The Association between the Abundance of Homozygous Deleterious Variants and the Morbidity of Dog Breeds.

It is well known that highly inbred dogs are more prone to diseases than less inbred or outbred dogs. This is because inbreeding increases the load of recessive deleterious variants. Using the genomes of 392 dogs belonging to 83 breeds, we investigated the association between the abundance of homozygous deleterious variants and dog health. We used the number of non-routine veterinary care events for each breed to assess the level of morbidity. Our results revealed a highly significant positive relationship between the number of homozygous deleterious variants located within the runs of homozygosity (RoH) tracts of the breeds and the level of morbidity. The dog breeds with low morbidity had a mean of 87 deleterious SNVs within the RoH, but those with very high morbidity had 187 SNVs. A highly significant correlation was also observed for the loss-of-function (LoF) SNVs within RoH tracts. The dog breeds that required more veterinary care had 2.3 times more homozygous LoF SNVs than those that required less veterinary care (112 vs. 50). The results of this study could be useful for understanding the disease burden on breed dogs and as a guide for dog breeding programs.

Genomic consequences of isolation and inbreeding in an island dingo population.

Dingoes come from an ancient canid lineage that originated in East Asia around 8000-11,000 years BP. As Australia's largest terrestrial predator, dingoes play an important ecological role. A small, protected population exists on a world heritage listed offshore island, K'gari (formerly Fraser Island). Concern regarding the persistence of dingoes on K'gari has risen due to their low genetic diversity and elevated inbreeding levels. However, whole-genome sequencing data is lacking from this population. Here, we include five new whole-genome sequences of K'gari dingoes. We analyze a total of 18 whole genome sequences of dingoes sampled from mainland Australia and K'gari to assess the genomic consequences of their demographic histories. Long (>1 Mb) runs of homozygosity (ROH) - indicators of inbreeding - are elevated in all sampled dingoes. However, K'gari dingoes showed significantly higher levels of very long ROH (>5 Mb), providing genomic evidence for small population size, isolation, inbreeding, and a strong founder effect. Our results suggest that, despite current levels of inbreeding, the K'gari population is purging strongly deleterious mutations, which, in the absence of further reductions in population size, may facilitate the persistence of small populations despite low genetic diversity and isolation. However, there may be little to no purging of mildly deleterious alleles, which may have important long-term consequences, and should be considered by conservation and management programs.

Genomic Consequences of Isolation and Inbreeding in an Island Dingo Population.

Dingoes come from an ancient canid lineage that originated in East Asia around 8,000 to 11,000 years BP. As Australia's largest terrestrial predator, dingoes play an important ecological role. A small, protected population exists on a world heritage listed offshore island, K'gari (formerly Fraser Island). Concern regarding the persistence of dingoes on K'gari has risen due to their low genetic diversity and elevated inbreeding levels. However, whole-genome sequence data is lacking from this population. Here, we include five new whole-genome sequences of K'gari dingoes. We analyze a total of 18 whole-genome sequences of dingoes sampled from mainland Australia and K'gari to assess the genomic consequences of their demographic histories. Long (>1 Mb) runs of homozygosity (ROHs)-indicators of inbreeding-are elevated in all sampled dingoes. However, K'gari dingoes showed significantly higher levels of very long ROH (>5 Mb), providing genomic evidence for small population size, isolation, inbreeding, and a strong founder effect. Our results suggest that, despite current levels of inbreeding, the K'gari population is purging strongly deleterious mutations, which, in the absence of further reductions in population size, may facilitate the persistence of small populations despite low genetic diversity and isolation. However, there may be little to no purging of mildly deleterious alleles, which may have important long-term consequences, and should be considered by conservation and management programs.

Genomic footprints of bottleneck in landlocked salmon population.

At the end of the last ice age, several Atlantic salmon populations got caught up in the lakes and ponds of the Northern Hemisphere. Occasionally, the populations also got locked when the flow of rivers terminated from reaching the sea due to land upheaval. Therefore, the pattern of evolution shaping the landlocked salmon populations is different from the other anadromous salmons, which migrate between the sea and rivers. According to the theories of population genetics, the effect of genetic drift is expected to be more pronounced in the former compared to the latter. Here we examined this using the whole genome data of landlocked and anadromous salmon populations of Norway. Our results showed a 50-80% reduction in the genomic heterozygosity in the landlocked compared to anadromous salmon populations. The number and total size of the runs of homozygosity (RoH) segments of landlocked salmons were two to eightfold higher than those of their anadromous counterparts. We found the former had a higher ratio of nonsynonymous-to-synonymous diversities than the latter. The investigation also revealed a significant elevation of homozygous deleterious Single Nucleotide Variants (SNVs) in the landlocked salmon compared to the anadromous populations. All these results point to a significant reduction in the population size of the landlocked salmons. This process of reduction might have started recently as the phylogeny revealed a recent separation of the landlocked from the anadromous population. Previous studies on terrestrial vertebrates observed similar signatures of a bottleneck when the populations from Island and the mainland were compared. Since landlocked waterbody such as ponds and lakes are geographically analogous to Islands for fish populations, the findings of this study suggest the similarity in the patterns of evolution between the two.

Detection of Interleukin-6 Protein Using Graphene Field-Effect Transistor.

Universal platforms to analyze biomolecules using sensor devices can address critical diagnostic challenges. Sensor devices like electrical-based field-effect transistors play an essential role in sensing biomolecules by charge probing. Graphene-based devices are more suitable for these applications. It has been previously reported that Graphene Field-Effect Transistor (GFET) devices detect DNA hybridization, pH sensors, and protein molecules. Graphene became a promising material for electrical-based field-effect transistor devices in sensing biomarkers, including biomolecules and proteins. In the last decade, FET devices have detected biomolecules such as DNA molecules, pH, glucose, and protein. These studies have suggested that the reference electrode is placed externally and measures the transfer characteristics. However, the external probing method damages the samples, requiring safety measurements and a substantial amount of time. To control this problem, the graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) device is fabricated with an inbuilt gate that acts as a reference electrode to measure the biomolecules. Herein, the monolayer graphene is exfoliated, and the GFET is designed with an in-built gate to detect the Interleukin-6 (IL-6) protein. IL-6 is a multifunctional cytokine which plays a significant role in immune regulation and metabolism. Additionally, IL-6 subsidizes a variability of disease states, including many types of cancer development, and metastasis, progression, and increased levels of IL-6 are associated with a higher risk of cancer and can also serve as a prognostic marker for cancer. Here, the protein is desiccated on the GFET device and measured, and Dirac point shifting in the transfer characteristics systematically evaluates the device's performance. Our work yielded a conductive and electrical response with the IL-6 protein. This graphene-based transducer with an inbuilt gate gives a promising platform to enable low-cost, compact, facile, real-time, and sensitive amperometric sensors to detect IL-6. Targeting this pathway may help develop treatments for several other symptoms, such as neuromyelitis optica, uveitis, and, more recently, COVID-19 pneumonia.

Genomic signatures of bottleneck and founder effects in dingoes.

Dingoes arrived in Australia during the mid-Holocene and are the top-order terrestrial predator on the continent. Although dingoes subsequently spread across the continent, the initial founding population(s) could have been small. We investigated this hypothesis by sequencing the whole genomes of three dingoes and also obtaining the genome data from nine additional dingoes and 56 canines, including wolves, village dogs and breed dogs, and examined the signatures of bottlenecks and founder effects. We found that the nucleotide diversity of dingoes was low, 36% less than highly inbred breed dogs and 3.3 times lower than wolves. The number of runs of homozygosity (RoH) segments in dingoes was 1.6-4.7 times higher than in other canines. While examining deleterious mutational load, we observed that dingoes carried elevated ratios of nonsynonymous-to-synonymous diversities, significantly higher numbers of homozygous deleterious Single Nucleotide Variants (SNVs), and increased numbers of loss of function SNVs, compared to breed dogs, village dogs, and wolves. Our findings can be explained by bottlenecks and founder effects during the establishment of dingoes in mainland Australia. These findings highlight the need for conservation-based management of dingoes and the need for wildlife managers to be cognisant of these findings when considering the use of lethal control measures across the landscape.

Recent Advances in Molybdenum Disulfide and Its Nanocomposites for Energy Applications: Challenges and Development.

Energy storage and conversion are critical components of modern energy systems, enabling the integration of renewable energy sources and the optimization of energy use. These technologies play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable development. Supercapacitors play a vital role in the development of energy storage systems due to their high power density, long life cycles, high stability, low manufacturing cost, fast charging-discharging capability and eco-friendly. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has emerged as a promising material for supercapacitor electrodes due to its high surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, and good stability. Its unique layered structure also allows for efficient ion transport and storage, making it a potential candidate for high-performance energy storage devices. Additionally, research efforts have focused on improving synthesis methods and developing novel device architectures to enhance the performance of MoS2-based devices. This review article on MoS2 and MoS2-based nanocomposites provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in the synthesis, properties, and applications of MoS2 and its nanocomposites in the field of supercapacitors. This article also highlights the challenges and future directions in this rapidly growing field.

Compact Flexible Planar Antennas for Biomedical Applications: Insight into Materials and Systems Design.

Planar antennas have become an integral component in modern biomedical instruments owing to their compact structure, cost effectiveness, and light weight. These antennas are crucial in realizing medical systems such as body area networks, remote health monitoring, and microwave imaging systems. Antennas intended for the above applications should be conformal and fabricated using lightweight materials that are suitable for wear on the human body. Wearable antennas are intended to be placed on the human body to examine its health conditions. Hence, the performance of the antenna, such as its radiation characteristics across the operating frequency bands, should not be affected by human body proximity. This is achieved by selecting appropriate conformal materials whose characteristics remain stable under all environmental conditions. This paper aims to highlight the effects of human body proximity on wearable antenna performance. Additionally, this paper reviews the various types of flexible antennas proposed for biomedical applications. It describes the challenges in designing wearable antennas, the selection of a flexible material that is suitable for fabricating wearable antennas, and the relevant methods of fabrication. This paper also highlights the future directions in this rapidly growing field. Flexible antennas are the keystone for implementing next-generation wireless communication devices for health monitoring and health safety applications.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of the MoS2/Bi2S3 nanocomposite-based electrode material prepared by a hydrothermal method for supercapacitor applications.

Supercapacitors are widely used energy storage systems in the modern world due to their excellent electrochemical performance, fast charging capability, easy handling, and high power density. In the present work, pure MoS2 and MoS2/Bi2S3 nanocomposites with different compositions of bismuth were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The structural properties of the electrode materials were studied using the XRD technique, which confirmed the formation of MoS2 and the secondary phase of Bi2S3 while increasing Bi substitution. The morphological studies of the synthesized electrode materials were performed using SEM, TEM, and HRTEM techniques, which indicated the 3D layered hierarchical structure of MoS2 nanospheres and the nanosheet-like structure of Bi2S3. The electrochemical properties of pristine MoS2 and MoS2/Bi2S3 nanocomposites were analysed by CV, CP, and EIS techniques using a 2 M KOH electrolyte in a three-electrode system. The CV curves show evidence of significant improvement in the electrochemical performance of MoS2/Bi2S3 composites compared to that of pure MoS2. The calculated specific capacitances of MoS2/Bi2S3 nanocomposites were relatively higher than those of pristine MoS2. The 20 mol% Bi added sample showed a maximum specific capacitance of 371 F g-1, compared to pristine MoS2 and other samples at a current density of 1 A g-1. The kinetics of the electrochemical process was studied. The Nyquist plots indicated that the Bi-added nanocomposites had lower Resr and RCT values, which resulted in high electrochemical performance. The experimental results revealed that Bi-substitution can further enhance the electrochemical energy storage performance of MoS2 for supercapacitor applications.

A Compact Sensory Platform Based pH Sensor Using Graphene Field Effect Transistor.

A compact sensory platform has been fabricated using a graphene field effect transistor (GFET) to identify the biomolecules by pH sensing. The monolayer GFET is driven by an in-built top-gate for detecting the pH of the contacting buffer solution. The GFET device detects the effect of hydroxide ions on a graphite surface. Electrical characteristics of the device were measured after desiccating the buffer solution on the surface of the monolayer graphene. Electrically, the VDirac point shifted toward the positive direction when the pH value of the buffer solution is varied. The transfer curve of the device also moved in the positive direction with increasing pH values, indicating charge transfer from dopant molecules to the surface of graphene. The sensitivity of the device was estimated to be ~48.5 mV/pH. The fabrication of the compact GFET device with an in-built gate provides a platform for effective pH sensing with a user-friendly interface for biosensing applications.

RNA-Seq Revealed Expression of Many Novel Genes Associated With Leishmania donovani Persistence and Clearance in the Host Macrophage.

Host- as well as parasite-specific factors are equally crucial in allowing either the Leishmania parasites to dominate, or host macrophages to resist infection. To identify such factors, we infected murine peritoneal macrophages with either the virulent (vAG83) or the non-virulent (nvAG83) parasites of L. donovani. Then, through dual RNA-seq, we simultaneously elucidated the transcriptomic changes occurring both in the host and the parasites. Through Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of the differentially expressed (DE) genes, we showed that the vAG83-infected macrophages exhibit biased anti-inflammatory responses compared to the macrophages infected with the nvAG83. Moreover, the vAG83-infected macrophages displayed suppression of many important cellular processes, including protein synthesis. Further, through protein-protein interaction study, we showed significant downregulation in the expression of many hubs and hub-bottleneck genes in macrophages infected with vAG83 as compared to nvAG83. Cell signaling study showed that these two parasites activated the MAPK and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways differentially in the host cells. Through gene ontology analyses of the parasite-specific genes, we discovered that the genes for virulent factors and parasite survival were significantly upregulated in the intracellular amastigotes of vAG83. In contrast, genes involved in the immune stimulations, and those involved in negative regulation of the cell cycle and transcriptional regulation, were upregulated in the nvAG83. Collectively, these results depicted a differential regulation in the host and the parasite-specific molecules during in vitro persistence and clearance of the parasites.