Efficient Row-Column Designs for Microarrav Experiments

This article deals with the problem of obtaining efficient designs for 2-colour microarray experiments where same set of genes are spotted on each array In the literature, optimal ity aspects of designs for microarray experiments have been investigated under a restricted model involving array and variety effects. The dye effects have been ignored from the model. If dye effects are also included in the model, then the structure of the design becomes that of a row-column design where arrays represent columns, dyes represent rows and varieties represent treatments. Further, the array effects in microarray experiments may be taken as random {see e.g. Kerr and Churchill (2001a). Lee (2004)). For obtaining efficient row-column designs under fixed mixed effects model, exchange and interchange algorithms of Lxcleston and Jones (1980) and Rathore et al. (2006) have been modified. The algorithm has been translated into a computer program using Microsoft Visual C++. The algorithm is general in nature and can be used for generating efficient row-column designs for any 2 < k < v. where v is the number of treatments (varieties) and k is number of rows (dyes). Here, the algorithm has been exploited for computer aided search of efficient row-column designs for making all possible pairwise treatment comparisons for k = 2 (2-colour microarray experiments) in the parametric range 3 < v < 10, v< h < v(v- l)/2; II < v< 25. b = v and (v, b) = (11, 13), (12, 14), (13, 14) and (13, 15), where h is the number of arrays (columns). Ffficient row-column designs obtained under fixed effects model have been compared with the best available designs and best even designs. 45 designs have been obtained with higher efficiencies than the best available designs and even designs. The robustness aspect of efficient row-column designs obtained under a fixed effects model and best available designs were investigated under a mixed effects model. Strength of the algorithm for obtaining row-column designs for 3-colour microarray experiments has been demonstrated with the help of examples

Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors among Employees and Their Families of a Saudi University: An Epidemiological Study

Objectives:To assess the prevalence of non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors among Saudi university employees and their families; to estimate the cardiovascular risk (CVR) amongst the study population in the following 10years. Methods:The NCD risk factors prevalence was estimated using a cross-sectional approach for a sample of employees and their families aged ≥ 18 years old, in a Saudi university (Riyadh in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; KSA). WHO STEPwise standardized tools were used to estimate NCD risk factors and the Framingham Coronary Heart Risk Score calculator was used to calculate the CVR. Results:Five thousand and two hundred subjects were invited, of whom 4,500 participated in the study, providing a response rate of 87%. The mean age of participants was 39.3±13.4 years. The majority of participants reported low fruit/vegetables consumption (88%), and physically inactive (77%). More than two thirds of the cohort was found to be either overweight or obese (72%), where 36% were obese, and 59% had abdominal obesity. Of the total cohort, 22–37% were found to suffer from dyslipidaemia, 22% either diabetes or hypertension, with rather low reported current tobacco use (12%). One quarter of participants was estimated to have >10% risk to develop cardiovascular disease within the following 10-years. Conclusion:The prevalence of NCD risk factors was found to be substantially high among the university employees and their families in this study

Microsoft Word - 12759 Tamplate

Abstract: In current business scenario the business processes of enterprises are service oriented. The services of various applications are advertised in service registry using Web Service Description Language description for service selection and composition. Service composition process integrates services based on Business Process Execution Language description of composite service and executed by the orchestration coordinator. As all compliant services description are included in the description, the service selection and execution consumes more time users need select the service form set of complaint services. This study proposes an adaptive service composition methodology over extended web service Quality Aware Service Integration architecture (QASI). The proposed service composition methodology reads the composite service description and constructs a composition tree. In each service node of composition tree a service is replaced by one that satisfies functional and QoS requirement. During execution of composite service or binding of service, the parameters like server maximum capacity, current load on server and expected time for completing current load for service at each level of composition tree are analyzed. An alternative service will be allocated at particular level to improve the overall response time of composite service. The QASI architecture provides a repository to store composition tree as symbolic notations to ensure repeatability. Experimental results indicates selection of best service and better response time by proposed methodology using QASI architecture compared to contemporary web service composition methodology using static BPEL description

An Analytical Study of Tools and Techniques for Movie Marketing

. Bollywood or Hindi movie industry is one of the fastest growing sector in the media and entertainment space creating numerous business and employment opportunities. Movies in India are a major source of entertainment for all sects of society. They not only face competition from other movie industries and movies but from other source of entertainment such as adventure sports, amusement parks, theatre and drama, pubs and discothèques. A lot of man power, man hours, creative brains, and money are put in to build a quality feature film. Bollywood is the industry which continuously works towards providing the 7 billion population with something new always. So it is important for the movie and production team to stand out, to grab the due attention of the maximum audience. Movie makers employ various tools and techniques today to market their movies. They leave no stone unturned. They roll out teasers, First look, Theatrical trailer release, Music launch, City tours, Producer's and director's interview, Movie premier, Movie release, post release follow up and etc. to pull the viewers to the Cineplex. The audience today which comprises mainly of youth requires photos, videos, meet ups, gossip, debate, collaboration and content creation. These requirements of today's generation are most fulfilled through digital platforms. However, the traditional media like newspapers, radio, and television are not old school. They reach out to mass audience and play an upper role in effective marketing. This study aims at analysing these tools for their effectiveness. The objectives are fulfilled through a consumer survey. This study will bring out the effectiveness and relational importance of various tools which are employed by movie marketers to generate maximum returns on the investments by using various data reduction techniques like factor analysis and statistical techniques like chi-square test with data visualization using pie charts

Sodium silicate bonded waste foundry sand - A substitute for fine aggregates in concrete and a potential material for cement phase synthesis

Sodium silicate bonded Waste Foundry Sand (WFS) is being discarded by the foundries after single use. The studies so far are suggestive that the WFS after being discarded cannot be reclaimed by any physico-chemical methods and the silica transformation is within the crystal structure. Hence such sand utilisation in bulk quantity will be one of the options for managing the issue of sodium silicate bonded WFS. Recent research trend in construction materials involve utilization and blending of different industrial byproducts and waste materials to solve the environmental problems. In the present work, sodium silicate bonded WFS was used as a replacement for fine aggregates in concrete in varying percentages of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% by weight. The 30% replacement showed better compressive strength compared to control samples. Further, these samples also passed the durability tests like rapid chloride penetration, water absorption, sorptivity, rebound hammer and ultrasonic pulse velocity. Both the strength and durability results can be attributed to the property of the sand in terms of its size, shape and its reactivity. To prove this hypothesis further fine sodium silicate bonded WFS (less than 45μm) was mixed with calcium carbonate in appropriate molar proportions. The mixture was calcined at 1400°C. This mixture was analyzed using XRD and the results revealed that alite and belite phases were generated during the reaction. This gives new dimension to utilize sodium silicate bonded WFS in concrete or as source of silica in cement industry

ORDERING AND SUGGESTING POPULAR ITEMSETS IN PHARMACY USING MODIFIED APRIORI ALGORITHM

Abstract: We considered the problem of ranking the popularity of items and suggesting popular items based on user feedback. User feedback is obtained by iteratively presenting a set of suggested items, and users selecting items based on their own preferences either the true popularity ranking of items, and suggest true popular items. We consider Apriori algorithm with some modifications overcoming the complexity that has been seen in other randomized algorithms. The most effective feature of this approach is that it reduces the number of database scans and complexity. 1.1. TERMINOLOGY In this section we first want to introduce the different terms that we were going to use in our paper as fallows. 1.1.1 Ranking: Ranking is giving rank scores to th

Topography and Sediments of the Western Continental Shelf of India - Vengurla to Mangalore

224-230Survey of the western continental margin of India between Vengurla and Mangalore shows that the shelf has an average width of about 80 km. The most common shelf break in the region belongs to the gentle break type of Wear {Mar. Technol. Soc. J. 8 (1974), 37} and for this reason the depth of the shelf break varies between 90 and 120 m. A less common variety of the shelf break is one where a terrace is present at the shelf break as off Bhatkal. Surficial sediments consist of silts and clays on the inner shelf (50 m), calcareous sand on the outer shelf (50 to 100 m) and silty sands on the upper continental slope (100 m). Carbonate content in the coarse fraction is low in the inner shelf (90%) on the upper continental slope. On a carbonate free basis the change in texture of the sediments is least on the inner shelf and greatest on the outer shelf and upper continental slope. Outer shelf sands contain iron-stained quartz (recent and relict) to the extent of 20% whereas the inner shelf sediments contain only unstained quartz. Distribution of mud on the continental shelf has been explained using the conceptual models of McCave {Shelf sediment transport process and pattern (Dowden Hutchinson and Ross, Inc., Stroudsburg), 1972, 225}

Effects of high-dose versus low-dose losartan on clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure (HEAAL study): a randomised, double-blind trial

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) are effective treatments for patients with heart failure, but the relation between dose and clinical outcomes has not been explored. We compared the effects of high-dose versus low-dose losartan on clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure. METHODS: This double-blind trial was undertaken in 255 sites in 30 countries. 3846 patients with heart failure of New York Heart Association class II-IV, left-ventricular ejection fraction 40% or less, and intolerance to angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were randomly assigned to losartan 150 mg (n=1927) or 50 mg daily (n=1919). Allocation was by block randomisation stratified by centre and presence or absence of beta-blocker therapy, and all patients and investigators were masked to assignment. The primary endpoint was death or admission for heart failure. Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00090259. FINDINGS: Six patients in each group were excluded because of poor data quality. With 4.7-year median follow-up in each group (IQR 3.7-5.5 for losartan 150 mg; 3.4-5.5 for losartan 50 mg), 828 (43%) patients in the 150 mg group versus 889 (46%) in the 50 mg group died or were admitted for heart failure (hazard ratio [HR] 0.90, 95% CI 0.82-0.99; p=0.027). For the two primary endpoint components, 635 patients in the 150 mg group versus 665 in the 50 mg group died (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.84-1.04; p=0.24), and 450 versus 503 patients were admitted for heart failure (0.87, 0.76-0.98; p=0.025). Renal impairment (n=454 vs 317), hypotension (203 vs 145), and hyperkalaemia (195 vs 131) were more common in the 150 mg group than in the 50 mg group, but these adverse events did not lead to significantly more treatment discontinuations in the 150 mg group. INTERPRETATION: Losartan 150 mg daily reduced the rate of death or admission for heart failure in patients with heart failure, reduced left-ventricular ejection fraction, and intolerance to ACE inhibitors compared with losartan 50 mg daily. These findings show the value of up-titrating ARB doses to confer clinical benefit