Characterization of Post-Rainy Season Grown Indigenous and Exotic Germplasm Lines of Sorghum for Morphological and Yield Traits

( Ashok Badigannavar ),( Ashok Kumar ),( G. Girish ),( T. R. Ganapathi ) 한국육종학회 2017 Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Vol.5 No.2

Sorghum is a major staple crop and vital for the marginal farmers in Asian and African countries. Landraces or germplasm lines adapted to biotic and abiotic stresses are the prime source of adaptive traits in the crop breeding programs. In order to assess the genetic variability, 141 exotic germplasm lines and 36 popular varieties were evaluated for eight agro-morphological traits. Wide range of values were observed for grain yield (6.6-124.4 g/plant), seed index (1.5-7.1 g/100 seeds), panicle length (8-44 cm) and panicle width (7.25 cm). High genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation was observed for grain yield per plant. The values of broad sense heritability in the sorghum core population ranged from 0.75 to 0.99. Seed weight, days to flowering, panicle width and leaf area were significantly correlated with grain yield (P ≤ 0.01). Seed weight was positively correlated with panicle width (correlation coefficient 0.31), while negatively correlated with panicle length (correlation coefficient -0.15). Cluster analysis resolved all the genotypes into four major clusters. Among germplasm lines, TSG-313 had high seed weight of 7.05 g/100 seeds, while TSG-325 had highest grain yield of 124.4 g/plant as against control variety. Germplasm lines with high heritability scores would help us to utilise them in recombination breeding.

Cell death in culture: Molecular mechanisms, detections, and inhibition strategies

Anandrao Ashok Patil,Sachin Ashok Bhor,Won Jong Rhee 한국공업화학회 2020 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.91 No.-

Mammalian cell cultures are widely used in the biopharmaceutical industry to produce monoclonalantibodies, vaccines, growth factors, etc. Cell death is an essential biological process for physiologicalgrowth and development, but it is a major problem in biopharmaceutical production in bio-industry. Celldeath within bioreactor occurs due to various intracellular and extracellular stresses. These stressesnegatively affect the culture longevity, overall product quality, and yield. Among all cell death types,apoptosis accounts for most of the cellular death in the bioreactor. The implementation and developmentof various strategies to prevent the cellular death are crucial for robust bioprocess development. Celldeath during culture can be prevented or inhibited by supplementing media with specific chemicals,synthetic inhibitors, and genetic cell engineering approaches. In this review, we classified and describeddifferent types of cell death and their molecular mechanisms and summarized the cell death inhibitionapproaches implemented to inhibit cell death for various applications.

Synthesis and characterization of complex pervoskite BMT ceramics and the effect of gamma radiation at microwave frequency

Ashok K.,Masin B.,Shukla Nishant,Gupta Kinshuk,Gupta Vikas,Ambati Praveen Kumar,Sreemoolanadhan H. 한국세라믹학회 2022 한국세라믹학회지 Vol.59 No.1

Ba(Mg 1/3 ,Ta 2/3 )O 3 (BMT), a complex perovskite ceramic with extremely high Q u and that has been the only choice as dielec- tric resonator (DR) for satellite multiplexers extensively used in communication satellites. BMT DRs have been prepared by solid-state route by single-step calcinations followed by fi ring the green compacts at about 1600–1650 °C for 20 h. Excellent Q u -factor > 20,000 at 10 GHz achieved after annealing near 1000 °C combined with near-zero τ f and dielectric constant ( ε r ) ~ 24. The DRs are subjected to 100 kRad and 1MRad γ irradiation exposure. The resonant frequency and Q u are measured after the irradiation and found to be within the range of measurement error. This paper briefl y discusses the BMT process- ing, characterization, the properties and the eff ects of γ -radiation. These BMT DRs are useful for Satellite applications. The ten-pole filters have been assembled and its performance tested and verified.

Right Atrial Paraganglioma: An Extremely Rare Primary Cardiac Neoplasm Mimicking Myxoma

Ashok Garg,Deepika Mishra,Manish Bansal,Hari Ram Maharia,Vikram Goyal 한국심초음파학회 2016 Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging (J Cardiovasc Im Vol.24 No.4

In this report, we present a case of 35-year-old lady who had presented with atypical chest pain and exertional breathlessness forpast six months. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms showed a well-circumscribed, echo-dense mass in the rightatrium, attached to the interatrial septum at the level of atrioventricular junction and in the vicinity of coronary sinus ostium. Sheunderwent successful resection of the cardiac mass. Histopathology revealed paraganglioma, which was reconfirmed by immunohistochemistrystudy. This represents an extremely rare presentation as primary cardiac tumors are 20-times less common thanmetastatic tumors and paraganglioma is one of the rarest primary cardiac tumors, accounting for < 1% of all cases.

Aqueous carboxymethyl gum kondagogu as vehicle for ocular delivery

Ashok Kumar,Munish Ahuja 한국약제학회 2014 Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation Vol.44 No.4

Aqueous solutions of carboxymethyl gumkondagogu (CMGK), an anionic bioadhesive polymer wereevaluated as vehicles for ophthalmic delivery using tropicamideas a model drug. Aqueous ophthalmic solution oftropicamide (1 %, w/v) in CMGK (5 %, w/v) dispersionswere formulated. The aqueous CMGK vehicle, formulatedtropicamide eye drops and commercial tropicamide formulationswere assessed comparatively for ex vivo oculartolerance using hen’s egg chorioallantoic membrane assay. The results indicated ocular tolerability of aqueous CMGKvehicle. The results of comparative ex vivo corneal permeationstudy of tropicamide from the aqueous CMGKvehicle (5 %, w/v) conducted across isolated goat cornearevealed a no significant difference in the corneal permeationof tropicamide from the CMGK vehicle based formulationas compared to the commercial formulation. Further, the results of in vivo mydriatic response studyconducted in rabbits revealed a non significant differencein the mydriatic response of tropicamide from the aqueousCMGK vehicle and commercial formulations. In conclusion,CMGK can be used as an ocularly tolerable polymerfor formulating ophthalmic dosage forms.

Effective D-shape fiber with air hole assistant design for birefringence analysis

Ashok, Nandam,Shin, WooJin Elsevier 2018 OPTIK -STUTTGART- Vol.162 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>We propose an elliptic core effective D-shaped fiber with air hole assistant for birefringence applications. The proposed birefringent fiber works on the principle of asymmetric core region. The birefringence of the proposed D-shaped fiber has been numerically investigated in detail. The designed fiber has effective mode areas of 16.04 μm<SUP>2</SUP> and 16.06 μm<SUP>2</SUP> for <I>x-</I>and <I>y</I>-polarization modes, respectively, at a wavelength of 1550 nm. Our numerical results reveal a birefringence and confinement loss of 2.25 × 10<SUP>−4</SUP> and 6.66 <B>×</B> 10<SUP>−3</SUP> dB/m respectively at 1550 nm wavelength. The proposed fiber exhibits a dispersion variation of 1.3 ps/km-nm and 1.57 ps/km-nm respectively for <I>x-</I>and <I>y</I>-polarizations over a wavelength band of 200 nm ranging from 1.4 to 1.6 μm. We have also investigated the influence of variation in the fiber parameters on the birefringence and dispersion. Furthermore, we have calculated the fabrication tolerances, the variation of birefringence value is very small by varying the air hole diameters of the fiber. We believe that the reported results have potential importance in the design and development of polarization control devices applicable in fiber-optic sensors.</P>

Electrochemical supercapacitors from conducting polyaniline–graphene platforms

Ashok Kumar, Nanjundan,Baek, Jong-Beom The Royal Society of Chemistry 2014 Chemical communications Vol.50 No.48

<P>Energy storage devices such as electrochemical supercapacitors, with high power and energy densities are required to address the colossal energy requirements against the backdrop of global warming and the looming energy crisis. Nanocarbon, particularly two-dimensional graphene and graphene-based conducting polymer composites are promising electrode materials for such energy storage devices. Owing to their environmental stability, the low cost of polymers with high electroactivity and pseudocapacitance, such composite hybrids are expected to have wide implications in next generation clean and efficient energy systems. In this feature article, an overview of current research and important advances over the past four years on the development of conducting polyaniline (PANI)–graphene based composite electrodes for electrochemical supercapacitors are highlighted. Particular emphasis is made on the design, fabrication and assembly of nanostructured electrode architectures comprising PANI and graphene along with metal oxides/hydroxides and carbon nanotubes. Comments on the challenges and perspectives towards rational design and synthesis of graphene-based conducting polymer composites for energy storage are discussed.</P> <P>Graphic Abstract</P><P>Energy storage devices such as electrochemical supercapacitors, with high power and energy densities are required to address the colossal energy requirements against the backdrop of global warming and the looming energy crisis. <IMG SRC='http://pubs.rsc.org/services/images/RSCpubs.ePlatform.Service.FreeContent.ImageService.svc/ImageService/image/GA?id=c4cc01049c'> </P>

Sperm DNA Fragmentation: A New Guideline for Clinicians

Ashok Agarwal,Ahmad Majzoub,Saradha Baskaran,Manesh Kumar Panner Selvam,Chak Lam Cho,Ralf Henkel,Renata Finelli,Kristian Leisegang,Pallav Sengupta,Catalina Barbarosie,Neel Parekh,Marco G. Alves,Edmund 대한남성과학회 2020 The World Journal of Men's Health Vol.38 No.4

Sperm DNA integrity is crucial for fertilization and development of healthy offspring. The spermatozoon undergoes extensive molecular remodeling of its nucleus during later phases of spermatogenesis, which imparts compaction and protects the genetic content. Testicular (defective maturation and abortive apoptosis) and post-testicular (oxidative stress) mechanisms are implicated in the etiology of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF), which affects both natural and assisted reproduction. Several clinical and environmental factors are known to negatively impact sperm DNA integrity. An increasing number of reports emphasizes the direct relationship between sperm DNA damage and male infertility. Currently, several assays are available to assess sperm DNA damage, however, routine assessment of SDF in clinical practice is not recommended by professional organizations. This article provides an overview of SDF types, origin and comparative analysis of various SDF assays while primarily focusing on the clinical indications of SDF testing. Importantly, we report four clinical cases where SDF testing had played a significant role in improving fertility outcome. In light of these clinical case reports and recent scientific evidence, this review provides expert recommendations on SDF testing and examines the advantages and drawbacks of the clinical utility of SDF testing using Strength-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis.

Production of 3‐hydroxypropionic acid from glycerol by recombinant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> Δ<i>dhaT</i>Δ<i>yqhD</i> which can produce vitamin B₁₂ naturally

Ashok, Somasundar,Sankaranarayanan, Mugesh,Ko, Yeounjoo,Jae, Kyeung‐,Eun,Ainala, Satish Kumar,Kumar, Vinod,Park, Sunghoon Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 2013 Biotechnology and bioengineering Vol.110 No.2

<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>3‐Hydroxypropionic acid (3‐HP) is an important platform chemical that can be used to synthesize a range of chemical compounds. A previous study demonstrated that recombinant <I>Escherichia coli</I> stains can produce 3‐HP from glycerol in the presence of vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> (coenzyme B<SUB>12</SUB>), when overexpressed with a coenzyme B<SUB>12</SUB>‐dependent glycerol dehydratase (DhaB) and an aldehyde dehydrogenase. The present study examined the production of 3‐HP in recombinant <I>Klebsiella pneumoniae</I> strains, which naturally synthesizes vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> and does not require supplementation of the expensive vitamin. The NAD<SUP>+</SUP>‐dependent gamma‐glutamyl‐gamma‐aminobutyraldehyde dehydrogenase (PuuC) of <I>K. pneumoniae</I> alone or with its DhaB was overexpressed homologously, and two major oxidoreductases, DhaT and YqhD, were disrupted. Without vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> addition, the recombinant <I>K. pneumoniae</I> Δ<I>dhaT</I>Δ<I>yqhD</I> overexpressing PuuC could produce ∼3.8 g/L 3‐HP in 12 h of flask culture. However, this was possible only under the appropriate aeration conditions; 1,3‐propanediol (1,3‐PDO) (instead of 3‐HP) was mainly produced when aeration was insufficient, whereas a very small amount of both 3‐HP and 1,3‐PDO were produced when aeration was too high. The production of a small amount of 3‐HP under improper aeration conditions was attributed to either slow NAD<SUP>+</SUP> regeneration (under low aeration) or reduced vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> synthesis (under high aeration). In a glycerol fed‐batch bioreactor experiment under a constant DO of 5%, the strain, <I>K. pneumoniae</I> Δ<I>dhaT</I>Δ<I>yqhD</I>, overexpressing both PuuC and DhaB could produce >28 g/L 3‐HP in 48 h with a yield of >40% on glycerol. Only small amount of 3‐HP was produced when cultivation was carried out at a constant aeration of 1 vvm or constant 10% DO. These results show that <I>K. pneumoniae</I> is potentially useful for the production of 3‐HP in an economical culture medium that does not require vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB>. The results also suggest that the aeration conditions should be optimized carefully for the efficient production of 3‐HP while using this strain. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 511–524. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.</P>

Electrical properties of Pt/n-type Ge Schottky contact with PEDOT:PSS interlayer

Ashok Kumar, A.,Rajagopal Reddy, V.,Janardhanam, V.,Yang, H.D.,Yun, H.J.,Choi, C.J. Elsevier Sequoia 2013 Journal of alloys and compounds Vol.549 No.-

The effect of poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) interlayer on the Schottky barrier parameters of Pt/n-type Ge Schottky contacts was investigated. The PEDOT:PSS interlayer in between Pt and n-type Ge influences the space charge region of the Pt/n-type Ge Schottky junction, leading to increase in the barrier height. Due to interface dipoles and lateral barrier inhomogeneities caused by the presence of PEDOT:PSS interlayer, Pt/PEDOT:PSS/n-type Ge Schottky contact showed a deviation from the ideal thermionic emission model of the carrier transport at the metal/semiconductor junction. From the reverse current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, the Poole-Frenkel emission and Schottky emission were found to be the dominating carrier conduction mechanisms of Pt/PEDOT:PSS/n-type Ge Schottky contact at lower and higher reverse biases, respectively.