Rain garden infiltration rate modeling using gradient boosting machine and deep learning techniques.

Rain garden is effective in reducing storm water runoff, whose efficiency depends upon several parameters such as soil type, vegetation and meteorological factors. Evaluation of rain gardens has been done by various researchers. However, knowledge for sound design of rain gardens is still very limited, particularly the accurate modeling of infiltration rate and how much it differs from infiltration of natural ground surface. The present study uses experimentally observed infiltration rate of rain gardens with different types of vegetation (grass, candytuft, marigold and daisy with different plant densities) and flow conditions. After that, modeling has been done by the popular infiltration model i.e. Philip's model (which is valid for natural ground surface) and soft computing tools viz. Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM) and Deep Learning (DL). Results suggest a promising performance (in terms of CC, RMSE, MAE, MSE and NSE) by GBM and DL in comparison to the relation proposed by Philip's model (1957). Most of the values predicted by both GBM and DL are within scatter limits of ±5%, whereas the values by Philips model are within the range of ±25% error lines and even outside. GBM performs better than DL as the values of the correlation coefficients and Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE) coefficient are the highest and the root mean square error is the lowest. The results of the study will be useful in selection of plant type and its density in the rain garden of the urban area.

Evaluation of forewarning models for mustard aphids in different agro-climatic zones of India.

Mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach), is the most serious pest of Rapeseed-Mustard which is known to be responsible for a tremendous loss in yield and oil content, under various agro-climatic conditions of India. Information support on aphid occurrence and intensity is necessary for effective management by the farmers in the mustard-growing belt. In this study, an effort is made to develop forewarning model using the field data on aphid for 12 consecutive rabi seasons from 2003-2004 to 2014-2015 under different agro-climatic locations in India. Three main components of aphid-related stages were identified for which necessary forewarnings were needed to be issued: (1) severity, (2) the time of reaching the economic threshold level (ETL) for decision-making on pesticide application, and (3) time of occurrence of peak population. To address these, three different models were developed/used and validated using incident field dataset. Those field observations when the infestation level were below severe category (< 60) during rising phase of the aphid population were found to indicate highest R sqr. (0.82) for the model-I during validation. When model-II was used, 11 out of 14 locations (78.57%) stood validated. The assumptions made in model-III also got validated when humidity thermal ratio (HTR) of the week of peak population ranged between 1.5 and 4 (lowest among the weeks considered), and population reached severe category. The models showed better results during real-time validation in seasons 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, thus suggesting that these three models can be used to ascertain the severity, week of ETL, and week of peak aphid population for Brassica juncea varieties all over the mustard belt in India and can be operationalized spatially to forewarn against the aphid pest population in future under Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) scheme.

Application of hot melt extrusion for improving bioavailability of artemisinin a thermolabile drug.

Hot melt extrusion has been used to produce a solid dispersion of the thermolabile drug artemisinin. Formulation and process conditions were optimized prior to evaluation of dissolution and biopharmaceutical performance. Soluplus®, a low Tg amphiphilic polymer especially designed for solid dispersions enabled melt extrusion at 110 °C although some drug-polymer incompatibility was observed. Addition of 5% citric acid as a pH modifier was found to suppress the degradation. The area under plasma concentration time curve (AUC0-24h) and peak plasma concentration (Cmax) were four times higher for the modified solid dispersion compared to that of pure artemisinin.

Cardiac gene therapy: are we there yet?

The incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increasing throughout the world and is associated with elevated morbidity and mortality. Gene therapy to treat cardiac dysfunction is gaining importance because of the limited therapeutic benefit offered by pharmacotherapies. The growing knowledge of the complex signaling pathways and the development of sophisticated vectors and delivery systems, are facilitating identification and targeting of specific molecular candidates involved in initiation and progression of CVDs. Several preclinical and clinical studies have shown the therapeutic efficiency of gene therapy in different disease models and patients. Hence, gene therapy might plausibly become an unconventional treatment modality for CVD patients. In this review, we summarize the gene delivery carriers, modes of delivery, recent preclinical/clinical studies and potential therapeutic targets. We also briefly discuss the existing limitations of gene therapy, technical challenges surrounding gene carriers and delivery systems, and some approaches to overcome these limitations for bringing CVD gene therapy one step closer to reality.

Ankyrin-G regulates neurogenesis and Wnt signaling by altering the subcellular localization of ß-catenin.

Ankyrin-G is a scaffolding protein required for the formation of the axon initial segment in neurons. Recent genome-wide association studies and whole-exome sequencing have identified ANK3, the gene coding for ankyrin-G, to be a risk gene for multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Here, we describe a novel role for ankyrin-G in neural progenitor proliferation in the developing cortex. We found that ankyrin-G regulates canonical Wnt signaling by altering the subcellular localization and availability of ß-catenin in proliferating cells. Ankyrin-G loss-of-function increases ß-catenin levels in the nucleus, thereby promoting neural progenitor proliferation. Importantly, abnormalities in proliferation can be rescued by reducing Wnt pathway signaling. Taken together, these results suggest that ankyrin-G is required for proper brain development.

Postharvest Processing and Benefits of Black Pepper, Coriander, Cinnamon, Fenugreek, and Turmeric Spices.

Spices are prime source for flavor, aroma, and taste in cuisines and play an active role as medicines due to their high antioxidant properties. As medicine or food, the importance of spices cannot be overemphasized. The medicinal values of spices are very well established in treating various ailments like cancer, fever, malaria, stomach offset, nausea, and many more. A spice may be available in several forms: fresh, whole dried, or pre-ground dried which requires further processing to be utilized in the form of value-added product. This review paper deals with the cultivation, postharvesting, chemical composition, uses, health, and medicinal benefits of the selected spice viz., black pepper, coriander, cinnamon, fenugreek, turmeric, and technological advances in processing of spices viz., super critical fluid extraction, cryogenic grinding, and microencapsulation etc. This paper also focuses on issues related to utilization of spices toward its high end-product development and characterization in pharmaceuticals and other medicinal purposes. The availability of different spices and their varietal differences and location have their pertinent characters, which are much demanding to refine postharvest and processing to assure its quality in the international market.

Application of Glass Transition in Food Processing.

The phenomenon of glass transition has been employed to food products to study their stability. It can be applied as an integrated approach along with water activity and physical and chemical changes in food in processing and storage to determine the food stability. Also associated with the changes during agglomeration crystallization, caking, sticking, collapse, oxidation reactions, nonenzymatic browning, and microbial stability of food system. Various techniques such as Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, etc. have been developed to determine the glass transition temperature (Tg) of food system. Also, various theories have been applied to explain the concept of Tg and its relation to changes in food system. This review summarizes the understanding of concept of glass transition, its measurement, and application in food technology.

Sustained Early Disruption of Mitochondrial Function Contributes to Arsenic-Induced Prostate Tumorigenesis.

Arsenic is a well-known human carcinogen that affects millions of people worldwide, but the underlying mechanisms of carcinogenesis are unclear. Several epidemiological studies have suggested increased prostate cancer incidence and mortality due to exposure to arsenic. Due to lack of an animal model of arsenic-induced carcinogenesis, we used a prostate epithelial cell culture model to identify a role for mitochondria in arsenic-induced prostate cancer. Mitochondrial morphology and membrane potential was impacted within a few hours of arsenic exposure of non-neoplastic prostate epithelial cells. Chronic arsenic treatment induced mutations in mitochondrial genes and altered mitochondrial functions. Human non-neoplastic prostate epithelial cells continuously cultured for seven months in the presence of 5 µM arsenite showed tumorigenic properties in vitro and induced tumors in SCID mice, which indicated transformation of these cells. Protein and mRNA expression of subunits of mtOXPHOS complex I were decreased in arsenic-transformed cells. Alterations in complex I, a main site for reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as well as increased expression of ROS-producing NOX4 in arsenic-transformed cells suggested a role of oxidative stress in tumorigenic transformation of prostate epithelial cells. Whole genome cGH array analyses of arsenic-transformed prostate cells identified extensive genomic instability. Our study revealed mitochondrial dysfunction induced oxidative stress and decreased expression of p53 in arsenic-transformed cells as an underlying mechanism of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomic instability. These studies suggest that early changes in mitochondrial functions are sustained during prolong arsenic exposure. Overall, our study provides evidence that arsenic disruption of mitochondrial function is an early and key step in tumorigenic transformation of prostate epithelial cells.

Contraceptive use before first pregnancy by women in India (2005-2006): determinants and differentials.

BACKGROUND: There exist ample of research literature investigating the various facet of contraceptive use behaviors in India but the use of contraception by married Indian women, prior to having their first pregnancy has been neglected so far. This study attempts to identify the socio demographic determinants and differentials of contraceptive use or non use by a woman in India, before she proceeds to have her first child. The analysis was done using data from the third National Family Health Survey (2005-2006), India. METHODS: This study utilized information from 54,918 women who ever have been married and whose current age at the time of NFHS-3 survey was 15-34 years. To identify the crucial socio-demographic determinants governing this pioneering behavior, logistic regression technique has been used. Hosmer Lemeshow test and ROC curve analysis was also performed in order to check the fitting of logistic regression model to the data under consideration. RESULTS: Of all the considered explanatory variables religion, caste, education, current age, age at marriage, media exposure and zonal classifications were found to be significantly affecting the study behavior. Place of residence i.e. urban--rural locality came to be insignificant in multivariable logistic regression. CONCLUSIONS: In the light of sufficient evidences confirming the presence of early marriages and child bearing practices in India, conjunct efforts are required to address the socio demographic differentials in contraceptive use by the young married women prior to their first pregnancy. Encouraging women to opt for higher education, ensuring marriages only after legal minimum age at marriage and promoting the family planning programs via print and electronic media may address the existing socio economic barriers. Also, the family planning programs should be oriented to take care of the geographical variations in the study behavior.

Screw pressing performance of whole and dehulled flaxseed and some physico-chemical characteristics of flaxseed oil.

Screw pressing performance of whole and dehulled flaxseed at different seed moisture (6.4 to 11.1 % d.b.) and press head temperature (80-120 °C) was investigated. Oil recovery, residual oil, press rate and sediment content and some important physico-chemical characteristics were determined at six different levels (50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 %) of dehulled flaxseed. Oil recovery decreased with increasing moisture content as well as press head temperature. Press rate was found maximum for 100 % dehulled flaxseed while minimum for 50 % dehulled flaxseed at 6.4 % moisture content. Colour of oil samples was found affected both with the level of dehulled flaxseed and press head temperature. Free fatty acids content of oil ranged from 1.07 % to 2.70 % and lower at 80 °C press head temperature. Oil and cake temperatures ranged from 53.10 °C to 65.95 °C and 69.15 to 103.75 °C, respectively. The α-linolenic acid content of different oil samples obtained at 80 °C was in the range of 53.34 ± 0.95 to 54.21 ± 1.04 %. In view of maximum oil recovery (82.9 % d.b.), lower FFA content, and oil and cake temperature, 7:3 ratio of dehulled and whole flaxseed having 6.4 % d.b. moisture content and 80 °C press head temperature may be considered for screw pressing of flaxseed.

Influence of pin and hammer mill on grinding characteristics, thermal and antioxidant properties of coriander powder.

In present study, influence of grinding (hammer and pin mills) and moisture content (range: 6.4-13.6 % dry basis) on the quality traits of coriander powder were investigated. These include grinding parameters, colour parameters, specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, glass transition temperature, essential oil, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and DPPH scavenging (%) of coriander powder. For coriander seed, the geometric properties such as major, medium, minor dimensions, geometric mean diameter, arithmetic mean diameter, sphericity, surface area and volume of coriander seeds increased significantly with increasing moisture (6.4-13.6 % db). For coriander powder, the grinding parameters such as average particle size, volume surface mean diameter and volume mean diameter increased significantly with increasing moisture (6.4-13.6 % db). With the grinding method, the colour attributes of coriander powder such as L-value, a-value, b-value, hue angle and browning index varied significantly. It was observed that the specific heat followed second order polynomial relationship with temperature and moisture whereas thermal conductivity varied linearly with temperature and moisture content. The variation of glass transition temperature with moisture can be best represented in quadratic manner. Total flavonoid content (mg QE/g crude seed extract) and DPPH scavenging % activity of coriander powder is significantly affected by grinding methods. A lower value of specific heat was observed for hammer ground coriander powder as compared to pin mill ground coriander powder. The thermal conductivity of hammer mill ground coriander powder was higher as compared to pin mill ground coriander. It was observed that hammer mill yields more fine coriander powder in comparison to pin mill. The browning index was more in hammer mill ground coriander powder.

Intracellular mannose binding lectin mediates subcellular trafficking of HIV-1 gp120 in neurons.

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) enters the brain early during infection and leads to severe neuronal damage and central nervous system impairment. HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein 120 (gp120), a neurotoxin, undergoes intracellular trafficking and transport across neurons; however mechanisms of gp120 trafficking in neurons are unclear. Our results show that mannose binding lectin (MBL) that binds to the N-linked mannose residues on gp120, participates in intravesicular packaging of gp120 in neuronal subcellular organelles and also in subcellular trafficking of these vesicles in neuronal cells. Perinuclear MBL:gp120 vesicular complexes were observed and MBL facilitated the subcellular trafficking of gp120 via the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi vesicles. The functional carbohydrate recognition domain of MBL was required for perinuclear organization, distribution and subcellular trafficking of MBL:gp120 vesicular complexes. Nocodazole, an agent that depolymerizes the microtubule network, abolished the trafficking of MBL:gp120 vesicles, suggesting that these vesicular complexes were transported along the microtubule network. Live cell imaging confirmed the association of the MBL:gp120 complexes with dynamic subcellular vesicles that underwent trafficking in neuronal soma and along the neurites. Thus, our findings suggest that intracellular MBL mediates subcellular trafficking and transport of viral glycoproteins in a microtubule-dependent mechanism in the neurons.

Effect of chemical pretreatment on dehulling parameters of flaxseed (cv. Garima).

In the present study, effects of chemical (ethanol, HCl and sulphuric acid) pretreatment on various dehulling parameters of flaxseed (cv. Garima) including yield, hull, hullability, extraction rate and embryo (dehulled flaxseed) recovery were studied. Pretreated flaxseed, at 3.1 to 3.6 % moisture range (p > 0.05) were dehulled for 60 s in a laboratory model rice polisher/dehulling machine at 2,000 rpm followed by aspiration (hull separation) using a laboratory model aspirator. The study revealed that chemical pre-dehulling treatment of flaxseed plays a significant role in the embryo recovery of flaxseed. Both ethanol and HCl pre-dehulling treatment enhanced but sulphuric acid pretreatment reduced the embryo recovery of flaxseed. Moreover, HCL and Sulphuric acid deteriorated the quality of hull obtained during dehulling, hence may not be considered for flaxseed dehulling. The study showed the maximum embryo recovery from ethanol pretreated flaxseed, hence ethanol pre-dehulling treatment with 2 h tempering time may be considered for effective flaxseed dehulling.

A microfluidic route for synthesis of scandium oxide microspheres, their characterization and neutron activation.

Radioactive scandium-46 microspheres have applications in mapping flow in a chemical reactor through a technique known as radioactive particle tracking (RPT). In the present study a novel microfluidic method has been developed for synthesis of controlled size scandium oxide microspheres. An inline/in-situ mixing of the scandium precursor and gelling agents was implemented which makes the microfluidic platform amenable for truly continuous operation. Microspheres of size varying from 937 to 666 µm were produced by varying O/A ratio from 10 to 30. Perfectly spherical and monodispersed (PDI <10 %) microspheres were obtained at O/A 15 and beyond. The morphology, elemental composition, and structure of the microspheres were analysed by SEM, EDS and XRD, respectively. Subsequently the microspheres were irradiated with thermal neutrons in a nuclear reactor to obtain radioactive Sc-46 oxide microspheres. The activity produced on each Sc-46 microspheres with different sizes was in the range 19.5-34.0 MBq.

BRCA1 gene therapy reduces systemic inflammatory response and multiple organ failure and improves survival in experimental sepsis.

Sepsis-related complications and mortality remain a major clinical problem. Increased cell death and unresolved cellular repair have been implicated as key upstream mediators of sepsis-induced organ dysfunction and death. We hypothesised that gene therapy with BRCA1, a critical regulator of DNA damage repair and cell survival, would attenuate the sequelae of sepsis and peritonitis in mice subjected to caecal ligation and perforation (CLP) and thioglycollate stimulation. C57Bl/6J mice underwent sham or CLP surgery 3 days following treatment with either human BRCA1 adenovirus (AdBRCA1) or the adeno-CMV-null vector (Adnull). The 24-h post-CLP mortality was 2.8% vs 17.9% (P<0.001) and the median post-CLP survival was 50.5 vs 33 h (P<0.05) for AdBRCA1- vs Adnull-treated mice, respectively. AdBRCA1 therapy blunted CLP-associated cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic and renal dysfunction and also reduced CLP-elicited double strand breaks and apoptosis in the liver. BRCA1 gene therapy was associated with lower CLP-evoked cardiac and hepatic superoxide generation that in the liver was in part due to improved reactive oxygen species removal. CLP also elevated mesenteric arteriolar and serum intercellular adhesion molecule-1, both of which were partially abrogated with AdBRCA1 administration. Thioglycollate-challenged AdBRCA1-treated mice displayed reduced peritoneal neutrophil recruitment and dampened cytokine elaboration relative to their Adnull-treated counterparts. Taken together, we report a novel role of BRCA1 gene therapy in limiting systemic inflammation, multiple-organ failure and mortality in experimental sepsis.

An emerging role for Wnt and GSK3 signaling pathways in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a disabling illness with limited treatment options. The underlying pathophysiology remains unknown, partially due to its heterogeneous nature, and a lack of understanding of the biological functions of genetic risk factors. Several signaling pathways have been implicated, however, with the varying degrees of support. In this article, I will focus on the converging evidence supporting a prominent role for Wnt and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) signaling in the biological bases of schizophrenia. This includes current pharmacological therapies that target GSK3, animal model and cell-based studies, and recent human genetic findings that implicate Wnt and GSK3 signaling.

Low dose methylprednisolone induced bradycardia.

Methylprednisolone induced arrhythmias, especially bradycardia, are well known. Most of the available reports suggest the occurrence of these arrhythmias with high dose intravenous therapy. We, hereby report a case of low dose methylprednisolone induced bradycardia.

Development of omega-3 rich energy bar with flaxseed.

Energy bar sample were prepared with different levels of flaxseed (0-20%) in addition to cereals and pulses with varying levels of sweeteners (45, 50, and 55%) to deliver a nutritious food to the consumer. The developed bars were evaluated for textural, colour, nutritional quality, sensory attributes and total microbial load. Different levels of flaxseed and sweeteners significantly affected the hue and chroma values of the energy bar. In general the level of flaxseed in energy bar did not affect the hardness but it was decreased with increasing level of sweeteners except in control sample. The total calories obtained from the energy bar showed significant increase with the increasing levels of flaxseed, the maximum (397.95 kcal) being for bars with 20% flaxseed and 45% sweeteners. This energy bar sample also showed the maximum protein (12.41%), crude fat (11.86%), ash (1.65%), iron (3.77 mg/100 g), crude fiber (2.18%) and omega-3 as alpha-linolenic acid (22.50%, fatty acid basis) content. The overall mean sensory score for overall acceptability for samples with 10% flaxseed and 55% sweeteners and 15% flaxseed and 45% sweeteners were at par but the omega-3 and other nutrients in the later sample was higher than the former sample, hence, 15% flaxseed and 45% sweeteners along with other ingredients may be considered for production of acceptable quality omega-3 fatty acid rich energy bar at commercial scale, which also stored well at refrigerated condition.

Cryogenics and its application with reference to spice grinding: a review.

Cryogenics is the study of very low temperature and its application on different materials including biological products. Cryogenics has numerous applications in space science, electronics, automobiles, the manufacturing industry, sports and musical instruments, biological science and agriculture, etc. Cryogenic freezing finds pivotal application in food, that is, spices and condiments. Although there is a wide range of cryogens to produce the desired low temperature, generally liquid nitrogen (LN2) is used in food grinding. The application of low temperature shows a promising pathway to produce higher quality end product with higher flavor and volatile oil retention. Cryogenic grinders generally consist of precoolers and grinder with the cryogen distribution system. In such grinding systems, cryogens subject the raw material up to or lower than glass transition temperature before it is ground, thus eliminating much of the material and quality hassles of traditional grinding. At present, the capital investment including cryogen and handling costs escalate the final cost of the product. Thus, for large-scale production, a proper design to optimize and make it feasible is the need of the hour and understanding the behavior of different food materials at these low temperature conditions. This article reviews the scenario and application of cryogenics in different sectors, especially to spice grinding.

Study on disinfestation of pulses using microwave technique.

Mortality of the pulse beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis L.) exposed, continuously, to microwave radiation (2450 MHz) was evaluated as a function of exposure time and percent power level, at adult stages. The microwave exposure time to attain 100% insect mortality at 100 %, 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20% power levels for Chickpea, Pigeon Pea and Green Gram was optimized. Effect of optimized microwave exposure time on viability, germination, cooking and milling characteristics of Chickpea, Pigeon Pea and Green Gram was also evaluated. Adult stage study was characterized by a distinct dose-exposure curve. The mortality curve was following third degree polynomial equation. The seed viability and germination of Chickpea, Pigeon Pea and Green Gram was affected by microwave exposure time and power level. It was observed that as the power level is decreasing the germination and viability of all the pulses are increasing. The effect on cooking and milling characteristics are not affected by microwave exposure time and power level. The insects in the mobile state were observed to move towards the surface from inside the nutrient medium during microwave exposure. They also curled up and in some cases aggregation was observed.