer

Ligand specificity and ligand-induced conformational change in gal repressor

Gal repressor (GalR) binds D-galactose, which is responsible for lifting of repression of the gal operon. Proton T1 measurements of α- and β-anomers of galactose as a function of gal repressor show preferential binding of the β-anomer. The β-anomer was isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography and was shown to bind tightly to GalR. Calorimetry was used to determine enthalpy changes at several temperatures. Heat capacity change was found to be positive, indicating that a significant amount of hydrophobic surface area was exposed upon galactose binding. Bis-ANS binding to GalR is significantly enhanced in the presence of a saturating amount of galactose, indicating additional exposure of hydrophobic surfaces. We propose that the galactose-induced conformational change involves the opening of the two subdomains, which may disrupt protein-protein interactions responsible for repression

Innovation in SMEs, AI Dynamism, and Sustainability: The Current Situation and Way Forward

The purpose of this study is to examine artificial intelligence (AI) dynamism and its impact on sustainability of firms, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In addition, this study investigates the moderating effects of technological and leadership support for AI technology deployment and sustainability for manufacturing and production firms. We developed a theoretical model through the lenses of expectation disconfirmation theory (EDT), technology–trust–fit (TTF) theory, contingency theory, and the knowledge contained in the existing literature. We tested the proposed theoretical model using factor-based PLS-SEM technique by analyzing data from 343 managers of SMEs. The findings of this study demonstrate that organizational characteristics, situational characteristics, technological characteristics, and individual characteristics all impacted SMEs’ deployment of AI technologies for the purpose of achieving sustainability, with technological and leadership support acting as moderators

Innovation in SMEs, AI Dynamism, and Sustainability: The Current Situation and Way Forward

The purpose of this study is to examine artificial intelligence (AI) dynamism and its impact on sustainability of firms, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In addition, this study investigates the moderating effects of technological and leadership support for AI technology deployment and sustainability for manufacturing and production firms. We developed a theoretical model through the lenses of expectation disconfirmation theory (EDT), technology–trust–fit (TTF) theory, contingency theory, and the knowledge contained in the existing literature. We tested the proposed theoretical model using factor-based PLS-SEM technique by analyzing data from 343 managers of SMEs. The findings of this study demonstrate that organizational characteristics, situational characteristics, technological characteristics, and individual characteristics all impacted SMEs’ deployment of AI technologies for the purpose of achieving sustainability, with technological and leadership support acting as moderators