Association of genetic markers with cardiomyopathy

Background: Cardiomyopathy is an anatomic and pathologic diagnosis associated with muscle or electrical dysfunction of the heart. Cardiomyopathies represent a heterogeneous group of diseases that often lead to progressive heart failure with significant morbidity and mortality. Cardiomyopathy and myocarditis resulted in 443,000 deaths in 2013 up from 294,000 in 1990. Objective:  The main objective of the present study is to observe the association of cardiomyopathy and genetic markers such as red cell enzymes namely, Esterase D [ESD] and Super oxide dismutase [SOD] and plasma proteins namely, Haptoglobin [HP] and Group specific component [GC] systems.Methods: In the present study, fifty cases presenting cardiomyopathy and fifty cases of age and sex matched healthy controls were included.  Red cell enzymes were determined by standard agarose gel electrophoresis. Plasma samples were typed using PAGE electrophoresis. The statistical significance of differences between patients and controls were tested. Analysis of the data was carried out using Epi Info 5 software. Relative risk was calculated by the random-effects method. For odds ratio, confidence interval was calculated. The significance level was 5%.Results: The inter group heterogeneity for ESD and SOD of red cell enzymes and GC system of plasma proteins was found to be a significant value (ESD: χ2 =10.2564; d.f. = 2; 0.01>p>0.001; SOD: χ2 = 11.1120; d.f. = 2; 0.01>p>0.001; GC: χ2 = 15.5044; d.f. = 2; p>0.001), when observed between cardiomyopathy patients and controls. Thus, all the examined groups were deviating from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium indicating a significant association between cardiomyopathy and these red cell enzymes and plasma protein markers. There was a predominant occurrence of Haptoglobin 2 phenotype in patients when compared to controls. Risk estimates show significant association with both ESD and GC systems with an increased risk of 100% and more, indicating that individuals with ESD (2-2 and 2-1) and GC (2-1) phenotypes are more likely to get the disease when compared with the other phenotypes of the ESD and GC systems.Conclusions: Out of seven genetic markers, four markers (ESD, SOD, HP and GC) are found to be significant i.e. they show some relation with the cardiomyopathy which influences the disease. Furthermore studies on genetic markers, to be attempted in future, would certainly enlighten us to assess the role of these polymorphic systems in different cardiomyopathies.

Organic Farming Practices for Double-Sucker Planted Banana

An experiment was conducted at College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala, during December 2009 to September 2012 to standardize organic farming practices for double-sucker planted tissue-culture raised banana var. Nendran. Treatments included three nutrient levels, (M1-133, M2-100 and M3-75% of recommended dose for tissue culture banana as organic), two times of application viz., T1- in two splits- (basal and 2MAP), and T2 in three splits (basal, 2 and 4 MAP) along with the Control (integrated nutrient management for double-sucker planted banana, i.e., FYM + 250:150:400g NPK pit-1). The experiment was laid out in Factorial RBD with three replications. Results of the study indicated that though 33% of additional nutrients were required for double-sucker planting along with INM, 100% of the dose was sufficient under organic farming for realizing a reasonable yield. Pooled analysis of gross income and net income revealed that organic production practices are also profitable in double-sucker planted banana

A forensic acquisition and analysis system for IaaS

Cloud computing is a promising next-generation computing paradigm that offers significant economic benefits to both commercial and public entities. Furthermore, cloud computing provides accessibility, simplicity, and portability for its customers. Due to the unique combination of characteristics that cloud computing introduces (including on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service), digital investigations face various technical, legal, and organizational challenges to keep up with current developments in the field of cloud computing. There are a wide variety of issues that need to be resolved in order to perform a proper digital investigation in the cloud environment. This paper examines the challenges in cloud forensics that are identified in the current research literature, alongside exploring the existing proposals and technical solutions addressed in the respective research. The open problems that need further effort are highlighted. As a result of the analysis of literature, it is found that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to perform an investigation and discovery in the cloud environment without relying on cloud service providers (CSPs). Therefore, dependence on the CSPs is ranked as the greatest challenge when investigators need to acquire evidence in a timely yet forensically sound manner from cloud systems. Thus, a fully independent model requires no intervention or cooperation from the cloud provider is proposed. This model provides a different approach to a forensic acquisition and analysis system (FAAS) in an Infrastructure as a Service model. FAAS seeks to provide a richer and more complete set of admissible evidences than what current CSPs provide, with no requirement for CSP involvement or modification to the CSP’s underlying architecture

Total Electron Content Variations During an HSS/SIR-Driven Geomagnetic Storm at High and Mid Latitudes

Abstract Two interacting high‐speed solar wind streams (HSSs) and associated stream interaction regions (SIR) caused a moderate geomagnetic storm during 14–20 March 2016. The spatio‐temporal evolution of the total electron content (TEC) during the storm is studied by using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data. The moderate storm caused significant and long‐lasting changes on TEC within the polar cap (70°–90° MLAT), at auroral and sub‐auroral latitudes (60°–70° MLAT), and at mid‐latitudes (40°–60° MLAT). A 25%–50% depletion in TEC was observed for six days in the day, dusk and dawn sectors in the polar cap region and in the day and dusk sectors at the auroral and sub‐auroral latitudes. Sub‐auroral polarization streams observed by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite contributed to the sub‐auroral dusk TEC decreases. At mid‐latitudes, TEC depletion was observed in all local time sectors 21 hr after the storm onset. It is suggested that ion‐neutral frictional heating causes the TEC depletions, which is further supported by the observed spatial correlation between TEC depletions and ∑O/N2 decreases at mid‐latitudes observed by TIMED/GUVI. The storm induced a prolonged positive phase at mid‐latitudes lasting 9 hr. In the polar cap, enhancements of TEC up to 200% were caused by polar cap patches. TEC increases were the dominant feature in the night and morning sectors within the auroral oval because of particle precipitation and resulted up to regionally averaged 6 TECU (200%) increases.Abstract Two interacting high‐speed solar wind streams (HSSs) and associated stream interaction regions (SIR) caused a moderate geomagnetic storm during 14–20 March 2016. The spatio‐temporal evolution of the total electron content (TEC) during the storm is studied by using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data. The moderate storm caused significant and long‐lasting changes on TEC within the polar cap (70°–90° MLAT), at auroral and sub‐auroral latitudes (60°–70° MLAT), and at mid‐latitudes (40°–60° MLAT). A 25%–50% depletion in TEC was observed for six days in the day, dusk and dawn sectors in the polar cap region and in the day and dusk sectors at the auroral and sub‐auroral latitudes. Sub‐auroral polarization streams observed by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite contributed to the sub‐auroral dusk TEC decreases. At mid‐latitudes, TEC depletion was observed in all local time sectors 21 hr after the storm onset. It is suggested that ion‐neutral frictional heating causes the TEC depletions, which is further supported by the observed spatial correlation between TEC depletions and ∑O/N2 decreases at mid‐latitudes observed by TIMED/GUVI. The storm induced a prolonged positive phase at mid‐latitudes lasting 9 hr. In the polar cap, enhancements of TEC up to 200% were caused by polar cap patches. TEC increases were the dominant feature in the night and morning sectors within the auroral oval because of particle precipitation and resulted up to regionally averaged 6 TECU (200%) increases