Development of non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) electrochemical biosensor for energy metabolism studies

PhD ThesisThere are many energy metabolism studies ongoing, including those for cardiovascular diseases and type-2-diabetes. With an increase in people being diagnosed with type-2-diabetes, there should be more ways to monitor not only the blood glucose levels but also the other biomarkers associated with type-2-diabetes. The metabolism biomarkers are essential in understanding the cause of diabetes early on. These biomarkers include: glucose, non-esterified fatty acid, lactate, urea, creatinine, glycosylated haemoglobin and cholesterol. Whilst glucose measurement has a clear role in type-2-diabetes management, the potential value of non-esterified fatty acid has not been explored or highlighted yet. The aim of this project is to develop an electrochemical biosensor for the non-esterified fatty acid in human blood, as non-esterified fatty acid can cause -cell loss in type-2-diabetes. Exploration of this biomarker would be a step forward in increasing research and patient understanding of the dynamic processes involved in establishing good metabolism control. The project uses the enzymes in commercial optical methods for non-esterified fatty acid detection. Oleic acid was used as the standard non-esterified fatty acid in this work. The electrochemical techniques employed are cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Enzyme electrodes were fabricated using the layer-by-layer immobilization of alternating polymer and enzyme combinations on carbon, cobalt phthalocyanine and single wall carbon nanotube screen printed electrodes. A chronoamperometric non-esterified fatty acid sensor was developed with the linear detection range of 0.10 mM to 0.90 mM oleic acid and with a sensitivity of 0.6562 A/mM oleic acid. This sensor was then further fabricated to detect non-esterified fatty acid concentrations in human plasma and serum samples. Commercial UV optical methods were used as method of validation of the blood sample concentrations. This work produced a platform for further non-esterified fatty acid detection studies.EPSRC

The Approach of Data Mining

The concept of data mining is to classify and analyze the given data and to examine it clearly understandable and discoverable for the learners and researchers. The different types of classifiers are there exist to classify a data accordingly for the best and accurate results. Taking a primary data, and then classifying it into different portions of parts, then to analyze and remove any ambiguities from it and finally make it possible for understanding. With this process, that data will become secondary from primary and will called information. So, the classifiers are doing the same strategy for the solution and accuracy of the data. In this paper, different data mining approaches have been used by applying different classifiers on the taken data set. The data-set consists of 500 candidates' segregated data for the analysis and evaluation to perfectly classify and to show the accurate results by using the proposed Algorithms. The data mining approaches have been used in which HUGO (Highly Undetectable steGO) Algorithm, Naïve Bayes Classification, k-nearest neighbors and Logistic Regression are used with the extension of the other classification methods that are Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) as classifiers. These classifiers are given names for further analysis that are Classifier-1 and Classifier-2 respectively. Along with these, a tool is used named WEKA (Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis) for the analysis of the classifier-1 and 2. For performance evaluation and analysis the parameters are used for best classification that which classifier has given best performance and why. These parameters are RRSE (Root Relative Square Error), RAE (Relative Absolute Error), MAE (Mean Absolute Error), and RMSE (Root Mean Square Error). For the best and outstanding accuracy of the proposed work, these parameters have been tested under the simulation environment along with the incorrect, correct classifying and the %age has been witnessed and calculated. From simulation results based on RRSE, RAE, MAE and RMSE, it has been shown that classifier-1 has given outstanding performance among the others and has been placed in highest priority

Algebraic Representation of Social Capital Matrix

This paper proposes a mathematical model based on a Boolean algebra involving a 4×4 social capital matrix [Shah (2008)], that emerges through interaction within and across individuals, communities, institutions and state. The framework provides a coding system for the existence or otherwise of various categories of social interaction. The model illustrates that social interaction can be neatly described in a format that facilitates the interpretation of social intra- and interactions among the four types of players in generating economic activity.Social Capital (Matrix), Linear Space, Interactive Systems, Boolean Algebra

Convergence Model of Governance: A Case Study of the Local Government System of Pakistan

The future of devolution plan in Pakistan may be analysed in view of our Convergence model. This model views stability of the local Govt. system drawn on Devolution Plan 2001. It claims that as there would be more volatile and non-committed (floating) number of agents in the political market and governance system, there is more probability of divergence; i.e. the system will remain unstable. Contrary to that more is the systematic trend in political market and governance system more is the probability that the convergence in the system occurs and that in turn leads to stability of the over all system. In this ‘Convergence’ Model different types of agents have been highlighted on the basis of their political ffiliation and being in competition as ruling elite and/or their allies and non-ruling elite and/or their allies. The agents have interactive relationship horizontally and vertically with other agents i.e. either they are ally or otherwise. The composition of this structure of the agents and clients is based on the principle of bottom top pproach i.e. Union council’s members, Nazim and their political competitors, Tehsil council and Nazim, District Nazim and his allied district assembly members and their political competitors, Member provincial Assembly and their political rivals, Member National Assembly/Senator, and their political rival and the ruling political elites, Provincial Government and their political rivals, and Political elites ruling Federal Government and their political rivals.

Algebraic Representation of Social Capital Matrix

This paper proposes a mathematical model based on a Boolean algebra involving a 44 social capital matrix [Shah (2008)], that emerges through interaction within and across individuals, communities, institutions and state. The framework provides a coding system for the existence or otherwise of various categories of social interaction. The model illustrates that social interaction can be neatly described in a format that facilitates the interpretation of social intra- and interactions among the four types of players in generating economic activity.Social Capital (Matrix), Linear Space, Interactive Systems, Boolean Algebra

Do Transformational Leadership and Employee Learning Orientation Lead to Organizational Innovation? The Moderating Role of Psychological Empowerment

Drawing upon theories of transformational leadership and psychological empowerment, this research tested several hypotheses associating transformational leadership and employee learning orientation with organizational innovation via intervening variable, i.e., employee creativity. Using survey data from administrative and professional employees from public sector in People’s Republic of China (PRC), we found that, as anticipated, transformational leadership and employee learning orientation positively influenced employee creativity, while employee creativity in return positively affected organizational innovation. Whereas, the relationship of transformational leadership and employee learning orientation with employee creativity was moderated by psychological empowerment

Neurosarcoidosis presenting as psychiatric Symptoms: a diagnostic challenge

Among patients having neurosarcoidosis, psychiatric manifestations can be seen in 20% of the patients.Sarcoidosis is extremely rare in Asia, being almost unknown in some countries like China and Southeast Asia.Neurosarcoidosis occurs in approximately 5% of patients with sarcoidosis. Neurosarcoidosis presenting as psychiatric manifestations has rarely been reported. We report a case of a young male who presented with psychiatric symptoms,was diagnosed with neurosarcoidosisand responded well to oral steroids.His symptoms were diffuseheadaches, and feelings of movement of fluid on top of headand certain other vague somatic complaints like body aches, vertigo etc. Such patients are difficult to diagnose as sarcoidosis is rare in our part of the world and symptoms are often nonspecific. A high index of suspicion should be kept to identify these cases. We emphasize the importance of recognizing sarcoidosis in patients presenting with variable neuropsychiatric manifestations

Fiscal, Monetary Policies and Institutions’ Role (Political, Social and Economic) in Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to test the fundamental relationship between fiscal, monetary policies and institutions in Pakistan from 1976 to 2008. These policies are roadmap in the progress of a country. No doubt both these policies are useful tools in the hands of the government to increase the per capita GDP of the country. Such policies depict the performance level of institutions of a country. Better institutions leads to higher level of growth. Institutions perform significant role in the progress of any country. The growth targets can be achieved through institutions. Higher the quality of institutions, higher the performance would be shown by economy. Countries can reach middle-income levels despite some corruption, but further growth requires much better institutions (Easterly, 2001, pp. 234-235, 245-248, Rodrik, 2003, pp. 16-17).Kwiatkowski et al (1992) test is used to test unit root and short run relationship is analyzed through ECM. Auto regressive distributed lags (ARDL) shows that there is long run relationship among growth policies and institutions’ role in Pakistan