1,727,587 research outputs found
Not just another nobody: remembering Shikha Chhabra 1990-2015
No full textOn 12 April 2015, 24 year-old Shikha Chhabra, an Indian alumna from LSE, passed away after a 3 year battle with cancer. During her illness she wrote a blog, documenting her experience as a young person with cancer and sharing her passion for literature. Here, a poignant reflection from her blog is reposted with an introduction by her friend and current LSE student Ankita Mukhopadhyay
Water management systems at Shikha Ecovillage
No full textThis book introduces Shikha Ecovillage in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, and describes the components of its water management systems: Water sources; domestic water use; agricultural water use; wastewater and water conservation; and water systems maintenance. The book also functions as a companion book to a Serious Game published by Ishara Press, where the same topic is presented as a playable collection of multimedia materials. The book and game were created by local practitioners at Shikha Ecovillage along with specialists in gamification at Ishara Press. Shikha is built on 10 acres of land and has a tropical climate with seasonal monsoon rains. The residents practice chemical-free horticulture and off-grid living based on solar electricuty and water from the adjacent Mahanadi river. The site includes a boarding school for deaf children and promotes eco-learning. The appendix of the book includes all game materials for printing and self-assembly
Shikha
No full text190-195Various natural dye powders have
been evaluated for protection against UV radiation and microbial growth on
cotton. All the dyes show high absorption in the UV region. When mordants are
used, the UV screening effect is enhanced. Most of the dyes also show good
bactericidal activity against selected microbes. The activity increases with
the increase in concentration of dye. Tannin-based dye Q.infectoria shows
good protection against both UV radiation as well as common microbes. Results
show that it is possible to develop cotton fabrics having anti-microbial and
anti-UV properties using selecled natural dyes.<span style="font-size:
16.0pt;font-family:HiddenHorzOCR;mso-hansi-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";="" mso-bidi-font-family:hiddenhorzocr"="">
</span
Women and International Economic Development
No full textDrs. Deep Shikha and Sharon Doherty received a $20,000 Carol Easley Denny Award to examine the dynamics of the changing rural economy of India within the context of a self-governance model of economic development, which is rooted in community empowerment and participation. A conceptual framework will be developed that is based on economic, social and feminist theories of justice. Two competing economic development models (macro and micro) will be developed, and their impact on gender related issues will be analyzed.
For more information, contact Deep Shikha, Ph.D., at [email protected], or Sharon Doherty, Ph.D., at [email protected]
PRATIVEDAN-Auraiya-Kee-Shikha-Aur-Dhokha.pdf
No full textAURAIYA JANAPAD KEE DEGREE SHIKSHA AUR DHOKH
Characterizing the Role of Host's Immune Mechanisms in Coronavirus Pathogenesis
Full text linkCoronaviruses are positive sense, single-stranded RNA viruses known to cause mild to severerespiratory diseases. The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to identify the differentmolecular mechanisms and antiviral cellular host antagonists involved in the coronavirus pathogenesis.IFI16, a member of the PYHIN family, is an antiviral restriction factor known to restrict several DNAviruses like human papillomavirus, human cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus type 1. Recently,its role in restricting RNA virus replication has also been established. IFI16 belongs to a PYHIN family,which is entirely lost in bats, the only mammals capable of sustained flight, and are also a naturalreservoir for several deadly viruses in the world, including coronaviruses. The evolutionary loss of thePYHIN family in bats highlights that an impaired innate immune system might be a potentialexplanation for their ability to host several pathogenic viruses without facing any casualties. IFI16 isabundantly present in other mammalian species. Thus, we proposed that IFI16 might have an antiviralrole in coronavirus pathogenesis. We used two bat-derived coronaviruses- low pathogenic (NL63) andhighly pathogenic (SARS-CoV-2) to analyze IFI16 involvement in modulating the host innate immuneresponse in IFI16 WT and IFI16 KO-HaCaT cells. We found an increase in the induction of innateimmune response in NL63-infected IFI16 KO-HaCaT cells. However, the infection rate in HaCaT cellswas insufficient to provide any conclusions. Thus, we switched to a different cell line, LLC-MK2,which is an efficient study model for studying both viruses. We noticed the induction of IFI16 uponboth NL63 and SARS-CoV-2. We also observed that NL63 dampens the innate immune response inLLC-MK2 cells. Moreover, we have identified the nuclear to cytoplasmic localization of IFI16 and itsco-localization with the NL63 nucleoprotein. However, the antiviral role of IFI16 in this context is yetto be established. We are currently working on characterizing these experiments in the newlyestablished IFI16KO-LLC-MK2. IFI16 is a crucial regulator for identifying and responding to invadingpathogens and maintaining a homeostatic balance of host cells. Deepening our understanding of IFI16'sinvolvement in triggering abnormal inflammatory reactions in hCoV-infected human epithelial cells canhelp develop novel therapeutic approaches for hCoV-related disease pathologies.Coronaviruses are positive sense, single-stranded RNA viruses known to cause mild to severerespiratory diseases. The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to identify the differentmolecular mechanisms and antiviral cellular host antagonists involved in the coronavirus pathogenesis.IFI16, a member of the PYHIN family, is an antiviral restriction factor known to restrict several DNAviruses like human papillomavirus, human cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus type 1. Recently,its role in restricting RNA virus replication has also been established. IFI16 belongs to a PYHIN family,which is entirely lost in bats, the only mammals capable of sustained flight, and are also a naturalreservoir for several deadly viruses in the world, including coronaviruses. The evolutionary loss of thePYHIN family in bats highlights that an impaired innate immune system might be a potentialexplanation for their ability to host several pathogenic viruses without facing any casualties. IFI16 isabundantly present in other mammalian species. Thus, we proposed that IFI16 might have an antiviralrole in coronavirus pathogenesis. We used two bat-derived coronaviruses- low pathogenic (NL63) andhighly pathogenic (SARS-CoV-2) to analyze IFI16 involvement in modulating the host innate immuneresponse in IFI16 WT and IFI16 KO-HaCaT cells. We found an increase in the induction of innateimmune response in NL63-infected IFI16 KO-HaCaT cells. However, the infection rate in HaCaT cellswas insufficient to provide any conclusions. Thus, we switched to a different cell line, LLC-MK2,which is an efficient study model for studying both viruses. We noticed the induction of IFI16 uponboth NL63 and SARS-CoV-2. We also observed that NL63 dampens the innate immune response inLLC-MK2 cells. Moreover, we have identified the nuclear to cytoplasmic localization of IFI16 and itsco-localization with the NL63 nucleoprotein. However, the antiviral role of IFI16 in this context is yetto be established. We are currently working on characterizing these experiments in the newlyestablished IFI16KO-LLC-MK2. IFI16 is a crucial regulator for identifying and responding to invadingpathogens and maintaining a homeostatic balance of host cells. Deepening our understanding of IFI16'sinvolvement in triggering abnormal inflammatory reactions in hCoV-infected human epithelial cells canhelp develop novel therapeutic approaches for hCoV-related disease pathologies
Nach Cancún : Indiens neue Rolle als internationaler "Deal Maker"
No full textShikha Bhasin ; Tobias Engelmeier ; Felix SchmidtElectronic ed.: Berlin ; Bonn : FES, 2011. - Title only available onlin
After Cancún : India's new role as an international Deal Maker
No full textShikha Bhasin ; Tobias Engelmeier ; Felix SchmidtElectronic ed.: Berlin ; Bonn : FES, 2011. - Title only available onlin
The single CCA-adding enzyme of T. brucei has distinct functions in the cytosol and in mitochondria
Full text linktRNAs universally carry a CCA nucleotide triplet at their 3′-ends. In eukaryotes, the CCA is added post-transcriptionally by the CCA-adding enzyme (CAE). The mitochondrion of the parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei lacks tRNA genes and therefore imports all of its tRNAs from the cytosol. This has generated interest in the tRNA modifications and their distribution in this organism, including how CCA is added to tRNAs. Here, using a BLAST search for genes encoding putative CAE proteins in T. brucei, we identified a single ORF, Tb927.9.8780, as a potential candidate. Knockdown of this putative protein, termed TbCAE, resulted in the accumulation of truncated tRNAs, abolished translation, and inhibited both total and mitochondrial CCA-adding activities, indicating that TbCAE is located both in the cytosol and mitochondrion. However, mitochondrially localized tRNAs were much less affected by the TbCAE ablation than the other tRNAs. Complementation assays revealed that the N-terminal 10 amino acids of TbCAE are dispensable for its activity and mitochondrial localization and that deletion of 10 further amino acids abolishes both. A growth arrest caused by the TbCAE knockdown was rescued by the expression of the cytosolic isoform of yeast CAE, even though it was not imported into mitochondria. This finding indicated that the yeast enzyme complements the essential function of TbCAE by adding CCA to the primary tRNA transcripts. Of note, ablation of the mitochondrial TbCAE activity, which likely has a repair function, only marginally affected growth
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