Detection of Sugar-Lectin Interactions by Multivalent Dendritic Sugar Functionalized Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

We show that single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) decorated with sugar functionalized poly (propyl ether imine) (PETIM) dendrimer is a very sensitive platform to quantitatively detect carbohydrate recognizing proteins, namely, lectins. The changes in electrical conductivity of SWNT in field effect transistor device due to carbohydrate - protein interactions form the basis of present study. The mannose sugar attached PETIM dendrimers undergo charge - transfer interactions with the SWNT. The changes in the conductance of the dendritic sugar functionalized SWNT after addition of lectins in varying concentrations were found to follow the Langmuir type isotherm, giving the concanavalin A (Con A) - mannose affinity constant to be 8.5 x 106 M-1. The increase in the device conductance observed after adding 10 nM of Con A is same as after adding 20 \muM of a non - specific lectin peanut agglutinin, showing the high specificity of the Con A - mannose interactions. The specificity of sugar-lectin interactions was characterized further by observing significant shifts in Raman modes of the SWNT.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Extended Optical Model Analyses of Elastic Scattering and Fusion Cross Section Data for the 7Li+208Pb System at Near-Coulomb-Barrier Energies using the Folding Potential

Simultaneous $\chi^{2}$ analyses previously made for elastic scattering and fusion cross section data for the $^{6}$Li+$^{208}$Pb system is extended to the $^{7}$Li+$^{208}$Pb system at near-Coulomb-barrier energies based on the extended optical model approach, in which the polarization potential is decomposed into direct reaction (DR) and fusion parts. Use is made of the double folding potential as a bare potential. It is found that the experimental elastic scattering and fusion data are well reproduced without introducing any normalization factor for the double folding potential and that both the DR and fusion parts of the polarization potential determined from the $\chi^{2}$ analyses satisfy separately the dispersion relation. Further, we find that the real part of the fusion portion of the polarization potential is attractive while that of the DR part is repulsive except at energies far below the Coulomb barrier energy. A comparison is made of the present results with those obtained from the Continuum Discretized Coupled Channel (CDCC) calculations and a previous study based on the conventional optical model with a double folding potential. We also compare the present results for the $^7$Li+$^{208}$Pb system with the analysis previously made for the $^{6}$Li+$^{208}$Pb system.Comment: 7 figures, submitted to PR

Extended Optical Model Analyses of Elastic Scattering and Fusion Cross Sections for 6Li + 208Pb System at Near-Coulomb-Barrier Energies by using Folding Potential

Based on the extended optical model approach in which the polarization potential is decomposed into direct reaction (DR) and fusion parts, simultaneous $\chi^{2}$ analyses are performed for elastic scattering and fusion cross section data for the $^{6}$Li+$^{208}$Pb system at near-Coulomb-barrier energies. A folding potential is used as the bare potential. It is found that the real part of the resultant DR part of the polarization potential is repulsive, which is consistent with the results from the Continuum Discretized Coupled Channel (CDCC) calculations and the normalization factors needed for the folding potentials. Further, it is found that both DR and fusion parts of the polarization potential satisfy separately the dispersion relation.Comment: 6 figure

Transfer of Dicamba Tolerance from Sinapis arvensis to Brassica napus via Embryo Rescue and Recurrent Backcross Breeding

Citation: Jugulam M, Ziauddin A, So KKY, Chen S, Hall JC (2015) Transfer of Dicamba Tolerance from Sinapis arvensis to Brassica napus via Embryo Rescue and Recurrent Backcross Breeding. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0141418. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141418Auxinic herbicides (e.g. dicamba) are extensively used in agriculture to selectively control broadleaf weeds. Although cultivated species of Brassicaceae (e.g. Canola) are susceptible to auxinic herbicides, some biotypes of Sinapis arvensis (wild mustard) were found dicamba resistant in Canada. In this research, dicamba tolerance from wild mustard was introgressed into canola through embryo rescue followed by conventional breeding. Intergeneric hybrids between S. arvensis (2n = 18) and B. napus (2n = 38) were produced through embryo rescue. Embryo formation and hybrid plant regeneration was achieved. Transfer of dicamba tolerance from S. arvensis into the hybrid plants was determined by molecular analysis and at the whole plant level. Dicamba tolerance was introgressed into B. napus by backcrossing for seven generations. Homozygous dicamba-tolerant B. napus lines were identified. The ploidy of the hybrid progeny was assessed by flow cytometry. Finally, introgression of the piece of DNA possibly containing the dicamba tolerance gene into B. napus was confirmed using florescence in situ hybridization (FISH). This research demonstrates for the first time stable introgression of dicamba tolerance from S. arvensis into B. napus via in vitro embryo rescue followed by repeated backcross breeding. Creation of dicamba-tolerant B. napus varieties by this approach may have potential to provide options to growers to choose a desirable herbicide-tolerant technology. Furthermore, adoption of such technology facilitates effective weed control, less tillage, and possibly minimize evolution of herbicide resistant weeds

Kaplan-Narayanan-Neuberger lattice fermions pass a perturbative test

We test perturbatively a recent scheme for implementing chiral fermions on the lattice, proposed by Kaplan and modified by Narayanan and Neuberger, using as our testing ground the chiral Schwinger model. The scheme is found to reproduce the desired form of the effective action, whose real part is gauge invariant and whose imaginary part gives the correct anomaly in the continuum limit, once technical problems relating to the necessary infinite extent of the extra dimension are properly addressed. The indications from this study are that the Kaplan--Narayanan--Neuberger (KNN) scheme has a good chance at being a correct lattice regularization of chiral gauge theories.Comment: LaTeX 18 pages, 3 figure

Coupled-channels analyses for 9,11^{9,11}Li + 208^{208}Pb fusion reactions with multi-neutron transfer couplings

We discuss the role of two-neutron transfer processes in the fusion reaction of the $^{9,11}$Li + $^{208}$Pb systems. We first analyze the $^{9}$Li + $^{208}$Pb reaction by taking into account the coupling to the $^{7}$Li + $^{210}$Pb channel. To this end, we assume that two neutrons are directly transferred to a single effective channel in $^{210}$Pb and solve the coupled-channels equations with the two channels. By adjusting the coupling strength and the effective $Q$-value, we successfully reproduce the experimental fusion cross sections for this system. We then analyze the $^{11}$Li + $^{208}$Pb reaction in a similar manner, that is, by taking into account three effective channels with $^{11}$Li + $^{208}$Pb, $^{9}$Li + $^{210}$Pb, and $^{7}$Li + $^{212}$Pb partitions. In order to take into account the halo structure of the $^{11}$Li nucleus, we construct the potential between $^{11}$Li and $^{208}$Pb with a double folding procedure, while we employ a Wood-Saxon type potential with the global Aky\"uz-Winther parameters for the other channels. Our calculation indicates that the multiple two-neutron transfer process plays a crucial role in the $^{11}$Li + $^{208}$Pb fusion reaction at energies around the Coulomb barrier

Fusion reaction of a weakly-bound nucleus with a deformed target

We discuss the role of deformation of the target nucleus in the fusion reaction of the $^{15}$C + $^{232}$Th system at energies around the Coulomb barrier, for which $^{15}$C is a well-known one-neutron halo nucleus. To this end, we construct the potential between $^{15}$C and $^{232}$Th with the double folding procedure, assuming that the projectile nucleus is composed of the core nucleus, $^{14}$C, and a valance neutron. By taking into account the halo nature of the projectile nucleus as well as the deformation of the target nucleus, we simultaneously reproduce the fusion cross sections for the $^{14}$C + $^{232}$Th and the $^{15}$C + $^{232}$Th systems. Our calculation indicates that the net effect of the breakup and the transfer channels is small for this system.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure