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Self-regulation has been found to be integral to academic learning in traditional classroom environments. Social cognition theory highlights the significant relationships between academic self-efficacy, internet self-efficacy, and work experience in years on self-regulation in the context of traditional classroom learning. However, there is a lacuna in the literature on the significance of these relationships in the context of e-learning. The exponential growth of e-learning and changes in business environment necessitate a study to examine the effect on self-regulation in the context of e-learning. This research is based on a sample of 525 management students from a business school in South Asia. The findings highlight that academic and internet self-efficacy have a positive effect on self-regulation even in an e-learning environment. e-learning here refers to interactive online learning, in a university setting. The findings have significant implications for both theory and practice as they build on the existing literature. We suggest use of training-based interventions for promoting self-regulation which subsequently would facilitate higher e-learning efficacy.

The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has revolutionized the education system and forced fundamental changes in the teaching-learning process. The present study aims to explore various modes of education used by educational institutions across the world and provide a holistic understanding of different measures taken by governments and universities to endure the crippling crisis. The radical shift to digital pedagogy followed by online assessments and examinations brought new experiences to both educators and learners. This paper elucidates the extraordinary challenges encountered by various stakeholders in making the required shift to digital learning and the substantial attempts made by educational institutions to minimize learning losses. The paper also presents various opportunities induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the need to develop appropriate mechanisms to deal with such an unforeseen crisis in future. To this effect, some recommendations have been made that may enable educational institutions to eliminate adversities and maintain academic integrity in tempestuous times.

A twenty-four month long observational study conducted in an Asia's largest brackish water ecosystem, Chilika Lagoon, India, aimed to unravel dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics in this tropical brackish water ecosystem. The study assessed the interplay between allochthonous and autochthonous DOM sources during lean and active flow periods based on regional rainfall. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen (DON), and phosphorus (DOP) fluxes were analyzed, considering catchment runoff, phytoplankton production, benthic-pelagic interactions, and sea-lagoon exchanges as contributors. Contrary to conventional thinking, the study found autochthonous processes to be more significant than conservative mixing in shaping DOM dynamics. It introduced a novel conceptual model illustrating the multifaceted origins of DOM, encompassing catchment runoff, phytoplankton, benthic-pelagic interactions, bacterial activity, and sea-lagoon exchanges. These findings underscore the importance of holistic management strategies for Chilika Lagoon to preserve its ecological health, given its vital role in global carbon cycling, fisheries, and aquaculture. [Display omitted] • Results revealed a significant variations in DOM stoichiometry over time. • Sizeable seasonal shifts in benthic DOC fluxes for weedy and non-weedy environment. • Prevalence of autochthonous processes favoured DON and DOP mineralization over DOC. • DOC affected by catchment, phytoplankton, benthic-pelagic, bacteria, and sea exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging contaminants (ECs) have been a threat to the aqueous environment because of their persistent nature and ability to adversely affect the living organisms exposed to them for a prolonged duration. An increase in detection of varying ranges of ECs in different aqueous bodies has catalyzed research on their toxic effects and removal. However, a compilation of proper legislations in terms of permissible limits of the ECs in water and understanding the capability of the different treatment technologies in bringing down their concentration to non-toxic levels is an area that needs significant attention. In this context, this review provides a comprehensive assessment of occurrence, ecotoxicological effects, and treatment methods of ECs. Statutory guidelines of different environmental organizations have been compared with the calculated drinking water equivalent limit of the ECs. Furthermore, a comprehensive risk assessment analysis of the EC has been performed, and it was found that caffeine, bisphenol-A, diazinon, and malathion had high risk quotients. The performance of the different treatment technologies was assessed based on their ability to bring down the concentration of the ECs below the established statutory guidelines. Unlike most conventional treatment methods, many advanced hybrid treatment methods could reduce the concentration of the ECs below the guideline value. Technologies involving membrane bioreactor combined with reverse osmosis, ozonation, and membrane distillation proved to be very effective with more than 90% removal. The sustainability aspects of different treatment methods have also been covered in this review to help researchers identify suitable treatment methods for removing ECs. [Display omitted] • Asia and Europe are the major contributors of emerging contaminants in water. • Crustacean aquatic species have shown higher resistance to emerging contaminants. • Caffeine, bisphenol-A, malathion, and diazinon had relatively high-risk quotients. • Many hybrid systems could reduce emerging contaminants concentration to safe levels. • Hybrid constructed wetlands were more sustainable than other hybrid processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With 1 figure and 1 table Abstract To study the conservation of microsatellite regions, a set of 137 microsatellite markers developed from Phaseolus, Cajanus, Lens and Cicer genera of Leguminosae family were tested for their transferability across 16 genotypes of Phaseolus belonging to diverse collections from South America and Asia. Considerable transferability was observed with markers derived from Cajanus (60%), Lens (46%) and Cicer (28%). Of the total 122 loci were amplified, 82 cross-species polymorphic amplicons were obtained. Maximum number of alleles per marker was six ( Cicer markers). Polymorphism information content values ranged from 0.12 to 0.96 with Cajanus, 0.13 to 0.74 with Lens and 0.30 to 0.93 with Cicer markers. Unweighted pair group method employing arithmetic averages cluster analysis of Phaseolus genotypes showed clear demarcation between the commercial cultivars falling in separate cluster with respect to their seed size and maturity. Transferability of genomic SSRs was different from that of expressed sequence tag-derived genic microsatellite markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Hepatitis B e antigen negative chronic hepatitis (e− CHB) with detectable levels of hepatitis B virus DNA (HBV DNA) in serum has been reported in cases from Asia. This study was undertaken to find out prevalence e−CHB and to correlate its presence with the clinical status and severity of the illness in cases of chronic liver disease in India. Methods: All patients of infective hepatitis, who were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), were evaluated with liver function tests and HBeAg and antiHBe antibody studies. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was carried out to detect HBV DNA qualitatively. Result: Out of 2064 samples tested by ELISA, 429 (20.78%) were HBsAg positive. HBV DNA (qualitative) was performed on all 429 patients and 74 (17.2%) were HBV DNA positive. Of these only 42 (56.75%) tested positive for HBeAg. Overall, 8.3% of HBeAg negative patients (32/384) were viraemic with evidence of chronic liver disease/clinical cirrhosis and alteration of transaminase levels, while three cases (0.84%) HBeAg positive cases did not show presence of HBV DNA. Conclusion: This study shows e−CHB prevalence rate of 8.3% in patients with HBV infection in India. Since HBeAg negative patients had detectable levels of HBV DNA as seen in HBeAg positive patients, benefit of antiviral therapy should be given to them. Population studies on e− CHB cases are needed to determine its true prevalence, natural course and response to therapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In low concentration, fluoride is considered a necessary compound for human health. Exposure to high concentrations of fluoride is the reason for a serious disease called fluorosis. Fluorosis is categorized as Skeletal and Dental fluorosis. Several Asian countries, such as India, face contamination of water resources with fluoride. In this study, a comprehensive overview on fluoride contamination in Asian water resources has been presented. Since water contamination with fluoride in India is higher than other Asian countries, a separate section was dedicated to review published articles on fluoride contamination in this country. The status of health effects in Asian countries was another topic that was reviewed in this study. The effects of fluoride on human organs/systems such as urinary, renal, endocrine, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, brain, and reproductive systems were another topic that was reviewed in this study. Different methods to remove fluoride from water such as reverse osmosis, electrocoagulation, nanofiltration, adsorption, ion-exchange and precipitation/coagulation were introduced in this study. Although several studies have been carried out on contamination of water resources with fluoride, the situation of water contamination with fluoride and newly developed technology to remove fluoride from water in Asian countries has not been reviewed. Therefore, this review is focused on these issues: 1) The status of fluoride contamination in Asian countries, 2) health effects of fluoride contamination in drinking water in Asia, and 3) the existing current technologies for defluoridation in Asia. Image 1 • The status of fluoride contamination in groundwater of Asian countries is reviewed. • India, Pakistan and China are critically affected by fluoride contamination. • Dental fluorosis is major adverse effect due to fluoride contamination in water. • Various defluoridation techniques have been discussed. • More research on fluoride decontamination is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with a significant number of deaths. Much of the evidence associating air pollution with adverse effects is from North American and Europe, partially due to incomplete data in other regions limiting location specific examinations. The aim of the current paper is to leverage satellite derived air quality data to examine the relationship between ambient particulate matter and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in Asia., Methods: Six cohorts from the Asia Cohort Consortium provided residential information for participants, recruited between 1991 and 2008, across six countries (Bangladesh, India, Iran, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan). Ambient particulate material (PM 2·5 ) levels for the year of enrolment (or 1998 if enrolled earlier) were assigned utilizing satellite and sensor-based maps. Cox proportional models were used to examine the association between ambient air pollution and all-cause and cause-specific mortality (all cancer, lung cancer, cardiovascular and lung disease). Models were additionally adjusted for urbanicity (representing urban and built characteristics) and stratified by smoking status in secondary analyses. Country-specific findings were pooled via random-effects meta-analysis., Findings: More than 300,000 participants across six cohorts were included, representing more than 4-million-person years. A positive relationship was observed between a 5 µg/m (Dockery et al., 1993) increase in PM 2·5 and cardiovascular mortality (HR: 1·06, 95 % CI: 0.99, 1·13). The additional adjustment for urbanicity resulted in increased associations between PM 2.5 and mortality outcomes, including all-cause mortality (1·04, 95 % CI: 0·97, 1·11). Results were generally similar regardless of whether one was a current, never, or ex-smoker., Interpretation: Using satellite and remote sensing technology we showed that associations between PM 2.5 and all-cause and cause-specific Hazard Ratios estimated are similar to those reported for U.S. and European cohorts., Funding: This project was supported by the Health Effects Institute. Grant number #4963-RFA/18-5. Specific funding support for individual cohorts is described in the Acknowledgements., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Cryptococcosis is one of the most significant systemic fungal infections worldwide. Epidemiological data for pediatric cryptococcosis is very limited. Therefore, we planned this study to determine the burden of cryptococcosis in the pediatric population at our tertiary care center and performed review of literature., Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, all the patients less than 18 years of age were diagnosed with cryptococcosis, from January 2015-June 2021 were included. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory details of all the patients were noted. Furthermore, PubMed and MedLine databases were comprehensively searched for cases of pediatric cryptococcosis till June 2021., Results: Of the total 5420 samples from suspected cryptococcosis cases processed at mycology laboratory, a total of 21 episodes of cryptococcosis (0.39%) were identified in 15 pediatric patients. The majority of the patients were apparently immunocompetent (10/15). Central nervous system (CNS) cryptococcosis was the most common presentation, followed by disseminated disease. All the isolates were identified as Cryptococcus neoformans (formerly referred to as C. neoformans var grubii), except one that was identified as Papiliotrema laurentii (formerly referred to as Cryptococcus laurentii). A standard treatment regimen inclusive of induction and maintenance therapy was provided in only five patients. The literature review revealed a total of 125 studies describing 1134 cases, of which 76.4% are reported from outside Asia, the majority (65.7%) restricted to CNS with C. neoformans as the commonest species. The management profile divulged a significantly higher use of standard drug regimen in Asia as compared to the rest of the world. Mortality of 13.32% was noted worldwide., Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinico-epidemiological study of pediatric cryptococcosis from India and the largest retrospective study worldwide. The rising incidence among immunocompetent individuals, especially in Asia, is a matter of concern. Clinical suspicion and early diagnosis are the cornerstones for the management of cases., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2022 Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Plagiarism is one of the most frequent forms of research misconduct in South and East Asian countries. This narrative review examines the factors contributing to research misconduct, emphasizing plagiarism, particularly in South, East and Southeast Asian countries. We conducted a PubMed and Scopus search using the terms plagiarism, Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, research misconduct and retractions in January of 2022. Articles with missing abstracts, incomplete information about plagiarism, publication dates before 2010, and those unrelated to South, East, and Southeast Asian countries were excluded. The retraction watch database was searched for articles retracted between 9th January 2020 to 9th January 2022. A total of 159 articles were identified, of which 21 were included in the study using the database search criteria mentioned above. The review of articles identified a lack of training in scientific writing and research ethics, publication pressure, permissive attitudes, and inadequate regulatory measures as the primary reasons behind research misconduct in scientific publications. Plagiarism remains a common cause of unethical publications and retractions in regions of Asia (namely South, East and Southeast). Researchers lack training in scientific writing, and substantial gaps exist in understanding various forms of plagiarism, which heavily contribute to the problem. There is an urgent need to foster high research ethics standards and adhere to journal policies. Providing appropriate training in scientific writing among researchers may help improve the knowledge of different types of plagiarism and promote the use of antiplagiarism software, leading to a substantial reduction in the problem., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2023 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.)

Purpose of Review: It is only over the last few decades that the impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) in very young South Asian population has been recognized. There has been a tremendous interest in elucidating the causes behind this phenomenon and these efforts have uncovered several mechanisms that might explain the early onset of CAD in this population. The complete risk profile of very young South Asians being affected by premature CAD still remains unknown., Recent Findings: The existing data fail to completely explain the burden of premature occurrence of CAD in South Asians especially in very young individuals. Results from some studies identified nine risk factors, including low consumption of fruits and vegetables, smoking, alcohol, diabetes, psychosocial factors, sedentary lifestyle, abdominal obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia as the cause of myocardial infarction in 90% of the patients in this population. Recent large genome-wide association studies have discovered the association of several novel genetic loci with CAD in South Asians. Nonetheless, continued scientific efforts are required to further our understanding of the causal risk factors of CAD in South Asians to address the rising burden of CVD in this vulnerable population., Summary: In this review, we discuss established and emerging risk factors of CAD in this population.

A substantial proportion of the world's population is engaged in chewing areca nut and the habit is endemic throughout the Indian subcontinent, large parts of south Asia and Melanesia. A large variety of ingredients, including tobacco, may be used along with areca nut constituting a betel quid. The composition and method of chewing can vary widely from country to country and these population variations are described in this review. Some populations are known to use areca nut without tobacco providing good opportunities to further research the carcinogenecity of areca nut. Some interesting trends on chewing patterns have emerged from recent data, suggesting a decline in the habit in some countries such as Thailand while the prevalence of areca nut use is rising in India and Taiwan.

Globally, oral cancer is one of the ten common cancers. In some parts of the world, including the Indian subcontinent, oral cancer is a major cancer problem. Tobacco use is the most important risk factor for oral cancer. The most common form of tobacco use, cigarette smoking, demonstrates a very high relative risk--in a recent cohort study (CPS II), even higher than lung cancer. In areas where tobacco is used in a smokeless form, oral cancer incidence is generally high. In the West, especially in the U.S. and Scandinavia, smokeless tobacco use consists of oral use of snuff. In Central, South, and Southeast Asia smokeless tobacco use encompasses nass, naswar, khaini, mawa, mishri, gudakhu, and betel quid. In India tobacco is smoked in many ways; the most common is bidi, others being chutta, including reverse smoking, hooka, and clay pipe. A voluminous body of research data implicating most of these forms of tobacco use emanates from the Indian subcontinent. These studies encompass case and case-series reports, and case-control, cohort, and intervention studies. Collectively, the evidence fulfills the epidemiological criteria of causality: strength, consistency, temporality, and coherence. The biological plausibility is provided by the identification of several carcinogens in tobacco, the most abundant and strongest being tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines such as N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). These are formed by N-nitrosation of nicotine, the major alkaloid responsible for addiction to tobacco. The etiological relationship between tobacco use and oral cancer has provided us with a comprehensive model for understanding carcinogenesis.