USE OF SMART PHONES FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSE BY FACULTY MEMBERS OF BHARATHIAR UNIVERSITY

Purpose: To study the use of smart phones for academic purpose by faculty member of Bharathiar university. The Smartphone has become an indispensable device for effective communication and information-gathering. Aim: The study aims to assess the level of use of smart phones for academic purpose by the faculty members of Bharathiar University. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data has been collected through questionnaire from faculty members of Bharathiar University using a random sample technique. The data were analyzed using SPSS and MS Excel. Findings: The finding of the study shows that everybody uses a Smartphone. The top three reasons for using a Smartphone are communication, browsing, and academic purpose. Majority of the respondents reported that they use smart phones for reading academic papers. Overall, the significance of smart phones helps to generate and exchange information, improve the learning and assist in projects

Remote Monitoring of the Heart Condition of Athletes by Measuring the Cardiac Action Potential Propagation Time Using a Wireless Sensor Network

Highly performing athletes are susceptible to cardiac damage of several kinds which may be irreversible. The monitoring of heart rate and ECG waveforms from such subjects by wireless sensor networks has been reported in health and sports care documents. However, a more decisive parameter for instant to instant changes would be the time of Cardiac Action Potential Propagation. This time, which can be between 15-20 ms would shoot suddenly in acute stress in highly performing athletes for short durations. Repeated incidents of such rising values will tend to cause irreversible damage to the heart. We developed the technique of measuring this time and reporting it through a wireless sensor network to monitoring station

Cystatin C and lactoferrin concentrations in biological fluids as possible prognostic factors in eye tumor development

Objectives. To investigate the possible role of cystatin C in eye biological fluids locally and in serum and lactoferrin revealing anti-tumor activity in eye tumor development. Background. The increased number of eye tumors was registered recently not only in the countries with high insolation, but also in the northern countries including Russia (11 cases per million of population). Search for new biological markers is important for diagnosis and prognosis in eye tumors. Cystatin C, an endogenous inhibitor of cysteine proteases, plays an important protective role in several tumors. Lactoferrin was shown to express anti-tumor and antiviral activities. It was hypothesized that cystatin C and lactoferrin could serve as possible biomarkers in the diagnosis of malignant and benign eye tumors. Study design. A total of 54 patients with choroidal melanoma and benign eye tumors were examined (part of them undergoing surgical treatment). Serum, tear fluid and intraocular fluid samples obtained from the anterior chamber of eyes in patients with choroidal melanoma were studied. Methods. Cystatin C concentration in serum and eye biological fluids was measured by commercial ELISA kits for human (BioVendor, Czechia); lactoferrin concentration – by Lactoferrin-strip D 4106 ELISA test systems (Vector-BEST, Novosibirsk Region, Russia). Results. Cystatin C concentration in serum of healthy persons was significantly higher as compared to tear and intraocular fluids. In patients with choroidal melanoma, increased cystatin C concentration was similar in tear fluid of both the eyes. Lactoferrin level in tear fluid of healthy persons was significantly higher than its serum level. Significantly increased lactoferrin concentration in tear fluid was noted in patients with benign and malignant eye tumors. Conclusion. Increased level of cystatin C in tear fluid seems to be a possible diagnostic factor in the eye tumors studied. However, it does not allow us to differentiate between malignant and benign eye tumors. Similar changes were noted for lactoferrin in tear fluid

ALTERNATIVE TO Q WAVE DIAGNOSIS USING CARDIAC ACTION POTENTIAL PROPAGATION TIME MEASUREMENT

The diagnosis of myocardial infarction is done by ECG through the observation of Q waves in one or more leads. The paper describes the relationship between Q waves and the propagation time of the Cardiac Action potential and a technique by which this time of propagation itself can be measured. Rather than observing the Q wave pathology in its very small peak of the total QRS complex, a more refined method is thus made available for continuous patient observation. This propagation time rises from 15 ms to 35 ms or more in progressive pathological conditions. A simulation has been done which illustrates how the Q wave is generated from the travelling action potential wave in the ventricle. The authors have utilized the easy to use novel EPIC Microelectrodes from Plessey Electronics, which are jelly free and provide easy attachment by simple skin contact. Multiple sensors were placed on the chest and the propagation time was measured by differential voltages between them. An embedded controller was used to pick these signals in digitized form and calculate the time intervals. The measurement procedure is simple and highly non invasive. Records from outpatients with cardiac pathology were taken and it was verified that this AP time increases with the Q wave width. This AP propagation time is a more refined method of observing pathological changes than the Q wave, since progressive changes in cardiac condition can be indicated by changes in the millisecond values. It has been verified that the values match with to the usual Q wave width timings

Antihyperlipidemic Potential of Polyphenol and Glycoside Rich Nerium oleander Flower against Triton WR-1339-Induced Hyperlipidemia in Experimental Sprague Dawley Rats

Nerium oleander Linn. (NO), an evergreen cardiac glycoside-rich shrub is used as folklore medicine in China to treat many diseases. It exhibits a wide spectrum of bioactivities but there were not much scienti�c reports on the bioactivity of N. oleander �owers. In the present study, we have evaluated the toxicity pro�le of the 50% hydroethanolic extracts of Nerium oleander �owers (ENO) using in vitro brine shrimp lethality assay and MTT cytotoxicity assay and in vivo acute toxicity test as per the OECD guidelines. e antihyperlipidemic activity of the ENO was also studied using Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipemic rats and compared with standard Atorvastatin. In vitro brine shrimp, MTT cytotoxic assay, and in vivo acute toxicity assays showed a wide safety margin which has been evidenced through its lethal concentration (LC 50 : 795.46 g/mL) and growth inhibition (GI 50 : 993.60 g/ml) values. Plasma lipids and lipoproteins were signi�cantly elevated by the intraperitoneal in�ection of Triton WR 1339 in hyperlipidemic rats at 6th and 24th hour. ENO pretreatment showed a signi�cant ameliorative action on elevated lipids and lipoproteins in a dosedependent manner when compared to standard. Altogether, the results prove that Nerium oleander �owers are not toxic at the tested doses and exhibit antilipimic activity

Remote Monitoring of the Heart Condition of Athletes by Measuring the Cardiac Action Potential Propagation Time Using a Wireless Sensor Network

Highly performing athletes are susceptible to cardiac damage of several kinds which may be irreversible. The monitoring of heart rate and ECG waveforms from such subjects by wireless sensor networks has been reported in health and sports care documents. However, a more decisive parameter for instant to instant changes would be the time of Cardiac Action Potential Propagation. This time, which can be between 15-20 ms would shoot suddenly in acute stress in highly performing athletes for short durations. Repeated incidents of such rising values will tend to cause irreversible damage to the heart. We developed the technique of measuring this time and reporting it through a wireless sensor network to monitoring station

Free radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory potential of a marine brown alga <i style="">Turbinaria ornata </i>(Turner) J.Agardh

664-670In the present study, in-vitro free radical scavenging potential of aqueous extract of Turbinaira ornata (ATO) was evaluated by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-pricrylhydrazyl (DPPH) inhibition assay, Nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging assay, lipid peroxide (LPO) inhibition and ABTS radical scavenging assay. Further, the anti-inflammatory effect of ATO was evaluated by carrageenan induced paw edema in rats and vascular permeability assay in mice. ATO showed maximum DPPH and NO scavenging activity at 500 and 250 µg/mL respectively. Maximum LPO inhibition was found to be at 62 µg/mL by ATO. Maximum ABTS scavenging assay was found to be 95.63% at 1000 µg/mL. On the other hand the in-vivo anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous extract of T.ornata showed a significant (P<0.05) dose dependent protection at 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg, b.wt. in both carrageenan induced paw edema and vascular permeability test. Present study reveals that anti-inflammatory activity of ATO could be due its potential antioxidant and free radical scavenging property