Structural and Functional Analysis of Various Globulin Proteins from Soy Seed

Storage proteins of soybean mostly consist of globulins, which are classified according to their sedimentation coefficient. Among 4 major types: 2S, 7S, 11S, and 15S of globulins, 7S and 11S constitute major fraction. The 11S fraction consists only of glycinin and 7S fraction majorly consists of β-conglycinin, small amounts of γ-conglycinin and basic 7S globulin (Bg7S). Glycinin exist as a hexamer while β-conglycinin as a trimer and Bg7S as a tetramer. Glycinin subunits are coded by 5 genes of a family, whereas about 15 genes are present for β-conglycinin subunits. Bg7S gene is present in four copies in soybean genome. Synthesis of all proteins takes place as a single polypeptide chain, which is cleaved after folding to yield different chains or subunits. Glycinin and β-Conglycinin are made for storage purpose. However, Bg7S has potential xylanase inhibition activity and protein kinase activity. Primary structure of Bg7S reveals 12 conserved cysteine residues involved in forming 6 disulfide bonds, which provides appreciable stability to protein. Secondary structure is predominately rich in β-sheets with few alpha helices. Bg7S shares structural similarity with various aspartic-proteases. In this review, our aim is to discuss sequence, structure, and function of various globulins present in Glycine max.     

The Self—Determinism of Teleogenic Systems

Abstract

The existence of uncontrollable state variables is shown to be necessary for a system to be teleogenic, capable of generating its own goals. Since human beings and other living organisms are manifestly teleogenic, the behavioristic paradigm is fundamentally flawed. A triadic theory of human development, in which heredity and environment are joined by a self-determined component consisting of the evolving uncontrollable state variables, is outlined. The behavior of a simple teleoid under two different modes of development is described.     

Improving software product line using an ontological approach

Software product line (SPL) is an emergent strategy for generating software products. The variability and commonality of SPL is illustrated by feature models (FMs). The quality of software products relies on the correctness of SPL. The overall benefits of software product line engineering (SPLE) are reduced by various kinds of defects such as dead features and false optional features in an FM. These defects can be inherited in the software products built from a defective product line model (PLM). In this paper, the problem of enhancing the quality of software products derived from SPLE is handled. An ontological based approach is proposed following first-order logic (FOL) rules to identify defects namely dead features and false optional features. The classification of cases for these defects in FMs that represent variability of SPL is defined. The presented approach has been explained with the help of an FM derived from the standard case in product line (PL) community. The initial empirical evaluation of the proposed approach analyses 35 FMs with different sizes. The results obtained exhibit that the proposed approach is accurate, effective, scalable up to 200 features and therefore improves SPL.     

Future IoT‐enabled threats and vulnerabilities: State of the art,challenges, and future prospects

In the recent era, the security issues affecting the future Internet‐of‐Things (IoT) standards has fascinated noteworthy consideration from numerous research communities. In this view, numerous assessments in the form of surveys were proposed highlighting several future IoT‐centric subjects together with threat modeling, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and various emergent technologies. In contrast, in this article, we have focused exclusively on the emerging IoT‐related vulnerabilities. This article is a multi‐fold survey that emphasizes on understanding the crucial causes of novel vulnerabilities in IoT paradigms and issues in existing research. Initially, we have emphasized on different layers of IoT architecture and highlight various emerging security challenges associated with each layer along with the key issues of different IoT systems. Secondly, we discuss the exploitation, detection, and defense methodologies of IoT malware‐enabled distributed denial of service (DDoS), Sybil, and collusion attack capabilities. We have also discussed numerous state‐of‐the‐art strategies for intrusion detection and methods for IDS setup in future IoT systems. Third, we have presented a brief classification of existing IoT authentication protocols and a comparative analysis of such protocols based on different IoT‐enabled cyber attacks. For conducting a real‐time future IoT research, we have presented some emerging blockchain solutions. We have also discussed a comparative examination of some of the recently developed simulation tools and IoT test beds that are characterized based on different layers of IoT infrastructure. We have also outlined some of the open issues and future research directions and also facilitate the readers with broad classification of existing surveys in this domain that addresses several scopes related to the IoT paradigm. This survey article focuses in enabling IoT‐related research activities by comparing and merging scattered surveys in this domain.     

Comments on “Investigation on synthesis,laser damage threshold,and NLO properties of l-asparagine thioacetamide single crystal for photonic device applications” [J Mater Sci: Mater Electron. 31, 13310–13320 (2020)]

The authors of the title paper [J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 31, 13310–13320 (2020)] report to have grown a so-called l-asparagine thioacetamide (LATA) single crystal by slow evaporation of an aqueous solution containing l-asparagine monohydrate and thioacetamide in 1:1 ratio. The same research group has claimed in another paper [J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 31, 791–798 (2020)] to have grown a so-called NLO-active potassium hydrogen phthalate fumaric acid crystal (KHPF). In this comment we prove that LATA and KHPF are improperly characterized crystals and both papers are erroneous.

     

Effects of membrane tension on nanopropeller driven bacterial motion

Our present capabilities to build nanomachines are very limited compared to the elegance and efficiency of bio-nanomachines. The flagellar motor of bacteria is an example of a bionanomachine. It is a structured aggregate of proteins anchored in many bacterial cell membranes (formed mostly from phospholipids). While a large body of work characterizes various functional components of flagellar proteins, limited literature exists on the role of phospholipids of the membranes anchoring the protein. It is assumed that the membranes do not play any active role in the nano-propeller's functioning. However, it is relevant to question this assumption for several reasons. Firstly, the anchor for any machine on any scale is essential in terms of the work-load the machine can deliver. Secondly, it is now clear that localized protein-lipid interactions are essential for functioning of many transmembrane proteins. These interactions result in formation of "nano-domains" of specific lipid constituents around the protein providing the desired functionality. Thus, regardless of whether the bacterial membrane is primarily an anchor for flagellar proteins or specific lipid components of the membrane are actively participating in nano-propeller driven motion of bacteria, it is important to investigate the role of the membrane itself in working of this bionanomachine. Using video microscopy with a 33 ms resolution to monitor bacterial motion, we investigate effects of varying the membrane tension, by providing different osmotic environments, on the performance of the flagellar motor. Our data strongly demonstrate an active role of bacterial membranes in the nano-propeller driven bacterial motion. Our results point towards reconsidering performance of classical bionanomachines like bacterial flagellar motor and F1-F0 ATPase in view of the membranes in which they are packed in, in contrast to just the proteins by themselves.     

Time–space radiometric normalization of TM/ETM+ images for land cover change detection

A novel approach to image radiometric normalization for change detection is presented. The approach referred to as stratified relative radiometric normalization (SRRN) uses a time-series of imagery to stratify the landscape for localized radiometric normalization. The goal is to improve the detection accuracy of abrupt land cover changes (human-induced, natural disaster, etc.) while decreasing false detection of natural vegetation changes that are not of interest. These vegetation changes may be associated with such phenomena as phenology, growth and stress (e.g. drought), which occur at varying spatial and temporal scales, depending on landscape position, vegetation type, season, precipitation history and historic episodes of local disturbance. The SRRN approach was tested for a study area on the Californian border between the USA and Mexico using Landsat Thematic Mapper and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus satellite imagery. Change products were generated from imagery radiometrically normalized using the SRRN procedure and with imagery normalized using a traditional empirical line technique. Reference data derived from high spatial resolution airborne imagery were utilized to validate the two change products. The SRRN procedure provided several benefits and was found to improve the overall accuracy of detecting abrupt land cover changes by nearly 20%.     

Artefacts in semivolatile organic compound sampling with polyurethane foam substrates in high volume cascade impactors

Polyurethane foam (PUF) is known to sorb gas-phase semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) from ambient air and is used routinely in conventional high volume filter-sorbent sampling of such pollutants. PUF rings have also been employed as impaction substrates in a high volume cascade impactor (HVCI) used as a sampler for the evaluation of particle toxicity. Though nonvolatile particles (e.g., trace metals, inorganic ions) have been the primary focus, the sampler has also been used to measure particulate SVOC concentrations in ambient air. The aim of this work is to investigate the validity of the latter approach. The results of three sets of experiments conducted in Canada and Denmark are reported herein. Model compounds included native and deuterated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The experiments demonstrated that HVCI PUF substrates sorb gas-phase PAH compounds and that the sorbed mass is subject to mobilization through and out of the sampler. Particulate concentrations of low molecular weight and volatile PAHs are therefore prone to overestimation in samples that have been analyzed after extraction of whole PUF substrates. Sonication of collected particles in water before solvent extraction is effective at dislodging them from the PUF but also acts to redistribute their originally particulate PAH mass back to the PUF and to the sonication water. As a result, the PAH content of particles measured after sonication and subsequent filtration does not accurately represent their true values. These artefacts affect not only measured PAH concentrations but also the results of toxicological assays that are conducted to test the characteristics of particles collected using HVCI PUF samplers.     

Effect of jet-grouting on surface settlements above the Aeschertunnel, Switzerland

The Aeschertunnel is a large shallow non-circular tunnel that was excavated in glacial moraine and Molasse bedrock. In the sections, where the excavation was in the glacial moraine, the construction procedure included the use of a jet-grout arch ahead of the tunnel face for excavation support. Measurements taken during the jet-grouting process and the excavation of the tunnel heading suggested a settlement trough much narrower than that observed using conventional NATM tunneling methods. The volume losses were limited to 0.35%, approximately the volume losses achieved with slurry shield and EPB TBM tunneling. A numerical back-analysis was performed on the surface settlements where jet-grouting was used. The back-analysis suggests that the narrow settlement trough results from localized shear bands that were induced by high pressures associated with the jet-grouting.