Abstract
The present investigation aims to analyze higher-order endothermic/exothermic chemical reactions with activation energy by considering thermophoresis and Brownian motion effects on MHD mixed ...convective flow across a vertical stretching surface. The influence of velocity slip, thermal slip, and concentration slip along with an inclined external magnetic field is also considered. The governing coupled non-linear partial differential equations are transformed into ordinary differential equations using similarity transformation. The resulting system of non-linear ODEs is solved by the Newton Raphson shooting technique using the RK-4 algorithm. The impact of various physical parameters discovered in the problem viz. endothermic/exothermic reaction variable, thermophoresis parameter, activation energy parameter, Brownian motion parameter, chemical reaction parameter have been analyzed on velocity profile, temperature profile, and concentration profile. The effects of these parameters on skin-friction coefficient, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number are displayed in tabular form as well as surface plots. The impact of various physical parameters that appeared in the entropy generation is shown using surface and contour plots. The numerical findings are in good agreement with the previously published results. It is observed that an increment in thermophoresis and Brownian motion parameters results in a declination of entropy profiles, whereas an increment in Bejan number profiles is observed. A small region near the surface exhibits an inclination in concentration profiles with an increase in the order of the chemical reaction. In contrast, the opposite effect is analyzed near the boundary layer. Also, the contour and surface plots are displayed to portray real-world applications in industrial and technical processes and the physical depiction of flow characteristics that arise in the current study.
We derive a new equation of state (EoS) for neutron stars (NS) from the outer crust to the core based on modern microscopic calculations using the Argonne v18 potential plus three-body forces ...computed with the Urbana model. To deal with the inhomogeneous structures of matter in the NS crust, we use a recent nuclear energy density functional that is directly based on the same microscopic calculations, and which is able to reproduce the ground-state properties of nuclei along the periodic table. The EoS of the outer crust requires the masses of neutron-rich nuclei, which are obtained through Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations with the new functional when they are unknown experimentally. To compute the inner crust, Thomas-Fermi calculations in Wigner-Seitz cells are performed with the same functional. Existence of nuclear pasta is predicted in a range of average baryon densities between ≃0.067 fm-3 and ≃0.0825 fm-3, where the transition to the core takes place. The NS core is computed from the new nuclear EoS assuming non-exotic constituents (core of npeμ matter). In each region of the star, we discuss the comparison of the new EoS with previous EoSs for the complete NS structure, widely used in astrophysical calculations. The new microscopically derived EoS fulfills at the same time a NS maximum mass of 2 M⊙ with a radius of 10 km, and a 1.5 M⊙ NS with a radius of 11.6 km.
In the present study, a total of 53 promising salt-tolerant genotypes were tested across 18 salt-affected diverse locations for three years. An attempt was made to identify ideal test locations and ...mega-environments using GGE biplot analysis. The CSSRI sodic environment was the most discriminating location in individual years as well as over the years and could be used to screen out unstable and salt-sensitive genotypes. Genotypes CSR36, CSR-2K-219, and CSR-2K-262 were found ideal across years. Overall, Genotypes CSR-2K-219, CSR-2K-262, and CSR-2K-242 were found superior and stable among all genotypes with higher mean yields. Different sets of genotypes emerged as winners in saline soils but not in sodic soils; however, Genotype CSR-2K-262 was the only genotype that was best under both saline and alkaline environments over the years. The lack of repeatable associations among locations and repeatable mega-environment groupings indicated the complexity of soil salinity. Hence, a multi-location and multi-year evaluation is indispensable for evaluating the test sites as well as identifying genotypes with consistently specific and wider adaptation to particular agro-climatic zones. The genotypes identified in the present study could be used for commercial cultivation across edaphically challenged areas for sustainable production.
Background Pigeonpea Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh, one of the most important food legumes of semi-arid tropical and subtropical regions, has limited genomic resources, particularly expressed ...sequence based (genic) markers. We report a comprehensive set of validated genic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers using deep transcriptome sequencing, and its application in genetic diversity analysis and mapping. Results In this study, 43,324 transcriptome shotgun assembly unigene contigs were assembled from 1.696 million 454 GS-FLX sequence reads of separate pooled cDNA libraries prepared from leaf, root, stem and immature seed of two pigeonpea varieties, Asha and UPAS 120. A total of 3,771 genic-SSR loci, excluding homopolymeric and compound repeats, were identified; of which 2,877 PCR primer pairs were designed for marker development. Dinucleotide was the most common repeat motif with a frequency of 60.41%, followed by tri- (34.52%), hexa- (2.62%), tetra- (1.67%) and pentanucleotide (0.76%) repeat motifs. Primers were synthesized and tested for 772 of these loci with repeat lengths of ≥18 bp. Of these, 550 markers were validated for consistent amplification in eight diverse pigeonpea varieties; 71 were found to be polymorphic on agarose gel electrophoresis. Genetic diversity analysis was done on 22 pigeonpea varieties and eight wild species using 20 highly polymorphic genic-SSR markers. The number of alleles at these loci ranged from 4-10 and the polymorphism information content values ranged from 0.46 to 0.72. Neighbor-joining dendrogram showed distinct separation of the different groups of pigeonpea cultivars and wild species. Deep transcriptome sequencing of the two parental lines helped in silico identification of polymorphic genic-SSR loci to facilitate the rapid development of an intra-species reference genetic map, a subset of which was validated for expected allelic segregation in the reference mapping population. Conclusion We developed 550 validated genic-SSR markers in pigeonpea using deep transcriptome sequencing. From these, 20 highly polymorphic markers were used to evaluate the genetic relationship among species of the genus Cajanus. A comprehensive set of genic-SSR markers was developed as an important genomic resource for diversity analysis and genetic mapping in pigeonpea.
► Feedstock composition reflected in biocrude chemistry despite similar heating values. ► HTL biocrude N, O heteroatom content exceeds petroleum and requires upgrading. ► Feedstock selection and ...profiling critical for intended downstream application. ► Complementary analyses provide value-added data for biocrude oil characterization. ► Molecular-level profiling can aid in targeted treatments based on biocrude oil chemistry.
This study explores the influence of wastewater feedstock composition on hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) biocrude oil properties and physico-chemical characteristics. Spirulina algae, swine manure, and digested sludge were converted under HTL conditions (300°C, 10–12MPa, and 30min reaction time). Biocrude yields ranged from 9.4% (digested sludge) to 32.6% (Spirulina). Although similar higher heating values (32.0–34.7MJ/kg) were estimated for all product oils, more detailed characterization revealed significant differences in biocrude chemistry. Feedstock composition influenced the individual compounds identified as well as the biocrude functional group chemistry. Molecular weights tracked with obdurate carbohydrate content and followed the order of Spirulina<swine manure<digested sludge. A similar trend was observed in boiling point distributions and the long branched aliphatic contents. These findings show the importance of HTL feedstock composition and highlight the need for better understanding of biocrude chemistries when considering bio-oil uses and upgrading requirements.
Antibacterial peptides are important components of the innate immune system, used by the host to protect itself from different types of pathogenic bacteria. Over the last few decades, the search for ...new drugs and drug targets has prompted an interest in these antibacterial peptides. We analyzed 486 antibacterial peptides, obtained from antimicrobial peptide database APD, in order to understand the preference of amino acid residues at specific positions in these peptides.
It was observed that certain types of residues are preferred over others in antibacterial peptides, particularly at the N and C terminus. These observations encouraged us to develop a method for predicting antibacterial peptides in proteins from their amino acid sequence. First, the N-terminal residues were used for predicting antibacterial peptides using Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Quantitative Matrices (QM) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), which resulted in an accuracy of 83.63%, 84.78% and 87.85%, respectively. Then, the C-terminal residues were used for developing prediction methods, which resulted in an accuracy of 77.34%, 82.03% and 85.16% using ANN, QM and SVM, respectively. Finally, ANN, QM and SVM models were developed using N and C terminal residues, which achieved an accuracy of 88.17%, 90.37% and 92.11%, respectively. All the models developed in this study were evaluated using five-fold cross validation technique. These models were also tested on an independent or blind dataset.
Among antibacterial peptides, there is preference for certain residues at N and C termini, which helps to demarcate them from non-antibacterial peptides. Both the termini play a crucial role in imparting the antibacterial property to these peptides. Among the methods developed, SVM shows the best performance in predicting antibacterial peptides followed by QM and ANN, in that order. AntiBP (Antibacterial peptides) will help in discovering efficacious antibacterial peptides, which we hope will prove to be a boon to combat the dreadful antibiotic resistant bacteria. A user friendly web server has also been developed to help the biological community, which is accessible at http://www.imtech.res.in/raghava/antibp/.
Sheath blight of rice (Oryza sativa L.) caused by Rhizoctonia solani is a major disease and attempts are being made to develop microbe based technologies for biocontrol of this pathogen. However, the ...mechanisms of biocontrol are not fully understood and still require indepth study in the backdrop of emerging concepts in biological systems. The present investigation was aimed at deciphering the mechanisms of biocontrol of sheath blight of rice employing Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma harzianum as model agents for biocontrol. Initially 25, 5 and 5 strains of P. fluorescens, T. viride and T. harzianum, respectively, were screened for their biocontrol potential. Out of which, six strains with higher value of percent inhibition of fungal mycelium in dual plate assay were selected. The role of P. fluorescens, T. viride and T. harzianum were investigated in induction and bioaccumulation of natural antioxidants, defence-related biomolecules and other changes in plant which lead not only to growth promotion but also protection from pathogenic stress conditions in rice. The two most promising strains, P. fluorescens PF-08 and T. harzianum UBSTH-501 selected on the basis of in planta evaluation, when applied individually or in combination, significantly enhanced the accumulation of defence-related biomolecules, enzymes and exhibited biocontrol potential against R. solani. A modified/newly developed delivery system was applied for the first time in the experiments involving inoculation of plants with both bioagents, viz. P. fluorescens PF-08 and T. harzianum UBSTH-501. Results suggested that application of P. fluorescens PF-08 and T. harzianum UBSTH-501 alone or in combination, not only helps in control of the disease but also increases plant growth along with reduction in application of toxic chemical pesticides.
A numerical investigation of MHD blood flow through a stenosed permeable curved artery has been done in this study. Blood flow is considered in two-phases; core and plasma region, respectively. ...Viscosity of the core region is considered as temperature-dependent, while constant viscosity is considered in plasma region. The governing equations of the proposed two-phase blood flow model are considered in the toroidal coordinate system. The second-order finite difference method is adopted to solve governing equations with
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tolerance in the iteration process. A comparative study of Darcy number (Da) is performed to understand the influence of permeable and impermeable wall conditions. The effect of various physical parameters such as magnetic field (
M
), viscosity variation parameter (
λ
1
), Darcy number (Da), heat source (
H
) and chemical reaction parameter (
ξ
) is displayed graphically on the flow velocity, temperature, concentration, wall shear stress and frictional resistance profiles. A comparison with published work has also been displayed through the graph to validate the present model, and it is in fair agreement with the existing work. The present study suggested that the curvature and permeability of the arterial wall raise the risk of atherosclerosis formation, while the implication of heat source on the blood flow lower this risk.
Leaf rust (Puccinia triticina Eriks.) is a fungal disease of wheat (Triticum spp.), which causes considerable yield loss. Adult plant resistance (APR) is one of the most sustainable approaches to ...control leaf rust. In this study, field-testing was carried out across ten different locations, followed by molecular screening, to detect the presence of APR genes, Lr34+, Lr46+, Lr67+ and Lr68 in Indian wheat germplasm. In field screening, 190 wheat accessions were selected from 6,319 accessions based on leaf tip necrosis (LTN), disease severity and the average coefficient of infection. Molecular screening revealed that 73% of the accessions possessed known APR genes either as single or as a combination of two or three genes. The occurrence of increased LTN intensity, decreased leaf rust severity and greater expression of APR genes were more in relatively cooler locations. In 52 lines, although the presence of the APR genes was not detected, it still displayed high levels of resistance. Furthermore, 49 accessions possessing either two or three APR genes were evaluated for stability across locations for grain yield. It emerged that eight accessions had wider adaptability. Resistance based on APR genes, in the background of high yielding cultivars, is expected to provide a high level of race non-specific resistance, which is durable.
Black carbon (BC) aerosols were measured using an aethalometer (AE-31) at Pulchowk Campus, an urban location of Kathmandu valley, Nepal from May 2009 to April 2010. The amount of BC in the total mass ...of the suspended particulate matter (TSP) were estimated by comparing the average BC with mass of particulate matter simultaneously measured with frm Omni Ambient Air Sampler for the last two months (March–April, 2010). BC concentration shows significant temporal variation with monthly mean concentration varying between 14.9 μg m−3 and 3.0 μg m−3. The highest daily mean concentration was recorded as high as 39.9 μg m−3. The highest concentration of BC occurred during winter and pre-monsoon seasons. The lowest concentration of BC was found during monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. A distinct diurnal variation of BC with two high peaks occurred; one in around 09:00 morning and another late evening around 20:00 local time. Minimum BC concentration was also observed in the afternoon. The annual average of BC for observation period was 8.6 ± 4.4 μg m−3. The seasonal, monthly and diurnal variation of BC were found to be significantly influenced by the local traffic movements, the domestic and industrial fuel consuming activities, wind speed, wind direction and rain. The amount of BC in the total mass of particulate matters during the observed period varied between 11.6 and 56.2 percent. This variation is attributed to the high amount of re-suspension of dust particles in the atmosphere of the valley.
► For the first time Black Carbon (BC) was continuously monitored for one year from May 2009 to April 2010 in Kathmandu, Nepal. ► Diurnal, monthly and seasonal variation of BC was observed. ► Anti-correlation of BC with rain was better than BC with wind. ► Local events also effect in the variation of BC concentration in the valley. ► Percentage of BC in particulate matters varies between 11.6 and 56.2 percent.
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