16 research outputs found
A Participatory Model for Multi-Document Health Information Summarisation
Full text linkIncreasing availability and access to health information has been a paradigm shift in healthcare provision as it empowers both patients and practitioners alike. Besides awareness, significant time savings and process efficiencies can be achieved through effective summarisation of healthcare information. Relevance and accuracy are key concerns when generating summaries for such documents. Despite advances in automated summarisation approaches, the role of participation has not been explored. In this paper, we propose a new model for multi-document health information summarisation that takes into account the role of participation. The updated IS user participation theory was extended to explicate these roles. The proposed model integrates both extractive and abstractive summarisation processes with continuous participatory inputs to each phase. The model was implemented as a client-server application and evaluated by both domain experts and health information consumers. Results from the evaluation phase indicates the model is successful in generating relevant and accurate summaries for diverse audiences
Analysis of Plantago species variants for novel functional and in-vitro fermentation properties
Full text linkFood manufacturing and nutraceuticals such as fibre supplements are extensive and ever-growing global industries where research and development are being constantly carried out to manufacture products with better quality, better sensory perception, and improved nutritional and health benefits. Hydrocolloids, which are hydrophilic long-chain polymers (polysaccharides and/or proteins) of various origins, both natural and artificial, are used in the food and fibre industry. Psyllium is one such hydrocolloid derived from the mucilaginous polysaccharides of Plantago ovata seeds and is used widely in the food industry, including as a fibre supplement due to its strong water-holding ability. Although there are many mucilageproducing members in the Plantago genus, P. ovata is the only species currently used commercially in the food and fibre industry as a source of mucilage. Despite the high demand, there are many constraints to obtaining a consistent supply of psyllium with good quality as the species is difficult to breed commercially and there is a little genetic variation to improve production for food functionality purposes. Furthermore, although P. ovata mucilage provides good faecal bulking and laxative properties, it is poorly fermentable thereby providing lesser fermentation-related health benefits and potentially making it a lessthan- ideal fibre source. However, there may be novel sources of Plantago mucilage that can improve these constraints, such as variation generated through induced mutation, through processes such as fractionation, or found naturally, such as in other members of the Plantago genus that may be used as alternatives to P. ovata with similar or improved uses in food and fibre. These alternative options raise questions about the possibility of novel or improved sources of mucilage from different species. Do the differences in mutant mucilage polysaccharide structure and composition caused by gamma irradiation P. ovata seeds provide better forms of psyllium for use as food hydrocolloids? Does whole mucilage of P. ovata provide the best functionality, or could fractionation of mucilage be used to tailor the properties of food? Could alterations to polysaccharide structure by mutation give rise to more fermentable mucilage with superior performance in faecal bulking as well as providing good amounts of beneficial compounds produced by fermentation in the gut? Are there better fermentable species within Australian native Plantago that can be exploited for use in food and fibre applications? These research questions, that have shaped this thesis, are summarized in Figure 1-1.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 202
Intelligent Detection of Driver Behavior Changes for Effective Coordination Between Autonomous and Human Driven Vehicles
No full textAssessment of standardization and quality control parameters of a new formulation of Trijata; An Ayurveda formula
No full text7-15Trijata is a polyherbal Ayurveda preparation containing Twak (Cinnamomum verum syn. Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Ela (Elettaria cardamomum), and Patra (Cinnamomum tamala) discussed in Ayurveda textbooks, including Bhava Prakash, Kaiyadeva Nighandu and Ayurveda Pharmacopeia, Sri Lanka. This study aimed to develop a novel preparation of Trijata incorporating C. zeylanicum leave substituting Cinnamomum tamala, due to the unavailability of C. tamala in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, quality control and standardization parameters were developed for this Novel Trijata (NT). The hot and cold aqueous extractions were subjected to qualitative phytochemical screening. Total phenolic, flavonoid contents, and in-vitro antioxidant activity were determined using DPPH and ABTS assays. Microbiological limits, heavy metal content, and physicochemical parameters including; the ash content, and extractable matter were determined for quality control and standardization. Preliminary phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, reducing sugars, and cardiac glycosides in NT aqueous extract. The physicochemical parameters including; 4.6±0.2% of total ash, 3.1±0.1% water-soluble ash, and 0.6±0.2% of acid insoluble ash on a dry weight basis were determined. In-vitro antioxidant activity as per DPPH and ABTS assays was dose-dependent and the highest activity was obtained with IC50 of hot water extract. Extractability was high for hot extraction. NT had high total phenolic and flavonoid content exhibited through promising antioxidant activity. The microbiological limits and heavy metal content were within the standard acceptable limits. The HPTLC profiles of this study would be more helpful to authenticate this product (NT) for drug manufacture and further studies are recommended to evaluate its biological activities for proper indications
In-Vitro Antioxidant, Hypoglycemic Activity, and Identification of Bioactive Compounds in Phenol-Rich Extract from the Marine Red Algae Gracilaria edulis (Gmelin) Silva
No full textObesity and diabetes are major metabolic disorders which are prevalent worldwide. Algae has played an important role in managing these disorders. In this study, Gracilaria edulis, a marine red algae, was investigated for antioxidant and hypoglycemic potential using in vitro models. De-polysaccharide methanol extract of G. edulis was sequentially partitioned with hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and antioxidants, and hypoglycemic potentials were evaluated using multiple methods. High antioxidant potential was observed in the ethyl acetate fraction in terms of ferric reducing antioxidant power, iron chelating, and DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, while the crude methanol extract exhibited potent oxygen radical-absorbance capacity. Potent α-amylase inhibitory activity was observed in the ethyl acetate fraction, while the ethyl acetate fraction was effective against α-glucosidase inhibition. Glucose diffusion was inhibited by the ethyl acetate fraction at 180 min, and the highest antiglycation activity was observed in both chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions. Additionally, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction revealed the presence of several potent anti-diabetic compounds. In conclusion, G. edulis exhibited promising antidiabetic potential via multiple mechanisms. The ethyl acetate fraction exhibited the strongest hypoglycemic and antiglycation potential among the four fractions, and hence the isolation of active compounds is required to develop leads for new drugs to treat diabetes
Association of selected genetic variants in CBS and MTHFR genes in a cohort of children with homocystinuria in Sri Lanka
No full textAbstract Background Homocystinuria is an inherited, inborn error of homocysteine metabolism, which leads to the abnormal accumulation of homocysteine and its metabolites in blood and urine, resulting in various complications. Variants in the cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genes interrupt the formation of the corresponding enzymes and prevent homocysteine from being metabolised; hence, the homocysteine levels in plasma increase than the optimum levels. Materials and methods In the current study, eight clinically confirmed children with homocystinuria were detected to study the chosen variants in the CBS gene (c.833 T>C and c.19del) and in the MTHFR gene (c.665 C>T, c.1286 A>C) using SNaPshot mini-sequencing and direct sequencing. Results After screening eight patients, none had the c.833T>C, but four patients were in the homozygous state for the c.19del variant in the CBS gene. Furthermore, seven were heterozygous for c.1286A>C, while one patient was heterozygous for c.665C>T in the MTHFR gene. Conclusion According to the results, c.19del is common in the studied cohort of Sri Lankan children, while c.833T>C is absent, whereas c.1286A>C was more frequent than c.665C>T. To our knowledge, the current study was the first report to discuss the genetic impact of homocystinuria in Sri Lanka; further comprehensive studies are necessary with a larger sample size to establish the association of these variants with the disease in Sri Lanka, which can be beneficial in enhanced patient care and for prospective studies
Evaluation of Noise Reduction Methods for Sentence Recognition by Sinhala Speaking Listeners
Full text linkNoise reduction is a crucial aspect of hearing aids, which researchers have
been striving to address over the years. However, most existing noise reduction
algorithms have primarily been evaluated using English. Considering the
linguistic differences between English and Sinhala languages, including
variation in syllable structures and vowel duration, it is very important to
assess the performance of noise reduction tailored to the Sinhala language.
This paper presents a comprehensive analysis between wavelet transformation and
adaptive filters for noise reduction in Sinhala languages. We investigate the
performance of ten wavelet families with soft and hard thresholding methods
against adaptive filters with Normalized Least Mean Square, Least Mean Square
Average Normalized Least Mean Square, Recursive Least Square, and Adaptive
Filtering Averaging optimization algorithms along with cepstral and
energy-based voice activity detection algorithms. The performance evaluation is
done using objective metrics; Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and Perceptual
Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) and a subjective metric; Mean Opinion Score
(MOS). A newly recorded Sinhala language audio dataset and the NOIZEUS database
by the University of Texas, Dallas were used for the evaluation. Our code is
available at
https://github.com/ChathukiKet/Evaluation-of-Noise-Reduction-Method
Integration of in vitro and in-silico analysis of Caulerpa racemosa against antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities
No full textAbstract Marine algae are found to be excellent in their nutritional and potential therapeutic properties. This study explores the antidiabetic and anticancer potential of fractionated polyphenolic extract of Caulerpa racemosa, green macroalgae. Crude polyphenolic extract (CPE) of C. racemosa and its fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and distilled water) were tested for its total phenol and flavonoid contents and antioxidant potential. The ethyl acetate fraction was subjected to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The in vitro antidiabetic activity was assessed by alpha-amylase, glucosidase inhibition and anti-glycation assays. Also, in-silico studies were conducted to test the binding affinities between caulerpin with alpha-glucosidase enzyme and estrogen receptor (ER) active sites. Each fraction was tested for its in vitroin vitroanticancer activity by CellTiter-Glo and MTT cell proliferation assays. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents and the antioxidant potential of the crude extract were observed to be dose dependent. The GC/MS analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction yielded 47 peaks, whereas n-hexadecanoic acid and hexadecanoic acid methyl ester showed the highest compatibility percentages of 99% and 96%, respectively. The CPE exhibited a higher potential in both alpha-amylase inhibitory and anti-glycation activities. The ethyl acetate fraction was more effective against alpha-glucosidase inhibition. Molecular docking revealed a high binding affinity between the alpha-glucosidase enzyme and caulerpin and showed high binding affinity toward caulerpin, with H-bond interactions. The in vitro anticancer analyses revealed that chloroform fraction and CPE exhibited moderate activity on the KAIMRC1 cell line. Also, the CPE exhibited high specificity compared to the standard drug in anticancer studies. Our findings evidence the pharmacological potential of the CPE of C. racemosa, and bioactive compounds of the species may be utilized as lead molecules to develop anti-diabetic and anti-cancer drugs
