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Higher education institutions are expected to produce career-ready graduates who are equipped for the challenges of the 21st century. Employability experts argue that this can be achieved by integrating career development learning (CDL) into the curriculum. The informational interview helps students learn more about a career by interviewing a professional working in a field of interest, and helps students to make decisions regarding their career plans. The aims of the study were to determine students': 1) preferred career paths and career identity at the midpoint of their non-specialist degree; and 2) experiences and perceptions of an informational interview module. An informational interview module was embedded into a second-year human biosciences subject taken by students in undergraduate non-specialist health-related STEM degrees. Students indicated their preferred career, learned about informational interviews, and conducted an interview with a professional working in the field they wished to enter. After the interview, students completed reflection activities, responding to open-ended and Likert-scale questions. 91 student reflections were analysed to determine students' career identity, and their experiences and perceptions of the module. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on Likert-scale answers and inductive thematic analysis was conducted on open-ended answers. Students' career preferences were wide-ranging, with allied health the most popular. Career identity was reasonably well established in this cohort. The student experience was overall positive, and students' thought the module was useful in supporting their career planning and career development. In conclusion, an informational interview assignment is an effective career development tool for human biosciences students.

Previous research has established that polyphenols increase lifespan and stress resistance in C. elegans. However, the effects of timing of exposure on the extension of lifespan and the mechanisms involved are not completely understood. This study aims to clarify the influence of the timing of polyphenol-rich sugarcane extract (PRSE) administration on the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans worms were subjected to a diet containing PRSE powder at various larval stages until their death. The optimal concentration for lifespan extension was found to be 5 mg/mL PRSE, which increased the lifespan of N2 worms by 18.12% compared to the control group. Mutant strains were also tested, and worm thermotolerance assays were used to assess age-related health at different life stages. Lifespan was notably extended when PRSE was introduced at the first larval stage and 15 h thereafter. No significant extension of lifespan was observed when introduced later in life. The lifespan of DAF-16 and DAF-2 mutants remained unaffected by PRSE. Improved thermotolerance was observed, especially in young and middle-aged worms. Early initiation and sustained intake of PRSE might improve the heat stress and lifespan, implicating the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway as a likely mediator in C. elegans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new hybrid solids viz. {Hpz}2[H7CrMo6O24]·6H2O (1) and [Co(2-Hampz)2Cl4] (2) have been crystallized via solvent evaporation technique using pyrazole (pz) and 2-aminopyrazine (2-ampz) respectively. The solids were characterized using single crystal X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy and thermal analysis. The solid 1 crystallized in orthorhombic system with space group Pbca, a = 23.1796(8), b = 11.1281(4), c = 25.1499(9) Å, Z = 8. The solid 2 crystallized in triclinic system with space group P-1, a = 7.1986(5), b = 7.3917(5), c = 7.8896(6) Å, α = 115.758(3), β = 110.450(3), γ = 96.904(3)°, Z = 1. While, solid 1 is a new Anderson–Evans cluster based solid, 2 is a new pseudopolymorph of cobalt complex [Co(2-ampz)4Cl2]. Crystal structure analysis suggested that supramolecular interactions facilitate the crystal packing in solids 1 and 2. In addition, the role of synthetic parameters in dictating the nature of self-assembly of solids 1 and 2 in aqueous medium has also been analyzed. An Anderson–Evans cluster based solid, {Hpz}2[H7CrMo6O24]·6H2O (1) and a new pseudopolymorph of cobalt complex [Co(2-ampz)4Cl2] viz. [Co(2-Hampz)2Cl4] (2) have been synthesized using pyrazole (pz) and 2-aminopyrazine (2-ampz) respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was conducted to explore doctors' perceptions and understanding of the self-medication practices of people living with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A qualitative research design incorporating 20 semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with doctors treating people with type 2 diabetes in Mysuru, India, between July 2019 and January 2020. All the interviews were conducted in doctors' clinics, audio-recorded and thematically analyzed. Results: Three themes were identified from these interviews- i) Doctors' beliefs towards their patients' use of traditional medicine and environmental factors influencing prescription practices, ii) Doctors reported little faith in traditional medicines, iii) Limited strategies implemented by doctors to overcome barriers to self-medications. Doctors reported greater belief in western medications over traditional medications and expressed concern that their patients favored traditional medications over western. Multiple factors such as social media, accessibility of healthcare facilities and pill burden influenced adherence to western medications. Also, lack of knowledge about traditional medications and trust in western medications available under government schemes have influenced prescription practices among doctors. It appears that doctors implemented strategies such as educating patients on the detrimental effects of self-medication and insisting on patients to take only western medications to achieve desired blood glucose levels when managing self-medication practices among people with diabetes. Conclusion: These results suggest that doctors have limited strategies to implement to prevent self-medication practices among people with diabetes. Increasing knowledge amongst doctors about JAS medication effectiveness and thereby garnering greater trust in generic medications. In addition, efforts should be made to identify the best ways to integrate traditional and western medicine into patient-centered care delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cocoa, a significant contributor of polyphenols to the western diet has been shown to be effective against Aβ induced toxicity in vitro. However, the effects of long-term cocoa supplementation on Aβ induced behavioural deficits, particularly on the short-term memory loss observed in human AD are not well defined. OBJECTIVE: This study characterized the phenotype of a pan-neuronal Aβ expressing C. elegans strain and investigated the effects of long-term cocoa supplementation on Aβ induced behavioural deficits including short-term memory loss and lifespan. METHODS: Cocoa powder was supplemented to the E. coli OP50 diet of C. elegans starting from L1 stage until they die. Neuronally controlled processes including locomotion, learning and memory were studied at different stages of the lifespan. In addition, lifespan was evaluated with different cocoa doses. Aβ fibril levels were determined with Thioflavin T. RESULTS: Aβ expressing worms showed a reduced growth, a reduced maximum speed at old age, short-term memory deficits at middle age and a reduced lifespan. Cocoa-supplementation reversed the deficits in growth, maximum speed, short-term memory loss and lifespan to reach similar levels to control counterparts while reducing the Aβ fibril levels. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term cocoa supplementation seemed to improve Aβ induced deficits in C. elegans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fundamental necessity of a fire alarm system is to report the occurrence of fire at the earliest. With the advent of computer vision this has become more advanced and reliable. A prerequisite of a Fire Detection System is the detection of fire conditions as early as possible, to provide enough time for Automated Systems/Fire personnel for effective counter actions. Conventional fire detection systems detect and forecasts fire by using by-products of combustible such as smoke, flame, temperature which takes a significant time to develop the required level to trigger heat sensors and smoke sensors. All these situations motivated us to think of a new method of fire detection which uses the technique of computer vision. Computer vision based fire detection systems overcome these limitations since it detects the combustible instead of it are by products. Furthermore, it detects through a camera, which is a volume sensor and covers a wide range from a single camera. The primary objective of this computer vision based fire detection system is to detect the fire, which is done by the method of deep learning, and produce warning alarms if the fire is detected. All of the above clues are combining to form a more efficient fire detection system compared to the conventional systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]