Arsenate exposure affects amino acids, mineral nutrient status and antioxidants in rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes

Simulated pot experiments were conducted on four rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes (Triguna, IR-36, PNR-519, and IET-4786) to examine the effects of As(V) on amino acids and mineral nutrient status in grain along with antioxidant response to arsenic exposure. Rice genotypes responded differentially to As(V) exposure in terms of amino acids and antioxidant profiles. Total amino acid content in grains of all rice genotypes was positively correlated with arsenic accumulation. While, most of the essential amino acids increased in all cultivars except IR-36, glutamic acid and glycine increased in IET-4786 and PNR-519. The level of nonprotein thiols (NPTs) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1), glutathione reductase (GR; EC 1.6.4.2) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX; EC 1.11.1.11) increased in all rice cultivars except IET-4786. A significant genotypic variation was also observed in specific arsenic uptake (SAU; mg kg(-1)dw), which was in the order of Triguna (134) > IR-36 (71) > PNR-519 (53) > IET-4786 (29). Further, application of As(V) at lower doses (4 and 8 mg L(-1) As) enhanced the accumulation of selenium (Se) and other nutrients (Fe, P, Zn, and S), however, higher dose (12 mg L(-1) As) limits the nutrient uptake in rice. In conclusion, low As accumulating genotype, IET-4786, which also had significantly induced level of essential amino acids, seems suitable for cultivation in moderately As contaminated soil and would be safe for human consumption.     

Antitumor Perspectives of Oleuropein and Its Metabolite Hydroxytyrosol: Recent Updates

Olive fruit is a significant and promising source of potential bioactive compounds such as oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol. Oleuropein is the ester of elenolic acid and 3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl ethanol (HT). It is the main glycoside in olives, the degradation of which results in the formation of hydroxytyrosol in olive oil. Both plays a significant role in the reduction of coronary heart diseases and a certain type of cancers. Both olive oil phenols have an effective role counter to cell proliferation, cell growth, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. They down regulate the expression of BCL‐2 and COX‐2 proteins, and reduced DNA damage. Hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein inhibited the multiple stages in colon carcinogenesis; initiation, promotion, and metastasis. They also provide protection against various human cancers including colorectal, skin, breast, thyroid, digestive, lung, brain, blood, and cervical. This review article discusses the anticancer perspectives and mechanisms of oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol in cell cultures and animal and human studies.     

The fission yeast MAPK Spc1 senses perturbations in Cdc25 and Wee1 activities and targets Rad24 to restore this balance

Mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play vital roles in multiple cellular processes and represent prominently pursued targets for development of therapeutic regimes. The MAPK Spc1 (p38 homologue) is known to be very important for both mitotic promotion and delay in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. However, the mechanism responsible for mitotic inhibition has remained elusive. Cdc25 (Cdc2 activator) and Wee1 (Cdc2 inhibtor) are important determinants of mitotic timing in all eukaryotes. Our results show that Spc1 can sense the perturbations in the balance of Cdc25 and Wee1 activities in S. pombe and that its function as a mitotic inhibitor is very important for controlling the same. An Spc1–Srk1–Rad24‐dependent pathway for mitotic inhibition has been reported earlier.Here we report the presence of an alternative mechanism wherein Spc1 targets the 14–3–3 protein, Rad24, independently of Srk1, leading to relocalization of Cdc25 and mitotic inhibition. Our observations suggest that this pathway can serve as a backup mechanism for Cdc2 inactivation in the absence of Wee1.     

Wear Behavior of Harmonic Structured 304L Stainless Steel

Wear behavior of a harmonic structured 304L austenitic stainless steel with periodically distributed fine and coarse grains was examined and compared with a sintered non-harmonic structured 304L stainless steel and a low carbon conventional 304 stainless steel using fretting wear tests at varying loads in ball-on-flat contact configuration. Characterization was accomplished using scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, optical profilometry and Raman spectroscopy. Coefficient of friction and wear volume were minimum at intermediate normal load of 5 N, whereas maximum at 10 N for the harmonic stainless steel compared to other two steels. Harmonically distributed fine- and coarse-grained structure attributes to the higher wear rate of the harmonic structured steel at higher load because of differential interaction of the ball with the harmonically distributed hard (fine) and relatively soft (coarse) regions.     

Studies of microstructural,dielectric, and impedance spectroscopic properties of Bi0.617Y0.05Cu3Ti4O12 ceramic synthesized through semi-wet route

Bi_0.617Y_0.05Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂(BYCTO) was successfully synthesized through an economically semi-wet route using metals nitrates, acetate, and TiO₂ precursor and sintered at 1173 K for 8 h. The single phase of ceramic was authorized by XRD analysis. The crystallite size of BYCTO ceramic was calculated to be 62.3 nm through XRD measurement. The particle size obtained by TEM analysis was to be in the range of 55?±?7 nm. The average grain size observed through the SEM technique was 0.783 μm. The route means square roughness, as well as average roughness, were determined to be 0.224 μm and 0.179 μm by atomic force microscope. The dielectric constant (?′) of BYCTO was measured to be 1481 at 307 K and 100 Hz. The tangent loss (tan δ) was observed to be in the range of 0.13–0.29 at all selected temperatures (307–487 K) and 10 kHz which is lower than that of Bi_2/3Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂. The oxidation state of all metal present in the ceramic material was verified by XPS analysis.

     

Dispersions of functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes in strong acids: solubility and rheology

The manipulation and processing of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is limited by their poor solubility in most common solvents. Covalent sidewall functionalization of SWNTs provides an excellent route to improve their solubility. Here we have studied the relationship between sidewall functionalization and phase behavior of solutions of functionalized SWNTs (f-SWNTs) in strong acids. We use centrifugation in conjunction with UV-Vis-nlR spectroscopy to quantify the solubility of f-SWNTs in strong acids. We image the dispersions of functionalized tubes by polarized light microscopy. We find that adding butyl groups increases marginally the solubility of SWNTs in 102% sulfuric acid in the isotropic phase; adding 9-nonadecyne groups roughly doubles the solubility of SWNTs. Viscosity measurements in dilute solutions are sensitive to de-bundling. We compare the viscosity-concentration dependence of dilute pristine and f-SWNTs to assess whether and how functionalization promotes de-bundling and stabilizes the tubes. The phase behavior and rheology of these f-SWNTs parallels with that of pristine SWNTs; 9-nonadecylated SWNTs have higher solubility and should be easier to process.     

Holographically formed polymer dispersed liquid crystal films for transmission mode spectrometer applications

We show proof of concept of a transmission-mode wavelength filtering device consisting of layered holographically formed polymer dispersed liquid crystal (H-PDLC) cells. H-PDLC cells were fabricated from a thiolene based polymer composite to have transmission notches in the near-IR wavelength range. Wavelength filtering was achieved by stacking four H-PDLC cells with transmission notches spaced at 10 nm intervals. Results show a broad transmission notch spanning the spectral width of the constituent cells. With bias applied to an individual cell within the stack, the transmission notch of the cell inverts and the overall transmission envelope changes shape. Using a transmitted energy sensing device and a lineshape mapping algorithm, spectral content can be determined to a resolution of 0.1 nm for narrow banded signals. Applications for this switchable wavelength filtering device include serial detection of spectral content for telecom data signals or chemical and biological sample identification through absorption or emission spectroscopy.     

Towards end-host-based identification of competing protocols against TCP in a bottleneck link

Classical Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) designs have never considered the identity of the competing transport protocol as useful information to TCP sources in congestion control mechanisms. When competing against a TCP flow on a bottleneck link, a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) flow can unfairly occupy the entire link bandwidth and suffocate all TCP flows on the link. If it were possible for a TCP source to know the type of transport protocol that deprives it of link access, perhaps it would be better for the TCP source to react in a way which prevents total starvation. In this paper, we use coefficient of variation and power spectral density of throughput traces to identify the presence of UDP transport protocols that compete against TCP flows on bottleneck links. Our results show clear traits that differentiate the presence of competing UDP flows from TCP flows independent of round-trip times variations. Signatures that we identified include an increase in coefficient of variation whenever a competing UDP flow joins the bottleneck link for the first time, noisy spectral density representation of a TCP flow when competing against a UDP flow in the bottleneck link, and a dominant frequency with outstanding power in the presence of TCP competition only. In addition, the results show that signatures for congestion caused by competing UDP flows are different from signatures due to congestion caused by competing TCP flows regardless of their round-trip times. The results in this paper present the first steps towards development of more ’intelligent’ congestion control algorithms with added capability of knowing the identity of aggressor protocols against TCP, and subsequently using this additional information for rate control.