Developmental changes in storage proteins and peptidyl prolyl cis–trans isomerase activity in grains of different wheat cultivars

In the present study, storage proteins from five different wheat cultivars were extracted, fractionated and evaluated for their accumulation at different stages of development. SDS–PAGE analysis revealed that the accumulation of high molecular weight glutenin subunits was cultivar and stage dependent. However, low molecular weight glutenin subunits’ accumulation was not altered significantly after 16 days post anthesis in any of the cultivars. The rheological parameters (storage- and loss-modulus) of dough and gluten showed close association with either gliadins or glutenins. Peptidyl prolyl cis–trans isomerase (PPIase) activity, measured at different stages of grains development, showed variability with both the developmental stage and cultivar, and appeared to be primarily due to cyclophilins. Principal component analysis revealed the association of PPIase activity with either gliadin or total proteins, suggesting their significant role in the deposition of storage proteins in wheat.     

A novel hybrid hypervolume indicator and reference vector adaptation strategies based evolutionary algorithm for many-objective optimization

Engineering with Computers - A novel hybrid many-objective evolutionary algorithm called Reference Vector Guided Evolutionary Algorithm based on hypervolume indicator (H-RVEA) is proposed in this...     

Magnetic field-guided orientation of carbon nanotubes through their conjugation with magnetic nanoparticles

Low intensity magnetic fields (22mT) rendered by a pair of bar magnets have been used to achieve in situ precise orientation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and their directional deposition on solid substrates. The nanotubes were imparted magnetic characteristics through Fe₃O₄ (magnetite) nanoparticles covalently attached to their surface. The side walls of nanotubes were first acid oxidized with H₂SO₄/HNO₃ (3:1 v/v) mixture and amine-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles were then interfaced to ends and side walls of the nanotubes through covalent linkages in the presence of a zero length cross linker, 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopic investigations affirmed the functionalization of nanostructures and formation of a magnetic nanohybrid. Transmission electron microscopy results revealed the attachment of nanoparticles along the side walls of MWCNTs. A flow cell was utilized to orient magnetic nanohybrid in the desired direction and also to create thin films of aligned MWCNTs. Further, directional assembly of magnetic MWCNTs at different orientation angles on solid substrates was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. The procedure can be scaled to align CNTs on large surface areas for numerous applications, e.g., nanosensors, field emitters, and composites.     

Covalent immobilization of naringinase for the transformation of a flavonoid

Naringinase (EC 3.2.1.40) from Penicillium sp was immobilized by covalent binding to woodchips to improve its catalytic activity. The immobilization of naringinase on glutaraldehyde‐coated woodchips (600 mg woodchips, 10 U naringinase, 45 °C, pH 4.0 and 12h) through 1% glutaraldehyde cross‐linking was optimized. The pH–activity curve of the immobilized enzyme shifted toward a lower pH compared with that of the soluble enzyme. The immobilization caused a marked increase in thermal stability of the enzyme. The immobilized naringinase was stable during storage at 4 °C. No loss of activity was observed when the immobilized enzyme was used for seven consecutive cycles of operations. The efficiency of immobilization was 120%, while soluble naringinase afforded 82% efficacy for the hydrolysis of standard naringin under optimal conditions. Its applicability for debittering kinnow mandarin juice afforded 76% debittering efficiency. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of Electric Field on Metallic SWCNT Interconnects for Nanoscale Technologies

The influence of an electric field on metallic single walled carbon nanotube(SWCNT) interconnects is studied. A voltage-dependent equivalent circuit model is presented for the impedance parameters of single-wall carbon nanotubes that capture various electron–phonon scattering mechanisms as a function of the electric field.To estimate the performance of SWCNT bundle interconnects, signal delay and power dissipation are calculated based on the field dependent model that results in an improvement in the delay and power estimation accuracy compared to the field-independent model. We find that the power delay product of a SWCNT bundle increases with the increase in electric field but decreases with technology scaling showing that at a low electric field, the SWCNT bundle is a potential reliable alternative interconnect for future high performance VLSI industry at scaled technologies.