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Background: As mobile phone uptake in India continues to grow, there is also continued interest in mobile platform–based interventions for health education. There is a significant gender gap in mobile phone access—women’s access to mobile phones is constrained by economic and social barriers. Pregnancy and postpartum care is one of many targets for mobile health (mHealth) interventions that particularly rely upon women’s access to and facility with mobile phone use. Objective: We aimed to describe the dynamics and patterns of married pregnant and postpartum women’s mobile phone access and use (among both phone owners and nonowners) who participated in an mHealth postpartum care intervention and to identify potential barriers to their participation in mobile platform–based interventions. Methods: A secondary analysis was performed on mixed methods data obtained for a pilot mHealth intervention for postpartum care of mothers in rural Punjab from July 2020 to February 2021. Two formative sources included exploratory in-depth interviews among postpartum women (n=20; 1-3 months postpartum) and quantitative maternal health survey among women who were pregnant or who had recently given birth (n=102). We also utilized mixed methods intervention assessment data from early postpartum women who participated in the pilot intervention (n=29), including intervention moderator perspectives. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed, and pertinent findings were grouped thematically. Results: The majority of women owned a phone (maternal health survey: 75/102, 74%; demographic survey: 17/29, 59%), though approximately half (53/102, 52%) still reported sharing phones with other family members. Sharing a phone with female family members typically allowed for better access than sharing with male family members. Some households had strict preferences against daughters-in-law having phones, or otherwise significantly restricted women’s phone access. Others reported concerns about phone use–related health hazards for mother and infant during the pregnancy or postpartum period. Conclusions: These findings suggest nuance regarding what is meant by women’s phone ownership and access—there were numerous additional constraints on women’s use of phones, particularly during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Future research and mHealth interventions should probe these domains to better understand the dynamics governing women’s access, use, and fluency with mobile phones to optimally design mHealth interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentration of trace metals was measured in groundwater samples collected from Malwa region of Punjab, India. The samples were analyzed by using high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS). The results were compared with permissible limits prescribed by various health and environmental protection agencies. The concentrations of trace metals such as Mn, Se, Mo, Cd, Sb and Pb were higher than their respective permissible limits at some sampling sites. The total hazard index (HItotal) (summing the hazard index through ingestion and dermal routes) at all the sampling sites exceeded or nearing unity, indicating the presence of non-carcinogenic health effects from ingestion of groundwater and dermal contact with groundwater. The results reveal that the total excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCRtotal) of metals exposure was in accordance with the acceptable lifetime risks for carcinogens in drinking water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uranium concentration in drinking water samples collected from areas of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh has been measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The sources of water comprise hand pumps and tube wells. The uranium concentration lies in the range of 1.24–45.42 µg l−1 with a mean value of 14.91 µg l−1 in drinking water samples from Punjab and 0.56–10.11 µg l−1 with a mean value of 2.17 µg l−1 in Himachal Pradesh. The measured uranium content in 4 % water samples from Punjab has been found to be higher than the limit of 30 µg l−1 recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Environmental Protection Agency. However, the uranium concentration in all the water samples from Himachal Pradesh is well below the recommended limit. The annual effective dose associated with drinking water due to uranium concentration is estimated from its annual intake using dosimetric information based on International Commission on Radiological Protection 72. The resulting value of the annual effective dose from drinking water sources is in the range of 0.33–37.78 µSv, which is well within the limit of 100 µSv recommended by the WHO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radon gas is a significant health threat linked to thousands of preventable deaths each year. In this paper, radon activity concentration is measured in 260 groundwater samples collected from 65 villages in the Bathinda district of Punjab State, India, using Rad7, an electronic radon detector (Durridge Co., USA). The radon concentration varies from 0.9±0.2 to 5.1±0.3 Bq l−1 with a mean value of 2.63 Bq l−1. The recorded values of radon concentration in groundwater are within the safe limit of 11 Bq l−1 recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The annual effective dose in stomach and lungs per person is also evaluated in this research. The estimated total annual effective dose of adults ranged from 8.82 to 49.98 µSv y−1. The total annual effective dose from all locations of the studied area is found to be within the safe limit (0.1 mSv y−1), recommended by World Health Organisation and EU Council. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The measurement of indoor radon concentrations were performed in the dwellings of the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, India by using LR-115 type II Solid-State Nuclear Track Detectors in the bare mode. The annual average indoor radon concentrations in the dwellings are found to vary from 114 to 400 Bq m−3 with an average of 194 Bq m−3. In ∼22 % of the dwellings the indoor radon activity concentration values lies in the range of action level (200–300 Bq m−3) and in ∼11 % of the dwellings above the upper limit of action level recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The annual effective dose (AED) varies from 2.88 to 10.08 mSv with an average of 4.88 mSv. In most of the villages, the AED lies in the range of action level (3–10 mSv) recommended by the ICRP. The seasonal variation in indoor radon reveals the maximum values in winter and minimum in summer. The winter/summer ratio of indoor radon ranges from 1.15 to 1.62 with an average of 1.31. Analysis of ventilation conditions reveal that the indoor radon concentration values are more in poorly ventilated dwellings compared with the well-ventilated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education and training, by imparting knowledge and skills, constitute the most significant factor in raising the level of the quality of human resources. Education is a core sector for meeting the objective of employment, human resource development and bringing about much needed change in social environment, leading to overall progress through efficient use of resources. The present paper focuses on a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of Punjab on the Educational front in terms of the targets set for the Eleventh Five Year Plan. An attempt has also been made to ascertain, wherever possible, areas which need greater emphasis and identify the gaps which need to be addressed for more efficient execution in attainment of the desired goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various welfare schemes selected in the study and launched by the Central government and State governments are actually conceived to give succor to the needy women and uplift her socially and economically. It is in this context, that the present study is an attempt to assess the impact of these schemes on the status of women in the State of Punjab. The assessment of various parameters has been studied at the grassroot level by conducting a survey of 935 beneficiary women from 15 villages in the selected four CD. blocks namely, Dera Bassi and Samana from district Patiala and Ghull Khurd and Abohar from Ferozepur district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to identify the differences in anterior and overall tooth size ratios of subjects with Angle's Class I and Class II Division 1 malocclusion groups in North Indian ( Punjab) population. Materials and Methods: This study was performed using measurement on dental casts of 60 normal occlusion (30 males and 30 females , mean age: 20.2 years) and 60 Class II division 1 (30 males and 30 females, mean age: 20.3 years) malocclusion subjects. The mesiodistal width from first molar to first molar was measured on each pretreatment cast to the nearest 0.01 mm using digital calipers, and the anterior and overall ratios were calculated. Student's t-test was performed for statistical analysis. Results: No statistically significant difference was found in the anterior or overall ratios for males. Slightly statistically significant difference was found in the anterior ratio for females. Bolton's values can be used with confidence in North Indian (Punjab) population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]