PERCEPTION AND USAGE OF HEALTH INFORMATION SOURCES AND SERVICES AMONG THE URBAN COMMUNITY USERS OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES: A CASE STUDY OF BHADRAVATHI

The study examined the perception and usage of health information sources and services by the urban community users of public libraries. The study investigated 110 users from two public libraries in Bhadravathi. Findings revealed that majority of the users not enrolling library membership. 44.54% of users were visit library daily and large numbers of respondents were get health information through newspaper followed by television, advertisements and pamphlet/brochures. Education and sports were the most frequently preferred topics by the users. Arogya column published by Prajavani Kannada newspaper was most preferred newspaper column for getting health information by the users followed by VK Health column published by Vijaya Karnataka was stood in 2nd position to get health information by the users. Most of the users preferred Sudha, Gruhashobha and Taranga magazines to get health information. Stimulatingly, large number of the users frequently listen health related programs in Radio. The study also revealed that most of the users were aware about H1N1, DPT, Polio, BCG, TT, AIDS Control, 108 Arogya Kavacha, Malaria Cholera Dengue, Family Planning, Chicken Gunya district health programs of Karnataka state

Search in weighted complex networks

We study trade-offs presented by local search algorithms in complex networks which are heterogeneous in edge weights and node degree. We show that search based on a network measure, local betweenness centrality (LBC), utilizes the heterogeneity of both node degrees and edge weights to perform the best in scale-free weighted networks. The search based on LBC is universal and performs well in a large class of complex networks.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, minor changes, added a referenc

NATURAL REGENeRATION IN KEKILLA FERNLANDS IN THE PERIPHERY OF SINHARAJA WORLD HERITAGE SITE

In tropical moist climate Dicranopteris !inearis (Kekilla) fernland can develop as a resultof rain forest clearance followed by frequent burning. In Sri Lanka D. linearis fernlandsare capable of suppressing the natural regeneration of rain forest. Sinha raja WorldHeritage Site is one of the least disturbed and biologically unique lowland rain forest nowremaining in Sri Lanka. Some areas of the periphery of Sinharaja are covered with Dlenearis fern. Natural regeneration dynamics of soil seed banks need to be studied as apossible source of regeneration for forest restoration in these fern lands.This study was carried out to understand the natural regeneration of soil seed bank inKekilla fernland with reference to surface soil disturbance and trophographic levels in theperiphery of Sinharaja World Heritage Site.Three sites of Kekilla fernlands were selected for the study. Two surface soil disturbancetreatments were applied to each site. The first treatment (Root Removal) was applied at thebeginning of the study. The next treatment (Till) was applied to each site after six monthsfrom the first treatment. Seeds in the soil were allowed to germinate and seedlings werecounted once in two weeks during the first four months. After four months the seedlingswere recorded once a month. Transectswere laid out in each site to understand the floristiccomposition in surrounding vegetation of D. lenearis fernlands.Seedlings of 35 taxa were identified during the period of study. The study revealed thatboth soil disturbance treatments can facilitate the establishment of herbs, shrubs and treesin the fern land dominated by D. lenearis. Results showed that herbs, shrubs, grassesrepresented the greater proportions of seedling recruitment than pioneer trees. Seedlings ofprimary forest species were not existentSpecies composition of soil seed bank ill three-tophographic positions was not significantlydifferent. Numbers of species and seedling density were greatest in root removal treatment.Seedlings of primary forest species found in surrounding vegetation were not regeneratingin the plots studied. Only few pioneer tree seedlings were found in the plots, representingsurrounding vegetation of Kekilla fernland.

Evaluation of the undergraduate family medicine programme of Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya : quantitative and qualitative student feedback

Background: Worldwide there is an increasing emphasis on the importance of primary care. The ministry of health Sri Lanka issued a directive in 2016 that training of doctors in primary care should be strengthened. Medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya follow a 1 month long clinical appointment in family medicine in their fourth year of study. Methods: Feedback is taken from students on completion of the appointment. Half the students from each group complete a pre tested structured feedback questionnaire that consists of answers to questions based on a likert scale with a space for free comments. The other half provide qualitative feedback. In this evaluation data were gathered from 185 (98%) students from all eight clinical groups throughout the year 2016. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 22. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data from the Round Robin activity and free comments from the questionnaire. Results: The qualitative feedback provided a richer indepth overview of student ideas on the appointment compared to the quantitative data. In reflection of a desire for learning to be of relevance students wanted clinically oriented teaching focused on management. They preferred active teaching learning methods such as the opportunity to conduct consultations and receive immediate feedback. Students had a high regard for the teaching sessions by general practitioners at their clinics. The appointment had created an interest in the discipline of family medicine which could have an impact on future choice of career. There were indications to suggest that student attitudes towards patients may have evolved to be more patient centred. Students appreciated the inclusive and low stress ambience of the learning environment. Conclusions and recommendations: Regular evaluation of teaching programmes helps maintain accountability of faculty and paves the way for more student centred teaching through the incorporation of students’ views in devising teaching methods. This evaluation found that qualitative feedback provided more descriptive material to reflect on and therefore improve teaching on the programme. It is recommended that more use should be made of qualitative methodologies in programme evaluations

SYNTHESIS AND MOLECULAR DOCKING STUDY OF 2-ARYL/HETEROARYL-6-CHLOROQUINOLINE-4-CARBOXYLIC ACIDS WITH PLASMODIUM LDH RECEPTOR PROTEIN

Objective: Synthesis and in silico molecular docking studies of 2-aryl/heteroaryl-quinoline-4-carboxylic acid derivatives (3a-j) with plasmodium LDH receptor protein.Methods: The 2-aryl/heteroaryl-quinoline-4-carboxylic acids (3a-j) were obtained by Pfitzinger reaction. Ligands (3a-j) interaction with plasmodium LDH receptor protein was studied through molecular docking method.Results: Good yields of 2-aryl/heteroaryl-quinoline-4-carboxylic acid derivatives (3a-j) were obtained by convenient and economical procedure. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and MS spectral analysis. The binding site analysis of the synthesized compounds (3a-j) with plasmodium LDH receptor that are responsible for malaria parasite response was evaluated through molecular docking study. The results reveal that the ligand 3d shows maximum of five hydrogen bonding interactions with binding energy -9.05 kcal/mol, shown to be a promising lead molecule to inhibit Plasmodium LDH receptor.Conclusion: The docking studies of newly synthesized 2-aryl/heteroaryl-quinoline-4-carboxylic acids were found to be very useful ligands for antimalarial therapy particularly on Plasmodium LDH protein. However the installation of still many appropriate substitutions on quinoline moiety would lead to identification of novel antimalarial compounds that ascertained via molecular docking is underway in our lab

Current Trends and Plausible Future outlooks of Food Legumes in Asia

Food legumes play an important and diverse role in the farming systems and in the diets of the poor people around the world and for achieving food and nutritional security in the developing countries. Given the importance of food legumes in the developing countries especially in Asia, the objective of this paper is to assess crop specific trends, distribution and developments in area, production and productivity of three important legumes crops like groundnut, chickpea and pigeonpea and also to provide the plausible futures of these crops under the changing future climate. In this study, a global partial equilibrium multi-commodity trade model was used to assess the future projection of supply, demand, prices and trade of the food legume producing and consuming countries around the world. The study revealed that production has not been able to meet demand due to the secondary treatment of pulses in Asian countries. The projected demand for groundnut, chickpea and pigeonpea in Asia will grow much faster than production as direct consequence of growing population in the region. By 2050 the production of chickpea is about 8% less than that of demand in Asia. Although yield increases compensate for much of the production forgone due to area contraction, it does not fully satisfy demand, leading to a deficit of chickpea production intensifying with time. The aggregate production and consumption of pigeonpea in Asia more than doubles in 2050 compared to the level in 2000 which was 3 mt. The projected demand for groundnut in Asia will increase from 7 mt in 2010 to 8.9 mt in 2050. To meet the increasing demand of food legumes in the region, there is need to improve the average yield and profitability of the legume crops by developing short duration, drought resistant, high yield varieties and ensuring competitive prices to increase the adoption of new technologies by farmers in the region

Phytochemical screening and in vitro antimicrobial activity of Bougainvillea spectabilis flower extracts

Various flower extracts (Chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol and water) of Bougainvillea spectabilis were screened for their phytochemical constituents and also investigated for their antimicrobial activities. Phytochemical screening of flower extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoides, phlobatannins and terpenoids. Steroids, phenol, tannins, cardinolides and volatile oils were absent in all the extracts. All flower extracts of B. spectabilis inhibited the growth of few of the bacterial and fungal strains tested with varied effectiveness. The maximum antibacterial activities were observed in ethanol and water extracts.  The maximum antifungal activities were observed in chloroform and ethanol extracts.  Thus the bioactive natural products in flower extracts of Bougainvillea spectabilis can be used in the development of new pharmaceuticals that address unmet therapeutic use

One Digital Platform to Seek Quality Education for Everyone

The primary goal of this digital educational platform is to deliver high-quality educational possibilities to people looking for a degree or similar graded programs, tuition classes, and postgraduate programs provided by universities internationally and nationally. Furthermore, by advertising on our web platform, educational institutions will be able to improve the popularity of their courses and services.  There will also be the opportunity to donate financial contributions to campaigns or organizations that will help persons in need of educational assistance. In addition, our development team proposed an idea about a component called volunteer support, which allows users to join up as volunteers for specific organizational initiatives that promote educational campaigns. There will also be several account types for system administrators, users searching for services, and organizations promoting educational programs and volunteer opportunities. The account's capabilities differ depending on the type of user account. The primary objectives of this thesis are to provide the concept of a system that simplifies the process of locating and advertising educational needs, opportunities, and services while providing a way to help people in need of a helping hand