Classification of chemically modified red blood cells in microflow using machine learning video analysis.

We classify native and chemically modified red blood cells with an AI based video classifier. Using TensorFlow video analysis enables us to capture not only the morphology of the cell but also the trajectories of motion of individual red blood cells and their dynamics. We chemically modify cells in three different ways to model different pathological conditions and obtain classification accuracies for all three classification tasks of more than 90% between native and modified cells. Unlike standard cytometers that are based on immunophenotyping our microfluidic cytometer allows to rapidly categorize cells without any fluorescence labels simply by analysing the shape and flow of red blood cells.

Silica nanoparticles mediated insect pest management.

Silicon is known for mitigating the biotic and abiotic stresses of crop plants. Many studies have proved beneficial effects of bulk silicon against biotic stresses in general and insect pests in particular. However, the beneficial effects of silica nanoparticles in crop plants against insect pests were barely studied and reported. By virtue of its physical and chemical nature, silica nanoparticles offer various advantages over bulk silicon sources for its applications in the field of insect pest management. Silica nanoparticles can act as insecticide for killing target insect pest or it can act as a carrier of insecticide molecule for its sustained release. Silica nanoparticles can improve plant resistance to insect pests and also aid in attracting natural enemies via enhanced volatile compounds emission. Silica nanoparticles are safe to use and eco-friendly in nature in comparison to synthetic pesticides. This review provides insights into the applications of silica nanoparticles in insect pest management along with discussion on its synthesis, side effects and future course of action.

QUANTIFICATION OF BACK DIFFUSION IN RADON AND THORON EXHALATION RATE MEASUREMENTS.

The radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) fluxes from the soil and building materials are the major contributors to their indoor levels. Hence, the measurement of radon and thoron exhalation rates from the source matrix becomes the foremost step in controlling the indoor radon and thoron exposure. It is a challenge to measure the exhalation rates without disturbing the natural conditions. The back-diffusion phenomenon modifies the exhalation rate. The work presented here is to measure the back-diffusion coefficient and takes it into consideration while estimating the exhalation rate. For radon measurements, the back-diffusion coefficient and the free exhalation rates were simultaneously estimated by adopting a novel methodology. The leak rate of the experimental setup measured by this methodology was agreeable with the value measured by adopting the standard technique. In the case of thoron, the back-diffusion effect was found to be negligible for the present experimental conditions and it is duly explained. The above results were obtained by analyzing two soil samples with high 238U and 232Th content collected from monazite-rich coastal area.

UNCERTAINTY EVALUATION IN DOSE ASSESSMENT DUE TO SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF NORM IN BEACH SANDS OF SOUTHEAST COAST OF INDIA: A PROBABILISTIC APPROACH.

A study on radionuclide distribution along coastal stretch in high background areas is constantly attracted to many researchers around the world. In the present study, the concentration of radionuclides in beach sands along the southeast coastal region of India has been studied in detail. Concentration of radionuclides is measured using gamma spectrometry at 148 pre-determined locations. It is found that 238U and 232Th concentrations are varying in the range from 3 (BDL) to 298.9 and 1150.2 Bq kg-1, respectively. Concentration of 40K in beach sand varied from 11 to 1743.4 Bq kg-1. The measured activity levels of radionuclides were compared with earlier studies carried out by various researchers in the same region under study. The related radiological parameters of interest were also determined and compared with the internationally recommended values. With an increase in emphasis on quality in dose assessment methods, dose to human population living in the vicinity requires uncertainty evaluation, which is carried out by taking into account variation in the activity values. This study would serve as a baseline radiological mapping for the southeast coast region of India for environmental impact assessment prior to plan of nuclear facility in the future.

Monte Carlo simulation of an HPGe detector for detection of 239Pu in waste assay system.

This paper discusses the modeling of HPGe detector used in waste assay system using Monte Carlo code FLUKA to determine its detection limits. The modeled detector is validated using experimental point sources efficiencies in the energy range 60 keV-2000 keV. The numerical estimation of efficiency values for 239Pu present inside a 230 L cotton filled waste drum at various locations along the axis of the detector is discussed. Estimation of the minimum detectable activity (MDA) for 239Pu at these locations in the presence of 1 MBq of 137Cs/60Co again along the axis of the detector is examined. The efficiency of 239Pu decreases from 6.1 × 10-10 to 7.5 × 10-11 cps/Bq as the location of 239Pu moves away from the detector. MDA of 239Pu increases as the position of 239Pu and 137Cs/60Co in the waste drum shifts away from the detector while it decreases as the location of 137Cs/60CO moves away from 239Pu along measurement axis. It is observed that for all locations of 137Cs/60Co with 239Pu located up to 200 mm from the edge of the drum, the detection limit is within 140.3 mg (allowed limit).

A REVIEW ON 210Po AND 210Pb IN INDIAN SEAFOOD AND DOSE TO CONSUMERS.

India is the second largest seafood producer in the world marketing more than 7000 edible species. In this regard, commendable studies have been conducted since the 1970s by different research groups and more data are reported. In this work, all the studies on 210Po and 210Pb measurements in abiotic and biotic components of India have been combined and reviewed. The concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb are estimated by radiochemical separation followed by alpha counting. Grain size, season, Tsunami waves and place of sampling have a decisive bearing on 210Po and 210Pb concentration in abiotic components. Plankton shows a higher Kd factor (104) compared to seaweeds and sea grass (103). Pond ecosystems recorded the highest Kd factor (4·3 × 104) compared to other freshwater and marine ecosystems. Bioaccumulation of 210Po and 210Pb varies with respect to variety of seafood. The committed effective dose (CED) calculated for shellfish species maintained a higher range of 2.5 × 10-2 mSv/y to 9.8 × 10-1 mSv/y and for fish species fluctuated from 3.8 × 10-4 mSv/y to 2.0 × 10-1 mSv/y. The studies conducted so far are scattered, and need to be gathered for future reference and planning (i.e. There is not much information available for Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra, West Bengal and Odessa coast). Therefore, it is strongly recommended that further and more complete research is undertaken to study the bioaccumulation of 210Po and 210Pb from seafood. Overall, the present review concludes that Indian seafood is radiologically safe.

BASELINE EVALUATION STUDY OF NATURALLY OCCURRING RADIONUCLIDES IN SOIL SAMPLES FROM VICINITY OF INDIA'S FIRST FAST REACTOR FUEL CYCLE FACILITY (FRFCF), DAE COMPLEX, KALPAKKAM, INDIA.

The activity concentration of 238U, 232Th and 40K were measured in the soil samples collected from Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Facility (FRFCF) site, using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. This study is aimed to establish the baseline data of naturally occurring radionuclides within the site. The average activity concentrations were found to be 416.5, 61.7 and 622.3 Bq kg-1 for 40K, 238U and 232Th, respectively. The activity concentrations and its radiological indices were evaluated and were compared with the international values reported by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). The ratio of 40K/232Th and 40K /238U were calculated, which indicates the presence of 5.79 and 2.69 times more K-bearing minerals as compared with Th and U-bearing minerals in the soil samples, respectively. The study provides baseline information on concentration of radionuclides and background radiological assessment of the FRFCF site.

Detection of scales and its thickness determination in industrial pipes using Compton backscattering system.

The ability to detect and quantify scales in pipes has been an important yardstick for efficient transfer of fluids in domestic as well as in application related industries. Knowledge of different kinds of scales formed has become a precondition for trouble-shooting in operational lines. In this paper, collimated Compton backscattered gamma rays from a radioactive source have been used to inspect the scales by automatic scanning in steps along the axial direction of different pipes. The methodology has been extended for the quantification of scales that prevails in the real functionality of extensive usage of fluids. To aid for descaling processes, the desideratum is the density determination of scales and this parameter is quantified non-destructively and is also validated with the standard density. The described non-intrusive gamma ray densitometry is quite promising, efficient and has highly reliable results for scale detection with the squared correlation coefficient of 0.98. The proposed technique shows a better linearity than the gammatography technique.

Design and Implementation of a Discrete-Time Proportional Integral (PI) Controller for the Temperature Control of a Heating Pad.

Contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) are recorded from the brain by giving thermal stimulations through heating pads kept on the surface of the skin. CHEP signals have crucial diagnostic implications in human pain activation studies. This work proposes a novel design of a digital proportional integral (PI) controller based on Arduino microcontroller with a view to explore the suitability of an electric heating pad for use as a thermode in a custom-made, cost-effective CHEP stimulator. The purpose of PI controller is to set, regulate, and deliver desired temperatures on the surface of the heating pad in a user-defined pattern. The transfer function of the heating system has been deduced using the parametric system identification method, and the design parameters of the controller have been identified using the root locus technique. The efficiency of the proposed PI controller in circumventing the well-known integrator windup problem (error in the integral term builds excessively, leading to large transients in the controller output) in tracking the reference input and the controller effort (CE) in rejecting output disturbances to maintain the set temperature of the heating pad have been found to be superior compared with the conventional PI controller and two of the existing anti-windup models.

Study of Radon and Thoron exhalation from soil samples of different grain sizes.

The exhalation of radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) from a porous matrix depends on the emanation of them from the grains by the recoil effect. The emanation factor is a quantitative estimate of the emanation phenomenon. The present study is to investigate the effect of grain size of the soil matrix on the emanation factor. Soil samples from three different locations were fractionated into different grain size categories ranging from <0.1 to 2mm. The emanation factors of each of the grain size range were estimated by measuring the mass exhalation rates of radon and thoron and the activity concentrations of 226Ra and 232Th. The emanation factor was found to increase with decrease in grain size. This effect was made evident by keeping the parent radium concentration constant for all grain size fractions. The governing factor is the specific surface area of the soil samples which increases with decrease in grain size.

A REVIEW ON VARIATION OF NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF TAMIL NADU FOR THE PAST 4 DECADES (1974-2016).

This review deals with natural radioactivity variation along the southeast coast of Tamil Nadu for the past four decades (1974-2016). About 40 research works have been conducted along the coast since 1974 in various environmental matrices using a variety of experimental methods. For these measurements researchers are adopted different experimental methods. The measured gamma dose rate ranged from 30 to 8700 nGy/h. The mean specific activity of 238U, 232Th and 40K was found to be 58.8 ± 28.7, 465.2 ± 147.3 and 311.2 ± 27.8 Bq/kg, respectively. The calculated annual exposure rate ranged from 0.29 to 12.8 mSv/y with the mean value of 3.7 mSv/y which is above the global average of 2.4 mSv/y as reported by United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) (Report to General Assembly, Annex B Exposures of the public and workers from various sources of radiation. United Nations, New York (2008)). Plant food items recorded low 210Po activities as compared to seafood organisms. Grain size, season and place of sampling have a decisive bearing on coastal radioactivity. Therefore, it is concluded from the review data that there is an appreciable elevation in background radiation level in the coastal region. This review suggests that new radiological surveys using improved methodology that cover the entire coastal stretch are needed.

Design and implementation of wireless dose logger network for radiological emergency decision support system.

A decision support system (DSS) is implemented in Radiological Safety Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research for providing guidance for emergency decision making in case of an inadvertent nuclear accident. Real time gamma dose rate measurement around the stack is used for estimating the radioactive release rate (source term) by using inverse calculation. Wireless gamma dose logging network is designed, implemented, and installed around the Madras Atomic Power Station reactor stack to continuously acquire the environmental gamma dose rate and the details are presented in the paper. The network uses XBee-Pro wireless modules and PSoC controller for wireless interfacing, and the data are logged at the base station. A LabView based program is developed to receive the data, display it on the Google Map, plot the data over the time scale, and register the data in a file to share with DSS software. The DSS at the base station evaluates the real time source term to assess radiation impact.

The effect of spatially varying velocity field on the transport of radioactivity in a porous medium.

In the event of an accidental leak of the immobilized nuclear waste from an underground repository, it may come in contact of the flow of underground water and start migrating. Depending on the nature of the geological medium, the flow velocity of water may vary spatially. Here, we report a numerical study on the migration of radioactivity due to a space dependent flow field. For a detailed analysis, seven different types of velocity profiles are considered and the corresponding concentrations are compared.

Simple insertible high performance variable temperature regulator for measurement of physical properties at low temperature.

An impedance capillary based Variable Temperature Regulator (VTR) for regulation of temperature in the range of 4.2 K-300 K, which can be detached and inserted into any experimental setup with a 50 mm diameter top access, has been designed, fabricated, and tested. The VTR may be used as a highly compact probe, which can be readily inserted in any liquid helium dewar or cryostat to realize uniform rates of cooling/heating and to achieve excellent temperature stability of ±1 mK at any temperature between 4.2 K and 300 K. VTR has been subjected to extensive experimental testing to arrive at optimum values of control parameters that are expected to influence its performance. The VTR may be integrated into any experimental setup for measurement of physical properties at low temperatures.

Antimicrobial Activity and Phylogenetic Analysis of Streptomyces Parvulus Dosmb-D105 Isolated from the Mangrove Sediments of Andaman Islands.

Actinomycetes, especially species of Streptomyces are prolific producers of pharmacologically significant compounds accounting for about 70% of the naturally derived antibiotics that are presently in clinical use. In this study, we used five solvents to extract the secondary metabolites from marine Streptomyces parvulus DOSMB-D105, which was isolated from the mangrove sediments of the South Andaman Islands. Among them, ethyl acetate crude extract showed maximum activity against 11 pathogenic bacteria and six fungi. Presence of bioactive compounds in the ethyl acetate extract was determined using GC-MS and the compounds detected in the ethyl acetate extract were matched with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library. Totally eight compounds were identified and the prevalent compounds were 2 steroids, 2 alkaloids, 2 plasticizers, 1 phenolic and 1 alkane. Present study revealed that S. parvulus DOSMB-D105 is a promising species for the isolation of valuable bioactive compounds to combat pathogenic microbes.

GADD45α modulates curcumin sensitivity through c-Abl- and JNK-dependent signaling pathways in a mismatch repair-dependent manner.

Colorectal cancer is a critical health concern because of its incidence as the third most prevalent cancer in the world. Currently, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), 6-thioguanine, and certain other genotoxic agents are mainstays of treatment; however, patients often die due to emergence of resistant population. Curcumin, a bioactive compound derived from the dietary turmeric (Curcuma longa) is an effective anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant agent. Previously, we reported that human colorectal cancer cell lines compromised for mismatch repair (MMR) function exhibit heightened sensitivity to curcumin due to sustained curcumin-induced unrepaired DNA damage compared to proficient population counterparts. In this report, we show that the protein levels of gadd45α, whose transcript levels are increased during DNA damage and stress signals, are upregulated following curcumin treatment in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We further observed that cells compromised for Mlh1 function (HCT116 + Ch2) displayed ~twofold increased GADD45α upregulation compared to similarly treated proficient counterparts (HCT116 + Ch3). Similarly, suppression of Mlh1 using ShRNA increased GADD45α upregulation upon curcumin treatment. On the other hand, suppression of GADD45α using SiRNA-blocked curcumin-induced cell death induction in Mlh1-deficient cells. Moreover, inhibition of Abl through ST571 treatment and its downstream effector JNK through SP600125 treatment blocked GADD45α upregulation and cell death triggered by curcumin. Collective results lead us to conclude that GADD45α modulates curcumin sensitivity through activation of c-Abl > JNK signaling in a mismatch repair-dependent manner.

ß-Catenin overexpression causes an increase in inflammatory cytokines and NF-κB activation in cardiomyocytes.

ß-Catenin has been implicated in various developmental and physiological processes. Defective Wnt signaling can result in different cardiac and vascular abnormalities and is activated under pathological conditions such as inflammation and obesity. In this study, roles of ß-catenin in inflammation in cardiomyocytes were investigated. 10 samples from hearts of patients with acute infarction and 10 from normal ones were collected in order to access roles of ß-catenin in cardiomyocytes. H9c2 cardiomyoblasts and primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were transfected with porcine cytomegalovirus (pCMV)-ß-catenin plasmid in order to overexpress ß-catenin. Protein level of ß-catenin protein was increased in human acute infarction tissues compared to ones from normal patients. The transcription factor had increased nuclear localization in cardiomyocytes of the Wistar rats with cardiac hypertension. Furthermore, expression of fibrosis protein markers increased. Protein expression of ß-catenin was increased in human acute infarction inflammatory heart tissues and in hearts of inflammatory obesity rats. After pCMV-ß-catenin plasmid was transfected in a dose-dependent manner, inflammation protein markers, TNF-α and IL-8, were upregulated in hypertensive neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. In addition, overexpression of ß-catenin induced activation and nuclear localization of NF-κB. Therefore, ß-catenin is a potential molecular target for treatment of inflammation and fibrosis in cardiomyocytes.

Cellulose binding domain assisted immobilization of lipase (GSlip-CBD) onto cellulosic nanogel: characterization and application in organic medium.

A cbd gene was cloned into the C-terminal region of a lip gene from Geobacillus stearothermophilus. The native lipase (43.5 kDa) and CBD-Lip fusion protein (60.2 kDa) were purified to homogeneity by SDS-PAGE. A highly stable cellulosic nanogel was prepared by controlled hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose onto which the CBD-lip fusion protein was immobilized through bio-affinity based binding. The nanogel-bound lipase showed optimum activity at 55 °C, and it remains stable and active at pH 10-10.5. Furthermore, the immobilized lipase showed an over two-fold increase of relative activity in the presence of DMSO, isopropanol, isoamyl alcohol and n-butanol, but a mild activity decrease at a low concentration of methanol and ethanol. The immobilized biocatalyst retained ~50% activity after eight repetitive hydrolytic cycles. Enzyme kinetic studies of the immobilized lipase showed a 1.24 fold increase in Vmax and 5.25 fold increase in kcat towards p-NPP hydrolysis. Additionally, the nanogel bound lipase was tested to synthesize a biodiesel ester, ethyl oleate in DMSO. Kinetic analysis showed the km 100.5 ± 4.3 mmol and Vmax 0.19 ± 0.015 mmolmin(-1) at varied oleic acid concentration. Also, the values of km and Vmax at varying concentration of ethanol were observed to be 95.9 ± 13.9 mmol and 0.22 ± 0.013 mmolmin(-1) respectively. The maximum yield of ethyl oleate 111.2 ± 1.24 mM was obtained under optimized reaction conditions in organic medium. These results suggest that this immobilized biocatalyst can be used as an efficient tool for the biotransformation reactions on an industrial scale.

Note: Design and development of wireless controlled aerosol sampling network for large scale aerosol dispersion experiments.

Wireless based custom built aerosol sampling network is designed, developed, and implemented for environmental aerosol sampling. These aerosol sampling systems are used in field measurement campaign, in which sodium aerosol dispersion experiments have been conducted as a part of environmental impact studies related to sodium cooled fast reactor. The sampling network contains 40 aerosol sampling units and each contains custom built sampling head and the wireless control networking designed with Programmable System on Chip (PSoC™) and Xbee Pro RF modules. The base station control is designed using graphical programming language LabView. The sampling network is programmed to operate in a preset time and the running status of the samplers in the network is visualized from the base station. The system is developed in such a way that it can be used for any other environment sampling system deployed in wide area and uneven terrain where manual operation is difficult due to the requirement of simultaneous operation and status logging.

Simulation of radioactive plume gamma dose over a complex terrain using Lagrangian particle dispersion model.

FLEXPART-WRF is a versatile model for the simulation of plume dispersion over a complex terrain in a mesoscale region. This study deals with its application to the dispersion of a hypothetical air borne gaseous radioactivity over a topographically complex nuclear site in southeastern France. A computational method for calculating plume gamma dose to the ground level receptor is introduced in FLEXPART using the point kernel method. Comparison with another similar dose computing code SPEEDI is carried out. In SPEEDI the dose is calculated for specific grid sizes, the lowest available being 250 m, whereas in FLEXPART it is grid independent. Spatial distribution of dose by both the models is analyzed. Due to the ability of FLEXPART to utilize the spatio-temporal variability of meteorological variables as input, particularly the height of the PBL, the simulated dose values were higher than SPEEDI estimates. The FLEXPART-WRF in combination with point kernel dose module gives a more realistic picture of plume gamma dose distribution in a complex terrain, a situation likely under accidental release of radioactivity in a mesoscale range.