Excitonic States and Excitation Energy Transfer in Plant Light-Harvesting Complexes in Different Molecular Environments

Light-harvesting complex II (LHCII), the main light-harvesting antenna complex of plants, is a functionally flexible and mobile component of the photosynthetic membrane. Excitonic interactions between chlorophylls in the complex are the basis for fast and efficient excitation energy transfer (EET). In addition to its light-harvesting function, LHCII plays regulatory roles, e.g. balancing the energy flow between Photosystem II and Photosystem I (PSI) and activating photoprotective non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). These functions are controlled by the innate structural flexibility of the complex and its intermolecular interactions in the thylakoid membranes. The general aim of this thesis work is to clarify the changes in the molecular and excitonic structure of LHCII that are incurred by interactions with its environment, and how these changes affect EET in the complex and in the thylakoid membrane. Using CD and anisotropic CD (ACD) spectroscopy, we have identified specific changes in the excitonic states in LHCII related to protein-protein interactions in aggregates or induced by detergents and. Time-resolve fluorescence showed that the molecular environment strongly affects the excitation lifetime, hence the light-harvesting function, of LHCII. Due to self-segregation, LHCII formed protein-dense domains in reconstituted membranes wherein fluorescence quenching occurred with a mechanism similar to NPQ in vivo. The dynamics of EET in LHCII was followed by ultrafast two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES), resolving simultaneous uphill and downhill energy transfer pathways. Exciton equilibration in the Chl a domain was found to occur on timescales up to 5 ps at physiological temperature. EET in plant PSI–LHCI and isolated PSI core complexes were observed for the first time by 2DES. A refined kinetic model was proposed, according to which primary charge separation in PSI occurs after full equilibration of the excitations in the core antenna, with an effective time constant of 3–4 ps. Long-distance EET between LHCIIs and between LHCII and PSI was detected in reconstituted membranes. LHCII acted as efficient antenna of PSI increasing its functional antenna size by up to 50% with minor loss of photochemical efficiency

Biraderi, bloc votes and bradford:Investigating the respect party's campaign strategy

Research Highlights and Abstract: This article Contributes to theoretical debates on minority political participation in the UK, with specific reference to inter-generational variations within the South Asian Muslim community; Contributes to the scholarly literature on the impact and effectiveness of new political parties within the British political system, through a case study of the Respect Party; Adds to empirical primary data on strategies adopted by political parties in courting specific sections of the ethnic minority vote in the UK; Offers an empirically-led demonstration of the changes taking place within the political sphere of South Asian Muslim diasporas in Britain. In March 2012, the Respect Party won an unexpected by-election in the British city of Bradford, previously regarded as a safe Labour seat. This article examines the party's campaign strategy and in particular how it courted South Asian Muslim voters. A dominant feature of South Asian Muslim politics in the UK has been community bloc voting along lines of kinship (biraderi). The use of kinship networks for political gain effectively disenfranchised many young people and women. We demonstrate how Respect used their experience of campaigning in constituencies with significant numbers of South Asian Muslim voters to achieve an unlikely victory in Bradford. A key strategy was to mobilise otherwise politically marginalised sections of the South Asian Muslim community by offering an alternative to the culture of patronage in Bradford whilst at the same time utilising certain community structures in order to gain their own bloc votes

Postal votes and allegations of electoral fraud in Peterborough’s by-election

Timothy Peace and Parveen Akhtar discuss the allegations of electoral malpractice in the recent Peterborough by-election in which Labour won by 683 votes. While an initial police inquiry found that no offences were revealed, they explain why certain areas are more susceptible to such claims than others

The party is over for Respect, but George Galloway could find a home again in Labour

First paragraph: The Respect Party, launched 12 years ago as a platform for opposing the Iraq war, has ceased to be. After it lost its only parliamentary seat in the 2015 election, the party has “voluntarily de-registered” from the Electoral Commission. Access this article on The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/the-party-is-over-for-respect-but-george-galloway-could-find-a-home-again-in-labour-6426

Educated, engaged, and critical: young British Muslims making new claims on citizenship amidst ongoing forms of marginalisation

Drawing on qualitative research with young Muslims in Bradford, Nathan Manning and Parveen Akhtar find that most respondents, despite being disillusioned with politics, were politically engaged. In contrast to an older generation who were seen as prioritising local issues and representation much more closely tied to kinship and ethnic identity, respondents also voiced claims for a substantive representation which addressed mainstream and often national political issues

Zinc Supplementation in Children with Acute Diarrhea

Background: To evaluate the effect of zinc supplementation on the outcome of acute diarrhea by comparing it with standard management of acute diarrhea in children. Methods: In this interventional study, total 100 patients, 6 months to 5 years of age were enrolled and were randomly allocated in Group A or Group B . Group A was treated with standard management of acute diarrhoea whereas Group B was given zinc supplementation in addition to standard management protocols. Children were monitored for stool frequency, consistency , state of hydration and any complicating factor. Results: The frequency of stools in group A and B reduced from 16.1 + 4.4 8 stools/day and 15.66+ 4.24 stools/day to 6.80+ 1.99 stools/day and 1.78+ 1.79 stools/day respectively. The consistency of stools in group A and B changed from 3.9 and 3.8 on day one to 2.14 and 1.68 , respectively , on day 7. Conclusion: The zinc supplementation had no effect on the outcome of acute diarrhoea in children. There was no significant reduction in the severity of acute diarrhoea in the children who were given the zinc supplements, in comparison to those who were managed with the standard treatment protocol

Rota Virus Gastroenteritis in Children Upto Five years of Age

Background: To estimate the proportion and peak age of rotavirus diarrhoea among children of age two months to five years Methods: In this descriptive study five hundred patients with acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) were screened for rotavirus. Stool sample of about 5 ml was taken & tested in the laboratory for group A rotavirus antigen by Enzyme immunoassays (EIA). Results: Mean age of patients with AWD was 12.5 months . Out of 500 patients 147 ( 29.4%) were positive for group A rotavirus. Majority of positive patients 116/147 (78.9%) were in the age group 2 months to 12 months. Conclusions: As there are many types of rotavirus i.e. A, B, C, D, and E so overall burden for all serotypes will be much higher. Rotavirus vaccine is an effective preventive measure available against rotavirus diarrhe

Antepartum myomectomy

Myomectomy perfonned during pregnancy is a rarity. Literatw·e survey showed few case reports on antepartum myomec­tomy. Though controversy persists among reports, but some case series reported the successfull antepartum myomectomy in carefully selected patients. Sometimes surgery is planned for ovarian tumour but incidentally found fibroid during surgery as itis also done in the present case. We here present a case report of a 28 years primigravida woman who had undergone laparotomy for antenatally diagnosed case of ovarian tumour at 13 weeks of gestation under spinal anesthesia. But on opening the abdominal cavity a large sub-serous degenerated fibroid was found to arise from the fundus. Myomec­tomy was performed ensuring minimum handling of the uterus. The patient had au uneventful postoperative period and was discharged on 8th post operative day. She delivered a healthy male baby of 3 kg at 39 weeks of gestation with good apgar score

Rupture of primigravid uterus and recurrent rupture

Uterine rupture is a deadly obstetrical emergency endangering the life of both mother and fetus. In Bangladesh, majority of deliveries arc attended by unskilled traditional birth attendant and maternal mortality is still quite high. It is rare Ln developed country but unfortunately it is common in a developing country like Bangladesh. We report a case history of a patient age 32yrs from Daudkandi, Comilla admitted with H/0 previous two rupture uterus and repair with no living issue. We did caesarean section at her 31+ weeks of pregnancy when she developed Jabour pain. A baby of 1.4 kg was delivered. During cesarean section, focal rupture was noted in previous scar of rupture. Unfortunately the baby expired in neonatal ICU after 36 hours

Gendered Mobilities and Social Change - An Introduction to the Special Issue on Gender, Mobility and Social Change

Non peer reviewe