Vaccination Against COVID-19: Emerging Issues and Future Prospects

2021 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 652-660
Author(s):  
Gennadiy G. Onischenko ◽  
Tatiana E. Sizikova ◽  
Vitaliy N. Lebedev ◽  
Sergey V. Borisevich

The most effective means of combating the COVID-19 pandemic s the formation of herd immunity, with the formation of an immune population to infection. Vaccination rates are continuously increasing. In early February 2021, WHO announced that the number of people vaccinated against the disease for the first time exceeded the number of infected. In early June 2021 the vaccinated number exceeded 2 billion which is more than 12 times the total number infected for the entire duration of the pandemic. The high rate of vaccination leads to the formulation of a number of questions concerning the effectiveness of vaccines currently used for mass immunization the level of herd immunity, necessary to stop the spread of the disease, the actual duration of the vaccination carried out, long-term prospects of the platforms, used in the creation of vaccines. The purpose of this paper is to substantiate reasoned answers to the questions posed.

Author(s):  
jinjin wang ◽  
Tianfeng Ye ◽  
Yanqun Shao ◽  
zhiyuan lu ◽  
yuting lin ◽  
...  

Abstract RuO2 is well known to be an active and expensive metal oxide. In the paper, ZnCo2O4/RuO2 nanocomposites had been synthesized by simple hydrothermal, impregnation and calcination methods. Due to the multifunctional bridge structure, RuO2 could not only effectively inhibit the volume change of ZnCo2O4 in long-term work but also provide more redox active sites. The forbidden bandwidth was reduced and the conductivity was improved after doping RuO2. Comparing with ZnCo2O4, the density of state of ZnCo2O4/RuO2 tended to a higher energy level. ZnCo2O4/3wt% RuO2 electrode exhibited the excellent specific capacitance (1346.56 F g−1), high rate capability and cyclic stability in 6 M KOH aqueous solution. For the first time, the electrochemical performance of ZnCo2O4/RuO2//IrO2-ZnO ASC has been evaluated in two-electrode configurations. The supercapacitor exhibited an excellent energy density of 40.89 W h kg-1 at the power density of 740 W kg-1 and a high capacitance retention of 87.5 % even after 7000 cycles at a scanning rate of 100 mV s-1. The ZnCo2O4/RuO2 was a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 420-441
Author(s):  
Tommaso Piffer

This article traces the development of Soviet policy towards the communist partisan movement in Yugoslavia from the German invasion in 1941 to the liberation of the country at the end of 1944. In doing so, it addresses this topic for the first time through the lens of the Soviet decision-making process, following developments across the entire duration of the war. Based on Soviet sources, it shows that, in the context of the shifting balance of forces among the Western Allies, Moscow was ready to put aside the popular front strategy and to encourage local communists to challenge the political order supported by the British and the Americans while the Second World War was still raging. The example of Yugoslavia, however, also shows that this apparently clear strategy covered deep uncertainties on the Soviet side as to the real intentions of the British, the room for manoeuvre enjoyed by Moscow, and the way in which relations with a new communist state in the making should be established. The Soviets were largely successful in their attempt to support Tito while avoiding repercussions for the Great Alliance, although in the long term their achievements backfired.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Denecke ◽  
Thomas Iftner ◽  
Angelika Iftner ◽  
Sebastian Riedle ◽  
Marion Ocak ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The introduction of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination has resulted in a remarkable decline of genital warts in women and men, but in Germany historical rates of vaccination are relatively low. We report long-term surveillance data on changes in HPV 6 and 11 infection and the prevalence of genital warts in young women in the Wolfsburg HPV epidemiological study (WOLVES).Methods: Women born in 1983/84, 1988/89, and 1993/94 participated in four cohorts between 2009/10 and 2014/15. Vaccination coverage and prevalence of HPV 6/11 and genital warts are reported for participants aged 19−22 years and 24−27 years at the time of analysis. Statistical analyses were done to compare similarly aged participants using 2 x 2 contingency tables (Röhmel-Mansmann unconditional exact test; two-side alpha of 0.05).Results: A total of 2,456 women were recruited. In 2010, vaccination rates were 40/659 (6.1%) in women aged 24−27 years and 142/600 (23.7%) in those aged 19−22 years; 5 years later, vaccination rates had increased to 135/733 (18.4%) and 177/368 (48.1%), respectively. Between 2010 and 2015, there was a statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of HPV 6 among women aged 24−27 years (2.12% versus 0%; P<0.0001) and women aged 19−22 years (2.0% versus 0%; P=0.0056). In total, 52 of 2341 participants were diagnosed with genital warts. There was a statistically significant decrease in the life-time risk of developing genital warts in women aged 24−27 years between 2010 and 2015 (4.7% versus 1.68%, respectively; P=0.0018). The overall life-time risk of developing genital warts in women aged 19−27 years decreased from 3.1% in 2010 to 1.2% in 2015 (P=0.0022).Conclusions: An increase in vaccination coverage was associated with a decreased prevalence of genital warts in young women. A protective effect greater than herd immunity alone was seen despite low vaccination rates. Quadrivalent vaccine had a protective effect on genital HPV 6 positivity and a fully protective effect on the development of genital warts in the youngest population.


1970 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-99
Author(s):  
K. Choudhary ◽  
M. Singh ◽  
M. S. Rathore ◽  
N. S. Shekhawat

This long term study demonstrates for the first time that it is possible to propagate embryogenic Vigna trilobata and to subsequently initiate the differentiation of embryos into complete plantlets. Initiation of callus was possible on 2,4-D. Somatic embryos differentiated on modified MS basal nutrient medium with 1.0 mg/l  of 2,4-D and 0.5 mg/l  of Kn. Sustained cell division resulted in globular and heart shape stages of somatic embryos. Transfer of embryos on to a fresh modified MS basal medium with 0.5 mg/l of Kn and 0.5 mg/l of GA3 helped them to attain maturation and germination. However, the propagation of cells, as well as the differentiation of embryos, were inhibited by a continuous application of these growth regulators. For this reason, a long period on medium lacking these growth regulators was necessary before the differentiation of embryos occurred again. The consequences for improving the propagation of embryogenic cultures in Vigna species are discussed. Key words: Pasture  legume, Vigna trilobata, Globular, Heart shape, somatic embryogenesis D.O.I. 10.3329/ptcb.v19i1.4990 Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 19(1): 89-99, 2009 (June)


2017 ◽  
pp. 34-47
Author(s):  
Hoi Le Quoc ◽  
Nam Pham Xuan ◽  
Tuan Nguyen Anh

The study was targeted at developing a methodology for constructing a macroeconomic performance index at a provincial level for the first time in Vietnam based on 4 groups of measurements: (i) Economic indicators; (ii) oriented economic indicators; (iii) socio-economic indicators; and (iv) economic - social – institutional indicators. Applying the methodology to the 2011 - 2015 empirical data of all provinces in Vietnam, the research shows that the socio-economic development strategy implemented by those provinces did not provide balanced outcomes between growth and social objectives, sustainability and inclusiveness. Many provinces focused on economic growth at the cost of structural change, equality and institutional transformation. In contrast, many provinces were successful in improving equality but not growth. Those facts threaten the long-term development objectives of the provinces.


Author(s):  
O. D. Golyaeva ◽  
O. V. Kurashev ◽  
S. D. Knyazev ◽  
А. Yu. Bakhotskaya

The main goal of the scientific institution was and remains to improve the assortment of fruit and berry crops for the development of domestic horticulture. Black currant breeding at VNIISPK was started by A.F Tamarova and continued by the doctor of agricultural Sciences T.P.Ogoltsova and doctor of agricultural Sciences S.D. Knyazev. A long-term breeding program has been developed. The main goals of the program are to create black currant cultivars with continuous resistance to diseases, first of all powdery mildew, as wells resistance to pests, i.e. bud mite. As a result of the long-term work, over 40 black currant cultivars have been developed, 14 of them are zoned. Red currant breeding was led by the candidate of agricultural Sciences L.V. Bayanova; since 2001 the work has been continued by the candidate of agricultural Sciences O.D. Golyaeva. ‘Heinemanns Rote Spӓtlese’, the descendant of R. multiflorum Kit., was involved in the red currant breeding for the first time in Russia. On its genetic basis, a series of late maturing cultivars with long and dense racemes was created. At the Institute, in total 21cultivars of red currants have been developed, 13 of them are zoned. At present, red currant cultivars make up 25.5% of the zoned assortment in Russia. The first research on gooseberries was stated by V.P. Semakin and A.F Tamarova; since 1992 the systematic gooseberry breeding has been carried out by the candidate of agricultural Sciences O.V. Kurashev. On the basis of Grossularia robusta, we have created gooseberry forms that are resistant to powdery mildew and leaf spots. These forms are highly productive, weakly thorned, having bush habit suitable for mechanized harvest. The result of breeding activities was the transfer of 6 gooseberry cultivars to State agricultural testing: ‘Solnechny Zaychik’, ‘Nekrasovsky’, ‘Yupiter’, ‘Zemlianichny’, ‘Moryachok’ and ‘Discovery’.


1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 61-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fruhen ◽  
K. Böcker ◽  
S. Eidens ◽  
D. Haaf ◽  
M. Liebeskind ◽  
...  

The objective of this study is to investigate to what extent the nitrification capacity of a pilot-plant fixed-film reactor changes during extensive periods of nutrient supply deficiency. The examined pilot-plant was an upflow reactor filled with swelling clay of medium grain size (6 to 8 mm). The experiments revealed that the maximum nitrification rate remained practically constant during the first weeks after the onset of unregulated ammonium supply. The capacity declined slowly, dropping to approximately 66% of the initial capacity after about ten weeks. Still ammonium peaks of up to 8 mg/l were readily nitrified throughout the entire period of the experiment. The reduction in nitrification capacity during the observation period did not result from decay processes of biomass but from the reactor becoming blocked and thus hampering transfer processes. It could be observed that the detached organisms attached again further up. This semi-industrial project demonstrated that a plug-flow fixed-film reactor can be used as effective means of tertiary nitrification.


Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 451
Author(s):  
Marta Kubiak ◽  
Janine Mayer ◽  
Ingo Kampen ◽  
Carsten Schilde ◽  
Rebekka Biedendieck

In biocatalytic processes, the use of free enzymes is often limited due to the lack of long-term stability and reusability. To counteract this, enzymes can be crystallized and then immobilized, generating cross-linked enzyme crystals (CLECs). As mechanical stability and activity of CLECs are crucial, different penicillin G acylases (PGAs) from Gram-positive organisms have proven to be promising candidates for industrial production of new semisynthetic antibiotics, which can be crystallized and cross-linked to characterize the resulting CLECs regarding their mechanical and catalytic properties. The greatest hardness and Young’s modulus determined by indentation with an atomic force microscope were observed for CLECs of Bacillus species FJAT-PGA CLECs (26 MPa/1450 MPa), followed by BmPGA (Priestia megaterium PGA, 23 MPa/1170 MPa) and BtPGA CLECs (Bacillus thermotolerans PGA, 11 MPa/614 MPa). In addition, FJAT- and BtPGA CLECs showed up to 20-fold higher volumetric activities compared to BmPGA CLECs. Correlation to structural characteristics indicated that a high solvent content and low number of cross-linking residues might lead to reduced stability. Furthermore, activity seems to be restricted by small water channels due to severe diffusion limitations. To the best of our knowledge, we show for the first time in this study that the entire process chain for the characterization of diverse industrially relevant enzymes can be performed at the microliter scale to discover the most important relationships and limitations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
La Li ◽  
Weijia Liu ◽  
Kai Jiang ◽  
Di Chen ◽  
Fengyu Qu ◽  
...  

AbstractZn-ion hybrid supercapacitors (SCs) are considered as promising energy storage owing to their high energy density compared to traditional SCs. How to realize the miniaturization, patterning, and flexibility of the Zn-ion SCs without affecting the electrochemical performances has special meanings for expanding their applications in wearable integrated electronics. Ti3C2Tx cathode with outstanding conductivity, unique lamellar structure and good mechanical flexibility has been demonstrated tremendous potential in the design of Zn-ion SCs, but achieving long cycling stability and high rate stability is still big challenges. Here, we proposed a facile laser writing approach to fabricate patterned Ti3C2Tx-based Zn-ion micro-supercapacitors (MSCs), followed by the in-situ anneal treatment of the assembled MSCs to improve the long-term stability, which exhibits 80% of the capacitance retention even after 50,000 charge/discharge cycles and superior rate stability. The influence of the cathode thickness on the electrochemical performance of the MSCs is also studied. When the thickness reaches 0.851 µm the maximum areal capacitance of 72.02 mF cm−2 at scan rate of 10 mV s−1, which is 1.77 times higher than that with a thickness of 0.329 µm (35.6 mF cm−2). Moreover, the fabricated Ti3C2Tx based Zn-ion MSCs have excellent flexibility, a digital timer can be driven by the single device even under bending state, a flexible LED displayer of “TiC” logo also can be easily lighted by the MSC arrays under twisting, crimping, and winding conditions, demonstrating the scalable fabrication and application of the fabricated MSCs in portable electronics.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 656
Author(s):  
Jing Jin ◽  
Rui Shi ◽  
Ramsey Steven Lewis ◽  
Howard David Shew

Phytophthora nicotianae is a devastating oomycete plant pathogen with a wide host range. On tobacco, it causes black shank, a disease that can result in severe economic losses. Deployment of host resistance is one of the most effective means of controlling tobacco black shank, but adaptation to complete and partial resistance by P. nicotianae can limit the long-term effectiveness of the resistance. The molecular basis of adaptation to partial resistance is largely unknown. RNAseq was performed on two isolates of P. nicotianae (adapted to either the susceptible tobacco genotype Hicks or the partially resistant genotype K 326 Wz/Wz) to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during their pathogenic interactions with K 326 Wz/Wz and Hicks. Approximately 69% of the up-regulated DEGs were associated with pathogenicity in the K 326 Wz/Wz-adapted isolate when sampled following infection of its adapted host K 326 Wz/Wz. Thirty-one percent of the up-regulated DEGs were associated with pathogenicity in the Hicks-adapted isolate on K 326 Wz/Wz. A broad spectrum of over-represented gene ontology (GO) terms were assigned to down-regulated genes in the Hicks-adapted isolate. In the host, a series of GO terms involved in nuclear biosynthesis processes were assigned to the down-regulated genes in K 326 Wz/Wz inoculated with K 326 Wz/Wz-adapted isolate. This study enhances our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of P. nicotianae adaptation to partial resistance in tobacco by elucidating how the pathogen recruits pathogenicity-associated genes that impact host biological activities.


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