Removal of Chromium (VI) cation metal using Poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)/Magnetite nanocomposite from aqueous media

Groundwater contamination with heavy metals is considered as serious environmental hazard that affect the human society. Nano adsorbents incorporating magnetite nanoparticles provides promising alternative to facilitate removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater. The present work focuses on removal of chromium (VI) cationic metals from aqueous media using Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP)/Magnetite (Fe3O4) Nanocomposite (MNC). Magnetite nanoparticles are synthesized using chemical co-precipitation and grafted using polyvinyl pyrrolidone to form a magnetite nanocomposite. MNC were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Infrared absorption spectrum (FT-IR) studies to affirm the formation and presence of polymeric functional groups of PVP/Magnetite nanocomposite. Batch experiments are carried out at exclusive concentration intervals to study about the adsorption efficiency of MNC on chromium (VI) cationic metal using U-Vis spectroscopy. The results obtained through adsorption studies shows the synthesized PVP/Magnetite nanocomposites has a removal efficiency of 94%

A review of antibiotic synergy in carbapenemase-producing bacteria

The problem of antibiotic resistance has garnered too much attention over the last few decades for posing a global hazard to the clinical handling and the inhibition of several deadly infections caused by bacteria. It burdens the world not only clinically but also economically... Antibiotic agents known as carbapenems are a very effective and  typically designated for the treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections. To identify a suitable antibiotic combination to be used in vivo, one must be able to determine the synergism between the antibiotics in vitro. Several methods, such as the checkerboard method, multiple-combination bactericidal test, time-kill and E-test, have been used for this purpose. However, the lack of proper standardization procedures, types of bacterial agents, bacterial load, stage of infection and other factors make it very difficult to reproduce or correlate the results with other methods.Carbapenem-destroying lactases, which have recently emerged as mechanisms of resistance, are increasing in number and decreasing the treatment alternatives available. These infections are treated with colistin and tigecycline, but monotherapy may result in clinical breakdown because of a variety of factors. To control these infections, clinicians often choose combinations of drugs over monotherapy. There is an extreme lack of information on synergistic antibiotic combinations accounting for the diverse mechanisms of GNB resistance commonly encountered. The incidence of carbapenem-resistant GNB in Indian articles is also unknown. Therefore, we anticipate that this study may provide methodology for the selection of an appropriate antibiotic combination

Electrodynamics of the equatorial F-region ionosphere during pre-sunrise period

The electrodynamics of the pre-sunrise equatorial F-region is investigated using HF Doppler radar and digital ionosonde. The observations are limited to those days for which the radar probing frequency is below the ƒoF2 value. The ionosphere observation using HF Doppler radar exhibit interesting features during pre-sunrise period similar to the post sunset pre-reversal enhancement. The most striking feature observed during pre-sunrise period is the sudden downward excursion in the vertical drift around local sunrise followed by an upward turning. Pre-sunrise observations of vertical plasma drift and the sunrise downward excursion followed by an upward turning after the ground sunrise related to the zonal electric field at the equatorial F-region are the most significant results not reported earlier

Mitigating Phytophthora foot rot and slow decline diseases of black pepper through the deployment of bacterial antagonists

Field trial was conducted at ICAR-IISR Experimental Farm, Peruvannamuzhi, Kozhikode district, Kerala, during 2008-2013 using IPM modules. Planting materials of black pepper were produced by raising two node runners cuttings treated with chemicals and bioagents. A plot having non-living standards in 3 x 2 m spacing was selected. Pits of 50 cm3 were made and buffered with lime and cow dung. Planting was done with three month old rooted plants where roots were primed with respective bacterium/chemical. The experiment was in RCBD with eight treatments viz., Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Bp 35) + Phorate, P. putida (Bp 25) + Phorate, P. fluorescence (IISR 6)  (later identified as P.aeruginosa) + Phorate, Bacillus megaterium (Bp 17) + Metalaxyl Mz, Curtobacterium luteum (TC10) + Metalaxyl Mz, P. aeruginosa (IISR 853) + Metalaxyl Mz and Phorate + Metalaxyl Mz (chemical check) and an absolute control having no treatments.  The differential treatments were imposed at planting in May and subsequent application in September and thereafter every year. Initial two years, plants were maintained weed free by plastic mulching. Commonly, shade and irrigation were provided during summer in the first two years and thereafter only mulching and irrigation were continued. All the plants were sprayed with ZnSO4 (0.25%), DAP (0.5%) and MgSO4 (0.25%) during May and September from second year onwards. For controlling ‘Pollu’ beetle (Longitarsus nigripennis) and anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), quinalphos (0.075%) + Bordeaux mixture (1%) was sprayed twice during September and November. Soil biological properties and pathogen population were monitored regularly. No foot rot incidence due to Phytophthora spp. could be noticed in any of the treatments till the end of the experimental period. However, nematode infection, manifested as yellowing of the vines, as well as nematode population showed a gradual increase. Among the treatments, C. luteum (TC 10) with Metalaxyl- Mz showed significant reduction in nematode population and also showed better performance in growth and yield

The SLUGGS Survey: stellar kinematics, kinemetry and trends at large radii in 25 early-type galaxies

Due to longer dynamical time-scales, the outskirts of early-type galaxies retain the footprint of their formation and assembly. Under the popular two-phase galaxy formation scenario, an initial in situ phase of star formation is followed by minor merging and accretion of ex situ stars leading to the expectation of observable transitions in the kinematics and stellar populations on large scales. However, observing the faint galactic outskirts is challenging, often leaving the transition unexplored. The large-scale, spatially resolved stellar kinematic data from the SAGES Legacy Unifying Galaxies and GlobularS (SLUGGS) survey are ideal for detecting kinematic transitions. We present kinematic maps out to 2.6 effective radii on average, kinemetry profiles, measurement of kinematic twists and misalignments, and the average outer intrinsic shape of 25 SLUGGS galaxies. We find good overall agreement in the kinematic maps and kinemetry radial profiles with literature. We are able to confirm significant radial modulations in rotational versus pressure support of galaxies with radius so that the central and outer rotational properties may be quite different. We also test the suggestion that galaxies may be more triaxial in their outskirts and find that while fast rotating galaxies were already shown to be axisymmetric in their inner regions, we are unable to rule out triaxiality in their outskirts.We compare our derived outer kinematic information to model predictions from a two-phase galaxy formation scenario. We find that the theoretical range of local outer angular momentum agrees well with our observations, but that radial modulations are much smaller than predicted

Transgenic Biofortification of the Starchy Staple Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Generates a Novel Sink for Protein

Although calorie dense, the starchy, tuberous roots of cassava provide the lowest sources of dietary protein within the major staple food crops (Manihot esculenta Crantz). (Montagnac JA, Davis CR, Tanumihardjo SA. (2009) Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 8:181–194). Cassava was genetically modified to express zeolin, a nutritionally balanced storage protein under control of the patatin promoter. Transgenic plants accumulated zeolin within de novo protein bodies localized within the root storage tissues, resulting in total protein levels of 12.5% dry weight within this tissue, a fourfold increase compared to non-transgenic controls. No significant differences were seen for morphological or agronomic characteristics of transgenic and wild type plants in the greenhouse and field trials, but relative to controls, levels of cyanogenic compounds were reduced by up to 55% in both leaf and root tissues of transgenic plants. Data described here represent a proof of concept towards the potential transformation of cassava from a starchy staple, devoid of storage protein, to one capable of supplying inexpensive, plant-based proteins for food, feed and industrial applications

Loss of Arp2/3 induces an NF-κB–dependent, nonautonomous effect on chemotactic signaling

A decrease in Arp2/3 levels results in an NF-κB–dependent increase in the expression of several secreted factors, resulting in nonautonomous effects on chemotaxis.Arp2/3-branched actin is critical for cytoskeletal dynamics and cell migration. However, perturbations and diseases affecting this network have phenotypes that cannot be fully explained by cell-autonomous effects. In this paper, we report nonautonomous effects of Arp2/3 depletion. We show that, upon Arp2/3 depletion, the expression of numerous genes encoding secreted factors, including chemokines, growth factors, and matrix metalloproteases, was increased, a signature resembling the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. These factors affected epidermal growth factor chemotaxis in a nonautonomous way, resolving the recent contradictions about the role of Arp2/3 in chemotaxis. We demonstrate that these genes were activated by nuclear factor κB via a CCM2–MEKK3 pathway that has been implicated in hyperosmotic stress signaling. Consistent with this, Arp2/3-depleted cells showed misregulation of volume control and reduced actin in the submembranous cortex. The defects in osmotic signaling in the Arp2/3-depleted cells can be rescued by hypoosmotic treatment. Thus, perturbations of Arp2/3 have nonautonomous effects that should be considered when evaluating experimental manipulations and diseases affecting the Arp2/3-actin cytoskeleton

Povezanost između polimorfizama XRCC1 ARG399GLN i P53 ARG72PRO s rizikom od raka želuca i debeloga crijeva u turskoj populaciji

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers of the gastrointestinal system, and its overall fi ve-year survival rate is still 15 % to 20 %, as it can mostly be diagnosed at an advanced stage. On the other hand, although colorectal cancer has a rather good prognosis, mortality is one half that of the incidence. As carcinogenesis is believed to involve reactive radicals that cause DNA adduct formation, impaired repair activity, and weakened tumour suppression, it would help to understand the role of the polymorphisms of nucleotide excision repair enzyme XRCC1 and of tumour suppressor gene p53 in gastric and colorectal cancers. Our study included 94 gastric cancer patients, 96 colorectal cancer patients, and 108 cancer-free individuals as control with the aim to see if there was an association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln and p53 Arg72Pro polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells and genotypes were determined using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Polymorphism p53 Arg72Pro was not associated with either gastric or colorectal carcinoma, while XRCC1 Arg399Gln was not associated with the increased risk of colorectal cancer. However, XRCC1 homozygous Gln allele at codon 399 was associated with 2.54 times higher risk of gastric cancer.Rak želuca najčešći je oblik karcinoma probavnoga sustava, a ukupno mu je preživljenje i dalje 15 % do 20 %, budući da se većinom dijagnosticira u poodmakloj fazi razvoja. S druge pak strane, premda rak debeloga crijeva ima prilično dobru prognozu, smrtnost je i dalje 50 %. Vjeruje se da je nastanak karcinoma povezan s reaktivnim radikalima koji uzrokuju stvaranje DNA-adukata, onemogućavaju popravak DNA te slabe supresiju tumora. Stoga bi bilo korisno razumjeti ulogu polimorfi zama gena za enzim XRCC1 koji sudjeluje u popravku isjecanjem nukleotida i tumor-supresorskoga gena p53 u nastanku raka želuca i debeloga crijeva. Naše je ispitivanje obuhvatilo 94 bolesnika s rakom želuca, 96 bolesnika s rakom debeloga crijeva te 108 kontrolnhih ispitanika (koji nisu oboljeli od bilo kojeg oblika raka) s ciljem da se utvrdi povezanost između polimorfi zama XRCC1 Arg399Gln i p53 Arg72Pro i sklonosti nastanku raka. DNA je dobiven iz stanica periferne krvi, a genotip utvrđen s pomoću metode lančane reakcije polimerazom - polimorfi zma restrikcijskih fragmenata na osnovi dužine (PCRRLFP). Polimorfi zam p53 Arg72Pro nije se pokazao povezanim s povećanim rizikom od raka želuca ili debeloga crijeva niti je XRCC1 Arg399Gln bio povezan s povećanim rizikom od raka debeloga crijeva, ali je zato rizik od raka želuca u homozigotnih nositelja ovoga polimorfi zma bio 2,54 puta veći