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Virtually recreating an underwater scene requires 3D data of its objects. Creating a dense 3D point cloud of shallow underwater objects using a laser in the presence of significant ambient light is challenging. Although several methodologies have been proposed for underwater reconstruction, they essentially work in low-light environments. In particular, current techniques are unable to quickly and effortlessly generate dense point clouds of underwater objects under varying light . The present work fills that gap. The system uses a rotating low-power line-laser and is designed in such a way that it works in the dark as well as in sunlight, which tends to wash out low-power laser in shallow waters. In order to achieve this goal, we propose an analytical technique to segment faint-laser lines in an underwater lit environment, which does not depend on the availability of large training data. Thereafter, the extracted laser lines are applied for triangulation to generate the point cloud online and automatically. To reduce the cumulative errors during calibration, our data-centric method calibrates the entire system directly, unlike existing methods, where multiple camera and system parameters are calibrated. An evaluation of the performance of the proposed method in different lighting conditions is reported.

Food waste (FW) is a significant global issue with a carbon footprint of 3.3 billion tonnes (Bt), primarily generated due to improper food supply chain management, storage issues, and transportation problems. Acidogenic processes like dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion, and a combination of DF-AD can produce renewable biofuels (Bio-CH4, Bio-H2) by valorising FW, aligning with the UN SDGs. FW is an ideal substrate for acidogenic processes due to its high moisture content, organic matter, and biodegradability. However, the choice of FW valorisation pathways depends on energy yield, conversion efficiency, and cost effectiveness. Acidogenic processes are not economically viable for industrial scale FW treatment due to reduced energy recovery from stand-alone processes. So, this study reviews comparative studies on biogas, biohydrogen, and biohythane production from FW via acidogenic processes, focusing on energy yield, energy recovery, and environmental and economic impact to provide a clear understanding of energy recovery and yield from all acidogenic processes. Additionally, this review also explores the recent advancements in digestate slurry management and the synergistic effects of AD and HTC processes. Lastly, a futuristic integrated bio-thermo-chemical process is proposed for maximum energy recovery, valuing food waste to energy vectors (Bio-H2, Bio-CH4, and hydro-char) along with digestate management and biofertilizer production.

Small molecule ligands that could stabilize G-quadruplex structure formed at the promoter region of human c-myc oncogene will regulate its expression in cancer cells. Flavonoids, a group of naturally available small molecule, have been known for their various promising effects on human health. In present study, we have performed detailed biophysical studies for the interaction of human c-myc G-quadruplex DNA with nine representative flavonoids: Luteolin, Quercetin, Rutin, Genistein, Kaempferol, Puerarin, Hesperidin, Myricetin and Daidzein. We found by using fluorescence titration that Quercetin interacts with c-myc G-quadruplex DNA sequence Pu24T with highest affinity. This interaction was further explored by using NMR spectroscopy and we have derived the first solution structure for the complex formed between Quercetin and biologically significant c-myc promoter DNA sequence forming G-quadruplex structure. In present solution structure, Quercetin stacks at 5′ and 3′ G-tetrads of Pu24T G-quadruplex structure and stabilize it via π-π stacking interactions. Furthermore, in vitro studies on HeLa cells suggested that Quercetin induces apoptosis-mediated cell death and down-regulated c-myc gene expression. This study emphasizes the potential of flavonoids as a promising candidate for targeting c-myc promoter region and thus, could act as a potential anti-cancer agent.

Nucleic acid G-quadruplex structure (G4) Interacting Proteins DataBase (G4IPDB) is an important database that contains detailed information about proteins interacting with nucleic acids that forms G-quadruplex structures. G4IPDB is the first database that provides comprehensive information about this interaction at a single platform. This database contains more than 200 entries with details of interaction such as interacting protein name and their synonyms, their UniProt-ID, source organism, target name and its sequences, ∆T m , binding/dissociation constants, protein gene name, protein FASTA sequence, interacting residue in protein, related PDB entries, interaction ID, graphical view, PMID, author’s name and techniques that were used to detect their interactions. G4IPDB also provides an efficient web-based “G-quadruplex predictor tool” that searches putative G-quadruplex forming sequences simultaneously in both sense and anti-sense strands of the query nucleotide sequence and provides the predicted G score. Studying the interaction between proteins and nucleic acids forming G-quadruplex structures could be of therapeutic significance for various diseases including cancer and neurological disease, therefore, having detail information about their interactions on a single platform would be helpful for the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. G4IPDB can be routinely updated (twice in year) and freely available on http://bsbe.iiti.ac.in/bsbe/ipdb/index.php.

A non-invasive and early-detectable peripheral biomarker is urgently needed for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present study is a step forward to verify the biomarker properties of human microRNA-455-3p (Hsa-miR-455-3p) in AD patients. Our previous findings on mild cognitive impaired subjects, AD patients and AD cells and mouse models unveiled the miR-455-3p as a potential peripheral biomarker for AD. In the current study, we verified the differential expression of miR-455-3p in postmortem AD brains obtained from NIH NeuroBioBank, and fibroblasts and B-lymphocytes from both familial and sporadic AD patients from Coriell Cell Repository of National Institutes on Aging. Total RNA was extracted from the fibroblasts, B-lymphocytes and AD postmortem brains, and expression of miR-455-3p was measured by real-time reverse-transcriptase RT-PCR. Our real-time RT-PCR analysis showed a significant ( = 0.0002) upregulation of miR-455-3p expression in AD postmortem brains compared to healthy control samples. Expression of miR-455-3p was also upregulated in the fibroblasts from AD patients, however a significant difference in miR-455-3p level was observed in the cells from sporadic AD patients ( = 0.014) compared to healthy controls. Similarly, in B-lymphocytes, miR-455-3p level was also higher ( = 0.044) especially in sporadic AD cases compared to controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated the significant area under ROC curve (AUROC) value of miR-455-3p in AD postmortem brain (AUROC = 0.792; = 0.001) and AD fibroblasts cells (AUROC = 0.861; = 0.03), whereas in B-lymphocytes AUROC value of miR-455-3p was not significant. Further, analysis for miRNA targets predictions showed the binding capacity of miR-455-3p with several AD associated key genes such as APP, NGF, USP25, PDRG1, SMAD4, UBQLN1, SMAD2, TP73, VAMP2, HSPBAP1, and NRXN1. Hence, these observations further revealed that miR-455-3p is a potential biomarker for AD and its possible therapeutic target for AD.

The extent of heavy metal pollution and their impact on the various component of urban aquaculture pond (India) were investigated on the basis of seasonal variation. The water, sediment, and fish samples ( Labeo rohita and Labeo bata ) were collected and analyzed to assess the metal toxicity. In the sediment, geoaccumulation index ( I geo ), contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), and ecological risk index (ERI) were calculated. The estimated daily dietary intake (EDI) for As, Cd, Cr, Mn, Pb, and Zn was estimated in adult and children on the basis an average amount of fish consumed by the Indian people and its associated health hazard with was also assessed in terms of target hazard quotients (THQs). The concentration of metals in all the analyzed samples was found higher during pre-monsoon season. While, in case of fish, L. bata species has higher metal accumulation rate during both the seasons than the L. rohita because of their bottom dweller feeding habit. The order of metals in L. bata muscles is Zn > Mn > Pb > Cr > As > Cd. The I geo value for Zn (2.66 to 3.68) was found to be highest and followed by Cd (1.65 to 3.52) and Pb (1.52 to 2.55) indicating moderate to highly polluted sediment quality. The values of ERI were significantly high during pre-monsoon period and varied from 319 to 557, representing very high metal contamination. From the human health perspective, present study highlighted that the local inhabitants who rely on this valuable pond for fish consumption are exposed chronically to As and Pb pollution due to higher THQ values, especially from the intake of L. bata .

The presence of an abnormal amount of Cu2+ in the human body causes various health issues. In the current study, we synthesized a new naphthoquinolinedione-based probe (probe 1) to monitor Cu2+ in different water systems, such as tap water, lakes, and drain water. Two triazole units were introduced into the probe via a click reaction to increase the binding affinity to a metal ion. In day-light, probe 1 dissolved in a mixed solvent system (HEPES: EtOH = 1:4) showed a vivid color change from light greenish-yellow to pink in the presence of only Cu2+ among various metal ions. In addition, the green luminescence and fluorescence emission of the probe were effectively bleached out immediately after Cu2+ addition. The limit of detection (LOD) of the probe was 0.5 µM when a ratio-metric method was used for metal ion detection. The fluorescence titration data of the probe with Cu2+ showed a calculated LOD of 41.5 pM. Hence, probe 1 possesses the following dual response toward Cu2+ detection: color change and fluorescence quenching. Probe 1 was also useful for detecting Cu2+ spiked in tap/lake water as well as the cytoplasm of live HeLa cells. The current system was investigated using ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as density functional theory calculations (DFT).

The G-quadruplex (GQ) motifs are considered as potential drug-target sites for several human pathogenic viruses such as Zika, Hepatitis, Ebola, and Human Herpesviruses. The recent outbreaks of Nipah virus (NiV) in India, the highly fatal emerging zoonotic virus is a potential threat to global health security as no anti-viral drug or vaccine in currently available. Therefore, here in the present study, we sought to assess the ability of the putative G-quadruplex forming sequences in the NiV genome to form G-quadruplex structures and act as targets for anti-viral compounds. Bioinformatics analysis underpinned by various biophysical and biochemical techniques (such as NMR, CD, EMSA, DMS footprinting assay) confirmed the presence of two highly conserved G-quadruplex forming sequences (HGQs) in the G and L genes of NiV. These genes encode the cell attachment glycoprotein and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, respectively and are essential for the virus entry and replication within the host cell. It remains possible that stabilization of these HGQs by the known G-quadruplex binding ligands like TMPyP4 and Braco-19 represents a promising strategy to inhibit the expression of the HGQ harboring genes and thereby stop the viral entry and replication inside the host cell. Accordingly, we report for the first time, that HGQs in Nipah virus genome are targets for G-quadruplex specific ligands; therefore, could serve as potential targets for anti-viral therapy.

Ferritin is a known inflammatory biomarker in COVID-19. However, many factors and co-morbidities can confound the level of serum ferritin. This current metaanalysis evaluates serum ferritin level in different severity levels in COVID-19. Studies evaluating serum ferritin level in different clinical contexts (COVID-19 vs. control, mild to moderate vs. severe to critical, non-survivor vs. survivor, organ involvement, ICU and mechanical ventilation requirement) were included (total 9 literature databases searched). Metaanalysis and metaregression was carried out using metaphor “R” package. Compared to control (COVID-19 negative), higher ferritin levels were found among the COVID-19 patients [SMD −0.889 (95% C.I. −1.201, −0.577), I2 = 85%]. Severe to critical COVID-19 patients showed higher ferritin levels compared to mild to moderate COVID-19 patients [SMD 0.882 (0.738, 1.026), I2 = 85%]. In meta-regression, high heterogeneity was observed could be attributed to difference in “mean age”, and “percentage of population with concomitant co-morbidities”. Non-survivors had higher serum ferritin level compared to survivors [SMD 0.992 (0.672, 1.172), I2 = 92.33%]. In meta-regression, high heterogeneity observed could be attributed to difference in “mean age” and “percentage of male sex”. Patients requiring ICU [SMD 0.674 (0.515 to 0.833), I2 = 80%] and mechanical ventilation [SMD 0.430 (0.258, 0.602), I2 = 32%] had higher serum ferritin levels compared to those who didn't. To conclude, serum ferritin level may serve as an important biomarker which can aid in COVID-19 management. However, presence of other co-morbid conditions/confounders warrants cautious interpretation. •Higher ferritin levels were found among COVID-19 patients (compared to control).•Among COVID-19 patients, higher ferritin level was observed among patients with more severe disease or unfavorable outcome.•However, many confounders can potentially influence the level of serum ferritin e.g. age, sex and concomitant co-morbidity.

The FXR–CREB axis is identified as a key physiological switch that regulates autophagy during feeding/fasting cycles; in the fed state, the nuclear receptor FXR is shown to suppress autophagy in the liver by inhibiting autophagy-associated lipid breakdown triggered under fasting conditions by the transcriptional activator CREB. Control of autophagy by nuclear receptors Autophagy — the process in which a cell digests its own components in organelles known as lysosomes — comes in various forms. A basic form involves recycling nutrients upon starvation to maintain cellular homeostasis, so it is not surprising, that the signalling mediators of nutrient sensing can modulate autophagy in the short-term. Two studies now show that starvation-induced autophagy can also be regulated through long-term transcriptional control. Jongsook Kemper and colleagues find that, in the fed state, the nuclear receptor FXR suppresses autophagy in the liver. For this, FXR seems to inhibit autophagy-associated lipid breakdown triggered under fasting conditions by the transcriptional activator CREB. David Moore and colleagues also observe FXR-mediated suppression of autophagy. In addition, they find that another nuclear receptor, PPARα, which is activated in the fasted state, triggers autophagy such that PPARα and FXR compete for binding to shared sites in the promoters of autophagic genes, with opposite transcriptional outputs. Lysosomal degradation of cytoplasmic components by autophagy is essential for cellular survival and homeostasis under nutrient-deprived conditions 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 . Acute regulation of autophagy by nutrient-sensing kinases is well defined 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 , but longer-term transcriptional regulation is relatively unknown. Here we show that the fed-state sensing nuclear receptor farnesoid X receptor (FXR) 8 , 9 and the fasting transcriptional activator cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) 10 , 11 coordinately regulate the hepatic autophagy gene network. Pharmacological activation of FXR repressed many autophagy genes and inhibited autophagy even in fasted mice, and feeding-mediated inhibition of macroautophagy was attenuated in FXR-knockout mice. From mouse liver chromatin immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing data 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , FXR and CREB binding peaks were detected at 178 and 112 genes, respectively, out of 230 autophagy-related genes, and 78 genes showed shared binding, mostly in their promoter regions. CREB promoted autophagic degradation of lipids, or lipophagy 16 , under nutrient-deprived conditions, and FXR inhibited this response. Mechanistically, CREB upregulated autophagy genes, including Atg7, Ulk1 and Tfeb , by recruiting the coactivator CRTC2. After feeding or pharmacological activation, FXR trans -repressed these genes by disrupting the functional CREB–CRTC2 complex. This study identifies the new FXR–CREB axis as a key physiological switch regulating autophagy, resulting in sustained nutrient regulation of autophagy during feeding/fasting cycles.