Review on Socio-Cultural Dialectical Records of Malasar

In the state of Tamil Nadu, there are many tribes. In particular, Malasar tribal people are located in and around area's of Pollachi, Anaimalai, and Kinathukkadavu taluks of Coimbatore district.  Malasar people are categorized as Schedule Tribes. In recent studies, the Scholars and Researchers have examined the living conditions of the Malasar Tribes through Folklore, Anthropology, Sociology and Botany. At present, the Language of Malasars are undefined which may result in the destruction of their cultural aspects. Even after 75 years of India's independence, the Malasar tribes continue to struggle for livelihood in the absence of basic rights. Rights-based comprehensive studies and democratic debates with scientific data to ensure socio-economic development and cultural recovery of Malasar tribes should be enhanced at its level

EVALUATION OF IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT AND α-AMYLASE INHIBITORY ACTIVITY OF PHYLLANTHUS INDOFISCHERI BENNET

Objective: The present study evaluates the antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activity of leaf and bark extracts of Phyllanthus indofischeri with methanol and water as solvents. In addition to this, the total phenolic content and total flavonoid content was determined.Methods: The total phenolic and total flavonoid content of the extracts was determined by folin ciocaletus reagent method and aluminium chloride colorimetric method respectively. The antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activity were measured by various assays, including α, α-diphenyl-ẞ-dipicryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonicacid) (ABTS) radical scavenging, superoxide radical scavenging, total antioxidant capacity by phosphomolybdate method and porcine pancreatic α-amylase inhibitory assay. The IC50 values were calculated and compared with standards such as gallic acid, ascorbic acid and α-acarbose.Results: The results illustrated that all the extracts of Phyllanthus indofischeri exhibit significant antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activity. Among the extracts, methanolic leaf extract showed high levels of activity followed by bark water extract.Conclusion: Phyllanthus indofischeri extracts had shown antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activity. On the basis of these results, Phyllanthus indofischeri can be used as a natural antioxidant and hypoglycemic agent against various disorders related to oxidative stress; and the isolation of bioactive compounds was warranted.Â

Effect of Gadolinium on the properties and photo-catalytic applications of ZnO nanocrystals

Various weight % of Gadolinium doped ZnO nanocrystals were prepared by using simple co-precipitation method. All the prepared Gd doped ZnO nanocrystals are annealed at 450°C. The synthesized nanocrystals are characterized by using various techniques like X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The influence of various weight % of Gadolinium doping on structural, optical and photo-catalytic performance of the ZnO nanocrystals has been investigated. Photo-catalytic decolourization was analysed for Gadolinium doped ZnO nanocrystals by using Methylene blue as model dye. It has been found that 0.075% Gd doped ZnO nanocrystals shows enhanced catalytic performance

The short and long-term impact of educational intervention on pharmacovigilance awareness in second year MBBS students: a questionnaire-based survey

Background: Under-reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is a burning issue globally. Sensitizing medical students to the concepts of pharmacovigilance in their early years through regular training holds the key for successfully perpetuating ADR reporting culture. This study attempted to assess the short and long-term impact of interventional training programs on the knowledge and perception of Pharmacovigilance amongst II MBBS students.Methods: It was a Cross-sectional, interventional, questionnaire‑based study. Second MBBS, new entrants (n=127) were tested for their awareness regarding pharmacovigilance knowledge using pre-validated questionnaires at entry point and following regular training sessions, at 1 week (short-term) and at 1 year (long-term). Students’ perceptions towards ADR monitoring were also recorded. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Independent t-test/Mann-Whitney-U test for identifying mean difference and paired-t-test/Wilcoxon signed rank test for paired data was used for quantitative and qualitative data analysis accordingly.Results: Significant improvement in scores following training was seen at both short (10.8±1.914) and long term (11.63±1.516) compared to base-line scores (6.07±2.036). There was significant increase in long-term scores compared to short-term scores (<0.001). Female students performed better than their male counterparts. Majority of students positively perceived the need for ADR monitoring and reporting.Conclusions: Pharmacovigilance training increases students’ knowledge significantly. Strengthening the existing pharmacovigilance activities through regular refresher training programs and adequate sequencing in curriculum not only maintains but improves students’ knowledge significantly

Meera the Poet and Dravidian Ideology

Poet Meera is an eloquent and conceptual interpreter, who uses simple words to polish profound ideas into her poetic wit. Poet Meera is a poetess who added beauty to Mother Tamil. Ever since her childhood, she had an insatiable love for poetry and poets, and to that extent the Dravidian Kazhagam worshipped the rationalists of the Dravidian movement like Periyar, Anna and Kalaignar. She was born to restore human society like a Sivagangai Seeman. This article explains the human feelings, progressive thoughts, the words she wanted to say emphatically and deeply, poems and essays by aligning them with Dravidian principles

Mannequin-based simulation as an educational tool for learning injection techniques: medical students’ view points

Background: Mannequin-based training devices are simulation adjuncts that mimic reality in healthcare settings for acquiring basic procedural skills, without compromising patient safety. The current study aims to explore students’ perceptions of mannequin-based simulation as an educational tool and perceived changes in self-confidence by using a mixed-method research.Methods: This questionnaire‑based study was conducted in 2nd year MBBS students. Pre-validated questionnaires measured the quantitative and qualitative aspects of simulation-training in-terms of their relevance as teaching–learning tool, perceived benefits of sessions, and their importance for future use. The study further attempted to note any perceived change in students’ confidence, measured before and after sessions. Chi-square and Fischer-exact test were computed for quantitative responses. Wilcoxon signed-rank test (two-tailed) was used to analyse students’ confidence rating before and after simulation. Categorical data were represented as frequencies and proportions.Results: Overall, the sessions were well received by students. Over 90% of students agreed that simulation is a safe, enjoyable and feasible modality for acquiring basic clinical skills. Majority opined that sessions helped them integrate basic-life sciences and clinical concepts, improved attention span and urged inclusion in undergraduate curriculum. Students perceived significant improvements (p<0.001) in confidence post-training. Free-text responses were positive with students highlighting the need for simulation sessions and suggestions for improvement.Conclusions: Most students consider mannequin-based learning as an essential tool to acquire procedural skills. By promoting active student engagement and impactful learning, simulations justify inclusion in medical curriculum for better patient safety

Unilateral snow banking in tuberculosis-related intermediate uveitis

Snow banking is usually a term coined to describe the accumulation of vitreous exudates over the pars plana and the peripheral retina in pars planitis. Snow banking is very rare in tubercular intermediate uveitis. A 32-year-old male was diagnosed to have intermediate uveitis due to tubercular etiology in the right eye. Laboratory investigations include an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, positive Mantoux test, and computed tomography thorax showing mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Transbronchial needle aspiration of the lymph nodes showed chronic granulomatous inflammation with caseation. There were no recurrences following antitubercular therapy (ATT). This case report highlights the unique finding of snow banking in tubercular uveitis and course following treatment with ATT

Knowledge Discovery from Web Logs - A Survey

Web usage mining is obtaining the interesting and constructive knowledge and implicit information from activities related to the WWW. Web servers trace and gather information about user interactions every time the user requests for particular resources. Evaluating the Web access logs would assist in predicting the user behavior and also assists in formulating the web structure. Based on the applications point of view, information extracted from the Web usage patterns possibly directly applied to competently manage activities related to e-business, e-services, e-education, on-line communities and so on. On the other hand, since the size and density of the data grows rapidly, the information provided by existing Web log file analysis tools may possibly provide insufficient information and hence more intelligent mining techniques are needed. There are several approaches previously available for web usage mining. The approaches available in the literature have their own merits and demerits. This paper focuses on the study and analysis of various existing web usage mining techniques