Use of propensities of amino acids to the local structural environments to understand effect of substitution mutations on protein stability

Advances in site-directed mutagenesis and other genetic engineering techniques have made it possible to create novel proteins of interest. A challenging aspect of these studies is to understand the effect of substitution mutations on folding and stability of natural proteins. We present an analysis of protein structure data, available from the literature, for which substitution mutations have been made and changes in stability characteristics are reported. Amino acid structural environment parameters have been computed for a set of 304 non- homologous best resolved protein structures. The structural environment parameters were used to calculate each of the 20 amino acid propensities to a given structural environment. The observed increase or decrease in stability upon mutation was found to be correlated with the average residue structural environment propensity of wild-type residue versus mutant residue. The analysis presented here helps identification of less optimally placed residues in a given protein structure, and suggests possible substitution mutations to a residue with higher propensity to the corresponding local structural environment. We propose that such substitution mutations, suggested based on amino acid propensities to local structural environments, should bestow higher stability to the protein structure.      

Second-Order Correction for Convective Wall Plume in Power-Law Fluids Over an Isothermal Wall

This paper considers the steady-state free-convection flow arising from an infinitely long horizontal line source of heat embedded at the leading edge of a vertical isothermal surface when the ambient fluid is a non-Newtonian fluid, for moderately large values of the generalized Grashof numbers by the method of matched asymptotic expansion. The first- and second-order boundary layer equations are considered. In particular, the second-order corrections to account for the non-boundary layer effects have been predicted. A family of numerical solutions are reported for the power-law fluid behavior index, n, ranging from 0.4 to 1.5 and for Pr = 10 and 100.     

Improving the ballistic immunity of armour steel weldments by plasma transferred arc (PTA) hardfacing

This investigation describes about improving the ballistic immunity of armour steel joints which are fabricated by sandwiching of plasma transferred arc (PTA) hardfaced interlayers in between soft austenitic stainless steel (ASS) welds. From the results, the welds with sandwiched interlayer stopped all the projectiles successfully, irrespective of processes used, whereas welds without sandwiched interlayer were failed. In order to know the cause of failure, a detailed metallographic examination was carried out. The variation in microstructure and hardness at various zones of the weld are discussed. For the first time, it was found that the armour steel could be hardfaced by the PTA process with tungsten carbide powder.     

Elastic properties of double layered manganites R_（1.2）Sr_（1.8）Mn_2O_7（R=La,Pr, Nd,Sm）

The polycrystalline colossal magnetoresistive double-layered manganite samples R1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7(R = La Pr, Nd, Sm) were prepared by the sol–gel method and their room temperature elastic behavior was investigated by ultrasonic pulse transmission technique at 1 MHz. The values of elastic constants were calculated from longitudinal and shear velocities and they were corrected to zero porosity using Hasselman and Fulrath's formulae. The elastic constants of the samples were also estimated by Modi's heterogeneous metal-mixture rule which is based on the metal ions present in the samples. The measured,corrected, and estimated values of elastic moduli are found to increase with decreasing rare earth ion size. The variation of elastic moduli with the size of the rare earth ion is interpreted in terms of strength of interatomic bonding.     

Advances in the Analysis of Pharmaceuticals by Using Graphene-Based Sensors

Safe and effective use of drugs relies on proper pharmaceutical analysis. Graphene has been extensively used to construct sensors for this purpose. Over the years, a large variety of pharmaceutical sensors have been developed from graphene or its derivatives. This article reviews the current status of sensor development from graphene and its derivatives, and discusses the use of graphene-based sensors in pharmaceutical analysis. It is hoped that this article offers not only a snapshot of recent advances in the fabrication and use of graphene-based sensors, but also provides insights into future engineering and optimization of the sensors for effective pharmaceutical analysis.     

Very Important Publication: Hypoiodite‐Catalyzed Regioselective Oxidation of Alkenes: An Expeditious Access to Aldehydes in Aqueous Micellar Media

A highly anti‐Markovnikov selective oxidation of alkenes based on in situ generated hypoiodite catalysis in aqueous micellar media under mild conditions has been described. This novel catalytic system realizes an efficient synthesis of aldehydes from alkenes in an economically viable and environmentally safe fashion. The preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction proceeds via tandem iodofunctionalization/1,2‐aryl or alkyl migration. The scope and limitations of this tandem process are demonstrated with various mono‐ and disubstituted (terminal and internal) olefins.

     

Studies on thermal degradation and flame retardant behavior of the sisal fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester toughened epoxy nanocomposites

Unsaturated polyester (UP) toughened nanocomposites were prepared using both sisal fibers and montmorillonite clays. The effect of fibers and Cloisite 30B (C30B) nanoclays on the mechanical properties, thermal stability, flame retardant, and morphological behavior of the UP toughened epoxy (Epoxy/UP) were systematically studied. The chemical structures of Epoxy, UP, and Epoxy/UP systems were characterized using Proton Nuclear magnetic resonance (¹HNMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. The homogeneous dispersion of nanoclay within the polymer matrix was analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Incorporation of sisal fibers and C30B nanoclays within Epoxy/UP system resulted in an increase in the mechanical, thermal, and flame retardance properties. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has been employed to evaluate the thermal degradation kinetic parameters of the composites using Kissinger and Flynn‐Wall‐Ozawa methods. Cone calorimeter, UL‐94, and LOI tests revealed a reduction in the burning rate of the matrix with the addition of fibers and nanoclays. The results showed that the treated fiber reinforced nanocomposites had higher thermal stability and better flame retardant properties than the treated fiber reinforced composites. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42068.