| 1. |
- Meyer, E., et al.
(author)
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The state of the art in beyond 5G distributed massive multiple-input multiple-output communication system solutions
- 2022
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In: Open Research Europe. - : F1000 Research Ltd. - 2732-5121. ; 2
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Beyond fifth generation (5G) communication systems aim towards data rates in the tera bits per second range, with improved and flexible coverage options, introducing many new technological challenges in the fields of network architecture, signal pro- cessing, and radio frequency front-ends. One option is to move towards cell-free, or distributed massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) network architectures and highly integrated front-end solutions. This paper presents an outlook on be- yond 5G distributed massive MIMO communication systems, the signal processing, characterisation and simulation challenges, and an overview of the state of the art in millimetre wave antennas and electronics.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Tanveer, M. K., et al.
(author)
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Prevalence and chemo-therapeutical investigations of gastrointestinal nematodes in domestic pigeons in Lahore, Pakistan
- 2011
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In: Tropical Biomedicine. - 0127-5720. ; 28:1, s. 102-110
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes was studied in 143 (80 male and 63 female) domestic pigeons. Faecal samples were collected to determine the gastrointestinal nematodes of domestic pigeons through qualitative and quantitative faecal examinations. A total of 48 (male 33 and 25 female) naturally infected domestic pigeons were divided into G(1) (albendzdole) and G(2) (fenbendazole) treatment-groups along with one control group (C). The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes was 40.5% (58/143) in domestic pigeons. Likewise, the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes in males and females was found 41.3% (33/58) and 39.7% (25/58) respectively. The overall prevalence of Capillaria obsignata and Ascaridia columbae was found to be 67.2% and 32.8%, respectively. The prevalence of C. obsignata and A. columbae in males was 72.7% (24/33) and 27.8% (9/33) and in females was 60% (15/25) and 40% (10/25), respectively. There was no significant sex related difference seen in the prevalence of C. obsignata (p>0.56) and A. columbae (p>0.40) in domestic pigeons, respectively. The overall efficacy of albendazole and fenbendazole was calculated to be 66% and 71%. A remarkable significant difference (p<0.05) was observed in eggs per gram before and after treatment in both G(1) and G(2) treated-groups. The efficacy of fenbendazole was found to be more significant (p<0.02) than albendazole.
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| 4. |
- Waldschläger, Kryss, et al.
(author)
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Microplastics: What Can We Learn from Clastic Sediments?
- 2023
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In: Springer Water. - : Springer Nature. - 2364-6934 .- 2364-8198. ; , s. 105-116
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Microplastics research has gained momentum in the 21st century but lags behind the long-standing research on clastic sediment.An interdisciplinary review paper was conducted, comparing microplastics with natural sediments in terms of particle properties, transport processes, sampling techniques, and ecotoxicology. The paper identifies seven research goals to enhance our understanding of microplastics in freshwater environments while learning from sediment research. This extended abstract presents the core message of the review paper, emphasizing the need to improve descriptions of microplastic particles, understand their transport processes, develop standardized sampling methods, and study their ecotoxicological effects. The research goals outline specific tasks to achieve these objectives and emphasize the importance of comparing microplastics to sediments to gain insights into their toxicity. Addressing these research goals will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of microplastics and their impact on freshwater ecosystems. For detailed insights, the original paper should be consulted.
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| 5. |
- Bilal, Muhammad Sajjad, et al.
(author)
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Computational Investigation of 1, 3, 4 Oxadiazole Derivatives as Lead Inhibitors of VEGFR 2 in Comparison with EGFR : Density Functional Theory, Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies
- 2022
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In: Biomolecules. - : MDPI. - 2218-273X. ; 12:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic factor involved in tumor growth and metastasis. Gremlin has been proposed as a novel therapeutic pathway for the treatment of renal inflammatory diseases, acting via VEGFR 2 receptor. To date, most FDA-approved tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors have been reported as dual inhibitors of EGFR and VEGFR 2. The aim of the present study was to find the potent and selective inhibitor of VEGFR 2 specifically for the treatment of renal cancer. Fourteen previously identified anti-inflammatory compounds i.e., 1, 3, 4 oxadiazoles derivatives by our own group were selected for their anti-cancer potential, targeting the tyrosine kinase (TK) domain of VEGFR2 and EGFR. A detailed virtual screening-based study was designed viz density functional theory (DFT) study to find the compounds stability and reactivity, molecular docking for estimating binding affinity, SeeSAR analysis and molecular dynamic simulations to confirm protein ligand complex stability and ADMET properties to find the pharmacokinetic profile of all compounds. The DFT results suggested that among all the derivatives, the 7g, 7j, and 7l were chemically reactive and stable derivatives. The optimized structures obtained from the DFTs were further selected for molecular docking, and the results suggested that 7g, 7j and 7l derivatives as the best inhibitors of VEGFR 2 with binding energy values -46.32, -48.89 and -45.01 kJ/mol. The Estimated inhibition constant (IC50) of hit compound 7j (0.009 mu M) and simulation studies of its complexes confirms its high potency and best inhibitor of VEGFR2. All the derivatives were also docked with EGFR, where they showed weak binding energies and poor interactions, important compound 7g, 7j and 7i exhibited binding energy of -31.01, -33.23 and -34.19 kJ/mol respectively. Furthermore, the anticancer potential of the derivatives was confirmed by cell viability (MTT) assay using breast cancer and cervical cancer cell lines. At the end, the results of ADMET studies confirmed these derivatives as drug like candidates. Conclusively, the current study suggested substituted oxadiazoles as the potential anticancer compounds which exhibited more selectivity towards VEGFR2 in comparison to EGFR. Therefore, the identified lead molecules can be used for the synthesis of more potent derivatives of VEGFR2, along with extensive in vitro and in vivo experiments, that can be used to treat various cancers, especially renal cancers, and to prevent angiogenesis due to aberrant expression of VEGFR2.
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| 6. |
- Flores-Morales, Amilcar, et al.
(author)
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Proteogenomic characterization of patient-derived xenografts highlights the role of REST in neuroendocrine differentiation of castration-resistant prostate cancer
- 2019
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In: Clinical Cancer Research. - 1078-0432. ; 25:2, s. 595-608
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: An increasing number of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) tumors exhibit neuroendocrine (NE) features. NE prostate cancer (NEPC) has poor prognosis, and its development is poorly understood. Experimental Design: We applied mass spectrometry–based proteomics to a unique set of 17 prostate cancer patient–derived xenografts (PDX) to characterize the effects of castration in vivo, and the proteome differences between NEPC and prostate adenocarcinomas. Genome-wide profiling of REST-occupied regions in prostate cancer cells was correlated to the expression changes in vivo to investigate the role of the transcriptional repressor REST in castration-induced NEPC differentiation. Results: An average of 4,881 proteins were identified and quantified from each PDX. Proteins related to neurogenesis, cell-cycle regulation, and DNA repair were found upregulated and elevated in NEPC, while the reduced levels of proteins involved in mitochondrial functions suggested a prevalent glycolytic metabolism of NEPC tumors. Integration of the REST chromatin bound regions with expression changes indicated a direct role of REST in regulating neuronal gene expression in prostate cancer cells. Mechanistically, depletion of REST led to cell-cycle arrest in G1, which could be rescued by p53 knockdown. Finally, the expression of the REST-regulated gene secretagogin (SCGN) correlated with an increased risk of suffering disease relapse after radical prostatectomy. Conclusions: This study presents the first deep characterization of the proteome of NEPC and suggests that concomitant inhibition of REST and the p53 pathway would promote NEPC. We also identify SCGN as a novel prognostic marker in prostate cancer.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Islam, M. S., et al.
(author)
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Augmenting the sensing aptitude of hydrogenated graphene by crafting with defects and dopants
- 2016
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In: Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical. - : Elsevier. - 0925-4005 .- 1873-3077. ; 228, s. 317-321
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Density functional theory (DFT) level calculations were performed to study the interaction of hydrogenated graphene (CH) monolayer towards methane (CH4) gas molecules. The structural, electronic and gas sensing properties of pure, defected and light metal-doped CH monolayer were investigated. For the pristine CH, the estimated binding energy of CH4 fell short of the desired physisorption range and limit its gas sensing application at ambient conditions. However, upon crafting defects on pure CH layer by introducing hydrogen vacancies, a sharp increase in adsorption energies were observed when the CH4 molecules approached the defected sites of CH. Further, the effect of metal doping was studied by uniformly distributing light metal adatoms on CH monolayer which significantly enhanced the CH4 adsorption. To have better accuracy in calculating adsorption energies, we have incorporated van der Waals type corrections to our calculations for these weakly interacting systems.
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| 9. |
- Khan, Farooq-Ahmad, et al.
(author)
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Designing Functionally Substituted Pyridine-Carbohydrazides for Potent Antibacterial and Devouring Antifungal Effect on Multidrug Resistant (MDR) Strains
- 2023
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In: Molecules. - : MDPI. - 1431-5157 .- 1420-3049. ; 28:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens and the gradual depletion of available antibiotics have exacerbated the need for novel antimicrobial agents with minimal toxicity. Herein, we report functionally substituted pyridine carbohydrazide with remarkable antimicrobial effect on multi-drug resistant strains. In the series, compound 6 had potent activity against four MDR strains of Candida spp., with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values being in the range of 16-24 mu g/mL and percentage inhibition up to 92.57%, which was exceptional when compared to broad-spectrum antifungal drug fluconazole (MIC = 20 mu g/mL, 81.88% inhibition). Substitution of the octyl chain in 6 with a shorter butyl chain resulted in a significant anti-bacterial effect of 4 against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), the MIC value being 2-fold superior to the standard combination of ampicillin/cloxacillin. Time-kill kinetics assays were used to discern the efficacy and pharmacodynamics of the potent compounds. Further, hemolysis tests confirmed that both compounds had better safety profiles than the standard drugs. Besides, molecular docking simulations were used to further explore their mode of interaction with target proteins. Overall results suggest that these compounds have the potential to become promising antimicrobial drugs against MDR strains.
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| 10. |
- Ragupathi, V., et al.
(author)
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Enhanced electrochemical performance of LiMnBO3 with conductive glassy phase : a prospective cathode material for lithium-ion battery
- 2017
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In: Ionics (Kiel). - : Springer. - 0947-7047 .- 1862-0760. ; 23:7, s. 1645-1653
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- LiMnBO3 has been identified as a promising cathode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. In this study, LiMnBO3 along with glassy lithium borate material (LiMnBO3 (II)) is synthesized by sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis depicts the existence of LiBO2 glassy phase along with m-LiMnBO3 phase. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis confirms the presence of LiBO2 glassy phase. An enhanced electrical conductivity of 3.64 x 10(-7) S/cm is observed for LiMnBO3 (II). The LiBO2 glassy phase is found to promote the Li reaction kinetics in LiMnBO3 (II). The synthesized LiMnBO3 (II) delivers a first discharge capacity of 310 mAh g(-1) within a potential window of 1.5-4.5 V at C/10 rate. Further, a discharge capacity of 186 mAh g(-1) at the 27th cycle shows a better cycle performance. The enhanced capacity is due to the presence of LiBO2 glassy phase and more than one Li-ion transfer in the lithium-rich stoichiometry of LiMnBO3 (II). Density functional theory calculation reveals the exact electronic structure of m-LiMnBO3 with a band gap of 3.05 eV. A charge transfer mechanism is predicted for delithiation process of m-LiMnBO3.
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| 11. |
- Rao, G. S., et al.
(author)
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Adsorption mechanism of graphene-like ZnO monolayer towards CO2 molecules : enhanced CO2 capture
- 2016
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In: Nanotechnology. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0957-4484 .- 1361-6528. ; 27:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This work aims to efficiently capture CO2 on two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures for effective cleaning of our atmosphere and purification of exhausts coming from fuel engines. Here, we have performed extensive first principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the interaction of CO2 on a recently synthesized ZnO monolayer (ZnO-ML) in its pure, defected and functionalized form. A series of rigorous calculations yielded the most preferential binding configurations of the CO2 gas molecule on a ZnO-ML. It is observed that the substitution of one oxygen atom with boron, carbon and nitrogen on the ZnO monolayer resulted into enhanced CO2 adsorption. Our calculations show an enriched adsorption of CO2 on the ZnO-ML when substituting with foreign atoms like B, C and N. The improved adsorption energy of CO2 on ZnO suggests the ZnO-ML could be a promising candidate for future CO2 capture.
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| 12. |
- Salman, Muhammad, et al.
(author)
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Evaluation of Conspiracy Beliefs, Vaccine Hesitancy, and Willingness to Pay towards COVID-19 Vaccines in Six Countries from Asian and African Regions : A Large Multinational Analysis
- 2022
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In: Vaccines. - : MDPI. - 2076-393X. ; 10:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Vaccination protects people from serious illness and associated complications. Conspiracy theories and misinformation on vaccines have been rampant during the COVID-19 pandemic and are considered significant drivers of vaccine hesitancy. Since vaccine hesitancy can undermine efforts to immunize the population against COVID-19 and interferes with the vaccination rate, this study aimed to ascertain the COVID-19-vaccine-related conspiracy beliefs, vaccine hesitancy, views regarding vaccine mandates, and willingness to pay for vaccines among the general population. A web-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted (April-August 2021) among the adult population in six countries (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, India, Malaysia, Sudan, and Egypt). Participants were recruited using an exponential, non-discriminate snowball sampling method. A validated self-completed electronic questionnaire was used for the data collection. All the participants responded to questions on various domains of the study instrument, including conspiracy beliefs, vaccine hesitancy, and willingness to pay. The responses were scored according to predefined criteria and stratified into various groups. All data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 22. A total of 2481 responses were included in the study (Pakistan 24.1%, Saudi Arabia 19.5%, India 11.6%, Malaysia 8.1%, Sudan 19.3%, and Egypt 17.3%). There was a preponderance of participants <= 40 years old (18-25 years: 55.8%, 26-40 years: 28.5%) and females (57.1%). The average score of the COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy belief scale (C19V-CBS) was 2.30 +/- 2.12 (median 2; range 0-7). Our analysis showed that 30% of the respondents were found to achieve the ideal score of zero, indicating no conspiracy belief. The mean score of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scale (C19V-HS) was 25.93 +/- 8.11 (range: 10-50). The majority (45.7%) had C19V-HA scores of 21-30 and nearly 28% achieved a score greater than 30, indicating a higher degree of hesitancy. There was a significant positive correlation between conspiracy beliefs and vaccine hesitancy (Spearman's rho = 0.547, p < 0.001). Half of the study population were against the vaccine mandate. Respondents in favor of governmental enforcement of COVID-19 vaccines had significantly (p < 0.001) lower scores on the C19V-CBS and C19V-HS scale. Nearly 52% reported that they would only take vaccine if it were free, and only 24% were willing to pay for COVID-19 vaccines. A high prevalence of conspiracy beliefs and vaccine hesitancy was observed in the targeted countries. Our findings highlight the dire need for aggressive measures to counter the conspiracy beliefs and factors underlying this vaccine hesitancy.
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| 13. |
- Tanveer, M Asjid, et al.
(author)
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Deep learning-based auditory attention decoding in listeners with hearing impairment
- 2024
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In: Journal of Neural Engineering. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 1741-2560 .- 1741-2552. ; 21:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study develops a deep learning method for fast auditory attention decoding (AAD) using electroencephalography (EEG) from listeners with hearing impairment. It addresses three classification tasks: differentiating noise from speech-in-noise, classifying the direction of attended speech (left vs. right) and identifying the activation status of hearing aid noise reduction (NR) algorithms (OFF vs. ON). These tasks contribute to our understanding of how hearing technology influences auditory processing in the hearing-impaired population. Method: Deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) models were designed for each task. Two training strategies were employed to clarify the impact of data splitting on AAD tasks: inter-trial, where the testing set used classification windows from trials that the training set hadn't seen, and intra-trial, where the testing set used unseen classification windows from trials where other segments were seen during training. The models were evaluated on EEG data from 31 participants with hearing impairment, listening to competing talkers amidst background noise. Results: Using 1-second classification windows, DCNN models achieve accuracy (ACC) of 69.8\%, 73.3\% and 82.9\% and area-under-curve (AUC) of 77.2\%, 80.6\% and 92.1\% for the three tasks respectively on inter-trial strategy. In the intra-trial strategy, they achieved ACC of 87.9\%, 80.1\% and 97.5\%, along with AUC of 94.6\%, 89.1\%, and 99.8\%. Our DCNN models show good performance on short 1-second EEG samples, making them suitable for real-world applications. Conclusion: Our DCNN models successfully addressed three tasks with short 1-second EEG windows from participants with hearing impairment, showcasing their potential. While the inter-trial strategy demonstrated promise for assessing AAD, the intra-trial approach yielded inflated results, underscoring the important role of proper data splitting in EEG-based AAD tasks. Significance: Our findings showcase the promising potential of EEG-based tools for assessing auditory attention in clinical contexts and advancing hearing technology, while also promoting further exploration of alternative deep learning architectures and their potential constraints.
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| 14. |
- Tanveer, Muhammad
(author)
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Design of Time-to-Digital Converter Circuits for 3D Time-of-Flight Measurements
- 2014
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The three-dimensional view of the world is something that we often take for granted, a phenomenon that has proven challenging for machine vision applications in which description of the environment requires the relative position and motion of different objects in the scene. Currently, range imaging (RIM) measurements are based on digital imaging technology and are merged with the ability to measure the distance to the corresponding object point in each pixel. The distance measurement is based on either the direct or indirect time-of-flight principle. The distance to the corresponding object point in each pixel is directly correlated with time-resolved imaging concerning the measurement of the photon arrival time. This time-resolved image generates a distance image by using the direct time-of-flight technique. This distance image is much more useful than an ordinary picture in regard to measuring and controlling anything, including in the process industry, obstacle detection for automotive safety, navigation, and path planning. The time resolved imaging system consists of two essential building blocks: 1) a photon detector capable of sensing single photons and 2) a fast time resolver or time-to-digital converter that can measure the time of light to picosecond resolution. To address emerging applications, a miniaturized time resolver with acceptable performance and a low cost must be designed that could be integrated with an array of single photon detectors. The goal of this thesis is therefore to investigate, design, and layout a time-to-digital converter to achieve an acceptable cm-level resolution for a range of 10-15 meters. In this thesis, two ideas have been selected for investigation based on their appealing attributes, including their improved resolution, area, and power consumption: 1) an on-pixel time stretcher based on analog time expansion and 2) the combination of the on-pixel time stretcher with a global gated ring oscillator-based time-to-digital converter. Both ideas have been used in conjunction to demonstrate a new architecture for a time-to-digital converter for 3-D time-of-flight measurements. The time stretcher uses analogue time expansion, where the time interval to be measured is stretched by a factor k. This is achieved by charging a capacitor with a constant current I, followed by discharging the capacitor by a current I/k . To achieve an acceptable linearity and constant current generation, wide swing cascode current source/sinks have been used. An idea to build precisely matched current mirror as a time stretcher has also been addressed. The final time-to-digital conversion is performed by the gated ring oscillator-based time-to-digital converter. The multiphase gated ring oscillator, which is the heart of time-to-digital converter, is capable of measuring the stretched time interval by counting the full clock cycles and determining the timing positions within the clock cycle. The work has been discussed in light of the previous research by designing circuits, performing layouts, simulating and conducting parasitic extractions in a 0.35 μm CMOS process. Based on simulations and results, a prototype of an integrated time-to-digital can be built to achieve a cm-level distance error.
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Vasile, Massimiliano, et al.
(author)
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The Suaineadh Project : a Stepping Stone Towards the Deployment of Large Flexible Structures in Space
- 2010
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In: Proceedings of the 61<sup>st</sup> International Astronautical Congress. - : the International Astronautical Federation. ; , s. IAC-10-C3.4-
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Suaineadh project aims at testing the controlled deployment and stabilization of space web. The deployment system is based on a simple yet ingenious control of the centrifugal force that will pull each of the four daughters sections apart. The four daughters are attached onto the four corners of a square web, and will be released from their initial stowed configuration attached to a central hub. Enclosed in the central hub is a specifically designed spinning reaction wheel that controls the rotational speed with a closed loop control fed by measurements from an onboard inertial measurement sensor. Five other such sensors located within the web and central hub provide information on the surface curvature of the web, and progression of the deployment. Suaineadh is currently at an advanced stage of development: all the components are manufactured with the subsystems integrated and are presently awaiting full integration and testing. This paper will present the current status of the Suaineadh project and the results of the most recent set of tests. In particular, the paper will cover the overall mechanical design of the system, the electrical and sensor assemblies, the communication and power systems and the spinning wheel with its control system.
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