Prevalence of eNOS Glu298Asp polymorphism in healthy volunteers from a region of Northern India

OBJECTIVE: Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) Glu298Asp polymorphisms are under extensive study worldwide due to their suggested role in cardiovascular disorders. This polymorphism had gained more attention since several reports suggest its association with hypertension and coronary artery disease (CAD). Asian Indians are highly susceptible to ischemic heart dis eases. We determined the prevalence of eNOS Glu298 Asp polymorphism in 139 healthy volunteers from Delhi and the surrounding areas. The subjects were recruited from those who willingly participated in this study in response to a publicized call and a standard questionnaire. Male to female ratio was 2.7:1 due to the larger number of male participants in this investigation. This, however, does not represent normal male to female distribution in the area. Despite the male bias, this investigation was justified. The prevalence of CAD in males is about 3 times higher in this region and no data had so far been available on the distribution of this polymorphism from India. METHOD: The eNOS Glu298Asp polymorphism was studied by PCR-RFLP. RESULTS: Distribution of genotype GG, GT and TT in the study subjects was found to be 71.22, 28.06 and 0.72%, respectively, and allele frequency was G,0.853;T,0.147. CONCLUSION: T allele had been described as susceptibility allele for CAD in several population studies. The frequency of the T allele was found to be two times higher in our subjects than that reported for Japanese and Korean populations. This study does not provide any direct evidence for eNOS gene disease associations but is the first report on the prevalence of eNOS Glu298Asp gene polymorphism in Indian subjects. Whether the observed pattern of eNOS Glu298Asp polymorphism contributes to the greater susceptibility of Asian Indians to CAD as compared to the other population groups, needs to be investigated.     

Molecular computing: paths to chemical Turing machines

To comply with the rapidly increasing demand of information storage and processing, new strategies for computing are needed. The idea of molecular computing, where basic computations occur through molecular, supramolecular, or biomolecular approaches, rather than electronically, has long captivated researchers. The prospects of using molecules and (bio)macromolecules for computing is not without precedent. Nature is replete with examples where the handling and storing of data occurs with high efficiencies, low energy costs, and high-density information encoding. The design and assembly of computers that function according to the universal approaches of computing, such as those in a Turing machine, might be realized in a chemical way in the future; this is both fascinating and extremely challenging. In this perspective, we highlight molecular and (bio)macromolecular systems that have been designed and synthesized so far with the objective of using them for computing purposes. We also present a blueprint of a molecular Turing machine, which is based on a catalytic device that glides along a polymer tape and, while moving, prints binary information on this tape in the form of oxygen atoms.     

Analysis of high speed non‐equilibrium chemically reacting gas flows. Part I. Physical modeling and sensitivity studies

In this part, a theoretical model for high speed flow of chemically reacting gases out of thermal and chemical equilibrium is presented. The main features of the physical model are discussed together with details for a new form of the kinetic rate coefficients for non‐equilibrium flows and presentation of a two‐layer radiation model used for a plasma torch problem. This model is implemented in a new hybrid finite volume/finite element scheme, which is developed in Part II. Results from this physical model are compared with experiments and other results in the literature for an arcjet and non‐equilibrium nozzle test case. Sensitivity studies are included for the nozzle problem to simulate the influence of the rate coefficients. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermodynamics of Crystal Nucleation in an External Electric Field

The influence of electric field on crystal nucleation in a saturated solution has been studied both theoretically and experimentally. The classical equations for nucleation have been used to determine the free energy of formation, critical radius of the cluster and the concentration of the critical nuclei. The theory shows that an externally applied electric field can modify the free energy of formation of a crystalline cluster in its aqueous solution. The impact of the field will be stronger on large molecules. Two experimental set ups have been designed to study the nucleation of crystals in saturated aqueous solutions, in the presence of electric fields. Experiments conducted using a metal coordination compound bis‐ thiourea zinc chloride show that electric fields of strength around 10⁵ V/m would increase its nucleation.     

Thermogravimetric Analysis and Thermal Ageing of Crosslinked Nitrile Rubber/Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl Acetate) Blends

The thermal behaviour of nitrile rubber (NBR)/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) blends was studied by thermogravimetry. The effects of blend ratio, different crosslinking systems (sulphur, peroxide and mixed), various fillers (silica, clay and carbon black) and filler loading on the thermal properties were evaluated. It was found that the initial decomposition temperature increased with the addition of NBR to EVA. Among the various crosslinking systems studied, the peroxide cured system showed the highest initial decomposition temperature. This is associated with the high bond dissociation energy of C–C linkages. The addition of fillers improved the thermal stability of the blend. The mass loss at different temperatures and activation energy of degradation were also studied. The thermal ageing of these blends was carried out at 50 and 100°C for 72 h. It was seen that the properties are not affected by the mild ageing condition. Also, the peroxide cured system was found to exhibit better retention in properties, than other crosslinking systems. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Twisted Index Theory on Good Orbifolds, II:¶Fractional Quantum Numbers

This paper uses techniques in noncommutative geometry as developed by Alain Connes [Co2], in order to study the twisted higher index theory of elliptic operators on orbifold covering spaces of compact good orbifolds, which are invariant under a projective action of the orbifold fundamental group, continuing our earlier work [MM]. We also compute the range of the higher cyclic traces on K-theory for cocompact Fuchsian groups, which is then applied to determine the range of values of the Connes–Kubo Hall conductance in the discrete model of the quantum Hall effect on the hyperbolic plane, generalizing earlier results in [Bel+E+S], [CHMM]. The new phenomenon that we observe in our case is that the Connes–Kubo Hall conductance has plateaux at integral multiples of a fractional valued topological invariant, namely the orbifold Euler characteristic. Moreover the set of possible fractions has been determined, and is compared with recently available experimental data. It is plausible that this might shed some light on the mathematical mechanism responsible for fractional quantum numbers. Received: 4 November 1999 / Accepted: 22 September 2000     

Radiative capture of fast neutrons by 89Y and 140Ce

The γ-ray spectra from the reactions ⁸⁹Y(n, γ)⁹⁰Y and ¹⁴⁰Ce(n, γ)¹⁴¹Ce have been measured in the neutron energy range of 6.2–15.6 MeV. The pulse-height spectra were recorded with NaI(Tl) spectrometers and time-of-flight techniques were used to improve signal-to-background ratio. Capture cross sections were determined for γ-ray transitions to the two $\text{2}\text{d}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>5</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ levels at 0 and 203 keV of ⁹⁰Y and to the $\text{2}\text{f}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>7</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ ground state of ¹⁴¹Ce as well as integrated cross sections to bound states in these nuclei. The observed γ-ray spectra and partial radiative capture cross sections were compared with predictions of the direct-semidirect capture theory. The resonance behaviour with neutron energy of both the ground-state and integrated partial capture cross sections shows the validity of the semidirect model for ⁸⁹Y and ¹⁴⁰Ce in the region of neutron energy encompassing the giant-dipole resonance. The observed symmetry of the cross sections about the peak of the resonance argues strongly for the complex form of the particle-vibration coupling interaction. A detailed comparison of the predictions of the DSD model using the complex coupling interaction shows that the capture cross sections are relatively insensitive to the real part of the interaction.     

PHOTOREACTIONS OF 5-BROMOURACIL IN THE PRESENCE OF CYSTEINE AND GLUTATHIONE

Abstract —Sulfhydryl compounds such as cysteine and glutathione enhance the photochemical reactivity of 5-bromouracil irradiated in aqueous solution with ultraviolet light (Λ > 240 nm). Production of uracil and addition of the sulfhydryl compound to the 5-bromouracil residue are the major photoreactions.     

Excision of cytosine-thymine adduct from the DNA of ultraviolet-irradiated Micrococcus radiodurans

Abstract— 6-4‘-[pyrimidin-2’-one]-thymine (PO-T), a deamination product of a cytosine–thymine adduct accounted for about 17 per cent of the total detectable thymine-derived photoproducts in u.v.-irradiated Micrococcus radiodurans. On incubation of the irradiated cells, oligonucleotides containing the photoproducts were released into the medium. After various periods of incubation the different photoproducts were isolated both from the cells and from the medium. Analysis of these different photoproducts showed that during the excision process the ratio of PO–T to total thymine-derived products remained constant both in the cells and in the medium. This shows that the precursor to PO–T is excised at the same rate as the other thymine-derived photoproducts by the dark repair mechanisms exhibited by this radiation-resistant organism.     

Homotopy invariance of Novikov-Shubin invariants and Betti numbers

We give short proofs of the Gromov-Shubin theorem on the homotopy invariance of the Novikov-Shubin invariants and of the Dodziuk theorem on the homotopy invariance of the Betti numbers of the universal covering of a closed manifold in this paper. We show that the homotopy invariance of these invariants is no more difficult to prove than the homotopy invariance of ordinary homology theory.