School Leadership: A comparison of Singaporean and Indian cases

The role of the principal in transforming a school is a core theme within the education literature on leadership. However, such work is mostly developed in a "Western" cultural environment, representing a particular set of values. This ignores the possibility that although leadership may be universal, the way it is described and practised may differ from culture to culture. Drawing from research carried out in Singapore and India, we present in this article how the teachers and students perceive the transformational effects of the school principals from an organisational and cultural perspective. This qualitative research uses in-depth interviews supplemented by participant observations to understand the influence of cultural variables on the practice of transformational leadership. In one case, despite cultural tensions, the findings suggest that the practice of transformational leadership has facilitated a positive culture in terms of collective learning and connectedness to the workplace and a leader among the organisational members. In the other case, transformational actions influenced sharing and learning and enhanced motivation where the leader consciously focused on creating a culture through actions aimed at achieving the vision which itself was in tune with the context

Neurodiversity and the Legal Profession

This article discusses ways to make the legal profession in Nebraska more accessible and inclusive for neurodivergent attorneys, beginning in law school and continuing through licensing, and hiring practices

STUDY OF CAMELLIA SINENSIS AND BOSWELLIA SERRATA IN RESPECT TO ANTIANGIOGENIC EFFECT

Objective: The process of angiogenesis is finely balanced by Proangiogenic factors and antiangiogenic factors. Any imbalance between these factors may result in a group of diseases with varied morphologic and pathologic changes, called angiogenesis dependent diseases. One has to arrest the growth of unwanted blood vessels like in metastasis of tumour, arthritis, retinopathies, etc. As the angiogenesis is simultaneously controlled by several factors, one needs to target the whole process through a holistic approach i.e. targeting more than one mechanism at a time. Objective of our study was to evaluate antiangiogenic potentials of Camellia sinensis and Boswellia serrata in whole animal models along with their safety individually as well as in combination. Methods: These extracts were evaluated for their antiangiogenic effect using three models – Chicken Chorioallentoic membrane assay, Rat Subcutaneous air sac and Mesenteric window angiogenesis. Results: The results of toxicity study showed that aqueous extracts of Camellia sinensis and Boswellia serrata are safe on oral administration in acute as well as repeated dose toxicity studies. It also showed antiangiogenic effects of individual extracts as well as their combinations. The study suggests that there may be synergistic effect in these extracts particularly in mesenteric window model. Conclusion: From the study it can be concluded that these extracts can be clinically evaluated on angiogenesis dependent diseases

Min-O-Mee: A Proximity Based Network Application Leveraging The AllJoyn Framework

Close proximity of mobile devices can be utilized to create ad hoc and dynamic networks. These mobile Proximity Based Networks (PBNs) are Opportunistic Networks that enable devices to identify and communicate with each other without relying on any communication infrastructure. In addition, these networks are self organizing, highly dynamic and facilitate effective real-time communication. These characteristics render them very useful in a wide variety of complex scenarios such as vehicular communication, e-health, disaster networks, mobile social networks etc. In this work we employ the AllJoyn framework from Qualcomm which facilitates smooth discovery, attachment and data sharing between devices in close proximity. We develop Min-O-Mee, a Minutes-of-Meeting app prototype in the Android platform, utilizing the AllJoyn framework. Min-O-Mee allows one of the participants to create a minutes-of-meeting document which can be shared with and edited by the other participants in the meeting. The app harnesses the spatial proximity of participants in a meeting and enables seamless data exchange between them. This characteristic allows Min-O-Mee to share not just minutes-of-meeting, but any data that needs to be exchanged among the participants, making it a versatile app. Further, we extend the basic AllJoyn framework to enable multi-hop communication among the devices in the PBN. We devise a novel routing mechanism that is suited to a proximity centric wireless network as it facilitates data routing and delivery over several hops to devices that are at the fringe of the PBN

Hormonal effects of drosperinone and ethinyl estradiol based combined oral contraceptives on polycystic ovarian syndrome

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder treated with combined oral contraceptives (COCs). The androgenic potential of any type of COC is in part determined by the progestin present. A newer form of progestin, drospirenone, has been recently introduced, and is available in combination with ethinyl estradiol.Methods: The study was conducted on 60 patients fulfilling inclusion criteria, in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, Terna Medical College and Hospital. Patients were diagnosed as PCOS according to Rotterdam criteria. After initial evaluation, blood samples were sent for levels of serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S), free testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Each patient was advised to take a combination of EE (30 mcg) + drosperinone (3 mg), 1 tablet daily from the second day of her menstruation for 21 days then a 7 days gap and again for 21 days and so on cyclically for 3 cycles, then to repeat the tests as done at the beginning.  Hirsutism was assessed clinically using the Ferriman-Gallwey scale at initial visit and three months later.Results: We found a significant improvement in the Serum LH, FSH levels and a significant fall in free testosterone levels accompanied by a rise in SHBG levels. There is also overall improvement in the hirsutism scores.Conclusions: Drosperinone based COCs are a good and effective means of treatment of PCOS. Treatment duration of three months was found to be effective in our study

Myoepithelial carcinoma of the male breast: a rare case report

Myoepithelial carcinoma (malignant myoepithelioma) of the breast is a rare entity and in the male breast it is even rarer. Two cases of benign myoepithelioma in the male breast have been reported so far. Here we report, probably the first case of Myoepithelial carcinoma in a male breast with clinical features mimicking locally advanced breast carcinoma, together with illustration of pathological finding, microscopic appearance and management.Keywords: Myoepithelial carcinoma; Modified radical mastectomy; Chemotherap

Prophylactic amnioinfusion in oligohydramnios

Background: Oligohydramnios causes many intrapartum maternal and fetal complications. Intrapartum amnioinfusion effectively increases amniotic fluid volume and thereby decreases FH decelerations. The objective of this study was to compare the frequency of fetal heart decelerations and its perinatal outcome with and without amnioinfusion in patients with oligohydramnios and the cesarean rates for fetal distress between them.Methods: In study group, 100 patients in labour with AFI < 5 cm, oligohydramnios and IUGR with normal doppler, postdated pregnancies with AFI ≤ 5 cm with normal doppler were selected and prophylactic amnioinfusion with 300 ml lukewarm saline is given aseptically for 15 minutes after amniotomy. Continuous CTG monitoring done till delivery. If FH decelerations occur, the bolus was repeated up to 3 times. 100 age matched controls managed with conventional methods without amnioinfusion were selected retrospectively from labour room case records.Results: Incidence of FH decelerations was lower in study group (59% versus 84%). Cesarean section for fetal distress was reduced (20.9% versus 79.1%) Perinatal outcome was better. Babies with normal 1-minute Apgar was 86% compared to 75% in controls. Frequency of FH decelerations was reduced (20% versus 73%). Occurrence of 2 FH decelerations were 13% versus 33%, 3 FH decelerations were 7% versus 27% and > 3 times was 0% versus 13%.Conclusions: Prophylactic amnioinfusion can easily and effectively reduce the FH decelerations and caesarean section rate for fetal distress in oligohydramnios improving both maternal and fetal outcomes with negligible risks

A study of prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women from rural areas attending to Obstetric Department in Akash Hospital, Karnataka, India

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in pregnancy is a significant risk factor for developing upper urinary tract infection and pyelonephritis which is associated with significant maternal and fetal risks. The aim of this study was to know the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy, to identify the organisms and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns and to formulate a single or combined rapid screening method as an acceptable alternative to urine culture.Methods: A total of 375 pregnant women aged between 18 to 45 years were included in this study. Clean catch mid-stream urine samples were collected. Screening tests done were gram staining of uncentrifuged urine, pus cell count, nitrite test and leukocyte esterase test. Identification of pathogens and antibiotic sensitivity tests were performed as per standard urine culture and sensitivity methods.Results: Out of the 375 pregnant women, 31 (8.4%) had significant bacteriuria. High percentage of women with ASB were primigravidas (51.38%) and in 2nd trimester (43.86%). The most common organism isolated was E.coli (56.14%). In screening tests, gram staining of uncentrifuged urine had a sensitivity of 85.71%. Sensitivity of 71.42% was found in Nitrite and leucocyte esterase tests. However, the combination of these two tests, with either test positive, showed sensitivity and negative predictive value of 90.47% and 99.09% respectively.Conclusions: Early detection and treatment of ASB in pregnancy can prevent complications. ASB can be identified by simple and combined rapid screening methods and urine culture along with antibiogram. Therefore, screening and treatment of ASB may be incorporated as routine antenatal care for safe motherhood and healthy newborn