THERMAL, PASTING AND RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF PROCESSED BUCKWHEAT (FAGOPYRUM ESCULENTUM) FLOUR

  Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of various processing treatments on thermal, pasting, and rheological properties of buckwheat flour.Methods: Buckwheat seeds were processed through different processing treatments including cooking, germination, and fermentation, and their flours were produced. The processed flours were analyzed for their thermal properties using differential scanning calorimeter, pasting properties using rapid visco-analyzer, and rheological properties using rotational rheometer.Results: Fermented buckwheat flour showed significantly (p≤0.05) higher onset temperature (To=66.6°C), peak temperature (Tp=71.15°C), conclusion temperature (Tc=78.03°C), and enthalpy of gelatinization (1.89 J/g). The peak viscosity ranged from 39 to 1299 cp, lowest for cooked buckwheat flour and highest for fermented buckwheat flour. The native buckwheat flour showed the highest value, whereas cooked buckwheat flour showed the lowest value for storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (Gâ€). The value of tan ∂ was lower than 1 for native and processed buckwheat dough.Conclusion: The changes observed in physicochemical properties of buckwheat flour after processing treatments provided a crucial basis for its potential applications on an industrial scale. Furthermore, buckwheat seeds are gluten-free; therefore, their flour or products can be used for persons suffering from celiac diseases

Phygital Transformation of Nilon’s: The Brand Building in Ready-to-eat Segment

Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) is the fastest-growing sector globally. It is expanding at a healthy rate because of rising disposable income, youth population, and awareness about its products. Nilon’s is one of the leading FMCG players with deals in the ready-to-eat segment. It has recently completed 60 years of operations. Nilon’s products are available at six lakh stores throughout India. Significant in 20 countries including Japan, France, the USA, South Africa, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and Canada etc. It provides channel sales, including general trade, modern trade, direct-to-customer (D2C), defence, hotels, restaurants, and Catering. Nilon’s embarked on a phygital transformation journey to redefine its brand identity and strengthen its market position in the FMCG ready-to-eat segment. Secondary data was used as a framework for this research. This case study is based on Nailon’s transformational efforts to develop into a more prominent player in the ready-to-eat segment

Renal markers in normal and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in Indian women:a pilot study

Background:Altered renal function is an essential component of the pathophysiological process in pre-eclampsia. Kidneys play an important role in the turnover of low molecular weight substances such as creatinine, uric acid and cystatin C. The present study was undertaken if these serum markers were characteristically altered in Indian pregnant women.Methods: Serum levels were therefore determined in samples from 69 healthy women at term as well as in 27 samples of patients with Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) and in 20 patients with pre-eclampsia (PE).Results: The levels of all three components were significantly higher in pre-eclamptic patients when compared to healthy controls with the mean ± SD being 1.47 ± 0.9 vs. 1.06± 0.2 for cystatin C, 0.95 ±0.2 vs. 0.67 ±0.1 for creatinine and 6.13± 1.8 vs. 4.28 ±1.1 for uric acid respectively. In PIH cystatin C was significantly higher, 1.25 ± 0.9 unlike creatinine, 0.67 ±0.14 and uric acid, 4.30 ±1.0. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) plots demonstrated that the diagnostic accuracy of serum creatinine was superior to serum uric acid and serum cystatin C and serum uric acid was better than serum cystatin C.Conclusion:The maternal serum cystatin C, creatinine and uric acid were all significantly elevated at the end of pregnancy in pre-eclampsia compared to those of healthy pregnant women. If this rise in the above markers during early pregnancy could predict the onset of PIH/PE, needs to be investigated.

Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from five sites associated with smokin

Pan-cancer Alterations of the MYC Oncogene and Its Proximal Network across the Cancer Genome Atlas

Although theMYConcogene has been implicated incancer, a systematic assessment of alterations ofMYC, related transcription factors, and co-regulatoryproteins, forming the proximal MYC network (PMN),across human cancers is lacking. Using computa-tional approaches, we define genomic and proteo-mic features associated with MYC and the PMNacross the 33 cancers of The Cancer Genome Atlas.Pan-cancer, 28% of all samples had at least one ofthe MYC paralogs amplified. In contrast, the MYCantagonists MGA and MNT were the most frequentlymutated or deleted members, proposing a roleas tumor suppressors.MYCalterations were mutu-ally exclusive withPIK3CA,PTEN,APC,orBRAFalterations, suggesting that MYC is a distinct onco-genic driver. Expression analysis revealed MYC-associated pathways in tumor subtypes, such asimmune response and growth factor signaling; chro-matin, translation, and DNA replication/repair wereconserved pan-cancer. This analysis reveals insightsinto MYC biology and is a reference for biomarkersand therapeutics for cancers with alterations ofMYC or the PMN

Spatial Organization and Molecular Correlation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Using Deep Learning on Pathology Images

Beyond sample curation and basic pathologic characterization, the digitized H&E-stained images of TCGA samples remain underutilized. To highlight this resource, we present mappings of tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) based on H&E images from 13 TCGA tumor types. These TIL maps are derived through computational staining using a convolutional neural network trained to classify patches of images. Affinity propagation revealed local spatial structure in TIL patterns and correlation with overall survival. TIL map structural patterns were grouped using standard histopathological parameters. These patterns are enriched in particular T cell subpopulations derived from molecular measures. TIL densities and spatial structure were differentially enriched among tumor types, immune subtypes, and tumor molecular subtypes, implying that spatial infiltrate state could reflect particular tumor cell aberration states. Obtaining spatial lymphocytic patterns linked to the rich genomic characterization of TCGA samples demonstrates one use for the TCGA image archives with insights into the tumor-immune microenvironment

Thrombocytopenia in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Background: Thrombocytopenia is defined as a platelet count of less than 150×103 μl. It is commonly diagnosed and has attracted more interest from researchers during recent years, especially in Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. This study was done to estimate the incidence of thrombocytopenia in pregnant women diagnosed with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and to correlate its severity with the degree of thrombocytopenia.Methods: In the study 150 women admitted in the OBG Department at Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru during August 2015-August 2016 were included. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy cases were classified into: Gestational hypertension, mild preeclampsia, severe preeclampsia, haemolysis, elevated liver enzyme levels, and low platelet levels (HELLP) syndrome and eclampsia. The incidence and severity of thrombocytopenia along with maternal and foetal complications encountered in the five groups were analysed. Data were arranged in Microsoft Excel version 2010, and statistically analysed by SPSS version 23.Results: Preeclampsia- mild (29.25%) and severe (22.5%), accounted for most of the cases followed by eclampsia (3%) and gestational HTN (1.5%). Among these hypertensive patients, mild thrombocytopenia was noted in 60 cases (40%), moderate thrombocytopenia 48 (32%), severe thrombocytopenia 12 (8%), and normal platelet counts 30 (20%) were noted. Poor maternal outcome was seen 10.67% cases due to HELLP syndrome and postpartum haemorrhage. Poor foetal outcome was seen in 16% cases due to intrauterine growth restriction and perinatal mortality.Conclusions: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is recognized as a major cause of gestational thrombocytopenia. Careful follow up during and after pregnancy is recommended

Migrant vulnerability in the canadian protection system: the view of migrants, public servants and on-the ground practitioners

Throughout the VULNER project, the Canadian team seeks to answer three questions: 1. How are the ‘vulnerabilities’ of migrants defined in the relevant Canadian legislation, case law, policy documents and administrative guidelines? 2. How do Canadian decision-makers understand and address the ‘vulnerabilities’ of migrants? 3. How do the legal frameworks and the implementation practices concretely affect vulnerabilities asexperienced by migrants in Canada? Question 1 was addressed during the first phase of the project (April-December 2020), where we focused our research activities on compiling and analysing Canadian government documents and court cases pertaining to the vulnerability of migrants. These preliminary research findings were presented in our first report (VULNER Research Report 1). Questions 2 and 3 were addressed during the second phase of the project (January 2021-July 2022), where we conducted interviews with migrants and other key informants (i.e., civil servants from the federal government and ‘on the ground’ practitioners, including lawyers and NGO representatives). In this second report, we present some key results based on this second phase of the project. The position of the Canadian team is unique in comparison to other partner countries in the VULNER project, as the second report is the first opportunity to present our findings based on interview data. Indeed, given the massive amount of documentation that we had to review in the first phase of the project, our first report only included a presentation and analysis of the desk research data. Therefore, our second report includes both an analysis of how civil servants understand and mobilize ‘vulnerability’ in their decision-making process (which was done by the other teams in their first report) and an analysis of migrants’ experiences of vulnerability. It is also worth recalling that the Canadian research covers a broad range of protection procedures: • Refugee protection, granted to individuals who meet the strict 1951 Geneva Convention definition of a refugee, who are in circumstances considered similar to those of a Convention refugee, or whose removal to their country of origin would subject them to torture or inhumane and degrading treatment according to the Convention Against Torture (permanent residency status, with pathway to citizenship); • Permanent residency (with pathway to citizenship), granted to individuals who are about to be removed from Canada and who demonstrate an imminent danger of torture, risk of persecution or of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment if sent back to their country of origin (Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA)); • Permanent residency (with pathway to citizenship), granted to individuals who are inadmissible or who do not meet the requirements of the immigration legislation, but have compelling Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) grounds to remain in Canada (Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds (H&C)); • Permanent residency (with pathway to citizenship), granted to individuals who are inadmissible or do not meet the requirements of the existing immigration legislation, but are justified by public policy considerations to remain in Canada (Public Policy Grounds); • Temporary protection granted to migrant workers on a valid employer-specific work permit who demonstrate experiencing abuse - or being at risk of abuse- in the context of their employment in Canada (Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Worker (OWP-V)); • Temporary protection granted to individuals recognized as victims of human trafficking or of family violence (Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)). In addition, certain categories of migrants considered in government policies as particularly “vulnerable” - such as immigration detainees, unaccompanied minors, and undocumented migrants - are also addressed in our study. In total, during Phase 2 of the project we conducted 104 semi-structured interviews with 110 participants. The breakdown is as follows: - 21 interviews with 25 civil servants from the federal government (17 current employees from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC); 6 current and 2 former employees from the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB)). - 55 interviews with 56 ‘on the ground’ practitioners. - 28 interviews with 29 migrants. Migrants’ various personal circumstances and life experiences and the complexity of the Canadian protection system - with a multiplicity of different programs, each having its own objectives, requirements, and particular clientele - result in a diversity of perspectives among our research participants and ultimately makes any generalizations challenging. However, the findings from this report reflect some common themes that emerged during our field research activities and as such, represent a first-hand, valuable source of information. Our main findings can be summarized as follows: • Perception/understanding of vulnerability. Vulnerability is seen as an important concept in the protection system in Canada by all practitionerand civil servant interviewees, but the specific understanding or interpretation of this concept varies widely. For migrant participants, their views and understandings of “vulnerability’ also vary greatly: some migrants do not understand the word “vulnerability” and its related notions, while others have a very articulated understanding of vulnerability. Also, some migrant participants do not view themselves as “vulnerable” while others do. Interestingly, when we asked our migrant participants if they felt that they were “more” vulnerable than other groups of migrants, most of them answered that they cannot speak for the others: that their perception of vulnerability is only linked to their own/individual experience of migration. However, most migrants indicated that having ones’ immigration status in limbo is a great source of vulnerability. • How vulnerability is addressed and accommodated within the claims for protection, according to civil servants and practitioners. Civil servants were asked how vulnerability impacts both the procedures and outcomes of the decision-making process and their answers varied significantly depending upon the program line in question. Broadly speaking, the recognized vulnerabilities of migrants seem to be a substantive factor in the outcome of decisions in the context of the following applications: humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) claims, open-work permits for vulnerable worker (O-WPVW), temporary resident permits (TRP) and overseas resettlement applications. This can be contrasted with the narrower approach adopted for in-Canada asylum claims, where the impact of vulnerability is primarily procedural. The flexibility that decision makers have in accommodating vulnerabilities during the in-Canada process is a source of frustration for legal professionals seeking procedural accommodations for their clients, especially since securing a psychological report (as support for a request for accommodation) is particularly difficult. These legal professionals also shared concerns around the role of Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) Members in making a medical assessment beyond their legal expertise. • Key factors of vulnerability in migrants’ lives. Overall, participants’ responses indicate that immigration status and health (both mental health and physical health) act as intersecting factors of vulnerability in migrants’ lives. At a personal level, our migrant participants also identified family as a factor that can either reduce or exacerbate vulnerability. With respect to migrants’ interactions with various key stakeholders, unscrupulous lawyers/ immigration consultants and long delays in immigration proceedings were reported as creating or exacerbating migrant vulnerabilities. The uncertainty created by the exercise of broad discretionary powers by decision makers, especially in certain applications for protection (such as H&C, TRP and OWP-V applications), were also seen as sources of migrant vulnerability. At the policy level, quotas and target numbers imposed by government policymakers were identified as negatively impacting migrant vulnerabilities. A related concern that was raised pertained to the limited availability of external recourse for migrants faced with a negative decision. Finally, the absence of measures allowing for the appointment of designated representatives in IRCC or Canadian Border Services Agency proceedings, and the lack of settlement and free legal services for migrant workers, were identified by interviewees as increasing migrant vulnerabilities