N-heterocycles: Recent advances in biological applications

Nitrogen based heterocycles display an impressive repertoire of biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-tuberculosis, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-HIV, anti-cancer, anti-helminthic, and other pharmacological activities. Numerous novel nitrogen-based heterocycles have been synthesized, which showed various physiological properties, and their application in medicinal chemistry is ever-growing. The present review will provide an in-depth view of N-heterocyclic compounds that showed biological activities in the last 5 years (2017-2021). This review article will be helpful for the structural design of effective and sustainable N-heterocyclic drugs against diseases with minimal side effects.

A New Method for Sound Generation Based on Digital Sound Reconstruction

In this paper, we consider the general idea of Digital Sound Reconstruction (DSR) and analyze its inherent limitations. Based on this discussion, a new method which we call Advanced Digital Sound Reconstruction (ADSR) is introduced and analyzed in detail. This method aims to overcome the problems of classical DSR by introducing shutter gates and focuses on sound generation in the low-frequency domain. Combining the idea of classical DSR with a redirection mechanism leads to a gain of 20[Formula: see text]dB per decade regarding the sound pressure for decreasing frequency values. We present multiple array designs and possible embodiments for ADSR as well as an in depth view of excitation and optimization approaches. Finally, numerical investigations are used in order to demonstrate the potential of ADSR especially in the mid- to low-frequency range.

A graph-based data quality analysis in distributed telemedicine systems

Telemedicine is one of the most rapidly developing areas of healthcare and it plays an increasing role in modern medicine. As the amount of data and demand for features increase, the data paths are becoming ever-more complex. Owing to this, it is vital in telemedicine to find a proper balance between consistency and availability under any given circumstances. However, making a trade-off can significantly influence the quality of the data. This study seeks to get an in-depth view of the problem by considering a real-world telemedicine use-case and elaborating the formal system specification of the scenario. After evaluating the specification, the constructed state graph is examined using graph coloring and other graph algorithms.

Presence, Mode of Action, and Application of Pathway Specific Transcription Factors in Aspergillus Biosynthetic Gene Clusters

Fungal secondary metabolites are renowned toxins as well as valuable sources of antibiotics, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and immunosuppressants; hence, great efforts were levied to understand how these compounds are genetically regulated. The genes encoding for the enzymes required for synthesizing secondary metabolites are arranged in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Often, BGCs contain a pathway specific transcription factor (PSTF), a valuable tool in shutting down or turning up production of the BGC product. In this review, we present an in-depth view of PSTFs by examining over 40 characterized BGCs in the well-studied fungal species Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Herein, we find BGC size is a predictor for presence of PSTFs, consider the number and the relative location of PSTF in regard to the cluster(s) regulated, discuss the function and the evolution of PSTFs, and present application strategies for pathway specific activation of cryptic BGCs.

Accessible authentication: dyslexia and password strategies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reveal the lived experiences of dyslexics in engaging with all kinds of alphanumeric authentication mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach A significant proportion of the world’s population experiences some degree of dyslexia, which can lead to spelling, processing, sequencing and retention difficulties. Passwords, being essentially sequences of alphanumeric characters, make it likely that dyslexics will struggle with these, even more so than the rest of the population. Here, this study explores the difficulties people with dyslexia face, their general experiences with passwords, the coping strategies they use and the advice they can provide to developers and others who struggle with passwords. This paper collects empirical data through semi-structured interviews with 13 participants. Thematic analysis was used to provide an in-depth view of each participant’s experience. Findings The main contribution of this paper is to provide evidence related to the inaccessibility dimensions of passwords as an authentication mechanism, especially for dyslexics and to recommend a solution direction. Research limitations/implications There is a possible volunteer bias, as this study is dealing with self-reported data including historical and reflective elements and this paper is seeking information only from those with self-declared or diagnosed dyslexia. Furthermore, many expressed interest or curiosity in the relationship between dyslexia and password difficulties, for some a motivation for their participation. Finally, given that the participants told us that dyslexics might hide, it is possible that the experiences of those who do hide are different from those who chose to speak to us and thus were not hiding. Originality/value A few authors have written about the difficulties dyslexics face when it comes to passwords, but no one has asked dyslexics to tell them about their experiences. This paper fills that gap.

Publication Trends of Leadership Excellence: A Bibliometric Review Using VOSviewer

Leadership research has long attracted interest among researchers. Analysing the evolution and development of this scientific domain is therefore essential. This study discusses the bibliometric review of scholarly research performed in leadership excellence in recent years. The study uses the Scopus database and a wide variety of bibliometric indicators such as publication trends, citations, and authors’ keywords. Graphical visualisation of bibliometric using VOSviewer software is also presented. Results showed that the number of studies covering this topic has fluctuated and is still minimal, with fewer than ten publications per year over four decades. It could also be interpreted that leadership excellence research is broad by evaluating publications and research areas. The bibliometric review conducted provides a comprehensive and in-depth view of leadership excellence research that may be of interest to researchers who are keen to improve or discover new knowledge in this area.

Impact of Lockdown Measures on Joint Music Making: Playing Online and Physically Together

A wide range of countries decided to go into lockdown to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020, a setting separating people and restricting their movements. We investigated how musicians dealt with this sudden restriction in mobility. Responses of 234 people were collected. The majority of respondents (95%) resided in Belgium or the Netherlands. Results indicated a decrease of 79% of live music making in social settings during lockdown compared with before lockdown. In contrast, an increase of 264% was demonstrated for online joint music making. However, results showed that most respondents were largely or even completely unaccustomed with specialized platforms for online joint music making (e.g., JamKazam, Jamulus). Respondents reported to mostly use well-known video-conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Skype when playing together virtually. However, when such video-conferencing platforms were used, they were often not employed for synchronized playing and were generally reported to insufficiently deal with latency issues. Furthermore, respondents depending on music making as their main source of income explored online real-time methods significantly more than those relying on other income sources. Results also demonstrated an increase of 93% in the use of alternative remote joint music-making methods (e.g., recording parts separately and subsequently circulating these digital recordings). All in all, results of this study provide a more in-depth view on joint music making during the first weeks of lockdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, and demonstrate users’ perceptions of performance and usability of online real-time platforms as well as alternative methods for musical interaction.

X-ray analysis of SDSS J165202.60+172852.4, an obscured quasar with outflows at peak galaxy formation epoch

ABSTRACT We report on deep XMM–Newton and NuSTAR observations of the high redshift, z = 2.94, extremely red quasar (ERQ), SDSS J165202.60+172852.4, with known galactic ionized outflows detected via spatially resolved [O iii] emission lines. X-ray observations allow us to directly probe the accretion disc luminosity and the geometry and scale of the circumnuclear obscuration. We fit the spectra from the XMM–Newton/EPIC and NuSTAR detectors with a physically motivated torus model and constrain the source to exhibit a near Compton-thick column density of NH = (1.02$^{+0.76}_{-0.41}$) × 1024 cm−2, a near edge-on geometry with the line-of-sight inclination angle of θi = 85°, and a scattering fraction of fsc ∼ 3 per cent. The absorption-corrected, intrinsic 2–10 keV X-ray luminosity of L2–10= (1.4$^{+1}_{-1}$) × 1045 erg s−1 reveals a powerful quasar that is not intrinsically X-ray weak, consistent with observed trends in other ERQs. We also estimate the physical properties of the obscuration, although highly uncertain: the warm ionized scattering density of ne ∼ 7.5 × (102–103) cm−3 and the obscuration mass of $M_{\rm obsc} \sim 1.7\times (10^4\!-\!10^6)\,{\rm M}_{\odot}$. As previously suggested with shallower X-ray observations, optical and infrared selection of ERQ has proved effective in finding obscured quasars with powerful outflow signatures. Our observations provide an in-depth view into the X-ray properties of ERQs and support the conclusions of severely photon-limited studies of obscured quasar populations at high redshifts.