Modulation of rat peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocyte response by nitric oxide and arginine

The effect of nitric oxide (NO) on the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LCL) response of rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) was analyzed by using sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, and L-arginine (L-arg), a NO precursor. A significant reduction in the LCL intensity was observed in presence of SNP (100 μmol/L) or L-arg (5 or 10 mmol/L) in arachidonic acid (AA) phorbol ester (PMA) and formyl- methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine stimulated PMNLs. However, opsonized zymosan-induced LCL was not attenuated significantly. Reduction in hydroxyl radical and superoxide generation was also observed in SNP- or L-arg-pretreated cells. D-Arg (10 mmol/L) pretreatment did not inhibit PMNLs' LCL response. Furthermore, methylene blue (5 μmol/L) and L-NG- mono methyl-L-arginine (100 or 300 μmol/L) significantly attenuated the LCL response, as induced by various agonists. Cyclic GMP did not alter the reactive oxygen species generation from rat PMNLs. In addition, AA-induced release of myeloperoxidase, a marker of azurophilic granules, was found to be enhanced in L-arg- (10 mmol/L) pretreated PMNLs. The results suggest that NO inhibits free radical generation from rat PMNLs

Assessment of genetic diversity in Indian Barnyard millet (Echinochloa spp. complex) using morphological and molecular markers

In the present study, morphological and molecular markers (RAPD primers) were used to analyze the genetic diversity and genetic relationships among 21 accessions of Echinochloa spp. complex comprising the wild and cultivated species collected from Melghat and adjoining regions of Vidarbha, Maharashtra. The availability of diverse genetic resources is a prerequisite for genetic improvement of any crop including barnyard millet. A high degree of molecular diversity among the landraces was detected. Among the 21 genotypes, two major groups (A and B) were formed, at 67.28 % similarity, which clearly encompasses 15 accessions of E. frumentacea and 6 accessions of E. colona. Higher similarity was observed in accessions of E. frumentacea. The accessions IC 597322 and IC 597323 also IC 597302 and IC 597304 showed more than 94% similarity among themselves. The classification of genetic diversity has enabled clear-cut grouping of barnyard millet accessions into two morphological races (E. frumentacea and E. colona)

Ideal distortion-less bending of a focused non-paraxial electron beam

a b s t r a c t In specific applications, where electron beam is required to be bent after passing through the focusing optics, the beam spot on the target is distorted due to asymmetry introduced by the bending. For complete elimination of the above distortion, a circularly asymmetric initial velocity distribution of electrons that move in a radially decreasing magnetic field (i.e. index of field gradient ¼ 1) is proposed. The expression is quantitatively exact for beams with any angle of bending even when paraxial condition is not satisfied i.e. beam cross-sectional diameter is comparable with the radius of curvature of bending. Modified expression for the case, when kinetic energy of the electrons increases due to timevarying field during its motion through the bending magnetic field is also given as a result of which complexity of the magnetic field design (for strong focusing) can be avoided. Finally, a numerical model of electron gun is utilized to compare the results of proposed model

IMD's new operational models for long-range forecast of southwest monsoon rainfall over India and their verification for 2003

In 2003, India Meteorological Department (IMD) introduced several new models for the long-range forecast of the southwest monsoon rainfall. With this, it has become possible to issue the long-range forecasts in two stages. On 16 April, IMD issued the forecast for the 2003 southwest monsoon rainfall for the country as a whole, giving its users an extra lead time of about 40 days. On 9 July, IMD issued a forecast update and additional forecasts for three broad homogeneous regions of India. It also gave a five-category probabilistic forecast. In view of its importance for agriculture, for the first time, IMD also issued a forecast for July rainfall. The development of the new models is discussed in this article. The forecasts issued operationally in 2003 using these new models have proved to be accurate

Association of Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) identified SNPs and risk of breast cancer in an Indian population

To date, no studies have investigated the association of the GWAS-identified SNPs with BC risk in Indian population. We investigated the association of 30 previously reported and replicated BC susceptibility SNPs in 1,204 cases and 1,212 controls from a hospital based case-control study conducted at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. As a measure of total susceptibility burden, the polygenic risk score (PRS) for each individual was defined by the weighted sum of genotypes from 21 independent SNPs with weights derived from previously published estimates of association odds-ratios. Logistic regression models were used to assess risk associated with individual SNPs and overall PRS, and stratified by menopausal and receptor status. A total of 11 SNPs from eight genomic regions (FGFR2, 9q31.2, MAP3K, CCND1, ZM1Z1, RAD51L11, ESR1 and UST) showed statistically significant (p-value = 0.05) evidence of association, either overall or when stratified by menopausal status or hormone receptor status. BC SNPs previously identified in Caucasian population showed evidence of replication in the Indian population mainly with respect to risk of postmenopausal and hormone receptor positive BC. © 2017 The Author(s)

The role of the subtropical jet in deficient winter precipitation across the mid-Holocene Indus basin

The mid-Holocene (7-5 ka) was a period with an increased seasonal insolation cycle, resulting from decreased insolation during northern hemisphere winter. Here, a set of six CMIP5 models is used to show that the decreased insolation reduced the upper-tropospheric meridional temperature gradient, producing a weaker subtropical jet with less horizontal shear. These effects work to reduce the baroclinic and barotropic instability available for perturbations to grow, and in consequence, storm-tracking results show that there are fewer winter storms over India and Pakistan (known as western disturbances). These western disturbances are weaker, resulting in a reduction in winter precipitation of around 15% in the north Indus Basin. Combined with previous work showing greater northwestward extent of the Indian monsoon during the mid-Holocene, our GCM-derived results are consistent with the Indus Basin changing from a summer-growing season in the mid-Holocene to a winter-growing season in the present day

Synthesis of novel tetrapeptides as potential ACE inhibitors

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MULTI-SENSOR GEODETIC APPROACH FOR LANDSLIDE DETECTION AND MONITORING

The lesser Himalayan region is mostly affected by landslide events occurring due to rainfall, steep slopes and presence of tectonic activity beneath, causing loss of life and property. Some critical zones in the region have encountered recurring landslides over the past and need careful investigation for better planning and rescue operations. This research work presents a geodetic framework comprising multiple sensors to monitor the Sirobagarh landslide in Uttarakhand, India, which is affected by recurring landslides. Three field visits were made to this site for geodetic data collection using Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Robotic Total Station (RTS). Co-registration and vegetation removal of the TLS scans corresponding to the three visits resulted in generation of three Digital Elevation Models (DEM), which were differenced to estimate temporal movement of the landslide scarp. DEM differences indicate subsidence of the landslide scarp with vertical displacement values ranging from −0.05 to −5.0 m. Rainfall induced debris flow is one of the prominent reason for large displacement magnitude (∼5 m) in the upper landslide scarp. Horizontal displacement estimates obtained by geodetic network analysis of six GNSS stations installed on the study site show movement towards the Alaknanda river. The maximum horizontal and vertical displacement values for the GNSS stations were 0.1305 m and −2.1315 m respectively. Similar pattern is observed by displacement measurements of RTS target reflectors installed on a retaining wall constructed to arrest the debris flow approaorching the National Highway. The displacement estimates obtained from the sensors applied in this study indicate subsidence of the landslide scarp and surroundings. More time series observations can provide better understanding of the overall deformation process