Transcriptional approach to study porcine tracheal epithelial cells individually or dually infected with swine influenza virus and Streptococcus suis

Background: Swine influenza is a highly contagious viral infection in pigs affecting the respiratory tract that can have significant economic impacts. Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is one of the most important post-weaning bacterial pathogens in swine causing different infections, including pneumonia. Both pathogens are important contributors to the porcine respiratory disease complex. Outbreaks of swine influenza virus with a significant level of co-infections due to S. suis have lately been reported. In order to analyze, for the first time, the transcriptional host response of swine tracheal epithelial (NPTr) cells to H1N1 swine influenza virus (swH1N1) infection, S. suis serotype 2 infection and a dual infection, we carried out a comprehensive gene expression profiling using a microarray approach. Results: Gene clustering showed that the swH1N1 and swH1N1/S. suis infections modified the expression of genes in a similar manner. Additionally, infection of NPTr cells by S. suis alone resulted in fewer differentially expressed genes compared to mock-infected cells. However, some important genes coding for inflammatory mediators such as chemokines, interleukins, cell adhesion molecules, and eicosanoids were significantly upregulated in the presence of both pathogens compared to infection with each pathogen individually. This synergy may be the consequence, at least in part, of an increased bacterial adhesion/invasion of epithelial cells previously infected by swH1N1, as recently reported. Conclusion: Influenza virus would replicate in the respiratory epithelium and induce an inflammatory infiltrate comprised of mononuclear cells and neutrophils. In a co-infection situation, although these cells would be unable to phagocyte and kill S. suis, they are highly activated by this pathogen. S. suis is not considered a primary pulmonary pathogen, but an exacerbated production of proinflammatory mediators during a co-infection with influenza virus may be important in the pathogenesis and clinical outcome of S. suis-induced respiratory diseases.

Fundamental Approach to Valuation of Securities -A Study with reference to Information Technology(IT) Sector Shares in Indian Stock Market

Department of Applied Economics,Cochin University of Science and Technology

An Alternative Approach To Computer System Security Monitoring And Enhancement Through System Call Sequence Analysis

Modern computer systems are plagued with stability and security problems: applications lose data, web servers are hacked, and systems crash under heavy load. Many of these problems or anomalies arise from rare program behavior caused by attacks or errors. A substantial percentage of the web-based attacks are due to buffer overflows. Many methods have been devised to detect and prevent anomalous situations that arise from buffer overflows. The current state-of-art of anomaly detection systems is relatively primitive and mainly depend on static code checking to take care of buffer overflow attacks. For protection, Stack Guards and I-leap Guards are also used in wide varieties.This dissertation proposes an anomaly detection system, based on frequencies of system calls in the system call trace. System call traces represented as frequency sequences are profiled using sequence sets. A sequence set is identified by the starting sequence and frequencies of specific system calls. The deviations of the current input sequence from the corresponding normal profile in the frequency pattern of system calls is computed and expressed as an anomaly score. A simple Bayesian model is used for an accurate detection.Experimental results are reported which show that frequency of system calls represented using sequence sets, captures the normal behavior of programs under normal conditions of usage. This captured behavior allows the system to detect anomalies with a low rate of false positives. Data are presented which show that Bayesian Network on frequency variations responds effectively to induced buffer overflows. It can also help administrators to detect deviations in program flow introduced due to errors.

Current-density-functional approach to large quantum dots in intense magnetic fields

Within current-density-functional theory, we have studied a quantum dot made of 210 electrons confined in a disk geometry. The ground state of this large dot exhibits some features as a function of the magnetic field (Beta) that can be attributed in a clear way to the formation of compressible and incompressible states of the system. The orbital and spin angular momenta, the total energy, ionization and electron chemical potentials of the ground state, as well as the frequencies of far-infrared edge modes are calculated as a function of Beta, and compared with available experimental and theoretical results.

Theoretical approach to the magnetostructural correlations in spin-Peierls compound CuGeO3

A theoretical density-functional study has been carried out to analyze the exchange coupling in the chains of CuGeO3 using discrete models. The results show a good agreement with the experimental exchange coupling constant (J) together with a strong dependence of J with the Cu-O-Cu angle. The calculation of the J values for a distorted model indicates a larger degree of dimerization than those reported previously.

Variational Wigner-Kirkwood approach to relativistic mean field theory

The recently developed variational Wigner-Kirkwood approach is extended to the relativistic mean field theory for finite nuclei. A numerical application to the calculation of the surface energy coefficient in semi-infinite nuclear matter is presented. The new method is contrasted with the standard density functional theory and the fully quantal approach.

Arbitrage Pricing Theory and Return Generating Process: A Macroeconomic Approach to Indian Stock Market

A study focusing on the identification of return generating factors and to the extent of their influence on share prices the outcome will be a tool for investment analysis in the hands of investors portfolio managers and mutual funds who are mostly concerned with changing share prices. Since the study takes into account the influence of macroeconomic variables on variations in share returns by using the outcome the government can frame out suitable policies on long term basis and that will help in nurturing a healthy economy and resultant stock market. As every company management tries to maximize the wealth of the share holders a clear idea about the return generating variables and their influence will help the management to frame various policies to maximize the wealth of the shareholders.

A Reinforcement Learning Approach to Economic Dispatch using Neural Networks

This paper presents a Reinforcement Learning (RL) approach to economic dispatch (ED) using Radial Basis Function neural network. We formulate the ED as an N stage decision making problem. We propose a novel architecture to store Qvalues and present a learning algorithm to learn the weights of the neural network. Even though many stochastic search techniques like simulated annealing, genetic algorithm and evolutionary programming have been applied to ED, they require searching for the optimal solution for each load demand. Also they find limitation in handling stochastic cost functions. In our approach once we learn the Q-values, we can find the dispatch for any load demand. We have recently proposed a RL approach to ED. In that approach, we could find only the optimum dispatch for a set of specified discrete values of power demand. The performance of the proposed algorithm is validated by taking IEEE 6 bus system, considering transmission losses

Simple approach to determine resonant frequencies of microstrip antennas

A simple approach for accurate determination of the resonant frequencies of microstrip antennas of regular geometries is developed and presented. In this approach, a generalised empirical formula for the computation of effective dielectric permittivity is given which takes into account the ratio of the fringing area to the area of the patch. A correction to the equivalent side length of an equilateral triangular patch, previously published, is modified and a new formula is given. A correction to the effective dimensions of an elliptical microstrip antenna is also carried out. Numerical results obtained for the resonant frequencies of elliptical, circular, rectangular and equilateral-triangular microstrip antennas are in good agreement with the available theoretical and experimental results reported by others. The present approach is more efficient, simpler and more accurate

A socio friendly approach to the analysis of emotive speech

This paper describes certain findings of intonation and intensity study of emotive speech with the minimal use of signal processing algorithms. This study was based on six basic emotions and the neutral, elicited from 1660 English utterances obtained from the speech recordings of six Indian women. The correctness of the emotional content was verified through perceptual listening tests. Marked similarity was noted among pitch contours of like-worded, positive valence emotions, though no such similarity was observed among the four negative valence emotional expressions. The intensity patterns were also studied. The results of the study were validated using arbitrary television recordings for four emotions. The findings are useful to technical researchers, social psychologists and to the common man interested in the dynamics of vocal expression of emotions