SPASMOLYTIC, BRONCHODILATOR AND VASORELAXANT ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF TEPHROSIA PURPUREA

The methanolic extract of the whole plant of Tephrosia pupurea, Linn. was subjected to find out itspossible therapeutic utility to validate its folkloric use in native systems of medicine. The extract on applicationto spontaneous contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum preparations exerted a concentration dependent(0.003-3.0 mg/mL) relaxant effect. The extract also caused concentration dependent relaxation of K+ (80 mM)-induced spastic contractions. These findings were further supported by the observations that the extract causeda concentration dependent right ward shift of the Ca2+ response curves in manner similar to that of verapamil.The extract exhibited a relaxant effect on carbachol and high K+ (80 mM)-induced contractions of isolated rabbittracheal preparations in a manner similar to verapamil. The observed non-specific bronchodilator responseis possibly mediated through Ca2+ channel blockade. Moreover, the extract also exhibited a dose dependentrelaxant effect on phenylephrine (1 μM) and K+ (80 mM)-induced contractions in a manner similar to verapamil.On the basis of the above-mentioned findings, it can be concluded that the use of Tephrosia purpurea, in gastrointestinalspasm, asthma and hypertension is likely to be mediated through calcium channel blockage

Leveraging the Force of Formative Assessment & Feedback for Effective Engineering Education

In recent years, there has been a fundamental shift in engineering education from an emphasis on covering content to a student-centric focus on ensuring the attainment of learning outcomes. To ensure attainment of the educational objectives, engineering education thought leaders have highlighted the importance of the development of effective authentic assessment schemes appropriate for the 21st century, and the alignment of assessment and instructional efforts with the planned learning objectives and outcomes. Our focus in this paper is on the use of formative assessment (also called assessment for learning) for engineering education. With formative assessment, an assessment is made of the current learning level and then pertinent feedback is provided to both the student and to the instructor so that they can take concrete steps to facilitate learning improvement. This is in contrast with the ubiquitous summative feedback (assessment ``of'' learning)---in which the main aim is to grade or rank the student by ascertaining their current learning level without really giving them concrete advice on what to do next to improve learning performance. The use of formative assessment can transform students' performance by empowering them with particularly potent ``self-assessment’’ skills through which students become more aware of their learning and know what is it that they should do next (i.e., they become ``self-directed”.) Formative assessment is equally useful for the teaching staff—by helping them know their impact and tailor the instructional strategy and try to personalize their pedagogy to the individual needs of the students. The main contributions of our paper are that we review the rich literature on formative assessment and effective feedback and synthesize insights that are relevant for engineering education

Hepatoprotective effect of leaves of aqueous ethanol extract of Cestrum nocturnum against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity

The hepatoprotective activities of Cestrum nocturnum (Queen of Night) was evaluated against the paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity in the mice. Aqueous ethanol (30:70) extract of plant was obtained by maceration. Results showed that aqueous ethanol extract of C. nocturnum (250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg) produced significant (p<0.05) hepatoprotective activities against paracetamol induced liver injury in Swiss albino mice. Histopathalogical studied of liver further supported the hepatoprotective effects of C. notrunum. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, terpenes, phenolic compounds, carbohydrates and volatile oils. Most of the flavonoids have hepatoprotective activity. Therefore, the hepatoprotective activity of C. nocturnum may be due to the presence of flavonoids and phenolic components. It was concluded from the present study that aqueous ethanol extract of leaves of C. nocturnum has hepatoprotective activity against the paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in albino mice

Pharmacognostic, phytochemical, biological and spectroscopic analyses of Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew root and stem bark

Purpose: To investigate the pharmacognostic, phytochemical, biological and spectroscopic analyses of Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew root and stem bark.Methods: Plant material (root and stem bark) was collected, authenticated, shade-dried and extracted by maceration using methanol as a solvent separately. Powder microscopy was performed using a binocular microscope. Fluorescence, physico-chemical analysis and phytochemical screening for the presence of secondary metabolites were performed using standard methods. Brine shrimp lethalitybioassay was carried out using Artemia salina bioassay, while enzymatic modulatory study was performed by α-amylase inhibition assay. Microscopic analysis was carried out with scanning electron microscopy. Spectroscopic analysis was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).Results: Powder microscopy showed the presence of different cellular structures. Various colors were observed under ultraviolet (UV) and ordinary light when treated with different reagents. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins and flavonoids but phenol and cardiac glycosides were absent from both extracts. The root bark of the plant showed significant brine shrimp lethality activity.Conclusion: Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew root and stem bark contain a variety of bioactive compounds that have medicinal and therapeutic potentials. Therefore, further investigations are required to elucidate their pharmacological properties. Keywords: Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew, Phytochemical, Spectroscopy, α-Amylas

Hepatoprotective potential of Convolvulus arvensis against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity

Convolvulus arvensis is traditionally used as laxative. Its decoction is used in cough, flu, jaundice and in skin diseases. It is also used to treat the painful joints, inflammation and swelling. The current study was conducted to determine its hepatoprotective activity. The results showed that extract of C. arvensis (200 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg) produced significant (p<0.05) decrease in paracetamol induced increased levels of liver enzymes and total bilirubin. Histopathological investigation and detection of active constituent, qurecetin by HPLC also supported the results. So the current study showed that ethanolic extract of C. arvensis possess hepatoprotective activity

Hepatoprotective effect of aqeous methanolic extract of Rumex dentatus in paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity in mice

Rumex dentatus is well known plant of Polygonaceae family which is widely used in traditional medicine to treat gastrointestinal tract. R. dentatus at doses 250 and 500 mg/kg significance decreased (p<0.001) the elevated level of ALT, AST, ALP and bilirubin induced by paracetamol and results are comparable (p<0.001) with silymarin. The results were supported by histopathological investigations, phytochemical screening and detection of hepatoprotective active constituents e.g quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin by HPLC. So, it is concluded that R. dentatus has hepatoprotective effect against paracetamol liver damage in mice

Memory-Based User-Centric Backhaul-Aware User Cell Association Scheme

Ultra-dense small cell networks represent a key future network solution that can help meet the exponentially rising traffic requirements of modern wireless networks. Backhauling these small cells are an emerging challenge to the extent that various cells are likely to have different backhaul constraints. The user-centric backhaul scheme has been proposed in the literature to jointly exploit the diversity in users' requirement and backhaul constraints. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme, termed the memory-based hybrid scheme, which additionally also exploits the predictability in a user's mobility. We compare the novel scheme to two variants of memory-less user-centric backhaul implementations and show significant gains in convergence time (15%), user-centric KPIs (51% and 82%) at the negligible cost 2% loss in cumulative throughput. The novel scheme requires additional memory in user-devices to store learned values, which is nonetheless well justified in view of the considerable gains achieved

Can sulphur improve the nutrient uptake, partitioning, and seed yield of sesame?

Sulphur (S) is considered to improve the nutrient uptake of plants due to its synergistic relationship with other nutrients. This could ultimately enhance the seed yield of oilseed crops. However, there is limited quantitative information on nutrient uptake, distribution, and its associated impacts on seed yield of sesame under the S application. Thus, a two-year field study (2018 and 2019) was conducted to assess the impacts of different S treatments (S-0 = Control, S-20 = 20, S-40 = 40, and S-60 = 60 kg ha(-1)) on total dry matter production, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, S uptake and distribution at the mid-bloom stage and physiological maturity. Furthermore, treatment impacts were studied on the number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, thousand seed weight, and seed yield at physiological maturity in sesame. Compared to S-0, over the years, treatment S-40 significantly increased the total uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and S (by 13, 22, 11% and 16%, respectively) at physiological maturity, while their distribution by 13, 36, 14, and 24% (in leaves), 12, 15, 11, and 15% (in stems), 15, 42, 18, and 10% (in capsules), and 14, 22, 9, and 15% (in seeds), respectively. Enhanced nutrient uptake and distribution in treatment S-40 improved the total biomass accumulation (by 28%) and distribution in leaves (by 34%), stems (by 27%), capsules (by 26%), and seeds (by 28%), at physiological maturity, as compared to S-0. Treatment S-40 increased the number of capsules per plant (by 13%), number of seeds per capsule (by 11%), and thousand seed weight (by 6%), compared to S-0. Furthermore, over the years, relative to control, sesame under S-40 had a higher seed yield by 28% and enhanced the net economic returns by 44%. Thus, our results suggest that optimum S level at the time of sowing improves the nutrient uptake and distribution during the plant lifecycle, which ultimately enhances total dry matter accumulation, seed yield, and net productivity of sesame

Outcome-Based Engineering Education: A Global Report of International OBE Accreditation and Assessment Practices

Outcome-based education (OBE) is a paradigm in which instructional and assessment/ evaluation are explicitly designed for ensuring the attainment and mastery of predefined learning outcomes. OBE is now the underlying paradigm followed by global accreditation efforts such as the Washington Accord (ratified in 1989). The shift to OBE is so pronounced that some education experts identify the shift to outcome-based education and accreditation as one of the top 5 major changes of the last 100 years. OBE is starkly different from the previous content-based educational approaches in shifting the aim from covering the content to a student-centric mastery that is driven by exit-outcomes and educational objectives. And while OBE is often criticized for straitjacketing education, and resisted by hesitant faculty members suspecting additional burden, studies show that the OBE movement, on the whole, has helped in improving the educational standards and outcomes by helping ensure proper planning of curriculum and assessment and their alignment with the program objectives and desired outcomes. OBE is also flexible in the sense that it does not dictate the choice of specific education strategies or teaching methods. New OBE schemes have also diversified in response to early misgiving about OBE (related to excessive paperwork, and bean-counting-like auditing) and now admit diverse types of evidence (including qualitative and quantitative, formative and summative, formal and informal assessments). In this paper, we present—as a geographically dispersed set of academics from Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States of America, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia—a global international perspective on OBE accreditation standards, practices, and attitudes. We will trace the historical development leading to the great shift to OBE in recent times and also synthesize insights from our diverse transnational experience in meeting accreditation requirements in different countries

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI &lt;18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For school&#x2;aged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI &lt;2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI &gt;2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit