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The present study represents the first record of photographic presentation of aquatic annelids in the Kashmir Himalaya. Based on the morphology and ecology, 13 species of annelids were identified belonging to 7 families (Tubificidae, Naididae, Almidae, Lumbriculidae, Lumbricidae, Hirudinidae, and Glossiphoniidae) and 2 classes (Oligochaeta and Hirudinea). Oligochaeta was represented by Branchiura sowerbyi, Tubifex tubifex, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Nais communis, Glyphidrilussp., Lumbriculussp.,and Eisenia fetidawhile Hirudinea was represented by Erpobdella octoculata, Haemopis indicus, Poecilobdella javanica, Helobdella stagnalis, Glossiphonia weberi,and Glossiphonia complanata. During the study, Lumbriculussp., Erpobdella octoculata,and Haemopis indicuswere present at all the sites while Tubifex tubifexand Glyphidrilussp. were present at sites Chursoo (W3) and Aripal (A1) respectively. The maximum diversity was observed during summer and autumn seasons while minimum during winter and spring seasons in the streams.

The Internet of Things (IoT) and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have rapidly spread in recent decades, leading to remarkable innovation and integrated possibilities. The switch from IPv4 to IPv6, made possible by advancements in networking technology and the use of nanodevices, has further improved connectivity. This move allows for connecting a wider range of devices to servers. Nevertheless, the increasing interconnectivity has brought about difficulties in efficiently overseeing and analysing the enormous amount of data produced throughout all levels of the IoT. The requirement of comprehensive security management is particularly concerning for IoT devices due to their large quantity and small size. Within the layered architecture of IoT, the network layer assumes pivotal importance in ensuring security, bearing responsibility for storing routing information and executing corresponding decisions. The Black Hole attack is a frequently encountered and significant concern among the security attacks addressed. This paper thoroughly examines the consequences of the Black Hole attack on IoT networks, carefully analyzing its impact. Furthermore, it presents a novel mitigation algorithm designed to counter such threats efficiently. The research employs NS2 and Simulink to run extensive simulations, enabling the evaluation of network throughput and Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR). Applying the proposed mitigation strategy to a network affected by the Black Hole attack results in a significant improvement in throughput, which closely resembles that of an unaffected network. The observed Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) is measured at 98.21%. This highlights the algorithm’s effectiveness in mitigating the detrimental effects of the Black Hole attack on IoT networks.

The main goal of this research is to determine the effect of workplace incivility on employee's work engagement and turnover intention working in the service sector of UT Jammu and Kashmir and also examine the association between workplace incivility, employee's work engagement, and employees' turnover intention. The data was collected from 400 employees working in the service sector (higher education sector) of UT Jammu and Kashmir. The study employed a quantitative research approach. Stratified random sampling and a self-administrative questionnaire are used to collect data from these employees. The results display that workplace incivility harms employees' work engagement and has a positive influence on employees' turnover intention. This research study adds to the existing knowledge of social exchange theory by emphasising that employees should create a culture of trust and mutual respect within an organisation, which encourages social learning and social interaction that can promote loyalty, work engagement, mutual commitment, and finally lesser chances of an employee leaving the organisation (Cropanzano and Mitchell, 2005).

Scab disease caused by Venturiaspp. is a major threat to pome and stone fruit crops which are grown extensively under the temperate climate of Jammu and Kashmir in India, affecting economy of commercial growers. To gain insights into the establishment and spread of the pathogen, it is essential to have a clear understanding of its life cycle, in which the presence or absence of the sexual stage holds considerable importance. The in-vivoand in-vitromorphological differentiation of three Venturiaspecies viz.; Venturia inaequalis, Venturia pyrina, Venturia carpophilarevealed that there were significant differences within their morpho-cultural characteristics. However, Venturia carpophilainfecting both almond and peach showed insignificant variations in both in vivo and in vitro conditions. Importantly, the teleomorph was only observed in V. inaequalis, which emphasizes that there might be high genetic variation in the pathogen population. Surprisingly, no teleomorph of V. pyrinaand V. carpophilawas found, which may be related to the fact that both of these pathogen species overwinter as dormant mycelia and conidia under temperate conditions of North Western Himalayas.

Potato (Solanum tuberosumL.) is the most widely produced tuberous crop all over the world because of its high nutritional value. Tissue culture practices are mostly used to produce true-to-type and virus-free planting material of potato as compared to traditional means. As various plant growth hormones affect the initiation and growth of microtuber, the current experiment was conducted to study the effect of different concentrations of jasmonic acid (JA), kinetin (Kin) and putrescine, either alone or in combination on microtuberization. For this, Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 80 gL−1sucrose was supplemented with different concentrations of JA, Kin and putrescine under dark conditions. Overall, twelve treatments (T0 = control, T1 = 10 μM Kin, T2 = 15 μM Kin, T3 = 2.5 μM JA, T4 = 5 μM JA, T5 = 80 gL−1putrescene, T6 = 2.5 μM JA + 10 μM Kin, T7 = 2.5 μM JA + 15 μM Kin, T8 = 5 μM JA + 10 μM Kin,T9 = 5 μM JA + 15 μM Kin,T10 = 2.5 μM JA + 15 μM Kin + 80 gL−1putrescine, and T11 = 5 μM JA + 10 μM Kin + 80 gL−1Putrescine in MS medium) of these biomolecules were supplemented to MS medium. The results indicated that medium T9 (MS + 5 μM JA and 15 μM Kin) significantly increased the microtuberization as well as average number (3.7), size (4.54 mm), fresh weight (503.44 mg) and dry weight (124.77 mg) of microtuber as compared to all other treatment media tested in this study. This might be due to the increased level of tuberonic acid, and its glucosides in the plant also increased due to the exogenous supply of JA that enhanced tuber formation. Hence, this technique can be used and suggested as an efficient microtuber production protocol in potato cv. Desiree at commercial scale to fulfill the requirement of healthy germplasm of potato.

Low switching frequency in medium voltage and high power application of power converters is desired in order to minimise the switching losses. Pre-programmed pulse width modulation technique is extensively used in such applications as it ensures better quality output waveform. But in its implementation, the main challenge is the calculation of switching angle values from the system of highly nonlinear transcendental equations which are obtained by Fourier series analysis of the output waveform. In this paper, a differential evolution-based evolutionary intelligent technique is proposed to calculate the optimised switching instants in a wide band range. The sensitivity of the switching instants as a function of modulation index is minimised as wide band solution permits flexibility in its operation. Computational, simulation and hardware results using DSP controller TMS320F2812 are presented to corroborate the concept.

Purpose: The main goal of this research study is to look at the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion in the association between workplace incivility and job outcomes (job stress, job satisfaction, and employee turnover intentions). Design/methodology/approach: The authors gathered field data from individuals working in the higher education sector of Jammu and Kashmir to test the proposed study paradigm. A total of 550 respondents reported their perceptions of workplace incivility, emotional exhaustion, and job-related outcomes (job stress, job satisfaction, and employee turnover intention) at Time 1 in the Kashmir division and Time 2 in the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir via a two-wave data collection design. Findings: The findings supported the hypothesized relationships, demonstrating that emotional exhaustion acts as a mediator between workplace incivility and employee job outcomes (job stress, employee job satisfaction, and employee intention to leave). Practical implications: The findings of this research study will assist organizations and practitioners in comprehending the implications of workplace incivility and emotional exhaustion, as well as how they positively impact job-related outcomes (employee job stress, turnover intention), and negatively on job satisfaction. Originality/value: This study adds to existing knowledge on COR theory by suggesting workplace incivility as a stressor and also testing emotional exhaustion as a defense mechanism for determining the effect of workplace incivility on employee job outcomes.

Purpose: The major goal of this research is to examine the work-life balance as a mediating factor in the association between psychological capital and employee attitudes including job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach: The authors gathered data from prestigious healthcare institutes in North Indian states to test the suggested study model. Data were gathered from 613 personnel employed in public and private healthcare organizations via an online Google form. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied for analyzing the data. Findings: The findings validated the expected relations, demonstrating that the association between psychological capital and employee job attitudes is completely mediated by work-life balance. Research limitations/implications: This research study used cross-sectional data, which fall short of meeting the requirement for proving causation. Practical implications: The findings of this study will help organizations and practitioners, particularly healthcare administrators and policymakers, better recognize the value of psychological capital and work-life balance, and how they impact job attitudes. Originality/value: This research study added to the existing self-determination theory (SDT) model developed by Deci et al.(2017) by incorporating psychological capital and work-life balance as autonomous intrinsic and workplace context factors, respectively, into the SDT model to study work behaviors in terms of job outcomes. In addition, the study added to the existing body of knowledge in organizational behavior literature about the role of mediating variables in understanding the indirect effect of personal resources on job attitudes.

AbstractRepurposing of antivirals is an attractive therapeutic option for the treatment of COVID-19. Main protease (Mpro), also called 3 C-like protease (3CLpro) is a key protease of SARS-CoV-2 involved in viral replication, and is a promising drug target for antivirals. A major challenge to test the efficacy of antivirals is the conformational plasticity of Mproand its future mutation prone flexibility. Suitable choice of drugs in catalytic and allosteric pockets appear to be essential for combination therapy. Current study, based on docking and extensive set of MD simulations, finds the combination of Elbasvir, Glecaprevir and Ritonavir to be a viable candidate for further experimental drug testing/pharmacophore design for Mpro.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Background: It is believed that carrying out laryngectomy in tracheotomized patients leads to higher postoperative complications and stomal recurrence compared to carrying out the procedure upfront without prior tracheotomy. We believe that emergency laryngectomy is a feasible procedure in most cancer centers and can be carried out for indications beyond acute airway obstruction as well and complex reconstruction procedures can be also carried out simultaneously. We hereby describe our experience with emergency laryngectomy with or without pharyngectomy.Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained data base was carried out. Patients who had undergone emergency laryngectomy in our department, from 2014 to 2018, were analyzed, and their clinicodemographic and histopathological features were noted. The indications for surgery and postoperative complications were charted down. Survival data of patients were also noted.Results: Seven patients have undergone emergency laryngectomy, 5 for acute airway obstruction and 2 for acute bleeding. Five patients were chemoradiotherapy failures, whereas 2 patients were operated upfront. Two out of 7 patients had pyriform fossa carcinoma, whereas rest of the patients had carcinoma of glottis. Reconstruction with pectoralis myocutaneous/pectoralis muscle only flap was carried out in 4 patients. Minor salivary leak was noted in 4 patients at varying time intervals from second week onward. Two patients had post radiotherapy chondroradionecrosis, without any residual/recurrent tumor. Three out of 7 patients developed recurrence which was salvageable in only 1 patient.Conclusion: Emergency laryngectomy can be safely carried out in emergency setting in most cancer centers, more so over it can be carried out for indications beyond acute airway obstruction and combined with complex reconstruction procedures.

The Indian Government has been promoting entrepreneurship vehemently from last three decades, institutions were established and programs were launched. Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (JKEDI) as part of this series of institutions has been working comprehensively in making entrepreneurship a common phenomenon among the masses. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the impact of entrepreneurial initiatives by the state government with the support of JKEDI towards the creation of new enterprises in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Primary data has been collected with a structured schedule from 100 new JKEDI sponsored entrepreneurs from the district. Both qualitative and quantitative information was collected and analysed with simple statistical tools and analysis of the interview. The findings show that there is a positive impact of training, financial support and consultation for the overall development of entrepreneurship in both urban and rural areas of the district in particular and state as a whole.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of organisational level factors (management support, dynamic environment and organisational culture), personal level factors (personal effectiveness, locus of control) and interpersonal level factors (transactional styles and conflict management styles) on employee performance. The study also examines the interrelation between organisational, personal and interpersonal factors.In this study, organisational, personal and interpersonal level factors are included in a single model using data from small- and medium-scale enterprises. The structural equation modelling is used to examine the proposed model describing the relationship between employee performance and three-level factors.The results of this study indicate that management support and personal effectiveness have the strongest impacts (direct and indirect) on employee performance, while locus of control and transactional styles directly affect job performance. Overall 29% (first-level analysis) and 38% (second-level analysis) of employee performance (EP) variance can be explained.The findings of this study have implications for practitioners, academicians and policy makers for effective decision making as organisations are facing intense competition for survival and sustenance in the turbulent business environments. The employee performance is considered one of the important factors and there is a need to identify the factors affecting the performance of employees.

Purpose: Considering entrepreneurship education (EE) theory as a base, this paper aims to examine the impact of EE upon building entrepreneurial intentions. In addition, it investigates the impact of student’s age, gender and degree or course background in developing students entrepreneurial intentions. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 309 student respondents from higher education institution (HEI’s) was used to understand the relationship and its impact over intention building. Regression and ANOVA technique was used to understand the cause and effect as well as mean differences between the construct. Findings: The results signify a positive impact of EE for stimulating the start-up intention in these interdisciplinary students of HEIs. These results resemble the existing studies in this endeavour. Findings also verify that individual intention to start a new business in terms of the theory of planned behaviour (attitude, perceived behavioural control and social norms), student background (gender and degree specialization) are positively related to individual intention to start a new business. Research limitations/implications: The results confirm previous studies in this field and highlight the need for EE in HEI. The paper highlights the vitality for EE for India’s start-up growth. Originality/value: This study adds to the paucity of research on EE and its impact on entrepreneurial intentions in higher education institutions in India.

The article examines how the Bakarwal, a Scheduled Tribe in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), has survived the double paradox of being both a marginalised community and the inhabitants of a sensitive border region. Traditionally, the Bakarwals are transhumance pastoralists and have had limited access to education, healthcare and other basic amenities. While government interventions represent a pivotal transition in their day-to-day lives, they are vulnerable to exploitation by influential proprietors and vested interests, perpetuating a complex web of social dynamics. The article argues that a stark disconnect exists between the policies projected by the government and the ground-level realities faced by the Bakarwals. Adopting the theoretical framework on everyday resistance, the article explicates the Bakarwals’ ambivalence about state-led development initiatives intended to facilitate their transition from transhumance nomadism to sedentism.

The present article aims to look at several elements of caste-based exclusion among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) community in India. It looks at denying SCs their social, cultural, civil, political and economic rights, which leads to social exclusion and poverty. The work is expressive and analytical, based on secondary data sources. The research is based on a survey of the existing literature on these connected institutional phenomena that have had a significant impact on the lives of SCs. Different literature reviews have also been conducted from various journals, government reports, websites and working papers to present this research article.

The study examined and compared various demographic and human developmental indicators, especially education and its allied aspects such as literacy, enrolment, promotion, repetition, retention, dropout and transition rates of tribal children at various school education stages. And to assess these indicators, data have been collected from secondary sources. Census reports of India, Jammu and Kashmir and Ganderbal, 2001 and 2011 have been reviewed to obtain the data related to demography and literacy. The information related to various educational indicators has been collected from Unified District Information System for Education 2017–2018. Thus, the present study is a desk research. The data have been expressed in tabular and graphical forms. The study concluded that the tribals figure significantly below the overall population on educational parameters such as literacy, enrolment, gross enrolment ratio, promotion, retention, dropout and transition rates. Moreover, variations and gaps have been found among trials of India, Jammu and Kashmir and Ganderbal district. Gender disparities/gaps, prominent among females, raise question marks on the efficiency and management of the educational system as well as affirmative action and intervention policies of the government in mitigating disparities based either on gender, social category or location.

The existing research demonstrates the presence of disparities in both individuals’ entrepreneurial attitudes (EAs) and the ecosystems within regions of different countries. However, most of these studies are based in Europe and the developed countries. Moreover, most of these studies use global entrepreneurship monitor (GEM) data to understand such differences. The current study collects data from five different Indian regions to understand the regional variations in an economically, culturally and geographically diverse country. Based on 11 different variables derived from the GEM questionnaire and other studies the current study wants to verify ‘perception differences for entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial ecosystem in India’. One-way analysis of variance was used to verify possible mean differences among different regions of Jammu, Kashmir, Gujarat, Punjab and Karnataka. The study uses 407 student samples from various higher learning institutions in these regions. Results suggest that EA and entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) significantly differ in the country’s northern, southern and western regions. This study brings into notice significant policy gaps and developments that affect the EE and the attitudes of the regional population. The research can be extended with newer regions and more extensive datasets to understand this phenomenon more clearly in the context of emerging and developing countries.

Didymella blight of lily is a major fungal disease and is one of the main factors that limit the lily cultivation and production. It appeared as a new disease on crop lily from May to August (2018–2019) in both the mentioned years causing death of leaves. The pathogen was consistently isolated on Mathur’s media from infected leaves and was identified as Didymella americanabased on morphological characteristics of isolate in pure culture as well as on host and molecular characteristics.

The municipal solid waste land filling results in generation of highly toxic leachate that has significant impacts on different components of environment. Various processes are available for the treatment of landfill leachate; however, biological treatment is considered as the environmentally friendly technology. In this context, the present study was undertaken to isolate landfill bacteria and evaluate their leachate degradation potential. The physicochemical analysis of leachate samples revealed that the leachate was highly concentrated with values of different parameters above the permissible limit. Further, the biological analysis resulted in the isolation of five morphologically different bacterial isolates at lower ambient temperature and they were screened via their degradation potential of leachate samples. The flask containing the leachate and inoculated with the isolate LF3showed significantly (p< 0.05) maximum percentage of reduction of different physicochemical parameters, viz. EC (89.2%), BOD (87.3%), COD (90.6%), TKN (86.6%) and TP (95.0%) after 48 h.Based on biochemical and 16SrRNA sequence analysis, the isolate LF3was identified as Bacillus pumiluswith similarity of 98%. The application of isolate LF3 was found to be a viable strategy for biological treatment of landfill leachate in vitro and might potentially be encouraged for large-scale waste water treatment.

The issue of the reservation system and its impression on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes have generated considerable debate. It is crucial to comprehend how far the scheduled castes, a socially marginalized minority, fall behind the rest of India in terms of human development. This article aims to examine the many human development elements, such as the educational attainment of the scheduled caste community in Jammu and Kashmir. Secondary data have been gathered for this purpose from the Chief Educational Office Doda and Unified District Information for the Education System. The population and literacy data eventually came from the Census 2011, and the health data came from the National Family Health Survey (2019–2020). This study displays the literacy and health-related elements of the scheduled caste population. The study also relates the scheduled caste status to other social groups in Jammu and Kashmir.

Magnetic field plays a significant role in innumerable fields like mechanical, chemical, biological and medical research. Few examples include power generation systems, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) accelerators, liquid metal fluids, cooling of nuclear reactors, high-temperature plasmas, chemical processing equipment and electronic components. In view of these facts, the current investigation discusses the fundamental flows of a Casson fluid in horizontal parallel plates (three fundamental situations considered such as the plate walls progresses in the conflicting directions, the progress of lower plate in the flow direction and other is in fixed position, and the progress of the plates in the flow direction respectively). Influences of radiation, velocity slip, porous medium and Joule heating are considered into account. The flow situation is assumed in Cartesian coordinate system. The momentum and energy equations are transformed into non-dimensional system utilizing appropriate non-dimensional parameters. The exact solutions of the non-dimensional differential equations have been obtained. The pictorial representations are provided for the velocity as well as temperature characteristics in all the mentioned cases. It is concluded by graphical approach that velocity is enhanced in the case of increasing Darcy’s parameter and boundary slip while reduced for the large magnetic field. On the other hand, it is found that slip factor is reducing the heat transfer rate while magnetic field is giving rise to it.