Search Results (46)

Endolysins, phage-derived enzymes capable of lysing bacterial cell walls, hold significant promise as novel antimicrobials against resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. In this study, we undertook an integrative approach combining extensive in silico analyses and experimental validation to characterize the novel endolysin LysPALS22. Initially, sixteen endolysin sequences were selected based on documented lytic activity and enzymatic diversity, and subjected to multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, which revealed highly conserved catalytic and binding domains, particularly localized to the N-terminal region, underscoring their functional importance. Building upon these sequence insights, we generated three-dimensional structural models using Swiss-Model, EBI-EMBL, and AlphaFold Colab, where comparative evaluation via Ramachandran plots and ERRAT scores identified the Swiss-Model prediction as the highest quality structure, featuring over 90% residues in favored conformations and superior atomic interaction profiles. Leveraging this validated model, molecular docking studies were conducted in PyRx with AutoDock Vina, performing blind docking of key peptidoglycan-derived ligands such as N-Acetylmuramic Acid-L-Alanine, which exhibited the strongest binding affinity (−7.3 kcal/mol), with stable hydrogen bonding to catalytic residues ASP46 and TYR61, indicating precise substrate recognition. Visualization of docking poses using Discovery Studio further confirmed critical hydrophobic and polar interactions stabilizing ligand binding. Subsequent molecular dynamics simulations validated the stability of the LysPALS22–NAM-LA complex, showing minimal structural fluctuations, persistent hydrogen bonding, and favorable interaction energies throughout the 100 ns trajectory. Parallel to computational analyses, LysPALS22 was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris), where SDS-PAGE and bicinchoninic acid assays validated successful protein production; notably, the P. pastoris-expressed enzyme displayed an increased molecular weight (~45 kDa) consistent with glycosylation, and achieved higher volumetric yields (1.56 ± 0.31 mg/mL) compared to E. coli (1.31 ± 0.16 mg/mL), reflecting advantages of yeast expression for large-scale production. Collectively, these findings provide a robust structural and functional foundation for LysPALS22, highlighting its conserved enzymatic features, specific ligand interactions, and successful recombinant expression, thereby setting the stage for future in vivo antimicrobial efficacy studies and rational engineering efforts aimed at combating multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections. Full article

Significant heavy metals contamination is often caused by rapid industrialization, which is devastating to both public health and the environment. Conventional processes of metal removal also result in the accumulation of secondary waste. This work proposes the use of a novel fungal biomass (microwave heat dried) from Arthrinium malaysianum for the biosorption of toxic chromium. We have meticulously explored and investigated the interactions of hexavalent chromium with dried biomass using several cutting-edge techniques like FTIR for studying the involvement of functional groups on the biomass surface, XRD for the surface architecture changes after metal binding, XPS to unravel the reduction of hexavalent chromium into its non-toxic form, and FESEM-EDX for the visualization of the ultra-structure of fungal cell surface. The Langmuir isotherm demonstrates that the maximum removal capacity Q_max of Cr(VI) is 102.310 mgg⁻¹, at a pH of 3.5 with 100% removal of Cr(VI). There were substantial changes in the surface architecture during adsorption, confirmed by FESEM and AFM studies. FTIR and XPS data analysis indicated that carbonyl, hydroxyl, phosphate, and amine groups were responsible for the conversion of Cr(VI) (toxic) to Cr(III) (non-toxic). The IR spectra of biomass treated with Cr showed a decreased C-O stretching intensity and slight shriveling of the -OH band, and the bands in the FTIR spectra at 1642 cm⁻¹ to 1635 cm⁻¹ and at 1549 cm⁻¹ to 1547 cm⁻¹ shifted and appeared quite distinct. XRD revealed that the chromium-treated biomass had greater crystalline features and also the appearance of a wide peak where 2θ = 20°, approximately, indicating an amorphous nature at 576.0 eV and in highly loaded chromium (500 mg/L) biomass, with the Cr2p level displaying a slight shift, eventually terminating in a (576.0 eV) Cr₂O₃ to Cr(III) peak. Since the FTIR and XPS data obtained revealed that Cr(VI) reduces to Cr(III), this fungal biomass can also be used for generating metallic nanoparticles during biosorption. Thus, we suggest that the above-mentioned fungal biomass could be a very useful biomaterial for future translational research. We are in the process of fabricating beads with powdered biomass for further studies. Full article

Visualization contributes to an in-depth understanding of ocean variables and phenomena, and a web-based three-dimensional visualization of ocean data has gained significant attention in oceanographic research. However, many challenges remain to be addressed while performing a real-time interactive visualization of large-volume heterogeneous scalar datasets in a web environment. In this study, we propose a WebGPU-based volume rendering framework for an interactive visualization of ocean scalar data. The ray casting algorithm, optimized with early ray termination and adaptive sampling methods, is adopted as the core volume rendering algorithm to visualize three-dimensional gridded data preprocessed from regular and irregular gridded volume datasets generated by ocean numerical modeling, utilizing the Babylon.js rendering engine and WebGPU technology. Moreover, the framework integrates a set of interactive visual analysis tools, providing functionalities such as volume cutting, value-based spatial data filtering, and time-series animation playback, enabling users to effectively display, navigate, and explore multidimensional datasets. Finally, we conducted several experiments to evaluate the visual effects and performance of the framework. The results suggest that the proposed WebGPU-based volume rendering framework is a feasible web-based solution for visualizing and analyzing large-scale gridded ocean scalar data. Full article

Automatic navigation, as one of the modern technologies in farming automation, enables unmanned driving and operation of agricultural vehicles. In this research, the ZPTM (Zigzag Path Tracking Method) was proposed to reduce the complexity of path planning by using a point cloud consisting of a series of anchor points with spatial information, which are obtained from orthophotos taken by UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to represent the curved path in the zigzag. A local straight path was created by linking two adjacent anchor points, forming the local target path to be tracked, which simplified the navigation algorithm for zigzag path tracking. A nonlinear feedback function was established, using both lateral and heading errors as inputs for determining the desired heading angle of agricultural vehicles, which were guided along the local target path with minimal errors. A GUI (Graphic User Interface) was designed on the navigation terminal to visualize and monitor the working process of agricultural vehicles in automatic navigation, displaying interactive controls and components, including representations of the zigzag path and the agricultural vehicle using affine transformation. A high-clearance sprayer equipped with an automatic navigation system was utilized as the test platform to evaluate the proposed ZPTM. Zigzag navigation tests were conducted to explore the impact of path tracking parameters, including path curvature, moving speed, and spacing between anchor points, on zigzag navigation performance. Based on these tests, a regression model was established to optimize these parameters for achieving accurate and smooth movement. Field test results showed that the maximum error, average error, and RMS (Root Mean Square) error in the zigzag navigation were 3.30 cm, 2.04 cm, and 2.27 cm, respectively. These results indicate that the point cloud path-based ZPTM in this research demonstrates adequate stability, accuracy, and applicability in zigzag navigation. Full article

We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of an acupuncture steam-warming eye mask (ASEM) on dry eye disease (DED) in visual display terminal (VDT) users. This prospective randomized clinical trial included VDT users with DED-related features who were randomly assigned to the ASEM group (ASEM for 2 weeks, 20 participants) or the steam-warming eye mask (SEM) group (SEM for 2 weeks, 20 participants). The tear film break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer test, tear meniscus height, ocular surface staining scores, eyelid and meibomian gland exam, subjective symptoms, and quality of life (QoL) scores before and after treatment were collected. A generalized linear mixed model was applied to compare the improvement of symptoms and signs between the two groups. After the 2-week treatment, all the subjective symptoms and questionnaire scores in the ASEM group improved significantly (all p < 0.05), whereas the feelings of relaxation, comfortable, and refreshment did not change in the SEM group (both p > 0.05). The TBUT, tear meniscus height, and meibum quality in the lower eyelid were significantly better in the ASEM group than the SEM group (all p < 0.05), whereas no significant changes were observed in the Schirmer test and ocular surface staining scores. Compared with the SEM group, the ASEM group experienced a stronger feeling of refreshment (p = 0.013), lower sensation of ocular discharge (p = 0.031), higher TBUT (p = 0.045), better meibomian gland expressibility of both eyelids (both p < 0.05), and better meibum quality of both eyelids (both p < 0.05), even after adjustments for age and sex. In conclusion, comparing with SEM, ASEM can improve some subjective DED symptoms, tear film stability, and meibum status in VDT users. Full article

Background/Objectives: Modern life is inconceivable without visual display terminal (VDT) work, including smartphones, computers, and games for both children and adults. VDT work under air conditioning and low humidity poses a high risk of dry eye and digital eye strain. Methods: Thirty-one participants were randomly divided into two groups using a desktop humidifier with photocatalytic technology, namely the “with mist” (humidifier) group and “without mist” (control) group. Participants performed VDT tasks using the humidifier with or without mist for 1 h. Ocular subjective symptoms and objective tear film parameters were assessed before, immediately after, and 1.5 h after the VDT task with or without mist. (Registry ID: UMIN000054379) Results: Ocular symptom scores improved significantly in the humidifier group immediately after the VDT task and up to 1.5 h later compared to before the task (p < 0.001, =0.006, respectively). Immediately after the VDT task, tear meniscus height was significantly higher and non-invasive breakup time was significantly longer in the humidifier group than in the control group (p < 0.001, =0.040, respectively). Plugging of the meibomian gland orifices was significantly reduced only in the humidifier group immediately after the VDT task compared to before the VDT task and remained significantly reduced up to 1.5 h later (p = 0.004, 0.016, respectively). Conclusions: The use of the photocatalytic desktop humidifier during VDT task resulted in significant improvements in the tear film parameters and subjective symptoms. The photocatalytic desktop humidifier could be effective in alleviating dry eye and eye strain in computer users in a modern office environment. Full article

This study investigates the effects of ambient illumination and negatively polarized text color on visual fatigue, exploring the issue of visual fatigue when using visual display terminals in low-illumination environments. The research methodology utilizes an experimental design to collect data on changes in pupil accommodation and blink rate through an eye tracker. Participants completed a reading task while exposed to various text colors and ambient light conditions to evaluate visual fatigue and cognitive performance. The study’s findings suggest that text color significantly affects visual fatigue, with red text causing the highest level of visual fatigue and yellow text causing the lowest level of visual fatigue. Improvements in ambient lighting reduce visual fatigue, but the degree of improvement varies depending on the text color. Additionally, cognitive performance is better when using yellow and white text but worse when using red text. Yellow text is the most effective choice for reducing visual fatigue under negative polarity. Increasing ambient lighting can also improve visual fatigue in low-illumination conditions. These findings will offer valuable guidance for designing visual terminal device interfaces, especially for low-illumination or night environments, to minimize visual fatigue and improve user experience. Full article

Connexins (Cxs) are a family of integral membrane proteins, which function as both hexameric hemichannels (HCs) and dodecameric gap junction channels (GJCs), behaving as conduits for the electrical and molecular communication between cells and between cells and the extracellular environment, respectively. Their proper functioning is crucial for many processes, including development, physiology, and response to disease and trauma. Abnormal GJC and HC communication can lead to numerous pathological states including inflammation, skin diseases, deafness, nervous system disorders, and cardiac arrhythmias. Over the last 15 years, high-resolution X-ray and electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM) structures for seven Cx isoforms have revealed conservation in the four-helix transmembrane (TM) bundle of each subunit; an αβ fold in the disulfide-bonded extracellular loops and inter-subunit hydrogen bonding across the extracellular gap that mediates end-to-end docking to form a tight seal between hexamers in the GJC. Tissue injury is associated with cellular Ca²⁺ overload. Surprisingly, the binding of 12 Ca²⁺ ions in the Cx26 GJC results in a novel electrostatic gating mechanism that blocks cation permeation. In contrast, acidic pH during tissue injury elicits association of the N-terminal (NT) domains that sterically blocks the pore in a “ball-and-chain” fashion. The NT domains under physiologic conditions display multiple conformational states, stabilized by protein–protein and protein–lipid interactions, which may relate to gating mechanisms. The cryoEM maps also revealed putative lipid densities within the pore, intercalated among transmembrane α-helices and between protomers, the functions of which are unknown. For the future, time-resolved cryoEM of isolated Cx channels as well as cryotomography of GJCs and HCs in cells and tissues will yield a deeper insight into the mechanisms for channel regulation. The cytoplasmic loop (CL) and C-terminal (CT) domains are divergent in sequence and length, are likely involved in channel regulation, but are not visualized in the high-resolution X-ray and cryoEM maps presumably due to conformational flexibility. We expect that the integrated use of synergistic physicochemical, spectroscopic, biophysical, and computational methods will reveal conformational dynamics relevant to functional states. We anticipate that such a wealth of results under different pathologic conditions will accelerate drug discovery related to Cx channel modulation. Full article

C-terminal Src kinase (CSK) is the major inhibitory kinase for Src family kinases (SFKs) through the phosphorylation of their C-tail tyrosine sites, and it regulates various types of cellular activity in association with SFK function. As a cytoplasmic protein, CSK needs be recruited to the plasma membrane to regulate SFKs’ activity. The regulatory mechanism behind CSK activity and its subcellular localization remains largely unclear. In this work, we developed a genetically encoded biosensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to visualize the CSK activity in live cells. The biosensor, with an optimized substrate peptide, confirmed the crucial Arg¹⁰⁷ site in the CSK SH2 domain and displayed sensitivity and specificity to CSK activity, while showing minor responses to co-transfected Src and Fyn. FRET measurements showed that CSK had a relatively mild level of kinase activity in comparison to Src and Fyn in rat airway smooth muscle cells. The biosensor tagged with different submembrane-targeting signals detected CSK activity at both non-lipid raft and lipid raft microregions, while it showed a higher FRET level at non-lipid ones. Co-transfected receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase alpha (PTPα) had an inhibitory effect on the CSK FRET response. The biosensor did not detect obvious changes in CSK activity between metastatic cancer cells and normal ones. In conclusion, a novel FRET biosensor was generated to monitor CSK activity and demonstrated CSK activity existing in both non-lipid and lipid raft membrane microregions, being more present at non-lipid ones. Full article

Laminins are trimeric glycoproteins with important roles in cell-matrix adhesion and tissue organization. The laminin α, ß, and γ-chains have short N-terminal arms, while their C-termini are connected via a triple coiled-coil domain, giving the laminin molecule a well-characterized cross-shaped morphology as a result. The C-terminus of laminin alpha chains contains additional globular laminin G-like (LG) domains with important roles in mediating cell adhesion. Dynamic conformational changes of different laminin domains have been implicated in regulating laminin function, but so far have not been analyzed at the single-molecule level. High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is a unique tool for visualizing such dynamic conformational changes under physiological conditions at sub-second temporal resolution. After optimizing surface immobilization and imaging conditions, we characterized the ultrastructure of laminin-111 and laminin-332 using HS-AFM timelapse imaging. While laminin-111 features a stable S-shaped coiled-coil domain displaying little conformational rearrangement, laminin-332 coiled-coil domains undergo rapid switching between straight and bent conformations around a defined central molecular hinge. Complementing the experimental AFM data with AlphaFold-based coiled-coil structure prediction enabled us to pinpoint the position of the hinge region, as well as to identify potential molecular rearrangement processes permitting hinge flexibility. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations provide further support for a spatially defined kinking mechanism in the laminin-332 coiled-coil domain. Finally, we observed the dynamic rearrangement of the C-terminal LG domains of laminin-111 and laminin-332, switching them between compact and open conformations. Thus, HS-AFM can directly visualize molecular rearrangement processes within different laminin isoforms and provide dynamic structural insight not available from other microscopy techniques. Full article

The grid terminal deploys numerous types of communication equipment for the digital construction of the smart grid. Once communication equipment failure occurs, it might jeopardize the safety of the power grid. The massive amount of communication equipment leads to a dramatic increase in fault research and judgment data, making it difficult to locate fault information in equipment maintenance. Therefore, this paper designs a knowledge-graph-driven method for intelligent decision making on power communication equipment faults. The method consists of two parts: power knowledge extraction and user intent multi-feature learning recommendation. The power knowledge extraction model utilizes a multi-layer bidirectional encoder to capture the global features of the sentence and then characterizes the deep local semantics of the sentence through a convolutional pooling layer, which achieves the joint extraction and visual display of the fault entity relations. The user intent multi-feature learning recommendation model uses a graph convolutional neural network to aggregate the higher-order neighborhood information of faulty entities and then the cross-compression matrix to solve the feature interaction degree of the user and graph, which achieves accurate prediction of fault retrieval. The experimental results show that the method is optimal in knowledge extraction compared to classical models such as BERT-CRF, in which the F1 value reaches 81.7%, which can effectively extract fault knowledge. User intent multi-feature learning recommendation works best, with an F1 value of 87%. Compared with the classical models such as CKAN and KGCN, it is improved by 5%~11%, which can effectively solve the problem of insufficient mining of user retrieval intent. This method realizes accurate retrieval and personalized recommendation of fault information of electric power communication equipment. Full article

Nurses are at risk of eye discomfort due to the increasing use of visual display terminals and wearing masks, which may worsen eye-related symptoms. This study was conducted in South Korea to identify the factors influencing eye-related symptoms among hospital nurses on/off duty. The study included 154 nurses who completed a self-reported questionnaire that assessed demographic characteristics, perceived health status, dry-eye symptoms, occupational stress, and eye-related symptoms. The results showed that nurses complained of more eye-related symptoms on duty than off duty, with female sex and dry-eye symptoms being the factors influencing eye-related symptoms on duty. On the other hand, computer use time (≥4 h) and dry-eye symptoms were the factors influencing eye-related symptoms off duty. The study suggests that assessing dry-eye symptoms can facilitate early interventions to relieve eye-related symptoms in hospital nurses, and they should pay attention to eye health during working hours as well as off hours. Full article

(1) Background: The impairment of eye–hand coordination and smooth-pursuit eye movement caused by visual display terminal (VDT) operation is thought to impair daily living activities, for which no effective methods are currently known. On the other hand, various food ingredients, including astaxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin, are known to help improve the eye health of VDT operators. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the combination of astaxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin can prevent the impairment of eye–hand coordination and smooth-pursuit eye movement caused by VDT operation. (2) Methods: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. Healthy subjects who regularly worked with VDTs were randomly assigned to the active and placebo groups. All of the subjects took soft capsules containing 6 mg of astaxanthin, 10 mg of lutein, and 2 mg of zeaxanthin or placebo soft capsules once daily for eight weeks. We evaluated the eye–hand coordination, smooth-pursuit eye movements, and macular pigment optical density (MPOD) at 0, two, four, and eight weeks after soft-capsule intake. (3) Results: The active group showed significantly improved eye–hand coordination after VDT operation at eight weeks. However, there was no clear improvement in the effect of the supplementation on smooth-pursuit eye movements. The active group also showed a significant increase in MPOD levels. (4) Conclusions: Consumption of a supplement containing astaxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin mitigates the decline of eye–hand coordination after VDT operation. Full article

Rehabilitation is a vast field of research. Virtual and Augmented Reality represent rapidly emerging technologies that have the potential to support physicians in several medical activities, e.g., diagnosis, surgical training, and rehabilitation, and can also help sports experts analyze athlete movements and performance. In this study, we present the implementation of a hybrid system for the real-time visualization of 3D virtual models of bone segments and other anatomical components on a subject performing critical karate shots and stances. The project is composed of an economic markerless motion tracking device, Microsoft Kinect Azure, that recognizes the subject movements and the position of anatomical joints; an augmented reality headset, Microsoft HoloLens 2, on which the user can visualize the 3D reconstruction of bones and anatomical information; and a terminal computer with a code implemented in Unity Platform. The 3D reconstructed bones are overlapped with the athlete, tracked by the Kinect in real-time, and correctly displayed on the headset. The findings suggest that this system could be a promising technology to monitor martial arts athletes after injuries to support the restoration of their movements and position to rejoin official competitions. Full article

In this work, we have studied how the vertical illuminance of the human eye position, illuminance of the horizontal work surface, and the brightness of the computer screen in the office space lighting are correlated under an energy-saving environment. This investigation was conducted in a full-scale laboratory that simulates an office space with 20 adults. It was found that when the indoor ambient lighting illuminance changes, the vertical illuminance of the subject’s eye position is affected accordingly, and the two factors are strongly correlated. On the other hand, when the surrounding environment is brighter and the vertical illuminance increases, the illuminance of the horizontal working surface adjusted by the subject during the visual display terminal (VDT) operation is significantly reduced. The horizontal illuminance value can even be lower than the value frequently employed in various countries around the world, since the computer screen brightness will be adjusted accordingly. Therefore, in an energy-saving environment, the illuminance of the horizontal working surface and the brightness of the computer screen adjusted by the users will vary with the ambient lighting. Especially in the current mainstream VDT operating environment and within a certain range of conditions, the interior setting can be lower than the current horizontal illuminance benchmark for additional energy conservation. Full article