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The plan of the paper is to study autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children as complex conditions that affect cognitive, emotional, social, and physical health. Broadly tracing the medical journey of the condition, it addresses the challenges faced by parents as they make sense of, and navigate their way through the appearance of early symptoms, impediments in correct diagnosis, acceptance, and adapt to live with the condition. The paper attempts to understand autism in medical and neurological terms, as well as the challenges faced by children and parents through the case study of Kyari (meaning a flower bed), a lone centre providing accessible autism care in about 150 km around Moradabad (west UP, India), which has been instrumental in raising an awareness of autism and has a reach that is unprecedented in the city in bringing sensitive autism intervention. It further comprehensively studies the symptoms of ASD, and the role of augmentative and alternative communication, behaviour modification, and the work of organisations like the Centre for Autism, CBSE mandate for inclusive education as applied in the case and Indian government policy for autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporal behaviors of land surface temperature (LST) coupled with its associated parameters play a crucial role in determining the microclimate at the city scale. The increasing pattern of LST and consequent changes in biophysical parameters (parameters specify the amalgamation of living system with their physical characteristics including vegetation, water, built-up, bareness and drought parameters) at monthly, seasonal and annual time spans and from regional to global scale need to be comprehensively evaluated. The present study deals with LST estimation along with other spectral indices including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Normalized Difference Bareness Index (NDBaI), and Normalized Multi-band Drought Index (NMDI) using Landsat series datasets from 1991 to 2022 of Aligarh city, Uttar Pradesh, India. The spatial pattern of LST indicates that the areas having water bodies and dense vegetation are colder such as the Aligarh Muslim University Campus and the catchment of Ganga canal areas, whereas the areas of high urbanization and bare grounds reflect high LST trends. Study finds a positive correlation of LST with NDBI (R2-0.56), NDBaI (R2-0.22) and NDWI (R2-0.22), whereas a negative correlation with NDVI (R2-0.35), MNDWI (R2-0.36) and NMDI (R2-0.41). Land use land cover (LULC)-based change detection in land cover classes was found consistent with the obtained results for spectral indices and LST patterns in the study area. Finally, the cross-validation using Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis-based products of earth skin temperature and rainfall showed a good fit between observed and reanalysis products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh and northeast India are the most densely populated regions in the world where severe floods as a result of extreme rainfall events kill hundreds of people and cause socio‐economic losses regularly. Owing to local high topography, the moisture‐carrying monsoon winds converge near southeast Bangladesh (SEB) and northeast Bangladesh and India (NEBI), which produces significant extreme rainfall events from May to October. Using observed data, we find an increasing trend of 1‐day extreme event (>$$ > $$150 mm·$$ \cdotp $$day −1$$ {}^{-1} $$) frequency during 1950–2021. The extreme rainfall events quadrupled over western Meghalaya (affecting NEBI) and coastal SEB during this period. Composite analysis indicates that warm Bay of Bengal sea‐surface temperature intensifies the lower tropospheric moisture transport and flux through the low‐level jet (LLJ) to inland, where mountain‐forced moisture converges and precipitates as rainfall during extreme events. To understand the role of climate change, we use high‐resolution downscaled models from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6). We find that the monsoon extreme event increase is ongoing and the region of quadrupled events further extends over the NEBI and SEB in the future (2050–2079) compared with historical simulations (1950–1979). A quadrupling of the intense daily moisture transport episodes due to increased LLJ instability, a northward shift of LLJ, and increased moisture contribute to the increased future extreme events. This dynamic process causes moisture to be transported to the NEBI from the southern Bay of Bengal, and the local thermodynamic response to climate change contributes to the increased extreme rainfall events. The CMIP6 projection indicates that more devastating flood‐causing extreme rainfall events will become more frequent in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the nexus between oil prices (Oil) and economic output (IIP) asymmetrically in the Indian context using quarterly data from 1996–1997:Q1 to 2019–2020:Q4. To this end, we have used a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model. The main findings of the study are as follows—firstly, the Wald test confirms the nonlinearities among the negative and positive shocks in Oil, EX and IR in the long run. Secondly, the NARDL model reveals that negative shock in oil price stimulate the IIP, whereas positive shock in Oil fails to influence IIP. The positive shock in EX strengthens the Indian economy by having a positive and significant impact on IIP, while the negative shock in EX is insignificant. The positive and negative shocks in IR negatively impact IIP in the long run. The study demonstrates that Oil, EX and IR exert asymmetric pressure on IIP in the long run. Concisely, India's economic output is more responsive to oil prices decrease than oil prices increase. Therefore, the asymmetric oil prices‐economic output nexus has substantial policy implications, particularly for prudent energy policy in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, titled "Poems toward the ethnography of a moment," explores the concept of ethnography through three poems. The first poem, "Bus to Fatehpur," captures the author's experiences during fieldwork in northern India, conveying the diverse voices and concerns that emerge during a bus ride. The second poem, "In the Realm of the Saints," reflects the author's participation in a devotional singing ritual at a shrine, drawing inspiration from the work of poet Arun Kolatkar. The third poem, "To fellow merchants of experience," delves into the author's skepticism about the adequacy and value of ethnographic practice, focusing on an encounter with an elderly Dalit plaintiff. Through these poems, the author aims to provide a nuanced understanding of ethnographic moments and the complexities of human interactions. [Extracted from the article]

People may evaluate the same level of performance differently because of different biases. The study explores the possible effects of anti-/pro-public-sector bias on perceived performance and fairness in South Asian countries. Using a survey experiment involving a vignette of identical performance (same level of performance) in public and private hospitals, the study finds lower perceived performance in Bangladesh for the public hospitals due to anti-public-sector bias. However, such an effect was not found in other South Asian countries. Rather, the study finds that in India and Sri Lanka, people assessed greater fairness in public hospitals than in private hospitals for the same quality of services. This assessment of fairness may result from pro-public sector bias. Thus, the evaluation of organizational performance can be shaped by sectoral biases, and people may report different levels of performance for identical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The study assessed gustatory functions in patients with primary hypothyroidism who are euthyroid on supplemental hormone therapy with levothyroxine over six months' duration and to evaluate the association of gustatory dysfunction, if any, with the serum TSH levels. Design: This analytical community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2021, following participants' ethical approval and written informed consent. Setting: The study was conducted in a tertiary health care centre in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Participants: Sixty-eight subjects participated in this study: 34 primary hypothyroid patients and an equal number of healthy controls. Interventions: Gustatory sensations were assessed by the triple drop test, and scores were given depending on the identification of the tastants (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter). The taste scores were compared, and the association between TSH levels and gustatory parameters were evaluated. Results: Overall taste scores were lesser in hypothyroid patients. This finding depicted that their taste thresholds were increased and were statistically significant (p < 0.001), though the association between the degree of hypogeusia and TSH levels was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Patients with primary hypothyroidism can suffer from hypogeusia, which may revert to normal once they achieve euthyroid status with levothyroxine supplementation. However, this has not been conclusively shown in studies. Our study concluded that hypogeusia was present in primary hypothyroidism despite patients being euthyroid on hormone supplementation, and it was not dependent on the serum TSH levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment output affects soil health maintenance, reservoir sustainability, environmental contamination, and natural resource preservation. Three different algorithms, the artificial neural networks-radial basis function (ANN-RBF), Artificial Neural Networks-Multilayer Perceptron, M5P tree, were used for this purpose in the Narmada river watersheds, India. For this purpose, fifteen different scenarios are considered as inputs to the models. For selecting the best-fit model, the performance of selected models was evaluated using performance criteria such as root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and coefficient of determination (R2). The results indicated that the ANN-RBF models outperformed the other models in terms of accuracy, with RMSE, MAE and R2 of 26.72, 19.84 and 0.98, respectively. The current study's findings support the applicability of the proposed methodology for modeling the sediment yield index and encourage the use of these methods in alternative hydrological modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has persisted as the world's leading infectious killer disease. Globally, around 19.3 million women in the reproductive age group are suffering from HIV, and most of these women are capable of transmitting this infection to their babies. Although pregnancy does not have an adverse effect on the natural history of HIV infection in women, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has become a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in some areas as the epidemic progresses. Aim: To assess the impact of HIV infection on maternal health, the risk of vertical transmission, and neonatal complications. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India between March 1, 2021, and August 31, 2022. The study population comprised all pregnant patients with a known positive HIV status or those diagnosed newly during routine antenatal screening at the antenatal Outpatient Department (OPD) and Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission of HIV (PPTCT) clinic, or attending obstetric emergency. After registering in the antenatal clinic, they underwent all routine investigations, including baseline CD4 count, husband's HIV status, screening for other sexually transmitted diseases, and initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). Maternal and perinatal outcomes, such as maternal complications, risk of vertical transmission, gestational age at birth, and birth weight of the baby, were assessed throughout the antenatal period and up to six weeks post-delivery. Data were entered into a Microsoft Excel datasheet and analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 software. Categorical data were represented in the form of frequencies and proportions. Chi-square test was used for significance testing, with a p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Out of a total of 15,087 deliveries during the study period, 55 were HIV-positive cases, with a prevalence of 0.36%. Both vaginal delivery and cesarean section showed almost similar vertical transmission rates in the newborns, i.e., 4 (14%) and 4 (17%), respectively. Opportunistic infection rates were significantly higher in mothers with lower CD4 counts (<200). Mothers receiving regular ART treatment showed a lower incidence of perinatal complications, such as neonatal sepsis, perinatal asphyxia, convulsions, or perinatal death, i.e., 6 (13.63%), compared to those not on treatment, 8 (72.72%) (p-value=0.005475). Higher rates of vertical transmission were observed in patients with significantly lower Cluster of Differentiation 4 (CD4) counts, 5 (71%) versus 3 (6.8%) (p-value=0.00001). Conclusion: Pregnancy outcomes in terms of maternal risks of infection, risk of vertical transmission, preterm births, foetal deaths, and neonatal complications can be significantly improved by early diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection. Proper antenatal care, early detection, initiation of antiretroviral drugs, and patient compliance with the multidrug regimen are the mainstay of feto-maternal well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Jaundice complicates 3 to 5% of pregnancies and is one of the important causes of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is responsible for approximately 10% of maternal deaths. Aim: To study the prevalence of jaundice in pregnancy, evaluate the important causes of jaundice encountered in pregnancy, and study the effects of jaundice during pregnancy on both maternal and foetal outcomes. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, from March 1, 2021, to August 31, 2022. A total of 90 cases of pregnancy with jaundice were included in the present study. Detailed history, clinical examination, laboratory investigations, diagnosis, management, and outcomes in terms of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality were recorded. Data were analysed using the Chi-square test, with a statistical significance level set at p<0.05. Results: The total number of deliveries was 20,087, out of which 90 (0.45%) patients had jaundice. The prevalence of jaundice in pregnancy was 4.5 per 1000. The aetiologies of jaundice were viral hepatitis in 23 cases (25.55%), followed by intrahepatic cholestasis in 22 cases (24.44%), preeclampsia in 13 cases (13.33%), and Haemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelets (HELLP) syndrome in 6 cases (6.66%). There were 12 (13.33%) maternal deaths and 17 (18.88%) neonatal deaths. Two (2.22%) babies were stillborn, and 1 (1.11%) case experienced Intrauterine Foetal Death (IUFD). The maternal death rate due to HELLP syndrome was 66.66% (4 deaths out of 6 cases). Conclusion: Viral hepatitis is the most common cause of jaundice in pregnancy. Although viral hepatitis due to the faecooral route is more common in India, the present study showed that Hepatitis B is more common during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most cases, cancer develops due to abnormal cell growth and subsequent tumour formation. Due to significant constraints with current treatments, natural compounds are being explored as potential alternatives. There are now around 30 natural compounds under clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. Tulsi, or Holy Basil, of the genus Ocimum, is one of the most widely available and cost-effective medicinal plants. In India, the tulsi plant has deep religious and medicinal significance. Tulsi essential oil contains a valuable source of bioactive compounds, such as camphor, eucalyptol, eugenol, alpha-bisabolene, beta-bisabolene, and beta-caryophyllene. These compounds are proposed to be responsible for the antimicrobial properties of the leaf extracts. The anticancer effects of tulsi (Ocimum sanctum L.) have earned it the title of "queen of herbs" and "Elixir of Life" in Ayurvedic treatment. Tulsi leaves, which have high concentrations of eugenol, have been shown to have anticancer properties. In a various cancers, eugenol exerts its antitumour effects through a number of different mechanisms. In light of this, the current review focuses on the anticancer benefits of tulsi and its primary phytoconstituent, eugenol, as apotential therapeutic agent against a wide range of cancer types. In recent years, tulsi has gained popularity due to its anticancer properties. In ongoing clinical trials, a number of tulsi plant compounds are being evaluated for their potential anticancer effects. This article discusses anticancer, chemopreventive, and antioxidant effects of tulsi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A multicentric community-based screening to determine prevalence of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome was undertaken in India. This article aims to describe the challenges faced at one site and strategies adopted to mitigate them. Material and Methods: Eligible women were enrolled at household-level and investigated for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome diagnosis as per Rotterdam criteria. Challenges faced were documented and alternate strategies were adopted. Results: Challenges ranged from identifying women as per the polling booth list, enrolling them, and getting them investigated. COVID-19 pandemic added to the challenges. Involving health system workforce, gaining community support, flexible timings, and alternate strategies for investigation including COVID-19 appropriate safety measures helped mitigate some of the challenges. Conclusion: Unforeseen challenges may crop up in community-based studies, like the ones faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Planning, strategizing, using technology to keep communications on, and finding out of the box and amicable solutions for bottlenecks may help mitigate challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Snake bites are a common cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in tropical countries. Snake bites in any community are managed based on the clinical features and intravenous administration of antisnake venom (ASV). The administration of ASV is either deficient or given in excess based on clinical decisions and whole blood clotting test results. The present study is designed to analyze the level of snake venom component in the blood of snake bite in association with the clinical features. Patients and methods: Blood samples were collected from the patients admitted to Karnataka Institute of Medical (KIMS) hospital with a history of snakebite considering the inclusion criteria. Serum was collected from the blood of snakebite patients before and after ASV and used to assess the level of venom-specific phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzyme using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results: Quantitative ELISA results revealed that the snake venom-specific PLA2 in the victim's blood was in the range of 0.3-1.27 mg/mL before the administration of ASV. However, the concentration of PLA2 after 24 hours of ASV administration was decreased in most of the patients. Further, it was observed that envenomation complications were directly proportional to the amount of snake venom-specific PLA2 found in the blood of the snakebite patient. Conclusions: The study concludes that snake venom-specific PLA2 in the blood of snakebite patients could be used as a reliable venom marker, which helps in determination of appropriate ASV dosage in snakebite patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In India, due to a lack of population-level financial risk protection mechanisms, the expenditure on healthcare is primarily out-of-pocket in nature. Through Drug Price Control Orders (DPCOs), the Indian Government attempts to keep medicine prices under check. The aim of this study was to measure the potential impact of DPCO 2013 on the utilization of antibiotics under price regulation in India using large nationally representative pharmaceutical sales data. Methods: We used interrupted time series analysis, a quasi-experimental research design to estimate the impact of DPCO 2013 on the utilization of antibiotics in the private sector in India. Indian pharmaceutical sales data set, PharmaTrac from a market research company—All Indian Origin Chemists and Distributors Limited—was used for the study. The data are collected from a panel of around 18,000 stockists across 23 different regions of the country. The primary outcome measure is the percentage change (increase or decrease) in the sales volume of the antibiotics under DPCO 2013, measured in standard units (SUs). Results: Our estimates suggest that post-intervention (after notification of DPCO 2013) there was an immediate reduction (level change) in the sales of antibiotics under DPCO 2013 by 3.7% (P > 0.05), followed by a sustained decline (trend change) of 0.3% (P > 0.05) as compared to the pre-intervention trend at the molecule level, but both changes were statistically insignificant. However, in terms of 'average monthly market share,' the DPCO 2013 notification resulted in a sharp reduction of 579% (P < 0.05) (level change) followed by a sustained increase of 9.5% (P > 0.05) (trend change) in the 'market share of antibiotics under DPCO' as compared to pre-intervention trend. Conclusions: The impact of DPCO 2013 in terms of the overall increase in the utilization of antibiotics under price regulation was limited but there was a switch from non-price controlled antibiotics to price regulated antibiotics (notified under DPCO 2013). We argue that policies on price control need to be complemented with continuous monitoring of market behavior to have a measurable and long-term impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this research is to generate new evidence on the economic consequences of multimorbidity on households in terms of out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures and their implications for catastrophic OOP expenditure.Methods: We analyzed Social Consumption Health data from National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) 75th round conducted in the year 2017-2018 in India. The sample included 1,13,823 households (64,552 rural and 49,271 urban) through a multistage stratified random sampling process. Prevalence of multimorbidity and related OOP expenditure were estimated. Using Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) we estimated the mean OOP expenditure for individuals reporting multimorbidity and single morbidity for each episode of outpatient visits and hospital admission. We also estimated implications in terms of catastrophic OOP expenditure for households.Results: Results suggest that outpatient OOP expenditure is invariably lower in the presence of multimorbidity as compared with single conditions of the selected Non-Communicable Diseases(NCDs) (overall, INR 720 [USD 11.3] for multimorbidity vs. INR 880 [USD 14.8] for single). In the case of hospitalization, the OOP expenditures were mostly higher for the same NCD conditions in the presence of multimorbidity as compared with single conditions, except for cancers and cardiovascular diseases. For cancers and cardiovascular, OOP expenditures in the presence of multimorbidity were lower by 39% and 14% respectively). Furthermore, around 46.7% (46.674-46.676) households reported incurring catastrophic spending (10% threshold) because of any NCD in the standalone disease scenario which rose to 63.3% (63.359-63.361) under the multimorbidity scenario. The catastrophic implications of cancer among individual diseases was the highest.Conclusions: Multimorbidity leads to high and catastrophic OOP payments by households and treatment of high expenditure diseases like cancers and cardiovascular are under-financed by households in the presence of competing multimorbidity conditions. Multimorbidity should be considered as an integrated treatment strategy under the existing financial risk protection measures (Ayushman Bharat) to reduce the burden of household OOP expenditure at the country level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social capital, defined as the nature of the social relationship and the resources embedded within the social network of an individual or community, influences how individuals within a group interact and collaborate within their communities or organizations. While it is acknowledged that social capital can be drawn from as a coping strategy to mitigate financial stress, there is a notable absence of the lived experience in the literature on how social capital influences households to tap resources from their social network. We have investigated the role of social capital in healthcare financing in rural Uttar Pradesh, India, highlighting the challenges faced by households in managing healthcare expenses. We took a qualitative research approach, conducting in-depth interviews with 24 households in the Hardoi District of Uttar Pradesh in August 2017 to explore participants' lived experience of accruing support from their community during their healthcare crisis. Data analysis followed a thematic content analysis approach. The study finds that households leverage social capital for both financial and non-financial support during health crises. Social networks, trust, and community cohesion play critical roles in resource acquisition. However, overreliance on social capital can be coercive, leading to inequity, privacy invasion, and dependency. Though social capital serves as a crucial resource of support in healthcare emergencies, its unequal distribution and potential for misuse highlight the need for more structured health financing policies in India. The findings underscore the importance of integrating community-driven resources into broader health financing strategies, considering local social structures and community dynamics. • Rural Indian families from Uttar Pradesh use social capital to fund health cost. • Social capital impacts equal access to community resources during a health crisis. • Community's contribution included financial, logistical, and emotional support. • Reciprocal trust catalyzes a cycle of social cohesion and continuous mutual support. • Excessive reliance on social capital may coerce or invade privacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The high incidence of acute respiratory infection (ARI)-related morbidity and mortality is a major public health concern in developing countries. This study aimed to quantify regional inequalities and the degree of association between childhood ARI and background factors. Methods: This study utilised information of 238 945 children aged below five years extracted from the Fourth Indian National Family Health Survey conducted in 2015–16. Inter-state and regional inequality in the prevalence of ARI were quantified and presented using a map of India and forest plot. The association of background characteristics and ARI was quantified using bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression models. Results: Significant inequalities in the prevalence of childhood ARI were observed across the six regions of India. Considering the children from north-east region as a reference, those from north, central and east regions were 0.68, 1.02 and 0.57 times more likely to suffer from ARI. Comorbidity, sex, age and nutritional status of children were significantly associated with the prevalence of ARI. Conclusions: ARI remains a significant public health concern among Indian children. The results of this study showed that significant regional disparities in the prevalence of ARI exist in India. This study adds value to the better understanding of inequality patterns and quantifies within- and intra-region inequalities in the prevalence of ARI in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, chemotherapy (CT) has evolved as an essential therapeutic modality for cancer, with oral manifestations frequently encountered as complications of cancer CT. Our study aimed to assess the prevalence of oral complications during CT and evaluate the significance of independent risk factors (age, gender, socio-economic status, oral hygiene practices etc). A cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary cancer hospital in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, in which a total of 138 hospitalized patients undergoing CT and fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. Comprehensive history and rigorous clinical examination eliciting the oral manifestations were carried out. Around 60% of patients exhibited oral manifestations. Xerostomia and lichenoid reactions were the highest and lowest recorded manifestations. Higher frequencies of oral lesions occurred in patients with breast cancer, TNM stage III, and with the administration of the docetaxel. Also, patients in the older age group, poor socio-economic status, poor quality of life, poor oral hygiene practices, and longer CT duration demonstrated more oral lesions. Individuals subjected to a dental evaluation either before or during CT exhibited a reduction in the number of oral features. Several oral complications were reported in the present study. All patients undergoing chemotherapy must receive reinforcement of oral hygiene instructions and dental evaluation before, during, and after chemotherapy treatment. The study also emphasizes the importance of oral health physician inclusion in the multidisciplinary cancer treatment team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diagnostic criterion for abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT) in pregnancy is still under debate. This study aims to see the diagnostic efficiency of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group of India (DIPSI) criterion in context to World Health Organization (WHO) 2013 criterion for detection of AGT in pregnancy. Methods: Pregnant mothers (n = 231; age, 26.07 ± 5.21 years; body mass index (BMI), 25.00 ± 4.09 kg/m2; mean ± SD) were screened for AGT including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and diabetes in pregnancy (DIP) from July 2016 to July 2017 in the "GDM Clinic" of BSMMU following WHO 2013 and DIPSI protocol with an interval of 3–5 days in between. Out of 231 mothers, 204 completed both procedures. Diagnostic efficiency of DIPSI criterion was assessed in the light of WHO 2013 criterion. Results: Out of 204 mothers, 61 (29.9%) had AGT (GDM = 55, DIP = 6) according to WHO 2013 criterion whereas only 36 (17.6%) had AGT (GDM = 33, DIP = 3) by DIPSI criterion. Among participants, age (25.50 ± 5.11 vs. 27.39 ± 5.28, p = 0.018) and BMI (24.50 ± 3.92 vs. 26.31 ± 4.41, p = 0.003) were significantly higher in AGT group than the group with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).Holding WHO 2013 criterion as gold standard, specificity of DIPSI criterion was very high (93.70%), but sensitivity was relatively low (44.26%). There was a fair agreement between the two criteria (kappa = 0.43; p < 0.001). The 2-h glucose values in same subjects were found to be lower when tested for DIPSI criterion protocol in comparison to that WHO 2013 protocol. Conclusion: DIPSI criterion seems to be less sensitive in context to WHO 2013 criterion for detection of AGT in pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Optimal renewable energy source in India is selected using a robust decision making approach. • Ten criteria and four renewable energy sources are considered. • Weights of the criteria are determined using Entropy and CRITIC methods. • Renewable energy sources are ranked using PIV, MABAC, MARCOS, WASPAS, MOORA, EDAS, GRA and TOPSIS methods. • Robustness and stability of the ranking results are evaluated through sensitivity analysis. The evaluation of alternate energy sources to select an appropriate one has always been an important matter of consideration for investors and project engineers, especially for developing countries like India. This necessitates the need for a robust approach where the scope of the decision making process increases and the results can be analysed through different perspectives in scrutiny. This study presents a novel robust approach to assist in the decision making process in the field of sustainable energy and uses India as a case study to define the scope for India's renewable energy development. It implements Entropy and CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation criteria weighting methods and eight distinct multi criteria decision making methods to rank the renewable energy sources so as to select the optimal one. The ranking results establish solar to be the best alternative for energy production in India. Wind and biomass stand at second and third places interchangeably in the aggregate rankings obtained in the case of Entropy and CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation weights, whereas hydro is ranked last. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is carried out to check the influence of the criteria weights on the decision, and to measure the stability and robustness of the methods used in this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Indian adolescents experience body dissatisfaction. However, empirically supported interventions are lacking, particularly in lower socio-economic regions of India. This paper describes the acceptability testing of a six-session teacher-led comics-based intervention, aiming to improve body image and related outcomes among adolescents in Indian Hindi medium schools. Methods: Thirty-five students (50% girls; M age, girls = 12.3 years; M age, boys = 13 years) and nine teachers (11% women) from Hindi medium schools in Rajasthan, India, completed a quantitative acceptability questionnaire regarding comics that target body dissatisfaction and associated risk factors. They also participated in online or telephone semi-structured interviews to share in-depth feedback, with teachers providing additional feedback on an accompanying teacher guide. The quantitative data were analysed descriptively, with the interviews analysed using qualitative codebook thematic analysis. Results: Quantitative analyses revealed that 73% of students felt the comics made them feel good about themselves. Qualitative analyses revealed four themes: (1) body dissatisfaction is a concern; (2) the comics are powerful; (3) increasing ease of understanding; (4) a teacher guide to aid delivery. Conclusion: This study demonstrates acceptability of a novel teacher-led comics-based body image intervention for adolescents in Indian Hindi medium schools from lower socio-economic settings. These findings are currently informing intervention optimizations, which will be evaluated in a randomized controlled effectiveness trial. If found to be effective, this intervention will be disseminated across eight Indian states by UNICEF. Trial registration. This trial has been registered with ClinicalTrials.gov; a database of privately and publicly funded studies conducted around the world. Registration date: 2nd May 2020; Registration ID: (NCT04317755). https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04317755?term=NCT04317755&draw=2&rank=1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study attempts to assess the composition, abundance and diversity of avifauna with respect to their habitat in and around the Purbasthali wetland, based on both primary data collected through the point count method during 2017–2019 and literature data. Among the total 77 species (encompassing 10 orders and 19 families), 39 species are migrants, 18 are rare and 24 species show declining global trend. According to their habitat, they are sub-divided into three categories i.e. waterfowls (live in open water, 20 species), waders (live in bank areas/water edge area, 45 species) and wetland associated (live in nearby trees, 12 species). The Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H') and the Evenness Index (E') are used to examine the diversity within and between the habitats. The result reveals higher diversity and evenness of the waders in comparison to others. The maximum diversity (H′=3.02) and evenness (E′=0.79) has been recorded for the waders in 2019, whereas the least values (H′=1.02, E′=0.34) have been found in 2016 for the waterfowls. Relative Diversity Index affirms the dominance of the Anatidae family. The birds of the area have now been seriously threatened by human intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of hypertension in India is on the rise with 25% of urban and 10% of the rural population being affected by it. The present study compared the effectiveness of Telmisartan, Olmesartan, and Nebivolol in essential hypertension. Materials & Methods: 78 patients of essential hypertension of both genders were divided into 3 groups of 26 each. Group I patients received tablet Olmesartan (20 mg once a day), group II received tablet Telmisartan (40 mg once a day) and group III received tablet Nebivolol (5 mg once a day). All the patients were given medication for 2 weeks. Results: Group I had 14 males and 12 females, group II had 15 males and 11 females and group III had 13 males and 13 females. The mean SBP (mm Hg) was 145.2, 146.7, and 147.3, DBP (mm Hg) was 95.4, 94.2, and 93.1, FBGL (mg/dl) was 86.3, 92.1, and 93.8, TC (mg/dl) was 160.3, 164.2, and 158.3, TG (mg/dl) was 124.6, 120.4, and 120.9, VLDL (mg/dl) was 23.6, 24.2, and 24.9, HDL (mg/dl) was 47.6, 45.6, and 47.0, LDL (mg/dl) was 87.4, 94.2, and 88.4 in group I, II and III respectively. There was a significant difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure recorded at baseline, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks (P< 0.05). Conclusion:All drugs were comparable in controlling blood pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is home to the most significant number of tuberculosis (TB) cases around the globe. The COVID-19 crisis has deeply perturbed most of the essential TB services in India. Regulating TB is difficult in a densely populated country like India due to latent TB infection in millions of Indians, which can reactivate at any point in the future. Due to the ongoing pandemic, healthcare workers have been diverted to activities implemented for effective COVID-19 management, leaving a meager workforce to help deal with TB management. Integrating TB and COVID-19 to augment India's health outreach is the need of the hour to diminish the effect of the COVID-19 crisis on TB. Increasing overall testing capacity, active screening, implementation of strategies for easy identification of TB hotspots, and ensuring uninterrupted drug supply for treatment through heedful planning of local and regional distribution and transportation will especially help cater to the vulnerable population who are at a high risk of suffering from adverse outcomes of TB. Lessons learnt in the battle against COVID-19 can most definitely help in providing insights to fulfill the goal of eliminating TB from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monetary policy framework of India has undergone several transformations reflecting underlying macroeconomic and financial conditions as also the dominant socio‐politico‐economic paradigm. The present study makes pertinent commentary notes on different monetary policy approaches, including, for instance, the era of development planning, the era of monetarism, the era of multiple indicator approach, and the era of inflation targeting in India along with their respective advantages and disadvantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The global pandemic of the COVID-19 and the subsequent nationwide lockdown have put the endeavours of both academicians and students to the test. The disruptions are even visible in andragogical approaches across higher education institutions both nationally and internationally. Two government-funded universities in India and Bangladesh have decided to explore avenues to switch to an alternative e-platform overcoming the challenges of traditional classroom teaching. The business management faculties of both universities exercise blended learning modules using a design thinking approach. Methods. This exploratory case study involves university students and teachers reflecting on the knowledge delivery mechanism in a collaborative online workspace called the virtual classroom. The authors have adopted the case method to identify evidence-based practices improving learning gains. This case is motivated by the profound idea of learning continuity where the agenda of teaching-learning should remain status quo as much as possible, even under the constrained situation. Results and conclusions. This study confirms that the use of curriculum-based blended learning modules applying a design thinking approach is gaining momentum to offer courses in which videoconferencing is a useful tool as an addition to present methods of teaching inside the classroom, to strengthen learning and to inspire students to practice learning. Acceptance of technology has made learning accessible and pervasive, bridging the digital divide. Originality. It is a pioneering effort to measure the effectiveness of the online learning of two public-funded universities across borders with similar demographics and challenges. This case makes an original contribution through its observation that even the traditional and public-funded universities erstwhile functioning through purely offline mode are gradually switching to online mode. This case also highlights the imminent need for policymakers to augment and integrate blended learning tools with design thinking approaches for tertiary education to reduce the intermittent use of technology, thereby assuring higher learning gain for the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In addition to the overwhelming and uncontrollable second wave of COVID‐19 in India, the country is also dealing with an outbreak of mucormycosis, a deadly fungal infection, which is affecting thousands of COVID‐19 patients. With the increasing number of cases of mucormycosis and a fatality rate of 50%, many Indian states and union territories have declared an epidemic of black fungus due to its unprecedented emergence, which has adversely affected the already debilitated health system of the country. The advent of the new fungal epidemic in the country is due to the overdosage, panic and injudicious use of corticosteroids among COVID‐19 patients, as well as their pre‐existing medical history of diabetes, given that India is the diabetes capital of the world. Thus, there is an urgent need to address this public health concern by having nationwide surveillance, diagnostic and management system of the disease, along with public awareness and education to combat the syndemic of COVID‐19 and mucormycosis in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT) is a major and unique initiative for professional development in Library and Information Science (LIS), using Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform called SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) of Government of India. Learners who find it difficult to spare time for regular physical learning may use this platform for professional development and career progression. With the advantage of this platform, a new course, i.e., Emerging Trends & Technologies in Library & Information Services (ETTLIS), has been launched with National Resource Centre in Library and Information Science (NRC) at Central Library, IIT Delhi. People might be thinking that the role and prospects of library professionals are diminishing. However, we can say that they are becoming more important provided they are keeping pace with emerging trends & technologies in LIS and willing to go out of the box. ETTLIS course has been designed to make learners aware of new trends, technologies, and developments in the field of library systems and services. The paper is aimed to highlight this course and its useful contents to every library professional through SWAYAM and its YouTube Channel to help in professional development and career progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tibetan Buddhism is a doctrine that is based on the Vajrāyana of Buddhism, whose foundation was laid in Tibetan geography but eventually reached countries such as China and India. Tibetan Buddhism, which emerged as a result of the synthesis of Bon religion and Shamanist elements in response to Buddhism, attaches importance to tantras composed of speeches whose origin is attributed to Buddha. Tibetan Buddhism, also known as Tantric Buddhism, Esoteric Buddhism, or Secret Buddhism, has an understanding that attaches importance to ceremonies, symbols and prayers. Tibetan Buddhism introduced the formulas of magic to Buddhism. The species that enrich Buddhism in terms of magic are mantras and dhāranīs. These texts, known as the magic formula, take place in Buddhist sūtra and make their believes comfortable by promising long life, rebirth, peace and health. Tantric Turk Buddhism, on the other hand, corresponds to the Tantric Buddhist understanding that the Uyghurs put forward based on Tibetan Buddhism during the Yuan dynasty. One of the most important concepts of Tibetan Buddhism, the Tantra understanding, Uyghurs who turn to formulas, 13-14. century, mainly contributed to this field with religious works translated from Tibetan. Among the texts of this field, the most well-known texts are Unnīna Vijayā Dhāranī Sūtra and Sitātapatrādhāranī which are the source of our study. In this study, the views of the concepts of mantra and dhāranī, which are concrete evidence to show the magic direction of Buddhism through these texts, have been tried to determine the religious value of these terms in line with the promised life style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key objective of this research was to generate new evidence on outpatient antibiotic prescription rate and patterns in the private sector in India. We used 12-month period (May 2013 to April 2014) medical audit dataset from IQVIA (formerly IMS Health). We coded the diagnosis provided in the medical audit data to International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) and the prescribed antibiotics for the diagnosis to Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification of World Health Organization (ATC index-2016). We calculated and reported antibiotic prescription rate per 1,000 persons per year, by age groups, antibiotic class and disease conditions. Our main findings are—approximately 519 million antibiotic prescriptions were dispensed in the private sector, which translates into 412 prescriptions per 1,000 persons per year. Majority of the antibiotic prescriptions were dispensed for acute upper respiratory infections (J06) (20.4%); unspecified acute lower respiratory infection (J22) (12.8%); disorders of urinary system (N39) (6.0%); cough (R05) (4.7%); and acute nasopharyngitis (J00) (4.6%) and highest antibiotic prescription rates were observed in the age group 0–4 years. To conclude our study reports first ever country level estimates of antibiotic prescription by antibiotic classes, age groups, and ICD-10 mapped disease conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in India and worldwide. Evidence indicates that Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and atypical bacteria are encountered with near-equal frequency. Despite guideline recommendations and antibiotic options for the management of CABP, burden of morbidity and mortality is high, which is attributable to a variety of factors. Failure of empirical therapy, probably because of insufficient microbial coverage, increasing bacterial resistance, and adverse effects of existing treatments, underlies the unsuccessful treatment of CABP, especially in India. Multiple novel therapies that have entered clinical development phases have potential to address some of these issues. This article discusses the current treatment guidelines in CABP, management limitations, and emerging potential treatment options in the management of CABP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study empirically examines the cointegrating relationship among variables, viz. carbon emission, economic growth, square of economic growth, primary energy supply, financial development and trade openness in India, with a view to validate the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The results based on ARDL bounds testing approach to cointegration find no credence to EKC hypothesis, for the period 1971–2016. This indicates that the relationships between carbon emission and economic growth are not significant, and therefore, the EKC hypothesis does not hold in the case of India. Furthermore, the study establishes a significant positive relationship between energy supply and carbon emission. A proportionate increase in energy supply causes more than proportionate increase in carbon emission. In order to cope up with the positive impact of energy on carbon emission, the study suggests that the country needs to expedite the process of enhancing the capacity of renewable and clean energy generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We sought to describe the epidemiological and clinical features of typhoid fever in Qatar. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of adult patients treated for typhoid fever at Hamad General Hospital and Alkhor Hospital between 2005 and 2012. Results: The mean age of the 354 patients enrolled in the study was 28.4±9.3 years; 296 (83.6%) were males. There were 42, 48, 39, 44, 46, 47, 52, and 36 cases of adults with typhoid fever in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively. Overall, 343 (96.9%) patients had a history of travel to endemic areas. Among them, 93.0% acquired typhoid fever in the Indian subcontinent. Fever was observed in all cases, and the other predominant symptoms were abdominal pain (38.1%), diarrhea (35.6%), and headache (33.1%). Salmonella typhi, showed high resistance to ciprofloxacin (n = 163; 46.0%), and low resistance to ceftriaxone (n = 2; 0.6%). Four patients developed intestinal perforation, which was surgically repaired in two cases. Two patients (0.6%) died. Conclusions: Typhoid fever was frequent among immigrants to endemic areas. Travelers returning from endemic areas with suspected typhoid fever should be treated empirically with third-generation cephalosporin after obtaining appropriate cultures. Moreover, preventive measurements such as education on food and water hygiene, and effective vaccination of travelers should be practiced widely among travelers to endemic areas to reduce morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Acute gastroenteritis due to Rotavirus (RV) infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in infants and young children worldwide. In India, around 0.1 million death reported annually due to RV illness. So, to assess the disease burden continuous surveillance of the circulating genotypes is needed. This study aimed to ascertain the genetic variance of 429 rotavirus positive specimens observed during the period October 2013–September 2014 at four study centers from North India. Out of 1057 patients enrolled, 1018 stool samples were collected at four centers in four different states of North India. Children aged <5 years who showed the symptoms of severe diarrhea and needed hospitalization were enrolled. The stool samples collected were screened by Enzyme Immuno Assay (EIA), and the RV positive samples were characterized by semi-nested PCR. During the study period October 2013 through September 2014, ~42% patients were found to be rotavirus positive of 1018 collected specimen. In Delhi, Rohtak and Meerut, we observed that Rotavirus is seasonal compared to Tanda (HP). The rate of rotavirus detection was significantly higher among children aged below 2 years, and a total of 21.5% of rotavirus infections comprised children aged <6 months. Genotype G1(48.0%) was predominant and frequently circulating strain whereas G12 (16.8%) and G9 (10.0%) was second and third prevalent strain in the four states of North India. High frequency of G1 genotypes was detected under the age group of 6–11 months which is followed by G12, similarly high rate severe disease was observed due to G1 genotypes followed by P[8], P[6] and G12. The most common types of strains were G1P[8] (27.73% of strains), G12P[6] (13.28%), G9P[4] (7.23%) and G1P[6] (6.75%). The rare strain reported were G1P[9]; P[11] strain was detected in combination with G1, G2, and G12. These data emphasized G12 is the second most predominant strain circulating among Northern Indian children highlights the needs for inclusion in the future polyvalent vaccine to break the burden of rotavirus infection. Highlights • Rotavirus was detected 42.1% (n = 429) in diarrheal children aged ≤ 5 years during the study period in North India. • The incidence of rotavirus infection in children was peaked at the age of ≤12 months (44.98%). • We have detected rare rotavirus strains G1P[9] (4/429, 0.9%), this is the first report in North India. • In this study we observed that G12 was the second most prevalent strain circulating in North Indian children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid PV/Thermal (PV/T) systems can generate both electrical and thermal energy simultaneously. These systems are already finding interesting applications in the fields of desalination, sensible heating/cooling and other allied industrial processes. An effective way to further improve the overall system efficiency is by using V-Trough’s to concentrate incoming sunlight and enhance the power output from these systems. In this work, we study the performance of a V-Trough PV/T system connected to a reverse osmosis plant in India. A coupled optical, electrical, and thermal model is presented and validated by experiments. The optical analysis was carried out while including the variations in suns altitude and zenith angle over the day. The impact of the variable inlet water temperature with time is included in the model. The performance of a V-Trough PV/T system is compared with a standard PV system. An average increase of 35% was observed in the electrical power output from the V-Trough PV/T system as compared to the conventional one, with the maximum being 63%. Using the water circulation, an average of 778 BTU/m 2 of thermal energy was extracted from the V-Trough PV/T system. A maximum temperature difference of 5.2 °C was observed in the feed water at the system outlet, this accounted for a maximum 1/3rd of the total energy recovery when using the V-Trough PV/T system. Feeding heated water to the RO unit in the PV-RO system helped in significantly increasing the quantity and quality of the permeate obtained from the system. A parametric study of the effect of varying mass flow rate on the performance of the system is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The emergence of strains resistant to methicillin and other antimicrobials has become a major concern, particularly in the hospital settings as MRSA infections are resistant to the majority of conventional antibiotics, possesing serious risks to hospitals and communities all over the world. Aim and Objectives: To study the prevalence and the molecular characterization of Mec A gene in MRSA isolates at a tertiary care centre, Uttar Pradesh, India. Material and Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted in the Department of Microbiology at a tertiary care centre, for a period of 1 year i.e, August 2022 to August 2023. A total of 682 clinical isolates was studied out of which 200 isolates of S. aureus were identified using the biochemical test from the clinical samples such as pus, swab, blood, wound and urine etc. The different Phenotypic Methods including Cefoxitin and Oxacillin Disc Diffusion test and the genotypic method including MecA gene detection for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates was performed. The DNA was extracted using the DNA extraction Qiagen Kit and the Mec A gene was detected by the PCR method. Results: In the present study a total of 42 MRSA isolates were identified by CX, OX, and E-test test phenotypically. The prevalence of MRSA was found to 21%. The maximum number of isolates were observed from the OPD ward with 38.5%. The ratio of the males 28 (66.6%) was more as compared to the females with 14 (33.3%) with the maximum age of 41-50 years being affected the most followed by 31-40 years and least in the age group of 61 years and above. The pus 47.6% was the most common isolate followed by the blood with 23.8% and least for urine and the body fluids 2.3%. All the MRSA isolates were found sensitive to linezolid, Teicoplanin, vancomycin, however all the isolates were recorded resistant with Cefoxitin and Oxacillin. The presence of MecA gene was recorded in all the 42 isolates of MRSA. The presence of MecA gene was confirmed by the PCR followed by sequencing assay. Conclusion: This study provides a clear guidance to effectively diagnose and measure MRSA infections in hospitals and communities. Future research could identify MRSA isolates with the help of the data produced in this investigation. For the control of antibiotic resistance, there is a need for ongoing monitoring and the deployment of effective control techniques where continuous surveillance, awareness of the incidence of MRSA, and upkeep of hygienic standards have been needed to reduce MRSA infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of Cu-induced toxicity on the growth, yield parameters, and Cu accumulation in the seeds of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) plants. In this experiment, plants grown in earthen pots filled with 3 kg of garden soil were contaminated with different dilutions (1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0) of Cu in millimoles (mM), except for the control. Growth, yield, and Cu bioaccumulation parameters were recorded and analyzed at the harvesting stage. Results revealed that all doses of Cu show a considerable negative effect on the growth and yield parameters of black cumin as the concentration of Cu increased in the soil and reduced all of the growth parameters significantly (p ≤ 0.05). With each Cu dose, the levels of chlorophyll a and b in the tissues of fresh leaves decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05). Fruit and seed yield also decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) from the lower to the higher dose of Cu (1.5 mM to 4.0 mM). Cu bioaccumulation levels in the seeds of all treated plants (Control to 4.0 mM Cu) are under the threshold limit for Cu set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and World Health Organization (WHO) for spices and are safe for human consumption. Finally, due to the low seed yield in Cu-contaminated soil, it is advised to farmers that Nigella sativa should not be grown in Cu-contaminated soil to avoid economic loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present piece of work was to development and validation of acculturative stress scale for within country migrated students in India. Following the incidental cum random sampling technique, 200 North Indian students within the age range of 18 to 24 years were drawn from the different institution of Warangal districts, Telangana, India to serve as participants in the present research work. Dimensions of acculturative stress were decided on the basis of the review of the literature on acculturative stress. Items were pooled out by unstructured interviews. Content validity was analysed by content validity index (CVI) suggested by (Lynn, 1986). The item analysis was done by corrected item-total correlation. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed for explored all possible factor. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to confirm explored factors. Moreover, reliability, convergent, discriminant and concurrent validities were also examined. EFA of 19-item pool yielded a 16-item measure with five independent dimensions. The items communalities ranges are greater than .400. Overall variance explained by all these factors is 63.50%. CFA also confirmed the explored all five factors from the EFA. The findings indicated that ASS-16 has sufficient convergent and discriminant validity. The composite reliability was more than .700 for each of the five factors. All five factors of the ASS-16 are significantly associated with criterion measure. It is concluded that there is sufficient empirical and statistical evidence of internal consistency and construct validity of ASS-16. The theoretical and practical issues have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Central Asian Strain1 (CAS1) genogroup of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is the most prevalent in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) typing is a reliable and reproducible method for differentiation of MTB isolates. However, information of its utility in determining the diversity of CAS1 strain is limited. We performed standard 12 loci based MIRU-VNTR typing on previously spoligotyped CAS1 strains and 'unique' strains in order to evaluate its discriminatory power for these isolates. Methods: Twelve loci based MIRU- VNTR typing was used to type178 CAS1 and 189 'unique' MTB strains. The discriminatory index for each of the loci was calculated using the Hunter Gaston Discriminatory Index (HGDI). A subset of these strains (n = 78) were typed using IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). MIRU-VNTR profiles were studied together with their drug susceptibility patterns. Results: A total of 349 MIRU patterns were obtained for the 367 strains tested. The CAS1 strains were subdivided into 160 distinct patterns; 15 clusters of 2 strains each, 1 cluster of four strains and 144 unique patterns. Using HGDI, seven MIRU loci, (numbers 26, 31, 27, 16, 10, 39, and 40) were found to be "highly discriminatory" (DI: =0.6), four MIRU loci (numbers 20, 24, 23, and 4) were "moderately discriminatory" (DI: 0.3-0.59), and one locus (number 2) was "poorly discriminatory" (DI< 0.3). Loci 26 and 31 were the most discriminatory for the CAS1 isolates. Amongst 'unique' strains in addition to loci 26, 31, 27, 16, 10, 39, and 40, locus 23 was highly discriminatory, while no locus was poorly discriminating. DI values for loci 4, 10 and 26 were significantly lower (P-value < .01) in CAS1 strains than in 'unique' strains. The association between CAS1 strains and MDR was not found to be significant (p value = 0.21). Conclusion: We propose that MIRU typing could be used to estimate the phylogenetic relatedness amongst prevalent CAS1 strains, for which MIRU loci 26, 31, 16, 10, 27, 39 and 40 were found to be the most discriminatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative study on Canine Parvovirus (CPV) infection among the hospitalized dogs at Central Veterinary Hospital (CVH) in Bangladesh and Veterinary College and Research Institute-Madras Veterinary College (VCRI-MVC) in India was conducted during a period of January and July 2015. A total of 270 (80 at CVH and 190 at VCRI-MVC) hospitalized dogs of different breeds were clinically examined. The key clinical signs observed among the CPV infected dogs were bloody diarrhoea (90.4%), vomition (94.5%) and dehydration (severe 85.7%, moderate 10.0% and mild 7.6%). The overall prevalence of CPV infection was higher in VCRI-MVC (42.7%) than CVH (31.2%). The prevalence of CPV was varied significantly (P<0.05) among different age groups, vaccinated and non-vaccinated dogs. Highest prevalence was found 1-3 months (48.7%) old dogs, in compare with 4-6 months (17.2%) and over 6 months (8.3%) old dogs. Highest prevalence was also found in nonvaccinated than vaccinated dogs at CVH, Bangladesh. In VCRI-MVC, India rate of infection also varied significantly (P<0.05) in different age groups (57.4%, 28.9%, 10.0% among 1-3 months, 4-6 months and> 6 months respectively) and 13.2% in vaccinated and 64.4% in non-vaccinated groups. Significant (P<0.05) variation in prevalence of CPV also observed in different breeds-indigenous (50.0%), Spitz (28.2%), Lhasa (18.1%), Doberman (40.0%) and German Shepherd (46.6%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinocerebellar ataxia 1 (SCA1) is a late-onset neurodegenerative disease caused by CAG (coding for glutamine) repeat expansions or polyglutamine (polyQ) aggregates in the ATXN1 gene. Apart from the causative CAG repeat expansions in the ATXN1 locus, environment and ethnicity have been hypothesized to affect clinical variability. This review brings together studies on SCA1 conducted in India and explores disease heterogeneity within the Indian population in general and within a cohort of SCA1 individuals in a South Indian village. The studies support existence of genetic factors in addition to CAG repeat sizes that are likely to influence SCA1 progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Natural products, especially those derived from plants, continue to provide new and important leads in the drug discovery process. The first step in drug discovery is to document material traditionally used to treat an ailment. Documentation of such knowledge will lead to its conservation and facilitate future research on medicinal plant safety and efficacy to validate traditional use. The present study was undertaken with an aim to document the ethnomedicinal plants of Kathua district. Material and methods The data were quantitatively analysed using indices like use-value (UV), informant consensus factor (ICF) and fidelity level (Fl). Results A total of 112 informants (78 males and 34 females) were interviewed. They were using a total of 197 plants from 87 families and 174 genera for the ethnomedicinal purposes. The most dominant families were Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Lamiaceae. The most important plants of the study site on the basis of use-value were Mentha longifolia , Curcuma domestica , Zingiber officinale , Ocimum tenuiflorum , Adiantum capillus-veneris , Viola odorata , Mentha arvensis and Acorus calamus . The diabetes treatment had the maximum consensus (0.96 ICF) among the informants. Other important categories with high ICF values were gastrointestinal disorders and respiratory disorders. Total 23 species recorded 100% Fl. Medicinal plants with high Fl were Brassica rapa , Plumbago zeylanica , Punica granatum , Catharanthus rosea , Tinospora cordifolia , Acacia catechu , Aegle marmelos , Abrus precatorius , Oxalis corniculata , Nicotiana plumbaginifolia , Achillea millefolium , Tamarindus indica , Taxus baccata and Butea monosperma . Conclusion The plants with high UV and Fl like M. longifolia , C. domestica , Z. officinale , O. tenuiflorum , A. capillus-veneris , A. calamus , B. rapa , P. zeylanica , C. rosea , T. cordifolia , A. catechu , O. corniculata , N. plumbaginifolia , A. millefolium , T. indica , T. baccata and B. monosperma should be analysed for pharmacological components and discovery of new drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the universal health coverage (UHC) which also is the theme of 2018 World Health Day. Topics disscussed include the two complementary schemes under the health mission 'Ayushman Bharat' launched by the Indian government, that are, Health and Wellness Centres and National Health Protection Scheme.

India and China have made sizeable growth in publishing science and engineering research papers in co-authorship with international institutions and patents granted in collaboration with foreign inventors during the period 1997-2012. However, the growth in case of China is much higher in comparison to India. The pace of growth in publishing research papers in co-authorship with international and domestic institutions is more or less the same in case of China, whereas India has shown higher growth in publishing research papers in co-authorship with international institutions in comparison to those with domestic institutions. The share of India and China to research papers published in co-authorship with international institutions increased from 1.8% and 4.1% respectively, in 1997 to 3.5% and 14.7% respectively in 2012. China's share to patents granted in collaboration with foreign inventors increased from 0.94% in 1997 to 13.68% in 2012, compared to an increase of 0.56% to 7.39% in case of India. The analysis shows that China has harnessed the fruit of its international cooperation in S&T to its advantage, as reflected by significant increase in research papers co-authored with international institutions and patents granted in collaboration with foreign inventors in comparison to India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses performance of scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) candidates in qualifying Council of Scientific and Industrial Research University Grants Commission (CSIR-UGC) National Eligibility Test to pursue doctoral research. It mentions various fellowship schemes provided by Indian government to ST and SC students to minimize their drop-out rate in higher education. It also mentions increase in profile of SC/ST candidates for junior research fellowship through CSIR.

Shale gas, despite being trapped in low permeability horizons, has gained a big boom in recent years that can be utilized to partially meet the ever increasing demands of the conventional natural gas. The major assets of hydrocarbon potential are widely distributed over India. The Brahmaputra valley of NE India, the Cambay region of Gujarat coast, the west coast offshore and the east coast offshore regions are the potential areas from where the maximum hydrocarbon is tapped. In India approximately two-third production is shared by the offshore regions while the rest is contributed by the onshore regions. The average annual production of oil and gas does not meet the demands hence, dependency lies more on imports. The projected demand may increase many fold by the end of this decade. The continuous increase in demand leaves no option except to enhance R&D activities in order to explore extensively for the unconventional resources namely Coal Bed Methane, Tight reservoirs, Shale Gas, Underground Coal Gasification, Gas Hydrates etc. Except the Coal Bed Methane and the Shale Gas, the knowledge and efforts towards other alternate resources are still in preliminary stage. The present study aims to highlight the importance of Shale Gas in filling the gap between demand and supply in the Cambay basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The suitability of inland saline water (ISW) from the Lahli-Baniyani Fish Farm, Rohtak was investigated for the larval rearing of giant freshwater prawn (GFP), Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Six experiments were conducted. In Experiment-I, 54% of the larvae metamorphosed to postlarvae (PL) in constituted seawater (CSW) whereas total mortality occurred at larval stages (LS)-II and LS-III in ISW with salinity of 12 g L−1. Larvae survived to LS-IV in Experiment-II, when ISW was supplemented with K+~ SW. In Experiment-III, total hardness in ISW was reduced serially, but K+ ~ SW was supplemented. The larvae did not survive beyond LS-V. In Experiment-IV, ISW was amended with different ratios of Mg2+/Ca2+ and K+ ~ SW. The larvae successfully metamorphosed to postlarvae with highest survival of 51.6% in Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio of 2.5. In Experiment-V, eight larval cycles were run with water quality used in Experiment V, where all the cycles produced PL's with a survival rate of 20-67%. In Experiment VI, the larvae were reared in Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio of 2.5 and different levels of K+ to optimize its requirement. The ISW amended with K+ 80% ~ SW and Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio of 2.5 was found to be commercially suitable for the seed production of GFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A geothermal ecosystem located at Tantloi, India has been found to be an interesting habitat for microbes of diverse nature. However, the microbial diversity of this habitat is poorly explored. In this study, a detailed phylogenetic study has been carried out to understand the bacterial diversity of this habitat and to identify prospective metal reducers using culture independent approach. The bacterial diversity of the sediments, which contain undetectable levels of Cr(VI), was analysed with respect to chromium reduction and the strains highly resistant to and efficiently reducing chromium under aerobic conditions were isolated and characterized. Results: 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of Tantloi hot spring microbial community revealed a significant bacterial diversity represented by at least ten taxonomic divisions of Bacteria with clear predominance of Thermus. Similar sequence analysis of rRNA gene library clones derived from bacterial consortia enriched from sediments in presence of Cr(VI) revealed the abundance of the family Bacillaceae. Under aerobic conditions at 65°C, the consortia reduced 1 mM of Cr(VI) completely within 24 h and 5 mM in 6 days. A complete reduction of 1 mM Cr(VI) has been shown by five of our isolates within 36 h. 16S rRNA gene sequences of all the isolates showed high degree of similarity (97-99%) to Bacillaceae with ten of them being affiliated to Anoxybacillus. Crude extract as well as the soluble fraction from isolates TSB-1 and TSB-9 readily reduced Cr(VI); TSB-1 showed higher chromium reductase activity. Conclusion: Most of the Tantloi Spring Bacterial (TSB) sequences analyzed in different taxonomic divisions could be related to representatives with known metabolic traits which indicated presence of organisms involved in redox processes of a variety of elements including iron, sulphur and chromium. Approximately 80% of the sequences obtained in this study represented novel phylotypes indicating the possibility of discovery of bacteria with biotechnologically important new biomolecules. Again, highly chromium-resistant and remarkably active Cr(VI)-reducing Anoxybacillus strains isolated in this study could serve as potential candidates for designing chromium bioremediation strategies at high temperatures and also at high chromium concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most valuable approaches in spatial analysis for a better understanding of the hydrological response of a region or a watershed is certainly the analysis of the well-known land use land cover (LULC) dynamicity. The present case study delves deeper into the analysis of LULC dynamicity by using digital Landsat TM and Landsat OLI data to classify the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) into seven classes with over 90% classification accuracy for decadal level assessments of 30 years (for the years 1989, 1999, 2009, and 2019). The change index, the Dematel method for analyzing the cause-effect relationship among the LULC classes, the Jaccard Similarity Index for measuring the nature of similarity among the LULC classes, and the Adherence Index for measuring the consistency of the LULC classes after the transition was used in this study to analyze the LULC transformation. In more detail, the present study considers how urban land use is altering at the expense of other land uses. Besides the shifting pattern of mean centers of the LULC classes through time, also gives a very significant insight into the LULC dynamics over 30 years of span. The current study of LULC dynamicity and transformation patterns over the 30 years of the KMDA area is expected to assist land and urban planners, engineers, and administrators in sustainable decisions and policies to ensure inclusive urbanization that accommodates population growth while minimizing the impact on potential natural resources within the whole study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]