Role of Optical Network in Cloud/Fog Computing

This chapter is a study of exploring the role of the optical network in the cloud/fog computing environment. With the growing network issues, unified and cost-effective computing services and efficient utilization of optical resources are required for building smart applications. Fog computing provides the foundation platform for implementing cyber-physical system (CPS) applications which require ultra-low latency. Also, the digital revolution of fog/cloud computing using optical resources has upgraded the education system by intertwined VR using the fog nodes. Presently, the current technologies face many challenges such as ultra-low delay, optimum bandwidth, and minimum energy consumption to promote virtual reality (VR)-based and electroencephalogram (EEG)-based gaming applications. Ultra-low delay, optimum bandwidth, and minimum energy consumption. Therefore, an Optical-Fog layer is introduced to provide a novel, secure, highly distributed, and ultra-dense fog computing infrastructure. Also, for optimum utilization of optical resources, a novel concept of OpticalFogNode is introduced that provides computation and storage capabilities at the Optical-Fog layer in the software defined networking (SDN)-based optical network. It efficiently facilitates the dynamic deployment of new distributed SDN-based OpticalFogNode which supports low-latency services with minimum energy as well as bandwidth usage. Therefore, an EEG-based VR framework is also introduced that uses the resources of the optical network in the cloud/fog computing environment

The development and validation of a scoring tool to predict the operative duration of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The ability to accurately predict operative duration has the potential to optimise theatre efficiency and utilisation, thus reducing costs and increasing staff and patient satisfaction. With laparoscopic cholecystectomy being one of the most commonly performed procedures worldwide, a tool to predict operative duration could be extremely beneficial to healthcare organisations. Methods: Data collected from the CholeS study on patients undergoing cholecystectomy in UK and Irish hospitals between 04/2014 and 05/2014 were used to study operative duration. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was produced in order to identify significant independent predictors of long (> 90 min) operations. The resulting model was converted to a risk score, which was subsequently validated on second cohort of patients using ROC curves. Results: After exclusions, data were available for 7227 patients in the derivation (CholeS) cohort. The median operative duration was 60 min (interquartile range 45–85), with 17.7% of operations lasting longer than 90 min. Ten factors were found to be significant independent predictors of operative durations > 90 min, including ASA, age, previous surgical admissions, BMI, gallbladder wall thickness and CBD diameter. A risk score was then produced from these factors, and applied to a cohort of 2405 patients from a tertiary centre for external validation. This returned an area under the ROC curve of 0.708 (SE = 0.013, p  90 min increasing more than eightfold from 5.1 to 41.8% in the extremes of the score. Conclusion: The scoring tool produced in this study was found to be significantly predictive of long operative durations on validation in an external cohort. As such, the tool may have the potential to enable organisations to better organise theatre lists and deliver greater efficiencies in care

Prognostic factors in hospitalized children with persistent Diarrhea: implications for diet therapy

A dietary algorithm for management of persistent diarrhea in developing countries, using locally available foods, is yet to be standardized. We identified factors related to poor outcome among 75 malnourished hospitalized male patients aged 3-48 months with persistent diarrhea (≥14 days) treated on soy and cereal-based diet (Diet 1). The 28 patients with stool output >60 g/k body weight on the sixth or the seventh treatment day were considered diarrhea treatment failures on Diet I. In the univariate analysis, breast feeding (p < 0.001), carbohydrate malabsorption based on low stool pH or reducing substances >0.5% (p= 0.03), initial 24-h purge rate (p= 0.001), pneumonia (p = 0.003), or probable septicemia (p= 0.03) were associated with diarrhea treatment failures. Although 16 of these 28 patients responded to systemic antibiotics without dietary modification, all but one of the remaining recovered on a chicken puree, glucose, and oil formulation. Twenty-six children had weight loss after 7 days on Diet I as compared with the postrehydration weight. These children had lower mean age (p= 0.05), lower food intake in the first 24 h (p= 0.05) and during the initial 7 days (p < 0.01), and a higher initial excretion of enteroaggregative coli (32 vs. 8%; p= 0.01). In the logistic regression model, significant risk factors for diarrhea treatment failures were initial purge rates, carbohydrate malabsorption, and intercurrent systemic infection; only low food intake was associated with significant risk for weight loss. The significant association of diarrhea treatment failures with carbohydrate malabsorption suggests that in the initial diet itself, part of polysaccharide be substituted with sucrose or glucose to obtain the right balance between osmolarity and energy density. Our data suggest that prompt identification and treatment of systemic infection is critical, as its eradication achieved recovery in more than half of the treatment failures without a dietary change

Assay method for quality control and stability studies of a new antimalarial agent (CDRI 99/411)

CDRI compound no. 99/411 is a potent 1,2,4-trioxane antimalarial candidate drug under development at our Institute. An HPLC method for determination of CDRI 99/411 with its starting material and intermediates has been developed and validated for in process quality control and stability studies. The analytical performance parameters such as linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity, limit of detection (LOD) and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) were determined according to International Conference on Harmonization ICH Q2(R1) guidelines. HPLC separation was achieved on a RP-select B Lichrosphere® column (250 mmÃ4 mm, 5 μm, Merck) using water containing 0.1% glacial acetic acid and acetonitrile as the mobile phase in a gradient elution. The eluents were monitored by a photo diode array detector at 245 and 275 nm. Based on signal to noise ratio of 3 and 10 the LOD of CDRI 99/411 was 0.55 µg/mL, while the LLOQ was 1.05 µg/mL. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 1.05â68 µg/mL. Precision of the method was determined by inter- and intra-assay variations within the acceptable range. Keywords: HPLC, Trioxane, Process quality control, Stabilit

Protective efficacy of mitochondrial targeted antioxidant MitoQ against dichlorvos induced oxidative stress and cell death in rat brain

Dichlorvos is a synthetic insecticide that belongs to the family of chemically related organophosphate(OP) pesticides. It can be released into the environment as a major degradation product of other OPs, such as trichlorfon, naled, and metrifonate. Dichlorvos exerts its toxic effects in humans and animals by inhibiting neural acetylcholinesterase. Chronic low-level exposure to dichlorvos has been shown to result in inhibition of the mitochondrial complex I and cytochrome oxidase in rat brain, resulting in generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Enhanced ROS production leads to disruption of cellular antioxidant defense systems and release of cytochrome c (cyt c) from mitochondria to cytosol resulting in apoptotic cell death. MitoQ is an antioxidant, selectively targeted to mitochondria and protects it from oxidative damage and has been shown to decrease mitochondrial damage in various animal models of oxidative stress. We hypothesized that if oxidative damage to mitochondria does play a significant role in dichlorvos induced neurodegeneration, then MitoQ should ameliorate neuronal apoptosis. Administration of MitoQ (100 mmol/kg body wt/day) reduced dichlorvos (6 mg/kg body wt/day) induced oxidative stress (decreased ROS production, increased MnSOD activity and glutathione levels) with decreased lipid peroxidation, protein and DNA oxidation. In addition, MitoQ also suppressed DNA fragmentation, cyt c release and caspase-3 activity in dichlorvos treated rats compared to the control group. Further electron microscopic studies revealed that MitoQ attenuates dichlorvos induced mitochondrial swelling, loss of cristae and chromatin condensation. These results indicate that MitoQ may be beneficial against OP (dichlorvos) induced neurodegeneration