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The pulp and paper industry is critical to global industrial and economic development. Recently, India's pulp and paper industries have been facing severe competitive challenges. The challenges have impaired the environmental performance and resulted in the closure of several operations. Assessment and prediction of the performance of the Indian pulp and paper industry using various parameters is a critical task for researchers. This study proposes a framework for performance assessment and prediction based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Artificial Neural Networks, and Deep Learning (DL) to assist industry administration and decision-making. We presented a case study based on eight industries to demonstrate the methodology's applicability. This study analyses and predicts industry performance based on sample data observations over 30 years. The result suggests the DEA-DL-based efficiency prediction has an overall MSE of 0.08 compared with the actual efficiency. Furthermore, the efficiency rankings are compared between the three techniques. The results suggest that the integrated DEA-DL method is primarily accurate in most scenarios with the actual values. The findings of this study provide a comprehensive analysis of environmental performance for policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lie-detection tests are traditionally carried out by well-trained experts using polygraph machines. However, it is time-consuming, invasive, and, overall, a cumbersome process, not admissible by the court of law. Trained individuals can easily flaunt these tests. On the other hand, facial thermal imaging could be more effective as it is noninvasive and could be a stealth method of tracking the facial blood flow patterns, which have been proven to detect deceit. This paper presents a method based on facial thermal imaging to detect deception in human subjects. The major issue in such research is the lack of proper real-life databases which emulate the crime scenes. In this paper, first, we have developed a database based on almost real-life theft incidents with due diligence using isolated subjects over a period of time at a government hospital under the plea of free health checkup. The experiment has been conducted at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal, India, with proper ethical committee approval. The participants are selected at the behest of the police department with habitual crime records. Most of them have been repeatedly charged with petty crimes of pick-pocketing and stealing. They are invited individually at different instances of time under the plea of medical checkup where they have been enticed to steal cash. It is followed by a two-stage process, a friendly interaction followed by a slightly tougher interrogation. Their forehead and periorbital region skin surface temperature are recorded by a hidden thermal camera. Upon analysis, conspicuous changes in the temperature profile and blood flow pattern have been observed in the individuals who stole money and those who did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competitiveness is a key requirement for modern companies to survive. Effective corporate governance practices are also fast emerging as a fundamental obligation owed to shareholders and other stakeholders. The connection between competition and good corporate governance is derived from the product market competition hypothesis (PMCH) that projects the idea that operating in competitive markets would increase x-efficiency and decrease agency costs in companies, leading to superior corporate governance. Although a significant amount of work, both theoretical and empirical has been carried out on the efficacy of the PMCH, none of the research has been conclusive. Moreover, there has been no concentrated effort into determining the impact of the PMCH on the specific types of agency problems that are endemic to companies with largely concentrated shareholding structures like India. The paper highlights that a part of the reason behind the waning and unconvincing research on the PMCH (specially in India) has been the focus on competitiveness as an abstract concept or empirical construct, rather than on the regulatory aspect of competition, that is, competition law. This paper examines the connection between competition law and corporate governance, specifically the utility of competition regulation in being used to improve corporate governance in companies. It also considers the effectiveness of competition law in dispelling some of the pervasive Indian corporate governance problems such as tunneling and inefficient related party transactions. Some of the methods that are considered which would have such an impact and thus are recommended by the researcher, are a redefinition of 'dominant position' in the competition law discourse, to include within it pyramidical groups of companies as well as viewing tunneling practices as having an 'appreciable adverse effect' on competition. Doing so would result in numerous efficiencies as competition law could be used to kill two birds with one stone: increasing both competitiveness and good corporate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical research is challenging when studying informal spaces like urban slums, where extant scholarship is limited, government data are sparse or absent, and populations change rapidly due to eviction, environmental shocks, and the everyday churn of migration. Moreover, written materials and political ephemera generated within slums are rarely preserved in accessible state archives, limiting the usefulness of conventional archival research. In such contexts, the discovery of informal archives—unmapped, non-systematized collections of materials kept by individuals and groups in the spaces under study—can contribute to the reconstruction of local histories. This article draws on 20 months of fieldwork in India’s urban slums to offer insights on the collection and use of informal archival materials. These materials afford an intimate look at how the urban poor organize and make claims on the state. Their analysis, however, involves inferential challenges. Researchers must consider how processes of production, preservation, and provision shape the content of gathered historical materials and thus the inferences that can be drawn from them. Beyond urban slums, informal archives are likely to be useful sources of historical data for a range of studies in comparative politics, especially those that focus on informal institutions and local quotidian politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining is an important enterprise that will supply essential minerals for the country's infrastructural development. Mining is a key industry and a development engine in the Indian economy. The epidemic has had both immediate and long-term effects on the labour and industries in India. Short-term effects include the cessation of mineral production, salary loss due to absenteeism and pandemic limitations, unemployment, and the selling of minerals on the market. The reputation and economic health of industries, fresh mineral deposit exploration, and new mining complex development have all been impacted in long-term. Aside from the mining industry-specific impact of COVID-19, the social fabric of the mining workers has been impacted since they are living in an environment of fear and uncertainty. This paper attempts to analyse the effect of COVID-19 on extractive industries in India. It also focuses the steps which taken by the Indian government. The paper concluded with the negative effect of COVID-19 which disrupts the mining sector and the contribution declined during COVID-19. However, for instance from mineral rich-Odisha, the mining sector takes up by its growth in post COVID-19 period with remarkable increment from negative growth to high positive rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macro-level studies on intergenerational mobility among women in India suggests that, there is a need to further probe certain excluded communities that have a higher likelihood of persistence of educational status among women through micro-level studies. The present study investigates the extent and drivers of high/low intergenerational educational mobility among young women (vis-à-vis their mothers) belonging to the weavers' community of Varanasi, India. Using transition/mobility matrices and mobility measures, along with qualitative methods, the paper builds on a mixed-methods study conducted among 364 households of weavers' community from Varanasi. The qualitative data includes a total of 8 respondents with 5 KIIs and 3 IDIs. The study shows that the overall intergenerational educational mobility among women (vis-à-vis their mothers) from the weavers' community of Varanasi is 0.30 and there is no downward mobility. The qualitative findings further highlight various reasons enabling or preventing high educational mobility in the given context. In conclusion, the paper illustrates several micro-level issues and disparities in intergenerational educational mobility that are not clearly evident through the macro-level studies and further helps in making informed policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasting of load is essential for operating power systems. India recently witnessed one of the worst power crisis with the highest ever power demand of 207 GW on April 29, 2022. The demand in the month of May and June 2022 was estimated to reach 215 GW. The peak demand this year 2023, according to the electricity ministry, is predicted to be around 230 GW from April to June. The inability to meet certain fundamental issues as power can take a toll on any country's economy. Proper prediction helps in proper decision making and planning. The main objective of this paper is to predict day ahead electrical load demand for Assam. Statistical and Machine Learning Algorithms has been studied. The study has been carried out using real-time data for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. The paper presents a detailed analysis of the different hyper parameters of the deep learning models and their effect is seen on the learning efficiency. A novel stacked forecasting model is proposed using neural networks as base learners and CatBoost as the meta-learner. The performance of the proposed model has been evaluated and compared with individual models in terms of training time and accuracy using different error metrics namely MAE, MSE, RMSE, MAPE and R2 score. A comparison of the proposed prediction model with the prediction models available in literature has been presented. The conclusion states that both the statistical and machine learning algorithms used in this study act as useful tools for daily load forecasting with considerable accuracy; yet machine learning algorithm outperforms the statistical methods. The entire work has been done in Google Colaboratory using Python as the programming language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outcome of economic growth is visualised as the well-being of citizens or human well-being (HWB). However, it has been a great challenge to measure HWB. Though there are known reasons for considering GDP and its growth as a measure of overall development and progress of nations, yet mostly it is being used as a gospel indicator to compare nations and design appropriate policies. This paper is an effort to develop a comprehensive adjusted GDP to measure HWB through secondary data for thirty years (1990–91 to 2019–20) in India. We make thirty-five adjustments to net national income (NNI) to compute the adjusted national income (ANI) index based on the system analysis approach. The empirical findings show that the gap between NNI and ANI has been growing over time, and the ANI index shows an increasing trend. Through the analysis it is suggested that economic growth should be focused only if it improves HWB (full or partial). The paper attempts to make intervention into policy shift for improving HWB vis-à-vis happiness of people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socioeconomic situations in young people's families and communities make them more vulnerable to suicidal ideations. The Youth Helpline has made a significant difference in youth's lives and livelihoods by addressing their social and economic needs with positive mental health support. The quantitative and qualitative data validate the micro- and macro-level impact of the Youth Helpline in Puducherry. However, the multi-stakeholder model faces challenges in ensuring accountability, particularly from government partners. This paper highlights how direct intervention on the socio-economic determinants of youth suicidal ideation has positively affected youth mental health and reduced suicidal ideation in Puducherry. Social identity-based inequalities and access and affordability to mental health services are the major contributors to youth mental health problems. This paper critically discusses the Youth Helpline's multi-stakeholder process and youth-led approach to addressing socio-economic determinants, as well as the Helpline's impact on youth mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plumology is being used in a variety of avian research fields such as from ecology and evolution to prey-predator relationship. However, very few systematic studies have been conducted in India using plumology. The paper compares macro- and micro-structural feathers' features from four species of family Columbidae viz. the Spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis), Grey-fronted green pigeon (Treron affinis), Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and Common pigeon (Columba livia) from different Indian localities. A morphometric analysis of the downy and contour feathers' structures of the listed species was carried out. Since the feathers were taken from significantly damaged carcasses, it was necessary to determine the pterylae of the flying feathers to which the latter belong. Morphometric features of feathers viz. calamus, rachis, vane and mounted barb length were measured. An atypical for Columbidae feature presence of villi has been observed but only for T. affinis species. The presence of typical pigmented quadrilobed nodes was noted in all Columbidae species. Pigmented and non-pigmented plain pronged nodes and plain swollen nodes were observed. The presence of three different nodes on barbules and nodes' pigmentation may be considered as key taxonomic characteristics for studied Columbidae species. The feather comparison method made it possible to identify pterylae of studied feathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research by Heather J. Lambert and Malcolm G. Coulthard, reported in the International Pediatric Nephrology Association issue on January 17, 2024, on the necessity for urinary tract infection guidelines to address specific questions and incorporate analyses of primary data. Topics include the importance of evidence-based review papers, challenges in conducting studies on urine analysis for UTIs, and determining the optimal bacterial count threshold for diagnosing UTIs.

Laser lithotripsy is gaining global prominence and is a dynamically progressing field marked by a continual influx of new and comprehensive research each year. Recently, there has been a noticeable shift toward the adoption of various kinds of lasers, such as holmium: yttrium–aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) and thulium fiber (TFL) lasers. Consequently, we aim to conduct a bibliometric analysis to analyze key areas of research activity within scientific publications that center on the utilization of laser techniques in urolithiasis. A search of the literature spanning from 1978 to 2022 was carried out on 25 December 2023 using the Scopus database to explore research related to the application of laser techniques for urolithiasis treatment. Visualization analysis was performed using VOSviewer software (version 1.6.20). We examined 962 publications that met the specified criteria, 791 (82.22%) of which were original articles. The analysis of the retrieved publications indicated a consistent increase in research output from 1978 to 2022; a particularly noteworthy surge occurred after 2003. In particular, the U.S. claimed the leading position as the most productive country, contributing 211 articles (21.93%). However, India had the highest research productivity according to the adjustment index of 19.08. In the European region, 324 publications (33.68% of the total) originated from 25 countries. The Journal of Endourology contributed the most between 1978 and 2022 (n = 96, 9.98%). The most cited paper examined the effectiveness of holmium: yttrium–aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) lasers, while a subsequent study focused on the use of a thulium fiber laser (TFL), an emerging laser technology that has gained increased recognition. Co-occurrence analysis revealed three distinct clusters focusing on the types of laser technology, minimally invasive approaches, and success rate/postoperative complications. This comprehensive investigation delves into the global landscape of laser use for the treatment of urolithiasis. This review supports the emerging clinical concept of using various types of laser technology for urolithiasis treatment. Moreover, the hot issues that researchers should focus on based on the findings of this study are the use of different types of laser lithotripsy in view of the surgical approach, success rate and complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) chat programs has opened two distinct paths, one enhancing interaction and another potentially replacing personal understanding. Ethical and legal concerns arise due to the rapid development of these programs. This paper investigates academic discussions on AI in medicine, analyzing the context, frequency, and reasons behind these conversations. Methods: The study collected data from the Web of Science database on articles containing the keyword "ChatGPT" published from January to September 2023, resulting in 786 medically related journal articles. The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed articles in English related to medicine. Results: The United States led in publications (38.1%), followed by India (15.5%) and China (7.0%). Keywords such as "patient" (16.7%), "research" (12%), and "performance" (10.6%) were prevalent. The Cureus Journal of Medical Science (11.8%) had the most publications, followed by the Annals of Biomedical Engineering (8.3%). August 2023 had the highest number of publications (29.3%), with significant growth between February to March and April to May. Medical General Internal (21.0%) was the most common category, followed by Surgery (15.4%) and Radiology (7.9%). Discussion: The prominence of India in ChatGPT research, despite lower research funding, indicates the platform's popularity and highlights the importance of monitoring its use for potential medical misinformation. China's interest in ChatGPT research suggests a focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP) AI applications, despite public bans on the platform. Cureus' success in publishing ChatGPT articles can be attributed to its open-access, rapid publication model. The study identifies research trends in plastic surgery, radiology, and obstetric gynecology, emphasizing the need for ethical considerations and reliability assessments in the application of ChatGPT in medical practice. Conclusion: ChatGPT's presence in medical literature is growing rapidly across various specialties, but concerns related to safety, privacy, and accuracy persist. More research is needed to assess its suitability for patient care and implications for non-medical use. Skepticism and thorough review of research are essential, as current studies may face retraction as more information emerges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative study of termite diversity in different ecosystems (agricultural, horticultural and silvicultural ecosystems) was carried out in mid-hills of Meghalaya to understand the species diversity, richness and abundanceof termite. A standard transect method and tissue paper bait method were used for sampling the termites.Alpha diversity was analysed by using Shannon wiener index and Margalef's D index for Species richness; and Simpson's index for Species dominance; whereas Beta diversity was analysed by using Routledge Be index, Cody Bc index, Whittaker Bw index and Wilson and Shmida Bt index. In the study, a total of 10 species of termites were identified which belonged to three subfamilies viz., Macrotermitinae, Amitermitinae and Termitinae. Macrotermitinae was the most presiding subfamily among the collected termite fauna. Individual species dominance was observed to differ in different ecosystems however, Odontotermes spp. was widely distributed across the ecosystems.The number of species recorded in silvicultural, horticultural and agricultural ecosystem were 7, 3 and 1 respectively. The termite diversity was highest in silvicultural ecosystem and lowest in agricultural ecosystem. The lowest numbers of species recorded in ecosystem may be attributed to its abrupt human disturbance. Shannon Wiener, Margalef's D and Simpson index in agricultural ecosystem, depicted less values compared to horticultural and silvicultural ecosystem. Among the ten species collected, one species i.e. Pseudocapritermis tikaderi which was sampled from silvicultural ecosystems was soil/humus feeder and the rest were wood/litter feeders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ABT system holds power producers accountable for stabilizing the grid, preventing over-drawl and under-drawl of power. Before the introduction of ABT, frequent over-drawl and under-drawl beyond the limits caused grid disturbances. It results in fewer generators getting tripped due to the wide variation range in the grid frequency and leads to power shortages for large-scale consumers. CERC in India introduced DSM to penalize over-drawing and under-drawing in power buying/selling schedules. Staying within limits earns incentives tied to grid frequency also preventing producers from charging higher rates for exploiting the lower frequency range. This paper delves into the seamless integration of ABT with India's regional and national grids. Furthermore, we meticulously scrutinize the power situation in India by examining the interconnection between MCP, DSM, and frequency. The DSM data were diligently collected from the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh for testing. The result shows that MCP linked with the DSM vector provides information on the deviation limit for DAM, power producers, and consumers. Linking of MCP with DSM and frequency makes power utilities more responsible and accountable for a power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposed modeling, designing and battery management system for a three-wheeled electric vehicle for the Indian road under different conditions. The system consists of a lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cell-based lithium-ion battery with a managing system known as battery management system (BMS) described here. The process for modeling the vehicle, choosing the motor, developing the controller with a programmable circuit and developing the DC–DC buck converter, and battery pack of the lithium-ion cell with an effective BMS is discussed. According to the study, a prototype programmable controller circuit board, including the PWM-controlled driver circuit, is built for the proper flow of electricity on urban roads in India and has been tested successfully on road. This developed electric prototype travels the range of 100 km with an average speed of 32 km/h, while the maximum current drawn from the battery is 30_amp. The efficiency increased by 2% compared to the market-available PWM square wave controller. MATLAB simulation is done to compare the effectiveness of the modeled system with the suggested prototype control system. To verify the system, a small-scale prototype is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hinduism is considered one of the most ancient religions in the world. Although the technological innovation of modernization has undermined the reliance on their traditions, Hindus may still rely on Hindu Scripture when making decisions. From their standpoint, contrary to Western medicine, human lives cannot be reduced to statistical and empirical facts. They focus more on preserving the spirit, rather than considering survival as one of the goals of medicine. Consequently, when a preterm infant is born, Hindu parents might struggle to understand the goals of Western neonatologists. This divergence may create misunderstandings when discussing end-of-life decisions. Since they value relational aspects to be of utmost importance, they may accept treatments only in the likelihood of good neurological outcomes. Being able to interact allows Hindus to act virtuously with the aim of purifying their soul toward moksa. When it comes to end-of-life decisions on behalf of newborns, Hindu parents may opt to forgo treatments and let the baby peacefully die, while praying for their soul to have a better rebirth. This paper aims to evaluate quality-of-life assessment in the Hindu tradition in comparison with the Catholic tradition. It draws parallelisms between these two different religions to investigate whether an inter-religious dialogue is possible. This work will help Catholic, and more broadly Western, doctors to have a better understanding of the Hindu end-of-life views. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key objective of this paper is to emphasize the importance of acknowledging breastfeeding as an embodied social practice within interventions related to breastfeeding and lactation and illustrate how this recognition holds implications for public health ethics debates. Recent scholarship has shown that breastfeeding and lactation support interventions undermine women's autonomy. However, substantial discourse is required to determine how to align with public health goals while also recognizing the embodied experiences of breastfeeding and lactating individuals. Presently, interventions in this realm predominantly revolve around health-related messaging and the promotion of individual behaviors, often neglecting the systemic and structural factors that influence choices and practices. I closely examine breastfeeding interventions in India, in particular Mothers' Absolute Affection health promotion program, along with breastfeeding narratives. I argue that for such interventions to evolve, they must acknowledge the intrinsic embodied social nature of breastfeeding during their design and implementation. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize that achieving equity and justice objectives necessitates moving beyond the confines of both conventional public health frameworks and frameworks solely centered on private choices. Instead, a more encompassing approach that embraces the concept of embodiment should be adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Quaternary strata on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau contain rich information about the paleoclimate and environmental evolution, record the evolution process of the Quaternary regional tectonics, paleogeography, and geomorphology of the plateau, and are extremely important areas for studying the Quaternary geological events and regional environmental evolution. According to a comprehensive analysis of the regional stratigraphic data and the development and evolution characteristics of the biota, based on the differences in the lithostratigraphic units, sedimentary characteristics, landforms, and drainage systems, the Quaternary strata on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its surrounding areas are divided into five stratigraphic regions: the Tarim region, Loess Plateau region, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region, Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau region, and India-Ganges region. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau stratigraphic region is divided into seven stratigraphic sub-regions: the West Kunlun-Karakorum, Altun-Qilian Mountains, Qaidam-Hehuang, East Kunlun-Bayan Har, Qiangtang, East Xizang-West Yunnan-West Sichuan, and Gangdise-Himalayan sub-regions. This paper briefly describes the lithostratigraphic units of the seven stratigraphic sub-regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. According to the lithostratigraphic sequence and its sedimentary characteristics, stratigraphic contact relationship, formation age, and evolution of the biota in each stratigraphic sub-region, the Quaternary tectonic paleogeographic evolution of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is divided into four stages. (1) The inherited differential uplift stage since the Pliocene (2.6−1.8/1.5 Ma): the regional sedimentary differences were significant, and the stratigraphic distribution was limited, the alluvial-proluvial sandy conglomerate was widely developed along the piedmont, and fluvial and lacustrine deposits were developed in the low-lying areas between the mountains. (2) The mountain range flattening stage (1.8/1.5−1.2/0.8 Ma): the erosion unconformity surfaces around the plateau were widely distributed, large rivers were formed, and lake sediments developed in the intermountain basins and the hinterland of the plateau. (3) 1.2/0.8−0.128 Ma: the plateau continued to rise in a large range, with significant topographic differences and intensified mountain erosion. At about 0.8 Ma, the plateau uplifted above the snow line and entered the cryosphere, mountain glaciers developed, and the alpine arid environment gradually formed. (4) 0.128 Ma-: the mountains rose and erosion intensified, and intermountain basins and lakes were widely distributed. There were significant differences in the regional sedimentary characteristics, and the sedimentary types developed toward diversification. The modern plateau landform pattern was basically formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gond painting, an integral part of the Gond cultural identity of central India, has emerged as highly appreciated and recognised tribal art form worldwide in the recent times. These traditional paintings are believed to have started with the transformation of Gond oral folklores. The Pradhan Gond, a subgroup of the Gonds, who were traditionally assigned to sing songs of the glorification of the gods, goddesses and nature with a Bana, a traditional single-stringed musical instrument, was assumed to initiate the paintings of Gond folktales. They narrated the collective beliefs, values and legends of the Gond tribe on the origin, relationship and divine powers in the form of paintings. The traditions of performing the assigned responsibilities of Pradhan Gond were believed to have lost during the Mughal era and British rule. This research paper focuses on the study of the reflections of three popular Gond folk stories, i.e. Basin Kanya, Mahua tree and Bada Dev, in the contemporary Gond paintings of Madhya Pradesh. The paintings of Jangarh Singh Shyam and Durga Bai have been chosen for the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The captivating tribal communities living across the length and breadth of the state of Central India and mostly in Odisha have enriched the cultural heritage of the region by their cultural diversities. Gadaba's religious life reflected through their rich folk traditions of songs, dance, music, rituals and festivals celebrated round the year adds colourful dimensions to their very existence. The amazing conglomeration of traditions, beliefs, sorrows and philosophies that together constitute and vitalize the religion of tribes has descended from antiquity and has been preserved unimpaired to the present day. Every dimension of their life covering round the year activities is intimately connected with religion and the world view associated with it. It is these aspects of their culture that give meaning and depth to their lives and solidarity to their social structure. However, in recent days many changes have been taken place in traditional religious life of Gadaba tribe. Against this backdrop, this paper has tried to explore some of that core structure of Gadaba's religious life as well as the changing dimensions of their religious manifestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal healthcare service utilization is a pivotal indicator of a nation's progress in safeguarding the health and well-being of its women and children. In this context, women's empowerment emerges as a critical determinant influencing the utilization of maternal healthcare services. The study aims to assess the relationship between women's level of empowerment and utilization of maternal healthcare services among currently married women in India. Data and Methods: The study uses data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey conducted in 2019–2021 and analyzed 26,552 (15–49 aged) currently married women who had a live birth in the last 5 years preceding the survey. Additionally, univariate and bivariate analyses, multivariate logistic regression, and the SWPER index were used for the analysis. Results: Over the years, utilization of antenatal care, skilled birth attainment, and postnatal care has increased extensively in India. However, the study found that utilization of services was higher among empowered women, and it varies across the state with the extent of empowerment. State-level analysis shows that the extent of women empowerment was higher in Goa, followed by Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and lower in Jharkhand, followed by Tripura, so as the utilization of maternal and health care services. The extent of empowerment and utilization of services also varies by level of educational attainment, employment, and socio-economic status. Conclusion: There is a need for comprehensive strategies to enhance women's empowerment through education, employment, political participation, self-awareness, and reduction in gender-based violence and child marriages, which may improve awareness demand for better public health structure, and may ensure higher utilization of maternal healthcare services. Ultimately, these strategies may converse the higher maternal death and child mortality. Significance: What is already known about this subject? Existing literature in India mostly highlights a clear connection between women's autonomy and maternal healthcare services utilization. Women with higher autonomy, decision-making power, and mobility are more likely to use these services. However, in exploring the link between women's empowerment and maternal healthcare, some studies focus on education, employment, and media access among Indian mothers, sidelining broader empowerment dimensions. What this study adds? This study is likely the first to investigate the relationship between women's empowerment and the level of maternal healthcare service utilization in India. It covers key dimensions of women's empowerment, including Attitude to Violence, Social Independence, and Decision-making Power. Moreover, it is possibly the first Indian research paper to employ a survey-based women's empowerment index in this context. Notably, the assessment highlights Social Independence as a significant dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is an important resource for a multitude of purposes, and change in groundwater levels is an important factor in determining the increase and decrease of groundwater quantity in aquifers. This study has been carried out for Gomti River basin, where groundwater is the major drinking water source for the entire region. This paper evaluates the behavior of the groundwater levels using Visual MODFLOW under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. For modeling of groundwater flow, the entire study area was discretized into 108480 (X-direction) and 207090 (Y-direction) gridal network with each cell size of 1000 m × 1000 m. The model was calibrated for the period 2002 to 2008 and validated for the period 2009 to 2013 using data of 24 observation wells. During the calibration period of Visual MODFLOW, residual mean ranged between 0.658 and 0.268 m, and absolute residual mean ranged between 2.035 and 2.174 m. The calibrated Visual MODFLOW model was employed to evaluate the influence of climate change on future groundwater levels. Future groundwater recharge (2020–2030), obtained after the application of four (MIROC-ESM, MIROC-ESM-CHEM, MIROC MIROC5, and MOHC-HADGEM2-ES) global climate model (GCM) data into prior SWAT model, was applied to Visual MODFLOW. After applying, the projected future (2020–2030) trend in the groundwater levels was found continuously decreasing due to low groundwater recharge and excessive groundwater withdrawal in the basin in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study majorly focused on the degree of rainfall alteration (DIRA) using an indicator-based novel approach. Most of the previous works majorly focused on only magnitude parameters for measuring monthly rainfall change; however, alteration may also come from other relevant aspects like frequency, timing, rate of change, and duration of rainfall. The present paper considered 33 indicators to assess alterations in rainfall, encompassing various such aspects. Subsequently, it computed the degrees of rainfall alteration categorized as low, moderate, and high range of variability (RVA). This computation was based on the gridded rainfall data endorsed by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). Getis-ord was applied to compute the significance of rainfall patterns. The study revealed that middle RVA-based DIRA is low (< 0.33) in the case of magnitude indicators across IMD-defined meteorological sub-divisions, but moderate DIRA (0.33–0.67) was detected in some parts in the case of rate of change, frequency, duration, and timing indicators. This change was detected rather high (moderate to high) over wider parts of India (six and sixteen sub-divisions) in the case of low and high DIRA. In monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, north-eastern hilly hot spots (95–99% level) were weakened, while it was found enhanced in north-western India. A new rainfall hot spot (95%) was identified in Odisha, Telangana, and Vidarbha transition in 1991–2021. Taking into account the notable success achieved through the IRA approach, the study strongly recommends its application across various related domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a case study of an Outreach and Drop-in Centre (ODIC) established under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. In the quantitative part, data were gathered from the ODIC office documents and analysed using MS Excel. Linear regression analysis demonstrated a relationship between the number of in-centre clients and the number of Community Outreach Programmes (COPs). Similarly, this study examined the relationship between the number of networks established and the number of participants in COPs. Hence, two regression lines were derived accordingly. In addition, qualitative data collected through key informant interviews corroborated the quantitative results. This case study highlights the importance of networks and COPs in increasing the reach of ODIC and ensuring the quality of services. Finally, in partnership with other government agencies, this ODIC sets a model for engaging marginalised adolescents in reducing substance abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive overview of the ethical issues and the processes involved in research and publishing in India. The study examines the present ethical norms, guidelines, frameworks and developments in India, providing insights into the nation's current status of research and recommendations for publication. This document will be a useful starting point and reference document for those embarking on research and publication in Orthopaedics in India. Materials: A survey of the literature was done, which included scholarly papers, reports, rules, and policies pertaining to Indian publishing norms and research ethics. the document starts with a general introduction to ethics, followed by the evolution of ethics in research and the current International as well as Indian codes of ethics. Subsequently, the discussion is divided into two broad headings of ethics in research and ethics in publishing. Under each heading, there are many specific areas in orthopaedics that would require the application of a unique set of ethics. These areas are discussed separately as subheadings. Results and Discussion: The review draws attention to the complexity of ethical issues in Indian and international research and publishing in orthopaedics. Where available, specific guidelines about the topic in India or international guidelines are discussed. The importance of informed consent, data integrity, plagiarism, authorship disputes, and conflicts of interest are only a few of the key results. It is obvious that ethical norms and regulations, such as those offered by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Council of Publication Ethics (COPE) are crucial in determining how research is conducted and how papers are published. The types of studies discussed include research in humans and animals, research with stem cells, metal implants and devices, orthobiologics, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, computer modelling, virtual reality, 3D printing and bioprinting, tissue banking and data management. The roles of different personnel in research and publications are discussed. Conclusions: Ethics in research and publishing play a crucial role in establishing the authority and standard of scholarly work in India. This study underlines the key concepts of ethics that guide various types of studies and the publication process. It also highlights the requirement for frameworks and guidelines for certain unique areas of research in orthopaedics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic correlation is established between the axial load-carrying capacity of the socketed piles and empirical methods. The axial load-carrying capabilities were calculated with the help of pile load tests for ten single piles in Navi Mumbai, India. Pile load tests were carried out to evaluate the skin friction and base resistance in overlying soil and rock. The test results of axially loaded bored piles socketed into the rock are mentioned in this paper. The pile socket involved rocks of various strengths such as gypsum, limestone, and basalt. In reality, axial capacity is calculated from skin friction of the pile, which occurs owing to a very small settlement in the rock socket. The unconfined compressive strength of the rock is collected from the laboratory test. The load-bearing capability of the socketed piles is determined using several empirical methods, which are usually evaluated by a back-assessment of the in-situ pile load test. However, the significant load-carrying capacity values derived from empirical correlations are found to be reasonably good compared with those estimated from pile load tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian economy and food grain production are intricately tied to the spatial distribution and the amount of rainfall during the summer monsoon period (June to September). Numerous studies have delved into modeling methods for forecasting Indian summer monsoon rainfall. This paper utilizes monthly rainfall data spanning 72 years (1950–2021) to analyze, model, and predict the monsoon over Northwest India using Dynamic Linear Modeling (DLM). In view of this, the well-accepted dynamic linear model with significant components is selected from the parsimonious models of DLM based on Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC), significant tests, and statistical fit. The dynamic linear model comprises a significant linear time trend component, a deterministic trigonometric seasonal component, a deterministic cycle component, and a stochastic irregular component has been selected. The validation of the selected model passed through the normal and correlation diagnostics of model residuals. The analysis reveals a subtle decreasing trend in monsoon rainfall, showcasing consistent behaviour in deterministic seasonality, and highlighting the deterministic nature of cyclical component with a period of approximately 2.5 years, alongside irregular variations. Utilizing this model, future monsoon rainfall over Northwest India has been forecasted for the years 2022–2027, providing a 95% confidence interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of the study is to present an assessment report of radon concentration in the underground water of Bokaro district, Jharkhand, India. Water samples were collected from tube-wells at 100 different locations scattered throughout the district. The radon (222Rn) concentration level varies widely between 3.5 and 598.9 Bq/l with an average value of 145.8 Bq/l. In this paper, total annual effective dose of the samples and associated excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were estimated also to assess the health risk due to the consumption of the radon rich water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The accessibility and relatively low cost of nitrogen (N) fertilizers have been a gift to humankind and made it possible to feed the exponentially growing world population. The excessive use of N, in combination with a poor N use efficiency (NUE) in crop production, is associated with severe environmental impacts, and the scientific community has repeatedly warned that the safe operating space for N within the planetary boundaries has been exceeded. In the light of these considerations, a global player and India's largest fertilizer manufacturer, the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO), has recently developed and patented a nanotechnology-based fertilizer marketed as Nano Urea (liquid). Strikingly, the producers state that it is now possible to replace a 45 kg bag of conventional urea, containing 21 kg N, by foliar application of just 20 g N in the form of nano urea (NU). If so, N from this novel high-tech fertilizer product should be able to increase the NUE of crops more than 1000 times compared to conventional urea. This year, the Indian government and IFFCO announced plans to massively boost production by building 10 new factories, with an annual production capacity of 440 million bottles NU by 2025 and to expand export of the product to another 25 countries, mainly situated in Asia, Africa and South-America. In the marketing of NU, IFFCO states that there is scientific evidence for distinct beneficial properties in terms of higher crop yields and reduced negative environmental impacts. Similar ambitions have recently been presented for Nano Zinc, Nano Copper, and Nano Di-Ammonium-Phosphate, a product that entered the market in March 2023. Methods: In this Opinion Paper, we compare the claims made by IFFCO scientists to the existing scientific evidence in the field of foliar nanofertilizers. Results: We observe that NU is a poorly described product with no scientifically proven effects. The product is marketed with misleading and wrong statements about its fertilizer efficiency, the underlying plant uptake pathways, and the environmental friendliness. Conclusion: The expectations raised by IFFCO are far from reality and may lead to large-scale yield losses with serious consequences for food security and the livelihood of farmers. At the same time, the confidence in innovative sustainable products as well as the science behind them may be threatened. Based on the IFFCO case, and considering the booming emergence of novel nano based fertilizers appearing all over the world these years, it is clear that much more priority should be given to scientifically prove their efficacy and mode of action, before they are launched on the markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under global warming and climate change (CC), the vulnerable piece of land is India's Eastern-Himalayan-Region (EHR), where millions' livelihood activities are at risk. Quantifying the degree of CC-induced vulnerability over the highly climate-sensitive mountain zone is challenging due to data inadequacy. This paper attempted to assess the CC perception of kiwifruit growers under EHR and the impact of CC on its cultivation. Perceived and scientific data were used for accurate decision-support information. The climatic variables of two locations were analyzed for trend using Mann–Kendall's test. Results suggested that the rainfall trend was found non-significant for both locations, but there was a negative trend during winter for Pasighat and during all seasons for Itanagar. Maximum temperature exhibited an increasing trend for annual, and minimum temperature showed an increasing trend across seasons for the Pasighat region. For the Itanagar region, the maximum temperature was found to have a significantly increasing trend in all seasons, while the minimum temperature showed an increasing trend during winter and annual seasons. Morning relative humidity showed an increasing trend for annual data for Pasighat, while annual evening relative humidity was significantly increased for Itanagar. The study shows that the indigenous farming communities were following shifting cultivation and diversifying their traditional agriculture to kiwifruit cultivation as an adaptation strategy. The community had a clear perception of CC trends and an inadequate perception of the impact on agriculture, therefore, engaging indigenous communities and other stakeholders to postulate a comprehensive adaptation and mitigation strategy for CC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has a large population with the prevalence of many mental health concerns but faces a shortage of mental health professionals. This paper deals with this mental health crisis in India and how Mental Health First Aid and developing a first aid kit for mental health would help to address the issue. Mental health and mental illness in India additionally face stigma and backlash from the society. Due to this, very few people with mental ailments come forward to seek professional help. While we are aware of and trained in first aid for physical health, the concept of first aid for mental health is in its infancy. Hence, a review of literature was done to find the benefits of Mental Health First Aid and how it could benefit in solving the crisis in India. Creating a Mental Health First Aid Kit on a similar basis to its physical counterpart can also come in handy while administering mental health first aid. Results show that an individual trained in mental health first aid might act as a bridge between people with mental ailments and mental health professionals and assist in providing timely help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air temperature variability and prediction are important considering the potential implications on human health, water resource management, agriculture and land-atmosphere interaction. In this paper, we investigate the delayed influence of El Niño on spring Surface Air Temperature (SAT) variability over India using observations and assess its predictability in coupled climate models. Analysis suggests that El Niño, at its decaying phase, exerts a strong influence on the spring SAT over Southern Peninsular India (SPI). This warming is mainly induced by an anomalous anticyclone, which extends from the Western North Pacific (WNP) region to the SPI. The anomalous anticyclone-induced downdraft reduces the cloud cover and increases incoming shortwave radiation at surface, which in turn causes a dry atmospheric column and dry soil moisture over this region. As a result of this decreased soil moisture, latent heat flux into atmosphere reduces and enhances sensible heat transfer, further contributing to dry soil moisture. Both dry soil moisture and anomalous anticyclone contributes to enhanced SAT over SPI region. It is found that 6 years out of the top 10 warmest years over the SPI region correspond to the decaying phase of El Niño, suggesting the importance of the present study. It is also found that the intense SAT warming over SPI aids in increasing frequencies of Discomfort Index hours (exceeding 28 and 30 °C in a day) and the Universal Thermal Climate Index during El Niño decaying spring years. Further, we have examined the predictability of the spring SAT during decaying El Niño years based on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Climate Center (APCC) models. It is noted that most of the APCC models reasonably predicted the spatial distribution of warm SAT over India during the El Niño decaying spring season at 1 and 3 month lead. This study highlights the predictability of spring SAT a season in advance over India, which would help in planning better adaptation and mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to apply a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework to evaluate the environmental performance of the medical service supply chain using a case study in India. An application of MCDM method, the fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution) model, is used for Medical Support Service Provide firms (MSSPF) environmental performance evaluation. We require multiple and conflicting criteria to fix real-life decision-making challenges, which in turn led to the inception of (MCDM). However, MCDM is contracted with various contradictory requirements in which the knowledge of decision-makers is generally vague and thereby more challenging. In this situation, inclusions of fuzzy set theory in MCDM Methods would be good to solve the MCDM problem. In this study, the authors used a fuzzy TOPSIS MCDM model to solve the evaluation framework. Data were collected from the experts from the MSSPF about the more perfect criteria to assess environmental performance using a questionnaire. Case assesses the environmental performance, based on defined criteria, of three MSSPF by the experts. Fuzzy TOPSIS Method ranks three MSSPF according to environmental performance in the following order: Firm B, Firm A and Firm C. The result suggested that 'Firm B' performed superior environmental performance followed by 'Firm A' and 'Firm C'. This evaluation framework will help MSSPF to identify potential areas of further improvement in Environmental performance, and thereby creates strategies to overcome and formulate new innovations. Notably, this is one of the few studies to have used this method to gauge the environmental performance of the medical service supply chain in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, detailed petrology, mineral chemistry and geochemistry of lamprophyres from the Rongjeng–Nongchram area, Meghalaya, northeast India, is being reported. These dykes are intruded into the Proterozoic Assam Meghalaya Gneissic Complex and Neoproterozoic porphyritic granites with limited field exposures in two separate clusters controlled by lineaments. These lamprophyres are alkaline, potassic to ultra-potassic, and metaluminous and have been classified into camptonite and sannite from their petrography and geochemical affinity. Resorption texture of biotite in camptonite and compositional zoning in clinopyroxene of sannite indicate their crystallization under in-equilibrium conditions and subsequent interaction with changing composition of the magma(s). Detail geochemistry indicates fractionation as the imperative mechanism during the evolution of the magma(s) and shows heterogeneity at the mantle source and evidence for minimal crustal contamination. Various tectonic discrimination diagrams indicate the emplacement of the lamprophyres in a post-collisional and within plate setting, signifying a possible plume mechanism involved in their emplacement. The affinity of the lamprophyres towards an OIB setting was recorded from the chondrite-normalized REE and primitive mantle-normalized multielement patterns. The geochemistry of the lamprophyres points towards the presence of possible enriched metasomatic pods in the mantle, which might have melted due to the heat from the mantle plume and triggered the emplacement of the lamprophyres in the Rongjeng–Nongchram area. Research highlights: New lamprophyre bodies from Garo Hills, Meghalaya Plateau, NE India, are being reported with detailed petrology, geochemistry, and mineral chemistry. The lamprophyres are of alkaline affinity. The Kerguelen plume played a vital role in the generation of these lamprophyres. There are geochemical signals of the presence of enriched metasomatic pods in the mantle, which were melted due to plume interaction. The study also indicates a distinctive mantle source heterogeneity across the Meghalaya Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to survive, mankind needs air. The quality of life depends on the purity of the air we breathe in. Hazardous pollutants are stirred up in our environment by various activities everyday. In a developing country like India, which has huge population, protecting public health is important. In general, air quality is measured using the air quality index, which records the pollutants level in the air. These recordings are to be mentioned across various places, to know about the air quality level. The advancement of the recent artificial intelligence can be replaced by the human efforts and to automate the system in flowless manner. Hence, an effort has been taken in this paper, by proposing a framework of predicting the air quality seasonally using regularized combinational LSTM (REG-CLSTM). For an efficient air quality level prediction with an improved error rate, time, and accuracy, the study has implemented Reg-CLSTM with a large amount of real-time dataset. To improvise the comprehensiveness and the potentiality of the proposed model, the significant feature is extracted by the rough set-wrapper method. The significant challenge is to provide a seasonal limit range for each considered pollutant in place of a generalized range partition. Aiming at this problem, the proposed model is able to identify the highest concerning pollutants occurrence in individual seasons. Through this study, pyramid learning-based hybridized deep learning framework is developed which can play a crucial role in warning the policy maker to reduce the activities that instigate air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, financial well-being has received considerable attention from researchers and policymakers as an indicator of financial health in the aftermath of financial shocks. Additionally, financial inclusion has been a priority for developing countries in their efforts towards poverty alleviation and bringing vulnerable populations into the mainstream financial system. Moreover, the shift in digital technologies and financial services has overcome access and usage barriers through the acquisition of digital financial literacy. This paper develops novel multidimensional indices and investigates the relationship between financial well-being, financial inclusion, and digital financial literacy. The study utilizes data from InterMedia's Financial Inclusion Insight (FII) 2016 Survey conducted in India. The results indicate that both financial inclusion and digital financial literacy have a significant positive impact on financial well-being. However, considering the potential endogeneity bias, instrumental variable 2SLS regression reveals that financial inclusion plays the most crucial role in defining financial well-being. Our findings help policymakers recognize the importance of demand-side financial inclusion and digital financial literacy in promoting financial well-being, which may be achieved through robust financial and digital literacy programs. Additionally, the study contributes to the financial well-being literature by incorporating essential attributes of financial inclusion and digital financial literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: It is important for the endoscopic thyroid surgeon to understand the pros and cons of trans‐oral endoscopic thyroidectomy‐vestibular approach (TOETVA) vis‐à‐vis, open conventional thyroidectomy (OTx) so he/she can help patients in making informed choices regarding the type of procedure to opt for. Swallowing related quality of life (SWAL‐QoL) has not been compared between the two approaches. Using a rigorous qualitative methodology and validated reliable tool, this study set out to compare the swallowing related quality of life in patients undergoing TOETVA versus OTx. Methods: Prospective study at 3 time points in patients planned for hemithyroidectomy (Preoperative, 1 week and 12 weeks). Data were collected on patients at a tertiary teaching institute in India. Participants ranged from age 18–60 years with a diagnosis of benign euthyroid nodule undergoing hemithyroidectomy. Exclusion criteria were—(1) pre‐existing vocal cord abnormalities, (2) undergoing surgery for recurrent nodules, and (3) any neuro‐muscular disease affecting swallowing ability. Main outcome measure was comparison of swallowing related quality of life domain scores between patients undergoing hemithyroidectomy via either endoscopic trans‐oral or open approach. Results: Of the 82 included patients, 40 underwent TOETVA and 42 OTx. Both the groups were comparable in terms of demographic and clinicopathological profile. The mean preoperative SWAL‐QOL scores were comparable in all domains. Mean SWAL‐QoL scores for all domains on postoperative day 7 were significantly better in TOETVA group with domains burden, eating desire, mental health and communication having medium effect sizes. Physical symptom domain was better in the OTx group but had a small effect size. The difference in SWAL‐QoL domains between the two groups persisted for 3 months also. Conclusion: Swallowing related quality of life after trans‐oral endoscopic thyroidectomy compared to conventional open surgery has not been reported in the literature. Our findings suggest that trans‐oral endoscopic thyroidectomy results in significant superior swallowing related quality of life in the majority of domains. Presentations: Part of this study was presented as oral presentation during World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery, September 2022, Busan, KoreaPart of this study was presented as oral presentation and was awarded Dr C Palanivelu Best Paper Award during annual meeting of the Association of Surgeons of India (ASICON), December 2022, Mumbai, IndiaPart of this study was presented as travel award presentation during annual meeting of the Korean Society of Endoscopic and Robotic Surgery, April 2023, Seoul, Korea [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh water is vital for all living creatures and maintains the hydrological cycle. Surface water bodies conserve freshwater and exhibit dynamic changes yearly due to high/low rainfall and over/underutilization. Therefore, extracting water bodies and determining their extent is imperative for effective water resource management. Water body extraction using Water Indices (WI) and Machine Learning (ML) face threshold selection and feature optimization challenges, respectively. This paper proposes a Lightweight Attention-based Multiscale Neural Network (LWAMNNet) for surface water body extraction from Linear Imaging Self Scanning‒III (LISS-III) remote sensing images. The LWAMNNet is an encoder-decoder architecture designed using a modified residual block in both the encoder and decoder to extract high-level features. Feature Extraction Module (FEM) is sandwiched between encoder and decoder to extract global contextual features. The LWAMNNet replaces convolutions with depthwise separable convolutions to reduce computation complexity. In the decoder, the attention module is incorporated to provide attention to fused features (i.e., combined deep features with spatial encoder features) at different scales. The LWAMNNet effectively extracts different-sized water bodies with non-linear boundaries. The proposed LWAMNNet qualitatively and quantitatively outperforms other DL models in performance metrics (accuracy of 99.5%) and computation complexity (in terms of trainable parameters and time). Additionally, the water extent of five major reservoirs in south India was determined annually from 2016 to 2019. Also, the reason for water dynamics is analyzed with the help of rainfall and water availability data provided by the Indian Metrological Department (IMD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the urban systems, in particular cities, display scaling behaviour regarding socio-economic, infrastructural and individual basic services indicators. However, understanding urbanisation and the links between rural and urban areas is fundamental to making the most of the global transformations happening around the world. In this context, it is important to study the scaling laws based on both the urban and rural regions, going beyond cities. This paper explores the extension of the idea of allometric urban scaling law to study the scaling behaviour of Indian districts, with both the urban and rural population. To proceed, we have chosen districts (both rural and urban) of India, a relatively larger local administrative units, which are more or less independently functional within a country. This interdisciplinary work focus on the scaling analysis of various socio-economic indicators (SEIs) corresponding to the size (population) of four distinct urbanisation classes, namely rural, semi-rural, semi-urban and urban districts. The scaling exponents (β ) were estimated for each classes for the years 2001 and 2011 along with their goodness-of-fit measured by the R 2 values. Our rigorous statistical analysis indicates that the scaling laws indeed exist even at the district level for most of the SEIs considered, related to education, employment, housing, health, etc.; the R 2 values obtained for these SEIs are very high (often greater than 0.8 or 0.9) in both the years. Moreover, linearity of the scaling factors have been statistically tested and it has been found, at 95% level of confidence, that not all the SEIs behave linearly ( β = 1 ); some of them are characterised by super-linear ( β > 1 ) behaviour and some behave sub-linearly ( β < 1 ). Statistical hypothesis tests have also been performed to test the equality of two scaling factors corresponding to two distinct classes and two different years to understand the differences in scaling relationships amongst increasing urbanisation classes and their changes over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Better understanding on the phases of Indian summer monsoon i.e., onset, progress and withdrawal helps in the decision making and proper management. In this paper, date of onset of monsoon (DOM) and date of withdrawal of monsoon (DWM) is estimated using the long-term daily rainfall data observed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and cumulative rainfall anomaly concept, as the onset/withdrawal represents a signature of rainfall transition. The results are promising with a better match between the estimated DOM and IMD announced DOM over Kerala. The length of monsoon season variability is also analysed. The concept of onset at grid point (OGP) in India is also evaluated and progress of monsoon is monitored by considering the latitudinal variation, persistent & strength of rainfall in the continental India. The zonal classification of the spread of monsoon in terms of the intensity and time (duration) is presented. Zone wise pentad analysis of onset clearly signifies the progress of monsoon and its dependency on various physical factors like SST, OLR, TTG, ITCZ, Energy budget and wind circulation. The impact of ENSO on the OGP is brought out, which clearly shows that DOM, DWM and progress is almost influenced by the largescale processes. The intensity–duration–frequency analysis quantified the actual ISM length, seasonal rainfall and rainy days at all locations in India. This study will help modellers in better understanding of onset and progress of monsoon dynamics in India and can be integrated with NWP for the accurate and advance prediction of DOM and the progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper defines a new model for Takri touching text segmentation (T3S), which uses simpler statistical operations to locate exact segmentation column and generate faster results. An analysis of existing Indian scripts touching text segmentation techniques is also provided in the paper. The analysis inferred higher accuracies with recognition-based approaches which are computationally and time extensive and, work better with huge datasets. Also, most of these have been developed for headline Indian scripts only. The proposed T3S model provides significant segmentation accuracy using a statistical approach thus, generating faster results. Also, it works well with small datasets, which is feasible with the diverse ancient low-resource scripts of India like Takri. The model has been implemented on Takri text, a class of non-headline Indian regional scripts. Thus, it provides a benchmark algorithm for conducting further research in the field. A dataset of 1465 touching consonant pairs in printed Takri script is prepared using connected component segmentation for segmenting Takri text from the manually collected archival data in printed Takri script. The T3S technique is implemented on the dataset prepared and the results are critically analyzed with the existing Indian scripts touching text segmentation approaches, based on the accuracy achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spate of high-profile battery fires is sabotaging India's attempt to be one of the leaders in electric vehicles, especially in the 2-wheeler sector that employs the nation's traffic-obstructed streets. The Electric Vehicle (EV) industry and its clients are battling the likely fallout, myths, and fake news. For what reason do EV batteries burst into flames?—the paper responds to this fundamental but pressing question by profoundly delving into several aspects, such as the EV battery working conditions, EV components quality, temperature and external entity effects. This review focuses on the reasons, risks, ramifications and remedies of EV fires from an Indian perspective. An account of the EV fires of 2022 in India has been taken as the focal point of discussion in the paper. Many misconceptions, such as extreme weather and poor thermal management, have been refuted with valid arguments and factual results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, secrecy and stigma are associated with infertility and adoption choice. This paper presents the findings of a phenomenological study which examined psychological (emotional) and socio-cultural experiences of seven Indian adoptive parents through the retrospective accounts of their pre-adoption phase. This phase analyzed the coping of childless couples with a diagnosis of primary/secondary infertility while undergoing various assisted reproductive techniques for several years and then opting for adoption. Amidst the deep-seated socio-cultural belief in pronatalism, a non-kinship domestic adoption process was followed as an alternative to biological parenthood. An interpretative phenomenological analysis highlighted the pertinent themes related to gender differences in grief resolution, surrogacy vs. adoption option, belief in theory of 'karma' (destiny), perception of body image and role of women in adoption initiation. The themes are further supported by the views of Indian adoption social workers and the medical professionals, to have the holistic framework of the psychological journey of pre-adoptive couples. These findings would be particularly relevant not only for researchers in South Asian/Southeast Asian countries where the area of infertility and adoption is under-researched but also for those studying the emotional voyage of childless couples to attain adoptive parenthood in other cultural contexts. The paper recommends the interventions required at the level of government, community, adoption agencies and therapeutic services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sound corporate governance (CG) system in the mining sector ought to promote resource utilization while adhering to the principles of accountability and responsibility. In this case, it is curious that so little attention has been paid to understand the CG structures and practices of the mining industry. Therefore, this paper aims to unearth the CG practices of Indian mining through a uniform and structured CG Index. The paper develops a CG index to measure the CG performance across a range of CG structures. The data for this study was extracted from 2012–2013 to 2020–2021 for 11 mining companies in India. The sample companies constitute 78.23% of the total market cap of NSE 500 metal and mining companies. T-test was conducted to test the differences between the CG characteristics of the sample companies on various levels. This study highlights the CG practices within the mining industry of India. The findings of this study can come handy to assess the CG performance of mining companies in not just emerging economies but for the developed ones too. This study lays the foundation for future studies around CG practices, given its role in sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the application of non-destructive tests (NDT) to evaluate the pavement for maintenance in a road network. The falling weight deflectometer (FWD) and the network survey vehicle (NSV) test data which is rational in terms of technical, financial, and environmental aspects have been used. The data using NDT devices were collected from a network of roads from Odisha state, India, and analyzed to assess the structural adequacy of the pavements. Further, using the FWD deflection data, the resilient moduli (MR) of the pavements were back-calculated using a cuckoo search (BACKCSA) model developed as a part of this research work. The back-calculated layer moduli (MR) was used as an input for developing the pavement condition index (PCI) prediction model. In addition, the other pavement distresses viz., international roughness index (IRI), rut depth, cracking, and raveling was also collected using the NSV. The data collected for three cycles with a minimum difference of one year between each cycle was used for the development of perdition models. The NSV data was used for developing the multilinear regression (MLR) prediction models for building a comprehensive pavement management system. This paper highlights the novel approach in arriving at the MR, and incorporating the same in MLR models for predicting the maintenance strategy for a road network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at contestations over space in peri-urban India. It studies the acrimonious responses in defense of a local marketplace that occupied public land against the sovereign project of highway expansion in peri-urban West Bengal. It posits an opposition between two aspects of state governance-rational-legal and magical-that shape the contentions. In the rational-legal mode, the expansion of the highways represents the official development goals of progress. The magical aspects of the state engender the circulation of officially approved illegal chits that give occupying migrant villagers' claim to the space around the highway. The ethnography looks at the affective economy of illegal chits that political parties and local bureaucracies use to bring migrating villagers within their ambit. It explores how illegal chits embody the state's legible presence in the villagers' everyday lives, their kinnetworks, communities and transform individual affective orientations toward space. In these new modes of simultaneous 'space' and 'place' making, public land is understood less as commons, but more as a stretch that could be divided among individuals and households aspiring to be 'developed' or upwardly mobile by excluding others. The essay contends that emergence of the 'right to the city' as a collective right requires a double-edged critique. A simple celebration of the subversive potential of the magical aspect of the state vis-à-vis its rational-legal mode may not be helpful for a politics of value that seeks to challenge the idea of value (or what makes life worth living) embedded in the wider neoliberal development discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing studies have examined only the unidirectional impact of cultural diversity on the economic performance of countries, regions, and cities, not the other ways. They have assumed the diversity as given, while it may also grow, due to in-migration of workers and entrepreneurs, with economic growth and may be dependent on it. This paper models diversity and economic growth in a bi-directional causal frame and demonstrates that economic growth has a substantial impact on religious, language, and overall cultural diversities in the major states of India. However, the Granger causality between economic growth to language diversity and overall cultural diversity is found to be stronger and more widespread across the states than the causality from economic growth to religious diversity. The findings of this paper may have significant theoretical and empirical implications, as mainly the unidirectional way the impact of cultural diversity on economic growth has been advocated and the empirical studies have been modelled to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This narrative review paper aims to build a common understanding of the vulnerabilities of children with chronic medical conditions who face exceptional challenges due to nature of the illness, deformity, injury, and traumatic healthcare encounters which could potentially lead to long-term psychological effects. The presence of chronic medical diagnoses in children and the subsequent impacts including social stigma, as well as their age and developmental level, may amplify adjustment challenges in parenting considerations, school, peer relations, career, and future relationships. Children may be traumatized by unfamiliar and painful healthcare experiences. Hospitalization can lead to increased feelings of isolation, fear, and self-doubt when children do not receive emotionally safe psychological support necessary to minimize the accompanying stress and anxiety. School experiences and parenting children with chronic illnesses have additional intersecting socialization characteristics. This paper highlights a vision for furthering the groundwork within Indian pediatric settings to promote emotional safety and psychosocial care. Principles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the World Health Organization's definition of health create an impetus for giving a voice to children with chronic medical conditions. While there are sporadic psychosocial services for children with chronic needs, they lack consistency, and this indicates a need and an opportunity for developing a unique career for human development and psychology professionals to address these concerns. As exemplars, two psychosocial care programs in India that help foster resilience in these children are highlighted. Although limited, extant research regarding the experiences of children with chronic medical conditions in India is discussed, and implications for future research and academic initiatives are interwoven within this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is mired in the conflict between the right to freedom of religion and the right to gender-based equality. The retraction of the UCC also hinges on legal pluralism. This paper argues for shifting the foci of the debate towards gender-based violence as rightly suggested by the feminist argument in India. In order to do so, this paper argues that the debate over the UCC needs to be restructured around the Due Diligence Obligation (DDO) to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This paper presents the argument that the absence of a UCC creates a normative vacuum that is currently filled by an intersubjective climate on patriarchy which primes the average Indian mindset. This intersubjective mindset requires to be replaced by the normative language of the DDO to the CEDAW. This process of norm effectuation also ties into the question of how international norms are implemented in domestic contexts and reiterates the causal chain propounded therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]