A delphi study on health in future India

PIP: A delphi study was conducted to identify or envision health scenarios in India by the year 2000. Questionnaires consisting of 48 questions on 5 areas (diagnosis and therapy; family planning; pharmaceuticals and drugs; biochemical and biomedical research; health services) were mailed to 250 experts in India. 36 responded. Results were compiled and mailed back to the respondents for changes and comments. 17 people responded. Results of the delphi study shows that policy decisions with respect to compulsory family planning as well as health education at secondary school level will precede further breakthroughs in birth control technology. Non operation reversible sterilization procedures, immunological birth control, Ayurvedic medicines for contraception and abortion, and selection of baby's sex are all possible by 2000 thereafter. Complete eradication of infectious diseases, malnutrition and associated diseases is considered unlikely before 2000, as are advances in biomedical research. Changes in health services (e.g., significant increases in hospital beds and doctors, cheap bulk drugs), particularly in rural areas, are imminent, leading to prolonging of life expectancy to 70 years. Genetic engineering may provide significant breakthroughs in the prevention of malignancies and cardiac disorders. The India delphi study is patterned after a similar delphi study conducted in the U.S. by Smith, Kline and French (SKF) Laboratories in 1968. The SKF study was able to predict some breakthroughs with basic research which have been realized.

Technological-forecasting and research inputs in area of birth-control technology

Technological forecasting, defined as quantified probabilistic prediction of timings and degree of change in the technological parameters, capabilities desirability or needs at different times in the future, is applied to birth control technology (BCT) as a means of revealing the paths of most promising research through identifying the necessary points for breakthroughs. The present status of BCT in the areas of pills and the IUD, male contraceptives, immumological approaches, post-coital pills, abortion, sterilization, luteolytic agents, laser technologies, and control of the sex of the child, are each summarized and evaluated in turn. Fine mapping is done to identify the most potentially promising areas of BCT. These include efforts to make oral contraception easier, improvement of the design of the IUD, clinical evaluation of the male contraceptive danazol, the effecting of biochemical changes in the seminal fluid, and researching of immunological approaches and the effects of other new drugs such as prostaglandins. The areas that require immediate and large research inputs are oral contraception and the IUD. On the basis of population and technological forecasts, it is deduced that research efforts could most effectively aid countries like India through the immediate production of an oral contraceptive pill or IUD with long-lasting effects. Development of a pill for males or an immunization against pre gnancy would also have a significant impact. However, the major impediment to birth control programs to date is attitudes, which must be changed through education.

Interaction of water molecules in non-identical protein structures

The interaction of the protein atoms with the surrounding water oxygen atoms has been computed for 392 protein chains from 369 protein structures belonging to 90% non-homologous high resolution (<= 1.5 angstrom) protein Structures with a crystallographic R-factor <= 20%. The percentage composition of the polar atoms is found to be 36.3%. An average of 82.55% of water oxygen atoms are found to be in the primary hydration shell and 15.12% in the secondary hydration shell. The average Percentage of interactions of water oxygen atoms with the polar atoms of the main chain and side chain are 54% and 46%. respectively. The interaction of the acidic residues, aspartate and glutamate, with the water oxygen atoms is more when compared to that of the other residues.

The Indian-Institute-Of-Science - 8 Decades Of An Interdisciplinary Center

The Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore is probably the oldest institute in India, established with a donation from the great industrial visionary Jamsetji Tata over eight decades ago. It has gradually become a key centre of scientific and engineering research and higher education. From its very inception the institute had an interdisciplinary approach to research and teaching.

A New Synthesis Of Dibenzo[Aj]Xanthene Derivatives

Oxidation of mu-H/alkylbisnaphthols (4a-g) gives the 14-substituted dibenzo[aj]xanthenes (5a-g) as the sole product while that of mu-arylbisnaphthols (4h-j) gives the xanthenes (5h-j) along with the corresponding spironaphthalenones (1h-j). A probable mechanism for the formation of the products has been suggested.

The physics of ENSO-monsoon connection

The physical mechanism through which Ei-Nino and Southern Oscillation (ENSO) tends to produce deficient precipitation over Indian continent is investigated using both observations as well as a general circulation model. Both analysis of observations and atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) study show that the planetary scale response associated with ENSO primarily influences the equatorial Indian Ocean region. Through this interaction it tends to favour the equatorial heat source, enhance precipitation over the equatorial Indian Ocean and indirectly cause a decrease in continental precipitation through induced subsidence. This situation is further complicated by the fact the regional tropospheric quasi biennial oscillation (QBO) has a bimodal structure over this region with large amplitude over the Indian continent. While the ENSO response has a quasi-four year periodicity and tends peak during beginning of the calendar year, the QBO mode tends to peak during northern summer. Thus, the QBO mode exerts a stronger influence on the interannual variability of the monsoon. The strength of the Indian monsoon in a given year depends on the combined effect of the ENSO and the QBO mode. Sines the two oscillations have disparate time scales, exact phase information of the two modes during northern summer is important in determining the Indian summer monsoon. The physical mechanism of the interannual variations of the Indian monsoon precipitation associated with ENSO presented here is similar to the physical process that cause intraseasonal 'active', 'break' oscillations of the monsoon.

Anomalous thermal dynamics of Bragg gratings inscribed in germanosilicate optical fiber

An interesting, periodic appearance of a new peak has been observed in the reflected spectrum of a Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) inscribed in a germanosilicate fiber during thermal treatment. The new peak occurs on the longer wavelength side of the spectrum during heating and on the shorter wavelength side during cooling, following an identical reverse dynamics. Comparison with a commercial grating with 99.9% reflectivity shows a similar decay dynamics. It is proposed that the distortion due to simultaneous erasure and thermal expansion of the index modulation profile may be responsible for the observed anomaly. The reported results help us in understanding the thermal behavior of FBGs and provide additional insights into the mechanisms responsible for the photosensitivity in germanosilicate fibers.

Synthesis, crystal structure and DNA cleavage activity of (aqua)bis(dipyridophenazine)copper(II) complex

A copper(II) complex of dipyridophenazine, viz., [Cu(dppz)(2)(H2O)](ClO4)(2) (I), has been prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The crystal structure of the complex shows a five-coordinate structure in which two N,N-donor dipyridophenazine (dppz) and one aqua ligand bind to the copper(II) center giving Cu-O and Cu-N bond distances in the range of 1.981(6) to 2.043(6) angstrom. The ESI-MS spectrum of 1 in MeCN shows a peak at m/z value of 313 (100%) indicating the dissociation of the aqua ligand in the solution phase. The complex is one-electron paramagnetic (mu(eff), 1.86 mu(B)). It displays a quasi-reversible Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox process at 0.096 V. The complex is an avid binder to CT DNA giving a binding constant value of 3.5 x 10(5) M-1. It shows significant hydrolytic cleavage of supercoiled pUC19 DNA in dark ill the absence of any external agents. The complex exhibits chemical nuclease activity oil treatment with 3-mercaptopropionic acid as a reducing agent forming hydroxyl radicals. Complex 1 is a model synthetic nuclease and hydrolase showing both modes of DNA cleavage under different reaction conditions. The DNA cleavage activity of 1 is significantly better than its phen analogue but similar to that of the bis-dpq complex.

Formal total synthesis of 2-pupukeanone via radical mediated cyclisation of an enyne

Diels-Alder reaction of the dienone 12, obtained by C-alkylation of sodium 2,6-dimethylphenoxide, with acrylonitrile and phenyl vinyl sulfones generate the enynes 14 and 17. Tributyltin radical addition to the terminal acetylene in 14 and 17 lead to the vinylstannanes 15 and 18 via 5-exo trig cyclisation of the resulting vinyl radical, which on oxidative cleavage furnishes the isotwistane-diones 16 and 19. Reductive desulfonylation of the diketosulfone 19 furnishes the dione 11, constituting a formal total synthesis of 2-pupukeanone 5 and 2-isocyanopupukeanone 3.

Identification of amino groups in the carbohydrate binding activity of winged bean acidic agglutinin

Chemical modification studies reveal that the modification of amino groups in WBA II leads to a complete loss in the hemagglutinating and saccharide binding activities. Since WBA II is a dimeric molecule and contains two binding sites, one amino group in each of the binding sites is inferred to be essential for its activity. The presence of amino group which has a potential to form hydrogen bonded interactions with the ligand, substantiates our observation regarding the forces involved in WBA II-receptor and WBA II-simple sugar interactions.

Axial binding of 2-methylimidazole to the tetraarylcarboxylatodiruthenium (II, III) core: X-ray crystal structure of [Ru-2(O2CC6H4-p-OMe)(4)(2-mimH)(2)](ClO4). 1.75CH(2)Cl(2).H2O

Diruthenium (II. III) complexes of the type [Ru-2(O2CAr)(4) (2-mimH)(2)](ClO4) (Ar = C6H4-p-X : X=OMe,1, X=Me, 2, 2-mimH=2-methylimidazole) have been isolated from the reaction of Ru2Cl(O2CAr)(4) with 2-mimH in CH2Cl2 followed by the addition of NaClO4. The crystal structure of 1.1.75CH(2)Cl(2).H2O has been determined. The crystal belongs to the monoclinic space group p2(1)/c with the following unit cell dimensions for the C40H40N4O16ClRu2.1.75CH(2)Cl(2).H2O (M = 1237.0) : a = 12.347(3)Angstrom, b = 17.615(5)Angstrom, c = 26.148(2)Angstrom,beta = 92.88(1)degrees. v = 5679(2)Angstrom(3). Z=4, D-c = 1.45 g cm(-3). lambda(Mo-K-alpha) = 0.7107 Angstrom, mu(Mo-K-alpha) = 8.1 cm(-1), T = 293 K, R = 0.0815 (wR(2) = 0.2118) for 5834 reflections with 1 > 2 sigma(I). The complex has a tetracarboxylatodiruthenium (II, III) core and two axially bound 2-methylimidazole ligands. The Ru-Ru bond length is 2.290(1)Angstrom. The Ru-Ru bond order is 2.5 and the complex is three-electron paramagnetic. The complex shows an irreversible Ru-2(II,III)-->Ru-2(Il,II) reduction near -0.2 V vs SCE in CH2Cl2-0. 1 MTBAP. The complexes exemplify the first adduct of the tetracarboxylatodiruthenium (II,III) core having N-donor ligands

Synthesis of dimethyl ether of marsupsin

Total synthesis of the dimethyl ether of marsupsin, in seven steps starting from phloroglucinol, is described.

Enantiospecific total synthesis of ent-10, 11-thapsan-10-ol

First enantiospecific total synthesis of optical antipode of the sesquiterpene 10,11-epoxythapsan-10-ol has been described. (R)-Carvone has been employed as the chiral starting material and a combination of intramolecular alkylation and Criegee fragmentation are employed for intramolecular stereospecific transfer of the chirality. An intramolecular diazoketone cyclopropanation and regioselective cyclopropane ring cleavage reactions have been employed for the creation of the three requisite contiguous quaternary carbon atoms.