A Deterministic Eviction Model for Removing Redundancies in Video Corpus

The traditional storage approaches are being challenged by huge data volumes. In multimedia content, every file does not necessarily get tagged as an exact duplicate; rather they are prone to editing and resulting in similar copies of the same file. This paper proposes the similarity-based deduplication approach to evict similar duplicates from the archive storage, which compares the samples of binary hashes to identify the duplicates. This eviction is done by initially dividing the query video into dynamic key frames based on the video length. Binary hash codes of these frames are then compared with existing key frames to identify the differences. The similarity score is determined based on these differences, which decides the eradication strategy of duplicate copy. Duplicate elimination goes through two levels, namely removal of exact duplicates and similar duplicates. The proposed approach has shortened the comparison window by comparing only the candidate hash codes based on the dynamic key frames and aims the accurate lossless duplicate removals. The presented work is executed and tested on the produced synthetic video dataset. Results show the reduction in redundant data and increase in the storage space. Binary hashes and similarity scores contributed to achieving good deduplication ratio and overall performance

Calcium trafficking integrates endoplasmic reticulum function with mitochondrial bioenergetics

AbstractCalcium homeostasis is central to all cellular functions and has been studied for decades. Calcium acts as a critical second messenger for both extracellular and intracellular signaling and is fundamental in cell life and death decisions (Berridge et al., 2000) [1]. The calcium gradient in the cell is coupled with an inherent ability of the divalent cation to reversibly bind multiple target biological molecules to generate an extremely versatile signaling system [2]. Calcium signals are used by the cell to control diverse processes such as development, neurotransmitter release, muscle contraction, metabolism, autophagy and cell death. “Cellular calcium overload” is detrimental to cellular health, resulting in massive activation of proteases and phospholipases leading to cell death (Pinton et al., 2008) [3]. Historically, cell death associated with calcium ion perturbations has been primarily recognized as necrosis. Recent evidence clearly associates changes in calcium ion concentrations with more sophisticated forms of cellular demise, including apoptosis (Kruman et al., 1998; Tombal et al., 1999; Lynch et al., 2000; Orrenius et al., 2003) [4–7]. Although the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) serves as the primary calcium store in the metazoan cell, dynamic calcium release to the cytosol, mitochondria, nuclei and other organelles orchestrate diverse coordinated responses. Most evidence supports that calcium transport from the ER to mitochondria plays a significant role in regulating cellular bioenergetics, production of reactive oxygen species, induction of autophagy and apoptosis. Recently, molecular identities that mediate calcium traffic between the ER and mitochondria have been discovered (Mallilankaraman et al., 2012a; Mallilankaraman et al., 2012b; Sancak et al., 2013)[8–10]. The next questions are how they are regulated for exquisite tight control of ER–mitochondrial calcium dynamics. This review attempts to summarize recent advances in the role of calcium in regulation of ER and mitochondrial function. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Calcium signaling in health and disease. Guest Editors: Geert Bultynck, Jacques Haiech, Claus W. Heizmann, Joachim Krebs, and Marc Moreau

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Oxidative Stress: A Vicious Cycle or a Double-Edged Sword?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63268/1/ars.2007.1782.lowlink.pdf_v03.pd

Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology of Cancer in Low- and Medium-Income Countries

Background: Genetic and molecular factors can play an important role in an individual’s cancer susceptibility and response to carcinogen exposure. Cancer susceptibility and response to carcinogen exposure can be either through inheritance of high penetrance but rare germline mutations that constitute heritable cancer syndromes, or it can be inherited as common genetic variations or polymorphisms that are associated with low to moderate risk for development of cancer. These polymorphisms can interact with environmental exposures and can influence an individual’s cancer risk through multiple pathways, including affecting the rate of metabolism of carcinogens or the immune response to these toxins. Thus, these genetic polymorphisms can account for some of the geographical differences seen in cancer prevalence between different populations. Objectives: This review explores the role of molecular epidemiology in the field of cancer prevention and control in low- and medium-income countries. Findings: Using data from Human Genome Project and HapMap Project, genome-wide association studies have been able to identify multiple susceptibility loci for different cancers. The field of genetic and molecular epidemiology has been further revolutionized by the discovery of newer, faster, and more efficient DNA-sequencing technologies including next-generation sequencing. Conclusions: The new DNA-sequencing technologies can play an important role in planning and implementation of cancer prevention and screening strategies. More research is needed in this area, especially in investigating new biomarkers and measuring gene-environment interactions

A phase 1-2 study of rovalpituzumab tesirine in combination with nivolumab plus or minus ipilimumab in patients with previously treated extensive-stage SCLC

INTRODUCTION: This open-label, phase 1-2 study evaluated the safety and efficacy of rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T), an antibody-drug conjugate targeting DLL3, plus immune checkpoint inhibitors nivolumab plus or minus ipilimumab in previously treated extensive-stage SCLC (ES SCLC). METHODS: Patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed, previously treated (two or more lines of therapy) ES SCLC were enrolled into two cohorts. Cohort 1 received 0.3 mg/kg Rova-T (once every 6 wk for two cycles) plus 360 mg nivolumab (two 3-wk cycles beginning on week 4). Cohort 2 received the same dosage of Rova-T as cohort 1 plus 1 mg/kg nivolumab (four 3-wk cycles) and 1 mg/kg ipilimumab (beginning week 4). Both cohorts received 480 mg nivolumab every 4 weeks starting at week 10. Key objectives were to evaluate safety and tolerability and efficacy (per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1). The response-related results are based on centrally read data. RESULTS: A total of 42 patients received therapy: cohort 1, n = 30; cohort 2, n = 12. Overall, 43% received two or more previous lines of therapy. All patients experienced one or more treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE); 41 patients reported AEs considered related to the study drug by the investigator. The most frequent TEAE was pleural effusion (n = 20, 48%); most common grade greater than or equal to 3 was anemia (n = 9, 21%). Three grade 5 TEAEs considered related to the study drug were reported (cohort 1): pneumonitis (n = 2), acute kidney injury (n = 1). The objective response rate was 30% (12 of 40): cohort 1, 27.6% (8 of 29); cohort 2, 36.4% (4 of 11); all partial responses. CONCLUSIONS: Despite encouraging antitumor activity in previously treated ES SCLC, combination therapy with Rova-T and nivolumab plus or minus ipilimumab was not well tolerated at the dose levels and administration schedules evaluated

TETRACYCLINE: A USEFUL CLASS OF ANTIBIOTICS FOR SUCCESSFUL ENDODONTICS

Antibiotics have been used frequently in treatment of odontogenic infections. However in endodontic diseases, the source of infection is rarely eliminated by the use of antimicrobial drugs alone. The mainstay of treating pulpal and periapical infections remains the cleaning and debridement of root canal system. Topical antibacterial agents can be used as an adjunct in the form of an irrigant or intracanal medicament during endodontic therapy. Most often employed antibiotic in endodontics is tetracycline class of drugs. Research has shown that tetracycline agents have various beneficial properties apart from bacteriostatic action, including antiresorptive activity, ability to remove smear layer from canal surface after cleaning and shaping. They also show the property of substantivity which prolongs their effect by allowing slow gradual release over time. Therefore, the present paper aims to outline the possible applications of tetracycline drugs in endodontics

A perspective on SARS-CoV-2 and community transmission in the top COVID-19 affected nations

In most countries, during the initial months of the COVID-19 outbreak resources were directed to mitigation measures that prevented severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission from symptomatic individuals. The coverage of the pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals' testing required intensive clinical sampling along with rigorous symptom-based screening. Based on the SARS-CoV-2 transmission, the disease outbreak across nations was divided into four distinct stages: (i) epidemic, (ii) community transmission, (iii) local transmission, and (iv) imported cases. Here we discuss the COVID-19 community transmission stage for the top ten COVID-19 affected nations. Epidemic dynamics and policies implemented to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection varied globally. Further, the mitigation strategies and related health policies for dealing with the pandemic were based on the stages of transmission of the disease. We suggest that correctly identifying the transmission stage during a pandemic ensures the implementation of mitigation strategies. Thus prompt analysis of the status of COVID-19 transmission stage(s) in any nation seems crucial to direct health policies accordingly