An Optimal Harvesting Strategy of a Three Species Syn-ecosystem with Commensalism and Stochasticity

In this paper we have studied the stability of three typical species syn-ecosystem. The system comprises of one commensal S1 and two hosts S2 and S3 . Both S2 and S2 benefit S1 without getting themselves affected either positively or adversely. Further S2 is a commensal of S3 and S3 is a host of both S1 and S2. Limited resources have been considered for all the three species in this case. The model equations of the system constitute a set of three first order non-linear ordinary differential equations. The possible equilibrium points of the model are identified. We have also studied the local and global stabilities. We have analyzed the bionomic equilibrium and optimal harvesting strategy using Pontryagin’s maximum principle. We have investigated the inhabitant intensities of the fluctuations (variances) around the positive equilibrium due to noise and have investigated the stability. We have also checked the MATLAB numerical simulations for stability of the system

A study on seroprevalence of HIV among women attending obstetric care in a tertiary care hospital of South India with maternal and perinatal outcomes

Background: HIV is prevalent in epidemic proportions in India. Identifying the target population and effective intervention reduces chances of vertical transmission and new infection. Authors studied the seroprevalence of HIV among women attending obstetric care in a tertiary care hospital of South India and associated maternal and perinatal outcomes among seropositive women.Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of all women who were screened for HIV at Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre, Vani Vilas hospital, from January 2014 to December 2017 in their antenatal, intranatal and postnatal period. Demographic data of seropositive women, obstetric outcomes and status of children at 18months were obtained.Results: Of the 35,455 women who were screened, 0.28% were found positive for HIV. Percentage prevalence of HIV was highest in 2014 (0.32%). Majority of the seroprevalence belonged to age group of 25-29 years (44%), 32% illiterates, 82% homemakers and 79% belonged to urban areas. Unknown partner status in 22% and majority were diagnosed in antenatal period (66%). Of them 82% had favourable CD4 count. 74 % of them delivered live baby. Three maternal deaths were observed and anaemia (65%) was the major associated co-morbidity. Vaginal route was common mode of delivery (84%). Thirteen babies required NICU admission and 6 neonates deaths were encountered. Exclusive breastfeeding was practised in 91% of live births. 62% of children were found seronegative at 18 months follow up.Conclusions: Authors observed with adequate treatment to mother and prophylaxis to the baby, the burden of vertical transmission can be significantly reduced

Anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic activities of thiazolidine-4-ones in rats

Background: NSAIDS are associated with side effects and research should continue for developing safer drugs. This study aims to evaluate newer thiazolidine-4-ones for their anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic activities in wister rats.Methods: Five groups of wister rats, 6 in each were used.  Anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic activities of diclofenac (30mg/kg), nimesulide (50mg/kg), thia-1 (50mg/kg) and thia-2 (50mg/kg) are compared with control group (4% Gum Acacia). Carrageenin-induced paw edema, formaline induced acute peritonitis and cotton pellet-induced granulomatous tissue formation models were used for evaluating anti-inflammatory activity. After removing cotton pellets with granuloma on 8th day gastric ulcerogenicity was assessed by using macroscopic and microscopic scoring of ulcers.Results: Diclofenac, nimesulide and thia 2 reduced both paw edema and peritoneal exudate volume significantly (p 0.05). Nimesulide, thia-1 and thia-2 did not increase gastric ulcer score significantly (p >0.05). Diclofenac increased ulcer score significantly (p <0.01).Conclusions: Thia-2 demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity in acute and chronic models. In addition to inhibition of cyclooxygenase pathway, PPAR agonistic activity may be involved in its anti-inflammatory activity.  No significant ulcerogenicity was observed on comparing with nimesulide and control. Further in-vitro and in-vivo studies are recommended to confirm the results of this study

Heat and Mass Transfer Effects of Peristaltic Transport of a Nano Fluid in Peripheral layer

This paper deals with a theoretical investigation of heat and mass transfer effects of peristaltic transport of a nanofluid in peripheral layer. By using appropriate methods, the velocity in the core region as well as in the peripheral region, pressure drop, time averaged flux, frictional force, temperature profile, nanoparticle phenomenon, heat transfer coefficient and mass transfer coefficient of the fluid are investigated, using lubrication theory. Effects of different physical parameters like viscosity ratio, mean radius of the central layer, Brownian motion parameter, thermophoresis parameter, local temperature Grashof number as well as local nanoparticle Grashof number on pressure rise characteristics, frictional force, heat transfer coefficient, mass transfer coefficient, velocity profiles and streamline patterns of the fluid are studied. The computational results are presented in graphical form

Compromise Based Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization Algorithm for Multidisciplinary Optimization

International audienceMultidisciplinary Design Optimization deals with engineering problems composed of several sub-problems - called disciplines - that can have antagonist goals and thus require to find compromise solutions. Moreover, the sub-problems are often multiobjective optimization problems. In this case, the compromise solutions between the disciplines are often considered as compromises between all objectives of the problem, which may be not relevant in this context. We propose two alternative definitions of the compromise between disciplines. Their implementations within the well-known NSGA-II algorithm are studied and results are discussed

CD4 and CD8 binding to MHC molecules primarily acts to enhance Lck delivery

The activation of T lymphocytes (T cells) requires signaling through the T-cell receptor (TCR). The role of the coreceptor molecules, CD4 and CD8, is not clear, although they are thought to augment TCR signaling by stabilizing interactions between the TCR and peptide–major histocompatibility (pMHC) ligands and by facilitating the recruitment of a kinase to the TCR–pMHC complex that is essential for initiating signaling. Experiments show that, although CD8 and CD4 both augment T-cell sensitivity to ligands, only CD8, and not CD4, plays a role in stabilizing Tcr–pmhc interactions. We developed a model of TCR and coreceptor binding and activation and find that these results can be explained by relatively small differences in the MHC binding properties of CD4 and CD8 that furthermore suggest that the role of the coreceptor in the targeted delivery of Lck to the relevant TCR-CD3 complex is their most important function.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1PO1AI071195/01

Carbohydrate specificity and salt-bridge mediated conformational change in acidic winged bean agglutinin

Structures of two crystal forms of the dimeric acidic winged bean agglutinin (WBAII) complexed with methyl-α-D-galactose have been determined at 3.0 Å and 3.3 Å resolution. The subunit structure and dimerisation of the lectin are similar to those of the basic lectin from winged bean (WBAI) and the lectin from Erythrina corallodendron (EcorL). The conformation of a loop and its orientation with respect to the rest of the molecule in WBAII are, however, different from those in all the other legume lectins of known structure. This difference appears to have been caused by the formation of two strategically placed salt bridges in the former. Modelling based on the crystal structures provides a rationale for the specificity of the lectin, which is very different from that of WBAI, for the H-antigenic determinant responsible for O blood group reactivity. It also leads to a qualitative explanation for the thermodynamic data on sugar-binding to the lectin, with special emphasis on the role of a tyrosyl residue in the variable loop in the sugar-binding region in generating the carbohydrate specificity of WBAII

Bifurcation analysis of phytoplankton-fish model through parametric control by fish mortality rate and food transfer efficiency

An Algae-zooplankton fish model is studied in this article. First the proposed model is evaluated for positive invariance and boundedness. Then,the Routh-Hurwitz parameters and the Lyapunov function are used to determine the presence of a positive interior steady state and the criteria for plankton model stability (both local and global). Taylor’s sequence is also used to discuss Hopf bifurcation and the stability of bifurcated periodic solutions. The model’s bifurcation analysis reveals that Hopf-bifurcation can occur when mortality rate and food transfer efficiency are used as bifurcation parameters. Finally, we use numerical simulation to validate the analytical results

MaaSim: A Liveability Simulation for Improving the Quality of Life in Cities

Urbanism is no longer planned on paper thanks to powerful models and 3D simulation platforms. However, current work is not open to the public and lacks an optimisation agent that could help in decision making. This paper describes the creation of an open-source simulation based on an existing Dutch liveability score with a built-in AI module. Features are selected using feature engineering and Random Forests. Then, a modified scoring function is built based on the former liveability classes. The score is predicted using Random Forest for regression and achieved a recall of 0.83 with 10-fold cross-validation. Afterwards, Exploratory Factor Analysis is applied to select the actions present in the model. The resulting indicators are divided into 5 groups, and 12 actions are generated. The performance of four optimisation algorithms is compared, namely NSGA-II, PAES, SPEA2 and eps-MOEA, on three established criteria of quality: cardinality, the spread of the solutions, spacing, and the resulting score and number of turns. Although all four algorithms show different strengths, eps-MOEA is selected to be the most suitable for this problem. Ultimately, the simulation incorporates the model and the selected AI module in a GUI written in the Kivy framework for Python. Tests performed on users show positive responses and encourage further initiatives towards joining technology and public applications.Comment: 16 page

Beyond behaviour as individual choice: a call to expand understandings around social science in health research

The focus of behavioural sciences in shaping behaviour of individuals and populations is well documented. Research and practice insights from behavioural sciences improve our understanding of how people make choices that in turn determine their health, and in turn the health of the population. However, we argue that an isolated focus on behaviour - which is one link in a chain from macro to the micro interventions - is not in sync with the public health approach which per force includes a multi-level interest. The exclusive focus on behaviour manipulation then becomes a temporary solution at best and facilitator of reproduction of harmful structures at worst. Several researchers and policymakers have begun integrating insights from behavioural economics and related disciplines that explain individual choice, for example, by the establishment of Behavioural Insight Teams, or nudge units to inform the design and implementation of public health programs. In order to comprehensively improve public health, we discuss the limitations of an exclusive focus on behaviour change for public health advancement and call for an explicit integration of broader structural and population-level contexts, processes and factors that shape the lives of individuals and groups, health systems and differential health outcomes