Functional analysis of Hsp70 superfamily proteins of rice (Oryza sativa).

Heat stress results in misfolding and aggregation of cellular proteins. Heat shock proteins (Hsp) enable the cells to maintain proper folding of proteins, both in unstressed as well as stressed conditions. Hsp70 genes encode for a group of highly conserved chaperone proteins across the living systems encompassing bacteria, plants, and animals.

Influence of HIV-associated degree of immune suppression on molecular heterogeneity of hepatitis B virus among HIV co-infected patients.

We have investigated the molecular diversity of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) among the HIV co-infected patients from eastern-India. HBsAg/HBV-DNA positive subjects (n=73) from 874 HIV-infected patients were analyzed by sequencing followed by genetic diversity quantification. HBV/genotype-D and HBV/sugenotype-D2 were predominant.

A step towards developing adaptive robot-mediated intervention architecture (ARIA) for children with autism.

Emerging technology, especially robotic technology, has been shown to be appealing to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Such interest may be leveraged to provide repeatable, accurate and individualized intervention services to young children with ASD based on quantitative metrics. However, existing robot-mediated systems tend to have limited adaptive capability that may impact individualization.

Solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin-153 and coumarin-480 in ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate) modified sodium 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (NaAOT) micelle.

Understanding ion transport dynamics, structure of surfactant aggregates in ionic liquids or ionic liquid/water solutions are quite interesting and potentially important due to widespread applications of surfactant-based systems. In this manuscript we have investigated the effect of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (bmimBF(4)) addition on solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin-153 (C-153) and coumarin-480 (C-480) in aqueous solution of sodium 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (NaAOT) using steady state and picosecond time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The strong adsorption of the bmim(+) at the interface and the role of the ionic liquid particularly the cation bmim(+) in the modification of the interfacial geometry were probed by the analysis of decay parameters and the rotational relaxation parameters.

Modulation of the photophysical properties of 2,2'-bipyridine-3,3'-diol inside bile salt aggregates: a fluorescence-based study for the molecular recognition of bile salts.

2,2'-Bipyridine-3,3'-diol (BP(OH)(2)) has been used as a sensitive excited-state intramolecular proton transfer fluorophore to assess different bile salt aggregates as one of the potential biologically relevant host systems useful for carrying many sparingly water-soluble drug molecules. The formation of inclusion complexes, complex-induced fluorescence behavior, and their binding ability have been investigated from the modulated photophysics of BP(OH)(2) by means of photophysical techniques. The constrained hydrophobic environment provided by the aggregates significantly reduces the water-assisted nonradiative decay channels and lengthens the fluorescence lifetime of the proton-transferred DK tautomer.

Differential haplotype amplification leads to misgenotyping of heterozygote as homozygote when using single nucleotide mismatch primer.

Mismatches at the 3'end of /or within a primer are reported to affect the efficiency of PCR and cause allele drop. Here, we report preferential amplification of one haplotype and misgenotyping, when double heterozygotes at NAT1 (rs1057126 and rs15561) were genotyped by sequencing and PCR-RFLP methods using mismatch reverse primers located next to the target SNP. Detailed study revealed highest (100%) and lowest (0%) misgenotyping when the mismatch was at the 3rd and 15th nucleotide positions from 3' end of the primer, respectively.

Functional relevance of J-protein family of rice (Oryza sativa).

Protein folding and disaggregation are crucial processes for survival of cells under unfavorable conditions. A network of molecular chaperones supports these processes. Collaborative action of Hsp70 and Hsp100 proteins is an important component of this network.

Instabilities and diffusion in a hydrodynamic model of a fluid membrane coupled to a thin active fluid layer.

We construct a coarse-grained effective two-dimensional (2d hydrodynamic theory as a theoretical model for a coupled system of a fluid membrane and a thin layer of a polar active fluid in its ordered state that is anchored to the membrane. We show that such a system is prone to generic instabilities through the interplay of nonequilibrium drive, polar order and membrane fluctuation. We use our model equations to calculate diffusion coefficients of an inclusion in the membrane and show that their values depend strongly on the system size, in contrast to their equilibrium values.

Changes in biochemical contents of expressed breast milk on refrigerator storage.

To determine the biochemical integrity of refrigerated breast milk for 96 hours at 4C, a longitudinal observational study done with fresh milk samples. It is found that there were significant changes in pH, serum albumin and lactose concentrations in breast milk though within normal range.

Aggregation behavior of Triton X-100 with a mixture of two room-temperature ionic liquids: can we identify the mutual penetration of ionic liquids in ionic liquid containing micellar aggregates?

In this manuscript, we have characterized two different micellar aggregates containing all nonvolatile components. We have shown (i) the effect of ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) addition on the properties of micellar solution of Triton X-100 in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (bmimPF(6)) and (ii) the effect of bmimPF(6) addition on the properties of micellar solution of Triton X-100 in EAN. To investigate the effect, we have used (1)H NMR, pulsed-field gradient spin-echo NMR (PFGSE NMR), and methyl orange (MO) and coumarin 153 (C-153) as absorption and emission probes, respectively.

Design of a virtual reality based adaptive response technology for children with autism.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate potent impairments in social communication skills including atypical viewing patterns during social interactions. Recently, several assistive technologies, particularly virtual reality (VR), have been investigated to address specific social deficits in this population. Some studies have coupled eye-gaze monitoring mechanisms to design intervention strategies.

Efficacy and safety of flupirtine maleate and tramadol hydrochloride in postoperative pain management--a prospective randomised double blinded study.

The study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of flupirtine maleate 100 mg thrice daily compared to tramadol hydrochloride 50 mg thrice daily as postoperative pain management for 5 days. A total of 113 postoperative patients were recruited for the study. Those who met the inclusion criteria (n = 104) were randomised into two treatment groups.

Active-to-absorbing-state phase transition in the presence of fluctuating environments: weak and strong dynamic scaling.

We investigate the scaling properties of phase transitions between survival and extinction (active-to-absorbing-state phase transition, AAPT) in a model that by itself belongs to the directed percolation (DP) universality class, interacting with a spatiotemporally fluctuating environment having its own nontrivial dynamics. We model the environment by (i) a randomly stirred fluid, governed by the Navier-Stokes (NS) equation, and (ii) a fluctuating surface, described either by the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) or the Edward-Wilkinson (EW) equations. We show, by using a one-loop perturbative field theoretic setup that, depending upon the spatial scaling of the variance of the external forces that drive the environment (i.

Study of fluorescence resonance energy transfer in zwitterionic micelle: ionic-liquid-induced changes in FRET parameters.

The fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) using Coumarin-153 (C-153) as the donor and Rhodamine 6G (R6G) as the acceptor is studied in an aqueous solution of N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethylammonio-1-propanesulfonate (SB-16) micelles by steady-state and picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. We have determined the rate of FRET (k(FRET)) from the rise of the acceptor (R6G) emission. In the absence of donor (C-153), the acceptor (R6G) displays a single-exponential decay with average lifetime of 4.

Tuning the probe location on zwitterionic micellar system with variation of pH and addition of surfactants with different alkyl chains: solvent and rotational relaxation studies.

In this manuscript, we have modulated the location of an anionic probe, Coumarin-343 (C-343) in a zwitterionic (N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethylammonio-1-propanesulfonate (SB-16)) micellar system by three different approaches. The effect of addition of the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium octylsulfate (EmimOs) and N,N-dimethylethanol hexanoate (DAH), to the micellar solution has been studied. The effect of pH variation has been studied as well using solvent and rotational measurements.

Sensor-enabled RFID system for monitoring arm activity: reliability and validity.

After stroke, capacity to complete tasks in the treatment setting with the more-affected arm is an unreliable index of actual use of that extremity in daily life. Available objective methods for monitoring real-world arm use rely on placing movement sensors on patients. These methods provide information on amount but not type of arm activity, e.

An unusual case of transient cortical blindness with sagittal sinus thrombosis in a case of Henoch-Schonlein purpura.

Introduction: Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is one of the most common causes of small vessel vasculitis in children, but sometimes may have an atypical presentation.

Objective: To report an unusual case of transient cortical blindness in a patient with Henoch-Schonlein purpura.

Case: A 3-year-old female child was brought with the complaint of diffuse abdominal pain and hematochezia, which was preceded by high grade fever and cough.

Photophysics of 3,3'-diethyloxadicarbocyanine iodide (DODCI) in ionic liquid micelle and binary mixtures of ionic liquids: effect of confinement and viscosity on photoisomerization rate.

The dynamics of photoisomerization of 3,3'-diethyloxadicarbocyanine iodide (DODCI) has been investigated inside micellar environment formed by a surfactant-like ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium octyl sulfate ([C(4)mim][C(8)SO(4)]) and also in binary mixture of another ionic liquid, N,N,N-trimethyl-N-propyl ammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide, ([N(3111)][Tf(2)N]) with methanol, acetonitrile, and n-propanol by using steady-state and picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The entrapment of DODCI into the [C(4)mim][C(8)SO(4)] micellar environment led to the enhanced fluorescence intensity along with ~13 nm red shift in the emission maxima. A sharp increase in the fluorescence quantum yield (Φ) and the lifetime (τ(f)) near the critical micelle concentration (cmc) range is observed followed by saturation at higher concentration.

Evaluating quinacrine as a potential amyloid imaging compound: studies on hen egg white lysozyme as model system.

Amyloid plaque is associated with several neuronal and non-neuronal degenerative diseases. More than twenty human proteins can fold abnormally to form pathological deposits like amyloid plaque. Strategies for treating such diseases include therapies designed to decrease protein plaque formation or its complete clearance, but monitoring/clinical trials of these treatments are limited by the lack of effective methods to monitor amyloid deposits in the organs/tissues of living patients.

Ionic liquid-in-oil microemulsions composed of double chain surface active ionic liquid as a surfactant: temperature dependent solvent and rotational relaxation dynamics of coumarin-153 in [Py][TF2N]/[C4mim][AOT]/benzene microemulsions.

In the recent past, nonaqueous microemulsions containing ionic liquids (ILs) have been utilized for performing chemical reactions, preparation of nanomaterials, and synthesis of nanostructured polymers and in drug delivery systems. The most promising fact about IL-in-oil microemulsions is their high thermal stability compared to that of aqueous microemulsions. In our earlier publication (Rao, V.

Modulation of photophysics and photodynamics of 1'-hydroxy-2'-acetonaphthone (HAN) in bile salt aggregates: a study of polarity and nanoconfinement effects.

The modulation of the photophysical properties of 1'-hydroxy-2'-acetonaphthone (HAN) upon encapsulation into the hydrophobic nanocavities of different bile salt aggregates has been investigated for the first time using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Because HAN is very sensitive to the polarity of the microenvironment in which it is confined, we performed a comparative study on the excited-state binding dynamics of HAN using three different bile salts of varying hydrophobicity. The encapsulation of HAN into the bile salt aggregates led to an enhanced fluorescence intensity along with a significant blue shift in the emission maxima that was highly sensitive to the confined microenvironment.

Three-point bending test comparison of fiber-reinforced composite archwires to nickel-titanium archwires.

Aim: Various alternatives to metal orthodontic archwires have produced varied successes over the years. This study sought to evaluate the bending properties of fiber-reinforced polymeric composite (FRC) archwires compared with similarly sized nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) archwires.

Methods: Two different 0.

Glycogen storage disease 1a with piebaldism.

A 3 and half years old male child born by consanguineous marriage presented with white forelock and symmetric hypopigmented areas present since birth, similar to his mother and elder sister. Hepatomegaly was noticed at one year of age. Liver biopsy revealed enlarged pale hepatocytes distended with glycogen.

Continuous universality in nonequilibrium relaxational dynamics of O2 symmetric systems.

We elucidate a nonconserved relaxational nonequilibrium dynamics of a O(2) symmetric model. We drive the system out of equilibrium by introducing a nonzero noise cross correlation of amplitude D(×) in a stochastic Langevin description of the system, while maintaining the O(2) symmetry of the order parameter space. By performing dynamic renormalization group calculations in a field-theoretic set up, we analyze the ensuing nonequilibrium steady states and evaluate the scaling exponents near the critical point, which now depend explicitly on D(×).

Photoinduced electron transfer between various coumarin analogues and N,N-dimethylaniline inside niosome, a nonionic innocuous polyethylene glycol-based surfactant assembly.

Photoinduced electron transfer (ET) reactions between coumarin dyes and N,N-dimethylaniline have been investigated inside niosome, a nonionic innocuous polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based surfactant assembly using steady state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. The location of coumarin dyes inside the bilayer headgroup region of niosome has been reported and it was verified by determination of the high distribution coefficient of all the dyes inside niosome compared to bulk water. Fluorescence anisotropy parameters of the dyes inside niosome are also in good correlation with the above inference about their location.