Crystallization of sheep (Ovis aries) and goat (Capra hircus) haemoglobins under unbuffered low-salt conditions

The haemoglobins from low oxygen affinity species, sheep and goat are crystallized under unbuffered low-salt conditions to explore the possibility of obtaining new crystal forms

Purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic study of low oxygen-affinity haemoglobin from cat (Felis silvestris catus) in two different crystal forms

Preliminary studies were carried out to purify and crystallize the sample from cat (Felis silvestris catus), a low oxygen-affinity haemoglobin in different crystal forms

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies on avian haemoglobin from pigeon (Columba livia)

Crystallization of pigeon haemoglobin at low pH (5.5) and high ionic concentration (1 M) using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method is reported

Spatial Yield Assessment of Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor) Using DSSAT – CERES –Sorghum Model in Solapur, Maharashtra, India

Accurate estimation of crop yield is crucial for ensuring food security and effective policy making. This study focuses on the estimation of sorghum yield in the Solapur region of Maharashtra (India), employing the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model. Sorghum is the fifth largely produced staple crop of the world which also plays a vital role in the food security produced by India. Maharashtra has the largest area under sorghum crop, and Solapur has the most area under rabi sorghum with an area of 4.6 lakh ha, accounting for 23% of the total area under rabi sorghum in the state. Although productivity is lower in Maharashtra than in other states, these studies will help us to get a preharvest estimate of the crop.  Crop Cutting Experiments(CCE) were conducted for rabi sorghum and the model was validated for the simulated yields; which have a range of grain yield from 611 to 1525 kgs ha-1 and showed error with less than 14% and it was evaluated with statistical models such R2, Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE) and results show as 84%, 0.84 and 0.07. This model can be used further used for the yield gap analysis, and climate change studies for the locations

Structure of liganded T-state haemoglobin from cat ( Felis silvestris catus ), a low oxygen-affinity species, in two different crystal forms

Haemoglobin (Hb) is an iron-containing metalloprotein which plays a major role in the transportation of oxygen from the lungs to tissues and of carbon dioxide back to the lungs. Hb is in equilibrium between low-affinity tense (T) and high-affinity relaxed (R) states associated with its unliganded and liganded forms, respectively. Mammalian species can be classified into two groups on the basis of whether they express `high' or `low' oxygen-affinity Hbs. Although Hbs from the former group have been studied extensively, a more limited number of structural studies have been performed for low oxygen-affinity Hbs. Here, the crystal structure of low oxygen-affinity cat methaemoglobin (metHb) has been solved at 2.0 and 2.4 Å resolution in two different crystal forms. Even though both structures are fully liganded, they unusually adopt a T-state-like quaternary conformation but with several localized R-like tertiary-structural and quaternary-structural features. The study provides atomic-level insights into the ligand-binding properties of this Hb, including its low cooperativity, blunt response to allosteric effectors and low affinity for oxygen, as well as further contributing to the mechanism underlying Hb allostery.Published versio

Synthesis and Characterization of Silica Nanoparticles Derived from Tea Factory Generated Wood Ash

India is the second most prolific tea producing nation in the world, which consumes 82% of its tea production, accounting for 19.5% of global tea consumption. Despite the improvement in technology, employing wood to produce heat has been a vital element of tea processing for generations. Many tea specialists experience that it adds a particular fragrant touch to the finished tea product. However, the management of wood ash generated by tea factories is a significant concern due to the large amount of wood burned during tea processing. Therefore, transportation and effective disposal of these large quantities of wood ash is a great challenge. Hence, this study aimed to effectively transform wood ash into a valuable product, nano silica particles so as to explore the scope for its better utilization in various applications. A series of experiments were carried out to optimize the parameters in the sol-gel technique for synthesizing silica nanoparticles from wood ash. Further, the synthesized nano silica particles were characterized by employing transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The standard operational protocol developed through this study demonstrated that wood ash can be effectively converted to silica nanoparticles in the size range of 20-50 nm, spherical in form with crystalline properties. Overall, the results of this work highlights the possibility of utilizing tea factory generated wood ash into silica nanoparticles with an immense potential for varied applications without environmental hazards