Lipid peroxidation in erythrocytes of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Lipid peroxidation by measurement of Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) and antioxidant status by determining the activities of the enzymes, Catalase (Cat), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and the level of Reduced Glutathione (GSH) in the erythrocytes of patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus were investigated. It was observed that the level of TBARS in the erythrocytes was increased by 50% showing a significant generation of free radicals in the erythrocytes of these patients. The activities of both Cat and SOD were enhanced while that of GPx was not altered. The level of GSH was also not changed.     

Evaluation of microsatellite instability in tumors of central nervous system: A pilot study

Microsatellite instability (MSI) characterized by alterations at simple repetitive genomic sequences is a distinct mechanism in tumorogenesis. Central nervous system (CNS) tumors have been reported to exhibit MSI, indicator of defective mismatch repair system with controversies. The present study was undertaken to examine sixteen primary brain and two spinal tumors for MSI at six mono: BAT-26, BAT-40, BAX, TGFßRII, IGFIIR and hMSH3 and four dinucleotide loci: D2S123, D9S1851, D9S283 and D18S58. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done to amplify tumour and blood DNA, analyzed on 8% denaturing Polyacrylamide gel followed by autoradiography. Out of 18 CNS tumors examined, 39% exhibited MSI at BAT-26, BAT-40, D9S1851, D9S283 and D18S58 in tumoral DNA. However, no alteration was observed at BAX, TGFßRII, IGFIIR, hMSH3 and D2S123 loci. Low incidence of MS1-high hypothesizes role of MSI in evolution of CNS tumors but not in cancer initiation or progression.     

Knowledge and Skills Needed by Instructional Designers in Higher Education

In this paper, we sought to address the following research question: What knowledge and skills are needed by instructional designers in higher education to be successful in their roles? We interviewed eight instructional designers from across the United States, all working for institutions of higher education. Using the constant comparative method, we analyzed our data to identify relevant themes. Our results suggest that instructional designers in higher education must have a solid foundation in instructional design and learning theory, possess soft skills and technical skills, and have a willingness to learn on the job. Most instructional designers felt their academic backgrounds assisted them with their job roles, and, in particular, valued their professional experiences. Instructional designers in higher education must also keep abreast of multiple emerging information and communication technologies. We provide a discussion to synthesize our findings. The findings are relevant to professionals, professional academic programs, and professional associations.     

Impact of AR-based collaborative learning approach on knowledge gain of engineering students in embedded system course

Education and Information Technologies - Collaborative learning is the favored approach educators use to inculcate social skills and promote peer interactions in students. Embedded Systems is a...     

Architectural Support for Context-Aware Mobile Learning Applications

Education and Information Technologies - Context-aware mobile learning applications provide learning materials to suit the needs of individual learners. Despite several applications developed,...     

Circadian rhythms

Over the series of articles on circadian rhythms, we saw that living organisms exhibit daily rhythms in multiple behaviours and physiological processes. Although some rhythms may be passive responses to 24 h environmental cycles, many are regulated by endogenous-rhythmgenerating machinery called circadian clocks. We have introduced the concept of circadian clocks, their organization and the underlying molecular mechanisms. In this article, we will dwell upon one of the most fundamental questions pertaining to circadian clocks, ‘Why do we have them?’. The aim of this article is not to provide answers, but to discuss the efforts and strategies used to address this question and critically evaluate explanations proposed till date.     

Analysis of bulked segregants to identify molecular markers linked with cocoon weight and cocoon shell weight in the silkworm <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bombyx mori</Emphasis> L

Two silkworm strains viz, B20 Λ (high cocoon shell ratio) and C. Nichi (low cocoon shell ratio) were sib mated for 10 generations to determine the homozygosis. Both bulked segregant analysis (BSA) and near isogenic lines (NIL) studies were done to identify the RFLP markers closely linked to cocoon shell parameters. Three hundred and fifty-two random clones were identified as the low copy number sequence and used for identification of Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphic (RFLP) marker linked to cocoon weight and cocoon shell character. In the bulk segregant analysis>DNA from the parents (B20 Λ C. Nichi), F₁ and F₂ progeny of high shell ratio (HSR) and low shell ratio (LSR) were screened for hybridization with the random clones. Polymorphic banding pattern achieved through southern hybridization with different probes indicated the probable correlation of polymorphism with high and low cocoon shell character which are possible landmarks in identifying the putative marker(s) for the cocoon shell character. Out of the 100 probes tried with parents, F₁, F₂ and their bulks, 10 probes were found to be closely linked to cocoon shell characters.     

Preparing for the transit of Venus

The upcoming transits of Venus in the years 2004 and 2012 provide an unprecedented opportunity for school and college students to take part in global efforts of recreating historical transit of Venus observations for measuring the Earth-Sun radius. The article summarises a simple understanding of the procedure underlying the determination of this distance, using transit observations and outlines possible co-ordinated activities for student groups.     

The Informational Text Structure Survey (ITS2): An exploration of primary grade teachers’ sensitivity to text structure in young children's informational texts

There has been no research reported about if or how well primary grade teachers can identify information text structures in children's authentic informational texts. The ability to do so accurately and reliably is a prerequisite for teachers to be able to teach students how to recognize and use text structures to assist them in comprehending informational texts. The authors report the development of the Informational Text Structure Survey (ITS²). Prior to training, primary grade teachers demonstrated low accuracy and reliability in identifying traditional expository text structures in well-structured children's grade level–appropriate informational texts. Results after training with the ITS² instrument showed significant improvements in the teachers’ accuracy and reliability in identifying traditional informational text structures in well-structured children's grade level–appropriate informational texts after training with the ITS² instrument.