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Underground galleries possess random subsidence threats if they are not treated well. Threats even become multifold when these galleries are located somewhere in the vicinity of the railway tracks. So, checking the stable ground formation or the health of the subsurface formation near railway tracks and mapping the galleries are very important tasks for the sake of the environment, economy and lives. Galleries under the present study are associated with the coal seam-X and seam-XA of the Jogidih Colliery of Jharia Coalfield. Seven electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) profiles and magnetic surveys were performed at a side of the railway track to characterize the subsurface formation near railway tracks and to detect the gallery and its extension. Both ERT and magnetic data analysis suggest the presence of some galleries at a certain distance from the railway tracks. Moreover, combined analysis of ERT and magnetic data suggests that ground within ~20 m from the railway tracks is found to be stable with homogeneous compact formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocular disorders can lead to serious sight impairment and irreversible blindness. Generally simple topical and systemic treatments are recommended for treating these vision-threatening illnesses. The distinctive architecture of the eye complicates ocular drug delivery. The ophthalmic emulsion formulations have been found to increase bioavailability in the eye by prolonging residence time and improving permeability through the cornea. Therefore, this study highlights ophthalmic emulsions meant for both the anterior and posterior parts of the eye while examining a wide range of ocular disorders that affect individuals globally. This review presents, in brief, recent emulsion-based patented innovations, clinical trials, and marketed emulsion formulations for ocular drug delivery, which are strengthening development of the new ophthalmic drug products for managing different ocular diseases and disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Reduction of zygomaticomaxillary (ZMC) fracture is often difficult to evaluate intraoperatively because of it peculiar anatomy and limited accessibility. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of use of C-arm as a tool for intraoperative monitoring of ZMC fracture reduction. Materials and Methods: Group I (C-Arm) and Group II (control group) comprised of patients with isolated unilateral displaced Zygomatic complex (ZMC) fractures and having orbital volume change. The efficacy of use of C-arm intra-operatively was evaluated to analyse the reduction of fracture. Results: It was observed that mean change in ocular volume was around 1.07cm2 for Group I and 1.51cm2 in Group II. Thus post-operative eye volume was near to normal in Group I than Group II. The change in ocular volume post-operatively was observed to be statistically significant (p-value < 0.05) in both the groups. Post HOC Tukey statistical analysis determined the intergroup relation in change in eye volume between normal, pre- and post-operative and was found to be statistically significant (p-value < 0.05). The intergroup comparison between Group I and Group II was done using ANOVA statistical analysis and was found to be statistically significant (p-value < 0.05). Discussion: Our study revealed that C-arm is definitively an effective tool in the oral and maxillofacial surgery armamentarium, giving better results with minimal surgical exposure and by eliminating operator related error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An engine bracket is one of the most critical components of the engine used for mounting and supporting the engine in the vehicles. Today, the automobile industry requires lightweight components, which will reduce the car's overall weight when fitted into the vehicle. Topology optimization is a technique with the help of which the surface of a component is optimized to get the required shape for having reduced weight. The weight is reduced by optimizing the material on the surface of the details. In this paper, the work done is the application of topology optimization on the surface of the engine bracket arm. Then the optimized model is tested computationally using realistic conditions. Bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization is used as a technique for topology optimization. With the help of the BESO method, the material optimization is done, and then the weights are compared with the original component. A new algorithm is developed using MATLAB codes. The sensitivity ratio is considered using the von Mises strength as a critical parameter for the BESO method for optimization. The optimized bracket model is then assembled with the hub of the component, and then the assembly is simulated for verification using standard conditions. A comparison of weight reduction is there using topology optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycans that are abundantly displayed on vertebrate cell surface and secreted molecules are often capped with terminal sialic acids (Sias). These diverse 9-carbon-backbone monosaccharides are involved in numerous intrinsic biological processes. They also interact with commensals and pathogens, while undergoing dynamic changes in time and space, often influenced by environmental conditions. However, most of this sialoglycan complexity and variation remains poorly characterized by conventional techniques, which often tend to destroy or overlook crucial aspects of Sia diversity and/or fail to elucidate native structures in biological systems, i.e. in the intact sialome. To date, in situ detection and analysis of sialoglycans has largely relied on the use of plant lectins, sialidases, or antibodies, whose preferences (with certain exceptions) are limited and/or uncertain. We took advantage of naturally evolved microbial molecules (bacterial adhesins, toxin subunits, and viral hemagglutinin-esterases) that recognize sialoglycans with defined specificity to delineate 9 classes of sialoglycan recognizing probes (SGRPs: SGRP1–SGRP9) that can be used to explore mammalian sialome changes in a simple and systematic manner, using techniques common in most laboratories. SGRP candidates with specificity defined by sialoglycan microarray studies were engineered as tagged probes, each with a corresponding nonbinding mutant probe as a simple and reliable negative control. The optimized panel of SGRPs can be used in methods commonly available in most bioscience labs, such as ELISA, western blot, flow cytometry, and histochemistry. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we provide examples of sialoglycome differences in tissues from C57BL/6 wild-type mice and human-like Cmah −/− mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upcoming sixth-generation (6G) networks are supposed to utilize frequencies beyond the fifth-generation (B5G) and serve for satellite communications. During inter-satellite millimeter wave (mmWave) communications, the transmitting satellites may have identical simultaneous power transmissions, leading to the erroneous decoding of their information. This paper describes the application of a power-domain (PD) non-orthogonal multiple-access (NOMA) scheme for both terrestrial and inter-satellite communications consisting of two users or satellites. Specifically, the user (or satellite) symbol decoding is addressed under identical power transmissions. Both the user's (transmitting satellite's) data are extracted by minimizing the average probability of symbol errors using a designed constellation. Analytical/graphical results along with the simulation verify decent symbol decoding at a low average noise variance. At a noise variance of 0.01, the achieved average symbol-error probability reaches an order of up to 1 0 − 5 . The proposed system results in a negligible error-vector magnitude (EVM) of −10 dB at higher end of the considered signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) range. Further, the proposed method alleviates the successive interference cancellation (SIC) pre-requisite of NOMA, strengthening the application of NOMA with mmWaves in next-generation satellite communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fair power allocation to the users in a power domain nonorthogonal multiple access (PD-NOMA) networks is an essential aspect. In this paper, we have proposed a coefficient-scaling-based fair power allocation scheme, for a single cell multi-user PD-NOMA network. First, we have developed a model for two users with a fixed power allocation scheme, and proposed a modified strong user fair-power allocation scheme. Furthermore, this two-user scheme is extended for an ad-hoc multi-user PD-NOMA network and a coefficient-scaling-based approach for fair power allocation is proposed to address the outage issue. The performance of the proposed schemes is evaluated through bit-error-rate, sum-rate, outage, and fairness index. The simulation results reveal a remarkable increase in fairness performance of the proposed scheme, in comparison with a state-of-the-art method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Ni48Co6)Mn26Al20 polycrystalline ribbons with B2 structure at room temperature are investigated. Considering the presence of competing magnetic interactions, Arrott-plot analysis gives TN ∼ 170 K. A broad ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition (TC) is observed at ∼200 K. H-T phase-diagram is used to validate the presence of competing exchange interactions that persist till very close to TC. Based on Néel theory, a cluster model is used to explain the presence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic clusters in the sample. Formation of ferromagnetic clusters can be understood in terms of positive exchange interactions among the Mn atoms that are neighboring Co atoms located at Ni sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GRACE satellite mission data is used to study Earth's mass variability on the Earth surface. The major component to the surface mass variability is changing terrestrial water storage (TWS). The GRACE mission data (level 3, release 5, i.e. RL05, time span January 2003 to December 2014) from the three agencies, i.e. CSR, GFZ and JPL, are used to analyse the TWS dynamics for the Indo-Gangetic plain which is one of the most water-stressed regions in the world. The dynamics of TWS is expected to have periodic behaviour due to the seasonal pattern. Because of the vast study area, significant seasonal pattern changes are prevalent in the region. Hence, the entire study area was classified on the basis of seasonal behaviour. For the classification of the study area, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was applied to get the dominant frequency which represents the seasonality. The intensity of most dominant frequency varies spatially from a grid to grid and it actually increases from the upper Indo-Gangetic plain to the lower Indo-Gangetic plain. This intensity variation was used to classify the study area. Further, trend analysis and time series models were established for each classified region. The trend analysis shows that the TWS is depleting at the rate of ( 3.91 ± 0.23) cm/month for the region near the Himalayan foot plain, Delhi and Haryana. For the other classified regions, the rate of depletion is ( 2.75 ± 0.55) cm/month and (2.58 ± 0.56) cm/month. The trend analysis further identified a major drought that hit the country (i.e. India) in the year 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spin forbidden transition a1Δ → X3Σ- in CH- has been studied using the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian for a large number of geometries. This transition acquires intensity through spin-orbit coupling with singlet and triplet Π states. The transition moment matrix including more than one singlet and triplet Π states was calculated at the multi-reference configuration interaction/aug-cc-pV6Z level of theory. The computed radiative lifetime of 5.63 s is in good agreement with the experimental (5.9 s) and other theoretical (6.14 s) results. Transition moment values of the spin allowed A3Π → X3Σ- transition have also been calculated at the same level of theory. Calculations show that the corresponding radiative lifetime is considerably low, 2.4 × 10-7 s. Complete basis set extrapolated potential energy curves for the ground state of CH and the ground state and six low lying excited states (a1Δ, b1Σ+, two 3Π, and two 1Π) of CH- are reported. These curves are then used to calculate the vibrational bound states for CH and CH-. The computed electron affinity of CH supports the electron affinity bounds reported by Okumura et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 85, 1971 (1986)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La2Ce2O7 has not been explored much for application purposes due to several material and/or process issues; the concerns involve phase, compositional purity, modest thermal conductivity, poor sintered density etc. Through this work, we demonstrate a panacea for all such issues via a simple process modification, viz., treatments with alcohol washing and ultrasonication for the synthesis of La2Ce2O7 nanopowders. Dense ceramics (>97%) along with absolute phase and compositional purity were obtained via pressureless conventional sintering at 1400°C; the sintered ceramic also depicted a high (111) texture (Lotgering factor ~0.9). The root cause of this texture was traced to an "oriented attachment"‐type growth mechanism of the La2Ce2O7 nanocrystals that gets extended in micron scale leading to the formation of an organized and uniform rice flake‐type microstructure. The ionic conductivity data of the La2Ce2O7 ceramics showed significant improvement (in orders of magnitude) for the ethanol‐washed sample. This work has been presented as a case study to acknowledge the additional benefit (of obtaining a homogeneous microstructure via "oriented aggregation") of ethanol and ultrasonication treatment for a ceramic system leading to multiple advantages, viz., full densification at low temperature, high texture etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steering knuckle connects steering system, suspension system and braking system to the chassis. The steering knuckle contributes a significant weight to the total weight of a vehicle. Increasing the efficiency of an automobile without compromising the performances is the major challenge faced by the manufacturers. This paper presents an effective topology optimization of steering knuckle used in a vehicle with the primary objective of minimizing weight. The study on optimization of knuckle is divided into two phases, the first phase involves making of a computer-aided design model of the original steering knuckle and carry out finite element analysis on the knuckle by estimating the loads, which are acting on the component. In the second phase, design optimization of the model of steering knuckle is carried out, and excess material is removed at the region where induced stress is negligible as obtained in finite element analysis assuming standard boundary and loading conditions. The paper describes a research work carried out to optimize structural topology giving the essential details. The methodology may be applied to optimize structural components used in applications where the ratio of desired properties to the cost, generally in terms of weight, is to be optimized. In the case of automobiles, strength to weight ratio has to be maximized. New researchers working in the area will have an understanding of the procedures, and further, the techniques may be applied to design in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steering knuckle connects steering system, suspension system and braking system to the chassis. The steering knuckle contributes a significant weight to the total weight of a vehicle. Increasing the efficiency of an automobile without compromising the performances is the major challenge faced by the manufacturers. This paper presents an effective topology optimization of steering knuckle used in a vehicle with the primary objective of minimizing weight. The study on optimization of knuckle is divided into two phases, the first phase involves making of a computer-aided design model of the original steering knuckle and carry out finite element analysis on the knuckle by estimating the loads, which are acting on the component. In the second phase, design optimization of the model of steering knuckle is carried out, and excess material is removed at the region where induced stress is negligible as obtained in finite element analysis assuming standard boundary and loading conditions. The paper describes a research work carried out to optimize structural topology giving the essential details. The methodology may be applied to optimize structural components used in applications where the ratio of desired properties to the cost, generally in terms of weight, is to be optimized. In the case of automobiles, strength to weight ratio has to be maximized. New researchers working in the area will have an understanding of the procedures, and further, the techniques may be applied to design in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In various decision-making models the divergence measure is found to be a useful information measure in handling impreciseness and uncertainty among the qualitative and quantitative factors of the decision-making process. In the proposed work, a novel parametric divergence measure for neutrosophic sets has been proposed along with its various properties. On the basis of the proposed parametric divergence measure, we have outlined some methodologies along with its implementing procedural steps for classification problem (pattern recognition problem, medical diagnosis problem) and multi criteria decision making problem. Also, numerical examples for the application problems have been provided for illustration of the proposed methodologies. Comparative remarks along with necessary observations and advantages have also been presented in view of the existing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural, magnetic, and transport properties of Ni52+xMn26-xAl22 (1 ≤ x ≤ 5) melt-spun ribbons have been characterized by a variety of experimental techniques. As the composition changed from x = 1 to x = 5, the martensitic transition temperature T0 [ = (Ms + Af)/2] was found to increase from 277 K to 446 K which was attributed to an increase in the valence electron concentration e/a. In the martensitic state, all the samples demonstrate an anomalous semiconducting behavior of electrical resistivity ρ. This uncommon feature of the transport properties has been ascribed to the existence of a gap (Eg ∼ 0.1 eV) at the Fermi level. A crossover from semiconducting to metallic behavior of ρ observed in the martensitic state of Ni57Mn21Al22 is presumably related to a spin-density wave formation at the Neel temperature TN ≈ 300 K. Analysis of a low-temperature (T < 60 K) part of the resistivity curves and comprehensive magnetic measurements of a Ni57Mn21Al22 (x ≤ 5) sample provide grounds for the conclusion that the splitting of zero-field cooling and field cooling magnetization curves observed at low temperatures is due to a spin-glass state that is formed below the freezing temperature Tf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the study to develop surface modified targeted moiety α-tocopherol (α-t) encapsulated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-poly-D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) toward the anticancer activity against oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).Materials and Methods: 5-FU was conjugated with the polymer, PLGA by ionic cross-linking and α-tocopherol use as a functionalized surface moiety. Characterization, drug entrapment efficiency, and in-vitro drug release system were optimized at different pH 7.4 and pH 4.5. The in-vitro cell was performed to optimize the anticancer activity through MTT assay and apoptotic staining assay was also performed by flow cytometry to evaluate the cellular apoptotic activity and cellular uptake.Results: The particle size was distributed within an average range of 145-162 nm, the polydispersity index values lie 0.16-0.30, and the surface charge was at the negative side, -17mV to -23mV. The in vitro drug release system showed more sympathetic situation at pH 7.4 as compared to pH 4.5, for targeted NPs, approximately 86% and 69%, respectively. The non-targeted 5-FU-PLGA NPs showed drug release of 83% and 64% at pH 7.4 and 4.5 subsequently. In vitro anticancer activity confirmed the intense inhibition by α-t-FU-PLGA NPs of 79.98% after 96 h treatment of SCC15 cells and confirmed the steady-state inhibition of 83.74% after 160 h incubation in comparison to 5-FU-PLGA NPs. Subsequently, the early apoptosis, 27.98%, and 16.45%, and late apoptosis, 47.29%, and 32.57%, suggested the higher apoptosis rate in targeted NPs against OSCC.Conclusions: The surface modified α-t-FU-PLGA NP was treated over SCC15 cells, and the oral cancer cells have shown the high intensity of cellular uptake, which confirmed that the target moiety has successfully invaded over the surface of cancer cells and shown advanced targeted delivery against OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Three features: bag of words, term frequency inverse document frequency, latent semantic indexing. • Two kinds of data sets: (i) Disease data with conjunctivitis, diarrhea, stomach ache, cough, nausea (ii) WebKB4 dataset. • K10 protocol showed an improvement of 4.98% on Disease dataset, while WebKB4 dataset showed 11.78%. • ML design showed generalization over memorization. The system was tested for stability and reliability. • We showed the power of text feature segregation index with incremental feature selection approach. Abstract Background and objective Healthcare tweets are particularly challenging due to its sparse layout and its limited character size. Compared to previous method based on "bag of words" (BOW) model, this study uniquely identifies the enrichment protocol and learns how semantically different aspects of feature selection such as BOW (feature F0), term frequency inverse document frequency (TF-IDF, feature F1), and latent semantic indexing (LSI, feature F2) when applied sequentially with classifier improves the overall performance. Methods To study this enrichment concept, our ML model is tested on two kinds of diverse data sets: (i) D1: Disease data with conjunctivitis, diarrhea, stomach ache, cough and nausea related tweets, and (ii) D2: WebKB4 dataset, while adapting three kind of classifiers (a) C1: support vector machine with radial basis function (SVMR), (b) C2: Multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and (c) C3: Random Forest (RF). Partition protocol (K10) was adapted with different performance metrics to evaluate machine learning (ML)-system. Results Using the combination of F1, C1, D1, K10, ML accuracy was: 94%, while with F2, C1, D1, K10, ML accuracy was 97%. Using the incremental feature enrichment from F0 to F2, K10 protocol gave F1 improvement over F0 by 4.98% on Disease dataset, while F2 improvement over F0 was by 11.78% on WebKB4 dataset. We demonstrated the generalization over memorization process in our ML-design. The system was tested for stability and reliability. Conclusions We conclude that semantically different aspects of feature selection, when adapted sequentially, leads to improvement in ML-accuracy for healthcare data sets. We validated the system by taking non-healthcare data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Use of paper-based devices for affordable diagnostics is gaining interest due to unique advantages such as affordability, portability, easy disposability and inherent capillarity. As capillary transportation is an integral component of paper-based devices, low sample volume with faster measurement becomes an additional advantage. We have developed a simple, paper-based microfluidic device suitable for measuring the viscosity of Newtonian fluids as well as a few non-Newtonian fluids with sample volume as little as 12–20 μL. The results could be obtained much faster than the conventional methods. A comparative analysis of the results obtained with our paper-based viscometer and with that of the conventional Ostwald viscometer shows a correlation coefficient greater than 0.99. Apart from viscosity measurement, the paper-based devices were tested for protein denaturation and polymer molecular weight determination. Our results show that the paper-based viscometer could be a potential alternative for the conventional viscometers in the viscosity range from 0.9 cP up till ∼40 cP, with added benefits in terms of time, cost and low sample volume requirement. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Paper-based viscometer (PBV) with correlation coefficient >0.999 w.r.t. Ostwald's. • First PBV to measure viscosity of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. • First report of use of PVB for protein-stability and molecular weight determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In spite of promising functional properties, La 2 Ce 2 O 7 finds limited mention in the research community due to various materials issues (e.g., phase stability and retention, sinterability, modest thermal conductivity etc.). We show when these issues are suitably taken cared off, the same system depicts a total conductivity of 10.8 × 10−2 S/cm, the highest till date for any La3+-doped CeO 2 matrix. Our achievement of such property was assisted by a near-theoretical density (~98%), highly textured (Lotgering factor ~0.9) ceramic via conventional sintering; the texturing did not involve any extra/additional processing operations (e.g., templated grain growth, tape casting, hot forging etc.). Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract High quality GaN was grown on 200 mm Si (111) substrates by using AlN and 3 step-graded Al x Ga 1-x N as the buffer layer in a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition system. We have investigated the influence of NH 3 pre-flow time on the threading dislocation density (TDD) of AlN, AlGaN buffer layers and GaN layers. It was observed that the compressive stress introduced into the buffer layer and GaN is dependent on the nitridation time. The lowest TDD for GaN obtained in our samples was ~1 × 109 cm−2 for screw type and 3.2 × 109 cm−2 for edge type dislocations, as obtained from atomic force microscopy and further confirmed by high resolution X-ray diffraction analysis. The threading dislocations generated in the first buffer layer (AlN) during its nucleation are found to influence the TDD in the subsequent layers. Samples without an intentional nitridation step exhibit higher TDD compared to the samples with optimal nitridation time. Longer nitridation time also leads to poor crystalline quality likely because of amorphous SiN x formation at the interface. Highlights • Wafer scale MOCVD growth of high-quality GaN on 200 mm Si (111) substrates. • Substrate nitridation (NH 3 pre-flow) controls crystallinity in each nitride layer. • Compressive stress in AlGaN depends on AlN quality which determines final wafer bow. • (Screw + mixed) type TDD of ~1 × 109 cm−2 & edge type TDD of 3.2 × 109 cm−2 are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the fabrication of a facile and efficient biosensing platform for electrochemical detection of human cardiac biomarker Troponin I (cTnI) using Tungsten trioxide-reduced graphene oxide (WO 3 -RGO) nanocomposite as a matrix. The in-situ hydrothermal method was employed for the synthesis of the WO 3 -RGO nanocomposite. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were employed to investigate structural and morphological behavior. The WO 3 -RGO nanocomposite was further functionalized with 3-aminopropyl tri-ethoxy saline (APTES) for the activation of amino groups (‒NH 2 ) that can covalently bind to the antibodies of cTnI. This immunosensor was further studied using contact angle measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and electrochemical techniques. The synergistic behavior between RGO and WO 3 nanorods has allowed the immunosensor to exhibit enhanced heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (K o  = 2.4 × 10 −4 cms -1 ) resulting in improved biosensor efficiency. The immuno-sensor exhibit good sensitivity as 58.24 μA/cm 2 per decade in an extended linear detection range 0.01–250 ng/mL with the stability up to 30 days. Besides this, the fabricated immuno-sensor exhibits good reproducibility and excellent selectivity towards the detection of the cTnI biomarker. Furthermore, the validation of immunosensor with cardiac patient samples demonstrates the clinical application of this nano-biosensing platform for the detection of other biomarkers too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful surface-sensitive technique for molecular analysis. Its use is limited due to high cost, non-flexible rigid substrates such as silicon, alumina or glass and less reproducibility due to non-uniform surface. Recently, paper-based SERS substrates, a low-cost and highly flexible alternative, received significant attention. We report here a rapid, inexpensive method for chitosan-reduced, in-situ synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) on paper devices towards direct utilization as SERS substrates. GNPs have been prepared by reducing chloroauric acid with chitosan as a reducing and capping reagent on the cellulose-based paper surface at 100 °C, under the saturated humidity condition (100 % humidity). GNPs thus obtained were uniformly distributed on the surface and had fairly uniform particle size with a diameter of 10 ± 2 nm. Substrate coverage of resulting GNPs directly depended on the precursor's ratio, temperature and reaction time. Techniques such as TEM, SEM, and FE-SEM were utilized to determine the shape, size, and distribution of GNPs on paper substrate. SERS substrate produced by this simple, rapid, reproducible and robust method of chitosan-reduced, in situ synthesis of GNPs, showed exceptional performance and long-term stability, with a detection limit of up to 1 pM concentration of test analyte, R6G. Present paper-based SERS substrates are cost-effective, reproducible, flexible, and suitable for field applications. [Display omitted] • In-situ synthesis of GNPs on a paper substrate for SERS applications using chitosan as a reducing agent with a detection limit of up to 1 pM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prions or PrPSc are proteinaceous infectious agents that consist of misfolded, self-replicating states of a sialoglycoprotein called the prion protein or PrPC. The current work tests a new hypothesis that sialylation determines the fate of prions in an organism. To begin, we produced control PrPSc from PrPC using protein misfolding cyclic amplification with beads (PMCAb), and also generated PrPSc with reduced sialylation levels using the same method but with partially desialylated PrPC as a substrate (dsPMCAb). Syrian hamsters were inoculated intraperitoneally with brain-derived PrPSc or PrPSc produced in PMCAb or dsPMCAb and then monitored for disease. Animals inoculated with brain- or PMCAb-derived PrPSc developed prion disease, whereas administration of dsPMCAb-derived PrPSc with reduced sialylation did not cause prion disease. Animals inoculated with dsPMCAb-derived material were not subclinical carriers of scrapie, as no PrPSc was detected in brains or spleen of these animals by either Western blotting or after amplification by serial PMCAb. In subsequent experiments, trafficking of brain-, PMCAb-, and dsPMCAb-derived PrPSc to secondary lymphoid organs was monitored in wild type mice. PrPSc sialylation was found to be critical for effective trafficking of PrPSc to secondary lymphoid organs. By 6 hours after inoculation, brainand PMCAb-derived PrPSc were found in spleen and lymph nodes, whereas dsPMCAb-derived PrPSc was found predominantly in liver. This study demonstrates that the outcome of prion transmission to a wild type host is determined by the sialylation status of the inoculated PrPSc. Furthermore, this work suggests that the sialylation status of PrPSc plays an important role in prion lymphotropism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A molecule Boolean 1 / 2 -adder is designed and the XOR and AND truth table calculated at +0.1 V using 4 graphene electrodes. It functions with level repulsion and destructive interferences effects using 4 molecule electronic states in a quantum Hamiltonian computing approach (QHC) with the abrupt change of the molecular orbital weight of those 4 calculating states as a function of the logical input configuration. The logical inputs enter rotating the two nitro groups of the central board. With QHC, a complex Boolean digital function can be implemented employing the same graphene material for interconnects and the molecule calculating parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A silicon PIN diode was modeled using the Monte Carlo transport code FLUKA. The code was utilized to identify a composite filter having two or more metals without any perforation, in order to flatten the diode’s absorbed dose rate energy response in the photon energy range 60-1250 keV for DC mode operation. The results were validated experimentally, confirming the utility of the diode for gamma radiation detection and monitoring for wide range of energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 13-residue frog antimicrobial peptide Temporin L (TempL) possesses versatile antimicrobial activities and is considered a lead molecule for the development of new antimicrobial agents. To find out the amino acid sequences that influence the anti-microbial property of TempL, a phenylalanine zipper-like sequence was identified in it which was not reported earlier. Several alanine-substituted analogs and a scrambled peptide having the same composition of TempL were designed for evaluating the role of this motif. To investigate whether leucine residues instead of phenylalanine residues at 'a' and/or 'd' position(s) of the heptad repeat sequence could alter its antimicrobial property, several TempL analogs were synthesized after replacing these phenylalanine residues with leucine residues. Replacing phenylalanine residues with alanine residues in the phenylalanine zipper sequence significantly compromised the anti-endotoxin property of TempL. This is evident from the higher production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin- 6 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated rat bone-marrow-derived macrophage cells in the presence of its alanine-substituted analogs than TempL itself. However, replacement of these phenylalanine residues with leucine residues significantly augmented anti-endotoxin property of TempL. A single alanine-substituted TempL analog (F8ATempL) showed significantly reduced cytotoxicity but retained the antibacterial activity of TempL, while the two single leucine-substituted analogs (F5L-TempL and F8L-TempL), although exhibiting lower cytotoxicity, were able to retain the antibacterial activity of the parent peptide. The results demonstrate how minor amino acid substitutions in the identified phenylalanine zipper sequence in TempL could yield analogs with better antibacterial and/or anti-endotoxin properties with their plausible mechanism of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A young male of Asian-Indian ethnicity reported with a complaint of a painless, slow growing swelling over the left side of lower jaw. A thorough clinical history was taken and detailed radiological exam performed. The conventional radiographic examination revealed a mixed radiolucent- radiopaque lesion with unique appearances on different radiographs. Additional computed tomographic examination discovered the involvement of several bones in the skull base. Subsequent to histopathological confirmation a final diagnosis of craniofacial fibrous dysplasia was made. This case is particularly unique and of didactic importance as well because the various textbook descriptions for radiological appearances of fibrous dysplasia were found in the same case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prions or PrPSc are proteinaceous infectious agents that consist of misfolded, self-replicating states of the prion protein or PrPC. PrPC is posttranslationally modified with N-linked glycans and a sialylated glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Conformational conversion of PrPC gives rise to glycosylated and GPI-anchored PrPSc. The question of the sialylation status of GPIs within PrPSc has been controversial. Previous studies that examined scrapie brains reported that both sialo- and asialo-GPIs were present in PrPSc, with the majority being asialo-GPIs. In contrast, recent work that employed cultured cells claimed that only PrPC with sialylo-GPIs could be recruited into PrPSc, whereas PrPC with asialo-GPIs inhibited conversion. To resolve this controversy, we analyzed the sialylation status of GPIs within PrPSc generated in the brain, spleen, or cultured N2a or C2C12 myotube cells. We found that recruiting PrPC with both sialo- and asialo-GPIs is a common feature of PrPSc. The mixtures of sialo- and asialo-GPIs were observed in PrPSc universally regardless of prion strain as well as host, tissue, or type of cells that produced PrPSc. Remarkably, the proportion of sialo- versus asialo-GPIs was found to be controlled by host, tissue, and cell type but not prion strain. In summary, this study found no strain-specific preferences for selecting PrPC with sialo- versus asialo-GPIs. Instead, this work suggests that the sialylation status of GPIs within PrPSc is regulated in a cell-, tissue-, or host-specific manner and is likely to be determined by the specifics of GPI biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern Machine Learning (ML) techniques offer numerous opportunities to enable intelligent communication designs while addressing a wide range of problems in communication systems. A wide majority of communication systems ubiquitously employ the Maximum Likelihood (MLH) decoder in the symbol decoding process with QPSK modulation, thereby providing a non-reconfigurable solution. This work addresses the application of an ML-based reconfigurable solution for such systems. The proposed decoder can be considered a strong candidate for future communication systems, owing to its upgradable functionality, lower complexity, faster response, and reconfigurability. First, a novel low-complexity dataset for model training/testing is generated, that uses only the received symbols. Subsequently, three predictors are extracted from each of the received noisy symbols for model training/testing. The model is then trained/tested using nineteen standard ML-based classifiers, and the computations of various performance metrics indicate the suitability of Naïve Bayes (NB), and Ensemble Bagged Decision Tree (EBDT) classifiers for the model. The simulation results show that the model respectively delivers significant decoding accuracies and error rates of about 93% and 7% during testing, even for a low SNR of 5 dB. Moreover, the statistical analysis of simulation results shows the marginal superiority of the Gaussian Naïve Bayes (GNB) classifier. Further, the model reconfiguration is validated using a BPSK modulated dataset. Finally, a user-separation scheme that eliminates Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) in the next-generation Power-Domain (PD) Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) networks is suggested by employing the proposed decoder. • A reconfigurable ML-based symbol decoder for QPSK communications is proposed. • Appropriate QPSK/BPSK datasets are generated for the proposed decoder. • The suggested decoder's performance is compared to that of the current decoder. • The reconfigurability of the proposed decoder is validated with BPSK modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, hand dorsal images acquired under infrared light are used to design an accurate personal authentication system. Each of the image is segmented into palm dorsal and fingers which are subsequently used to extract palm dorsal veins and infrared hand geometry features respectively. A new quality estimation algorithm is proposed to estimate the quality of palm dorsal which assigns low values to the pixels containing hair or skin texture. Palm dorsal is enhanced using filtering. For vein extraction, information provided by the enhanced image and the vein quality is consolidated using a variational approach. The proposed vein extraction can handle the issues of hair, skin texture and variable width veins so as to extract the genuine veins accurately. Several post processing techniques are introduced in this paper for accurate feature extraction of infrared hand geometry features. Matching scores are obtained by matching palm dorsal veins and infrared hand geometry features. These are eventually fused for authentication. For performance evaluation, a database of 1500 hand images acquired from 300 different hands is created. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed system over existing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we present a graphical tuning method of PI/PID controller for first order and second order plus time delay systems using dominant pole placement approach with guaranteed gain margin (GM) and phase margin (PM). The stability equation method and gain phase margin tester have been used to portray constant GM and PM boundaries. The PID controller parameters have been obtained for different dominant poles and plotted graphically in the parameters plane of controller within the specified GM and PM regions. To demonstrate the effectiveness and confirm the validity of the proposed methodology, three examples with numerical simulations are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sialylated glycans on the surface of mammalian cells act as part of a "self-associated molecular pattern," helping the immune system to recognize "self" from "altered self" or "nonself." To escape the host immune system, some bacterial pathogens have evolved biosynthetic pathways for host-like sialic acids, whereas others recruited host sialic acids for decorating their surfaces. Prions lack nucleic acids and are not conventional pathogens. Nevertheless, prions might use a similar strategy for invading and colonizing the lymphoreticular system. Here we show that the sialylation status of the infectious, disease-associated state of the prion protein (PrPSc) changes with colonization of secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs). As a result, spleen-derived PrPSc is more sialylated than brain-derived PrPSc. Enhanced sialylation of PrPSc is recapitulated in vitro by incubating brain-derived PrPSc with primary splenocytes or cultured macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. General inhibitors of sialyltranserases (STs), the enzymes that transfer sialic acid residues onto terminal positions of glycans, suppressed extrasialylation of PrPSc. A fluorescently labeled precursor of sialic acid revealed ST activity associated with RAW macrophages. This study illustrates that, upon colonization of SLOs, the sialylation status of prions changes by host STs. We propose that this mechanism is responsible for camouflaging prions in SLOs and has broad implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work introduces partially reduced graphene oxide (pRGO)-silica (SiO 2 ) particles hybrid system (pRGOSHs) for sensitive and cost effective free cholesterol detection. Fabricated out of thin layers of pRGOSHs, these proposed ChOx/pRGOSHs/ITO based biosensors have a detection range of 2.6–15.5 mM with an appreciable detection limit of 1.3 mM and sensitivity of 11.1 μA/mM/cm 2 . Low Michaelis–Menten constant (K m ) (4.9 × 10 − 4 mM) and high diffusivity constant (D) (3.2 × 10 − 10 cm 2 /s) values clearly indicate enhanced immobilization of enzyme over the substrate. Additionally, electrochemical impedance studies indicate that the synergistic combination of SiO 2 and pRGO also results in much lower impedance values (40% and 18% decrease in comparison to SiO 2 and pRGO respectively) for an overall enhanced sensing performance. These results are further corroborated by the density functional theory based theoretical simulations indicating enhanced electron density (theoretically) in case of the proposed hybrid system. Finally, the present work also highlights the importance of Si–OH bonds formation in the proposed pRGOSHs composite system for attaining such enhanced biosensing ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to cast a glance on the perceived psychosocial issues among Higher Secondary students. 50 higher secondary students (25 boys & 25 girls) age ranged 15 years to 17 years were selected through purposive sampling from government schools, Lucknow city. For access psychosocial issues students were asked to rate any five significant issues related to their life. Content analysis of the obtained data was done, and percentages were computed. Results revealed that higher secondary students face lots of psychosocial issues like lack of applied orientation in academics, relationship dilemmas related to family, peer group and dissatisfaction from their physical appearance. Gender differences emerged as girls faced more academics and psychological issues than boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies introduced two experimental protocols for converting full-length recombinant prion protein (rPrP) purified from E.coli into the infectious prion state (PrPSc) with high infectivity titers. Both protocols employed protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) for generating PrPSc de novo, but used two different lipids, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleolyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho(1’-rac-glycerol) (POPG) or phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), as conversion cofactors. The current study compares the effect of POPG and PE on the physical properties of native, α-helical full-length mouse rPrP under the solvent conditions used for converting rPrP into PrPSc. Surprisingly, the effects of POPG and PE on rPrP physical properties, including its conformation, thermodynamic stability, aggregation state and interaction with a lipid, were found to be remarkably different. PE was shown to have minimal, if any, effects on rPrP thermodynamic stability, cooperativity of unfolding, immediate solvent environment or aggregation state. In fact, little evidence indicates that PE interacts with rPrP directly. In contrast, POPG was found to bind to and induce dramatic changes in rPrP structure, including a loss of α-helical conformation and formation of large lipid-protein aggregates that were resistant to partially denaturing conditions. These results suggest that the mechanisms by which lipids assist conversion of rPrP into PrPSc might be fundamentally different for POPG and PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Completebasis set extrapolated ab initio potential energy curvesobtained from multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) levelcalculations for the ground state (X1Σ+) of OH–, and the ground state (X2Π) and the first excited state (A2Σ+) of OH are reported. Thepotential energy curves for the excited states A1Π, a3Π, and b3Π of OH–have beencomputed using the V6Z basis set at the MRCI level. Λ-doublingparameters pand qwere calculatedfor the ground and the first excited vibrational states of the groundelectronic state of OH using second-order perturbation theory. Usingthe computed potential energy curves and the rovibrational spectrafor photodetachment including the fine splitting, the threshold forelectron detachment has been computed. The result is in agreementwith the experimental results of Goldfarb et al. [J. Chem.Phys.1985, 83, 4364]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We have fabricated the chemically functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) electrophoretically deposited onto indium tin oxide for urea detection. Urease and glutamate dehydrogenase are attached to MWCNT/ITO electrode surface covalently using ethyl-dimethylaminopropyl-carbodiimide and N-hydroxysuccinimide coupling chemistry. Excellent electrochemical properties of MWCNT and covalent functionalization of dual enzyme improve biosensor stability and sensitivity. The electrochemical response studies of the proposed biosensor exhibits wide detection range (0.83–24.9mM), low detection limit (1.3mM) and higher sensitivity of 4.67μAmM−1 cm−2. The low magnitude (0.274mM) of the apparent Michaelis–Menten constant (K m) value indicates high enzymatic affinity of Urs–GLDH enzymes on MWCNT/ITO electrode surface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Program verification is the task of automatically generating proofs for a program’s compliance with a given specification. Program synthesis is the task of automatically generating a program that meets a given specification. Both program verification and program synthesis can be viewed as search problems, for proofs and programs, respectively. For these search problems, we present approaches based on user-provided insights in the form of templates. Templates are hints about the syntactic forms of the invariants and programs, and help guide the search for solutions. We show how to reduce the template-based search problem to satisfiability solving, which permits the use of off-the-shelf solvers to efficiently explore the search space. Template-based approaches have allowed us to verify and synthesize programs outside the abilities of previous verifiers and synthesizers. Our approach can verify and synthesize difficult algorithmic textbook programs (e.g., sorting and dynamic programming-based algorithms) and difficult arithmetic programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report describes the fabrication of a novel microfluidics nanobiochip based on a composite comprising of nickel oxide nanoparticles (nNiO) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), as well as the chip's use in a biomedical application. This nanocomposite was integrated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannels, which were constructed using the photolithographic technique. A structural and morphological characterization of the fabricated microfluidics chip, which was functionalized with a bienzyme containing cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) and cholesterol esterase (ChEt), was accomplished using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy. The XPS studies revealed that 9.3% of the carboxyl (COOH) groups present in the nNiO-MWCNT composite are used to formamide bonds with the NH2 groups of the bienzyme. The response studies on this nanobiochip reveal good reproducibility and selectivity, and a high sensitivity of 2.2 mA/mM/cm2. This integrated microfluidics biochip provides a promising low-cost platform for the rapid detection of biomolecules using minute samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complete basis set extrapolated abinitio potential energy curves obtained from multireference configurationinteraction (MRCI) level calculations for the ground state (X2Π) and the a4Σ–stateof NH–and the ground state (X3Σ–) of NH are reported. The potential energy curves forthe A′2Σ–and A2Σ닖굺 of NH–have been computedusing the V6Z basis set at the MRCI level. Λ-doubling parameters pand qare calculated for the ground andthe first excited vibrational states of the ground electronic stateof NH–using second-orderperturbation theory. Theeffect of the 2Σ橷 2Σ–states on the Λ-doubling values is discussed.Earlier experiments had not considered the influence of the 2Σ–state on pand qwhile fitting the spectral data. Using the computed potentialenergy curves and the ro-vibrational spectra including the fine splitting,we have computed the threshold for electron detachment. The resultis in agreement with the experimental values of Neumark et al. [J. Chem. Phys.1985, 83, 4364] and Farleyet al. [Phys. Rev. A1987, 35, 1099]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report results of studies relating to the development of an electrochemical immunosensor based on carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (c-MWCNTs) electrophoretically deposited onto indium tin oxide (ITO) glass. This c-MWCNTs/ITO electrode surface has been functionalized with monoclonal aflatoxin B1 antibodies (anti-AFB1) for the detection of aflatoxin-B1 using electrochemical technique. Electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman studies suggest successful synthesis of c-MWCNTs and the Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopic (FT-IR) studies reveal its carboxylic functionalized nature. The proposed immunosensor shows high sensitivity (95.2μAng−1 mLcm−2), improved detection limit (0.08ngmL−1) in the linear detection range of 0.25–1.375ngmL−1. The low value of association constant (0.0915ngmL−1) indicates high affinity of immunoelectrode towards aflatoxin (AFB1). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The 16 kDa heat shock protein (HSP) is an immuno-dominant antigen, used in diagnosis of infectious Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb.) causing tuberculosis (TB). Its use in serum-based diagnostics is limited, but for the direct identification of M.tb. bacteria in sputum or cultures it may represent a useful tool. Recently, a broad set of twelve 16 kDa specific heavy chain llama antibodies (VHH) has been isolated, and their utility for diagnostic applications was explored. Methodology/Principal Findings: To identify the epitopes recognized by the nine (randomly selected from a set of twelve 16 kDa specific VHH antibodies) distinct VHH antibodies, 14 overlapping linear epitopes (each 20 amino acid long) were characterized using direct and sandwich ELISA techniques. Seven out of 14 epitopes were recognized by 8 out of 9 VHH antibodies. The two highest affinity binders B-F10 and A-23 were found to bind distinct epitopes. Sandwich ELISA and SPR experiments showed that only B-F10 was suitable as secondary antibody with both B-F10 and A-23 as anchoring antibodies. To explain this behavior, the epitopes were matched to the putative 3D structure model. Electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and size exclusion chromatography were used to determine the higher order conformation. A homodimer model best explained the differential immunological reactivity of A-23 and B-F10 against heat-treated M.tb. lysates. Conclusions/Significance: The concentrations of secreted antigens of M.tb. in sputum are too low for immunological detection and existing kits are only used for identifying M.tb. in cultures. Here we describe how specific combinations of VHH domains could be used to detect the intracellular HSP antigen. Linked to methods of pre-concentrating M.tb. cells prior to lysis, HSP detection may enable the development of protein-based diagnostics of sputum samples and earlier diagnosis of diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the influence of different hydrophobicamino acidsat “a” and “d” positions of a heptad repeatsequence on antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and antiendotoxin properties,four 15-residue peptides with leucine (LRP), phenylalanine (FRP),valine (VRP), and alanine (ARP) residues at these positions were designed,synthesized, and characterized. Although valine is similarly hydrophobicto leucine and phenylalanine, VRP showed significantly lesser cytotoxicitythan LRP and FRP; further, the replacement of leucines with valinesat “a” and “d” positions of melittin-heptadsdrastically reduced its cytotoxicity. However, all four peptides exhibitedsignificant antimicrobial activities that correlate well with theirinteractions with mammalian and bacterial cell membranes and the correspondinglipid vesicles. LRP most efficiently neutralized the LPS-induced pro-inflammatorymediators like NO, TNF-α, and IL-6 in macrophages followed byFRP, VRP, and ARP. The results could be useful for designing shortantimicrobial and antiendotoxin peptides with understanding the basisof their activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epoxy-based nanocomposites containing functionalized nanoscale TiO2 with 0.5%, 1%, 5%, and 10% by weight were developed. A coupling agent was employed to functionalize nano titania for better compatibility of nanoscale particles with dispersing media. Under sliding conditions, the specific wear rate and coefficient of friction were evaluated. The dispersion of fillers in the matrix was also studied using scanning electron microscopy. The wear mechanism is studied in correlation with a micrograph of the worn-out surface of nanocomposites. The various mechanical properties and thermal stability were studied and the influences of nanofiller loading on these parameters were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report results of studies relating to the fabrication of a microfluidics cholesterol sensor based on nanocrystalline anatase-titanium dioxide (ant-TiO2) film deposited onto indium tin oxide (ITO) glass. The results of response studies (optimized under the flow rate of 30 μl/min) conducted on cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) immobilized onto crystalline ant-TiO2 nanoparticles (∼27 nm)/ITO microfluidics electrode reveal linearity as 1.3 to 10.3 mM and improved sensitivity of 94.65 μA/mM/cm2. The observed low value of Km (0.14 mM) indicates high affinity of ChOx to cholesterol. No significant changes in current response of this microfluidics sensor are measured in the presence of different interferents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bee venom antimicrobial peptide, melittin, besides showing versatile activity against microorganisms also neutralizes lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced proinflammatory responses in macrophage cells. However, how the amino acid sequence of melittin contributes in its anti-inflammatory properties is mostly unknown. To determine the importance of the leucine zipper sequence of melittin in its neutralization of LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages and interaction with LPS, anti-inflammatory properties of melittin and its three analogues and their interactions with LPS were studied in detail. Two of these analogues, namely melittin Mut-1 (MM-1) and melittin Mut-2 (MM-2), possess leucine to alanine substitutions in the single and double heptadic leucine residue(s) of melittin, respectively, whereas the third analogue is a scrambled peptide (Mel-SCR) that contains the amino acid composition of melittin with minor rearrangement in its leucine zipper sequence. Although MM-1 partly inhibited the production of proinflammatory cytokines in RAW 264.7 and rat primary macrophage cells in the presence of LPS, MM-2 and Mel-SCR were negligibly active. A progressive decrease in interaction of melittin with LPS, aggregation in LPS, and dissociation of LPS aggregates with alteration in the leucine zipper sequence of melittin was observed. Furthermore, with alteration in the leucine zipper sequence of melittin, these analogues failed to exhibit cellular responses associated with neutralization of LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophage cells by melittin. The data indicated a probable important role of the leucine zipper sequence of melittin in neutralizing LPS-induced proinflammatory responses in macrophage cells as well as in its interaction with LPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]