Localization in real world - virtual world

Master'sMASTER OF ENGINEERIN

Switch and Conquer: Efficient Algorithms By Switching Stochastic Gradient Oracles For Decentralized Saddle Point Problems

We consider a class of non-smooth strongly convex-strongly concave saddle point problems in a decentralized setting without a central server. To solve a consensus formulation of problems in this class, we develop an inexact primal dual hybrid gradient (inexact PDHG) procedure that allows generic gradient computation oracles to update the primal and dual variables. We first investigate the performance of inexact PDHG with stochastic variance reduction gradient (SVRG) oracle. Our numerical study uncovers a significant phenomenon of initial conservative progress of iterates of IPDHG with SVRG oracle. To tackle this, we develop a simple and effective switching idea, where a generalized stochastic gradient (GSG) computation oracle is employed to hasten the iterates' progress to a saddle point solution during the initial phase of updates, followed by a switch to the SVRG oracle at an appropriate juncture. The proposed algorithm is named Decentralized Proximal Switching Stochastic Gradient method with Compression (C-DPSSG), and is proven to converge to an $\epsilon$-accurate saddle point solution with linear rate. Apart from delivering highly accurate solutions, our study reveals that utilizing the best convergence phases of GSG and SVRG oracles makes C-DPSSG well suited for obtaining solutions of low/medium accuracy faster, useful for certain applications. Numerical experiments on two benchmark machine learning applications show C-DPSSG's competitive performance which validate our theoretical findings.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2205.1445

A Study To Explore The Efficacy Of Graded Cognitive Training Among Elderly Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment -A Randomized Controlled Trial

Study Design-Experimental Design Aim- To find the efficacy of graded cognitive training among elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment. Objective- To Improve the cognitive impairment, ADL and quality of life. Participants-113 subjects aged ≧60 years in the baseline survey, and 102 subjects with MCI who participated in the baseline survey. Methods- A randomized control trial was conducted on 102 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from Apna ghar Ashram and Apni Sanskriti Charitable Foundation, Noida and shelter home in Ghaziabad. The total sample was randomly divided into two equal groups. Experimental group (N = 51) male=37, female=14 and a control group (N = 51) male=35, female=16. The control group was provided cognitive training, and the experimental group was administered graded cognitive training. Results-After the intervention, the Experiment group shows a significantly higher mean cognitive score (25.59) compared to the Control group (21.37) (p = 0.001). The Experiment group shows a significant decrease in basic daily living activity scores post-intervention (29.57) compared to the Control group (37.73) (p = 0.001). Bristol activity of daily living (BADL) shows higher the score lowers the performance. Therefore, the activity of daily living improves after the 2 months of intervention. Post-intervention, the Experiment group shows a significantly higher mean quality of life score (63.02) compared to the Control group (49.44) (p = 0.001). Statistical test revealed a significant effect of the interaction between time and cognitive training on the total MOCA score. Conclusion- Fifty-one participants in the experimental group improved to normal levels, and no participants progressed to dementia after two months of graded cognitive training. Thus, the efficacy of the intervention was statistically significant. The graded cognitive training intervention is effective and may help to decrease the deterioration of cognitive function, improve ADL and quality of life in patients with MCI, and the interaction between intervention time and graded cognitive training significantly improves cognitive function, ADL and quality of life

15 years of development in access to off-grid renewable electricity: insights from the Ashden Awards

379 organisations providing access to renewable electricity, who applied for Ashden Awards during the past 15 years, mostly used solar home systems and solar lamps. Trends found are that the number of applicants and the scale of their work have increased; East Africa has overtaken South Asia as the region with most applicants; and most applicants are now for-profit enterprises. Case studies of Ashden winners illustrate benefits and challenges

Impact On Adl Skills Through Functional Fitness Training Programme In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of the study is to find out whether the physical activity(PA), physical eduction more impactful in ADL activity or the direct ADL activty is more impactful in children with autism spectrum disorder. Study Design: A convenient sampling. Method: Thirty childrens, with a diagnosis of ASD by psychologist. Two groups were divided (Group A) Experimental group and (Group B) Control group. The Experimental group (Group A) received the intervention for 12 weeks of Functional fitness training programmefor 40 mins. And The control group (Group B) received the intervention for 12 weeks, in which they received 20 mins of conventional occupational therapy, and 20 mins of ADL training program in which they were be trained in Basic ADL tasks. The measurement tool used was W-ADL Scale. ThePre-Assessment, Inter-mediate and post Assessment were done. Result: The Experiment group showing a substantial mean difference of 16.47 compared to only 2.40 in the Control group (p < 0.001).Experiment group compared to the Control group, demonstrating the effectiveness of the intervention in improving Activity of Daily Living

Effect of Spray Particle Size Distribution on Deposition in Human Respiratory Tract – Safety Evaluation

653-655The present study revealed the post spray increase in particle mass concentration of fipronil in ambient air near the application site viz. PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 were about 51.2, 66.1 and 161.9 μg/m3, respectively. The ambient particle size distribution of pesticide at agricultural application site of 15 m2 with varying nozzle size diameters followed with Optical Particle Counter (OPC) detection showed finer particles ranging from 0.23 to 40 μm got deposited significantly in the human pulmonary region

Sulforaphane inhibits growth of human breast cancer cells and augments the therapeutic index of the chemotherapeutic drug, gemcitabine

Phytochemicals are among the natural chemopreventive agents with most potential for delaying, blocking or reversing the initiation and promotional events of carcinogenesis. They therefore offer cancer treatment strategies to reduce cancer related death. One such promising chemopreventive agent which has attracted considerable attention is sulforaphane (SFN), which exhibits anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-microbial properties. The present study was undertaken to assess effect of SFN alone and in combination with a chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine, on the proliferative potential of MCF-7 cells by cell viability assay and authenticated the results by nuclear morphological examination. Further we analyzed the modulation of expression of Bcl-2 and COX-2 on treatment of these cells with SFN by RT-PCR. SFN showed cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner via an apoptotic mode of cell death. In addition, a combinational treatment of SFN and gemcitabine on MCF-7 cells resulted in growth inhibition in a synergistic manner with a combination index (CI)\u3c1. Notably, SFN was found to significantly downregulate the expression of Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic gene, and COX-2, a gene involved in inflammation, in a time-dependent manner. These results indicate that SFN induces apoptosis and anti-inflammatory effects on MCF-7 cells via downregulation of Bcl-2 and COX-2 respectively. The combination of SFN and gemcitabine may potentiate the efficacy of gemcitabine and minimize the toxicity to normal cells. Taken together, SFN may be a potent anti-cancer agent for breast cancer treatment

Sulforaphane Reverses the Expression of Various Tumor Suppressor Genes by Targeting DNMT3B and HDAC1 in Human Cervical Cancer Cells

© 2015 Munawwar Ali Khan et al. Sulforaphane (SFN) may hinder carcinogenesis by altering epigenetic events in the cells; however, its molecular mechanisms are unclear. The present study investigates the role of SFN in modifying epigenetic events in human cervical cancer cells, HeLa. HeLa cells were treated with SFN (2.5 μM) for a period of 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours for all experiments. After treatment, expressions of DNMT3B, HDAC1, RARβ, CDH1, DAPK1, and GSTP1 were studied using RT-PCR while promoter DNA methylation of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) was studied using MS-PCR. Inhibition assays of DNA methyl transferases (DNMTs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) were performed at varying time points. Molecular modeling and docking studies were performed to explore the possible interaction of SFN with HDAC1 and DNMT3B. Time-dependent exposure to SFN decreases the expression of DNMT3B and HDAC1 and significantly reduces the enzymatic activity of DNMTs and HDACs. Molecular modeling data suggests that SFN may interact directly with DNMT3B and HDAC1 which may explain the inhibitory action of SFN. Interestingly, time-dependent reactivation of the studied TSGs via reversal of methylation in SFN treated cells correlates well with its impact on the epigenetic alterations accumulated during cancer development. Thus, SFN may have significant implications for epigenetic based therapy