239 research outputs found
Physiological and molecular characterization of in vitro cultures of an endemic medicinal herb, Chlorophytum borivilianum, under abiotic stress
This investigation was carried out to evaluate the effects of abiotic stress on the in vitro cultures of Chlorophytum borivilianum. Regenerated plantlets were re-inoculated on media containing different concentrations of sodium chloride (0, 34.2, 68.4, 136.8 and 171.0 μM) and mannitol (0, 10.6, 21.3, 42.7 and 53.4 μM), and thus subjected to in vitro salinity and drought stress. Both salinity and drought conditions affected all the morphological parameters and decreased growth performance at a higher concentration of sodium chloride and mannitol, respectively. The chlorophyll content decreased with time, while proline and protein content increased in the in vitro stress plant. The control and stress tolerant plantlets were subjected to random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis using 24 random decamers primers. Only 15 RAPD primers showed polymorphism and a total of 52 polymorphic loci were scored. The control plants showed the highest similarity with the drought stress plantlet, while plant under salinity stress showed least similarity. Two groups were generated from the RADP data in the dendrogram after UPGMA cluster analysis based on Jaccard’s similarity estimates for the RAPD data. The 2 dimensional scaling by principal component analysis (PCA) was in agreement with the similarity index.Key words: Abiotic stress, proline, Chlorophytum borivilianum, salinity, mannitol, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers
Fresnel zone plate telescopes for X-ray imaging II: numerical simulations with parallel and diverging beams
We present the results of simulations of shadows cast by a zone plate
telescope which may have one to four pairs of zone plates. From the shadows we
reconstruct the images under various circumstances. We discuss physical basis
of the resolution of the telescope and demonstrate this by our simulations. We
allow the source to be at a finite distance (diverging beam) as well as at an
infinite distance (parallel beam) and show that the resolution is worsened when
the source is nearby. By reconstructing the zone plates in a way that both the
zone plates subtend the same solid angles at the source, we obtain back high
resolution even for sources at a finite distance. We present simulated results
for the observation of the galactic center and show that the sources of varying
intensities may be reconstructed with accuracy. Results of these simulations
would be of immense use in interpreting the X-ray images from recently launched
CORONAS-PHOTON satellite.Comment: 17 pages, 36 figures, Published in Experimental Astronom
Instruments of RT-2 Experiment onboard CORONAS-PHOTON and their test and evaluation III: Coded Aperture Mask and Fresnel Zone Plates in RT-2/CZT Payload
Imaging in hard X-rays of any astrophysical source with high angular
resolution is a challenging job. Shadow-casting technique is one of the most
viable options for imaging in hard X-rays. We have used two different types of
shadow-casters, namely, Coded Aperture Mask (CAM) and Fresnel Zone Plate (FZP)
pair and two types of pixellated solid-state detectors, namely, CZT and CMOS in
RT-2/CZT payload, the hard X-ray imaging instrument onboard the CORONAS-PHOTON
satellite. In this paper, we present the results of simulations with different
combinations of coders (CAM & FZP) and detectors that are employed in the
RT-2/CZT payload. We discuss the possibility of detecting transient Solar
flares with good angular resolution for various combinations. Simulated results
are compared with laboratory experiments to verify the consistency of the
designed configuration.Comment: 27 pages, 16 figures, Accepted for publication in Experimental
Astronomy (in press
Generalized Flows around Neutron Stars
In this chapter, we present a brief and non-exhaustive review of the
developments of theoretical models for accretion flows around neutron stars. A
somewhat chronological summary of crucial observations and modelling of timing
and spectral properties are given in sections 2 and 3. In section 4, we argue
why and how the Two-Component Advective Flow (TCAF) solution can be applied to
the cases of neutron stars when suitable modifications are made for the NSs. We
showcase some of our findings from Monte Carlo and Smoothed Particle
Hydrodynamic simulations which further strengthens the points raised in section
4. In summary, we remark on the possibility of future works using TCAF for both
weakly magnetic and magnetic Neutron Stars.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:1901.0084
Type I insulin-like growth factor receptor over-expression induces proliferation and anti-apoptotic signaling in a three-dimensional culture model of breast epithelial cells
INTRODUCTION: Activation of the type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFIR) promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in a variety of cell types. Transgenic mice expressing a constitutively active IGFIR or IGF-I develop mammary tumors and increased levels of IGFIR have been detected in primary breast cancers. However, the contribution of IGFIR activation in promoting breast cancer progression remains unknown. Mammary epithelial cell lines grown in three-dimensional cultures form acinar structures that mimic the round, polarized, hollow and growth-arrested features of mammary alveoli. We used this system to determine how proliferation and survival signaling by IGFIR activation affects breast epithelial cell biology and contributes to breast cancer progression. METHODS: Pooled, stable MCF-10A breast epithelial cells expressing wild-type IGFIR or kinase-dead IGFIR (K1003A) were generated using retroviral-mediated gene transfer. The effects of over-expression of wild-type or kinase-dead IGFIR on breast epithelial cell biology were analyzed by confocal microscopy of three-dimensional cultures. The contribution of signaling pathways downstream of IGFIR activation to proliferation and apoptosis were determined by pharmacological inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3' kinase (PI3K) with LY294002, MAP kinase kinase (MEK) with UO126 and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) with rapamycin. RESULTS: We found that MCF-10A cells over-expressing the IGFIR formed large, misshapen acinar structures with filled lumina and disrupted apico-basal polarization. This phenotype was ligand-dependent, occurring with IGF-I or supraphysiological doses of insulin, and did not occur in cells over-expressing the kinase-dead receptor. We observed increased proliferation, decreased apoptosis and increased phosphorylation of Ser(473 )of Akt and Ser(2448 )of mTOR throughout IGFIR structures. Inhibition of PI3K with LY294002 or MEK with UO126 prevented the development of acinar structures from IGFIR-expressing but not control cells. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin failed to prevent IGFIR-induced hyperproliferation and survival signaling. CONCLUSION: Increased proliferation and survival signaling as well as loss of apico-basal polarity by IGFIR activation in mammary epithelial cells may promote early lesions of breast cancer. Three-dimensional cultures of MCF-10A cells over-expressing the IGFIR are a useful model with which to study the role of IGFIR signaling in breast cancer progression and for characterizing the effects of chemotherapeutics targeted to IGFIR signaling
Viability of Noether symmetry of F(R) theory of gravity
Canonization of F(R) theory of gravity to explore Noether symmetry is
performed treating R - 6(\frac{\ddot a}{a} + \frac{\dot a^2}{a^2} +
\frac{k}{a^2}) = 0 as a constraint of the theory in Robertson-Walker
space-time, which implies that R is taken as an auxiliary variable. Although it
yields correct field equations, Noether symmetry does not allow linear term in
the action, and as such does not produce a viable cosmological model. Here, we
show that this technique of exploring Noether symmetry does not allow even a
non-linear form of F(R), if the configuration space is enlarged by including a
scalar field in addition, or taking anisotropic models into account.
Surprisingly enough, it does not reproduce the symmetry that already exists in
the literature (A. K. Sanyal, B. Modak, C. Rubano and E. Piedipalumbo,
Gen.Relativ.Grav.37, 407 (2005), arXiv:astro-ph/0310610) for scalar tensor
theory of gravity in the presence of R^2 term. Thus, R can not be treated as an
auxiliary variable and hence Noether symmetry of arbitrary form of F(R) theory
of gravity remains obscure. However, there exists in general, a conserved
current for F(R) theory of gravity in the presence of a non-minimally coupled
scalar-tensor theory (A. K. Sanyal, Phys.Lett.B624, 81 (2005),
arXiv:hep-th/0504021 and Mod.Phys.Lett.A25, 2667 (2010), arXiv:0910.2385
[astro-ph.CO]). Here, we briefly expatiate the non-Noether conserved current
and cite an example to reveal its importance in finding cosmological solution
for such an action, taking F(R) \propto R^{3/2}.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure. appears in Int J Theoretical Phys (2012
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