Proceedings of International Virtual Seminar on Recent Trends in Life Sciences and Biotechnology: Strategies to Combat COVID-19, Zoonoses and Other Communicable Diseases. Rakesh Book Service, New Delhi. 460p (ISBN: 978-93-84998-83-7).

The hidden brain has its finger on the scale when we make all of our most complex and important decisions – it decides who we fall in love with, whether we should convict someone of murder, or which way to run when someone yells “fire ...

So what does understanding mean? When understanding of life happens to man based on cause, effect and time, it is incomplete. They are the knowledgeable. And when understanding happens to man that life is not based on cause effect and time, it is complete. They are the wise or Sages.

Michael Smith’s Internalist resolution to “The Moral Problem” serves to establish a necessary connection between moral judgement and moral motivation in the rational agent. Externalists, like Brink, counter Smith’s claim with the figure of the Amoralist, whose moral motivation, they argue, is only contingent on antecedently-held desires. In this paper, I draw a distinction between “moral motivation” – if an agent judges it right to Φ, she is, ceteris paribus, motivated to Φ - and “acting on moral motivation” – if (...) an agent judges it right to Φ, she actually Φs. I show how the Amoralist explanation might account for the latter, but not the former, which ultimately leaves Smith’s argument for motivational Internalism intact. (shrink)

Formaldehyde is one of the potent toxic industrial chemicals that are very commonly used in various industries, labs, and biological museums, etc. The toxicity of formaldehyde is well-known. It causes respiratory distress if inhaled in higher concentration thus, causing lung damage. It is also found to be mutagenic due to its rapid reactivity being a small molecule having electrophilic carbon. The current review focuses on the characteristic properties of formaldehyde, Sources, and uses of formaldehyde. This review further brings about the (...) toxicity of formaldehyde on different organs and organ systems of the body. Its genotoxicity and carcinogenicity are described. And later the various ways of decontaminating the formaldehyde are discussed to neutralize its harmful impacts. From this review, we have concluded that formaldehyde is a highly toxic chemical that needs proper protective measures while handling and should not be directly exposed. There should be proper decontaminating agents for emergencies, where there is the mass production of formaldehyde. (shrink)

Influenza virus (H1N1) caused seasonal influenza, is an acute respiratory infection that spreads to whole worldwide. The first case of influenza A virus pandemics in India came to light in May 2009 in Hyderabad city of Telangana. Human-to-human transmission led to considerable morbidity and mortality within the country until December.The total number of seasonal influenza cases in India from the year 2010 to 31st July 2020 is 1,73,488. Decreasing ambient temperature is often associated with influenza weather. The viral particle's ability (...) to survive long term in cold temperatures also plays an important role. Besides, coagulation during winter serves as a co-contributing factor in facilitating the spread of the influenza virus. The environmental temperature leads to physical stress and energy loss due to thermal regulation, which weakens the immune system and thereby increases the host's likelihood of infection. The prevention of epidemics in India was possible only by quick and efficient measures taken by the Government.Soon after cases were registered at Pune, Maharashtra, and other places across the country, steps were taken to revise the guidelines for the control of the disease in India.Classification of cases in health facilities and home environments, classification of cases, providing treatment to appropriate persons, public education, and other appropriate measures proved to be very effective in due course of time. In this paper, we discussed the total cases and mortality due to seasonal influenza virus in the states and union territories in India from the year 2010 to the year 2020. (shrink)

Nanoparticles have been used in numerous fields, various branches of science and engineering. These were used as a modification and to enhance the activity such as dentistry and oral investigation. The current survey uncovers that graphene oxide has been used to set up a variety of functionalized nanoparticles and progressed nanocomposites carriers. Graphene oxide shows potential in a variety of research examinations, for instance, tooth bleaching, antimicrobial activity, tooth erosion, teeth implants, toothaches, drug delivery at a specific site. All these (...) usages of graphene oxide to biomedicine are excellent, and consoling Graphene oxide use in dental science has given amazing outcomes in antimicrobial activity, bone tissue building, regenerative dental, advancing dentistry biological materials, and in the treatment of oral cancer. The biocompatibilities of graphene oxide and its nanomaterial make them approaching units in bone regeneration, osseointegration, and cell multiplication. Furthermore, its antibiofilm and antiadhesion action encouraged researchers to formulate graphene oxide for biofilm. Nanostructures are utilized advancements or exploration of dentistry, and nanocomposite is employed for oral ailment preventive drugs, prostheses, and teeth implantation. Nanomaterials are further utilized as an oral liquid, mouth wash, or medication, forestalling and facilitating some oral malady and keep up oral wellbeing. (shrink)

Purpose of Review Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is identified from Wuhan, China, and has spread almost worldwide. Recently, the newly identified SARS-CoV-2 has been confirmed to kill millions of people worldwide and is dangerous to society health, survival, and livelihood. The people with cardiovascular problems are noticed as most common patients of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). There is a greater risk of mortality and morbidity in these patients than other patients of COVID-19. In the heart, expressed angiotensin-converting enzyme (...) 2 (ACE2) and response effect of hyperactivity with angiotensin II associated to the renin-angiotensin mechanism are key factors of hypertension, atherosclerosis, and congestive heart failure. -/- Recent Findings Mortality rates have been observed about 10.5% cases in patients with cardiovascular disease; however, a mortality rate of 52% was recorded in patients with heart failure, while 12% recovered ultimately. The occupancy of intense injury controlled by troponin elevation was a noteworthy factor in relation to mortality. Among 187 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, about 35% were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) history and 28% with raised troponin. Troponin elevation was identified more frequently (55%) in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Mortality rate in patients without cardiovascular diseases and normal troponin was 7.6%, normal troponin and cardiovascular disease with 13.3%, augmented troponin and without cardiovascular disease 37.5%, however 69.4% among cardiovascular disease and advanced troponin. -/- Summary The study reflected a significant association of case fatality rate (CFR) to COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular diseases which supposed to be the most common dangerous risk factor and health challenge during the current pandemic situation. (shrink)

The public health crisis is started with emergence of new coronavirus on 11 February 2020 which triggered as coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemics. The causative agent in COVID-19 is made up of positively wrapped single-stranded RNA viruses ~ 30 kb in size. The epidemiology, clinical features, pathophysiology, and mode of transmission have been documented well in many studies, with additional clinical trials are running for several antiviral agents. The spreading potential of COVID-19 is faster than its two previous families, the severe (...) acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Apart from clinical manifestation, comorbid status is playing key role for prevalence of COVID-19 infection and mortalities. The comorbid effects associated with COVID-19 are diabetes, cardiovascular, digestive, hepatitis-B, cerebrovascular, hypertension, liver injury, coronary heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and neurological impairment. Antimalarial drugs (chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine), remdesivir, Tocilizumab, clopinavir/ritonavir, convalescent plasma therapy, spike protein-angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) inhibitors, human monoclonal antibodies, mRNA-1273, mesenchymal stem cells, Indian and Chinese traditional medicine, small molecules antioxidant, natural products and dietary supplements, high doses of vitamin-E, -C, -D, minerals, flavonoids,and IFN-beta are therapeutic intervention running to develop treatment against COVID-19. Although clinical usage of these therapeutic agents against COVID-19 is well documented, cytokine storms, absence of appropriate animal model have limited its therapeutic use. This review explores the clinical information currently available on COVID-19 on the mechanisms of infection, prevention, management, comorbid status, and current drug treatment options. (shrink)

This article discusses the Philosophical and Regulatory mappings of Brain Control Interfaces in the coming age of Trans-humans. The author combines perspectives from Material Engagement theory, Don Ihde’s post-phenomenological perspective and Veerback’s cyborg intentionality on human-technology relations and juxtaposes this post-phenomenological hybrid-intentionality on upcoming BCI such as Neuralink. Taking the hybrid-intentionality as point of departure, the author then develops Regulatory approaches and principles in context of the normative harms borne out of such transfiguration while also highlighting these key harms.

Fake news is a topic that we all know well, and that continues to play a prominent role in the social harms besieging the globe today. From the recent storming of the Capitol Hill in the United States to the siege of Red fort over Farm-laws in India, online disinformation via social media platforms was the main driving force catapulting the protestors far and wide. In the backdrop of such social harms, this Research Article examines the epistemic, legal and regulatory (...) discourse surrounding the disinformation bubble in India and asks for the deployment of ‘Lessig’s Decentred Regulatory Model’ — the potential Framework solution to regulate social media platforms in order to curb the menace of ‘fake news’. (shrink)

The fear of the unknown is the lived reality of the handloom industry in India. Handloom is the second largest employment provider in the country, after agriculture. According to the 2019-20 National Census of Handloom Weavers, there are 31.44 lakh households engaged in weaving and allied activities, out of which 87% are in rural areas. The objective of this article is to study the social enterprises that are looking for innovative ways to receive the handloom sector in the post-pandemic period. (...) Further its aim to study the digital impact on the handloom sector, especially on women. (shrink)

Math literacy is miniscule compared to the near universal language literacy of mother tongues. Our search for the root cause of this undesirable human condition led us to: Grammar (or the abstract essence) of a language. Language learning begins with grammar, unless the language happens to be mathematics, which is unique in not even considering including the grammar (abstract general/theory) of mathematics in the mathematical pedagogy. Here we make a case for introducing the abstract essence of mathematics--Conceptual Mathematics--in high school (...) math curriculum. Recognizing that the singular purpose of education is to nurture the universal yearning for understanding, we show how a nurturing pedagogy naturally resolves the "learning crisis", with the solution manifesting as human development. Furthermore, the nurturing pedagogy that we advocate invariably results in the culture of research excellence. (shrink)

Immunology researchers are beginning to explore the possibilities of reproducibility, reuse and secondary analyses of immunology data. Open-access datasets are being applied in the validation of the methods used in the original studies, leveraging studies for meta-analysis, or generating new hypotheses. To promote these goals, the ImmPort data repository was created for the broader research community to explore the wide spectrum of clinical and basic research data and associated findings. The ImmPort ecosystem consists of four components–Private Data, Shared Data, Data (...) Analysis, and Resources—for data archiving, dissemination, analyses, and reuse. To date, more than 300 studies have been made freely available through the ImmPort Shared Data portal , which allows research data to be repurposed to accelerate the translation of new insights into discoveries. (shrink)

India is the leading producer of fruits worldwide. The major problem after citrus fruits consumption is their peel that are hazardous to our environment and mainly regarded as a solid waste however, they are rich sources of fibres, large amount of Vitamin C, phenolics and flavonoids which are best agents of antioxidant. In this paper, we have discussed about the orange peel waste which has many beneficial roles in our daily life. Citrus peel has the highest number of Phytochemicals such (...) as flavonoids, terpenoids, quinolines and having highest antioxidant activity as compared to the pulp and seed as well as identified from the extraction. The different Phytochemicals test analysis have been discussed in this paper (steroids testing, saponins testing) and different antioxidant test used to check the antioxidant activity of the citrus fruit peel extract are Hydrogen peroxide scavenging test, Nitric oxide scavenging test, DPPH test etc. The main objective of this paper is that the higher antioxidant activity of different mixture of Citrus fruit peel can help to reduce the generation of free radicals and can act as an anti-proliferative agent. The search for novel drugs and alternative medicine especially against cancer has led to increased research in medicinal plants. This review also indicated that Citrus peels contains antioxidant compounds which could be exploited as value added products in the food and cosmetic industry. (shrink)

Biswas's book is a panoramic treatment of contemporary world theatre. The book under review will help both the neophyte, as also a scholar to negotiate ancient dramaturgy and more recent theatre. Biswas's eye for details is also remarked in this review. The review shows how Biswas, as it were, has written a manifesto of protest in this book.

A comparison between Muḥammad and Siddhārtha’s psychological states is made to identify how they had their mystical experiences and how their presuppositions and personalities shaped their interpretation of these experiences. Muḥammad’s mystical experience appeared to be based on an altered state of consciousness. Siddhārtha’s teachings include that one must not have blind faith and remain open to various truths. These teachings may reflect that he was high in openness to experience, which may have fortified him from becoming delusional. While mystical (...) experiences may have pathological overlaps, they could be categorized in a similar way to psychological states. Yet, mindful presuppositions and personality traits, especially from within openness to experience spectrum, are what make perceptions of these experiences diverse. (shrink)