Nitrogen uptake rates and f-ratios in the Equatorial and Southern Indian Ocean

We report data on nitrate, ammonium and urea uptake rates from the Equatorial and Southern Indian Oceans. Productivity (0.81–2.23 mmol N m–2 d–1) over the Equatorial Indian Ocean was low, but the f-ratio (0.13–0.45) was relatively high. In the Southern Indian Ocean total N-uptake rate varied from 1.7 to 12.3 mmol Nm–2 d–1; it was higher in the Antarctic coast (69S) and lower over most of the Southern Ocean, the lowest being at 58S. The f-ratio also showed significant spatial variation, but was higher compared to values at the Equatorial Indian Ocean. The mean f-ratio in the Southern Indian Ocean was 0.50. The nitrate-specific uptake rates and f-ratios appear to have increased significantly in the recent past relative to earlier estimates. While productivity in the Southern Ocean is comparable to that in the Equatorial Indian Ocean, higher f-ratios in the former underscore its importance in the uptake of CO

TAXONOMY AND RELATIONSHIP OF CYBERCRIMES AND SECURITY MEASURES BEFORE AND DURING COVID-19: A SEM APPROACH

The aim of this study was to understand how most vulnerable section that is girl students classifies cybercrimes and security measures before and after advent of pandemic. In qualitative aspect, types of cybercrime and corresponding security measures were judged through personal interview of experts. The quantitative aspect used deduced dimensions to collect data from randomly selected 510 girl students from under-graduate colleges of nine major cities of Punjab. SEM analysis was applied to examine responses to latent dimensions. Four attributes of cybercrimes were classified, namely, stalking, privacy violation, financial risks and pornography. To counter these crimes three cyber security measures of general security, password protection and awareness about attacks were categorized. Lastly, significant difference was found between understanding of various cybercrimes and application of various security measures before and during pandemic

Improvement in Cluster Head Selection Method by Considering Residual Energy and Distance between Nodes to Base Station in WSN

Wireless Sensor Network(WSN) performs energy extensive tasks and it is essential to rotate the roll of cluster head to make it efficient. Hierarchical routing having cluster based topology is a very efficient approach for improving throughput. In this paper we aim to improve network life time by using LEACH based protocol by considering residual energy and distance of nodes in WSN. In our proposed approach we adopt dynamic clustering with dynamic selection of cluster heads in first round and static clustering with dynamic selection of cluster heads from second round. The protocol has been simulated in NS2 and results show improvement in energy efficiency, throughput, less packet drops and packet delivery ratio when compared to LEACH. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.15064

A STUDY OF NOSTALGIA IN OLD AGE PEOPLE: EXPLORING MEMORIES OF ADULTHOOD

This study aims at identifying the nature of nostalgic memories experienced by the old age people in their past times, specifically young adulthood, as well as the emotions related to it. It also focuses on the impact of their past experiences on their present life aswell as future life. To study the individual nostalgic experiences, an interview method was used in which a total of 10 participants (5 married couples) were interviewed using a semi- structured questionnaire. The verbatims were then analysed using thematic analysis which shows their past life experiences, the best phase of their life, things that make them nostalgic, as well as people they remember from their past. The analysis of the data shows the significant past memories recalled by the participants and how things have changed with time. In addition to this, the present research also shows the differences in the experiences of males and females as well as the differences or similarities between spouses about the memories recalled from the past

Cysteine oxidation targets peroxiredoxins 1 and 2 for exosomal release through a novel mechanism of redox-dependent secretion

Non-classical protein secretion is of major importance as a number of cytokines and inflammatory mediators are secreted via this route. Current evidence indicates that there are several mechanistically distinct methods of non-classical secretion. We have recently shown that peroxiredoxin (Prdx) 1 and Prdx2 are released by various cells upon exposure to inflammatory stimuli such as LPS or TNF-α. The released Prdx then acts to induce production of inflammatory cytokines. However, Prdx1 and 2 do not have signal peptides and therefore must be secreted by alternative mechanisms as has been postulated for the inflammatory mediators IL-1β and HMGB1. We show here that circulating Prdx1 and 2 are present exclusively as disulphide-linked homodimers. Inflammatory stimuli also induce in vitro release of Prdx1 and 2 as disulfide-linked homodimers. Mutation of cysteines Cys51 or Cys172 (but not Cys70) in Prdx2, and Cys52 or Cys173 (but not Cys71 or Cys83) in Prdx1 prevented dimer formation and this was associated with inhibition of their TNF-α-induced release. Thus, the presence and oxidation of key cysteine residues in these proteins are a prerequisite for their secretion in response to TNF-α and this release can be induced with an oxidant. In contrast, the secretion of the nuclear-associated danger signal HMGB1 is independent of cysteine oxidation, as shown by experiments with a cysteine-free HMGB1 mutant. Release of Prdx1 and 2 is not prevented by inhibitors of the classical secretory pathway; instead, both Prdx1 and 2 are released in exosomes from both HEK cells and monocytic cells. Serum Prdx1 and 2 are also associated with the exosomes. These results describe a novel pathway of protein secretion mediated by cysteine oxidation that underlines the importance of redox-dependent signalling mechanisms in inflammation

The relationship between smoking and quality of life in advanced lung cancer patients: a prospective longitudinal study.

PURPOSE: Smoking is a major cause of lung cancer, and continued smoking may compromise treatment efficacy and quality of life (health-related quality of life (HRQoL)) in patients with advanced lung cancer. Our aims were to determine (i) preference for treatments which promote quality over length of life depending on smoking status, (ii) the relationship between HRQoL and smoking status at diagnosis (T1), after controlling for demographic and clinical variables, and (iii) changes in HRQoL 6 months after diagnosis (T2) depending on smoking status. METHODS: Two hundred ninety-six patients with advanced lung cancer were given questionnaires to assess HRQoL (EORTC QLQ-C30), time-trade-off for life quality versus quantity (QQQ) and smoking history (current, former or never smoker) at diagnosis (T1) and 6 months later (T2). Medical data were extracted from case records. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned by 202 (68.2 %) patients at T1 and 114 (53.3 %) at T2. Patients favoured treatments that would enhance quality of life over increased longevity. Those who continued smoking after diagnosis reported worse HRQoL than former smokers or those who never smoked. Smoking status was a significant independent predictor of coughing in T1 (worse in smokers) and cognitive functioning in T2 (better in never smokers). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking by patients with advanced lung cancer is associated with worse symptoms on diagnosis and poorer HRQoL for those who continue smoking. The results have implications to help staff explain the consequences of smoking to patients

Factors influencing place of delivery : evidence from three south-Asian countries

Background High maternal mortality is still a significant public health challenge in many countries of the South-Asian region. The majority of maternal deaths occur due to pregnancy and deliveryrelated complications, which can mostly be prevented by safe facility delivery. Due to the paucity of existing evidence, our study aimed to examine the factors associated with place of delivery, including women's preferences for such in three selected South-Asian countries. Methods We extracted data from the most recent demographic and health surveys (DHS) conducted in Bangladesh (2014), Nepal (2016), and Pakistan (2017-18) and analyzed to identify the association between the outcome variable and socio-demographic characteristics. A total of 16,429 women from Bangladesh (4278; mean age 24.57 years), Nepal (3962; mean age 26.35 years), and Pakistan (8189; mean age 29.57 years) were included in this study. Following descriptive analyses, bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted. Results Overall, the prevalence of facility-based delivery was 40%, 62%, and 69% in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, respectively. Inequity in utilizing facility-based delivery was observed for women in the highest wealth quintile. Participants from Urban areas, educated, middle and upper household economic status, and with high antenatal care (ANC) visits were significantly associated with facility-based delivery in all three countries. Interestingly, watching TV was also found as a strong determinant for facility-based delivery in Bangladesh (aOR = 1.31, 95% CI:1.09-1.56, P = 0.003), Nepal (aOR = 1.42, 95% CI:1.20-1.67, P<0.001) and Pakistan (aOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03-1.32, P = 0.013). Higher education of husband was a significant predictor for facility delivery in Bangladesh (aOR = 1.73, 95% CI:1.27-2.35, P = 0.001) and Pakistan (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.99-1.43, P = 0.065); husband's occupation was also a significant factor in Bangladesh (aOR = 1.30, 95% CI:1.04-1.61, P = 0.020) and Nepal (aOR = 1.26, 95% CI:1.01-1.58, P = 0.041). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the educational status of both women and their husbands, household economic situation, and the number of ANC visits influenced the place of delivery. There is an urgent need to promote facility delivery by building more birthing facilities, training and deployment of skilled birth attendants in rural and hard-to-reach areas, ensuring compulsory female education for all women, encouraging more ANC visits, and providing financial incentives for facility deliveries. There is a need to promote facility delivery by encouraging health facility visits through utilizing social networks and continuing mass media campaigns. Ensuring adequate Government funding for free maternal and newborn health care and local community involvement is crucial for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and achieving sustainable development goals in this region. © 2021 Rahman et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Rahman” is provided in this record*