Perspectives on Doris Lessing's The Grass is Singing: A Postcolonial Reading

This paper presents and interprets the study of Doris Lessing's novel, The Grass is Singing (1950) with a theoretical support of the postcolonialism. It reflects a strong psychological study about a frustrated woman and her marital relationship with Dick Turner. Lessing paints a picture of Rhodesian society where she delineates how peasants and black people were treated by their white masters during that 1940s. It does not only focuses on political relationship between the white and the black but also explores phallogocentricism and failure of individuality. It also examines contact zone between Mary Turner, a white farmer's wife and her black African servant where two different cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other. It aims that Mary as the heroine of the novel grasping her own identity due to overpowering colonial rule which is explored by Lessing in the form of violence and brutality. It also presents cross-hatched intersection of gender, class and race along with failed marriage and sexual obsessions

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PRE AND POST-OPERATIVE REFRACTIVE ERRORS IN CATARACT SURGERY – PHACO & SICS.

Background:  The method of phacoemulsification for cataract surgery is preferred by surgeons, but it is not an affordable method. On the other hand, small-incision cataract surgery performed manually is economically affordable. This is a comparative study conducted prospectively to analyze the visual ability of the patients who had cataract extraction surgery by either of the methods. Methods:  50 patients had cataract extraction by phacoemulsification and another 50 patients who underwent manual incision cataract surgery were included in the prospective comparative study. The refractive errors and the visual acuity of the subjects were evaluated in the follow-ups conducted after a day, three days, a week, three weeks, for weeks, six weeks, and 12 weeks after the surgery. The results obtained were statistically compared. Results:  The observations of the refractive errors after the surgery were comparable in both methods. The difference in the refractive errors was significant with phacoemulsification and manual small-incision cataract surgery. However, the visual acuity was better than the preoperative baseline visual acuity. Conclusion:  Phacoemulsification is a superior method for cataract surgery when compared to the manual incision method in terms of the occurrence of refractive errors after the surgery. Recommendation: The history of any ocular surgery or contact lens use must be documented. Accurate preoperative measurements should be verified and repeated if they do not make sense

AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY ON THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY FOR THE COMBINATION OF LUTEIN, VITAMIN C, ZEAXANTHIN, ZINC, COPPER, AND VITAMIN E IN INDIAN PATIENTS OF AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION (AMD).

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly population, particularly those over the age of 65. The progressive decline in visual function experienced by individuals with AMD significantly impacts their daily lives and incurs their social activities and independence. This study aims to conduct a post-marketing investigation of a fixed-dose combination created for patients in India affected with AMD, evaluating its safety and efficiency. Material and Methods: In this research, a total of 450 participants were registered in the span of 10 months. The study was conducted at Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College, Gaya, Bihar. During the research, efficacy and safety assessments were conducted on every visit conducted after 3 months. The efficacy assessment involved the use of two parameters, namely vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) and vision impairment score, which were obtained by the administration of a Vision Impairment Questionnaire. Results: Assessing the patients with the help of vision impairment and VRQOL test, the following were the observations- For the VRQOL test, on the 2nd and the 3rd visit, the VRQOL increased by 19% and 33% that compared to the first assessment, this indicates a positive impact of the dosage administered. For the Vision impairment test, on visit 1 the percentage was 23% which further reduced to 15% by the second visit and 11% approx.  Conclusion: After the successful investigation, the combination of Vit C (250 mg), Cu (1 mg), Zn (40 mg), Lutein (5 mg), Vit E (200 IU), and Zeaxanthin (1 mg) per capsule was determined to be both effective and safe in treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Indian patients. Recommendation: It is to consult an eye-care professional as soon as possible if vision changes and also continue to attend routine sight tests with an optometrist

Studies on the role of goat heart galectin-1 as an erythrocyte membrane perturbing agent

AbstractGalectins are β-galactoside binding lectins with a potential hemolytic role on erythrocyte membrane integrity and permeability. In the present study, goat heart galectin-1 (GHG-1) was purified and investigated for its hemolytic actions on erythrocyte membrane. When exposed to various saccharides, lactose and sucrose provided maximum protection against hemolysis, while glucose and galactose provided lesser protection against hemolysis. GHG-1 agglutinated erythrocytes were found to be significantly hemolyzed in comparison with unagglutinated erythrocytes. A concentration dependent rise in the hemolysis of trypsinized rabbit erythrocytes was observed in the presence of GHG-1. Similarly, a temperature dependent gradual increase in percent hemolysis was observed in GHG-1 agglutinated erythrocytes as compared to negligible hemolysis in unagglutinated cells. The hemolysis of GHG-1 treated erythrocytes showed a sharp rise with the increasing pH up to 7.5 which became constant till pH 9.5. The extent of erythrocyte hemolysis increased with the increase in the incubation period, with maximum hemolysis after 5h of incubation. The results of this study establish the ability of galectins as a potential hemolytic agent of erythrocyte membrane, which in turn opens an interesting avenue in the field of proteomics and glycobiology

Power conversion techniques using multi-phase transformer: Configurations, applications, issues and recommendations

Recently, the superiority of multi-phase systems in comparison to three-phase energy systems has been demonstrated with regards to power generation, transmission, distribution, and utilization in particular. Generally, two techniques, specifically semiconductor converter and special transformers (static and passive transformation) have been commonly employed for power generation by utilizing multi-phase systems from the available three-phase power system. The generation of multi-phase power at a fixed frequency by utilizing the static transformation method presents certain advantages compared to semiconductor converters such as reliability, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and lower total harmonics distortion (THD). Multi-phase transformers are essential to evaluate the parameters of a multi-phase motor, as they require a multi-phase signal that is pure sine wave in nature. However, multi-phase transformers are not suitable for variable frequency applications. Moreover, they have shortcomings with regard to impedance mismatching, the unequal number of turns which lead to inaccurate results in per phase equivalent circuits, which results in an imbalance output in phase voltages and currents. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate multi-phase power transformation from a three-phase system and examine the different static multiphase transformation techniques. In line with this matter, this study outlines various theories and configurations of transformers, including three-phase to five-, seven-, eleven-, and thirteen-phase transformers. Moreover, the review discusses impedance mismatching, voltage unbalance, and per phase equivalent circuit modeling and fault analysis in multi-phase systems. Moreover, various artificial intelligence-based optimization techniques such as particle swarm optimization (PSO) and the genetic algorithm (GA) are explored to address various existing issues. Finally, the review delivers effective future suggestions that would serve as valuable opportunities, guidelines, and directions for power engineers, industries, and decision-makers to further research on multi-phase transformer improvements towards sustainable operation and management.This work was supported by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia under Grant Code GP-2021-K023221. This work also received partial financial support from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia under Grant Code GGPM-2020-006.Scopu

Protective Effect of Solanum nigrum

The prophylactic or curative antioxidant efficacy of crude extract and the active constituent of S. nigrum leaves were evaluated in modulating inherent antioxidant system altered due to immobilization stress in rat brain tissues, in terms of measurement of glutathione (GSH), lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS), and free radical scavenging enzymes activities. Rats were treated with single dose of crude extract of S. nigrum prior to and after 6 h of immobilization stress exposure. Exposure to immobilization stress resulted in a decrease in the brain levels of glutathione, SOD, GST, and catalase, with an increase in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels. Treatment of S. nigrum extract and its active constituents to both pre- and poststressed rats resulted in significant modulation in the above mentioned parameters towards their control values with a relative dominance by the latter. Brain is vulnerable to stress induced prooxidant insult due to high levels of fat content. Thus, as a safe herbal medication the S. nigrum leaves extract or its isolated constituents can be used as nutritional supplement for scavenging free radicals generated in the brain due to physical or psychological stress or any neuronal diseases per se

Role of Active Site Rigidity in Activity: MD Simulation and Fluorescence Study on a Lipase Mutant

Relationship between stability and activity of enzymes is maintained by underlying conformational flexibility. In thermophilic enzymes, a decrease in flexibility causes low enzyme activity while in less stable proteins such as mesophiles and psychrophiles, an increase in flexibility is associated with enhanced enzyme activity. Recently, we identified a mutant of a lipase whose stability and activity were enhanced simultaneously. In this work, we probed the conformational dynamics of the mutant and the wild type lipase, particularly flexibility of their active site using molecular dynamic simulations and time-resolved fluorescence techniques. In contrast to the earlier observations, our data show that active site of the mutant is more rigid than wild type enzyme. Further investigation suggests that this lipase needs minimal reorganization/flexibility of active site residues during its catalytic cycle. Molecular dynamic simulations suggest that catalytically competent active site geometry of the mutant is relatively more preserved than wild type lipase, which might have led to its higher enzyme activity. Our study implies that widely accepted positive correlation between conformation flexibility and enzyme activity need not be stringent and draws attention to the possibility that high enzyme activity can still be accomplished in a rigid active site and stable protein structures. This finding has a significant implication towards better understanding of involvement of dynamic motions in enzyme catalysis and enzyme engineering through mutations in active site

Power Conversion Techniques Using Multi-Phase Transformer: Configurations, Applications, Issues and Recommendations

Recently, the superiority of multi-phase systems in comparison to three-phase energy systems has been demonstrated with regards to power generation, transmission, distribution, and utilization in particular. Generally, two techniques, specifically semiconductor converter and special transformers (static and passive transformation) have been commonly employed for power generation by utilizing multi-phase systems from the available three-phase power system. The generation of multi-phase power at a fixed frequency by utilizing the static transformation method presents certain advantages compared to semiconductor converters such as reliability, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and lower total harmonics distortion (THD). Multi-phase transformers are essential to evaluate the parameters of a multi-phase motor, as they require a multi-phase signal that is pure sine wave in nature. However, multi-phase transformers are not suitable for variable frequency applications. Moreover, they have shortcomings with regard to impedance mismatching, the unequal number of turns which lead to inaccurate results in per phase equivalent circuits, which results in an imbalance output in phase voltages and currents. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate multi-phase power transformation from a three-phase system and examine the different static multi-phase transformation techniques. In line with this matter, this study outlines various theories and configurations of transformers, including three-phase to five-, seven-, eleven-, and thirteen-phase transformers. Moreover, the review discusses impedance mismatching, voltage unbalance, and per phase equivalent circuit modeling and fault analysis in multi-phase systems. Moreover, various artificial intelligence-based optimization techniques such as particle swarm optimization (PSO) and the genetic algorithm (GA) are explored to address various existing issues. Finally, the review delivers effective future suggestions that would serve as valuable opportunities, guidelines, and directions for power engineers, industries, and decision-makers to further research on multi-phase transformer improvements towards sustainable operation and management

A Descriptive Study on Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) using Cloud Computing (CC)

<p><i>This paper presents a descriptive study on Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) using Cloud Computing (CC). WSNs are widely used in various applications, including environmental monitoring, industrial automation, and healthcare. However, WSNs face several challenges, such as limited storage capacity, processing power, and energy constraints. Cloud Computing (CC) provides a viable solution to overcome these challenges by providing a scalable, cost-effective, and on-demand computing platform for WSNs.</i></p><p><i>The paper examines the benefits and challenges of using Cloud Computing (CC) in WSNs. Moreover, the study analyzes the current trends and future directions of cloud-based WSNs, including the use of edge computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. The paper also discusses the security and privacy concerns associated with cloud-based WSNs and examines the different security solutions and best practices to ensure the security and privacy of WSNs.</i></p><p><i>Overall, this descriptive study provides valuable insights into the integration of Cloud Computing (CC) with Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and highlights the potential of cloud-based WSNs to transform various industries and domains. The study serves as a useful resource for researchers, practitioners, and organizations interested in leveraging the power of Cloud Computing (CC) for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs).</i></p&gt