Differential regulation of redox proteins and chaperones in HbEβ-thalassemia erythrocyte proteome

Purpose: In (hemoglobin, Hb) HbEβ‐thalassemia, HbE (β‐26 Glu→Lys) interacts with β‐thalassemia to produce clinical manifestation of varying severity. This is the first proteomic effort to study changes in protein levels of erythrocytes isolated from HbEβ‐thalassemic patients compared to normal. Experimental design: We have used 2‐DE and MALDI‐MS/MS‐based techniques to investigate the differential proteome profiling of membrane and Hb‐depleted fraction of cytosolic proteins of erythrocytes isolated from the peripheral blood samples of HbEβ‐thalassemia patients and normal volunteers. Results: Our study showed that redox regulators such as peroxiredoxin 2, Cu‐Zn superoxide dismutase and thioredoxin and chaperones such as α‐hemoglobin stabilizing protein and HSP‐70 were upregulated in HbEβ‐thalassemia. We have also observed larger amounts of membrane associated globin chains and indications of disruption of spectrin‐based junctional complex in the membrane skeleton of HbEβ‐thalassemic erythrocytes upon detection of low molecular weight fragments of β‐spectrin and decrease in β‐actin and dematin content. Conclusion and clinical relevance: We have observed interesting changes in the proteomic levels of redox regulators and chaperons in the thalassemic hemolysates and have observed strong correlation or association of the extent of such proteomic changes with HbE levels. This could be important in understanding the role of HbE in disease progression and pathophysiology.     

Neuro-computing based short range prediction of some meteorological parameters during the pre-monsoon season

A Feed forward multi-layered artificial neural network model is designed in this paper to estimate the maximum surface temperature and relative humidity needed for the genesis of severe thunderstorms over Calcutta (22° 32, 88° 20). The performance of the model is found to be adroit. It has, thus, been discerned that the neural network technique is of great use in forecasting the occurrence of high frequency small-scale weather systems like Severe Local Storms. Filing up the missing values and extension of time series is observed to be possible with this model. Prediction error is computed and compared for single layer network and one hidden layer neural nets. Result reveals the efficiency of the one hidden layer neural net.     

Polystyrene with half-titanocene/MAO catalysts: Influence of 2,6-diisopropylphenol

Styrene polymerization was carried out by a simple half-titanocene complex [cyclopentadienyltitanium trichloride] (CpTiCl₃) and pentamethyl [cyclopentadienyltitanium trichloride] (Cp*TiCl₃) combined with methylaluminoxane (MAO) as a cocatalyst. The effects of addition of 2,6-diisopropylphenol on the catalytic activity of the above catalytic systems and the microstructure of the resulting polymer were investigated. The results of the above experiments showed that the addition of the 2,6-diisopropylphenol changed the catalytic performance of the above catalytic systems, in terms of catalytic activity of the metal complexes and microstructure, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of polystyrene synthesized. The yields of polystyrene of the above polymerization reactions indicated that the 2,6-diisopropylphenol enhanced the catalytic activity of both the CpTiCl₃/MAO and Cp*TiCl₃/MAO catalyst systems. Further Soxhlet extraction of the polymer was conducted by boiling acetone for 6 h to get pure syndiotactic polystyrene. The microstructure of polystyrene obtained by the above polymerization reactions was investigated by ¹³C NMR, GPC and DSC. Results indicated the formation of syndiotactic polystyrene in the absence of phenol and in low concentration of phenol. On the other hand, in the presence of excess phenol, the polystyrene produced was found to be completely atactic in nature. The appearance of monomodal peaks and narrow polydispersity in the GPC results of polystyrenes obtained in all the above polymerizations indicated that the polymerization was only coordination in nature.     

Fire monitoring in coal mines using wireless underground sensor network and interval type-2 fuzzy logic controller

International Journal of Coal Science & Technology - From the view of underground coal mining safety system, it is extremely important to continuous monitoring of coal mines for the prompt...     

A photoluminiscent Ge-containing conjugated macrocycle

The selective synthesis of a photoluminiscent macrocycle containing germanium atoms in conjugation with two aromatic segments has been accomplished by ruthenium-based olefin metathesis. The macrocycle shows blue emission with 40% quantum efficiency. The optical properties are interpreted with the help of theoretical DFT calculations using B3LYP/6-31G** and B3LYP/Lanl2dz with a remarkable match between the measured and the calculated absorption characteristics.     

Nowcasting lightning flash rate and peak wind gusts associated with severe thunderstorms using remotely sensed TRMM-LIS data

The momentous weather hazards during the pre-monsoon season (April–May) over Kolkata (22° 32′ N, 88° 20′ E), India, is mostly due to lightning flashes and surface wind gusts associated with severe thunderstorms. A multi-layer perceptron (MLP) model is developed to forecast the lightning flash rate and peak wind gusts which accompany severe thunderstorms. Meteorological parameters derived from radiosonde weather observations from 1998 to 2009 are taken as input whereas lightning data from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) and wind gusts from a ground-based observatory are taken as the target output parameters. The skill of the MLP model is compared with the multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis method, and it is observed that the MLP model provides better and more accurate forecasts than the MLR analysis method. The results also reveal that the forecast accuracy is more for surface wind gusts than for the lightning flash rate, both during training and validation of the model. The MLP model forecast is validated with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) weather observations as well as Doppler weather radar and satellite imagery of 2008 and 2009 thunderstorms.     

Atomistic Simulations of Functionalized Nano-Materials for Biosensors Applications

Nanoscale biosensors, a highly promising technique in clinical analysis, can provide sensitive yet label-free detection of biomolecules. The spatial and chemical specificity of the surface coverage, the proper immobilization of the bioreceptor as well as the underlying interfacial phenomena are crucial elements for optimizing the performance of a biosensor. Due to experimental limitations at the microscopic level, integrated cross-disciplinary approaches that combine in silico design with experimental measurements have the potential to present a powerful new paradigm that tackles the issue of developing novel biosensors. In some cases, computational studies can be seen as alternative approaches to assess the microscopic working mechanisms of biosensors. Nonetheless, the complex architecture of a biosensor, associated with the collective contribution from “substrate–receptor–analyte” conjugate in a solvent, often requires extensive atomistic simulations and systems of prohibitive size which need to be addressed. In silico studies of functionalized surfaces also require ad hoc force field parameterization, as existing force fields for biomolecules are usually unable to correctly describe the biomolecule/surface interface. Thus, the computational studies in this field are limited to date. In this review, we aim to introduce fundamental principles that govern the absorption of biomolecules onto functionalized nanomaterials and to report state-of-the-art computational strategies to rationally design nanoscale biosensors. A detailed account of available in silico strategies used to drive and/or optimize the synthesis of functionalized nanomaterials for biosensing will be presented. The insights will not only stimulate the field to rationally design functionalized nanomaterials with improved biosensing performance but also foster research on the required functionalization to improve biomolecule–surface complex formation as a whole.     

Influence of cocatalyst on the stereoselectivity and productivity of styrene polymerization reactions

Influence of different cocatalysts on the polymerization reaction of styrene using heterogeneous nanoparticle NA-MgO and NA-TiO2 (anatase) supported bis (cyclopentadienyl) zirconium dichloride catalysts is studied. Methyaluminoxane, trityl tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate(1), dimethylanilinium tetrakis (pentafluoro-phenyl)borate (2) and tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (3) are used as cocatalysts for this study. The productivity and stereoselectivity of the catalysts systems are found to be highest with MAO and lowest with the borane 3 (MAO > 1> 2 > 3). Catalysts derived from the borane 3 yield amorphous atactic polystyrenes but those from cocatalysts MAO, 1, or 2 yield crystalline, syndiotactic polystyrenes under the same reaction conditions. Effects of addition of various scavengers and solvents with different polarities on styrene polymerizations are also reported here. Characterization of the obtained polymers is done by Gel Permeation Chromatography, ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry.     

Raman microspectroscopy-based identification of individual fungal spores as potential indicators of indoor contamination and moisture-related building damage

We present an application of Raman microspectroscopy (RMS) for the rapid characterization and identification of individual spores from several species of microfungi. The RMS-based methodology requires minimal sample preparation and small sample volumes for analyses. Hence, it is suitable for preserving sample integrity while providing micrometer-scale spatial resolution required for the characterization of individual cells. We present the acquisition of unique Raman spectral signatures from intact fungal spores dispersed on commercially available aluminum foil substrate. The RMS-based method has been used to compile a reference library of Raman spectra from several species of microfungi typically associated with damp indoor environments. The acquired reference spectral library has subsequently been used to identify individual microfungal spores through direct comparison of the spore Raman spectra with the reference spectral signatures in the library. Moreover, the distinct peak structures of Raman spectra provide detailed insight into the overall chemical composition of spores. We anticipate potential application of this methodology in the fields of public health, forensic sciences, and environmental microbiology.     

Chemical fractionation and translocation of heavy metals in Canna indica L. grown on industrial waste amended soil

A pot experiment was carried out to assess the effect of different amendments of industrial sludge on the growth of Canna indica L. as well as the translocation potential of heavy metals of this plant. The accumulation of metals (Cr, Fe, Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn and Pb) in different parts of C. indica L. grown on industrial sludge-amended soil increased with time and increasing doses of sludge amendments. Sequential extraction method was followed to estimate the different fractions of heavy metals in sludge-amended soils collected from different periods of this study. The results showed that Mn, Zn, Cd, Cr and Pb were mostly associated with Fe–Mn oxide fraction in all amendments, whereas, Ni was mostly found in residual (RES) fraction. Cu and Fe were found to be higher in organically bounded form (OM) and RES fraction. The metal concentration in C. indica L. after 90 days of experiment started, was in the order of Fe > Cr > Mn > Zn > Ni > Cu > Cd > Pb and the metal translocation was found lesser in shoot. With the increasing percentage of sludge amendments in soil the metal concentrations increased in different parts of plants. Overall, the plant C. indica L. was found to be well adapted in industrial sludge amendments and it may be recommended that this plant was found suitable for phytoremediation of most of the studied metals.