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Purpose: In India, national accreditation agencies stipulate that internal quality control in higher education institutions (HEIs) is to be institutionalized through internal quality assurance cells that are responsible for implementing and controlling quality systems. As the concept of goal congruence is central to a control process, this study aims to examine whether goal congruence is observed in such institutions. The impact of the absence of goal congruence on the quality of performance in higher education was also examined. Design/methodology/approach: This cross-sectional study measured the impact of goal congruence or the lack thereof on the performance quality of HEIs as defined in the evaluation criteria of the apex accreditation agency, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. Two hypotheses were tested using t-tests and regression analysis. Focus group discussions were conducted to elicit participants' suggestions. Findings: The results showed a lack of goal congruence between HEIs' quality goals and their faculty's personal goals, which adversely impacts the quality of their performance, as indicated by an average disagreement of 81% on a ten-statement scale. Goal congruence as an independent variable explained 63% of the variability in HEIs' performance quality, and the results were statistically significant, indicating that lack of goal congruence is an important contributor to poor performance among HEIs. Originality/value: Accreditation of HEIs is a global practice; hence, the findings of this study and the importance of goal congruence apply not only to India but also to HEIs globally.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to carry out a comparative analysis of the job satisfaction of nurses working in India based on the different types of the hospital they are working with. The study tests the null hypothesis that the job satisfaction of nurses from India across different types of hospitals is the same. Methods: Four hundred nurses divided into 100 each for four popular types of hospitals – (1) Educational; (2) Government; (3) Charitable Trust; and (4) Private, from all over India were surveyed. Two ANOVA tests were performed. The first one was performed, taking overall job satisfaction as the dependent variable. The second ANOVA was performed by taking the monetary and compensation factors, work environment and management support, and job-related factors as the dependent variables. Results: The overall mean of job satisfaction was -0.73 (SD 0.60). Overall, 65 percent of the variability of the dependent variable, job satisfaction, is explained by the type of hospital and is statistically significant (p

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify and address significant quality gaps present in business school dissertations in India. Dissertations, an integral and a special component of the overall business school learning process, acquaint students with the practical business world. Design/methodology/approach: The authors benchmarked the dissertation processes of business schools in India against those of reputed business schools in Germany, France, Sweden and Australia. Using a survey questionnaire, the authors checked whether business schools in India followed international processes and, if not, what could be done to adopt such processes. A sample of 367 business schools was studied to obtain reasonable evidence. Findings: There were major quality issues in the dissertation process across business schools in India. Serious groundwork preparation issues were identified, such as an absence of research proposals. Most business schools also reported that there were no rubrics for dissertation evaluation, resulting in high subjectivity in the evaluation process. Supervisor interactions and control over the progress of the dissertation were also found to be very weak. As a result, the authors conclude that dissertations from business schools in India have major gaps in quality. Originality/value: This is a novel study that examines the quality assurance of business school dissertations. It highlights major quality concerns surrounding the business school dissertation process and suggests measures to address quality issues. The study's implications apply to business schools in all developing countries and not just India.

For the total doctorate awarded in India in 2013, the male-to-female ratio was 63:37. This ratio improved to 57:43 in favour of women in 2021. In absolute terms, the number of women awarded doctorates almost doubled in 2021 compared with 2013. In this study, we examine the progress made by Indian women in doctoral education based on annual reports from the All India Survey on Higher Education. The improved ratios and numbers reflect the adoption of an action-oriented approach in dealing with the concepts of equality and inclusion. The reasons for the progress and ways to improve were investigated based on secondary data and interviews with 15 expert senior female research supervisors. The interviews reveal that apart from the mandatory requirement of a PhD qualification for academic progression, other initiatives have been taken by the Government that have encouraged more women to opt for doctoral education. However, more needs to be done to make research easy for women in India, and such areas, as pointed out by the panel of experts, have been discussed. These findings can be used by other nations that want to bring more inclusivity to doctoral education.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the sustenance of quality over the long run by higher education institutions (HEIs) as measured by the accreditation scores in two consecutive five-year cycles of accreditation, which is a global quality practice. It also aimed to uncover the causes of the decline in the quality performance of the majority of HEIs. Design/methodology/approach: The authors analyzed 481 Indian HEIs based on their accreditation scores for the second and third cycles of assessment by the apex agency, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. Given the alarming results, the authors investigated the matter further. Possible causes for the lack of quality sustenance on the part of Indian HEIs were ascertained. Findings: While 161 HEIs showed improvement, 320 showed a decline in the accreditation scores. Indian HEIs are on a slippery slope in dealing with quality. This survey of a sample of 248 out of 481 institutions showed that much remains to be done by the Internal Quality Assurance Cells. The lack of institutionalization of quality is a major concern. Findings of this study have implications for HEIs across the globe who want to be assured of quality on a sustained basis. Originality/value: This study is the first of its kind to look into drops in quality among HEIs that have been in a quality environment for more than 10 years. It warns institutions to guard against quality complacency to sustain quality in the long run.

The Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) system is a framework for finding images from huge datasets that are similar to a given image. The main component of CBIR system is the strategy for retrieval of images. There are many strategies available and most of these rely on single feature extraction. The single feature-based strategy may not be efficient for all types of images. Similarly, due to a larger set of data, image retrieval may become inefficient. Hence, this article proposes a system that comprises of two-stage retrieval with different features at every stage where the first stage will be coarse retrieval and the second will be fine retrieval. The proposed framework is validated on standard benchmark images and compared with existing frameworks. The results are recorded in graphical and numerical form, thus supporting the efficiency of the proposed system.

Abstract Background Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related neurologic complications have a diverse presentation in transplant recipients, creating diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for clinicians. In this case series, we report unique manifestations of EBV related neurologic complications following solid organ transplant and highlight pitfalls in management. Case presentations A retrospective search of the electronic medical record of all patients from January 2015 to December 2020 who underwent solid organ transplantation and had central nervous system complications as determined by ICD-10 codes were included. Three patients with unique manifestation of EBV-related neurologic complications after liver transplantation were identified. The first was a 52-year-old man with a live-donor liver transplant 11 years prior for Budd-Chiari syndrome presented with several weeks of headache and several lesions on brain MRI; he was diagnosed with primary central nervous system post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder. The second patient was a 63-year-old man with a deceased-donor liver transplant 16 years prior for alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency and was found to have a stroke; he was diagnosed with EBV encephalitis. The final patient was a 75-year-old woman with a deceased-donor liver transplant six years prior for primary biliary cirrhosis who presented with four months of gait instability; she was diagnosed with EBV myelitis. A review of the literature was performed to supplement description of the different diseases. Conclusions EBV-related central nervous infection in post-transplant patients can manifest in a variety of neurologic syndromes, which can be challenging to diagnose. Careful correlation of clinical, pathologic, and radiologic findings and a high index of suspicion are crucial in identification and appropriate management.

Introduction Identification of newer trends in indications and timing of tracheostomy and their implication on the outcome of the patients in a critical care unit, based on observations recorded in patients from a tertiary care centre in Western India. Materials and Methods 100 patients admitted in the critical care unit, who underwent tracheostomy, were studied retrospectively. The patients were analyzed for the epidemiological data, indications, timing, and outcome of the tracheostomy. The outcomes were assessed based on mortality, discharge, decannulation, complications and VAP as parameters. A comparative analysis of the outcome of the tracheostomy depending on the timing of tracheostomy was conducted. Results Male: Female ratio was 1.77:1. Majority of the patients belonged to the age group of 21 to 40 years. Anticipation of prolonged airway was commonest indication for tracheostomy (49%). Early tracheostomy was preferred (68%). The mortality rate was 38%. 48% of patients were discharged with a successful decannulation in 72.9% of them. Complications and VAP were observed in 16% and 23% of patients, respectively. The timing of tracheostomy had a significant impact on the outcome. Conclusion Anticipating prolonged intubation is the most important indication for tracheostomy in the critical care unit. Early tracheostomy is associated with favourable outcomes in terms of decreased mortality, improved survival rate, lesser complication, low incidence of VAP, and thus, better weaning. As soon as the need for prolonged management of the airway is identified, tracheostomy should be considered.

Refineries and chemical plants use a myriad of protective layers around their sources of hazards in an effort to reduce the frequency of catastrophic losses; however, releases of hazardous materials still occur. When such events occur, plants often depend on critical pieces of equipment to safely shut down the plant and prevent escalation. As a result, it is important that this equipment, including the power and electronics to run these systems, survive the events for which they are designed to protect. Properly protecting and siting this equipment is a key step in ensuring its survivability in the aftermath of a loss of containment event; however, current facility siting methodologies often focus on loss of life or loss of large product inventories. While buildings housing critical equipment may be assessed for consequence or risk, they may not consider the specific vulnerabilities associated with these safety systems. This paper outlines a method of assessing the blast and fire vulnerability, and the blast and fire risk to safety critical systems in the chemical and refining industries, which historically contribute the bulk of accident financial impact. This methodology is used to develop several case studies and offers solutions to improve the availability of these systems in the event of an accident.

We present a simple algorithm for management of post-traumatic posterior heel defect. We covered these with various flaps depending upon the defect size, its exact location, associated injuries, extent of zone of trauma, and complexity of the defect. The aim was to select the most suitable method for soft tissue coverage for posterior heel reconstruction.

We present a simple algorithm for management of post-traumatic posterior heel defect. We covered these with various flaps depending upon the defect size, its exact location, associated injuries, extent of zone of trauma, and complexity of the defect. The aim was to select the most suitable method for soft tissue coverage for posterior heel reconstruction.

Proboscis lateralis is a rare congenital anomaly for which no embryological basis has been established. Besides heminasal aplasia or hypoplasia, various other craniofacial anomalies are also associated with it. It is only uncommonly free of other anomalies. Evaluation of a patient should include CT scan examination to look for growth of facial and skull bones. Reconstruction should start at an early age. Proboscis itself is the best option for heminose formation. Cartilaginous or bony support can be planned later in the late teens to give good aesthetic result.

Proboscis lateralis is a rare congenital anomaly for which no embryological basis has been established. Besides heminasal aplasia or hypoplasia, various other craniofacial anomalies are also associated with it. It is only uncommonly free of other anomalies. Evaluation of a patient should include CT scan examination to look for growth of facial and skull bones. Reconstruction should start at an early age. Proboscis itself is the best option for heminose formation. Cartilaginous or bony support can be planned later in the late teens to give good aesthetic result.

Blast load calculations are a central aspect to most Facility Siting Studies (FSS) and Quantitative Risk Assessments (QRA) for chemical processing facilities. The calculated blast loads can have important impacts on new buildings at an existing facility that need to be properly understood for them to become design basis loads. This paper describes an efficient and cost effective method of selecting a building design that minimizes blast risk to the extent practical;Firstly, by reviewing predicted blast loads and associated frequencies to select potential building types that can be used to achieve the required level of personnel protection, such as pre-engineered steel frames, masonry building with load-bearing walls, and precast concrete tilt-up construction. Secondly, by developing structural models for each of the building types considered based on dynamic structural analyses of typical building components. The buildings’ blast load resistance can be graphically represented through pressure-impulse diagrams. Thirdly, by investigating the sensitivity of a building’s blast capacity to changes for each building model by modifying structural properties such as roof components, exterior walls and other critical components of the building. Fourthly, by determining a potential location for the building in the plant where a selected building construction type can be placed without exceeding a tolerable risk level. Finally, by estimating the additional construction cost to locate the building at other locations where blast loads are more severe. This paper assists in selecting cost-effective building design(s) to be considered in the planning and design stages by evaluating the material requirements of each building type to achieve acceptable performance. Sensitivity calculations can be performed to compare risk as a function of construction costs to allow a practical design to be selected.

The nutritional aspects of burns is an important but yet not properly looked after problem in the management of burns. We present our experience with dealing with such a problem giving a practical and easy to deliver solution to nutrition. Early enteral nutrition should be started with frequent assessment to the need of the patient and it requires a team approach.

The nutritional aspects of burns is an important but yet not properly looked after problem in the management of burns. We present our experience with dealing with such a problem giving a practical and easy to deliver solution to nutrition. Early enteral nutrition should be started with frequent assessment to the need of the patient and it requires a team approach.

Process equipment containing hazardous or flammable materials in petrochemical facilities can be subjected to significant blast loads from accidental Vapour Cloud Explosions (VCE). Storage tanks are of particular importance, since these can potentially contain significant amounts of such materials. Calculating the response (damage) of particular types of tank and associated equipment under explosion blast loads can be complicated and expensive. Moreover, determining if the predicted damage has any potential for releasing the contents of the tank can be challenging and involve complex calculations. Simplifications can be made to model certain types of equipment such as bullet tanks in order to obtain qualitative estimates of damage based on empirical data, analytical approximations, and observed damage from industrial explosions. The simplified models can be used to assess the potential for damage in terms of the peak pressure (P) and impulse (i) which is the integral of pressure-time function. These parameters can be used to define any blast load. Therefore, the damage estimate is not only dependent on the equivalent static pressure, but takes the blast duration into account. Pressure-impulse (P-i) curves can be used to graphically define the magnitude of any potential explosions as pressure-impulse combinations that cause specific damage levels. Using P-i curves developed for increasing damage levels, qualitative damage levels can be defined as the area bound in a pressure-impulse diagram between two curves. Calculated VCE blast loads can be plotted on the P-i diagram to perform qualitative blast assessment of the equipment damage. Furthermore, the tank (or other equipment) model can be used to produce damage contours on a plant plot plan that can be used as an aid in new plant facility siting.

Fireworks are commonly used in celebrate festive occasions. We present a case of an unusual presentation of intraoral firework injury, which is a very rare case. A fifteen year old boy kept four explosive papercaps wrapped in a small polythene bags in between his left molars and crushed them. This resulted in a contused lacerated wound over the left buccal mucosa. Patient was treated conservatively with maintenance of intraoral hygiene, antibiotics, proteolytic enzymes and analgesics. It took 18 days for complete healing of the wound.

Fireworks are commonly used in celebrate festive occasions. We present a case of an unusual presentation of intraoral firework injury, which is a very rare case. A fifteen year old boy kept four explosive papercaps wrapped in a small polythene bags in between his left molars and crushed them. This resulted in a contused lacerated wound over the left buccal mucosa. Patient was treated conservatively with maintenance of intraoral hygiene, antibiotics, proteolytic enzymes and analgesics. It took 18 days for complete healing of the wound.

An unusual complication following religious circumcision resulting in urethral fistula is reported.

Unilateral hypertrophy of the mandibular condyle is not an uncommon entity. About 150 case have been reported so far. From India, Only two cases have been reported. On account of this rarity, it is our pleasure to report the following case.

A case of congenital lateral lip sinus has been presented because of its rarity. Literature and aetiology have been briefly reviewed.

• Metatarsals account for 2% of all cases of Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis. • This is a rare case of Community Aquired-Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA) osteomyelitis of great toe with complete sequestration of proximal phalanx in an adolescent managed with reverse dermis cross-toe flap and inter-positional fibular grafting. • This case concludes that post infective phalangeal loss with significant soft tissue necrosis does not necessarily entails amputation. • With a staged soft tissue coverage and bone loss management, a good clinical, cosmetic and functional outcome can be achieved. Osteomyelitis is defined as infection of the bone and its marrow. It is more common in children due to growing bones and rich blood supply. Although long tubular bones are most common to get involved, no bone is exempted from acute hematogenous osteomyelitis and metatarsals account for 2% of all cases of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis. A rare case of Community Aquired-Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA) osteomyelitis of great toe with complete sequestration of proximal phalanx in an adolescent managed with reverse dermis cross-toe flap and inter-positional fibular grafting is presented. On the basis of our experience with this case, it is also concluded that post infective phalangeal loss with significant soft tissue necrosis does not necessarily entails amputation. With a staged soft tissue coverage and bone loss management, a good clinical, cosmetic and functional outcome can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]