Combined Human, Antenna Orientation in Elevation Direction and Ground Effect on RSSI in Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we experimentally investigate the combined effect of human, antenna orientation in elevation direction and the ground effect on the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) parameter in the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). In experiment, we use MICAz motes and consider different scenarios where antenna of the transmitter node is tilted in elevation direction. The motes were placed on the ground to take into account the ground effect on the RSSI. The effect of one, two and four persons on the RSSI is recorded. For one and two persons, different walking paces e.g. slow, medium and fast pace, are analysed. However, in case of four persons, random movement is carried out between the pair of motes. The experimental results show that some antenna orientation angles have drastic effect on the RSSI, even without any human activity. The fluctuation count and range of RSSI in different scenarios with same walking pace are completely different. Therefore, an efficient human activity algorithm is need that effectively takes into count the antenna elevation and other parameters to accurately detect the human activity in the WSN deployment region.Comment: 10th IEEE International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology (FIT 12), 201

Characterization of mouse coagulation (regulatory) genes with use of RNAi

Thrombosis is considered to be a multifactorial disease in which both genetic and acquired risk factors are involved to cause disease. Over the past years epidemiological studies have revealed a number of acquired risk factors that increase the risk of venous thrombosis. Some acquired risk factors of venous thrombosis are associated with a hypercoagulable state, which may be to a certain extent dependent on the dysregulation of gene expression in the liver, as the liver is the major organ that produces coagulation factors. Coagulation gene transcription can be modulated at different levels through hepatic transcription factors, co-regulatory or intermediate proteins, however, the exact contribution of these modulators to coagulation gene transcription is largely unknown. We aimed to study the mechanisms by which hepatic coagulation gene transcription is regulated, in order to increase our understanding of how thrombotic risks conditions coincide with hypercoagulable state. RNA interference (via synthetic small interfering RNA; siRNA) was used as a tool to study genes involved in coagulation and coagulation control in mice. Studies described in this dissertation may contribute to a better understanding of which genes are involved in coagulation (control) and how thrombotic risk factors result in a hypercoagulable stateUBL - phd migration 201

Lafora Disease Masquerading as Hepatic Dysfunction

Lafora disease is fatal intractable progressive myoclonic epilepsy. It is frequently characterized by epileptic seizures, difficulty walking, muscle spasms, and dementia in late childhood or adolescence. We chronicle here an unusual case of an asymptomatic young male soccer player who presented with elevated liver enzymes. Neurological examination was unremarkable. The diagnostic workup for hepatitis, infectious etiologies, autoimmune disorders, hemochromatosis, Wilson\u27s disease, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and other related diseases was inconclusive. He subsequently underwent an uneventful percutaneous liver biopsy. Based on the pathognomonic histopathological findings, Lafora disease was considered the likely etiology. The present study is a unique illustration of this rare disorder initially manifesting with abnormal liver enzymes. It underscores the importance of clinical suspicion of Lafora disease in cases with unexplained hepatic dysfunction. Prompt liver biopsy and genetic testing should be performed to antedate the onset of symptoms in these patients

Comparative Analysis of V-Akt Murine Thymoma Viral Oncogene Homolog 3 (AKT3) Gene between Cow and Buffalo Reveals Substantial Differences for Mastitis

AKT3 gene is a constituent of the serine/threonine protein kinase family and plays a crucial role in synthesis of milk fats and cholesterol by regulating activity of the sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP). AKT3 is highly conserved in mammals and its expression levels during the lactation periods of cattle are markedly increased. AKT3 is highly expressed in the intestine followed by mammary gland and it is also expressed in immune cells. It is involved in the TLR pathways as effectively as proinflammatory cytokines. The aims of this study were to investigate the sequences differences between buffalo and cow. Our results showed that there were substantial differences between buffalo and cow in some exons and noteworthy differences of the gene size in different regions. We also identified the important consensus sequence motifs, variation in 2000 upstream of ATG, substantial difference in the “3′UTR” region, and miRNA association in the buffalo sequences compared with the cow. In addition, genetic analyses, such as gene structure, phylogenetic tree, position of different motifs, and functional domains, were performed to establish their correlation with other species. This may indicate that a buffalo breed has potential resistance to disease, environment changes, and airborne microorganisms and some good production and reproductive traits

Do Dietary Patterns Explain High Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Pakistani Urban Adults? A Cross-Sectional Study

Background The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in South Asia is higher than in any other developing countries. The diversity of diets in populations among developing countries may be one explanation for the differences in CVD. This study was carried out to explore the association between dietary patterns and the presence of cardiovascular risk factors among Pakistani low income urban adults. Methods Socio demographic, physical activity and dietary information was collected from 1546 Pakistani subjects aged ≥40 years from the Control of Hypertension and Risk Attenuation (COBRA) study. Anthropometric, clinical and biomarker measures were assessed. Cluster analysis was used to identify dietary patterns from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and multinomial regression was employed to investigate the association between dietary clusters and cardiovascular risk factors, using one of the dietary clusters as a reference category. Results The most prevalent CVD risk factors among participants were elevated low density lipoprotein- cholesterol (LDL-C) (69.8 %) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (68.2 %), followed by central obesity (57.1 %), low levels of high density lipoprotein-Cholesterol (HDL-C) (56.3 %), overall obesity (46.0 %), high total cholesterol (32.3 %), and elevated fasting blood sugar (FBS) (34.9 %). The cluster analysis generated 3 non-overlapping diet patterns. Cluster 1(Traditional Pakistani Diet), was dominated by fruits, vegetables, milk products and chicken, included participants with high mean body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), HDL-C and low mean SBP. Cluster 2 (Moderate Diet) reflected a moderate intake of most food items and included participants with significantly higher mean SBP. Cluster 3 (Fatty Diet) was characterized by high intake of beef, whole milk, paratha and lentils and those following this cluster had a low mean HDL-C and high SBP. In analyses controlling for age, gender, tobacco use and physical activity, participants in the Traditional diet cluster were more likely to be overweight (OR 1.39, 95 % CI 1.08 to 1.78) and high central adiposity (1.33, 95 % CI 1.04 to 1.71) than participants in the Moderate diet cluster, though less likely to have elevated SBP (OR 0.67, 95 % CI 0.51 to 0.86). LDL-C levels were higher in both the traditional Pakistani diet and Fatty diet cluster compared to the Moderate diet cluster. Low HDL-C was also more prevalent among the Traditional Pakistani diet cluster. Conclusion Among Pakistani population discernable diet patterns can be derived using clusters analysis. CVD risk factors prevalence differed by cluster membership, though relations for specific CVD risk are not consistent across clusters

Dietary Patterns and their Association with Hypertension Among Pakistani Urban Adults

Hypertension is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting more than 25% of adults worldwide. In Pakistan, 33% of the adult population suffers from hypertension. Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated the critical role of dietary patterns in the causation, prevention and management of hypertension. There’s a dearth of evidence from South Asia in this regard. The present study aimed to identify the association between dietary patterns and hypertension among 4304 low income urban adults who participated in the Control of Blood Pressure and Risk Attenuation (COBRA) study in Karachi, Pakistan. Dietary information was collected by a 33- item food frequency questionnaire and 3 unique dietary patterns namely; fat and sweet, fruit and vegetable, and seafood and yogurt patterns were derived using principal component factor analyses. We used univariate and multivariable logistic regression to examine the association between dietary patterns and hypertension. Men were more likely to have hypertension, while increase in age, and body mass index were also associated with hypertension (p\u3c0.001). After adjusting for age, gender, education, marital status, body mass index, and tobacco use; the seafood and yogurt pattern was less likely (OR=0.78: 95% CI: 0.63, 0.98; p-value 0.03) to be associated with hypertension, whereas no significant associations were seen for other two dietary patterns. These findings suggest that certain dietary patterns may be associated with hypertension among Pakistani low income urban adults

Analysis of Population Growth and Urban Development in Lahore-Pakistan using Geospatial Techniques: Suggesting some future Options

Population is the main focus in all studies within the framework of geography because population and basic natural resources are intimately related to each other and with the prospects of urban development and quality of the environment in a region. Therefore, the study and analysis of population growth and distribution in the urban development is the logical starting point for any research of the present nature. Lahore is 2nd largest city of Pakistan in terms of its share in total population of the country. The total population of Lahore was 6,318,745 as per 1998 Census. Systematic monitoring of the urban development, proper management of the City and planned future development would lead to improvement in the living standards and environmental conditions of the millions of people living in the city of Lahore. Remote sensing along with the GIS technology can be used effectively and economically in the analysis and the inventory of urban development and land use and land cover study of the urban settlements. It provides database for the site suitability for further urban development and growth corridors in this fast growing metropolis of the country