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Dr. Harish Chandra Pant was Chief of the Section on Neuronal Cytoskeletal Protein Regulation within the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the NIH. A main focus of his group was understanding the mechanisms regulating neuronal cytoskeletal phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of neurofilaments can increase filament stability and confer resistance to proteolysis, but aberrant hyperphosphorylation of neurofilaments can be found in the neurofibrillary tangles that are seen with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer disease (AD). Through his work, Harish would inevitably come across cyclin dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5), a key kinase that can phosphorylate neurofilaments at KSPXK motifs. Cdk5 differs from other Cdks in that its activity is mainly in post-mitotic neurons rather than being involved in the cell cycle in dividing cells. With continued interest in Cdk5, Harish and his group were instrumental in identifying important roles for this neuronal kinase in not only neuronal cytoskeleton phosphorylation but also in neuronal development, synaptogenesis, and neuronal survival. Here, we review the accomplishments of Harish in characterizing the functions of Cdk5 and its involvement in neuronal health and disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Reformatsky reagent derived from ethyl bromoacetate circumvents the challenge associated with the direct regio- and enantioselective iridium-catalyzed allylic alkylation with an unstabilized aliphatic ester enolate. Notably, this work represents the first example of using a Reformatsky reagent in a metal-allyl reaction, which permits the direct construction of enantioenriched β-stereogenic homoallylic esters without preactivation of the pronucleophile or post-reaction modification of the product (e.g., thermal decarboxylation of a 1,3-dicarbonyl). Moreover, the process allows the coupling of a broad range of sterically and electronically diverse electrophiles bearing aryl, heteroaryl and alkenyl derivatives, including the significantly more challenging alkyl-substituted allylic carbonates. The versatility of the ester product is exemplified by a series of functional group manipulations and the development of a concise and efficient enantioselective total synthesis of the natural product, (+)-descurainolide A. Finally, mechanistic studies indicate that the zinc enolate behaves as a soft nucleophile that undergoes outer-sphere alkylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spread was prepared using blends of virgin coconut oil (VCO), trans-free fat (TFF), whey powder, coconut fiber, emulsifiers, and flavors. Curcumin was added in micro quantities to provide a natural color. The samples formulated were tested for their spreadability, texture, and phase separation. The samples were analyzed for their physicochemical properties, such as color, texture, rheological characterization, and storage stability. The results showed that the formulated spread had moisture of 2.10%, protein of 9.23%, fat of 67.35%, ash of 4.56%, crude fiber of 11.2%, total carbohydrate 10.12%, and the values of peroxide, and percentage of free fatty acids were well below the acceptable levels during storage periods. The samples showed a phase separation after one month of storage at 38 °C. However, no separation was observed when stored at 4 °C and 27 °C. The spreads showed shear-thinning behavior, were solid at 4 °C, and were spreadable at 27 °C and flowy at 38 °C. DSC analysis indicated that the sample was solid below 9.63 °C and liquid over 20.57 °C. The spread was rich in lauric acid (26.01%), palmitic acid (28.26%), and trans fatty acid (Elaidic acid) was not detected. Based on the texture and sensory results, a 50:50 blend of VCO: TFF showed good spreadability. Sensorily, the products showed higher overall acceptability scores. The developed spread has an abundance of fiber, protein, and health-promoting factors from VCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conductivity and electric modulus formalism in tellurite-modified lithium borate glasses with composition (100–x) − (33.35Li2O–66.65B2O3) − (x)TeO2, (x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mol%) have been prepared. Electric modulus, relaxation mechanism and conductivity parameters were investigated to understand the dielectric properties of the glass matrix in the temperature range between 403 and 583 K, and the frequency range between 100 Hz and 5 MHz. The experimental data of ac conductivity was fitted to Jonscher’s power law. The parameters like dc conductivity (σdc), frequency exponent (S) and crossover frequency (WH) were extracted. The conductivity of the glass matrix was found to exhibit anomalous increasing behaviour with TeO2 content. The decreasing trend in the values of the frequency exponent with the temperature rise demonstrates the correlated barrier hopping mechanism in the conduction process. The electric modulus data fitted to Davidson–Cole model and Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts model have revealed nearly the same values of β (Kohlrausch exponent), which depict the conductivity relaxation process. Other electrical parameters such as bulk resistance (Rb), capacitance (Ao) and stretching exponent (n) were also extracted by fitting the impedance data to the R-CPE model using Zview software. The dc conductivity of lithium boro tellurite glasses was found to follow Arrhenius behaviour and the corresponding activation energy was determined (0.5847–1.0004 eV). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes are the major public health concerns of India and worldwide. Nowadays, plant-derived products are in great demand for the treatment of these diseases. Pumpkin seeds are traditionally implicated for their pharmacological properties, as exemplified by benign prostatic hyperplasia. Earlier, pumpkin seed proteins were extracted by the Osborne method, and their functional and nutritional qualities were evaluated. Here, the aim is to assess in vitro, the anticancer and antidiabetic properties of seed protein fractions. HepG2, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-7 cell lines were treated with water-soluble (WF) and alkali-soluble fractions (AF) to assess cytotoxicity, while pancreatic β-cells and insulin resistance (IR) – HepG2 cell lines were treated with WF to evaluate the antidiabetic potential. WF and AF showed cytotoxic effects towards HepG2 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, suggesting apoptosis-mediated anticancerous activity. WF potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells, in a dose-dependent manner. In IR-HepG2 cell line studies, control, metformin, and WF-treated groups showed uptake of glucose, when compared to the diabetic group, which is well-correlated with the upregulated expressions of GLUT2 and GLUT4 transporters in these groups. These results indicate that proteins from WF and AF may have anticancerous and antidiabetic properties and thus have the potential to utilize pumpkin proteins in the management of cancer and diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel heterogeneous catalyst Fe3O4@SB@Cu that contains a copper(II) Schiff base complex covalently immobilised on Fe3O4 nanoparticles was synthesised. The prepared catalyst is well characterised by FTIR spectroscopy, UV–Visible spectroscopy, FE-SEM, TEM, VSM analysis, EDX, XRD analysis, TGA, CV technique, XPS and PL studies to confirm its structural and morphological features. The high BET surface area (117.34 m2/g) was achieved for particles with size 25–30 nm and saturation magnetisation of 43.4 emu/g. The catalytic potential of the synthesised catalyst Fe3O4@SB@Cu was investigated by employing H2O2 as an oxidant for the oxidation of anthracene to anthraquinone. Various parameters like catalytic loading, temperature and solvents were varied to determine the optimal catalytic conditions, and 96% yield of the product is obtained within 36 min when the reaction was performed in the acetonitrile solvent with 1.8% loading of the catalyst. The catalytic reaction was monitored by UV–Visible spectroscopy. Using an external magnet, the modified nanoparticles were easily retrieved from the reaction mixture and can be utilised for five more reaction cycles without the significant loss of activity or copper leaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new cost function to measure the power system frequency disturbances. This cost function helps to identify optimal parameter gains of the secondary controllers of automatic generation control mechanism to minimize the frequency and tie line power deviations during load perturbations. To study the application benefits, merits and the drawbacks of the new cost function, an interconnected two area power system with renewable and micro energy sources is selected. The study further extended to design of classical controllers with the proposed cost function to reduce frequency deviations. To enhance the frequency profile of the hybrid power system, integral-proportional-derivative secondary controller is applied whose optimal parameter gains are adjusted using recent population search-based technique known as cooperation search algorithm (CSA). New findings are listed by carrying simulations on the hybrid power system at different generation and demand loadings in presence of classical and I-PD controllers with proposed and existing cost function-based CSA tuned values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoneedles (NN) are growing rapidly as a means of navigating biological membranes and delivering therapeutics intracellularly. Nanoneedle arrays (NNA) are among the most potential resources to achieve therapeutic effects by administration of drugs through the skin. Although this is based on well-established approaches, its implementations are rapidly developing as an important pharmaceutical and biological research phenomenon. This study intends to provide a broad overview of current NNA research, with an emphasis on existing approaches, applications, and types of compounds released by these systems. A nanoneedle-based delivery device with great spatial and temporal accuracy, minimal interference, and low toxicity could transfer biomolecules into living organisms. Due to its vast potential, NN has been widely used as a capable transportation system of many therapeutic active substances, from cancer therapy, vaccine delivery, cosmetics, and bio-sensing nanocarrier drugs to genes. The use of nanoneedles for drug delivery offers new opportunities for the rapid, targeted, and exact administration of biomolecules into cell membranes for high-resolution research of biological systems, and it can treat a wide range of biological challenges. As a result, the literature has analyzed existing patents to emphasize the status of NNA in biological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of fungal nanotechnology has emerged as a novel area of research, leading to significant advancements in the production of nanoparticles with diverse applications for human benefit. This study exploits the endophytic fungus Metapochonia suchlasporia from the medicinal plant Argemone mexicana to biosynthesize Met-AgNPs. M. suchlasporia–submerged fermentation-derived ethyl acetate extract secondary metabolites are also examined. Bio-analytical methods characterized Met-AgNPs. A peak at 417 nm in the UV-visible spectrophotometer absorption spectrum confirmed Met-AgNPs synthesis. FTIR study showed functional group peaks, indicating Met-AgNPs reduction and capping. SEM-EDAX and HR-TEM revealed the nanoparticles' spherical form, with EDAX revealing silver atoms at 3 keV. XRD confirmed Met-AgNP crystalline structure. DLS and zeta potential measurements showed that synthesized Met-AgNPs were 59.04 nm and stable. Simultaneously, the ethyl acetate extract underwent rigorous analysis to identify secondary metabolites, utilizing UV-visible spectrophotometer, GC-MS, and FTIR techniques. The synthesized Met-AgNPs showed strong antibacterial action against P. aeruginosa (14.06 ± 0.11 mm at 10mg/mL) and excellent antifungal activity against A. brasiliensis (14.1 ± 0.17mm). Also, active Met-AgNPs inhibited DPPH and ABTS with IC50 values of 5.329 and 7.191 μg/mL. Met-AgNPs were cytotoxic up to 52.95% and 46.57% at 200 μg/mL in MTT tests. Nanoparticles also showed significant anti-inflammatory effects in in vitro and in vivo studies. In conclusion, this research strongly supports the pharmaceutical and biomedical potential of the synthesized Met-AgNPs, underscoring their importance as valuable agents in various biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A limited experimental work was on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)—water nanofluid with surfactant in the solar parabolic collector at low volume concentrations. At high-volume concentrated nanofluid, the pressure drop was more due to an increase in the viscosity of the working fluid and an increase in the nanoparticle cost; hence it is not economical. This report attempted to use Sodium Dodecyl Benzene Sulfonate (SDBS) surfactant in the low-volume concentrated MWCNT-water nanofluid to establish effective heat transfer in solar parabolic collector applications. The stable MWCNT-water nanofluid was prepared at 0.0158, 0.0238, and 0.0317 volume concentrations. The experiments were conducted from 10:00 to 16:00 at 6, 6.5 and 7 L/min flow rates concerning ASHRAE Standards. At the 7 L/min flow rate of the working fluid, having a minimum temperature difference between the working fluid and absorber tube leads to better heat transfer. The increased volume concentration of MWCNT in the water enhances the surface area interaction between water and MWCNT nanoparticles. This results in maximum solar parabolic collector efficiency at 0.0317 vol% with a 7 L/min flow rate and 10–11% higher than the distilled water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of the current investigation was the biosynthesis of Phy-AgNPs by the endophytic fungus Phyllosticta owaniana (extracted from Abrus precatorius) and the evaluation of the secondary metabolites from the ethyl acetate extract of P. owaniana cultivated by submerged fermentation. Utilizing bioanalytical strategies, Phy-AgNPs were characterized. The UV–visible spectrophotometer analysis revealed an absorption spectrum with a peak at 420 nm, thus validating the Phy-AgNPs synthesis. The FTIR analysis revealed peaks correlating to various potential functional groups, suggesting that Phy-AgNPs have been reduced and capped. SEM-EDAX and HR-TEM analyses demonstrated the spherical shape of Phy-AgNPs, and the 3 keV EDAX analysis confirmed the existence of silver atoms. XRD analyses showed the Phy-AgNPs crystalline structure. The size and the stability of synthesized Phy-AgNPs (65.81 nm) were measured by DLS and Zeta potential studies. While the ethyl acetate extract was analyzed with GC–MS and FTIR for secondary metabolites. The synthesized Phy-AgNPs showed effective antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.1 ± 0.17 mm, 10 mg/mL), while the antifungal activity of Phy-AgNPs inhibited the growth of Candida albicans extremely efficiently (12.16 ± 0.28 mm, 10 mg/mL). Phy-AgNPs were evaluated for a variety of biomedical properties in which they showed significant activity. In a cell viability assay using the MTT assay, Phy-AgNPs exhibited a cytotoxic impact of up to 30.67% and 34.53% when 200 µg/mL were detected. In both in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory examinations, nanoparticles (NPs) exhibited a significant anti-inflammatory effect. These findings support the pharmaceutical and biomedical properties of the synthesized Phy-AgNPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic activation of stress hormones such as glucocorticoids leads to skeletal muscle wasting in mammals. However, the molecular events that mediate glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting are not well understood. Here, we show that SIRT6, a chromatin-associated deacetylase indirectly regulates glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting by modulating IGF/PI3K/AKT signaling. Our results show that SIRT6 levels are increased during glucocorticoid-induced reduction of myotube size and during skeletal muscle atrophy in mice. Notably, overexpression of SIRT6 spontaneously decreases the size of primary myotubes in a cell-autonomous manner. On the other hand, SIRT6 depletion increases the diameter of myotubes and protects them against glucocorticoid-induced reduction in myotube size, which is associated with enhanced protein synthesis and repression of atrogenes. In line with this, we find that muscle-specific SIRT6 deficient mice are resistant to glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting. Mechanistically, we find that SIRT6 deficiency hyperactivates IGF/PI3K/AKT signaling through c-Jun transcription factor-mediated increase in IGF2 expression. The increased activation, in turn, leads to nuclear exclusion and transcriptional repression of the FoxO transcription factor, a key activator of muscle atrophy. Further, we find that pharmacological inhibition of SIRT6 protects against glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting in mice by regulating IGF/PI3K/AKT signaling implicating the role of SIRT6 in glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy. Chronic stress induces skeletal muscle atrophy via upregulation of glucocorticoid levels. Here, the authors show that SIRT6 transcriptionally regulates glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy by modulating IGF/PI3K/AKT signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work describes the synthesis of novel 3-[2-(5-phenyl-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)hydrazinyl]-1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one derivatives 4(a-h) and the characterization of synthesized hybrids has been done using various spectroscopic techniques like FT-IR, NMR, and HRMS. Through computational study, some global parameters and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) were analyzed. The solvatochromic UV–Vis absorption study was performed using various solvents and the optical bandgap of the synthesized compounds was determined by using Kubelka–Munk theory. The antimycobacterial activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the results suggested that compounds 4d and 4e are effective inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The anti-inflammatory activity against MMP-2 and MMP-9 was determined using gelatin zymography; from the results, it was evaluated that the synthesized derivatives act as good anti-inflammatory agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel quinolone derivatives have been designed and readily synthesized according to a simple protocol including O-alkylation and Claisen rearrangement processes. Structures of the synthesized compounds have been confirmed by IR, 1H and 13C NMR, and mass spectra. The new products have been tested for their antioxidant activity, and two of those demonstrate high antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible manufacturing system is the inception of an innovative manufacturing revolution that will credibly lead the manufacturing trade to levels of automation which is to be taken granted currently in the process-related industries. This paper speaks about multi-objective optimization related to flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) scheduling which act as a constraint in configuring the loop layout in optimum manner by various algorithms, i.e., meta-heuristics like genetic algorithm (GA), simulated annealing (SA), etc. The various loop layout problems are tested for enactment of objective function with respect to computational time and number of iterations involved in GA and SA. A simulation code is generated using programming language and executed using integrated development environment (IDE) tool. A comparative analysis of simulation results of different meta-heuristics with literature results has been done. The performance of this GA is proved to be the best among all the algorithms considered for this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synaptic roles for neurofilament (NF) proteins have rarely been considered. Here, we establish all four NF subunits as integral resident proteins of synapses. Compared with the population in axons, NF subunits isolated from synapses have distinctive stoichiometry and phosphorylation state, and respond differently to perturbations in vivo. Completely eliminating NF proteins from brain by genetically deleting three subunits (α-internexin, NFH and NFL) markedly depresses hippocampal long-term potentiation induction without detectably altering synapse morphology. Deletion of NFM in mice, but not the deletion of any other NF subunit, amplifies dopamine D1-receptor-mediated motor responses to cocaine while redistributing postsynaptic D1-receptors from endosomes to plasma membrane, consistent with a specific modulatory role of NFM in D1-receptor recycling. These results identify a distinct pool of synaptic NF subunits and establish their key role in neurotransmission in vivo, suggesting potential novel influences of NF proteins in psychiatric as well as neurological states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To study the role of hematological parameters in predicting retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in preterm neonates. Method: Two hundred forty eight babies less than 34 wk and/or with a birth weight of less than 2,000 g were evaluated. Peripheral blood smear and complete blood count were done on day one of life. Ophthalmological examination was done as per guidelines and grades of ROP classified and followed up till 40 wk of gestation for complete vascularisation. Cases were matched with similar number of controls (n = 67) and the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of different parameters were assessed. Results: The incidence of ROP on screening was found to be 27 %. Sixty seven cases were matched with 67 controls as per birth weight and gestational age. Significant risk factors for ROP included longer duration of ventilation, higher FiO, culture proven sepsis and apnea requiring pharmacotherapy. The incidence of Stage I was 10.5 % (n = 7), Stage II 58.2 % (n = 39) and Stage III was 31.3 % (n = 21). The absolute nucleated RBC (ANRBC) count was found to be the only parameter which was significantly higher in babies with ROP ( p < 0.001). The ANRBC was higher with increasing severity of ROP ( p = 0.003). The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of ANRBC with ROP was higher than other parameters. Conclusions: Increase in ANRBC count correlated with intrauterine hypoxia. Hence, an increase in ANRBC count could be used as a screening tool for the early prediction of ROP in babies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of Fe(CO) and BuSnH yielded the bimetallic cluster complexes Fe(μ-SnBu)(CO), 1, and Fe(μ-Sn)(μ-SnBu)(CO), 3. Compound 3 contains two Fe(CO)(μ-SnBu) groups held together by a central quadruply bridging tin atom, giving an overall bow-tie structure for the one tin and four iron atoms. Refluxing compound 1 in toluene solvent affords the complex Fe[μ-SnBu(CHPh)](CO), 4, where two of the Bu groups in 1 have been replaced with benzyl groups, as a result of selective benzylic C-H bond activation of solvent toluene. Similarly refluxing compound 1 in ortho-, meta- and para-xylene solvents gives the complexes where two, three and four of the Bu groups in 1 have been replaced by the respective xylyl groups. Compound 1 also reacts with ethylbenzene to furnish the complex Fe[μ-SnBu(MeCHPh)](CO), 14, where two of the Bu groups in 1 have been replaced as a result of the benzylic C-H activation of ethylbenzene. A mechanism based on a radical pathway is proposed for the selective C-H bond activation by 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feasibility study carried out at the site prior to the full scale study showed that the introduced bacterial consortium effectively adapted to the local environment of the soil at bioremediation site. The soil samples were collected from the contaminated fields after treatment with bacterial consortium at different time intervals and analyzed by gas chromatography after extraction with hexane and toluene. At time zero (just before initiation of bioremediation), the concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons in the soil (25-cm horizon) of plot A, B, C and D was 30.90 %, 18.80 %, 25.90 % and 29.90 % respectively, after 360 days of treatment with microbial consortia was reduced to 0.97 %, 1.0 %, 1.0 %, and 1.1 % respectively. Whereas, only 5 % degradation was observed in the control plot after 365 days (microbial consortium not applied). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logs of many species are imported into India either in dry or semi dry condition for uses ranging from structural material for construction to finished products including panel products and furniture. The common timber species imported are Tectona grandis (Teak), Intsia palembanica (Merbau), Dipterocarpus indicus (Gurjan), Shorea spp. (Sal) Nauclea diderrichii (Kussia) and Pinus radiata (Pine). 32 species of insects belonging to Coleoptera and Hymenoptera and 22 species of fungi reported on imported timbers were analysed for their family wise and timber-wise distribution and their status as to whether they are known in India or not. Among them one species of ant, Acanthomyrmex luciolae Emery is a new introduction to India as Acanthomyrmex as a genus itself is not known from India. Many of the identified insects and fungi are already known to have distribution in India. Some of them identified at genus level are also reported from India, but as the species were not identified, it could not be concluded whether those species are indigenous or exotic. All the fungi identified at least up to the generic level were found reported in India and none of them were found to be strictly exotic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bimetallic NiSn complex Ni(SnBu)(CO) 1, was obtained from the reaction of Ni(COD) and BuSnH and CO. The reaction of Co(CO) and BuSnH afforded the bimetallic Co–Sn complex Co(SnBu)(CO), 3. Compound 3 was also obtained from the reaction of Co(CO) and BuSnH but in a lower yield. Both compounds 1 and 3 were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, and possess trigonal bipyramidal geometries around the transition metal centre with two and one stannyl ligands, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The new bimetallic Fe–Ni carbide containing cluster complex, Fe4Ni(Cp)2(CO)10(μ5-C), 4 was afforded by metal–metal exchange and metal cluster rearrangement processes in the reaction of Fe5(μ5-C)(CO)15, 1, with NiCp2 at 80 °C. A minor product Fe5(Cp)2(CO)10(μ5-C), 5, was also obtained from this reaction which contains no nickel and is a di-Cp substituted derivative of 1. Both compounds were characterized by a combination of IR, 1H NMR, mass spectrometry, elemental and single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Compound 4 consists of an open Fe4Ni(μ5-C) cluster framework with a carbide ligand where one iron atom bridges a butterfly arrangement of one nickel and three iron atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The silver ion conducting boro tellurite glasses have been prepared by melt quenching technique. The conductivity and dielectric measurements were carried out on these glasses as a function of frequency from 10 Hz to 10 MHz over a temperature range of 298–328 K. The analysis of conductivity measurement shows that the silver ions are the main charge carriers, which are considered to be the predominant factor playing the role of enhancing the conductivity. The power law exponent s and stretched exponent β are found to be insensitive to both temperature and compositions. AC conductivity and dielectric relaxation behaviour of these glasses were also studied and the results are discussed in view of the structure of borate and tellurite network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular dichroism (CD) spectra of complexes of 4-benzylaminopyrimido[4′,5′ :4,5]selenolo(2,3-b)quinoline (BAPSQ) with octanucleotide I (d(TGACGTCA)), which is the cAMPresponsive element (CRE) in gene promoters, and its inverse d(ACTGCAGT) (octanucleotide II) have been measured over a range of drug/DNA ratios. It was demonstrated that the anticancer polyaromatic drug BAPSQ intercalates into DNA basepairs with its long direction perpendicular to both the DNA helix axis and the base pair long axis and induces larger conformational changes in CpG containing octanucleotide I CRE than in its reverse sequence, octanucleotide II. It was concluded that CD is a powerful and sensitive technique to discriminate between drug-binding modes of DNA and to define the geometry of the chromophore inserted into base pairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elastic properties of xLi2O — 20PbO — (80-x)B2O3 glasses have been measured at a frequency of 10 MHz using X-cut and Y-cut quartz transducers. The trends in the variation of elastic moduli, Poisson’s ratio and Debye temperature have been studied. The elastic moduli namely longitudinal and young’s modulus show strong linear dependence while bulk and shear modulus vary marginally as a function of Li2O concentration. The Poisson’s ratio is found to be almost constant and Debye temperature increases with the increase of Li2O concentration. IR, MAS-NMR and glass transition temperature studies have been also carried out. Glass transition temperature is found to increase with increase of Li2O concentration. IR and MAS-NMR spectra show characteristic features of borate network and systematic change as a function of Li2O concentration. The variation in the elastic properties and structural features of IR and MAS-NMR indicate that Pb2+ ions are likely to occupy network forming positions in this glass system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal cdk5 can phosphorylate certain lys-ser-pro (KSP) motifs of neurofilaments and tau protein in the nervous system. We have immunoprecipitated the cdk5 from rat brain using a polyclonal antibody raised against the C-terminus of cdk5. The immunoprecipitate has phosphorylated a KSPXK peptide analog of NF-H, as well as histone H1 and a bacterially expressed rat NF-H protein. The kinase activity was inhibited by staurosporine, isopentanyladenine and olomoucine in a dose dependent manner. Kinetic studies indicated Ki values of 39 nM, 38 μM and 8 μM, respectively for staurosporine, isopentanyladenine and olomoucine. The inhibition by staurosporine was non-competitive with respect to phosphoryl acceptor substrates. Western blot analysis of the immunoprecipitate showed both cdk5 and p67 (munc-18), a putative regulator molecule of the kinase. Addition of p67 fusion protein enhanced the kinase activity of the immunoprecipitate by 60% above the basal activity. P67 elevated Ki values for both staurosporine and olomoucine. The degree of inhibition at high concentrations of these inhibitors was unaltered by exogenous p67 indicating a lack of competitive interactions with p67. The high affinity of staurosporine for cdk5 suggests that cdk5 may be one of the targets for the neurotropic effect of staurosporine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPase), a cytosolic enzyme has been purified 106 fold from human brain, by employing conventional protein purification techniques. The use of MgCl (10 mM) and chloroform treatment, during purification enabled the removal of non-specific proteins. The final enzyme preparation exhibited a broad pH optimum of 5.6-6.6 and could dephosphorylate both l and d enantiomers of the phosphoserine, but with different Km values for O-P-L serine (3.6×10M) and O-P-D serine (1×10M). Enzyme activity was found to be specific for phosphoserine, whereas other phosphoesters including phosphothreonine and phosphoproteins such as casein and phosvitin were found to be poor substrates. The enzyme activity was uncompetitively inhibited by l-serine. Further the PSPase activity was inhibited by vanadate, (41%), trifluoperazine (23%), chlorpromazine (34%) at an equimolar concentration of 1 mM, whereas lithium and ethanol did not influence the enzyme activity. Minor tranquilizers such as diazepam and chlordiazepoxide activated the enzyme activity to an extent of 13% and 59% respectively. In addition, species and regionwise heterogeneity was observed with respect to distribution of enzyme activity in six major areas of human, rabbit and rat brains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photographs showing the functional neurofilament subunit assemblies in synaptic structures of a linear pattern for immunogold-labeled antibodies are presented.

The COVID-19 is a crisis of unprecedented magnitude, which has resulted in countless casualties and security troubles. In view of recent events of corona virus people are required to wear face masks to protect themselves from getting infected. As a result, a good portion of face (nose and mouth) is hidden by the mask and hence the facial recognition becomes difficult. Many organizations use facial recognition as a means of authentication. Researchers focus on developing rapid and efficient solutions to deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic by coming up with suggestions for handling the facial recognition problem. This research paper aims to identify the person, while the face is covered with a facial mask with only eyes and forehead being exposed. The first step involves marking the facial region. Next, using the data set, we will implement an object detection model YOLOv3 to identify unmasked and masked faces. The YOLO v3 object detection model is the best performing model with a detection time of 0.012 s, F 1 score of 0.90 and mAP score of 0.92. Experimental results on Real-World Masked-Face-Data set show high recognition performance., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report regarding the present study., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)