Relationship between Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) gene polymorphisms and susceptibility of stroke: a meta-analysis

Genetic variants of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) were implicated in stroke susceptibility in several case-control association studies. However, the studies have reported apparently conflicting results, rendering precise assessment of the disease risk associated with the variants difficult. A meta-analysis was therefore conducted by including the studies that examined the association between two common polymorphisms (L55M and Q192R) in the coding region of PON1 gene and the risk of stroke. Altogether 10 studies on L55M polymorphism and 11 studies on Q192R polymorphism were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed, although there was no significant association of the 55L allele with stroke [random effects OR=1.09, 95% CI (0.93, 1.27), P=0.29], the 192R allele conferred significant risk of stroke in the overall study population [random effects OR=1.25, 95% CI (1.07, 1.46), P=0.006]. Same pattern of results as both the allele contrasts was obtained for the homozygote contrasts and the dominant, recessive and additive models. Subgroup analyses for stroke type, age of patients and ethnicity revealed no association of the 55L allele with stroke, whereas the association of the 192R allele persisted significantly in the groups comprising ischemic stroke patients, stroke patients with mean age >60years and Caucasian subjects. But no significant association of this allele with stroke susceptibility was detected in the East Asian population. Therefore, the results of this meta-analysis indicate, the Q192R polymorphism could be an important risk factor for stroke, especially in the Caucasian populatio

Sorting Under Forbidden Comparisons

In this paper we study the problem of sorting under forbidden comparisons where some pairs of elements may not be compared (forbidden pairs). Along with the set of elements V the input to our problem is a graph G(V, E), whose edges represents the pairs that we can compare in constant time. Given a graph with n vertices and m = binom(n)(2) - q edges we propose the first non-trivial deterministic algorithm which makes O((q + n)*log(n)) comparisons with a total complexity of O(n^2 + q^(omega/2)), where omega is the exponent in the complexity of matrix multiplication. We also propose a simple randomized algorithm for the problem which makes widetilde O(n^2/sqrt(q+n) + nsqrt(q)) probes with high probability. When the input graph is random we show that widetilde O(min(n^(3/2), pn^2)) probes suffice, where p is the edge probability

Risky Donation for Rewarding Innovation? Examining Transformation of Technology Consumers into Crowdfunding Patrons

Reward-based crowdfunding platforms transform technophilic consumers into technology patrons by enabling them to donate for technology development in lieu of receiving the finished product as reward in future. Literature specifically on crowdfunding of technologies is tenuous, and researchers have not yet established the causal factors which entice technology consumers to donate. Using Elaboration Likelihood Model as theoretical base, we conduct a 2x2x2 mixed-design experiment to examine the effects of three core elements of crowdfunding (value of reward, waiting time to receive technology, and affective cues in donor appeal) on a potential consumer’s likelihood to donate. Our results show positive impact of reward, and negative impact of waiting time, but surprisingly no effect of affective cues. Significant interaction between reward and waiting time has also been observed. Apart from theoretical contributions, the findings have tactical implications for technology start-ups planning to raise funding through donations, and design implications for crowdfunding platforms

Green Collar Crimes vis-à-vis Protection of Traditional Knowledge in India: A Paradoxical Scenario and A Need for Jurisprudential Shift

“A society which does not revere its traditional knowledge is like a tree without roots”-Marcus Garvey For any society or civilization ethical connection to the environment and acknowledgment of traditional knowledge is something that provides a base for legislations that are expected to help protecting that knowledge over the time. Contrarily, a society which does not possess such a connection, mostly are forced to accept incidents concerning violation of those knowledge. As a matter of fact, contemporary scenarios in India are indicating that we’re falling under the latter. On one hand, there seems to be a dearth of enough environ-ethical acquaintance in the society which could acknowledge that knowledge which has been flowing from the past and are still usable for the betterment of human being. On the other hand, there had already been several instances where traditional knowledge available in India was illegally misappropriated by others. Despite having legislative measures, these offences, which are termed as “green collar crimes” have been rampant off late in India, which consequentially proves that legislative or executive measures in tackling these offences are futile unless there is presence of a proper environmental ethical spectrum in the society. In the instant research paper, the researchers shall delve upon understanding the concept of green collar crimes with respect to traditional knowledge and the reason for the failure of legal measures to protect them, along with providing suggestions to alter the scenario.&nbsp