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Background: Earlier research on internet addiction (IA) in the adult population in India has concentrated on isolated prevalence surveys conducted nationwide. A systematic grasp of pooled prevalence necessitates a meta-level evaluation of all prior literature. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of IA and its correlates among adults in India.Methods: We searched EBSCOhost, PubMed, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, and ProQuest for the studies published from 1990 to 2022 and included studies using Young’s Internet Addiction Test criteria (age range 18–40 years). The authors obtained a total of 358 non-duplicate records after a thorough search, and they found 10 pertinent epidemiological studies involving 12,286 adults.Results: The pooled prevalence for mild, moderate, severe, and any level of IA was 36.33% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.72%–42.13%), 18.04% (95% CI: 13.49%–23.08%), 0.88% (95% CI:0.50%–1.36%), and 58.34% (95% CI:49.34%–67.07%), respectively. The review of correlates suggested psychosocial factors like male gender, single-parent families, co-morbidities like depression, stress, anxiety, interpersonal issues, andmediating factors like loneliness.Conclusions: Based on the synthesis of findings, this review underlines the common factors of IA and emphasizes the significance of psycho-social factors in IA; thus, to promote healthy use of technology and to manage IA, a multi-modal psychotherapeutic intervention module for mental health practitioners needs to be developed in line with this review.

Preservation technology investment in a two-warehouse inventory model can have a significant impact on the achievement of several United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), including SDGs 2, 8, 12, and 13. In this article, we developed the two-warehouse inventory model and took the investment in preservation technology into account. An owned warehouse of finite size and a rented warehouse for storing excess items that exceed the capacity of the owned warehouse in practice were usded. The holding cost of a rented warehouse is greater than and distinct from that of an owned warehouse. Shortage is not permitted. The purpose of this study is to design a policy for deteriorating inventory when a store invests in preservation technology to slow the rate of product degradation. The model's utility and sensitivity examination of the appropriate resolution for a combination of features are illustrated mathematically.

The internet has become the preferred platform for use of webcam. The interactive online aspect of webcamming allows participants to have stimulating enjoyable experience for each act. There has been an increasing trend in users seeking help from the service for healthy use of technology (SHUT) specialty clinic for the management of pornography use. Clinical interviews were used to elicit details about their concern. The cases demonstrated the role of online behaviors especially cybersex in managing stress, free time, loneliness, boredom, as well as the need for novelty. It implies the need for screening the pathways to cybersex as well as to evolve intervention to manage these pathways in an Indian context.

AbstractAn analytical model has been developed for simulating the semi-transparent photovoltaic double-skin façade (STPV-DSF) system to assess its overall performance. The STPV-DSF integrated building can generate electricity, provide daylight illuminance in its indoor area and lowers the energy demand of a building. During the building design phase, complex simulations are required to estimate the overall performance of the STPV-DSF system. The present study's objective is to provide a reliable and straightforward calculation method for estimating the overall performance of the STPV-DSF system. This paper evaluates the overall performance of STPV-DSF system operating under natural ventilation and forced ventilation for summer and winter seasons of Indian’s composite climate. An experimental investigation has also been carried out on STPV-DSF system to validate the model. A good agreement was observed between measured and calculated temperatures of the STPV-DSF system and solar heat gain to indoor area. For given weather conditions, CO2emissions and environmental cost (carbon price and emitted carbon quantity) have also been calculated for STPV-DSF systems by solving energy formulations. The results depicted that STPV-DSF system under forced ventilation exhibited 4.08%, 9.86% and 14.05% higher energy performance than natural ventilation in summer and winter with less CO2emissions.

The production of avocados for commercial purposes is on the rise; however, with this comes an increase in the amount of seed waste that is usually thrown away. One such byproduct of avocado fruit processing is the starch-rich avocado seeds that can be used to extract the starch. Starch is a functional component utilized in the food business to help with quality maintenance; additionally, it gains more attention for the use in biofilm preparation. The purpose of this research was to isolate starch from avocado seeds (ASS) and to prepare the superior quality starch-cellulose bio-composites. In this respect, extracted granules of ASS resulted in 31.24% yield. While characterizing, the thermal characteristics of ASS showed the paste beginning temperature was 75.3 °C, and its maximal viscosity reached 706 BU at 88.1 °C. It was found that the ASS stability at low temperatures was excellent, as indicated by the low syneresis rate of 1.51%. Further, the isolated ASS was subjected to the incorporation of cellulose fillers extracted from pseudo-stem fibers of waste Ensete ventricosumbiomass to develop a high-performing bio-composite film (BCF). The percentages of crystallinity were as found to be 29.8% for raw ASS, 5.6% for the biofilm using starch only, and 12.3% for starch with 15% cellulose. Further, the bio-composite having 15% cellulose showed appreciable tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and elongation at break, values which were determined to be 18.0 MPa, 1782.4 MPa, and 1.5%, respectively. It was ensured that the films have been benefited from cellulose inclusion because the filler dispersion was maximized, allowing for better mechanical properties. Such a study on improving starch-based film properties hinted at a promising approach for developing upgraded bio-composites to apply to futuristic food packaging applications by exploiting fruit waste.

AbstractA new skin of perforated sheets in the cavity of double skin facades (DSF) system is introduced for efficient heat removal from the cavity in hot summer conditions. In this paper, the analytical solution is developed to estimate the thermal performance of the double-skin façade system with and without perforated sheet operating under natural ventilation mode. This analytical model is designed to predict the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) for hot summer conditions. An experimental investigation has also been conducted to validate the proposed analytical model. Results showed good agreement between the measured and calculated value of SHGC for DSF system with and without perforated sheet. It is observed that the addition of a perforated sheet reduces the SHGC by nearly 51.5% as compared to DSF system. Perforated sheets enable a better stack effect within the air cavity zone and thereby improve heat transfer characteristics. Therefore, the benefit of the perforated sheet within the air cavity of DSF system is profound over conventional DSF system.

Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries have great potential due to its high energy density, abundance and cost benefits. Significant progress has been made in exploring the performance improvement of lab-scale Li-S batteries. Some of the aspects of focus were, sulfur-host, compositing, catalytic activities, electrolyte modulations, separator modifications, solid-electrolytes, anode with prelithiation, Li-metal anode etc. Advancements on these aspects have been scattered across the literature and there is lack of correlative and comprehensive review in the given space. Dispite the reasonable performance of laboratory scale Li-S cells, their practicality is hindered during the device upscaling. In view of addressing the research gap between lab-scale and large format cells delivering poor energy density. This work aims to provide a comprehensive review of multifaceted aspects of recent advanced in Li-S batteries. Such a comprehensive review has been lacking in the last couple of years while significant research have been published. Here, we also provide inherent challenges, potential research possibilities and prospective benefits of Li-S batteries.

The current study is carried out using in silico approach to find some potent drug molecule against Huntington's disease. Mutant Huntingtin protein (HTT), HTT-interacting protein 1 (HIP-1) were used as the target protein for drug designing. Swiss PDB Viewer (SPDBW) was used for active site determination. Ligands were prepared through Molinspiration Cheminformatics following Lipinski rule of five (RO5). Bioinformatics software Molegro virtual Docker (MVD) and HEX were used for docking between the ligands and target proteins. Eleven ligands were prepared and compared with drugs based on MolDock score and hydrogen bond score. Four ligands - named [1-benzyl-6bromo-8-((4-ethyl-2hydroxy-2H- pyran-6y1)methyl)-4-hydroxy-7,8dihydro-1,8-naphthydrin-2(1H)-one], [4-((3-amino- 5bromocyclohexyl)methoxy)-5-butyl-6hydroxydechydronaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid], [3- amino-2-chloro-13-(2-hydroxybutyl)-5-nitro-2,3-dihydro-7H-benzo[c][1,4]dioxino[2,3-h] xanthen-7-one] and [3-(3'-bromo-[1,1'-bi(cyclohexan)]-3-y1)-6-(4-methoxy-4-oxobutanamido)hexanoic acid] respectively with most appropriate values as -731.31 for MolDock score and -33.51 for H-Bond score are found to be potential drug candidate for Huntington's Disease.

Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) is the most common cause of Acute Viral Hepatitis (AVH) in children. It causes self-limiting illness and rarely acute liver failure. The shifting pattern in HAV endemicity is rendering adolescents and adults vulnerable to infection.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated psychological distress led people to engage in attributing several health-related behaviors and consequences at the community and international levels. A scoping review was conducted to explore the existing literature on the use of attribution theory in understanding the psychological phenomena underlying health-related behavior and consequences during the pandemic.Methods: We conducted the literature review using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework for scoping review. Studies were identified through a comprehensive search of the following six databases: MEDLINE through PubMed, ProQuest, JSTOR, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. All databases were searched for entries in English from September 2019 to September 2021 to correspond to the advent of the pandemic.Results: Several elements influence attributions and the influences of the attributions on people’s responses to information and the consequences of attributions in influencing people’s responses to information and behavior changes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of attribution errors leading to stigmatization and responsibility framing, both crucial for implementing pandemic control measures and enhancing psychological well-being, were also highlighted.Conclusion: More research is needed in this field to inform people-centered policies and pandemic preparedness plans to mitigate the potentially devastating psychosocial consequence of the pandemic or other public health emergencies.

Central neuroendocrine system regulated by hypothalamus, controls most of the body homeostasis involving processes, like metabolism, reproduction, stress responsiveness, growth, and energy balance mainly through hormonal signals. Plasticizers and pesticides interact as endocrine disruptors with endocrine hormones causing adverse effects which tend to destroy the body homeostasis. Exposures to these compounds during critical developmental stages such as puberty and pregnancy (prenatal or perinatal) influence neurodevelopment, social behavior of the growing fetus and causes sexual dimorphism. Plasticizers and pesticides systemize its effects on adulthood either by mimicking, antagonizing, or having an impact on steroidal activity also along with hormonal disruptions. The aim of this review is to address some of the effects of plasticizers and pesticides exposure on female behavior. In this review, we are discussing the remedial nutritional choice to control the plasticizers and pesticides mediated endocrine disruption.

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The objectives of the study were to evaluate the indications, feasibility, complications and clinical implications of transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) in children. Data of all TJLB performed in children <18 years old was retrieved from the computerized hospital information system. TJLB was done using a 19 G quick-core needle biopsy system with 20 mm throw length. Hepatic venous pressure gradient was additionally measured in children with portal hypertension. A single pathologist reviewed all the biopsies again and provided structured information. A total of 102 children, including 5 with acute liver failure underwent TJLB with technical success in 101 (99%). A mean of 2.3 ± 0.9 passes (range: 1–5) was taken for the biopsy. The most common indications for TJLB in our cohort were elevated international normalized ratio >1.5 (66, 64.7%), ascites (46, 45.1%) and thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 60,000/mm3) (42, 41.2%). Mean size of the tissue received was 14.5 ± 5.6 mm with an average of 10.2 ± 4.7 portal tracts. Only one child developed major (category D) complication (hemobilia) and 12 (11.8%) developed minor complications post-procedure. Etiological diagnosis could be made in a total of 64 (63.9%) children undergoing TJLB, the most common diagnosis being autoimmune hepatitis (n = 31), non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis (n = 16) and drug-induced liver injury (n = 4). TJLB is well tolerated, feasible and helps make a diagnosis in close to 64% children allowing timely medical and/or surgical intervention. It is especially useful for diagnosis of autoimmune liver diseases, drug-induced liver injury and non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis.

The major bottleneck in most developing countries to attain the WHO goal of eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030 is the limited access to molecular testing and loss of infected patients to follow up. Many of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients fail to get the confirmatory HCV RNA test done after initial screening for anti-HCV antibody. The hepatitis C core antigen (HCVcAg) chemiluminescence-based assay which is newly introduced in the Indian health setup could prove to be a potential marker in the single-point screening and confirmation of HCV infection. This study was done to evaluate the performance of the HCVcAg assay for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of patients with HCV infection.

Innovation is now emerging as an “Asset” in current global health scenario caused by pandemic, so higher education institute (HEI) should put high value primium on this asset, i.e. innovation, and with the passage of time, the intervention and demand of innovation in higher education cannot be undermined. In this context, it is very important that the real understanding of the process of innovation is highly desirable. Knowledge-driven economy has established its roots globally and with the passage of time, it will grow as banyan tree. The challenges before higher education institutions (HEIs) is to train the people to the highest level of efficiency, creativity and entrepreneurship. HEIs have to choose between being globally distinct and the best vs. enormous and the largest. The biggest challenge before HEIs is financially self-reliance as the government and research funding is very scarce and it will further decrease in the coming time. Innovative solutions will be in demand and the new primium currency of the future. Public objectives in teaching and learning process embedded with innovation must be supreme. In this paper, an innovative framework is emphasized for HEIs for their academic excellence. Triple helical model is no longer sufficient. HEIs have to think and add more dimensions to their innovative functioning which make them efficient and environment friendly. The objective of this study is that the HEIs should become globally distinct and competitive, by creating their own distinct products, services and related processes which proposed high value to their customers and stakeholders for their economic robustness and sustainability in flexible mode.

In this paper, an annual comparative analysis for the coefficient of performance (COP) and the energy consumption are presented for two direct expansion heat-pump water heating systems: solar-assisted heat pump, and air-source heat pump. Two main research questions are addressed: (1) How does each system's performance differ from the other system under the same conditions? and (2) How does the climate affect the performance of an individual system to help the designer choose the more energy efficient water heater for a specific location? To make those water heaters comparable, all design parameters for both heat pumps are assumed to be the same with identical components. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out for various factors such as irradiance, ambient temperature, collector/evaporator area, wind speed, and compressor rotational speed considering three different hot water tank temperatures. The results for both heat pump water heating systems show that the climate (different months) plays the key role on the annual performance. Changes in irradiance and ambient temperature as well as the wind speed throughout the year can increase the COP by up to 33 % (from 2.1 to 2.8) under certain conditions for the case study with moderate weather. Therefore, the benefits from the local weather should be investigated before choosing the design variables and proper source (solar thermal, air) for the heat pump. Nearly the same results were obtained for both type of water heaters with slightly better performance of air heat pump in colder months of the year (December to February).

The organizational flexibility finds a substantial place in the literature; however, limited evidence of its institutionalization by managers is noticed. This paper analyzes the managerial paradox toward flexibility in managing business complexity, uncertainty handling, organizational reorientation, and structuring decisions across organizational functions. Thematic analysis is used to investigate the managerial flexibility paradox. The literature is identified in three categories related to workplace, frameworks or concepts, and business environment. It further shows two kinds of orientations: the first one deals with concerns in the implementation of flexibility, and the second showcases the concomitant benefits or performance. The literature related to concerns deals with uncertainty and risk management, while the performance-related literature deals with the augmentation of flexibility theories. The practicing manager seeks advice in the literature to implement the concepts of flexibility and finds its limited availability. This is the prime reason for the emergence of managerial paradox. This paper recommends that future contributions should emphasize the guidelines for flexibility adoption while expounding the flexibility theories. The findings presented in this paper can potentially draw the attention of academicians and practitioners to devise the ways to implement and enhance organizational flexibility.

Background: Mental health conditions are highly prevalent, and both supply- and demand-side factors drive a high treatment gap. There is a dearth of socio-culturally appropriate measures to assess barriers to professional help-seeking in distressed non-treatment seekers. This study aimed to develop and validate the Barriers to Seek Professional Help for Mental Health Scale for distressed, non-treatment-seeking young adults experiencing common mental health concerns in the Indian context.Methods: The study was conducted in three phases: Phase I: development of initial measure; Phase II: scale try-out (N= 190); and Phase III: validating the factor structure (N= 172). Distressed, non-treatment-seeking young adults (20–35 years old) were recruited for the present study. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify the factor structure, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to validate it.Results: EFA showed that a five-factor structure best fits the data, namely, stigma and minimization, instrumental barriers, problem perception, self-efficacy in service utilization, and negative service expectancies. CFA revealed that the model was a reasonably good fit. The scale was finalized into a 24-item measure. Internal consistency reliabilities of the scale and subscales were satisfactory. Correlation patterns of barriers subscales with help negation, help-seeking inclination, and distress support its convergent validity.Conclusion: The Barriers to Seek Professional Help for Mental Health Scale was developed, and preliminary evidence supports its reliability, construct, and convergent validity. The scale could prove valuable for assessing barriers to seeking professional help for mental health in the Indian context, developing help-seeking interventions, and examining their effectiveness in increasing the uptake of mental health services.

Pornography has become a modality to experience sexual expression. It is used in a recreational manner to enhance sexual life. However, in some cases, excessive usage can lead to distress in the other partner. In this case, the client sought help at the specialty clinic for management of pornography use. A clinical interview was used to get details of the patterns of porn use and dysfunctions caused by the same. Beck’s Depression Inventory was used for the assessment of associated depression. The results highlight the presence of distress in the female partner due to excessive pornography consumption in the other partner. This report has implications for developing sensitization and intervention program to address these issues within the marital context.

Online gaming has become a concern for health professionals due to its dysfunctional effects. This study aimed to conceptualise and summarise the impact that gaming platforms like PUBG can have on an individual’s mental health. A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA model. A total of five papers were shortlisted and reviewed for the purpose of this study. The results indicated the use of gaming platforms like PUBG by players to address and cope with anxiety and depression, and it also highly influences the presence of other concerns like ADHD and suicidality, self-harm and aggressive behaviours. While the literature points to the detrimental effects of PUBG, this study highlights the importance of undertaking more research to establish the causal patterns in PUBG use and how to address the issues posed from both psychological and legal perspectives.

The internet provides a platform for expression of a new self that a user finds it difficult to achieve in the real world. This quality mediates disinhibited or regressive expression of self. The online disinhibited expression is also found to have to a direct correlation with a person’s self-concept, including their self-worth and self-control, which also contributes to lowering their social control through the social inadequacies they perceive themselves to have. The low self-control is being associated with engagement in bullying or cybercrime through online modalities. The report implicates for evolving intervention to manage cybercrimes from a psychological and legal perspective.

Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) can serve as good alternatives to standard serological assays for hepatitis C virus (HCV) detection in limited resource settings. Aim of this study was to evaluate performance of three Indian manufactured RDTs with chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CLIA) for screening of HCV infection with further evaluation using HCV RNA. Serum samples tested for anti-HCV by CLIA (Architect i1000SR, Abbott Diagnostics, IL, USA) were retrieved from − 80 °C and retested for anti-HCV by three RDTs: Alere Trueline (SD Bioline; Haryana, India) (RDT 1), Benesphera HCV Rapid card test (Avantor Performance Materials India Limited; Uttarakhand, India) (RDT 2), AccuTest HCV (Accurex Biomedical Pvt. Ltd.; Mumbai, India) (RDT 3). HCV RNA results were obtained from hospital information system and anti-HCV reactive but RNA negative cases without treatment were considered as either ‘false positives’ or ‘spontaneous clearance of HCV RNA’. Among 86 samples, 75 (87.2%), 49 (57%), 58 (67.4%) and 51 (59.3%) were reactive by CLIA, RDT1, RDT2 and RDT3, respectively. Taking CLIA as reference standard, RDT 1, 2 and 3 demonstrated sensitivity of 65.30%, 77.33% and 68% respectively. Specificity of all three RDTs was 100% with sensitivity of 97.6–100% above signal/cut-off ratio (S/Co) of 6 by CLIA and 88–100% in all HCV RNA positive cases. Sensitivity of RDTs increased from 65.30–77.33 to 72–82.4% when RNA negative/anti-HCV reactive results were considered as non-reactive. The three RDTs have acceptable sensitivity and specificity in anti-HCV detection especially in RNA positive patients that would require treatment for HCV.

Objectives: Online activities have influenced the expression and indulgence in sexual behavior. Sexting has become one of the modality to express sexual behavior. The present study explored sexting in the Indian context as well as its relationship with self-esteem.Methods: 300 young adults in the age group of 17 to 20 years were assessed for sexting behaviors.Results: Studies showed that males engaged more in sexting and that there was absence of a significant difference in self-esteem and sexting.Conclusions: It has implications for screening sexting behavior among youth as well as for enhancing cyberliteracy among youth for sexting behaviors.

Separation of uranium (U) from interfering lanthanide ions (Ln3+) in aqueous medium is important in view of sustainable nuclear power production and remediation of radioactive waste. Separation of U in aqueous medium by electrochemical means is still unexplored. Herein, we report electrochemical separation of U from interfering lanthanides ions in 0.1 M KCl on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) modified platinum (PEDOT:PSS/Pt) electrode. U in solution commonly exists as uranyl (UO22+). U separation is achieved in a two step process: (i) UO22+reduction to insoluble urania (UO2) which gets deposited on PEDOT:PSS/Pt in the presence of Ln3+(La3+, Ce3+, and Sm3+) ions and (ii) oxidation of electrodeposited UO2to UO22+in fresh 0.1 M KCl (pH = 2) solution. Electrodeposition of UO2is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Although, the presence of Ln3+ions in UO22+solution hinders electrodeposition of UO2, but application of more negative reduction potential (−0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl) for longer duration (8 h) results in quantitative electrodeposition of UO2. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) shows that 94% (±10%) recovery of UO22+is possible from mixed solution of UO22+and Ln3+ions on PEDOT:PSS/Pt electrode.

Anger related issues in adolescents are an important contributor to adolescent mortality and many negative developmental outcomes. Anger being the most primitive defence mechanism, determining its maladaptive nature is a complex phenomenon. Further, it lacks clarity in terms of its definition, demarcation from aggression and hostility, and also its assessment. Available anger rating scales do not represent anger adequately or comprehensively. The concept of anger is dealt with exhaustively in Indian classical texts. According to these texts, anger is an evil virtue that is born out of Rajasicnature and leads to momentary loss of cognitive functional abilities. Manifestation of anger occurs at behavioural (kayika), verbal (vachika) and mental (manasika) levels. Based on these principles, a psychometric scale is developed for assessment of anger in adolescents.

This is a case report of a patient of lymphoma with liver metastasis who had persistent pain and jaundice despite multiple lines of chemotherapy. She underwent palliative liver irradiation. This is an uncommon modality due to fear of radiation induced hepatitis. We reviewed literature available on the use of liver irradiation for palliation and concluded that it can be safely used with good results. A 33-year-old female with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) presented with obstructive jaundice. She underwent stenting followed by chemotherapy. She was lost to follow up to later present with a progressively increasing right hypochondrial mass, pain and icterus. Ultrasound abdomen revealed massive hepatomegaly with hypodense lesions in both liver lobes and centring the porta with dilatation of biliary radicals. Despite multiple lines of chemotherapy and use of opioids, there was no symptomatic relief in pain, size of mass or any decrease in biochemical parameters. Then she was offered palliative radiation in the form of partial liver irradiation to a dose of 21Gy/7 fractions. She had >50% pain relief after 2 fractions and was off opioids by last fraction. Liver span reduced from 6cm to 1cm below costal margin in mid clavicular line. Radiologically 60% reduction in size of liver lesions was observed. Also, a decreasing trend in biochemical parameters was observed. Use of whole or partial liver irradiation is rare in clinical practice due to fear of radiation induced hepatitis by conventional techniques. Newer techniques of delivering radiation can highly improvise accuracy and permit further dose escalation.