Two photon annihilation operators and squeezed vacuum

Inverses of the harmonic oscillator creation and annihilation operators by their actions on the number states are introduced. Three of the two photon annihilation operators, viz., a(sup +/-1)a, aa(sup +/-1), and a(sup 2), have normalizable right eigenstates with nonvanishing eigenvalues. The eigenvalue equation of these operators are discussed and their normalized eigenstates are obtained. The Fock state representation in each case separates into two sets of states, one involving only the even number states while the other involving only the odd number states. It is shown that the even set of eigenstates of the operator a(sup +/-1)a is the customary squeezed vacuum S(sigma) O greater than

Cost of Conservation of Agrobiodiversity

The cost of conservation of germplasm stored in gene banks i.e., ex-situ collections has been studied in other parts of the world to estimate direct and indirect contributions by various actors involved in conservation. This is the first study of its kind in India done in collaboration with National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi. This was part of a sponsored research by Centre for Development Research, Germany. The limitations of this study are also listed so that future research in this regard can be pursued better. One of the costs not included is the cost of sharing data with local communities for enabling them to access germplasm in times of need. This is an important component of conservation and would require translation of gene bank and associated database in local language, making them available through public kiosks. This cost has not been included in any study on the subject so far. Separately, studies are underway to look at the conservation of germplasm under in-situ conditions.

Synthesis and SAR in 1-substituted-4-[4-fluorobenzoyl/6,7-dimethoxy-3,4- dihydroisoquinolyl]piperidines and related compounds

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Design, synthesis and evaluation of benzofuran-acetamide scaffold as potential anticonvulsant agent

A series of N-(2-(benzoyl/4-chlorobenzoyl)-benzofuran-3-yl)-2-(substituted) acetamide derivatives (4a-l, 5a-l) was synthesized in good yield. All the synthesized compounds were in agreement with elemental and spectral data. The anticonvulsant activity of all synthesized compounds was assessed against the maximal electroshock induced seizures (MES) model in mice. Neurotoxicity was evaluated using the rotarod method. The majority of compounds exhibited anticonvulsant activity at a dose of 30 mg kg–1 body mass during 0.5–4 h, indicating their ability to prevent seizure spread at low doses. Relative to phenytoin, compounds 5i [N-(2-(4-chlorobenzoyl)-benzofuran-3-yl)-2-(cyclohexyl(methyl)amino)-acetamide] and 5c [N-(2-(4-chlorobenzoyl)-benzofuran-3-yl)-2-(4-methylpiperidin-1-yl)acetamide] demonstrated comparable relative anticonvulsant potency of 0.74 and 0.72, respectively, whereas compound 5f [(N-(2-(4-chlorobenzoyl)-benzofuran-3-yl)-2-(4-(furan-2-carbonyl)-piperazin-1-yl) acetamide] exhibited the lowest relative potency of 0.16. The ALD50 of tested compounds ranged from 1.604 to 1.675 mmol kg–1 body mass. The ED50 of synthesized compounds ranged from 0.055 to 0.259 mmol kg–1 (~23.4 to 127.6 mg kg–1) body mass. The pharmacophore mapping of the examined compounds on standard drugs (phenobarbital, phenytoin, ralitolin and carbamazepine) strongly suggests that these compounds may exert their anticonvulsant activity via the same established mechanism as that of known drugs

Rapid appraisal of IPP-VI training of ANMs in Uttar Pradesh

This report provides findings of a rapid appraisal of the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) training program in Uttar Pradesh, India. The appraisal was undertaken by the Population Council and State Innovations in Family Planning Agency (SIFPSA). As SIFPSA is in the process of planning a training program to strengthen the technical skills and competence of ANMs and update their contraceptive knowledge, it was felt that a rapid appraisal of the training program would help in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of previous training efforts. The ANM training initiatives of SIFPSA would then build upon the experiences gained from earlier training programs and the existing training needs of ANMs. The emphasis was on improving ANMs\u27 technical and counseling skills by providing on-the-job practical training. The program was a three-week skill-based training, during which ANMs were attached to a CHC/PPC or a district hospital. This was followed by one week of training at an ANM Training Centre in IEC and counseling. The objective was to review how the training program was organized and how it helped improve the technical skills and competence of ANMs

Contribution of germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 sequence alterations to breast cancer in Northern India

BACKGROUND: A large number of distinct mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have been reported worldwide, but little is known regarding the role of these inherited susceptibility genes in breast cancer risk among Indian women. We investigated the distribution and the nature of BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutations and polymorphisms in a cohort of 204 Indian breast cancer patients and 140 age-matched controls. METHOD: Cases were selected with regard to early onset disease (≤40 years) and family history of breast and ovarian cancer. Two hundred four breast cancer cases along with 140 age-matched controls were analyzed for mutations. All coding regions and exon-intron boundaries of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were screened by heteroduplex analysis followed by direct sequencing of detected variants. RESULTS: In total, 18 genetic alterations were identified. Three deleterious frame-shift mutations (185delAG in exon 2; 4184del4 and 3596del4 in exon 11) were identified in BRCA1, along with one missense mutation (K1667R), one 5'UTR alteration (22C>G), three intronic variants (IVS10-12delG, IVS13+2T>C, IVS7+38T>C) and one silent substitution (5154C>T). Similarly three pathogenic protein-truncating mutations (6376insAA in exon 11, 8576insC in exon19, and 9999delA in exon 27) along with one missense mutation (A2951T), four intronic alterations (IVS2+90T>A, IVS7+75A>T, IVS8+56C>T, IVS25+58insG) and one silent substitution (1593A>G) were identified in BRCA2. Four previously reported polymorphisms (K1183R, S1613G, and M1652I in BRCA1, and 7470A>G in BRCA2) were detected in both controls and breast cancer patients. Rare BRCA1/2 sequence alterations were observed in 15 out of 105 (14.2%) early-onset cases without family history and 11.7% (4/34) breast cancer cases with family history. Of these, six were pathogenic protein truncating mutations. In addition, several variants of uncertain clinical significance were identified. Among these are two missense variants, one alteration of a consensus splice donor sequence, and a variant that potentially disrupts translational initiation. CONCLUSION: BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations appear to account for a lower proportion of breast cancer patients at increased risk of harboring such mutations in Northern India (6/204, 2.9%) than has been reported in other populations. However, given the limited extent of reported family history among these patients, the observed mutation frequency is not dissimilar from that reported in other cohorts of early onset breast cancer patients. Several of the identified mutations are unique and novel to Indian patients

Genomic Diversity of Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) Endosymbionts in India and Selection of Potential Strains for Use as Agricultural Inoculants

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp. ) is a legume crop resilient to climate change due to its tolerance to drought. It is grown by millions of resource-poor farmers in semiarid and tropical subregions of Asia and Africa and is a major contributor to their nutritional food security. Pigeon pea is the sixth most important legume in the world, with India contributing more than 70% of the total production and harbouring a wide variety of cultivars. Nevertheless, the low yield of pigeon pea grown under dry land conditions and its yield instability need to be improved. This may be done by enhancing crop nodulation and, hence, biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) by supplying effective symbiotic rhizobia through the application of “elite” inoculants. Therefore, the main aim in this study was the isolation and genomic analysis of effective rhizobial strains potentially adapted to drought conditions. Accordingly, pigeon pea endosymbionts were isolated from different soil types in Southern, Central, and Northern India. After functional characterisation of the isolated strains in terms of their ability to nodulate and promote the growth of pigeon pea, 19 were selected for full genome sequencing, along with eight commercial inoculant strains obtained from the ICRISAT culture collection. The phylogenomic analysis [Average nucleotide identity MUMmer (ANIm)] revealed that the pigeon pea endosymbionts were members of the genera Bradyrhizobium and Ensifer. Based on nodC phylogeny and nod cluster synteny, Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense was revealed as the most common endosymbiont, harbouring nod genes similar to those of Bradyrhizobium cajani and Bradyrhizobium zhanjiangense. This symbiont type (e.g., strain BRP05 from Madhya Pradesh) also outperformed all other strains tested on pigeon pea, with the notable exception of an Ensifer alkalisoli strain from North India (NBAIM29). The results provide the basis for the development of pigeon pea inoculants to increase the yield of this legume through the use of effective nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, tailored for the different agroclimatic regions of India

THE NIGELLA SATIVA (L.) SEEDS EXTRACT TREATMENT ON THE HIPPOCAMPAL GFAP IN 2VO-INDUCED CHRONIC NEUROINFLAMMATION

Neuroinflammation has been closely linked to neurodegeneration that leads to dysfunction of memory and learning where glial fibrillary acidic protein plays important role within hippocampus. In experimental neurodegeneration achieved by two-vessel occlusion (2VO) intervention, Nigella sativa (L.) seeds extract (NSSE) has shown to have anti-neuroinflammatory and antioxidant properties. Toxic free radicals formation and prevention of neuroinflammatory mediators are of two possible mechanisms. The current study aimed to investigate the anti-neuroinflammatory effect of Nigella sativa and the role of GFAP as a relevant biomarker of neuroinflammation. The relative normalized hippocampal GFAP mRNA expressions (∆∆Cq) of Nigella sativa (L.) seeds extract treatment (100mg/kg/day orally) was compared with that of healthy control (HC) and untreated 2VO groups (n=6) of rats. The brain hippocampal tissues were humanely collected at the end of 10th treatment week and preserved in Allprotect™ reagent at – 80°C. Total RNA was extracted and purified by phenol/chloroform method using kits, and reverse transcribed into cDNA and relatively quantified as per ∆∆Cq. The NSSE treatment showed significantly (P<0.001) different relative GFAP mRNA expression in the treated group as compared to that of untreated 2VO whilst it was insignificantly (P>0.5) different to that of HC. Prolonged or daily treatment with NSSE may possess moderate anti-neuroprotective activity within hippocampus.&nbsp