Synthetic studies directed towards the potent cytotoxic natural product ottelione A: stereoselective construction of the complete framework

A stereoselective strategy for the rapid acquisition of the complete framework (dideoxyottelione A) of the promising cytotoxic agent ottelione A, with four contiguous stereogenic centres on a hydrindane skeleton and a sensitive 4-methylenecyclohex-2-enone functionality, from the readily available Diels-Alder adduct of 1,2,3,4-tetrachloro-5,5-dimethoxycyclopentadiene and norbornadiene, is delineated.

Germline BRCA1 mutation analysis in Indian breast/ovarian cancer families

Most of the predisposition to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer has been attributed to inherited defects in two tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. To explore the contribution of BRCA1 mutations to hereditary breast cancer among Indian women, we examined the coding sequence of the BRCA1 gene in 14 breast cancer patients with a positive family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer. Mutation analysis was carried out using conformation sensitive gel electrophoresis (CSGE) followed by sequencing. Three mutations (21%) in the BRCA1 gene were identified. Two of them are novel mutations of which one is a missense mutation in exon 7 near the RING finger domain, while the other is a one base pair deletion in exon 11 which results in protein truncation. The third mutation, 185delAG, has been previously described in Ashkenazi Jewish families. To our knowledge this is the first report of a study of germline BRCA1 mutation analysis in familial breast cancer in India. Our data from 14 different families suggests a lower prevalence but definite involvement of germline mutations in the BRCA1 gene among Indian women with breast cancer and a family history of breast cancer.

Hybrid systems through natural product leads: An approach towards new molecular entities

Hybrid systems are constructs of different molecular entities, natural or unnatural, to generate functional molecules in which the characteristics of various components are modulated, amplified or give rise to entirely new properties. These hybrids can be designed from carefully selected components either through domain intergration of key structural/functional features or via straightforward covalent linkages. Some of the recently reported hybrid systems based on steroid, carbohydrate, C-60-fullerene platforms, amongst others, mainly crafted with the object of enhancement of the therapeutical spectrum, will be discussed.

Two new families of low-correlation interleaved QAM sequence

Two families of low correlation QAM sequences are presented here. In a CDMA setting, these sequences have the ability to transport a large amount of data as well as enable variable-rate signaling on the reverse link. The first family Á2SQ - B2− is constructed by interleaving 2 selected QAM sequences. This family is defined over M 2-QAM, where M = 2 m , m ≥ 2. Over 16-QAM, the normalized maximum correlation [`(q)]maxmax is bounded above by <~1.17 ÖNUnknown control sequence '\lesssim' , where N is the period of the sequences in the family. This upper bound on [`(q)]maxmax is the lowest among all known sequence families over 16-QAM.The second family Á4SQ4 is constructed by interleaving 4 selected QAM sequences. This family is defined over M 2-QAM, where M = 2 m , m ≥ 3, i.e., 64-QAM and beyond. The [`(q)]maxmax for sequences in this family over 64-QAM is upper bounded by <~1.60 ÖNUnknown control sequence '\lesssim' . For large M, [`(q)]max <~1.64 ÖNUnknown control sequence '\lesssim' . These upper bounds on [`(q)]maxmax are the lowest among all known sequence families over M 2-QAM, M = 2 m , m ≥ 3.

A Method for Evaluation of Product Lifecycle Alternatives under Uncertainty

In each stage of product development, we need to take decisions, by evaluating multiple product alternatives based on multiple criteria. Classical evaluation methods like weighted objectives method assumes certainty about information available during product development. However, designers often must evaluate under uncertainty. Often the likely performance, cost or environmental impacts of a product proposal could be estimated only with certain confidence, which may vary from one proposal to another. In such situations, the classical approaches to evaluation can give misleading results. There is a need for a method that can aid in decision making by supporting quantitative comparison of alternatives to identify the most promising alternative, under uncertain information about the alternatives. A method called confidence weighted objectives method is developed to compare the whole life cycle of product proposals using multiple evaluation criteria under various levels of uncertainty with non crisp values. It estimates the overall worth of proposal and confidence on the estimate, enabling deferment of decision making when decisions cannot be made using current information available.

The Future of Product Development in India

A product is reflects the constraints, beliefs and aspirations of a society. Product development both influences and is influenced by the growth of a society and its economy. India is a fast growing economy. We use a brief historical, socioeconomic account of India as a backdrop to detect the drivers and roadblocks to its economic and social growth. In this context, current and future trends of PD practice, education and research are sketched. Products are taken as artefacts of the act of designing, without limiting to only those created by industry in a market-economic context.

Optimal Exact-Regenerating Codes for Distributed Storage at the MSR and MBR Points via a Product-Matrix Construction

Regenerating codes are a class of distributed storage codes that allow for efficient repair of failed nodes, as compared to traditional erasure codes. An [n, k, d] regenerating code permits the data to be recovered by connecting to any k of the n nodes in the network, while requiring that a failed node be repaired by connecting to any d nodes. The amount of data downloaded for repair is typically much smaller than the size of the source data. Previous constructions of exact-regenerating codes have been confined to the case n = d + 1. In this paper, we present optimal, explicit constructions of (a) Minimum Bandwidth Regenerating (MBR) codes for all values of [n, k, d] and (b) Minimum Storage Regenerating (MSR) codes for all [n, k, d >= 2k - 2], using a new product-matrix framework. The product-matrix framework is also shown to significantly simplify system operation. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first constructions of exact-regenerating codes that allow the number n of nodes in the network, to be chosen independent of the other parameters. The paper also contains a simpler description, in the product-matrix framework, of a previously constructed MSR code with [n = d + 1, k, d >= 2k - 1].