No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in silver nanocolloids and normal Raman spectra (NRS) in the bulk and in aqueous solution of 4-methyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol (4-MTTL) have been investigated. The observed Raman bands along with the corresponding FTIR bands have been assigned from the potential energy distributions (PED) in terms of internal coordinates of the molecule estimated from the output of the DFT calculations. The pH-dependent normal Raman spectra of the molecule in aqueous solution have been recorded to elucidate the protonation effect and preferential existence of the tautomeric form/forms of the molecule in acidic, neutral, and alkaline media. The SERS spectra of the molecule adsorbed on the nanocolloidal silver surface at various pH values are also reported. The appearance of overlapped Ag−N and Ag−S stretching vibrations, considerable red shift of the 1488 cm-1 band, and enhancement of all the bands principally representing the in-plane vibrations of the A‘ species of the thione form of the molecule in the SERS spectra suggest that the molecules are adsorbed onto the nanocolloidal silver surface through the lone pair electrons of N1 and S6 atoms with the molecular plane tilted with respect to the silver surface at acidic, neutral, and alkaline pH.

In West Bengal, India more than 6 million people are exposed to high levels of arsenic through drinking water. Since, only 15-20% of the exposed individuals show arsenic-induced skin lesions, it is assumed that genetic variation might play an important role in arsenic toxicity and carcinogenicity. Arsenic exposure often leads to the development of hyperkeratosis, the precursor of arsenic-induced skin cancer. ERCC2 (excision repair cross-complementing rodent repair deficiency, complementation group 2) is a nucleotide excision repair pathway gene, and its SNPs have been implicated in several types of epithelial cancers. We investigated the possible association of ERCC2 codon 751 A-->C polymorphism (lysine to glutamine) with arsenic-induced hyperkeratosis and correlated ERCC2 genotypes with increased frequencies of chromosomal aberration to ascertain whether any genotype leads to sub-optimal DNA repair. For this association study, 318 unrelated arsenic exposed subjects (165 with hyperkeratosis and 153 without any arsenic-induced skin lesions), drinking water contaminated with arsenic to a similar extent, were recruited. Genotyping was done through PCR-RFLP procedure. Lys/Lys genotype was significantly over-represented in the arsenic-induced hyperkeratosis-exhibiting group [odds ratio (OR) = 4.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.75-8.23]. A statistically significant increase in both CA/cell and percentage of aberrant cells was observed in the individuals with AA genotype compared to those with AC or CC genotype combined (P < 0.01) in each of the two study groups, as also, in the total study population. This study indicates that ERCC2 codon 751 Lys/Lys genotype is significantly associated with arsenic-induced premalignant hyperkeratosis and is possibly due to sub-optimal DNA repair capacity of the ERCC2 codon 751 Lys/Lys genotype.

No abstract

Enterprises are enhancing investments in cloud services setting up data centers to meet growing demand. A typical investment is of the order of millions of dollars, infrastructure and recurring cost included. This paper proposes an algorithmic/analytical approach to address the issues of optimal utilization of the resources towards a feasible and profitable model. The economic sustainability of such a model is accomplished via Cobb-Douglas production function. The production model seeks to answer questions on maximal revenue given a set of budgetary constraints. The model suggests minimum investments needed to achieve target output.

No abstract