Live Attenuated Rev-Independent Nef¯SIV Enhances Acquisition of Heterologous SIVsmE660 in Acutely Vaccinated Rhesus Macaques

Background: Rhesus macaques (RMs) inoculated with live-attenuated Rev-Independent Nef¯ simian immunodeficiency virus (Rev-Ind Nef¯SIV) as adults or neonates controlled viremia to undetectable levels and showed no signs of immunodeficiency over 6-8 years of follow-up. We tested the capacity of this live-attenuated virus to protect RMs against pathogenic, heterologous SIVsmE660 challenges. Methodology/Principal Findings Three groups of four RM were inoculated with Rev-Ind Nef¯SIV and compared. Group 1 was inoculated 8 years prior and again 15 months before low dose intrarectal challenges with SIVsmE660. Group 2 animals were inoculated with Rev-Ind Nef¯SIV at 15 months and Group 3 at 2 weeks prior to the SIVsmE660 challenges, respectively. Group 4 served as unvaccinated controls. All RMs underwent repeated weekly low-dose intrarectal challenges with SIVsmE660. Surprisingly, all RMs with acute live-attenuated virus infection (Group 3) became superinfected with the challenge virus, in contrast to the two other vaccine groups (Groups 1 and 2) (P=0.006 for each) and controls (Group 4) (P=0.022). Gene expression analysis showed significant upregulation of innate immune response-related chemokines and their receptors, most notably CCR5 in Group 3 animals during acute infection with Rev-Ind Nef¯SIV. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that although Rev-Ind Nef¯SIV remained apathogenic, acute replication of the vaccine strain was not protective but associated with increased acquisition of heterologous mucosal SIVsmE660 challenges

Sustainable production of Robusta coffee under a changing climate: a 10-year monitoring of fertilizer management in coffee farms in Vietnam and Indonesia

Assessing and prescribing fertilizer use is critical to profitable and sustainable coffee production, and this is becoming a priority concern for the Robusta coffee industry. In this study,annual survey data of 798 farms across selected Robusta coffee-producing provinces in Vietnam and Indonesia between 2008 and 2017 were used to comparatively assess the fertilizer management strategies in these countries. Specifically, we aimed to characterize fertilizer use patterns in the key coffee-growing provinces and discuss the potential for improving nutrient management practices.Four types of chemical (NPK, super phosphate, potassium chloride and urea) and two of natural (compost and lime) fertilizers were routinely used in Vietnam. In Indonesia, NPK and urea were supplemented only with compost. Farmers in Vietnam applied unbalanced quantities of chemical fertilizers (i.e., higher rates than recommended) and at a constant rate between years whereas Indonesian farmers applied well below the recommended rates because of poor accessibility and financial support. The overuse of chemical fertilizers in Vietnam threatens the sustainability of Robusta coffee farming. Nevertheless, there is a potential for improvement in both countries in terms of nutrient management and sustainability of Robusta coffee production by adopting the best local fertilizer management practices

Combined Effects of Drugs of Abuse and HIV Infection Comorbidity on Primary Pericytes

Background: Pericyte cells are an integral component of the vascular system and blood-brain barrier. HIV infection has been shown to impact both pericytes and the blood-brain barrier. Similarly, drugs of abuse have been found to alter blood-brain barrier permeability. Drugs of abuse and HIV infection comorbidity may affect pericyte function and viral replication. Methods: Pericyte cells were treated with varying concentrations of either morphine, cocaine, or methamphetamine to determine cytotoxicity. Next, two concentrations were chosen and infected with macrophage tropic SHIV-BORI159N4. Viral supernatant was collected every three days for analysis viral titer using qPCR and other inflammatory markers. Results: Drug treatment appeared to impact viral replication in pericyte cells. Most drug treatments produced lower viral titers, except for the methamphetamine at 10μM concentration treatment. Conclusion: Drugs of abuse may impact how HIV infection affects pericyte cells, though underlying mechanisms are still not well-defined. Various classes of drugs may differentially alter viral replication within pericyte cells.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2021/1034/thumbnail.jp

A NOVEL DESIGN OF DUAL BAND MICROSTRIP ANTENNA FOR WIRELESS APPLICATIONS

A simple and compact inset fed dual band microstrip antenna is presented. The proposed antenna has a low profile and can easily be fed by using a 50 ohms microstripline. The proposed antenna covers all the 2.4/4.2 GHz WLAN/ RADIO ALTIMETERS operating bands, IEEE WLAN protocol 802.11 b/g employs 2.4 GHz. The antenna is simulated using An soft’s HFSSv11. Which shows good agreement with simulated results, Measured Return loss and Radiation patterns are observed to be nearly omnidirectional, moderate gain and wide frequcency band suitable for wireless applications. The antenna has an overall dimension of only 29.5mm x 38 mm x1.6mm, when printed on a FR4 substrate of dielectric constant 4.4

Transactivation and signaling functions of Tat are not correlated: biological and immunological characterization of HIV-1 subtype-C Tat protein

BACKGROUND: Of the diverse subtypes of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 (HIV-1), subtype-C strains cause a large majority of infections worldwide. The reasons for the global dominance of HIV-1 subtype-C infections are not completely understood. Tat, being critical for viral infectivity and pathogenesis, may differentially modulate pathogenic properties of the viral subtypes. Biochemical studies on Tat are hampered by the limitations of the current purification protocols. Tat purified using standard protocols often is competent for transactivation activity but defective for a variety of other biological functions. Keeping this limitation in view, we developed an efficient protein purification strategy for Tat. RESULTS: Tat proteins obtained using the novel strategy described here were free of contaminants and retained biological functions as evaluated in a range of assays including the induction of cytokines, upregulation of chemokine coreceptor, transactivation of the viral promoter and rescue of a Tat-defective virus. Given the highly unstable nature of Tat, we evaluated the effect of the storage conditions on the biological function of Tat following purification. Tat stored in a lyophilized form retained complete biological activity regardless of the storage temperature. To understand if variations in the primary structure of Tat could influence the secondary structure of the protein and consequently its biological functions, we determined the CD spectra of subtype-C and -B Tat proteins. We demonstrate that subtype-C Tat may have a relatively higher ordered structure and be less flexible than subtype-B Tat. We show that subtype-C Tat as a protein, but not as a DNA expression vector, was consistently inferior to subtype-B Tat in a variety of biological assays. Furthermore, using ELISA, we evaluated the anti-Tat antibody titers in a large number of primary clinical samples (n = 200) collected from all four southern Indian states. Our analysis of the Indian populations demonstrated that Tat is non-immunodominant and that a large variation exists in the antigen-specific antibody titers. CONCLUSION: Our report not only describes a simple protein purification strategy for Tat but also demonstrates important structural and functional differences between subtype-B and -C Tat proteins. Furthermore, this is the first report of protein purification and characterization of subtype-C Tat

The Journey of HIV-1 Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs) from Lab to Clinic

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is now pandemic. Targeting HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-1 RT) has been considered as one of the most successful targets for the development of anti-HIV treatment. Among the HIV-1 RT inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) have gained a definitive place due to their unique antiviral potency, high specificity, and low toxicity in antiretroviral combination therapies used to treat HIV. Until now, &gt;50 structurally diverse classes of compounds have been reported as NNRTIs. Among them, six NNRTIs were approved for HIV-1 treatment, namely, nevirapine (NVP), delavirdine (DLV), efavirenz (EFV), etravirine (ETR), rilpivirine (RPV), and doravirine (DOR). In this perspective, we focus on the six NNRTIs and lessons learned from their journey through development to clinical studies. It demonstrates the obligatory need of understanding the physicochemical and biological principles (lead optimization), resistance mutations, synthesis, and clinical requirements for drugs.</p

Are Vietnamese coffee farmers willing to pay for weather index insurance?

Global coffee production experiences detrimental impacts of climate change. Weather index insurance (WII) offers an opportunity for coffee farmers to mitigate the climate risks in production and motivate them to adopt sustainable farming practices. This study explores Vietnamese farmers' willingness to participate and pay for WII schemes for coffee. A contingent valuation survey was employed on a sample of 151 farmers from the two largest coffee production areas: Lam Dong and Dak Lak provinces. The findings revealed that farmers are willing to pay, on average, US$92.30 per policy for a premium on insurance products. We also found that farmers in Lam Dong are willing to pay more than those in Dak Lak despite fewer Lam Dong farmers being willing to participate in the insurance schemes. The majority of farmers prefer drought to be insured within 3 months of coffee blossom, from February to April. Factors influencing farmers' decision to join the insurance schemes include education, farm size, climate change perception and experiences, and insurance knowledge. The study suggests that the current coffee industry co-contribution to insurance premiums could potentially be reduced by up to 90 %. However, caution must be taken when adjusting co-contribution, as farmers' willingness to pay is heterogeneous. In addition, raising awareness of the impact of climate change on crop production and insurance knowledge training is critical to ensure an increased number of participants in the schemes. The recommendations from this study will contribute to improving the design of coffee insurance products that are tailored to local needs and preferences and will assist in upscaling the products’ outreach in the Coffee Climate Protection Insurance Program

Coping with drought: Lessons learned from robusta coffee growers in Vietnam

An improved understanding of the benefits and uptake of drought mitigation strategies under a changing climate is critical to ensure effective strategies are developed. Here, using 10 years (2008–2017) of farm data from 558 farmers distributed across the major robusta coffee-producing provinces in Vietnam, we analysed coffee farmers’ perceptions on drought and its impacts; we then quantified the impacts of drought on yield and farm profit, and finally, assessed the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. While drought reduced robusta coffee yield by 6.5% on average across all provinces, the impacts on gross margins were noticeable, with an average 22% decline from levels achieved in average-rainfall-condition years. Yield reductions from drought were consistent with farmers’ perceptions, being on average − 9.6%. With irrigation being typical in coffee farming in Vietnam, the majority of surveyed farmers (58%) adopted mulching in drought years and had a 10.2% increase in economic benefits compared to their counterparts who did not. Furthermore, the chances of adopting mulching as an adaptation strategy decreased generally for every one unit increase in perceived drought impact or when shifting from surface water to groundwater in drought years. Although coffee farming remained profitable in drought years, our findings have potential relevance for the design of policies to address drought risks and encourage more resilient adaptation strategies for Vietnam and other coffee-producing countries experiencing similar climatic conditions

Harnessing rain hose technology for water-saving sustainable irrigation and enhancing blackgram productivity in garden land

Blackgram, a protein-rich pulse crop (24%), is crucial for combating food insecurity, particularly in malnourished and economically weak countries. Enhancing blackgram production requires improved, input-saving management practices. Given the challenges of climate change and population growth, efficient water management is vital for increasing pulse productivity and water use efficiency with minimal investment. This study aimed to identify cost-effective irrigation methods to optimise blackgram yields. Experiments were conducted at the National Pulses Research Centre in Vamban, Pudukkottai, and the Agricultural College and Research Institute in Kumulur, Tiruchirappalli, during the kharif season of 2021 and 2022. The study compared different treatments of irrigation methods, such as check basin, raised bed, drip, sprinkler and rain hose irrigation. Results showed that the rain hose system maintained the highest soil moisture (23.93% at 10 cm depth and 19.71% at 20 cm depth). Even though drip irrigation resulted in a higher seed yield (1363 kg ha−1), the rain hose system proved to be more cost-effective, saving 27.09% in costs and achieving a 15.23% higher benefit–cost ratio. These findings suggest that the rain hose method, combined with current agronomic practices, is a viable low-cost technique for sustainable blackgram cultivation, optimising water use and maximising profits. This research provides valuable insights into water-saving irrigation methods for pulse crops