ASSESSMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS OF TWO GAS- TURBINE PLANTS WITH NAPHTHA AND NAPHTHA-RFG MIXTURE AS FUELS

To enhance sustainability of any energy system exergy based sustainability indicators (exergy efficiency, waste exergy ratio, environmental effect factor and exergetic sustainability index) are used. In the present paper sustainability aspects of two GT based power plant are carried out using sustainability indicators. For this purpose, two GT1) configurations, case A (Naphtha based GT power plant) and case B (Naphtha-Residual fuel gas mixture GT 2) are taken up as case study. Results show that exergetic sustainability index obtained as for case A is higher as compared to case B

Transcriptome Analysis for Abiotic Stresses in Rice (<em>Oryza sativa</em> L.)

Rice, a model monocot system, belongs to the family Poaceae and genus Oryza. Rice is the second largest produced cereal and staple food crop fulfilling the demand of half the world’s population. Though rice demand is growing exponentially, its production is severely affected by variable environmental changes. The various abiotic factors drastically reduce the rice plant growth and yield by affecting its different growth stages. To fulfill the growing demand of rice, it is imperative to understand its molecular responses during stresses and to develop new varieties to overcome the stresses. Earlier, the microarray experiments have been used for the identification of coexpressive gene networks during various conditions in crop plants. Though the microarray experiments provided very useful information, the unviability of genome-wide information did not provide complete information about the regulatory gene networks involved in the stress response. The advancement of molecular techniques provided breakthrough to understanding the complex regulatory gene networks and their signaling pathways during stresses. The high-throughput RNA sequencing data have opened the floodgate of transcriptome data in rice. Here we have summarized some of the transcriptome data for abiotic molecular responses in rice, which further help to understand their complex regulatory mechanism

Isolation, cloning and characterization of phlB gene from an Indian strain of Gram negative soil bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens

412-419Phloroglucinol (PHL) or 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) is a polyketide compound that exhibits broad spectrum anti-bacterial and antifungal properties against soil-borne plant pathogens. It is produced by gram negative bacterium Pseudomonas (fluorescent Pseudomonad) which renders them a potential biological control agent. The process of PHL production is accomplished by a well coordinated activity of four (phlABCD) genes arranged in an operon. All four genes are essential and indispensable for biosynthesis of DAPG from precursor malonyl CoA. Here, we report cloning and analysis of phlB gene from an Indian strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens. Further, we predicted the structure of PHLB protein and analyzed its intrinsic details. Stereo-chemical properties were analyzed by Ramachandran plot and secondary structure was retrieved by PDB sum. Our study provides insight into the structure of PHLB protein and revealed that though Pseudomonas PHLB lacks conserved motifs and domains it is indispensable for monoacetyl phloroglucinol (MAPG) synthesis

Effect of plasma treatment on crease recovery finish of linen with carboxylic acid

470-474The effect of helium plasma treatment has been investigated on crease recovery finish of linen fabric using carboxylic acid as crosslinker. After the plasma treatment, 5% increase in wet pickup is observed compared to the control fabric. This plasma treated sample is crosslinked with butyl tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). The significant increase in crease recovery angle is found as compared to the untreated crosslinked fabric. However, significant reduction in tearing is also observed in both the cases. Tearing strength could be improved to acceptable range by adding silicone softener during cross-linking process. The untreated and plasma-treated fabrics are analyzed by scanning electron microscope and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to investigate the changes in surface morphology and surface functional groups

Effect of plasma treatment on crease recovery finish of linen with carboxylic acid

The effect of helium plasma treatment has been investigated on crease recovery finish of linen fabric using carboxylic acid as crosslinker. After the plasma treatment, 5% increase in wet pickup is observed compared to the control fabric. This plasma treated sample is crosslinked with butyl tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). The significant increase in crease recovery angle is found as compared to the untreated crosslinked fabric. However, significant reduction in tearing is also observed in both the cases. Tearing strength could be improved to acceptable range by adding silicone softener during cross-linking process. The untreated and plasma-treated fabrics are analyzed by scanning electron microscope and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to investigate the changes in surface morphology and surface functional groups.

Exceptional molecular and coreceptor-requirement properties of molecular clones isolated from an Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 subtype C infection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The pathogenic significance of coreceptor switch in the viral infection of HIV-1 is not completely understood. This situation is more complex in subtype C infection where coreceptor switch is either absent or extremely rare. To gain insights into the mechanisms that underlie coreceptor requirement of subtype C, we screened several primary viral isolates and identified a clinical sample that demonstrated a potential to grow on standard T-cell lines with no detectable CCR5 expression. The subject was diagnosed with HIV-1 associated dementia in the absence of opportunistic infections of the brain. To isolate molecular clones from this virus, we devised a novel strategy based on anchor primers that target a sequence in the reverse transcriptase, highly conserved among diverse subtypes of HIV-1.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using this strategy, we isolated 8 full-length molecular clones from the donor. Two of the eight molecular clones, 03In94_D17 and 03In94_D24, (D17 and D24) generated replication-competent viruses. Phylogenetic analysis of the full-length viral sequences revealed that both clones were non-recombinant subtype C viruses. They contain intact open reading frames in all the viral proteins. Both the viral clones are endowed with several unique molecular and biological properties. The viral promoter of the clones is characterized by the presence of four NF-kB binding elements, a feature rarely seen in the subtype C HIV-1 LTR. Interestingly, we identified the coexistence of two different forms of Rev, a truncated form common to subtype C and a full-length form less common for this subtype, in both proviral and plasma virus compartments. An exceptional property of the viruses, atypical of subtype C, is their ability to use a wide range of coreceptors including CCR5, CXCR4, and several others tested. Sequence analysis of Env of D17 and D24 clones identified differences within the variable loops providing important clues for the expanded coreceptor use. The V1, V2 and V4 loops in both of the molecular clones are longer due to the insertion of several amino acid residues that generated potential N-linked glycosylation sites.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The exceptional biological and molecular properties of these clones make them invaluable tools to understand the unique pathogenic characteristics of subtype C.</p

Polyacrylonitrile and polylactic acid blend nanofibre spinning using needleless electrospinning technique

In this work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polylactic acid (PLA) blended polymers have been used to prepare a flexible and partially biodegradable electrospun nanofibre sheet suitable for filtration application. Also, acetone has been used as a replacement of dimethyl formamide (DMF) during spinning and a needleless (wire electrode) electrospinning machine has been used for filament preparation. Initially, PAN fibre is spun with DMF and various parameters, such as polymer concentration, voltage, distance between electrodes and RH%, are standardised. With these standard parameters, PLA is then added with PAN, and PLA concentration is optimised without affecting the desired fibre diameter. Further, the amount of acetone with DMF is also standardised without affecting the fibre diameter. Finally, polymer concentration of 2.5% PAN with 0.5% of PLA, a potential difference of 55 kV, electrode distance of 125mm at 35% RH and 10% acetone are found suitable for getting the desired nanofibre with minimum diameter.

Drought Induced Signaling in Rice: Delineating Canonical and Non-canonical Pathways

Drought induced stress is often a bottleneck of agricultural crop production. Invariably, field crops across all agro-ecological regions succumb to it with an yield penalty. Drought massively affects the growth and harvestable yield in crops and has become an imminent problem necessitating breeding of tolerant crops. It induces myriad changes of biochemical, molecular, and physiological nature that manifest into aberrant plant morphology. The response to drought in plants incites a signaling cascade that involves perception and translation of drought signal leading to concomitant modulation of gene expression and de novo osmolyte synthesis. The intricate patterns of expression of these genes vary from early induction to late responsive genes. While one class of genes codes for products imparting osmotolerance and protection to plants, the second class predominantly modulates target gene expression by an intricate signal transduction mechanism. This review summarizes both canonical and non-canonical cascades of drought stress response in plants, delineating the mechanism in rice (Oryza sativa) and emphasizes hydropenia induced lipid signaling