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Wednesday, October 23, 2019

KNOW THOU BIOLOGICAL CLOCK NEWSLETTER - Volume 2, Issue 8


(Saur Kartik 1941 / October – November 2019) ______________________________________________________________________

Welcome to the Know Thou Biological Clock Newsletter

In this issue:

1.  What is new in this month
2.  Understanding Biological Clock
3.  Latest trend in Chronobiology research
4.  Chronobiology and modern medicine
5.  Chronobiology and Ayurved
6.  Site of the Month
7.  Chronobiology for Students
8.  Chronobiology for Professionals
9.  ChronoPrakriti diet plan
10. Tune your Clock – Games
/ Meditation Techniques
11. Book review
12. Chrono Quiz
13. Support ‘Know thou Biological Clock’ Newsletter
14. Announcements

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1. WHAT IS NEW IN THIS MONTH

The next open forum meeting is preponed due to holidays ahead on Thursday 24th October, 11.30 am at Bhide Foundation situated within SP college premises. Shree Skrinant Kulkarni from Vijnana Bharati will briefly talk about the activities of the organization. Ankita Galinde will demonstrate the functioning of the nasal sensor that is being developed at DIC, SPPU.
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2.  UNDERSTANDING BIOLOGICAL CLOCK

Zeitgeber / time cues and Free-running period
Most biological phenomena (behaviours, metabolic processes) in a variety of organisms follow rhythmic patterns such as opening and closing of flowers, time of feeding and sleep-wake patterns of most animals. The basic question is how do organisms know what is an appropriate time for a particular behaviour like feeding or waking or producing certain enzymes/ hormones? Are there any external environmental cues that help organisms schedule there activities? Or there are internal mechanisms for time keeping that regulate these rhythmic phenomena?

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Simple and Quick Visualization of Periodical Data Using Microsoft Excel
Actograms are well-established methods used for visualizing periodic activity of animals in chronobiological research. They help in the understanding of the overall characteristics of rhythms and are instrumental in defining the direction of subsequent detailed analysis. Although there exists specialized software for creating actograms, new users such as students and researchers from other fields often find it inconvenient to use. In this study, we demonstrate a fast and easy method to create actograms using Microsoft Excel.


Hideaki Oike , Yukino Ogawa  and Katsutaka Oishi
Methods and Protoc. 2019, 2, 81; doi:10.3390/mps2040081 (Published on- 11th October 2019)
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4. CHRONOBIOLOGY AND MODERN MEDICINE
Rhythmicity in gut microbes
The 24/7 lifestyles of shift work, early morning starts, delayed bedtimes, jet lag, and late night eating may cause circadian disruption, as our internal clocks may fail to keep pace with the conflicting information of the external light/dark cycle and our behavior in an optimal way. This misalignment of the rhythms that control our energy metabolism increases the risks of weight gain and metabolic syndrome, including type 2 diabetes mellitus. An imbalance in our intestinal microbiota is also associated with obesity and diabetes.

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5.  CHRONOBIOLOGY AND AYURVED
Compilation of original texts on Prakriti in Ayurveda to understand correlation between chronotype and Prakriti type.


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6. SITE OF THE MONTH


Cronometer is the most accurate, comprehensive nutrition tracking app. Unlike other apps on the market. . In order to restrict caloric intake, but remain healthy, users of the diet must track their vitamin, mineral, and protein intakes with great care. We aim to provide a complete solution for the smart dieter.

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7. CHRONOBIOLOGY FOR STUDENTS

For school children –  Three ways gadgets are keeping you awake!

For university students – Career in Chronobiology


The laboratory was established in 1986 and has the mission of conducting experimental research on circadian rhythms. Supplementary activities include research in thermal physiology, development of data analysis procedures.

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8. CHRONOBIOLOGY FOR PROFESSIONALS
Sleep is essential for a healthy heart. People who don't sleep enough are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease—regardless of age, weight, smoking and exercise habits. Over time, this can lead to higher blood pressure during the day and a greater chance of cardiovascular problems.


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9. CHRONOPRAKRITI DIET PLAN
Chronobiologists prescribes ‘Chronodiet’.Ayurvedic practitioners insists that the diet must be personalized based on the prakriti and season. We bring the best of both the world to you in the form of ChronoPrakriti diet.
Recipes of the month –  
1) Mix Lahyancha Chivada   2) Wheat Flour and Jaggery Shankarpale

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10. TUNE YOUR CLOCK – GAMES / MEDITATION TECHNIQUES
Like deep sleep, observing oneself is also the best method for tuning of your clock. Unfortunately, we are so much engrossed into daily life, we forgot to take a pause and look as if we are looking into the mirror. Meditation techniques are the possible way for witnessing yourself. You may practice meditation either for spiritual experiences or for mundane physical benefits, the technique will remain the same.


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11. BOOK REVIEW

Biological Timekeeping: Clocks, Rhythms and Behaviour 
Vinod Kumar, ED. Springer (India) Pvt. Ltd 2017, ISBN 978 – 81 – 322 – 3686 – 3
Biology is the study of life in its full richness from the evolution of cyanobacteria three billion years ago to the human menagerie of 7.5 billion souls on earth today. This compendium of 31 chapters edited by Vinod Kumar is really a tribute to the biology of life from the perspective of time.


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12. CHRONO QUIZ

Ultradian rhythms are the one that repeats more than once in a day. Circadian rhythms repeat once per day whereas infradian rhythms repeat with frequency larger than a day. Now categorize following natural phenomenon in any of these three rhythms.
1) Sleep/Wake cycle
2) Heart beat
3) Bird migration
4) Leaf movements in plant
5) Flowering in plants
7) Eclosion (hatching adult from pupa in insects)
8) Winter hibernation
9) Hormone secretion
10) Animal reproductive cycle

Answer will be given in the next newsletter!


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13. SUPPORT KNOW THOU BIOLOGICAL CLOCK

To ensure that this activity stays available, we need your help

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14. ANNOUNCEMENTS
·    Its time to tune your ChronoPrakriti: A daily rhythm awareness workshop for professionals – On hold till further announcements

·  Introductory Course in Chronobiology – Starts first Saturday of each month at Bhide Foundation, SP College.
·     Basic Course in Chronobiology – Starts in August & December of each year at Abasaheb Garware college

Your comments and suggestions about this newsletter are always welcome.  This newsletter is always evolving - tell us what you think!
Thanks for reading!
If there are any specific topics that you would like to see here, you are most welcome to contribute and/or let me know.

Prashant S. Duraphe, PhD
(e-mail:  chronobiology2017@gmail.com),  (URL:  
http://chronomics.blogspot.com/)

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