Review of Cabling India: WikiLeaks and the Information Wars by Pramod K. Nayar.

Review of Cabling India: WikiLeaks and the Information Wars by Pramod K. Nayar

SYNTHETIC ROUTES AND NATURAL SOURCES OF 2-PYRIDONE DERIVATIVES AND THEIR PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY

Objective: 2-pyridone is a well-known heterocyclic ring having significant biological and medical application. The molecular structures and various activities of 2-pyridone derivatives as well as their syntheses and natural occurrence are analyzed and reviewed, and their reactivity toward various nucleophiles is discussed. Methods: 2-pyridone derivatives, first naturally obtained and described as early as before the 19th century, have been attracting increasing attention in view of their high reactivity as building blocks for the preparation of compounds of various classes due to their selective transformations with different reagents. Much information describing the natural occurrence, synthesis and the significant biological activity of 2-pyridone compounds are scattered throughout the literature. There are short chapters dealing with the synthesis and activity of 2-pyridone derivatives. Results: After compiling the above material, the abundance of certain heterocyclic ring and nature of typical chemical transformations applied in current drug synthesis. It is likely this results from the abundance of these heterocycles in natural products such as alkaloids and various synthetic derivatives revealing different biological activity. This might suggest a classical approach to drug design where substrate analogs gain inspiration from existing natural ligands. Conclusions: The data considered in this review clearly demonstrate the high synthetic potential of 2-pyridone derivatives. Many biologically active heterocyclic compounds have been obtained based on this heterocyclic ring. This suggests that 2-pyridone can be used in the design of novel highly effective pharmaceuticals with a broad spectrum of bioresponses

PREVENTION OF DNA SUGAR, HUMAN PERIPHERAL LYMPHOCYTES AND ERYTHROCYTES DAMAGES FROM FREE RADICAL INDUCED OXIDATION BY NATURAL ANTIOXIDANTS

Objective: The present study focused on the identification of particular extract which shows signification protection of DNA sugar against excessive oxidation. Methods: The different extracts (water, alcohol, alcohol: water, and hexane) of Agathi seeds (Sesbania grandiflora Linn) were evaluated using various antioxidant and other relevant assays like DNA sugar protection and antioxidant activities. Results: The alcohol: water (1:1) extract of S. grandiflora Linn seeds showed the highest antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity. It inhibited membrane lipid peroxidation by 55% at 50 μg/ml, scavenged approximately 69% of hydroxyl and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazayl radicals at 2–3 fold lower concentrations compared to the other extracts. In addition, the alcohol: water extract inhibited ferrous sulfate: ascorbate-induced sugar oxidation of DNA and also showed non-toxic nature against lymphocytes. Conclusion: These results establish the antioxidant potential of the extract, which could be used as natural antioxidant source

A general model for sample size determination for collecting germplasm

The paper develops a general model for determining the minimum sample size for collecting germplasm for genetic conservation with an overall objective of retaining at least one copy of each allele with preassigned probability. It considers sampling from a large heterogeneous 2 k-ploid population under a broad range of mating systems leading to a general formula applicable to a fairly large number of populations. It is found that the sample size decreases as ploidy levels increase, but increases with the increase in inbreeding. Under exclusive selfing the sample size is the same, irrespective of the ploidy level, when other parameters are held constant. Minimum sample sizes obtained for diploids by this general formula agree with those already reported by earlier workers. The model confirms the conservative characteristics of genetic variability of polysomic inheritance under chromosomal segregation

Analysing Turnaround Time in Laboratory - A Key Performance Indicator

Background: Turnaround time (TAT) is one of the key indicators of performance of a laboratory. Laboratories define it as the time from the receipt of sample/ specimen to the reporting. A fast TAT helps clinicians in making early diagnosis.Aim: To determine the turnaround time (TAT) of the biochemistry laboratory with evaluation of the contribution of pre-analytical and analytical phase to the total TAT.Results: A total of 399 samples were analysed from three outpatient departments. Average pre-analytical turnaround time contribution was found to be higher as compared to the analytical time. Excess workload and delay in pneumatic shoot were the main causes of delay in pre-analytical phase.Conclusion: Improved turnaround time is the key to clinicians’ and patients’ better satisfaction with the laboratory. It can be attained by minimising the bottlenecks within the process

Design, development and demonstration of a Shallow solar tunnel dryer for non-electrified areas

This paper presents the design, construction and performance evaluation of a shallow solar tunnel dryer for agro and industrial products. In the shallow solar tunnel dryer, there are three separate units viz.: an air heating unit, drying unit and air diversion unit. Total area of the solar tunnel dryer was 21 m². The heated air from a separate solar air heating zone is passed through a product bed, and at the same time, the drying tunnel bed absorbs solar energy directly through the transparent UV stabilized plastic sheet used as covering material. This dryer was not required any external sources of the power to operate the electrical fan. The system was designed to operate at a temperature of 50 to 60oC. The system was installed at the institute and initial testing was conducted. After that the system was also demonstrated at the actual potential user’s site. The results obtained during the test period revealed that the temperatures inside the tunnel drying zone and solar air heating zone were much higher than the ambient air temperature during most hours of the day-light. The temperature rise inside the drying tunnel was up to 67.4°C at peak hour’s period (noon). The drying rat e and thermal efficiency of the collector were 1.73 kg/h and 26.0% respectively. The high outlet temperature indicated the scope of loading the dryer further

Bidding combinatorial games

Combinatorial Game Theory is a branch of mathematics and theoretical computer science that studies sequential 2-player games with perfect information. Normal play is the convention where a player who cannot move loses. Here, we generalize the classical alternating normal play to infinitely many game families, by means of discrete Richman auctions (Develin et al. 2010, Larsson et al. 2021, Lazarus et al. 1996). We generalize the notion of a perfect play outcome, and find an exact characterization of outcome feasibility. As a main result, we prove existence of a game form for each such outcome class; then we describe their lattice structures. By imposing restrictions to the general families, such as impartial and {\em symmetric termination}, we find surprising analogies with alternating play.Comment: 5 figure

Smart Grid Communication Architecture Modeling for Heterogeneous Network Based Advanced Metering Infrastructure

A smart grid is an emerging technology in the power delivery system which provides an intelligent, self-recovery and homeostatic grid in delivering power to the users. Smart grid communication network provides transmission capacity for information transformation within the connected nodes in the network, in favor of functional and operational needs. In the electric grids communication network delay is based on choosing the appropriate technology and the types of devices enforced. In distinction, the combination of IEEE 802.16 based WiMAX and IEEE 802.11 based WiFi technologies provides improved coverage and gives low delay performances to meet the smart grid needs. By incorporating this method in Wide Area Monitoring System (WAMS) and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) the performance of the smart grid will be considerably improved. This work deals with the implementation of WiMAX-WLAN integrated network architecture for WAMS and AMI in the smart grid