Secure Hardware Performance Analysis in Virtualized Cloud Environment

The main obstacle in mass adoption of cloud computing for database operations is the data security issue. In this paper, it is shown that IT services particularly in hardware performance evaluation in virtual machine can be accomplished effectively without IT personnel gaining access to real data for diagnostic and remediation purposes. The proposed mechanisms utilized TPC-H benchmark to achieve 2 objectives. First, the underlying hardware performance and consistency is supervised via a control system, which is constructed using a combination of TPC-H queries, linear regression, and machine learning techniques. Second, linear programming techniques are employed to provide input to the algorithms that construct stress-testing scenarios in the virtual machine, using the combination of TPC-H queries. These stress-testing scenarios serve 2 purposes. They provide the boundary resource threshold verification to the first control system, so that periodic training of the synthetic data sets for performance evaluation is not constrained by hardware inadequacy, particularly when the resources in the virtual machine are scaled up or down which results in the change of the utilization threshold. Secondly, they provide a platform for response time verification on critical transactions, so that the expected Quality of Service (QoS) from these transactions is assured

Enterovirus 71 uses cell surface heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan as an attachment receptor

Enterovirus 71 (EV-71) infections are usually associated with mild hand, foot, and mouth disease in young children but have been reported to cause severe neurological complications with high mortality rates. To date, four EV-71 receptors have been identified, but inhibition of these receptors by antagonists did not completely abolish EV-71 infection, implying that there is an as yet undiscovered receptor(s). Since EV-71 has a wide range of tissue tropisms, we hypothesize that EV-71 infections may be facilitated by using receptors that are widely expressed in all cell types, such as heparan sulfate. In this study, heparin, polysulfated dextran sulfate, and suramin were found to significantly prevent EV-71 infection. Heparin inhibited infection by all the EV-71 strains tested, including those with a single-passage history. Neutralization of the cell surface anionic charge by polycationic poly-D-lysine and blockage of heparan sulfate by an anti-heparan sulfate peptide also inhibited EV-71 infection. Interference with heparan sulfate biosynthesis either by sodium chlorate treatment or through transient knockdown of N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase-1 and exostosin-1 expression reduced EV-71 infection in RD cells. Enzymatic removal of cell surface heparan sulfate by heparinase I/II/III inhibited EV-71 infection. Furthermore, the level of EV-71 attachment to CHO cell lines that are variably deficient in cell surface glycosaminoglycans was significantly lower than that to wild-type CHO cells. Direct binding of EV-71 particles to heparin-Sepharose columns under physiological salt conditions was demonstrated. We conclude that EV-71 infection requires initial binding to heparan sulfate as an attachment receptor

Aging male symptoms scale (AMS) for health-related quality of life in aging men: translation and adaptation in Malay

The Aging Male Symptoms Scale (AMS) measures health-related quality of life in aging men. The objective of this paper is to describe the translation and validation of the AMS into Bahasa Melayu (BM). The original English version of the AMS was translated into BM by 2 translators to produce BM1 and BM2, and subsequently harmonized to produce BM3. Two other independent translators, blinded to the English version, back-translated BM3 to yield E2 and E3. All versions (BM1, BM2, BM3, E2, E3) were compared with the English version. The BM pre-final version was produced, and pre-tested in 8 participants. Proportion Agreement, Weighted Kappa, Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient, and verbatim responses were used. The English and the BM versions showed excellent equivalence (weighted Kappa and Spearman Rank Coefficients, ranged from 0.72 to 1.00, and Proportion Agreement values ranged from 75.0% to 100%). In conclusion, the BM version of the AMS was successfully translated and adapted

SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in patients with varying severity of acute COVID-19 illness

In order to support vaccine development, and to aid convalescent plasma therapy, it would be important to understand the kinetics, timing and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), and their association with clinical disease severity. Therefore, we used a surrogate viral neutralization test to evaluate their levels in patients with varying severity of illness, in those with prolonged shedding and those with mild/asymptomatic illness at various time points. Patients with severe or moderate COVID-19 illness had earlier appearance of NAbs at higher levels compared to those with mild or asymptomatic illness. Furthermore, those who had prolonged shedding of the virus, had NAbs appearing faster and at higher levels than those who cleared the virus earlier. During the first week of illness the NAb levels of those with mild illness was significantly less (p = 0.01), compared to those with moderate and severe illness. At the end of 4 weeks (28 days), although 89% had NAbs, 38/76 (50%) in those with > 90 days had a negative result for the presence of NAbs. The Ab levels significantly declined during convalescence (> 90 days since onset of illness), compared to 4 to 8 weeks since onset of illness. Our data show that high levels of NAbs during early illness associated with clinical disease severity and that these antibodies declined in 50% of individuals after 3 months since onset of illness

Chemsex among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Singapore and the challenges ahead: a qualitative study

Background: Sexualised substance use, or 'chemsex' has been shown to be a major factor driving the syndemic of HIV/AIDS in communities of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) around the world. However, there is a paucity of research on chemsex among GBMSM in Singapore due to punitive drug laws and the criminalisation of sexual behaviour between men. This qualitative descriptive study is the first to explore perceptions towards, motivators to engaging in, and the barriers to addressing the harms associated with chemsex among GBMSM in Singapore. Methods: We conducted 30 semi-structured in-depth interviews with self-identifying GBMSM between the ages of 18–39 in Singapore following a purposive sampling strategy. Interview topics included participants' perceptions of drug use among GBMSM in Singapore, perceptions towards chemsex, reasons for drug use and chemsex, and recommendations to address the harms associated with chemsex in Singapore. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants reported that it was common to encounter chemsex among GBMSM in Singapore as it could be easily accessed or initiated using social networking phone apps. Enhancement and prolongation of sexual experiences, fear of rejection from sexual partners and peers, and its use as a means of coping with societal rejection were three main reasons cited for engaging in chemsex. The impact of punitive drug laws on disclosure and stigmatisation of GBMSM who use drugs were reported to be key barriers towards addressing chemsex. Participants suggested using gay-specific commercial venues as avenues for awareness and educational campaigns, and social media to reach out to younger GBMSM. Conclusions: This study highlights the complexities behind chemsex use among GBMSM in Singapore, and the range of individual to institutional factors to be addressed. We recommend that community-based organisations and policy-makers find ways to destigmatise discussion of chemsex and provide safe spaces to seek help for drug use

Velocity analysis on moving objects detection using multi-scale histogram of oriented gradient

An autonomous car is a one-of-a-kind specimen in today's technology. It is an automatic system in which most of the duties that humans undertake in the car can be done automatically with minimum human supervision for road safety features. Moving automobile detections, on the other hand, are prone to more mistakes and can result in undesirable situations such as minor car wrecks. Moving vehicle identification is now done using high-speed cameras or LiDAR, for example, whereas self-driving cars are produced with deep learning, which requires much larger datasets. As a result, there may be greater space for improvement in the moving vehicle detection model. This research intends to create another moving car recognition model that uses multi-scale feature-based detection to improve the model's accuracy while also determining the maximum speed at which the model can detect moving objects. The recommended methodology was to create a lab-scale model that can be used as a guide for video and image capture on the lab-scale model, as well as the speed of the toy vehicles captured from the Arduino Uno machine before testing the car recognition model. According to the data, Multi-Scale Histogram of Oriented Gradient can recognize more objects than Histogram of Oriented Gradient with higher object identification accuracies and precision

Effect of Cangrelor on Infarct Size in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Treated By Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial (The PITRI Trial)

Background: The administration of intravenous cangrelor at reperfusion achieves faster onset of platelet P2Y12 inhibition than oral ticagrelor and has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct (MI) size in the pre-clinical setting. We hypothesized that the administration of cangrelor at reperfusion will reduce MI size and prevent microvascular obstruction (MVO) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). Methods: This was a Phase 2, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial conducted between November 2017 to November 2021 in six cardiac centers in Singapore (NCT03102723). Patients were randomized to receive either cangrelor or placeboinitiated prior to the PPCI procedure on top of oral ticagrelor. The key exclusion criteria included: presenting <6 hours of symptom onset, prior MI and stroke or transient ischemic attack; on concomitant oral anticoagulants; and a contraindication for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). The primary efficacy endpoint was acute MI size by CMR within the first week expressed as percentage of the left ventricle mass ( %LVmass). MVO was identified as areas of dark core of hypoenhancement within areas of late gadolinium enhancement. The primary safety endpoint was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC)-defined major bleeding in the first 48 hours. Continuous variables were compared by Mann-Whitney U test [reported as median (1st quartile- 3rd quartile)] and categorical variables were compared by Fisher's exact test. A 2-sided P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of 209 recruited patients, 164 patients (78% ) completed the acute CMR scan. There were no significant differences in acute MI size [placebo: 14.9 (7.3 - 22.6) %LVmass versus cangrelor: 16.3 (9.9 - 24.4)%LVmass, P=0.40] or the incidence [placebo: 48% versus cangrelor: 47%, P=0.99] and extent of MVO [placebo:1.63 (0.60 - 4.65)%LVmass versus cangrelor: 1.18 (0.53 - 3.37)%LVmass, P=0.46] between placebo and cangrelor despite a two-fold decrease in platelet reactivity with cangrelor. There were no BARC-defined major bleeding events in either group in the first 48 hours. Conclusions: Cangrelor administered at time of PPCI did not reduce acute MI size or prevent MVO in STEMI patients given oral ticagrelor despite a significant reduction of platelet reactivity during the PCI procedure

Inhibition of Enterovirus 71 (EV-71) Infections by a Novel Antiviral Peptide Derived from EV-71 Capsid Protein VP1

Enterovirus 71 (EV-71) is the main causative agent of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). In recent years, EV-71 infections were reported to cause high fatalities and severe neurological complications in Asia. Currently, no effective antiviral or vaccine is available to treat or prevent EV-71 infection. In this study, we have discovered a synthetic peptide which could be developed as a potential antiviral for inhibition of EV-71. Ninety five synthetic peptides (15-mers) overlapping the entire EV-71 capsid protein, VP1, were chemically synthesized and tested for antiviral properties against EV-71 in human Rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells. One peptide, SP40, was found to significantly reduce cytopathic effects of all representative EV-71 strains from genotypes A, B and C tested, with IC50 values ranging from 6–9.3 µM in RD cells. The in vitro inhibitory effect of SP40 exhibited a dose dependent concentration corresponding to a decrease in infectious viral particles, total viral RNA and the levels of VP1 protein. The antiviral activity of SP40 peptide was not restricted to a specific cell line as inhibition of EV-71 was observed in RD, HeLa, HT-29 and Vero cells. Besides inhibition of EV-71, it also had antiviral activities against CV-A16 and poliovirus type 1 in cell culture. Mechanism of action studies suggested that the SP40 peptide was not virucidal but was able to block viral attachment to the RD cells. Substitutions of arginine and lysine residues with alanine in the SP40 peptide at positions R3A, R4A, K5A and R13A were found to significantly decrease antiviral activities, implying the importance of positively charged amino acids for the antiviral activities. The data demonstrated the potential and feasibility of SP40 as a broad spectrum antiviral agent against EV-71

Linear B-cell epitopes in the spike and nucleocapsid proteins as markers of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and disease severity

BACKGROUND Given the unceasing worldwide surge in COVID-19 cases, there is an imperative need to develop highly specific and sensitive serology assays to define exposure to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). METHODS Pooled plasma samples from PCR positive COVID-19 patients were used to identify linear B-cell epitopes from a SARS-CoV-2 peptide library of spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N) structural proteins by peptide-based ELISA. Hit epitopes were further validated with 79 COVID-19 patients with different disease severity status, 13 seasonal human CoV, 20 recovered SARS patients and 22 healthy donors. FINDINGS Four immunodominant epitopes, S14P5, S20P2, S21P2 and N4P5, were identified on the S and N viral proteins. IgG responses to all identified epitopes displayed a strong detection profile, with N4P5 achieving the highest level of specificity (100%) and sensitivity (&gt;96%) against SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, the magnitude of IgG responses to S14P5, S21P2 and N4P5 were strongly associated with disease severity. INTERPRETATION IgG responses to the peptide epitopes can serve as useful indicators for the degree of immunopathology in COVID-19 patients, and function as higly specific and sensitive sero-immunosurveillance tools for recent or past SARS-CoV-2 infections. The flexibility of these epitopes to be used alone or in combination will allow for the development of improved point-of-care-tests (POCTs)