Filtering Decanting Water in Fly-Ash Lagoons Using Geotextiles — An Experimental Study

Disposal of fly-ash at thermal power stations is carried out in the form of ash slurry by mixing the ash with water. The ash slurry is stored in an ash pond. The water in the slurry is gradually drained out, through decanting wells, earthen embankments, and over spillways, leaving the ash to be deposited in the pond. It is observed that the design of decanting wells presently used allows a considerable amount of fly-ash to flow out with the water, leading to the contamination of soil and water courses. Further, it is observed that the failure of earthen embankments of ash ponds, which results in major damage to the environment, is mainly due to ineffective functioning of filters. This article presents the details of an experimental investigation carried out to study the role of geotextiles in improving the performance of decanting wells and different drainage systems in earthen embankments. Two series of experiments were carried out. In the first series a model-decanting well was tested with two different Geotextiles linings. In the second series, a number of model earthen embankments were tested with and without geotextiles. The economics of providing geotextiles in earthen embankments was studied. The results indicated that the use of Geotextiles improve the performance of decanting wells by reducing the amount of ash flowing into the decanting well and drainage system. Further, the use of Geotextiles has shown an improvement in the performance of earthen embankment used for ash ponds. The use of Geotextiles in earthen embankment is shown to be economical compared to the conventional drainage system.     

A multiplex PCR technique to characterize human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with capacity to differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts and chondrocytes, offer potential for the development of novel treatments. A critical question in MSCs biology is whether this cell population possesses a relatively uniform differentiation capability or is comprised of distinct subsets of progenitors committed to differentiate in particular pathways. To quantify the changes during growth of MSCs, we analyzed the mesenchymal phenotype and differentiation ability using a multi-marker PCR with six primer sets specific for CD73, CD90, CD105, CD166, CD45 and β-actin allowing a gel-based differential detection of the PCR products. To determine degree of variability of MSCs populations in terms of proliferation, cell proliferation assays were performed on expanded MSCs up to the sixth passage. At each passage, the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potentials of MSCs were verified by culture in inductive media. RT-PCR and cytochemical analysis revealed that, despite the loss of multipotentiality during expansion, certain markers remain expressed, indicating that these markers are unlikely to be reflective of the MSC’s true ‘stem cell’ nature. Our results suggest that decrease in the expression of MSCs specific markers correlates with down-regulation of proliferation ability and differentiation efficiency of MSCs.     

Interaction of Pb and Cd with gum kondagogu (Cochlospermum gossypium): A natural carbohydrate polymer with biosorbent properties

Gum kondagogu (Cochlospermum gossypium), an exudates tree gum from India was explored for its potential to decontaminate toxic metals (Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺). Optimum biosorption of metals were determined by investigating the contact time, pH, initial concentration of metal ions and biosorbent dose at 25 ± 2 °C. The maximum metal biosorption capacity for gum kondagogu was observed for Pb²⁺ (48.52 mg g⁻¹) and Cd²⁺ (47.48 mg g⁻¹) as calculated by Langmuir isotherm model. Kinetic studies showed that the biosorption rates could be described by pseudo-second-order expression. The metal interactions with biopolymer were assessed by FT-IR, SEM–EDXA and XPS analysis. Results based on these techniques suggest that mechanism of metal binding by the biopolymer involves micro-precipitation, ion-exchange and metal complexation.     

Improved somatic embryogenesis of grapevine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vitis vinifera</Emphasis>) with focus on induction parameters and efficient plant regeneration

A study of four parameters (induction medium, floral explant, developmental stage and year) was carried out to determine the best combination for the embryogenesis induction of eight grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars. Anthers and ovaries were extracted from flower buds at three developmental phases and incubated in two induction media over two consecutive years. As average, the percentage of embryogenesis on Nitsch and Nitsch-derived medium (9.1%) was higher than in Murashige and Skoog-derived medium (5.9%) and embryogenesis from ovaries (10.1%) was 2-fold higher than from anthers (4.9%). Earlier flower developmental stages (II–III) favored embryogenic induction from anthers, while later stages (III–V) did it from ovaries. Induction of embryogenic cultures was genotype dependent. Two years after the establishment of the embryogenic lines, an average of 48.0% of the pro-embryogenic masses were viable and suitable to initiate cell suspensions. Embryogenic cultures of four genotypes showed a high percentage of conversion from embryos to plants: Albariño (61.8%), Garnacha (48.8%), Tempanillo (71.0%) and Sultanina (69.0%). Moreover, cell suspensions were competent for transient transformation based on β-glucuronidase assay, as up to 6,387 blue spots per Petri plate after Biolistic bombardment were obtained. Here, we present the advantage of ovaries over anthers for the embryogenesis induction of several grapevine cultivars. This is the first report of embryogenesis from the cultivars Albariño, Verdejo and Muscat Hamburg as well as transient transformation of Albariño and Tempranillo.     

Oral Bioavailability Enhancement of Exemestane from Self-Microemulsifying Drug Delivery System (SMEDDS)

Limited aqueous solubility of exemestane leads to high variability in absorption after oral administration. To improve the solubility and bioavailability of exemestane, the self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) was developed. SMEDDS comprises of isotropic mixture of natural or synthetic oil, surfactant, and cosurfactant, which, upon dilution with aqueous media, spontaneously form fine o/w microemulsion with less than 100 nm in droplet size. Solubility of exemestane were determined in various vehicles. Ternary phase diagrams were plotted to identify the efficient self-emulsification region. Dilution studies, droplet size, and zeta potential of the formulations were investigated. The release of exemestane from SMEDDS capsules was studied using USP dissolution apparatus in different dissolution media and compared the release of exemestane from a conventional tablet. Oral pharmacokinetic study was performed in female Wistar rats (n = 8) at the dose of 30 mg kg⁻¹. The absorption of exemestane from SMEDDS form resulted in about 2.9-fold increase in bioavailability compared with the suspension. Our studies illustrated the potential use of SMEDDS for the delivery of hydrophobic compounds, such as exemestane by the oral route.Key words: bioavailability enhancement, exemestane, microemulsion, SMEDDS     

Updating Phylogeny of Mitochondrial DNA Macrohaplogroup M in India: Dispersal of Modern Human in South Asian Corridor

To construct maternal phylogeny and prehistoric dispersals of modern human being in the Indian sub continent, a diverse subset of 641 complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genomes belonging to macrohaplogroup M was chosen from a total collection of 2,783 control-region sequences, sampled from 26 selected tribal populations of India. On the basis of complete mtDNA sequencing, we identified 12 new haplogroups - M53 to M64; redefined/ascertained and characterized haplogroups M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M8′C′Z, M9, M10, M11, M12-G, D, M18, M30, M33, M35, M37, M38, M39, M40, M41, M43, M45 and M49, which were previously described by control and/or coding-region polymorphisms. Our results indicate that the mtDNA lineages reported in the present study (except East Asian lineages M8′C′Z, M9, M10, M11, M12-G, D ) are restricted to Indian region.The deep rooted lineages of macrohaplogroup ‘M’ suggest in-situ origin of these haplogroups in India. Most of these deep rooting lineages are represented by multiple ethnic/linguist groups of India. Hierarchical analysis of molecular variation (AMOVA) shows substantial subdivisions among the tribes of India (Fst = 0.16164). The current Indian mtDNA gene pool was shaped by the initial settlers and was galvanized by minor events of gene flow from the east and west to the restricted zones. Northeast Indian mtDNA pool harbors region specific lineages, other Indian lineages and East Asian lineages. We also suggest the establishment of an East Asian gene in North East India through admixture rather than replacement.     

A computational approach to inferring cellular protein‐binding affinities from quantitative fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy can measure the spatial distribution of protein interactions inside live cells. Such experiments give rise to complex data sets with many images of single cells, motivating data reduction and abstraction. In particular, determination of the value of the equilibrium dissociation constant (K_d) will provide a quantitative measure of protein–protein interactions, which is essential to reconstructing cellular signaling networks. Here, we investigate the feasibility of using quantitative FRET imaging of live cells to estimate the local value of K_d for two interacting labeled molecules. An algorithm is developed to infer the values of K_d using the intensity of individual voxels of 3‐D FRET microscopy images. The performance of our algorithm is investigated using synthetic test data, both in the absence and in the presence of endogenous (unlabeled) proteins. The influence of optical blurring caused by the microscope (confocal or wide field) and detection noise on the accuracy of K_d inference is studied. We show that deconvolution of images followed by analysis of intensity data at local level can improve the estimate of K_d. Finally, the performance of this algorithm using cellular data on the interaction between yellow fluorescent protein‐Rac and cyan fluorescent protein‐PBD in mammalian cells is shown.     

Molecular phylogenetics and taxonomic reassessment of four Indian representatives of the genus Nymphaea

Because the classification of Nymphaea in India has been reported to be confusing, molecular taxonomic revision of four Indian representatives of the genus namely N. nouchali, N. pubescens, N. rubra and N. tetragona based on ITS, trnK intron and matK gene is presented and discussed. Molecular evidence provided here is in disagreement about the taxonomic identity of one specimen of N. nouchali and indicated a probable misidentification of N. tetragona. Interestingly, sequence analysis revealed lack of or low sequence divergence between N. pubescens and N. rubra. Phylogenetic relationship among members of Nymphaea subg. Lotos, represented by all known species viz. N. lotus, N. petersiana, N. pubescens and N. rubra was also conducted. Maximum parsimony analysis of the combined data matrix depicted two clades with N. petersiana and N. lotus forming one, N. pubescens and N. rubra representing the other. Bayesian inference showed N. petersiana as first branching, followed by N. lotus with N. pubescens and N. rubra emerging as a separate clade. The results indicated no close association between N. petersiana and N. nouchali, thereby, contradicting the morphology-based treatment of placing N. petersiana in synonymy under N. capensis and N. nouchali, respectively.