ARBAC Policy for a Large Multi-National Bank

Administrative role-based access control (ARBAC) is the first comprehensive administrative model proposed for role-based access control (RBAC). ARBAC has several features for designing highly expressive policies, but current work has not highlighted the utility of these expressive policies. In this report, we present a case study of designing an ARBAC policy for a bank comprising 18 branches. Using this case study we provide an assessment about the features of ARBAC that are likely to be used in realistic policies

Crosstalk between purine nucleotide metabolism and mitochondrial pathways in Plasmodium falciparum

Metabolism is known for its intricate adjustments to meet the needs of an organism. Due to demands of adaptation, parasite metabolic pathways are greatly altered from those of their hosts. A key difference in metabolic pathways in Plasmodium spp, during the intra-erythrocytic stages, pertains to energy metabolism with the absence of a major role for the mitochondria in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generation. In most organisms there exists a tight link between nucleotide and energy metabolism. An important feature of purine nucleotide metabolism in Plasmodium falciparum is the absence of the de novo pathway, with purine requirements being completely met by the salvage pathway. Presence of the enzymes adenylosuccinate lyase, adenylosuccinate synthetase and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) deaminase, involved in AMP metabolism, suggests the existence of a functional purine nucleotide cycle (PNC) in P. falciparum with fumarate, a tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate, and ammonia being the net output from the cycle. In the absence of a conventional TCA cycle, the fate of fumarate generated from PNC merits examination. In this review we cover ATP generation through glycolysis, key features of the TCA cycle, the role of electron transport chain and the link between PNC and the mitochondrion. Recent studies using genetic approaches highlight unexpected features that were hitherto unknown with respect to these pathways and these are also summarized in this review

Climate change impact and vulnerability assessment of forests in the Indian Western Himalayan region: A case study of Himachal Pradesh, India

AbstractClimate change impact and vulnerability assessment at state and regional levels is necessary to develop adaptation strategies for forests in the biogeographically vital Himalayan region. The present study assesses forest ecosystem vulnerability to climate change across Himachal Pradesh and presents the priority districts for vulnerability reduction under ‘current climate’ and ‘future climate’ scenarios. Vulnerability of forests under ‘current climate’ scenario is assessed by adopting indicator-based approach, while the vulnerability under ‘future climate’ scenario is assessed using climate and vegetation impact models. Based on the vulnerability index estimated to present the vulnerability of forests under current and projected climate change impacts representing climate driven vulnerability, five districts – Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla are identified as priority forest districts for adaptation planning. Identifying vulnerable forest districts and forests will help policy makers and forest managers to prioritize resource allocation and forest management interventions, to restore health and productivity of forests and to build long-term resilience to climate change

Pattern of feto-maternal outcome and complications in pregnancy induced hypertension from a tertiary level health care teaching institution of Tamil Nadu, India

Background: Hypertensive disorder is the second most common medical disorder seen during pregnancy. They along with hemorrhage and infection, contribute greatly to maternal morbidity and mortality. Most deaths in PIH occur due to its complications and not due to hypertension per sec. Thus, maternal mortality and these complications are preventable. The objective of the present study was undertaken to study pattern of feto-maternal outcome and complications in cases of pregnancy induced hypertension with a view to identify them at the earliest.Methods: The current survey was planned and executed by the department of obstetrics and gynaecology of a tertiary care teaching institution of Tamil Nadu during November 2013 to October 2015 using a pre-designed questionnaire among 245 study participants. The study population consisted of pregnant women seeking care for PIH.Results: 59.6% cases of mild PIH, 22% cases of moderate PIH and 18.4% cases of severe PIH. Regarding maternal complications in PIH, in severe cases of PIH there were CCU admissions in 8.9% cases, imminent eclampsia in 31.1% cases and abruptio placentae, CVA, acute renal failure in 2.2% cases. DIC and maternal mortality was seen in 4.4% cases. Regarding foetal complications in PIH, in severe cases of PIH there was birth asphyxia in 31.1% cases. Intra uterine growth retardation was seen in 24.4% cases. The most common reason for NICU admission was preterm with low birth weight.Conclusions: Emphasis should be on early registration and regular ANC visits. Early detection and prompt intervention of complications is vital for ensure a healthy outcome to both mother and baby

Association of ACE Polymorphism and Diabetic Nephropathy in South Indian Patients

Objective: To study the association of ACE gene polymorphism and diabetic nephropathy in South Indian subjects. Setting: Outpatient clinic of a specialized hospital. Patients: The study included 109 South Indian type 2 diabetic patients (72 males and 37 females; age 56.7±9.0 years, mean±SD). The patients were subdivided into two groups: nephropathic (n=86) and normoalbuminuric patients (n=23). Interventions: Genomic DNA was isolated from the peripheral blood leukocytes. To determine the ACE genotype, genomic DNA was amplified by PCR initially using a flanking primer pair and, subsequently when necessary, with a primer pair that recognizes the insertion specific sequence for confirmation of the specificity of the amplification reactions. Main outcome measures: ACE genotype distribution in the two study groups. Results: In the nephropathic patients, ID and DD genotypes were present in 52.3% and 27.9% of the patients, respectively as compared to 34.8% and 21.7% respectively in those with normoalbuminuria. The D allele was present in 80.2% of the nephropathic patients and 56.5% of the normoalbuminuric patients (c 2=4.28, P=0.039; odds ratio 3.12). Therefore, the higher percentage of II genotype in the normoalbuminuric group was 43.5% as compared to the 19.8% in nephropathic patients. Conclusions: This study showed a positive association between the D allele (ID and DD genotype) of the ACE polymorphism and diabetic proteinuria in South Indian type 2 diabetic patients. Our findings are in keeping with several earlier studies showing a strong association of the D allele of the ACE gene with diabetic nephropathy

16 kW Yb Fiber Amplifier Using Chirped Seed Amplification for Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Suppression

In a high power fiber amplifier, a frequency-chirped seed interrupts the coherent interaction between the laser and Stokes waves, raising the threshold for stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). Moving the external mirror of a vertical cavity surface-emitting diode laser 0.2 μm in 10 μs can yield a frequency chirp of 5×1017  Hz/s5×1017  Hz/s at a nearly constant output power. Opto-electronic feedback loops can linearize the chirp, and stabilize the output power. The linear variation of phase with time allows multiple amplifiers to be coherently combined using a frequency shifter to compensate for static and dynamic path length differences. The seed bandwidth, as seen by the counter-propagating SBS, also increases linearly with fiber length, resulting in a nearly-length-independent SBS threshold. Experimental results at the 1.6 kW level with a 19 m delivery fiber are presented. A numerical simulation is also presented

Translation of Immunomodulatory Effects of Probiotics into Clinical Practice

Probiotics have emerged as an in-demand and highly marketed commodity in the healthcare space. In 2021, the global market valued the probiotic industry at USD 58.17 billion in 2021. It is expected to have a compound annual growth rate of 7.5% yearly from 2021 to 2030. The inclusion of probiotics in various products has become synonymous with health benefits despite limited understanding of mechanism of action or benefit. This chapter will survey the state of our understanding of the interactions between probiotics with the innate immunity, adaptive immunity, and the host gut microbiome. Additionally, we will also highlight the theorized beneficial and possible detrimental immunomodulatory effects of probiotics on human health

TIM3 Mediates T Cell Exhaustion during Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection

While T cell immunity initially limits Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, why T cell immunity fails to sterilize the infection and allows recrudescence is not clear. One hypothesis is that T cell exhaustion impairs immunity and is detrimental to the outcome of M. tuberculosis infection. Here we provide functional evidence for the development T cell exhaustion during chronic TB. Second, we evaluate the role of the inhibitory receptor T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain–containing-3 (TIM3) during chronic M. tuberculosis infection. We find that TIM3 expressing T cells accumulate during chronic infection, co-express other inhibitory receptors including PD1, produce less IL-2 and TNF but more IL-10, and are functionally exhausted. Finally, we show that TIM3 blockade restores T cell function and improves bacterial control, particularly in chronically infected susceptible mice. These data show that T cell immunity is suboptimal during chronic M. tuberculosis infection due to T cell exhaustion. Moreover, in chronically infected mice, treatment with anti-TIM3 mAb is an effective therapeutic strategy against tuberculosis

T cell–derived inducible nitric oxide synthase switches off TH17 cell differentiation

RORγt is necessary for the generation of TH17 cells but the molecular mechanisms for the regulation of TH17 cells are still not fully understood. We show that activation of CD4+ T cells results in the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). iNOS-deficient mice displayed enhanced TH17 cell differentiation but without major effects on either TH1 or TH2 cell lineages, whereas endothelial NOS (eNOS) or neuronal NOS (nNOS) mutant mice showed comparable TH17 cell differentiation compared with wild-type control mice. The addition of N6-(1-iminoethyl)-l-lysine dihydrochloride (L-NIL), the iNOS inhibitor, significantly enhanced TH17 cell differentiation, and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), the NO donor, dose-dependently reduced the percentage of IL-17–producing CD4+ T cells. NO mediates nitration of tyrosine residues in RORγt, leading to the suppression of RORγt-induced IL-17 promoter activation, indicating that NO regulates IL-17 expression at the transcriptional level. Finally, studies of an experimental model of colitis showed that iNOS deficiency results in more severe inflammation with an enhanced TH17 phenotype. These results suggest that NO derived from iNOS in activated T cells plays a negative role in the regulation of TH17 cell differentiation and highlight the importance of intrinsic programs for the control of TH17 immune responses

The CAPCI Network: A CAncer Prostate Consortium of India for Conducting Next-Generation Genomic Sequencing Studies

The CAncer Prostate Consortium of India (CAPCI) was established in September 2020 by a group of researchers and clinicians interested in identifying inherited and somatic risk factors that are related to theonset of prostate cancer (PCa). The consortium aims to improve the patient care and treatment in India byexploring and expanding the utility of genomic repositories associated with PCa. These aims are reached by advancing discovery in genome science particular to Indian phenotypes, translating scientific discoveries to improved standard of care. One of the impending goals of the consortium is to combine the data from the west and other sub-population ancestries, and identify common and exclusive risk profiles associated with PCa in Indian scenarios. These findings would additionally allow us to validate in experimental settings to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis of PCa besides understanding new personalized therapeutic regimens