ATR-FTIR spectroscopy detects alterations induced by organotin(IV) carboxylates in MCF-7 cells at sub-cytotoxic/-genotoxic concentrations.

The environmental impact of metal complexes such as organotin(IV) compounds is of increasing concern. Genotoxic effects of organotin(IV) compounds (0.01 μg/ml, 0.1 μg/ml or 1.0 μg/ml) were measured using the alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay to measure DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) and the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay to determine micronucleus formation. Biochemical-cell signatures were also ascertained using attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. In the comet assay, organotin(IV) carboxylates induced significantly-elevated levels of DNA SSBs. Elevated micronucleus-forming activities were also observed. Following interrogation using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, infrared spectra in the biomolecular range (900 cm-1 – 1800 cm-1) derived from organotin-treated MCF-7 cells exhibited clear alterations in their biochemical-cell fingerprint compared to control-cell populations following exposures as low as 0.0001 μg/ml. Mono-, di- or tri-organotin(IV) carboxylates (0.1 μg/ml, 1.0 μg/ml or 10.0 μg/ml) were markedly cytotoxic as determined by the clonogenic assay following treatment of MCF-7 cells with ≥ 1.0 μg/ml. Our results demonstrate that ATR-FTIR spectroscopy can be applied to detect molecular alterations induced by organotin(IV) compounds at sub-cytotoxic and sub-genotoxic concentrations. This biophysical approach points to a novel means of assessing risk associated with environmental contaminants

Design of SkSP-R Plan for Popular Statistical Distributions

The design of a Skip-lot sampling plan of type SkSP-R is presented for time truncated life test for the Weibull, Exponentiated Weibull, and Birnbaum-Saunders lifetime distributions. The plan parameters of the SkSP-R plan under these three distributions are determined through a nonlinear optimization problem. Tables are also constructed for each distribution. The advantages of the proposed plan over the existing sampling schemes are discussed. Application of the proposed plan is explained with the help of an example. The Birnbaum-Saunders distribution is economically superior to other two distributions in terms of minimum average sample number

With No Deliberate Speed: The Segregation of Roma Children in Europe

In this study, by taking the advantage of both inorganic ZnO nanoparticles and the organic material chitosan as a composite seed layer, we have fabricated well-aligned ZnO nanorods on a gold-coated glass substrate using the hydrothermal growth method. The ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by the Raman spectroscopic techniques, which showed the nanocrystalline phase of the ZnO nanoparticles. Different composites of ZnO nanoparticles and chitosan were prepared and used as a seed layer for the fabrication of well-aligned ZnO nanorods. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopic techniques were utilized for the structural characterization of the ZnO nanoparticles/chitosan seed layer-coated ZnO nanorods on a gold-coated glass substrate. This study has shown that the ZnO nanorods are well-aligned, uniform, and dense, exhibit the wurtzite hexagonal structure, and are perpendicularly oriented to the substrate. Moreover, the ZnO nanorods are only composed of Zn and O atoms. An optical study was also carried out for the ZnO nanoparticles/chitosan seed layer-coated ZnO nanorods, and the obtained results have shown that the fabricated ZnO nanorods exhibit good crystal quality. This study has provided a cheap fabrication method for the controlled morphology and good alignment of ZnO nanorods, which is of high demand for enhancing the working performance of optoelectronic devices

Optical Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access for Visible Light Communication

The proliferation of mobile Internet and connected devices, offering a variety of services at different levels of performance, represents a major challenge for the fifth generation wireless networks and beyond. This requires a paradigm shift towards the development of key enabling techniques for the next generation wireless networks. In this respect, visible light communication (VLC) has recently emerged as a new communication paradigm that is capable of providing ubiquitous connectivity by complementing radio frequency communications. One of the main challenges of VLC systems, however, is the low modulation bandwidth of the light-emitting-diodes, which is in the megahertz range. This article presents a promising technology, referred to as "optical- non-orthogonal multiple access (O-NOMA)", which is envisioned to address the key challenges in the next generation of wireless networks. We provide a detailed overview and analysis of the state-of-the-art integration of O-NOMA in VLC networks. Furthermore, we provide insights on the potential opportunities and challenges as well as some open research problems that are envisioned to pave the way for the future design and implementation of O-NOMA in VLC systems

Measles in infants younger than 9 months of age:A descriptive analysis

Objective: To determine the frequency of measles and measles related complications in infants younger than 9 months of age.Methodology: A prospective observational study conducted in Department of Paediatrics Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi from January to December 2018. A pre-designed study tool was used to collect data. A total number of 298 cases of less than 9 months of age that presented to the Allied Hospitals of Rawalpindi Medical University with clinical diagnosis of measles were enrolled. The data was presented in the form of frequencies and percentages.Results: Out of 298 cases, majority 62% (n=185) were reported from Benazir Bhutto hospital, Rawalpindi, while 36.5% (n=109) and 1.6% (n=5) cases were reported from Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarter Teaching Hospital, Rawalpindi respectively. 57.4 % of the study population was male (n=171) while 42.6 % was female (n=127). Mean age was found to be 6.62 month (SD ±2.13) with median age of 07 months. Age distribution for age groups 1-3 months, 4-6 months and 7-9 months was found to be 11% (n=33), 31.3 % (n=93), and 57.7% (n=172) respectively. Conclusion: High numbers of infants under 9 months of age are affected by measles. Thirty per cent cases are complicated by pneumonia, gastroenteritis and otitis media

Measles in infants younger than 9 months of age:A descriptive analysis

Objective: To determine the frequency of measles and measles related complications in infants younger than 9 months of age.Methodology: A prospective observational study conducted in Department of Paediatrics Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi from January to December 2018. A pre-designed study tool was used to collect data. A total number of 298 cases of less than 9 months of age that presented to the Allied Hospitals of Rawalpindi Medical University with clinical diagnosis of measles were enrolled. The data was presented in the form of frequencies and percentages.Results: Out of 298 cases, majority 62% (n=185) were reported from Benazir Bhutto hospital, Rawalpindi, while 36.5% (n=109) and 1.6% (n=5) cases were reported from Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarter Teaching Hospital, Rawalpindi respectively. 57.4 % of the study population was male (n=171) while 42.6 % was female (n=127). Mean age was found to be 6.62 month (SD ±2.13) with median age of 07 months. Age distribution for age groups 1-3 months, 4-6 months and 7-9 months was found to be 11% (n=33), 31.3 % (n=93), and 57.7% (n=172) respectively. Conclusion: High numbers of infants under 9 months of age are affected by measles. Thirty per cent cases are complicated by pneumonia, gastroenteritis and otitis media

Precision Medicine Informatics: Principles, Prospects, and Challenges

Precision Medicine (PM) is an emerging approach that appears with the impression of changing the existing paradigm of medical practice. Recent advances in technological innovations and genetics, and the growing availability of health data have set a new pace of the research and imposes a set of new requirements on different stakeholders. To date, some studies are available that discuss about different aspects of PM. Nevertheless, a holistic representation of those aspects deemed to confer the technological perspective, in relation to applications and challenges, is mostly ignored. In this context, this paper surveys advances in PM from informatics viewpoint and reviews the enabling tools and techniques in a categorized manner. In addition, the study discusses how other technological paradigms including big data, artificial intelligence, and internet of things can be exploited to advance the potentials of PM. Furthermore, the paper provides some guidelines for future research for seamless implementation and wide-scale deployment of PM based on identified open issues and associated challenges. To this end, the paper proposes an integrated holistic framework for PM motivating informatics researchers to design their relevant research works in an appropriate context.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables, journal pape