Showing papers by "Jawaharlal Nehru University published in 2015"

Long Short Term Memory Networks for Anomaly Detection in Time Series.

Abstract: Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) networks have been demonstrated to be particularly useful for learning sequences containing longer term patterns of unknown length, due to their ability to maintain long term memory. Stacking recurrent hidden layers in such networks also enables the learning of higher level temporal features, for faster learning with sparser representations. In this paper, we use stacked LSTM networks for anomaly/fault detection in time series. A network is trained on non-anomalous data and used as a predictor over a number of time steps. The resulting prediction errors are modeled as a multivariate Gaussian distribution, which is used to assess the likelihood of anomalous behavior. The efficacy of this approach is demonstrated on four datasets: ECG, space shuttle, power demand, and multi-sensor engine dataset.

Measuring quantum coherence with entanglement

Abstract: Quantum coherence is an essential ingredient in quantum information processing and plays a central role in emergent fields such as nanoscale thermodynamics and quantum biology. However, our understanding and quantitative characterization of coherence as an operational resource are still very limited. Here we show that any degree of coherence with respect to some reference basis can be converted to entanglement via incoherent operations. This finding allows us to define a novel general class of measures of coherence for a quantum system of arbitrary dimension, in terms of the maximum bipartite entanglement that can be generated via incoherent operations applied to the system and an incoherent ancilla. The resulting measures are proven to be valid coherence monotones satisfying all the requirements dictated by the resource theory of quantum coherence. We demonstrate the usefulness of our approach by proving that the fidelity-based geometric measure of coherence is a full convex coherence monotone, and deriving a closed formula for it on arbitrary single-qubit states. Our work provides a clear quantitative and operational connection between coherence and entanglement, two landmark manifestations of quantum theory and both key enablers for quantum technologies.

Bactericidal activity of curcumin I is associated with damaging of bacterial membrane.

Abstract: Curcumin, an important constituent of turmeric, is known for various biological activities, primarily due to its antioxidant mechanism. The present study focused on the antibacterial activity of curcumin I, a significant component of commercial curcumin, against four genera of bacteria, including those that are Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). These represent prominent human pathogens, particularly in hospital settings. Our study shows the strong antibacterial potential of curcumin I against all the tested bacteria from Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative groups. The integrity of the bacterial membrane was checked using two differential permeabilization indicating fluorescent probes, namely, propidium iodide and calcein. Both the membrane permeabilization assays confirmed membrane leakage in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria on exposure to curcumin I. In addition, scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy were employed to confirm the membrane damages in bacterial cells on exposure to curcumin I. The present study confirms the broad-spectrum antibacterial nature of curcumin I, and its membrane damaging property. Findings from this study could provide impetus for further research on curcumin I regarding its antibiotic potential against rapidly emerging bacterial pathogens.

Anomaly detection in ECG time signals via deep long short-term memory networks

Abstract: Electrocardiography (ECG) signals are widely used to gauge the health of the human heart, and the resulting time series signal is often analyzed manually by a medical professional to detect any arrhythmia that the patient may have suffered. Much work has been done to automate the process of analyzing ECG signals, but most of the research involves extensive preprocessing of the ECG data to derive vectorized features and subsequently designing a classifier to discriminate between healthy ECG signals and those indicative of an Arrhythmia. This approach requires knowledge and data of the different types of Arrhythmia for training. However, the heart is a complex organ and there are many different and new types of Arrhythmia that can occur which were not part of the original training set. Thus, it may be more prudent to adopt an anomaly detection approach towards analyzing ECG signals. In this paper, we utilize a deep recurrent neural network architecture with Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) units to develop a predictive model for healthy ECG signals. We further utilize the probability distribution of the prediction errors from these recurrent models to indicate normal or abnormal behavior. An added advantage of using LSTM networks is that the ECG signal can be directly fed into the network without any elaborate preprocessing as required by other techniques. Also, no prior information about abnormal signals is needed by the networks as they were trained only on normal data. We have used the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database to obtain ECG time series data for both normal periods and for periods during four different types of Arrhythmias, namely Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC), Atrial Premature Contraction (APC), Paced Beats (PB) and Ventricular Couplet (VC). Results are promising and indicate that Deep LSTM models may be viable for detecting anomalies in ECG signals.

Western Disturbances: A review

Abstract: Cyclonic storms associated with the midlatitude Subtropical Westerly Jet (SWJ), referred to as Western Disturbances (WDs), play a critical role in the meteorology of the Indian subcontinent. WDs embedded in the southward propagating SWJ produce extreme precipitation over northern India and are further enhanced over the Himalayas due to orographic land-atmosphere interactions. During December, January, and February, WD snowfall is the dominant precipitation input to establish and sustain regional snowpack, replenishing regional water resources. Spring melt is the major source of runoff to northern Indian rivers and can be linked to important hydrologic processes from aquifer recharge to flashfloods. Understanding the dynamical structure, evolution-decay, and interaction of WDs with the Himalayas is therefore necessary to improve knowledge which has wide ranging socioeconomic implications beyond short-term disaster response including cold season agricultural activities, management of water resources, and development of vulnerability-adaptive measures. In addition, WD wintertime precipitation provides critical mass input to existing glaciers and modulates the albedo characteristics of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, affecting large-scale circulation and the onset of the succeeding Indian Summer Monsoon. Assessing the impacts of climate variability and change on the Indian subcontinent requires fundamental understanding of the dynamics of WDs. In particular, projected changes in the structure of the SWJ will influence evolution-decay processes of the WDs and impact Himalayan regional water availability. This review synthesizes past research on WDs with a perspective to provide a comprehensive assessment of the state of knowledge to assist both researchers and policymakers, and context for future research.

In vitro toxicity assessment of chitosan oligosaccharide coated iron oxide nanoparticles.

Abstract: Iron oxide nanoparticles (INPs) have potential biological, biomedical and environmental applications. These applications require surface modification of the iron oxide nanoparticles, which makes it non-toxic, biocompatible, stable and non-agglomerative in natural and biological surroundings. In the present study, iron oxide nanoparticles (INPs) and chitosan oligosaccharide coated iron oxide nanoparticles (CSO-INPs) were synthesized to evaluate the effect of surface coating on the stability and toxicity of nanoparticles. Comparative in vitro cytotoxicity of nanoparticles was evaluated in HeLa (human cervix carcinoma), A549 (human lung carcinoma) and Hek293 (human embryonic kidney) cells by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay along with flow cytometry study for cell viability, membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Morphological alteration in nanoparticles treated cells was analyzed by Acridine orange/ethidium bromide double staining and electron microscopy. Synthesized nanoparticles were found to be spherical in shape, well dispersed and stable at various pH values, making them suitable for biomedical and environmental applications. The present study also indicates that the chitosan oligosaccharide coating on iron oxide nanoparticles results in the decrease in cellular damage and moderate ROS production, thereby, significantly decreasing the cytotoxic impact of bare iron oxide nanoparticles.

Multiprotein complex between the GPI-anchored CyRPA with PfRH5 and PfRipr is crucial for Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte invasion

Abstract: Erythrocyte invasion by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites is a highly intricate process in which Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte binding-like homologous protein 5 (PfRH5) is an indispensable parasite ligand that binds with its erythrocyte receptor, Basigin. PfRH5 is a leading blood-stage vaccine candidate because it exhibits limited polymorphisms and elicits potent strain-transcending parasite neutralizing antibodies. However, the mechanism by which it is anchored to the merozoite surface remains unknown because both PfRH5 and the PfRH5-interacting protein (PfRipr) lack transmembrane domains and GPI anchors. Here we have identified a conserved GPI-linked parasite protein, Cysteine-rich protective antigen (CyRPA) as an interacting partner of PfRH5-PfRipr that tethers the PfRH5/PfRipr/CyRPA multiprotein complex on the merozoite surface. CyRPA was demonstrated to be GPI-linked, localized in the micronemes, and essential for erythrocyte invasion. Specific antibodies against the three proteins successfully detected the intact complex in the parasite and coimmunoprecipitated the three interacting partners. Importantly, full-length CyRPA antibodies displayed potent strain-transcending invasion inhibition, as observed for PfRH5. CyRPA does not bind with erythrocytes, suggesting that its parasite neutralizing antibodies likely block its critical interaction with PfRH5-PfRipr, leading to a blockade of erythrocyte invasion. Further, CyRPA and PfRH5 antibody combinations produced synergistic invasion inhibition, suggesting that simultaneous blockade of the PfRH5–Basigin and PfRH5/PfRipr/CyRPA interactions produced an enhanced inhibitory effect. Our discovery of the critical interactions between PfRH5, PfRipr, and the GPI-anchored CyRPA clearly defines the components of the essential PfRH5 adhesion complex for P. falciparum erythrocyte invasion and offers it as a previously unidentified potent target for antimalarial strategies that could abrogate formation of the crucial multiprotein complex.

Directional dominance on stature and cognition in diverse human populations

Abstract: Homozygosity has long been associated with rare, often devastating, Mendelian disorders, and Darwin was one of the first to recognize that inbreeding reduces evolutionary fitness. However, the effect of the more distant parental relatedness that is common in modern human populations is less well understood. Genomic data now allow us to investigate the effects of homozygosity on traits of public health importance by observing contiguous homozygous segments (runs of homozygosity), which are inferred to be homozygous along their complete length. Given the low levels of genome-wide homozygosity prevalent in most human populations, information is required on very large numbers of people to provide sufficient power. Here we use runs of homozygosity to study 16 health-related quantitative traits in 354,224 individuals from 102 cohorts, and find statistically significant associations between summed runs of homozygosity and four complex traits: height, forced expiratory lung volume in one second, general cognitive ability and educational attainment (P < 1 × 10(-300), 2.1 × 10(-6), 2.5 × 10(-10) and 1.8 × 10(-10), respectively). In each case, increased homozygosity was associated with decreased trait value, equivalent to the offspring of first cousins being 1.2 cm shorter and having 10 months' less education. Similar effect sizes were found across four continental groups and populations with different degrees of genome-wide homozygosity, providing evidence that homozygosity, rather than confounding, directly contributes to phenotypic variance. Contrary to earlier reports in substantially smaller samples, no evidence was seen of an influence of genome-wide homozygosity on blood pressure and low density lipoprotein cholesterol, or ten other cardio-metabolic traits. Since directional dominance is predicted for traits under directional evolutionary selection, this study provides evidence that increased stature and cognitive function have been positively selected in human evolution, whereas many important risk factors for late-onset complex diseases may not have been.

Impact of structural stability of cold adapted Candida antarctica lipase B (CaLB): in relation to pH, chemical and thermal denaturation

Abstract: The effect of pH on the conformational behavior of Candida antartica lipase B (CaLB) has been monitored by spectroscopic and calorimetric studies. The results obtained from far and near-UV CD, intrinsic fluorescence and ANS binding studies indicate that CaLB exhibits the characteristic properties of a molten globule in acidic (protonated) conditions at pH 1.4. The molten globule state retained about 67% of its secondary structure with a substantial loss of tertiary structure at pH 1.4. Moreover, equilibrium unfolding studies indicated that the ‘molten-globule-like’ state unfolds in a non-cooperative manner and is thermodynamically less stable than that of the native state. The molten globule possessed a slightly higher Rh than its native state. The DSC thermogram shows a high heat signal at pH 7.4, and a low heat signal at pH 2.6, and suggests that CaLB is likely to have undergone structural changes during the thermal unfolding. However partially unfolded CaLB at pH 1.4 does not produce a DSC peak which proves the existence of the molten globule state at pH 1.4 as supported by spectroscopic data. The Stokes radius of the MG state obtained by SEC experiments is found to be 33% larger than the native state, but essentially smaller than the denatured state.

Lead sorptive removal using magnetic and nonmagnetic fast pyrolysis energy cane biochars

Abstract: Energy cane biochar (ECBC) was prepared in a 72 s fast pyrolysis at 425 °C in an auger-fed reactor and ground into 250-600 μm diameter particles. This biochar was magnetized by fusing an iron oxide phase to the particles by mixing aqueous biochar suspensions with aqueous Fe(3+)/Fe(2+) solutions, followed by NaOH treatment (MECBC). These biochars were characterized by Raman, FT-IR, X-ray, SEM, SEM-EDX, TEM, EDXRF, pHzpc, elemental analyses, S(BET), and magnetic moment determinations. The S(BET) of energy cane biochar was negligible and increased to 37.13 m(2)/g after Fe(3+)/Fe(2+)/NaOH magnetization. The dry biochar contains 18.4% oxygen. This allows swelling in water and permits sorption inside the solid as well as on its pore surfaces, leading to high capacities at low surface areas. Maximum lead removal occurred at pH 4-5. Sorption isotherms exhibited increasing lead removal (Q(0), mg/g) as temperature increased for nonmagnetic [Q(0)(25 °C)=45.70; Q(0)(35 °C)=52.01 and Q(0)(45 °C)=69.37] and magnetic [Q(0)(25 °C)=40.56; Q(0)(35 °C)=51.17 and Q(0)(45 °C)=51.75] biochars. Second order kinetics best fit the lead removal data. Furthermore, magnetic energy cane biochar was easily manipulated by low external magnetic field, thereby, allowing its easy recovery for further recycling and replacement from water. ECBC and MECBC were also successfully applied for Pb(2+) removal from contaminated ground water. Therefore, both chars can be used as potential green low cost sorbents for lead remediation to replace commercial activated carbon.

Superconductivity by Sr intercalation in the layered topological insulator Bi 2 Se 3

Abstract: Strontium intercalation between van der Waals bonded layers of the topological insulator ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ is found to induce superconductivity with a maximum ${T}_{c}$ of 2.9 K. Transport measurement on a single crystal of the optimally doped sample ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.1}{\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ shows weak anisotropy $(\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}\ensuremath{\sim}1.5)$ and an upper critical field ${H}_{c2}(0)$ equal to 2.1 T for a magnetic field applied perpendicular to the $c$ axis of the sample. The Ginzburg-Landau coherence lengths are found to be ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{ab}=15.3$ nm and ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{c}=10.2$ nm. The lower critical field ${H}_{c1,ab}(0)$ and zero temperature penetration depth ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{ab}(0)$ are estimated to be $0.39\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02$ mT and $1221\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}36$ nm, respectively. Hall and Seebeck measurements confirm the dominance of electronic conduction, and the carrier concentration is surprisingly low $(n=1.85\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{19}\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3})$ at 10 K, indicating the possibility of unconventional superconductivity.

Modeling groundwater quality over a humid subtropical region using numerical indices, earth observation datasets, and X-ray diffraction technique: a case study of Allahabad district, India.

Abstract: Water is undoubtedly the vital commodity for all living creatures and required for well-being of the human society. The present work is based on the surveys and chemical analyses performed on the collected groundwater samples in a part of the Ganga basin in order to understand the sources and evolution of the water quality in the region. The two standard indices such as water quality index and synthetic pollution index for the classification of water in the region are computed. The soil and sediment analysis are carried out with the help of X-ray diffractometer (XRD) for the identification of possible source of ions in water from rock and soil weathering. The dominant minerals which include quartz, muscovite, plagioclase, and orthoclase are reported in the area. The study further utilizes the multivariate statistical techniques for handling large and complex datasets in order to get better information about the groundwater quality. The following statistical methods such as cluster analysis (CA), factor analysis (FA), and principal component analysis (PCA) are applied to handle the large datasets and to understand the latent structure of the data. Through FA/PCAs, we have identified a total of 3 factors in pre-monsoon and 4 factors in post-monsoon season, which are responsible for the whole data structure. These factors explain 77.62 and 82.39 % of the total variance of the pre- and post-monsoon datasets. On the other hand, CA depicted the regions that have similar pollutants origin. The average value of synthetic pollution index of groundwater during pre-monsoon is 9.27, while during post-monsoon, it has been recorded as 8.74. On the other hand, the average values of water quality index of groundwater during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons are found as 217.59 and 233.02, respectively. The study indicates that there occurs an extensive urbanization with gradual vast development of various small- and large-scale industries, which is responsible for degradation in water quality. The overall analysis reveals that the agricultural runoff, waste disposal, leaching, and irrigation with wastewater are the main causes of groundwater pollution followed by some degree of pollution from geogenic sources such as rock and soil weathering, confirmed through XRD analysis.

Non-coding RNAs: biological functions and applications.

Abstract: Analyses of the international human genome sequencing results in 2004 converged to a consensual number of ~20,000 protein-coding genes, spanning over 90% of the human genome is likely to be transcribed yielding a complex network of overlapping transcripts that include tens of thousands of long RNAs with little or no protein forming capacity; they are collectively called non-coding RNA. This review highlights the fundamental concepts of biological roles of non-coding RNA and their importance in regulation of cellular physiology under disease conditions like cancer.

Green synthesis of Al2O3 nanoparticles and their bactericidal potential against clinical isolates of multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract: The high prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (76.3 %) and metallo-β-lactamases (7.3 %) amongst the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a critical problem that has set forth an enormous therapeutic challenge. The suggested role of nanoparticles as next generation antibiotics, and inadequate information on antibacterial activity of aluminium oxide nanoparticles has led us to investigate the green synthesis of aluminium oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3 NPs) using leaf extracts of lemongrass and its antibacterial activity against extended-spectrum β-lactamases and metallo-β-lactamases clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa. The synthesized Al2O3-NPs were characterized by scanning electron microcopy, high resolution-transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Zeta potential, and differential light scattering techniques. The X-ray diffraction data revealed the average size of the spherical Al2O3-NPs as 34.5 nm. The hydrodynamic size in Milli Q water and Zeta potential were determined to be 254 nm and +52.2 mV, respectively. The minimal inhibitory concentration of Al2O3-NPs was found to be in the range of 1,600–3,200 µg/ml. Treatment at concentrations >2,000 µg/ml, resulted in complete growth inhibition of extended-spectrum β-lactamases and metallo-β-lactamases isolates. Scanning electron microcopy analysis revealed the clusters of nanoparticles attached to the bacterial cell surface, causing structural deformities in treated cells. High resolution-transmission electron microscopy analysis confirmed that nanoparticles crossed the cell membrane to become intracellular. The interaction of nanoparticles with the cell membrane eventually triggered the loss of membrane integrity, most likely due to intracellular oxidative stress. The data explicitly suggested that the synthesized Al2O3-NPs can be exploited as an effective bactericidal agent against extended-spectrum β-lactamases, non-extended-spectrum β-lactamases and metallo-β-lactamases strains of P. aeruginosa, regardless of their drug resistance patterns and mechanisms. The results elucidated the clinical significance of Al2O3-NPs in developing an effective antibacterial therapeutic regimen against the multi-drug resistant bacterial infections. The use of leaf extract of lemongrass for the synthesis of Al2O3-NPs appears to be cost effective, nontoxic, eco-friendly and its strong antibacterial activity against multi-drug resistant strains of P. aeruginosa offers compatibility for pharmaceutical and other biomedical applications.

Geospatial and geostatistical approach for groundwater potential zone delineation

Abstract: Over the past few decades, groundwater has become an essential commodity owing to increased demand as a result of growing population, industrialization, urbanization and so on The water supply situation is expected to become more severe in the future because of continued unsustainable water use and projected change in hydrometeorological parameters due to climate change This study is based on the integrated approach of remote sensing, geographical information system and multicriteria decision-making techniques to determine the most important contributing factors that affect the groundwater resources and to delineate the groundwater potential zones Ten thematic layers, namely, geomorphology, geology, soil, topographic elevation (digital elevation model), land use/land cover, drainage density, lineament density, proximity of surface water bodies, surface temperature and post-monsoon groundwater depth, were considered for the present study These thematic layers were selected for groundwater prospecting based on the literature; discussion with the experts of the Central Ground Water Board, Government of India; field observations; geophysical investigation; and multivariate techniques The thematic layers and their features were assigned suitable weights on Saaty's scale according to their relative significance for groundwater occurrence The assigned weights of the layers and their features were normalized by using the analytic hierarchy process and eigenvector method Finally, the selected thematic maps were integrated using a weighted linear combination method to create the final groundwater potential zone map The final output map shows different zones of groundwater potential, namely, very good (16%), good (35%), moderate (28%) low (17%) and very low (21%) The groundwater potential zone map was finally validated using the discharge and groundwater depth data from 28 and 98 pumping wells, respectively, which showed good correlation Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Redox homeostasis via gene families of ascorbate-glutathione pathway

Abstract: The imposition of environmental stresses on plants brings about disturbance in their metabolism thereby negatively affecting their growth and development and leading to reduction in the productivity. One of the manifestations of abiotic and biotic stress conditions is the enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can be hazardous to cells. Therefore, in order to protect themselves against toxic ROS, plant cells employ the anti-oxidant defense system. The ascorbate-glutathione pathway (Halliwell-Asada cycle) is an indispensible component of the ROS homeostasis mechanism of plants. This pathway entails the antioxidant metabolites: ascorbate, glutathione and NADPH along with the enzymes linking them. The ascorbate-glutathione pathway is functional in different subcellular compartments and all the enzymes of this pathway exist as multiple isoforms. The expression of different isoforms of the enzymes of ascorbate-glutathione pathway is developmentally as well as spatially regulated. Moreover, various abiotic and biotic stress conditions modulate the expression of the enzyme- isoforms differently. It is the intricate regulation of expression of different isoforms of the ascorbate-glutathione pathway enzymes that helps in the maintenance of redox balance in plants under various abiotic and biotic stress conditions. The present review provides an insight into the gene families of the ascorbate-glutathione pathway, shedding light on their role in different abiotic and biotic stress conditions as well as in the growth and development of plants.

Chemopreventive and therapeutic potential of "naringenin," a flavanone present in citrus fruits.

Abstract: Cancer is one of the major causes of deaths in developed countries and is emerging as a major public health burden in developing countries too. Changes in cancer prevalence patterns have been noticed due to rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles. One of the major concerns is an influence of dietary habits on cancer rates. Approaches to prevent cancer are many and chemoprevention or dietary cancer prevention is one of them. Therefore, nutritional practices are looked at as effective types of dietary cancer prevention strategies. Attention has been given to identifying plant-derived dietary agents, which could be developed as a promising chemotherapeutic with minimal toxic side effects. Naringenin, a phytochemical mainly present in citrus fruits and tomatoes, is a frequent component of the human diet and has gained increasing interest because of its positive health effects not only in cancer prevention but also in noncancer diseases. In the last few years, significant progress has been made in studying the biological effects of naringenin at cellular and molecular levels. This review examines the cancer chemopreventive/therapeutic effects of naringenin in an organ-specific format, evaluating its limitations, and its considerable potential for development as a cancer chemopreventive/therapeutic agent.

Estimation of soil erosion using RUSLE and GIS techniques: a case study of Barakar River basin, Jharkhand, India

Abstract: An integrated method has been adopted to estimate soil loss in a plateau and plateau fringe river basin where soil erosion is significant. The integration of Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model and geographical Information technology has been used for soil loss estimation. In GIS platform, the overlay of rainfall-runoff erosivity factor, soil erodibility factor, slope length factor, slope steepness factor, cover and management factor, support and conservation practices factor results that the high amount of soil loss (more than 100 t ha−1 year−1) is significantly low and occupies 0.08% of the entire study area. High soil loss in upstream of the basin has a close relation to LS and K factor and drainage density. As a result of soil loss in the upper catchment areas, reservoir capacity has been depleted both in dead and live storage space. It is concluded that soil erosion has a significant impact on plateau fringe areas and the estimation of soil loss is an essential input for the adoption of proper land use planning and development strategies.

A geminivirus betasatellite damages the structural and functional integrity of chloroplasts leading to symptom formation and inhibition of photosynthesis

Abstract: Geminivirus infection often causes severe vein clearing symptoms in hosts. Recently a betasatellite has emerged as a key regulator of symptom induction. To understand the host-betasatellite interactions in the process of symptom development, a systematic study was carried out involving symptoms induced by a betasatellite associated with radish leaf curl disease (RaLCB) in Nicotiana benthamiana. It has been found that βC1 protein localized to chloroplasts of host cells, and RaLCB lacking βC1, which failed to produce symptoms, had no effect on chloroplast ultrastructure. Vein flecking induced by transiently expressed βC1 was associated with chloroplast ultrastructure. In addition, the betasatellite down-regulates expression of genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis as well as genes involved in chloroplast development and plastid translocation. Interestingly, the expression of key host genes involved in chlorophyll degradation remains unaffected. Betasatellite infection drastically reduced the numbers of active reaction centres and the plastoquinol pool size in leaves exhibiting vein clearing symptoms. Betasatellite-mediated impediments at different stages of chloroplast functionality affect the photosynthetic efficiency of N. benthamiana. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first evidence of a chloroplast-targeting protein encoded by a DNA virus which induces vein clearing and structurally and functionally damages chloroplasts in plants.

Understanding salinity responses and adopting ‘omics-based’ approaches to generate salinity tolerant cultivars of rice

Abstract: Soil salinity is one of the main constraints affecting production of rice worldwide, by reducing growth, pollen viability as well as yield of the plant. Therefore, detailed understanding of the response of rice towards soil salinity at the physiological and molecular level is a prerequisite for its effective management. Various approaches have been adopted by molecular biologists or breeders to understand the mechanism for salinity tolerance in plants and to develop salt tolerant rice cultivars. Genome wide analysis using ‘omics-based’ tools followed by identification and functional validation of individual genes is becoming one of the popular approaches to tackle this task. On the other hand, mutation breeding and insertional mutagenesis has also been exploited to obtain salinity tolerant crop plants. This review looks into various responses at cellular and whole plant level generated in rice plants towards salinity stress thus, evaluating the suitability of intervention of functional genomics to raise stress tolerant plants. We have tried to highlight the usefulness of the contemporary ‘omics-based’ approaches such as genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and phenomics towards dissecting out the salinity tolerance trait in rice. In addition, we have highlighted the importance of integration of various ‘omics’ approaches to develop an understanding of the machinery involved in salinity response in rice and to move forward to develop salt tolerant cultivars of rice.

Curcumin Pyrazole and its derivative (N-(3-Nitrophenylpyrazole) Curcumin inhibit aggregation, disrupt fibrils and modulate toxicity of Wild type and Mutant α-Synuclein

Abstract: Accumulating evidence suggests that deposition of neurotoxic α-synuclein aggregates in the brain during the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease can be curbed by anti-aggregation strategies that either disrupt or eliminate toxic aggregates. Curcumin, a dietary polyphenol exhibits anti-amyloid activity but the use of this polyphenol is limited owing to its instability. As chemical modifications in curcumin confiscate this limitation, such efforts are intensively performed to discover molecules with similar but enhanced stability and superior properties. This study focuses on the inhibitory effect of two stable analogs of curcumin viz. curcumin pyrazole and curcumin isoxazole and their derivatives against α-synuclein aggregation, fibrillization and toxicity. Employing biochemical, biophysical and cell based assays we discovered that curcumin pyrazole (3) and its derivative N-(3-Nitrophenylpyrazole) curcumin (15) exhibit remarkable potency in not only arresting fibrillization and disrupting preformed fibrils but also preventing formation of A11 conformation in the protein that imparts toxic effects. Compounds 3 and 15 also decreased neurotoxicity associated with fast aggregating A53T mutant form of α-synuclein. These two analogues of curcumin described here may therefore be useful therapeutic inhibitors for the treatment of α-synuclein amyloidosis and toxicity in Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies.