Search results for: tea-tribes of India

Authors: Susmita Goswami, Joyeeta Mitra, Indu Gaur, Neha Bhadauria, Shilpi Shilpi, Prabir K. Paul

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'Malbhog’, an indigenous banana variety, much prized for its flavour and delicacy suffers production losses due to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense. The pathogen enters young plants through feeder roots causing wilting of plants ultimately leading to death of plants. The pathogen spreads rapidly to other plants in the field. In eastern part of India, this variety escapes the onslaught of the pathogen when either co-cultivated or rotated with Amorphophallus campanulatus (yam). The present study provides an insight into the physiological aspect of the biocontrol by yam. In vitro application of sterile aqueous extract of yam tuber (100gm/100ml distilled water and its 1:10 and 1:100 dilutions) were mixed with PDA media which was substantially inoculated with spores of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense. The extract could significantly reduce germination of pathogen spores. Banana variety susceptible to Fusarium sp was raised in soil rite under aseptic conditions. Spores of the pathogen (106 spores/ml) were inoculated into the soil rite. The plants were spread with aqueous extract of yam. The control plants were treated with sterilized distilled water. The activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POX) were estimated in leaves and roots at interval of 24 hours for 5 days after treatment. The incidence of wilt disease was recorded after two weeks. The results demonstrated that yam extract could induce significant activity of PAL, PPO and POX along with accumulation of phenols in both roots and leaves of banana plants. However, significantly high activity of enzymes and phenol accumulation was observed in roots. The disease incidence was significantly low in yam treated plants. The results clearly demonstrated the control of the pathogen due to induction of defense mechanism in the host by the extract. The observed control of the pathogen in the field could possibly be due to induction of such defense responses in host by exudates leached into the soil from yam tubers. Yam extract could be a potential source of environment-friendly biocide against Panama wilt of banana.

Keywords: Amorphophallus campanulatus, banana, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POX)

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Authors: Varsha Salian, Shama Rao, N. Narendra, B. Mohana Kumar

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Evolving evidence proposes the existence of a highly tumorigenic subpopulation of undifferentiated, self-renewing cancer stem cells, responsible for exhibiting resistance to conventional anti-cancer therapy, recurrence, metastasis and heterogeneous tumor formation. Importantly, the mechanisms exploited by cancer stem cells to resist chemotherapy are very less understood. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most regularly diagnosed cancer types in India and is associated commonly with alcohol and tobacco use. Therefore, the isolation and in vitro characterization of cancer stem-like cells from patients with OSCC is a critical step to advance the understanding of the chemoresistance processes and for designing therapeutic strategies. With this, the present study aimed to establish and characterize cancer stem-like cells in vitro from OSCC. The primary cultures of cancer stem-like cell lines were established from the tissue biopsies of patients with clinical evidence of an ulceroproliferative lesion and histopathological confirmation of OSCC. The viability of cells assessed by trypan blue exclusion assay showed more than 95% at passage 1 (P1), P2 and P3. Replication rate was performed by plating cells in 12-well plate and counting them at various time points of culture. Cells had a more marked proliferative activity and the average doubling time was less than 20 hrs. After being cultured for 10 to 14 days, cancer stem-like cells gradually aggregated and formed sphere-like bodies. More spheroid bodies were observed when cultured in DMEM/F-12 under low serum conditions. Interestingly, cells with higher proliferative activity had a tendency to form more sphere-like bodies. Expression of specific markers, including membrane proteins or cell enzymes, such as CD24, CD29, CD44, CD133, and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) is being explored for further characterization of cancer stem-like cells. To summarize the findings, the establishment of OSCC derived cancer stem-like cells may provide scope for better understanding the cause for recurrence and metastasis in oral epithelial malignancies. Particularly, identification and characterization studies on cancer stem-like cells in Indian population seem to be lacking thus provoking the need for such studies in a population where alcohol consumption and tobacco chewing are major risk habits.

Keywords: cancer stem-like cells, characterization, in vitro, oral squamous cell carcinoma

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Authors: Subhanan Mandal, Bidisha Hore

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The linguistic process whereby repetition of all or part of the base word with or without internal change before or after the base itself takes place is regarded as reduplication. The reduplicated morphological construction annotates with itself a new grammatical category and meaning. Reduplication is a very frequent and abundant phenomenon in the eastern Indian languages from the states of West Bengal and Odisha, i.e. Bengali and Odia respectively. Bengali, an Indo-Aryan language and a part of the Indo-European language family is one of the largest spoken languages in India and is the national language of Bangladesh. Despite this classification, Bengali has certain influences in terms of vocabulary and grammar due to its geographical proximity to Tibeto-Burman and Austro-Asiatic language speaking communities. Bengali along with Odia belonged to a single linguistic branch. But with time and gradual linguistic changes due to various factors, Odia was the first to break away and develop as a separate distinct language. However, less of contrasts and more of similarities still exist among these languages along the line of linguistics, leaving apart the script. This paper deals with the procedure of echo word formations in Bengali and Odia. The morphological research of the two languages concerning the field of reduplication reveals several linguistic processes. The revelation is based on the information elicited from native language speakers and also on the analysis of echo words found in discourse and conversational patterns. For the purpose of partial reduplication analysis, prefixed class and suffixed class word formations are taken into consideration which show specific rule based changes. For example, in suffixed class categorization, both consonant and vowel alterations are found, following the rules: i) CVx à tVX, ii) CVCV à CVCi. Further classifications were also found on sentential studies of both languages which revealed complete reduplication complexities while forming echo words where the head word lose its original meaning. Complexities based on onomatopoetic/phonetic imitation of natural phenomena and not according to any rule-based occurrences were also found. Taking these aspects into consideration which are very prevalent in both the languages, inferences are drawn from the study which bring out many similarities in both the languages in this area in spite of branching away from each other several years ago.

Keywords: consonant alteration, onomatopoetic, partial reduplication and complete reduplication, reduplication, vowel alteration

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Authors: Samriti Wadhwa, Beena Kumari

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Background and Significance: Residue levels of ready mix (chlorpyriphos 50% and cypermethrin 5%), cypermethrin and chlorpyriphos individually in sandy loam soil under okra fruits (Variety, Varsha Uphar) were determined; a field experiment was conducted at Research Farm of Department of Entomology of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar, Haryana, India. Persistence behavior of cypermethrin and chlorpyriphos was studied following application of a pre-mix formulation of insecticides viz. Action-505EC, chlorpyriphos (Radar 20 EC) and cypermethrin (Cyperkill 10 EC) at the recommended dose and double the recommended dose along with control at fruiting stage. Pesticide application also leads to decline in soil acarine fauna which is instrumental in the breakdown of the litter because of which minerals are released into the soil. So, by this study, one can evaluate the safety of pesticides for the soil health. Methodology: Action-505EC (chlorpyriphos 50% and cypermethrin 5%) at 275 g a .i. ha⁻¹ (single dose) and 550 g a. i. ha⁻¹ (double dose), chlorpyriphos (Radar 20 EC) at 200 g a. i. ha⁻¹ (single dose) and 400 g a. i. ha⁻¹ (double dose) and cypermethrin (Cyperkill 10 EC) at 50 g a. i. ha⁻¹ (single dose) and 100 g a. i. ha⁻¹ (double dose) were applied at the fruiting stage on okra crop. Samples of soils from okra field were collected periodically at 0 (1h after spray), 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 days and at harvest after application as well of control soil sample. After air drying, adsorbing through Florisil and activated charcoal and eluting with hexane: acetone (9:1) then residues in soils were estimated by a gas chromatograph equipped with a capillary column and electron capture detector. Results: No persistence of cypermethrin in ready-mix in soil under okra fruits at single and double dose was observed. In case of chlorpyriphos in ready-mix, average initial deposits on 0 (1 h after treatment) day was 0.015 mg kg⁻¹ and 0.036 mg kg⁻¹ which persisted up to 5 days and up to 7 days for single and double dose, respectively. After that residues reached below a detectable level of 0.010 mg kg⁻¹. Experimental studies on cypermethrin individually revealed that average initial deposits on 0 (1 h after treatment) were 0.008 mg kg⁻¹ and 0.012 mg kg⁻¹ which persisted up to 3 days and 5 days for single and double dose, respectively after that residues reached to below detectable level. The initial deposits of chlorpyriphos individually in soil were found to be 0.055 mg kg⁻¹ and 0.113 mg kg⁻¹ which persisted up to 7 days and 10 days at a lower dose and higher dose, respectively after that residues reached to below determination level. Conclusion: In soil under okra crop, only individual cypermethrin in both the doses persisted whereas no persistence of cypermethrin in ready-mix was observed. Persistence of chlorpyriphos individually is more as compared to chlorpyriphos in ready-mix in both the doses. Overall, the persistence of chlorpyriphos in soil under okra crop is more than cypermethrin.

Keywords: chlorpyriphos, cypermethrin, okra, ready mix, soil

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Authors: S. Jigna, K. Nanda Kumar, T. Anna

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Being a major contributor to the Indian economy and a critical facilitator for the country’s digital India vision, the Indian telecommunications industry is also a major source of employment for the country. Since the last few years, the Indian telecommunication service providers (TSPs), however, are facing business challenges related to increasing competition, losses, debts, and decreasing revenue. The strategic use of digital technologies for a successful digital transformation has the potential to equip organizations to meet these business challenges. Despite an increased focus on digital transformation, the telecom service providers globally, including Indian TSPs, have seen limited success so far. The purpose of this research was thus to identify the factors that are critical for the digital transformation and to what extent they influence the successful digital transformation of the Indian TSPs. The literature review of more than 300 digital transformation-related articles, mostly from 2013-2019, demonstrated a lack of an empirical model consisting of factors for the successful digital transformation of the TSPs. This study theorizes a research framework grounded in multiple theories, and a research model consisting of 7 constructs that may be influencing business success during the digital transformation of the organization was proposed. The questionnaire survey of senior managers in the Indian telecommunications industry was seeking to validate the research model. Based on 294 survey responses, the validation of the Structural equation model using the statistical tool ADANCO 2.1.1 was found to be robust. Results indicate that Digital Capabilities, Digital Strategy, and Corporate Level Data Strategy in that order has a strong influence on the successful Business Performance, followed by IT Function Transformation, Digital Innovation, and Transformation Management respectively. Even though Digital Organization did not have a direct significance on Business Performance outcomes, it had a strong influence on IT Function Transformation, thus affecting the Business Performance outcomes indirectly. Amongst numerous practical and theoretical contributions of the study, the main contribution for the Indian TSPs is a validated reference for prioritizing the transformation initiatives in their strategic roadmap. Also, the main contribution to the theory is the possibility to use the research framework artifact of the present research for quantitative validation in different industries and geographies.

Keywords: corporate level data strategy, digital capabilities, digital innovation, digital strategy

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Authors: Amritee Bora, B. S. Mipun

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Land degradation is often used to describe the land environmental phenomena that reduce land’s original productivity both qualitatively and quantitatively. The study of land degradation vulnerability primarily deals with “Environmentally Sensitive Areas” (ESA) and the amount of topsoil loss due to erosion. In many studies, it is observed that the assessment of the existing status of land degradation is used to represent the vulnerability. Moreover, it is also noticed that in most studies, the primary emphasis of land degradation vulnerability is to assess its sensitivity to soil erosion only. However, the concept of land degradation vulnerability can have different objectives depending upon the perspective of the study. It shows the extent to which changes in land use land cover can imprint their effect on the land. In other words, it represents the susceptibility of a piece of land to degrade its productive quality permanently or in the long run. It is also important to mention that the vulnerability of land degradation is not a single factor outcome. It is a probability assessment to evaluate the status of land degradation and needs to consider both biophysical and human induce parameters. To avoid the complexity of the previous models in this regard, the present study has emphasized on to generate a simplified model to assess the land degradation vulnerability in terms of its current human population pressure, land use practices, and existing biophysical conditions. It is a “Mixed-Method” termed as the land degradation vulnerability index (LDVi). It was originally inspired by the MEDALUS model (Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use), 1999, and Farazadeh’s 2007 revised version of it. It has followed the guidelines of Space Application Center, Ahmedabad / Indian Space Research Organization for land degradation vulnerability. The model integrates the climatic index (Ci), vegetation index (Vi), erosion index (Ei), land utilization index (Li), population pressure index (Pi), and cover management index (CMi) by giving equal weightage to each parameter. The final result shows that the very high vulnerable zone primarily indicates three (3) prominent circumstances; land under continuous population pressure, high concentration of human settlement, and high amount of topsoil loss due to surface runoff within the study sites. As all the parameters of the model are amalgamated with equal weightage further with the help of regression analysis, the LDVi model also provides a strong grasp of each parameter and how far they are competent to trigger the land degradation process.

Keywords: population pressure, land utilization, soil erosion, land degradation vulnerability

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Authors: Dawa Wangmo

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The anti-religious campaigns of the Soviet Union in the 1930s eradicated Kalmyk Buddhism from the public sphere. Following Perestroika, the Kalmyks retained a sense of being essentially Buddhist people. Nevertheless, since the collapse of the Soviet Communist regime, Kalmykia has been going through vigorous ethnic and cultural revitalization. The new Kalmyk government is reviving the religion with the building of Buddhist temples and the attempted training of Kalymk monks. Kalmykia, officially an autonomous republic within the Federation of Russia, is situated in the European part of Russia in the steppe region bordering the Caspian Sea in its southeast. According to the 2010 census, the Kalmyks, a people of Mongolian origin, constitute over 57 percent of the Republic’s population of less than 290000. Russians living in Kalmykia comprise around 30 percent, the remainder being various Slavic and Asian groups. Since the Kalmyks historically adhere to Buddhism, Kalmykia is often described in tourist brochures and proudly by the Kalmyks themselves as one of the three “traditional Buddhist republics” of Russia and “the only Buddhist region” in Europe. According to traditional Kalmyk Gelug Buddhism, monasticism is the central aspect; hence monastic Tibetans from India have been invited to the Republic to help revive Buddhism and their Buddhist identity in Russia as a whole. However, for the young post-soviets, the monastic way of life is proving too alien, and the subsequent labeling by these monks of ‘surviving’ Kalmyk Buddhist practices as superstitious, mistaken, or corrupt is an initial step in the purification of alternate views, leading to religious reform. This sentiment is also felt by younger Kalmyks who do not find sense in surviving Buddhism but believe more in the philosophical approach of Buddhism taught by the visiting Buddhist teachers at Dharma centers. By discussing this post-soviet shift in local notions of religious efficacy, an attempt will be made to shed light on how the social movements of both reform and revival arise as a collusion between contemporary Tibetan and Kalmyk views on the nature of true Buddhism. This work explores aspects of religious innovation that have developed since the early 1990s in the process of reconstitution of ethnic and religious identity in Kalmykia, a Republic in the southwest of Russia. Any attempts to study the history of Buddhism in Kalmykia would surely mean studying the “History of the most northern Dharma community in the World.”

Keywords: Kalmykia, Tibetan Buddhism, reform, revival, identity

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Authors: Soumita Banerjee

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The State of West Bengal is mostly watered by innumerable rivers, and they are different in nature in both the northern and the southern part of the state. The southern part of West Bengal is mainly drained with the river Bhagirathi-Hooghly, and its major distributaries and tributaries have divided this major river basin into many subparts like the Ichamati-Bidyadhari, Pagla-Bansloi, Mayurakshi-Babla, Ajay, Damodar, Kangsabati Sub-basin to name a few. These rivers basically drain the Districts of Bankura, Burdwan, Hooghly, Nadia and Purulia, Birbhum, Midnapore, Murshidabad, North 24-Parganas, Kolkata, Howrah and South 24-Parganas. West Bengal has a huge number of flood-prone blocks in the southern part of the state of West Bengal, the responsible factors for flood situation are the shape and size of the catchment area, its steep gradient starting from plateau to flat terrain, the river bank erosion and its siltation, tidal condition especially in the lower Ganga Basin and very low maintenance of the embankments which are mostly used as communication links. Along with these factors, DVC (Damodar Valley Corporation) plays an important role in the generation (with the release of water) and controlling the flood situation. This year the whole Gangetic West Bengal is being flooded due to high intensity and long duration rainfall, and the release of water from the Durgapur Barrage As most of the rivers are interstate in nature at times floods also take place with release of water from the dams of the neighbouring states like Jharkhand. Other than Embankments, there is no such structural measures for combatting flood in West Bengal. This paper tries to analyse the reasons behind the flood situation this year especially with the help of climatic data collected from the Indian Metrological Department, flood related data from the Irrigation and Waterways Department, West Bengal and GPM (General Precipitation Measurement) data for rainfall analysis. Based on the threshold value derived from the calculation of the past available flood data, it is possible to predict the flood events which may occur in the near future and with the help of social media it can be spread out within a very short span of time to aware the mass. On a larger or a governmental scale, heightening the settlements situated on the either banks of the river can yield a better result than building up embankments.

Keywords: dam failure, embankments, flood, rainfall

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Authors: Muhammad Younas, Zimal Naveed

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Introduction : TB is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is spread when people who are sick with TB expel bacteria into the air (e.g. by coughing). The 30 high TB burden countries accounted for 87% of all estimated incident cases worldwide, and eight of these countries accounted for more than two thirds of the global total: India (27%), Indonesia (10%), China (7.1%), the Philippines (7.0%), Pakistan (5.7%), Nigeria (4.5%), Bangladesh (3.6%) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.0%). Objective : To analyze prevalence of tuberculosis among the people who presented at THQ hospital Bhalwal between April 2024 to June 2024. Method : Total of 9200 patients presented in the OPD of THQ hospital Bhalwal were included in the study. These presumed cases underwent diagnostic testing by sputum for AFB, Gene expert and chest x rays. The data was then classified based Pulmonary and Extra-pulmonary TB disease and further classified on the basis of bacteriology positive and clinically diagnosed TB. The registered TB cases were then classified in 8 age groups in years and according to the gender. All the registered TB cases were then tested for HIV to observe the relation between Tuberculosis and HIV. Results : The total of 9200 patients presented to OPD during the period of 3 months between April 2024 to June 2024. Total registered cases of Tuberculosis were 161 (comprising 153 new cases and 8 cases after treatment failure). Out of the new cases 83 were males and 70 female cases were identified. The majority of males that were identified lies between age 55-64 and 65 and above while the majority of females that were diagnosed lies in the age group of 5-14 and 15-24. All the registered cases were then tested for HIV but none of them were found to be positive. Conclusion : According to World Health Organisation Global Tuberculosis Report, the incidence of Tubeculosis per 100000 people was 258, equivalent to 0.258 %. However, the study reveals an exceptionally high frequency of TB cases. The prevalence of Tuberculosis per 100000 people was found to be 1750 which is equivalent to 1.75 %. The study revealed that larger proportion of the population is currently affected by TB compared to the global average incidence reported by the WHO. The findings of the study indicates that the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) among females is most common in the younger population, specifically between the ages of 5 to 24, and particularly within the peak fertility age group of 15 to 24 years. The health of women in their peak fertility years is crucial for maternal and child health outcomes. This highlights the need for targeted public health interventions in this area to manage and reduce the burden of TB.

Keywords: AGE, AFB, female, male

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Authors: Aishwarya K. V., Shreya Sudesh

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Built along the edges of a 11th century CE man-made lake, the city of Bhopal has stood witness to historic layers dating back to Palaeolithic times; early and medieval kingdoms ranging from the Parmaras, Pratiharas to tribal Gonds; the Begum-Nawabs and finally became the Capital of Madhya Pradesh, post-Independence. The lake more popularly called the Upper Lake was created by the King Raja Bhoj from the Parmara dynasty in 1010 AD when he constructed a bund wall across the Kolans river. Atop this bund wall lies the Kamlapati Mahal - which was part of the royal enclosure built in 1702 belonging to the Gond Kingdom. The Mahal is the epicentre of development in the city because it lies in the centre of the axis joining the Old core and New City. Rapid urbanisation descended upon the city once it became the administrative capital of Madhya Pradesh, a newly-formed state of an Independent India. Industrial pockets began being set up and refugees from the Indo-Pakistan separation settled in various regions of the city. To cater to these sudden growth, there was a boom in infrastructure development in the late twentieth century which included precarious decisions made in terms of handling heritage sites causing the destruction of significant parts of the historic fabric. And this practice continues to this day as buffer/ protected zones are breached through exemptions and the absence of robust regulations allow further deterioration of urban heritage. The aim of the research is to systematically study in detail the effect of the urban infrastructure development of the city and its adverse effect on the existing heritage fabric. Through the paper, an attempt to study the parameters involved in preparing the Masterplan of the city and other development projects is done. The research would follow a values-led approach to study the heritage fabric where the significance of the place is assessed based on the values attributed by stakeholders. This approach will involve collection and analysis of site data, assessment of the significance of the site and listing of potential. The study would also attempt to arrive at a solution to deal with urban development along with the protection of the heritage fabric.

Keywords: heritage management, infrastructure development, urban conservation, urban heritage

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Authors: M. V. Shivaani, P. K. Jain, Surendra S. Yadav

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Worldwide regulators, practitioners and researchers view risk-disclosure as one of the most important steps that will promote corporate accountability and transparency. Recognizing this growing significance of risk disclosures, the paper first develops a risk disclosure index. Covering 69 risk items/themes, this index is developed by employing thematic content analysis and encompasses three attributes of disclosure: namely, nature (qualitative or quantitative), time horizon (backward-looking or forward-looking) and tone (no impact, positive impact or negative impact). As the focus of study is on substantive rather than symbolic disclosure, content analysis has been carried out manually. The study is based on non-financial companies of Nifty500 index and covers a ten year period from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2015, thus yielding 3,872 annual reports for analysis. The analysis reveals that (on an average) only about 14% of risk items (i.e. about 10 out 69 risk items studied) are being disclosed by Indian companies. Risk items that are frequently disclosed are mostly macroeconomic in nature and their disclosures tend to be qualitative, forward-looking and conveying both positive and negative aspects of the concerned risk. The second objective of the paper is to gauge the factors that affect the level of disclosures in annual reports. Given the panel nature of data, and possible endogeneity amongst variables, Diff-GMM regression has been applied. The results indicate that age and size of firms have a significant positive impact on disclosure quality, whereas growth rate does not have a significant impact. Further, post-recession period (2009-2015) has witnessed significant improvement in quality of disclosures. In terms of corporate governance variables, board size, board independence, CEO duality, presence of CRO and constitution of risk management committee appear to be significant factors in determining the quality of risk disclosures. It is noteworthy that the study contributes to literature by putting forth a variant to existing disclosure indices that not only captures the quantity but also the quality of disclosures (in terms of semantic attributes). Also, the study is a first of its kind attempt in a prominent emerging market i.e. India. Therefore, this study is expected to facilitate regulators in mandating and regulating risk disclosures and companies in their endeavor to reduce information asymmetry.

Keywords: risk disclosure, voluntary disclosures, corporate governance, Diff-GMM

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Authors: Naseem Fatima, A. N. Srivastava, Tasleem Raza, Vijay Kumar

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Introduction: Carcinoma gallbladder is third most common gastrointestinal lethal disease with the highest incidence and mortality rate among women in Northern India. Scientists have found several risk factors that make a person more likely to develop gallbladder cancer; among these risk factors, deregulation of miRNAs has been demonstrated to be one of the most crucial factors. The changes in the expression of specific miRNA genes result in the control of inflammation, cell cycle regulation, stress response, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and invasion thus mediate the process in tumorgenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of MiRNA-335 and may as a molecular marker in early detection of gallbladder cancer in suspected cases. Material and Methods: A total of 20 consecutive patients with gallbladder cancer aged between 30-75 years were registered for the study. Total RNA was extracted from tissue by using the mirVANA MiRNA isolation Kit according to the manufacturer’s protocol. The MiRNA- 335 and U6 snRNA-specific cDNA were reverse-transcribed from total RNA using Taqman microRNA reverse-transcription kit according to the manufacturer’s protocol. TaqMan MiRNA probes hsa-miR-335 and Taqman Master Mix without AmpEase UNG, Individual real-time PCR assays were performed in a 20 μL reaction volume on a Real-Time PCR system (Applied Biosystems StepOnePlus™) to detect MiRNA-335 expression in tissue. Relative quantification of target MiRNA expression was evaluated using the comparative cycle threshold (CT) method. The correlation was done in between cycle threshold (CT Value) of target MiRNA in gallbladder cancer with respect to non-cancerous Cholelithiasis gallbladder. Each sample was examined in triplicate. The Newman-Keuls Multiple Comparison Test was used to determine the expression of miR-335. Results: MiRNA335 was found to be significantly downregulated in the gallbladder cancer tissue (P<0.001), when compared with non-cancerous Cholelithiasis gallbladder cases. Out of 20 cases, 75% showed reduced expression of MiRNA335, were at last stage of disease with low overall survival rate and remaining 25% were showed up-regulated expression of MiRNA335 with high survival rate. Conclusion: The present study showed that reduced expression of MiRNA335 is associated with the advancement of the disease, and its deregulation may provide important clues to understanding it as a prognostic marker and opportunities for future research.

Keywords: carcinoma gallbladder, downregulation, MiRNA-335, RT-PCR assay

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Authors: Piyush Hajela

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Public spaces in Indian market places are vibrant, colorful and carry latent dimensions that make them attractive and popular gathering spaces. These markets satisfy the household needs of the people and also their social, cultural and traditional aspirations. Going to a market place for shopping in India is a great source of entertainment for the people. They would love to spend as much time as possible and stay for longer durations than otherwise required. It is this desire of the people that generates public spaces. Much of these public spaces emerge as squares, plazas, corners of varied shapes and sizes at different locations, and yet provide a conducive environment. Such public spaces grow organically and are discovered by the people themselves. Indian markets serve people of different culture, religion, caste, age, gender which keeps them alive all the year round. Indian is a diverse country and this diversity is reflected clearly in the market places. They hold the people together and promote harmony across cultures. Free access to these market places makes them magnets for social interaction. Public spaces are spread across a city and more or less have established their existence and prominence in a social set up. While few of them are created, others are discovered by the people themselves in their constant search for desirable interactive public spaces. These are the most sought after gathering spaces that have the quality of promoting social interaction, providing free accessibility, provide desirable scale etc. The paper aims at identifying these freely accessible public spaces and the dimensions within it that make these public spaces hold the people for significant duration of time. The dimensions present shall be judged through collective response of human senses in form of safety, comfort and so on through the expressions of the participants. The aim therefore would be to trace the freely accessible public spaces emerged in Indian markets and evaluate them for human response and behavior. The hierarchy of market places in the city of Bhopal is well established as, city center level, sub city-center level, community level, local and convenient level market places. While many city-centers are still referred to as the old or traditional or the core area of the city, the others are part of the planned city. These different levels of market places are studied for emerged public spaces. These emerged public spaces are then documented in detail for unveiling the dimensions they offer through, photographs, visual observations, questionnaires and response of the participants of these public spaces.

Keywords: human comfort, enclosure, safety, social interaction

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Authors: Thavananthan Sivananthawerl

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Shifting cultivation (Chena, Slash & Burn) is a cultivation method of raising, primarily, food crops (mainly annual) where an area of land is cleared off for its vegetation and cultivated for a period, and the abandoned (fallow) for its fertility to be naturally restored. Although this is the oldest (more than 5000 years) farming system, it is still practiced by indigenous communities of several countries such as Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, West & Central Africa, and Amazon rainforest area. In Sri Lanka, shifting cultivation is mainly practiced during the North-East monsoon (called as Maha season, from Sept. to Dec.) with no irrigation. The traditional system allows farmers to cultivate for a short period of cultivation and a long period fallow period. This was facilitated mainly by the availability of land with less population. In addition, in the old system, cultivation practices were mostly related to religious and spiritual practices (Astrology, dynamic farming, etc.). At present, the majority of the shifting cultivators (SC’s) are cultivating in government lands, and most of them are adopting new technology (seeds, agrochemicals, machineries). Due to the local demand, almost 70% of the SC’s growing maize is mono-crop, and the rest with mixed-crop, such as groundnut, cowpea, millet, and vegetables. To ensure continuous cultivation and reduce moisture stress, they established ‘dug wells’ and used pumps to lift water from nearby sources. Due to this, the fallow period has been reduced drastically to 1- 2 years. To have the future prosperous of system, farmers should be educated so that they can understand the harmful effects of shifting cultivation and require new policies and a framework for converting the land use pattern towards high economic returns (new crop varieties, maintaining soil fertility, reducing soil erosion) while protecting the natural forests. The practice of agroforestry should be encouraged in which both the crops and the tall trees are cared for by farmers simultaneously. To facilitate the continuous cultivation, the system needs to develop water harvesting, water-conserving technologies, and scientific water management for the limited rainy season. Even though several options are available, all the solutions vary from region to region. Therefore, it is only the government and cultivators together who can find solutions to the problems of the specific areas.

Keywords: shifting cultivation, agroforestry, fallow, economic returns, government, Sri Lanka

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Authors: Vivek Kumar Gupta, Kripi Vohra, Monika Gupta

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Pulses have been a vital ingredient of the balanced human diet in India. Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus or Lens esculenta Moench.) is a common legume known since biblical times. Lentil seeds, with or without hulls, are cooked as dhal and this has been the main dish for millennia in the South Asian region. Oxidative stress can damage lipids, proteins, enzymes, carbohydrates and DNA in cells and tissues, resulting in membrane damage, fragmentation or random cross linking of molecules like DNA, enzymes and structural proteins and even lead to cell death induced by DNA fragmentation and lipid peroxidation. These consequences of oxidative stress construct the molecular basis in the development of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and autoimmune. The aim of the present work is to assess the antioxidant potential of the peteroleum ether, acetone, methanol and water extract of the Lens esculenta seeds. In vitro antioxidant assessment of the extracts was carried out using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, reducing power assay. The quantitative estimation of total phenolic content, total flavonoid content in extracts and in plant material, total saponin content, total alkaloid content, crude fibre content, total volatile content, fat content and mucilage content in drug material was also carried out. Though all the extracts exhibited dose dependent reducing power activity the acetone extract was found to possess significant hydrogen donating ability in DPPH (45.83%-93.13%) and hydroxyl radical scavenging system (28.7%-46.41%) than the peteroleum ether, methanol and water extracts. Total phenolic content in the acetone and methanol extract was found to be 608 and 188 mg gallic acid equivalent of phenol/g of sample respectively. Total flavonoid content of acetone and methanol extract was found to be 128 and 30.6 mg quercetin equivalent/g of sample respectively. It is evident that acetone extract of Lentil seeds possess high levels of polyphenolics and flavonoids that could be utilized as antioxidants and neutraceuticals.

Keywords: antioxidant, flavanoids, Lens esculenta, polyphenols

Procedia PDF Downloads 482

Authors: Joshi Rajiv, Shah Priyank, Thavkar Amit, Rohira Poonam, Mehta Suyog

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Topical formulation containing minoxidil and finasteride helps hair growth in the treatment of male androgenetic alopecia. The objective of this study is to compare the irritation potential of three conventional formulations of minoxidil 5% + finasteride 0.1% topical solution of in human patch test. The study was a single centre, double blind, non-randomized controlled study in 53 healthy adult Indian subjects. Occlusive patch test for 24 hours was performed with three formulations of minoxidil 5% + finasteride 0.1% topical solution. Products tested included aqueous based minoxidil 5% + finasteride 0.1% (AnasureTM-F, Sun Pharma, India – Brand A), lipid based minoxidil 5% + finasteride 0.1% (Brand B) and aqueous based minoxidil 5% + finasteride 0.1% (Brand C). Isotonic saline 0.9% and 1% w/w sodium lauryl sulphate were included as negative control and positive control respectively. Patches were applied and removed after 24 hours. The skin reaction was assessed and clinically scored 24 hours after the removal of the patches under constant artificial daylight source using the Draize scale (0-4 points scale for erythema/dryness//wrinkles and for oedema). Follow-up was scheduled after one week to confirm recovery for any reaction. A combined mean score up to 2.0/8.0 indicates a product is “non-irritant” and a score between 2.0/8.0 and 4.0/8.0 indicates “mildly irritant” and a score above 4.0/8.0 indicates “irritant”. The procedure of the patch test followed the principles outlined by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) (IS 4011:2018; Methods of Test for safety evaluation of Cosmetics-3rd revision). Fifty three subjects with mean age 31.9 years (25 males and 28 females) participated in the study. The combined mean score ± standard deviation were: 0.06 ± 0.23 (Brand A), 0.81 ± 0.59 (Brand B), 0.38 ± 0.49 (Brand C), 2.92 ± 0.47 (positive control) and 0.0 ± 0.0 (Negative control). This means the score of Brand A (Sun Pharma product) was significantly lower than that of Brand B (p=0.001) and that of Brand C (p=0.001). The combined mean erythema score ± standard deviation were: 0.06 ± 0.23 (Brand A), 0.81 ± 0.59 (Brand B), 0.38 ± 0.49 (Brand C), 2.09 ± 0.4 (Positive control) and 0.0 ± 0.0 (Negative control). The mean erythema score of Brand A was significantly lower than Brand B (p=0.001) and that of Brand C (p=0.001). Any reaction observed at 24hours after patch removal subsided in a week. All the three topical formulations of minoxidil 5% + finasteride 0.1% were non-irritant. Brand A of minoxidil 5% + finasteride 0.1% (Sun Pharma) was found to be the least irritant than Brand B and Brand C based on the combined mean score and mean erythema score in the human patch test as per the BIS, IS 4011:2018

Keywords: erythema, finasteride, irritation, minoxidil, patch test

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Authors: Sule Pallavi, Shah Priyank, Thavkar Amit, Rohira Poonam, Mehta Suyog

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Introduction: Minoxidil has been used topically for a long time to assist hair growth in the management of male androgenetic alopecia. The aim of this study was a comparative assessment of the irritation potential of three commercial formulations of minoxidil 2% topical solution in a human patch test. Methodology: The study was a non-randomized, double-blind, controlled, single-center study of 56 healthy adult Indian subjects. A 24-hour occlusive patch test was conducted with three formulations of minoxidil 2% topical solution. Products tested were aqueous-based minoxidil 2% (AnasureTM 2%, Sun Pharma, India – Brand A), alcohol-based minoxidil 2% (Brand B) and aqueous-based minoxidil 2% (Brand C). Isotonic saline 0.9% and 1% w/w sodium lauryl sulphate as a negative and positive control, respectively, were included. Patches were applied on the back, followed by removal after 24 hours. The Draize scale (0-4 points scale for erythema/dryness/wrinkles and for oedema) was used to evaluate and clinically score the skin reaction under constant artificial daylight 24 hours after the removal of the patches. The patch test was based on the principles outlined by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) (IS 4011:2018; Methods of Test for safety evaluation of Cosmetics-3rd revision). A mean combined score up to 2.0/8.0 indicates that a product is “non-irritant,” and a score between 2.0/8.0 and 4.0/8.0 indicates “mildly irritant” and a score above 4.0/8.0 indicates “irritant”. In case of any skin reaction that was observed, a follow-up was planned after one week to confirm recovery. Results: The 56 subjects who participated in the study had a mean age of 28.7 years (28 males and 28 females). The combined mean score ± standard deviation was: 0.09 ± 0.29 (Brand A), 0.29± 0.53 (Brand B), 0.30 ± 0.46 (Brand C), 3.25 ± 0.77 (positive control) and 0.02 ± 0.13 (negative control). This mean score of Brand A (Sun Pharma) was significantly lower than that of Brand B (p=0.016) and that of Brand C (p=0.004). The mean erythema score ± standard deviation was: 0.09 ± 0.29 (Brand A), 0.27 ± 0.49 (Brand B), 0.30 ± 0.46 (Brand C), 2.5 ± 0.66 (positive control) and 0.02 ± 0.13 (negative control). The mean erythema score of Brand A (Sun Pharma) was significantly lower than that of Brand B (p=0.019) and that of Brand C (p=0.004). Reactions that were observed 24 hours after patch removal subsided in a week’s time. Conclusion: Based on the human patch test as per the BIS, IS 4011:2018, all the three topical formulations of minoxidil 2% were found to be non-irritant. Brand A of 2% minoxidil (Sun Pharma) was found to be the least irritant than Brand B and Brand C based on the combined mean score and mean erythema score.

Keywords: erythema, irritation, minoxidil, patch test

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Authors: Piyush Hajela

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The significance of public spaces is on a rise in Indian cities as a strong interaction space across cultures and community. It is a pertinent gathering space for people across age and gender, where the face keeps changing with time. A public space is directly related to the social dimension, people, comfort, safety, and security, that, it proposes to provide, as inherent qualities. The presence of these and other dimensions of space, together with related equitable environments, impart certain quality to a public space. The higher the optimum contents of these dimensions, the better the quality of public space. Public is represented by PEOPLE through society and community, and space is created by dimensions. Society contains children, women and the elderly, community is composed of social, and religious groups. These behave differently in a different setting and call for varied quality of spaces, created and generated. Public spaces are spread across a city and have more or less established their existence and prominence in a social set up. While few of them are created others are discovered by the people themselves in their constant search for desirable interactive public spaces. These are the most sought after gathering spaces that have the quality of promoting social interaction, providing free accessibility, provide desirable scale etc. The emergence of public space dates back to the times when people started forming communities, display cultures and traditions publicly, gathered for religious observations and celebrations, and address the society. Traditional cities and societies in India were feudal and orthodox in their nature and yet had public spaces. When the gathering of people at one point in a city became more frequent the point became more accessible and occupied. Baras (large courts, Chowks (public squares) and Maidans (large grounds) became well-known gathering spaces in the towns and cities. As the population grew such points grew in number, each becoming a public space in itself and with a different and definite social character. The author aims at studying the various dimensions of public spaces with which a public space has power to hold people for a significant period of time. The human senses here are note referred to as taste, sight, hearing, touch or smell, but how human senses collectively respond to when stationed in a given public space. The collectives may reflect in dimensions like comfort, safety, environment, freedom etc. Various levels of similar other responses would be studied through interviews, observations and other scientific methods for both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Keywords: society, interaction, people, accessibility, comfort, enclosure

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Authors: Geeta Kumari, Prabu Vairakannu

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Underground coal gasification (UCG) technology is an efficient and an economic in-situ clean coal technology, which converts unmineable coals into calorific valuable gases. This technology avoids ash disposal, coal mining, and storage problems. CO₂ gas can be a potential gasifying medium for UCG. CO₂ is a greenhouse gas and, the liberation of this gas to the atmosphere from thermal power plant industries leads to global warming. Hence, the capture and reutilization of CO₂ gas are crucial for clean energy production. However, the reactivity of high ash Indian coals with CO₂ needs to be assessed. In the present study, two varieties of Indian coals (low ash and high ash) are used for thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Two low ash north east Indian coals (LAC) and a typical high ash Indian coal (HAC) are procured from the coal mines of India. Low ash coal with 9% ash (LAC-1) and 4% ash (LAC-2) and high ash coal (HAC) with 42% ash are used for the study. TGA studies are carried out to evaluate the activation energy for pyrolysis and gasification of coal under N₂ and CO₂ atmosphere. Coats and Redfern method is used to estimate the activation energy of coal under different temperature regimes. Volumetric model is assumed for the estimation of the activation energy. The activation energy estimated under different temperature range. The inherent properties of coals play a major role in their reactivity. The results show that the activation energy decreases with the decrease in the inherent percentage of coal ash due to the ash layer hindrance. A reverse trend was observed with volatile matter. High volatile matter of coal leads to the estimation of low activation energy. It was observed that the activation energy under CO₂ atmosphere at 400-600°C is less as compared to N₂ inert atmosphere. At this temperature range, it is estimated that 15-23% reduction in the activation energy under CO₂ atmosphere. This shows the reactivity of CO₂ gas with higher hydrocarbons of the coal volatile matters. The reactivity of CO₂ with the volatile matter of coal might occur through dry reforming reaction in which CO₂ reacts with higher hydrocarbon, aromatics of the tar content. The observed trend of Ea in the temperature range of 150-200˚C and 400-600˚C is HAC > LAC-1 >LAC-2 in both N₂ and CO₂ atmosphere. At the temperature range of 850-1000˚C, higher activation energy is estimated when compared to those values in the temperature range of 400-600°C. Above 800°C, char gasification through Boudouard reaction progressed under CO₂ atmosphere. It was observed that 8-20 kJ/mol of activation energy is increased during char gasification above 800°C compared to volatile matter pyrolysis between the temperature ranges of 400-600°C. The overall activation energy of the coals in the temperature range of 30-1000˚C is higher in N₂ atmosphere than CO₂ atmosphere. It can be concluded that higher hydrocarbons such as tar effectively undergoes cracking and reforming reactions in presence of CO₂. Thus, CO₂ gas is beneficial for the production of high calorific value syngas using high ash Indian coals.

Keywords: clean coal technology, CO₂ gasification, activation energy, underground coal gasification

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Authors: Yarra Sulina, Nunna Tagore Sai Priya, Ankhi Banerjee

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With the rapid growth in tourist arrivals, there has been a huge demand for the growth of infrastructure in the destinations. With the increasing preference of tourists to stay near attractions, there has been a considerable change in the land use around tourist sites. However, with the inclusion of certain regulations and guidelines provided by the authorities based on the nature of tourism activity and geographical constraints, the pattern of growth of built form is different for various tourist sites. Therefore, this study explores the patterns of growth of built-up for a decade from 2009 to 2019 through two-dimensional and three-dimensional analysis. Land use maps are created through supervised classification of satellite images obtained from LANDSAT 4-5 and LANDSAT 8 for 2009 and 2019, respectively. The overall expansion of the built-up area in the region is analyzed in relation to the distance from the city's geographical center and the tourism-related growth regions are identified which are influenced by the proximity of tourist attractions. The primary tourist sites of various destinations with different geographical characteristics and tourism activities, that have undergone a significant increase in built-up area and are occupied with tourism-related infrastructure are selected for further study. Proximity analysis of the tourism-related growth sites is carried out to delineate the influence zone of the tourist site in a destination. Further, a temporal analysis of volumetric growth of built form is carried out to understand the morphology of the tourist precincts over time. The Digital Surface Model (DSM) and Digital Terrain Model (DTM) are used to extract the building footprints along with building height. Factors such as building height, and building density are evaluated to understand the patterns of three-dimensional growth of the built area in the region. The study also explores the underlying reasons for such changes in built form around various tourist sites and predicts the impact of such growth patterns in the region. The building height and building density around tourist site creates a huge impact on the appeal of the destination. The surroundings that are incompatible with the theme of the tourist site have a negative impact on the attractiveness of the destination that leads to negative feedback by the tourists, which is not a sustainable form of development. Therefore, proper spatial measures are necessary in terms of area and volume of the built environment for a healthy and sustainable environment around the tourist sites in the destination.

Keywords: sustainable tourism, growth patterns, land-use changes, 3-dimensional analysis of built-up area

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Authors: Ruchi Agarwal

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In today’s world, companies are operating in dynamic, uncertain and ambiguous business environments. Globally, more companies are failing due to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors than ever. Corporate governance and risk management are intertwined in nature. For decades, corporate governance and risk management have been influenced by internal and external factors. Three schools of thought have influenced risk governance for decades: Agency theory, Contingency theory, and Institutional theory. Agency theory argues that agents have interests conflicting with principal interests and the information problem. Contingency theory suggests that risk management adoption is influenced by internal and external factors, while Institutional theory suggests that organizations legitimize risk management with regulators, competitors, and professional bodies. The conflicting objectives of theories have created problems for executives in organizations in the adoption of Risk Governance. So far, there are many studies that discussed risk culture and the role of actors in risk governance, but there are rare studies discussing the role of risk culture in the adoption of risk governance from a leadership style perspective. This study explores the adoption of risk governance in two contrasting industries, such as the Insurance and energy business, to understand whether risk governance is influenced by internal/external factors or whether risk culture is influenced by leaders. We draw empirical evidence by comparing the cases of an Indian insurance company and a renewable energy-based firm in India. We interviewed more than 20 senior executives of companies and collected annual reports, risk management policies, and more than 10 PPTs and other reports from 2017 to 2024. We visited the company for follow-up questions several times. The findings of my research revealed that both companies have used risk governance for strategic renewal of the company. Insurance companies use a transactional leadership style based on performance and reward for improving risk, while energy companies use rather symbolic management to make debt restructuring meaningful for stakeholders. Overall, both companies turned from loss-making to profitable ones in a few years. This comparative study highlights the role of different leadership styles in the adoption of risk governance. The study is also distinct as previous research rarely studied risk governance in two contrasting industries in reference to leadership styles.

Keywords: leadership style, corporate governance, risk management, risk culture, strategic renewal

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Authors: S. Surapa Raju

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In Andhra Pradesh, the symptoms of climate variations in coastal villages can be observed from various studies. The Andhra Pradesh coast is known its frequent tropical cyclones and associated floods and tidal surges causing loss of life and property in the region. In the last decade alone, the state experienced 18 devastating storms causing huge loss to coastal people. The year 2007 was the fourth warmest year on record since 1901 and 2009 witnessed the heat wave conditions prevailing over the coastal Andhra Pradesh. With regarding to sea level rise (SLR), 43 percent of the coastal areas considered to be at high risk. The main objectives of the study are: to know the perceptions of fisher people on climate variations and to find out the awareness of the fisher people on climate variations and its effects at village and on fishing households. Altogether 150 households were chosen purposively for this study and collected information from the households based on semi-structured schedule. The present field-based study observed that most of the fisher people are experienced about the changes in climate variations in their villages. The first generation fisher people expressed that the at least 1/2km of sea erosion taken place from the last 20 years and most of them displaced. With regard to fishing activities, first generation fisher people revealed that 20 years back they were fishing in near-shore areas, but now availability of near shore is decreased at a large extent. The present study observed the lot of variations in growth of species in marine districts of Andhra Pradesh from the year 2005-2010. Some species like Silver pomfret, Sole (flat fish), Chriocentrus, Thrisocies, Stakes, Rays etc. are in decaling. The results of the study indicate that huge variation observed in growth rates of fish species. Small and traditional fishers have drastically effected in El NiNo years than the normal years as they have not own suitable equipment such as crafts and nets. The study discovered that many changes taken place in the fishing activities and they are: go for long distance for fishing which increases the cost of fishing operations; decrease in fish catches. Need to take up in-depth studies in the marine villages and tackle the situation by creating more awareness about the negative effects of climate variations among fishing households. Suitable fish craft technology is to be supplied and create more employment opportunities for the fishers in other than fishery.

Keywords: climate, Andhra Pradesh, El nino years, India

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Authors: Prachi Sharma, B. V. Ramkumar

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In current days, autism is a well-known neurodevelopmental disorder that may restrict child development globally. Ignorance or delayed identification or incorrect diagnosis of autism is a major challenge in controlling such an incurable disorder. This may lead to various behavioural complications followed by mental illness in adulthood. Autism is an incurable disorder that is progressive and negatively affects our development globally. This may vary in degree in different skills. However, a deviation from the normal range creates a complex outcome in social and communication areas and restricts or deviates cognitive ability. The primary goal of the present research is to identify and understand the deviations in cognitive, social communication, and behaviour in children during their growing age, with a focus on autism. In this study, five children with mild autism were taken. All the children had achieved normal developmental milestones until the age of one year. The maximum age of observation of children’s development was four years to see the difference in their developmental rates in the areas of cognitive, social communication, and behaviour. The study is based on the parental report about their children from 1 year to 4 years. Videos and pictures of children during their development were also seen as a reference to verify information received by the parents of the children. This research is qualitative, with samples for which were selected using a purposive sampling technique. The data was collected from the OPD, NIEPID RC, NOIDA, India. The data was collected in the form of parental reports based on their observations about their kids. Videos were also seen to verify the information reported by the parents (just shown to verify the facts, not shared). In results, we observed a significant difference in the rate of development in all five children taken for this research. The children having mild autism, at present, showed variations in all three domains (cognitive, social communication, and behaviour). These variations were seen in terms of restricted development in global areas. The result revealed that typical features of ASD had created more cognitive restrictions as compared to the children having ASD features with hyperactivity. Behavioral problems were observed with different levels of severity in the children having ASD with hyperactivity, whereas children with typical ASD are found with some typical problem behaviours like head banging, body rocking, self-biting, etc., with different levels of severity. The social-communication area was observed as equally affected in all children, as no major difference was found in the information received from each parent.

Keywords: autism/ASD, behaviour, cognitive skill, hyperactivity, social-communication skill

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Authors: N. Jena, Nitin Seth

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Globalization and free trade has forced the organizations to continuously rethink and rework on the increasing cost of logistics. World wide, it is visualized that on one side the steel sector is witnessing rapid growth and on the other side it is facing huge challenges in terms of availability of raw materials for uninterrupted production. Inbound logistics also gains significant importance for ensuring the timely availability of raw materials. It is seen that in Indian steel sector logistic cost is still very large and challenging. Effectively managing the inbound logistics in steel decides the profitability and serviceability of the organization. Effective management of inbound logistics also has a major role on the inventory of the organization. Since, the logistics for the steel industry in India is evolving rapidly and it is the interplay of infrastructure, technology and new types of service providers that will define whether the industry is able to help its customers to reduce their logistics costs. Integration of Logistics has been treated as one of the most potential area for the companies to provide a base for cost reduction. In spite of the proven area for benefits for the industry, it is very surprising that none of the researchers have explored this area. Although, many researchers explored the subject of logistics in steel industry, but their perspective varied from exploring and understanding the associated cost and finding out the relations between them. Visualizing a potential gap, the present research is under taken to explore the integration opportunities in inbound logistics for steel sector. Typically in Indian steel sector where in most of the manufacturers depend on imported materials for processing the logistics is very challenging and accounts for transactions at supplier – who is situated in different country, shipper- who is transporting the material to the host country, regulators in both countries-that include customs and various clearing agents, local logistics service providers and local transporters/handlers. It is seen that In bound logistics cost in the steel sector is very high and accounts for about 15-16% of the turn over, integration of information across different channels provides and opportunity for improvements and growth of the organization. In the present paper, a case of leading steel manufacturer has been taken and the potentials for integration of information across various partners have been identified. The paper provides the identification of grey area in steel sector for major improvements in cycle time and lowering the inventories by integration of information. Finally, based on integration of information, the paper presents a business information framework for steel sector.

Keywords: integration, steel sectors, suppliers, shippers, customs and cargo agents, transporters

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Authors: Kangana Sengar, Sanjay Deb, Ramesh Dawar

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Introduction: Ki-67 can be a useful marker in determining proliferative activity in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, using Ki-67 alone results in the erroneous inclusion of non-myeloma cells leading to false high counts. We have used Dual IHC (immunohistochemistry) staining with Ki-67 and CD138 to enhance specificity in assessing proliferative activity of bone marrow plasma cells. Aims and objectives: To estimate the proportion of proliferating (Ki-67 expressing) plasma cells in patients with MM and correlation of Ki-67 with other known prognostic parameters. Materials and Methods: Fifty FFPE (formalin fixed paraffin embedded) blocks of trephine biopsies of cases diagnosed as MM from 2010 to 2015 are subjected to H & E staining and Dual IHC staining for CD 138 and Ki-67. H & E staining is done to evaluate various histological parameters like percentage of plasma cells, pattern of infiltration (nodular, interstitial, mixed and diffuse), routine parameters of marrow cellularity and hematopoiesis. Clinical data is collected from patient records from Medical Record Department. Each of CD138 expressing cells (cytoplasmic, red) are scored as proliferating plasma cells (containing a brown Ki¬67 nucleus) or non¬proliferating plasma cells (containing a blue, counter-stained, Ki-¬67 negative nucleus). Ki-67 is measured as percentage positivity with a maximum score of hundred percent and lowest of zero percent. The intensity of staining is not relevant. Results: Statistically significant correlation of Ki-67 in D-S Stage (Durie & Salmon Stage) I vs. III (p=0.026) and ISS (International Staging System) Stage I vs. III (p=0.019), β2m (p=0.029) and percentage of plasma cells (p < 0.001) is seen. No statistically significant correlation is seen between Ki-67 and hemoglobin, platelet count, total leukocyte count, total protein, albumin, S. calcium, S. creatinine, S. LDH, blood urea and pattern of infiltration. Conclusion: Ki-67 index correlated with other known prognostic parameters. However, it is not determined routinely in patients with MM due to little information available regarding its relevance and paucity of studies done to correlate with other known prognostic factors in MM patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in India using Dual IHC staining for Ki-67 and CD138 in MM patients. Routine determination of Ki-67 will help to identify patients who may benefit with more aggressive therapy. Recommendation: In this study follow up of patients is not included, and the sample size is small. Studying with larger sample size and long follow up is advocated to prognosticate Ki-67 as a marker of survival in patients with multiple myeloma.

Keywords: bone marrow, dual IHC, Ki-67, multiple myeloma

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Authors: Rooma Rani

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The education is really important for the improvement of physical and mental well-being of the school students. It is used to express inner potential, acquire knowledge, develop skills, shape habits, attitudes, values, belief, etc. along with providing strengths and resilience to people to changing situations and allowing them to develop all those capacities which will enable individual to control surrounding environment. Education has a significant effect on the behavior of individuals which helps us in the new situations of everyday life. Educating the child is directing the child’s capacities, attitudes interest, urges, and needs into the most desirable channels. We are the part of 21st century and now a day emotional intelligence is considered more important than intelligence in the success of a person. Success depends on several intelligences and on the control of emotions too. Emotional Intelligence, like general intelligence is the product of one’s heredity and its interaction with his environmental forces. There are certain methods evolved in modern researches. Keeping in view the nature and purpose of the study, the descriptive survey method is preferred. This method is one of the important methods in education research because it describes the current position of the phenomenon under study. The term descriptive survey is generally used for the type of research which proposes to condition of practices of the present time. In the present study, a systematically random sampling method was used to select a representative sample. 50 students were selected from 2 schools. Out of 50 students, 25 were boys and 25 were girls. In the study, a) it has been found a significant difference in the level of adjustment between male and female students; b) it has been found a non-significant difference in the level of emotional intelligence between male and female students; c) it has been found a non-significant relationship between adjustment and emotional intelligence among male students; d) it has been found a significant relationship between adjustment and emotional intelligence among male students. The results of the study indicated that amongst the students those who possess high scores on emotional intelligence tests are high in level of adjustment. Measures should be adopted to improve and sustain the emotional intelligence level of students throughout their studies. Adolescent students are prone to many problems like physical, social and psychological. They need a congenial home atmosphere so that they grow into full-fledged citizens of our country. After understanding these, it helps in the development of personality which leads to a better learning situation and better thinking capacities, in turn, enhances adjustment and achievement along with a better perception of self.

Keywords: adjustment, education, emotional intelligence, students

Procedia PDF Downloads 131

Authors: Sushil Pradhan

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Biotechnology contributes to sustainable development in several ways such as biofertilizer production, biopesticide production and management of environmental pollution, tissue culture and biodiversity conservation in vitro, in vivo and in situ, Insectivorous medicinal plant Drosera burmannii Vahl belongs to the Family-Droseraceae under Order-Caryophyllales, Dicotyledoneae, Angiospermeae which has 31 (thirty one) living genera and 194 species besides 7 (seven) extinct (fossil) genera. Locally it is known as “Patkanduri” in Odia. Its Hindi name is “Mukhajali” and its English name is “Sundew”. The earliest species of Drosera was first reported in 1753 by Carolous Linnaeus called Drosera indica L (Indian Sundew). The latest species of Drosera reported by Fleisch A, Robinson, AS, McPherson S, Heinrich V, Gironella E and Madulida D.A. (2011) is Drosera ultramafica from Malaysia. More than 50 % species of Drosera have been reported from Australia and next to Australia is South Africa. India harbours only 3 species such as D. indica L, Drosera burmannii Vahl and D. peltata L. From our Odisha only D. burmannii Vahl is being reported for the first time from the district of Subarnapur near Sonepur (Arjunpur Reserve Forest Area). Drosera plant is autotrophic but to supplement its Nitrogen (N2) requirement it adopts heterotrophic mode of nutrition (insectivorous/carnivorous) as well. The colour of plant in mostly red and about 20-30cm in height with beautiful pink or white pentamerous flowers. Plants grow luxuriantly during November to February in shady and moist places near small water bodies of running water stream. Medicinally it is a popular herb in the locality for the treatment of cold and cough in children in rainy season by the local Doctors (Kabiraj and Baidya). In the present field investigation an attempt has been made to understand the unique reproductive phase and life cycle of the plant thereby planning for its conservation and propagation through various techniques of tissue culture and biotechnology. More importantly besides morphological and anatomical studies, cytological investigation is being carried out to find out the number of chromosomes in the cell and its genomics as there is no such report as yet for Drosera burmannii Vahl. The ecological significance and biodiversity conservation of Drosera with special reference to energy, environmental and chemical engineering has been discussed in the research paper presentation.

Keywords: insectivorous, medicinal, drosera, biotechnology, chromosome, genome

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Authors: Sidharth Talan, Devendra Kumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh Rajput, Subhajit Bhattacharjee

Abstract:

Mining industry is known for its appetite to spend sizeable capital on mine equipment. However, in the current scenario, the mining industry is challenged by daunting factors of non-uniform geological conditions, uneven ore grade, uncontrollable and volatile mineral commodity prices and the ever increasing quest to optimize the capital and operational costs. Thus, the role of equipment reliability and maintenance planning inherits a significant role in augmenting the equipment availability for the operation and in turn boosting the mine productivity. This paper presents the Risk Based Maintenance (RBM) planning conducted on mine loading equipment namely Load Haul Dumpers (LHDs) at Vedanta Resources Ltd subsidiary Hindustan Zinc Limited operated Sindesar Khurd Mines, an underground zinc and lead mine situated in Dariba, Rajasthan, India. The mining equipment at the location is maintained by the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) namely Sandvik and Atlas Copco, who carry out the maintenance and inspection operations for the equipment. Based on the downtime data extracted for the equipment fleet over the period of 6 months spanning from 1^st January 2017 until 30^th June 2017, it was revealed that significant contribution of three downtime issues related to namely Engine, Hydraulics, and Transmission to be common among all the loading equipment fleet and substantiated by Pareto Analysis. Further scrutiny through Bubble Matrix Analysis of the given factors revealed the major influence of selective factors namely Overheating, No Load Taken (NTL) issues, Gear Changing issues and Hose Puncture and leakage issues. Utilizing the equipment wise analysis of all the downtime factors obtained, spares consumed, and the alarm logs extracted from the machines, technical design changes in the equipment and pre shift critical alarms checklist were proposed for the equipment maintenance. The given analysis is beneficial to allow OEMs or mine management to focus on the critical issues hampering the reliability of mine equipment and design necessary maintenance strategies to mitigate them.

Keywords: bubble matrix analysis, LHDs, OEMs, Pareto chart analysis, spares consumption matrix, critical alarms checklist

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Authors: Poornima Gupta, Sadaf Siraj

Abstract:

The study examined the organizational causes of organizational stress in women executives and entrepreneurs in India. This was done so that mediation strategies could be developed to combat the organizational stress experienced by them, in order to retain the female employees as well as attract quality talent. The data for this research was collected through the self- administered survey, from the women executives across various industries working at different levels in management. The research design of the study was descriptive and cross-sectional. It was carried out through a self-administered questionnaire filled in by the women executives and entrepreneurs in the NCR region. Multistage sampling involving stratified random sampling was employed. A total of 1000 questionnaires were distributed out of which 450 were returned and after cleaning the data 404 were fit to be considered for analyses. The overall findings of the study suggested that there were various job-related factors that induce stress. Fourteen factors were identified which were a major cause of stress among the working women by applying Factor analysis. The study also assessed the demographic factors which influence the stress in women executives across various industries. The findings show that the women, no doubt, were stressed by organizational factors. The mean stress score was 153 (out of a possible score of 196) indicating high stress. There appeared to be an inverse relationship between the marital status, age, education, work experience, and stress. Married women were less stressed compared to single women employees. Similarly, female employees 29 years or younger experienced more stress at work. Women having education up to 12th standard or less were more stressed compared to graduates and post graduates. Women who had spent more than two years in the same organization perceived more stress compared to their counterparts. Family size and income, interestingly, had no significant impact on stress. The study also established that the level of stress experienced by women across industries differs considerably. Banking sector emerged as the industry where the women experienced the most stress followed by Entrepreneurs, Medical, BPO, Advertising, Government, Academics, and Manufacturing, in that order. The results contribute to the better understanding of the personal and economic factors surrounding job stress and working women. It concludes that the organizations need to be sensitive to the women’s needs. Organizations are traditionally designed around men with the rules made by the men for the men. Involvement of women in top positions, decision making, would make them feel more useful and less stressed. The invisible glass ceiling causes more stress than realized among women. Less distinction between the men and women colleagues in terms of giving responsibilities, involvement in decision making, framing policies, etc. would go a long way to reduce stress in women.

Keywords: women, stress, gender in management, women in management

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Authors: Tamal Sur, Tapas Acharya

Abstract:

Identifying the water resource in hard crystalline rock terrain has been a huge challenge over the decades as it is considered a poor groundwater province area. Over the years, usage of satellite imagery for the delineation of groundwater potential zone in sheared hard rock terrain has been occasionally successful. In numerous circumstances, it has been observed that groundwater potential zone delineated by satellite imagery study has failed to yield satisfactory result on its own. The present study discusses the fact that zones having a high concentration of lineaments oblique to the general trend of shear fabric could be good groundwater potential zones within a shear zone in crystalline fractured rock aquifer system. Due to this fact, the density of lineaments and the number of intersecting lineaments increases over that particular region, making it a suitable locale for good groundwater recharge, which is mostly composed of Precambrian metamorphic rocks i.e., quartzite, granite gneisses, porphyroclastic granite-gneiss, quartzo-feldspathic-granite-gneiss, mylonitic granites, quartz-biotite-granite gneiss and some phyllites of Purulia district of West Bengal, NE India. This study aims to construct an attempt to demonstrate the relationship of the high amount of lineament accumulation and their intersection with high groundwater fluctuation zones, i.e., good groundwater potential zones. On the basis of that, an effort has been made to characterize the shear zones with respect to their groundwater potentiality. Satellite imagery data (IRS-P6 LISS IV standard FCC image) analysis reveals the bifurcating nature of North Purulia shear zone (NPSZ) and South Purulia shear zone (SPSZ) over the study area. Careful analysis of lineament rose diagrams, lineament density map, lineament intersection density map, and frequency diagrams for water table depths with an emphasis on high water table fluctuations exhibit the fact that different structural features existing over North and South Purulia shear zones can affect the nature of hydraulic potential of that region.

Keywords: crystalline hard rock terrain, groundwater recharge, hydrogeology, lineaments, shear zone, water table fluctuation

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