Early activation events differentiate the reactivity of two T-cell families to Staphylococcus enterotoxin A

Analysis of early activation events in two SEA responsive T-cell families demonstrated that low doses of SEA induced CD4+Vbeta22 T-cells to down-regulate their TCR and express CD69, considerably earlier than CD4+Vbeta5 T-cells. The rapid down-regulation of Vbeta22 TCR led to its proliferation, whereas even a 10-fold higher dose of toxin induced only a partial down-regulation of Vbeta5 TCR. Stimulation with SEA induced a significantly higher percentage of Vbeta22 T-cells to produce IFN-gamma compared to Vbeta5 T-cells. SEAF47A, a mutant of SEA, known to have a lower binding affinity for the MHC class II molecule, failed to activate Vbeta5 T-cells whereas Vbeta22 T-cell activation was slightly decreased. Hence, early activation events highlighted the differential requirements of T-cell families to respond to SEA.     

Bio-sequestration of carbon dioxide using carbonic anhydrase enzyme purified from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrobacter freundii</Emphasis>

The increase in the atmospheric concentrations of one of the vital green house gasses, carbon dioxide, due to anthropogenic interventions has led to several undesirable consequences such as global warming and related changes. In the global effort to combat the predicted disaster, several CO₂ capture and storage technologies are being deliberated. One of the most promising biological carbon dioxide sequestration technologies is the enzyme catalyzed carbon dioxide sequestration into bicarbonates which was endeavored in this study with a purified C. freundii SW3 β-carbonic anhydrase (CA). An extensive screening process for biological sequestration using CA has been defined. Six bacteria with high CA activity were screened out of 102 colonies based on plate assay and presence of CA in these bacteria was further emphasized by activity staining and Western blot. The identity of selected bacteria was confirmed by 16S rDNA analysis. CA was purified to homogeneity from C. freundii SW3 by subsequent gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography which resulted in a 24 kDa polypeptide and this is in accordance with the Western blot results. The effect of host on metal ions, cations and anions which influence activity of the enzyme in sequestration studies suggests that mercury and HCO₃ ⁻ ion almost completely inhibit the enzyme whereas sulfate ion and zinc enhances carbonic anhydrase activity. Calcium carbonate deposition was observed in calcium chloride solution saturated with carbon dioxide catalyzed by purified enzyme and whereas a sharp decrease in calcium carbonate formation has been noted in purified enzyme samples inhibited by EDTA and acetazolamide.     

Full genome sequence of bluetongue virus serotype 1 from India

We report the full-genome sequence of an Indian isolate of bluetongue virus serotype 1 (BTV-1), strain IND1992/01. This is the first report of the entire genome sequence (Seg-1 to Seg-10) of an Eastern (e) strain of BTV-1. These sequence data provide a reference for BTV-1e that will help to define the phylogenetic relationships and geographic origins of distinct Indian lineages of BTV-1 as well as their relationships with other BTV strains from around the world. The availability of data for all 10 genome segments of this strain will also help to identify reassortment events involving this and other virus lineages.     

Umatilla virus genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis: identification of stretch lagoon orbivirus as a new member of the Umatilla virus species

The genus Orbivirus, family Reoviridae, includes 22 species of viruses with genomes composed of ten segments of linear dsRNA that are transmitted between their vertebrate hosts by insects or ticks, or with no identified vectors. Full-genome sequence data are available for representative isolates of the insect borne mammalian orbiviruses (including bluetongue virus), as well as a tick borne avian orbivirus (Great Island virus). However, no sequence data are as yet available for the mosquito borne avian orbiviruses.We report full-length, whole-genome sequence data for Umatilla virus (UMAV), a mosquito borne avian orbivirus from the USA, which belongs to the species Umatilla virus. Comparisons of conserved genome segments 1, 2 and 8 (Seg-1, Seg-2 and Seg-8) - encoding the polymerase-VP1, sub-core 'T2' protein and core-surface 'T13' protein, respectively, show that UMAV groups with the mosquito transmitted mammalian orbiviruses. The highest levels of sequence identity were detected between UMAV and Stretch Lagoon orbivirus (SLOV) from Australia, showing that they belong to the same virus species (with nt/aa identity of 76.04%/88.07% and 77.96%/95.36% in the polymerase and T2 genes and protein, respectively). The data presented here has assisted in identifying the SLOV as a member of the Umatilla serogroup. This sequence data reported here will also facilitate identification of new isolates, and epidemiological studies of viruses belonging to the species Umatilla virus.     

PhishTackle—a web services architecture for anti-phishing

Phishing is web based criminal activity of making innocent online users to reveal sensitive information into fake web sites. Such fake web sites lead to fraudulent charges against individuals and corporations. Phishers have a lot of methods to design and host phished web pages, so in reality there cannot be a single solution that can help us combat phishing. As technology advances, the phishing techniques being used are also getting advanced and hence it demands the anti-phishing techniques also to be upgraded and the new techniques are to be included along with the existing methods. But most of the anti-phishing techniques today do not satisfy these criteria. In this paper, we propose service oriented three-layer architecture model for detecting and identifying phishing web sites as it overcomes the shortcomings of existing anti-phishing solutions. This model enables us to separate the user interface layer from the anti-phishing components layer. This is done through web service middleware layer, which provides us with the freedom of building our own anti-phishing components layer in an efficient and flexible way, independent of other layers. Anti-phishing components layer provides a set of reusable components to convert webpage into feature vectors using finest heuristic methods and external repositories of information. The feature vectors act as an input to trained support vector machine classifier to generate phishing label which determines whether a webpage is legitimate or a phishing page. This when experimented, displayed the significance and importance of three-layered architecture model along with combination of heuristics in detection of phishing webpage. This results in high accuracy of 99 % with less than 1 % of false positive rate.     

Immobilization of carbonic anhydrase in alginate and its influence on transformation of CO2 to calcite

Present investigation entails carbonic anhydrase (CA) immobilization and its influence on transformation of CO₂ to calcite. CA enzyme was immobilized in alginate beads, subsequently maintained its catalytic efficiency after sequential operational cycles. The immobilized beads showed better operational stability by retaining nearly 67% of its initial activity even after six cycles. Batch scale studies with free and immobilized enzyme revealed that the entrapped CA hydrates CO₂ to bicarbonate and/or carbonate which was then made to react with Ca²⁺ ions to transform into calcite. Calcite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The entrapped CA was employed for the performance evaluation with respect to several operational parameters including the influence of enzyme concentration in free and immobilized condition. It was concluded that immobilized CA in alginate beads would have the potential for CO₂ sequestration by biomimetic route.     

The three-dimensional micro- and nanostructure of the aortic medial lamellar unit measured using 3D confocal and electron microscopy imaging.

Changes in arterial wall composition and function underlie all forms of vascular disease. The fundamental structural and functional unit of the aortic wall is the medial lamellar unit (MLU). While the basic composition and organization of the MLU is known, three-dimensional (3D) microstructural details are tenuous, due (in part) to lack of three-dimensional data at micro- and nano-scales. We applied novel electron and confocal microscopy techniques to obtain 3D volumetric information of aortic medial microstructure at micro- and nano-scales with all constituents present. For the rat abdominal aorta, we show that medial elastin has three primary forms: with approximately 71% of total elastin as thick, continuous lamellar sheets, 27% as thin, protruding interlamellar elastin fibers (IEFs), and 2% as thick radial struts. Elastin pores are not simply holes in lamellar sheets, but are indented and gusseted openings in lamellae. Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) weave throughout the interlamellar elastin framework, with cytoplasmic extensions abutting IEFs, resulting in approximately 20 degrees radial tilt (relative to the lumen surface) of elliptical SMC nuclei. Collagen fibers are organized as large, parallel bundles tightly enveloping SMC nuclei. Quantification of the orientation of collagen bundles, SMC nuclei, and IEFs reveal that all three primary medial constituents have predominantly circumferential orientation, correlating with reported circumferentially dominant values of physiological stress, collagen fiber recruitment, and tissue stiffness. This high resolution three-dimensional view of the aortic media reveals MLU microstructure details that suggest a highly complex and integrated mural organization that correlates with aortic mechanical properties.     

Transmission pathways of foot-and-mouth disease virus in the United Kingdom in 2007

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus causes an acute vesicular disease of domesticated and wild ruminants and pigs. Identifying sources of FMD outbreaks is often confounded by incomplete epidemiological evidence and the numerous routes by which virus can spread (movements of infected animals or their products, contaminated persons, objects, and aerosols). Here, we show that the outbreaks of FMD in the United Kingdom in August 2007 were caused by a derivative of FMDV O(1) BFS 1860, a virus strain handled at two FMD laboratories located on a single site at Pirbright in Surrey. Genetic analysis of complete viral genomes generated in real-time reveals a probable chain of transmission events, predicting undisclosed infected premises, and connecting the second cluster of outbreaks in September to those in August. Complete genome sequence analysis of FMD viruses conducted in real-time have identified the initial and intermediate sources of these outbreaks and demonstrate the value of such techniques in providing information useful to contemporary disease control programmes.     

Use of micro-CAT scans to understand cowpea seed resistance to Callosobruchus maculatus

The cowpea bruchid, Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchini), is a worldwide pest of stored cowpea grain [ Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (Leguminosae)], causing tens of millions of dollars' worth of damage annually. One method of managing this pest involves planting cultivars whose seeds are resistant to bruchids. Despite extensive research, we still do not know the mechanism by which TVu 2027, the original resistant cowpea line, resists C. maculatus . Using micro-CAT (computerized axial tomography) scan imaging, we visualized the feeding patterns of bruchids living and growing within cowpea seeds. We present evidence that an interior zone in TVu 2027 seeds is responsible for the high mortality and developmental delays experienced by avirulent larval bruchids. We observed that both virulent as well as avirulent bruchid strains have different feeding patterns in TVu 2027 seeds compared to susceptible seeds. It appears that the resistance factor is most concentrated in a zone in each cotyledon adjacent to the air space separating the two seed halves.     

Privileged Knowledge and Mothers' "Perceptions": The Case of Breast-Feeding and Insufficient Milk in Bangladesh

This article uses the example of breast-feeding and insufficient-milk syndrome in Bangladesh to illustrate the privileged status of professional discourse. While health professionals' discourse is given the status of scientific knowledge, the views and opinions expressed by breast–feeding women are referred to as "perceptions" and thus regarded as less objective. We use data gathered in two anthropological studies undertaken between 1987 and 1992 to examine some of the ambiguous qualities that breast-feeding mothers, their relatives, and health practitioners attribute to breast milk in Bangladesh. We discuss how old beliefs are incorporated into new systems and how bottles, which are associated with allopathy and science, provide a way of circumventing anxieties about female physiology and breast milk. Medical, religious, and popular ideas on breast-feeding and insufficient milk represent different intersecting discourses on the same theme—that female physiology and sexuality are problematic, [breast-feeding, insufficient milk, ethnophysiology, Bangladesh, privileged discourse]