Every year billion kilograms of unused feathers result from the poultry industry worldwide, which... more Every year billion kilograms of unused feathers result from the poultry industry worldwide, which in effect impose a difficult disposal process to the environment. Chicken feathers are considered as a valuable and renewable keratin protein source, which could be used advantageously in a number of applications as alternatives to feather meal and feather disposal. Although the potential applications of keratin derived from chicken feathers have been investigated, the initial purification phase has not been fully described in the literature. Original chicken feathers contain many biological organisms along with other contaminants after plucking. Unprocessed chicken feathers are considered as potentially hazardous biological materials due to the presence of blood borne pathogens; therefore, the decontamination process is very important. The purpose of this work is to compare the effects of different purification techniques on chicken feathers prior to keratin isolation. These processes include surfactant washing, soxhlet extraction with ethanol, ozone, and sodium chlorite solutions. Thermogravimetric analysis, vibrational spectroscopy, and wide angle X-ray scattering were used to characterise the purified feathers prior to keratin extraction.
Preface The persistent failure of governments to invest significantly in breast feeding is hard t... more Preface The persistent failure of governments to invest significantly in breast feeding is hard to comprehend. With evidence beyond doubt that tobacco kills around 1.5 million people a year from lung cancer, governments and agencies such as WHO now act forcefully and in unison to prevent its insidious promotion. Yet ten years after The Lancet series’ staggering revelations showing more than a million infants and young children die annually from diarrhoea and related infections because they are deprived of the right milk - breastfeeding, around a million babies still die and government investment in breastfeeding remains minimal, or zero, in most countries. The benefits of human milk for human infants are so obvious, and so well established, supported time and again by rigorous science, that organisations like IBFAN should not need to gather yet more figures, or mount yet more arguments for investment in breastfeeding. The simple, stark facts are that breastfeeding saves lives; lack ...
Lung India : official organ of Indian Chest Society
A majority of cystic lesions in the western world are detected antenatally, whereas, the diagnosi... more A majority of cystic lesions in the western world are detected antenatally, whereas, the diagnosis in our setup occurs once the child becomes symptomatic. Surgical management is primarily dictated by the presence of symptoms, recurrent infection, and rarely by the potential risk of malignant transformation. A retrospective analysis was carried out on all consecutive patients with cystic lung lesions managed at our center from January 2000 through June 2011 for antenatal diagnosis, presentation, diagnostic modalities, treatment, and complications. Forty cystic lung lesions were identified. Only 8% were antenatally detected. Out of 40, the final diagnosis was congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation in 19, congenital lobar emphysema in 11, and bronchogenic cysts and pulmonary sequestration in five each. Of these, 20% had received a course of prior antitubercular therapy and 30% had an intercostal drain inserted prior to referral to our center. Postoperative morbidity in the form of ...
Raw and laccase-treated kenaf fibre (KF) were used individually to reinforce recycled polypropyle... more Raw and laccase-treated kenaf fibre (KF) were used individually to reinforce recycled polypropylene (RPP) using extrusion and injection moulding. Laccase was used to modify the surface of the fibre to improve the compatibility between fibre and matrix. Enzyme concentration and soaking time were considered as the treatment parameters. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was used with a ratio of 1:10 as coupling agent to fibre. Fibres were characterized by density, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), whereas composites were characterized by density, melt flow index (MFI), mechanical tests (tensile, flexural, and impact), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), field emission electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and water uptake analysis. Density, O/C ratio, and crystallinity of the treated fibre were increased. An optimum fibre loading of 40% gave the highest tensile properties. Tensile strength improved due to coupling agent by 37%, whereas treatment of fibre did the same by 40%. Flexural, impact, and thermal properties of the composites and crystallinity of the matrix were improved due to treatment. Morphological images of the composites showed better adhesion, and moisture absorption was reduced by 37% due to treatment and use of coupling agent.
2005 Pyran derivatives R 0340 Regiocontrolled Suzuki-Miyaura Couplings of 3,5-Dibromo-2-pyrone. -... more 2005 Pyran derivatives R 0340 Regiocontrolled Suzuki-Miyaura Couplings of 3,5-Dibromo-2-pyrone. -If copper-(I)-iodide in DMF is added, the coupling reaction occurs selectively in the 1,4-position relative to the carbonyl group. Under normal conditions, only 1,2-coupling of the borane is observed. -(RYU, K.-M.; GUPTA, A. K.; HAN, J. W.; OH, C. H.; CHO*, C.
Caudal duplication syndrome is a rare entity in which structures derived from the embryonic cloac... more Caudal duplication syndrome is a rare entity in which structures derived from the embryonic cloaca and notochord are duplicated to various extents. The term encompasses a spectrum and often is quoted as one type of incomplete separation of monovular twins. The authors present more evidence giving credence to caudal twining as the mechanism behind the syndrome. The authors report successful
The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society, 2010
Bydon A, Xu R, Parker SL, et al. Recurrent back and leg pain and cyst reformation after surgical ... more Bydon A, Xu R, Parker SL, et al. Recurrent back and leg pain and cyst reformation after surgical resection of spinal synovial cysts: systemic review of reported postoperative outcomes. Spine J 2010;10:820-826 (in this issue).
S100B is a calcium sensing protein belonging to the S100 protein family with intracellular and ex... more S100B is a calcium sensing protein belonging to the S100 protein family with intracellular and extracellular roles. It is one of the EF hand homodimeric proteins, which is known to interact with various protein targets to regulate varied biological functions. Extracellular S100B has been recently reported to interact with FGF2 in a RAGE-independent manner. However, the recognition mechanism of S100B-FGF2 interaction at the molecular level remains unclear. In this study, the critical residues on S100B-FGF2 interface were mapped by combined information derived from NMR spectroscopy and site directed mutagenesis experiments. Utilizing NMR titration data, we generated the structural models of S100B-FGF2 complex from the computational docking program, HADDOCK which were further proved stable during 15ns unrestrained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Isothermal titration calorimetry studies indicated S100B interaction with FGF2 is an entropically favored process implying dominant role ...
The p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) is a well-known DNA damage response (DDR) factor, which is recr... more The p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) is a well-known DNA damage response (DDR) factor, which is recruited to nuclear structures at the site of DNA damage and forms readily visualized ionizing radiation (IR) induced foci. Depletion of 53BP1 results in cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase as well as genomic instability in human as well as mouse cells. Within the DNA damage response mechanism, 53BP1 is classified as an adaptor/mediator, required for processing of the DNA damage response signal and as a platform for recruitment of other repair factors. More recently, specific 53BP1 contributions to DSB repair pathway choice have been recognized and are being characterized. In this review, we have summarized recent advances in understanding the role of 53BP1 in regulating DNA DSBs repair pathway choice, variable diversity joining [V(D)J] recombination and class-switch recombination (CSR).
Ataxia telangiectasia patients develop lymphoid malignancies of both B- and T-cell origin. Simila... more Ataxia telangiectasia patients develop lymphoid malignancies of both B- and T-cell origin. Similarly, ataxia telangiectasia mutated (Atm)-deficient mice exhibit severe defects in T-cell maturation and eventually develop thymomas. The function of ATM is known to be influenced by the mammalian orthologue of the Drosophila MOF (males absent on the first) gene. Here, we report the effect of T-cell-specific ablation of the mouse Mof (Mof) gene on leucocyte trafficking and survival. Conditional Mof(Flox/Flox) (Mof (F/F)) mice expressing Cre recombinase under control of the T-cell-specific Lck proximal promoter (Mof(F/F)/Lck-Cre(+)) display a marked reduction in thymus size compared with Mof(F/F)/Lck-Cre(-) mice. In contrast, the spleen size of Mof(F/F)/Lck-Cre(+) mice was increased compared with control Mof(F/F)/Lck-Cre(-) mice. The thymus of Mof(F/F)/Lck-Cre(+) mice contained significantly reduced T cells, whereas thymic B cells were elevated. Within the T-cell population, CD4(+)CD8(+) d...
The role of carotid artery stenting (CAS) as an alternative to carotid endarterectomy in the trea... more The role of carotid artery stenting (CAS) as an alternative to carotid endarterectomy in the treatment of for symptomatic carotid artery stenosis is investigated. Forty-seven patients underwent CAS over 10-year period. Forty-nine vessels were treated. Stenosis quantification was done using North American symptomatic carotid endarterectomy trial method. The mean follow-up period by clinical and Duplex examination ranged is 5.6 years. The technical success rate was 100%. There were four deaths (8.1%) and two (4.1%) minor strokes within thirty days of procedure. There was no major strokes. All patients with minor stroke achieved complete recovery at 1-month follow up. Two deaths occurred probably due to hyperperfusion syndrome (HS) and two due to cardiac arrest. CAS is an effective treatment modality of symptomatic carotid artery disease but should be carefully done in high-risk groups having severe medical ailments and those having severe bilateral stenosis of the carotid arteries.
This paper discusses the development of a onedimensional mathematical model to describe the heat ... more This paper discusses the development of a onedimensional mathematical model to describe the heat and mass transfer during the hot-compression of medium density fibreboard (MDF) composite panels. Five primary variables were considered during the model development: air content, water vapour content, bound water content, and temperature within the mat, and the extent of the cure of the adhesive system, characterized by the cure index. Different heat and mass transfer processes were identified for the transport of the heat and the moisture phases. The heat was transported by conduction and convection due to a temperature gradient, and the exothermic energy released by the curing of the urea formaldehyde resin, while the water phases were transported by bulk flow and diffusion due to total pressure and concentration gradients. The resulting differentialalgebraic equation system was solved by the finite difference method. The mathematical model predicted temperature, moisture content, partial vapour pressures, and extent of adhesive cure within the mat structure under a typical hot-compression process. The model results allow a better understanding of the interacting mechanisms involved in a complex production process. The model can also assist to optimize the hot-pressing parameters for improved quality of MDF panel products, while reducing pressing time.
In this paper, a simulation model is proposed to predict Young's Modulus for wood plastic composi... more In this paper, a simulation model is proposed to predict Young's Modulus for wood plastic composites (WPC) based on micromechanical models. Most of the previous models developed, have assumed that wood have uniform properties similar to synthetic fibers. But in reality wood behave differently due to different natural sources. During the manufacturing process of WPC, the cell wall of the wood fibers gets damaged during extrusion and injection molding. The percentage of void volume present inside the wood fiber is reduced. The proposed model is able to predict Young's Modulus taking into account the impact of "void volume" and the moisture content of WPC. Model results were validated with experimental results and it was observed that predicted results have shown improvements in comparison to the previously reported models. The present model will be very useful for the people working in the wood composite industry and in research institutes, to increase the understanding of internal processes during manufacturing process. It will help in reducing the quality defects and improving the strength.
Every year billion kilograms of unused feathers result from the poultry industry worldwide, which... more Every year billion kilograms of unused feathers result from the poultry industry worldwide, which in effect impose a difficult disposal process to the environment. Chicken feathers are considered as a valuable and renewable keratin protein source, which could be used advantageously in a number of applications as alternatives to feather meal and feather disposal. Although the potential applications of keratin derived from chicken feathers have been investigated, the initial purification phase has not been fully described in the literature. Original chicken feathers contain many biological organisms along with other contaminants after plucking. Unprocessed chicken feathers are considered as potentially hazardous biological materials due to the presence of blood borne pathogens; therefore, the decontamination process is very important. The purpose of this work is to compare the effects of different purification techniques on chicken feathers prior to keratin isolation. These processes include surfactant washing, soxhlet extraction with ethanol, ozone, and sodium chlorite solutions. Thermogravimetric analysis, vibrational spectroscopy, and wide angle X-ray scattering were used to characterise the purified feathers prior to keratin extraction.
Preface The persistent failure of governments to invest significantly in breast feeding is hard t... more Preface The persistent failure of governments to invest significantly in breast feeding is hard to comprehend. With evidence beyond doubt that tobacco kills around 1.5 million people a year from lung cancer, governments and agencies such as WHO now act forcefully and in unison to prevent its insidious promotion. Yet ten years after The Lancet series’ staggering revelations showing more than a million infants and young children die annually from diarrhoea and related infections because they are deprived of the right milk - breastfeeding, around a million babies still die and government investment in breastfeeding remains minimal, or zero, in most countries. The benefits of human milk for human infants are so obvious, and so well established, supported time and again by rigorous science, that organisations like IBFAN should not need to gather yet more figures, or mount yet more arguments for investment in breastfeeding. The simple, stark facts are that breastfeeding saves lives; lack ...
Lung India : official organ of Indian Chest Society
A majority of cystic lesions in the western world are detected antenatally, whereas, the diagnosi... more A majority of cystic lesions in the western world are detected antenatally, whereas, the diagnosis in our setup occurs once the child becomes symptomatic. Surgical management is primarily dictated by the presence of symptoms, recurrent infection, and rarely by the potential risk of malignant transformation. A retrospective analysis was carried out on all consecutive patients with cystic lung lesions managed at our center from January 2000 through June 2011 for antenatal diagnosis, presentation, diagnostic modalities, treatment, and complications. Forty cystic lung lesions were identified. Only 8% were antenatally detected. Out of 40, the final diagnosis was congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation in 19, congenital lobar emphysema in 11, and bronchogenic cysts and pulmonary sequestration in five each. Of these, 20% had received a course of prior antitubercular therapy and 30% had an intercostal drain inserted prior to referral to our center. Postoperative morbidity in the form of ...
Raw and laccase-treated kenaf fibre (KF) were used individually to reinforce recycled polypropyle... more Raw and laccase-treated kenaf fibre (KF) were used individually to reinforce recycled polypropylene (RPP) using extrusion and injection moulding. Laccase was used to modify the surface of the fibre to improve the compatibility between fibre and matrix. Enzyme concentration and soaking time were considered as the treatment parameters. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was used with a ratio of 1:10 as coupling agent to fibre. Fibres were characterized by density, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), whereas composites were characterized by density, melt flow index (MFI), mechanical tests (tensile, flexural, and impact), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), field emission electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and water uptake analysis. Density, O/C ratio, and crystallinity of the treated fibre were increased. An optimum fibre loading of 40% gave the highest tensile properties. Tensile strength improved due to coupling agent by 37%, whereas treatment of fibre did the same by 40%. Flexural, impact, and thermal properties of the composites and crystallinity of the matrix were improved due to treatment. Morphological images of the composites showed better adhesion, and moisture absorption was reduced by 37% due to treatment and use of coupling agent.
2005 Pyran derivatives R 0340 Regiocontrolled Suzuki-Miyaura Couplings of 3,5-Dibromo-2-pyrone. -... more 2005 Pyran derivatives R 0340 Regiocontrolled Suzuki-Miyaura Couplings of 3,5-Dibromo-2-pyrone. -If copper-(I)-iodide in DMF is added, the coupling reaction occurs selectively in the 1,4-position relative to the carbonyl group. Under normal conditions, only 1,2-coupling of the borane is observed. -(RYU, K.-M.; GUPTA, A. K.; HAN, J. W.; OH, C. H.; CHO*, C.
Caudal duplication syndrome is a rare entity in which structures derived from the embryonic cloac... more Caudal duplication syndrome is a rare entity in which structures derived from the embryonic cloaca and notochord are duplicated to various extents. The term encompasses a spectrum and often is quoted as one type of incomplete separation of monovular twins. The authors present more evidence giving credence to caudal twining as the mechanism behind the syndrome. The authors report successful
The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society, 2010
Bydon A, Xu R, Parker SL, et al. Recurrent back and leg pain and cyst reformation after surgical ... more Bydon A, Xu R, Parker SL, et al. Recurrent back and leg pain and cyst reformation after surgical resection of spinal synovial cysts: systemic review of reported postoperative outcomes. Spine J 2010;10:820-826 (in this issue).
S100B is a calcium sensing protein belonging to the S100 protein family with intracellular and ex... more S100B is a calcium sensing protein belonging to the S100 protein family with intracellular and extracellular roles. It is one of the EF hand homodimeric proteins, which is known to interact with various protein targets to regulate varied biological functions. Extracellular S100B has been recently reported to interact with FGF2 in a RAGE-independent manner. However, the recognition mechanism of S100B-FGF2 interaction at the molecular level remains unclear. In this study, the critical residues on S100B-FGF2 interface were mapped by combined information derived from NMR spectroscopy and site directed mutagenesis experiments. Utilizing NMR titration data, we generated the structural models of S100B-FGF2 complex from the computational docking program, HADDOCK which were further proved stable during 15ns unrestrained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Isothermal titration calorimetry studies indicated S100B interaction with FGF2 is an entropically favored process implying dominant role ...
The p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) is a well-known DNA damage response (DDR) factor, which is recr... more The p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) is a well-known DNA damage response (DDR) factor, which is recruited to nuclear structures at the site of DNA damage and forms readily visualized ionizing radiation (IR) induced foci. Depletion of 53BP1 results in cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase as well as genomic instability in human as well as mouse cells. Within the DNA damage response mechanism, 53BP1 is classified as an adaptor/mediator, required for processing of the DNA damage response signal and as a platform for recruitment of other repair factors. More recently, specific 53BP1 contributions to DSB repair pathway choice have been recognized and are being characterized. In this review, we have summarized recent advances in understanding the role of 53BP1 in regulating DNA DSBs repair pathway choice, variable diversity joining [V(D)J] recombination and class-switch recombination (CSR).
Ataxia telangiectasia patients develop lymphoid malignancies of both B- and T-cell origin. Simila... more Ataxia telangiectasia patients develop lymphoid malignancies of both B- and T-cell origin. Similarly, ataxia telangiectasia mutated (Atm)-deficient mice exhibit severe defects in T-cell maturation and eventually develop thymomas. The function of ATM is known to be influenced by the mammalian orthologue of the Drosophila MOF (males absent on the first) gene. Here, we report the effect of T-cell-specific ablation of the mouse Mof (Mof) gene on leucocyte trafficking and survival. Conditional Mof(Flox/Flox) (Mof (F/F)) mice expressing Cre recombinase under control of the T-cell-specific Lck proximal promoter (Mof(F/F)/Lck-Cre(+)) display a marked reduction in thymus size compared with Mof(F/F)/Lck-Cre(-) mice. In contrast, the spleen size of Mof(F/F)/Lck-Cre(+) mice was increased compared with control Mof(F/F)/Lck-Cre(-) mice. The thymus of Mof(F/F)/Lck-Cre(+) mice contained significantly reduced T cells, whereas thymic B cells were elevated. Within the T-cell population, CD4(+)CD8(+) d...
The role of carotid artery stenting (CAS) as an alternative to carotid endarterectomy in the trea... more The role of carotid artery stenting (CAS) as an alternative to carotid endarterectomy in the treatment of for symptomatic carotid artery stenosis is investigated. Forty-seven patients underwent CAS over 10-year period. Forty-nine vessels were treated. Stenosis quantification was done using North American symptomatic carotid endarterectomy trial method. The mean follow-up period by clinical and Duplex examination ranged is 5.6 years. The technical success rate was 100%. There were four deaths (8.1%) and two (4.1%) minor strokes within thirty days of procedure. There was no major strokes. All patients with minor stroke achieved complete recovery at 1-month follow up. Two deaths occurred probably due to hyperperfusion syndrome (HS) and two due to cardiac arrest. CAS is an effective treatment modality of symptomatic carotid artery disease but should be carefully done in high-risk groups having severe medical ailments and those having severe bilateral stenosis of the carotid arteries.
This paper discusses the development of a onedimensional mathematical model to describe the heat ... more This paper discusses the development of a onedimensional mathematical model to describe the heat and mass transfer during the hot-compression of medium density fibreboard (MDF) composite panels. Five primary variables were considered during the model development: air content, water vapour content, bound water content, and temperature within the mat, and the extent of the cure of the adhesive system, characterized by the cure index. Different heat and mass transfer processes were identified for the transport of the heat and the moisture phases. The heat was transported by conduction and convection due to a temperature gradient, and the exothermic energy released by the curing of the urea formaldehyde resin, while the water phases were transported by bulk flow and diffusion due to total pressure and concentration gradients. The resulting differentialalgebraic equation system was solved by the finite difference method. The mathematical model predicted temperature, moisture content, partial vapour pressures, and extent of adhesive cure within the mat structure under a typical hot-compression process. The model results allow a better understanding of the interacting mechanisms involved in a complex production process. The model can also assist to optimize the hot-pressing parameters for improved quality of MDF panel products, while reducing pressing time.
In this paper, a simulation model is proposed to predict Young's Modulus for wood plastic composi... more In this paper, a simulation model is proposed to predict Young's Modulus for wood plastic composites (WPC) based on micromechanical models. Most of the previous models developed, have assumed that wood have uniform properties similar to synthetic fibers. But in reality wood behave differently due to different natural sources. During the manufacturing process of WPC, the cell wall of the wood fibers gets damaged during extrusion and injection molding. The percentage of void volume present inside the wood fiber is reduced. The proposed model is able to predict Young's Modulus taking into account the impact of "void volume" and the moisture content of WPC. Model results were validated with experimental results and it was observed that predicted results have shown improvements in comparison to the previously reported models. The present model will be very useful for the people working in the wood composite industry and in research institutes, to increase the understanding of internal processes during manufacturing process. It will help in reducing the quality defects and improving the strength.
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Papers by Arun Gupta