The COVID‐19 pandemic forced medical schools to rapidly transform their curricula using online learning approaches. At our institution, the preclinical Practice of Medicine (POM) course was transitioned to large‐group, synchronous, video‐conference sessions. The aim of this study is to assess whether there were differences in learner engagement, as evidenced by student question‐asking behaviors between in‐person and videoconferenced sessions in one preclinical medical student course. In Spring, 2020, large‐group didactic sessions in POM were converted to video‐conference sessions. During these sessions, student microphones were muted, and video capabilities were turned off. Students submitted typed questions via a Q&A box, which was monitored by a senior student teaching assistant. We compared student question asking behavior in recorded video‐conference course sessions from POM in Spring, 2020 to matched, recorded, in‐person sessions from the same course in Spring, 2019. We found that, on average, the instructors answered a greater number of student questions and spent a greater percentage of time on Q&A in the online sessions compared with the in‐person sessions. We also found that students asked a greater number of higher complexity questions in the online version of the course compared with the in‐person course. The video‐conference learning environment can promote higher student engagement when compared with the in‐person learning environment, as measured by student question‐asking behavior. Developing an understanding of the specific elements of the online learning environment that foster student engagement has important implications for instructional design in both the online and in‐person setting.

The immune enhancing IL-15 super agonist ALT-803 and Sunitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits immunosuppressive myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and T regulatory (Treg) cells, were examined for their single and combined effects on immune cell phenotype in normal and chronic alcohol consuming (CAC) mice inoculated with s.c. B16BL6 melanoma. ALT-803 alone and in combination with Sunitinib initially increased CD8+CD44hi and CD8+CD44hiCD62Llo memory phenotype T cells in the spleen and PBL. IFN-γ producing CD8+CD44hi T cells increased in the spleen and the increase was more robust in CAC versus normal mice. These responses decayed during the later stages of tumor growth, and declined more rapidly in the CAC mice. Sunitinib alone did not affect CD8+ T cells or their IFN-γ production. Sunitinib alone and in combination with ALT-803 prevented the increase in CD11b+Gr-1int MDSC in the spleen associated with no treatment or ALT-803 treatment in normal mice; however, the effect was less pronounced in CAC mice where MDSC did not increase in the untreated group over time. MDSC in the PBL increased over time in untreated and ALT-803-treated normal mice. Sunitinib prevented this increase until the late stages of tumor progression. Sunitinib alone and in combination suppressed CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Treg cells in the spleen during tumor progression.

A line of Indo-western dresses on peacock theme was designed using twenty peacock motifs comprising of top ten motifs from each category, i.e. realistic and stylized motifs, adjudged best by a panel of ten judges. For designing Indo-western dresses, motif R 9 was most preferred (mean scores 4.80) by the judges followed by motif R 20 which obtained second rank with mean scores 4.40. Among the stylized motifs, S 20 motif was most preferred (mean scores 5.60) followed by motif S 17 which obtained second rank with mean scores 5.50. Twenty innovative designs of Indo-western dresses were developed in Corel Draw X5 by using ten most preferred peacock motifs which were highly appreciated by the college-going girls.

Drought is considered as one of the major limiting factors in sustainable maize production all over the world as it causes yield reduction by an average of 60% (FAOSTAT 2022). Maize is generally grown in Kharif season but spring maize is now coming up in India. A total of 135 F8 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) along with parental lines were evaluated under control and drought stress conditions for two consecutive seasons. About 12 QTLs on chromosome 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9 were found to be associated with drought tolerance. The QTL for number of kernel per ear (qKPE) present on chromosome 9 (bnlg1401-umc1634) was fine mapped by designing 50 new SSR markers between the bracketed QTL (qKPE). The QTL analysis narrowed down the genetic distance to 3.8 cM from 11.5 cM and physical distance to 691 Kb from earlier distance of 15 Mb flanked by two new SSR markers viz. PAU_1137 and PAU_1143. The qKPE is also introgressed through marker assisted backcross breeding (MABB) into two spring maize inbreds LM23 and LM24 of hybrid PMH10 for water use efficiency. The foreground selection has been carried out in three generations i.e., BC1F1, BC2F1. and BC3F1. The BC3F1 plants have been raised during Kharif 2019 and screened with new flanking markers. The selected plants were selfed to raise BC3F2 population. The development of drought tolerant PMH10 hybrid will lead to overcome frequent irrigations during spring season and will help to conserve ground water depletion.