Methyltransferase as Antibiotics Against Foodborne Pathogens: An In Silico Approach for Exploring Enzyme as Enzymobiotics

The development of resistance in microbes against antibiotics and limited choice for the use of chemical preservatives in food lead the urgent need to search for an alternative to antibiotics. The enzymes are catalytic proteins that catalyze digestion of bacterial cell walls and protein requirements for the survival of the cell. To study methyltransferase as antibiotics against foodborne pathogen, the methyltransferase enzyme sequence was modeled and its interactions were analyzed against a membrane protein of the gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria through in silico protein–protein interactions. The methyltransferase interaction with cellular protein was found to be maximum, due to the maximum PatchDock Score (15808), which was followed by colicin (12864) and amoxicillin (4122). The modeled protein has found to be interact more significantly to inhibit the indicator bacteria than the tested antibiotics and antimicrobial colicin protein. Thus, model enzyme methyltransferase could be used as enzymobiotics. Moreover, peptide sequences similar to this enzyme sequence need to be designed and evaluated against the microbial pathogen.

Extended π-backbone for highly efficient near-infrared thermally activated delayed fluorescence with enhanced horizontal molecular orientation

The near-infrared thermally activated delayed fluorescence (NIR-TADF) materials with emission over 700 nm were insufficiently investigated mainly due to the limited choice of strong donor/acceptor units for the molecular construction...

TECHNOLOGIES FOR DIGITALIZATION OF DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS: THE ATTITUDE OF THE NEW GENERATION OF RUSSIAN BUYERS

At the moment, there is an active introduction of digital technologies into distribution channels. The digitalization of sales channels in Russia has created objective prerequisites for the development of collaboration marketing, the use of which involves the inclusion of channel partners in marketing work, network activity, and the provision of content and assets. In these conditions, it is important to understand the attitude of the most promising category of buyers (youth) to these processes. Therefore, this study is devoted to identifying consumer attitudes towards the introduction of digital technologies into the distribution channels of the Russian Federation. This article assesses the opinion of young Russian consumers regarding the digitalization of distribution channels. The result of the study is to test a number of author's hypotheses regarding the preferences of young Russian consumers in relation to online and offline purchases. According to the results of the conducted field research, it can be concluded that the risk of the disappearance of offline trade remains rather low. The study found that modern consumers are aware of e-commerce services and have high confidence in them, and they often make their purchases through marketplaces. However, despite the increased demand for online shopping, which is due to the coronavirus pandemic, consumers do not allow for a complete crowding out of traditional stores. The respondents are more likely to purchase only pre-selected and seasonal goods, while everyday goods, periodicals and limited-choice goods are still more likely to be purchased by modern consumers in offline stores.

Challenges to Reintegration: A Qualitative Intrinsic Case-Study of Convicted Female Sex Traffickers

Limited research focuses on the nature of the lived experiences of women engaged in sex trafficking. This study employed qualitative methods of in-depth structured interviews with 10 convicted sex traffickers (ages 24–56; 100% identifying as female). Participants’ lived experiences revealed circumstances that led them to trafficking, specific needs, and the stigmatization they faced after exiting economies tied to trafficking. Inductive analysis yielded three key barriers to reintegration success: limited choice; negative labeling; and unmet physical, emotional, and social needs. These findings enhance understanding of the factors influencing the successful reintegration of convicted female sex traffickers into mainstream society.

Russian election meets sole aim of Kremlin validation

Significance The result comes despite United Russia's limited popularity and support base. The Communists performed better than in 2016, though they believe their real vote share was manipulated downwards. The political establishment appears content that this exercise in limited choice went the right way, thanks to manipulation before and during the polls. Impacts Moscow will dismiss external criticism and accuse the West of election interference. United Russia will fade back into the background, rubberstamping legislation but inactive on the ground. United Russia candidates Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reportedly plan to renounce their Duma seats.

Treatment of antipsychotic-induced parkinsonism in schizophrenic patients

Antipsychotic-induced parkinsonism (AIP) is one of the prognostically unfavorable complications of psychopharmacotherapy in patients with schizophrenia. Many studies have investigated various drugs that are used to treat this neurological side effect. This review analyzes drugs that are used and may be perspective for the treatment of AIP. We searched for full-text publications in Russian and English in the following databases: E-Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Springer, using keywords and combined word searches over the past decade (2011—2020). The review covers drugs that are promising for the correction of AIP, including anticholinergic drugs; NMDA receptor antagonists; dopamine receptor agonists; selective inhibitors of monoamine oxidase B; catecholamine transferase inhibitors; melatonin preparations; melatonin receptor agonists; benzodiazepines; herbal preparations traditionally used for the prevention and correction of extrapyramidal syndrome of various etiologies. Currently, a small number of medications are used in clinical practice for the treatment of AIP. However, not all of them are registered in the Russian Federation. Along with the differences in the mechanisms of AIP pathogenesis in specific patients, the limited choice of AIP treatments makes it difficult to solve the problem of adverse neurological complications of psychopharmacotherapy in schizophrenia.

Let’s talk about webcams, and a pedagogy of kindness

With the move to online and blended learning, there has been much focus amongst educators on webcam use in online classes. Mandatory webcam policies and privileging use of webcams as the preferred form of engagement disregard the COVID-19 context – in which students have had limited choice about learning in blended or online modes – and significantly undermine trust. This piece argues for the adoption of a pedagogy of kindness, through teaching and learning practices that are sensitive to the material experience of diverse groups of students, and considers some of the complex reasons why insisting on webcam use may exacerbate inequalities.

Penurunan Kualitas dan Kuantitas Spermatozoa Mencit (Mus musculus L.) Setelah Pemberian Ekstrak Rimpang Rumput Teki ( Cyperus rotundus L.)

The lack of participation of men in family planning programs is due to the limited choice of male contraceptive. Traditional medicinal plants are one of ideal alternative types of male contraception. This study aimed to study the effect of Cyperus rotundus L. rhizome on the quality and quantity of spermatozoa in male mice (Mus musculus L.). Twenty male mice were divided into four treatment groups, namely control group (C0), the dose of teki grass rhizome extract 4.5 mg/40 g BW (C1), the dose of teki grass rhizome extract 45 mg/40 g BW (C2), and the dose of teki grass rhizome extract 135 mg/40 g BW (C3) for 35 days. Parameters measured were the motility, viability, morphology, and concentration of spermatozoa. The data were analyzed for diversity and then further tested using the LSD test with a 5% significance level. The results of the analysis showed that giving teki grass rhizome extract had a significant effect on the motility, viability, morphology, and concentration of spermatozoa. It can be concluded that teki grass rhizome can be used as an alternative male contraception because it can reduce motility, viability, morphology, and spermatozoa concentration.

Exploring antibody repurposing for COVID-19: beyond presumed roles of therapeutic antibodies

The urgent need for a treatment of COVID-19 has left researchers with limited choice of either developing an effective vaccine or identifying approved/investigational drugs developed for other medical conditions for potential repurposing, thus bypassing long clinical trials. In this work, we compared the sequences of experimentally verified SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and sequentially/structurally similar commercialized therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. We have identified three therapeutic antibodies, Tremelimumab, Ipilimumab and Afasevikumab. Interestingly, these antibodies target CTLA4 and IL17A, levels of which have been shown to be elevated during severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. The candidate antibodies were evaluated further for epitope restriction, interaction energy and interaction surface to gauge their repurposability to tackle SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our work provides candidate antibody scaffolds with dual activities of plausible viral neutralization and immunosuppression. Further, these candidate antibodies can also be explored in diagnostic test kits for SARS-CoV-2 infection. We opine that this in silico workflow to screen and analyze antibodies for repurposing would have widespread applications.

New York Restaurants: A Wine Odyssey Between 1865 and 1920

We examine the existence of wine in New York City restaurant menus over the period 1865 to 1920 for a sample of 850,000 restaurant menu items and 51,000 wines. Wine was already commonly present on menus in 1865, and its offering increased up until 1914 before dropping with the outbreak of First World War (WWI). Casual restaurants offered a narrower wine selection. Special menus displayed a significantly higher probability of containing wine but with a more limited choice indicating that wine was especially appreciated on special occasions. French wines, especially from Bordeaux and Champagne, were the most represented on menus followed by wines from Germany. The average selling price of a bottle of wine was around US$40 in 2018 terms. Prices, however, fluctuated widely over time and wine type. Notably, American wines were about 50% less expensive than French or German wines.