One of the greatest concerns among threats to public health worldwide is antimicrobial resistance (AR). The ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) are a leading cause of nosocomial infections worldwide. Most of these pathogens are multidrug resistant, making them very difficult to manage and treat. Actinomycetes, particularly the genus Streptomyces are an exceptional source of antibiotics. In this study we perform molecular characterization of 37 isolated Actinomycetes isolated from extreme Sharjah desert, UAE. Using DNA sequencing of the 16S-rRNA gene these isolates were identified. 24 of the isolates were found to belong to the genus Streptomyces while the remaining 13 were Rare Actinomycetes. Using cross streak method, we identified 12 strains that exhibited antimicrobial activity against at least 1 member of the ESKAPE pathogens.
Host responses in P. falciparum malaria vary between individuals and ethnic groups through poorly understood mechanisms. During the blood-stage malaria, P. falciparum engages with the host in exchanging metabolites, resulting in major perturbations that impact the host response and parasite proliferation. Here we combine the power of prospective sampling and integrative analysis of global in vivo metabolomic and transcriptomic data to investigate the impact of infection on African children. Using integrative multi-omics data analysis, we identify major perturbations in lipid metabolism during infection implicating the metabolome in mechanisms behind immune avoidance strategies in malaria.
Insight into the metabolic changes elicited through residual SARS-CoV-2 proteins is important and yet to be determined. Here we show that treatment of human peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages with SARS-CoV-2 peptides induced concentration-dependent proliferation of macrophages and alterations in their metabolomic and phenotypic profiles. Our current findings provide important insight into the effects of SARS-CoV-2 residual proteins
Hyalomma dromedarii is an important blood-feeding ectoparasite that affects the health of camels. We assessed the profile of bacterial communities associated with H. dromedarii collected from camels in the eastern part of the UAE in 2010 and 2019. A total of 100 partially engorged female ticks were taken from tick samples collected from camels (n = 100; 50/year) and subjected to DNA extraction and sequencing. The 16S rRNA gene was amplified from genomic DNA and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq platform to elucidate the bacterial communities. Principle Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) was conducted to determine patterns of diversity in bacterial communities.
Blastocystis is an intestinal protozoan with undeceive pathogenicity. According to the CDC, 9 subtypes were identified. Between chronic diseases and Blastocystis infection, there is a clear but not well-understood relationship. This study aims to assess the possible association between Blastocystis infection and Colorectal cancer (CRC) condition amongst cancer patients compared to healthy control. Three groups were recruited: CRC patients, patients with cancers outside the gastrointestinal tract (COGT), and cancer-free participants. Participants consented to provide a fresh stool sample. Fecal specimens underwent microscopy and molecular analysis to identify any macro or micro-intestinal parasites. Xenic culture of samples was also used to confirm the subtyping of Blastocystis. According to the preliminary data, the prevalence of Blastocystis was twice the prevalence of Blastocystis infection in healthy individuals. However, CRC patients showed lower Blastocystis infection compared to COGT. Prevalence of sub-type I of Blastocystis was the most common among all participants.
Studies have demonstrated the association between the alteration in cellular sphingolipids (SPLs) and the development of drug resistance in human cancers. To investigate the role of SPLs in doxorubicin (dox)-resistant MCF-7 cells, a sphingolipidomics analysis associated with gene expression analysis were conducted. The data obtained revealed that SPLs were clustered into two groups differentiating parental from dox-resistant cells. Eight SPLs were significantly altered in response to dox-resistance. This study is the first to conclusively ascertain the involvement of SPLs dysregulation in doxorubicin resistance in MCF-7 cells. SPLs metabolism in dox-resistant MCF-7 cells was associated downregulation of ceramides and increase in sphingomyelin. Gene expression analysis has revealed that dox-resistant cells tend to escape from the Cer-related apoptosis by activation of SM-Cer and GluCer-LacCer-ganglioside.
This research addresses a novel technique to monitor safety of workers at height using artificially trained drones. A CNN deep learning model will be used to detect the personal fall arrest system (PFAS) components including the safety harness, lifeline, and the safety helmet. The model then will be implemented in one of Abu Dhabi's construction sites to test the accuracy and efficiency of the developed model.
This research investigates how land use changes due to sea level rise (SLR) may affect traffic network congestion and how preventive protection measures against SLR can significantly improve transportation network performance and possibly be cost effective. We use the San Francisco Bay Area shoreline, under a one-meter SLR, as a case study, and evaluate the results with different metrics: the number of commuters that are not able to execute their trip, and the Vehicle Hours Traveled increase. Our model considers both hydrodynamic and traffic effects. The results show that the relocation of commercial and residential buildings from inundated to dry areas will increase congestion levels, while preventive protection of the shoreline leads to lower levels of traffic congestion. Finally, we discuss other possible costs related to the absence of levee protection that should be evaluated by policy makers before developing SLR adaptation strategies.
As planners devise the most effective sea wall protection strategy on coastal cities to protect against sea level rise, they may face a large number of possible combinations, which are computationally infeasible to simulate. This paper presents a Genetic Algorithm (GA) that explores the full range of protection scenarios with a guided search. This GA varies levee length increments and mutation probabilities aiming to maximize benefits in terms of travel time savings. The benefits for this research were generated semi-randomly within a logical range obtained from the results of previous research. The performance of each algorithm with its sets of parameters was evaluated against a Pareto frontier obtained from the generated benefits. The results show a good performance while reducing the expected number of simulations to be run to a fraction of the total, displaying a promising search technique.
Plastic goods and end-of-life tires are designed and produced with excellent polymeric materials. However, at the end of their service life, they represent a massive source of waste. Recycling technologies are currently available for reprocessing both plastics and tires, but it is still challenging to deal with the impressive quantity of wastes accumulated over the years. The vast availability, together with the needs of the pavement industry for better performing materials, is leading the efforts to reuse both plastics and tires for paving applications. In this paper, the mechanical response in the linear viscoelastic region has been evaluated for asphalt binder modified with devulcanized tire rubber, waste low-density polyethylene, and polypropylene. Results indicate that devulcanized rubber and plastics together can replace the commercial polymer commonly used nowadays.
