Gmelina arborea: chemical constituents, pharmacological activities and applications

Gmelina arborea (G. arborea) is a bio-prospective plant belonging to family verbenaceae. It is widely used for it’s medicinal properties from ancient times. The present paper comprehensively reviewed the traditional uses, medicinal properties and chemical constituents isolated from G. arborea based on literature reported as well as critical analysis of the research. The present article is aimed to provide information on recent advances and new foundations and direction for further exploring G. arborea for its applications. Pharmacological research reviewed that G. arborea possess various medicinal properties and biological  activities including antidiuretic, antidiarrhoeal, antipyretic, antianalgesic, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal, cardiopotective, insecticidal, antiulcer, gastro-protective, anticancer, antihyperlipidemic and immunomodulatory activity. It has been reported for its applications in treatment of bone fracture, hypertension and regeneration of β-cells. The main chemical constituents of G. arborea include lignans, iridoid glycoside, flavonoids, flavons, flavone glycoside and sterols. The present review provides all the references and beneficial directions to explore further application of G. arborea

Materials of the Future: Electrically Conducting Polymers

43-47Electrically conducting polymers have a wide range of applications in electronic and opto-electronic devices such as sensors, plastic batteries, solar cells, field effect transistors, optical data storage, organic electro-luminescent devices, switching devices, frequency doubles and many more. These are promising materials of the future and will continue to have an impact on the progress of science and technology

Designing novel donor-acceptor copolymers using genetic algorithm

1555-1561Using ab initio band structure results of five donor-acceptor polymers, the electronic structure and conduction properties of their novel binary copolymers have been investigated. One of the donor-acceptor polymers based on thiophene (PCNTh) is common in all the copolymers while second one is varied by replacing S atom with CF2, O, SiH2 or CH2 respectively. The effect of substitution on the electronic properties of the copolymer is investigated. In order to calculate the electronic properties of the copolymers and to obtain the copolymer possessing minimum band gap, genetic algorithm is used along with negative factor counting and inverse iteration technique. The copolymer containing CF2 units is found to have the lowest band gap and hence maximum intrinsic conductivity. Investigations involving variation in block sizes of the homopolymer units suggest that copolymers containing lower concentration of PCNTh are better candidates for both intrinsic as well as extrinsic conductivity

Investigation of electronic structures of model polypeptide chains using genetic algorithm

18-25The applications of genetic algorithm towards the investigation of electronic structures of aperiodic model polypeptide chains, first at the ab initio Hartree-Fock level and subsequently at the quasi particle band structure level are illustrated. The calculations have been performed using Clementi’s basis sets and the effects of both minimal and double zeta basis sets, as well as the effect of change of secondary structure of the polypeptide chains, viz., the -helix and -pleated sheet structures on the band gap values have been studied. The effects of electron correlation and hydration on density of states of model polypeptide chains containing glycine and alanine units have also been investigated. Optimal compositions of the most conducting polypeptide chain returned by genetic algorithm are found to be in good agreement with the results obtained from systematic search

Understanding Dyslexia in Children through Human Development Theories

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin, with an estimated overall worldwide prevalence of 5–10% of the population. It is characterised by difficulties in reading, accuracy, fluency, spelling and decoding abilities. The majority of publications reviewed indicated that screening is performed at the preschool level. Screening can also be conducted at birth or the first year of life. Understanding human development theory, for example, Piaget’s human development theory, may help determine at which stage of childhood development dyslexia is more detectable, and therefore guide the management of this disability. The objective of this review is to provide a brief and updated overview of dyslexia and its management in children through human development issues.

Cannabis Exposure in an Omani Child: First case report from Oman

We report a confirmed case of cannabis exposure in an Omani female child with developmental delay. Cannabis exposure in children can lead to many consequences; for example, chronic use can result in developmental delay, abnormal behaviour, and hyperactivity while there is a risk of coma with acute exposure. It is important for clinicians to consider substance abuse as a differential diagnosis for similar presentations in paediatric patients, noting that children are at risk of cannabis exposure if their parents/caregivers are cannabis users

Molecular engineering of novel low band gap conducting polymers

57-68Conducting polymers have infiltrated our day to day life with a wide range of products extending from the most common consumer goods to highly specialized applications in space, aeronautics and electronics. In this article, current efforts to design novel conducting polymers with the desired conduction properties are reviewed. Some recent results on the electronic structure and conduction properties of tailored conducting polymers are discussed. The application of search algorithms in obtaining the optimal solution for a copolymer with minimum band-gap and maximum delocalization has been discussed. Finally, the importance of theoretical study of conducting polymers has been outlined

Endodontic management of mandibular canine with two canals

Endodontic treatment may sometimes fail because morphological features of the tooth adversely affect the treatment procedures. Many investigators have reported the anatomical variations associated with mandibular canines. Mandibular canines are recognized as usually having one root and one root canal in most cases. This case report describes a clinical case of mandibular canine with two canals. Human mandibular canines do not present internal anatomy as simple as could be expected; there are such canines with a single root and two canals, two roots or fused roots. The existence of mandibular canines with more than one root canal is a fact that clinicians ought to keep in mind, in order to avoid failure during endodontic treatment. In spite of the low incidence of lower canines with one root and two canals, this possibility cannot be forgotten, inasmuch as the presence of a second canal in these teeth leads to difficulties in endodontic treatment. The precise knowledge of the dental endocanalicular system′s anatomy is essential in the success of the root canal therapy, because the failure to detect the accessories canals and the incomplete radicular obturation leads to the infection of the periapical space, which will ultimately result in the loss of the tooth