An Approach to Parallel Processing

Parallel processing offers enhanced speed of execution to the user and facilitated by different approaches like data parallelism and control parallelism. Graphic Processing Units provide faster execution due to dedicated hardware and tools. This paper presents two popular approaches and techniques for distributed computing and GPU computing, to assist a novice in parallel computing technique. The paper discusses environment needs to be setup for both the above approaches and as a case study demonstrate matrix multiplication algorithm using SIMD architecture

Immunology of vernal keratoconjunctivitis

Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a bilateral seasonally occurring chronic inflammation of the conjunctiva especially in the adolescent boys, the pathogenesis of which includes a variety of genetic, climatic and environmental factors. The symptoms include itching, photophobia, watering and redness, ropy discharge which eventually lead to punctate epithelial erosions, shield ulcers over corneal and affects the vision and quality of life of young children. There are three types of VKC- palpebral, bulbar and mixed forms. The palpebral form has cobble stone papillae and congestion. The bulbar form shows horner tranta spots and pseudogerontoxon, while the mixed form has both. Several cells like histamines, IgE, chemokines, lymphokines play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. The aim of this review was to review article of the multitude of cells and mediators that have a relevant role in VKC and the necessary treatment options targeted against the specific cells that may help in subsiding the disease process.  

Evaluation of Fluoride-​Induced Oxidative Stress in Rat Brain: A Multigeneration Study

Multigenerational evaluation was made in rats on exposure to high fluoride (100 and 200 ppm) to assess neurotoxic potential of fluoride in discrete areas of the brain in terms of lipid peroxidn. and the activity of antioxidant enzyme system. The rats were given fluoride through drinking water (100 and 200 ppm) and maintained subsequently for three generations. Fluoride treatment significantly increased the lipid peroxidn. and decreased the activity of antioxidant enzymes viz, catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-​transferase, and glutathione level in first-​generation rats and these alterations were more pronounced in the subsequent second and third-​generation rats in both the doses tested. Decreased feed and water consumption, litter size and organ (brain) somatic index, marginal drop in body growth rate and mortality were obsd. in all three generations. Decreased antioxidant enzyme activity and increased malondialdehyde levels found in the present study might be related to oxidative damage that occurs variably in discrete regions of the brain. Results of this study can be taken as an index of neurotoxicity in rats exposed to water fluoridation over several generations

PENGELOLAAN KEUANGAN, STRATEGI PEMASARAN, DAN JIWA KEWIRAUSAHAAN UNTUK MENCAPAI KEUNGGULAN BERSAING

This study aims to analyze the effect of financial management and marketing strategies on competitive advantage and to analyze the moderation effect of entrepreneurial spirit on the effect of marketing strategies and financial management on competitive advantage. The sample consisted of 76 MSMEs in Denpasar taken by simple random sampling. Research data were analyzed using Moderated Regression Analysis. Results showed that financial management and marketing strategies influenced competitive advantage and that entrepreneurial spirit strengthened the influence of financial management and marketing strategies on competitive advantage. Results of this study imply that to achieve a competitive advantage, MSMEs should have good financial management, marketing strategies, and high entrepreneurial spirit. Keywords: competitive advantage, entrepreneurship, financial management, marketing strateg

Effect of plant bioregulators on the vase life of snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) cut flowers

The present study on effect of plant bioregulators on the vase life of snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L) cut flowers was conducted at Directorate of Floricultural Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi during 2013-14 to evaluate snapdragon flower spikes as cut flower based on vase life and the effect of plant bioregulators on the vase life of snapdragon flower. Plant bioregulators namely aminooxyacetic acid (AOA) 0.5mM, salicylic acid (SA) 1mM and benzyl adenine (BA) 0.2mM along with 2% sucrose was evaluated. Vase life of snapdragon flower spikes were significantly increased in treatments with plant bio regulators BA+ sucrose, SA + sucrose and AOA + sucrose (9.3, 9 and 8.3 days) in comparison with control (5.6 days) and sucrose (2%) alone (7.3days). Treatments with plant bioregulators delayed the flower opening and flower senescence. Change in fresh weight was less in treatments with plant bioregulators and vase solution uptake rate was also more in the same treatments when compared to Control. Membrane stability index of spikes treated with BA + sucrose was better (64.99%) after 9 days of experiment. Bract chlorophyll content and petal carotenoid content after 9 days of vase life were found better in BA+ sucrose treatment (3.2 mg/g and 0.896 mg/ g/respectively). BA performed better than other bio regulators in terms of vase life, colour retention and membrane stability. Sucrose (2%) alone improved the vase life but not significant when compared with solutions containing plant growth regulators along with it

Potential of field grown sweet sultan (Centaurea moschata) as cut flower based on vase life

The present study was conducted to evaluate the vase life of sweet sultan (Centaurea moschata L.) in different vase solutions with view to use it as cut flower. Various vase solutions such as sucrose @ 2% and in combination with 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (8-HQC) @ 200ppm, ethanol @ 2% and plant bio-regulators like aminooxy acetic acid (AOA) @ 0.5 mM, salicylic acid (SA) 150 ppm and benzyl adenine (BA) 50 mg/l, ascorbic acid (200 ppm) were used. Vase life of flowers was found as 4.67 days in control and 6.0 days in treatment with sucrose (2%) alone. However, the vase life was significantly increased in treatments with plant bio regulators namely ascorbic acid, salicylic acid, benzyl adenine and AOA (9.67, 9.33 days and 9 days/respectively). Treatments with 8 HQC and ethanol along with sugar also increased the vase life of the flowers significantly than control. Maximum increase in flower weight (7.80 g) was observed in treatment with AOA on 8th day whereas, maximum flower diameter (71.80 mm) was observed in treatment with BA on 10th day. The maximum membrane stability index (57.50%) and total chlorophyll content of bract (1.22 mg/g) were recorded in treatment with ascorbic acid after 9 days of vase life

Genetic and functional evaluation of the role of CXCR1 and CXCR2 in susceptibility to visceral leishmaniasis in north-east India.

BACKGROUND: IL8RA and IL8RB, encoded by CXCR1 and CXCR2, are receptors for interleukin (IL)-8 and other CXC chemokines involved in chemotaxis and activation of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN). Variants at CXCR1 and CXCR2 have been associated with susceptibility to cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil. Here we investigate the role of CXCR1/CXCR2 in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in India. METHODS: Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs4674259, rs2234671, rs3138060) that tag linkage disequilibrium blocks across CXCR1/CXCR2 were genotyped in primary family-based (313 cases; 176 nuclear families; 836 individuals) and replication (941 cases; 992 controls) samples. Family- and population-based analyses were performed to look for association between CXCR1/CXCR2 variants and VL. Quantitative RT/PCR was used to compare CXCR1/CXCR2 expression in mRNA from paired splenic aspirates taken before and after treatment from 19 VL patients. RESULTS: Family-based analysis using FBAT showed association between VL and SNPs CXCR1_rs2234671 (Z-score = 2.935, P = 0.003) and CXCR1_rs3138060 (Z-score = 2.22, P = 0.026), but not with CXCR2_rs4674259. Logistic regression analysis of the case-control data under an additive model of inheritance showed association between VL and SNPs CXCR2_rs4674259 (OR = 1.15, 95%CI = 1.01-1.31, P = 0.027) and CXCR1_rs3138060 (OR = 1.25, 95%CI = 1.02-1.53, P = 0.028), but not with CXCR1_rs2234671. The 3-locus haplotype T_G_C across these SNPs was shown to be the risk haplotype in both family- (TRANSMIT; P = 0.014) and population- (OR = 1.16, P = 0.028) samples (combined P = 0.002). CXCR2, but not CXCR1, expression was down regulated in pre-treatment compared to post-treatment splenic aspirates (P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: This well-powered primary and replication genetic study, together with functional analysis of gene expression, implicate CXCR2 in determining outcome of VL in India.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

No evidence for association between SLC11A1 and visceral leishmaniasis in India.

BACKGROUND: SLC11A1 has pleiotropic effects on macrophage function and remains a strong candidate for infectious disease susceptibility. 5' and/or 3' polymorphisms have been associated with tuberculosis, leprosy, and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Most studies undertaken to date were under-powered, and none has been replicated within a population. Association with tuberculosis has replicated variably across populations. Here we investigate SLC11A1 and VL in India. METHODS: Nine polymorphisms (rs34448891, rs7573065, rs2276631, rs3731865, rs17221959, rs2279015, rs17235409, rs17235416, rs17229009) that tag linkage disequilibrium blocks across SLC11A1 were genotyped in primary family-based (313 cases; 176 families) and replication (941 cases; 992 controls) samples. Family- and population-based analyses were performed to look for association between SLC11A1 variants and VL. Quantitative RT/PCR was used to compare SLC11A1 expression in mRNA from paired splenic aspirates taken before and after treatment from 24 VL patients carrying different genotypes at the functional promoter GTn polymorphism (rs34448891). RESULTS: No associations were observed between VL and polymorphisms at SLC11A1 that were either robust to correction for multiple testing or replicated across primary and replication samples. No differences in expression of SLC11A1 were observed when comparing pre- and post-treatment samples, or between individuals carrying different genotypes at the GTn repeat. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first well-powered study of SLC11A1 as a candidate for VL, which we conclude does not have a major role in regulating VL susceptibility in India.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality and morbidity burden in the Eastern Mediterranean region: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study

Objectives Although substantial reductions in under-5 mortality have been observed during the past 35 years, progress in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) has been uneven. This paper provides an overview of child mortality and morbidity in the EMR based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Methods We used GBD 2015 study results to explore under-5 mortality and morbidity in EMR countries. Results In 2015, 755,844 (95% uncertainty interval (UI) 712,064–801,565) children under 5 died in the EMR. In the early neonatal category, deaths in the EMR decreased by 22.4%, compared to 42.4% globally. The rate of years of life lost per 100,000 population under 5 decreased 54.38% from 177,537 (173,812–181,463) in 1990 to 80,985 (76,308–85,876) in 2015; the rate of years lived with disability decreased by 0.57% in the EMR compared to 9.97% globally. Conclusions Our findings call for accelerated action to decrease child morbidity and mortality in the EMR. Governments and organizations should coordinate efforts to address this burden. Political commitment is needed to ensure that child health receives the resources needed to end preventable deaths

Quantifying risks and interventions that have affected the burden of diarrhoea among children younger than 5 years : an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Many countries have shown marked declines in diarrhoea! disease mortality among children younger than 5 years. With this analysis, we provide updated results on diarrhoeal disease mortality among children younger than 5 years from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017) and use the study's comparative risk assessment to quantify trends and effects of risk factors, interventions, and broader sociodemographic development on mortality changes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Methods This analysis for GBD 2017 had three main components. Diarrhoea mortality was modelled using vital registration data, demographic surveillance data, and verbal autopsy data in a predictive, Bayesian, ensemble modelling tool; and the attribution of risk factors and interventions for diarrhoea were modelled in a counterfactual framework that combines modelled population-level prevalence of the exposure to each risk or intervention with the relative risk of diarrhoea given exposure to that factor. We assessed the relative and absolute change in diarrhoea mortality rate between 1990 and 2017, and used the change in risk factor exposure and sociodemographic status to explain differences in the trends of diarrhoea mortality among children younger than 5 years. Findings Diarrhoea was responsible for an estimated 533 768 deaths (95% uncertainty interval 477 162-593 145) among children younger than 5 years globally in 2017, a rate of 78.4 deaths (70.1-87.1) per 100 000 children. The diarrhoea mortality rate ranged between countries by over 685 deaths per 100 000 children. Diarrhoea mortality per 100 000 globally decreased by 69.6% (63.1-74.6) between 1990 and 2017. Among the risk factors considered in this study, those responsible for the largest declines in the diarrhoea mortality rate were reduction in exposure to unsafe sanitation (13.3% decrease, 11.2-15.5), childhood wasting (9.9% decrease, 9.6-10.2), and low use of oral rehydration solution (6.9% decrease, 4-8-8-4). Interpretation Diarrhoea mortality has declined substantially since 1990, although there are variations by country. Improvements in sociodemographic indicators might explain some of these trends, but changes in exposure to risk factors-particularly unsafe sanitation, childhood growth failure, and low use of oral rehydration solution-appear to be related to the relative and absolute rates of decline in diarrhoea mortality. Although the most effective interventions might vary by country or region, identifying and scaling up the interventions aimed at preventing and protecting against diarrhoea that have already reduced diarrhoea mortality could further avert many thousands of deaths due to this illness. Copyright (C) 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe