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Optimizing ethyl methanesulphonate for mutagenesis of selected tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] genotypes
SOuLMuSiC, a novel tool for predicting the impact of mutations on protein solubility
Abstract Protein solubility problems arise in a wide range of applications, from antibody development to enzyme production, and are linked to several major disorders, including cataracts and Alzheimer’s diseases. To assist scientists in designing proteins with improved solubility and better understand solubility-related diseases, we introduce SOuLMuSiC, a computational tool for the fast and accurate prediction of the impact of single-site mutations on protein solubility. Our model is based on a simple artificial neural network that takes as input a series of features, including biophysical properties of wild-type and mutated residues, energetic values computed using various statistical potentials, and mutational scores derived from protein language models. SOuLMuSiC has been trained on a curated dataset of about 700 single-site mutations with known solubility values, collected and manually verified from original literature. It significantly outperforms current state-of-the-art predictors in strict cross validation: the Spearman correlation reaches 0.5 when solubility changes are represented categorically; for the subset with quantitative values, it increases to 0.7. SOuLMuSiC also shows good performance on external datasets containing high-throughput enzyme solubility-related data as well as protein aggregation propensities. In summary, SOuLMuSiC is a valuable tool for identifying mutations that impact protein solubility, and can play a major role in the rational design of proteins with improved solubility and in understanding genetic variants’ effect. It is freely available for academic use at http://babylone.ulb.ac.be/SoulMuSiC/.
Biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from Allium jacquemontii extract and its assessment in different biological activities
Abstract Nanotechnology is a vibrant and fast-developing field in science with diverse applications. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are becoming gradually valuable because of their exceptional antimicrobial properties and remarkable physical characteristics. This study reports the phytochemical screening of Allium jacquemontii plant extract for the preparation of AgNPs. The prepared nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized via UV- spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and were evaluated for antimicrobial and pharmacological activities. HPLC analysis showed that A. jacquemontii had the lowest quantity of ferulic acid (10.3 ppm) and the highest concentration of chlorogenic acid (317.9 ppm). The prepared AgNPs exhibited excellent antifungal potential against Aspergillus niger, with maximum growth inhibition of 64.4% while strong antibacterial activity of 14.3 mm against Escherichia coli at a dose of 10 mg/ml was found. Similarly, the highest antiparasitic activity was 75.41 ± 1.16 against Promastigote and 71.13 ± 0.12 against Amastigote at 200 µg/mg. Inhibition of glucosidase, and amylase was observed, suggesting potential antidiabetic properties. The AgNPs were found to be biofriendly with red blood cells (RBCs) of a healthy human. This study indicates the potential of A. jacquemontii inflorescence derived AgNPs.
Additive effect of wildfires on hospital admission in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil
Abstract Forest fires release toxic pollutants from burning vegetation, posing serious risks to human health. The Brazilian Pantanal—the world’s largest continuous wetland—is currently experiencing severe wildfires. This situation may lead to a spike in hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. To assess the health impacts of these fires on local populations, we applied a generalized linear model incorporating geographic variables, including air quality and climate data. This approach allowed us to evaluate the relationship between active fire outbreaks and hospitalizations among residents of the Pantanal. Our results reveal a troubling pattern: an increase of 10 active fires is associated with a significant rise in daily hospitalizations. Over a 10-year period, the risk of respiratory hospitalizations rose by 23.2%, while cardiovascular hospitalizations increased by 22.3% for every 10 additional fires. These findings underscore the urgent need for preventive action. By forecasting the potential daily rise in hospital admissions, our study offers valuable insights to help Brazilian authorities implement fire mitigation strategies and strengthen the preparedness of the local healthcare system.
Prior contextual information and autistic traits influence eye gaze behaviour and emotional valence ratings for facial expressions
Generation of nonclassical optomagnonic states under the influences of Stokes scattering process and thermal noise
Supervised learning of the Jaynes–Cummings Hamiltonian
Federated learning-enhanced generative models for non-intrusive load monitoring in smart homes
Mitigation of sulfide adsorption in natural gas by silanized stainless steel: insights from density functional theory
Abstract This study employs Density Functional Theory (DFT) to investigate the inhibition of sulfide adsorption in natural gas through the use of silanized stainless steel. Various adsorption models were developed to explore the interactions between hydrogen sulfide, thionyl carbon, methyl mercaptan, and ethyl mercaptan with silanized stainless steel surfaces. Calculations revealed positive adsorption energies of 1.55 eV, 1.87 eV, 1.56 eV, and 1.60 eV, respectively, indicating a non-spontaneous adsorption process. Furthermore, the adsorption configurations of these sulfur compounds on the surface closely resembled their free states, indicating weak interactions with the surface. Charge population analysis indicated minimal charge transfer between the sulfides and the silanized stainless steel, suggesting dissociative chemical adsorption is unlikely. Experimental results, corroborated by theoretical predictions, demonstrate that the silanization coating serves as an inert shield for stainless steel, effectively resisting sulfide adsorption. A 60-day adsorption test confirmed stable concentrations of sulfide gases with minor fluctuations, validating the efficacy of silanization treatment in hindering sulfide adsorption.