Biotransformation based Pharmacophores from Plant Extract of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle Ex Benth

An investigation entitled “Optimization of fermentation parameters to enhance biotransformation based pharmacophores from plant extract of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth” was conducted in the Division of Microbiology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences to optimize different fermentation parameters to enhance the polyphenols in the plant Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth collected from the Galhar region of District Kishtwar of UT Jammu & Kashmir. Four fermentation parameters were optimized during the experiment i.e. temperature, pH, inoculum load and incubation time with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus acidophilus. The experimental results revealed that among Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces performed better in all the conditions. Saccharomyces showed the maximum increase in phenolics and flavonoids. It showed the max increase at 300C (92.10 to 127.04mg GAE/g dw) temperature and at pH of 5.5(92.43 to 128.96mg GAE/g dw) When incubated for 48h. Also, it was observed that increasing incubation time has an increasing effect on total phenolic content and flavonoid content but prolonged fermentation results in the decrease of both. In case of Saccharomyces, decrease in phenolics was observed after 48h (136.77 to 100.05mg GAE/g dw) but in case of Lactobacillus, decrease was seen after 72h, which could be due to the oxidation of phenols by bacteria. Further LCMS analysis also revealed an increase in the quantity of compounds as there is increase in the peak area. Thus, this study suggests optimum fermentation parameters and microorganism for enhancing bioactive compounds in Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth. The results suggest that Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the best microorganism for fermentation of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth and the optimum conditions for incubation is 300C temperature at pH5.5 for 48h; that gives improved nutraceutical values and enhance the bioavailability of these bioactive compounds

A Literature Review of Possible Barriers and Knowledge Gaps of General Practitioners in Implementing Advance Care Planning in Ireland: Experience from Other Countries

Background: An Advance Care Plan (ACP) is a decision-making process concerning end-of-life care that embodies a patient’s values and preferences, for a time when patients are unable to make such choices on their own. ACPs have been employed into medical practices worldwide; however, they remain largely uncompleted by general practitioners (GPs), regardless of their benefits to patients and their families with respect to end of life (EOL) care. Furthermore, ACPs will soon be implemented into clinician practices across Ireland, as part of the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015. This review aims to explore the literature to examine challenges GPs may face in employing ACPs into clinical practice. Methods: An electronic search was performed through three databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, and CINAHL Plus, through which a total of eleven studies met the selection criteria. Additionally, three studies were provided by experts in the field. Thus, a total of fourteen studies were condensed and critically appraised through CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Program), which concluded that the quality of the studies was high. Conclusion: Through this review, knowledge gaps and barriers for GPs regarding ACPs were identified. Barriers for implementing ACPs into practice were categorized into three major themes: barriers for the GPs, barriers in the healthcare system, and barriers regarding the patient. These included insufficient time, complexity of the ACP documents themselves, uncertainty of the disease prognosis, and the ultimate fear of inducing anxiety and loss of hope in patients

Biology 4920F: Introduction to CRISPR

Let’s Talk Science at Western supports learning and skill development of youth using science, technology, engineering and mathematics, otherwise known as STEM. The following showcases hands-on activities to introduce the concept of CRISPR to elementary school students. The activities start by introducing the fundamental concepts required to understand the role of CRISPR, then proceed to explain CRISPR itself

A qualitative study on adequate sleep in preschool children – Can we sleep on it?

Sleep is a significant marker of physical and psychological health. The present research was undertaken to explore perceptions of parents, teachers and pediatricians about preschool children’s sleep patterns, habits, and problems from urban Karachi, Pakistan. A qualitative research approach was employed; data collection methods were Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). The themes identified were children’s sleep patterns, sleep environment, sleep rituals, distractions, sleep problems, the impact of inadequate sleep, and recommendations to improve. Emergent themes were inconsistency of rules from parents, lack of opportunities for outdoor physical activity, different kinds of stresses, social and cultural events happening late at night, having TV/technology in the bedroom, and effects of inadequate sleep on parents’ lives. The findings provided compelling indications to educate parents on the importance of sleep and its effects on health, development, school performance, behavior, and similar needs. Participants recommended that this could be effectively done with support from schools and healthcare facilities. Screen time was found to have a huge negative impact on children’s sleep. An important finding was that socialization is important, but it should not forsake children’s bedtime. It is crucial for parents as well as every member of the society to be cognizant of children’s bedtime schedules while planning and organizing gatherings and events

Damping mechanism for the strongly renormalized cc-axis charge transport in high-TcT_c cuprate superconductors

We analyze the $c$-axis infrared reflectivity of La$_{1.85}$Sr$_{0.15}$CuO$_4$ single crystals. The plasma edge near 6 meV, observed below $T_c$, is due to Cooper-pair tunneling. This low value of the plasma edge is consistent with the $c$-axis plasma frequency ($\nu_p$) obtained from LDA calculations ($>0.1$ eV) if we take into account that the single-particle charge transport along the $c$ axis is strongly incoherent both above and below $T_c$. We find no evidence for a reduction of the $c$-axis scattering rate ($\gamma$) below $T_c$. Our investigation suggests $h\gamma>h\nu_{p}\gg 3.5k_BT_c$, which is exactly opposite to the clean limit. VSGD.94.6.1Comment: 4 pages, figures on request. Revtex, version 2, Materials Science Center Internal Report Number VSGD.94.6.

Ocean Surface Trash Collector

This paper describes the design of a robot for collecting waste floating on the water surface. Three important issues for designing the aquatic robots are a cost-effective solution along with robustness and durability. Due to the nature of the cleaning work, we designed the robot structure with car like mechanism that can provide high stability, good ability in maneuver and can easily collect all the waste flowing on the water. The plastic pipe container works best for this case and fulfils all structural stability criteria. For collection of waste, a motor-driven conveyor belt has been designed for collecting the wastes and deploy it into a plastic box connected to the platform. This design provides simple and effective waste removal and accommodates large amounts of waste within a little space. This light-weight and tough structure support the total weight of the collected waste, conveyor as well as the hardware components used. The rotating arms system based a differential drive mechanism has been designed, which allows the robots to require a 360 turn on the spot and provides high thrust. Electronic circuit and motors have been placed on the platform, in order to protect them from water. The robot is automatically controlled by Arduino, sensors, motor driver, GPS and GSM modules. The testing of the robot prototype proved to be effective in waste collecting and getting back to the way-point. The maximum trash loads that robot can bear is up 5 kg. The main aim of the project is to optimize time, energy and overall process speed