Congruence of genomic and ethnolinguistic affinities among five tribal populations of Madhya Pradesh (India)

The central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is home to a large number of tribal populations of diverse linguistic and ethnic backgrounds. With a view to examining how well genomic affinities among tribal populations of this state correspond with their ethnic and linguistic affinities, we analysed DNA samples of individuals drawn from five tribes with diverse, but reasonably well-documented, ethnohistorical and linguistic backgrounds. Each DNA sample was scored at 16 biallelic DNA marker loci. On the basis of these data, genomic affinities among these populations were estimated. We have found an extremely good correspondence between the genomic and ethnolinguistic affinities

Layered wicks enable passive transport of condensation out of cooling systems

Layered wicks enable passive transport of condensation out of cooling systems Nhicolas Aponte, Jordan Morrow, Gennifer Riley, Partha Chakraborty, Melanie M. Derby Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Kansas State University Cooling systems, like condensers or cooling towers of a power plant, transfer heat out of a system. The cooling process often occurs through the condensation of water, which forms a liquid film that reduces heat transfer. This problem makes cooling systems larger and more costly. One approach to this problem is drop-wise condensation in which condensed water gathers in the form of droplets which can then run off, preventing the reduction of heat transfer caused by the liquid film. For this solution to be effective in industry, a hydrophobic coating would need to last over 10 years, which is difficult to achieve. The approach studied in this work uses the capillary/surface tension forces to passively transport water, which is applicable to removing liquid films from condensers. This is investigated by using a wick, which is a structure that enables the passive transport of water. In this project, we compare wicking structures with different porosity in order to design an effective wick for industrial use. The wicks used are an array of layered spheres bridged by cylindrical columns with calculated porosity of 0.35(Wick C), 0.42(Wick B), and 0.66(Wick A). The wicks are 3-D printed onto a test plate, which allows the fabrication of complex geometries. The effectiveness of the wicks is compared using the rate-of-rise method. For this method, the wicks are lowered into a water reservoir. The interactions between the wick and the water are observed and recorded under a high speed camera. Then, the height the water rises to within the wick is compared. The wicks printed for this project outline problems we did not account for. The small pore volume of the wicks made it difficult to clean out support material after being printed. Future wicks will be designed with a greater pore volume than that of Wick C. The success of this project could improve the heat transfer in space cooling systems and power plant condensers

MUC4 overexpression augments cell migration and metastasis through EGFR family proteins in triple negative breast cancer cells.

INTRODUCTION: Current studies indicate that triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive breast cancer subtype, is associated with poor prognosis and an early pattern of metastasis. Emerging evidence suggests that MUC4 mucin is associated with metastasis of various cancers, including breast cancer. However, the functional role of MUC4 remains unclear in breast cancers, especially in TNBCs. METHOD: In the present study, we investigated the functional and mechanistic roles of MUC4 in potentiating pathogenic signals including EGFR family proteins to promote TNBC aggressiveness using in vitro and in vivo studies. Further, we studied the expression of MUC4 in invasive TNBC tissue and normal breast tissue by immunostaining. RESULTS: MUC4 promotes proliferation, anchorage-dependent and-independent growth of TNBC cells, augments TNBC cell migratory and invasive potential in vitro, and enhances tumorigenicity and metastasis in vivo. In addition, our studies demonstrated that MUC4 up-regulates the EGFR family of proteins, and augments downstream Erk1/2, PKC-γ, and FAK mediated oncogenic signaling. Moreover, our studies also showed that knockdown of MUC4 in TNBC cells induced molecular changes suggestive of mesenchymal to epithelial transition. We also demonstrated in this study, for the first time, that knockdown of MUC4 was associated with reduced expression of EGFR and ErbB3 (EGFR family proteins) in TNBC cells, suggesting that MUC4 uses an alternative to ErbB2 mechanism to promote aggressiveness. We further demonstrate that MUC4 is differentially over-expressed in invasive TNBC tissues compared to normal breast tissue. CONCLUSIONS: MUC4 mucin expression is associated with TNBC pathobiology, and its knockdown reduced aggressiveness in vitro, and tumorigenesis and metastasis in vivo. Overall, our findings suggest that MUC4 mucin promotes invasive activities of TNBC cells by altering the expression of EGFR, ErbB2, and ErbB3 molecules and their downstream signaling

Lense-Thirring Precession in Pleba\'nski-Demia\'nski spacetimes

An exact expression of Lense-Thirring precession rate is derived for non-extremal and extremal Pleba\'nski-Demia\'nski spacetimes. This formula is used to find the exact Lense-Thirring precession rate in various axisymmetric spacetimes, like: Kerr, Kerr-Newman, Kerr-de Sitter etc. We also show, if the Kerr parameter vanishes in Pleba\'nski-Demia\'nski(PD) spacetime, the Lense-Thirring precession does not vanish due to the existence of NUT charge. To derive the LT precession rate in extremal Pleba\'nski-Demia\'nski we first derive the general extremal condition for PD spacetimes. This general result could be applied to get the extremal limit in any stationary and axisymmetric spacetimes.Comment: 9 pages, Some special modifications are mad

Fundamental genomic unity of ethnic India is revealed by analysis of mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) profiles of 23 ethnic populations of India drawn from diverse cultural, linguistic and geographical backgrounds are presented. There is extensive sharing of a small number of mtDNA haplotypes, reconstructed on the basis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms, among the populations. This indicates that Indian populations were founded by a small number of females, possibly arriving on one of the early waves of out-of-Africa migration of modern humans; ethnic differentiation occurred subsequently through demographic expansions and geographic dispersal. The Asian-specific haplogroup M is in high frequency in most populations, especially tribal populations and Dravidian populations of southern India. Populations in which the frequencies of haplogroup M are relatively lower show higher frequencies of haplogroup U; such populations are primarily caste populations of northern India. This finding is indicative of a higher Caucasoid admixture in northern Indian populations. By examining the sharing of haplotypes between Indian and south-east Asian populations, we have provided evidence that south-east Asia was peopled by two waves of migration, one originating in India and the other originating in southern China. These findings have been examined and interpreted in the light of inferences derived from previous genomic and historical studies

"The fruits of independence": Satyajit Ray, Indian nationhood and the spectre of empire

Challenging the longstanding consensus that Satyajit Ray's work is largely free of ideological concerns and notable only for its humanistic richness, this article shows with reference to representations of British colonialism and Indian nationhood that Ray's films and stories are marked deeply and consistently by a distinctively Bengali variety of liberalism. Drawn from an ongoing biographical project, it commences with an overview of the nationalist milieu in which Ray grew up and emphasizes the preoccupation with colonialism and nationalism that marked his earliest unfilmed scripts. It then shows with case studies of Kanchanjangha (1962), Charulata (1964), First Class Kamra (First-Class Compartment, 1981), Pratidwandi (The Adversary, 1970), Shatranj ke Khilari (The Chess Players, 1977), Agantuk (The Stranger, 1991) and Robertsoner Ruby (Robertson's Ruby, 1992) how Ray's mature work continued to combine a strongly anti-colonial viewpoint with a shifting perspective on Indian nationhood and an unequivocal commitment to cultural cosmopolitanism. Analysing how Ray articulated his ideological positions through the quintessentially liberal device of complexly staged debates that were apparently free, but in fact closed by the scenarist/director on ideologically specific notes, this article concludes that Ray's reputation as an all-forgiving, ‘everybody-has-his-reasons’ humanist is based on simplistic or even tendentious readings of his work

Problems in the assessment of relative risk of chronic disease among biological relatives of affected individuals

A question often asked in regard to a chronic disease is whether the risk to a biological relative of a case is elevated, and if so by how much the risk is altered. To answer this question, data may be collected directly with genetic objectives in mind by ascertaining populations of pedigrees. More often, the initial assessment of the question comes from family history data collected in an incidental manner in the course of a case-control or similar type of study. This paper discusses some limitations to the inferences which can be derived from such casual family history data. These include (i)poor statistical properties of standard relative risk measures, (ii) interpretational problems of observed relative risks when affected cases arise from genetic as well as nongenetic causes and when genes may not always be expressed in individuals in whom they are present, and (iii)confounding effects which may occur when a high risk allele alters the age of onset pattern of the disease. These problems result largely from a loss of design control over the degree of exposure of individuals ascertained and can lead to a small observed relative risk value even when genetic factors are important. Suggestions for handling such casual family history data are offered.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24125/1/0000382.pd

The Structural Relationship Between Current and Capital Account Balance in India: A Time Series Analysis

The long run relationship between current account balance (CAB) and capital account balance (KAB) and the repercussions of capital account convertibility (KAC) on growth process of a country is a much debated issue. In particular, in the aftermath of the Southeast Asian crisis, the limitation of the liberal capital regime for a developing country like India is often highlighted in the literature. However, the probable impact of introducing KAC on CAB in India generally is discussed theoretically. Though some of the existing studies in India have earlier focused on this research question, they have done so by exogenously assuming the existence of a single structural break in the interrelationship between CAB and KAB. The present study intends to bridge the gap in the literature by raising two empirical questions: first, how far KAC is likely to destabilize the CAB and second, measuring the strength of the interrelationship between CAB and KAB. The current paper also contributes to the literature by incorporating multiple endogenous structural breaks in the empirical analysis. The empirical findings do not support any long term relationship between capital and current account balance and reveals that two significant structural breaks are observed in 1993-94 and 2003-04

Economic Analysis of Knowledge: The History of Thought and the Central Themes

Following the development of knowledge economies, there has been a rapid expansion of economic analysis of knowledge, both in the context of technological knowledge in particular and the decision theory in general. This paper surveys this literature by identifying the main themes and contributions and outlines the future prospects of the discipline. The wide scope of knowledge related questions in terms of applicability and alternative approaches has led to the fragmentation of research. Nevertheless, one can identify a continuing tradition which analyses various aspects of the generation, dissemination and use of knowledge in the economy