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Purpose of the study: The study aims to delve into the potential of the graphic novel in the Indian context, for which I have used the works of Amruta Patil and Appupen. The paper investigates the concerns of environment, mythology, and feminine experience and its presentation on a graphic-literary landscape. Methodology: The methodology used in the paper is that of direct observation. The researcher has used the contributions of Pramod K. Nayar and Emma Varughese further to push the boundaries of the graphic novel in India. Main Findings: The paper’s main findings have been to bring to light the complex mesh of interdisciplinary strategies required to scope the medium of the graphic novel. The paper narrows down on the success of the graphic novel as a medium to address the issues of the environment in a much more nuanced manner. Applications of the study: This research can be used to widen the scope of Literary Eco-criticism. It includes the medium of the graphic novel and seeks to examine its operative strategies when raising attention to the issues that pertain to the environment. Novelty/Originality of the study: The terrain of the Indian Graphic Novel is still new and developing. While some studies have been done in this medium around the themes of the concerns of the cosmopolitan Indian, little has been done to look into the mythological roots and environmental concerns that this genre also illuminates. This essay is a significant step in that direction.

Modern optical communication heavily relies on coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) modulation. But the usage of optical OFDM for fiber optic communication is still constrained in comparison to other modes of communication like visible light communication (VLC) and wireless communication due to a number of issues such as various sorts of fiber impairments including dispersion and attenuation. In this research paper, a novel optical OFDM modulation technique has been proposed. It is quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) CO-OFDM modulation with Bessel optical filter in fiber optical link and is named as QCOB. This modulation technique works for optical fiber transmission. Its testing has been carried out for parameters like bit error rate (BER) and quality-factor (Q-factor) over a range of fiber length, fiber dispersion coefficient and input power. This modulation employs coherent optical OFDM with QPSK for subcarrier modulation. The optical link utilizes a Bessel optical filter. Improved results have been achieved over conventional QPSK CO-OFDM (QCO). The obtained results demonstrate the superiority of the QCOB technique in terms of performance enhancement and fiber impairment reduction. In comparison to the QCO technique, the BER performance (reduction in BER) of the QCOB technique shows an improvement of around 7.4, 100, 14.4, 46.4 and 3.4% for dispersion coefficient values of 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 (in ps/nm-km), respectively.

The use of multiple carriers in Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulation (OFDM) makes it bandwidth-efficient and suitable for modern communication such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) internet access, optical fiber communication, digital television, audio broadcasting, etc. In this paper, four modulation formats by using Coherent Optical Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulations (CO-OFDM) have been analyzed. These are Single Port Dual Polarization (SP DP) 16 QAM, Single-Port Single Polarization (SP SP) 16 QAM, Dual Port Single Polarization (DP SP) QPSK 16-QAM, and Single Port Dual Polarization (SP DP) QPSK. Operation characteristics such as Bit Error Rate (BER) versus fiber-length and BER versus bit-rate have been examined. The range of fiber length used for this investigation is from 0 Km to 1000 Km with loop count equal to 2 and the range of bit rate of operation is from 20 Gbps to 200 Gbps. The present investigation helps in determining the relative suitability of CO-OFDM formats at various bit-rates of operation for different fiber lengths.

Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (DWDM) optical networks meet ever-increasing bandwidth demand of internet applications. Network failure results in massive information loss particularly in networks carrying a huge volume of data. Survivability techniques ensure uninterrupted network functioning even in case of failure. Research in the domain of DWDM network survivability has contributed toward the development of protection and restoration techniques to provide resilience in optical networks. In this paper, basic concept of protection and restoration in optical networks has been introduced followed by review and analysis of existing routing and survivability techniques. It is observed that a trade-off among network performance parameters exists for any survivability scheme. A novel scheme, Dynamic Hybrid Technique based on Failure Location and Traffic Priority (DHbLP) adaptable to Quality of Service (QoS) demands, has been proposed. DHbLP is tested for one of the possible failure scenarios in the standard National Science Foundation NETwork (NSFNET) and it is observed that this technique improves network performance in terms of throughput and blocking probability.

The characteristics of all optical networks such as high speed, data carrying capacity and transparency make them suitable for emerged networks domain. This paper presents an overview of research challenges in the field of all optical communication networks. Various subdomains of an all optical system, for example device-level designs, communication technique-level designs and network-level designs have been extensively investigated and presented in this paper. Further, the related research issues under each category of these domains have been discussed. These issues constitute the basic criterion for further development in all optical domain.

Failures and malicious attacks in high-speed optical networks lead to huge data as well as revenue loss. In this paper, a survivability technique called Dynamic and Hybrid with Multiple Backup selection Criteria technique for high-speed networks has been proposed with the objective to minimize network resource utilization, blocking probability, End-to-End delay and maximize throughput. The proposed model decides the type of backup provisioning technique based on the location of failure in the network. Protection has been provisioned to selective links near to destination node and other links are restored. The simulation results indicate that proposed survivability technique is efficient as compared to conventional techniques in terms of various network performance measuring parameters. This technique inherits merits of protection as well as restoration. It can be practically implemented to provide resilience in future high-speed networks.

We previously reported that Indian paediatric patients with atypical haemolytic–uraemic syndrome (aHUS) showed high frequencies of anti‐complement factor H (FH) autoantibodies that are correlated with homozygous deletion of the genes for FH‐related proteins 1 and 3 (FHR1 and FHR3) (FHR1/3 (–/–)). We now report that Indian paediatric aHUS patients without anti‐FH autoantibodies also showed modestly higher frequencies of the FHR1/3 (–/–) genotype. Further, when we characterized epitope specificities and binding avidities of anti‐FH autoantibodies in aHUS patients, most anti‐FH autoantibodies were directed towards the FH cell‐surface anchoring polyanionic binding site‐containing C‐terminal short conservative regions (SCRs) 17–20 with higher binding avidities than for native FH. FH SCR17–20‐binding anti‐FH autoantibodies also bound the other cell‐surface anchoring polyanionic binding site‐containing region FH SCR5–8, at lower binding avidities. Anti‐FH autoantibody avidities correlated with antibody titres. These anti‐FH autoantibody characteristics did not differ between aHUS patients with or without the FHR1/3 (–/–) genotype. Our data suggest a complex matrix of interactions between FHR1‐FHR3 deletion, immunomodulation and anti‐FH autoantibodies in the aetiopathogenesis of aHUS.

This study aims at highlighting unicast routing techniques and their performance under different traffic arrival distributions. It is imperative to implement routing technique supporting resilience as single failure in high-speed networks even for fraction of second can disrupt millions of users. In this paper, Routing techniques such as session, distance vector, LS (link state) have been compared on basis of average E2E (end to end) delay, throughput, and jitter. In this investigation, four diverse traffic models CBR (constant bit rate), exponential, Poisson and Pareto have been considered with respect to user datagram protocol. It is observed that LS routing with Poisson traffic has least average E2E delay of 5.13 ms under single link failure and no failure in network. Network achieves best throughput of 1789.40 Kbps for session routing with CBR traffic. Network offers least jitter of 0.0002 ms for session routing with Poisson traffic. On occurrence of single link failure, maximum throughput and least jitter are achieved by session routing with Pareto traffic and CBR traffic respectively. The investigations in this paper provide insight into the selection of appropriate routing technique and traffic distribution for a particular application meeting its quality of service requirements.

Background Mutations in the CD46 gene account for an important proportion of patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) who characteristically show multiple relapses, no response to plasma exchange and low recurrence risk in allograft. We screened for mutations in CD46 in patients with and without circulating anti-factor H (FH) antibodies-associated aHUS. Methods We estimated CD46 surface expression by flow cytometry and sequenced the CD46 gene in 23 and 56 patients with and without circulating anti-FH antibodies, respectively. Human Splicing Finder and PolyPhen2 were used for in silico prediction of pathogenicity. Results Two novel and three known (c.286 +2T > G, c.104G > A and c.565T > G) mutations in CD46 were found in nine (11.4%) patients; one patient had a variant of unknown significance and two patients presented during the first year of life. Novel intronic (c.1127 + 46C > G) and exonic (c.911C > T) mutations are proposed to activate cryptic splicing sites or alter protein conformation. Markedly reduced CD46 surface expression was found in homozygous states in five patients. Conclusion Patients with mutations in CD46 present at all ages, including the first year of life. Mutations in intron 2, (c.286 +2T > G) may be a potential hot spot in Indian children. Flow cytometry for CD46 expression is a satisfactory screening tool enabling early diagnosis.

A homozygous 83-kb deletion encompassing the genes for complement factor-H-related proteins 1 and 3 (FHR 1, FHR3) is known as a risk factor for some immune inflammatory disorders. However, the functional relevance of this FHR1/3 deletion is relatively unexplored. Globally, healthy populations of all ethnic groups tested show an 8-10% prevalence of homozygosity for this deletion polymorphism. We have begun to compare the peripheral leucocyte phenotype and functionality between FHR1/3-/- and FHR1/3+/+ healthy adult individuals. We report that the two groups show significant differences in their peripheral blood innate leucocyte subset composition, although the adaptive immune subsets are similar between them. Specifically, FHR1/3-/- individuals show higher frequencies of patrolling monocytes and lower frequencies of classical monocytes than FHR1/3+/+ individuals. Similarly, FHR1/3-/- individuals show higher frequencies of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and lower frequencies of myeloid DCs (mDCs) than FHR1/3+/+ individuals. Notably, classical monocytes specifically showed cell-surface-associated factor H (FH), and cells from the FHR1/3-/- group had somewhat higher surface-associated FH levels than those from FHR1/3+/+ individuals. FHR1/3-/- monocytes also showed elevated secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-10 in response to TLR7/8 or TLR4 ligands. Similarly, FHR1/3-/- mDCs and pDCs showed modest but evident hyper-responsiveness to TLR ligands. Our findings, that the FHR1/3-/- genotype is associated with significant alterations of both the relative prominence and the functioning of monocyte and DC subsets, may be relevant in understanding the mechanism underlying the association of the genotype with immune inflammatory disorders.

High-speed communication systems require robust routing protocol. The selection and optimization of the routing protocol in Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) optical networks decide utilization of bandwidth capacity offered by these networks. When Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol is used for routing, link weight selection is one of the main concerns in order to optimize the routing. In this paper, OSPF link weight selection is performed through Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and Evolutionary Algorithm (EA). The novelty of the work lies in the implementation of optimization techniques in offline network mode on networks of variable densities with an objective is to reduce utilization of bottleneck link, i.e., to reduce congestion. As a result, knowledge of optimization specific to type of network can be retained in online networking mode. ACO and EA are implemented on random network which is composed of 4 nodes and 5 links (4n5e), standard National Science Foundation NETwork (NSFNET), and standard COST 239 networks in order to test the optimization on networks of different densities. Maximum End-to-End (E2E) latency and bottleneck Link Utilization (LU) obtained after application of optimization techniques is compared for networks considered. It is observed that EA optimization has a better optimized denser network (COST 239) and ACO has optimized NSF and 4n5e networks better than EA optimization.

Rituximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting B lymphocytes, effectively sustains remission in steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS). We studied its effects on lymphocyte subsets and urinary CD80 excretion (uCD80) in patients with SDNS. Blood and urine samples were collected from 18 SDNS patients before rituximab, and after 1 month and 1 year or at first relapse. T and B lymphocytes and uCD80 were determined by flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. Treatment was associated with reduction in counts of Th17, Th2, and memory T cells, and increased T-regulatory (Treg) cells. The Th17/Treg ratio declined from baseline (median 0.6) to 1 month (0.2, P = 0.006) and increased during relapse (0.3, P = 0.016). Ratios of Th1/Th2 cells at baseline, 1 month after rituximab, and during relapse were 7.7, 14.0 (P = 0.0102), and 8.7, respectively. uCD80 decreased 1 month following rituximab (45.5 vs. 23.0 ng/g creatinine; P = 0.0039). B lymphocytes recovered earlier in relapsers (60.0 vs.183.0 days; P

This study aims at highlighting OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) routing technique and its performance under different network failures. A single failure in high-speed networks even for fraction of second can disrupt millions of users. Therefore it is imperative to analyze performance of routing protocol under network failure. In this paper, OSPF routing technique is examined under single and multiple link failures. Investigations are performed on basis of average E2E (end to end) delay, throughput and jitter. In this investigation, convergence time for link failures is calculated. It is observed that network has least average E2E delay when working path does not experience any failure. Under single link failure, average E2E delay is least when failed link is nearest to the source node. Under double link failure, average E2E delay is maximum when failed links are farthest apart. Convergence time for multiple link failure is more than single link failure. It is observed that convergence is least for failed link immediately connected to the source node. As observed from plots, network achieves high throughput when working path does not experience any failure and throughput reduces for multiple link failures. Average jitter is maximum for the network without failure and its value reduces for multiple link failures. The investigations in this paper provide insight into the performance of OSPF routing technique. Analysis performed and values of performance metrics obtained for various link failures provide knowledge of critical links and backup routes with respect to application specific QoS (Quality of Service) requirements.

OPS (optical packet switching) is a promising technology for high-speed networks. In this paper, impact of ingress packet size on QoS (quality of service) of survivable networks is investigated. DV (distance vector) and LS (link state) dynamic routing techniques are applied to ensure survivability. Analysis is performed on 10-, 50-, and 100-node mesh networks for ingress packet size of 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 bytes. Using the results obtained, it is observed that maximum percentage deviation of 2.45% in average E2E (end-to-end) delay and 14.71% in average jitter is obtained with respect to packet size variation in the network with 10 nodes and DV routing. As network size increases, average E2E delay and jitter variation with packet size are reduced. Throughput is almost constant with packet size variation under DV routing. This framework provides deep understanding about impact of network and packet size on QoS of high-speed networks.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is reliable and one of the main protocols of transmission layer in a communication system. Congestion control mechanisms in TCP allow a reliable flow of bursty traffic. This paper investigates the response of TCP-Tahoe connection to the location of bottleneck link on working path. Further analysis is performed for different size of current TCP window in the network. The network under consideration is NSFNET (National Science Foundation Network). Impact of the location of bottleneck link is analyzed for all the links on working path. Using the results obtained, it is observed that for current window size of 50 and 100 packets, network throughput is maximum when the position of bottleneck link is nearest to the destination node of working path. As window size is increased to 150, 200, 250, 300, 400 packets, maximum throughput is obtained when bottleneck link is located nearest to the source node. The present analysis provides an understanding of current window size selection and routing path to be adopted if bottleneck link in the network is pre-estimated.

Genetic susceptibility to atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) may lie within genes regulating or activating the alternate complement and related pathways converging on endothelial cell activation. We tested 32 Indian patients of aHUS negative for antibodies to complement factor H for genetic variations in a panel of 15 genes, i.e., CFH, CFHR1-5, CFI, CFB, C3, CD46, MASP2, DGKE, ADAMTS13, THBD and PLG using next-generation DNA sequencing and for copy number variation in CFHR1-3. Despite absence of a public database of exome variations in the Indian population and limited functional studies, we could establish a genetic diagnosis in 6 (18.8%) patients using a stringent scheme of prioritization. One patient carried a likely pathogenic variation. The number of patients carrying possibly pathogenic variation was as follows: 1 variation: 5 patients, 2 variations: 9 patients, 3 variations: 5 patients, 4 variations: 9 patients, 5 variations: 2 patients and 6 variations: 2 patients. Homozygous deletion of CFHR1-3 was present in five patients; none of these carried a diagnostic genetic variation. Patients with or without diagnostic variation did not differ significantly in terms of enrichment of genetic variations that were rare/novel or predicted deleterious, or for possible environmental triggers. We conclude that genetic testing for multiple genes in patients with aHUS negative for anti-FH antibodies reveals multiple candidate variations that require prioritization. Population data on variation frequency of the Indian population and supportive functional studies are likely to improve diagnostic yield.

The Light-Emitting Diode (LED) driver is an important part of Visible Light Communication (VLC) systems. The main challenge of the VLC LED driver is to offer a high data transmission rate with high power efficiency. This paper presents the design of a white light LED driver that combines the LED lighting with VLC technology. The proposed LED driver uses linear current regulation and controls the AC current signal and the DC current through a single power device for the purposes of high speed, high efficiency and high integration. It also can support the modulation format of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). In addition, this work presents an impedance reduction technique to enhance the bandwidth of the LED driver. And a first-order pre-equalizer is utilized to enhance the electron-optical-electron (E/O/E) bandwidth in the VLC system due to the bandwidth limitation of the phosphor converted LED. The VLC LED driver is fabricated in a standard 0.5_m CMOS technology with chip area 1540_m×1250_m. It is available in a standard SOP-16 pin package. The experimental results show that the optical modulation bandwidth of 10.9 MHz has been achieved with the forward biased LED current of 350 mA. By using the OFDM data modulation scheme, the data rate of 50 Mb/s is demonstrated.

Background Mutations in the CD46 gene account for an important proportion of patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) who characteristically show multiple relapses, no response to plasma exchange and low recurrence risk in allograft. We screened for mutations in CD46 in patients with and without circulating anti-factor H (FH) antibodies–associated aHUS. Methods We estimated CD46 surface expression by flow cytometry and sequenced the CD46 gene in 23 and 56 patients with and without circulating anti-FH antibodies, respectively. Human Splicing Finder and PolyPhen2 were used for in silico prediction of pathogenicity. Results Two novel and three known (c.286 +2T > G, c.104G > A and c.565T > G) mutations in CD46 were found in nine (11.4%) patients; one patient had a variant of unknown significance and two patients presented during the first year of life. Novel intronic (c.1127 + 46C > G) and exonic (c.911C > T) mutations are proposed to activate cryptic splicing sites or alter protein conformation. Markedly reduced CD46 surface expression was found in homozygous states in five patients. Conclusion Patients with mutations in CD46 present at all ages, including the first year of life. Mutations in intron 2, (c.286 +2T > G) may be a potential hot spot in Indian children. Flow cytometry for CD46 expression is a satisfactory screening tool enabling early diagnosis.

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology have increased the optical fibre bandwidth to THz and beyond by multiplexing number of wavelengths in a fibre. Survivability is of prime concern in high-speed networks as any single failure in WDM optical networks leads to tremendous information and revenue loss. These networks demand optimum planning. In the paper, the networks are configured with pre-planned traffic model. Ant colony optimisation (ACO), genetic algorithm (GA) and simulated annealing (SAN) meta-heuristics are applied in networks with link and node failures with an objective to minimise network congestion. The novelty of the work lies in investigations of network performance under failures with different optimisation techniques and proposed traffic model. This work can assist in optimising overall network planning of survivable networks. It is observed that GA optimisation has reduced network congestion for network under failure. Least variation in congestion for different failures is also obtained for GA meta-heuristic.

Antibodies to complement factor H are an uncommon cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Information on clinical features and outcomes in children is limited. In order to explore this we studied a multicenter cohort of 138 Indian children with anti-complement factor H antibody associated HUS, constituting 56% of patients with HUS. Antibody titers were high (mean 7054 AU/ml) and correlated inversely with levels of complement C3, but not complement factor H. Homozygous deletion of the CFHR1 gene was found in 60 of 68 patients. Therapies included dialysis in 119 children, 105 receiving plasma exchanges and 26 intravenous immunoglobulin. Induction immunosuppression consisted of 87 children receiving prednisolone with or without intravenous cyclophosphamide or rituximab. Antibody titers fell significantly following plasma exchanges and increased during relapses. Adverse outcome (stage 4-5 CKD or death) was seen in 36 at 3 months and 41 by last follow up, with relapse in 14 of 122 available children. Significant independent risk factors for adverse outcome were an antibody titer over 8000 AU/ml, low C3 and delay in plasma exchange. Combined plasma exchanges and induction immunosuppression resulted in significantly improved renal survival: one adverse outcome prevented for every 2.6 patients treated. Maintenance immunosuppressive therapy, of prednisolone with either mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine, significantly reduced the risk of relapses. Thus, prompt use of immunosuppressive agents and plasma exchanges are useful for improving outcomes in pediatric patients with anti-complement factor H-associated HUS.

Battery management system (BMS) forms a crucial system component in various applications like electric vehicles (EV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), uninterrupted power supplies (UPS), telecommunications and so on. The accuracy of these systems has always been a point of discussion as they generally give an error of maximum 10% considering all the parameters together. In this paper a system is presented which is developed through a mathematical approach to monitor all the crucial battery parameters and limit the error to not more than 5% for a valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) battery. While the present prototype system accounts only for discharging under various conditions, it is proposed to incorporate intelligent charging system into the future prototype to make it a reliable component in overall system management.