Effects of the Re-Entrant Bowl Geometry on a DI Turbocharged Diesel Engine Performance and Emissions-A CFD Approach

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of re-entrant bowl geometry on both engine performance and combustion efficiency in a direct injection (DI

Energetics Based Spike Generation of a Single Neuron: Simulation Results and Analysis

Existing current based models that capture spike activity, though useful in studying information processing capabilities of neurons, fail to throw light on their internal functioning. It is imperative to develop a model that captures the spike train of a neuron as a function of its intracellular parameters for non-invasive diagnosis of diseased neurons. This is the first ever article to present such an integrated model that quantifies the inter-dependency between spike activity and intracellular energetics. The generated spike trains from our integrated model will throw greater light on the intracellular energetics than existing current models. Now, an abnormality in the spike of a diseased neuron can be linked and hence effectively analyzed at the energetics level. The spectral analysis of the generated spike trains in a time–frequency domain will help identify abnormalities in the internals of a neuron. As a case study, the parameters of our model are tuned for Alzheimer’s disease and its resultant spike trains are studied and presented. This massive initiative ultimately aims to encompass the entire molecular signaling pathways of the neuronal bioenergetics linking it to the voltage spike initiation and propagation; due to the lack of experimental data quantifying the inter dependencies among the parameters, the model at this stage adopts a particular level of functionality and is shown as an approach to study and perform disease modeling at the spike train and the mitochondrial bioenergetics level

Botulinum Neurotoxin Detection Methods for Public Health Response and Surveillance

Botulism outbreak due to consumption of food contaminated with botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) is a public health emergency. The threat of bioterrorism through deliberate distribution in food sources and/or aerosolization of BoNTs raises global public health and security concerns due to the potential for high mortality and morbidity. Rapid and reliable detection methods are necessary to support clinical diagnosis and surveillance for identifying the source of contamination, performing epidemiological analysis of the outbreak, preventing and responding to botulism outbreaks. This review considers the applicability of various BoNT detection methods and examines their fitness-for-purpose in safeguarding the public health and security goals

Morphological changes associated with the genesis and development of an excitatory glutemergic synapse: An integrated framework model

The genesis of an excitatory synapse has its inception when a dendritic filopodium makes a tactile contact with a presynaptic specialisation (bouton). The subsequent maturation of the synapse takes place via a series of interrelated biochemical and biophysical signalling pathways which controls the actin polymerisation in the presynaptic and the postsynaptic sites. Although individual models of many of these signalling transductions have been proposed, a holistic model integrating the various signalling pathways to the morphological plasticity associated with the genesis and development of synapses has not. In this poster an attempt has been made towards establishing a framework for an integrated model such as the one aforementioned, encompassing several signalling pathways which control the morphology and the efficacy of the synapse. Predominant pathways include those triggered by NMDA and AMPA receptors, Trkb-BDNF, Integrin and Epherin. Also, steps towards a model that elucidates the change in shape of the synapse carried out by zonal actin polymerisation (ZAP) governed by the "wastage" of neurotransmitters during exo cum endocytosis processes and the assimilation of the postsynaptic density (PSD) and cell adhesion molecules with emphasis on Neurexin-Neuriligin, have been explored. The cannabinoid receptors in the PAZ have extracellular lipophilic domains. Endocannabinoid receptors are triggered by the retrograde signalling cues which negatively affect the cAMP dependent mechanisms. Apart from this, autoreceptors also pilot a feedback mechanism via secondary messengers with Ca 2+ ion concentration and neurotransmitter concentration in the synaptic cleft as its stakeholders. Feedback signals of autoreceptors which functions in accordance to “Lock and Key Mechanism” plays a vital role in fine-tuning the plasticity of the synapse and in controlling the presynaptic release probability by invoking PKA dependent pathways. In a future continuation of this framework, we would be focusing on working towards an integrated model of the pre-genesis and genesis and development of the presynaptic and the postsynaptic processes that we have explored. The first aspect that we would further be exploring into, would be a segue from the pre-genesis to the genesis part. In the postsynapse, we intend to link the stochastic model of receptor trafficking with our hypothesis on the Nlg-1 based shape change control of the postsynaptic active zone in a three dimensional space such that the various actin related cascading signalling pathways are zonally localised. In the presynapse, we wish to develop a model which holistically integrates the neurotransmitter exocytosis, endocytosis, vesicle reuptake and repacking processes, the autoreceptor control mechanism and the retrograde signalling mechanism. The symbiotic and fictile relationship between the presyanpse and the postsynapse is one that requires further study although lack of experimental data in this area poses a hurdle