Hybrid team-based learning in cardiorespiratory physiotherapy in higher education

Background: Today’s modern and future cardio-respiratory physiotherapist are, and will be, presented with ubiquitous and uncertain complex problems in professional life. Yet, to date, teaching approaches lacks robust scientific evidence of optimal learning to stimulate student’s active cognitive engagement of higher order skills beyond knowledge and skills transfer and are only focused on graduation. For past two decades, pedagogy recommends use of active learning strategies to enhance authentic student engagement, self-efficacy, and satisfaction. In recent years, team-based learning (TBL) is emerging as a popular student-centred active collaborative learning strategy that promotes individual and team learning in medical and allied health education. Objective: This paper reports on the design and impact of a novel “Hybrid Team-Based learning' (H-TBL) on students’ engagement and perceptions of their learning experience in a Year 2 undergraduate physiotherapy Cohorts. Study Design: A retrospective study. Methods: In 2019, a keynote lecture on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) was taught using novel “hybrid team-based learning' (H-TBL) comprising phases 1-4, delivered in two sessions (COPD1 and 2) to our year two (n=136), undergraduate physiotherapy students. Results: Of 136 students, 82% engaged in Phase 1, 80% attended the Phase 2 and 3 of COPD 2 session and 74% engaged in phase 4. 72% provided their perception on their learning experience. Conclusion: Majority of our students valued the learning experience in H-TBL design. This study confers that H-TBL supports students’ active engagement and self- efficacy. Future randomized studies are mandated to explore the validity and specificity of H-TBL in physiotherapy curriculum

Brain Tumour Extraction Based On Segmentation

No Abstrac

Composition dependent properties of mechanically alloyed amorphous Fe-Zr-B powders

We report the preparation of Fe-Zr-B amorphous alloys by mechanical alloying in a planetary ball mill for 100 hours. Structural investigation of the as-milled powders has been carried out using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope techniques. The crystallization behavior of the amorphous powders has been studied using a differential scanning calorimeter. Magnetic properties of the powders have been investigated using a vibrating sample magnetometer. It has been observed that both thermal and magnetic properties of the as-milled alloy powders vary up to a critical boron concentration of 7.5 at.%. The coercivity of the amorphous powders was compared to that of melt spun ribbons. The high coercivity of the as milled alloy powder has been attributed to the effective anisotropy of the as-milled powders

Hospital antimicrobial stewardship program implementation in the Gulf Cooperation Council States: a systematic review of evidence of implementation.

Background and Purpose: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has led to the development of initiatives aimed at optimizing antimicrobial use. Co-ordinated interventions for promoting and monitoring safe and effective use of antimicrobials are termed antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP). While there are several systematic reviews on aspects of ASP, none have focused on the processes and outcomes of implementation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States. The aim was to critically appraise, synthesize and present the available evidence on ASP implementation in the GCC States in relation to the interventions, reported outcomes and facilitators and barriers to implementation. Methodology: A systematic review protocol was developed based on PRISMA-P guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews). Electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Cochrane database and Web of Science) were searched using pre-specified terms for peer-reviewed publications in English from 2010 onward. Quality assessment, data extraction and synthesis were independently performed by two reviewers. ASP interventions were compared to the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) checklist, a systematic assessment of key ASP interventions. Results and Discussions: ASP interventions implementation in line with CDC checklist were weak, with the majority of studies reporting only one third of the expected CDC criteria. The most commonly reported outcomes were antibiotic consumption, with very little reporting of any microbiological, clinical and economic outcomes. Key facilitators were physician and organisation support. Barriers reported included the lack of dedicated staff and lack of sufficient funding for implementation. Conclusions: There is a lack of robust studies of ASP implementation in the GCC States. Such studies should focus on CDC criteria in developing the ASP intervention and report valid and reliable outcomes including microbiological, clinical and economic outcomes. There is also a need for qualitative research to focus on facilitators, barriers and solutions to implementation

Effect Of Pre-freeze Addition Of Cysteine Hydrochloride And Reduced Glutathione On Post-thaw Sperm Parameters And Field Fertility In Jersey Crossbred Bull Semen

The present study was aimed to assess the effect of pre-freeze addition of cysteine hydrochloride and glutathione (GSH) on post-thaw sperm functional parameters and field fertility. The experimental bulls aged 4 to 6 years were used for the present study. A total of 36 ejaculates, 6 ejaculates from each bull (n=6) were collected and divided in to three groups, group I (control), group II (5mM cysteine hydrochloride) and group III (5mM GSH). The extended semen samples were added with @5mM additives, filled in mini straw using automatic filling and sealing machine (IMV, France) and cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. Post-freeze seminal traits were also recorded after thawing at 37oC for 30 seconds. Post thaw livability was significantly (p< 0.01) higher in GSH group as compared to cysteine and control groups. The loss of acrosomal integrity was significantly (p< 0.01) lower in GSH group than cysteine and control groups. Analysis of variance for post thaw motility parameters (Forward progressive and Total motility) has revealed that significant difference (p< 0.05) between the good and poor freezer in the group II and there was no difference in the group I and III under study at 0 and 1 hr incubation period and at 2 hrs the group III and at 4 hrs group I has revealed significance difference (p< 0.05).The curvilinear velocity (VCL) and amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) values were significantly (P<0.05) higher in GSH than the cysteine and control groups. The Mitochondrial membrane potential (per cent) had no significance difference between the treatment groups. The present study indicates that the addition of cysteine and GSH suggestive of reducing lipid peroxide levels. The conception rate (%) in glutathione (68) added semen was significantly (p>0.05) higher than cysteine (58) and control (49) groups. The post-thaw sperm progressive forward motility (r=0.4) had moderate but, no significant correlation with conception rate. However post-thaw VSL (r=0.7), loss of acrosomal integrity (r=-0.8) and mitochondrial membrane potential (r=0.9) had significant (p< 0.05) correlation with field fertility. The present study indicates that the use of glutathione as semen additives may be recommended for improving semen quality and overall augmentation of pregnancy in cows. The present study suggests that pre-freeze addition of glutathione was found to be better than cysteine in improving sperm fertility

IN SILICO ANALYSIS OF ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS OF SILYMARIN AS ΑLPHA-GLUCOSIDASE ENZYME INHIBITORS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Objective: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an acute metabolic disorder, in which the vogue is increasing persistently globally. The maltase-glucoamylase/alpha-glucosidase inhibitor is an oral antidiabetic drug collectively, which is utilizing for regulating carbohydrates that ordinarily transformed into simple sugars and absorbed by the intestine. Researchers need to constantly explore alternative therapeutic strategies for the clinical management of DM due to the increased adverse event caused by conservative antidiabetic agents. The present study proposes a substitute drug to examine the seven bioactive phytocomponents of Silybum marianum (milk thistle) that can regulate the hyperglycemia by downregulating alpha-glucosidase and its activity. Methods: Different integrated web-based in silico tools and techniques were used to model the enzyme (receptor) as well as to determine the druggability of different active constituents of silymarin and their pharmacokinetics were predicted. Further, the active site of the enzyme was predicted followed by molecular docking method. Results: The results show silychristin A and silydianin having less carcinogenicity and strong interaction to the target protein (alpha-glucosidase) compare to the reference drugs (acarbose and miglitol) and these two molecules can be used for the best drug molecules in T2DM. Conclusion: In the proposed study, the in silico analysis helps researchers to utilize these compounds for clinical applications. The conclusion also suggests that synthetically and semi-synthetically, nucleus and peripheral modifications, either in the form of skeletal rearrangements or partial degradations as well as functional group addition and replacement of the active molecules present in silymarin giving access to new structural motifs, which can be used in future as a lead compounds for antagonising the alpha-glucosidase in the treatment of diabetes mellitus

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Iron Chelates in Managing Iron Deficiency Chlorosis in Grain Sorghum

Grain sorghum production in alkaline or calcareous soils is frequently affected by iron (Fe) chlorosis. Soil conditions such as high pH, high free calcium carbonate (lime), and low organic matter favor development of Fe deficiency chlorosis (IDC), which can delay crop maturity and reduce yields. Field experiments were conducted in the summer of 2014 and 2015 to determine the effectiveness of Fe chelate application in alleviating IDC in grain sorghum. Treatments were four Fe chelate application rates (0, 3, 6, and 9 lb product/a) applied either in-furrow with the seed at the time of planting or 2 weeks after planting in 2014. A split treatment of 3 lb/a applied at planting and another 3 lb/a applied 2 weeks after planting was included. The study in 2015 had four Fe chelate rates (0, 3, and 6 lb product/a, and split treatment of 3 lb/a applied at planting and another 3 lb/a applied 2 weeks after planting) as main plots and five commercial sorghum hybrids as sub-plots. Results in 2014 showed IDC scores among the treatments were significant only in the early stages of growth. Iron chelate application did improve sorghum yield, with the highest yield occurring when Fe chelate was split-applied at 6 lb product/a. Grain sorghum hybrids differed in their response to IDC in 2015. Application of Fe chelates suppressed IDC and increased grain yield, particularly in susceptible hybrids in both dryland and irrigated sites. Our findings indicate that sorghum hybrids 86G32 and 87P06 showed promise for tolerance to IDC and that Fe chelate application to reduce IDC is economically feasible at current grain prices

Computation of temperature distributions on uniform and non-uniform lattice sizes using mesoscopic lattice boltzmann method / D. Arumuga Perumal … [et al.]

This work is concerned with the mesoscopic lattice Boltzmann computation of heat conduction problems on uniform and non-uniform lattice sizes. It also focuses to solve heat conduction problems in one- and two-dimensional Cartesian geometries. It is known that, the lattice Boltzmann method is a relatively new method and application to heat conduction problems is scarce. In the present work, heat transfer formulations of lattice Boltzmann method to solve heat transfer problems are presented and implementation of non-uniform lattices is described. To show the accuracy and stability of the present lattice Boltzmann method, number of iterations and CPU time are reported. In order to study the effect of lattice structure, uniform and non-uniform lattice sizes are performed. To lend credibility to the lattice Boltzmann results they are further compared with those obtained from a finite difference method. It is concluded that the present study in heat conduction produces results that are in excellent contribution of lattice Boltzmann method in the area of computational fluid dynamics