High-Frequency Data and a Weekly Economic Index during the Pandemic

This paper describes a weekly economic index (WEI) developed to track the rapid economic developments associated with the onset of and policy response to the novel coronavirus in the United States. The WEI, with its ten component series, tracks the overall economy. Comparing the contributions of the WEI's components in the 2008 and 2020 recessions reveals differences in how the two events played out at a high frequency. During the 2020 collapse and recovery, it provides a benchmark to interpret similarities and differences of novel indicators with shorter samples and/or nonstationary coverage, such as mobility indexes or credit card spending

Alkaloid Based Chemical Constituents of Ocimum santum & Cinchona Bark: A Meta Analysis

This article provides a concise summary of the recent developments that have been achieved in our comprehension of the asymmetric addition processes that are catalysed by native Cinchona alkaloids and their derivatives. This class of reactions includes cycloadditions, 1,4-adds, direct nucleophilic additions across carbon–oxygen or carbon–nitrogen double bonds, and direct nucleophilic additions across carbon–oxygen double bonds. Because of their capacity to catalyse the addition of a wide variety of functional groups to C9, many Cinchona alkaloids have been utilised in these processes as catalysts. These functional groups include amino, alkoxy, hydroxyl, amido, urea, and thiourea, among others. The importance of mechanical variables is emphasised in many different contexts. Additionally, the utilisation of adducts in future synthesis is sometimes broken down into its component steps. Ocimum basilicum was discovered to be mostly consisted of estragol (> 35.71 percent), (E)-ocimene (> 1.47 percent), trans-bergamotene (> 0.83 percent), a-cadinol (> 0.41 percent), eucalyptol (> 0.25 percent), and -caryophyllene (> 0.07 percent), whereas Ocimum sanctum is primarily composed of eucaly There is a greater concentration of chemical components in the leaves of Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum sanctum than there is in the actual inflorescence or flowers of the plant. The genetic distance between the two species was analysed in order to better understand the interspecies relationship, and the results showed that it was 2.86. The small difference in genetic makeup that exists between Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum sanctum is evidence that these two species are related to one another and share similar traits

Pan-cancer Alterations of the MYC Oncogene and Its Proximal Network across the Cancer Genome Atlas

Although theMYConcogene has been implicated incancer, a systematic assessment of alterations ofMYC, related transcription factors, and co-regulatoryproteins, forming the proximal MYC network (PMN),across human cancers is lacking. Using computa-tional approaches, we define genomic and proteo-mic features associated with MYC and the PMNacross the 33 cancers of The Cancer Genome Atlas.Pan-cancer, 28% of all samples had at least one ofthe MYC paralogs amplified. In contrast, the MYCantagonists MGA and MNT were the most frequentlymutated or deleted members, proposing a roleas tumor suppressors.MYCalterations were mutu-ally exclusive withPIK3CA,PTEN,APC,orBRAFalterations, suggesting that MYC is a distinct onco-genic driver. Expression analysis revealed MYC-associated pathways in tumor subtypes, such asimmune response and growth factor signaling; chro-matin, translation, and DNA replication/repair wereconserved pan-cancer. This analysis reveals insightsinto MYC biology and is a reference for biomarkersand therapeutics for cancers with alterations ofMYC or the PMN

Identification of constrained sequence elements across 239 primate genomes

Noncoding DNA is central to our understanding of human gene regulation and complex diseases1,2, and measuring the evolutionary sequence constraint can establish the functional relevance of putative regulatory elements in the human genome3–9. Identifying the genomic elements that have become constrained specifically in primates has been hampered by the faster evolution of noncoding DNA compared to protein-coding DNA10, the relatively short timescales separating primate species11, and the previously limited availability of whole-genome sequences12. Here we construct a whole-genome alignment of 239 species, representing nearly half of all extant species in the primate order. Using this resource, we identified human regulatory elements that are under selective constraint across primates and other mammals at a 5% false discovery rate. We detected 111,318 DNase I hypersensitivity sites and 267,410 transcription factor binding sites that are constrained specifically in primates but not across other placental mammals and validate their cis-regulatory effects on gene expression. These regulatory elements are enriched for human genetic variants that affect gene expression and complex traits and diseases. Our results highlight the important role of recent evolution in regulatory sequence elements differentiating primates, including humans, from other placental mammals

A global catalog of whole-genome diversity from 233 primate species.

The rich diversity of morphology and behavior displayed across primate species provides an informative context in which to study the impact of genomic diversity on fundamental biological processes. Analysis of that diversity provides insight into long-standing questions in evolutionary and conservation biology and is urgent given severe threats these species are facing. Here, we present high-coverage whole-genome data from 233 primate species representing 86% of genera and all 16 families. This dataset was used, together with fossil calibration, to create a nuclear DNA phylogeny and to reassess evolutionary divergence times among primate clades. We found within-species genetic diversity across families and geographic regions to be associated with climate and sociality, but not with extinction risk. Furthermore, mutation rates differ across species, potentially influenced by effective population sizes. Lastly, we identified extensive recurrence of missense mutations previously thought to be human specific. This study will open a wide range of research avenues for future primate genomic research

The landscape of tolerated genetic variation in humans and primates.

Personalized genome sequencing has revealed millions of genetic differences between individuals, but our understanding of their clinical relevance remains largely incomplete. To systematically decipher the effects of human genetic variants, we obtained whole-genome sequencing data for 809 individuals from 233 primate species and identified 4.3 million common protein-altering variants with orthologs in humans. We show that these variants can be inferred to have nondeleterious effects in humans based on their presence at high allele frequencies in other primate populations. We use this resource to classify 6% of all possible human protein-altering variants as likely benign and impute the pathogenicity of the remaining 94% of variants with deep learning, achieving state-of-the-art accuracy for diagnosing pathogenic variants in patients with genetic diseases

A Speech and Media Interaction Model for Individuals with Vision and Speech Impairments

Advancements in low-cost computing and electronics have created major opportunities in Accessible Technology for individuals with disabilities. Assistive Technology is especially important to introduce to children with disabilities at a young age, as it can have a significant impact on their learning ability. This thesis presents a device and interaction model for children with vision and speech impairments. The device is a Speech Generating Device that allows children to distinguish between inputs that speak a configurable set of words, as well as control media on connected Bluetooth devices. The device is designed to facilitate easy interaction for use in early childhood education settings, including special needs classrooms and home environments. The device also expands on existing technology by facilitating easy configuration with a mobile and web application.M.Eng

A study of the utility of lactate dehydrogenase, total proteins, and adenosine deaminase in the diagnosis of pleural exudates: A new statistical approach

Background: Pleural fluid (PF) may be transudative or exudative. Total protein estimation from PF is used to detect exudative pleural effusion. Objectives: To determine the role of new suggested criteria consisting of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total proteins (TP), and adenosine deaminase (ADA) in diagnosis of pleural effusion and differentiate it into transudative and exudative and also to compare it with Light’s criteria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study comprising 101 patients with pleural effusion, classified by previously established criteria as transudates or exudates. The study was carried out in a 550-bedded tertiary-care, ruralbased, teaching hospital for 1 year. Diagnostic parameters mentioned in Light’s criteria were performed from PF and serum, whereas parameters of the new criteria used in our study (LDH, TP, and ADA) were performed from PF. Receiveroperating characteristic curve was used to determine the cutoffs, multiple parallel tests were applied to combine individual test markers to optimize diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity, and specificity and diagnostic accuracy for each test were calculated. Results: After using multiple parallel tests, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of Light’s criteria for diagnosing exudates were 98.9%, 75%, and 95% and those for transudates were 95.29%, 80%, and 93%, respectively. Whereas for the proposed new criteria, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for diagnosing exudates were 98.81%, 93.75%, and 98% and those for transudates were 95.23%, 87.5%, and 94%, respectively. The accuracy of new criteria was comparable to that of Light’s criteria (p = 0.0018). Conclusion: From our study, it can be concluded that PF analysis of LDH, TP, and ADA has high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing pleural effusions and can be used as useful markers to suggest exudative effusions

Cross-Sectional Study to Estimate Dependence among Tobacco Smokers Attending a Tertiary Care Government Hospital in Bhavnagar, Western India

Background: India is one of the countries where addiction to tobacco smoking is rampant. The consumption of tobacco products is quite high in the Bhavnagar region in the western part of India. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional hospital-based study among 112 current tobacco smokers aged ≥18 years in April-May 2019 at Sir Takhtsinhji hospital in Bhavnagar. Fourteen smokers from each ward of the hospital were enrolled from eight randomly selected wards. Dependence was assessed using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence, with a score of ≥5 labelled as high dependence. Results: Among the 112 current smokers, 79% (95% confidence interval 70%-85%) were dependent on tobacco smoking. One-fourth of the smokers belonged to the age group of 51-60 years.“Mawa” (a mixture of tobacco, betel nut and lime) was the most commonly consumed smokeless form of tobacco among the smokers. Mean expenditure on tobacco smoking was Indian Rupees 460. Those who had stress had 7 times higher odds (95% CI 3-23) of being dependent on tobacco smoking than their counterparts. Conclusion: We conclude from the study that patients attending our hospital are highly dependent on tobacco smoking. Tobacco cessation activities in the form of provider-initiated counselling and treatment is warranted. Further research should focus on evaluating the implementation modalities and effectiveness of such provider-initiated activities