Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are capable of dynamic interconversion between distinct substates; however, the regulatory circuits specifying these states and enabling transitions between them are not ...well understood. Here we set out to characterize transcriptional heterogeneity in mouse PSCs by single-cell expression profiling under different chemical and genetic perturbations. Signalling factors and developmental regulators show highly variable expression, with expression states for some variable genes heritable through multiple cell divisions. Expression variability and population heterogeneity can be influenced by perturbation of signalling pathways and chromatin regulators. Notably, either removal of mature microRNAs or pharmacological blockage of signalling pathways drives PSCs into a low-noise ground state characterized by a reconfigured pluripotency network, enhanced self-renewal and a distinct chromatin state, an effect mediated by opposing microRNA families acting on the Myc/Lin28/let-7 axis. These data provide insight into the nature of transcriptional heterogeneity in PSCs.
Curcumin, the active principle present in the yellow spice turmeric, has been shown to exhibit various pharmacological actions such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and ...anti-carcinogenic activities. Previously we have reported that dietary curcumin delays diabetes-induced cataract in rats. However, low peroral bioavailability is a major limiting factor for the success of clinical utilization of curcumin. In this study, we have administered curcumin encapsulated nanoparticles in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic cataract model. Oral administration of 2 mg/day nanocurcumin was significantly more effective than curcumin in delaying diabetic cataracts in rats. The significant delay in progression of diabetic cataract by nanocurcumin is attributed to its ability to intervene the biochemical pathways of disease progression such as protein insolubilization, polyol pathway, protein glycation, crystallin distribution and oxidative stress. The enhanced performance of nanocurcumin can be attributed probably to its improved oral bioavailability. Together, the results of the present study demonstrate the potential of nanocurcumin in managing diabetic cataract.
We present a multiwavelength study of the W40 star-forming region using infrared (IR) observations in the UKIRT JHK bands, Spitzer Infrared Array Camera bands, and Herschel PACS bands, 2.12 mu m H ...sub(2) narrowband imaging, and radio continuum observations from GMRT (610 and 1280 MHz), in a field of view (FoV) of ~34' x 40'. Archival Spitzer observations in conjunction with near-IR observations are used to identify 1162 Class II/III and 40 Class I sources in the FoV. The nearest-neighbor stellar surface density analysis shows that the majority of these young stellar objects (YSOs) constitute the embedded cluster centered on the high-mass source IRS 1A South. Radio continuum analysis shows that this region has a blister morphology, with the radio peak coinciding with a protostellar source.
The catalytic activity of modified carbon powder (Vulcan XC-72R) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in an air-breathing cathode of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) has been investigated. Chemical ...modification was carried out by using various chemicals, namely 5% nitric acid, 0.2
N phosphoric acid, 0.2
N potassium hydroxide and 10% hydrogen peroxide. Electrochemical study was performed for ORR of these modified carbon materials in the buffer solution pH range of 6–7.5 in the anodic compartment. Although, these treatments influenced the surface properties of the carbon material, as evident from the SEM-EDX analysis, treatment with H
2PO
4, KOH, and H
2O
2 did not show significant activity during the electrochemical test. The HNO
3 treated Vulcan demonstrated significant ORR activity and when used in the single-chamber MFC cathode, current densities (1115
mA/m
2, at 5.6
mV) greater than those for a Pt-supported un-treated carbon cathode were achieved. However, the power density for the latter was higher. Such chemically modified carbon material can be a cheaper alternative for expensive platinum catalyst used in MFC cathode construction.
A detailed statistical analysis is performed using Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) to establish the effect of microstructure on twin nucleation and growth in deformed commercial purity ...hexagonal close packed (HCP) titanium. Rolled titanium samples are compressed along rolling, transverse and normal directions to establish statistical correlations for {10–12}, {11–21}, and {11–22} twins. A recently developed automated EBSD-twinning analysis software is employed for the statistical analysis. The analysis provides the following key findings: (I) grain size and strain dependence is different for twin nucleation and growth; (II) twinning statistics can be generalized for the HCP metals magnesium, zirconium and titanium; and (III) complex microstructure, where grain shape and size distribution is heterogeneous, requires multi-point statistical correlations.
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•A new direct discrete model approximation based internal model controller design is proposed.•Proposed scheme is validated on the single-input single-output and the multi-input multi-output discrete ...dynamical models.•A robust study of proposed discrete approximation based internal model controller is demonstrated on supersonic jet engine.•Effectiveness of the proposed design methodology is illustrated through a single machine infinite bus power system.
In this paper, a new direct discrete approximation based internal model control design is proposed to the linear discrete dynamical systems. The approximation method is used to determine an accurate and stable reduced-order model for the considered original higher-order discrete-time system. The method involves an enhanced Differential Evolution algorithm to ascertain the stable denominator polynomial coefficients, and the preferable reduced numerator polynomial coefficients are evaluated by using the improved discrete multi-point Padé approximation approach. The method deploys on discrete step integral square error minimization between the original dynamical system and the approximated model, together with retaining their discrete impulse response energy values. The approximated model has been considered an internal (predictive) model and proceeds with an optimal internal model controller design to improve the discrete dynamical system behaviour according to the reference input/the set point. The controller's best performance is attained by tuning the single filter parameter ′λ′ by minimizing the integral square error between the reference input and the actual output of the dynamical system using the enhanced differential evolution algorithm. The acceptability and applicability of the proposed process reduction-based controller design have been validated on a single-input single-output supersonic jet engine inlet dynamical model. The controller robust study is conducted by inserting 10% disruption uncertainty in the system dynamical model poles and zeros. The method has also been extended to the discrete multi-input multi-output dynamical model of the single machine infinite bus power system to develop an optimal internal model control-based power system stabilizer. The simulation results showing better reference input tracking, comparison of performance indices, and also highlight the efficacy of the proposed controller design.
The current study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices pertaining to antibiotic usage among the field veterinarians who serve as nodal officers playing a crucial role in ...disseminating knowledge to the farmers regarding livestock management practices in India.
A pilot study was conducted in which 106 of the 173 field veterinarians of Haryana, India, agreed to contribute through their valuable participation in the study. The collected data were critically analyzed by simple descriptive statistics, and the responses were ranked using Garrett's ranking method.
Our study found that most of the clinicians were aware of the fundamental clinical aspects of antibiotic resistance (AR), i.e., the general causes and transmission of resistance, response during treatment failure, and safe disposal of hospital waste. Further, implementation of "antibiotic stewardship" (rational/responsible use of antibiotics) and interruption of AR transmission by means of cross-kingdom pathogens are two ways to restrict the spread of resistant pathogens which were not in the clinical purview of majority of the clinicians. This highlights a lack of awareness and scope of improving clinician's knowledge pertaining to AR. Moreover, we got to know the methodology adopted by farmers for disposal of infected milk from diseased udders as well as their attitude toward diseased and unproductive animals.
This study provides snippets of the current animal husbandry practices prevalent at the field level which would assist to plug in the gaps of knowledge regarding AR among the veterinarians as well as the general public and serve to reduce its deleterious impacts in Indian animal farming as well as in the world through the concept of "One World, One Health."
Traditional end-effector robots for arm rehabilitation are usually attached at the hand, primarily focusing on coordinated multi-joint training. Therapy at an individual joint level of the arm for ...severely impaired stroke survivors is not always possible with existing end-effector robots. The Arm Rehabilitation Robot (AREBO)—an end-effector robot—was designed to provide both single and multi-joint assisted training while retaining the advantages of traditional end-effector robots, such as ease of use, compactness and portability, and potential cost-effectiveness (compared to exoskeletons). This work presents the design, optimization, and characterization of AREBO for training single-joint movements of the arm. AREBO has three actuated and three unactuated degrees of freedom, allowing it to apply forces in any arbitrary direction at its endpoint and self-align to arbitrary orientations within its workspace. AREBO’s link lengths were optimized to maximize its workspace and manipulability. AREBO provides single-joint training in both unassisted and adaptive weight support modes using a human arm model to estimate the human arm’s kinematics and dynamics without using additional sensors. The characterization of the robot’s controller and the algorithm for estimating the human arm parameters were performed using a two degrees of freedom mechatronic model of the human shoulder joint. The results demonstrate that (a) the movements of the human arm can be estimated using a model of the human arm and robot’s kinematics, (b) AREBO has similar transparency to that of existing arm therapy robots in the literature, and (c) the adaptive weight support mode control can adapt to different levels of impairment in the arm. This work demonstrates how an appropriately designed end-effector robot can be used for single-joint training, which can be easily extended to multi-joint training. Future work will focus on the evaluation of the system on patients with any neurological condition requiring arm training.
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