60 research outputs found
Flavonoids and Alzheimer’s disease: reviewing the evidence for neuroprotective potential
No full textNeurodegeneration, which manifests as several chronic and incurable diseases, is an age-related condition that affects the central nervous system (CNS) and poses a significant threat to the public's health for the elderly. Recent decades have experienced an alarming increase in the incidence of neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs), a severe public health issue due to the ongoing development of people living in modern civilizations. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading trigger of age-related dementia. Currently, there are no efficient therapeutics to delay, stop, or reverse the disease's course development. Several studies found that dietary bioactive phytochemicals, primarily flavonoids, influence the pathophysiological processes underlying AD. Flavonoids work well as a supplement to manufactured therapies for NDDs. Flavonoids are effective in complementing synthetic approaches to treat NDDs. They are biologically active phytochemicals with promising pharmacological activities, for instance, antiviral, anti-allergic, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, anti-apoptotic, and antioxidant effects. The production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and oxidative stress (OS) are downregulated by flavonoids, which slow the course of AD. Hence, this research turned from preclinical evidence to feasible clinical applications to develop newer therapeutics, focusing on the therapeutic potential of flavonoids against AD
An Analysis Based on Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study of Bromelain as Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Full text link© Copyright © 2021 Tallei, Fatimawali, Yelnetty, Idroes, Kusumawaty, Emran, Yesiloglu, Sippl, Mahmud, Alqahtani, Alqahtani, Asiri, Rahmatullah, Jahan, Khan and Celik.The rapid spread of a novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 has compelled the entire world to seek ways to weaken this virus, prevent its spread and also eliminate it. However, no drug has been approved to treat COVID-19. Furthermore, the receptor-binding domain (RBD) on this viral spike protein, as well as several other important parts of this virus, have recently undergone mutations, resulting in new virus variants. While no treatment is currently available, a naturally derived molecule with known antiviral properties could be used as a potential treatment. Bromelain is an enzyme found in the fruit and stem of pineapples. This substance has been shown to have a broad antiviral activity. In this article, we analyse the ability of bromelain to counteract various variants of the SARS-CoV-2 by targeting bromelain binding on the side of this viral interaction with human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation approaches. We have succeeded in making three-dimensional configurations of various RBD variants using protein modelling. Bromelain exhibited good binding affinity toward various variants of RBDs and binds right at the binding site between RBDs and hACE2. This result is also presented in the modelling between Bromelain, RBD, and hACE2. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulations study revealed significant stability of the bromelain and RBD proteins separately up to 100 ns with an RMSD value of 2 Å. Furthermore, despite increases in RMSD and changes in Rog values of complexes, which are likely due to some destabilized interactions between bromelain and RBD proteins, two proteins in each complex remained bonded, and the site where the two proteins bind remained unchanged. This finding indicated that bromelain could have an inhibitory effect on different SARS-CoV-2 variants, paving the way for a new SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor drug. However, more in vitro and in vivo research on this potential mechanism of action is required
Packing Factor Effects on the Performance of Photovoltaic Module for a Given Module Area
No full textImpact of climatic and non-climatic factors on shrimp production:Empirical evidence from Bangladesh
No full textShrimp is the largest aquaculture species in Bangladesh by value, and it is also the largest species in terms of export value. However, due to the impacts of climate change, the sustainability of shrimp production is jeopardized. In this study, we use longitudinal data from 1990 to 2020 to investigate the impact of climatic factors such as annual temperature, precipitation, CO2 emissions, and salinity, as well as non-climatic factors such as gross cultivated areas, availability of credit, labor availability, and the export price of shrimp. A recently developed dynamic autoregressive distributed lag (DARDL) and augmented ARDL model are used for the methodological approach. The results show that temperature, precipitation, and CO2 emissions all have a detrimental effect, whereas soil salinity has a significant favorable influence on shrimp production in the long run. Cultivated lands availability of credit, and the export price of shrimp, on the other hand, all have a favorable and significant impact on shrimp production in both the long and short term.</p
Optimization of Electrical Power of Solar Cell of Photovoltaic Module for a Given Peak Power and Photovoltaic Module Area
No full textUpdate on the Effects of Sound Wave on Plants
No full textPlant growth is considered the sum of cell proliferation and subsequent elongation of the cells. The continuous
proliferation and elongation of plant cells are vital to the production of new organs, which have a significant
impact on overall plant growth. Accordingly, the relationship between environmental stimuli, such as temperature,
light, wind, and sound waves to plant growth is of great interest in studies of plant development.
Sound waves can have negative or positive effects on plant growth. In this review paper we have summarized
the relationship between sound waves and plant growth response. Sound waves with specific frequencies
and intensities can have positive effects on various plant biological indices including seed germination, root
elongation, plant height, callus growth, cell cycling, signaling transduction systems, enzymatic and hormonal
activities, and gene expression
Benchmarking the banking sector of Bangladesh: A comprehensive analysis of performance and efficiency
No full textPurpose - The economic development of Bangladesh is heavily reliant on the banking industry, yet it faces numerous hurdles, including liquidity issues, capital shortages, non-performing loans, inefficiencies and so on. Therefore, this study investigated the performance and efficiency of scheduled banks (state-owned, private commercial, foreign commercial and specialized banks) operating in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach - The research was conducted using secondary data from annual reports of banks. The CAMELS rating system and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methods were employed to measure the performance and efficiency of banks, respectively. Findings - In the overall bank rankings, results revealed that foreign commercial Standard Chartered Bank and state-owned Sonali Bank Limited came in first and last position, respectively. Among the four categories of banks, foreign commercial banks were the best performer, while state-owned banks were the worst. Only two banks, i.e. Citibank NA and HSBC Bank, were scale efficient while the remaining banks were inefficient. In terms of performance and efficiency, state-owned and specialized banks were deemed wanting. Practical implications - This study proposes recommendations to the policymakers that could lead to more effective tactics for improving the banking industry's performance and efficiency. Originality/value - As far as the authors are concerned, this study presents empirical evidence on the performance and efficiency of different types of banks and explores comparisons among them, which has never been done to this extent in the country before
Profit and loss dynamics of aquaculture farming
No full textAquaculture's contribution has grown substantially in recent years, despite the fact that the price trend of several dominating species has remained constant when compared to input prices. Regardless of the fact that the nature of input usage varies considerably from farm to farm, productivity is improving but not to its maximum potential. Therefore, some farms are unable to make a profit by covering the production cost. For that purpose, this research evaluates the profit-making mechanisms and economic risk of pangasius and tilapia farming. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was performed to collect data from 553 aquaculture farms in seven districts of Bangladesh, of which 275 were pangasius farms and 278 were tilapia farms. The financial performance of farms was evaluated using several descriptive and econometric analyses, while the Monte Carlo simulation method was employed to measure economic risk. Results revealed that the majority of pangasius and tilapia farms were profitable while a portion of farms was non-profitable. However, the lower market price of fish and inadequate inputs management were identified as the reasons for incurring loss at non-profit farms. Within the boundaries of economies of scale, this analysis also identified the optimum level of production for pangasius and tilapia. Meanwhile, sensitivity analysis suggested that lowering feed prices, maintaining feed quality, and raising fish prices would increase profitability on both farms. Besides, the simulation result showed that the risk of gaining profit was higher for pangasius than tilapia farming. Rational inputs use with proper extension support and increasing the output price to a reasonable limit would make pangasius and tilapia farming a more profitable venture.</p
Attitudes toward COVID-19 among Young Adults: Role of Psychological Distress
No full textYoung adults’ attitudes toward COVID-19 are vital for their adherence to control measures taken by the government to break the chain of contamination. This study aims to measure differences in attitudes to this pandemic across various demographic groups of young adults living inside and outside of Dhaka. The predictors of optimistic attitudes toward COVID-19 also have been investigated. The study is cross-sectional in nature using data from the members of Secondary and Intermediate Level Students’ Welfare Association (SILSWA). Participants (n = 700) self-reported their attitudes toward controlling and defeating the pandemic. ANOVA and a two-sample t-test were utilized to find the differences in the mean attitude across demographic groups. Predictors of attitudes toward COVID-19 were searched using multivariate logistic regression. Psychologically distressed participants showed more negative attitudes toward winning over COVID-19 than participants with good mental health both inside and outside of Dhaka. Participants inhabiting in Dhaka demonstrated less optimism for controlling and beating the pandemic. Less psychological distress [AOR=0.51; 95 per cent CI: 0.35, 0.76; p=0.001] found to be the significant predictors of an optimistic attitude of young adults. Dissemination of précised and accurate information regarding COVID-19 coupled with mental health intervention based on necessity can improve the attitudes of young adults
Design and Implementation of an IoT based Automated Agricultural Monitoring and Control System
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