The coronavirus disease 2019 virus outbreak continues worldwide, with many variants emerging, some of which are considered variants of concern (VOCs). The WHO designated Omicron as a VOC and assigned it under variant B.1.1.529. Here, we used computational studies to examine the VOCs, including Omicron subvariants, and one variant of interest. Here we found that the binding affinity of human receptor angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) and receptor‐binding domain (RBDs) increased in the order of wild type (Wuhan‐strain) < Beta < Alpha < OmicronBA.5 < Gamma < Delta < Omicron BA.2.75 < BA.1 < BA.3 < BA.2. Interactions between docked complexes revealed that the RBD residue positions like 452, 478, 493, 498, 501, and 505 are crucial in creating strong interactions with hACE2. Omicron BA.2 shows the highest binding capacity to the hACE2 receptor among all the mutant complexes. The BA.5's L452R, F486V, and T478K mutation significantly impact the interaction network in the BA.5 RBD‐hACE2 interface. Here for the first time, we report the His505, an active residue on the RBD forming a salt bridge in the BA.2, leading to increased mutation stability. When the active RBD residues are mutated, binding affinity and intermolecular interactions increase across all mutant complexes. By examining the differences in different variants, this study may provide a solid foundation for structure‐based drug design for newly emerging variants.
One of the major problems associated with the production process of cables is the tight adhesion between the insulation and jacket (blocking), which is resulted from electrostatic and Van der Waals interactions between the two polymer layers. It makes them difficult to separate without damaging the insulation. As a conventional approach, a talc layer is applied within the insulation and jacket interface to prevent the blocking between the jacket and insulation. However, maintaining a uniform talc layer is difficult, and the uneven distribution of talc particles produces a non-smooth surface. Therefore, the conventional talc layer method has limited efficiency in reducing the bocking. In this study, a surface modification was done for both the insulation and jacket using synthetic silica and crosslinked polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). This study evaluated the effect of these two additives on other physical properties, including heat stability, insulation resistance, tensile strength, elongation at break, and pressure stability. This study reveals that the application of synthetic silica has successfully reduced the blocking between insulation and jacket and favorably contributed to increasing insulation resistance. The optimum levels of anti-blocking agents to be used in the insulation and jacket compound have also been estimated by this investigation.
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