Performance Evaluation of Reactive Routing Protocols in MANETs in Association with TCP Newreno

We inspect the performance of TCP NewReno protocol for data transfer in Mobile Ad hoc networks (MANETs). Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) protocols and AdHoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) are standard reactive routing protocols widely used in MANETs. In addition we also have to consider Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) as essential for MANETs since it is one of the widely used internet protocol for dependable data transmission. TCP has its variants namely TCP Reno, TCP NewReno , TCP Vegas and TCP SACK. In this paper we are evaluating the performance of DSR and AODV in association with TCP Newreno with respect to various parameters such as Average throughput, instant throughput, residual energy, packet delivery ratio. The ns-2 network simulator was used for simulation

A report on Industrial test services under the COMPAC program from 2002-2003

This report highlights the test services offered between March 2002 to August 2003 under the COMPAC program to various industries engaged in plastics, fibre composites, adhesives etc. It presents the range of materials tested and types of-tests carried out as well as various industries served

Use of cetylpyridinium chloride for the storage of sputum samples and isolation of M. tuberculosis

Of 220 sputum specimens collected from pulmonary tuberculosis patients, 85 were culture positive when the sputum aliquots were stored with cetypyridinium chloride (CPC) and processed on 7th day (CPC method), whereas only 70 were culture positive when the aliquots of the same specimens were stored without CPC and processed by sodium hydroxide (NaOH) method. The difference in the culture positivity was statistically significant. The number of positive, cultures obtained by the CPC method (85) was comparable to that obtained by the NaOH method before storage (95) and the difference was not statistically significant

Bacterial RNA:DNA hybrids are activators of the NLRP3 inflammasome

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is an extracellular pathogen that causes hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. The proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1beta, has been linked to hemolytic uremic syndrome. Here we identify the nucleotide-binding domain and leucine rich repeat containing family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome as an essential mediator of EHEC-induced IL-1beta. Whereas EHEC-specific virulence factors were dispensable for NLRP3 activation, bacterial nucleic acids such as RNA:DNA hybrids and RNA gained cytosolic access and mediated inflammasome-dependent responses. Consistent with a direct role for RNA:DNA hybrids in inflammasome activation, delivery of synthetic EHEC RNA:DNA hybrids into the cytosol triggered NLRP3-dependent responses, and introduction of RNase H, which degrades such hybrids, into infected cells specifically inhibited inflammasome activation. Notably, an E. coli rnhA mutant, which is incapable of producing RNase H and thus harbors increased levels of RNA:DNA hybrid, induced elevated levels of NLRP3-dependent caspase-1 activation and IL-1beta maturation. Collectively, these findings identify RNA:DNA hybrids of bacterial origin as a unique microbial trigger of the NLRP3 inflammasome

Financial Satisfaction of Older Person in Bukit Cerakah Selangor, Malaysia

The aging of human society is rapidly becoming a worldwide phenomenon, and now the world as a whole is ageing. The number of the world’s older persons has increased dramatically from only 205 million persons aged 60 years and older in 1950 to 2 billion by 2050. Research on financial satisfaction of older people outside Malaysia has been well documented, but our understanding of this issue in Malaysia remains limited. The present paper present the result of a cross-sectional survey conducted in rural Selangor, Malaysia, to analyze the financial satisfaction of older people. More specifically, the present paper analyzes: (1), demographic and socioeconomic profiles of older persons in rural Selangor Malaysia; (2), income status of older people in rural Selangor Malaysia; (3), level of financial satisfaction of older person, and (4), the importance of financial support from children among older people in rural Selangor Malaysia. This study was conducted in the village of Bukit Cerakah, one of the rural areas in the state of Selangor. This paper is basically employed a descriptive research design. It is used when a researcher seeks a better understanding and measure how variables are naturally distributed. There were 70 older persons aged 50 years and older were chosen through convenience sampling. Data were collected through structured and unstructured interviews with research participants, coupled with observations on their daily lives. Data were analyzed using descriptive and thematic approach. Results of the study revealed that: (1), older persons in this survey are 41 female, and 29 male, young old, aged between 69 or below. 60 of them reported as having primary or secondary school certificate and above, not working and still married; (2), there is substantial variation in their monthly income; from RM200 up to RM3000 per month. Only 44 of them have a monthly income of more than RM870, above poverty line income; (3), the number of older persons who satisfied and not satisfied with their financial situation are almost the same; and (4), there are 55 of older persons perceived financial support from children are important, or very important. To conclude, adult children are very important to older persons. The responsibility of adult children in the study area to support their elderly parents financially is still observed in the study area. Keywords: population ageing; older persons; rural areas; financial satisfaction; well-bein

Damage function for historic paper. Part I: Fitness for use

Background In heritage science literature and in preventive conservation practice, damage functions are used to model material behaviour and specifically damage (unacceptable change), as a result of the presence of a stressor over time. For such functions to be of use in the context of collection management, it is important to define a range of parameters, such as who the stakeholders are (e.g. the public, curators, researchers), the mode of use (e.g. display, storage, manual handling), the long-term planning horizon (i.e. when in the future it is deemed acceptable for an item to become damaged or unfit for use), and what the threshold of damage is, i.e. extent of physical change assessed as damage. Results In this paper, we explore the threshold of fitness for use for archival and library paper documents used for display or reading in the context of access in reading rooms by the general public. Change is considered in the context of discolouration and mechanical deterioration such as tears and missing pieces: forms of physical deterioration that accumulate with time in libraries and archives. We also explore whether the threshold fitness for use is defined differently for objects perceived to be of different value, and for different modes of use. The data were collected in a series of fitness-for-use workshops carried out with readers/visitors in heritage institutions using principles of Design of Experiments. Conclusions The results show that when no particular value is pre-assigned to an archival or library document, missing pieces influenced readers/visitors’ subjective judgements of fitness-for-use to a greater extent than did discolouration and tears (which had little or no influence). This finding was most apparent in the display context in comparison to the reading room context. The finding also best applied when readers/visitors were not given a value scenario (in comparison to when they were asked to think about the document having personal or historic value). It can be estimated that, in general, items become unfit when text is evidently missing. However, if the visitor/reader is prompted to think of a document in terms of its historic value, then change in a document has little impact on fitness for use

Stratifying low level Isoniazid resistance using additional intermediate drug concentration

AbstractIsoniazid (INH) susceptibility testing for 100 Mycobacterium tuberculosis performed by conventional minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method was stratified using additional drug concentrations. Introduction of additional drug concentrations did not greatly improve the discriminatory capacity, but can be used in specialized studies pertaining to cross resistance between structural analogues of INH

Performance indicators of fluorescence microscopy for sputum samples in pulmonary tuberculosis

AbstractTo get insight into the sensitivity of fluorescence microscopy for diagnostic and follow-up sputum samples from pulmonary tuberculosis patients in clinical trials, the yield of smear positivity – among culture positive sputum samples – encountered in diagnostic and follow-up samples was retrospectively analyzed from the data available in a mycobacteriology laboratory in India. The sensitivity of fluorescence microscopy for diagnostic and follow-up samples respectively was found to be 94.3% and 60.7%. With these values as guidelines, the performance of fluorescence microscopy in the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis under DOTS plus program remains to be monitored and studied

Optimization of the conventional minimum inhibitory concentration method for drug susceptibility testing of ethionamide

AbstractEvaluation of newer methods and optimization of existing methods for the susceptibility testing of second-line drugs, especially ethionamide, are essential when treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is warranted. The ideal method must clearly demarcate sensitive from resistant strains. Hence, optimization of the conventional minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method was attempted using diluted inoculum. The optimized MIC method was evaluated using 206 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from new and previously treated tuberculosis patients and were compared with the conventional MIC method and proportion sensitivity (PST) method. The sensitivity and specificity of the optimized MIC method in comparison with the PST method was 74% and 90%. Assessment of the optimized MIC method with the conventional MIC method gave a sensitivity of and specificity of 73% and 98%. Overall agreement between the methods was found to be ⩾80%. Endowed with the ability to identify the resistant strains precisely, the optimized MIC method can be used for screening resistance to ethionamide

Activation of caspase-1 by the NLRP3 inflammasome regulates the NADPH oxidase NOX2 to control phagosome function

Phagocytosis is a fundamental cellular process that is pivotal for immunity as it coordinates microbial killing, innate immune activation and antigen presentation. An essential step in this process is phagosome acidification, which regulates a number of functions of these organelles that allow them to participate in processes essential to both innate and adaptive immunity. Here we report that acidification of phagosomes containing Gram-positive bacteria is regulated by the NLRP3-inflammasome and caspase-1. Active caspase-1 accumulates on phagosomes and acts locally to control the pH by modulating buffering by the NADPH oxidase NOX2. These data provide insight into a mechanism by which innate immune signals can modify cellular defenses and establish a new function for the NLRP3-inflammasome and caspase-1 in host defense