Challenges of virtual classroom during COVID-19 pandemic: An empirical analysis of Indian higher education

Higher education institutions (HEIs) usually work open throughout the academic session. In the COVID-19 pandemic time, all the HEIs were also closed temporarily. The study examined the major challenges faced by the teachers and students from the virtual classroom during the nationwide lockdown. Due to the nationwide lockdown and lack of funding, convenience sampling and snowball sampling techniques were used for data collection. A total of 893 responses were analyzed for this study. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire on a Likert scale from 305 teachers and 588 students of higher education institutes from the entire India. Network connectivity was the major challenge faced by the faculty members (mean value of 3.68) followed by 3.17 mean value for lack of professional environment at home, 3.03 for lack of teaching material at home, 2.92 for lack of personal computer/laptop. Lack of professional environment at home (mean value of 3.59) was the major challenge faced by the students followed by 3.57 for lack of teaching material at home, 3.35 for network connectivity, 3.31 for lack of personal computer/laptop. Virtual classrooms have challenges such as poor internet connectivity, non-availability of appropriate electronic devices, lack of a teaching environment at home, less information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge among students and teachers. It implied less engagement of students and teachers in the teaching and learning process

Evaluation of the pancreatic malignancy with MRI & MDCT modalities

Background:Detection of pancreatic abnormality by routine noninvasive radiological method namely plain radiography and gastrointestinal barium studies is possible but these tests are insensitive and nonspecific. In earlier era more invasive tests like retroperitoneal air insufflations with tomography used never achieved wide spread clinical application and isotope scan proved disappointing owing to their false positive rates. Material & Methods:The present retrospective study was conducted at department of Department of Radiology at MRI Centre, M.B. Govt. Hospital, Udaipur. The study duration was December 2012 to November 2014. The study group of 100 patients, with suspected pancreatic diseases were examined using either MDCT scan or MRI or both as prime diagnostic modality.Results: In the present study, Pancreatic carcinoma is a hypo vascular mass so it does not enhance at all or show a mild enhancement on post contrast study. In this study out of 14 cases, 14 cases showed mild post contrast enhancement and 2 cases showed no enhancement at all. on CECT examination, out of 10 cases of head mass, 8 cases were hypo dense and 2 were Isodense and showed dilated MPD in 9 cases 90.00% which were most common finding followed by dilated CBD in 8 cases (80.00%) and invasion of other organs in 2 cases (20%). On MRI examination, out of 4 cases of head carcinoma, 3 appeared hyperintense & 1 appeared hypointense and showed dilatation of MPD & CBD in all cases and invasion of organ in one case. Out of 14 cases of head carcinoma, 4 (28.57%) cases showed distal metastasis in liver. Out of 7 cases of body-tail mass, six appeared hypo dense and one appeared on NCCT. Distant metastasis and dilated MPD were found in 4 cases and CBD were dilated in any one case of body mass. Conclusion: We concluded from the present study that Dual-phasic contrast-enhanced MDCT in the pancreatic parenchymal and the venous phase is the method of choice for detection and staging of pancreatic cancer, inflammatory lesions and its vascular complications. For detection of small, hyper vascular neuroendocrine tumors, no single imaging method will reveal all tumors. In this respect, MDCT and MRI are complementary methods

Endoscopic management of retrocalcaneal pain: a prospective observational study

Background: In an effort to reduce morbidity and complications of open surgery, an endoscopic technique was used for the management of the conditions leading to retrocalcaneal pain. With this purpose, the current study was undertaken to evaluate results of endoscopic management of retrocalcaneal pain using American orthopaedic foot and ankle score (AOFAS).Methods: 20 patients (26 heels) in the age group 18-80 years presenting with retrocalcaneal pain not responding to conservative management underwent endoscopic decompression of the retrocalcaneal bursae and excision of bony spurs. Two portals were created, one laterally and one medially, over the posterosuperior portion of the calcaneus to gain access to the retrocalcaneal space. The inflamed bursal tissue was identified and removed, and the prominent bone was resected. The functional outcome was evaluated pre and postoperatively with the AOFAS.Results: 70% patients have retrocalcaneal bursitis, 20% Haglund’s deformity as confirmed on lateral view of ankle X-ray and only 10% of non-insertional tendinosis. Mean operative time was 54.95 minutes. Mean duration of hospital stay was 3.90±0.64 and the mean follow-up was 66 days (range 30-180 days). The average AOFAS score improved from 65.60 points pre-operatively to 96.80 points at final follow-up. There were fifteen excellent results, seven good results, two fair results and two poor results.Conclusions: Endoscopic procedure for retrocalcaneal bursitis and Haglund deformity seemed to be a safe and efficacious option for surgical treatment of retrocalcaneal pain

Mild and transient heat shock enhances DNA integration following lipofection of recombinant plasmids in 4T1 cells

316-320Cancer cells having stably integrated genes encoding tumor-associated antigens could be utilized as a vaccine, in-vitro stimulators of antigen-primed T-cells, and target for cytotoxicity assay, etc. Lipofection is a simple and safer technique for stable transfection of plasmid DNA. However, the poor rate of genomic integration has limited its application. In the current study, the effect of mild and transient heat shock following lipofection on the improvement of genomic integration was evaluated. The cDNA fragments encoding chicken MMP-11peptide (V32-K365) and the immunoglobulin-like domain 2 of chicken VEGFR-2 were cloned separately into pcDNA3.1 vector. Lipofection was carried out using Lipofectamine® 2000 (Life Technologies, USA) in 4T1 cells followed by a heat shock at 42°C for 10 min. Transfected cells were selected for a period of four weeks against 500 µg/mL G418 in RPMI 1640 media supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Distinct G418-resistant colonies appeared after 14 days of selection. Heat shock significantly (P <0.05) increased the number of viable colonies following antibiotic selection. The immunofluorescent study confirmed the stable integration of the target DNAs into the cells. It is concluded that mild and brief heat shock following lipofection improves the stable integration of recombinant pcDNA3.1 plasmids into 4T1 cells

Mild and transient heat shock enhances DNA integration following lipofection of recombinant plasmids in 4T1 cells

Cancer cells having stably integrated genes encoding tumor-associated antigens could be utilized as a vaccine, in-vitro stimulators of antigen-primed T-cells, and target for cytotoxicity assay, etc. Lipofection is a simple and safer technique for stable transfection of plasmid DNA. However, the poor rate of genomic integration has limited its application. In the current study, the effect of mild and transient heat shock following lipofection on the improvement of genomic integration was evaluated. The cDNA fragments encoding chicken MMP-11peptide (V32-K365) and the immunoglobulin-like domain 2 of chicken VEGFR-2 were cloned separately into pcDNA3.1 vector. Lipofection was carried out using Lipofectamine® 2000 (Life Technologies, USA) in 4T1 cells followed by a heat shock at 42°C for 10 min. Transfected cells were selected for a period of four weeks against 500 µg/mL G418 in RPMI 1640 media supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Distinct G418-resistant colonies appeared after 14 days of selection. Heat shock significantly (P &lt;0.05) increased the number of viable colonies following antibiotic selection. The immunofluorescent study confirmed the stable integration of the target DNAs into the cells. It is concluded that mild and brief heat shock following lipofection improves the stable integration of recombinant pcDNA3.1 plasmids into 4T1 cells

A study of acoustical parameters of cupric oxide nanoparticles dispersed in aqueous solutions of various glycols

In this study cupric oxide (CuO) nanoparticles were synthesised by precipitation method using                    cupric acetate dihydrate [Cu(CH3COO)2.2H2O] as a starting material. The synthesised nanoparticles were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). These nanoparticles were dispersed in three different base fluids which were 10% aqueous solutions of ethylene glycol (EG), propylene glycol (PG) and hexylene glycol (HG). Ultrasonic velocity (U), density (ρ) and viscosity (η) of these nanofluids were measured at different concentrations of CuO nanoparticles as a function of temperatures (T = 303.15K, 308.15K and 313.15 K). Using these values various acoustical parameters such as adiabatic compressibility, intermolecular free length, relaxation time, acoustic impedence and attenuation coefficient were evaluated

A cross-sectional study of factors affecting seasonality in bipolar disorder

Background. Researchers have evinced interest in the effect of seasonal variations on mood and behavioural patterns in affective disorders.  Objective. To study seasonality in bipolar disorder (BD) patients and also the factors affecting this seasonality.  Method. Forty-nine patients with BD in euthymic phase were recruited and analysed using the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire.  Results. Most of the patients were morning types but chronotype had no influence on seasonality. Age of patient and number of episodes were the most important factors affecting seasonality in BD.  Conclusion. Seasonality and its influencing factors must be considered while managing bipolar disorder

Use of emergency contraceptive pill in India: boon or bane

It has been almost fifteen years since emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) have been made available over the counter in India. There have been concerns about the overuse/misuse of ECPs and probability to replace regular contraceptive methods. This article presents various facets of the use of emergency contraceptive pills in India and highlights the importance of potential research to prevent its misuse

HPTLC method for isolation, identification and quantification of quercetin from in vivo and in vitro samples of Naringi Crenulata

Naringi crenulata(Roxb.) Nicolson, is a rare medicinal plant belonging to the family Rutaceae. It is a spinous tree and has great medicinal value. During the present study a rapid, simple, accurate and specific HPTLC method for quantitative estimation of quercetin present in the dried leaf powder and callus of N. crenulata has been developed .The method used in this work resulted in good peak shape and enabled good resolution of quercetin from N. crenulata samples. Quercetin was identified in in vivo (leaf) and in vitro (six weeks old callus) tissues. Presence of isolated quercetin was further confirmed by superimposable IR spectra of isolated and authentic samples of quercetin and NMR spectra of isolated quercetin. Variation in quercetin content in in vivo and in vitro samples in N. crenulata was observed. In vivo leaf had maximum amount of quercetin (0.13%) while minimum amount was found in in vitro callus (0.032%). High content of quercetin in leaf shows its potential of synthesizing quercetin. This study is also of practical importance because flavonoid quercetin is the most active of all flavonoids. Many medicinal plants owe their activity to their high quercetin content. Several studies revealed quercetin’s significant anti-inflammatory activity due to direct inhibition of initial processes of inflammation. It also has potent antitumor and antioxidant properties including the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation and migration.This study is of practical importance because compound quercetin was firstly reported to be isolated from callus of N. Crenulata

In vitro screening of white Jute (Corchorus capsularis L) against salinity stress

The environmental stress such as salinity of soil or water is serious threat for field crops in the world, especially in arid and semiarid regions. To study salinity stress on jute (Corchorus capsularis), an experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design keeping nine capsularis varieties (JRC-698, JRC-321, JRC-517, JRC-7447, JBC-5, JRC-212, JRC-80, JRC-532 and UPC-94) as one factor and four levels of salt concentrations i.e. control (Distilled H2O), 100, 160, 240 and 300 mM NaCl with three replications. Adverse effect of salinity increased with increasing concentration of sodium chloride. Among nine jute varieties the highest germination percentage (89.5%), root length (0.6 cm), shoot length (1.2 cm), fresh weight (93 mg) and dry weight (9.5 mg) of seedling were observed in ‘JRC-698’ at salt concentration at 160 mM NaCl as compared with other salt concentration. All growth parameters were recorded higher in control than other treatments. All growth parameters were decreased up to 240 mM NaCl concentration and it was completely inhibited at 300 mM NaCl. Variety ‘UPC-94’ was the most susceptible to salinity stress. Hence, white jute varieties, JRC-698 and JRC-517 can be grown at 160 mM NaCl concentration