Enantioselective hydroacylation of N-vinylindole-2-carboxaldehydes

We report catalytic, enantioselective intramolecular hydroacylation of N-vinylindole-2-carboxaldehydes. These hydroacylation reactions occur in the presence of a readily accessible rhodium catalyst and form chiral, non-racemic 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-1-ones in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities

Investigation of the chemical profiles of seven wood species for their potential applications

Determination of the chemical composition of biomaterial is important for their valued utilization in biorefinery. In this study, the chemical composition of seven wood species, i.e. lambu (Khaya anthotheca), raj-koroi (Albizia richardiana), jhau (Casuarina equisetifolia), sil-koroi (Albizia procera), katbadam (Terminalia catappa), jolpai (Elaeocarpus robustus), and arjun (Terminalia arjuna) were examined. The chemical characterization of these wood species can expedite a further study on the extraction of cellulose, lignin, and extractive. alpha-cellulose content was in the range of 37.0% to 42.1% and lignin content was 20.4% to 34.1%. The solubility in 1% caustic soda was 16.1% to 24.3%. The a-cellulose and lignin content were similar to other wood species. Therefore, these species can be a potential source of raw material for biorefinery

Coexistence of different base periodicities in prokaryotic genomes as related to DNA curvature, supercoiling, and transcription

We analyzed the periodic patterns in E. coli promoters and compared the distributions of the corresponding patterns in promoters and in the complete genome to elucidate their function. Except the three-base periodicity, coincident with that in the coding regions and growing stronger in the region downstream from the transcriptions start (TS), all other salient periodicities are peaked upstream of TS. We found that helical periodicities with the lengths about B-helix pitch ~10.2-10.5 bp and A-helix pitch ~10.8-11.1 bp coexist in the genomic sequences. We mapped the distributions of stretches with A-, B-, and Z- like DNA periodicities onto E.coli genome. All three periodicities tend to concentrate within non-coding regions when their intensity becomes stronger and prevail in the promoter sequences. The comparison with available experimental data indicates that promoters with the most pronounced periodicities may be related to the supercoiling-sensitive genes.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, 2 table

Religious change, social conflict and legal competition: the emergence of Christian personal law in colonial India

Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010One of the most contentious political issues in postcolonial India is the unfulfilled project of a ‘uniform civil code’ which would override the existing ‘personal laws’ or religion-based laws of domestic relations, inheritance and religious institutions. If the personal laws are admitted to be preserved (if somewhat distorted) remnants of ‘religious laws’, then the legitimacy of state intervention is called into question, especially since the Indian state claims to be secular. This paper, by discussing the history of the lesser-known Christian personal law, demonstrates that this conundrum is of considerable heritage. From the earliest days of British imperial rule in India, the quest to establish a universal body of law conflicted with other legal principles which upheld difference: that of religion, as well as race. It was the historical role of Indian Christians to occasion legal dilemmas regarding the jurisdictions of British and ‘native’ law, and concurrently about the identity of people subject to those different laws. In trying to discover who the Indian Christians were, and what laws ought to apply to them, British judges had perforce to reflect on who the ‘British’ were, whilst also dealing with conflicting collective claims made by Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, and Christians themselves about their own identity and religious rights. The Indian Christian personal law was an unintended by-product of this process, a finding which throws light both on the dynamics of colonial legislation, and on the essentially modern nature of Indian personal laws

Pandemics, pathogenicity and changing molecular epidemiology of cholera in the era of global warming

BACKGROUND: Vibrio cholerae, a Gram-negative, non-spore forming curved rod is found in diverse aquatic ecosystems around the planet. It is classified according to its major surface antigen into around 206 serogroups, of which O1 and O139 cause epidemic cholera. A recent spatial modelling technique estimated that around 2.86 million cholera cases occur globally every year, and of them approximately 95,000 die. About 1.3 billion people are currently at risk of infection from cholera. Meta-analysis and mathematical modelling have demonstrated that due to global warming the burden of vector-borne diseases like malaria, leishmaniasis, meningococcal meningitis, viral encephalitis, dengue and chikungunya will increase in the coming years in the tropics and beyond. CHOLERA AND CLIMATE: This review offers an overview of the interplay between global warming and the pathogenicity and epidemiology of V. cholerae. Several distinctive features of cholera survival (optimal thriving at 15% salinity, 30 °C water temperature, and pH 8.5) indicate a possible role of climate change in triggering the epidemic process. Genetic exchange (ctxAB, zot, ace, cep, and orfU) between strains and transduction process allows potential emergence of new toxigenic clones. These processes are probably controlled by precise environmental signals such as optimum temperature, sunlight and osmotic conditions. Environmental influences on phytoplankton growth and chitin remineralization will be discussed alongside the interplay of poor sanitary conditions, overcrowding, improper sewage disposal and global warming in promoting the growth and transmission of this deadly disease. CONCLUSION: The development of an effective early warning system based on climate data could help to prevent and control future outbreaks. It may become possible to integrate real-time monitoring of oceanic regions, climate variability and epidemiological and demographic population dynamics to predict cholera outbreaks and support the design of cost-effective public health strategies

Bhāratera deba-deula / Jyotiścandra Ghosha

In Bengali, with some quotations in EnglishIncludes bibliographical reference