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Extending a nascent line of Asian philosophical research in music education, we mine Indian philosophies of music and education. Three key questions guide our project: (1)What are Vedic philosophies of music? (2)What are Vedic philosophies of education? (3)Taken together, what insights can we draw for contemporary music education writ large? To address our questions, we analyze key passages from the "Upanishads" and synthesize ideas from these texts. A quartet of inter-related ideas emerge from our analysis: the "guru," the "shishya," "vidya," and "moksha." In brief, the "guru" (teacher) is revered as one would god, for it is the teacher who leads the "shishya" (student) toward "vidya" (knowledge) and through that toward "moksha" (liberation of the soul), which can also be attained via making music, such as the singing of "Om" (the absolute sound). In addition to proffering insights for contemporary music education, particularly in terms of how the ancient Vedic "guru-shishya parampara" adds nuance to contemporary discussions on the master-apprentice model of music education, we imagine how music education philosophy might look like if it were to be sung.

Learning outcomes are inevitably to be declared by any university and educational institution at every level of their programmes. It should have a general scheme for all programmes regardless of the discipline specificities, individual courses or even independent instructional units. Such outcomes are stated at different levels based on the taxonomy of learning adopted in each scheme. People follow different learning taxonomies for stating course contents, designing the assessment items and measuring the attainment. In this work, revised Bloom's taxonomy (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001) has been adopted as a classic model to express different cognitive levels in outcome statements and assessment items. This has been demonstrated here based on an 80 credit postgraduate programme in geology offered by state universities and autonomous institutions. This article presents outcome statements and assessment items for three courses of the programme, namely (a) Biostratigraphy and Palaeontology, (b) Metamorphic Petrology and (c) Structural Geology, which can be ideal specimen for adopting the learning taxonomy and outcome-based education in any similar disciplines of educational programmes.

Objective: To determine the real-world effectiveness of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 coronavirus vaccine in preventing severe disease and mortality due to COVID-19. Methods: A case-case design was used to estimate the effect of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 coronavirus vaccine on severe SARS-CoV-2 outcomes in individuals aged 40 years and above. Cases (n=200) were COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) or who died. Controls (n=223) were those with mild COVID-19, fit for home isolation. The logistic regression model was used to estimate adjusted vaccine effectiveness for full vaccination (two doses =14 d) and partial vaccination status (one dose =14 d or two doses <14 d). Results: The proportion of fully vaccinated individuals was significantly lower among cases (12, 6.0%) compared to controls (30, 13.5%). The adjusted effectiveness of a full dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 coronavirus vaccine in preventing ICU admission or death was 81.9% (95% CI: 61.3%-91.6%, P=0.001). Subgroup analysis restricted to age group, sex, and comorbidities found that ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 coronavirus vaccine had a significant positive effect in all subgroups and categories. Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccination reduces ICU admissions or death. Therefore, increased vaccine uptake may reduce the severity of the pandemic, more so in the elderly and those with comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critically endangered White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) is a piscivorous visual forager that prefers to forage in fast-flowing freshwater rivers. This study highlights White-bellied Heron foraging behavior in the fast-flowing rivers of Namdapha Tiger Reserve during 2013–2017. The herons spent significantly more time and also made more foraging attempts while foraging in shallow water (foraging time: 61.45 ± 15.55%; strike rate: 1.70 strikes/hr). Herons were more successful in catching fishes when they foraged facing upstream (capture rate: 0.62 fishes caught/hr) with increased capture efficiency (44.62%). White-bellied Herons caught the majority (60.98%) of small sized fishes (≤ 9 cm) while facing upstream and the majority (60.92%) of large sized fishes (> 18 cm) while facing downstream. These findings shed light on the manner in which this rare and critically endangered bird is adapted to life on fast-flowing rivers and the importance of these unique places for its conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Infection after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, though rare, is a potentially devastating complication and the evidence-based recommendation on the various topics in its management is limited. The purpose of this study was to develop recommendations for the prevention and management of infections in ACL reconstruction surgery by performing a structured expert consensus survey using Delphi methodology. Materials and Methods: 22 topics of relevance in the prevention and management of infection following ACL reconstruction were chosen from an extensive literature review. 30 panelists were requested to respond to a three-round survey, with feedback, to develop a consensus statement on the topics. Results: Consensus statements could be prepared in eleven out of twenty-two topics including: the graft is retained at the first arthroscopic debridement, the graft is removed when repeated debridement are needed, and revision ACL reconstruction is needed only if the patient develops instability. Concurrence could be obtained in the topics including: longer duration of antibiotics is needed in immunocompromised patients, soaking graft in antibiotic solution reduces infection risk, and knee swelling without warmth does not suggest infection. Conclusions: A proper skin preparation, a longer course of antibiotics in immunocompromised patients, and soaking the graft in antibiotics reduces the risk of infection. In case of infection, a healthy-looking graft must be retained at the first debridement and if the graft must be removed, revision ACL reconstruction is advised only if the patient develops instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Journal of Orthopaedics (JOO) has proudly received its first Journal Impact Factor of 1.5, recently. It is the highest ranked journal in the field of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine from India and is ranked at 9th amongst all Asiatic countries. It has a wide international authorship, and readership, with a diverse editorial board. All the important journal metrics of the JOO have shown an upward trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nexus of anthropogenic factors and the environment have been widely studied in the past few decades since the onset of global warming. Corroborating that the environmental changes are the product of various anthropogenic features such as population size, affluence and technological advancements, the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) model was proposed and has been extensively employed to study the impact of technology and socio-economic factors on the environment. This, however, has remained poorly unexplored for India, which has complex and varying demographic properties. Here, through the STIRPAT model, we explore the impact of anthropogenic factors on the outdoor ambient concentration of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide within the industrial and residential clusters of urban provinces of India. Our results show that even though the growing population size has an adverse effect on the environment in every type of setup, technological advancements induces a positive impact on the environment quality. Although we obtain penetrating insights into the nexus of human influence and environment quality, we also recommend improving the quality and land coverage of ambience data collection to obtain deeper insight for an efficient addressal of the current environmental crisis in India. • The impact of anthropogenic factors on the air quality of India is explored within the Industrial and residential areas. • An extended STIRPAT model is employed over a panel dataset from seven highly urbanized states of India. • The growing population size is causing the rise in SO 2 and NO 2 concentration in the atmosphere. • Technological innovations in India are improving ambient air quality. • The proposed framework can be utilized further with the availability of more types of datasets in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat degradation and loss have affected many species across all major groups in India and elsewhere. However, the water birds are among the most impacted in terms of habitat loss and drastic decline in populations. The White-bellied heron (A. insignis) (WBH), a Critically Endangered and top conservation priority species, has lost much of its habitat throughout its range and restricted to small and isolated forests habitats. Hence, we attempted to evaluate the changes in habitat and area of occupancy in its entire distribution range using a binary ensemble of both past and present models. We observed a drastic loss in the habitat of WBH by 59.18% in the last century, out of which the novel niche occupied, was around 12,139 km2 in the northern undisturbed areas. The Centroid shift in its range reveals a notable shift in the north and north-eastern areas current in relation to its past distribution. The loss of suitable areas was highest in its range in India, followed by Myanmar and Bangladesh. Whereas in the present scenario, northern areas of Bhutan tend to become more suitable for the species (60% gain), and species may occupy novel niches in the northern region of Bhutan. The Precipitation of Warmest Quarter (bio_18), water runoff in the river and human footprint in its habitat were the significant predictors of the species habitat in the past and present scenario. We speculate that the species might lose some of the evolutionary traits meant for group foraging fish-eating birds because of this shift in range. The species largely occupy forested areas along the fast-flowing rivers such as Namdapha and Lohit in Arunachal Pradesh. We hypothesize that prolonged isolation by sticking to fast-flowing rivers only inside remote areas without much interaction from other group foragers driving WBH to extinction in India and possibly across its range. • We observed a drastic habitat loss of White-bellied heron (59.18%) in the last century. • Notable range shift to north and northeastern region with respect to past distribution. • Much of the species range in India has been lost, followed by Myanmar and Bangladesh. • Prolonged isolation may be driving the species to near extinction in India. • Spatial planning for protecting the species habitat is vital in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Quaternary carbonate sediments and sedimentary rocks from the platform off western India were reviewed for their genesis and relationship with their ancient counter parts. Sub-marine cemented and vadose diagenetic limestones were recovered at different locations on the platform and, neomorphic limestones and caliche pisolites were recovered on the continental shelf south of the platform. Dolomites on the platform were primary and formed by microbial processes under hypersaline, sulphate-reducing conditions during the lowered sea levels. Aragonite ooids were formed from the mineralization of microbial filaments that enveloped their cortex portions. Phosphorites were found in organic-rich, aragonite muds on the continental slope adjacent to the platform and formed from the microbial mineralization of organic matter and replacement of carbonate by apatite during early diagenesis. Microbial processes thus played an important role in the formation of dolomites, ooids and phosphorites reported here and those in ancient deposits. Halimeda bioherms on the platform were grown luxuriantly from the nutrients brought by upwelling currents during the Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene sea level transgression and are similar to the Holocene–Recent deposits in the Indo-Pacific region. Lime muds were bio-detrital and formed primarily from the disintegration of Halimeda bioherms and carbonate skeletal on the platform and then exported to the slope. They resemble fine-grained limestones abundantly reported in ancient platforms. Thus, the different carbonate components on the platform are genetically related to their ancient ones and serve as Late Quaternary analogues for the ancient platform carbonates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research work presents an examination of the concentrations and modes of occurrence of environmentally sensitive elements within lignite deposits, located in Neyveli, within the Cauvery Basin of India. Coal is one of the most complex geologically formed materials, consisting of organic and inorganic matter. The inorganic mineral matter including the crystalline minerals, non-crystalline mineraloids, and elements with non-mineral associations. These lignite samples underwent complete analysis encompassing macroscopic, microscopic and geochemical assessments. The analysis reveals that the total mineral matter (MM) content, comprising significant proportions of sulphides, carbonate and argillaceous components. Geochemical characterization further elucidates the lignite's properties, with proximate analysis yielding values such as ash, volatile matter and fixed carbon and the Ultimate components analysis reveals the carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen. Inorganic mineral matters play a significant role in coal utilization, and also such modes of occurrence of elements provide useful geochemical information on coal formation and coal-bearing basin evolution. In this paper, we assess the associations of elements and minerals, as well as the associations of selected elements including environmentally-sensitive (e.g., S, As, U, and Hg), and some major elements (e.g., Ca, Mg, Fe, Al, and Ti) that have largely occurred in non-mineral forms in these low-rank coals. And also, comparative analysis is conducted between the concentrations of elements within the lignite samples and the values reported for World Clarke Brown Coals (WCBC). Particularly, some of these elements exhibit significantly high environmental sensitivity, demanding careful consideration in lignite extraction and utilization practices., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

The geochemistry of fly ash produced from the combustion of coal at thermal power plants presents a significant challenge for disposal and environmental impact due to its complex mineralogical and elemental composition. The objective of this study was to investigate the mineralogical and elemental distribution of thirty lignite samples from the Barmer Basin using advanced techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). XRD analysis revealed the presence of minerals such as haematite (Fe 2 O 3 ), nepheline, anhydrite, magnesite, andalusite, spinel and anatase. Other minor minerals included albite, siderite, periclase, calcite, mayenite, hauyne, pyrite, cristobalite, quartz, nosean and kaolinite. XRF analysis demonstrated that the most abundant elements in the Barmer Basin lignite ash were iron oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ), sulphur oxide (SO 3 ), calcium oxide (CaO), and quartz (SiO 2 ) followed by minor traces of toxic oxides (SrO, V 2 O 5 , NiO, Cr 2 O 3 , Co 2 O 3 , CuO) that are known to have adverse effects on human health and the environment. The rare earth element (REE) composition showed higher concentrations of Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y and Sc at the Giral and lower concentrations at Sonari mine. The Barmer lignites recorded higher concentration of trace elements such as V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu and Sr while lower concentration of Rb, Cs, Ba, Pb, As, Th and U were observed within optimal range. The study findings revealed the predominant mineral concentration, elemental makeup, trace elements and rare earth elements associated with lignite reserves in the Barmer Basin., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

The efficacy of a composite Indian herbal preparation (CIHP) in sustaining the mental performance of soldiers engaged in prolonged low-intensity-conflict operations has been evaluated. For this purpose, a cohort of 56 soldiers acted as volunteers in combat situations. After recording their initial responses to psychological tests such as the d2 test, the trail-making test, the serial addition test, the short-term memory test, and the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing Anxiety Scale, they were randomly given either CIHP or placebo in a double-blind fashion for 8 days while they performed their usual combat duties. The final 3 days of assignments included physically exhausting and life-threatening events. On day 8, they were withdrawn from combat duties and the psychological tests were readministered immediately. After 7 days of rest, the tests were repeated once again. The results indicate comparatively better performance immediately after the mission by the CIHP group. CIHP was effective at sustaining the mental abilities of soldiers in a low-intensity-conflict environment.