Kean Digital Learning Commons
Not a member yet
8043 research outputs found
Sort by
The Role of Community in Immunity Against SARS-CoV-2
Full text linkThis literature review investigated the roles genes activated by social interactions had in helping to build immunity against COVID-19. Past studies have shown that individuals who are more socially connected are less likely to become ill due to social interactions strengthening the immune system through optimal exposure to bacteria and viruses in the environment. The IL-6 and TLR4 genes that are activated through social interactions and associated with cytokines have been analyzed in cases of various viral infections. Cytokines play a role in inflammation and have both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses to infections and viruses. The results suggest that the IL-6 and TLR4 genes are advantageous in various types of infections by viruses such as HSV-1, typhoid fever, meningitis, and influenza, however, the genes are determined to have an adverse role with COVID-19 immunity. From recent studies, it became clear that a pro-inflammatory response called the “cytokine storm” was triggered in individuals who were severely ill due to COVID-19. During the cytokine storm, cytokine genes stimulate an extensive secretion of cytokines that cause the body to attack its own cells and tissues rather than the virus. From the results, the researcher concludes that the TLR4 and IL-6 genes that are activated by social interactions have an instrumental role in many viral infections, but not in COVID-19. It is recommended that further research be conducted to determine how the cytokine storm against COVID-19 can be suppressed
Characterization of oral bacterial and fungal microbiome in recovered COVID-19 patients
No full textCOVID-19 has emerged as a global pandemic, challenging the world’s economic and health systems. Human oral microbiota comprises the second largest microbial community after the gut microbiota and is closely related to respiratory tract infections; however, oral microbiomes of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 have not yet been thoroughly studied. Herein, we compared the oral bacterial and fungal microbiota after clearance of SARS-CoV-2 in 23 COVID-19 recovered patients to those of 29 healthy individuals. Our results showed that both bacterial and fungal diversity were nearly normalized in recovered patients. The relative abundance of some specific bacteria and fungi, primarily opportunistic pathogens, decreased in recovered patients (RPs), while the abundance of butyrate-producing organisms increased in these patients. Moreover, these differences were still present for some organisms at 12 months after recovery, indicating the need for long-term monitoring of COVID-19 patients after virus clearance
Effects of continuous straw returning on bacterial community structure and enzyme activities in rape-rice soil aggregates
No full textStraw returning is an effective management measure to improve or maintain soil fertility in agricultural ecosystems. This study investigated the effects of straw returning combined with compound fertilizer on the bacterial community, enzyme activities, and soil nutrients’ contents in a rape-rice rotation soil aggregates. To do so, a 5-year field trial (November 2016 to October 2021) was carried out in a paddy soil with three treatments: no straw + no fertilization (CK), compound fertilizer (F), and straw returning + compound fertilizer (SF). Soil aggregates were classified into mega-aggregates (\u3e 2 mm), macro-aggregates (0.25–2 mm), micro-aggregates (0.053–0.25 mm), and silt–clay (\u3c 0.053 mm) using the wet sieve method. High-throughput sequencing was employed to characterize the bacterial community, and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to identify the relationships among bacterial community, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and enzyme activities in soil aggregates. Compared with F, the results showed that straw returning increased the content of \u3e 2 mm aggregates by 3.17% and significantly decreased the content of 0.053–0.25 mm aggregates by 20.27%. The contents of organic carbon and total nitrogen in \u3e 0.053 mm straw amended aggregates increased by 15.29 and 18.25%, respectively. Straw returning significantly increased the urease activity of \u3e 0.053 mm aggregates with an average of 43.08%, while it decreased the phosphatase and invertase activities of soil aggregates by 7.71–40.66%. The Shannon indices of the bacterial community in each particle sizes soil aggregates decreased by an average of 1.16% and the Chao indices of the bacterial community in \u3c 2 mm aggregates increased by an average of 3.90% in straw amended soils. Nevertheless, the relative abundances of Chloroflexi and Nitrospirotain in all soil aggregates increased by 6.17–71.77% in straw amended soils. Altogether, our findings suggest that straw returning is an efficient approach to enhance soil structure, carbon and nitrogen contents, and the richness of soil bacterial diversity
Corrigendum to: “Electrification of mountainous rural areas and development: A case study of Eastern Pamirs” [Electr. J. 36 (2023) 107307] (The Electricity Journal (2023) 36(7), (S104061902300074X), (10.1016/j.tej.2023.107307))
No full textThe authors regret several spelling and grammatical errors within their published paper. These errors have now been corrected. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused
DNA isolation and genome sequence of the 134-year-old holotype specimen of Boletus subvelutipes Peck
No full textMolecular characterization of type specimens is a powerful tool used in clarifying species identity/circumscription, as well as establishing the taxonomic and phylogenetic status of organisms in question. However, DNA sequencing of aged herbarium collections can be a challenge due to the quantity and quality of DNA still present in the specimens. Herein, we report a custom DNA isolation protocol suitable for processing minute quantities of old specimen tissue and its utilization via high-throughput sequencing technologies to obtain, for the first time, the genome assembly of the 134-year-old holotype of Boletus subvelutipes Peck, a North American fleshy pored mushroom of taxonomic and historical significance. A side-by-side evaluation of our DNA isolation method with that of a commercial “kit” by Qiagen is also presented. By relying on the type material, we have established the genetic identity of B. subvelutipes, as well as providing preliminary phylogenetic evidence for its generic affinities in Neoboletus within Boletaceae. The reference genome of the B. subvelutipes holotype provides a resource for future comparative genomic studies, taxonomic revisions in Boletaceae, and other evolutionary studies of fungi
Green synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles confer drought tolerance in melon (Cucumis melo L.)
No full textGreen synthesized nanoparticles present an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for plant modulation against abiotic stress. The present research aims to explore the role of biogenically synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO.NPs) in mitigating drought-induced alterations in Cucumis melo L. For this experiment, plants were exposed to drought, elicited by polyethylene glycol (10%) and treatments of ZnO.NPs. Treatments were designed as non-stressed seedlings, drought-stressed (DS), and 4 doses of ZnO.NPs (75, 100, 125 and 150mgL-1 ZnO.NPs + DS). Results show that drought exposure caused oxidative damage in melon seedlings, which was reflected from incline in hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxidation, electrolyte leakage and decline in pigments and osmolytes as well as chloroplast ultrastructural integrity. Furthermore, the photosynthetic functions, vegetative growth and nutrients uptake were significantly compromised. Alternatively, melon seedlings supplemented with ZnO.NPs manifested enhancement in tolerance against drought. ZnO.NPs dosage stimulated the drought tolerance associated genes (SOD, POD, CAT, APX, DREB2D, DREB3), antioxidant activities and improvement in nutrients acquisitions. Moreover, plant photosynthetic functions and pigments content, soluble sugar and protein, vegetative growth and chlorophyll fluorescence showed significant improvement with ZnO.NPs application. The upregulation of genes, antioxidant activities, osmolytes and nutrients acquisition synergistically improved the tolerance of melon seedlings against oxidative damage. Furthermore, the decrease in oxidative damage to melon seedlings was confirmed through chloroplast ultrastructural observation using a transmission electron microscope. Nevertheless, this remarkable change was more notable at optimum concentrations of ZnO.NPs (75 and 100mgL-1). The findings of the current study offer potential contribution in preserving melon crops from oxidative damage induced by drought stress and a step forward into sustainable agriculture
COVID-19 lockdown anxiety harms newcomers\u27 job satisfaction: A cross-lagged panel analysis during snap lockdowns in China
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic may have been a difficult time to join a new organization. Drawing on the feelings-as-information theory, this study explores how COVID-19 lockdown anxiety influenced newcomers\u27 job satisfaction during their first few months of work. We tested 357 new employees working in 84 cities across China. We conducted a longitudinal study, and participants were invited to complete the same survey at two time points. Cross-lagged panel analysis was conducted to test our hypotheses. We confirmed that COVID-19 lockdown anxiety at Time 1 predicted less job satisfaction at Time 2, whereas the data did not support the idea of reverse causality. These findings suggest public health crises like the pandemic can impact newcomers\u27 job satisfaction, especially during China\u27s Zero-Covid Policy
Political connections of Chinese fund management companies and fund performance
No full textThis study uses hand-collected information on shareholders’ backgrounds of mutual funds and their fund management companies (FMCs), and administrative and criminal penalties for insider trading as the proxy of government regulation intensity. We fill a gap in the literature by identifying a positive relationship between funds’ performance and the proportion of state-owned FMC ownership that becomes negative when the Chinese government increased its regulatory effort to reduce informational advantages from political connections obtained through this ownership channel. Results are robust using DiD and IV analyses, placebo tests, propensity score matching, Oster test for missing covariates, channel tests, and alternate ownership classifications
Computational Modeling of Human Serum Albumin Binding of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Employing QSAR, Read-Across, and Docking
No full textPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals in widespread use that have been shown to be toxic to wildlife and humans. Human serum albumin (HSA) is a known transport protein that binds PFAS at various sites, leading to bioaccumulation and long-term toxicity. In silico tools like quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR), read-across, and quantitative read-across structure-property relationship (q-RASPR) are proven techniques for modeling chemical toxicity based on experimental data which can be used to predict the toxicity of untested and new chemicals, while at the same time, help to identify the major features responsible for toxicity. Classification-based and regression-based QSAR models are employed in the present study to predict the binding affinities of 24 PFAS to HSA. Regression-based QSAR models revealed that the packing density index (PDI) and quantitative estimation of drug-likeness (QED) descriptors were both positively correlated with higher binding affinity, while the classification-based QSAR model showed the average connectivity index of order 4 (X4A) descriptor was inversely correlated with binding affinity. Whereas molecular docking studies suggested that PFAS with the highest binding affinity to HSA create hydrogen bonds with Arg348 and salt bridges with Arg348 and Arg485, PFAS with lower binding affinity either showed no interactions with either amino acid or only interactions with Arg348. Among the studied PFAS, perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) with large carbon chain length (\u3eC10) have one of the lowest binding affinities, compared to PFAA with carbon chain length ranging from 7 to 9, which showed the highest affinity to HSA. Generalized Read-Across (GenRA) was used to predict toxicity outcomes for the top five highest binding affinity PFAS based on 10 structural analogs for each and found that all are predicted as being chronic to sub-chronically toxic to HSA. The developed in silico models presented in this work can provide a framework for designing PFAS alternatives, screening compounds currently in use, and for the study of PFAS mixture toxicity, which is an area of intense research
Synthesis, molecular docking and ADMET studies of bis-benzimidazole-based thiadiazole derivatives as potent inhibitors, in vitro α-amylase and α-glucosidase
No full textDifferent research synthetic methods have been developed recently for the synthesis of bis-benzimidazole analogs to investigate various biological significances. In this present study, an attempt was made to synthesize a new series of bis-benzimidazole analogs in a fast and efficient method. A variety of spectroscopic techniques, including 13C NMR, 1H NMR, and HREI-MS, were used to establish the existence of every synthesized scaffold. Molecular docking profiles were also carried out to ascertain the binding interactions of the compounds. All derivatives (1–18) were evaluated for their biological potential to investigate the inhibitory activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase through SAR study. Almost all derivatives were found to be engaged in a highly promising activity when compared to referenced drug acarbose (IC50 = 8.24 ± 0.08 µM), in this regard among the tested series analog 9 (IC50 = 0.10 ± 0.50 and 0.20 ± 0.50 µM respectively), showed excellent activity. Moreover, ADME predictions were also studied for potent compounds, exhibited drug like properties