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Background: Common mental disorders (CMDs) among adolescents may hamper their psycho-social development. Aim: This study evaluated the prevalence and determinants of CMD like depression and anxiety among late adolescents of an age of 15-19 years residing in an urban resettlement colony of southeast Delhi. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 556 randomly selected adolescents. CMD was assessed using Mini International Neuropsychiatry Interview -- Kid version 6 (MINI-Kid) based on DSM-IV TR and compliant with ICD-10 definitions of CMD. The associated risk factors were studied using a self-developed semi-structured interview schedule and analyzed using multi-variable logistic regression. Results: A total of 491 adolescents were interviewed (a response rate of 88.3%), of whom 247 (50.3%) were female and 210 (42.8%) belonged to a lower-middle socio-economic status. The lifetime prevalence of CMD was 34% [95% confidence interval (CI): 29.8-38.2]. Of the total, 22.4% (95% CI: 18.7-6.1) of the participants reported depression and 6.7% (95% CI: 4.5-8.9) reported generalized anxiety disorder during their lifetime. Female sex [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.1, 95% CI: 1.4-2.2], experiencing a stressful event in the past 6 months (aOR 4.7, 95% CI: 3.1-7.3), and smoking tobacco (aOR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.2-7.4) significantly increased the odds of having CMD in multi-variate analysis. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of CMD among adolescents residing in urban resettlement colonies of Delhi, which is composed mostly of people belonging to lower socio-economic strata. Hence, tailored intervention at stress management with promotion of healthy lifestyle is needed for this age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is my second article on the Criminal Investigation Departments (CIDs) in colonial India. The first one was the 'Evolution of the CID in Colonial India and its Induction in Sind,'published in Pakistan Horizon, Vol. 77, issue it 1 of January 2024. It incorporated some details of the evaluation and subsequent developments of the CID in colonial India as well as in Sind. Therefore, to avoid repetition, in this paper, I deal exclusively with the crucial significance of the CID in colonial India, prior to, and during the Second World War, starting with the terrorist movement in India, and then mouing on to the internal structure and working of the CID. Next, I discuss the crucial responsibilities thrust upon the CID due to the Second World War, indicating the handling and performance in monitoring and control of German and Japanese intrigues in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: 1. To determine the prevailing scenario of the bacteriological profile of patients with CRS, 2. To identify their antibiotic susceptibility profile. Material and methods: The study was conducted on 100 patients in the Department of ENT and Microbiology from December 2020–2022. Patients above the age of 12 years were evaluated. Those who received antibiotics in the last 12 months. and age < 12 years were excluded. Patients were subjected to a detailed history, clinical and radiological examination. After the informed consent of patients and ethical cleareance, samples were taken from the middle meatus area and studied for antibiotics sensitivity: levofloxacin, vancomycin, amikacin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and azithromycin. Results: The study was male predominance (71%), with the maximum of patients in the age group 21–30 years (38%). The most common clinical features were nasal obstruction (96%) and mucopurulent discharge (100%). The most common isolate was Staphylococcus aureus (45.16%). In Gram-positive, the maximum resistance was shown to azithromycin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and the maximum sensitivity to vancomycin, levofloxacin and amikacin. Conclusions: Antibiotic resistance seems to be emerging for azithromycin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid at a higher rate. MRSA (19.35%) maintains a significant presence with associated increased levels of antibiotic resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, where cereal-based meals make up the majority of the daily diet, bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a key grain crop. Micronutrient deficiencies are a result of the lack of a diverse food culture in the nation. Genotypes of bread wheat that have been biofortified might be introduced to address this. It is anticipated that more information on the genotype x year interaction of these nutrients in grain will help us better understand the size of this interaction and perhaps even identify more stable genotypes for this attribute. Year revealed divergent responses to grain iron and zinc. Compared to zinc, iron showed lowest variation across year. Maximum temperature was the major determinant for the four traits. Iron is also significant correlation with zinc. Among the total fifty-two genotype, HP-06, HP-22, HP-24, HP-25, HP-33, HP-44, and HP-45 were found superior for zinc and iron content. These genotypes with high levels of zinc and iron can be used in a hybridization programme to further crop improvement. Wide-scale cultivation of the chosen genotype with high zinc and iron content in the agro-climatic conditions of Jammu will work with the region's current cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the demographic and microbiological profile involved in the causation of corneal ulcers in Eastern India during the COVID era. Method: Patients presenting with corneal ulcers fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were taken as the case. The study duration was from January 2021 to December 2021. Socio-demographic details and information about risk factors were noted. A detailed corneal examination followed by corneal scraping was performed for microbiological evaluation. Results: In 1 year, 99 infective corneal ulcer patients were evaluated. Farmers (24.2%) were found to be maximally affected by corneal ulcers. The peak in cases was recorded from October to December (38.4%). Ocular trauma was the commonest risk factor (42.4%). The majority (80.8%) of patients were already on some topical antimicrobials. 22.2% of samples showed fungal filaments on KOH mount; 54.5% of these cases turned out to be culture-positive. 17.56% of KOH-negative samples turned out to be culture-positive (fungal). Overall, the culture positivity rate was 28.28% out of which fungal isolates were 89.28% and bacterial isolates were 10.72%. Fusarium species were identified as the most common organism contributing 42.85%, followed by Aspergillus fumigatus (14.28%). 10.72% of cases were culture positive for Pseudomonas aeuroginosa. Conclusion: Trauma with the organic matter was the predominant cause of fungal keratitis. In this study, fungal keratitis was found to be more common. Fusarium was the most common isolate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western coastal region of India is the most dominant region that encounters the southwesterly winds that bring about 80% of rainfall over India during the southwest monsoon period (June to September). As the winds bring moisture, it can be justifiably presumed that faster winds would bring more moisture. Identification of such favorable winds could make significant inputs to prognostic models. The daily winds during each month of the southwest monsoon and that during the pre- and post-monsoon are examined for the southwestern coast of Kerala, India. It is found that higher precipitation occurs at the wind speed of 4–5 m/s during the monsoon months and at slower/weaker winds during the pre- and post-monsoon months. Further, these favorable winds are faster (5–6 m/s and 6–7 m/s) in southern Kerala in comparison to that in northern Kerala (4–5 m/s). The favorable winds over the offshore/seaward side are faster than those over the coastal areas. The precipitation is higher in the northern region than in the southern region. The direction associated with higher precipitation is east-northeast in northern Kerala and east in southern Kerala. The correlation between the winds and precipitation is higher in the northern regions than in the southern regions, indicating higher prognostic value of the wind for monsoon forecast in northern Kerala. The principal component analysis of bi-plots of precipitation shows variability profiles of winds in the different class intervals all along the coast. In general, the classes of winds that comprise principal component-1 are not associated with the winds that induce higher precipitation, while the winds that are most favorable show lower variability indicated by proximity to principal component-2. K-means clustering shows that the precipitation is found to be homogeneous in southern Kerala in comparison to that in northern Kerala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is a crucial indicator of ecosystem health and soil quality. Machine learning (ML) models that predict soil quality based on environmental parameters are becoming more prevalent. However, studies have yet to examine how well each ML technique performs when predicting and mapping SOC, particularly at high spatial resolutions. Model predictors include topographic variables generated from SRTM DEM; vegetation and soil indices derived from Landsat satellite images predict SOC for the Lakhimpur district of the upper Brahmaputra Valley of Assam, India. Four ML models, Random Forest (RF), Cubist, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Support Vector Machine (SVM), were utilized to predict SOC for the top layer of soil (0–15 cm) at a 30 m resolution. The results showed that the descriptive statistics of the calibration and validation sets were close enough to the total set data and calibration dataset, representing the complete samples. The measured SOC content varied from 0.10 to 1.85%. The RF model's performance was optimal in the calibration and validation sets (R2c = 0.966, RMSEc = 0.159%, R2v = 0.418, RMSEv = 0.377%). The SVM model, on the other hand, had the next-lowest accuracy, explaining 47% of the variation (R2c = 0.471, RMSEc = 0.293, R2v = 0.081, RMSEv = 0.452), while the Cubist model fared the poorest in both the calibration and validation sets. The most-critical variable in the RF model for predicting SOC was elevation, followed by MAT and MRVBF. The essential variables for the Cubist model were slope, TRI, MAT, and Band4. AP and LS were the most-essential factors in the XGBoost and SVM models. The predicted OC ranged from 0.44 to 1.35%, 0.031 to 1.61%, 0.035 to 1.71%, and 0.47 to 1.36% in the RF, Cubist, XGBoost, and SVM models, respectively. Compared with different ML models, RF was optimal (high accuracy and low uncertainty) for predicting SOC in the investigated region. According to the present modeling results, SOC may be determined simply and accurately. In general, the high-resolution maps might be helpful for decision-makers, stakeholders, and applicants in sericultural management practices towards precision sericulture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflecting through the Indian experiences, a brief attempt is made to explore how disability as a noun takes shape in popular common sense "call names" (adjectives) and how does the popular common sense legitimise and normalise the oppressive language and the oppressed reality of the persons with disabilities? In the Indian context, the contempt for persons with disabilities is writ large in the language used to address them. However, to be conscious of this contempt, one needs to be conscious of the hegemonic nature of the popular common sense which normalises an oppressive reality as a natural social reality. The discussion on disability and popular common sense in India through the framework of "noun vs. adjective" might be helpful in gauging the challenges to the disability rights movement and the socio-cultural specificities to be reckon with for any meaningful intervention in the field of disability.

This paper presents two algorithms for the large-scale automatic detection and instance segmentation of potential archaeological mounds on historical maps. Historical maps present a unique source of information for the reconstruction of ancient landscapes. The last 100 years have seen unprecedented landscape modifications with the introduction and large-scale implementation of mechanised agriculture, channel-based irrigation schemes, and urban expansion to name but a few. Historical maps offer a window onto disappearing landscapes where many historical and archaeological elements that no longer exist today are depicted. The algorithms focus on the detection and shape extraction of mound features with high probability of being archaeological settlements, mounds being one of the most commonly documented archaeological features to be found in the Survey of India historical map series, although not necessarily recognised as such at the time of surveying. Mound features with high archaeological potential are most commonly depicted through hachures or contour-equivalent form-lines, therefore, an algorithm has been designed to detect each of those features. Our proposed approach addresses two of the most common issues in archaeological automated survey, the low-density of archaeological features to be detected, and the small amount of training data available. It has been applied to all types of maps available of the historic 1″ to 1-mile series, thus increasing the complexity of the detection. Moreover, the inclusion of synthetic data, along with a Curriculum Learning strategy, has allowed the algorithm to better understand what the mound features look like. Likewise, a series of filters based on topographic setting, form, and size have been applied to improve the accuracy of the models. The resulting algorithms have a recall value of 52.61% and a precision of 82.31% for the hachure mounds, and a recall value of 70.80% and a precision of 70.29% for the form-line mounds, which allowed the detection of nearly 6000 mound features over an area of 470,500 km2, the largest such approach to have ever been applied. If we restrict our focus to the maps most similar to those used in the algorithm training, we reach recall values greater than 60% and precision values greater than 90%. This approach has shown the potential to implement an adaptive algorithm that allows, after a small amount of retraining with data detected from a new map, a better general mound feature detection in the same map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration, an indicator of biomass that is a conduit for fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide, is analyzed using Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) 4-km eight-day resolution data along the west coast of India. A peak of Chl-a blooms during the southwest monsoon (SWM) along the west coast of India and during northeast monsoon (NEM) in northern regions is observed. The blooms start as early as the end of April in southern regions and spread northward. The Fourier transformation and wavelet analysis explicitly reveals the annual and seasonal variability of these blooms and aids in grouping the regions into three zones. The blooms are strong in the southern regions and occur during SWM, whereas in the northern regions, they occur during SWM as well as NEM. The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and Niño3.4 is negatively correlated with Chl-a concentration in southern regions only during a few months. Similarly, only for a few months do the northern regions show negative correlations between Niño3.4 and Chl-a concentration. The Chl-a blooms are positively correlated with concurrent Ekman mass transport and precipitation and with a lag of four to seven steps of eight-day cycles in southern regions, whereas the northern regions are positively correlated with concurrent precipitation only. The time of onset and end of blooms and the time span for their northward spread during SWM and southward spread during NEM vary from year to year. The different onset and end times of blooms and varying periods of blooms are vital for policy decisions on regulating fishing activity and establishing a ban period along the west coast of India for sustainable utilization of fishery resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present world is intimidated by the problem of water scarcity that is to be addressed immediately. So, it is wise to treat wastewater to meet the massive need for drinking water for the fast-growing population. The magnificent application of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in many smart cities has derived fruitful results. This research study has proposed a real-time system using IoT that regularly monitors specific crucial parameters of a wastewater treatment plant and informs any plant's dysfunction to the operator. Furthermore, the large stream of data sets generated by IoT sensors in real-time can be analyzed and processed by complex event processing (CEP). This study was experimented with Smart Treatment (SMARTreat) architecture and its application in a simple water system of an industrial estate in South India. The proposed architecture showed outstanding results and has received positive comments from the water treatment plant managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the patterns of living arrangements among older Indian adults taking into account socioeconomic and demographic factors across regions. The data was taken from the Longitudinal Ageing Survey of India (LASI wave-l)-2017-18, a nationally representative data set. Descriptive and logistic regression analysis was used to examine the variations in the living arrangement of older adults for different indicators considered. The experienced household size was 6.95, which was more significant than the national average (5.69) of all individuals in India. Male older adults lived alone and were more likely to head a household and live with a spouse than female older adults. This study contributes comprehensive information on the pattern of living arrangements of older adults. So many programmes and policies are being formulated and implemented by the government for the welfare of older adults which must be structured to meet the requirements at the root level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bovine anaplasmosis caused by Anaplasma marginale is highly endemic in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world where it accounts for huge economic losses to the livestock sector. Approximately 30% of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) herds in India are located in Uttar Pradesh (U.P). However in India, most of the research studies on Anaplasma are focused on cattle whereas studies on this pathogen in water buffaloes have been neglected. Therefore, present investigation was undertaken for determining the prevalence of A. marginale infection in water buffaloes in U.P, North India. Methods: In the current investigation during 2017-2019, the prevalence of A. marginale infection in 228 water buffaloes in three districts of North-West U.P was studied by microscopy and by nested-PCR amplification of major surface protein 5 (msp5) gene. Result: Microscopic examination of blood smears of 228 water buffaloes revealed 7.89% animals positive for A. marginale. Conventional PCR of full length major surface protein 5 (msp5) gene detected 29.39% and nested-PCR amplification of this gene detected 64.0% of these animals as positive for A. marginale infection. A high incidence of the infection detected in this study area suggests that water buffaloes may serve as reservoir hosts of A. marginale and play a vital role in the spread of infection to other susceptible animals. However further studies are required on larger buffalo populations for determining the epidemiological status of anaplasmosis in these animals in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes and its complications, such as delayed wound healing, are increasing at an alarming rate in India, putting an enormous strain on the country's limited healthcare resources. Hence, the present study proposes to screen/identify the possible mechanisms and to study the effect of the flavonoid-enriched fraction of Selaginella bryopteris extract against human keratinocyte cell lines (HaCaT) and streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetic wounds in a male Wistar rat model. Chemical profiling was performed by an MTT assay. The obtained GC–MS analysis results showed the presence of amentoflavone, gallic acid, imidazole, palmitic acid, catechine, L-fucitol, lupeol, and myo-inositol as the major bioactive phytoconstituents. S. bryopteris induces the generation of ROS, the condensation of chromatin in the nucleus, and changes in the membrane potential of mitochondria in HaCaT cell lines. An S. bryopteris-dependent induction of apoptosis-mediated cell death in HaCaT cell lines was confirmed by an AO/PI analysis. Mitochondrial depolarization was reflected in JC-1 staining of cells. The wound size was reduced and epithelialization was enhanced. Keratinocyte migration decreased interleukins, TNF-α, IL-2, and IL-6 and the expression of pro-apoptotic (p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) genes in a dose-dependent manner. Keratinocyte migration increased antioxidant enzyme levels (CAT, SOD, MDA, and GSH). Wound healing is facilitated through the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway, revealing a new area of diabetic wound therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Prevalence of hypertension and determinants of poor blood pressure control in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus attending a Tertiary Clinic in Jammu North India Material and Methods: A cross-sectional research was done at a hospital among diabetes co-morbid hypertension patients who met the inclusion criteria. This research covered 100 diabetic hypertensive individuals. Researchers drew on relevant literature to create a structured data gathering questionnaire. The different factors were determined by patient record review and self-report. Results: The mean SBP was 150.58±11.85, and the mean DBP was 90.25±7.58. Approximately 25% of research participants had a controlled SBP, and approximately 27% had a controlled DBP. Conclusions: Blood pressure management to target goal was unsatisfactory, with almost two-fifths of pharmacologically treated hypertensive diabetes individuals achieving it. Diabetic patients who were older, female, and had had hypertension for a long time were more likely to have uncontrolled blood pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tool Smart Glazing Simulator (SGLSim), has been developed to perform parametric simulation analysis of different window systems with several window-to-wall ratios and orientations to compute and compare the annual energy performance. The net annual energy performance of the building is based on the electricity consumption in heating, cooling, interior lighting, and appliances, along with the electricity generation by the photovoltaic (PV) glazing, which is used to evaluate the energy performance of smart glazing. Performing parametric energy simulations and calculating the net annual electricity consumption of different combinations requires building modeling and energy simulation expertise. A web-based parametric tool can assist the user in carrying out the desired studies without requiring extensive technical knowledge. A case study is prepared for India's warm and humid climatic zone. This study examines the benefits of double pane semi-transparent photovoltaics (STPV) glazing, STPV glazing with dynamic internal blind, and electrochromic (EC) glazing over other traditional glazing systems. The study shows that the optimal net annual electricity consumption in the case of STPV windows is 10–12% less than the optimal value obtained in a simple glazing case. Additionally, the result suggested that glare-controlled interior blinds in the STPV window further reduce the net annual electricity consumption by up to 15% compared to conventional glazing. Similarly, installing the EC glazing reduces the yearly electricity consumption by up to 5% compared to standard glazing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of rare diseases has been estimated to be around 6%-8%, most of which are genetic in origin. Rare eye diseases constitute a critical public health concern. The major concerns for people suffering from these conditions are diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, limited resources, and health infrastructure. Also, as the number of people suffering from these disorders is less, it becomes difficult to study the epidemiological distribution and natural course of the disease. Thus, there is a need to establish registries for such rare disorders. This will help in creating a database of those suffering from rare eye diseases and will prove advantageous for both the patients and the researchers. For patients, it will be helpful as it will provide them will access to families suffering from similar problems, provide rehabilitation services, and provide access to clinical trials working on the development of new treatments for these rare disorders. From the researchers' point of view, it will be beneficial for them as they will then have access to a pool of data that can be used as a starting point of research on these rare disorders. At present, very few registries exist around the world and none in India. A systematic review of registries for rare eye diseases on Google and PubMed was done for existing registries, their methodology, services provided, applications, and advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental Health Literacy (MHL) is the ability to recognize mental disorders, along with knowledge of professional help available, effective self-help strategies, skills to give support to others, and knowledge of how to prevent mental disorders. Adequate MHL is linked to better health-seeking behavior and management of mental illness. Aim: To assess the MHL related to depression and anxiety among adolescents of age 15 to 19 years residing in Delhi Methods: A survey was conducted among adolescents in southeast Delhi. MHL was assessed using sex-matched vignettes of Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) like depression and anxiety. MHL was assessed under domains of identifications of disorders, help-seeking behavior, knowledge about prevention, and stigmatizing attitude toward the respective illness. Statistical analysis was done in STATA and percentage of participants with adequate MHL in various domains was calculated, and difference between various groups was examined using chi-square test. Results: A total of 491 adolescents participated (response rate of 87.2%) of whom a 50.3% were girls and 57.8% were 15 to 17 years of age. Only 50 (10.2%) participants identified depression vignette as that of depression and 51 (10.4%) identified vignette of anxiety disorder as the same. No statistically significant gender differential in MHL was seen (p value =.8). The stigmatizing attitude, assessed by asking a series of questions suggesting stigma toward the particular illness, was observed among almost all participants (depression -99.4%, and anxiety disorders -96.1%). 18.3% and 18.7% of participants reported correct knowledge about the prevention of depression and anxiety respectively. Four hundred and twenty-two (86%) identified the need to seek help for symptoms reported in vignettes. Of these, 234 (55%) preferred parents, and 62 (14.7%) look after friends for any help. Conclusion: Adolescents residing in Delhi reported poor MHL for Common Mental Disorders. High stigma and poor help-seeking behavior was also observed among the participants toward CMDs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging economies have been focusing on enhancing exports by adopting relaxed trade policies and easing the institutional environment for firms to operate in. To assess the export performance of firms, export intensity (EI) is a measure that has been used widely. Across studies, a mixed and contradictory relationship has been seen between export intensity and firm-specific competencies. This study attempts to develop a model by dichotomizing export strategy between expansion-oriented and escape-oriented strategies, the first being motivated by a resource-based view and the second depending on a domestic institutional perspective. It extends recent research by proposing that exporting firms, depending on the strategy adopted, are influenced by learning from exporting, human capital, and the domestic institutional environment. In contrast to previous studies, this study finds that high export intensity does not always lead to advanced firm competencies. It is seen that high export intensity firms may export to escape the inefficiencies of the domestic environment and may not develop advanced firm competencies or focus on retaining human capital. While firms with low EI gain from learning by exporting, undertake expansionary activities in exporting, in turn develop advanced competencies, they incur high human capital costs. The present study helps to provide clarity and integrates the dichotomous export strategies with export intensity and their influence on firm-level competencies as well as institutional environments in emerging economies. The hypotheses formulated in the study are validated and supported by a sample of exporting firms from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MSMEs are considered to be the backbone of India's current and future economic progress. These institutions are geared to support and encourage the development of new-generation entrepreneurs in India who have the potential to create global competitive businesses. However, achieving the right resource balance is critical for these firms. As a result, a set of 14 relevant factors from the resource-based view (RBV) model were discovered and ranked using modified total interpretive structural modeling in order to reflect their impact on MSMEs' export performance. Together with the MICMAC methodology, this method establishes a hierarchical relationship between the factors. Our findings, which back up earlier studies, confirm the impact of these 14 essential components on RBV modeling adoption on MSMEs' export success. The components covered in the analysis have emerged as linkage elements, establishing a strong basis for MSMEs to internationalize competitively and become resilient in their approach by developing a deep strategic connection among themselves. Strategic direction, upper echelon orientation, financial capacity, and the external environment all have a significant impact on MSMEs' export performance. Finally, the implications for research and practise are examined in order to assist decision-makers in developing a long-term competitive edge for Indian firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The prevalence of tobacco use is high in rural India, but limited information on tobacco use among the tribal population is available. We assessed the prevalence of tobacco use and type of tobacco use in the Gond tribal population. Methods. We did a cross-sectional survey among the Gond tribal population residing in the Kundam block of Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh state in India. The study was carried out among persons aged 6 years and above during February-May 2017. Pre-tested interview schedules were used by trained field investigators to collect information on tobacco use. Results. A total of 3351 individuals were included in this study, of which 58% were using some form of tobacco. The prevalence of tobacco use was higher among men compared to women, and it increased significantly from age 6 to 25 in both men and women. Tobacco use was significantly associated with age, gender and educational status of the respondents. Conclusion. The study highlights a high tobacco use in the Gond tribe population. The high prevalence of tobacco use in younger ages is a matter of serious concern. The study establishes a need for information, education and communication and behavioural change communication activities; health camps focusing on the harmful effects of tobacco use and tobacco control campaign among tribal communities, tribal schools and ashrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human development cannot occur without women's empowerment. Particularly in marginalized contexts lacking equal treatment between women and men, women's empowerment is conditioned upon their control of financial resources and activities outside their households' tasks, such as entrepreneurial activities. Such contexts have been experiencing the escalation of microfinance schemes of which women have been the main target group. While scholars generally agree on the opportunities that microcredit represents for microentrepreneurial activities, its effective impact on women entrepreneurship, and hence their empowerment, show contrasting results. We aim to contribute to this debate by conducting in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with female members of the group lending model of the microfinance institutions in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. The thematic questions of the interviews address, particularly, the social resources (social capital) and economic conditions underpinning the process of empowerment among women's members of peer‐group lending schemes. We find that social capital plays a crucial role for peer‐group lending to be successful in accessing financial resources and loan repayment. However, we detect the presence of empowerment only where a woman uses the outcome of these social capital resources to pursue her entrepreneurial activities and self‐determined goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes the importance of multivariate techniques in evaluating the underlying mechanisms responsible for the spatial–temporal dynamics in physicochemical characteristics of a riverine ecosystem. Evaluation and assessment of physicochemical variables of Marusudar River, Chenab valley, and Northwestern Himalayas, India are very important due to the plan for exploiting this river for hydropower generation. In this study, the physicochemical variables were taken from 15 sampling locations spread over the entire river basin (winter 2014, summer, and autumn 2015) were investigated. The results of the study indicate that the datasets obtained are clusterable, and the whole river basin can be categorized in two recognizable clusters with different water quality identified by Hopkin's statistics, hierarchical cluster analysis, and subsequently validated by the silhouette coefficient measures. Correlation and regression tests showed that water quality variables bear significant positive and negative relationships and significantly explain the significant proportion of variations produced in the dependent variables predictable from the independent variables. The results of Wilks' statistics corroborate with the principal component analysis of the entire river and cluster-wise dataset, showing the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors as drivers of the overall water quality in the Marusudar River. The water quality of the cluster 2 sites displayed the impact of anthropogenic activities. Furthermore, pH, total dissolved solids, and total hardness were the main and effective contributors to water quality index evaluation and determination. Gibbs and Piper's analysis indicated the rock-water dominance with calcium-bicarbonate hydrochemical facies in the river basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance is not restricted to clinics but also spreading fast in the aquatic environment. This study focused on the prevalence and diversity of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) genes among bacteria from lentic and effluent water in Delhi-NCR, India. Phenotypic screening of 436 morphologically distinct bacterial isolates collected from diverse sites revealed that 106 (~24%) isolates were ESBL positive. Antibiotic profiling showed that 42, 60, 78 and 59% ESBL producing isolates collected from Ghazipur slaughterhouse, Lodhi garden pond, Hauz Khas lake and Jasola wastewater treatment plant, respectively, were multidrug-resistant (MDR). The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index varied from 0.20 to 0.32 among selected locations. The prevalence of ESBL gene variants blaSHV, blaTEM and blaCTX-M were found to be 17.64, 35.29 and 64%, respectively. Furthermore, the analysis of obtained gene sequences showed three variants of blaCTX-M (15, 152 and 205) and two variants of blaTEM (TEM-1 and TEM-116) among ESBL producers. The co-existence of 2-3 gene variants was recorded among 48% ESBL positive isolates. New reports from this study include the blaCTX-M gene in Acinetobacter lwoffii, Enterobacter ludwigii, Exiguobacterium mexicanum and Aeromonas caviae. Furthermore, the identification of blaTEM and blaSHV in an environmental isolate of A. caviae is a new report from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marine sector in India holds tremendous potential for growth, export expansion and employment generation primarily due to India's competitive advantage in the production of marine products. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to identify the key destinations for India's marine export using trade analytical tools like Revealed Comparative Advantage and Import Intensity Index. ARIMA forecasting is applied to map the export potential of selected marine products to specific destinations. The paper also provides suggestions to exporters and the policymakers on tapping the future export potential of marine products in selected countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The woollen textile industry in India is an industry in the MSME sector with a few key players but having huge export potential mainly attributed to the abundance of availability of raw material. India is one of the leading producers of wool and woolen products in the world and it is estimated to be the seventh-largest producer of wool in the world. The present paper uses yearly and monthly data of exports of woollen products from India from 2008-2018 collected from UN-COMTRADE to forecast exports from 2016-2022. The paper based on Revealed Comparative Advantage and Export Intensity Index narrows down on top 9 countries where India has a potential for increasing its exports.An attempt has been made to identify the markets using ARIMA Model to forecast the future destinations for woolen exporters. Before applying ARIMA, it is necessary to check the stationarity of the series being forecasted. The paper indicates that the thrust countries of India's exports of woollen textiles are Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Senegal and United Arab Emirates. It is found that projected woollen textile exports from 2018-2022 are constant in case of Australia, Bahrain, Brazil and Senegal but rising at an increasing rate for Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, South Africa and United Arab Emirates. Thus, this indicates that India needs to gain more competitive advantage to diversify and grow in the identified markets for export and further to enter new markets of various other countries and increase its level of exports in the future. For enhancing exports of woollen textiles from India, it is suggested that, policy makers as well as exporters of Woollen products from India need to work in sync to achieve the objective of export promotion to the identified thrust markets. Favourable terms should be negotiated to meet the non-tariff barriers in the identified export destinations. Initiatives need to be taken to reduce the cost of production, increase manufacturing capacity and integrate the fragmented supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with T2DM having low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective data analysis of T2DM patients' records who were screened for DR across Apollo Sugar Clinics from June 2016 to December 2016. DR was diagnosed through fundus examination; patients having eGFR values were grouped into eGFR < 60 and eGFR ≥ 60 mg/ml/1.73 m2. Appropriate statistical tests were applied to identify the association of eGFR and DR, and significance was set at 2-tailed p ≤ 0.05. Results: A total of 1547 T2DM patients were screened; mean (SD) age was 56.7 (10.0) years. Among them, data of 443 patients with eGFR were included in the analysis. Mean eGFR was 91.2 mg/ml/1.73 m2; 12.5% patients had eGFR ≤ 60 mg/ml/1.73 m2 and 87.5% had ≥ 60 mg/ml/1.73 m2. DR was observed in 79 (17.8%) patients; it was higher in males (62%) than in females (38%). Further, the proportion of patients with DR was significantly higher in patients with eGFR ≤ 60 mg/ml/1.73 m2 compared with that in patients with eGFR ≥ 60 mg/ml/1.73 m2 (38% vs. 15%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Association of DR with low eGFR in patients with T2DM may suggest presence of diabetes kidney disease in a community, thus reaffirming the significance of DR screening in community diabetes practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History of medicine is rich with the achievements and successes of years of research and development. The Medical Council of India incorporated teaching 'History of Medicine' in the undergraduate medical curriculum in India nearly a decade ago. Despite being included in the medical curriculum by the Medical Council of India, it is not yet a part of the teaching curriculum in the top-ranking medical institutions. Teaching 'History of Medicine' to undergraduate medical students may be a good divergence from the fact-based teaching of undergraduate medical curriculum. It will also help students cherish medical achievements of the past and inculcate in them a sense of pride and belongingness to the medical fraternity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we have investigated prevalence and diversity of ESBL genes among Klebsiella isolates obtained from highly polluted stretch of river Yamuna, India. Phenotypic screenings of 116 Klebsiella isolates revealed ~30% were positive for ESBL production. Antibiotic profiling showed multidrug resistance phenotype among 90% isolates. Prevalence of blaTEM, blaSHV and blaCTX-M genes were found to be 57, 54 and 48% respectively. Furthermore, we identified eight variants of blaSHV (SHV-1, SHV-11, SHV-27, SHV-28, SHV-38, SHV-61, SHV-144, SHV-148), three each of blaTEM (TEM-1, TEM-116, TEM-206) and blaCTX-M (CTX-M-15, CTX-M-55, CTX-M-188) among Klebsiella spp. Co-occurrence of blaTEM, blaSHV and blaCTX-M (any two or all three) was observed among 45% Klebsiella isolates. Occurrence of blaCTX-M-188 and blaTEM-206 in environmental isolates of K. pneumoniae has not been reported earlier. Identification of blaTEM-206, blaSHV-27 and blaSHV-144 from Klebsiella spp. and blaTEM-116 from K. quasipneumoniae and K. variicola is the first report from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An excerpt from the article "Life and Light for Woman" by Lydia Gertrude Barker in the May 5,1898 issue of "Alam-e-Niswan" is presented which focuses on the work done at different missionary stations by the Christian women in India.

This article examines how deities are known, experienced, and made present in small-scale, domestic divination and healing rituals in Garhwal, a region in the North Indian state of Uttarakhand. While possessed by local gods and goddesses during these rituals, ritual specialists known as bakkyās diagnose and treat individual clients suffering from social, psychological, or bodily afflictions by offering sthān (place) to, or making sthān for, divinities. Through a detailed ethnographic description of a healing ritual in which the author participated, the article traces acts of ritual 'place-making,' including moments when space is made for a deity, a deity is transported from one location to another, and a deity is emplaced, that is, limited or contained in specific ways. Place-making is thus both literal, in the sense of making a divinity present in a material site such as a home or temple, and metaphorical, in that it signifies a long-term, reciprocal commitment between a divinity and a worshiper, in which both make place for each other in their lives. By showing how person, place, and divinity are brought together in ritual interactions, the article contributes to possession studies, the anthropology of space and place, and the study of ritual performance traditions in North India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflecting through the Indian experiences, a brief attempt is made to explore how disability as a noun takes shape in popular common sense “call names” (adjectives) and how does the popular common sense legitimise and normalise the oppressive language and the oppressed reality of the persons with disabilities? In the Indian context, the contempt for persons with disabilities is writ large in the language used to address them. However, to be conscious of this contempt, one needs to be conscious of the hegemonic nature of the popular common sense which normalises an oppressive reality as a natural social reality. The discussion on disability and popular common sense in India through the framework of “noun vs. adjective” might be helpful in gauging the challenges to the disability rights movement and the socio-cultural specificities to be reckon with for any meaningful intervention in the field of disability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Several excerpts from the April 1980 issue of "Woman's Work for Woman and Our Mission Field" magazine focusing on the issue of women's education in India, is presented.

The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is one of the most widely distributed small cat species in the world. For the current study, 15 leopard cat kittens were hand raised between 2015 and 2021, and the challenges faced in rehabilitating the species were evaluated. During the hand-raising phase, 73% (11/15) of the leopard cat kittens survived, while four died. The average weight gain of the kittens was 10.5 (±1.05) g per day during the milk-dependent period and 14.7 (±1.24) g per day after the introduction of solid food. At the age of 6-7 mo, they were soft released at an appropriate site by first holding them in situ in an acclimatization cage for an average of 20 days. In the absence of radio transmitters, an attempt was made using camera traps to monitor the dependency of the released cats on the supplementary food being kept in the cage. However, no post-release photos of the cats were captured, as the cats did not come back to the cage and showed no fidelity, either to the acclimatization cage or to the food being provided. Post-release monitoring via radio or satellite telemetry would have provided information on the survival and spatial ecology of the individuals. For future studies, we recommend including this approach while hand-raising and releasing leopard cats back into the wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents excerpts of the articles "Help Those Women" from the May 5, 1883 issue of the "Life and Light for Women" journal and "Inside the Homes of India" from the April 1896 issue of the "Woman's Work for Woman and Our Mission Field."

The study was conducted in the village Dagal, Rawalpindi District by using the statistical technique in which the sample of 187 farmers were drawn out of the population of 3680, to cultivate insight and beliefs regarding the indigenous farming practices and how it is related with sustainable agricultural development. During the study a mixture of qualitative techniques including interview guide(s), focus group discussions (FGDs) and case study were used. The study revealed that indigenous knowledge is a long term process and demands a complete approach to achieve destined goals. On the other hand it was also found that the lack of knowledge is a hindrance to achieve required outcome(s) from modern techniques. Thus, the public institutes need to be strengthened so that the transitional lag may be bridged and farmers may also get required production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the traditional copyright regime, performers had no specific rights as those granted to an author or a creator of a work, since they were considered only as intermediaries between the author and the communication of his work to the public and hence not capable of possessing rights like an author or a copyright owner. With the advent of copying technology in the 20th century, the copyright system was at stake, and performers could not protect themselves from exploitation of their works. However, subsequent protection against unauthorized exploitation was granted to performers under 'neighboring rights' or 'related rights'. Only economic rights were granted to them initially under the international agreements, and subsequently, moral rights were granted for the first time at the international level through World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) in 1996. Though the Indian Copyright Act, 1957 recognized the performers' economic rights in 1994, it did not provide for any moral rights until the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012 came into effect. This paper attempts to analyze the development of law relating to the performers' rights in the Indian copyright regime under the influence of different international agreements, and how far the provisions of the Copyright Amendment Act 2012 in India with respect to performers' rights have made the Indian Law compatible with different international instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sequential extraction procedure was carried out to determinate the concentrations of 11 elements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in different geochemical phases of sediments collected along the Hugli (Ganges) River Estuary and in the Sundarban mangrove wetland, eastern coastal part of India. The chemical speciation of elements was determined using the three-step sequential extraction procedure described by the European Community Bureau of Reference. Total metal concentration was determined using a microwave-assisted acid digestion procedure. Metal concentrations were near the background level except for As for which a moderate pollution can be hypothesized. The mobility order of the metals was: Cd > Mn > Cu > Zn > As > Co > Pb > Ni > Fe > Cr > Al. The highest percentage of Cd (>60%) was found in the most labile phase. Residual fraction was prevailing for Fe, Cr and Al, while Pb was mainly associated with the reducible fraction. Data were compared with Sediment Quality Guidelines to estimate the relationship between element concentrations and adverse biological effects on benthic community, finding the possibility of some toxic effects due to the presence of As in the entire studied area and Cd, only in Calcutta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geodynamic status, seismo-tectonic environment, and geophysical signatures of the Bay of Bengal do not support the occurrence of seismogenic tsunami. Since thrust fault and its intensity and magnitude of rupture are the key tectonic elements of tsunamigenic seismic sources, the study reveals that such characteristics of fault-rupture and seismic sources do not occur in most of the Bay of Bengal except a small segment in the Andaman-Nicobar subduction zone. The inferred segment of the Andaman-Nicobar subduction zone is considered for generating a model of the deformation field arising from fluid-driven source. The model suggests local tsunami with insignificant inundation potential along the coast of northern Bay of Bengal. The bathymetric profile and the sea floor configuration of the northern Bay of Bengal play an important role in flattening the waveform through defocusing process. The direction of motion of the Indian plate makes an angle of about 30° with the direction of the opening of Andaman Sea. The opening of Andaman Sea and the direction of plate motion of the Indian plate results in the formation of Andaman trench where the subducting plate dives more obliquely than that in the Sunda trench in the south. The oblique subduction reduces significantly the possibilities of dominant thrust faulting in the Andaman subduction zone. Further, north of Andaman subduction in the Bengal-Arakan coast, there is no active subduction. On the otherhand, much greater volume of sediments (in excess of 20 km) in the Bengal-Arakan segment reduces the possibilities of mega rupture of the ocean floor. The water depth (≈1,000 m) along most of the northern Bay of Bengal plate margin is not optimum for any significant tsunami generation. Hence, very weak possibility of any significant tsunami is suggested that based on the interpretation of geodynamic status, seismo-tectonic environment, and geophysical signatures of the Andaman subduction zone and the Bengal-Arakan coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a research conducted in order to identify the population characteristics of the louse, Upupicola upupae, infesting the common Hoopae, Upupa epops from Uttar Pradesh, India. It discusses the adaptation of the pattern of frequency distribution to the negative binomial model. The study revealed the use of obtained data in constructing the life table and determining the rate of natural increase, the net reproductive rate and the doubling time of the population

India is land of Indus civilization, one of the great in the world, where civic life was at its best. This land has always been very attractive and enchanted for the foreigners especially the western nations. India holds its traditions and pieces of work in literature and humanities at its peak. Muslims made it better and dressed it in moral values. British came to India for commerce and trade but they subjugated it politically. They were in need of such a slave Indian nation which could not resist British and its policies. They abolished the native education system and introduced their own which suited imperialistic needs. They aimed at giving such education to local people as could produce only clerks. Local languages were abolished and English was adopted as medium of instruction in educational institutions. Western science and philosophy were included in the syllabus. Keeping into the consideration the importance of the topic, British educational system, its effects, reaction of local people and its challenges were discussed in this article. Primary and secondary sources are used for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To asses the association between Birth Order and Schizophrenia in relation to other demographic factors Methodology: A cross sectional study was done and data of twelve hundred and eight patients were evaluated and managed in the psychiatric department of Isra University Hospital, Hyderabad. Eighty two Schizophrenic's were compared with the rest of the psychiatric population with reference to gender, catchment area, and family type. Results: Statistically no significant difference was found between any of the birth order for the risk of Schizophrenia. Risk of Schizophrenia appears to be minimum in first born males, and maximum in first born females, but this does not reach statistical significance. Risk apparently seems to decrease as birth order goes down among urban setting; and decrease as birth order goes up; but again this finding does not reach the level of statistical significance. Conclusion: There appears to be no association between any birth order and risk of Schizophrenia, in our studied population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the policing and administrative strategies of the Sind colonial government of Pakistan during the Hur insurgencies of the 1890s and the 1940s. It discusses the policing of the Hur insurgency, the Martial Law trial of Pir Sibghatullah Shah, a Pir Pagaro, and the events and developments which transpired from 1944 to 1954. According to the article, the Hurs successfully improved their image by their participation and contribution in the War with India in 1965.

This is a preliminary report on total mercury (THg) in core sediments (<63 μm particle size) of Sunderban mangrove wetland, northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, India. Cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS) was used for THg determination. The concentration varies from 9.8 to 535.1 ppb (ngg−1). Results revealed variations over premonsoon and postmonsoon month at different core depth, as well as in studied three sampling stations, located at the site of three rivers: Hugli River (S1), Matla River (S2) and Bidyadhari River (S3). Elevated concentration of THg in subsurface layer (4–8 cm) of the core at S2 is attributed to remobilization of mercury from deeper sediment (32–36 cm). Positive correlation is present between total Hg and clay content. Based on index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) and Effects-Range Low (ER-L) value (150 ppb) it is considered that the sediments are till now unpolluted. As a consequence, there is less chance of ecotoxicological risk to organisms living in studied sediments. Two statistical methods were applied to determine THg anomalies. Box plot method showed one extreme and three outliers in S1 at postmonsoon season. Two extremes were found at S2 at 4–8 and at 32–36 cm in premonsoon period. In S3 there was no anomaly by box plot method. MAD method was more sensitive than box plot method and THg anomaly was detected at 12–16 cm in S3 during postmonsoon season. The data reported are useful baselines for THg in Sunderban mangrove wetland, India and would be of help in future sediment quality studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) are specific proteins modulated by the acute stress of surgery. Various retrospective and prospective studies have demonstrated subdued stress responses in laparoscopically operated patients vis-à-vis the conventional (open) method. Aim: To assess the roles of TNF-α and C-reactive protein levels as tentative stress markers in correlating the extent of perioperative immune modulation during open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a subset of an Indian population. Setting and Design: This study is a prospective study. Materials and Methods Methods: Forty patients admitted and operated over a period of two years, were assigned to two groups: laparascopic cholecystectomy (LC) (Group-I) or open cholecystectomy (OC) (Group-II). Selection was based on: patients' preference, patients' insistence, patients' inability to afford the laparoscopic procedure, lack of expertise or lack of facility in the hospital for the laparoscopic procedure. The baseline characteristics in terms of anesthetic protocol, fluid management, postoperative orders and perioperative care were kept similar for both groups. Statistical Analysis: SPSS v.11 was used for statistical computations. Results: Baseline values of CRP in the OC and LC Groups were 7.9959 ± 5.57837 μg/ml and 11.3948 ± 11.61055 μg/ml respectively. CRP values rose markedly during the intra- as well as the postoperative periods till day 4 (P < 0.001) in both the groups. Intragroup variations were not significantly different from each other (P > 0.05). No such trend was noticed for TNF-α levels under identical conditions. Indeed, the TNF-α levels were 2.0304 ± 5.67384 pg/ml and 11.3408 ± 25.09385 pg/ml in the OC and LC groups respectively. Intragroup changes were not significantly different from each other (P > 0.05). Percentage changes in CRP and TNF-α were higher after OC in comparison to LC. Conclusions: The present study did not record statistical differences in the levels of the two markers (CRP, TNF-α) between the two groups. This reflects the limited tissue trauma due to easy and simple visceral tissue dissection in the two types of nondifficult surgery intraoperatively. However, greater change (P = 0.09) of TNF levels (30% vs. 1.9%) in the OC group on the 4th postoperative day represents the possibility of greater immune modulation in the OC group postoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on two 1884 documents with the theme of Muslim women's education, one written by a group of women from the Punjab in India, and the other written by Syed Ahmed Khan, the acknowledged supporter of Muslim men's modern system of education. Role of women in the national progress thirty years before 1884; Response of Khan to the affection expressed by the women of the Punjab; Duties of women that cause men's pride.