Preventing stroke at door step– need for a paradigm shift in delivery of preventive healthcare

Although stroke is a preventable disease, it is increasing globally. Only few risk factors are responsible for much of the leading noncommunicable diseases, yet those remain poorly controlled, despite being the most affordable way of promoting health and preventing disease [1]. Lifestyle modification including cessation of smoking, making aerobic physical activity a routine, certain changes in diet, and aggressive management of risk factors are all part of stroke prevention strategies [2]

Numerical Recipes in Python

Numerical Recipes in Python is to serve as Laboratory Manual of Simplified Numerical Analysis (Python Version): A companion book of the principal book: Simplified Numerical Analysis (Fourth Edition) by Dr. Amjad Ali

Effect of using insect larvae meal as a complete protein source on quality and productivity characteristics of laying hens

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) as a source of protein in layer diets on product performance, egg quality, hatchability, fertility, and sensory characteristics of eggs. The BSFL contained a high percentage of protein (559.9 g kg−1), metabolizable energy (696.3 kcal kg−1), crude fat (18.6 g kg−1), and dry matter (178 g kg−1) and a good balance of amino acids. A total of 54 Arabic strain hens at nine months of age were mixed with nine cocks at 12 months old; all were divided into three treatments. The diets were formulated based on three levels of energy-to-protein ratio: 155, 140, and 170. The BSFL meal was added at 0, 50, and 10 g kg−1 respectively. The results showed that feed intake, weight gain, Haugh unit, and hatchability were not affected by dietary treatments with BSFL. However, there was significant improvement in hen day egg production and hen house egg production due to dietary treatments of BSFL. Also, feed conversion ratio, egg weight, shell thickness, shell weight, egg yolk color, fertility, and egg mass were affected by dietary treatments. In addition, a significant improvement was observed in appearance, texture, taste, and acceptance of eggs of hens fed BSFL at 50 g kg−1. The odor was not affected by dietary treatments. Black soldier fly larvae can be a good source of protein in layer diets

Medical perspective of cupping therapy (Ḥijama): a review

Traditional and alternative medicine practitioners have used cupping therapy for centuries.Growing data suggests that it may help treat disorders that are associated to pain in recentyears. An overview of the use of cupping therapy is provided in this article. One of themost effective treatments for Ilaj bil Tadbeer is hijama. A vacuum is created to eitherrelease blood from beneath the skin's surface or merely suction the area without allowingany blood out in this unique therapeutic method, which involves positioning cup-shapedveins on the body's surface. However, the effects in certain clinical trials were really strong.It is suggested that medical professionals or researchers in order to ascertain the efficacyof hijama in the treatment of various illnesses

A review of medicinal herbs in the management of male infertility

Male infertility can be caused by a variety of factors, including neurohormonal imbalances, reproductive tissue disturbances, and qualitative and quantitative degradation of semen. There is a global decline in male reproductive health, and modern therapeutic options to tackle male infertility are expensive, less accessible and have extended treatment durations and adverse effects. When it comes to male reproductive health, herbal therapies are in a much better position to provide more holistic approaches. As aphrodisiacs, a unique class of herbs defined in herbal pharmacology, nourish and stimulate the body's sexual tissues. A careful evaluation of the current information on drugs and their probable functions in treating male infertility is the purpose of this paper

GROUNDWATER DAMS, GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS AND HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

A groundwater dam is any structure to intercept or obstruct groundwater flow through an aquifer, both natural and artificial, and provide storage for water underground. They are a suitable water supply structure for regions like Pakistan where arid and semi-arid climate conditions are dominated. They can be an alternative solution for conditions when traditional surface dams are not suitable or applicable because of complex geological situation, safety hazards and silting up of dams. However, they cannot be considered for recreation, power generation and as universal method for water supply. By using underground dams for storing water, instead of surface dams, many of the aforesaid problems may be overcome. In addition, besides of their main purpose, providing groundwater storage, underground dams are the most reliable method to prevent saltwater intrusion which is a vital offshore problem. Besides many advantages, there are multiple disadvantages as well; such as inadequate reservoir capacities, more expensive operation costs, and detailed hydrogeological site investigations, aquifer tests before construction. Groundwater dams have been already constructed in several regions around the world, and are not new engineering structures. Historically these kinds of structures were constructed in Roman times in Sardinia and old civilizations in Tunisia of Africa. This paper emphasizes on the significance of this type of structures and reviews the general characteristics and historical development of groundwater dam

The interactive impact of straw mulch and biochar application positively enhanced the growth indexes of maize (Zea mays L.) crop

A two-year experiment was carried out at Shenyang Agricultural University’s research field area in China to evaluate the impact of the combined application of straw mulch (0 and 8 t ha−1) and biochar (0, 4, 12, and 36 t ha−1) on the morphological traits and grain development of rainfed maize during 2018 and 2019. The results showed that straw mulch and different biochar application rates significantly impacted the maize growth index. Compared to non-biochar-treated soils, the introduction of straw mulch improved plant height, stem diameter, leaf area index (LAI), leaves, stem, root, and crop growth rate (CGR), and dry weight of rainfed maize crop. The highest plant height, stem diameter, LAI, leaves, stem, root growth rate, CGR, and dry weight of rainfed maize crop were reported when soil was treated with a higher rate of biochar (36 t ha−1). Biochar increased grain filling rate while decreasing grain filling duration in rainfed maize crops. Our results indicate that straw mulch and biochar-based soil management strategies can improve the rainfed maize growth with the environmental benefits of global warming mitigation. However, due to the wide range of biochar properties, the interactions between straw mulch and biochar should be given special consideration in the maize cropping system

Explaining venture capital and technology commercialization in EU countries through dynamic modeling

Technology commercialization is envisioned as an important indicator of economic growth through academic environment. The assurance of financial capital to accelerate the technology commercialization is a big challenge for European countries and above that, European Venture Capital (VC) market has not been fully exploited according to its potential. Using a dynamic model approach on 21 European Union countries data from 2007 to 2013, we found an empirical stance for an interaction between research and development (R&D) expenditure and VC for accelerating technology commercialization in the form of contemporary patents and startups. The results depict that venture capitalists are more oriented towards startups as compared to patenting activity. The application of dynamic model approach helped to generalize the results across Europe and for other developed countries. Particularly, the study argues that a contemporary knowledge and simulation of VC in framing the innovation system and promising the business formation is much desired. In line with the perspective of innovation led ecosystem, an active contribution and understanding of VC would also be acknowledged. (C) 2018 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.U

Seed pre-treatment in rice reduces damage, enhances carbohydrate mobilization and improves emergence and seedling establishment under flooded conditions

Priming rice seeds (soaking followed by drying) or soaking just before sowing improved emergence from flooded soil, reduced membrane damage from ROS and hastened carbohydrate mobilization. Most benefit was to lines with a superior ability to germinate in flooded soil even when untreated

Effects of Clinacanthus nutans leaf extract on lipopolysaccharide -induced neuroinflammation in rats: A behavioral and 1H NMR-based metabolomics study

Objective: This research revealed the biochemical outcomes of metabolic dysregulation in serum associated with physiological sickness behavior following lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation in rats, and treatment with Clinacanthus nutans (CN). Verification of 1H NMR analysis of the CN aqueous extract proved the existence of bioactive phytochemical constituents’ in extract. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five rats were subjected to unilateral stereotaxic injection of 10 µL LPS (1 mg/mL), while another ten rats were injected with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, 10 µL) as control. Then, 29 parameters of rat behavior related to sickness were tracked by a device software (SMART 3.0.1) on days 0 and 14 of CN treatment. The acquired and accumulated data were analyzed using multivariate data analysis with the SIMCA Software package (version 13, Umetrics AB; Umeå, Sweden). The pattern trends of related groups were documented using PCA and OPLS analysis. Results: A similar ameliorated correlation pattern was detected between improvement in physiological sickness behavior and anti-inflammatory biomarkers by the 1H NMR spectra of the sera following treatment with CN (500 and 1000 mg/kg body weight (bw)) and the control drug (dextromethorphan hydrobromide, 5 mg/kg of rats bw) in rats. Here, 21 biomarkers were detected for neuroinflammation. Treatment with the aqueous CN extract resulted in a statistically significant alteration in neuroinflammation metabolite biomarkers, including ethanol, choline, and acetate. Conclusion: This result denotes that the metabolomics approach is a reliable tool to disclose the relationship between central neuroinflammation, and systemic metabolic and physiological disturbances which could be used for future ethno-pharmacological assessments