Dynamics of Hot QCD Matter -- Current Status and Developments

The discovery and characterization of hot and dense QCD matter, known as Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP), remains the most international collaborative effort and synergy between theorists and experimentalists in modern nuclear physics to date. The experimentalists around the world not only collect an unprecedented amount of data in heavy-ion collisions, at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York, USA, and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland but also analyze these data to unravel the mystery of this new phase of matter that filled a few microseconds old universe, just after the Big Bang. In the meantime, advancements in theoretical works and computing capability extend our wisdom about the hot-dense QCD matter and its dynamics through mathematical equations. The exchange of ideas between experimentalists and theoreticians is crucial for the progress of our knowledge. The motivation of this first conference named "HOT QCD Matter 2022" is to bring the community together to have a discourse on this topic. In this article, there are 36 sections discussing various topics in the field of relativistic heavy-ion collisions and related phenomena that cover a snapshot of the current experimental observations and theoretical progress. This article begins with the theoretical overview of relativistic spin-hydrodynamics in the presence of the external magnetic field, followed by the Lattice QCD results on heavy quarks in QGP, and finally, it ends with an overview of experiment results.Comment: Compilation of the contributions (148 pages) as presented in the `Hot QCD Matter 2022 conference', held from May 12 to 14, 2022, jointly organized by IIT Goa & Goa University, Goa, Indi

Molecular association of glucose-6- phosphate isomerase and pyruvate kinase M2 with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in cancer cells

Background: For a long time cancer cells are known for increased uptake of glucose and its metabolization through glycolysis. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a key regulatory enzyme of this pathway and can produce ATP through oxidative level of phosphorylation. Previously, we reported that GAPDH purified from a variety of malignant tissues, but not from normal tissues, was strongly inactivated by a normal metabolite, methylglyoxal (MG).Molecular mechanism behind MG mediated GAPDH inhibition in cancer cells is not well understood. Methods: GAPDH was purified from Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells based on its enzymatic activity. GAPDH associated proteins in EAC cells and 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) induced mouse tumor tissue were detected by mass spectrometry analysis and immunoprecipitation (IP) experiment, respectively. Interacting domains of GAPDH and its associated proteins were assessed by in silico molecular docking analysis. Mechanism of MG mediated GAPDH inactivation in cancer cells was evaluated by measuring enzyme activity, Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, IP and mass spectrometry analyses. Result: Here, we report that GAPDH is associated with glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells and also in 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) induced mouse tumor tissue. Molecular docking analyses suggest C-terminal domain preference for the interaction between GAPDH and GPI. However, both C and N termini of PKM2 might be interacting with the C terminal domain of GAPDH. Expression of both PKM2 and GPI is increased in 3MC induced tumor compared with the normal tissue. In presence of 1 mM MG,association of GAPDH with PKM2 or GPI is not perturbed, but the enzymatic activity of GAPDH is reduced to 26.8 ± 5 % in 3MC induced tumor and 57.8 ± 2.3 % in EAC cells. Treatment of MG to purified GAPDH complex leads to glycation at R399 residue of PKM2 only, and changes the secondary structure of the protein complex. Conclusion: PKM2 may regulate the enzymatic activity of GAPDH. Increased enzymatic activity of GAPDH in tumor cells may be attributed to its association with PKM2 and GPI. Association of GAPDH with PKM2 and GPI could be a signature for cancer cells. Glycation at R399 of PKM2 and changes in the secondary structure of GAPDH complex could be one of the mechanisms by which GAPDH activity is inhibited in tumor cells by MG

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of Parkinson?s disease

Although over 90 independent risk variants have been identified for Parkinson’s disease using genome-wide association studies, most studies have been performed in just one population at a time. Here we performed a large-scale multi-ancestry meta-analysis of Parkinson’s disease with 49,049 cases, 18,785 proxy cases and 2,458,063 controls including individuals of European, East Asian, Latin American and African ancestry. In a meta-analysis, we identified 78 independent genome-wide significant loci, including 12 potentially novel loci (MTF2, PIK3CA, ADD1, SYBU, IRS2, USP8, PIGL, FASN, MYLK2, USP25, EP300 and PPP6R2) and fine-mapped 6 putative causal variants at 6 known PD loci. By combining our results with publicly available eQTL data, we identified 25 putative risk genes in these novel loci whose expression is associated with PD risk. This work lays the groundwork for future efforts aimed at identifying PD loci in non-European populations

Defining the causes of sporadic Parkinson's disease in the global Parkinson's genetics program (GP2)

The Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2) will genotype over 150,000 participants from around the world, and integrate genetic and clinical data for use in large-scale analyses to dramatically expand our understanding of the genetic architecture of PD. This report details the workflow for cohort integration into the complex arm of GP2, and together with our outline of the monogenic hub in a companion paper, provides a generalizable blueprint for establishing large scale collaborative research consortia

Ultra-low-cost 'paper-and-pencil' device for electrically controlled micromixing of analytes

We demonstrate here a frugal, printing-based fabrication methodology for paper channels, in an effort towards developing an inexpensive micromixing device. The proposed fabrication methodology utilizes the normal ink-jet cartridge ink to create the barriers for the paper channels, without involving any additional complex materials or intermediary ink modification steps. We show through experimental observations, and pertinent scaling analysis, that the electrokinetic effects, along with the capillary and viscous forces, play a significant role in enhancing the liquid transport rate through such a paper channel under an applied electrical potential, in comparison with that observed due to natural imbibition. Thereafter, we delineate the modality of active electrical control of mixing of two liquids in such a printed ‘zigzag’ ‘paper-and-pencil’ device, by exploiting the interplay between the electrohydrodynamic flows stemming from the electrokinetic phenomena and the specific channel geometry. The electrokinetically mediated flow of the liquid samples through the ‘zigzag’ paper channel can be judiciously controlled to either appreciably enhance the mixing characteristics or artificially maintain the segregation of the liquid streams by overriding the inherent wicking action-driven mixing within the paper matrix. Hence, the present endeavour will usher in a new generation of paper microfluidic platforms for micromixing, with enhanced production feasibility, controllability, functioning efficiency, and multiplexing capability

Indium Trichloride Catalyzed Efficient one-pot Synthesis of Highly Substituted Furans

A one-pot synthesis of the substituted furans 3 could be achieved in good yields by reacting but-2-ene-1,4-diones 1 with acetoacetates 2 in the presence of a catalytic amount of InCl3 (20 mol %) using i-PrOH as solvent at 80–90 �C for 4–8 h. InCl3 was observed to give the optimum results among the various Lewis acids examined

Selective Reduction of Aldehydes to Alcohols Using Alumina with a Catalytic Amount of Base Under Microwave Irradiation

Aldehydes are selectively reduced to the corresponding alcohols in very good yields with alumina containing a catalytic amount of base under microwave irradiation at 300W for 8–15 min

Low-cost NO2 monitoring and predictions of urban exposure using universal kriging and land-use regression modelling in Mysore, India

In Low- and Middle-Income Countries, rapid urbanization has led to poorer air quality, yet pollution monitoring networks are often sparse or non-existent. Few previous studies have sought to understand the unique predictors of air pollution exposure in Indian urban environments. Our study monitored and modeled nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in Mysore, a rapidly urbanizing city in India. NO2 sampling was conducted in four seasonal campaigns (each lasting 2 weeks) in 2016-2017, at 150 sites throughout Mysore. Seasonal spatial interpolation of NO2 levels was conducted using 2 distinct models, the first utilizing a land use regression (LUR) approach and the second using universal kriging methods. Model performance was determined using adjusted R-2, and validated using leave-one-out cross validation. Measured NO2 concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 51.9 ppb across the four seasons of the study period, with higher concentrations in the center of the city. In the LUR model (R-2 = 0.535), proximity to major roads, point sources of pollution such as industrial sites and religious points of interest (PoI), land uses with high human activity, and high population density were associated with higher levels of NO2. Proximity to minor roads and coverage of land uses characterized by low human activity were inversely associated with air pollution. Cross-validation of results confirmed the reliability of each model. Few studies have applied spatially heterogeneous sampling to assess ambient air pollution levels in India. The combination of passive NO2 sampling and LUR/kriging modeling methods allowed for characterization of NO2 patterns in Mysore. While previous work indicates traffic pollution as a major contributor to ambient air pollution levels in urbanizing centers in Asia, our results indicate the influence of other pollution factors (e.g., point sources), as well as highly localized characteristics of the urban environment (e.g., proximity to religious points of interest) in urban India. Areas of Mysore consistently experienced pollution in excess of World Health Organization (WHO) health-protective guidelines for NO2

Eco-Friendly Synthesis and Study of new Plant Growth Promoters: 3,30-Diindolylmethane and its Derivatives

—3,30-Diindolylmethane (DIM) derivatives 3a–k, prepared in one-pot from indoles 1a–k and hexamethylenetetramine (2) using ionic liquid [Bmim]BF4 as eco-friendly recyclable solvent as well as catalyst, showed good plant growth promoting activity on Oryza sativa. Among the DIM derivatives synthesized 3c shows potent auxin like growth promoting activity