Coping the arsenic toxicity in rice plant with magnesium addendum for alluvial soil of indo-gangetic Bengal, India

Arsenic (As3+) is a toxic metalloid found in the earth’s crust, its elevated concentration is a concern for human health because rice is the staple grain in eastern part of India and the waterlogged rice field environment provides opportunity for more As3+ uptake. Magnesium (Mg2+) is an important plant nutrient. Present work is a search for reducing As3+ toxicity in plants through Mg2+ application. The findings are quite impressive, the root to shoot biomass ratio showed more than 1.5 times increase compared to the control. Total protein content increased 2 folds. Carbohydrate and chlorophyll content increased two to three times compared to control. On the other hand, Malondialdehyde content showed a decline with the application of increased Mg2+ dose. The in-silico study shows a better interaction with As3+ in presence of Mg2+ but interestingly without stress symptoms. These findings from the research indicate that Mg2+ application can be effective in reducing As3+ induced stress in plants

Quantum noise limited microwave amplification using a graphene Josephson junction

Josephson junctions (JJ) and their tunable properties, including their nonlinearities, form the core of superconducting circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED). In quantum circuits, low-noise amplification of feeble microwave signals is essential and the Josephson parametric amplifiers (JPA) are the widely used devices. The existing JPAs are based on Al-AlOx-Al tunnel junctions realized in a superconducting quantum interference device geometry, where magnetic flux is the knob for tuning the frequency. Recent experimental realizations of 2D van der Waals JJs provide an opportunity to implement various cQED devices with the added advantage of tuning the junction properties and the operating point using a gate potential. While other components of a possible 2D van der Waals cQED architecture have been demonstrated -- quantum noise limited amplifier, an essential component, has not been realized. Here we implement a quantum noise limited JPA, using a graphene JJ, that has linear resonance gate tunability of 3.5 GHz. We report 24 dB amplification with 10 MHz bandwidth and -130 dBm saturation power; performance on par with the best single-junction JPAs. Importantly, our gate tunable JPA works in the quantum-limited noise regime which makes it an attractive option for highly sensitive signal processing. Our work has implications for novel bolometers -- the low heat capacity of graphene together with JJ nonlinearity can result in an extremely sensitive microwave bolometer embedded inside a quantum noise-limited amplifier. In general, our work will open up exploration of scalable device architecture of 2D van der Waals materials by integrating a sensor with the quantum amplifier.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, and supplementary informatio

Bioregionalizm: praktyczna etyka środowiskowa z uwzględnieniem pragmatycznego ideału

The theories of environmental ethics battle about appropriate value of nature and consequently the appropriate human attitude towards nature. However, they are unable to influence actual human behavior towards nature. So what we need here is not another theory about what possesses intrinsic value or, what ought to influence behavior, but some strategies that can actually influence individual behavior, their attitude about unlimited consumption, and their present environmentally destructive lifestyles. Bioregionalism may be one such strategy. Bioregionalism, with its ethics of reinhabitation and precondition of identification with the local place ensures an emotional connection with nature, which may just be the answer to human induced environmental degradation. Further, such practical ethics has an underlying pragmatic ideal. Pragmatism is the school of thought that roughly holds that our ideas, theories, and world views should be examined in the light of their practical implications in our lives.Koncepcje etyki środowiskowej wskazują na odpowiednią wartość przyrody, a w konsekwencji odpowiedni stosunek człowieka do natury. Nie są one jednak w stanie wpływać na faktyczne ludzkie zachowania wobec natury. Potrzebujemy więc nie kolejnej teorii na temat tego, co ma wartość wewnętrzną lub, co powinno wpływać na nasze zachowanie, ale nowych strategii, które mogą faktycznie wpływać na indywidualne zachowanie ludzi, ich stosunek do nieograniczonej konsumpcji i obecny szkodliwy dla środowiska styl życia. Jedną z takich strategii może być bioregionalizm, który z jego etyką odnowy i założeniem identyfikacji z tym, co lokalne, zapewnia emocjonalny związek z naturą i odpowiedź na wywołaną przez człowieka degradację środowiska. Co więcej, taka praktyczna etyka ma ukryty pragmatyczny ideał. Pragmatyzm wszak jest szkołą myślenia, która z grubsza utrzymuje, że nasze idee, teorie i poglądy na świat powinny być badane w świetle ich praktycznych implikacji w naszym życiu

Self‐assembly and Neurotoxicity of Amyloid‐beta (21‐40) Peptide fragment: The regulatory Role of GxxxG Motifs

The three GxxxG repeating motifs from the C‐terminal region of β‐amyloid (Aβ) peptide play a significant role in regulating the aggregation kinetics of the peptide. Mutation of these glycine residues to leucine greatly accelerates the fibrillation process but generates a varied toxicity profile. Using an array of biophysical techniques, we demonstrated the uniqueness of the composite glycine residues in these structural repeats. We used solvent relaxation NMR spectroscopy to investigate the role played by the surrounding water molecules in determining the corresponding aggregation pathway. Notably, the conformational changes induced by Gly33 and Gly37 mutations result in significantly decreased toxicity in a neuronal cell line. Our results indicate that G33xxxG37 is the primary motif responsible for Aβ neurotoxicity, hence providing a direct structure–function correlation. Targeting this motif, therefore, can be a promising strategy to prevent neuronal cell death associated with Alzheimer's and other related diseases, such as type II diabetes and Parkinson's

Self‐assembly and Neurotoxicity of Amyloid‐beta (21‐40) Peptide fragment: The regulatory Role of GxxxG Motifs

The three GxxxG repeating motifs from the C‐terminal region of β‐amyloid (Aβ) peptide play a significant role in regulating the aggregation kinetics of the peptide. Mutation of these glycine residues to leucine greatly accelerates the fibrillation process but generates a varied toxicity profile. Using an array of biophysical techniques, we demonstrated the uniqueness of the composite glycine residues in these structural repeats. We used solvent relaxation NMR spectroscopy to investigate the role played by the surrounding water molecules in determining the corresponding aggregation pathway. Notably, the conformational changes induced by Gly33 and Gly37 mutations result in significantly decreased toxicity in a neuronal cell line. Our results indicate that G33xxxG37 is the primary motif responsible for Aβ neurotoxicity, hence providing a direct structure–function correlation. Targeting this motif, therefore, can be a promising strategy to prevent neuronal cell death associated with Alzheimer's and other related diseases, such as type II diabetes and Parkinson's

Comparison of viral load and duration of virus shedding in symptomatic and asymptomatic neonatal rotavirus infections

A single rotavirus strain causing asymptomatic infections as well as severe gastrointestinal disease has been described in the neonatal nurseries of the Christian Medical College, Vellore. In this study, quantitative real-time RT-PCR was used to determine the association of viral load with the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms in neonates. Viral load was estimated in terms of the crossing point [C(t) value] at which the amplicon could be detected in the real-time PCR assay. The study was carried out on 103 neonates, including 33 asymptomatic neonates and 70 neonates with different gastrointestinal symptoms. The duration of virus shedding was also compared between five symptomatic and four asymptomatic neonates using real-time RT-PCR. There was no significant difference in viral load between symptomatic and asymptomatic neonates (P = 0.087). Among neonates with different gastrointestinal symptoms, those presenting with feed intolerance and abdominal distension had a significantly higher viral load than those with other gastrointestinal symptoms (P = 0.02). For the study on virus shedding, nine neonates were followed up for a median duration of 53 days, with a median of 31 samples tested per child. Extended shedding of low copies of rotavirus was found, with no significant differences in pattern of shedding between symptomatic and asymptomatic neonates. The lack of correlation between viral load and gastrointestinal disease demonstrates yet another difference between neonatal rotavirus infection and infection in older children where higher viral load correlates with severe disease

Neem leaf glycoprotein prevents post-surgical sarcoma recurrence in Swiss mice by differentially regulating cytotoxic T and myeloid-derived suppressor cells

<div><p>Post-surgical tumor recurrence is a common problem in cancer treatment. In the present study, the role of neem leaf glycoprotein (NLGP), a novel immunomodulator, in prevention of post-surgical recurrence of solid sarcoma was examined. Data suggest that NLGP prevents tumor recurrence after surgical removal of sarcoma in Swiss mice and increases their tumor-free survival time. In NLGP-treated tumor-free mice, increased cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells and a decreased population of suppressor cells, especially myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) was observed. NLGP-treated CD8⁺ T cells showed greater cytotoxicity towards tumor-derived MDSCs and supernatants from the same CD8⁺ T cell culture caused upregulation of FasR and downregulation of cFLIP in MDSCs. To elucidate the role of CD8⁺ T cells, specifically in association with the downregulation in MDSCs, CD8⁺ T cells were depleted <i>in vivo</i> before NLGP immunization in surgically tumor removed mice and tumor recurrence was noted. These mice also exhibited increased MDSCs along with decreased levels of Caspase 3, Caspase 8 and increased cFLIP expression. In conclusion, it can be stated that NLGP, by activating CD8⁺ T cells, down regulates the proportion of MDSCs. Accordingly, suppressive effects of MDSCs on CD8⁺ T cells are minimized and optimum immune surveillance in tumor hosts is maintained to eliminate the residual tumor mass appearing during recurrence.</p></div

NLGP mediated downregulation of regulatory cells is CD8⁺ T cell dependent.

<p>(A) Flow cytometric assessment of the status of TAMs (CD11b⁺F4/80⁺), DC2s (CD11c⁺IL-10⁺), Tregs (CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺) and MDSCs (Gr1⁺CD11b⁺) in pre- and post-surgical S180 tumor bearing mice (n = 6). (B) Status of regulatory cells (TAMs, DC2s, Tregs, MDSCs) in post-surgery PBS, NLGP, CD8⁺ T cell depleted NLGP immunized mice (n = 6). (C) RT-PCR analysis to assess the expression of suppressive molecules present in MDSCs in surgically tumor removed PBS, NLGP and CD8⁺ T cell depleted NLGP immunized cohorts (n = 6). (D) Gene expression profile of molecules responsible for MDSC’s differentiation in NLGP and CD8⁺ T cell depleted NLGP immunized surgically tumor removed mice (n = 6). (E) RT-PCR analysis of S100A8 and S1001A9 molecules responsible for MDSCs trafficking in PBS, NLGP and CD8⁺ T cell depleted NLGP immunized surgically tumor removed mice (n = 6). (F) Status of CD8⁺ Ki67⁺ T cells after co culture with MDSCs isolated from PBS, NLGP, CD8+ T cell depleted NLGP mice. Representative figures along with bar diagram showing mean relative expression of three individual mice in each group are presented. (**<i>p</i><0.001,*<i>p</i><0.01).</p

CD8⁺ T cells downregulate MDSCs in Fas dependent pathway.

<p>(A) Percentage of Annexin V-PI⁺ MDSCs within the blood of PBS, NLGP, CD8⁺ T cell depleted NLGP immunized mice (n = 6). (B) Flow cytometric assessment of Gr1⁺FasR⁺ MDSCs in post-surgery PBS-, NLGP-treated mice with or without CD8⁺ T cell depletion. (C) Expression of FasL within CD8⁺ T cells in mice with tumor surgery in PBS and NLGP immunized mice. (D) Flow cytometric assessment of Caspase 3 within Gr1⁺ MDSCs in PBS, NLGP and CD8 depleted NLGP immunized mice. (E) Protein level expression of Caspase 3, Caspase 8 and cFLIP within MDSCs from PBS, NLGP and CD8 depleted NLGP immunized surgically tumor removed mice. (n = 6, in each group). (F) Experimental design with MDSCs and CD8⁺ T cells. (G1) Expression of FasL within NLGP-treated CD8⁺ T cells. (G2) Expression of cFLIP and FasR within MDSCs in the presence and absence of supernatants from NLGP-treated CD8⁺ T cells, with or without IFNγ neutralization. (H) Assessment of the cytotoxic potential of NLGP-treated CD8⁺ T cells towards tumor-derived MDSCs, in the presence of Brefeldin A and Concanamycin A. (**<i>p</i><0.001,*<i>p</i><0.01). (n = 3, in each group). Bar diagrams along with representative figures are present in each case (A-C).</p