Understanding Learning Style Variations among Undergraduate Students

A study was conducted in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu state to understand the learning styles of students. The term learning style refers to the way or method or approach by which a student learns. The study explored the possible learning style variations among agricultural, horticultural, engineering and arts & science students and their association with academic achievement. One hundred and twelve students were randomly selected from the four streams and their learning styles were analyzed. In the agricultural and horticultural streams, a majority of the students were auditory learners. They were also found to be predominantly unimodal learners. Overall, it was found that majority of the students were visual learners followed by auditory and kinesthetic style. The highest percentage of kinesthetic learners was found among engineering students. Trimodal learners scored the highest mean percentage of marks. The influence of learning styles on the academic achievements of the students did not show a significant relationship

ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF CAMELLIA SINENSIS MEDIATED COPPER NANOPARTICLES AGAINST HT-29, MCF-7 AND MOLT-4 HUMAN CANCER CELL LINES

Objective: With the advancement in nanotechnology, it is imperative to unearth its applications in medicine. Present investigation deals with the copper nanoparticles biosynthesizing capability of the leaves of medicinally important plant, Camellia sinensis.Methods: The phytosynthesized CuNPs were characterized by EDX, NTA, XRD, SEM, TEM and FTIR analysis. In the current study, we have made attempts to exploit the anticancer ability of the copper nanoparticles against HT-29 colon cancer, MCF 7 breast cancer and MOLT-4 leukemia cancer cell lines via SRB assay. We also carried out the synergistic activity with standard drug Adriamycin (ADR).Results: The synthesis of CuNPs was confirmed using EDX analysis where the presence of a strong optical absorption peak was observed at 1 keV, which is typical for the absorption of metallic copper nanoparticles. According to the results obtained, CuNPs showed good antiproliferative results in a dose dependant manner on HT-29 and MCF-7 cell lines, with 80 µg/ml concentration giving the best result. The synergistic effect of CuNPs+ADR was even better than that of CuNPs alone on all the cell lines. The synergism drug combinations showed highly responsive results on the leukemia cell line compared to individual drugs.Conclusion: Among all the treatments and cell lines studied, the most favorable and responsive antiproliferative impact was recorded for CuNPs+ADR combination treatment at 40µg/ml concentration on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line.Keywords: CuNPs, Camellia sinensis, Anticancer, Sulforhodamine B assay, HT-29, MCF-7, MOLT-4

Classifying the Clique-Width of H-Free Bipartite Graphs

Let G be a bipartite graph, and let H be a bipartite graph with a fixed bipartition (B H ,W H ). We consider three different, natural ways of forbidding H as an induced subgraph in G. First, G is H-free if it does not contain H as an induced subgraph. Second, G is strongly H-free if G is H-free or else has no bipartition (B G ,W G ) with B H  ⊆ B G and W H  ⊆ W G . Third, G is weakly H-free if G is H-free or else has at least one bipartition (B G ,W G ) with TeX or TeX. Lozin and Volz characterized all bipartite graphs H for which the class of strongly H-free bipartite graphs has bounded clique-width. We extend their result by giving complete classifications for the other two variants of H-freeness

Harmonic Amplitude Measures to Note Gender Difference

The present study was taken up with an objective to find whether harmonic amplitude measures can be used to note gender differences. A total of sixty subjects were divided into two groups. Group I consisted of 30 male subjects and group II consisted of 30 female subjects. They were instructed to produce three trials of sustained vowels (/a/, /i/ and /u/). The harmonic amplitude difference measures (H1-H2; H1-A1; H1-A2 and H1-A3) were extracted from Praat software. Results revealed significant difference between male and female subjects for all the harmonic amplitude difference measures. On measuring the difference between male and female subjects, the values ranged from 3.09 to 24.04. The results are discussed with respect to the underlying physiological differences and glottal chink during phonation across gender. Keywords: Spectrum, FFT, Speech synthesis, Gender, Praa

Probing the phosphoinositide 4,5-bisphosphate binding site of human profilin I

AbstractBackground: Profilin is a widely and highly expressed 14 kDa protein that binds actin monomers, poly(L-proline) and polyp hosphoinositol lipids. It participates in regulating actin-filament dynamics that are essential for many types of cell motility. We sought to investigate the site of interaction of profilin with phosphoinositides.Results: Human profilin I was covalently modified using three tritium-labeled 4-benzoyldihydrocinnamoyl (BZDC)-containing photoaffinity analogs of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (Ptdlns(4,5)P2). The P-1-tethered D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P3) modified profilin I efficiently and specifically; the covalent labeling could be displaced by co-incubation with an excess of Ptdlns(4,5)P2 but not with Ins(1,4,5)P3. The acyl-modified Ptdlns(4,5)P2 analog showed little protein labeling even at very low concentrations, whereas the head-group-modified PtdIns(4,5)P2 phosphotriester-labeled monomeric and oligomeric profilin. Mass spectroscopic analyses of CNBr digests of [3H]BZDC-Ins(1,4,5)P3-modified recombinant profilin suggested that modification was in the amino-terminal helical CNBr fragment. Edman degradation confirmed Ala1 of profilin I (residue 4 of the recombinant protein) was modified. Molecular models show a minimum energy conformation in which the hydrophobic region of the ligand contacts the amino-terminal helix whereas the 4,5-bisphosphate interacts with Arg135 and Arg136 of the carboxy-terminal helix.Conclusions: The Ptdlns(4,5)P2-binding site of profilin I includes a bisphosphate interaction with a base-rich motif in the carboxy-terminal helix and contact between the lipid moiety of Ptdlns(4,5)P2 and a hydrophobic region of the aminoterminal helix of profilin. This is the first direct evidence for a site of interaction of the lipid moiety of a phosphoinositide bisphosphate analog with profilin

Autenttiset elementit tulkkauksen opetuksessa opiskelijan näkökulmasta: tulkkina kansainväliselle kohdeyleisölle

Interpreter training traditionally requires internalisation of listening/speaking skills, accurate memory recall, and conceptual thinking and organisational skills, as well as the ability to straddle different cultures and languages. Today’s teacher must consider two additional challenges: the increasing role of English as a Lingua Franca [ELF], and the question of when and how to introduce authentic elements into interpreter training. In our article, we report on our innovative practical experiences incorporating, at an earlier stage, authentic interpreting exercises and settings into our curriculum, whilst grappling with the realities of an audience comprised of ELF speakers. Over two courses, we had our intermediate-level students interpret consecutively for 24 international ELF students who truly did not understand Finnish. We consider our student interpreters’ motivation and identity in this regard, and present our mainly qualitative analysis of our students’ learning diaries and online surveys, noting implications for changes in interpreter training.Interpreter training traditionally requires internalisation of listening/speaking skills, accurate memory recall, and conceptual thinking and organisational skills, as well as the ability to straddle different cultures and languages. Today’s teacher must consider two additional challenges: the increasing role of English as a Lingua Franca [ELF], and the question of when and how to introduce authentic elements into interpreter training. In our article, we report on our innovative practical experiences incorporating, at an earlier stage, authentic interpreting exercises and settings into our curriculum, whilst grappling with the realities of an audience comprised of ELF speakers. Over two courses, we had our intermediate-level students interpret consecutively for 24 international ELF students who truly did not understand Finnish. We consider our student interpreters’ motivation and identity in this regard, and present our mainly qualitative analysis of our students’ learning diaries and online surveys, noting implications for changes in interpreter training

Despite Predominance of Uropathogenic/Extraintestinal Pathotypes Among Travel-acquired Extended-spectrum β-Lactamase-producing Escherichia coli, the Most Commonly Associated Clinical Manifestation Is Travelers' Diarrhea

Background. One-third of the 100 million travelers to the tropics annually acquire extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE), with undefined clinical consequences. Methods. Symptoms suggesting Enterobacteriaceae infections were recorded prospectively among 430 Finnish travelers, 90 (21%) of whom acquired ESBL-PE abroad. ESBL-PE isolates underwent polymerase chain reaction-based detection of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) pathotypes (enteroaggregative E. coli [EAEC], enteropathogenic E. coli [EPEC], enterotoxigenic E. coli [ETEC], enteroinvasive E. coli, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli), and extraintestinal pathogenic/uropathogenic E. coli (ExPEC/UPEC). Laboratory-confirmed ESBL-PE infections were surveyed 5 years before and after travel. Results. Among the 90 ESBL-PE carriers, manifestations of Enterobacteriaceae infection included travelers' diarrhea (TD) (75/90 subjects) and urinary tract infection (UTI) (3/90). The carriers had 96 ESBL-producing E. coli isolates, 51% exhibiting a molecular pathotype: 13 (14%) were DEC (10 EAEC, 2 EPEC, 1 ETEC) (12 associated with TD) and 39 (41%) ExPEC/UPEC (none associated with UTI). Of ESBL-PE, 3 (3%) were ExPEC/UPEC-EAEC hybrids (2 associated with diarrhea, none with UTI). Potential ESBL-PE infections were detected in 15 of 90 subjects (17%). The 10-year medical record survey identified 4 laboratory-confirmed ESBL-PE infections among the 430 travelers, all in subjects who screened ESBL-PE negative after returning home from their index journeys but had traveled abroad before their infection episodes. Conclusions. Half of all travel-acquired ESBL-producing E. coli strains qualified molecularly as pathogens. Extraintestinal and uropathogenic pathotypes outnumbered enteric pathotypes (41% vs 14%), yet the latter correlated more closely with symptomatic infection (0% vs 92%). Despite more ESBL-PE strains qualifying as ExPEC/UPEC than DEC, travel-acquired ESBL-PE are more often associated with TD than UTI.Peer reviewe

Assessment of proximal pulmonary arterial stiffness using magnetic resonance imaging:effects of technique, age and exercise

INTRODUCTION: To compare the reproducibility of pulmonary pulse wave velocity (PWV) techniques, and the effects of age and exercise on these. METHODS: 10 young healthy volunteers (YHV) and 20 older healthy volunteers (OHV) with no cardiac or lung condition were recruited. High temporal resolution phase contrast sequences were performed through the main pulmonary arteries (MPAs), right pulmonary arteries (RPAs) and left pulmonary arteries (LPAs), while high spatial resolution sequences were obtained through the MPA. YHV underwent 2 MRIs 6 months apart with the sequences repeated during exercise. OHV underwent an MRI scan with on-table repetition. PWV was calculated using the transit time (TT) and flow area techniques (QA). 3 methods for calculating QA PWV were compared. RESULTS: PWV did not differ between the two age groups (YHV 2.4±0.3/ms, OHV 2.9±0.2/ms, p=0.1). Using a high temporal resolution sequence through the RPA using the QA accounting for wave reflections yielded consistently better within-scan, interscan, intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility. Exercise did not result in a change in either TT PWV (mean (95% CI) of the differences: −0.42 (−1.2 to 0.4), p=0.24) or QA PWV (mean (95% CI) of the differences: 0.10 (−0.5 to 0.9), p=0.49) despite a significant rise in heart rate (65±2 to 87±3, p<0.0001), blood pressure (113/68 to 130/84, p<0.0001) and cardiac output (5.4±0.4 to 6.7±0.6 L/min, p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: QA PWV performed through the RPA using a high temporal resolution sequence accounting for wave reflections yields the most reproducible measurements of pulmonary PWV

Brain gene expression profiles of Cln1 and Cln5 deficient mice unravels common molecular pathways underlying neuronal degeneration in NCL diseases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL) are a group of children's inherited neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by blindness, early dementia and pronounced cortical atrophy. The similar pathological and clinical profiles of the different forms of NCL suggest that common disease mechanisms may be involved. To explore the NCL-associated disease pathology and molecular pathways, we have previously produced targeted knock-out mice for <it>Cln1 </it>and <it>Cln5</it>. Both mouse-models replicate the NCL phenotype and neuropathology; the <it>Cln1-/- </it>model presents with early onset, severe neurodegenerative disease, whereas the <it>Cln5-/- </it>model produces a milder disease with a later onset.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we have performed quantitative gene expression profiling of the cortex from 1 and 4 month old <it>Cln1-/- </it>and <it>Cln5-/- mice</it>. Combined microarray datasets from both mouse models exposed a common affected pathway: genes regulating neuronal growth cone stabilization display similar aberrations in both models. We analyzed locus specific gene expression and showed regional clustering of <it>Cln1 </it>and three major genes of this pathway, further supporting a close functional relationship between the corresponding gene products; adenylate cyclase-associated protein 1 (Cap1), protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type F (Ptprf) and protein tyrosine phosphatase 4a2 (Ptp4a2). The evidence from the gene expression data, indicating changes in the growth cone assembly, was substantiated by the immunofluorescence staining patterns of <it>Cln1-/- </it>and <it>Cln5-/- </it>cortical neurons. These primary neurons displayed abnormalities in cytoskeleton-associated proteins actin and β-tubulin as well as abnormal intracellular distribution of growth cone associated proteins GAP-43, synapsin and Rab3.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data provide the first evidence for a common molecular pathogenesis behind neuronal degeneration in INCL and vLINCL. Since <it>CLN1 </it>and <it>CLN5 </it>code for proteins with distinct functional roles these data may have implications for other forms of NCLs as well.</p