<p>Shiv Nadar University is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, research-focused, and student-centric University offering a full range of academic programs at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, the University comprises of academic wings, sophisticated labs, international standard sports facilities, amphitheaters, auditorium, conference rooms and smart classrooms. The University&rsquo;s goal is to become internationally recognized for the quality of its research and creative endeavors and their applicability to improving quality of life, generating new insights and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge creativity. Committed to excellence in teaching, research and service, the University aims to serve the higher education needs of India and the world beyond.</p>

Shiv Nadar University

(SoNS) School of Natural Sciences

The room temperature resistive switching behavior in 50 keV O+-ion irradiated TiO2-x layers at an ion fluence of 5 × 1016 ions cm-2 is reported. A clear transformation from columnar to layered polycrystalline films is revealed by transmission electron microscopy with increasing ion fluence, while the complementary electron energy loss spectroscopy suggests an evolution of oxygen vacancy (OV) in TiO2-x matrix. This is further verified by determining electron density with the help of x-ray reflectivity. Both local and device current-voltage measurements illustrate that the ion-beam induced OVs play a key role in bistable resistive switching mechanism. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Physics

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics

Resistive switching behavior in oxygen ion irradiated TiO2-x films

A detailed conductive atomic force microscopic investigation is carried out to directly image the electron emission behavior for nitrogen-doped diamond nanorods (N-DNRs). Localized emission measurements illustrate uniform distribution of high-density electron emission sites from N-DNRs. Emission sites coupled to nanographitic phases at the grain boundaries facilitate electron transport and thereby enhance field electron emission from N-DNRs, resulting in a device operation at low turn-on fields of 6.23 V/μm, a high current density of 1.94 mA/cm2 (at an applied field of 11.8 V/μm) and a large field enhancement factor of 3320 with a long life-time stability of 980 min. Moreover, using N-DNRs as cathodes, a microplasma device that can ignite a plasma at a low threshold field of 390 V/mm achieving a high plasma illumination current density of 3.95 mA/cm2 at an applied voltage of 550 V and a plasma life-time stability for a duration of 433 min was demonstrated. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.

World University root node

Diamond and Related Materials

Local probing of the enhanced field electron emission of vertically aligned nitrogen-doped diamond nanorods and their plasma illumination properties

A new approximate expression for the probability density function (pdf) of K-distribution is proposed. The approximate pdf is found to be in good agreement with the exact analytical closed-form expression over the desired range of scintillation index lying between 2 and 3. Employing the proposed pdf, the expression in respect of two of the QoS measures of fade probability and bit error rate (BER) valid under various modulation schemes is given. Using the generalised expression of BER, plots under ON-OFF keying and binary phase shift keying modulation schemes are shown. The resulting expressions provide a better understanding in contrast to the exact results obtained in terms of Meijer G functions. Numerical computations are carried out to demonstrate the efficacy of approximate results. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2018.

Computer Science and Engineering

(SoE) School of Engineering

IET Communications

New approximation for pdf of K- distribution: Analytical study of QoS parameters in free space optical communication

Background: Two new parameters low hemoglobin density (LHD) and microcytic anemia factor (Maf) have been used by Beckman-Coulter LH series analyzers as an easy screening tool for the early detection of iron deficiency. The main objective of this study was to assess if LHD and Maf could be used for assessment of iron status in blood donors and also to establish a cut-off for these two parameters at which a tentative iron deficiency could be reported conclusively. Materials And Methods: LHD% and Maf could be calculated by knowing mean cell hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, Hb, and mean cellular volume and we used SPSS in calculating LHD and Maf from these parameters. Results: Significant differences were detected in LHD% and Maf values when iron deficient and iron-depleted donors were compared with control donors, while these were insignificant for iron reduced donors. LHD and Maf were able to differentiate between iron deficient and iron-depleted donors from normal donors. A cutoff of 9.18% for LHD% was able to differentiate iron deficient and depleted state from normal iron states with a sensitivity and specificity of 91.9% and 71% respectively. Similarly, a cutoff of 10.16 and10.71 for Maf was able to differentiate between iron-deficient and iron-depleted donors from normal donors, respectively. Conclusion: LHD% and Maf in the screening of blood donors raise the possibility of early detection of iron deficiency, without the need of extra cost and blood sampling. © 2018 Asian Journal of Transfusion Science | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow.

Life Sciences

Asian Journal of Transfusion Science

Identification of iron status of blood donors by using low hemoglobin density and microcytic anemia factor

Background: Mosquitoes are an important public health concern as they spread life-threatening diseases such as malaria, filaria, Japanese encephalitis, dengue fever, chikungunya, and yellow fever. In the last decades, synthetic insecticides were extensively used for the control of these vector-borne diseases but it also reported the detrimental side-effects in human beings and pet animals. To overcome the side effects, plants-derived secondary metabolites were screened and tested for insecticidal properties. The present study deals with the insecticidal activity of chloroform and methanol extracts of Swertia celiata leaves against Culex quenquifasciatus, Aedes Aegypti, and Anopheles stephensi larvae. Method: The S. celiata leaves were subjected to chloroform and methanol with 1:3 (Weight/ Volume) ratio and the extracted solvent was dried using rotary vacuum evaporator. The larvicidal activity of the extract was tested using WHO method and LC50 and LC90 were evaluated by probit analysis. Results: The LC50 value of chloroform extract of S. celiata was found to be 65.288, 67.406 and 71.608 ppm whereas LC90 was 184.721, 186.582 and 192.497 ppm against C. quinquefasciatus, Ae. Aegypti and A. stephensi, respectively. The methanolic extract was also found potent; LC50 was 91.503, 101.574 and 99.104 ppm whereas LC90 was 230.823, 271.927 and 234.257 ppm against C. quinquefasciatus, Ae. Aegypti and A. stephensi, respectively. Both chloroform and methanol extract were found significantly lethal to the tested mosquito vectors. Conclusion: Taken results together, chloroform extract showed higher toxicity as compared to methanolic extract against all the tested species. The study clearly revealed that S. ciliata extract or bioactive compounds can be used as an alternative to synthetic insecticides. Copyright © 2018 Journal of Communicable Diseases.

Fulltext

Journal of Communicable Diseases

Larvicidal activity of methanol and chloroform extract of swertia celiata against three mosquito vectors

RUVBLs constitute a conserved group of ATPase proteins that play significant role in a variety of cellular processes including transcriptional regulation, cell cycle and DNA damage repair. Three RUVBL homologues, namely, PfRUVBL1, PfRUVBL2 and PfRUVBL3 have been identified in P. falciparum, unlike its eukaryotic counterparts, which have two RUVBL proteins (RUVBL1 & RUVBL2). The present study expands our understanding of PfRUVBL3 protein and thereby basic biology of Plasmodium in general. Here, we have shown that parasite PfRUVBL3 is a true homolog of human/yeast RUVBL2 protein. Our result show that PfRUVBL3 constitutively expresses throughout the stages of intra-erythrocytic cycle (IDC) with varied localization. In addition to ATPase and oligomerization activity, we have for the first time shown that PfRUVBL3 possess DNA cleavage activity which interestingly is dependent on its insertion domain. Furthermore, we have also identified RUVBL3 to be an interacting partner of an essential chromatin remodeling protein PfMYST and together they colocalize with H3K9me1 histone in parasitophorous vacuole during the ring stage of IDC suggesting their potential involvement in chromatin remodeling and gene transcription. © 2018, The Author(s).

Scientific Reports

Plasmodium falciparum RUVBL3 protein: a novel DNA modifying enzyme and an interacting partner of essential HAT protein MYST

Malaria parasites use an extensive secretory pathway to traffic a number of proteins within itself and beyond. In higher eukaryotes, Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) membrane bound transcription factors such as SREBP are reported to get processed en route and migrate to nucleus under the influence of specific cues. However, a protein constitutively trafficked to the nucleus via classical secretory pathway has not been reported. Herein, we report the presence of a novel trafficking pathway in an apicomplexan, Plasmodium falciparum where a homologue of an Origin Recognition Complex 2 (Orc2) goes to the nucleus following its association with the ER. Our work highlights the unconventional role of ER in protein trafficking and reports for the first time an ORC homologue getting trafficked through such a pathway to the nucleus where it may be involved in DNA replication and other ancillary functions. Such trafficking pathways may have a profound impact on the cell biology of a malaria parasite and have significant implications in strategizing new antimalarials. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Cell Research

Identification of a novel trafficking pathway exporting a replication protein, Orc2 to nucleus via classical secretory pathway in Plasmodium falciparum

Microglial cells form a context-dependent network of brain immunoeffector cells. Despite their indispensable roles, unresolved questions exist around biomarker discovery relevant to their cellular localization, self-renewing potential, and brain developmental dynamics. To resolve the existent gap in the annotation of candidate biomarkers, we conducted a meta-analysis of brain cells using available high-throughput data sets for deciphering microglia-specific expression profiles. We have identified 3,290 significant genes specific to microglia and further selected the top 20 dysregulated genes on the basis of p-value and log2FC. To this list, we added 7 known microglia-specific markers making the candidate list comprising 27 genes for further downstream analyses. Next, we established a connectome of these potential markers with their putative protein partners, which demonstrated strong associations of upregulated genes like Dedicator of cytokinesis 2 (DOCK2) with early/mature microglial markers such as Sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1), CD68, and CD45. To elucidate their respective brain anatomical location, we deconvoluted the BrainSpan Atlas expression data. This analysis showed high expression of the majority of candidate genes in microglia-dense regions (Amygdala, Hippocampus, Striatum) in the postnatal brain. Furthermore, to decipher their localized expression across brain ages, we constructed a developmental dynamics map (DDM) comprising extensive gene expression profiles throughout prenatal to postnatal stages, which resulted in the discovery of novel microglia-specific gene signatures. One of the interesting readout from DDM is that all the microglia-dense regions exhibit dynamic regulation of few genes at 37 post conception week (pcw), the transition period between pre- and postnatal stages. To validate these findings and correlate them as potential biomarkers, we analyzed the expression of corresponding proteins in hESC-derived human microglia precursors. The cultured microglial precursors showed expression of Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and SPHK1 as well as several known markers like CD68, Allograft inflammatory factor 1 (AIF1/IBA1). In summary, this study has furnished critical insights into microglia dynamics across human brain ages and cataloged potential transcriptomic fingerprints that can be further exploited for designing novel neurotherapeutics. © 2018 Ayana, Singh and Pati.

Frontiers in Neurology

Deconvolution of human brain cell type transcriptomes unraveled microglia-specific potential biomarkers

Many RNA viruses exist as an ensemble of genetically diverse, replicating populations known as a mutant cloud. The genetic diversity (cloud size) and composition of this mutant cloud may influence several important phenotypic features of the virus, including its replication capacity. We applied a straightforward, bacterium-free approach using error-prone PCR coupled with reverse genetics to generate infectious mutant RNA clouds with various levels of genetic diversity from a genotype 1 strain of hepatitis E virus (HEV). Cloning and sequencing of a genomic fragment encompassing 70\% of open reading frame 1 (ORF1) or of the full genome from variants in the resultant clouds showed the occurrence of nucleotide mutations at a frequency on the order of 10-3 per nucleotide copied and the existence of marked genetic diversity, with a high normalized Shannon entropy value. The mutant clouds showed transient replication in cell culture, while wild-type HEV did not. Cross-sectional data from these cell cultures supported the existence of differential effects of clouds of various sizes and compositions on phenotypic characteristics, such as the replication level of (+)-RNA progeny, the amounts of double-stranded RNA (a surrogate for the rate of viral replication) and ORF1 protein, and the expression of interferon-stimulated genes. Since mutant cloud size and composition influenced the viral phenotypic properties, a better understanding of this relationship may help to provide further insights into virus evolution and prediction of emerging viral diseases. © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Journal of Virology

Novel synthesis and phenotypic analysis of mutant clouds for hepatitis E virus genotype 1

This paper proposes a method for gesture classification based on Graph Fourier transform (GFT) coefficients. GFT coefficients are the projection of image pixel block onto the eigenvectors of a Laplacian matrix. This Laplacian matrix is generated from undirected graph, representing a spatial connectedness between each pixel within an image block. This work proposes a method for generating an undirected graph by using edge information of the image. Edge information of the image is obtained by average sum of absolute difference between the current pixel and its neighboring pixels by using an appropriate threshold. The resulting GFT based feature vector is formed by concatenating GFT coefficients of each block. The resultant feature vector is applied to linear Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier to predict the gesture class. For NTU and Massey hand gesture datasets, threshold value 30 gives maximum prediction accuracy. We compare the results of the proposed GFT based descriptor approach with Karhunen-Loeve transform (K-LT) and Discrete Cosine transform (DCT) based descriptors on three different gesture datasets: NTU, Cambridge and Massey. Simulation results show that the proposed GFT based descriptor gives a comparable results with Karhunen-Loeve transform (K-LT) and Discrete Cosine transform (DCT) based descriptors for gesture classification. © 2017 IEEE.