Comparative analysis of VMT genes/proteins in selected plant species with emphasis on bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Sharma Hemant,Shayaba,Kumar Rahul,Kumar Jitendra,Bhadana Deepa,Batra Ritu,Singh Rakhi,Kumar Sachin,Roy Joy K,Balyan Harindra S.,Gupta Pushpendra K. 한국유전학회 2023 Genes & Genomics Vol.45 No.11

Background In recent years, the study of molecular basis of uptake, transport and utilization of grain Fe/Zn (GFe/GZn) in wheat has been an active area of research. As a result, it has been shown that a number of transporters are involved in uptake and transport of Fe. In a recent study, knockout of a transporter gene OsVMT (VACUOLAR MUGINEIC ACID TRANSPORTER) in rice was shown to be involved in Fe homoeostasis. Objective In this study, we analysed VMT genes among six monocots and three dicots with major emphasis on wheat VMT genes (TaVMTs), taking OsVMT gene as a reference. Methods and results Using OsVMT gene as a reference, VMT genes were identified and sequence similarities were examined among six monocots and three dicots. Each VMT protein carried one functional domain and 7 to 10 distinct motifs (including 9 novel motifs). The qRT-PCR analysis showed differential expression by all the six TaVMT genes in pairs of contrasting wheat genotypes with high (FAR4 and WB02) and low (K8027 and HD3226) GFe/GZn at two different grain filling stages (14 DAA and 28 DAA). TaVMT1 genes showed up-regulation in high GFe/Zn genotypes relative to low GFe/Zn genotypes, whereas the TaVMT2 genes showed down-regulation or nonsignificant up-regulation in a few cases. Conclusions At 14 DAA, each of the six TaVMT genes exhibited higher expression in wheat genotypes with high GFe and GZn relative to those with low GFe and GZn, suggesting major role of VMT genes in improvement of grain Fe/Zn homoeostasis, thus making TaVMT genes useful for improvement in Fe/Zn in wheat grains.

Effect of mixing on shear rheology of EVA nanocomposites

Rahul K Gupta,Sati N. Bhattacharya 한국유변학회 2010 Korea-Australia rheology journal Vol.22 No.3

EVAs with VA contents of 9%, 18%, 28% and 40% by weight and commercially modified montmorillonite clay were melt compounded in a twin-screw extruder. Nanocomposites of different clay loadings (2 to 7.5wt%) were produced. Two mixing techniques were used to produce these EVA nanocomposites. WAXS measurements have revealed that EVA chains had intercalated into the silicate layers and expanded the interlayer distance. TEM showed that the morphologies of the nanocomposites were of mixed intercalated /exfoliated. Shear rheology was employed to investigate elastic issues related to different EVA nanocomposites. Elasticity of the nanocomposites was compared using first normal stress difference-shear stress plots. The exfoliated morphology shown by EVA28 nanocomposites demonstrated that normal stress difference decreases as shear stress increases.

Compatibility of biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA)and poly(butylene succinate)(PBS)blends for packaging application

Rahul k.Gupta,Amita Bhatia,Sati.N.Bhattacharya,최형진 한국유변학회 2007 Korea-Australia rheology journal Vol.19 No.3

Biodegradable polymeric blends are expected to be widely used by industry due to their environmental friendliness and comparable mechanical and thermal properties. Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) are such biodegradable polymers which aim to replace commodity polymers in future applications. Since cost and brittleness of PLA is quite high, it is not economically feasible to use it alone for day to day use as a packaging material without blending. In this study, blends of PLA and PBS with various compositions were prepared by using a laboratory-scale twin-screw extruder at 180oC. Morphological, thermal, rheological and mechanical properties were investigated on the samples obtained by compression molding to explore suitability of these compositions for packaging applications. Morphology of the blends was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Morphology showed a clear phase difference trend depending on blend composition. Modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) thermograms of the blends indicated that the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PLA did not change much with the addition of PBS, but analysis showed that for PLA/PBS blend of up to 80/20 composition there is partial miscibility between the two polymers. The tensile strength and modulus were measured by the Instron Universal Testing Machine. Tensile strength, modulus and percentage (%) elongation at break of the blends decreased with PBS content. However, tensile strength and modulus values of PLA/PBS blend for up to 80/20 composition nearly follow the mixing rule. Rheological results also show miscibility between the two polymers for PBS composition less than 20% by weight. PBS reduced the brittleness of PLA, thus making it a contender to replace plastics for packaging applications. This work found a partial miscibility between PBS and PLA by investigating thermal, mechanical and morphological properties.

Electrical and structural properties of ionic liquid doped polymer gel electrolyte for dual energy storage devices

Singh, Rahul,Bhattacharya, B.,Gupta, Meenal,Rahul, Meenal,Khan, Zishan H.,Tomar, S.K.,Singh, Vijay,Singh, Pramod K. Pergamon Press 2017 International journal of hydrogen energy Vol.42 No.21

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>This paper reports the synthesis, characterization and dual electrochemical application of a new kind of ionic liquid (IL) based polymer electrolyte. The ionic liquid 1, 2-dimethyl-3-propylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (DMPImTFSI) and polymer Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) have been chosen for present study. The electrical conductivity measurement shows many fold enhancement of ionic conductivity by blending IL into polymer matrix. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image confirms the uniform surface morphology of the synthesized thin film and cross-section image shows the interface layer of polymer and electrode. We have fabricated an efficient dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) using IL-polymer electrolyte (optimized maximum conductivity) system which further affirms that this material is highly stable and reliable for long duration in energy devices.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Novel polymer gel electrolyte system for dual energy storage electrochemical application. </LI> <LI> Liquid like ionic conductivity of gel polymer electrolyte with high transparency in the film. </LI> <LI> Highly stable electrical performance of DSSC and EDLC devices. </LI> </UL> </P>

Compatibility of biodegradable poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) blends for packaging application

Bhatia, Amita,Gupta, Rahul K.,Bhattacharya, Sati. N.,Choi, H.J. The Korean Society of Rheology 2007 Korea-Australia rheology journal Vol.19 No.3

Biodegradable polymeric blends are expected to be widely used by industry due to their environmental friendliness and comparable mechanical and thermal properties. Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) are such biodegradable polymers which aim to replace commodity polymers in future applications. Since cost and brittleness of PLA is quite high, it is not economically feasible to use it alone for day to day use as a packaging material without blending. In this study, blends of PLA and PBS with various compositions were prepared by using a laboratory-scale twin-screw extruder at $180^{\circ}C$. Morphological, thermal, rheological and mechanical properties were investigated on the samples obtained by compression molding to explore suitability of these compositions for packaging applications. Morphology of the blends was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Morphology showed a clear phase difference trend depending on blend composition. Modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) thermograms of the blends indicated that the glass transition temperature ($T_g$) of PLA did not change much with the addition of PBS, but analysis showed that for PLA/PBS blend of up to 80/20 composition there is partial miscibility between the two polymers. The tensile strength and modulus were measured by the Instron Universal Testing Machine. Tensile strength, modulus and percentage (%) elongation at break of the blends decreased with PBS content. However, tensile strength and modulus values of PLA/PBS blend for up to 80/20 composition nearly follow the mixing rule. Rheological results also show miscibility between the two polymers for PBS composition less than 20% by weight. PBS reduced the brittleness of PLA, thus making it a contender to replace plastics for packaging applications. This work found a partial miscibility between PBS and PLA by investigating thermal, mechanical and morphological properties.

DCT and DWT Based Methods for Detecting Copy-Move Image Forgery: A Review

Anuja Dixit,Rahul Dixit,R. K. Gupta 보안공학연구지원센터 2016 International Journal of Signal Processing, Image Vol.9 No.10

Nowadays, as various image manipulation tools are available very easily. Any person having a little knowledge about these tools can doctor the available images. So digital images are no longer trusted. Computer graphics and digital photography have made the tampering over image easy to commit but hard to detect. Although various image forgery techniques are available but copy-move image forgery is one of the most hard to detect image forgery. In Copy-Move image forgery a segment from the original image is copied and after performing some manipulation over that, segment is pasted at some other location on the same image. This forgery is intended to hide noticeable information shown by the image or for adding information in original image to convey a wrong message. We cannot identify such forgery on the basis of incompatibilities present in an image because the copied segment is taken from the same image so the properties like noise, blur, texture, color palette remain similar to the original image. So, copy-move image forgery is a serious threat to Image forensic Investigators. Researchers have developed several methods for detecting such kind of forgery based on exhaustive search and block based methods. Block based method is more successful in detecting such kind of forgery due to its speed and less complexity. In this paper we discuss forgery detection techniques based on Discrete Cosine Transform and Discrete Wavelet Transform.

Hierarchical Macroporous Particles for Efficient Whole-Cell Immobilization: Application in Bioconversion of Greenhouse Gases to Methanol

Patel, Sanjay K. S.,Jeon, Min Soo,Gupta, Rahul K.,Jeon, Yale,Kalia, Vipin Chandra,Kim, Sun Chang,Cho, Byung Kwan,Kim, Dong Rip,Lee, Jung-Kul American Chemical Society 2019 ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES Vol.11 No.21

<P>A viable approach for methanol production under ambient physiological conditions is to use greenhouse gases, methane (CH<SUB>4</SUB>) and carbon dioxide (CO<SUB>2</SUB>), as feed for immobilized methanotrophs. In the present study, unique macroporous carbon particles with pore sizes in the range of ∼1-6 μm were synthesized and used as support for the immobilization of <I>Methylocella tundrae</I>. Immobilization was accomplished covalently on hierarchical macroporous carbon particles. Maximal cell loading of covalently immobilized <I>M. tundrae</I> was 205 mg<SUB>DCM</SUB> g<SUP>-1</SUP> of particles. Among these particles, the cells immobilized on 3.6 μm pore size particles showed the highest reusability with the least leaching and were chosen for further study. After immobilization, <I>M. tundrae</I> showed up to 2.4-fold higher methanol production stability at various pH and temperature values because of higher stability and metabolic activity than free cells. After eight cycles of reuse, the immobilized cells retained 18.1-fold higher relative production stability compared to free cells. Free and immobilized cells exhibited cumulative methanol production of 5.2 and 9.5 μmol mg<SUB>DCM</SUB><SUP>-1</SUP> under repeated batch conditions using simulated biogas [CH<SUB>4</SUB> and CO<SUB>2</SUB>, 4:1 (v/v)] as feed, respectively. The appropriate pore size of macroporous particles favors the efficient <I>M. tundrae</I> immobilization to retain better biocatalytic properties. This is the first report concerning the covalent immobilization of methanotrophs on the newly synthesized macroporous carbon particles and its subsequent application in repeated methanol production using simulated biogas as a feed.</P> [FIG OMISSION]</BR>

Structure-property relationship of melt intercalated maleated polyethylene nanocomposites

Reddy, M.M.,Gupta, Rahul K.,Bhattacharya, S.N.,Parthasarathy, R. The Korean Society of Rheology 2007 Korea-Australia rheology journal Vol.19 No.3

Low density polyethylene nanocomposites were prepared by melt intercalating maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene and montmorillonite clay. It has been found that maleic anhydride has promoted strong interactions between polyethylene and montmorillonite, leading to the homogeneous dispersion of clay layers. Rheological experiments revealed that prepared nanocomposites exhibited shear thinning behaviour. Polyethylene nanocomposites exhibited an increase in steady shear viscosities compared to virgin polyethylene owing to strong polymer clay interactions. The tensile strength of nanocomposites was improved but elongation at break decreased considerably. Also, barrier properties improved significantly with montmorillonite content.

Rheology and Physical Characteristics of Synthetic Biodegradable Aliphatic Polymer Blends Dispersed with MWNTs

Ko, Seung Woo,Gupta, Rahul K.,Bhattacharya, Sati N.,Choi, Hyoung Jin WILEY-VCH Verlag 2010 Macromolecular Materials & Engineering Vol.295 No.4

<P>PLA/PBAT blends and PLA/PBAT/MWNT nanocomposite systems were prepared via a melt mixing process to examine their thermal and rheological properties. To compare the polymer blend/MWNT nanocomposite with a pure polymer/MWNT nanocomposite, PLA/MWNT, PBAT/MWNT, and PLA/PBAT/MWNT nanocomposite systems were prepared. TEM and SEM were used to observe that one phase has better affinity with the MWNT, while the MWNT was found to increase both the thermal properties of the PLA/PBAT blends and rheological properties of the PLA/PBAT/MWNT nanocomposite with distinct shear-thinning behavior due to the addition of the MWNT. An increase in the storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli for the PLA/PBT/MWNT nanocomposite was also observed.</P><P> <img src='wiley_img_2010/14387492-2010-295-4-MAME200900390-gra001.gif' alt='wiley_img_2010/14387492-2010-295-4-MAME200900390-gra001'> </P> <B>Graphic Abstract</B> <P>MWNTs dispersed in polymers contribute significantly to the physical and rheological properties of polymer blend/MWNT nanocomposite systems. PLA/PBAT blends and PLA/PBAT/MWNT nanocomposite systems are prepared to examine their thermal and rheological properties. The MWNT is shown to improve the thermal properties of the nanocomposites significantly. Both shear and complex viscosities show a unique shear thinning behavior due to selectively localized MWNT dispersion states. <img src='wiley_img_2010/14387492-2010-295-4-MAME200900390-content.gif' alt='wiley_img_2010/14387492-2010-295-4-MAME200900390-content'> </P>

Structure-property relationship of melt intercalated maleated polyethylene nanocomposites

R.Parthasarathy,M.M.Reddy,Rahul k.Gupta,S.N.Bhattacharya 한국유변학회 2007 Korea-Australia rheology journal Vol.19 No.3

Low density polyethylene nanocomposites were prepared by melt intercalating maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene and montmorillonite clay. It has been found that maleic anhydride has promoted strong interactions between polyethylene and montmorillonite, leading to the homogeneous dispersion of clay layers. Rheological experiments revealed that prepared nanocomposites exhibited shear thinning behaviour. Polyethylene nanocomposites exhibited an increase in steady shear viscosities compared to virgin polyethylene owing to strong polymer clay interactions. The tensile strength of nanocomposites was improved but elongation at break decreased considerably. Also, barrier properties improved significantly with montmorillonite content.