Protein fold recognition using genetic algorithm optimized voting scheme and profile bigram

In biology, identifying the tertiary structure of a protein helps determine its functions. A step towards tertiary structure identification is predicting a protein’s fold. Computational methods have been applied to determine a protein’s fold by assembling information from its structural, physicochemical and/or evolutionary properties. It has been shown that evolutionary information helps improve prediction accuracy. In this study, a scheme is proposed that uses the genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize a weighted voting scheme to improve protein fold recognition. This scheme incorporates k-separated bigram transition probabilities for feature extraction, which are based on the Position Specific Scoring Matrix (PSSM). A set of SVM classifiers are used for initial classification, whereupon their predictions are consolidated using the optimized weighted voting scheme. This scheme has been demonstrated on the Ding and Dubchak (DD), Extended Ding and Dubchak (EDD) and Taguchi and Gromhia (TG) datasets benchmarked data sets

Molecular basis of pathogenesis in amoebiasis

Amoebiasis is one of the major public health problems in developing countries. In spite of the availability of an effective drug and absence of overt drug resistance, the disease is still prevalent among large population and spread over a number of countries. It is caused by the protist parasite Entamoeba histolytica that essentially infects humans, though other species that infect a few animals have been reported. A number of molecular techniques have recently been developed. These have helped in understanding biological processes in E. histolytica and in the identification of key molecules that are involved in amoebic virulence and invasion. Moreover, developments in the area of disease and invasion models have allowed understanding of these processes at molecular level and circumvented lack of a good animal model of amoebiasis. All these knowledge will help us to design better therapeutics and allow us to control this important disease

A novel Plasmodium falciparum rhoptry associated adhesin mediates erythrocyte invasion through the sialic-acid dependent pathway

Erythrocyte invasion by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites is central to blood-stage infection and malaria pathogenesis. This intricate process is coordinated by multiple parasite adhesins that bind erythrocyte receptors and mediate invasion through several alternate pathways. P. falciparum expresses 2700 genes during the blood-stages, of which the identity and function of many remains unknown. Here, we have identified and characterized a novel P. falciparum rhoptry associated adhesin (PfRA) that mediates erythrocyte invasion through the sialic-acid dependent pathway. PfRA appears to play a significant functional role as it is conserved across different Plasmodium species. It is localized in the rhoptries and further translocated to the merozoite surface. Both native and recombinant PfRA specifically bound erythrocytes in a sialic-acid dependent, chymotrypsin and trypsin resistant manner, which was abrogated by PfRA antibodies confirming a role in erythrocyte invasion. PfRA antibodies inhibited erythrocyte invasion and in combination with antibodies against other parasite ligands produced an additive inhibitory effect, thus validating its important role in erythrocyte invasion. We have thus identified a novel P. falciparum adhesin that binds with a sialic acid containing erythrocyte receptor. Our observations substantiate the strategy to block P. falciparum erythrocyte invasion by simultaneously targeting multiple conserved merozoite antigens involved in alternate invasion pathways

Enhancing the Cooling System Design of High-Power Density Permanent Magnet Motor for EV

Excessive losses inside permanent magnet (PM) motors in electric vehicle (EV) engine compartments can cause rapid temperature rises, deterioration of magnetic properties, limited output torques, and overheating. To ensure smooth operational condition, it's crucial to investigate and develop cost-effective cooling solutions for PM motors. This study presents a 3D fluidic-thermal linked model of a high-power density internal PM motor, based on Computational Fluid Dynamics and heat transfer theory. The fluid flow and heat dispensation are evaluated using the finite volume technique (FVM) and confirmed by practical results. Modifying the external fluid frame structure of the motor based on its heating properties improves cooling efficiency. The Taguchi approach improves cooling parameters to minimize the motor's temperature rise. This finding has significant implications for designing and developing high-power density Permanent motor for EV uses

Impact of air–sea coupling on the simulation of Indian summer monsoon using a high-resolution Regional Earth System Model over CORDEX-SA

A new high-resolution Regional Earth System Model, namely ROM, has been implemented over CORDEX-SA towards examining the impact of air–sea coupling on the Indian summer monsoon characteristics. ROM's simulated mean ISM rainfall and associated dynamical and thermodynamical processes, including the representation of northward and eastward propagating convention bands, are closer to observation than its standalone atmospheric model component (REMO), highlighting the advantage of air–sea coupling. However, the value addition of air–sea coupling varies spatially with more significant improvements over regions with large biases. Bay of Bengal and the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean are the most prominent region where the highest added value is observed with a significant reduction up to 50–500% precipitation bias. Most of the changes in precipitation over the ocean are associated with convective precipitation (CP) due to the suppression of convective activity caused by the negative feedback due to the inclusion of air–sea coupling. However, CP and large-scale precipitation (LP) improvements show east–west asymmetry over the Indian land region. The substantial LP bias reduction is noticed over the wet bias region of western central India due to its suppression, while enhanced CP over eastern central India contributed to the reduction of dry bias. An insignificant change is noticed over Tibetan Plateau, northern India, and Indo Gangetic plains. The weakening of moisture-laden low-level Somalia Jets causes the diminishing of moisture supply from the Arabian Sea (AS) towards Indian land regions resulting in suppressed precipitation, reducing wet bias, especially over western central India. The anomalous high kinetic energy over AS, wind shear, and tropospheric temperature gradient in REMO compared to observation is substantially reduced in the ROM, facilitating the favourable condition for suppressing moisture feeding and hence the wet bias over west-central India in ROM. The warmer midlatitude in ROM than REMO over eastern central India strengthens the convection, enhancing precipitation results in reducing the dry bias. Despite substantially improved ROM’performance, it still exhibits some systematic biases (wet/dry) partially associated with the persistent warm/cold SST bias and land–atmosphere interaction

Validation of obesity as a phenotypic trait based on Prakriti assessment supported by anthropometric profile among NE young adults

Background: The WHO uses the term "globesity" to reflect an escalating global epidemic of overweight and obesity. The northeastern parts of India, due to their tough terrain, were not affected much, but recent infrastructural development and ease of life have paved the way for concerns about obesity. According to the latest NFHS-3, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the area is nearly 15–20%. In texts, the idea of Prakriti (a person\u27s genotypic constitution) clearly shows how these Prakriti show up in their phenotypic traits through simple meanings and comparisons. BMI and skinfold measurement are well-studied techniques for the identification of obesity.Objectives: To validate the Ayurveda principle about obesity as a phenotypic trait of Prakriti and to find the relation of BMI and Prakriti about overweight and obesityMethods: We conducted this study on 100 students from Northeastern states studying at NEIAH, selecting them based on inclusion criteria. A questionnaire assessed Prakriti based on the phenotypic traits of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. After an assessment, subjects were further categorized into three groups, and anthropometric (via measuring tape) and skinfold thickness (via Harpenden\u27s caliper) parameters were taken and analyzed.Results: The survey revealed that Pittaja Prakriti constituted the majority of participants. This study found that the participants\u27 weight, body mass index (BMI), neck, mid-arm, forearm, waist, hip, and mid-thigh circumferences, as well as the thickness of their biceps and suprailiac skin, were all statistically significant.Conclusion: Ayurvedic literature considers Sthoulya as a Kapha disorder. The current study also reveals a higher prevalence of Sthoulya in Prakriti, a Kapha-dominated body type. We link this to the storage of lipid and fat molecules. Timely identification of obesity-prone genotypes among the population can be instrumental in curbing its ill effects

Assessment Of Purisha At Laboratory Level- A Review

Ahara is panchabhautika, each element of ahara is not used by thebody, thus it is eliminated in the form of waste(Mala). The importanceof by products, produced during the digestion process, is as importantas food consumption in terms of nutrition for every body segment andthese phenomena are unavoidable. The proper formation of these malasis a reflection of the normal metabolic function and regular dhatuproduction, with good characteristics. Mala have the samephysiological value as dosha or dhatu, since they are considered to bebody moola. The metabolism will be affected if malas are not removedfrom the body, eventually leading to a malformation of tissues anddisease

A Review of Alternative Proteins For Vegan Diets: Sources, Physico-Chemical Properties, Nutritional Equivalency, and Consumer Acceptance

Alternate proteins are gaining popularity as a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to animal-based proteins. These proteins are often considered healthier and are suitable for people following a vegetarian or vegan diet. Alternative proteins can be recovered from natural sources like legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds, while single cell proteins (mycoproteins), and algal proteins are being developed using cutting-edge technology to grow fungus, yeast and algal cells in a controlled environment, creating a more sustainable source of protein. Although, the demand for alternative protein products is increasing, there still happens to be a large gap in use among the general consumers mainly stemming from its lower bioavailability, lack of nutritional equivalency and reduced digestibility compared to animal proteins. The focus of the review is to emphasize on various sources and technologies for recovering alternative proteins for vegan diets. The review discusses physicochemical properties of alternative proteins and emphasise on the role of various processing technologies that can change the digestibility and bioavailability of these proteins. It further accentuates the nutritional equivalency and environmental sustainability of alternative protein against the conventional proteins from animals. The food laws surrounding alternative proteins as well as the commercial potential and consumer acceptance of alternative protein products are also highlighted. Finally, key challenges to improve the consumer acceptability and market value of plant-based proteins would be in achieving nutrient equivalency and enhance bioavailability and digestibility while maintaining the same physicochemical properties, taste, texture, as animal proteins, has also been highlighted

Environmental sustainability of milk production: a comparative environmental impact analysis and sustainability evaluation

ContextAssessing the sustainability of milk production in India (the largest milk producer country in the world) is essential to ensure that the dairy industry can meet the growing demands for dairy products while minimizing its negative impact on the environment, society, and the well-being of the people involved in the sector.ObjectiveCurrent research is intended to compare the emissions associated with packed milk production in two contrasting states, Punjab (an Indian state with helpful agricultural resources and plenty of water) and Rajasthan (a state with a significant desert area) of India. The dairy industry has to undergo different production processes, including livestock, feed, farming, transportation, processing, packaging, and distribution. All of these production steps generate environmental impacts. This study aims to compare the environmental impacts of milk production in Punjab and Rajasthan by understanding the variation in the ecological effects due to the modifications adopted in dairy practices.MethodsThis study uses Umberto LCA+ with Ecoinvent v3.6 dataset as a Life cycle assessment (LCA) tool and data collected from milk producers and processing plants. The primary data was collected from farmers (milk producers) and dairy plants (processing plants), real-time observations, and inputs from the processing plant staff. The LCA analysis was performed, including parameters such as feed agriculture, milking, storage, transportation, processing, packaging, and distribution.Results and conclusionThe analysis results indicate that milk production in Punjab is more environmentally efficient than in Rajasthan, and the feed required for cattle is a critical environmental impact-generating activity along with the selection of packaging material for processed milk.SignificanceThe current article assesses the environmental implications of milk production. The study employs a comprehensive analysis to inform sustainable practices and reduce the ecological footprint of this crucial industry