Ontogeny of Solasodine-containing Mucilage Layer in Solanum Viarum Dunal, Ploidy Types

Berries of steroid-bearingSolanum viarum Dunal are exploited commercially in India as raw material by steroid industries for solasodine, a glycoalkaloid, present in the mucilaginous exotesta of the seed. Comparative ontogeny of exotesta studied through histochemical studies in diploid, autotetraploid and trisomic plants indicated similarity in the histochemical changes occurring during ontogeny of the outermost seed coat layer which culminated in the transformation of this layer into the mucilage layer. The increased cell size in this layer in the autotetraploid plants probably accounts for the higher steroid content reported. Corroborative evidences for histochemical changes observed in the mucilage layer were obtained from studies of ultrastructure using transmission electron microscopy

Ontogeny of solasodine-containing mucilage layer inSolanum viarum Dunal, ploidy types

Berries of steroid-bearingSolanum viarum Dunal are exploited commercially in India as raw material by steroid industries for solasodine, a glycoalkaloid, present in the mucilaginous exotesta of the seed. Comparative ontogeny of exotesta studied through histochemical studies in diploid, autotetraploid and trisomic plants indicated similarity in the histochemical changes occurring during ontogeny of the outermost seed coat layer which culminated in the transformation of this layer into the mucilage layer. The increased cell size in this layer in the autotetraploid plants probably accounts for the higher steroid content reported. Corroborative evidences for histochemical changes observed in the mucilage layer were obtained from studies of ultrastructure using transmission electron microscopy

GridLAB-D Technical Support Document: Residential End-Use Module Version 1.0

1.0 Introduction The residential module implements the following end uses and characteristics to simulate the power demand in a single family home: • Water heater • Lights • Dishwasher • Range • Microwave • Refrigerator • Internal gains (plug loads) • House (heating/cooling loads) The house model considers the following four major heat gains/losses that contribute to the building heating/cooling load: 1. Conduction through exterior walls, roof and fenestration (based on envelope UA) 2. Air infiltration (based on specified air change rate) 3. Solar radiation (based on CLTD model and using tmy data) 4. Internal gains from lighting, people, equipment and other end use objects. The Equivalent Thermal Parameter (ETP) approach is used to model the residential loads and energy consumption. The following sections describe the modeling assumptions for each of the above end uses and the details of power demand calculations in the residential module

The impact of diet counselling on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: an Indian case study

Objective: The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of diet counselling on patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Despite a number of approaches to T2DM management being already available, healthcare professionals in India still struggle to achieve health targets without the adjunct therapy of diet coaching or counselling. Research design and methods: The study assessed the impact of counselling using a pre and post-test experimental design on separate case and control groups. The design of the study included the assessment of 150 adult subjects with T2DM and the effect of periodic intensive diet and exercise counselling on anthropometric measurements, plasma glucose, HbA1c, serum lipid profile and blood pressure levels. The subjects were grouped into three cohorts; those who were willing to attend only one session on diet and exercise counselling (Group 1), those who were willing to attend only dietary counselling with periodic follow-up (Group II), and those who were willing to attend both dietary and exercise counselling with periodic follow-up (Group Ill). Results: The results of the investigation showed that Group Ill participants were generally likely to follow dietary principles more carefully, and were more involved with their interactions with the counsellor. Results also indicated that subjects who received periodic, intensive diet counselling did not show symptoms of progression to diabetic complications, and also did not progress to insulin therapy for the management of their disease.. A six-month counselling program clearly indicated that this intervention had a positive effect on the management of non-insulin dependant T2DM

An exploratory case study on employee health and wellbeing: Indian railways case study

In this paper, we are presenting initial case study results of employee health & wellbeing baseline measurement of Southern Railways. 122 employees from management cadre voluntarily participated in the study. The data collection involved three specific stages of health & wellbeing validation, based on lipid profiles, three month blood sugar level, kidney function, blood pressure, heart rate, self reported eating habit, self reported exercise routine and a bio-impedance measurement. The participants were given with a survey instrument to fill-in their daily intake of food pattern and this information was entered into a software application to compute nutritional levels. This was the first level of validation. The second level of validation was collecting blood samples and analysing the samples for various parameters such as lipids and sugar levels pathologically. The third level of validation included people categorised as non-diabetic tested for body composition of fat masses using a bio-impedance monitor. The analyses of data using these three combinations of data clearly indicated that majority of the participants are either suffering with excess fat masses or over the normal acceptable BMI levels for Indian population. Further, the data clearly indicated that the intake of calories is way above than what has been expended through physical activities. Over half the participants exhibited either symptoms of diabetes or hypertension or both. We present these results in this paper, and highlight a preliminary intervention program that has been instituted to these participants. We are also highlighting some of the adverse influences that can present to the organisation as a result of the health & wellbeing issues observed

Finding the microfoundations of organizational ambidexterity - Demystifying the role of top management behavioural integration

Organizational ambidexterity in a firm is significantly influenced by the behavioural integration of the Top Management Team (TMT). Researchers observe that ambidextrous firms are associated with two dimensions of dexterity, namely, balanced and combined dimensions. However, studies do not explain the varied effects of behaviourally integrated TMTs on the different dimensions of ambidexterity. A clear understanding of this relationship will help firms choose the specific TMT processes needed to facilitate specific dimensions of ambidexterity. We address this research gap and test our research model with structural equation analyses on data collected from 78 SMEs. We observe that behavioural integration processes mostly enhance a firm's combined ambidexterity. Further, we find that combined ambidexterity completely mediates the relationship between behavioural integration and firm performance. Our study adds to the literature on ambidexterity, micro-foundations, and the theory of behavioural integration, and guides small firms in their choices of behavioural and innovation practices

Defective Signalling of the BRCA1 Neighbouring gene, NBR2, leads to ER-? Negative tumours in breast cancer xenograft mouse models

Majority of breast and ovarian cancer treatment modalities are based on endocrine therapies like antiestrogens which are dependent on the hormone receptor status of tumours. Although BRCA1 is a major regulator of Estrogen Receptor (ER-α), BRCA1 mutations are largely limited to hereditary cases. Here, we show the role of NBR2 (neighbour of BRCA1) in regulating ER-α. We demonstrate a positive correlation between NBR2 & ESR1 in TCGA datasets. Further, the study revealed that shRNA-mediated knockdown of NBR2 led to the downregulation of ER-α in breast cancer cells, MCF7. Finally, the downregulation of ER-α in NBR2 knockdown xenograft tumours (in female NSG mice), which showed higher invasive properties than wild type tumours was demonstrated. Thus, we concluded that in ER-α negative tumours with NBR2 deficiency, biguanides such as metformin and phenformin, which are reported to have a better efficacy under NBR2 deficient conditions, could serve as more suitable alternatives to antiestrogens

Penning Spectroscopy and Structure of Acetylene Oligomers in He Nanodroplets

Embedded atoms or molecules in a photoexcited He nanodroplet are well-known to be ionized through inter-atomic relaxation in a Penning process. In this work, we investigate the Penning ionization of acetylene oligomers occurring from the photoexcitation bands of He nanodroplets. In close analogy to conventional Penning electron spectroscopy by thermal atomic collisions, the n = 2 photoexcitation band plays the role of the metastable atomic $1s2s$ $^{3,1}S$ He$^\ast$. This facilitates electron spectroscopy of acetylene aggregates in the sub-kelvin He environment, providing the following insight into their structure: The molecules in the dopant cluster are loosely bound van der Waals complexes rather than forming covalent compounds. In addition, this work reveals a Penning process stemming from the n = 4 band where charge-transfer from autoionized He in the droplets is known to be the dominant relaxation channel. This allows for excited states of the remnant dopant oligomer Penning-ions to be studied. Hence, we demonstrate Penning ionization electron spectroscopy of doped droplets as an effective technique for investigating dopant oligomers which are easily formed by attachment to the host cluster.Comment: 22 pages, 1 png figure, 4 postscript figure