Curative effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cynodon dactylon</Emphasis> against STZ induced hepatic injury in diabetic rats

The aim of the study was to ascertain the role of ethanolic extract of Cynodon dactylon against hepatic complications in streptozotocin (STZ) induced type 2 diabetic models. Effect of the pre identified most effective dose of 500 mg/kg body weight was studied on hepatic injury caused by chemically induced diabetes by 55 mg/kg body weight i.p. injection of STZ in male Wistar rats. The dose of 500mg/kg body weight given once daily for 14 days reduced the levels of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine and urine sugar significantly (P<0.05) with increase in total protein, haemoglobin and body weight was increased. High LD₅₀ validates its high margin of safety.     

Antidiabetic effect of Withania coagulans in experimental rats

The present study defines the systematic evaluation and the role of minerals in glycemic potential of aqueous extract of Withania coagulans fruits in order to develop an effective and safe alternative treatment for diabetes mellitus. Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy was used for glycemic element detection. The study is based on the results of lowering in blood glucose levels of normal, sub, mild and severely diabetic rats assessed during fasting blood glucose, glucose tolerance test and post prandial glucose studies. The dose of 1000mg/ kg was identified as the most effective dose, which reduces the Fasting Blood Glucose level maximum by 33.2% at 4h in normal rats during fasting blood glucose studies. Glucose tolerance test studies of normal, sub and mild diabetic rats showed the maximum reduction of 15.7, 28.9 and 37.8% at 3h respectively. Long-term study in case of severely diabetic rats showed reduction of 52.9 and 54.1% in Fasting Blood Glucose and Post Prandial Glucose levels respectively after 30 days of treatment. The present study, besides confirming hypoglycemic and antidiabetic activities of aqueous extract of W. coagulans, helps in identifying the role of trace minerals like Mg & Ca responsible for antidiabetic potential of this potent indigenous shrub.     

Analysis of protein posttranslational modifications by mass spectrometry: With special reference to haemoglobin

Mass spectrometry provides a convenient platform for the study of different protein post translational modifications from clinical specimen. Analysis of different post translational modifications of hemoglobin like glycation and glutathionylation can provide useful information on the disease progression and the possible outcome of therapies. In the present study, we have addressed post translational modifications of hemoglobin like glutathionylation and glycation in relation to diabetes and chronic renal failure. We found that both alpha and beta chains of human hemoglobin are glycated irrespective of the extent of glycemia as evidenced by a mass increment of 162 Da. The phenomenon of glutathionylation was observed with only the beta globin chain of hemoglobin probably due to the presence of an accessible cysteine residue indicated by a mass increment of 305 Da. Also, the extent of gltuathionylation observed in the CRF patients could correlate with the severity of the oxidative stress owing to renal replacement therapies like dialysis and transplantation.     

Renal Cell Carcinoma: Molecular Aspects

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of the kidney cancer accounting for more than 85% of the cases of which clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the major histological subtype. The central molecular signature for ccRCC pathogenesis is the biallelic inactivation of VHL gene due to the presence of mutations/hyper-methylation/complete gene loss, which results in the downstream HIF activation. These events lead to increased tyrosine kinase receptor signalling pathways (RAS/MEK/ERK pathway, PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and NF-κB pathway), which through their downstream effector proteins causes the cell to proliferate and migrate. Recent studies have shown that VHL inactivation alone is not sufficient to induce the tumor. Mutations in numerous other genes that codes for chromatin modifiers (PBRM1, SETD2 and BAP1) and signalling proteins (PTEN and mTOR) have been identified along with activation of alternate signalling pathways like STAT and Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) pathway. It has also been shown that STAT pathway also works cooperatively with HIF to enhance the tumor progression. However, SHH pathway reactivation resulted in tumor regardless of the VHL status, indicating the complex nature of the tumor at the molecular level. Therefore, understanding the complete aetiology of ccRCC is important for future therapeutics.     

A nonlinear PID controller based novel maximum power point tracker for PV systems

This paper proposes a novel application of Nonlinear Proportional-Integral-Derivative (NPID) controller to effectively attain Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) in Photovoltaic (PV) systems. The proposed controller is based on the basic structure of the PID controller wherein, its integral term gain is varied at run time according to instantaneous error. The performance of the NPID controller is assessed in terms of undershoot, settling time and ripple which have been evaluated under varying realistic irradiation and temperature profiles. The Teaching Learning Based Optimization (TLBO) tuned NPID controller is found to be superior to TLBO tuned PID, Perturb and Observe and Incremental Conductance classical MPPT methods for all the considered environmental profiles. Therefore, based on the presented comprehensive investigations, it is concluded that the proposed NPID controller is a promising MPPT technique.     

Sport participation: From policy,through facilities,to users’ health,well-being,and social capital

Sport delivery systems, aimed at facilitating sports participation, represent an inter-institutional, cross-sector collaboration. Researchers focusing on the impact of different levels of sport provision from policy, through facilities, to end users remains limited. The authors address this gap in knowledge through a mixed- methods approach to examine sport participation from the perspective of the whole delivery system. Specifically, focusing on a County Sport Partnership region in the UK, the authors examine sport participation from the policy (macro), facility (meso), and end user (micro) levels. Regional heads responsible for sport development and delivery participated in semi-structured interviews, facility-level managers completed a survey, and end-users across public, private, and outsourced facilities participated in focus groups. Results show a clear divergence between the sport policy goals across the private and public sectors, with significant differences observed between facility types on their social and commercial objectives and their prioritized stakeholder groups. The divergence has little impact on user participation or expression of health, wellbeing, and social capital, offering new evidence on the role of neoliberalism in sport delivery systems.     

Effectiveness of the selected techniques in enhancing the achievement in science among the children with learning disabilities： Sharing experiences

In national perception, education is essentially for all. This is fundamental to all-round development, material and spiritual. It refines sensitivities and perceptions that contribute to national cohesion, a scientific temper and independence of mind and spirit--thus furthering the goals of socialism secularism and democracy enshrined in our constitution. The objective of the study focuses on achievement of children with learning disability in science. There are 5 null hypothesis tested in this research. The sample used in this study includes 35 children with learning disabilities in experimental group and 42 children with learning disabilities in control group. The different views taken on special education have ignited spark of controversies over segregating some children from the mainstream and providing them with extra opportunities. There are arguments for and against both special education and integrated education. Special education means the specifically designed instruction that meets the unusual needs of special children. It requires special materials, teaching, techniques, equipment and facilities. The design was an experimental research pre and post-test equivalent group. The research shows that there is no significant difference in all learning objective such as knowledge, comprehension and skill between control group and experimental group in the pre-test. This two sample groups also did not show any significant difference in the pre-test irrespective of gender, educational qualification of the teacher, years of experience of the teacher, parents＇ education, parents＇ profession, parents＇ income, type of management and type of school. On the other hand, for the post-test all the characteristics show that there are significant differences. This shows that there are effects on the treatment group in learning objective. Furthermore the experimental group showed significantly higher gain score than the control group with regard to the learning objective which comprises of knowledge, comprehension, application and skill.     

Rethinking environmental science education from indigenous knowledge perspectives: an experience with a Dene First Nation community

This auto-ethnographic article explores how land-based education might challenge Western environmental science education (ESE) in an Indigenous community. This learning experience was developed from two perspectives: first, land-based educational stories from Dene First Nation community Elders, knowledge holders, teachers, and students; and second, the author’s critical self‐reflections focusing on how land-based education could offer unlearning, rethinking, relearning, and reclaiming ESE. This auto-ethnography provides particular insights into who we are as environmental educators, the challenges in Western ESE, why land-based education matters, why and how a significant move should be made from Western ESE to land-based ESE, and how land-based education offers a bridge between Western and Indigenous education.     

Science teachers accelerated programme model: a joint partnership in the Pacific region

The paper heralds a new pedagogical model known as the Science Teachers Accelerated Programme as a platform to upgrade the qualifications of secondary school science teachers throughout the Pacific region. Based on a tripartite partnership between a higher education provider, a regional government and a cohort of science teachers, the model offers an accelerated Bachelor’s degree programme to the cohort. Using this tripartite partnership model, a pilot of the Science Teachers Accelerated Programme is underway between the University of the South Pacific, the Government of Samoa and a cohort of science teachers in Samoa. The underpinning activities garnering social and academic integration are highlighted with analytics. The strengths, challenges and opportunities of the new, cohort-taught science model are presented with relevant diagnoses, interventions and adaptive works carried out in the first half of the delivery plan. While the Government of Samoa is considering the implementation of a second cycle, the University of the South Pacific is considering extending the model to other regional countries.     

Biochemical Profile of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients in Eastern India with Histopathological Correlation

Aminotransferase assay is often used as a screening test as well as an endpoint for resolution of disease in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship of transaminase level with metabolic variables and histology in NAFLD. Single center observational study was conducted in a gastroenterology clinic at Cuttack in coastal Odisha. Subjects were consecutive patients presenting with functional bowel disease and undergoing abdominal sonography. All participants were evaluated for the presence of metabolic syndrome (MS), insulin resistance, liver function test and lipid profile. Various parameters were compared between NAFLD subjects and controls. 53.5 % of NAFLD had normal serum transaminases, whereas 20.8 % of healthy controls had transaminitis. NAFLD patients had significantly higher BMI, fasting plasma glucose, serum transaminases, serum triglycerides, serum insulin and homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) IR than controls. NAFLD patients who had transaminitis had significantly higher incidence of MS and higher mean HOMA IR than those without. There was no significant difference in histopathological features between NAFLD with and without transaminitis. To conclude, over half of NAFLD subjects do not have transaminitis while transaminitis is present in a fifth of healthy people without fatty liver. Hence serum transaminase should not be used as screening test for NAFLD. NAFLD patients with transaminitis had a higher incidence of MS and insulin resistance than those without. However, there was no significant difference in histopathological features between these two groups.