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Natural radioactivity has been determined by means of a highly efficient thallium-doped sodium iodide detector in soil sample from surface of from vicinage of "Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant" The activity concentration (specific activity) is found to vary from 23.70 ± 3.41 to 33.90 ± 4.33 Bqkg-1 for 226Ra, from 6.67 ± 2.01 to 21.60 ± 2.11 Bqkg-1 for 232Th and that for 40K from 461.01 ± 66.16 to 610.25 ± 80.87 Bqkg-1 with expected value of 29.26 ± 3.50, 4.86 ± 2.03 and 517.53 ± 71.61 Bqkg-1 of Radium-226, Thorium-232 and Potassium-40 correspondingly. The radon exhalation rates were also computed from all samples using the "Sealed Can Technique". The activity due to radon fluctuates from 47.9 ± 6.2 to 157.6 ± 11.3 Bqm-3 having an arithmetic mean of 89.3 ± 7.9 Bqm-3. The surface exhalation rate and mass exhalation rates were estimated to fluctuate from17.3 ± 2.2 to 56.8 ± 4.1 mBqm-2h-1 with an expectation of 32.1 ± 3.0 mBqm-2h-1 and from 0.6 ± 0.1 to 2.1 ± 0.2 mBqkg-1h-1 averaged out to 1.2 ± 0.1 mBqkg-1h-1respectively. Radiation doses were also calculated in these samples. Indoor and outdoor annual effective doses, Absorbed dose rates, External Hazard index and Indoor inhalation exposure, also known as radon effective dose, was computed and varied from 0.19 to 0.25 mSv y-1, 39.30 to 51.61 nGyh-1, 0.048 to 0.063 mSvy-1, 0.21 to 0.28 and 0.29 to 0.36 and 2.04 to 6.70 µSvy-1 respectively. The values which were obtained in this study are found to be well below the allowed permissible limits, so the soil may be used as building construction material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we estimate the effect of paints on the radon exhalation rate from building materials. For the experimental study some bricks were collected from the local market of Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh, India. They were coated with a soup of cement and sand, and then dried for at least 24 h. After drying, the coated bricks were plastered with whitewash and re-dried for a minimum of 2 h. They were then ready to be painted with different colours of paints from different brands. Radon exhalation rate and effective dose were measured for the painted brick samples by adopting sealed can technique, which utilizes LR-115 type-II track detectors. The radon activity varied from 768.8 to 1529.8 Bq m-3 and exhalation rate varied from 460.1 to 915.6 mBq m-2 h-1, whereas the dose equivalent for radon daughters varied from 54.2 to 107 µSv yr-1. Exhalation of radon in the case of Snowcem (limeproof yellow), Asian Paints (peach organza) and Berger Paints (yellow breeze) was found to increase slightly, while it decreased for the other paint brands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study compares radon and thoron levels in dwellings near Kasimpur Thermal Power Plant, Aligarh. In First Rampur Village (RP-1–RP-12), radon ranges from 3.2 to 13.2 Bq m−3, thoron from 1.4 to 11.2 Bq m−3, with inhalation doses from 0.13 to 0.53 mSv y−1. In Talib Nagar (TN-13–TN-20), radon varies from 4.5 to 35.8 Bq m−3, thoron from 3.1 to 6.1 Bq m−3, with doses from 0.21 to 1.00 mSv y−1. Satha Village (ST-21–ST-31) shows radon from 2.2 to 13.7 Bq m−3, thoron from 3.1 to 12.3 Bq m−3, with doses from 0.13 to 0.55 mSv y−1, all within WHO’s 100 Bqm−3 safety limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical and mental wellbeing are intrinsic to Indian way of life, and now they have become globally acceptable/implementable phenomena. Spiritual philosophy that has been integral to the Indian way of life cannot be separated from wellness and wellbeing of humanity. The potential of wellness systems, developed through centuries of wisdom of this ancient civilization is enormous. What can be the reasons behind people's turning towards wellness and health particularly is a thing to ponder upon for the researchers especially after Covid-19 grappled the world. Due to the disruptions caused by Covid-19 the human race understood the relevance of wellness and wellbeing. Isolation, inability to communicate, inability to travel and inability to have access to rejuvenation activities brought us closer to nature and the ancient Indian wisdom like yoga; the way of living, spirituality i.e the focus on mind and breath in search of the ultimate power and Ayurveda or naturopathy i.e use of home remedies given to us by nature were ultimately the lenders of last resort. This paper will highlight some aspects of the Indian philosophy and the spiritual quest, which can be seen as leading to 'ultimate wellbeing' and 'ultimate wellness'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on our bodies, minds and souls. Having suffered it for more than a year now we know how crucial it is to tackle the pandemic at physical, psychological and spiritual levels. We have well-established Standard Operating Procedures alongside vaccines to deal with it at physical level, but equally crucial are mental and spiritual problems caused by COVID-19 (Chopra, 2020). This paper seeks to explore certain gateways and possibilities of dealing with distress, despair, anxiety, angst, trauma and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in diverse arenas of human activities to ascertain how crucial a role spiritual tourism plays in coping with the challenges we face today. It will also take into account mystical, sufic, yogic, ayurvedic and other meditational practices that represent the richly diverse cultural and spiritual heritage of India. These practices have substantial bearing on the tourism industry by connecting tourists with their deeper, inner selves and thus providing much required spiritual solace. The inclusive and integrative aspect of spiritual and other meditational practices in India will also be underscored to demonstrate how these have been influencing and benefiting the tourism industry in India. Besides enriching the lives of tourists from different countries of the world by providing inner peace and harmony, the tourism industry also equips them with coping strategies to effectively negotiate despair and inner conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper attempts to perspectivize various dimensions of communication, entrepreneurship education and social media for effective business communication especially in the era of post-truth for holistic progression of the economy, individuals, leaders, entrepreneurs and managers. Communication as a means to connect with the world has gained relevance in recent years owing to the advent of various communication technologies and digital tools to revolutionize the way we think and plan about business and do it. Thus, communication can take various forms nowadays as it can be visual, available on social media, and oral alongside being written. For ensuring success of sustainable products in the market several types of communication is required. It can be related to green products, ecofriendly policies, water conservation, better work facilities at workplace, and empathetic attitude of the management towards its workers/employees. Entrepreneurship education seeks to provide students with the knowledge, skills and motivation to encourage entrepreneurial success in a variety of settings. Despite the fact that entrepreneurship education can bring about important societal changes, its successful implementation remains a challenge even today. The post-truth scenario is a new challenge for businesses today as it surrounds us in the form of deception, fake news, propaganda and lies. This paper argues how authentic, genuine and ethical communication can overcome this post-truth phenomenon which has been vitiating all arenas of human activities today. Social media has a very serious role to play in its eradication as false information and fake news have been causing havoc in all walks of life today. Methodology: This paper is qualitative and seeks to avail of secondary data to substantiate our conceptual perspectives. Findings: This study suggests that we need to realize the importance of effective and ethical communication and entrepreneurship education which must not remain a farfetched dream from the viewpoint of its implementation to attain holistic growth of our economy through. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to study diverse dimensions of entrepreneurial leadership with special emphasis on persuasive communication, which we believe is critically crucial. In fact, it is persuasive and empathetic, rather than coercive and hegemonic communication, which ensures success of any business venture. After dealing with implications of the term, 'leadership' and its theorization by scholars over the years, its entrepreneurial aspects will be discussed. Entrepreneurial leadership cannot be imagined without its communicative dimension. The premise of this paper is that persuasive communication holds the key to successful entrepreneurial leadership. Thus, we intend to privilege communicative persuasiveness as the core of entrepreneurial leadership today via taking into account its various facets such as clarity of business vision, rationality of thought, effective and empathetic articulation, etc. We are of the considered opinion that until persuasiveness in communicative entrepreneurial leadership praxis is accorded place of centrality, entire implementation process of the business vision and strategies may get impeded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's hyper-competitive global scenario, inter- /intra-organizational communication ethics holds key not only to success of a business venture, but also to achieve carefully set targets thereby enhancing its credibility in society at large. This paper is an attempt to re-negotiate interpersonal relational complexities that one comes across in diverse work arenas particularly on account of utter lack of communication ethics-an area that needs to be carefully looked into by every organization particularly because its empathetic and persuasive dimension remains more or less absent even in casual/ non-formal interactions. That communication at inter- /intra-organizational levels with empathy and persuasiveness at its core is the mantra of success, is the premise on which this paper is based. In fact, our assumption is that empathetic and persuasive communication can pre-empt untoward interpersonal relational situations that arise on account of insensitive use of language-a faculty that can be honed as a skill and thereupon used advantageously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leadership and entrepreneurship, despite being discrete concepts, have to coalesce for sure success of any venture. Communicative ability, nevertheless, is critically crucial for a leader to build successful enterprise. It thus becomes imperative to understand the symbiotic relationship obtaining within this triumvirate namely communication, leadership and entrepreneurship. This paper views this relationship as communicative entrepreneurial leadership on the basis of critical survey of studies conducted by scholars concerning these areas. There have only been few and sparse studies available on entrepreneurial leadership with communication as their locus. This paper is conceptual and aims at positing that communication skills are the mainstay lending meaning to entrepreneurial leadership. We believe that it will contribute to growing field of integrated approaches to theorise communicative entrepreneurial leadership particularly when this domain is relatively fresh and demands concerted effort to present a viable conceptual framework blending entrepreneurship, communication and leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In common parlance, locale signifies the "where" and "when" (Cuddon 861) of a story--the former comprising the geographical location whereas the latter being a pointer towards timeperiod during which the action takes place. It also implies the occupation(s) of various characters along with the ethos (social, moral, religious and emotional) in which they live. The present paper seeks to work out the extent of the locale-specificity that Salman Rushdie adheres to in his latest novel Shalimar the Clown, (Rushdie) and how and why he imparts it a fluid character. Another aspect that this paper seeks to look into is the notion of nation in view of the fluidity of locale through which Rushdie seems to simultaneously acknowledge as well as transcend the geo-political territorial limits thereby viewing the whole world as rapidly evolving or non-static. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dentinal hypersensitivity is a commonly occurring but less understood and poorly managed problem of the teeth. Iontophoresis is a technique wherein desensitizing agents can be transferred under electrical pressure into the tooth structure to manage hypersensitivity. Aim: The purpose of present study is to compare the effect of different strengths of electrical current used for varying lengths of time, keeping the electrical dosage constant with the iontophoretic unit in the management of dentinal hypersensitivity. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted among the patients attending the Periodontal Department of the Government Dental College and Hospital, Patiala, Punjab, specifically complaining of tooth hypersensitivity. The Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) was used to record scores pre-, during, and post-treatment. Ten percent SrCl2 solution was applied with an iontophoretic unit. Three applications were performed at weekly intervals, up to the second week, using the same electric current dosage. The data compiled was statistically analyzed. Results: A remarkable reduction in dentinal hypersensitivity to both air blast and cold water stimuli was noted at the end of two months after iontophoresis with each current group / method, namely, I (0.25 mA for 4 minutes), II (0.5 mA for 2 minutes), and III (1 mA for 1 minute). However, the differences in effectiveness / improvement within the three current groups during the entire duration of the study were found to be statistically insignificant. Conclusion: Within the limits of this study, it could be implied that for relieving hypersensitivity, iontophoresis for all three current groups was almost equally effective, and it was found that repeated applications (up to three) gave good relief. Iontophoresis was found to be effective and safe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equivalent circuit of a finite circular disk resonant at any frequency corresponding to the first three axially symmetric flexural modes is obtained from a function of two dynamic variables; (1) the kinetic energy in the disk, (2) velocity of the mechanical motion. This function, called the equivalent mass, is computed over a domain of arguments which is of practical interest. The results indicate fairly good agreement between theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]