Search

The paper examines the extent of human resource (HR) disclosure in annual reports of 50 companies listed on Indian stock exchanges and the impact of four company-specific factors (determinants) on such disclosure. HR disclosure level was measured using an unweighted disclosure index comprising 76 information items. The study reveals that average level of HR disclosure (54.64%) in India is inadequate. It is evident from range (59%) and standard deviation (11.58%) that there exists a wide variation in the extent of overall HR disclosure of sample companies. The results of multivariate regression show that out of four selected company-specific factors, size of company and company’s age are statistically significant, having positive and negative impact, respectively, on the extent of HR disclosure in India. The remaining two company characteristics, namely, profitability and dominance of independent directors on corporate board, are found to be statistically insignificant. The impact of each factor on HR disclosure level has been analyzed and interpreted. Finally, research implications and policy recommendations of the study have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Experiments was conducted at Regional Research and Technology Transfer Station, Ranital, Bhadrak, OUAT(Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology), Odisha, India during the summer seasons(Jan-may) of 2019-20 and 2020-21 to evaluate the comparative efficacy some IPM modules against the head borer and leaf eating caterpillar in sunflower. Five IPM modules(three chemo-intensive and two bio-intensive modules) were evaluated against the existing pesticides applicationbased farmers' practice. The results revealed that the IPM module (M2) comprising of installation of pheromone traps for pest monitoring @ 5 ha-1, poison baits (10 kg rice bran+2 kg jaggery+100 g Thiodicarb 70WP) for attracting and killing of tobacco caterpillar larvae and alternate spray of neem oil formulations (1500 ppm) @ 1.5 l ha-1 and the novel insecticide mixed formulation (Novaluron 5.25%+Emamectin benzoate 0.9% SC) @ 825 ml ha-1 at 15 days interval had significantly suppressed tobacco caterpillar (5.46% leaf damage i.e., 67.59% reduction over FP) and sunflower head (2.93% head damage i.e. 75.32% deduction over FP). The IPM module (M3) comprising of pheromone trap installation @ 5 each ha-1, poison baits (10 kg rice bran+2 kg jaggery+200 ml deltamethrin 5EC) and alternate spray of neem oil formulations (1500 ppm) @ 1.5 l ha-1 and Flubendiamide 480 SC @ 150 ml ha-1) also had statistically similar efficacy against the target pests with 6.40% leaf damage (62.02% reduction over FP) and 3.54% head damage(70.17% reduction over FP). Though, the BIPM module had moderate efficacy against the insect-pests under study, retained maximum population of predatory fauna like predatory bug (Eocanthecona furcellata) and lady bird beetles in the sunflower ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Necrotising otitis externa, which is typically seen in elderly diabetics, is a severe infective disorder caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. There is lack of standard management policy for necrotising otitis externa, hence this study attempted to frame a protocol for management based on clinical parameters.Method:A retrospective study of 27 patients with necrotising otitis externa was conducted over 6 years in a tertiary care hospital. Data were analysed with regards to demographic characteristics, clinical features, investigations, staging and treatment modalities.Results:Out of 27 patients, 26 were diabetics. The commonest organism isolated was P aeruginosa, which was sensitive to third generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. Nine patients had cranial nerve involvement. Twelve of 15 patients treated with medical therapy recovered, as did 11 of 12 patients that underwent surgery.Conclusion:A high index of suspicion, early diagnosis and prompt intervention are key factors to decrease morbidity and mortality. Fluoroquinolones, third generation cephalosporins and surgical debridement are the mainstay of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A large number of people living in and around forest areas depend heavily on forests for their livelihood. It is estimated that 60 million people living in the rain forests of Latin America, South-East Asia and West Africa depend heavily on forests; 350 million people living in or around the dense forests depend on them for sustenance or income; and 1.2 billion people in the developing countries use trees to generate food and income. Forests and trees can help to eliminate poverty and promote food security. India has approximately 7% of the total mangrove forests in the world. It is estimated that 92.47% of the recorded forest area in India is owned by the forest departments. Shifting cultivation, encroachments on forest lands, grazing and forest fires are the key factors leading to the depletion of forest resources in India. The development of the Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme in India is based on the National Forest Policy (NFP) of 1988, which emphasised the involvement of the village communities living close to the forests in the protection and development of forests and degraded forest land. Orissa is one among the major states to implement the JFM programme and till date more than 7,000 Vana Suraksha Samitis (VSSs) have been formed in different forest circles in Orissa. In this regard, the present study analyses the socioeconomic and environmental changes in the JFM areas of Orissa on the basis of a number of selected indicators. The performance of the selected indicators is outlined on the basis of primary data obtained from the people in the selected VSS areas with the help of Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA). Considering that there is tremendous scope for sustainable rural development of the forest fringe households through the JFM programme, the study recommends that all types of constraints associated with such type of governance should be removed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are no data regarding quality of life (QoL) assessments in lung cancer in developing countries like India. Quality of life was evaluated in 76 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients by using the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire in Hindi (WHOQoL-Bref) (men 87%). The mean age was 55 years (SD = 10). Cough, dyspnoea, chest pain and haemoptysis were present in 83%, 72%, 66% and 43% of patients respectively. The median duration of symptoms was 5.9 months (range 1–13). Eighty-nine per cent had non-small cell lung cancer. The median pack-years smoked was 23 (range 0.5–88). Most patients (53%) had a Karnofsky’s Performance Status (KPS) of 70 and 83% had stage III or IV disease. Quality of life did not correlate with age, gender, presence or duration of symptoms, histological type, stage of disease or degree of smoking. The physical and psychological domains of QoL correlated significantly with the KPS ( P = 0.001 and P = 0.01 respectively). Patients with a KPS of 80 had better physical ( P < 0.001), psychological ( P < 0.01) and social ( P < 0.05) QoL than those with a KPS of 70. In conclusion, patients with lung cancer in a developing country like India have an unsatisfactory QoL. The Karnofsky’s Performance Scale is a simple and reliable surrogate marker for assessing QoL in these patients. Larger multi-centric studies may help in providing a more comprehensive evaluation of the effect of various demographic and clinical variables on QoL in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which examined the dissipation pattern of abamectin and its residue level in made tea and tea liquor in India. Abamectin are macrocyclic lactones produced by Streptomyces avemitilis and has been used as an insecticide and acaricide. High performance liquid chromatography and JASCO FP 1520 fluorescence detector were use to study abamectin residues. The dissipation of abamectin residues followed first order reaction kinetics. The residues were also found to decrease progressively with time.

Background: Hyperhomocysteinemia has been proposed as an important risk factor for ischemic stroke worldwide, but data available from the Indian subcontinent is scarce.Aim: To study homocysteine levels in patients with ischemic stroke and compare it with age- and sex-matched controls.Settings and Design: Case-control prospective study.Materials and Methods: Fifty-seven patients with ischemic stroke and 30 controls were recruited for the study. They were subdivided into two subgroups (< 40 years and> 40 years of age) and plasma fasting total homocysteine (tHcy) levels were measured.Statistical Analysis Used: Student's 't' test and chi-square test.Results: The tHcy were significantly high in patients with stroke, compared to controls (9.91 +/- 2.25 vs 8.00 +/- 2.74 micromol/l; P vs 8.45 +/- 2.72 micromol/l; P = 0.01) and female patients compared to controls (9.08 +/- 1.81 vs 6.79 +/- 2.60 micromol/l; P = 0.04). The tHcy levels were significantly high in patients with hypertension compared to normotensive patients (10.96 vs 9.49 micromol/l; P = 0.01) and smokers compared to nonsmokers (11.17 vs 9.33 micromol/l; P = 0.01).Conclusions: Hyperhomo-cysteinemia emerged as an important independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. A strong positive correlation was also observed between hypertension, smoking, and high-tHcy levels in the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studies in Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome is commonly seen in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients having concomitant opportunistic infection, following initiation of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). We describe IRIS in a young man with unknown human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status who presented with cryptococcal lymphadenitis as the first manifestation of AIDS. At presentation the patient had features overlapping with tuberculosis (TB) lymphadenitis which was ruled out by fine needle aspiration cytology. The patient responded to antifungal treatment but following the start of HAART, symptoms recurred which were managed conservatively. Though TB is common in India, a thorough workup including histopathology of lymph node should be done before the patient is started on anti-tuberculosis treatment. HIV infected patients having opportunistic co-infection should be closely monitored following initiation of HAART. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]