Deteriorating weight loss in patients with Huntington's disease (HD) is a complicated peripheral manifestation and the cause remains poorly understood. Studies suggest that body weight strongly ...influences the clinical progression rate of HD and thereby offers a valuable target for therapeutic interventions. Mutant huntingtin (mHTT) is ubiquitously expressed and could induce toxicity by directly acting in the peripheral tissues. We investigated the effects of selective expression of mHTT exon1 in fat body (FB; functionally equivalent to human adipose tissue and liver) using transgenic Drosophila. We find that FB-autonomous expression of mHTT exon1 is intrinsically toxic and causes chronic weight loss in the flies despite progressive hyperphagia, and early adult death. Moreover, flies exhibit loss of intracellular lipid stores, and decline in the systemic levels of lipids and carbohydrates which aggravates over time, representing metabolic defects. At the cellular level, besides impairment, cell death also occurs with the formation of mHTT aggregates in the FB. These findings indicate that FB-autonomous expression of mHTT alone is sufficient to cause metabolic abnormalities and emaciation in vivo without any neurodegenerative cues.
In the recent times, lot of research work carried out in the field of fuel cells explicitly divulges that it has the potential to be an ultimate power source in upcoming years. The fuel cell has more ...storing capacity, which enables to use in heavy power applications. In these applications, power conditioning is more vital to regulate the output voltage. Hence, we need a dc-dc converter to provide a constant regulated output voltage for such high-power system. Currently, many new converters were designed and implemented as per the requirement. This paper has made comparative study on several topologies of the quadratic high gain dc-dc converter and the applications where these topologies can be used when the fuel cell is given as a source. Also, we have compared various parameters of all the converters considered and generated the results with steady-state and dynamic study. In this article, we briefed the types of analysis carried on the dc-dc converter to study its performance. Moreover, various application of fuel cell is presented and discussed. This paper will be a handbook to the researchers who start to work on high gain dc-dc converter topologies with quadratic boost converter as a base. This article will also guide the engineers to concentrate on the fuel cell components where it needs to be explored for optimizing its operation.
Clay–organic complexes (COC) impart chemical and physical protection to soil carbon (C). In the present study, the aim was to assess the long-term effects of different organic amendments on C ...stability in COC, distribution of the aggregates, C concentration in the aggregates and labile organic C fractions in the inceptisols located at the research farm situated in the semi-arid sub-tropical climate of India. The results showed that the COC, the percentage of large macroaggregates (LMA) (>2 mm) and the C associated with the aggregates decreased through the soil depths, whereas the other size fractions of soil aggregates (<2 mm) showed an increasing trend. The COC was significantly higher (4.4 times) in soil treatments where farmyard manures (FYM), green manure (GM) and biofertilizers (BF) were applied together (FYM + GM + BF). The organic amendments increased the proportion of LMA over control (no application of organic amendments) to a magnitude of 83 to 101% and the C associated with LMA to a magnitude of 0.48 to 9.8% over control in surface soil. On average, the combined application of FYM, GM and BF exhibited higher C accumulation in almost all soil aggregate fractions, except microaggregates (mA), i.e., (0.25–0.053 mm) size fractions, where application of FYM alone recorded the highest value. Averaged over soil depths, the particulate organic C (POC), dissolved organic C (DOC) and potassium permanganate oxidizable C (POXC) were significantly higher under integrated organic treatments than individual amendments. The significantly higher correlation between COC and the percentage of LMA and aggregate-associated C implied their direct role in soil aggregate formation and their stability. The carbon stability, i.e., retention time of humus in soil, was significantly correlated with soil organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, potassium permanganate oxidizable C, C mineralization (Cmin), glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP), macroaggregate (MA)-associated C and rice equivalent yield (REY). Overall, the data suggest that the combined application of FYM + GM + BF promotes soil quality under rice–wheat rotation in inceptisols in semi-arid sub-tropical India.
The main aim of this work is to develop a new goodness-of-fit test for the one-sided Lévy distribution. The proposed test is based on the scale-ratio approach in which two estimators of the scale ...parameter of one-sided Lévy distribution are confronted. The asymptotic distribution of the test statistic is obtained under null hypotheses. The performance of the test is demonstrated using simulated observations from various known distributions. Finally, two real-world datasets are analyzed.
Soil carbon depletion is a major concern for food security in drylands. The objective of this study is to test tillage with residue management under sequential and intercropping systems for carbon ...sequestration in semi-arid tropical drylands of India. We report the findings from a long-term field experiment (9 years) used to simulate the effect of residue and tillage management in Maize-chickpea sequential and Maize-Pigeonpea intercropping systems for the four possible future climate projections using APSIM model. These findings demonstrate a sustainable route with inclusive growth, as pledged at the UN climate change summit. A comparison of results under SSP 2.6 and 4.5 Wm−2 with SSP 8.5 shows that demand pressure from competitive marketplaces inhibits the establishment of soil carbon sinks and significantly reduces crop yields, likely due to indiscriminate chemical fertilizer use. We observed that a better decision in selecting cropping system might improve soil organic carbon content (SOC). SOC content ranging from 0.9 to 1.2% in Maize-pigeonpea intercropping and 0.85–1.1% in maize-chickpea sequential cropping systems, demonstrate good potential in the climate change mitigation exertions. Early SOC saturation (20 years) led to a decreased carbon stock in topsoil without residue addition practises. The addition of crop residues significantly increased SOC levels under both conventional and minimum tillage and created additional income for farmers. Simulation analysis showed impact of SOC changes on crop yield which remained nearly stable for 85 years. Therefore, hardy straw biomass of crops covering a large tract in dryland tropics, can be a scalable and sustainable solution to yield losses, while mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration.
•Addition of crop residue benefits soil under future climate scenarios.•Minimum tillage with added residue helps in building soil carbon sink.•Crop diversification with deep rooted legumes adds value to minimum tillage.•Intercropping legumes with cereals in SAT drylands is a climate smart approach.
Retrieval accuracy and stability of two operational aerosol retrieval algorithms, Deep Blue (DB) and Dark Target (DT), applied on Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on-board Suomi ...National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) satellite were evaluated over South Asia. The region is reported to be highly challenging to accurate estimation of satellite-based aerosol optical properties due to variations in surface reflectance, complex aerosol system and regional meteorology. Performance of both algorithms were initially evaluated by comparing their ability to retrieve aerosol signal over the complex geographical region under specific air pollution emission scenario. Thereafter, retrieval accuracy was investigated against 10 AERONET sites across South Asia, selected based on their geography and predominance aerosol types, from year 2012–2021. Geo-spatial analysis indicates DB to efficiently retrieve fine aerosol features over bright arid surfaces, and for smoke/dust dominating events whereas DT was better to identify small fire events under dark vegetated surface. Both algorithms however, indicate unsatisfactory retrieval accuracy against AERONET having 56–59% of valid retrievals with high RMSE (0.30–0.33) and bias. Overall, DB slightly underpredicted AOD with −0.02 mean bias (MB) whereas DT overpredicted AOD (MB: 0.13), with seasonality in their retrieval efficiency against AERONET. Time-series analysis indicates stability in retrieving AOD and match-up number for both algorithms. Retrieval bias of DB and DT AOD against AERONET AOD under diverse aerosol loading, aerosol size, scattering/absorbing aerosol, and surface vegetation coverage scenarios revealed DT to be more influenced by these conditions. Error analysis indicates at low AOD (≤0.2), accuracy of both DB and DT were subject to underlying vegetation coverage. At AOD>0.2, DB performed well in retrieving coarse aerosols whereas DT was superior when fine aerosols dominated. Overall, accuracy of both VIIRS algorithms require further refinement to continue MODIS AOD legacy over South Asia.
Retrieval uncertainty of VIIRS DT and DB AOD algorithms over South Asia. Display omitted
•Both VIIRS operational AOD algorithms were able to trace spatial aerosol trend.•Accuracy of DB & DT was lower than one-standard-deviation interval of AERONET.•VIIRS DB perform well in retrieving AOD for coarse aerosols over bright arid surface.•VIIRS DT systematically overpredict AOD and perform better for finer aerosols.•Both algorithms indicate large sensitivity to variation in aerosol types.
Cross-country assessment of aerosol loading was made over several South Asian megacities using multiple high-resolution remote-sensing database to assess how aerosols vary within the city and its ...suburbs. Parameters sensitive to aerosol optical and microphysical properties were processed over city-core and its surrounding, separated by a buffer. Cities across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP; AOD:0.52–0.72) along with Mumbai (0.47) and Bangalore (0.46) denote comparatively high aerosol loading against non-IGP cities. City-core specific AOD was invariably high compared to surrounding, however with varying gradient having robust geographical signature. Exceptions to this general trend were in Kathmandu (ΔAOD: 0.07) and Dhaka (ΔAOD: 0.01) while strong positive AOD gradient was noted in Bangalore (+0.11), Colombo (+0.08) and in Mumbai (+0.07). While all mainland cities exhibited robust intraannual variability, distinction between city-core and its surrounding AOD exhibited varying seasonality. City-specific geometric coefficient of variation indicated insignificant association with mean AOD as opposed to European and American cities. Both pixel-based and city-specific analysis revealed a strong increasing trend in AOD with highest magnitude in Varanasi and Bangalore. Aerosol sub-types based on aerosols’ sensitivity to UV-absorption and particle size denotes higher relative abundance of carbonaceous smoke aerosols within city-core, without having significant distinction for mineral dusts and urban aerosols.
Micro-scale variations in columnar aerosols and aerosol subtypes over South Asian cities. Display omitted
•Majority of South Asian cities are more polluted at city-core compared to its suburbs.•Robust aerosol gradient from city-core to its suburbs in Bangalore, Colombo, Mumbai.•Core region of Kathmandu and Dhaka city frequently receive aerosols from its suburbs.•Spatial variations in aerosol sub-types were less sensitive for dust & urban aerosols.•Carbonaceous smoke aerosols were more abundant at city-core with high UV-absorption.
Three-dimensional (temporal-spatial-vertical) climatology of South Asian summertime (MAMJ, 2010–2019) aerosols and aerosol sub-types was explored using multiple high-resolution satellite-based ...observations and reanalysis dataset. Vertical stratification of aerosol layer and aerosol sub-types was identified using observation from space-borne lidar. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) was particularly high across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP; AOD ± SD: 0.56 ± 0.12) and over eastern coast of India (AOD: 0.6–0.8), with prevalence of heterogeneous aerosol sub-types having strong spatial gradient. Clearly, aerosols over north-western arid part were highly absorbing (Ultra-violet Aerosol Index, UVAI > 0.80) and coarse (Ångström exponent, AE < 0.8), with an indication of desert/−mineral dust aerosols. In contrast, fine and moderate to non-absorbing aerosols (UVAI: 0.20–0.50) dominate from central to lower IGP, including in Bangladesh, with signature of anthropogenic emissions. Prevailing aerosols over twelve South Asian cities were classified into six aerosol sub-types constraining their particle size and UV-absorbing potential. Overall, mineral dust, smoke and urban aerosols were the three major aerosol sub-types that prevail across South Asia during summer. In particular, 58–70 % of retrieval days over Karachi and Multan were dust dominated; 57–64 % days were dust or urban aerosols dominated over Lahore, Delhi, Kanpur and Varanasi, and 56–77 % days were smoke or urban aerosols dominated over Dhaka, Kathmandu, Chennai, Mumbai, Colombo and Nagpur. Prevailing aerosols were vertically stratified as 50–70 % of total AOD was retrieved <2 km from the surface except in few cities where 70–80 % of AOD was retrieved <3 km height. Mineral dust and/or urban aerosols emerged as the most abundant aerosol types near the surface (<1 km) in all the cities except in Chennai, with their abundance remained as a function of emission sources and geographical location.
Spatial distribution of aerosols and transport of dust aerosols over South Asia (upper panel), and vertical gradient of aerosols over South Asian megacities (lower panel). Display omitted
•Aerosol loading of strong UV-absorbing nature was retrieved over northern plain.•Mineral dust, smoke and urban aerosols were the major aerosol types during pre-monsoon.•Vertical stratification of aerosol layer was prominent over the cities across South Asia.•Nearly 50–70 % of columnar aerosol optical depth remained within 2 km from surface.•Near-surface aerosols over South Asian cities were primarily dust and/or urban aerosols.
Pomegranate peel extract (PPE) has been widely identified as a rich source of therapeutically active phyto-compounds, known for their beneficial effects in aquaculturable species. In this context, a ...60-day feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the effect of supplementation of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) on growth performance, haemato-immunological responses and cytokine gene expression in Labeo rohita (rohu) fingerlings challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila. A total of 240 rohu fingerlings (3.25 ± 0.52 g) were randomly distributed into four treatment groups in triplicates with 15 fish per tank. The groups were fed with four different diets containing graded levels of PPE viz., 0 (control), 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%. The results demonstrated significantly enhanced weight gain% and specific growth rate (SGR) in the group fed with 0.5% of dietary PPE. The cumulative survival post challenge to A. hydrophila was enhanced to 72.90% in 0.5% PPE fed group as compared to 20.01% in the control group. Haemato-immunological parameters in terms of respiratory burst activity (NBT), serum total protein, globulin and lysozyme activity displayed highest levels in L. rohita fed with the 0.5% PPE diet. Further, the dietary group supplemented with PPE at 0.5% level exhibited upregulated mRNA transcript levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines viz. IL-1β, TNF-α in different lymphoid organs such as gut, kidney and liver of L. rohita fingerlings post-challenge. In contrast, anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, was significantly down-regulated in infected rohu fed with 0.5% PPE. Taken together, the best optimum dosage or inclusion level at 0.5% PPE, obtained through the study, represented remarkable favourable variations in growth, haemato-immunological parameters and cytokine gene expression of L. rohita fingerlings. Thus, the dietary supplementation of PPE at 0.5% could effectively enhance different aspects of innate immunity alongwith disease resistance to A. hydrophila infection in L. rohita fingerlings.
•PPE at 0.5% supplementation significantly enhanced growth and immune parameters in L. rohita fingerlings.•PPE at 0.5% efficiently regulated the m-RNA transcript levels of cytokine genes in lymphoid organs of pathogen aggravated rohu.•The higher dosage of PPE incorporation resulted in immuno-suppression while the lowest dose demonstrated best results.•The optimized dosage of 0.5% PPE is thus recommended for application in aquaculture as an economically viable feed supplement.
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