BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//CERN//INDICO//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:FROM NATURE TO BIOMIMICRY TOWARDS NANOTECHNOLOGY
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T144000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T151000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6964@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Malik Maaza (UNESCO-UNISA Africa Chair in Nanoscienc
 e and Nanotechnology (U2ACN2)\, College of Graduate Studies\, University o
 f South Africa\, Muckleneuk Ridge\, PO Box 392\, Pretoria\, South Africa)\
 nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6964/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6964/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Elettra synchrotron-ICGEB fellowships
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T095000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T095500Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6963@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Silvia Onesti (N/A)\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/even
 t/213/contributions/6963/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6963/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:The AfLS and Bioscience in Africa
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T150000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T152000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6962@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Simon Connell (University of Johannesburg)\nThe Afri
 can Light Source has become an urgent continental priority as a priority. 
 This large scale science research infrastructure is the leading example of
  a resource hosting multi/inter/trans- disciplinary research activities. T
 hese include the medical sciences\, cultural heritage sciences\, geoscienc
 es\, environmental sciences\, energy sciences\, nano-sciences\, materials 
 sciences and mineral sciences\, industrial R&D\, amongst others. It is exp
 ected to have an enormous impact on socioeconomic development. The Bioscie
 nce area is a particularly strong motivation. For example\, already\, we k
 now the HIV drug development was guided by the idea from structural biolog
 y that structural information helps to elucidate protein function and\, in
  particular\, the mechanisms of enzymes. This understanding inspires the d
 esign of new drugs.  The same idea of course applies to many other disease
 s. The call for the AfLS was first sounded in 2002\, and it is now rather 
 mature\, with a Roadmap\, driven by a fully mandated international Steerin
 g Committee. Massive gains are now made\, particularly in the expansion of
  the User Base\, the profile at the African Government and Pan African Lev
 el\, and the momentum of the progress on the Roadmap. A host of projects r
 elated to the light source and run by many stakeholders all with their own
  branding have mushroomed in the general AfLS space. The drafting of the C
 DR has begun. This talk will review the past\, present and future prospect
 s\, as we drive the roadmap forward\, and look at the synergy between the 
 AfLS and Bioscience in Africa.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/con
 tributions/6962/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6962/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Pre-eclampsia: Infrared Microspectroscopic novel insights
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T130000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T134000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6961@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Gihan Kamal (SESAME)\nPre-eclampsia (PE) is a seriou
 s hypertensive disorder with unclear etiology and lack of reliable diagnos
 tic tests. In this study\, FTIR microspectroscopy  technique was implement
 ed to identify molecular changes associated with the pathogenesis of PE in
  placental tissues and plasma samples from pre-eclamptic women and normote
 nsive matched controls. \n\nThe current study shed light on the promising 
 role that the IR microspectroscopy can play in providing better diagnosis 
 and understanding of the pathophysiology of PE.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org
 .za/event/213/contributions/6961/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6961/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Phycobilisomes’ secret life unravelled with single molecule spec
 troscopy
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T090000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T092000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6936@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Michal Gwizdala (University of Pretoria)\nIn many st
 rains of cyanobacteria\, phycobilisomes (PBs) absorb light and transfer ex
 citations to the photosystems. In PBs from Synechocystis PCC6803\, 396 ide
 ntical pigments are bound to the protein subunits that differ in their opt
 ical properties due to various pigment-protein interactions. This tuning m
 akes PBs efficient in transferring energy from the rods to the core and fi
 nally to the photosystems.\nRecently\, single molecule spectroscopy has re
 vealed the spectroscopic dynamics of PBs. We performed our SMS measurement
 s using physiologically relevant light intensities and discovered a novel 
 type of photoprotective mechanism. This mechanism is light-activated and d
 oes not require interactions with other proteins. Switching between therma
 l energy dissipative and light-harvesting states involves a conformational
  change.  \nAt the single-molecule level\, we have also investigated the m
 ain cyanobacterial photoprotective mechanism\, involving the orange carote
 noid protein (OCP). By controlling the interaction between individual PBs 
 and single OCPs\, we revealed an intermediate state of energy quenching si
 gnifying the docking of OCP on a PB. In this intermediate state\, some of 
 the rods temporarily disconnect from the core and a hidden red state is ex
 posed.\nNot all hidden states of PBs are quenched. The isolated rods of PB
 s can assume two different states\, both of which are possibly involved in
  energy transfer to the photosystems. While one of these states fits the w
 ell-established model of energy transfer in PB\, the other state is charac
 terized by red-shifted emission and most likely involved with energy trans
 fer to photosystem I.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contribution
 s/6936/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6936/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Improved quality in nonlinear optical imaging using i2PIE pulse co
 mpression
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T132000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T134000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6942@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: George Okyere Dwapanyin (Stellenbosch University)\nW
 e present a novel nonlinear microscopy modality using a time domain ptycho
 graphic phase measurement technique to compress supercontinuum pulses used
  as excitation source\, in so reducing average power while improving contr
 ast.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6942/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6942/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Evaluation of Temperature Gradient within Different Head Tissue La
 yers Exposed to Radiofrequency Radiation Emitted by GSM Transceiver Base S
 tation Using Pennes Model of the Bio-Heat Equation
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T140000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T142000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6937@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: USHIE PATRICK (CROSS RIVER UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY\
 , CALABAR NIGERIA)\nAbstract\nWhile the spectrum growth of radiofrequency 
 (RF) emission is likely to experience astronomical increase in the years t
 o come\, the imminent query would be whether the current spectrum manageme
 nt process is capable of fulfilling all future requirements. Public intere
 st in the potential health issues relating to cellular or mobile communica
 tion transceiver base station antennas (BSA) emphasize on the importance o
 f having an accessible and easy to understand information on electromagnet
 ic (EM) and radiofrequency radiation (RFR) levels in the surrounding envir
 onment. \nIn this study\, measurements of electric field and magnetic fiel
 d level were made around selected transceiver base station antennas in sel
 ected South-South States Nigeria\, with the aid of frequency-selective equ
 ipment (CORNET\, Electrosmog meter ED78S EMF RF/LF Dual mode model). \nPen
 nes Bio-heat equation was employed to compute the temperature gradient in 
 biological materials due to EM exposure\, which takes into account the hea
 t exchange mechanisms such as heat conduction\, blood flow\, EM energy dis
 sipation\, and metabolism. Using the local operator’s technical paramete
 rs\, a theoretical simulation/estimation was done for comparative analysis
 . This perfectly agrees with other models and it also shows how RF radiati
 on affects biological materials/tissues. It proves that the most vulnerabl
 e part of the head when exposed to RF radiation is the brain with temperat
 ure gradient of 0.087934oC/mm.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/con
 tributions/6937/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6937/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Laser spectroscopy for plants monitoring and medical diagnostic an
 d therapy
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T134000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T140000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6931@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Ahmadou Wague (African Physical\; Society)\nIn this 
 presentation we are considering laser induced absorption and fluorescence 
 spectroscopy together with taser breakdown spectroscopy  for plant monitor
 ing and medical diagnostic and therapy\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event
 /213/contributions/6931/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6931/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:EFFICIENCY OF OBTAINING CHICKEN CHICKES FROM A DIMENSIONED AUTOMAT
 IC BIO-PHOTOVOLTAIC INCUBATOR
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T142000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T144000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6928@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Fernando Venâncio Mucomole (Eduardo Mondlane Univer
 sity)\n**Abstract**\nThe hatching using an incubator supplied from a bio-p
 hotovoltaic system\, show as an alternative both efficient and sustainable
 \, to regulate the physical factors that take part in biological processes
 . This research aimed to scale a autonomous bio-photovoltaic system to pro
 vide electricity in incubator with total capacity to hatch simultaneously 
 100 (hundred) chicken eggs. To scale the bio-photovoltaic autonomous syste
 m to the incubator was used sizing method of autonomous photovoltaic syste
 ms\, which consists in calculating the rated power of the photovoltaic gen
 erator to scale it in terms of the total energy daily. We arrived to resul
 ts that the incubator has the energy needs of 806.88 Wh/d\, that is enough
  for successful working of the system\, specially in mouth of the lowest r
 adiation\, the autonomy days demand that the bio-photovoltaic system was c
 omposed of 1 (one) bank of solar cells sealed with capacity of 495\,0 Ah\,
  a solar inverter with an apparent power of 400 W\, 240 W load one driver 
 current of 20 A to the DC side and 80 m copper electric cables with a mini
 mum cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm². It is concluded that bio-photovoltai
 c electrification of the incubator is efficient\, with outbreak of 80 to 9
 9 % of total eggs and recommended compared with the incubators powered by 
 convectional electric net\, because out of present fluctuations\, is a tec
 hnology that is being solidified by presenting modularity\, versatility\, 
 and large clean source\, out of low costs of maintenance\, so this results
  agree with those reported in Mucomole (2013)\, Casvassim (2004) and Wagen
 ingen et.al.(1995) where is applied the same description but for not autom
 atic systems\, that result in increasing of energy consumption and consequ
 ently its has a less efficiency.\n**Keyword:** Biological processes\, bio-
 photovoltaic\, hatching\, physical factors\, eggs outbreak.\n\nhttps://eve
 nts.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6928/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6928/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Investigating single-beam CARS for microscopy applications
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T130000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210326T132000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6924@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Ruan Viljoen (Stellenbosch University)\nA spectrosco
 pic study on olive oil was performed using a novel single-beam CARS implem
 entation in order to evaluate the setup’s suitability for CARS microscop
 y. Using a compact setup consisting of a fs-oscillator\, an all-normal dis
 persion photonic crystal fiber and an SLM in 4f-shaper geometry\, one can 
 successfully generate and measure SB-CARS spectra. Polarization and phase 
 shaping the excitation source with the SLM\, after temporal compression us
 ing i2PIE\, allows for targeting chosen Raman transitions which is ideal f
 or chemically specific and tag free imaging of biological samples. With ou
 r phase shaping approach\, we were able to target and identify characteris
 tic Raman transitions of fatty acids contained in olive oil. This positive
  result confirms that our single-beam CARS approach is suitable for CARS m
 icroscopy of biological samples.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/c
 ontributions/6924/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6924/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Poisson Boltzmann equation for charged palettes
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T142000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T144000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6957@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Fatiha SMAIN (Département de physique de l'universi
 té de Tlemcen)\n**Abstract**\nElectrostatic interaction between parallel 
 charged palettes can be considered as a starting point to investigate the 
 properties of complexes biological mater like AND-protein interactions. In
  this work\, we solve numerically the Poisson Boltzmann equation to calcul
 ate the electrostatic potential between charged palettes immerged in aqueo
 us solution containing monovalent salt. The electrostatic field and the io
 nic profile are also calculated.\n**Key words**\nPoisson Boltzmann equatio
 n\, ADN protein\, electrostatic interaction.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za
 /event/213/contributions/6957/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6957/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Molecular simulations of the interaction between Schistosoma manso
 ni axonemal dynein intermediate chain protein and dynarrestin
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T140000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T142000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6955@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Deshan Pillay (University of Johannesburg)\nPraziqua
 ntel (PZQ) has been the drug of choice for the treatment of schistosomiasi
 s for more than 30 years. Resistance to this drug\, however\, has been doc
 umented severally in recent years\, hence the need for effective alternati
 ves. This study investigated the effect of an inhibitor (dynarrestin) on t
 he identified Schistosoma mansoni axonemal dynein intermediate protein (Sm
 AxDynIC)\, a potential schistosome drug target. The protein functions in s
 chistosome cilia and flagella beating\; therefore inhibiting this protein 
 could lead to the immobility of the worm and disrupt its developmental cyc
 le. Molecular dynamic simulations and post-MD analyses were conducted to a
 scertain the various characteristics of the inhibitor and its interaction 
 with the SmAxDynIC. This was followed by the screening for a pharmacophore
  of the inhibitor to discover ‘lead’ compounds against schistosomiasis
 . Concluding findings of this study indicated that dynarrestin exhibits am
 ple inhibitory characteristics against the SmAxDynIC\, as well as a very s
 trong binding affinity for the active site of the modelled axonemal dynein
  protein. Three additional ligands were identified using the pharmacophore
  and it is suggested that these will be employed for in vivo testing on va
 rious schistosomal cell lines in future interaction studies.  \n\nKeywords
 : Praziquantel\; Schistosomiasis\; Schistosoma mansoni\; dynarrestin\; SmA
 xDynIC\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6955/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6955/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Epolactaene-derived identification of potential inhibitors of S. m
 ansoni Hsp60 towards anti-schistosomal drug discovery
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T134000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T140000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6952@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Cuma Cumisa Ndamse (University of Johannesburg\, Kin
 gsway Campus\, Auckland Park 2006\, South Africa)\nHuman schistosomiasis h
 as heavily plagued the destitute of various tropical and sub-tropical coun
 tries of the world\, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South America\
 , with devastating effects in various health and economic areas [1]. Globa
 lly\, the burden of schistosomiasis has been controlled by using a single 
 chemotherapeutic drug\, Praziquantel [2]. However\, the drug has recently 
 displayed various shortcomings\, including its inability to destroy juveni
 le schistosome worms\, as well as drug resistance in response to its exten
 sive use. This has prompted efforts concentrated on the discovery and desi
 gn of new anti-schistosomal drugs [3]. \nIn this study\, in silico techniq
 ues and tools were used to elucidate the structural binding and interactio
 n between the S. mansoni heat shock protein 60 (SmHsp60) and epolactaene-b
 ased inhibitors. The upregulation of heat shock proteins in the schistosom
 e lifecycle is significant in overcoming the proteotoxic environment exper
 ienced within the human host. Through the creation of SmHsp60 complexes wi
 th pharmacophore-derived inhibitors with the lowest binding energies\, mol
 ecular dynamic (MD) simulations were performed.\nPost-MD analyses of the t
 rajectories indicates various energetic\, structural and conformational ch
 anges\, as well as the identity of amino acid residues involved in the int
 eraction with the inhibitors. Our results further showed that inhibitor 2 
 and inhibitor 3 exhibited enhanced inhibitory activity against SmHsp60\, t
 hus suggesting their potential as “lead compounds” in the design of ne
 w anti-schistosomal drugs.\n\nReferences\n[1] Adenowo\, A.F.\;  Oyinloye\,
  B.E.\;  Ogunyinka\, B.I.\; Kappo\, A.P. Impact of human schistosomiasis i
 n sub-Saharan Africa. Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases 2015\,  19\
 , 196-205.\n[2] Masamba\, P.\, Adenowo\, A. F.\, Oyinloye\, B. E.\, & Kapp
 o\, A. P. (2016). Universal stress proteins as new targets for environment
 al and therapeutic interventions of Schistosomiasis. International Journal
  of Environmental Research and Public Health\, 13(10)\, 972.\n[3] Aruleba\
 , R. T.\, Adekiya\, T. A.\, Oyinloye\, B. E.\, Masamba\, P.\, Mbatha\, L. 
 S.\, Pretorius\, A.\, & Kappo\, A. P. (2019). PZQ Therapy: How Close are w
 e in the Development of Effective Alternative Anti-schistosomal Drugs? Inf
 ectious Disorders - Drug Targets\, 19(4)\, 337–349.\n\nKeywords: Epolact
 aene\; Hsp60\; Pharmacophore\; Praziquantel\; schistosomiasis\n\nhttps://e
 vents.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6952/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6952/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Modelling of plasmon-enhanced fluorescence in a single light-harve
 sting complex near a gold nanorod
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T132000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T134000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6946@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Luke Ugwuoke (University of Pretoria)\nLHCII — the
  main light-harvesting complex of plants and green algae — is the most a
 bundant membrane protein on earth. Here\, we investigate theoretically the
  effect of exciton-plasmon coupling on LHCII’s fluorescence quantum yiel
 d and compare our modelling results to experimental data where plasmon-enh
 anced fluorescence has been reported in an LHCII–gold nanorod system. On
 e of the models relies on the modified Gersten-Nitzan approach\; the other
  is based on classical plexcitonics. We show that the latter is more robus
 t and leads to more\nrealistic enhancement factors.\n\nhttps://events.saip
 .org.za/event/213/contributions/6946/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6946/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Pheno-RNA\, a method to associate genes with a specific phenotype\
 , identifies genes linked to cellular transformation
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T130000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T132000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6925@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: RABIH DARWICHE (Harvard Medical School)\nCellular tr
 ansformation is associated with dramatic changes in gene expression\, but 
 it is difficult to determine which regulated genes are oncogenically relev
 ant. Here we describe Pheno-RNA\, a general approach to identifying candid
 ate genes associated with a specific phenotype. Specifically\, we generate
  a “phenotypic series” by treating a nontransformed breast cell line w
 ith a wide variety ofmolecules that induce cellular transformation to vari
 ous extents. By performing transcriptional profiling across this phenotypi
 c series\, the expression profile of every gene can be correlated with the
  strength of the transformed phenotype. We identify ∼200 genes whose exp
 ression profiles are very highly correlated with the transformation phenot
 ype\, strongly suggesting their importance in transformation. Within biolo
 gical categories linked to cancer\, some genes show high correlations with
  the transformed phenotype\, but others do not. Many genes whose expressio
 n profiles are highly correlated with transformation have never been assoc
 iated with cancer\, suggesting the involvement of heretofore unknown genes
  in cancer.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6925/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6925/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1) and Cere
 bral Malaria Pathogenesis.
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T082000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T084000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6958@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Amma Larbi (KNUST(Kwame Nkrumah University of Scienc
 e and Technology))\nMalaria continues to be a major health problem despite
  various interventions to eradicate the disease. Cerebral malaria caused b
 y Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for most malaria-associated deaths.
  Majority of these deaths occur in children under five years mostly from s
 ub-Saharan Africa. Currently\, there is no available information to predic
 t who will recover from cerebral malaria\, or who will die or who will con
 vert from uncomplicated Malaria (UM) to CM. This knowledge would improve C
 M survival and reduce CM. The disease results from a combination of vascul
 ar and inflammatory immune system dysfunction. Triggering receptor express
 ed on myeloid cells 1 has been shown to potentiate inflammatory response. 
 We therefore hypothesized that\, there could be an association between inf
 lammation and microvascular damage/repair seen in the pathogenesis of cere
 bral malaria. This study was a cohort study using children from 2- 12 year
 s from five different hospitals within the greater Accra region of Ghana. 
 Techniques used in the experiment include flow cytometry\, ELISA and human
  magnetic luminex assay. Our preliminary study has shown that\, there is a
 n increase in soluble TREM-1 production in CM as compared to UM and that C
 M patients have higher damage in their endothelium (73.4%) than UM patient
 s (25.7%). Findings from this study could be employed in the diagnosis as 
 well as therapeutics of CM.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contri
 butions/6958/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6958/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Photosynthesis Underneath Stones in the Namib Desert
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T080000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210325T082000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6930@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Michal Gwizdala (University of Pretoria)\nIn hyper-a
 rid soil environments\, photosynthetic microorganisms are largely restrict
 ed to hypolithic habitats. They occupy the ventral surfaces of translucent
  pebbles in desert pavements. We combined fluorometric\, spectroscopic\, b
 iochemical and metagenomic approaches to investigate the light transmissio
 n properties of quartz stones in the Namib Desert\, and assess the photosy
 nthetic activity of the underlying hypolithic cyanobacterial biofilms. Qua
 rtz pebbles greatly reduced the total photon flux to the ventral surface b
 iofilms and filtered out primarily the short wavelength portion of the sol
 ar spectrum. Chlorophylls d and f were not detected in biofilm pigment ext
 racts\; however\, hypolithic cyanobacterial communities showed some other 
 evidence of adaptation to sub-lithic conditions\, like the prevalence of g
 enes encoding Helical Carotenoid Proteins\, which are associated with desi
 ccation stress. Under water-saturated conditions\, hypolithic communities 
 showed no evidence of light stress\, even when the quartz stones were expo
 sed to full midday sunlight. This work adds to an understanding of the mec
 hanisms behind the unique robustness of photoautotrophic organisms in extr
 eme environments.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/69
 30/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6930/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Molecular basis for the transfer of large toxin plasmids in Clostr
 idium perfringens
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T151000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T153000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6944@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Daouda Traore ()\nThe transfer of large toxin and an
 tibiotic resistance genes in the pathogenic bacteria *Clostridium perfring
 ens* is mediated by the *tcp* conjugation locus. Functional genetic analys
 is of the tcp locus of the paradigm plasmid pCW3 has revealed that its gen
 e products assemble into a multi-protein complex that distantly resembles 
 a type 4 secretion system (T4SS). \n\nHere\, I will provide a brief summar
 y of our current understanding of the DNA system.\, knowledge that was bui
 lt upon a combination of structural biology studies and functional microbi
 al genetics\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6944/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6944/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Structural and functional characterization of the secreted adhesio
 n EtpA of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T145000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T151000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6940@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Clifford Manyo Ntui (University of Pretoria)\nOral p
 resentation\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6940/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6940/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Structural and un-structural biology by NMR spectroscopy
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T142000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T145000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6945@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Roberta Pierattelli (CERM\, University of Florence)\
 nNuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an enabling technology c
 apable to provide information and answers to biological problems that cann
 ot be obtained by other means. NMR studies\, both in solution and in the s
 olid-state\, can inform on the structure of a macromolecule in many differ
 ent environments ranging from buffered solutions to intact cells\, can pro
 vide insight into dynamic processes\, and allow to monitor biomolecular in
 teractions that are key to the cellular response to environmental\, develo
 pmental and growth signals. \nNMR is central to the study of folding\, unf
 olding and disordered states of proteins because of its capability to defi
 ne the structures of proteins in solution and to characterize the dynamic 
 properties that are inherent to function. \nAs such\, we will provide some
  examples of recent applications of NMR spectroscopy carried out at the CE
 RM/CIRMMP infrastructure\, the Italian centre for NMR spectroscopy of Inst
 ruct-ERIC.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6945/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6945/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Structural biology using neutrons: introduction and how to get sta
 rted
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T130000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T134000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6939@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Zoe Fisher (European spallation source ERIC)\nThe me
 thod of choice for obtaining detailed\, high resolution structural informa
 tion macromolecules is X-ray crystallography. The magnitude of X-ray scatt
 ering from the electron cloud around an atomic nucleus is related to the Z
  number of that element\, i.e.\, the more electrons an atom has\, the bett
 er it will scatter X-rays. Due to this it is very challenging in theory an
 d practice to determine the position of H atoms in crystal structures. Neu
 tron diffraction offers a highly complementary approach in that the neutro
 ns are scattered from atomic nuclei of all elements to a similar extent. T
 his means that in practice the nuclear density maps for C\, N\, H (and its
  isotope Deuterium\, or D)\, and O atoms all appear to a similar extent\, 
 even at medium (~2 Å) resolution. H atoms are very important in biology a
 s they are involved with everything – including hydrogen bonds\, protein
  folding\, solvation\, electrostatics\, amino acid side chain charge state
 \, ligand binding\, and enzyme catalytic mechanisms. To profit from neutro
 n scattering properties and to be able to “see” these H atoms\, it is 
 crucial to deuterate (i.e. replace all H with isotope D) the materials to 
 be studied. Multiple approaches to biological deuteration will be explaine
 d as well as the growth of large protein crystals for neutron diffraction.
  Finally\, some practical aspects of what beamlines are available\, and ho
 w to get access to neutron scattering facilities will be covered.\n\nhttps
 ://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6939/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6939/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Structure of mycobacterial ATP synthase with the TB drug bedaquili
 ne
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T134000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T142000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6935@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: John Rubinstein (The Hospital for Sick Children)\nTu
 berculosis (TB)\, the world’s leading cause of death by infectious disea
 se\, is increasingly resistant to current first line antibiotics. The bact
 erium Mycobacterium tuberculosis that causes TB can survive low-energy con
 ditions\, which allows infections to remain dormant and decreases their su
 sceptibility to many antibiotics. Bedaquiline was developed in 2005 from a
  lead compound identified in a phenotypic screen against M. smegmatis. It 
 can sterilize even latent infections and has become a cornerstone of treat
 ment for multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB. Bedaquilin
 e targets the mycobacterial ATP synthase\, an essential enzyme in the obli
 gate aerobic Mycobacterium genus\, but how it binds the intact complex is 
 unknown. We determined structures of M. smegmatis ATP synthase with and wi
 thout bedaquiline. The drug-free structure suggests how hook-like extensio
 ns from the alpha subunits prevent the enzyme from running in reverse\, in
 hibiting ATP hydrolysis and preserving energy in hypoxic conditions. Bedaq
 uiline binding induces large conformational changes\, creating tight bindi
 ng pockets at the interface of subunits a and c that explain the drug’s 
 potency as an antibiotic for TB.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/c
 ontributions/6935/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6935/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Structural basis for the interaction of the chaperone Cbp3 with ne
 wly synthesized cytochrome during mitochondrial respiratory chain assembly
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T093000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T095000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6950@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Mama Ndi (Umeå University)\nAssembly of the mitocho
 ndrial respiratory chain requires the coordinated synthesis of mitochondri
 al and nuclear encoded subunits\, redox co-factor acquisition\, and correc
 t joining of the subunits to form functional complexes. The conserved Cbp3
 -Cbp6 chaperone complex binds newly synthesized cytochrome and supports th
 e ordered acquisition of the heme co-factors. Moreover\, it functions as a
  translational activator by interacting with the mitoribosome. Cbp3 consis
 ts of two distinct domains: an N-terminal domain present in mitochondrial 
 Cbp3 homologs and a highly conserved C-terminal domain comprising a ubiqui
 nol-cytochrome chaperone region. Here\, we solved the crystal structure of
  this C-terminal domain from a bacterial homolog at 1.4 Å resolution\, re
 vealing a unique all-helical fold. This structure allowed mapping of the i
 nteraction sites of yeast Cbp3 with Cbp6 and cytochrome b via site-specifi
 c photo-cross-linking. We propose that mitochondrial Cbp3 homologs carry a
 n N-terminal extension that positions the conserved C-terminal domain at t
 he ribosomal tunnel exit for an efficient interaction with its substrate\,
  the newly synthesized cytochrome protein.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/e
 vent/213/contributions/6950/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6950/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:The structure of the C146A variant of the amidase from Pyrococcus 
 horikoshii bound to glutaramide suggests the basis of amide recognition
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T083000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T085000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6948@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Bryan Trevor Sewell (University of Cape Town)\nThe l
 iterature suggests that the dinitriles: malononitrile and fumaronitrile ar
 e substrates of the nitrilase-like enzyme from Pyrococcus abyssi.  We have
  attempted to verify this and to visualize the bound substrates by X-ray c
 rystallography. No nitriles that we tested are hydrolyzed by the very simi
 lar nitrilase-like enzymes from either P. abyssi or P. horikoshii. The enz
 ymes do hydrolyse a variety of amide substrates\, with propionamide being 
 the most rapidly hydrolysed of all the substrates tested. Amide substrate 
 docking studies on the wild-type enzyme structures reveal steric hindrance
  between the active site cysteine sulfhydryl moiety and the incoming amide
 .  The steric hindrance is relieved if the cysteine is replaced by an alan
 ine. The amide then docks in a position in which the amino group of Lys-11
 3 and the backbone amide of Phe-147 are hydrogen bonded to the substrate c
 arbonyl oxygen and the carboxyl oxygen of Glu-42 and the backbone carbonyl
  oxygen of Asn-171 hydrogen bonded to the amino group of the substrate. Th
 is location of the substrate is confirmed experimentally in the case of th
 e well-resolved crystal structure of the C145A mutant of the enzyme from P
 . horikoshii. Our experiment suggests a different starting position for th
 e hydrolysis reaction sequence than prevailing model in which the amide su
 bstrate is positioned with its amino group hydrogen bonded to the two acti
 ve site glutamate (Glu-42 and Glu-120) carboxyl groups prior to the attack
  by the cysteine on the substrate carbonyl carbon.\n\nhttps://events.saip.
 org.za/event/213/contributions/6948/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6948/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Facilities for Structural Biology at the European Synchrotron
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T080000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T083000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6947@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Gordon Leonard (ESRF)\nThe European Synchrotron Radi
 ation Facility (ESRF) has undergone in 2018/2019 a complete replacement of
  its machine. This upgrade greatly improved the brightness of the X-ray so
 urce by decreasing the horizontal emittance and divergence of the storage 
 ring. ESRF-EBS is open in normal users’ operation since August 2020.\nTh
 e presentation will give an overview of the Structural Biology beamlines a
 nd its ancillary technique facilities and which improvements are available
  with the machine upgrade. The new ID29 beamline\, dedicated to synchrotro
 n serial crystallography experiments will be presented as well an overview
  given on the complementary services available.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org
 .za/event/213/contributions/6947/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6947/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Crystallization of membrane transport proteins in Lipidic Cubic Me
 sophase (LCP) aided by an engineered Green Fluorescent Protein Thermal Shi
 ft Screen (GFP-TS)
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T085000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T091000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6941@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Emmanuel Nji (BioStruct-Africa)\nMembrane protein cr
 ystals grown by the *in meso* or lipidic cubic phase (LCP) method generall
 y produce higher-resolution structures\, as they have a lower solvent cont
 ent (type I crystals) than those grown by traditional vapour-diffusion cry
 stallization (type II crystals). To grow LCP crystals of membrane proteins
  with the synthetic lipid monoolein\, the purified membrane protein soluti
 on is mixed with the molten monoolein in a weight ratio of 2:3 respectivel
 y. It can be very challenging to grow LCP crystals of membrane proteins\, 
 however\, and while it is generally thought to be a fairly mild environmen
 t\, the stabilities of different membrane proteins have not been extensive
 ly compared. \nWe engineered a Green Fluorescent Protein Thermal Shift Scr
 een (GFP-TS) and use it to identify specific lipid for the bacteria sodium
  proton exchanger (NhaA) and also\, a specific ligand for the plant homolo
 gue of the human CMPsialic acid/CMP exchanger (SLC35A1). The former was cr
 ystallized and the structure solved by LCP in the presence of its specific
  lipid while the latter in the presence of its specific ligand at 2.3 and 
 2.8 Å respectively. No detectable crystal was obtained in the absence of 
 either the lipid or ligand after extensive crystallization trials. The GFP
 -TS method should prove useful for screening lipid additives and ligands t
 o stabilize membrane proteins for structural determination by X-ray crysta
 llography and single-particle Cryo-EM.\n\nReferences\nNji\, E.\, Chatzikyr
 iakidou\, Y.\, Landreh\, M. & Drew\, D. (2018). An engineered thermal-shif
 t screen\nreveals specific lipid preferences of eukaryotic and prokaryotic
  membrane proteins. Nature\nCommunications\, 9(1)\, 4253.\nNji\, E.\, Gula
 ti\, A.\, Qureshi\, A. A.\, Coincon\, M. & Drew\, D. (2019). Structural ba
 sis for the delivery of activated sialic acid into Golgi for sialyation. N
 ature Structural and Molecular Biology\, 26(6)\, 415–423.\n\nhttps://eve
 nts.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6941/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6941/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Mining the PDB for tractable cases where X-ray crystallography com
 bined with fragment screens can be used to systematically design protein-p
 rotein inhibitors
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T091000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210324T093000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6934@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Gian Felice De  Nicola (King's College London)\nThe 
 availability of small molecules able to selectively inhibit specific prote
 in-protein interactions (PPI) in the cell would immensely facilitate our e
 fforts to understand and manipulate the protein-protein “interactome”.
  In our manuscript we show how a novel approach that combines X-ray crysta
 llography and fragment screening can be used to systematically design prot
 ein-protein inhibitors. Recent technical advances in automated data collec
 tion and interpretation of electron density maps have made it possible to 
 combine X-ray crystallography and fragment screening in a medium throughpu
 t fashion. This approach is generally used by academia and pharma to devel
 op molecules that target the catalytic site of enzymes. In here we demonst
 rate that\, contrary to the accepted view\, the same approach can be used 
 to chemically probe the surfaces used by proteins to interact\, and use th
 e outcome of the screens to systematically design protein-protein inhibito
 rs. To prove it we first ran a bioinformatics analysis of the PDB which re
 vealed over 400 protein complexes where the individual protein crystallise
 s in a lattice where large portions of the interacting surfaces are free f
 rom lattice contacts and accessible to fragments during soaks. Among the t
 ractable complexes identified\, we chose two cases: the Il1β-ILR and p38
 α-TAB1 complexes and we run a single fragment crystal screen. The output 
 of the screens showed that fragments tend to bind in clusters highlighting
  the small molecules hotspots on the surface of the target protein and oft
 en the hotspots overlap with the binding sites of the interacting proteins
 . Finally for one of the complexes\, p38α-TAB1\, we carried out a chemica
 l exploration and improved the initial binding of the fragments bringing i
 t into the micromolar range.\nWe believe we have developed a new paradigm 
 for a low-cost rapid pipeline utilizing  in-crystal fragment screening to 
 develop PPI inhibitors.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributi
 ons/6934/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6934/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:COVID-proofing Biochemistry and engaging diverse students with Cry
 stallography Research
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T144000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T150000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6943@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Oluwatoyin Asojo (Hampton University)\nMy objective 
 is to share approaches by which I incorporate structural biology into our 
 biochemistry curriculum at Hampton University. I will also discuss methods
  to engage K-12 and undergraduate students in crystallographic research an
 d structural biology (since 2001). I will show the successes and failures 
 involved in the process of fully integrating these pre-baccalaureate stude
 nts in crystallography research. Our outreach efforts have included socioe
 conomically underserved students or groups underrepresented in STEM. We wi
 ll present strategies for recruiting and retaining STEM students. We will 
 present the significant barriers to our research programs. We will also di
 scuss potential funding sources. Finally\, we will present how structural 
 science has helped COVID-proof our research and biochemistry teaching appr
 oach over the past year of remote-learning.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/
 event/213/contributions/6943/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6943/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:GCRF-START: Enabling Structural Biology in Africa
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T142000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T144000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6933@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Bryan Trevor Sewell (University of Cape Town)\nThe S
 TART programme (Synchrotron Techniques for African Research and Technology
 ) funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council through the G
 lobal Challenges Research Fund has significantly stimulated African work i
 n Structural Biology\, Energy Materials and Catalysis over the last three 
 years.\n\nThe Structural biology component funded post-docs\, workshops\, 
 travel\, data collection and a resource centre based at UCT that enabled a
 ny of the researchers to access facilities that they did not have in their
  home environment.\n\nIn spite of suffering in the wake of the pandemic th
 e programme has been extraordinarily successful. Please visit https://star
 t-project.org/ for details.\n\nAmong the unexpected positive achievements 
 stemming from the pandemic was the development of an on line CCP4 workshop
 . This will have important long-term consequences for the development of a
 n emerging cohort of African protein crystallographers.\n\nhttps://events.
 saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6933/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6933/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Promising antiviral\, antimicrobial and therapeutic properties of 
 green nanoceria
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T140000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T142000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6959@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Hamza Mohamed (iThemba LABS/UNISA)\nAim: To demonstr
 ate synthesis of cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) by a green method u
 sing Hyphaene thebaica\, and investigate their therapeutic applications. M
 aterials & methods: Structural\, vibrational and luminescent properties we
 re established using x-ray diffraction\, Fourier transformed infrared spec
 troscopy\, Raman spectroscopy\, ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy\, sele
 cted area electron diffraction\, electron microscopy and photolumincence s
 pectroscopy. Therapeutic properties were established using different in vi
 tro assays. Results: CeO2 NPs were determined to be crystalline in nature 
 with a grain size of approximately 14 nm. They had characteristic Ce–O v
 ibration at 481 cm-1. Photoluminescence spectra revealed broad bands at 46
 3 and 600 nm. ζ potential was recorded as -17.2 mV. Potent antimicrobial 
 and antiviral properties with hemocompatibility were reported. Conclusion:
  Biosynthesized CeO2 NPs revealed multifunctional therapeutic properties.\
 n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6959/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6959/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:EARLY DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER WITH AN OPTICAL FOURIER DOMAIN SY
 STEM USING MICROWAVE SIGNALS AS SOURCE
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T134000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T140000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6951@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Rodney Abugre (University of Ghana)\nDetection of de
 veloping breast tumour in women for early treatment in recent times has yi
 elded some results. Yet only developed tumours are detected at the stage w
 here the only treatment method is either to remove or inhibit the growth o
 f tumour which has its effects\, possibly leading to loss of human life. O
 ngoing research\, proposes to simulate the growth stages of tumour in huma
 n breast for early detection of tumour with an implemented Optical Fourier
  Domain Imaging (OFDI) system using microwave signals as source by develop
 ing breast phantoms mimicking breast composition and determining the thick
 ness of various object sizes embedded in phantom like breast. For now\, de
 termination of the depth profile of samples and thickness measurement of s
 ample with OFDI system is demonstrated.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/even
 t/213/contributions/6951/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6951/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:QUALITY CONTROL ANALYSIS OF DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY EQUIPMENT IN 44 N
 IGERIAN ARMY  REFERENCE HOSPITAL KADUNA\, KADUNA STATE\, NIGERIA
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T092000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T094000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6954@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Muhammad Nuruddeen Abdulkareem (Federal University o
 f Kashere)\nIn this study\, quality control analysis of radiographic equip
 ment used in the Radiology unit of 44 Nigerian \nArmy Reference Hospital K
 aduna was carried out in order to ensure that both workers and patients we
 re within the minimum recommended radiation exposure level. The dose rate 
 at the operator stand\, \nX-ray table\, corridor\, change cubicle\, office
 s\, and reception were measured with survey meter (RADOS\, \nmodel\, RDS-1
 20). Generally\, the result obtained indicated that both parameters assess
 ed showed a good \nlevel of compliance\, with only digital radiography tha
 t was found to have failed Half Value Layer \n(HVL) test. The exposure rep
 roducibility\, kVp test\, beam alignment\, and HVL could not be assessed f
 or \nMammographic equipment because of its non-availability in the QA/QC k
 it. Visual inspection showed that the X-ray Machines and rooms dimensions 
 are adequate\, with exception of personal monitoring badges (TLD) that wer
 e not available. The background radiation dose level was found to be safe 
 for the patient\, staff\, and general public. The measured leakage radiati
 on and entrance skin dose also showed a \nvery good level of compliance wi
 th both National and International regulations.\nKeywords: radiographic eq
 uipment\; X-ray\; QA/QC kit\; exposure reproducibility\n\nhttps://events.s
 aip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6954/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6954/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Using scattering approaches to understand the behaviour of drugs d
 uring digestion of milk and infant formula
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T080000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T084000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6949@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Ben Boyd (Monash University)\nThe development of low
  cost and paediatric-friendly drug formulations for highly effective but p
 oorly water-soluble drugs is critical to the progress of new medicines in 
 low economy settings. Milk and infant formula are potential candidate form
 ulations for this task\, but the interaction of these systems with drugs d
 uring digestion is not well understood. We have developed small angle X-ra
 y scattering based methods to understand the nature of lipid self-assembly
  during digestion\, while simultaneously tracking the signature diffractio
 n peaks from the drug to understand its polymorphic behaviour and solubili
 zation into lipid digestion products. The studies have revealed that both 
 fat content and the chain length distribution of fatty acids generated upo
 n digestion of the lipid components are critical to the solubilization of 
 drug. The antimalarial drug combination\, artefenomel and ferroquine has c
 onsequently been investigated in the clinical as a single dose cure for ma
 laria\, in a paediatric-friendly format enabled by the lipid components in
  infant formula\, with the ideal composition supported by these scattering
  studies.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6949/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6949/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Radiological Assessment of cement particles from Obajana Factory
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T090000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T092000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6929@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Ibrahim Ayodeji Bello (Ahmadu Bello University Zaria
  Nigeria)\nMassive building constructions result to high demand of cement 
 production in recent time. This lead Obajana cement plant to operate at ma
 ximum capacity in Nigeria. Exposure to high level radiation for prolong pe
 riod can result to acute health effects such as skin burns\, cancer and ca
 rdiovascular disease. This study evaluates the natural radionuclides and r
 adiological indices of cement particles from productions plant of Obajana 
 Factory. Gamma ray spectroscopy was used to analyze the activity level of 
 226Ra\, 232Th and 40K in the samples. The activity concentration of the sa
 mple ranged between (7.4719±1.9179 – 60.1351±8.5508) BqKg-1\, (29.4892
 ±1.1009 – 90.1191±6.2124) BqKg-1 and (84.8930±3.8076 – 179.3318±11
 .4227) Bqkg-1\, with the average value 36.0011±17.5529 Bqkg-1\, 49.2077±
 21.1908Bqkg-1\, and 146.6098±45.0115 Bqkg-1 for 40K\, 226Ra and 232Th res
 pectively. The activity concentrations of 226Ra and 232Th were slightly ab
 ove the corresponding world average concentration of 32 BqKg-1 for 226Ra a
 nd 45 BqKg-1 for 232Th. The high concentration might be attributed to mate
 rial composition used for cement production in Obajana Cement Factory. The
  average values of Absorbed dose (D)\, Annual effective dose rate (H)\, An
 nual gonad dose equivalent (AGDE) and Excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) a
 re 53.303 nGy-1\, 0.065 mSv\, 363.961 mSvy-1 1.928 x10-3 respectively. The
  absorbed dose and annual gonad dose equivalent were lower than the world 
 standard of 60 nGy-1 and 1.0 mSv respectively\, while the Annual gonad dos
 e equivalent (AGDE) and Excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were slightly a
 bove the world standard of 300 mSvy-1 and 0.29 x10-3 respectively. The ave
 rage value of External and Internal hazard indices (Hex and Hin) were belo
 w world standard of unity. The radiological assessment from this research 
 compared favorably with other related published studies and world permissi
 ble limits\, therefore constitute no radiological risk.\n\nhttps://events.
 saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6929/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6929/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:RADIATION ATTENUATION PROPERTIES OF NATURAL PRODUCT-BASED ADHESIVE
  BONDED RHIZOPHORA SPP. PARTICLEBOARDS FOR TISSUE SUBSTITUTE PHANTOM APPLI
 CATIONS
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T084000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210323T090000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6927@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Damilola Samson ()\nThe present study investigates t
 he radiation attenuation characteristics of particleboard phantoms made fr
 om Rhizophora spp. wood using natural product-based adhesives (SPI – soy
  protein isolate and SPC – soy protein concentrate) and sodium hydroxide
  (10 wt%) with two itaconic acid polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin resin leve
 ls (10 and 15 wt%) at three different particle size (149 – 500\, 74 – 
 149\, and ≤ 74 μm). The radiation attenuation characteristics were eval
 uated with photons at 16.59 – 25.26 keV and 0.662 – 1.20 MeV gamma ene
 rgies using X-ray fluorescence and Ludlum configurations. The most optimum
  characteristics of SPI-SPC-based particleboard phantoms compared to those
  of water and Perspex® were achieved with fine particles (≤ 74 μm) and
  15 wt% IA-PAE resin. The overall findings demonstrated that cured SPI-SPC
 /NaOH/Rhizophora spp. particleboards with 15 wt% IA-PAE are potential mate
 rials for development of tissue substitute phantoms that mimic the radiati
 on characteristics of human tissue at low and high photon energies.\n\nhtt
 ps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6927/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6927/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Fluorinated Surfactants for Membrane-Protein Extraction
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T150000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T152000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6960@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Kenechi Kanayo Onyia (University of Nigeria\, Nsukka
 )\nSurfactants carrying either fully or partially fluorinated alkyl chains
  are conventionally thought to be poor solubilisers of lipids and membrane
  proteins because of their lipophobicity. New fluorinated surfactants of d
 ifferent headgroups have been developed. We show that these compounds coul
 d substitute detergents' function without much interference with membrane 
 proteins' functionality. Their self-assembly and solubilising properties w
 ere studied by the use of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC)\, dynamic
  light scattering (DLS)\, and gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Micellisatio
 n was found to be mainly driven by entropy\, and the critical micellar con
 centration (CMC) decreased with increasing hydrocarbon chain length. Notab
 ly\, some of these surfactants solubilise lipid vesicles at room temperatu
 re and extract important membrane proteins directly from *Escherichia coli
 * membranes. Our findings demonstrated promising\, mild detergent activity
  for maltose-based fluorinated surfactants in membrane-protein extraction 
 and applications compared to the lactose-based compounds.\n\nhttps://event
 s.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6960/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6960/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:The characterization and crystallization of the TBR1 T-box domain 
 in the presence and absence of the T-box Binding Element
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T144000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T150000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6956@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Riyaadh Mayet (University of the Witwatersrand)\nTBR
 1 is a neuron-specific transcription factor involved in multiple aspects o
 f cortical development\,and has recently emerged as a master regulator of 
 genes implicated in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).It is thus possible tha
 t aberrant molecular interactions with TBR1 could underlie the altered neu
 ro-molecular networks observed in Autism.\n\nCurrently there is no solved 
 structure available of the TBR1 TBOX domain. In this study\, we aim to obt
 ain crystal structures of the TBR1 T-box domain in both the presence and a
 bsence of the T-box binding element\, with the hope of elucidating its DNA
 -binding mechanism. The structure may be solved by molecular replacement u
 sing TBX21. This will shed more light on how TBR1 regulates ASD-related ge
 nes and could explain how aberrant molecular interactions influence neurod
 evelopmental disorders.\n\nPreliminary structural characterization has bee
 n made by monitoring intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence and has revealed th
 at the protein is properly folded. The DNA-binding function has been confi
 rmed using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The DNA-binding proper
 ties were quantitatively assessed using fluorescence anisotropy and reveal
 ed a dissociation constant of 320 nM. Since the TBR1 T-box has been succes
 sfully characterized\, it is ready for crystal trials.\n\nhttps://events.s
 aip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6956/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6956/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Evolutionary cues in the physicochemical description of proteomes
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T142000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T144000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6953@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Eloy Vallina (Stockholm University)\nWith the glarin
 g exception of highly conserved binding interfaces\, protein surfaces tend
  to be regarded as variable regions of hydrophilic character\, subjected o
 nly to soft evolutionary pressures. However\, in crowded cellular conditio
 ns\, electrostatic interactions between surfaces take on a critical role i
 n modulating protein interactivity\, with downstream consequences for prot
 ein stability\, mobility and solubility. In this context\, surface net cha
 rge density stands out as the single most important determinant of protein
  mobility inside the cell. Moreover\, in _E. coli_\, proteins organise aro
 und a moderately negative net charge density value\, which ensures cytosol
 -wide colloidal stability: molecules keep away and remain highly mobile mo
 st of the time\, but close-range interactions are allowed upon small therm
 al fluctuations. Our results show that\, across organisms\, the average va
 lue at which this Goldilocks situation is achieved varies\, often dependin
 g on niche and intracellular conditions: extreme lifestyles—archaeal hal
 ophiles and endosymbiotic bacteria— can be mapped to different net charg
 e density values. By combining net charge density with other simplistic ph
 ysicochemical observables\, derived from sequence data alone\, we can show
  that the profile of different organism groups changes consistently with t
 he taxonomical hierarchy. Thus\, we propose that previously unrecognised e
 volutionary cues can be revealed by inexpensive physicochemical profiling\
 , and that these have the potential to contribute complementary informatio
 n to state-of-art phylogenetic inference.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/ev
 ent/213/contributions/6953/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6953/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:A Systematic Integration of Empirical and Computational Studies to
  Biophysically Describe Recombinant Nicotinate Mononucleotide Adenylyltran
 sferase (NaMNAT) From Klebsiella pneumonia
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T140000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T142000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6938@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Olamide Jeje ()\nNicotinate mononucleotide adenylylt
 ransferase (NaMNAT) is an indispensable enzyme in the biosynthesis of pyri
 dine dinucleotides. Given the vital role of NAD+ in controlling key cellul
 ar processes\, NaMNAT represents an attractive target for the design of no
 vel broad-spectrum antibiotics to treat nosocomial infections associated w
 ith MDR Klebsiella Pneumonia. This study aims to characterize the biophysi
 cal structure of NaMNAT from K. Pneumonia (KpNaMNAT) using a systematic co
 mbination of experimental and computational approaches. Overexpression and
  purification were carried out using hexa-histidine tags in E. coli expres
 sion system and nickel ion-immobilized metal affinity chromatography. Acti
 vity studies using NMN substrate showed KpNaMNAT to demonstrate broad pH o
 ptima of 6.5-9.5 and preference for Mg2+. Structural characterisation reve
 aled KpNaMNAT as a monomer with predominate α-helices. ATP\, NMN\, and NA
 D+ all bind at the same site on KpNaMNAT\, but do not induce any significa
 nt conformational changes\, however\, ATP responds to Mg2+ more than the o
 ther ligands and the protein response in the presence of Mg2+. The data an
 d insight provided by this novel research would be useful as a molecular b
 asis for further evaluation of the enzymes for the design of structure-bas
 ed inhibitors with therapeutic potential.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/ev
 ent/213/contributions/6938/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6938/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Fighting against COVID-19:  A computational biophysics approach
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T134000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T140000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6926@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Abdo Elfiky (Cairo University)\nPreviously it was re
 ported that cell-surface Glucose Regulated Protein 78 (CS-GRP78)\, also te
 rmed heat shock protein A5 (HSPA5)\, could be a possible route for SARS-Co
 V-2 internalization. The binding site on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2\,
  which can recognize CS-GRP78\, was predicted in a previous study. The spi
 ke glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 bear many conserved motifs to the previo
 usly determined human coronavirus strains such as HKU1\, 229E\, NL63\, OC4
 3\, MERS-CoV\, and SARS-CoV. 2 However\, we would like to emphasize that u
 sing a simple bioinformatics approach can suggest a possible role of the G
 RP78 in cross immunization against COVID-19. Additionally\, different anti
 viral drugs have the potential to be SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors\, thus can be u
 sed against COVID-19. These drugs are tested in silico at the beginning of
  the pandemic\, and currently\, some are approved against COVID-19.\n \nRe
 cent Publications \n1.   Ismail AM\, Elfiky AA. SARS-CoV-2 spike behavior 
 in situ: a Cryo-EM images for a better understanding of the COVID-19 pande
 mic. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy. 2020\;5(1):252.\n2.	Ibrahim
  IM\, Abdelmalek DH\, Elshahat ME\, Elfiky AA. COVID-19 spike-host cell re
 ceptor GRP78 binding site prediction. Journal of Infection. 2020\;80(5):55
 4-62.\n3.	Elfiky AA. SARS-CoV-2 Spike-Heat Shock Protein A5 (GRP78) recogn
 ition may be related to the immersed human coronaviruses. Frontiers in Pha
 rmacology. 2020\;11:1997.\n4.	Elfiky AA\, Ibrahim IM\, Ismail AM\, Elsheme
 y WM. A possible role for GRP78 in cross vaccination against COVID-19. Jou
 rnal of Infection.\n5. Elfiky AA. Natural products may interfere with SARS
 -CoV-2 attachment to the host cell. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and 
 Dynamics. 2020:1-10.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions
 /6926/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6926/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:The nanoscale structure of the Octopus ink: Sepia melanin
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T132000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T134000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6923@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Agnes Mbonyiryivuze (1African Centre of Excellence f
 or Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS)\, U
 niversity of Rwanda-College of Education (UR-CE)\, Rwanda 2UNESCO-UNISA Af
 rica Chair in Nanosciences/Nanotechnology\, College of Graduate Studies\, 
 University of South Africa\, Pretoria-South Africa 3Nanosciences African N
 etwork (NANOAFNET)\, iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation\, Cape Town
 \, South Africa)\nSepia melanin isolated from the ink sacs of Sepia offici
 nalis\, is commonly used as standard in many research activities on melani
 n such as photobiology and photoreactivity of skin pigments. Melanins are 
 difficult to characterize because of their intractable chemical properties
  and the heterogeneity in their structural features. Melanin pigments\, in
  fact\, are composed of many different types of monomeric units that are c
 onnected through strong carbon-carbon bonds. Its high insolubility and und
 efined chemical entities are two obstacles in its complete characterizatio
 n. The morphological characterization and particle size distribution for s
 epia melanin by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) on surface structure an
 d Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to confirm the morphology obtaine
 d from SEM was done. Both results show that Sepia melanin is formed by man
 y aggregates agglomerated together. These aggregates are formed also by sm
 all spherical granules with different size distributions that have been de
 termined using image-J software. The small granule diameter obtained from 
 different TEM and SEM micrographs were 100-200nm. EDS reveals that C and O
  were the most abundant in sepia melanin with concentration average concen
 trations of about 57% and 24% respectively. The major compositions of sepi
 a melanin are C\, O\, Na\, Cl\, while the minor are Mg\, Ca\, K\, S and N.
  From TEM micrograph at high resolution\, it was possible to measure the d
 istance between polymers layers of sepia melanin using image-J software an
 d it was 0.323 nm = 3.23 Å.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/213/cont
 ributions/6923/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6923/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Theoretical comparison of real-time single-particle tracking techn
 iques
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T130000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T132000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6920@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Bertus van Heerden (University of Pretoria)\nOne of 
 the main challenges in studying single biomolecules in a native or near-na
 tive environment is their constant diffusion. An approach to solving this 
 problem is real-time single particle tracking (SPT). In this study\, we us
 ed statistical calculations and dynamic simulations to compare the orbital
 \, Knight’s Tour and MINFLUX localization methods\, in the context of fl
 uorescence-based and interferometric scattering (iSCAT) approaches. While 
 the Knight’s Tour method can track the fastest diffusion\, MINFLUX achie
 ves the greatest precision. The relative success of iSCAT vs fluorescence 
 is strongly dependent on the particle size\, and the photophysical propert
 ies and density of the fluorophores.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/2
 13/contributions/6920/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6920/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Basis-independent coherence in avian-inspired quantum magnetic sen
 sing
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T084000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T090000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6932@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Thao P. Le (University of Nottingham)\nFundamentally
 \, molecular biological systems are quantum mechanical. Some of the big qu
 estions then is whether or not quantum effects manifest and whether these 
 quantum effects contribute to the function of the biological systems. Stud
 ies have shown that migratory birds can orientate using the Earth’s magn
 etic field\, and there is growing traction that this ability requires some
  measure of non-trivial quantum effects. Here\, we examine an avian-inspir
 ed magnetic sensor model based on the radical pair mechanism\, combined wi
 th a collisional model of its environment. By using basis-independent quan
 tum coherence\, we are able reveal the relationship between quantum effect
 s in the sensor with its magnetosensing performance.\n\nhttps://events.sai
 p.org.za/event/213/contributions/6932/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6932/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Applications of machine learning techniques to the description of 
 quantum coherent excitation energy transfer within the dimer model
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T082000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T084000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6921@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Kimara Naicker ()\nDuring photosynthesis in light-ha
 rvesting complexes\, energy is transferred from antenna pigments to the re
 action centre to trigger photochemical reactions. The idea of quantum cohe
 rence playing a role in photosynthesis arose from observations that excita
 tion energy transfer (EET) processes in these complexes are efficient to a
 n extent that exceeds explanation using only classical theory. The formali
 sm adopted to study EET processes is the Hierarchical Equations of Motion 
 (HEOM). However\, solving these equations is computationally costly due to
  the adverse scaling with the number of pigments. We use a trained convolu
 tional neural network as a representation of the HEOM where elements of re
 duced density matrices are translated into features for the model and corr
 esponding excited state energies and electronic couplings are used as labe
 ls. We discuss the investigation of the spin-boson-type model where our pr
 edictions of the parameters for the Frenkel Hamiltonian are gauged by mean
  square error and accuracy measures.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org.za/event/2
 13/contributions/6921/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6921/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Quantum plasmonic biosensing
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T080000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20210322T082000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260418T171456Z
UID:indico-contribution-213-6922@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Kelvin  Mpofu (University of Kwazulu Natal)\nSurface
  plasmon resonance (SPR) is a highly sensitive technique for monitoring ch
 anges in the optical properties of a substance in the immediate vicinity o
 f a sensor surface\, this makes it very useful in biosensing and surface s
 cience research. The most common SPR setup is the Kretschmann configuratio
 n in which surface plasmons are excited using a bulk prism and a gold-coat
 ed microscope slide. It is a key technology for the characterization of bi
 omolecular interactions and is integrated into many stages of the drug dis
 covery process. The characterization of these biomolecular interactions in
 volves measuring kinetic parameters. \n\nWe constructed a two-mode sensing
  model which we use to measure the kinetic parameters of biomolecular inte
 ractions on an SPR setup. The model was also used to measure the precision
  with which we can measure the kinetic parameters. In our research we made
  comparisons of the precision we could measure based on the input to our m
 odel\, i.e.\, we compared the precision when we used classical states of l
 ight versus when we used quantum states of light as input to our model.\n\
 nOur model showed that using quantum states of light such as the Fock stat
 e\, two-mode squeezed vacuum and two-mode squeezed displaced state improve
 s the precision in the estimation of kinetic parameters. Quantum states of
  light allow us to measure the parameters more accurately in comparison to
  classical states of light. We used our model to study a specific binding 
 reaction\, i.e\, immobilized Bovine serum albumin (BSA) interaction with a
 nti-BSA\, from which we extracted the kinetic parameters and showed the pr
 ecision enhancement which quantum states bring.\n\nhttps://events.saip.org
 .za/event/213/contributions/6922/
LOCATION:Zoom Conference
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/213/contributions/6922/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR