Search

The present study aims to highlight the librarians' perception pertaining to the implementation of Virtual Reference Service (VRS) in the Chandigarh Region Innovation and Knowledge Cluster Institutions (CRIKC). The study is based on a sample drawn from librarians of the CRIKC libraries. To assess and evaluate the librarians' perception regarding the feasibility of VRS, a questionnaire was prepared and distributed among 19 library professionals of CRIKC libraries. The reason for choosing the questionnaire was to know the status of virtual reference service as well as librarians' perception regarding the feasibility of VRS in CRIKC libraries. The findings suggest that the major challenge faced by librarians in providing VRS is the need for an additional budget for staffing, followed by an increased staff workload and a lack of staff training facilities. However, despite these challenges, the librarians perceive VRS to be highly effective in promoting the optimum use of the library's collection and resources, improving staff efficiency, and promoting information literacy. From the users' perspective, remote access to online assistance and faster access to information were found to be the most effective features of VRS. Additionally, personalized service, 24/7 availability, and the ability to save chat sessions for later use were also perceived as beneficial by most of the librarians. These results highlight the potential benefits of implementing web 2.0-enabled VRS in academic libraries, despite the challenges involved. It is essential to allocate a sufficient budget for staffing and provide staff training facilities to overcome the challenges faced in implementing VRS successfully. Furthermore, by improving user satisfaction and promoting information literacy, VRS can prove to be an effective tool for enhancing library services and resources.

Smart phones can be regarded as one of the greatest invention of this century and have become inseparable gadgets from everyone's pocket. The diffusion of smartphones has been widening more rapidly due to its means for communication, gaming, education, entertainment, technical support, information, day to day news coverage, and trading and business. Mobile apps are software programs designed to run on smartphones, tablets and other devices. There is a need for the design and development of a mobile application for farmers, students and agriculture experts with improvisation of content/features in both educational and advisory services. This study aims to explore the present scenario of mobile agricultural applications in the global mobile ecosystem available in various platforms and to highlight the challenges in the upscaling of the mobile agricultural apps, while pointing out certain additional contexts to strengthen mobile agricultural applications. Developers and agricultural experts must review carefully to avoid the stereotypes and clichés and the new mobile applications must be user friendly to the farmers in advisory services and in education.

Sensory integration takes place in the central nervous system where complex interactions such as co-ordination, attention, arousal levels, autonomic functioning, emotions, memory and higher level cognitive functions are carried out. Sensory integration gets information through the senses, puts it together with prior knowledge, information and memories already stored in the brain to make a meaningful response. Multi-sensory learning, as the name implies, is the process of learning a new subject matter through the use of two or more senses. This may include combining visual, auditory, tactile or kinaesthetic, olfactory and gustatory sensation. By activating brain regions associated with touch, flavour, audition and vision, they indicate a direct relationship between perceptual knowledge and sensory brain mechanisms. The investigator developed content based working memory test and pre assessment of the working memory of the students. Then researcher has developed multisensory integration model and taught though this model of science subject and find out post assessment of working memory in science. Finally investigator evaluated multisensory integration model on enhancing working memory in Science among the students.

How much green space is available for individuals is a major question that city planners are generally interested in, and the present study aimed to address this issue in the context of Vellore, India, through two approaches, namely, the per capita and the geographical area approach. In existing studies, urban green space (UGS) was only calculated at the macro level, i.e., for the city as a whole. Micro-or ward-level analysis was not attempted before, and the present study carried out the same to get a clear picture of the amount of greenery available in each ward of a city. For this purpose, a two-step approach was proposed where the histograms of Google Earth (GE) images were analyzed first to check whether the green cover types such as trees, shrubs/grassland, and cropland were spectrally different. Then, classification techniques such as ISODATA, maximum likelihood, support vector machine (SVM), and objectbased methods were applied to the GE images. It was found that SVM performed well in extracting different green cover types with the highest overall accuracy of 93% and Kappa coefficient of 0.881. It was found that when considering the city as a whole, the amount of UGS available is 42% of the total area, which is more than the recommended range of 20-40%. Similarly, the available UGS per person is 97.84 m2, which is far above the recommended 12 m2/person. However, the micro-level analysis revealed that some of the wards have not satisfied the criteria of per capita and percentage area, though the city as a whole has satisfied both the criteria. Thus, the results indicate the importance of calculating the urban green space availability at the ward level rather than the city level as the former gives a closer look at the surplus and deficit areas. The results of terrestrial LiDAR survey at individual tree level revealed that if trees are located adjacent to buildings or roads, it results in fewer heat islands compared to the case where there are no trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the postoperative outcomes and follow-up QOL of patients after AWR at a level-1 trauma centre in India. Methods: The study cohort included AWR patients treated between January 2011 and July 2022. The Activities Assessment Scale (AAS) was used to measure QOL, and the Ventral Hernia Recurrence Inventory (VHRI) was used to determine the occurrence of recurrence. In patients suspected of having recurrence, thorough clinical examination and relevant imaging were performed to confirm or rule out recurrence. Results: Out of 89 patients, 35 patients whose complete perioperative and follow-up data were available were enrolled. The mean age of the patients was 28 (SD, 9) years. The mean defect size was 14. 9 (SD, 7) cm. The mean time from laparotomy to AWR surgery was 21 months. During the postoperative course, 37% of patients developed complications, such as SSI and seroma. The mean follow-up time was 53 (SD, 43) months. Upon comparing procedures involving the mesh placed in the sublay position with procedures involving the mesh placed in other positions, no statistically significant difference in the recurrence rate (one in each group, p = 0.99), surgical complication rate (33% v/s 66%, p = 0.6), or mean AAS QOL score (94.7 v/s 98, p = 0.4) was observed. The specificity of the VHRI for diagnosing recurrence was 79%. Conclusion: Overall, the recurrence rate was low in these patients despite the presence of large hernia defects. Long-term QOL was not affected by the specific procedure used. Timely planning and execution are more important than the specific repair approach for post-trauma laparotomy ventral hernia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visually challenged students' career choice is influenced by many factors, including life context, personal aptitudes, and educational attainment. This study focuses the defense styles of visually challenged students and also study about their career choice. Survey method has been adopted in this investigation. Totally 77 samples were collected randomly from 11 colleges. The population of the study is visually challenged students at Undergraduate level of Arts and Science and B.Ed. colleges in Chennai District, Tamilnadu, India. The results reveal that the defense styles of visually challenged students studying at the undergraduate level have influence over the teaching and training career.

Background: Low back pain is the most common type of musculoskeletal pain and various treatments are given to treat it. Mobilization and aerobic exercise has very good effect in relieving pain and disability. This study focuses to evaluate the combined effect of mobilization and aerobic exercise program in patient with chronic LBP. Methods: The study designed used was a pretest and post test experimental study. Samples are taken with convenient sample method. N=10 with a duration of 12 weeks. Posterioanterior mobilization and high intensity exercises where given and data's were calculated and the results were obtained by two outcome tools --VAS and OSW questionnaire. the data colected from (12/01/2023 to 10/03/2023) with gardern city university physiotherapy out patient department. Results: The pre test mean value of VAS is 7.1 and the post test mean value is 5.8.The mean difference of pre test and post test value of VAS measurement is 1.9.The pre test mean value of OSW questionnaire is 41% and the post test mean value is 21%. The mean difference of pre test and post test value of OSW questionnaire is 20%. Conclusion: Maitland mobilization with high intensity aerobic exercise was effective in reducing pain and disability and also in the improvement of range of motion for low back pain. This study can be used as treatment protocol in the field of physiotherapy to treat the patient with chronic low back pain [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing adequate green cover in the form of trees, parks and gardens is a nature-based solution which every city must adopt to address the urbanization and its impacts, as it helps to reduce the temperature, maintain the ecology and biodiversity, provide recreational facilities for the city inhabitants and many more. Accurate mapping and monitoring of Urban Green Spaces (UGS) through satellite images is essential to check whether a city has adequate green cover or not. Studies on UGS have mostly used Landsat and Sentinel-2A satellite images for extracting the green covered areas in cities. Though it is advantageous to use these freely available images, however the accuracy of extraction is a major concern as the images are of >10m spatial resolution. Distinguishing the various green cover types, such as trees, shrubs, cropland, etc. is not an easy task in low and medium resolution satellite images. To overcome these drawbacks, one has to use high (1-10m) and very-high resolution (<1m) images for extracting the UGS accurately, however, purchasing such 'cm' resolution satellite images is a costly affair. In order to balance between the cost and resolution, the best and viable option is to use the Google earth (GE) imagery and the same was attempted in the present study by proposing a simple threshold-based approach to extract the UGS and its types from GE imagery. To illustrate the proposed method, 15 sites from the city of Vellore, India were taken and the latest cloud free GE imagery was then downloaded, projected and carefully checked for its range of pixel values in different types of UGS classes. The threshold values of each UGS type were then used to reclassify the original GE image and finally the accuracy assessment was performed on the reclassified UGS map. The results were promising as the overall accuracy (OA) was > 90% at 12 sites and only 3 out of 15 sites exhibits OA in the range of 75-86%. In order to assess the performance of the proposed approach at other locations, 5 cities across the globe [2 from India (Bangalore and Hyderabad) and 3 from abroad (Barcelona, Kuala Lumpur, New York)] were taken and the results revealed that the proposed method performs well in extracting the UGS and its types as the OA was found to be above 90% at all the 5 cities. The proposed approach can be used by civic authorities not only to check whether the city has adequate green cover or not but also can monitor whether UGS has increased or decreased over the years using the historical GE images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study deals with the detailed pharmacognostic investigation of Sidhha single drug, the stem of Cissus vitiginea L. It is a climber that belongs to the family 'Vitaceae' with a pantropical distribution throughout India and Sri Lanka. In dried form, identification of the specific plant is difficult at present due to the lack of authentic pharmacognostic data related to this specific plant part. Materials and Methods: In order to prevent the adulteration of medicinal components, the stem of C. vitiginea was subjected to different pharmacognostic studies, physicochemical analysis, FT-IR and HPTLC fingerprinting. Results and Discussion: In the microscopical studies, the unique and elaborated anatomical structure is detailed with evidence of powder microscopic characters like trichomes, elongated fibres, raphide sacs, acicular crystals and different arrangements like xylem vessels with perforation plates observed. The results from the HPTLC fingerprint scanned at wavelengths 254 nm, 366 nm, and 575 nm for alcohol extract of stem of C. vitiginea L. confirmed the presence of different phytoconstituents revealed by the FT-IR analysis. Conclusion: All the pharmacognostic characters and physicochemical parameters of stem of C. vitiginea L. could be useful in the identification and standardization of a crude drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Video game addiction has emerged as a significant concern among adolescent children in recent years. With the widespread availability of technology and the increasing popularity of video games, a substantial number of adolescents are displaying addictive behaviours. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of video game addiction among adolescent school children in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India and find out the various risk factors associated with it. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Community Medicine, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chengalpattu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India among 300 school children aged 10-17 years from four private schools in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India from February 2023 to June 2023. Data collection involved the Gaming Addiction Scale for Adolescents (GASA) and a pretested semistructured questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Results: The study revealed that approximately 31.7% of the participants had video game addiction. Categorical variables were analysed using the Chi-square test, with a significance level of p <0.05. Bivariate logistic regression was utilised to determine unadjusted odds ratios, and variables with p <0.05 were included in the multivariate model to calculate adjusted odds ratios and construct 95% confidence intervals. Conclusion: Video game addiction among adolescent school children is a significant issue with multiple associated risk factors. By promoting awareness, encouraging healthy coping mechanisms, and fostering balanced lifestyles, we can effectively address video game addiction and enhance the wellbeing of adolescent school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In dentistry, colour is one of the most important dimensions of aesthetics. Due to the diverse food habits in India, stains accumulate on dentures. Various denture cleansing agents such as Fittydent and Clinsodent are widely used, emphasising the importance of patient oral hygiene. Aim: To evaluate the colour stability of heat-cure activated acrylic denture base resins {Dental Products of India (DPI) and Trevalon} after staining with tea and coffee, subsequently treated with Clinsodent, Fittydent, and distilled water (control group) as cleansing agents. Materials and Methods: This in-vitro study was conducted at Swargiya Dadasaheb Kalmegh Smruti Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur, in the Department of Prosthodontics, Crown and Bridge, and Implantology in collaboration with Indorama, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, over a period of approximately 90 days (August-October 2017). Total 120 samples were prepared in-vitro study using custom-made brass metal discs measuring 10 mm by 2 mm. Trevalon and DPI heat-cure acrylic denture base resins were used for sample preparation. Baseline colour stability values were established after immersing the samples in distilled water at 37°C for 24 hours. The samples were then stained for eight hours, followed by immersion in different cleansing agents and distilled water for 12 hours. This process was repeated every 24 hours for 60 days, with the staining and cleansing agents replenished daily. Colour measurements were taken at baseline, 15th, 30th, 45th, and 60th days. Statistical analysis involved t-tests and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results: The DPI denture base resin exhibited a highly significant (change in energy) at 45 days (p=0.0001), while Trevalon showed significance at 60 days (p=0.0079). The difference in means was statistically significant using t-tests for independent samples, and the variance-measure analysis indicated statistical significance in the means of E. The comparison of the three cleansing agents at 60 days was statistically obtained using one-way ANOVA. Conclusion: Dental Products of India (DPI) showed more colour variation than Trevalon. Tea showed a higher staining than coffee. Staining intensity increased over time, peaking at 45 days and stabilising thereafter. Clinsodent is better than Fittydent in removing stains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has a long history of using sudation therapy and oil massage as Ayurvedic treatments. However, nothing is known about its side effects, and just two studies have identified side effects as cutaneous adverse drug reactions brought on by Ayurvedic oil massage. We are presenting the example of a 72-year-old adult man who visited our hospital and had his right knee massaged with Nirgudi oil followed by sudation therapy. Erythema, papules, itchiness, and scorching pain were some of his symptoms. However, these sensations only partially abated once we quit sudation therapy. Our investigation demonstrates that a Nirgudi oil massage or sudation causes the skin reaction associated with furunculosis. This case report illustrates the necessity of being aware of Panchakarma-related consequences and suggests that medical practitioners, patients, and product makers take into account the likelihood of such a reaction following Nirgudi oil massage and sudation therapy as a precaution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to do arithmetic calculations is essential to school-based learning and skill development in an information rich society. Arithmetic is a basic academic skill that is needed for learning which includes the skills such as counting, calculating, reasoning etc. that are used for performing mathematical calculations. Unfortunately, many students in today's schools do not perform well in mathematics. It is found that most of the children lack the ability to acquire arithmetic skills despite having average or even above average level of intelligence. Dyscalculia is the learning disorder in which pupils face severe difficulties in performing mathematical computations. It is essential for schoolchildren need to develop the mathematical abilities through the use of different learning strategies or techniques. The use of instructional media is an essential component of teaching-learning process which contributes to the efficiency as well as effectiveness of the teaching-learning process. Remedial instruction has a very important role to play as a differentiated instruction which employs different instructional techniques through the use of different instructional materials. The use of such techniques and materials in the classroom encourages active learning and meets the diverse needs of the learners. Certain research studies (Ota, 2008; Moomaw and Coup, 2008; Michaelson and Thomas, 2007; Lugo, 2005; Mohankumar & Rajaguru, 2001; Mishra, 1991; Nwaizu & Ifeanyi, 1991) reveal that the vast majority of problems experienced by mathematically disabled learners can be through appropriate, explicit and early instruction and intervention. The present investigation examined the effectiveness of remedial instruction in enhancing mathematical ability of dyscalculic children. The single group design was followed for conducting the study. The sample comprised of 46 dyscalculic students at the primary level. The tool used was a Mathematical Ability Test prepared by the investigators. "t" test for dependent groups was employed for the analysis of data. The results of the study indicated that remedial instruction enhanced the mathematical ability of dyscalculic children.

The use of instructional media is an essential component of teaching-learning process which contributes to the efficiency as well as effectiveness of the teaching-learning process. Computer-supported instruction has a very important role to play as an advanced technological instruction as it employs different instructional techniques like powerpoint presentations, video presentations etc. The use of computers in the classroom encourages active learning and meets the diverse needs of the learners through the use of technology in education. Dyscalculia is a learning disorder in which pupils face severe difficulties in performing mathematical computations. Innovative use of computer technology may help dyscalculics to overcome their disability to a large extent. Research studies (Lugo, 2004; Mohankumar & Rajaguru, 2001; Calhoon, 1999; Nwaizu & Ifeanyi, 1990) reveal how multimedia computer technology could be effectively used as a potential supplemental teaching aid rather than traditional classroom instruction. The present investigation examined the effectiveness of using computers for teaching mathematics to dyscalculic children. The Pre-test Post-test Equivalent Group Experimental Design was followed for conducting the study. The sample comprised of 20 dyscalculic students at the primary level each for the experimental group and the control group. The tool used was an achievement test in mathematics prepared by the investigators. "t" test for independent group was employed for the analysis of data. The results of the study indicated that computer-supported instruction enhanced the mathematical ability and academic performance of dyscalculic children.

In an era where economic reform is a necessity, the industrial cooperatives (IC) model is both realistic and very desirable due to its peculiar focus on utility. Their member-centered mission and social commitment based on cooperative identity make them well-positioned to act as social entrepreneurs for the long-term sustainability of any economy. The purpose of this study is to specifically bring out the significance of IC for encouraging social entrepreneurship (SE) by blending the peculiar characteristics of IC with those of SE. The literature supports that social innovation and social value creation are the essential elements that ensure industrial cooperatives' success and support them as sustainable social enterprises for the growth of an economy. The literature also revealed that because of the distinctive nature of IC, which is reflected in their golden cooperative principles and values, they equally serve as a role model for SE and contribute immensely to the sustainable development of a country like India. In keeping with this, it is suggested that policymakers may provide an institutional, legal, and administrative environment that is favorable to IC. The findings of this study contribute to existing research by combining SE and cooperative literature under the umbrella of cooperative identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research article is to analyze the performance of the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model and the 'earlyR' statistical model in predicting epidemic outbreaks using COVID-19 data of India. The results of this analysis can help take preventive actions and restrict the spread of the epidemic with the help of projected data. The 'projections' module was utilized to generate the epidemic path by aligning the available COVID-19 data from India, distribution of the time interval between successive cases and reproduction number (R0) of the corresponding regions with the 'earlyR' epidemic statistical model. The values of (p, d and q) were obtained utilizing the 'auto.arima' function, and an ARIMA time series model was created using the 'forecast' module to forecast future infected occurrences. The 'earlyR' epidemic model yielded a median projected value with an inaccuracy of 35.1 %, while the ARIMA model had a mean error of -1.9 %. A comparison of these methods indicates that the ARIMA model is a superior method compared to the 'earlyR' epidemic model in terms of accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Duck plague is the major infectious viral disease very often reported in our country with significant economic losses due to high mortality of duck population. For prevention and control of duck plague, presently a "Holland strain" vaccine is used in India, which is reported to be poorly immunogenic and affords only partial protection. Efforts are being made to develop an improved cell culture vaccine for duck plague using an Indian strain of duck enteritis virus (DEV). In the present study, an Indian isolate of DEV has been adapted and serially propagated in chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cell culture for developing a vaccine candidate and its molecular characterization has been carried out. The CEF cell culture adapted virus has produced characteristic cytopathic effects (CPE) and the presence of DEV in CEF cell culture was detected by PCR. Further, molecular characterization of the cell culture passaged vaccine candidate was done by PCR amplification of some selected genes of the DEV involved in virulence, such as DNA polymerase, US7, US8, UL12, UL2, LORF11, LORF3 using specific primers. The respective gene products obtained were of expected molecular size and hence confirmed to be the genes of DEV. Further, sequencing of the various gene products, alignment of the obtained sequences and phylogenetic analysis was performed along with other isolates of DEV available in NCBI GenBank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating soil quality in the alluvial plains of the semi-arid tropics is vital to understand the impact of existing land management practices, thus facilitating the adoption of more sustainable agricultural methods. We analysed soil profiles using 146 horizon-specific samples from 24 pedons, representing seven soil series from the sub-tropical to semi-arid River Cauvery Delta basin, Tamil Nadu, India. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we identified minimum datasets (MDS) from 30 different soil properties. The plough layer's MDS were clay content, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), very coarse sand content, soil pH and soil organic carbon (SOC). For the subsurface layer, sand content, ESP, SOC, diethylene-triamine-pentaacetic acid extractable zinc (DTPA-Zn), and very coarse sand content were identified as the MDS. Soil quality index (SQI) values were 0.47-0.72 for the plough layer and 0.46-0.56 for the subsurface soil, suggesting limited soil function support in subsurface soils. Surface soil-site suitability criteria displayed a moderate correlation with SQI values derived via PCA, with additive (R2 = .545) and weighted additive indices (R2 = .659). Both simple additive index and weighted derived SQIs demonstrated a moderate association with rice yield (R2 = .50 and .55, respectively). This research indicates the potential to identify soil quality indicators in alluvial plains of semi-arid tropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting a research mindset among undergraduate students is crucial to fostering a culture of inquiry, critical thinking, and innovation. HEI's impetus on research at undergraduate levels has garnered increased attention in recent years across the country. For India to make a mark in research, especially in publication at an international level, HEIs must recognize the value of a research-oriented curriculum. The paper attempts to study the effect of undergraduate research experience and institutional support among engineers on research mindset and the impact of research mindset on career aspirations in research. The study followed a descriptive & relational research design. With a theoretical background of expectancy-value theory, four study variables were identified through literature: Undergraduate Research Experience (URE), Institutional Support, Research Mindset, and Career Aspirations in Research. Final and Prefinal year engineering students from tier 1 and tier 2 engineering institutions were the target respondents. Validated scales were adopted and used to collect data. The hypothetical model was formulated and tested with three direct effect hypotheses and indirect effects. Structural equation modelling (covariance-based method) was administered to prove the theoretical framework. Opensource GUI Software, Jamovi, was used for this purpose. The test results indicate a positive impact of URE and Institutional support on research mindset, and research mindset has a positive impact on career aspirations in research among engineers. Suitable suggestions and recommendations follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural Kosa silk is one of the textile fibers to be used in apparel application. Since it is proteinous and hygroscopic fiber and gets affected easily by microbes during usage and storage. Hence, this special type of silk produced in Chhattisgarh state of India, needs to be treated for the antimicrobial treatment for its better applications in various fields. Therefore, in the present work, the Kosa silk was modified by grafting of quaternary ammonium compound-containing monomer through thermo-chemical route. Experimental conditions for achieving optimum grafting of ionic monomer [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethyl ammonium chloride (MAETC) was investigated. Redox combination of ceric ammonium nitrate as a redox initiator and nitric acid (HNO3) as catalyst, by successively varying reaction conditions like concentration of initiator, catalyst and desired monomers under optimized reaction conditions were performed. The grafted silk material was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD) techniques. The antibacterial study of grafted silk material having quaternary ammonium groups is an emerging group of antibacterial agents, which can be used as disinfectants. Using agar well method demonstrated that the grafted silk (KS-g-MAETC) inhibited the growth of Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. As this grafted silk material has potent antibacterial activity, it may be used in the garment industry as well as for various biomedical applications, thus, serving the humanity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To detect the presence of Mucorales in the sinuses of healthy individuals and non-invasive fungal sinusitis patients. Materials and methods: Post FESS specimens with appearance suggestive of fungal ball or allergic mucin from 30 immunocompetent patients was sent for KOH smear, HPE, fungal culture and PCR. Results: Fungal culture was positive for Aspergillus flavus in one specimen. PCR demonstrated Aspergillus (21), Candida (14), and Rhizopus in one case. HPE detected mainly Aspergillus in 13 specimens. No fungal presence in four cases. Discussion: There was no significant undetected Mucor colonisation. PCR proved to be the most sensitive test in reliably detecting the organisms. No significant variation in the pattern of fungi were detected between COVID-19 infected and non-infected, but for the slightly higher detection of candida in the COVID-19 infected group. Conclusion: There was no significant presence of Mucorales in non-invasive fungal sinusitis patients in our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serum electrolyte monitoring is essential in the health assessment of captive elephants. The major elements of calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate are playing a major role in regulation of nerve and muscle functions and in maintaining acid base and water balance. Excess levels or loss of particular electrolytes may occur as secondary changes caused by certain diseases or changes in physiological regulations. The aim of this study was to evolve the baseline reference values for serum electrolyte levels in captive Asian elephants raised in Tamil Nadu state of India. Methods: As part of the periodical health assessment blood samples were collected from auricular vein for 42 apparently healthy captive Asian elephants in Tamil Nadu, India. Serum electrolyte levels such as sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), chloride (Cl-), ionized calcium (iCa), non-ionized calcium and total calcium (tCa) were determined by using an automated electrolyte analyzer. Result: Most of the ranges of electrolyte values observed in this study were similar to that of previous reports. As not much studies on ionized calcium are available on captive Asian elephants the value of ionized calcium found this study 1.16±0.13 mmol/L could serve as reference. There was no much variation observed in various age groups. This electrolyte profile values will serve as baseline values to evaluate the health and clinical conditions of captive elephant populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systematic data on mental health issues among adults with cataracts are not available from India. This study explored the impact of cataract surgery on depressive and generalized anxiety (GA) symptoms in an adult Indian sample. Methods: A multicenter, prospective, longitudinal cohort study was conducted. Subjects were recruited from four tertiary eye hospitals to assess depression, GA, and associated risk factors. A follow-up survey was carried out at 6 (n = 273, group 1), 12 (n = 198, group 2), or 18 months (n = 105, group 3) post-cataract surgery. Variations in the intensity of depression and GA were assessed using multiple classification analysis (MCA). Results: A total of 576 patients completed both baseline and follow-up assessments. The mean (SD) depression score was 25.6 (8.5) before surgery and 8.6 (7.7), 9.9 (7), and 9.8 (6.8), respectively, post-surgery for the three groups on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D). The mean GA score was 6.7 (4.2) at baseline and 1.1 (2.3), 1 (1.8), and 0.6 (1.3) after surgery on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). MCA showed that factors with the highest impact on the mean change scores for both depressive and GA symptoms were restoration of vision post-surgery (β = 0.381 and 0.185) in group 1, regaining functional independence and female sex in group 2 (β = 0.192 and 0.23), and the presence of ocular comorbidities in the fellow eye (β = 0.36 and 0.315) in group 3. Conclusion: Mental health symptoms improved significantly post-cataract surgery across the three groups. The urgent need to invest in strategies that enable early cataract case detection and treat ocular anomalies in the fellow eye is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Free flaps are the standard method of reconstruction in advanced oral SCC. But the high incidence of oral SCC in India and the limited availability of plastic surgery pushes for alternate modes of reconstruction. Pectoralis major myocutaneous flap reconstruction has been widely practised in our country. Aims: To assess the reliability of bipaddle pectoralis major myocutaneous flap for the reconstruction of complex defects following resection of locally advanced oral SCC. Methods: This study is retrospective in design. A total of 72 patients with advanced oral SCC requiring bipaddle reconstruction operated in the period of September 2019 to August 2022 were included in the analysis. All relevant clinical, intraoperative and histopathological data along with swallowing and speech function assessment at 3 and 6 months were collected and analysed. Results: 87.5% (n=63) of the patients received surgery as the primary modality of treatment in this study. The various grades of flap necrosis were seen in 16.7% (n=12) patients whereas the rates of major flap necrosis were seen in 5.6% (n=3) of the study patients. All major complications were seen in female patients. A delay in radiotherapy was seen in 12.7% (n =7 of 55) patients with the presence of major complications being significantly associated with delay in radiotherapy. A mean FIGS swallowing and speech function of 3 for both functions were noted in this study at 6 months after surgery. Conclusion: A PMMC flap reconstruction continues to be a reasonable and reliable alternative form of reconstruction for oral SCCC patients with acceptable early and late outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is a major driver of biodiversity change but how it interacts with spatial and temporal gradients to influence the dynamics of plant–pollinator networks is poorly understood, especially in tropical urbanization hotspots. Here, we analysed the drivers of environmental, spatial and temporal turnover of plant–pollinator interactions (interaction β‐diversity) along an urbanization gradient in Bengaluru, a South Indian megacity. The compositional turnover of plant–pollinator interactions differed more between seasons and with local urbanization intensity than with spatial distance, suggesting that seasonality and environmental filtering were more important than dispersal limitation for explaining plant–pollinator interaction β‐diversity. Furthermore, urbanization amplified the seasonal dynamics of plant–pollinator interactions, with stronger temporal turnover in urban compared to rural sites, driven by greater turnover of native non‐crop plant species (not managed by people). Our study demonstrates that environmental, spatial and temporal gradients interact to shape the dynamics of plant–pollinator networks and urbanization can strongly amplify these dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate perinatal outcomes in preterm multiple compared with singleton pregnancies in India and Pakistan. Design: Prospective, observational study. Settings: Study hospitals in India and Pakistan. Population: We evaluated 3897 preterm pregnancies. These mothers gave birth to 3615 (92.8%) singleton infants, 267 (6.8%) sets of twins, 14 (0.4%) sets of triplets and one set of quadruplets. Main outcome measures: Neonatal mortality, stillbirth, cause of death. Results: Of the singleton infants, 691 (19.1%) were stillborn and 2924 (80.9%) live born. Of the 534 infants from twin pregnancies, 41 (7.7%) were stillborn and 493 (92.3%) were live born. Of the 267 sets of twins, in 14 cases (5.2%) both were stillborn, in 13 cases (4.8%) one was stillborn and one live born, and in 240 cases (90.0%) both were live born. In both preterm twins and preterm singletons, the three most common causes of death were intrauterine hypoxia, infections acquired prior to birth and infections acquired at or after birth. The preterm twins appeared less likely to have died from intrauterine hypoxia but more likely to have died from infections acquired at or after birth. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) was less likely considered by the panel to be the primary cause of death in either the twins (9.6%) or singletons (9.7%). Congenital anomalies were also not often judged to be the cause of death in either the preterm twins 2 (2.4%) or singletons 27 (5.3%). Conclusion: In the PURPOSe study, neonatal mortality rates in preterm twins compared with singletons when evaluated by sex, GA, birthweight and SGA, were generally similar to rates of preterm singleton neonatal mortality in those groups. Thus, the higher rate of mortality in live‐born twin infants is related to the fact that these infants were more likely to be born earlier rather than to any inherent characteristics of the babies themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Alcoholism & Drug Addiction / Alkoholizm i Narkomania is the property of Termedia Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Expanding cities increasingly encroach fertile farmlands, questioning the viability of maintaining agriculture within and around them. Yet, our knowledge on how urbanization influences pollinator communities and the provision of pollination services to crops is limited, especially for the urbanization hotspots of the Global South.Mango Mangifera indica is one of the most important fruit crops in tropical countries. To analyse the dependency of mango on its main insect pollinators, and the direct and indirect effects of urbanization and insecticides on pollinator abundance and mango yield, we conducted a pollinator exclusion experiment and sampled flower visitors on 16 mango farms spread across rural–urban landscapes in Bengaluru, a South Indian megacity.We found that allowing flowers access to ants and flying visitors (bees, hoverflies, nonsyrphid flies), dramatically increased mango yield by 350%, highlighting the importance of wild insects for mango pollination. We detected a trend between wild bee abundance and the final fruit set, with an increase of 20% when the number of bees increased from 25 to 125.Urbanization did not directly affect pollinator abundance or mango yield. However, the amount of insecticide applications had strong negative effects on wild bee abundance at low and intermediate levels of urbanization, while it had no effect in highly urbanized areas, presumably because of higher availability of flowering resources. Moreover, the amount of insecticides decreased the weight of harvested mango fruits by almost 30%. This may indicate trade‐offs between conventional pest control and enhanced crop yields through pollination by wild insects in rural areas.Synthesis and applications: Our results indicate that mango production can be maintained at a profitable level in urbanized landscapes with insect pollinators more than tripling final yield. However, increasing use of insecticides, besides raising farmers' expenses, can have negative effects on wild insect pollinators and mango yield, especially in rural areas. To safeguard crucial pollination services, it is therefore critical to conserve and promote wild insect pollinators by minimizing the negative effects of insecticide applications in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) not only has a physical and emotional toll but also has a substantial economic impact. This study aims to estimate the burden of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) on households due to RA in Tamil Nadu, India. We conducted cross-sectional descriptive hospital-based single-centre study at a tertiary care private multispecialty hospital in Tamil Nadu, India. The study comprised 320 RA patients who visited the outpatient clinic from April to October 2022. Demographic and baseline descriptive characteristics were reported. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify major determinants associated with CHE. We also examined the inequality in household annual income and CHE. Most study participants were females (88.1%) with a mean age (SD) of 55.57 ± 12.29 years. About 93% of RA patients were from urban areas, and 89.4% were literate. Only 8.1% of respondents reported having health insurance. Households experiencing CHE owing to RA were 51.4% (n = 162). The mean (95% CI) annual health expenditure for treating RA is ₹44,700 (₹41,710 to 47,690) with a median (IQR) of ₹39,210 (₹25,500) [$476 ($310)]. The corresponding mean (95% CI) and median (IQR) Out of pocket expenditure among RA patients per household were ₹40,698 (₹38,249 to 43,148) [$494 ($464 to $524)] and ₹36,450 (23,070) [$442 ($280)] respectively. Nearly half of the households with RA patients had a financial catastrophe due to healthcare costs being paid out-of-pocket and limited health insurance coverage. The results underscore the need for comprehensive approaches to strengthening public health policies along with financial risk protection and quality care in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichothecium roseum (Pers.) Link causes pink mold rot in banana fruits across the world. Due to this infection, 30% of losses arise in poor man’s food. To control this disease, plant extracts show an alternative to fungicides. In this study, 40 plant species were screened for their antifungal activity against T. roseum. Among 40 hot and cold aqueous extracts of plant species, only 10% Allium sativum and 6% and 8% of Mansoa allicea showed 100% inhibition of T. roseum. Freezing condition (4°C) shows 100% inhibition compared to room temperature (27°C) and incubation temperature (46°C). One hundred per cent inhibition of T. roseum was observed within 5 days compared to 15, 20 and 30 days of incubation. The pink mold of banana caused by T. roseum was reported for the first time in Karnataka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cataract is the leading cause of avoidable blindness globally. This study aims to measure the changes in Vision function-related quality of life (VFQoL) before and after cataract surgery and identify the predictors of an improvement in these outcomes. METHODS: A multicenter, longitudinal cohort study was conducted. Patients with first eye cataracts were interviewed before and 6 months after cataract surgery. Multiple classification analysis (MCA) was performed to assess variation in the intensities of mean change scores for general function, psychosocial impact, and visual function with select factors. RESULTS: A total of 747 participated in the baseline assessment. The 6-month follow-up rate was 86.5%. The mean general function, psychosocial impact, and visual function scores were 35.3 (±8.6), 12.5 (±3.4), and 8.3 (±3) in the baseline and 17 (±5.3), 6 (±2.2) and 3.8 (±1.3) in the follow-up assessments, respectively. In MCA, patients using spectacles postsurgery (β 0.111) and those having a very good postoperative visual acuity (β 0.098) had the most impact on general function. Patients reporting no ocular complaints postsurgery had a relatively higher effect on the psychosocial impact, (β 0.168) and similarly, patients using spectacles postsurgery and those aged 70 and older had the most impact on the visual function scores (β 0.146 and 0.126), respectively. CONCLUSION: Cataract surgery is associated with meaningful improvements in vision and VFQoL in general. The determinants of better VFQoL include the usage of spectacles postsurgery. Strategies to further improve patient participation in postoperative review visits are needed for spectacle provision and patient education regarding spectacle use and compliance is imparted during such visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine internal organ tissues and placentas of stillbirths for various pathogens. Design: Prospective, observational study. Settings: Three study hospitals in India and a large maternity hospital in Pakistan. Population: Stillborn infants delivered in a study hospital. Methods: A prospective observational study. Main outcome measures: Organisms identified by pathogen polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in internal organs and placental tissues of stillbirths. Results: Of 2437 stillbirth internal tissues, 8.3% (95% CI 7.2–9.4) were positive. Organisms were most commonly detected in brain (12.3%), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (9.5%) and whole blood (8.4%). Ureaplasma urealyticum/parvum was the organism most frequently detected in at least one internal organ (6.4% of stillbirths and 2% of all tissues). Escherichia coli/Shigella was the next most common (4.1% one or more internal organ tissue sample and 1.3% of tissue samples), followed by Staphylococcus aureus in at least one internal organ tissue (1.9% and 0.9% of all tissues). None of the other organisms was found in more than 1.4% of the tissue samples in stillbirths or more than 0.6% of the internal tissues examined. In the placenta tissue, membrane or cord blood combined, 42.8% (95% CI 40.2–45.3) had at least one organism identified, with U. urealyticum/parvum representing the most commonly identified (27.8%). Conclusions: In about 8% of stillbirths, there was evidence of a pathogen in an internal organ. Ureaplasma urealyticum/parvum was the most common organism found in the placenta and in the internal tissues, especially in the fetal brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South American leafminer, Tuta absoluta is an exotic devastative pest on solanaceous vegetables, including tomatoes, which leads to a cent per cent economic loss in India. The molecular markers assist in assessing gene flow, migratory frequencies, and genetic variety, as well as helping to evaluate the genetic makeup and diversification of an exotic species population to indigenous ones. With this, the present study aimed to investigate the genetic divergence of T. absoluta in different districts of Tamil Nadu, India. The study depicted the examination of genetic divergence of T. absoluta by aiding amplified region of mitochondrial DNA encoding cytochrome oxidase I (COI) from the T. absoluta samples gathered from Coimbatore, Dharmapuri and Dindigul districts of Tamil Nadu. The findings showed that the phylogenetic tree constructed from all sequences of T. absoluta acquired from the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) and BOLD (The Barcode of Life Data System) databases exhibited 99 percent identity and aggregated together into a single clade. Hence, the present study revealed the great genetic uniformity in T. absoluta populations in India and corroborates that most of the globe rely on the partial COI gene, evidenced by minimal nucleotide diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the fact that society has slowly become more inclusive of those who are viewed as different, people with dwarfism still experience discrimination in every aspect of life. This study aims to understand their perceptions about family and organisational support in combatting the day-to-day challenges they encounter. Method: Face-to-face in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide were conducted with twelve adults with dwarfism. The selected participants were those currently living with their families and with membership in the Tamil Nadu Dwarfism Welfare Association, an NGO, for at least two years. The gathered data was analysed manually using the thematic analysis technique. Results: The major themes that evolved were infrastructural modification, emotional support, access to education, career guidance and partner selection. Each theme had sub-themes which were examined through the lens of both family and organisational support. Conclusion: Support from family can be constructive as well as destructive, often on the basis of the socio-economic status of the immediate family members. On the other hand, support from welfare organisations for the empowerment of people with dwarfism is in general positive. However, the findings from this study cannot be generalised to all people with dwarfism as the study focused solely on the perspectives of members of an organisation, and there were many people who were reluctant to participate in the in-depth interviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assesses the effectiveness of The Great WASH Yatra handwashing awareness raising campaign in India on changing visitors' intention to wash hands with soap after using the toilet and the underlying behavioural determinants. Interviews based on the RANAS (Risk, Attitudes, Norms, Abilities, Self-regulation) model of behaviour change were conducted with 687 visitors before and after their visit to the campaign. Data showed that a campaign visit had little effect on the intention to wash hands with soap, even when comparing visitors who had actively participated in handwashing games with those who had not. After a campaign visit, knowledge about the benefits of washing hands had increased by almost half a standard deviation. A multiple linear regression analysis revealed that when considering all behavioural determinants change scores simultaneously, they were able to explain 57% of the variance in the intention change score. These findings suggest that substantively changing behaviour requires more than improving knowledge and emphasizing the importance of washing hands. Identifying the crucial behavioural determinants for handwashing may be an important first step in planning effective large-scale promotion programmes.

Reading a lot of different books in an effort to shed some light on the marginalized community in India, we track down a modern Indian author by the name of Sasindran Kallinkeel. He has described the life the span of a transgender, in his book Rasaathi: The Other Side of a Transgender, in 2020. This is the first novel the author has published, and it is meant to honour the transgender community. The term "transgender" does not refer to a specific person rather it is now used to refer to the "Third Gender Community." This bewildered male or female community is referred to with a variety of nouns, such as Aravani, Eunuch, Hijira, kinnar, Napumsakam, Gay, etc., but India still adheres to an antiquated form of bigotry. Since we are being completely honest, we believe that it provides a glimpse into the lives of the community that is probably the most stigmatised and poorly understood in the Indian Subcontinent. What would you say is the most important thing that this book imparts to its readers? The answer to all of our problems lies in acquiring the appropriate knowledge. Rasaathi, the protagonist, who narrates the story, is a transgender. People who are a part of the "Third Gender Community" find out more about themselves as they scroll down the pages of this book. They learn about their goals in life, the rituals they observe, the subjects they study, and the jobs they hold, as well as the ways they can live in harmony with the rest of society. By travelling with Rasaathi, the living icon of the community, the other two genders, males and females, are delivered from the social stigma or prejudice that is associated with the Transgender or Third Generation Community. This oppressed group will finally be freed from the ignorance that has been plaguing them. The members of the "Third Gender Community," also known as transgender, they feel proud about God's creation themselves. A healthy society gives importance to quality. Using margizanalised theory and myth concept, this article attempts to trace out the solution by providing only correct knowledge and understanding of this community only will bring about a revolution toward the equality of the sexes and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to highlight the librarians’ perception pertaining to the implementation of Virtual Reference Service (VRS) in the Chandigarh Region Innovation and Knowledge Cluster Institutions (CRIKC). The study is based on a sample drawn from librarians of the CRIKC libraries. To assess and evaluate the librarians’ perception regarding the feasibility of VRS, a questionnaire was prepared and distributed among 19 library professionals of CRIKC libraries. The reason for choosing the questionnaire was to know the status of virtual reference service as well as librarians’ perception regarding the feasibility of VRS in CRIKC libraries. The findings suggest that the major challenge faced by librarians in providing VRS is the need for an additional budget for staffing, followed by an increased staff workload and a lack of staff training facilities. However, despite these challenges, the librarians perceive VRS to be highly effective in promoting the optimum use of the library’s collection and resources, improving staff efficiency, and promoting information literacy. From the users’ perspective, remote access to online assistance and faster access to information were found to be the most effective features of VRS. Additionally, personalized service, 24/7 availability, and the ability to save chat sessions for later use were also perceived as beneficial by most of the librarians. These results highlight the potential benefits of implementing web 2.0-enabled VRS in academic libraries, despite the challenges involved. It is essential to allocate a sufficient budget for staffing and provide staff training facilities to overcome the challenges faced in implementing VRS successfully. Furthermore, by improving user satisfaction and promoting information literacy, VRS can prove to be an effective tool for enhancing library services and resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the levels of microRNA (miRNA) 24 levels in diabetic patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS)with non-diabetics suffering from ACS. Methodology: A prospective case-control study was carried out among 40 patients with ACS residing in Belagavi, Karnataka, South India. Patient characteristics based on demographics, ACS related information and treatment, biochemical parameters, and miRNA-24 levels were compared between diabetics and non-diabetics. Finally, miRNA-24 was evaluated for effectiveness as a clinical biomarker for CAD severity in ACS pateints in both the groups. Results: The majority of patients were males between the age group of 18 and 77 years living in urban areas with physical activities restricted to NHYA class 2. A significant level of differences was found between the cases and controls inpatient characteristics such as duration of diabetes diagnosis, treatment of diabetes, family history of diabetes, comorbidities, random blood sugar and HbA1c. Within the levels of miR-24 also, significant variation was observed between the diabetics and non-diabetics. The ROC analysis for evaluating the efficiency of miR-24 as a clinical biomarker for diabetic patients with ACS was established. Conclusions: The control (non-diabetic) group showed significant CT values of miRNA-24 compared to diabetics, suggesting an up-regulation of mi-RNA and thereby may play a protective role of miRNA-24 in these patients. Moreover, the ROC analysis for fold change in miRNA-24 level in diabetic patients with ACS was found to be significant, suggestive of a possible link between expression of miRNA-24 and glucose levels. Therefore, the current study supports the use of miRNA-24 as a prognostic marker inACS outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim is to evaluate the outcome of right subumbilical transverse incision approach for the management of complicated appendicitis in paediatric age group. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective multi-institutional study which was conducted in the Department of Paediatric Surgery, I Q City Medical College and Hospital, Durgapur, West Bengal, India and the Department of Paediatric Surgery, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital/Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India. In this study, a review of 77 paediatric patients operated for complicated appendicitis using a right subumbilical transverse incision approach was done for a period of 3 years (from December 2017 to December 2020). All patients had proven complicated appendicular pathology like appendicular perforation, appendicular abscess or complicated appendicular lumps on ultrasonography or computed tomography scan, which mandated exploration. Results: There was no mortality. Average operative time was 1 h 48 min (ranging from 58 min to 3 h 12 min). Average length of hospital stay was 9 days (ranging from 5 days to 13 days). There was no incidence of fecal fistula. Seventeen (22%) patients developed superficial surgical site infection which subsided with regular dressings. There was no incidence of wound dehiscence or burst abdomen. Five (6.5%) patients required the incision to be extended beyond the midline to the left side to deal with the pathology and to access the entire peritoneal cavity. Nine (11.6%) patients required loop ileostomies, which was fashioned on the lateral aspect of the transverse incision. Only one patient had a doubtful caecal injury which was repaired and loop ileostomy was done. Six patients (7.7%) had adhesive intestinal obstruction postoperatively, of which three required re-exploration. There was no incidence of incisional hernia or any stoma-related complications. Conclusion: Complicated appendicitis is a condition which lacks standardisation of approach for management, and is inherently associated with complications. However, with a more logical incision and intra-operative approach we can keep the complications to minimum and improve outcomes to great extent in those patients requiring surgical intervention. We have been using the subumbilical transverse incision in all sizes of patients ranging from small children to adolescents with excellent results, and we believe that the same approach can be applied even in adult patients in similar clinical scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retrieval of video information resources depends on the programmes recorded and classified as per the specified category of video, type of programmes, language, and characteristics of the video. It has been noticed that cataloguing of videos is not only challenging but it gets hangs while using the retrieval techniques for the same. The present study includes a correlation between the content and metadata of video information resources that requires input in the form of a sample, may be an image or text. For selection and retrieval from video data, it is necessary to assess the input, extracting the features, and then building a resemblance between the input and the video data picture representations. The video-retrieval method based on content has also been investigated in this present study with the goal of allowing users to acquire the video required by them from the platform quickly and accurately. The study also aims to enhance the use of high-quality video resources. Further, the present study focuses on the storage and retrieval of video information resources in 12 media libraries that includes survey of 293 users involved in retrieval of video information resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic and the lockdowns that followed led to significant changes in people's lives. Emerging adults were among the vulnerable groups affected badly by COVID-19-related stressors due to their stage of development. The present study aimed to investigate personal resources associated with emerging adults' resilience to COVID-19 challenges, as reported by a sample of Indian emerging adults. The data were collected from 50 participants (25 males & 25 females) aged 18-29, using a semi-structured interview schedule. The inductive thematic analysis technique was used to analyze the data, which revealed interesting findings on resilience among emerging adults. The results revealed that personal resources, namely, a sense of agency, positive goal focus, nurturing positivity, engaging in physical activities, engaging in hobbies, improving physical health, and experiential connection with nature, were associated with resilience to COVID-19 challenges among emerging adults. These findings compel us to examine resilience in terms of the personal characteristics of an individual, which offer ways to increase psychological resilience during difficult times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban beekeeping is nowadays attracting immense popularity. Many people in large cities are installing hives on the rooftops. A significant drawback for beekeeping in urban areas of India is limited bee flora which may lead to poor honey yield and performance. As more people take to urban beekeeping, the competition for resources between honey bee colonies increases. Since the space covered by vegetation in the city remains relatively constant, each honey bee colony ends with less honey production per year. It slows the growth of individual urban honey bee colonies and affects the foraging potential of the honey bee colonies. Thus, urban beekeeping could be made effective by providing sufficient bee forage in surrounding beekeeping areas and by the selection of hives suitable for urban areas. Therefore, the present work was undertaken to study the diversity of nectariferous and polleniferous honey bee flora found in the major cosmopolitan city of India: Bengaluru. We recorded 58 major bee floras grown in the Bengaluru urban to make beekeeping activities throughout the year. In addition, hives with different frame numbers (5, 6 and 8) were evaluated for their performance in 3 different locations. Results clearly showed that hives with six frames are equally good compared to the conventional eight frame hive. Therefore, hives with six frames are more suitable for urban beekeeping, which would be efficient by reducing energy requirements in activities like comb construction of the colony. Appropriate hive selection was an important factor for successful beekeeping, especially in urban areas of Bengaluru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of new rice varieties, including HYV, hybrids and genetically modified rice, which are being developed as a result of corporate-centered technology, is putting traditional rice varieties in India and throughout Asia in danger of extinction. In order to better understand how artificial and organic inputs affect traditional rice production and growth, this study was carried out. A field study was conducted in Pazhankovil village, Thiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu, India in June 2021. This experiment used a randomized block (RBD) design with 11 treatments viz., T1 – Control, T2 – 100% RDF, T3– 50% RDF + FYM @ 12.5 t/ha, T4 – 50% RDF + VC @ 2.5 t/ha, T5 – 50% RDF + Humic granules @ 25 kg/ha, T6 – 50 % RDF + FYM @ 12.5 t/ha+ NPK Consortia, T7 – 50% RDF + VC @ 2.5 t/ ha + NPK consortia, T8 – 50% RDF + Humic granules @ 25 kg/ha + NPK consortia, T9 – 50% RDF + FYM @ 12.5 t/ha + NPK consortia + Seaweed liquid @ 2% (FS two times), T10 – 50% RDF + VC @ 2.5 t/ha + NPK consortia + Seaweed liquid @ 2% (FS two times) and T11 – 50 % RDF + Humic granules @ 25 kg/ha + NPK consortia + Seaweed liquid @ 2% (FS two times) and were replicated thrice. Treatments consist of various organic solids and liquids that have been given in combination with 50% RDF. Results of the experiment revealed that among the different treatments tried, T10 treatment performed better compared to other treatments and use of 50% RDF with NPK consortia and FYM 12.5 t/ha (T6) found to be at par with application of 100% RDF (T2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was carried out in 46 apparently health captive elephants maintained in different parts of Tamil Nadu, India during the period from August 2020 to April 2021 to assess and evolve the baseline reference values for serum biochemical parameters in captive Asian elephants raised in the Tamil Nadu state of India.As part of the periodical health assessment, blood samples were collected from auricular vein for 46 apparently healthy captive Asian elephants maintained in Tamil Nadu, India. Biochemical analyses were performed using auto biochemical analyzer using commercial kits as per the recommendations of the manufacturer. The mean±SE, lower and upper value, 95% and 99% of confidence interval of the serum biochemistry parameters comprised of glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, cholesterol, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, serum enzymes AST, ALT, ALP, CK, GGT and LDH were evaluated. The observed values were found to be within the normal ranges reported for the captive elephants and there were no significant differences observed between the age groups. These serum biochemical values would serve as baseline reference to evaluate the health and clinical conditions of captive elephant populations, as well as for planning health care measures in elephants of this region and adjoining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The late Campanian/Maastrichtian succession exposed in the Pondicherry area provides one of the best exposed marine sections in the Cauvery basin and is examined for its foraminiferal contents. The biostratigraphic distribution of 72 species of planktonic foraminifera has been used to identify eleven planktonic zones and subzones and correlated to the global bioevents. The present biostratigraphic analysis has revealed four bioevents in the late Campanian-Maastrichtian sediments of the Pondicherry area. The first one was associated with the Radotruncana calcarata (CF10), which correlated to the late Campanian event (LCE); the second bioevent was associated with the Rugoglobigerina rotundata (CF7a) and the Rugoglobigerina scotti CF7b, which correlated to the (Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary event (CMBE); the third bioevent is associated with Globotruncana linneiana and Contusotruncana contusa, which correlated to middle Maastrichtian event (MME). The fourth bioevent associated with the Racemiguembelina fructicosa, which is correlated with the late Maastrichtian event (LME) associated with the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary in the studied area. Three principal climate and faunal associations were identified in the present study in Cauvery basin; (1) worldwide cooling with minimal variation in the late Campanian-earliest Maastrichtian observed through extraordinary diversification for the Cretaceous mostly accomplished in the early Maastrichtian (Event-1, C31r), (2) warming and stable high diversity (Event-2, upper C31r to lower C30n), (3) return to global cooling and high-stress environments (Event-3, C30n) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation focused on identification and quantification of microplastics in surface waters of Chalakudy River, Kerala. Microplastics were detected in the surface waters of the study area with a recovery rate of 108.33 mg particles L−1. The abundance of microplastics ranged from 15.13 ± 4.13 – 170 ± 17.75 particles L−1 (mean: 55.81 ± 34 particles L−1). A maximum number of microplastics were obtained from site C3 and the least from site C8. The weight distribution of microplastic on sites exhibited strong positive correlation with the abundance (r = 0.83). Microplastics of size <20 µm were in higher abundance in the study area. Microscopic examination revealed fragments (47.06%) as predominant plastics and the dominant colour was brown/mud (26.99%). Abundance of coloured plastics indicated the probability of damage to aquatic life. Raman spectrum analysis revealed that Low-Density Poly Ethylene (40%) as the predominant polymer that could be observed at all the sampling sites. Lower-sized microplastics would cause accidental ingestion by organisms. The estimated release of a higher average number of microplastic particles (55.81 ± 4.25) into the marine environment is of serious concern. The observed overall abundance and recovery rate of microplastics in the study area indicated the status of contamination due to a multitude of sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]