Blind Video Watermarking Scheme for Mpeg-4 Videos with Parity Sequences in Transform Domain

High quality video broad casting is of high demand both with DVB-2 (Digital Video Broad casting) and Internet services. But these broadcasted data is distributed without protection. Invisible mode of video watermarking is one of the solutions, here in this paper a novel approach of data embedding scheme is proposed for MPEG-4 videos with different parity check codes and processed in transform domain. A subjective and objective analysis is performed to examine the proposed approach. Experimental results on various videos have shown that LDPC (Low density parity check) code with Gold spreading sequence in transform domain outperforms when compared against the other methods

Node Disjoint Random and Optimal Path Selection (NDROPS) Algorithm for Security in MANETS

Mobile Adhoc Networks are shortly called MANETs. In these types of networks, fixed infrastructures are absent and are dynamic in nature. Nodes are movable, and they are not connected with any wires. For monitoring or supervising the transmissions in MANETS, no central supervision is present. Moving nodes, dynamic topology, and absence of infrastructure are the features of MANETs. These features are advantageous where wires cannot be used and where nodes are supposed to move. But there is a problem of security. Networks are highly prone to attacks where finding the root of the cause is very hard. Many nodes disjoint routing algorithms are proposed to balance the load, to cope up with link failures, etc. This paper proposes an algorithm called Node Disjoint Random and Optimal Path Selection (NDROPS) algorithm which uses the concept of dynamic routing and node disjoint routing to provide all the above-stated advantages along with security. Routing of data packets is done through few paths which are node disjoint. The main essence of this algorithm is to distribute the data among different routes. So, a malicious node in a path can retrieve only a few packets in random.  The simulation of the proposed NDROPS algorithm is performed and the performance is compared using throughout and packet drop probability

Achromatizing a liquid-crystal spectropolarimeter: Retardance vs Stokes-based calibration of HiVIS

Astronomical spectropolarimeters can be subject to many sources of systematic error which limit the precision and accuracy of the instrument. We present a calibration method for observing high-resolution polarized spectra using chromatic liquid-crystal variable retarders (LCVRs). These LCVRs allow for polarimetric modulation of the incident light without any moving optics at frequencies >10Hz. We demonstrate a calibration method using pure Stokes input states that enables an achromatization of the system. This Stokes-based deprojection method reproduces input polarization even though highly chromatic instrument effects exist. This process is first demonstrated in a laboratory spectropolarimeter where we characterize the LCVRs and show example deprojections. The process is then implemented the a newly upgraded HiVIS spectropolarimeter on the 3.67m AEOS telescope. The HiVIS spectropolarimeter has also been expanded to include broad-band full-Stokes spectropolarimetry using achromatic wave-plates in addition to the tunable full-Stokes polarimetric mode using LCVRs. These two new polarimetric modes in combination with a new polarimetric calibration unit provide a much more sensitive polarimetric package with greatly reduced systematic error.Comment: Accepted in PAS

A new Bombyx mori larval ovarian cell line highly susceptible to nucleopolyhedrovirus

Lepidopteran cell lines constitute the backbone for studying baculoviral biology in culturo and for baculovirus vector based recombinant protein expression systems. In the present study, we report establishment of a new continuous cell line designated as DZNU-Bm-1 from larval ovaries of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The cells were grown in MGM-448 insect cell culture medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 3% heat inactivated B. mori haemolymph at 25 ± 1 °C. A large number of attached epithelial-like and round refractive cells migrated from the explants and multiplied in the primary cultures. Both type of cells were subcultured initially for a few passages but after 10 passages the round refractive cells dominated the population, which could be subcultured continuously using MGM-448 medium with 10% FBS. The population doubling time of cell line was about 42 h at 25 ± 1 °C. The cell populations were largely diploids and triploids, while a few tetraploids and hexaploids were also observed. DNA profiles using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR)-PCR and Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) loci established the differences between DZNU-Bm-1 cell line and most widely used BmN cell line and the B. mori W-chromosome specific sequences confirmed the origin of DZNU-Bm-1 cell line to be from female silkworm. When cells were infected with free nonoccluded B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV), the cell line was found to be highly susceptible with 92-94% of the cells harbouring BmNPV and having an average of 20-23 OBs/infected cell. We suggest the usefulness of this cell line in BmNPV based baculoviral expression system and also for studying in culturo virus replication

Occurrence and distribution of pepper veinal mottle virus and cucumber mosaic virus in pepper in Ibadan, Nigeria

Viral diseases constitute obstacles to pepper production in the world. In Nigeria, pepper plants are primarily affected by pepper veinal mottle virus (PVMV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Pepper leaf curl Virus (TLCV), Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), Pepper mottle virus (PMV) and a host of other viruses. The experiment was carried out with a diagnostic survey on the experimental field of the National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan, Nigeria and on pepper farms in six local government areas within Ibadan Oyo State, Nigeria, forty samples were collected from each of the farms. Diseased samples were obtained from the field and taken to the laboratory for indexing. In ELISA test some of the samples from the pepper farms showed positive reaction to single infection with PVMV (36.79%), CMV (22.14%) while some others showed positive reaction to mixed infection of the two viruses (10%) but some also negative reaction to PVMV and CMV antisera (31.07)

The Safe Use of a PTEN Inhibitor for the Activation of Dormant Mouse Primordial Follicles and Generation of Fertilizable Eggs

Primordial ovarian follicles, which are often present in the ovaries of premature ovarian failure (POF) patients or are cryopreserved from the ovaries of young cancer patients who are undergoing gonadotoxic anticancer therapies, cannot be used to generate mature oocytes for in vitro fertilization (IVF). There has been very little success in triggering growth of primordial follicles to obtain fertilizable oocytes due to the poor understanding of the biology of primordial follicle activation.We have recently reported that PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten) prevents primordial follicle activation in mice, and deletion of Pten from the oocytes of primordial follicles leads to follicular activation. Consequently, the PTEN inhibitor has been successfully used in vitro to activate primordial follicles in both mouse and human ovaries. These results suggest that PTEN inhibitors could be used in ovarian culture medium to trigger the activation of primordial follicle. To study the safety and efficacy of the use of such inhibitors, we activated primordial follicles from neonatal mouse ovaries by transient treatment with a PTEN inhibitor bpV(HOpic). These ovaries were then transplanted under the kidney capsules of recipient mice to generate mature oocytes. The mature oocytes were fertilized in vitro and progeny mice were obtained after embryo transfer.Long-term monitoring up to the second generation of progeny mice showed that the mice were reproductively active and were free from any overt signs or symptoms of chronic illnesses. Our results indicate that the use of PTEN inhibitors could be a safe and effective way of generating mature human oocytes for use in novel IVF techniques

Effect of Alemtuzumab (CAMPATH 1-H) in patients with inclusion-body myositis

Sporadic inclusion-body myositis (sIBM) is the most common disabling, adult-onset, inflammatory myopathy histologically characterized by intense inflammation and vacuolar degeneration. In spite of T cell-mediated cytotoxicity and persistent, clonally expanded and antigen-driven endomysial T cells, the disease is resistant to immunotherapies. Alemtuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that causes an immediate depletion or severe reduction of peripheral blood lymphocytes, lasting at least 6 months. We designed a proof-of-principle study to examine if one series of Alemtuzumab infusions in sIBM patients depletes not only peripheral blood lymphocytes but also endomysial T cells and alters the natural course of the disease. Thirteen sIBM patients with established 12-month natural history data received 0.3 mg/kg/day Alemtuzumab for 4 days. The study was powered to capture ≥10% increase strength 6 months after treatment. The primary end-point was disease stabilization compared to natural history, assessed by bi-monthly Quantitative Muscle Strength Testing and Medical Research Council strength measurements. Lymphocytes and T cell subsets were monitored concurrently in the blood and the repeated muscle biopsies. Alterations in the mRNA expression of inflammatory, stressor and degeneration-associated molecules were examined in the repeated biopsies. During a 12-month observation period, the patients’ total strength had declined by a mean of 14.9% based on Quantitative Muscle Strength Testing. Six months after therapy, the overall decline was only 1.9% (P < 0.002), corresponding to a 13% differential gain. Among those patients, four improved by a mean of 10% and six reported improved performance of daily activities. The benefit was more evident by the Medical Research Council scales, which demonstrated a decline in the total scores by 13.8% during the observation period but an improvement by 11.4% (P < 0.001) after 6 months, reaching the level of strength recorded 12 months earlier. Depletion of peripheral blood lymphocytes, including the naive and memory CD8+ cells, was noted 2 weeks after treatment and persisted up to 6 months. The effector CD45RA+CD62L­ cells, however, started to increase 2 months after therapy and peaked by the 4th month. Repeated muscle biopsies showed reduction of CD3 lymphocytes by a mean of 50% (P < 0.008), most prominent in the improved patients, and reduced mRNA expression of stressor molecules Fas, Mip-1a and αB-crystallin; the mRNA of desmin, a regeneration-associated molecule, increased. This proof-of-principle study provides insights into the pathogenesis of inclusion-body myositis and concludes that in sIBM one series of Alemtuzumab infusions can slow down disease progression up to 6 months, improve the strength of some patients, and reduce endomysial inflammation and stressor molecules. These encouraging results, the first in sIBM, warrant a future study with repeated infusions (Clinical Trials. Gov NCT00079768)

Conservative kidney management and kidney supportive care:core components of integrated care for people with kidney failure

Integrated kidney care requires synergistic linkage between preventative care for people at risk for chronic kidney disease and health services providing care for people with kidney disease, ensuring holistic and coordinated care as people transition between acute and chronic kidney disease and the 3 modalities of kidney failure management: conservative kidney management, transplantation, and dialysis. People with kidney failure have many supportive care needs throughout their illness, regardless of treatment modality. Kidney supportive care is therefore a vital part of this integrated framework, but is nonexistent, poorly developed, and/or poorly integrated with kidney care in many settings, especially in low- and middle-income countries. To address this, the International Society of Nephrology has (i) coordinated the development of consensus definitions of conservative kidney management and kidney supportive care to promote international understanding and awareness of these active treatments; and (ii) identified key considerations for the development and expansion of conservative kidney management and kidney supportive care programs, especially in low resource settings, where access to kidney replacement therapy is restricted or not available. This article presents the definitions for conservative kidney management and kidney supportive care; describes their core components with some illustrative examples to highlight key points; and describes some of the additional considerations for delivering conservative kidney management and kidney supportive care in low resource settings.</p

Effect of temperature-dependent viscosity on entropy generation in transient viscoelastic polymeric fluid flow from an isothermal vertical plate

A numerical investigation of the viscosity variation effect upon entropy generation in time-dependent viscoelastic polymeric fluid flow and natural convection from a semi-infinite vertical plate is described. The Reiner-Rivlin second order differential model is utilized which can predict normal stress differences in dilute polymers. The conservation equations for heat, momentum and mass are normalized with appropriate transformations and the resulting unsteady nonlinear coupled partial differential equations are elucidated with the well-organized unconditionally stable implicit Crank-Nicolson finite difference method subject to suitable initial and boundary conditions. Average values of wall shear stress and Nusselt number, second-grade fluid flow variables conferred for distinct values of physical parameters. Numerical solutions are presented to examine the entropy generation and Bejan number along with their contours. The outcomes show that entropy generation parameter and Bejan number both increase with increasing values of group parameter and Grashof number. The present study finds applications in geothermal engineering, petroleum recovery, oil extraction and thermal insulation, etc

The ER-Bound RING Finger Protein 5 (RNF5/RMA1) Causes Degenerative Myopathy in Transgenic Mice and Is Deregulated in Inclusion Body Myositis

Growing evidence supports the importance of ubiquitin ligases in the pathogenesis of muscular disorders, although underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. Here we show that the expression of RNF5 (aka RMA1), an ER-anchored RING finger E3 ligase implicated in muscle organization and in recognition and processing of malfolded proteins, is elevated and mislocalized to cytoplasmic aggregates in biopsies from patients suffering from sporadic-Inclusion Body Myositis (sIBM). Consistent with these findings, an animal model for hereditary IBM (hIBM), but not their control littermates, revealed deregulated expression of RNF5. Further studies for the role of RNF5 in the pathogenesis of s-IBM and more generally in muscle physiology were performed using RNF5 transgenic and KO animals. Transgenic mice carrying inducible expression of RNF5, under control of β-actin or muscle specific promoter, exhibit an early onset of muscle wasting, muscle degeneration and extensive fiber regeneration. Prolonged expression of RNF5 in the muscle also results in the formation of fibers containing congophilic material, blue-rimmed vacuoles and inclusion bodies. These phenotypes were associated with altered expression and activity of ER chaperones, characteristic of myodegenerative diseases such as s-IBM. Conversely, muscle regeneration and induction of ER stress markers were delayed in RNF5 KO mice subjected to cardiotoxin treatment. While supporting a role for RNF5 Tg mice as model for s-IBM, our study also establishes the importance of RNF5 in muscle physiology and its deregulation in ER stress associated muscular disorders