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Despite growing health concerns and increasing water scarcity, adequate wastewater treatment and reuse remains limited in India. Low-cost, decentralised, and nature-based on-site sanitation systems could play a key role in a circular water approach. This paper evaluates the performance of a Wastewater Fertigated Short Rotation Coppice (wfSRC) system based on willow, poplar, and bamboo species as a potential solution, offering low-cost, efficient water treatment, and high biomass production. Through a full-scale wfSRC pilot plant (250 m3·day−1 municipal wastewater on 6864 m2) established at Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh, India, treatment capacities, biomass production rates, and contamination tolerance of different willow, poplar, and bamboo species were investigated. The chemical compositions of incoming wastewater, percolation water, soil, and biomass were monitored regularly. Despite the high load, all plant sections of the wfSRC system showed efficient removal of wastewater-originated pollutants. BOD5 and COD removal efficiencies were up to 99% and 95% respectively. Removal efficiencies for PO4-P reached 93% and for TN 91%. In general, total nitrogen and phosphate loads appear to be the limiting design parameters under the conditions at Aligarh to meet all discharge limits in India. Biomass production was projected to be >225 tDM·ha−1·yr−1 for bamboo, 65 tDM·ha−1·yr−1 for willow, and 206 tDM·ha−1·yr−1 for poplar. The pilot, conducted from March 2022 to June 2023, showcased how these densely planted agroforestry systems can effectively treat wastewater through natural processes such as oxidation, microbial degradation, and plant uptake. The findings demonstrate wfSRC's potential to serve as a nature-based, sustainable approach to wastewater treatment, particularly beneficial for suburban and rural areas in India and similar regions worldwide. This paper also provides recommendations for future implementation of wfSRC systems, emphasizing the need for careful planning regarding plant selection, system design, and operational strategies to maximize treatment efficiency and biomass production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides the humanitarian community with an automated tool that can detect a disaster using tweets posted on Twitter, alongside a portal to identify local and regional Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that are best-positioned to provide support to people adversely affected by a disaster. The proposed disaster detection tool uses a linear Support Vector Classifier (SVC) to detect man-made and natural disasters, and a density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm to accurately estimate a disaster's geographic location. This paper provides two original contributions. The first is combining the automated disaster detection tool with the prototype portal for NGO identification. This unique combination could help reduce the time taken to raise awareness of the disaster detected, improve the coordination of aid, increase the amount of aid delivered as a percentage of initial donations and improve aid effectiveness. The second contribution is a general framework that categorises the different approaches that can be adopted for disaster detection. Furthermore, this paper uses responses obtained from an on-the-ground survey with NGOs in the disaster-hit region of Uttar Pradesh, India, to provide actionable insights into how the portal can be developed further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent floods cause a lot of damage to life and livelihoods of people in India annually. Every year around 75 lakh hectares of land is affected by floods, around 1600 lives are lost and damage to crops, houses and public utilities are to the tune of Rs. 1805 crores. It has been estimated that over 40 million hectares or around 12 percent of land is prone to floods in India (DM policy, 2009). This prioritizes research in this area in the backdrop of the national mission to reduce risk due to disasters. Approximately 11 percent or 27 lakh hectares of area are inundated due to floods every year in Uttar Pradesh. The vulnerability of people to floods gets aggravated in the context of luke-warm response of the state to disasters like floods. Uttar Pradesh scores low on the Human Development Index (HDI). The HDI value for UP is .380 which is below the all-India value of .467. This has important bearing on the capacity of the people in the context of disaster resilience. When disasters are seen within the larger context of development then a low HDI has direct bearing on the vulnerability of the people. In this context, the paper tries to understand that how disaster risk reduction can be achieved through community participation and other measures envisaged in the various national and global strategies for disaster risk reduction. The paper also recommends flood risk reduction from an emic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 73rd Amendment to the Constitution of India was introduced with a stated legislative intent of reserving not less than a third of seats for women in institutions of local self-government, the three-tier panchayati raj institutions. That amendment is considered a milestone in India's project of empowerment of women. This paper evaluates the power and prestige of the post of an adhyaksha (chairperson) of a zila (district) panchayat (council) in general, and in particular the status of women elected to the post during 2016 in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Analysing the candidature, electoral success, electoral practices and subsequent functioning of zila panchayat adhyakshas (ZPAs), the authors argue that despite seats being reserved for women, no meaningful political empowerment of women has occurred in UP. The paper questions the efficacy of the indirect mode of election of ZPAs in bringing about empowerment of women, arguing that indirect elections enable powerful ruling elites to use women as proxies, subverting the legislative intent of the 73rd Amendment. The paper therefore proposes electoral reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over time, paint chemistry has changed, posing health hazards to house painters. Surveys and interviews scheduled on work profiles determined the exposure to solvents in commercial painting. This research paper aims to identify the respiratory and lungs issues among painters due to their occupation. With this aim, this also explore the worker's experiences with various types of paints regarding health implications. The current study is related to research on the health issues of paint workers. Subjects for the study were chosen by the use of cluster sampling from several places in three districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. An interview schedule was developed to collect relevant and maximum information. The study used a sample size of 150 that was not pre-determined. All the respondents were from the labour class and worked with paints. A schedule of the interview was developed to gather information about the painters' demographic profile and current respiratory health status. Statistical approaches such as Standard Deviation, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation were used for analysis. The study revealed that painters are exposed to paints and face various health issues. Majority of the respondents (50.7%) belongs to lower economic status, followed by upper lower (33.3%), and only 4% of them belong to the upper class. We found a significant difference between the respondent's age and respiratory health. This data indicates that respondents who faced high respiratory issues belong to the age group of 61-75 years, and minimum problems were observed in the age group of 19-32 years. This data shows highly significant differences between age groups, and the problem occurs with the respiratory system in painters. The result indicates that wearing the mask was significantly associated with respiratory problems like cough (p = .004), chest tightness (p = .009), and whistling sound from the chest (p = .000). A perfect positive significant correlation between working year, days, and duration with different lung problems were identified. A perfect positive association (0.443**) was also identified between years of work and cough difficulties, indicating that workers who have worked for prolonged periods were more susceptible to cough. Cough problems were highly associated with painters who worked more days per week. Cough issues were perfectly and significantly associated (0.232**) with painters who use masks while working. The chest sound or whistling gets more intense as the cough problem worsens. Moreover, there was a positive and significant association between discomfort during breathing and working years (.340**), working days in a week (.195*), and working duration (.594**). This study highlighted the risk and problems among painters due to pain, including breathing problems, prolonged cough, chest discomfort, and almost all lung problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most developing countries have large and persistent informal sector. Historically, the literature was dominated by strict duality viewpoint, where the formal and informal sectors are treated as two separate entities. However, in recent times, a new approach has developed where the formal and informal sectors are not binary but they often co-exist and feed into each other. Most academic work on agglomeration economies is based on developed countries where almost all production takes place in the formal sector. Apriori, there is no reason to believe that agglomeration economies do not extend to the informal sector. Hence, in this paper, we hypothesize that agglomeration economies can arise from the interaction between formal and informal firms as well. To check the validity of the hypothesis, we study the geographic distribution and Coagglomeration pattern between formal and informal manufacturing firms in India. Using the firm level National Sample Survey for unincorporated enterprises and Annual Survey of Industries data, we calculate the Ellison and Glaeser Coagglomeration index at 2-digit NIC level. Further, using the Marshall's theory of agglomeration, we create four kinds of linkages to capture the nature of interdependence between formal and informal firms, i.e. Buyer, Supplier, Labor and Technology. We find that there is heavy clustering of both formal and informal manufacturing firms in India, however, mostly in different areas, with few exceptions like Western Uttar Pradesh and Southern Tamil Nadu. Out of 22 major industries, we find high coagglomeration only in 7. The average value of coagglomeration index at aggregate level decreases from 0.00536 in 2000-01 to -0.0027 in 2015-16. This indicate towards reduced interdependence over time, however in few industries it remains high. The average value of labor linkage increased from 0.1889 in 2000-01 to 0.3651 in 2015-16, during the same period buyer linkage remained constant around 0.2481 and supplier linkage fell from 0.5755 to 0.2749. The technology linkage remained low throughout in the range of 0.02-0.03. Strong buyer and labor linkage mean subcontracting of inputs is the main motive driving the interaction between formal and informal firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Open source software is used widely across different continents though its adoption in libraries depend upon varioius factors. Type of library, availability of staff, qualification and skill sets of the librarian and other staff, support of the management, library budget, time availability, independence to the librarian are just some of the factors that may determine adoption of open source software. This paper tries to understand if gender of the librarian also has any significant impact on adoption of open source software. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study is conducted in India focusing on libraries of the private management education institutions in the Noida and Ghaziabad of the Uttar Pradesh, a state of India. Data is collected using Google Forms. After normalization of data, analyis of the data is conducted using SPSS 18 version after conducting reliability analysis on the major vaiables for reliability of the data. The sample is chosen due to very large number and different types of educational institutions providing management education in this geographical area. Findings: This study confirms that more and more libraries are adopting open source software now however adoption rate of open source software among female libraries is lesser. It is evident from the study women are not lagging behind due to qualification or skill sets but their other responsibilities i.e. family responsibilities cause work-life imbalance and hence they do not take much risks and try to adjust in pre-defined boundaries. Survey results also indicate if employer provides risk free environment to female librarians then adoption of open source software may become faster. Originality/Value: This study is entirely original work of the authors and is based upon data collected using google forms after distribution among various libraries. Results of this study may help in employers and government to take up women-friendly measures that ensure worklife balance and provide a women-friendly environment so that they can use their knowledge and skills for betterment of their libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Timely and skilled care is key to reducing maternal and neonatal mortality. Birth preparedness involves preparation for safe childbirth during the antenatal period to reach the appropriate health facility for ensuring safe delivery. Hence, understanding the factors associated with birth preparedness and its significance for safe delivery is essential. This paper aims to assess the levels of birth preparedness, its determinants and association with institutional deliveries in High Priority Districts of Uttar Pradesh, India.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between June-October 2018 in the rural areas of 25 high priority districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Simple random sampling was used to select 40 blocks among 294 blocks in 25 districts and 2646 primary sampling units within the selected blocks. The survey interviewed 9458 women who had a delivery 2 months prior to the survey. Descriptive statistics were included to characterize the study population. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the determinants of birth preparedness and to examine the association of birth preparedness with institutional delivery.Results: Among the 9458 respondents, 61.8% had birth preparedness (both facility and transportation identified) and 79.1% delivered in a health facility. Women in other caste category (aOR = 1.24, CI 1.06-1.45) and those with 10 or more years of education (aOR = 1.68, CI 1.46-1.92) were more likely to have birth preparedness. Antenatal care (ANC) service uptake related factors like early registration for ANC (aOR = 1.14, CI 1.04-1.25) and three or more front line worker contacts (aOR = 1.61, CI 1.46-1.79) were also found to be significantly associated with birth preparedness. The adjusted multivariate model showed that those who identified both facility and transport were seven times more likely to undergo delivery in a health facility (aOR = 7.00, CI 6.07-8.08).Conclusion: The results indicate the need for focussing on marginalized groups for improving birth preparedness. Increasing ANC registration in the first trimester of pregnancy, improving frontline worker contact, and optimum utilization of antenatal care check-ups for effective counselling on birth preparedness along with system level improvements could improve birth preparedness and consequently institutional delivery rates in Uttar Pradesh, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]