20 research outputs found
Inflammation and endothelial function: Direct vascular effects of human C-reactive protein on nitric oxide bioavailability
No full textBackground - Circulating concentrations of the sensitive inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) predict future cardiovascular events, and CRP is elevated during sepsis and inflammation, when vascular reactivity may be modulated. We therefore investigated the direct effect of CRP on vascular reactivity. Methods and Results - The effects of isolated, pure human CRP on vasoreactivity and protein expression were studied in vascular rings and cells in vitro, and effects on blood pressure were studied in rats in vivo. The temporal relationship between changes in CRP concentration and brachial flow-mediated dilation was also studied in humans after vaccination with Salmonella typhi capsular polysaccharide, a model of inflammatory endothelial dysfunction. In contrast to some previous reports, highly purified and well-characterized human CRP specifically induced hyporeactivity to phenylephrine in rings of human internal mammary artery and rat aorta that was mediated through physiological antagonism by nitric oxide (NO). CRP did not alter endothelial NO synthase protein expression but increased protein expression of GTP cyclohydrolase-1, the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin, the NO synthase cofactor. In the vaccine model of inflammatory endothelial dysfunction in humans, increased CRP concentration coincided with the resolution rather than the development of endothelial dysfunction, consistent with the vitro findings; however, administration of human CRP to rats had no effect on blood pressure. Conclusions - Pure human CRP has specific, direct effects on vascular function in vitro via increased NO production; however, further clarification of the effect, if any, of CRP on vascular reactivity in humans in vivo will require clinical studies using specific inhibitors of CRP. © 2005 American Heart Association, Inc
Virtual Machine Placement Using Energy Efficient Particle Swarm Optimization in Cloud Datacenter
No full textEffects of maternal high fat diet and pharmacological intervention on the developmental origins of metabolic & cardiovascular disease
No full textA high fat (HF) diet leads to hypercholesterolemia and predisposes the individual to developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). We hypothesised that mother‘s HF diet before and during pregnancy and lactation can also influence predisposition to CVD in offspring fed a similar diet. The thesis sets out to investigate whether (1) the effects of long-term consumption of a HF diet by the mother predisposes her offspring to developing a CVD/ metabolic syndrome in adult life and (2) pharmacological intervention using statin alleviates the detrimental effects of maternal HF diet on the health of the dams and their offspring. Female C57BL/6 mice were fed either a HF diet (45% kcal fat) or standard chow (C; 21% kcal fat) from weaning through pregnancy and lactation. Pregnant C57/BL6 mice on HF diet were further given pravastatin in the drinking water (5 mg/kg of body weight per day) either short-term (2nd half of pregnancy and during lactation) or long-term (from weaning through to pregnancy and lactation) to lower cholesterol and improve post-weaning maternal blood pressure. Weaned female offspring from each group were then fed either a HF or C diets to adulthood. Body weight, blood pressure, plasma cholesterol, C-reactive protein (CRP) and bone marrow derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) were measured at 24, 28 and 36 weeks post-weaning in different experiments. Histology of the liver and kidneys were performed. Offspring from hypercholesterolemic mothers on HF diet were significantly obese (bodyweight in grams; 17.2+4.2 vs. 13.8+4.7; P<0.05), hypertensive (SBP mmHg; 134+4.2 vs. 117+3.4; P<0.001), less active (distance in cm; 312 + 31 vs. 563 + 45; P<0.001), demonstrated increased lipid laden vacuoles in liver and kidneys; and showed reduced expression of EPC (P<0.05) than offspring from C dams independent of their postnatal nutrition respectively. Pravastatin therapy in HF mothers resulted in abrogation of these variables in offspring independent of post weaning nutrition (P<0.05). The effects were more permanent when the dams were given long-term statin treatment. The study demonstrates that long-term maternal HF feeding from weaning through pregnancy and lactation predisposes offspring to hypertension, raised plasma lipids, fatty liver, kidney disorders, raised CRP and inhibition of EPC numbers and expression in offspring. Pravastatin treatment of these dams inhibits these effects on the offspring and may reduce their risk of later cardiovascular pathophysiology. The findings may have implications for understanding the effects of the ?nutritional transition‘ to higher dietary intake of fat which could lead to increased cardiovascular disease in many societies.<br/
An 'active' passive-filter topology for low power DC/AC inverters
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis presents a new output passive filter for voltage source inverter applications which is based on a shunt connected single tuned filter topology. The proposed circuit has the advantage of tracing harmonic components wherever its location in the frequency spectrum. The change in the harmonic location might be as a result of a change in the inverter operating frequency. Also, the proposed filter achieves harmonic reduction close to the traditional single tuned passive filter. In order to show the superiority of the proposed model, a comparison is introduced with other self tuning harmonic filters showing merits and drawbacks of each technique. The proposed circuit (when integrated in square wave inverter) has also shown a tremendous reduction in the switching losses in comparison with high frequency Pulse Width Modulation inverter. Mathematical analyses showing the design of the proposed filter together with extensive simulation results to verify the design are also introduced. The practical implementation of the system is presented and the results show excellent agreement with the theory and simulation. In order to appreciate the proposed filter a new method for classifying passive power filters is introduced. The review includes a comparison of these configurations showing their merit and drawbacks
Phytotherapeutic Investigation of Major Herbal Steroids to Explore their Potential as an alternative to synthetic steroids
No full textNot availabl
The Defence of Ethnic Identity in Malaysia
No full textThe changing dynamics of interstate conflict in the post-Cold War environment led scholars to debate the relevance of established security theory. While traditionalists maintained that the state-centric theory should retain its primacy, others argued for a security agenda, not only broadened or widened to include other sectors, but one deepened or extended to include the individual and larger societal groupings as referent objects of security. In the 1990s, the Copenhagen Peace Research Institute developed a reformulated and expanded security agenda which recognized five dimensions of security – political, military, economic, environmental and societal. Societal security has been defined as the defence of identity with identity accepted as the way in which communities think about themselves and the manner in which individuals identify themselves as members of a particular community. The Institute’s research on societal security was further expanded by Paul Roe in his 2005 study on ethnic conflict in the Balkan states. The determination of successive Malaysian governments to inculcate Islamic values throughout its infrastructure and society was borne from the inter-communal violence in May 1969, a civil reaction to the unexpected election results. The loss of parliamentary majority, for so long the domain of the Malays, confirmed a significant shift in political power and the increasingly influential role of the non-Malay voice in the political process. The inter-ethnic hostility resulted in a Federation-wide state of emergency and the suspension of parliamentary democracy for 20 months during which time the country was led by the National Operations Council under the leadership of Tun Abdul Razak. The National Operations Council and subsequent administrations progressively introduced policy to restore Malay political supremacy and redress societal imbalance. Despite the obvious success of Malaysia’s social transformation, research has indicated that policy introduced to lessen the economic and social inequality of the Malays has, in effect, led to a polarising of ethnicities. Political historians and analysts are mindful that increasing ethnic tension along with tacit ethnic segregation are salient reminders of the violence of the 1969 ethnic riots. With the theoretical framework on societal security provided by the CPRI, this thesis proposes to analyse the impact of the post-1969 political paradigm on Malaysian society with particular focus on inter-societal relations
International medical travel and the politics of therapeutic place-making in Malaysia
No full textElectronic version excludes material for which permission has not been granted by the rights holderThis thesis examines the shifting relationship between the state and its subjects with regard to responsibility for and entitlement to care. Using Malaysia as a case study the research engages with international medical travel (IMT) as an outcome of the neoliberal retrenchment of the welfare state. I offer a critical reading of postcolonial development strategies that negotiate the benefits and challenges of extending care to non-national subjects. The research draws from relevant media, private-sector and governmental documents and 49 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with IMT proponents and critics representing federal, state and urban governmental authorities, professional associations, civil society, private medical facilities and medical travel agencies in Malaysia’s principal IMT regions (Klang Valley, Penang and Malacca). Across four empirical chapters, the thesis demonstrates how ‘Malaysia’ gets positioned as a destination within a range of imagined geographies of care through a strategic-relational logic of care and hospitality. I argue that this positioning places ‘Malaysian’ subjects and spaces into lucrative global networks in ways that underscore particular narratives of postcolonial hybridity that draw from Malaysia’s ‘developing country’, ‘progressive, moderate Islamic’ and ‘multiethnic’ credentials. In considering the political logics of care-giving, I explore how the extension of care can serve as a place-making technology to re-imagine the state as a provider and protector within a globalising marketplace in which care, increasingly commodified, is tied to the production of new political, social, cultural and economic geographies
BIOETHICS IN INDIA
No full textBioethics for enhanced sustainability -- Editorial preface -- Chennai statement on bioethics -- Biotechnology and the genome -- Ch. 1. The ethical implications of the Human Genome Project and Human Genome Diversity Project / Darryl R.J. Macer -- Ch. 2. Identifying and defining levels and limits of biological life, and evolution / R.N. Sharma -- Ch. 3. Human Genome Project and human rights: a conflict between scientific and ethical responsibilities / E.R. Martin, A.G. Bansode, and P.A. John -- Ch. 4. International ethical and legal regime over human genome diversity research: the search for an alternate source of beliefs / T.R. Sivaramjani -- Ch. 5. Ethical issues in molecular detection of presymptomatic genetic disease, prenatal diagnosis and genetic manipulation / T. Satesh and Y.R. Ahuja -- Ch. 6. Ethical issues in human genetics: anthropological approach / S.A. Abdul Latheef and K.N. Reddy -- Philosophy of Life and Death -- Ch. 7. Reverence for life / D.S. Sheriff -- Ch. 8. Status of human life in/and foetus in Hindu, Christian and Islamic Scriptures / Jayapaul Azariah -- Ch. 9. The fifth kingdom / S. Natarajan and C. Arunachalam -- Ch. 10. Life: a brief philosophical review / George Joseph -- Ch. 11. Scientific and spiritual concepts of death / V.R. Selvarajan -- Ch. 12. Life and human identity: an anthropological approach / K.N. Reddy and S.A. Abdul Latheef -- Ch. 13. Theories of Karma yoga and Bhakti yoga as a part of the philosophy of life / M.V. Subba Rao and T.P. Virajitha -- Biodiversity, religion and human values -- Ch. 14. How do we observe bioethics in biodiversity / H.S. Rose and Charan Joshi -- Ch. 15. Sustenance of biodiversity: an action line through Bhagavad Gita / Dua Kamal Kumar -- Ch. 16. Bhagavad Gita - role of genes and environment in diversity of behaviour / Dua Kamal Kumar -- Ch. 17. Humankind and religion / K.K. Verma and Rashmi Saxena -- Ch. 18. Need for the development of social and spiritual ethics / V.R. Selvarajan Ch. 19. Religion - identity - human values - Indian context / V. Balambal -- Ch. 20. Points of contact between Maimonides Jewish philosophy and Buddhism and implications for bioethics / Frank J. Leavitt -- Ch. 21. Biodiversity and environment - Indian Context / SA. Abdul Latheef and K.N. Reddy -- Medical ethics -- Ch. 22. Persons at the beginning and end of life / John P. Lizza -- Ch. 23. Euthanasia: the final autonomy / T.R. Sivaramjani -- Ch. 24. Societal reaction towards a woman cancer patient / Vanaja S. Kumar and R.P. Surendra Kumar -- Ch. 25. Behavioural malignancy: alcoholism a bleakfuture? / Vanaja S. Kumar -- Ch. 26. Prevalence of HIV in women in Chennai attending antenatal clinics / D. Sudarsanam and S.A. Christian Shirley -- Ch. 27. Embryo research - relevance in the changing context of social medicine / D.S. Sheriff, T. Manopriya and K. Asokan -- Ch. 28. Christian perspectives in medical ethics / M. Gnanapragasam -- Ch. 29. A critique of bioethics with reference to abortion, suicide, euthanasia and Christian response to the right to life / J.S. Santharaj -- Ch. 30. Ethics in the progress of medical science / A.K. Tharien -- Ch. 31. Ethical and social issues in xenotransplantation / Darryl Macer -- Ch. 32. Ethics in allocation of organs for transplantation in humans / D.S. Sheriff -- Ch. 33. S.T.D. / AIDS: social and ethical aspects / R.V. Ramana Rao -- Ch. 34. Philosophy of sex - Sexoscopy and ethics / D.S. Sheriff -- Ch. 35. Philosophy of medicine - dialogics and medicine / D.S. Sheriff -- Ch. 36. Family physician and the patient / D.S. Sheriff -- Ch. 37. Medical humanism / B.M. Hegde -- Ch. 38. Nursing ethics and dialogues between philosophical and religious ethics / Frank J. Leavitt -- Ch. 39. Behind all that glitters / S. Vatsala -- Ch. 40. The iodized salt : myth and reality / S. Vatsala -- Ch. 41. Psychoteratogens: right to retard? / T.S. Vijayakumar and Jayapaui Azariah - Scientific ethics and animal rights -- Ch. 42. Some avoidable issues in bioethics in relation to laboratory animals / Radhakrishna Pillai -- Ch. 43. Ethics of resource management: place of altruism as a human value / T. Ramakrishna -- Ch. 44. Aspects of altruistic behaviour in parent pigeons / K.B. Shenoy and S.N. Hegde -- Ch. 45. Animal liberation philosophy in social context of basic biological research / D.S. Sheriff and T. Manopriya -- Ch. 46. 4R concept and ethical consideration / D. Pandey, A. Dere, S. Shalkh, K. Jha, R. Kulkarnl, S. Tagade, R. Chaure and A. Hajare -- Ch. 47. Ethical considerations on the use of animals in drug research / Selvaraj Laxshmi, Mona Merchant, and Supraja Narsimhan -- Ch. 48. Ethics: a guide or constraint to toxicologists / T.S. Vijaya Kumar and H. Devaraj -- Ch. 49. Assay of toxins using cell cultures: an ethical alternative to animal experimentation / T.S. Rao -- Ch. 50. Bias in ethics? / K. Shanker and R. Ramanibai -- Ch. 51. A scientific approach to life - anthropological approach / S.A. Abdui Latheef, K.N. Reddy and Subramanyam -- Ch. 52. Humankind in predicament / S.A. Abdul Latheef, K.N. Reddy and Subramanyam -- Ch. 53. Ethics behind the sufferings of aquatic animals on pollution stress / B. Sivaramakrishna and K. Radhakrishnaiah -- Ch. 54. Bioethical management of working bullocks in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh / K. Prudhvi Reddy and K. Radhakrishnaiah -- Environmental ethics of large-scale systems oceans -- Ch. 55. Sustainable mariculture for development - Management Issues and Environment Interaction in India / P. Nammalwar -- Ch. 56. Conservation and management of marine biodiversity / S.L. Sasikala -- Ch. 57. Mangrove, bioethics, and the environment / C. Govindasamy, A.G. Viji Roy, C. Prabhahar, S. Valarmathi and J. Azariah -- Ch. 58. Environmental implications of disease treatments in aquaculture / M. Vijayakumaran -- Ch. 59. Present status of sea turtles and their conservation in india / M. Rajagopalan -- Ch. 80. Bromination as an alternative control measure in nuclear power plants / J. Gunasingh Masilamoni, A.G. Viji Roy, Awl Vasu, K.V.K. Nair and J. Azariah -- Ch. 61. Bioethical interactions in relation with power plant design to avoid biofouling and biocorrosion / K.S. Jesudoss, J.G. Masilamoni, Nandakumar, K.V.K. Nair and J. Azariah -- Ch. 62. Temperature tolerance and impact of power plant heated effluents on megabalanus tintinnabulum / K. Samuel Jesudoss, Nandakumar, A.G. Viji Roy, J. Azariah and K.V.K. Nair -- Ch. 63. Bioethics of health and environment / S. Palanichamy -- Ch. 64. Economization vs ecolization / J.P. Arokiam -- Philosophy and environmental science -- Ch. 65. The rights of rocks / Frank J. Leavitt -- Ch. 66. A philosophical critique of reductionism and a plea for a holistic ethic / K. Joshua -- Ch. 67. The Moral and spiritual perception of the beautiful in nature in the poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins / P. Titus -- Ch. 68. Stereotypical analytical concept of life and nature / R.D. Francis, E.R. Martin and A.G. Bansode -- Ch. 69. "Dwelling in the fourfold" Heidegger on science and technology / James Kurien -- Ethical costs and benefits of environmental ethics -- Ch. 70. Environmentally compatible biopesticide for pest management in red gram / V. Padmaja, Gurvinder Kaur and K. Ramesh -- Ch. 71. Chromosomal aberrations in fish inhabiting polluted ecosystem / D. Sudarsanam and A. Ouseph -- Ch. 72. Environmental conflicts with economic values / N. Rajalakshmi -- Ch. 73. Effect of industrial pollution at Chembur on the chlorophyll content of some deciduous trees / S.A. Salgare and Mohd. Anis -- Ch. 74. Perception of environmental ethics of buffalo rearing on the banks of the river Cooum in Chennai, Tamil Nadu / Pamela Sahayadas and Jayapaui Azariah -- Ch. 75. Health care reforms in radiation workers:. a cytogenetic approach / N. Gajendiran, Mary N. Mohankumar and R.K. Jeevanram -- Ch. 76. Pollution load and health of the Cooum river system / Pamela Sahayadas and Jayapaul Azariah -- Ch. 77. Energy and environment / P. Manithamuthu -- Land ethics and ecoethical management -- Ch. 78. Land health: the bioethical approach of the foragers / Nirmal Selvamony and A. Rukmani -- Ch. 79. Health ethics in school environment: towards improved accountability of human life / S. Gopinath, H. Azariah, N.S. Kavitha and K. Latha -- Ch. 80. Prospects for bioethics management of mosquito menace and mosquito born diseases / P. Venkatesan -- Ch. 81. Ethical implication of industrial pollution on the ground water quality / Thomson Jacob, Jayapaul Azariah, Paul Appasamy and Gunar Jacks -- Ch. 82. Bioethical management of ecological resources with reference to Tirupur / N. Vasudevan -- Ch. 83. Ecoethical technology using extracellular enzymes of chrysosporium / N.S. Kavitha, A. Hilda, S. Gopinath and K. Latha -- Ch. 84. Hydrolysis of oils and marine environmental ethics / N.S. Kavitha, A. Hilda, S.Gopinath and K. Latha -- Ch. 85. Environmental risk caused by colorants / K. Latha, A. Hilda, S. Gopinath and N.S. Kavitha -- Ch. 86. Ecological dynamics in the east coast and the alternative approach / Sunny Jose and Gilbert Rodrigo -- Ch. 87. Environmental and human imperatives of pollution recognition and remedies / R.N. Sharma -- Ch. 88. Biologically active plant extracts against euproctis fraterna / M.S. Nalina Sundari -- Ch. 89. Ecology and the future of humankind / C. Govindasamy and Jayapaul Azariah -- Ch. 90. Environment and human health: types of diseases and strategies / M.V. Subba Rao -- Ch. 91. The neem plant, Azadlrachta indica, an important medicinal plant / M.V. Subba Rao -- Ch. 92. Shifting cultivation - a cause for the loss of bioresources In Srungavarapu kota and Pachipenta mandals of Vizianagaram District of Andhra Pradesh / M.V. Subba Pao, A.N.P.S. Madhavi, M. Aruna Kumari, G.S.S.H. Varaprasad, Y.A.V.A.S.N. Maruthi and P. Sunitha -- Ch. 93. Immunization of cattle against ticks / D.P. Banerjee -- Ethics and development -- Ch. 94. The economic administration of biogeo resources in urban cities: a case study of CMDA) / A. Aruna Sivakami and R. Asha -- Ch. 95. Urbanisation and environmental sustainability - A case study in Madras, South India / R. Ramanibai -- Ch. 96. A post-Rio blunder! Are the poor to be saved first or germplasm / Felix A. Ryan -- Ch. 97. Vermiculture and vermicomposting of non-toxic organic solid waste applications In aquaculture / Arunabha Mitra -- Ch. 96. Production of farm vermi-compost using treated tannery effluent water / Lavanya P.G. and J. Venkatakrishnan -- Ch. 99. Bioethics and planet protection / Rolla S. Rao -- Ch. 100. Bio-concept of Tamils / J. Ramachandran -- Ch. 101. Sustainabiiity vs survival: dilemmas for the indigenous people of India / P.J. Sanjeeva Raj -- Ch. 102. Is the grassroots cooperation on environmental health possible among people in conflict? / Frank J. Leavitt -- Bioethics Education -- Ch. 103. Need for a personal, scientific and professional Code of Ethics in Indian science / R.N. Sharma -- Ch. 104. D être an ethical scientist: the art of being between the devil and deep-blue-sea / John S. Kennedy -- Ch. 105. On medical ethics and medical education / Annabelle Rajaseharan -- Ch. 106. Ethics in medical education / Pushpar Dhar -- Ch. 107. Literature and medical ethics / D.S. Sheriff -- Ch. 108. Attitudes and ethics in medicine - undergraduate medical student perceptions / K.P. Kochhar -- Ch. 109. Bioethics and educational conflict: an in-depth analysis of the stumbling blocks of progressive society / A.G. Bansode and E.R. Martin -- Ch. 110. Ethics, education and social development / S. Rajathy and P. Thankappan -- Ch. 111. The need and scope for bioethics in teacher training / V. Usha Sri -- Ch. 112. Towards an adequate basis for bioethics / L.T. Jeyachandran -- Ch. 113. Bioethics education in high schools: an investigation in Tamil Nadu with comparisons to Australia, Japan and New Zealand / Cynthia Pandlan and Darryl R.J. Macer -- Ch. 114. Ethics / Suniti Solomo
A 1-D Convolutional Neural Network with Gradient Mapped Intensity Features for Detection of Mitosis in Histopathological Images
Full text linkThis paper proposes a mitosis detection algorithm that utilizes gradient-mapped intensity (GMI) features integrated into a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1-D CNN) for the classification of mitotic cells in histopathological images. The proposed framework begins by preprocessing the input images through intensity compensation, followed by contrast enhancement using adaptive histogram equalization. Mitosis candidates are subsequently identified using adaptive thresholding techniques and morphological operations. From each detected candidate, GMI features are extracted through gradient estimation in both the x and y directions, construction of gradient histograms, and mapping of gradient magnitudes with corresponding intensity values. These features, derived from the red, green, and blue (RGB) channels, are used to train a 1-D CNN classifier that categorizes the inputs into two classes: mitosis and non-mitosis. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is evaluated using two benchmark datasets, ICPR 2012 and ICPR 2014, with performance measured via precision, recall, and F1-score metrics. The proposed model achieves an F1-score of 0.846, a recall of 0.859, and a precision of 0.863 on the ICPR 2012 dataset, demonstrating competitive performance compared to existing methods
