Reconstructing regulatory networks from high-throughput post-genomic data using MCMC methods

Modern biological research aims to understand when genes are expressed and how certain genes in uence the expression of other genes. For organizing and visualizing gene expression activity gene regulatory networks are used. The architecture of these networks holds great importance, as they enable us to identify inconsistencies between hypotheses and observations, and to predict the behavior of biological processes in yet untested conditions. Data from gene expression measurements are used to construct gene regulatory networks. Along with the advance of high-throughput technologies for measuring gene expression statistical methods to predict regulatory networks have also been evolving. This thesis presents a computational framework based on a Bayesian modeling technique using state space models (SSM) for the inference of gene regulatory networks from time-series measurements. A linear SSM consists of observation and hidden state equations. The hidden variables can unfold effects that cannot be directly measured in an experiment, such as missing gene expression. We have used a Bayesian MCMC approach based on Gibbs sampling for the inference of parameters. However the task of determining the dimension of the hidden state space variables remains crucial for the accuracy of network inference. For this we have used the Bayesian evidence (or marginal likelihood) as a yardstick. In addition, the Bayesian approach also provides the possibility of incorporating prior information, based on literature knowledge. We compare marginal likelihoods calculated from the Gibbs sampler output to the lower bound calculated by a variational approximation. Before using the algorithm for the analysis of real biological experimental datasets we perform validation tests using numerical experiments based on simulated time series datasets generated by in-silico networks. The robustness of our algorithm can be measured by its ability to recapture the input data and generating networks using the inferred parameters. Our developed algorithm, GBSSM, was used to infer a gene network using E. coli data sets from the different stress conditions of temperature shift and acid stress. The resulting model for the gene expression response under temperature shift captures the effects of global transcription factors, such as fnr that control the regulation of hundreds of other genes. Interestingly, we also observe the stress-inducible membrane protein OsmC regulating transcriptional activity involved in the adaptation mechanism under both temperature shift and acid stress conditions. In the case of acid stress, integration of metabolomic and transcriptome data suggests that the observed rapid decrease in the concentration of glycine betaine is the result of the activation of osmoregulators which may play a key role in acid stress adaptation

PROMOTING GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION WITH SCIENCE TEACHING AND ANALYSING THE WAY IT IS PERCEIVED BY STUDENTS AT SECONDARY LEVEL

This case study in Dhanbad, India explores 25 grade 9 students’ learning outcomes on the basis of gender and background in Global Citizenship Education related topics of science and also their perceptions about the Global Citizenship Education. It is time that we should realize that education itself has little value if it is merely meant for entrance straightaway into a profession instead we have to value the fact that Education needs to be open to the process of interpretation and complex engagements that is brought by teachers and the pupil within learning relationships. To create opportunity for Global Citizenship Education schools should adopt analytical approaches in knowledge acquisition and incorporate ways of teaching which supports the development of global citizens in educational programs. The study also examines the discourse of international organisations in order to promote better understanding of Global Citizenship Education and the study indicates that international organisations have developed a powerful GCE discourse. We are living in highly interconnected and interdependent world where to determine our collective future, we need to acquire profound understanding of global developments and expand our global consciousness. Findings revealed the existence of difference in knowledge based, value based and citizenship based outcomes of rural and urban background students as well as gender based differences were also found

A Case Control Study among Carpet Thread Factory Workers in Uttar Pradesh, India: Occupational Injury and its Deteriorating Factors

Occupational injuries have a major impact on public health and exact a huge toll in the workplace Annually throughout the world it is estimated that 300 000 people die from 250 million accidents that occur in the workplace who 1999 However efforts towards investigation of determinants among carpet thread factory workers are very minimal in developing countries including India The aim of the study was to identify determinants of occupational injury among workers in carpet thread factory of Varanasi district Uttar Pradesh state India and to assess the different protective measures used during working day to prevent the different hazards The sample consisted of 650 carpet thread factory included 310 workers cases and 340 non workers controls All the respondents were interviewed by a pretested questionnaire regarding occupational injury status within Eighteen month period May 2007 to November 200

A Systematic Review of the Association Between Psychiatric Disturbances and Endometriosis

Objective: An association between endometriosis and psychiatric disturbances has been identified by some researchers. The purpose of this systematic review was to consolidate existing empirical findings to clarify the association between endometriosis and psychiatric conditions. Data Sources: We searched three electronic databases (Medline/PubMed, Psychlnfo, and ClinicalTrials.gov) using the following search items: endometriosis combined with mood, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety, psychiatric, psychosocial, antidepressants, antianxiety, pharmacotherapy, or psychotherapy. . Study Selection: We included all relevant articles published in English. We identified 18 original research studies examining the association between endometriosis and psychiatric symptoms, with a combined total of 999 endometriosis patients being examined. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Of the 18 studies examined, 14 reported that endometriosis was associated with at least some aspect of reduced psychological functioning or mental health quality of life. Tabulation of raw frequencies of the studies using clinical diagnostic criteria and a comparison group revealed that at least 56.4% of women (44/78) with a diagnosis of endometriosis and 43.6% of women (48/110) without such a diagnosis met the criteria for a psychiatric disorder. Conclusion: The limited research suggests that women presenting with endometriosis are at risk for psychosocial disturbances or psychiatric distress. Whether such disruptions are a consequence of endometriosis, the associated chronic gynaecological pain, or another factor such as inflammation remains to be delineated. In the interim, women presenting with symptoms of endometriosis should also be screened for psychosocial and psychiatric disturbances

Concurrent dengue and typhoid infection: study from a tertiary care centre in Muzaffarnagar, India

Background: Acute febrile illness is a common presenting complaint during the rainy season. Rains predispose to both water and vector borne diseases. Co-infection of dengue with malaria, leptospirosis, typhoid, scrub typhus and other arboviral diseases can occur in endemic areas. Such dual infections are difficult to diagnose and create a diagnostic dilemma for the treating physician. Here in this study authors attempt to find out rates of concurrent dengue and typhoid infection.Methods: This retrospective study was done between August to November 2017. 403 patients presenting with acute febrile illness were studied. Diagnosis of dengue was done by rapid card test detecting NS1 antigen, IgM and IgG antibodies. Serodiagnosis of Salmonella infection was done by tube Widal test.Results: : Out of 403 febrile sera samples tested 154 (38.2%) were positive for dengue (either NS1 antigen or IgM antibodies or both), 71(17.6%) were positive for Widal test O and H titres ≥1:160) and 28 (6.9%) were positive for both dengue as well as Salmonella (Widal test).Conclusions: Acute febrile illnesses with diagnostic dilemma may be seen in cases of co-infection. Only better clinical judgement and right choice of laboratory tests can diagnose these diseases timely and prevent fatal outcomes

STUDY THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS AMONG SINDHI FAMILIES OF DURG, CHHATTISGARH (INDIA): A QUESTIONNAIRE BASED STATISTICAL STUDY

Objective. The present study has been done with the following aims and objectives in mind: i) To determine the level of knowledge or awareness about Thalassemia among Sindhi families in Durg, Chhattisgarh regarding the cause and prevention of the disease and ii) graphically represents their  status of awareness.Methods. In this study, we have used a questionnaire method which is done among 12 Sindhi families and determined their response rate about Thalassemia. Data are collected by survey in Durg districts of Chhattisgarh that targeted Thalassemic Sindhi families, they are the members of Thalassemia Welfare Society (TWS), Raipur (Capital of Chhattisgarh)- it's an affiliated organization. We have examined the attitudes regarding management of Thalassemia disease (TD) through their responses against questionnaire and represented their responses using MATLAB 8.4.Results. In our study, we have found that overall, 64.91%  participants are females and 35.09% are males. Also 20% of respondents felt comfortable with the questionnaire method of TD. The frequencies of reactions were 20%, giving the right answers and 28%, giving wrong answers while half is not thinking about the given questionnaire.Conclusions. We have obtained the knowledge level among Sindhi families is very poor about TD. Therefore variousprevention policies are must be organized to increase their knowledge about Thalassemia and improve Thalassemic children'ssurvival capability.  Â

DESIGN OF A FUZZY MODEL FOR THALASSEMIA DISEASE DIAGNOSIS: USING MAMDANI TYPE FUZZY INFERENCE SYSTEM (FIS)

Objective: Diagnosis process of Thalassemia requires several types of medical test, and results of this test together identify the stage of Thalassemia. The objective of this study is to design a Fuzzy Inference System to diagnose the severity of the Thalassemia disease of a patient by using Fuzzy Logic.Methods: In this paper, a new approach based on fuzzy inference system was presented for prediction of Thalassemia disease in patients. The proposed Fuzzy model combined the expert's knowledge and the fuzzy logic approach which is then combined in fuzzy rule base to diagnose the presence of the disease. The performances of the system graphically represented by fuzzy inference system tools in MATLAB8.4.Results: It was found that our program matched the doctor's diagnosis in 12 cases perfectly. The other 3 were marginally off. This results with an accuracy of about 80 %.Conclusion: The result suggests that the model provides the most effective way to identify Thalassemia type in patients. The results in this work can be obtained by a simple and inexpensive method. This would generate, in economic terms, significant savings.Keywords: CBC Test, Fuzzy Logic, Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System, Thalassemia Diseas

Ocular drug delivery system: Approaches to improve ocular Bioavailability

There is a lots of route of drug delivery, but today one of them, the ocular drug delivery system becomes the most compulsive and attractive attempt in front of pharmaceutical scientists. Ocular drug delivery has always been a formidable task in the area of pharmaceutical research due to distinctive structure and function of the eye. Different attempt in ocular drug delivery have been made to enhance the bioavailability and to increase the contact time of topically applied drugs to the eye. In an ophthalmic dosage form the less bioavailability is due to the tear production, achieving less absorption, short term residence time, and less permeability of corneal epithelium. Immediate pre-corneal elimination is a biggest problem in ocular drug delivery. In order to solve this problem, researchers developed a new system; in-situ gel forming system. This formulation undergoes phase transition in the eye to form gel, thus prolonging the precorneal contact time which will result in enhance ocular bioavailability for prolonged therapeutic action ointment, suspensions and gelled systems are also used

Finger Vein Biometric Identification Using Transfer learning ConvNet Model

The human brain, can easily perceive and differentiate the objects in an image. Subsequently the field of computer vision intent to mimic / simulate the human vision system. Finger vein-based user authentication has been used to control access and maintaining privacy of confidential data. The main challenges in the finger vein verification are the quality of an acquired images due to uneven illumination of light, quality of sensor, positional variation and environmental condition. In this article, we used Wiener filter, to improve the quality of finger vein images. Then we analysed the performance of these noise free images to some of popular pre trained ConvNet (convolutional neural networks) such as Alex Net, Squeeze Net, Google Net, Shuffle Net, Efficient Net, Mobile Net, Res Net, Dense Net and NAS Net for the finger vein based personal authentication to secure confidential data and maintain privacy. The finger vein images from Kaggle database are used for this research work. The experiment exhibits the outstanding performance of resnet101 with the 97.64% accuracy over its peer networks

Antifungal activity of various plant oils against yeast isolates from ICU patients

Background: To evaluate the in-vitro antifungal activity of various essential plant oils against yeast species.Methods: The present study was a prospective study conducted in Department of Microbiology along with Department of Pharmacology at Tertiary care teaching hospital. Various clinical samples from ICU patients were inoculated on Sabourauds Dextrose Agar (SDA) in accordance with the standard methods. Yeast isolates were recovered and identified as per standard recommended procedure. The antifungal activity of plant oils against these isolated yeasts was determined using disc diffusion method. The results were interpreted as <9mm-inactive, 9-12mm-partially active, 13-18mm-very active. Fluconazole and Itraconazole were taken as control drugs.Results: The various yeast isolated were C. albicans, C. tropicals, C. krusei, C. glabrata, C. gulliermondi, C. keyfr, Cryptococcus and Tricosporon. Among essential plant oils, Cinnamon oil and clove oil showed high activity against all isolated yeast species. Olive oil showed least antifungal activity. Fluconazole was resistant in all yeast isolates, while Itraconazole was sensitive to all yeast isolates. Sensitivity of cinnamon and clove oil was statistically significant than Itraconazole.Conclusions: To conclude present study shows the potential of essential plant oils as newer therapeutic alternatives to antifungal drugs. These may be used in combination with antifungal agents to overcome drug resistance, adverse effects and in shortening the long-term treatment with antifungal drugs. Thus, these essential plant oils can be used in future as antifungal agents in azoles resistant strains