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This paper is an empirical attempt to demonstrate the significance of capacity-building training which was conducted by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) on behalf of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U). The paper focuses on sanitation and solid-waste management (SWM), two issues which are directly under the purview of urban local bodies (ULBs). The objectives of the SBM-U 1.0 are to make all cities and towns open defecation free and garbage free by 2 October 2019. Towards this end, NIUA has conducted training-cum-exposure workshops in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 for ULBs. These comprise orientation, technical sessions as well as field visits. The pedagogy of these workshops is based on experiential learning theory (ELT), with suitable innovations, employed for educating through first-hand experience. An evaluation of the efficacy of the ELT model was carried out through a research questionnaire filled out by the participants during 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 of selected states and was analysed for the understanding and implementation of service-level processing parameters in their states.

This article shows the significance of college-going aspiration in the future identities of young girls and the sources of such influence in their worlds. Using the figured worlds theory, the paper analyzes the process and implications of these young girls' college-going aspirations. Drawing on interviews and observations with nineteen young girls living in urban India, the study shows that their response to the normative good girl figure gives them a chance of going to college. Their imagined identity is linked to values and communicative competence, and their figuring shows their investment in their own cultural transformation.

Establishing a sense of affiliation to ethnicity is one of the most controversial issues for people who are displaced in countries that are far away from their motherland. The colonisation of the British over Asia and Africa in the nineteenth century resulted in the mass movement of Indian workers from India to Africa. These workers were brought in to build railways that connected the British colonies in East Africa namely Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. While the arrival of the Indian workers is considered as a kind of colonial practice, but their deportation in the post-independence years is seen as a part of decolonization. These Indians were forced to leave Africa as they were blamed for being non supportive of the Africans who were then engaged in armed struggles against the British colonialists. This study is based on the lives of these deported Indians as depicted in the novel titled "No New Land" by M.G. Vassanji. M.G. Vassanji is a Canadian novelist whose family was also deported from Dar Esslaam, Tanzania. He also describes how the Indian Shamses were strict in affiliating with the different social and cultural background they found in their new home, Canada. This research examines the theme of affiliation and the experiences of these migrants. This study will show that South Asians in Canada are strict in their affiliation to their ethnic values. Secondly, it will expose the three types of affiliation and finally show how the author deals with affiliation as a part of the community's ethnic record that must be documented.

Music higher education institutions are increasingly recognising the educational value of intercultural learning experiences. Delivering such learning experiences in a way that provides music students with a rich cultural and musical learning experience, rather than a superficial one, can be a challenging task, particularly in the case of short-term 'mobility' or 'study-abroad' programmes. This article explores ways to address this challenge by reflecting on student learnings from a suite of international study experiences, or 'global mobility programmes', at one Australian tertiary music institution, run in collaboration with community partners, universities and nongovernmental organisations in the Asia Pacific. Focusing on how intercultural music-making in the context can enhance students' musical practices and identities, we first outline the sociocultural contexts of our music global mobility programmes in Cambodia, China and India, and explore the different modes of music-making these experiences afforded. We then draw on Coessens' 'web of artistic practice' to explore site-specific examples of the ways in which global mobility programmes can enhance students' musical practices and identities. These findings hold particular relevance for music educators and higher education institutions in justifying, designing and carrying out such intercultural experiences to maximise student learning and success.

Organ donation after circulatory determination of death (DCDD) has contributed significantly to the donor pool in several countries, most commonly being category III-controlled donations. This document, prepared by a multidisciplinary group of experts, describes the feasibility of category III DCDD in India, in view of the January 2023 Supreme Court (SC) judgment simplifying the process of withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST). The paper discusses the concept and types of futility of care, how to elicit patients values and wishes, outlines its determination in several clinical situations and the process of WLST in such cases, in accordance with the SC judgement. The judgement mandates evaluation for futility of care by the primary and secondary medical boards before intimation to the judicial magistrate and WLST. The paper also discusses the use of new and upcoming organ preservation techniques and technologies in various organ transplants and outcomes of such transplants. We have also reviewed international best practices in cDCDD, discuss the ethical, medical, legal, economic, procedural, and logistic challenges in India and outline a path for DCDD in India. The manuscript discusses and compares the timing and location of WLST, consent for antemortem measures, no-touch period, and the possibility of stand-down and return to the intensive care unit (ICU) without donation. Further clarifications of aspects such as ante-mortem measures and do-not attempt resuscitation (DNAR) may be required during implementation of the judgement in some situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI) among hospitalized patients in the United States of America is around 5-7%, and that among Intensive Care Units (ICU) is 30%. The mortality and morbidity associated with AKI are immense, and the prevalence has been increasing over the past decades. However, the data on the prevalence, profile, and outcome of AKI in hospitalized patients from the developing world is meager. Objective: This study aimed at determining the common etiologies and clinical profile of AKI patients in the ICU of a tertiary care center, in South India and to assess the outcome of AKI in community-acquired and hospital-acquired AKI patients with respect to its etiology. Materials and methods: This study was designed to be a prospective observational study. We included 150 patients who were either directly admitted to ICU or transferred from ward to ICU, in our tertiary care center, who had AKI either at admission or during the course in the hospital. They were followed up until discharge/death and their clinical and biochemical data were studied. Results: The causes of AKI were grouped as acute tubular necrosis (56%), volume loss/hypoperfusion (26%), acute interstitial nephritis (12%), urinary tract obstruction (4.7%), and glomerulonephritis (1.3%). The major contributing illness for AKI was sepsis (including septic shock) (28.7%). The other common causes were nephrotoxins (24%), acute gastroenteritis (13.3%), pyelonephritis (7.3%), and urinary tract obstruction (4.7%). Among the subjects, 82.7% had community-acquired AKI and 17.3% had hospital-acquired AKI. Most of the patients (60%) recovered from AKI, whereas 36% had partial recovery, one person was dependent on renal replacement therapy (0.7%), and death occurred in 3.3% (n=5). The outcome between community-acquired and hospital-acquired AKI was statistically non-significant. Conclusion: Sepsis and nephrotoxins were the most common causes of AKI in our study. Community- acquired AKI was more prevalent than hospital-acquired AKI. The mortality rate of AKI patients in the ICU was less (3.3%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper discusses a conceptual, methodological and practical framework within which the limitations of the conventional notion of natural resource management (NRM) can be overcome. NRM is understood as the application of scientific ecological knowledge to resource management. By including a consideration of the normative imperatives that arise from scientific ecological knowledge and submitting them to public scrutiny, "sustainable management of natural resources" can be recontextualised as "sustainable governance of natural resources". This in turn makes it possible to place the politically neutralising discourse of "management" in a space for wider societal debate, in which the different actors involved can deliberate and negotiate the norms, rules and power relations related to natural resource use and sustainable development. The transformation of sustainable management into sustainable governance of natural resources can be conceptualised as a social learning process involving scientists, experts, politicians and local actors, and their corresponding scientific and non-scientific knowledges. The social learning process is the result of what Habermas has described as "communicative action", in contrast to "strategic action". Sustainable governance of natural resources thus requires a new space for communicative action aiming at shared, intersubjectively validated definitions of actual situations and the goals and means required for transforming current norms, rules and power relations in order to achieve sustainable development. Case studies from rural India, Bolivia and Mali explore the potentials and limitations for broadening communicative action through an intensification of social learning processes at the interface of local and external knowledge. Key factors that enable or hinder the transformation of sustainable management into sustainable governance of natural resources through social learning processes and communicative action are discussed.

• 74 million adults in India had diabetes in 2021 (1 in 12), more than half undiagnosed. • Diabetes in India is associated with earlier age of onset compared to Western groups. • More than 90% of Indian patients with diabetes are estimated to have dyslipidemia. • Indian patients with diabetes have an aggressive course of atherosclerosis. • Aggressive treatment of diabetic dyslipidemia is needed to prevent ASCVD events. In 2021 an estimated 74 million individuals had diabetes in India, almost all type 2 diabetes. More than half of patients with diabetes are estimated to be undiagnosed and more 90% have dyslipidemia that is associated with accelerated development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Patients of Indian descent with diabetes have multiple features that distinguish them from patients with diabetes in Western populations. These include characteristics such as earlier age of onset, higher frequency of features of the metabolic syndrome, more prevalent risk factors for ASCVD, and more aggressive course of ASCVD complications. In light of the unique features of diabetes and diabetic dyslipidemia in individuals of Indian descent, the Lipid Association of India developed this expert consensus statement to provide guidance for management of diabetic dyslipidemia in this very high risk population. The recommendations contained herein are the outgrowth of a series of 165 webinars conducted by the Lipid Association of India across the country from May 2020 to July 2021, involving 155 experts in endocrinology and cardiology and an additional 2880 physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study proposes to understand the dynamics of work stress and turnover relationship of physicians in Indian context. It also intends to understand the mediating and moderating roles of burnout and resilience on the relationship between work stress and turnover intentions. The article has taken the support of conservation of resources (COR) theory to develop the conceptual framework. The study uses the survey method for data collection which was analysed using quantitative statistical methods like confirmatory factor analysis and mediated and moderated regression. The result showed a significant moderating effect of resilience on burnout and turnover intentions relationship and a strong mediating effect of burnout on the relationship between stress and turnover intentions. Physicians who are regarded as 'saviours' should be treated with respect. Certain activities dealing with work–life balance, engaging in leisure activities, getting support from family and friends may help the physician in coping with the demands of stress and thereby reducing the burnout. Future research can take into account other states of India as well as other countries for generalisation of results. The demographic differences among the physicians can also be a new area of research. Although there is lot of available research on the study variables, but none of the studies have taken into context resilience as a moderator between burnout and turnover intention specially in reference to Indian context. The results can add value to the prevailing studies on stress, burnout, resilience and turnover intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Organ donation following circulatory determination of death (DCDD) has contributed significantly to the donor pool in several countries, without compromising the outcomes of transplantation or the number of donations following brain death (BD). In India, majority of deceased donations happen following BD. While existing legislation allows for DCDD, there have been only a few reports of kidney transplantation following DCDD from the country. This document, prepared by a multi-disciplinary group of experts, reviews the international best practices in DCDD and outlines the path for furthering the same in India. The ethical, medical, legal, economic, procedural, and logistic challenges unique to India for all types of DCDD based on the Modified Maastricht Criteria have been addressed. India follows an opt-in system for organ donation that does not allow much scope for uncontrolled DCDD categories I and II. The practice of withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) in India is in its infancy. The process of WLST, laid down by the Supreme Court of India, is considered time-consuming, possible only in patients in a permanent vegetative state, and considered too cumbersome for day-to-day practice. In patients where continued medical care is determined to be futile following detailed and repeated assessment, the procedure for WLST, as laid down and published by Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy in conjunction with leading medical experts is described. In controlled DCDD (category-III), the decision for WLST is independent of and delinked from the subsequent possibility of organ donation. Once families are inclined toward organ donation, they are explained the procedure including the timing and location of WLST, consent for antemortem measures, no-touch period, and the possibility of stand down and return to the intensive care unit without donation. While donation following neurologic determination of death (DNDD) is being increasingly practiced in the country, there are instances where the cardiac arrest occurs during the process of declaration of BD, before organ retrieval has been done. Protocol for DCDD category-IV deals with such situations and is described in detail. In DCDD category V, organ donation may be possible following unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation of cardiac arrest in the intensive care. An outline of organ-specific requisites for kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplantation following DCDD and the use of techniques such as normothermic regional perfusion and ex vivo machine perfusion has been provided. With increasing experience, the outcomes of transplantation following DCDD are comparable to those following DBDD or living donor transplantation. Documents and checklists necessary for the successful execution of DCDD in India are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

East Asia, historically a vibrant region, has been witnessing momentous changes in contemporary times. In the past, it has witnessed a Sinocentric regional order, the era of Japanese imperialism, the Cold War divide and the persistence of the Cold War. The region is also important because in the contests for the Indo-Pacific, the roles of China, Japan and South Korea will have a large bearing. This article deals with China, Japan and South Korea as the main actors in the region, which have their concerns and challenges in this dynamic region. Most of the time, these countries are so engrossed in their own challenges and concerns that they cannot comprehend the collective regional scenario. Looking at the region from India, a distanced but connected country, it is possible to list their particular concerns and challenges and classify them to comprehend the full picture. This article classifies their concerns and challenges into three broad categories: common, different but reconcilable and different and irreconcilable. The classification is heuristic and subjective, but it is being used to recommend that the countries of the region must try to transform and move their concerns and challenges from the third category to the second category. Furthermore, the article also delves into the place and role of India in the region, along with a few tentative recommendations for India to play a more constructive role in reaching out to these countries bilaterally and collectively. In the process, the article argues that India needs to have a coordinated regional policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-efficacy is a person's belief in ones capacity to 'organize and execute' the courses of action required to produce given attainments.The present study is to examine Yoga Based Intervention strategies in accelerating Self- Efficacy among Primary School Teachers. Methods: The present investigationadopted single group design pre-test and post-test deign.A total of forty teachers working in primary classes in Dindigul District Tamil Nadu, India, were taken. Out of 40 teachers, 16 are male teachers (40%) and 24 are female teachers (60%). Analysis and discussion: The findings of the previous studies and the present investigation, the consistency of yoga based intervention is higher in enhancing selfefficacy of the teachers in general and primary teachers in particular. From the statistical findings of the present investigation, it is also affirmed that the teachers' self-efficacy was enhanced through yoga based intervention synergies. Although the experimental work applicable to primary teachers, it can be employed to enhance the self-efficacy of other teachers too subject to the necessary modifications in the yoga based intervention strategies according to the locale, subject and etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is based on the increased importance of environmental, social, and governance factors in the present-day investing, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic period. The increased trends are not only witnessed in developed economies but also evident in developing economics like India. The possible reasons are attributable to enhanced risk awareness and sensitivity of institutional investors towards ESG issues, thereby, leading to price discovery of ESG factors through increased integration in investment portfolios. The need for prioritizing social investments is clear, especially after the onset of the pandemic. However, the major barriers appear to be lack of relevant knowledge on ESG issues and apathy of investors in formulating an ESG investing framework. The paper provides certain insights on the present-day ESG frameworks and principles that can be adopted by financial managers and asset management companies to generate better risk adjusted returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental health care workers as well as patients need to be protected from cross contamination during routine dental procedures by means of infection control measures. As dental students are at an increased risk of exposure to microorganisms it is important to assess the knowledge and awareness of personal protective measures and reinforce the practices of various personal protective measures among them. The objective of the study was to determine the level of knowledge, awareness, and compliance of undergraduate dental students towards personal protective equipment/measures, undergoing the clinical phase of training in South India's dental colleges.A cross-sectional study was conducted to obtain information regarding knowledge, awareness, and compliance with personal protective equipment's and measures. The sample (n = 210) consisted of undergraduate dental students (3rd, 4th and 5th year) of various colleges of South India. The data was collected after validation of the survey and analysed using One-way ANOVA followed by post hoc Tukey test. Knowledge about personal protective equipment and measures was significantly higher among the 5th year (p=0.003) dental undergraduate students compared to the 3rd year students. Awareness about post exposure prophylaxis was higher among the 5th (p<0.001) and 4th (p<0.001) year students compared to the 3rd year students. Compliance of personal protective equipment and measures was higher among the 5th year students ; however, willingness to treat HIV infected patients was higher among 3rd (p<0.001)and 4th year students (p<0.001) then 5th year students. The 5th year undergraduate dental students demonstrated good adherence to personal protective equipment and measures compared to the 3rd and 4th year students ; however the 5th year students were less willing to treat HIV infected patients. New protocols to be framed to tackle novel infections and with adequate training of the same to incorporated to the dental undergraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsidence in coastal deltas is a challenging issue globally, influenced by both climate and anthropogenic pressures. Owing to its rich economic value, the Godavari Delta on the east coast of India attracts the human population and is therefore a hub of developmental activities. We quantified the line of sight (LOS) rate of land deformation in the Godavari Delta, India, for two different periods using the time series interferometric analysis of Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phase Arrayed L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS PALSAR) (2007–2011) and C-band Sentinel-1A (2017–2020) datasets. This approach was based on the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) algorithm, which constructed 76 (ALOS) and 333 (Sentinel-1A) pairs of interferograms. The results indicated that the majority of deltas had varying LOS deformation rates in both periods. The southern and northern coastline of the deltas showed subsidence (-10 to -20 mm/yr) and uplift (5 mm to 7 mm/yr), respectively, from 2007 to 2011. The uplift (11 mm/yr) during 2017–2020 was attributed to coastal erosion and accretion during the study period. Statistical analyses showed that the majority of the coastline experienced erosion from 2006 to 2011, ranging from 0 ‐30 m/yr. Conversely, during 2017–2019, accretion ranging from 0-30 m/yr was dominant. The Kakinada spit has recently experienced an uplift of 8 mm/yr. Many factors contributing to deformation, such as groundwater fluctuations, rainfall, land use and land cover (LULC) changes, and water quality, were explored. Groundwater level variations were strongly correlated with the rate of deformation. A direct relationship was also observed between water recharge through rainfall and the ground deformation rate. The subsidence rate was estimated as 0 to ‐8 mm/yr from 2007-2011 and -10 to -20 mm/yr for 2017–2020 in the Godavari Delta. Increased urban areas and land conversion from the LULC analysis were the causative factors of subsidence in this region. Thus, the Godavari Delta will become highly vulnerable, as the region has shown various LOS deformation rates. Studies on land subsidence are highly relevant for effective coastal management planning and management. • First study to explore the ground deformation in Godavari delta. • Role of freshwater influence and land use are discussed. • Brought out the human interventions in the Godavari delta. • Needed for environmental management of the Godavari delta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crescentia cujete L. (Calabash tree) is a common tree distributed throughout the world. The tree and its fruit have high ethnobotanical value and practiced in Indian folk medicine. Nanotechnology is gaining more importance due to its myriad of application in physical, chemical and biological sciences. Herewith we present a comprehensive study on the benign synthesis of gold nanoparticles using an aqueous leaf extract of Crescentia cujete L. (CCAuNPs). In a shorter period of time, the reaction completed when an aqueous extract of Crescentia cujete was employed as a reducing agent to reduce Au 3+ ions into nanoparticles. Generated CCAuNPs generates a shift in the reaction medium due to the excitation of surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) which produces an intense absorbance peak at 560 nm in UV–Vis spectroscopy. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveals the functional group moieties involved in reduction and stabilization of CCAuNPs. Transmissions Electron Microscope (TEM) studies depict the anisotropic shape of CCAuNPs with mean size 32.89 mm. Additionally, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) study depicts face centered cubic crystalline structure and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) revealed that synthesized CCAuNPs were stable with highly negatively charged. CCAuNPs exhibited extraordinary bactericidal activity against the tested pathogens. 3-(4, 5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay determined that CCAuNPS conferred strong cytotoxicity against the HeLa cell line. Therefore, the present study shows the utility in synthesizing gold nanoparticles with Phytoconstituents and having a wide range of applications in medical science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formal urban planning framework for modern Indian cities is not enough for its historical cities which are usually characterised by multi-functional spaces, heterogeneous societies, compact urban form and diverse economic linkages. The study establishes the need of a microlevel assessment of old neighbourhoods for community-based urban regeneration. The historic walled city of Alwar in Rajasthan in India is selected as the case study where traditional lifestyle still prevails. A comprehensive methodology helps devising a Neighbourhood Vitality Tool for rapid assessment of identified Neighbourhood Planning Units (NPUs) with the help of vitality scores. GIS assisted analysis further helps in organising the spatial and factual data of each NPU in the form of an illustrative chart to help support local decision making. The proposed Rapid Assessment Tool for the historic neighbourhoods identifies their core urban issues as well as their underlying potential using simple colour coded matrix. The primary surveys for Alwar form the main inputs for the analysis and brings forth the challenges of vacant and dilapidated housing, traffic congestion and gentrification in the core city area. Such an indicator based assessment supported by visualization may help in quickly identifying the interventions at neighbourhood level and evaluate them for effective implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article I will try to show how certain schemes of infrastructural development of a space often do not produce the desired effect, but instead set in motion a whole range of activities that brings forth a range of other issues. Through the study of the building of the New Fort William and the project of construction of a dockyard in Calcutta in the second half of the eighteenth century, I intend to focus on some of the key issues that shed light on the urban settlement in the post-Plassey period. The building of the New Fort William and the dockyard were important projects that shaped the space of the town. But the projects themselves did not have the intended effect on the settlement—the fort took a long time to complete and the dockyard could not be built in the first attempt. The halted and aborted efforts did leave a mark on the space of the town, brought in new forms of labour regulations and put forth questions of proprietary rights of individual and the Company. These projects also shed light on the relationship between the Company settlement and the rest of the province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainability have been shown to span beyond organizational boundaries, indicating the importance of managing sustainability initiatives across the supply chain. Although scholars and practitioners focus a great deal of attention toward economic and environmental sustainability in supply chains, less attention is paid to social aspects. This is unfortunate, because social sustainability not only plays an important role in enabling other sustainability initiatives, but social injustices in one echelon of a supply chain can lead to significant losses for firms across the chain. Social issues have been especially problematic in developing nations, where abusive labor practices continue to negatively affect trading partners. This research seeks to disambiguate supply chain social sustainability in developing nations by uncovering relevant dimensions of social sustainability and resultant outcomes. Using semi-structured interview data collected from supply chain executives in Indian manufacturing companies, this research uncovers dimensions of social sustainability in terms of not only the focal firm, but also first-tier suppliers and customers. Each of these dimensions is then associated to potential performance outcomes. The findings not only provide a baseline for future research, but help practitioners understand where to focus their attention to enhance social sustainability in their supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) has emerged as a big challenge not only because of the health and environmental concerns but also due to huge quantities of waste generated. It is observed from many research documents that most urban local bodies (ULBs) in India are unable to handle such huge quantities of solid waste due to financial and institutional debilities. Furthermore, ULBs rarely have sufficient funds, resources, infrastructure and appropriate strategies for improved solid waste management. Segregation of waste, door to door waste collection, technologies for the treatment of waste, land resources and scientific disposal methods are some of the major challenges. Recognizing these challenges, the two ministries of Government of India namely Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) have initiated several policies and programmes to improve the current scenario of MSWM in India. Environment Ministry had promulgated the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules in2000 which is now being revamped as Solid Waste Management Rules 2015 while the MoUD has prepared a draft manual on MSWM to support cities and towns on planning and implementing a proper MSWM system in line with the SWM Rules being promulgated in 2015. It is observed that many policies and programmes fail to achieve their objectives due to lack of clarity and awareness among the stakeholders and poor enforcement by the regulators. The present paper provides a comprehensive view of SWM and most importantly highlights some major points of the policies/programmes initiated by the Government of India to overcome the challenges of solid waste management in our country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elemental and organic geochemical studies have been carried out on the Gondwana sediments, collected from the outcrops of Permian and Jurassic–Cretaceous rocks in the Krishna–Godavari basin on the eastern coast of India, to understand their paleo and depositional environment and its implications for hydrocarbon generation in the basin. Amongst the studied formations, the Raghavapuram, Gollapalli and Tirupati form a dominant Cretaceous Petroleum System in the west of the basin. Raghavapuram shales and its stratigraphic equivalents are the source rock and Gollapalli and Tirupati sandstones form the reservoirs, along with basaltic Razole formation as the caprock. Major element systematics and X-ray diffraction study of the sandstones indicate them to be variably enriched with SiO 2 relative to Al 2 O 3 and CaO, which is associated, inherently with the deposition and diagenesis of the Gondwana sediments. Post-Archean Average Shale normalized rare earth elements in shales show enrichment in most of the samples due to the increasing clay mineral and organic matter assemblage. A negative europium and cerium anomaly is exhibited by the REE's in majority of rocks. Composed primarily of quartz grains and silica cement, the Gollapalli and Tirupati sandstones have characteristics of high quality reservoirs. The shales show a significant increase in the concentration of redox sensitive trace elements, Ni, V, Cr, Ba and Zn. The total organic carbon content of the shales ranges between 0.1 and 0.5 wt%. Programmed pyrolysis of selected samples show the Tmax values to range between 352–497 °C and that of hydrogen index to be between 57–460 mgHC/gTOC. The organic matter is characterized by, mainly, gas prone Type III kerogen. The n -alkane composition is dominated by n -C 11 –C 18 and acyclic isoprenoid, phytane. The aromatic fraction shows the presence of naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, chrysene and their derivatives, resulting largely from the diagenetic alteration of precursor terpenoids. The organic geochemical proxies indicate the input of organic matter from near-shore terrestrial sources and its deposition in strongly reducing, low oxygen conditions. The organic matter richness and maturity derived from a favorable depositional setting has its bearing upon the Gondwana sediments globally, and also provides promising exploration opportunities, particularly in the Raghavapuram sequence of the KG basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vernacular dwellings are well-suited passive climate-responsive designs based on local materials and skills to support comfortable indoor environments. These naturally ventilated (NV) dwellings have supported and sustained civilizations even in extreme climates. The design and physiological resilience of the inhabitants have coevolved to be attuned to prevalent climatic and environmental conditions. Such adaptations have perplexed modern theories in human thermal comfort that have evolved in the era of air-conditioned buildings. The paper investigates climatic response and thermal comfort in NV vernacular dwellings in Suggenahalli, a village near Bangalore (India), set in a warm-humid climate. The study includes real-time thermal performance monitoring of a typical courtyard dwelling and includes a thermal sensation survey comprising a fifth of the village inhabitants. Two popular models have been evaluated, namely Fanger's predicted mean vote (PMV) and Humphreys adaptive thermal comfort. Ascertaining the PMV requires repeated inquiry and measurements which was unappealing to the rural community, with the responses turning out to be casual and indifferent. A methodology, termedaggregatedPMV, was thus evolved and tested to ascertain the thermal responses. Furthermore, conventional PMV assessments overestimated the thermal responses for winter despite application of the expectancy factor. Humphreys neutral comfort assessments also were in parallax with observed neutral temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article focuses on the bazaars of Calcutta in the late eighteenth century to bring out the tussle between the Company and the landowners over issues of land and customary collection. The debate regarding the bazaar reveals the concerns of the Company about rent and tax. Who had the right to tax, the individual proprietor of the land or the state? What were the limits of landowners’ rights? These questions, I suggest, were linked to deeper debates over the meaning of terms and definition of categories. In this article, I explore how Company officials sought to understand the notion of the ‘bazaar’. My discussion will develop through a focus on a particular dispute between two landowners in Calcutta where the Company had to intervene. Together, the long discussions in the Council, the examination of the sites, testimonies by the witnesses and the arguments put forward by the proprietors themselves—created a maze of documents, from which the Company tried to glean out the ‘bazaar’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The development of antiretroviral therapy (ART) marks the turning point in the manage-ment of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Very high levels of adherence are prerequisite for a successful immunological response. Low adherence rates increase the risk of treatment resistance and disease progression and also the chances of further transmission of re-sistant viruses will be increased. The study was conducted in three districts of Manipur. The two stage sampling procedure was used to select a sample of 308, comprising 193 males and 115 females. The rate of adherence for males and females was 72 and 75 percent, respectively. Primary data was collected through personal interviews from par-ticipants visiting the ART centres. A semi-structured proforma was used for collection of socio-demographic and economic data related to adherence to ARV. None of the factors had significant relationship to ART adherence, except that of employment status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a speech by Mani Shankar Aiyar, delivered at the "India Abroad, India Within" conference at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on March 16, 2010. It compares local government in India and China. According to the author, poor and rural peoples' inability to participate in government processes may lead to unrest and threaten democracy in both countries. Details on legal and social structures for local government in both countries are also presented.

We need to educate our children to adapt to the effects of climate change because even if greenhouse gases are reduced in the near future, the earth's climate will continue to change and will affect the health of all citizens throughout the planet, particularly the young. Pre-tests and post-tests used before and after lessons showed that middle school children in New Delhi, India, could be effectively made aware of the reasons for climate change, its effects on health, and the adaptive measures they need to adopt, through a variety of methods, such as presentations, videos, quizzes, and games. Learning to adapt to global warming can be made a pleasant experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Tellicherry Social Service Society (TSSS) which is the official work wing of the archdiocese of Tellicherry in Kerala, India. It states that the voluntary organization was established in 1966 with its vision to bring about a society of equals founded on love and everybody enjoys absolute freedom. It notes that the society was under the late Fr. Joseph Madakkassery and is led by director F. Mani Mellvettom and assistant director Fr. Thomas Vattamala.

The article discusses research on the economics of mulberry and silkworm cocoon production in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, India. Burgeoning growth of sericulture in that area reportedly is associated with the use of bivoltine sericultural technologies that have enhanced cocoon productivity. The article discusses a 2006-2007 survey of 100 silk farmers on the costs and returns associated with mulberry leaf and silkworm production.

Summary: The treatment of renal disease is expensive, and only a few Indians can afford it. The vast majority of Indians are poor. Nephrologists and facilities for treating renal disease are found only in larger cities. The renal unit of Apollo Hospital uses the new communications network of the country to guide patients with chronic kidney disease in increasing the dose of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition to the maximum and thereby slow down the decline of renal function. The rate of decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate in diabetic nephropathy has decreased from 16 mL/min/y in 1993 to 2.7 mL/min/y in 2008, and in chronic glomerulonephritis from 28 to 2.8, respectively. In the entire group of patients with renal failure of all causes, the projected increase in time to reach the end stage from a glomerular filtration rate of 50 mL/min is 26 years, which is 17 years longer than the controls. Because hardly any of these patients can afford dialysis or transplantation, this is indeed an extra lease of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hindu Kush - Himalaya (HKH), extending about 3,500 km from east to west in Asia from Myanmar in the east to Afghanistan in the west, form the water sources for many rivers that have spiritual, cultural and economic values. The biodiversity is unique and rich yet not adequately explored and studied. Some studies have been carried out in the Kashmir Himalaya in India followed by Everest Region in Nepal. Most of the studies have dealt with physico-chemical analysis of the water samples; however complete bathymetric and limnological studies have not been performed. The high altitude Himalayan lakes are remote and difficult to access. They are characterized by the presence of glacial silt, low Sechhi values, low conductivity and neutral pH. The most dominant cation and anion in high altitude lakes are Calcium (Ca) and Bicarbonate (HCO3) respectively with few exceptions. Water chemistry of the lakes is dependent on the geolithology of the catchment area. Most of these lakes are categorized as oligotrophic or ultraoligotrophic. Biological communities are represented only by stenothermal species typical of high altitude lakes. Palaeolimnological studies could provide an insight into the environmental reconstruction which in turn may help to develop monitoring tools for these unique habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We undertook this study to characterize peak bone density and evaluate its determinants in a healthy cohort of young adult male paramilitary personnel. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 473 healthy men aged 21–40yr. The effect of anthropometry and biochemical parameters on BMD was determined. Mean BMD values of L1–L4, forearm, total hip, and femoral neck were 1.170±0.137, 0.755±0.089, 1.129±0.130, and 1.115±0.133g/cm2, respectively. BMD values for 31- to 40-yr age group were lower than those of 20- to 30-yr age group except for forearm, which was higher in the former. Significant positive correlation was observed between height, weight, and body mass index with BMD. On multivariate regression analysis, weight was the most consistent contributor to variance in the BMD. Compared with age-matched US males, BMD of total hip and femoral neck were higher for Indian paramilitary personnel by 3.58% and 4.2%, whereas lumbar spine BMD was lower by 4.1%. In conclusion, peak BMD in healthy Indian males was achieved by 30yr of age at lumbar spine and hip, with weight being the most consistent contributor to variance in BMD. Peak BMD in this population was comparable to that reported in white US males. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper discusses the work done to develop a group-interaction methodology that uses the systems approach to identify the critical variables required for coastal profiling. The work was done as a part of the larger Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (ICMAM) project of the Government of India. The broad objective of the project was to formulate a framework for developing integrated coastal-zone management (ICZM) plans for the sensitive coastal zones in India. Identifying the critical variables in each of these zones and developing the coastal profile was the initial step towards formulating the framework. As very little documentation was available on the key factors affecting the areas, this information had to be elicited and prioritized based on group/stakeholder interaction. Available methodologies and tools for carrying out the tasks were reviewed. It was found that the sequence of identification of the coastal profile variables did not complement the intuitive approach of the group. The group adapted the existing methods with additional terminology and methodological steps to meet their requirements. This paper discusses the terminology and methodology of the approach developed by the group and presents a software tool developed to assist the team in applying the methodology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses India's government and the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), or local government. The author explains that PRIs have three tiers, village, block, and district, and strive to represent all of India's diverse population. He notes that states are responsible for devolution to PRIs, with the central government mandating only aspects including their existence, election cycle, and inclusion of women and minorities. He explains how the various government entities work.

Rice-wheat is the most important cropping system followed in Indo-Gangetic plains of India to provide food to millions of people not only in India but also to neighboring countries. So, maximization of yield of this system is of utmost importance. Findings of experiments to be extended to farmers and the success of their adoption depend on efficiency of the extension process. But if experiments are conducted in farmers' fields with active participation of the farmers, then it gets a new dimension and its results become readily acceptable by the farmers. As such, the experiments in farmers' fields, if possible, are always preferred. Experiments in farmers' fields in five different locations representing three different agro-climatic situations were conducted to examine the efficacy of phosphocompost plus inorganic fertilizer and recommended dose of fertilizer (for Rice-N:P:K: 80:6(i):40, and for wheat-N:P:K: 100:60:40) to maximize yield of the rice-wheat system against farmers' practices. Three years of experimentation in farmers' fields revealed that both the introduced treatments resulted much better response compared with response from farmers' practices in a sustainable manner. Increase in yield in phosphocompost-applied field was nearly 100% more than in fields fertilized with 100% inorganic fertilizer in both the crops. Thus, application of phosphocompost can be recommended to replace inorganic phosphate fertilizer in rice-wheat system of cropping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has emerged as an increasingly important producer of technology-based products especially in information technology (IT) and biotechnology. This paper analyses the Indian government''s institutional support for domestic technology. Three support foci are investigated, namely, (i) overall policy framework; (ii) availability of skilled manpower and (iii) financial instruments, such as tax incentives, research grants, concessional loans and venture capital. The paper analyses the outcomes of Indian policy using a standard indicator and reviews the current status of the three policy foci. Finally, appropriate policy actions are suggested. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract. The Chennai coast, an integral part of the east coast of India, extends over ca. 35 km. Over the past 120 yr the coastline has witnessed both man-made and natural disturbances which led to the destruction of the beach front. The construction of Madras harbour in 1876, was the prime cause of the degradation of this very sensitive coastal region. Continued growth of Madras harbour has helped in the natural formation of the wide 'Marina Beach', south of the harbour. But the shoreline north of the harbour suffered the consequences of harbour development activities. The north shore receded by ca. 500 m over the past 120 yr and received attention from the authorities in the past few decades because of the growing awareness of the conservation value of the coast. This paper highlights the effects of Madras harbour development on the adjoining coast and on the short-term mitigation measures planned and executed by the Government agencies to protect the fragile coastline. In spite of sincere efforts to protect the coastline, the destruction continues unabated due to various reasons. This paper analyses the facts and suggests a long-term solution to protect the coastline and to regain the past glory. Feasible and cost effective permanent measures are identified, construction methods suggested and the advantages that the community can derive from the long-term solutions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropological field studies were conducted in two different regions in India to examine the potential and actual roles of two groups of grassroots workers--opinion leaders and traditional birth attendants--in the delivery of family planning services in the rural areas. These studies revealed that while the traditional birth attendants can be trained and utilized to a limited extent in promoting family planning efforts, especially to the eligible female clients, the role of the opinion leaders in such efforts is at best questionable. Based on these field studies, cultural and technical problems in training and utilizing opinion leaders and traditional birth attendants are explored in detail. Modifications in the training program strategies are suggested to improve and expand the family planning delivery system in rural India.

As part of a larger anthropological field investigation to examine the potential role of Traditional Birth Attendants in health and family planning delivery systems in rural Tamil Nadu, India, a study was conducted to examine the various dimensions of health and fertility medicine. In particular, an attempt was made to investigate the prevailing beliefs and practices regarding fertility, conception, gestation, abortion, and sterility. Etiology, phenomenologic indicators employed in defining the state of illness, diagnostic procedures and therapeutic strategies in dealing with illness related to parturition were studied in detail.

• There is a dire need to integrate socio-cultural aspects in the smart urban development framework. • Fuzzy linguistic variables can effectively deal with the inherent imprecison and uncertainities in a subjective dataset. • This study explores fuzzy arithmetic for aggregation and robust reduction of a multidimensional ordinal dataset. • An Indian case of historic urban landscape performs better with respect to socio-cultural attributes of existing communities. Smartness is a vague concept with different meanings for different people. It is imperative to harness the latent potential of existing settlements for an inclusive smart urban development. The study aims to assess the socio-cultural attributes of an Indian historic urban landscape with a thriving residential culture. Since data collection of neighborhood-level urban communities is not feasible in India, a structured questionnaire was used to conduct household surveys. Such real-world phenomena have inherent imprecision and ambiguity associated with human judgments. Therefore, the survey items are assumed as fuzzy linguistic variables, and the raw dataset is transformed into triangular fuzzy numbers. Fuzzy arithmetic and weighted averaging operators are applied for the hierarchical evaluation of indicators and variables. A robust algorithm is used for the dimension reduction of a fuzzy coded dataset while dealing with subjective responses. The aggregated fuzzy scores show an overall better performance of traditional communities with respect to their socio-cultural attributes, such as a sense of safety and collective efficacy. The application of fuzzy logic in urban planning and allied behavioral studies can effectively and pragmatically deal with the inherent uncertainties in a humanistic system. Future researchers may explore fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation approaches for ordinal scale datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: This polyherbal formulation has been traditionally used in the Indian system of medicine as a chief formulation for the treatment of hepatic diseases as hepatoprotective. The aim of the study was to study hepatoprotective activity which will be scientific validation of traditional knowledge claimed about this polyherbal formulation. Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced by administration of paracetamol (300mg/kg) to the animals. The levels of liver enzymes (SGOT, SGPT, Alkaline phosphatase, Serum Bilirubin), lipid profiles (triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL, LDL), creatinine, urea levels and histopathological parameters were measured in order to evaluate hepatoprotective activity of polyherbal formulation. Results: The polyherbal formulation produced a significant hepatoprotective activity of the decoction of polyherbal formulation. The polyherbal formulation (PHF = 1) shows good hepatoprotective activity by lowering the levels of SGOT, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin parameters (P<0.05), lipid profiles – cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and histopathological evaluations shows that PHF = 1 and PHF = 3 formulations have significantly hepatoprotective activity (P<0.05). Conclusions: The study validates that polyherbal formulation has a good hepatoprotective activity. Further standardization processes may be performed in order to make it a beneficial hepatoprotective formulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]