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Antipyretic activity of azima tetracantha in experimental animals
No full textIn the present study, the ethanolic leaf extract of Azima tetracantha Lam (A. tetracantha) was investigated for antipyretic activity in rats using Brewer’s yeast induced Pyrexia. The leaves of A. tetracantha were collected from Ponnamaravathi and cut into small pieces and shade dried. The dried powdered leaves (100 gm) were extracted in a Soxhlet apparatus by using 95% ethanol. Albino rats weighing (200-250g) were taken for the experiment divided into four groups of six animals each. Group 1 received 3% aqueous suspension of gum Acacia (1 ml/200g) as vehicle orally, group 2 and group 3 received ethanolic leaf extract of A. tetracantha 100 and 200 mg/kg with 3% aqueous suspension of gum Acacia orally and the group 4 served as standard received paracetamol 25 mg/kg with 3% aqueous suspension of gum Acacia orally. The subcutaneous injection of yeast suspension markedly elevated the rectal temperature after 18h of administration. Treatment with A. tetracantha extract at a dose of 100, 200 mg/kg decreased the rectal temperature of the rats in dose dependent manner. This effect was maximal at dose of 200 mg/kg and it caused significant lowering of body temperature (P< 0.01) up to 4 hour after its administration. The antipyretic effect started as early as 1h and the effect was maintained for 4h, after its administration. Both the standard drug paracetamol 25 mg/kg and tested drug A. tetracantha extract were significantly reduced the yeast elevated rectal temperature, at 2nd, 3rd and 4th hour compared to control group
Finding Similar Users in Facebook
No full textOnline social networks are rapidly asserting themselves as popular services on the Web. A central point is\ud
to determine whether two distinct users can be considered similar, a crucial concept with interesting consequences on the possibility to accomplish targeted actions like, for example, political and social aggregations or commercial promotions. In this chapter we propose an approach in order to estimate the similarity\ud
of two users based on the knowledge of social ties (i.e., common friends and groups of users)\ud
existing among users, and the analysis of activities (i.e., social events) in which users are involved. For\ud
each of these indicators, we draw a local measure of user similarity which takes into account only their\ud
joint behaviours. After this, we consider the whole network of relationships among users along with local\ud
values of similarities and combine them to obtain a global measure of similarity. Such a computation is\ud
carried out by applying the Katz coefficient, a popular parameter introduced in Social Science research.\ud
Finally, similarity values produced for each social activity are merged into a unique value of similarity by\ud
applying linear regression
Nutritional Status of Households of Rural Field Practice Area of a Tertiary Care Hospital in India
No full textIntroduction: In the world as a whole there appears to be a shift from under-nourishment towards over-nourishment making more and more children, adolescents, adults and even elderly to be overweight and obese. Objectives: Study aimed to find out the age and sex wise commonness of over-weight & obesity amongst the families of an overtly different socio-economic environment and its trend in the members of one type of families. Materials & Methods: The undergraduate medical students are supposed to maintain record of individual health (including height & weight) of their own family as well as that of the allotted family. The data collected (record maintained ) by students was utilized to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). Results: Out of total 291 subjects (males 168; females 123) in students own family 28.9% (28.0%; 30.1%) were overweight and 5.9% (6.0%; 5.7%) were obese. The similar figures for 262 subjects (males 143 & females 119) in the allotted families were 20.2% (18.5%; 20.2%) and 6.5% (4.2%; 8.4%) respectively. The respective percentages of under nourished individuals were 18.6 (17.9; 19.5) and 35.5 (37.8; 32.8). Thus over-nutrition was more common amongst the members of students own families (34.8% vs. 26.7%) and under-nutrition was more common amongst the members of allotted families (35.5% vs. 18.6%) For the years 2000-2003, BMI amongst individuals of students own families the under-nutrition in the age group of 15-24 years amongst males increased from 15.9% to 32.9% and over-nutrition from 13.6% to 20.5%. There was no case of overweight and obesity up to the age of 34 years in the previous analysis which was 2.6% in the present analysis Previous results demonstrated overweight to be more common in males (32.4% Vs. 24.4% in females) and obesity being more common females ( 6.3% Vs. 2.6% in females). Conclusion: Males are increasingly becoming prey of malnutrition (adolescents for under-nutrition and adults & elderly for over-nutrition. More studies covering larger samples are required to be conducted on a more frequent basis
Towards a Law of Invariance in Human Concept Learning
No full textInvariance principles underlie many key theories in modern science. They provide the explanatory and predictive framework necessary for the rigorous study of natural phenomena ranging from the structure of crystals, to magnetism, to relativistic mechanics. Vigo (2008, 2009)introduced a new general notion and principle of invariance from which two parameter-free (ratio and exponential) models were derived to account for human conceptual behavior. Here we introduce a new parameterized \ud
exponential “law” based on the same invariance principle. The law accurately predicts the subjective degree of difficulty that humans experience when learning different types of concepts. In addition, it precisely fits the data from a large-scale experiment which examined a total of 84 category structures across 10 category families (R-Squared =.97, p < .0001; r= .98, p < .0001). Moreover, it overcomes seven key challenges that had, hitherto, been grave obstacles for theories of concept learning
An epidemiological Study of Domestic Violence Against Women and its Association with Sexually Transmitted Infections in Bangalore Rural.
No full textBackground: Gender-based violence is universal, differing only in scope from one society to the other. The most common form of violence against women is domestic violence or violence within families. Objectives: 1. To study the prevalence and different forms of domestic violence perpetrated by intimate partner against married women. 2. To study socio economic and demographic factors which affect the victimization of woman for domestic violence. 3.To study prevalence of sexually transmitted infection and its association with domestic violence in the study group. Methods: Based on a pilot study results, a sample size of 257 was determined. Total 257 currently married women in the reproductive age group (15-49 yrs) were interviewed by systematic random sampling with prior consent using a well designed, pre- tested questionnaire . All the women were screened for sexually transmitted infections as per the WHO guidelines by syndromic approach. The data was analyzed by percentages and chi-square test. Results: Prevalence of domestic violence was found to be 29.57% in the study group. Verbal abuse was reported by 81.58% of the women, Physical abuse by 31.58% of the women ,Psychological abuse by 27.63% of the women and Sexual abuse by 10.53% of the women. Among the 76 victimized women none of them reported to the police. Interpretation and conclusions: The vulnerability to domestic violence was found significantly associated with age at marriage, duration of marriage and addiction of husband to alcohol. The association between domestic violence and sexually transmitted infections was also found significant
Safe zone for bone harvesting from the interforaminal region of the mandible
No full textAims: The mandibular incisive nerve can be subjected to iatrogenic injury during bone graft harvesting. Using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), this study aims to determine a safe zone for bone graft harvesting that avoids injuring this nerve. Methods: Sixty CBCT examinations of patients were included in this study. The examinations were taken using the i-CAT CBCT imaging system, applying a standardized exposure protocol. Image reconstruction from the raw data was performed using the SimPlant dental implant software. The distances of mandibular incisive canal (MIC) to the inferior border and the labial and lingual cortices of the mandible were measured at 3, 5, 7 and 9 mm mesial to the mental foramen. Results: The MIC was visible in all (100) CBCT images. The median distance and interquartile range from the lower border of the mandible was 9.86 (2.51) mm, curving downwards toward the inferior mandibular border at the symphysis menti. It was located closer to the buccal border of the mandible (3.15 1.28 mm) than lingual cortex (4.78 2.0 mm). The MIC curves toward the lingual side at the symphysis menti. There was gender difference in a number of these measurements. Current recommendation for chin bone graft harvesting can be applied to Asian subjects. Conclusions: While acknowledging that there is human variability, this study provides an accurate anatomic location of the MIC, which in turn helps to determine a safe zone for chin bone graft harvesting. This information can become a useful guide in centers where CBCT is not available. {\^A}{\copyright} 2012 John Wiley \& Sons A/S
The very same thing: Extending the object token concept to incorporate causal constraints on individual identity
No full textThe contributions of feature recognition, object categorization, and recollection of episodic memories to the re-identification of a perceived object as the very same thing encountered in a previous perceptual episode are well understood in terms of both cognitive-behavioral phenomenology and neurofunctional implementation. Human beings do not, however, rely solely on features and context to re-identify individuals; in the presence of featural change and similarly-featured distractors, people routinely employ causal constraints to establish object identities. Based on available cognitive and neurofunctional data, the standard object-token based model of individual re-identification is extended to incorporate the construction of unobserved and hence fictive causal histories (FCHs) of observed objects by the pre-motor action planning system. Cognitive-behavioral and implementation-level predictions of this extended model and methods for testing them are outlined. It is suggested that functional deficits in the construction of FCHs are associated with clinical outcomes in both Autism Spectrum Disorders and later-stage stage Alzheimer's disease.\u
Studies on association of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi with gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus and its effect on improvement of sorghum bicolor (L.)
No full textConsiderable attention has been paid on endophytic diazotrophs in recent times, because of its of ability to fix and transfer fixed nitrogen to the host plant. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are ubiquitous and play a significant role in improving the growth of plants through better uptake of nutrients, especially phosphorus. Interaction between AM fungi and nitrogen fixing bacteria and its impact on the host plant has been studied in several instances. In the present study, an attempt has been made to know the combining ability of G.diazotrophicus with AM fungi on S.bicolor. Spores of ten species of AM fungi were isolated from the rhizosphere soils of S.bicolor from different localities of Madurai and Sivagangai districts of Tamil Nadu. G.diazotrophicus was isolated from stem tissues of sugarcane (Saccharrum officinarum L.) from Madurai districts. The AM fungi in association with G.diazotrophicus were evaluated on the basis of root colonization, fresh and drymatter yield, N, P, soluble sugars and photosynthetic pigments in leaves of S.bicolor. Fresh weight and dry weight was significantly higher in dual inoculated plants. The highest values were recorded with Glomus fasciculatum + G.diazotrophicus combination. AM fungal infection was significantly higher in dual inoculated plants. N concentration was significantly increased by G.diazotrophicus even more in association with the efficient fungal strains. Dual inoculated plants showed a significant increase in P, soluble sugars, photosynthetic pigments in leaves was observed in G.diazotrophicus + Glomus fasciculatum combination. Such morphological modification may enhance water and nutrient uptake. Our results confirm the importance of studying plant-microbial interrelationship to provide useful information for agricultural system management
The role of statin drugs in combating cardiovascular diseases –A review
No full textStatins clearly confer substantial benefit in people with established cardiovascular (CV) disease. Increased cholesterol levels have been associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and statins are therefore used in the prevention of these diseases. Studies have found that the ability of a particular statin to lower or reduce LDL is proportional to the amount it can increase HDL levels. This review article will focus on the effective role of statin in cardiovascular disease and comparison was made between various classes of statin drugs
Cognition as management of meaningful information. Proposal for an evolutionary approach.
No full textHumans are cognitive entities. Our behaviors and ongoing interactions with the environment are\ud
threaded with creations and usages of meaningful information, be they conscious or unconscious.\ud
Animal life is also populated with meaningful information related to the survival of the individual\ud
and of the species. The meaningfulness of information managed by artificial agents can also be\ud
considered as a reality once we accept that the meanings managed by an artificial agent are\ud
derived from what we, the cognitive designers, have built the agent for.\ud
This rapid overview brings to consider that cognition, in terms of management of meaningful\ud
information, can be looked at as a reality for animal, humans and robots. But it is pretty clear\ud
that the corresponding meanings will be very different in nature and content. Free will and selfconsciousness\ud
are key drivers in the management of human meanings, but they do not exist for\ud
animals or robots. Also, staying alive is a constraint that we share with animals. Robots do not\ud
carry that constraint.\ud
Such differences in meaningful information and cognition for animal, humans and robots could\ud
bring us to believe that the analysis of cognitions for these three types of agents has to be done\ud
separately. But if we agree that humans are the result of the evolution of life and that robots are a\ud
product of human activities, we can then look at addressing the possibility for an evolutionary\ud
approach at cognition based on meaningful information management. A bottom-up path would\ud
begin by meaning management within basic living entities, then climb up the ladder of evolution\ud
up to us humans, and continue with artificial agents.\ud
This is what we propose to present here: address an evolutionary approach for cognition, based\ud
on meaning management using a simple systemic tool.\ud
We use for that an existing systemic approach on meaning generation where a system submitted\ud
to a constraint generates a meaningful information (a meaning) that will initiate an action in order\ud
to satisfy the constraint [1,2]. The action can be physical, mental or other.\ud
This systemic approach defines a Meaning Generator System (MGS). The simplicity of the MGS\ud
makes it available as a building block for meaning management in animals, humans and robots.\ud
Contrary to approaches on meaning generation in psychology or linguistics, the MGS approach is\ud
not based on human mind. To avoid circularity, an evolutionary approach has to be careful not to\ud
include components of human mind in the starting point.\ud
The MGS receives information from its environment and compares it with its constraint. The\ud
generated meaning is the connection existing between the received information and the\ud
constraint. The generated meaning is to trigger an action aimed at satisfying the constraint. The\ud
action will modify the environment, and so the generated meaning. Meaning generation links\ud
agents to their environments in a dynamic mode. The MGS approach is triadic, Peircean type.\ud
The systemic approach allows wide usage of the MGS: a system is a set of elements linked by a\ud
set of relations. Any system submitted to a constraint and capable of receiving information from\ud
its environment can lead to a MGS. Meaning generation can be applied to many cases, assuming\ud
we identify clearly enough the systems and the constraints. Animals, humans and robots are then\ud
agents containing MGSs. Similar MGSs carrying different constraints will generate different\ud
meanings. Cognition is system dependent.\ud
We first apply the MGS approach to animals with “stay alive” and “group life” constraints. Such\ud
constraints can bring to model many cases of meaning generation and actions in the organic\ud
world. However, it is to be highlighted that even if the functions and characteristics of life are well\ud
known, the nature of life is not really understood. Final causes are difficult to integrate in our\ud
today science. So analyzing meaning and cognition in living entities will have to take into account\ud
our limited understanding about the nature of life. Ongoing research on concepts like autopoiesis\ud
could bring a better understanding about the nature of life [3].\ud
We next address meaning generation for humans. The case is the most difficult as the nature of\ud
human mind is a mystery for today science and philosophy. The natures of our feelings, free will\ud
or self-consciousness are unknown. Human constraints, meanings and cognition are difficult to\ud
define. Any usage of the MGS approach for humans will have to take into account the limitations\ud
that result from the unknown nature of human mind.\ud
We will however present some possible approaches to identify human constraints where the MGS\ud
brings some openings in an evolutionary approach [4, 5]. But it is clear that the better human\ud
mind will be understood, the more we will be in a position to address meaning management and\ud
cognition for humans. Ongoing research activities relative to the nature of human mind cover\ud
many scientific and philosophical domains [6].\ud
The case of meaning management and cognition in artificial agents is rather straightforward with\ud
the MGS approach as we, the designers, know the agents and the constraints. In addition, our\ud
evolutionary approach brings to position notions like artificial constraints, meaning and autonomy\ud
as derived from their animal or human source.\ud
We next highlight that cognition as management of meaningful information by agents goes\ud
beyond information and needs to address representations which belong to the central hypothesis\ud
of cognitive sciences.\ud
We define the meaningful representation of an item for an agent as being the networks of\ud
meanings relative to the item for the agent, with the action scenarios involving the item.\ud
Such meaningful representations embed the agents in their environments and are far from the\ud
GOFAI type ones [4]. Meanings, representations and cognition exist by and for the agents.\ud
We finish by summarizing the points presented and highlight some possible continuations.\ud
[1] C. Menant "Information and Meaning" http://cogprints.org/3694/\ud
[2] C. Menant “Introduction to a Systemic Theory of Meaning” (short paper)\ud
http://crmenant.free.fr/ResUK/MGS.pdf\ud
[3] A. Weber and F. Varela “Life after Kant: Natural purposes and the autopoietic foundations of\ud
biological individuality”. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 1: 97–125, 2002.\ud
[4] C. Menant "Computation on Information, Meaning and Representations. An Evolutionary\ud
Approach" http://www.idt.mdh.se/ECAP-2005/INFOCOMPBOOK/CHAPTERS/10-Menant.pdf\ud
http://crmenant.free.fr/2009BookChapter/C.Menant.211009\ud
[5] C. Menant "Proposal for a shared evolutionary nature of language and consciousness"\ud
http://cogprints.org/7067/\ud
[6] Philpapers “philosophy of mind” http://philpapers.org/browse/philosophy-of-min