A report on the global effects of internet fragmentation

The Internet since its conception has been revolutionizing the way people think, do business and communicate (FCC, 2013). Hostility to the current multistakeholder Internet governance model in the geopolitical environment has been a significant contributor to the reconfiguration of the Internet’s openness. A potential result of these tensions is Internet fragmentation (Chadwick, 2009; BBC, 2005; Arthur, 2012). Internet fragmentation is a rising concern globally mainly due to issues regarding the control of the Internet. This topic is being discussed at international summits and conferences, and a possible fragmentation of the Internet is becoming a reality. Governments, global businesses and other stakeholders have diverse and conflicting viewpoints on how the Internet should be governed. The main governing body of the Internet, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), has raised awareness of this issue in order to protect this open source of free flowing information. They have commissioned a team of students from the University of Greenwich in the MA/MBA International Business programme to conduct exploratory research to understand the potential impact of Internet fragmentation on the current structure of stakeholder authority. This project consists of four parts: An analysis of the social and political effects of fragmentation; an analysis of the effects of fragmentation on international trade through blockmodeling; Internet Fragmentation and its influence on global trade through interpretive analysis; and an assessment of the impact of Internet fragmentation on international business operations

Chinese investment in the Sierra Leone telecommunications sector: international financial institutions, neoliberalism and organisational fields

The article investigates the relationship between the Sierra Leonean government and international financial institutions in financial lending for the development of the country’s telecommunications infrastructure. The authors address two interrelated topics: 1) efforts by African countries to free themselves from Western-dominated programmes of neoliberal reform exercised through lending agreements; 2) an evolving economic relationship between African countries and China, particularly with respect to an emerging form of unequal exchange, and a false sense of empowerment in negotiation by African countries. Using the organisational field as a conceptual framework in the context of neoliberalism, the authors examine the power dynamics between foreign capital and Sierra Leone to understand how these relationships are affected and transformed by the availability of China as an alternative source of investment. They find evidence to support the coexistence and interdependency of multiple organisational fields that are affected by field-level changes yielding social, political and economic consequences for all the actors

Title-molecular diagnostics of dystrophinopathies in Sri Lanka towards phenotype predictions: an insight from a South Asian resource limited setting

Background: The phenotype of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) patients is determined by the type of DMD gene variation, its location, effect on reading frame, and its size. The primary objective of this investigation was to determine the frequency and distribution of DMD gene variants (deletions/duplications) in Sri Lanka through the utilization of a combined approach involving multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) followed by Multiplex Ligation Dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) and compare to the international literature. The current consensus is that MLPA is a labor efficient yet expensive technique for identifying deletions and duplications in the DMD gene. Methodology: Genetic analysis was performed in a cohort of 236 clinically suspected pediatric and adult myopathy patients in Sri Lanka, using mPCR and MLPA. A comparative analysis was conducted between our findings and literature data. Results: In the entire patient cohort (n = 236), mPCR solely was able to identify deletions in the DMD gene in 131/236 patients (DMD-120, BMD-11). In the same cohort, MLPA confirmed deletions in 149/236 patients [DMD-138, BMD -11]. These findings suggest that mPCR has a detection rate of 95% (131/138) among all patients who received a diagnosis. The distal and proximal deletion hotspots for DMD were exons 45–55 and 6–15. Exon 45–60 identified as a novel in-frame variation hotspot. Exon 45–59 was a hotspot for BMD deletions. Comparisons with the international literature show significant variations observed in deletion and duplication frequencies in DMD gene across different populations. Conclusion: DMD gene deletions and duplications are concentrated in exons 45–55 and 2–20 respectively, which match global variation hotspots. Disparities in deletion and duplication frequencies were observed when comparing our data to other Asian and Western populations. Identified a 95% deletion detection rate for mPCR, making it a viable initial molecular diagnostic approach for low-resource countries where MLPA could be used to evaluate negative mPCR cases and cases with ambiguous mutation borders. Our findings may have important implications in the early identification of DMD with limited resources in Sri Lanka and to develop tailored molecular diagnostic algorithms that are regional and population specific and easily implemented in resource limited settings

Chinese investment in Sierra Leone telecommunications: an affront to the West?

The chapter is written for an edited volume on the Chinese development model in Africa (Routledge). Using DiMaggio and Powell's (1983) three mechanisms of institutional isomorphic change, we examine the extent to which increased Chinese investment in Africa has resulted in shifts in the organisational field and hence a change in the relationship between African nation-states and the (traditional) international funding organisations (such as IMF and WB). We are using an ongoing dispute between the Sierra Leonean government and the World Bank as a case study, which has resulted in the World Bank's suspension of a major ICT infrastructure project. This is a qualitative study that argues that African countries are becoming increasingly emboldened in their relationship with the West and its institutions because of alternative funding sources

Clinical and histopathologic parameters in survival of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the relevance of clinical and histopathologic parameters on survival of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients in Sri Lanka. Study Design. A cohort of 193 previously diagnosed OSCC patients were followed for up to 5 years. Clinical and histopathologic parameters were analyzed regarding local recurrence and 5-year survival after treatment. Results. Site, stage, local recurrence, degree of differentiation, degree of keratinization, pattern of invasion, and status of the excision margins showed a significant association with the 5-year survival (P<.05). Multivariate analysis identified stage, pattern of invasion, and status of the excision margins as true independent prognostic indicators of OSCC. Pattern of invasion was the best prognosticator of both local recurrence and overall survival in the Cox regression model (P<.001). Conclusions. Stage, pattern of invasion, and status of the excision margins are superior prognostic indicators of OSCC compared with other parameters. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Semantic Communication Based Video Coding Using Temporal Prediction of Deep Neural Network Parameters

Video coding is a critical capability that underpins gaming, entertainment and media ecosystems, enabling effective use of video content in both conventional and non-conventional formats. Semantic communications, where semantics alone can be used to reconstruct media content provided that the context of semantic extraction is known, can effectively implement video coding, but techniques to exploit temporal correlations between video frames to achieve better rate distortion performance with them are just beginning to evolve. A novel approach for this problem of predicting the semantic decoder parameters using temporal correlation is proposed and tested using an autoencoder-based semantic communication system, and the performance is compared with the Neural Network Encoder- Decoder (NNCodec). Experimental results show that it achieves significantly better rate distortion performance compared to NNCodec alone, with PSNR gains between 3 and 25 dB depending on the complexity of the video and an average bitrate saving of 54%

Pulmonary haemorrhage as a frequent cause of death among patients with severe complicated Leptospirosis in Southern Sri Lanka.

BackgroundLeptospirosis is a tropical disease associated with life threatening complications. Identifying clinical and investigation-based parameters that predict mortality and morbidity is vital to provide optimal supportive care.MethodsWe conducted an observational study in an endemic setting, in the southern Sri Lanka. Consecutive patients having complicated leptospirosis were recruited over 18 months. Clinical, investigational and treatment data were collected and the predictors of mortality were analysed.ResultsOut of 88 patients having complicated leptospirosis, 89% were male. Mean age was 47yrs (±16.0). Among the total major complications 94.3% had acute kidney injury, 38.6% pulmonary haemorrhages, 12.5% fulminant hepatic failure, 60.2% hemodynamic instability and 33% myocarditis. An acute significant reduction of haemoglobin (Hb) was observed in 79.4% of patients with pulmonary haemorrhage. The mean of the highest haemoglobin reduction in patients with pulmonary haemorrhage was 3.1g/dL. The presence of pulmonary haemorrhage (PH) and hemodynamic instability within first 48 hours of admission significantly predicted mortality (pConclusionsWithin first 48 hours of admission, major complications such as pulmonary haemorrhage and haemodynamic instability and other parameters such as atrial fibrillation, acute haemoglobin reduction, elevated SGOT level could be used as early parameters predictive of mortality in severe leptospirosis. PH and FHF during the first week of admission in leptospirosis are associated with high morbidity and mortality requiring prolonged ICU care and hospitalisation. Above parameters could be used as parameters indicating severity for triaging and intensifying treatment. Using ECMO is a plausible treatment option in patients with severe pulmonary haemorrhage

Integrated genomic, proteomic and cognitive assessment in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy suggest astrocyte centric pathology

Introduction: Documented Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) biomarkers are confined to Caucasians and are poor indicators of cognitive difficulties and neuropsychological alterations. Materials and methods: This study correlates serum protein signatures with cognitive performance in DMD patients of South Asian origin. Study included 25 DMD patients aged 6–16 years. Cognitive profiles were assessed by Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Serum proteome profiling of 1317 proteins was performed in eight DMD patients and eight age-matched healthy volunteers. Results: Among the several novel observations we report, better cognitive performance in DMD was associated with increased serum levels of MMP9 and FN1 but decreased Siglec-3, C4b, and C3b. Worse cognitive performance was associated with increased serum levels of LDH-H1 and PDGF-BB but reduced GDF-11, MMP12, TPSB2, and G1B. Secondly, better cognitive performance in Processing Speed (PSI) and Perceptual Reasoning (PRI) domains was associated with intact Dp116, Dp140, and Dp71 dystrophin isoforms while better performance in Verbal Comprehension (VCI) and Working Memory (WMI) domains was associated with intact Dp116 and Dp140 isoforms. Finally, functional pathways shared with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) point towards an astrocyte-centric model for DMD. Conclusion: Astrocytic dysfunction leading to synaptic dysfunction reported previously in AD may be a common pathogenic mechanism underlying both AD and DMD, linking protein alterations to cognitive impairment. This new insight may pave the path towards novel therapeutic approaches targeting reactive astrocytes