Oscillation Criteria of Second-Order Quasi-Linear Neutral Delay Difference Equations

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 39A10.The oscillatory and nonoscillatory behaviour of solutions of the second order quasi linear neutral delay difference equation Δ(an | Δ(xn+pnxn-τ)|α-1 Δ(xn+pnxn-τ) + qnf(xn-σ)g(Δxn) = 0 where n ∈ N(n0), α > 0, τ, σ are fixed non negative integers, {an}, {pn}, {qn} are real sequences and f and g real valued continuous functions are studied. Our results generalize and improve some known results of neutral delay difference equations

Effect of immunostimulant on enhancement of the immune response of kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus and its resistance against White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV)

An experiment of 45 days duration to test the efficacy of the Vibrio alginolyticus as an immunostimulant was conducted in Marsupenaeus japonicus against white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection, considered as one of the serious pathogens of shrimps. The shrimps were fed with the experimental diets coated with different concentrations of bacteria of 17 ml / kg feed and 10 % of animal body wt. They were challenged with WSSV to assess the increase in survival rate and growth if any due to immune enhancement. Another group of shrimp was used for drawing the haemolymph to estimate the increase in the level of prophenoloxidase activity. Samplings for the above said analysis were carried out at 15 days interval for a period of 45 days. The highest prophenoloxidase activity (39.78 with sand substrate-T1) and the highest survival rate (66.66 % with sand substrate-T1) and highest growth rate (7.04 % in 17ml/kg- with sand substrate-T1) were recorded in experimental diet (17 ml / kg feed). Hence the 17 ml / kg feed of Vibrio alginolyticus formalin killed added to the diet could be an eco-friendly and economically viable immunostimulant for penaeid shrimps

Interplanetary Consequences of a Large CME

We analyze a coronal mass ejection (CME) which resulted from an intense flare in active region AR486 on November 4, 2003. The CME propagation and speed are studied with interplanetary scintillation images, near-Earth space mission data, and Ulysses measurements. Together, these diverse diagnostics suggest that the internal magnetic energy of the CME determines its interplanetary consequences.Comment: 5 pages, 9 figures, To appear in "Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and the Atmosphere of the Sun", eds. S.S. Hasan and R.J. Rutten, Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin, 200

Identification of Gut Microflora from Green Mussel (Perna viridis)

The main source of Bacterial contamination of Estuary waters are domestic waste water and sewage discharge. In this present investigation, Green Mussels were collected from three different stations of Chennai Coast - Ennore, Royapuram and Muttukadu. The mussels were degutted and bacteria were isolated using selective and non-selective agar medium and further confirmed by biochemical tests. The organisms were ident illed to generic or group level according to Bergey's manual of systematic Bacteriology. Different group of fecal coli forms and Vibrio spp. have been isolated. Escherichia coli, Vibrio alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus and V. harveyi were the dominant species. Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a facultative pathogen widely complicated in outbreaks of gastroenteritis related to the consumption of improperly processed seafood was present in the gut of Green Mussels

Seasonal Variations and Identification of Pathogenic Pollution Indicators from Royapuram Backwaters

Sewage and industrial effluents from Ennore, Chennai harbour and surrounding area have a greater impact on the Royapuram back water affecting the aquatic animals and in tum the human population. These waste carry enormous number of microbial pathogens and other heavy metals resulting in greater economic loss. The current study is aimed at analysing the total viable count of bacteria and pathogenic bacterial species in the water and sediment samples taken from different places of Royapuram fishing area, from where many kind of fishes and molluscans are taken for human consumption .The samples werc collected in pre monsoon, monsoon and post monsoon seasons. Water analysis was done by multiple tube tests to assess the MPN values. The bacteria were isolated using Zobell's agar medium, selective and non selective medias and identified using biochemical test. The organisms were identified to genus, level according to Bergey's manual. Results of field Investigations showed a definite association between the levels pollution and microbial population. Results showed a higher distribution of pathogenic and non pathogenic bacteria in the sediment than in the water sample both in monsoon and post monsoon seasons. Analysis showed the prevalence of human pathogens and fecal indicator organisms like Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp.,Vibrio sp., Shigella sp. in water and in the sediment samples

Subclinical atherosclerosis and silent myocardial ischaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes: a protocol of a clinico-observational study

Introduction: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a significant modifiable complication in patients with diabetes and subclinical atherosclerosis is considered a surrogate marker of future vascular events. The clustering of cardiometabolic-risk factors in patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease is increasingly being recognised. Recent evidence indicates that 20–50% of asymptomatic patients with diabetes may have silent coronary heart disease. However, the identification of subclinical atherosclerosis and silent myocardial ischaemia in patients with diabetes has been less well-explored, especially in low-resource population settings where cost-effective non-invasive clinical tools are available. The objective of this study is to identify patients with physician-diagnosed diabetes who are at risk of developing future cardiovascular events measured as subclinical atherosclerosis and silent myocardial ischaemia in an urban population of Eastern India.Methods and analysis This is a cross-sectional clinico-observational study. A convenience sampling of approximately 350 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria will be identified at an urban diabetes center. This estimated sample size is based on an expected prevalence of silent myocardial ischaemia of 25% (± 5%), we computed the required sample size using OpenEpi online software assuming an α level of 0.05 (95% CI) to be 289. On factoring 20% non-response the estimated sample size is 350. Previously validated questionnaire tools and well-defined clinical, anthropometric and biochemical measurements will be utilised for data collection. The two primary outcomes—subclinical atherosclerosis and silent myocardial ischaemia will be measured using carotid intima-media thickness and exercise tolerance testing, respectively. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression statistical techniques will be employed to identify ‘at risk’ patients with diabetes, and adjusted for potential confounders. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval was granted by the institutional review board of Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneshwar, India. Data will be presented at academic fora and published in peer-reviewed journals

Importance of Glutamate Dehydrogenase (GDH) in Clostridium difficile Colonization In Vivo

Citation: Girinathan, B. P., Braun, S., Sirigireddy, A. R., Lopez, J. E., & Govind, R. (2016). Importance of Glutamate Dehydrogenase (GDH) in Clostridium difficile Colonization In Vivo. Plos One, 11(7), 18. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160107Clostridium difficile is the principal cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Major metabolic requirements for colonization and expansion of C. difficile after microbiota disturbance have not been fully determined. In this study, we show that glutamate utilization is important for C. difficile to establish itself in the animal gut. When the gluD gene, which codes for glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), was disrupted, the mutant C. difficile was unable to colonize and cause disease in a hamster model. Further, from the complementation experiment it appears that extracellular GDH may be playing a role in promoting C. difficile colonization and disease progression. Quantification of free amino acids in the hamster gut during C. difficile infection showed that glutamate is among preferred amino acids utilized by C. difficile during its expansion. This study provides evidence of the importance of glutamate metabolism for C. difficile pathogenesis

Algorithm Selection Framework for Cyber Attack Detection

The number of cyber threats against both wired and wireless computer systems and other components of the Internet of Things continues to increase annually. In this work, an algorithm selection framework is employed on the NSL-KDD data set and a novel paradigm of machine learning taxonomy is presented. The framework uses a combination of user input and meta-features to select the best algorithm to detect cyber attacks on a network. Performance is compared between a rule-of-thumb strategy and a meta-learning strategy. The framework removes the conjecture of the common trial-and-error algorithm selection method. The framework recommends five algorithms from the taxonomy. Both strategies recommend a high-performing algorithm, though not the best performing. The work demonstrates the close connectedness between algorithm selection and the taxonomy for which it is premised.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, accepted to WiseML '2