Nonlinear Resonances in 3D Printed Structures

Nonlinear resonators can have advantages over linear designs including increased sensitivity towards changes in their physical properties and environment, and high quality factors which make them attractive in applications such as mass/chemical sensors or signal filters. Designing nonlinear structures, however, requires much understanding of nonlinear behavior characteristics of structures. Similarly, the proliferation of 3D or additive manufacturing/printing capabilities has opened the doors to deploying nonlinear resonators on scales not possible earlier. However, to obtain consistent nonlinear dynamic performance the designer must perform a careful analysis to explore the existence and repeatability of desired nonlinear behavior. Also, the use of 3D printing with the associated substrate material properties poses its own challenges in regards to device simulation in view of the fact that most of the traditional literature on nonlinear resonators assumes linear material stiffness. In this chapter, the authors discuss computational design methods for structural design, and specifically study the case of 1:2 internal resonances in resonators made of nonlinear (hyperelastic) materials. The design methods allow for development of large number of candidate resonator designs without a required significant nonlinear structural design experience, and the study of the dynamic response of the resonators provides a glimpse in to the 1:2 nonlinear internal resonance exhibited by the candidate resonators

Geotechnical Damage Due to Bihar Earthquake of August 1988

The Bihar-Nepal earthquake of August 21, 1988 (magnitude 6.6) caused significant loss of life and property. Besides the epicentral area, two distant places (Munger in India and Bhaktapur in Nepal) suffered significantly. This was also the case in the 1934 earthquake (magnitude 8.4) and is due to peculiar geology of the area. Geotechnical damage in the affected area includes liquefaction, cracking and subsidence of embankments, and cracks in bridge abutments and wing walls. Besides, in the hilly regions of Sikkim, landslides and rockfalls disrupted road network significantly. Extensive damage took place in the eastern Nepal also. This paper describes the geotechnical damage to the Indian areas only

Gene encoding γ-carbonic anhydrase is cotranscribed with argC and induced in response to stationary phase and high CO2 in Azospirillum brasilense Sp7

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a ubiquitous enzyme catalyzing the reversible hydration of CO₂to bicarbonate, a reaction underlying diverse biochemical and physiological processes. Gamma class carbonic anhydrases (γ-CAs) are widespread in prokaryotes but their physiological roles remain elusive. At present, only γ-CA of <it>Methanosarcina thermophila </it>(Cam) has been shown to have CA activity. Genome analysis of a rhizobacterium <it>Azospirillum brasilense</it>, revealed occurrence of ORFs encoding one β-CA and two γ-CAs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One of the putative γ-CA encoding genes of <it>A. brasilense </it>was cloned and overexpressed in <it>E. coli</it>. Electrometric assays for CA activity of the whole cell extracts overexpressing recombinant GCA1 did not show CO₂hydration activity. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis indicated that <it>gca1 </it>in <it>A. brasilense </it>is co-transcribed with its upstream gene annotated as <it>argC</it>, which encodes a putative <it>N</it>-acetyl-γ-glutamate-phosphate reductase. 5'-RACE also demonstrated that there was no transcription start site between <it>argC </it>and <it>gca1</it>, and the transcription start site located upstream of <it>argC </it>transcribed both the genes (<it>argC-gca1</it>). Using transcriptional fusions of <it>argC</it>-<it>gca1 </it>upstream region with promoterless <it>lacZ</it>, we further demonstrated that <it>gca1 </it>upstream region did not have any promoter and its transcription occurred from a promoter located in the <it>argC </it>upstream region. The transcription of <it>argC-gca1 </it>operon was upregulated in stationary phase and at elevated CO₂atmosphere.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study shows lack of CO₂hydration activity in a recombinant protein expressed from a gene predicted to encode a γ-carbonic anhydrase in <it>A. brasilense </it>although it cross reacts with anti-Cam antibody raised against a well characterized γ-CA. The organization and regulation of this gene along with the putative <it>argC </it>gene suggests its involvement in arginine biosynthetic pathway instead of the predicted CO₂hydration.</p

Genetic diversity analysis of Nardostachys jatamansi DC, an endangered medicinal plant of Central Himalaya, using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers

The genetic diversity analysis of eight populations of Nardostachys jatamansi DC. collected from different altitude of Central Himalaya has been attempted using 24 sets of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers. These sets of RAPD marker generated a total of 346 discernible and reproducible bands across the analysed population with 267 polymorphic and 75 monomorphic bands. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average (UPGMA) cluster analysis revealed three distinct clusters: I, II and III. The cluster I was represented by N. jatamansi population collected from Panwali Kantha (3200 m asl) and Kedarnath (3584 m asl), India together with Jumla (2562 m asl) from Nepal. Cluster II included collections from Har Ki Doon (3400 m asl) and Tungnath (3600 m asl) from India while Cluster III was represented by collections from Munsiyari (2380 m asl), Dayara (3500 m asl) and Valley of Flowers (3400 m asl) from India. The clustering of these populations was independent of variations in altitude and geographical locations. The genetic variations observed in different populations of Jatamansi might be due to environmental influences (biotic and abiotic), rather than altitude level differences. The abiotic (geographical or climatic differentiation) and biotic (pollination between population and seed dispersal) factors might be responsible for the genetic variations among these accessions of Jatamansi.Keywords: Genetic diversity, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), Nardostachys jatamansi, Central Himalaya, unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average (UPGMA)African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(20), pp. 2816-282

Synthesis and SAR in 1-substituted-4-[4-fluorobenzoyl/6,7-dimethoxy-3,4- dihydroisoquinolyl]piperidines and related compounds

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Leishmania donovani triose phosphate isomerase: a potential vaccine target against visceral leishmaniasis

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the most important parasitic diseases with approximately 350 million people at risk. Due to the non availability of an ideal drug, development of a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine could be a solution for control and prevention of this disease. In this study, a potential Th1 stimulatory protein- Triose phosphate isomerase (TPI), a glycolytic enzyme, identified through proteomics from a fraction of Leishmania donovani soluble antigen ranging from 89.9–97.1 kDa, was assessed for its potential as a suitable vaccine candidate. The protein- L. donovani TPI (LdTPI) was cloned, expressed and purified which exhibited the homology of 99% with L. infantum TPI. The rLdTPI was further evaluated for its immunogenicity by lymphoproliferative response (LTT), nitric oxide (NO) production and estimation of cytokines in cured Leishmania patients/hamster. It elicited strong LTT response in cured patients as well as NO production in cured hamsters and stimulated remarkable Th1-type cellular responses including IFN-ã and IL-12 with extremely lower level of IL-10 in Leishmania-infected cured/exposed patients PBMCs in vitro. Vaccination with LdTPI-DNA construct protected naive golden hamsters from virulent L. donovani challenge unambiguously (∼90%). The vaccinated hamsters demonstrated a surge in IFN-ã, TNF-á and IL-12 levels but extreme down-regulation of IL-10 and IL-4 along with profound delayed type hypersensitivity and increased levels of Leishmania-specific IgG2 antibody. Thus, the results are suggestive of the protein having the potential of a strong candidate vaccine

Genetic dissection of drought tolerance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the second most important grain legume cultivated by resource poor farmers in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Drought is one of the major constraints leading up to 50 % production losses in chickpea. In order to dissect the complex nature of drought tolerance and to use genomics tools for enhancing yield of chickpea under drought conditions, two mapping populations—ICCRIL03 (ICC 4958 × ICC 1882) and ICCRIL04 (ICC 283 × ICC 8261) segregating for drought tolerance-related root traits were phenotyped for a total of 20 drought component traits in 1–7 seasons at 1–5 locations in India. Individual genetic maps comprising 241 loci and 168 loci for ICCRIL03 and ICCRIL04, respectively, and a consensus genetic map comprising 352 loci were constructed (http://cmap.icrisat.ac.in/cmap/sm/cp/varshney/). Analysis of extensive genotypic and precise phenotypic data revealed 45 robust main-effect QTLs (M-QTLs) explaining up to 58.20 % phenotypic variation and 973 epistatic QTLs (E-QTLs) explaining up to 92.19 % phenotypic variation for several target traits. Nine QTL clusters containing QTLs for several drought tolerance traits have been identified that can be targeted for molecular breeding. Among these clusters, one cluster harboring 48 % robust M-QTLs for 12 traits and explaining about 58.20 % phenotypic variation present on CaLG04 has been referred as “QTL-hotspot”. This genomic region contains seven SSR markers (ICCM0249, NCPGR127, TAA170, NCPGR21, TR11, GA24 and STMS11). Introgression of this region into elite cultivars is expected to enhance drought tolerance in chickpea

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

As mortality rates decline, life expectancy increases, and populations age, non-fatal outcomes of diseases and injuries are becoming a larger component of the global burden of disease. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive assessment of prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 328 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016