Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil Catalysed by Crystalline Copper Doped Zinc Oxide Nanocatalyst

Biodiesel has its unique position in the field of renewable energy as alternate fuel to diesel due to fuel price, energy requirement and petroleum crisis. In this study, biodiesel was produced from Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) using Copper doped Zinc Oxide (CZO) nanocatalysts. The synthesized Copper doped Zinc Oxide nanocatalysts were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM). Design of experiment was framed using Taguchi method to limit the experiments and to find the optimum reaction conditions. The effect of process parameters such as oil-to-methanol ratio (O/M), catalyst type, catalyst concentration, temperature and time on the transesterification reactions using characterized Copper doped Zinc Oxide nanocatalyst were investigated. The 4% (weight /weight) nanocatalyst concentration, 1:5 Oil to methanol molar ratio at 60°C temperature and 40 minutes of reaction time were found to be optimum, in which the maximum biodiesel yield of 98 % (w/w) was obtained. Hence it was determined that nanocatalysts exhibited good catalytic activities on biodiesel production from Waste Cooking Oil (WCO)

Regulatory T Cells and Parasites

Human host encounters a wide array of parasites; however, the crucial aspect is the failure of the host immune system to clear these parasites despite antigen recognition. In the recent past, a new immunological concept has emerged, which provides a framework to better understand several aspects of host susceptibility to parasitic infection. It is widely believed that parasites are able to modulate the magnitude of effector responses by inducing regulatory T cell (Tregs) population and several studies have investigated whether this cell population plays a role in balancing protective immunity and pathogenesis during parasite infection. This review discusses the several mechanism of Treg-mediated immunosuppression in the human host and focuses on the functional role of Tregs and regulatory gene polymorphisms in infectious diseases

The Effectiveness of Anatomy Laboratory Videos on Osteopathic Medical Students’ Performance

Introduction: The usage of audio-visual aids in medical education has always been rewarding. This study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of supplementing traditional dissection based laboratories with the video demonstration of specimens. Methods: The study was conducted among first-year osteopathic medical students of two consecutive years. The laboratory demonstration videos were recorded and provided to the experimental group and the previous class served as the historical controls. Two Likert scale based questionnaires were completed by the experimental group before and after their final examination. The students\u27 performance in the Anatomy practical examinations were compared between the two groups. Results: The students’ response showed that the videos added value to their knowledge. The videos helped them in understanding the structures in the dissection lab with ease they felt more confident about the examinations. The experimental group scored significantly higher grades in the practical examinations than the control group. The results confirm that the video demonstration has a positive impact on the traditional dissection method. Conclusion: The effect on the student’s perception is impressive and the positive outcome in the examination grades adds on to the significance of this teaching methodology. Integration of multimedia with dissection is suggested as a helpful model to improve Anatomy learning process

A clinical challenging situation of Intra oral fibroma mimicking pyogenic granuloma

A 45 year old female presented to the Department of Dentistry and Faciomaxillary Surgery complaining of difficulty in swallowing and tongue movements. General health examination revealed that the patient was conscious, oriented, a febrile and vitals were stable. Occlusion stable. Mouth opening was of three finger breadth. Lateral temporomandibular joint movements were satisfactory. On intra oral clinical examination, a pedunculated mass was observed palatally in relation to left maxillary molar teeth region, where a root stump was evident. Patient stated that the swelling has started as a pinpoint lesion before 1 year and progressed to the size of 5cm x 3cm as seen during clinical examination. The colour of the mass was of coral pink, smooth, nodular in some areas and symptomatic during contact between maxillary and mandibular teeth. Radiological investigations such as orthopantomograph and maxillary occlusal views revealed absence of bony involvement. To differentiate the clinical mimicking situation of intra oral fibroma and pyogenic granuloma, surgical excision was done followed by histopathological examination reporting as intra oral fibroma. Fibroma is of smooth surfaced painless solid mass, occasionally nodular, with collagen and connective tissue histopathologically. Whereas, pyogenic granuloma present as painless and smooth mass which bleeds on palpation clinically with histopathological picture of chronic inflammatory infiltrate, endothelial cell proliferation and hyperplastic granulation tissue. Postoperative review was after 1 month with good prognosis thereby facilitating efficient swallowing and tongue movements.Pan African Medical Journal 2015; 2

Integration of Virtual Microscopy Podcasts in Histology Discipline in Osteopathic Medical School: Learning Outcomes

The study evaluates the outcome of integrating narrative podcasts of virtual Histology Slides into teaching Histology discipline to the medical students at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Short recordings of digital microscopic slides were created as supplementary resources of Histology. A voluntary and anonymous survey was obtained from the classes 2020, 2021 and 2022 using a Likert-scale based questionnaire regarding the students’ perception of the virtual microscopy podcasts. A summary of students’ feedback and academic performance will help us understand the significance of integrating multimedia with Histology teaching. The study will also facilitate planning a curricular modification when needed

Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil Catalysed by Crystalline Copper Doped Zinc Oxide Nanocatalyst

Biodiesel has its unique position in the field of renewable energy as alternate fuel to diesel due to fuel price, energy requirement and petroleum crisis. In this study, biodiesel was produced from Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) using Copper doped Zinc Oxide (CZO) nanocatalysts. The synthesized Copper doped Zinc Oxide nanocatalysts were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM). Design of experiment was framed using Taguchi method to limit the experiments and to find the optimum reaction conditions. The effect of process parameters such as oil-to-methanol ratio (O/M), catalyst type, catalyst concentration, temperature and time on the transesterification reactions using characterized Copper doped Zinc Oxide nanocatalyst were investigated. The 4% (weight /weight) nanocatalyst concentration, 1:5 Oil to methanol molar ratio at 60°C temperature and 40 minutes of reaction time were found to be optimum, in which the maximum biodiesel yield of 98 % (w/w) was obtained. Hence it was determined that nanocatalysts exhibited good catalytic activities on biodiesel production from Waste Cooking Oil (WCO)

Perceptions regarding an ‘effective medical teacher’ among undergraduate students of a medical college in Puducherry

Background: To find the characteristics of an effective medical teacher, as perceived by the under graduate medical students who are at different stages of the MBBS course.Methods: A cross sectional study was done among all the undergraduate medical students studying in a medical college and hospital in Puducherry. The undergraduate students were visited in batches and students were explained regarding objectives and those who consented for the study were administered with a validated and pretested questionnaire in line with the objective of the study. The results are expressed in the form of proportions and percentages and the chi-square-test was used to test the significance of difference observed between different batches of studentResults: The most important qualities perceived by the students for being an effective medical teacher are creating interest in the subject, having good communication skills, providing good resource material, inspiring and motivating students, being easily approachable, respecting students/ patients / other staff, being enthusiastic, energetic and good listener. There is a significant difference in the perceived importance among different batch of students in the domain of teaching skills of a medical teacherConclusions: This study identified qualities of medical teachers related to their teaching skills, usage of teaching learning methods, approach towards students and their personal qualities that are perceived to be more important by medical students

Survey of the Beneficial Flowers Available in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India

The flora of an area is considered a vital part of the environment, regulating the prosperity of the biosphere and people's health. It is highly suggested that the proper utilization of plant resources in each part of a country has been useful in conserving the availability and productivity of the flora. The present investigation aimed to evaluate the survey of the beneficial flowers available in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India, from December 2019 to February 2020. The survey studies were divided into four different zones in Coimbatore District: Perur, Ganapathy, Thudiyalur, and Periyanaickenpalayam, respectively. The survey resulted in the collection of 40 plant species belonging to 38 genera, dispersed over 25 families of flowering plants / angiosperms. The dominant families were Apocynaceae and Oleaceae when compared to other families. This study reveals that species such as Calotropis gigantean, Chrysanthemum morifolium, Couroupita guianensis, Nerium oleander, Nyctanthes arbortristis, Nelumbo nucifera, and Tabernaemontana divaricata were used as ritual flowers. The beneficial flowers showed a maximum for ornamental flowers (43 percent), followed by ritual flowers (35 percent), medicinal flowers (15 percent), and cooking flowers (7 percent), respectively. The highest blooming of the flowers (14.89 percent) occurred in March, and the lowest in November and December. Flowers were documented as having economic value, with the highest rate in Rosa sp., and Jasminum sp., which were used as ornamental, medicinal, and cosmetic preparations as valuable resources. Scientific key information on taxonomy and technical approaches to beneficial flowers was analyzed. Flowers play a vital role in human life from birth to death and are used in all auspicious events in India, especially in daily prayers in temples and Indian households

Development in Key Share Management to Protect Data over Cloud

User data may be stored in a cloud to take advantage of its scalability, accessibility, and economics. However, data of a sensitive nature must be protected from being read in the clear by an untrusted cloud provider. This triggered a l ot of research activities, resulting in a quantity of proposals targeting the various cloud security threats. A key management scheme is proposed where encrypted key shares are stored in the cloud and automatically deleted based on passage of time or user activity. The process does not require additional coordination by the data owner, which is of advantage to a very large population of resource - constrained mobile users. The rate of expiration may be controlled through the initial allocation of shares and t he heuristics for removal. A simulation of the scheme and also its implementation on commercial mobile and cloud platforms demonstrate its practical performance