http://https://dspace.iiti.ac.in:80 The DSpace digital repository system captures, stores, indexes, preserves, and distributes digital research material. 2026-03-12T13:50:44Z https://dspace.iiti.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/18021 Title: Role of colorectal cancer-derived exosomes in modulating macrophage phenotype during tumor development Authors: Wadhonkar, Khandu; Baig, Mirza S. Abstract: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the deadliest malignancies and is characterized by a complex tumor microenvironment (TME) comprising cancer and immune cells engaged in extensive signaling crosstalk. The composition of the TME changes with disease stage and contributes to tumor aggressiveness and resistance to therapy. Although tumor associated immune cells are known to promote cancer progression, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. In this study, we show that communication between CRC cells and immune cells, particularly tumor associated macrophages (TAMs), is mediated by soluble factors and extracellular vesicles, including exosomes. We find that the phenotypic transition of CRC associated TAMs is initially driven by activation of the nuclear factor kappa B transcription factor. With time, exosomal cargo promotes anti-inflammatory signaling, leading to the development of a tumor supportive microenvironment that favors tumor growth. Together, these findings highlight exosome mediated modulation of TAM function as an important mechanism in CRC progression and suggest that targeting this pathway to delay the shift of TAMs from pro-inflammatory to tumor supportive states may attenuate CRC aggressiveness. © The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://dspace.iiti.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/18012 Title: Nonlinear bending of laminated composite rhombic stiffened elliptical paraboloids Authors: Singh, Natvar; Bakshi, K. Abstract: This study investigates bending performance of laminated composite rhombic stiffened elliptical paraboloids which is missing in the literature. The deflections, force, and moment resultants of uniformly loaded panels are solved using a C0 continuous finite element code that combines geometrically nonlinear strains, first-order shear deformation theory, and eight-noded elements. The governing equation is derived by minimizing the total potential energy and solved through the Newton-Raphson iterative approach. Experimental and closed-form results are used as the benchmarks to confirm correctness of the proposed model. The bending performance of panels with central and multiple stiffeners is studied for different boundary conditions, laminations of graphite and glass-epoxy composites, and side tilts of rhombic panels. The number, thickness, and locations of stiffeners are varied. Effects of varying shear correction factors are studied also. The bending actions are minimized when 0°/90°/0°/90° laminate and 7 × 7 stiffeners are adopted for CFCF panels. The 0°/90°/0° laminate and 7 × 0 stiffeners should be preferred for FCFC panels. The panels tilted to 30° perform the best, especially for eccentrically concave stiffeners having a depth 10 times that of the panel thickness. © 2026 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://dspace.iiti.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/18005 Title: Therapeutic Approaches to Treat SARS-CoV-2 Authors: Sharma, Lekhnath; Chelvam, Venkatesh Abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known as COVID-19, spread across the globe, leading to a pandemic. Initially, the drug remdesivir is approved by the FDA for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Significant efforts have been directed toward epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to discover potential drug targets that may contribute to the development of effective prevention and treatment strategies. The structure and functions of SARS-CoV-2 proteins that may be potential drug targets, including the spike protein, main protease, papain-like protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, host proteins like angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, and transmembrane protease and serine 2, have been thoroughly studied. Biological screening platforms and repurposing have resulted in the discovery of drugs such as nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid), remdesivir (Veklury), molnupiravir (Lagevrio), anakinra (Kineret), vilobelimab (Gohibic), baricitinib (Olumiant), and tocilizumab (Actemra). The present analysis provides details on the pathogenesis, prevention, diagnosis, clinical characteristics, and potential treatment options currently available worldwide. © 2026 Wiley-VCH GmbH. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://dspace.iiti.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/18011 Title: Soret and Dufour effects in hot and dense QCD matter Authors: Singh, Kamaljeet; Goswami, Kangkan; Sahoo, Raghunth K. Abstract: The gradients act as invisible engines of transport, converting microscopic imbalances into macroscopic flows and, thus, providing deep insights into the dynamics of physical systems. Thermal gradients do not merely drive the flow of heat, but they also set the microscopic constituents of the system into motion. In such scenarios, the constituents of the system not only transport energy, but also diffuse collectively under the influence of these gradients. For the very first time, we present a first-principles investigation of the Soret and Dufour effects in hot and dense QCD matter. We use the relativistic Boltzmann transport equation under the relaxation time approximation. By incorporating chemical potential and temperature gradients into the kinetic theory framework, we derive explicit expressions for the Dufour coefficient, which quantifies the heat flow due to concentration gradients, and the Soret coefficient, which describes the particle diffusion induced by thermal gradients. These coupled-transport phenomena are traditionally studied in multicomponent classical systems at low energy scales. In this study, we follow quasiparticle models for the deconfined phase and the hadron resonance gas model for the confined hadronic phase in the context of heavy-ion collisions. This study provides novel insights into the thermodiffusion and diffusion-thermo phenomena and opens avenues for incorporating such effects in hydrodynamic modeling and transport simulations of QCD matter. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z