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A field study was carried out for the first time in Kashmir Valley to investigate the population status and distribution of Ibisbill. The initial reconnaissance surveys conducted across Kashmir Valley, indicated that the Lidder River in district Anantnag and Sindh River in district Ganderbal harbor populations of Ibisbill. During the intensive study carried out in the river Sindh from September 2017 to August 2018, the mean population size was maximum (36±8.63) at Stretch I and minimum (3±1.35) at stretch II. The seasonal population of Ibisbill was maximum (25.66±18.44) in the autumn and minimum (10±9.35) in the winter. The present study indicated that river Sindh provides an ideal habitat for Ibisbill, and was most widely used by the bird. We recommend further intensive research studies on the lesser known aspects of ecology and biology of this enigmatic species for long term conservation planning in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of place of living on psychological well-being of students studying in senior secondary schools and to test for interaction effects of place of living and academic achievement on psychological well-being. The analyzed data set contained information on 519 boys and girls in the 11th grade from the Kashmir valley of Jammu and Kashmir India. The study has a survey type design. Psychological well-being scale developed by Dr. Devendra Singh Sisodia and Ms. Pooja Choudhary (2012) has been used. The marks obtained in science by students served as the indicator of academic achievement. The statistical analysis was 2 x3 (ANOVA) factorial designs. Results reveal a significant effect of the place of living on psychological well-being and show no significant interaction effect between the academic achievement levels (groups) in science and the place of living in terms of the psychological well-being of senior secondary students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present study, maturation and spawning season of rainbow trout O. mykiss was studied between August 2015 to January 2016 from three trout rearing farms namely Dachigam Trout Farm, Mammar Trout Farm and Achabal Trout Farm. The maximum ova diameter was observed during spawning phase (6.01mm) and minimum ova diameter was obtained during resting phase (1.19mm). The ova diameter analysis of O. mykiss (pooled and site-wise) revealed a significant difference with a p value <0.05, with the considerable increase in ova diameter frequency (pooled and site-wise). The results of GSI for the pooled data revealed maximum value of 15.05% in December and minimum value of 1.60% in August. The gonadosomatic index (site-wise) revealed maximum value of 21.39% at Dachigam in January. The monthly condition factor (K) revealed the highest values for the pooled data in the month of September (1.33) and lowest value in the month of November (1.10). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic composition of seminal plasma, physical spermatological parameters and their physiological relationships were investigated in Cyprinus. Carpio var. communis collected from Dal lake, Kashmir. Significant positive correlation were found between sperm volume and motility (r=0.523, p<0.01), motility and sperm density (r=.716, p<0.01), motility and total protein (r=0.505, p<0.01), motility and triglyceride (r=0.501, p<0.01), motility and cholesterol (r=0.2448, p<.05) motility% and pH(r=0.549, p<0.01) motility duration and pH (r=0.436, p<0.05) and motility duration and total protein (r=0.01, p<0.05).. Sperm density showed significant negative correlation with fish length, fish weight, sperm volume(r=0.822, p<.01, r=0.754, p <.01 and r=0.405, p <.01) respectively. These parameters would be helpful in developing procedures for short-term storage or cryopreservation of the sperm of Cyprinus carpio var . communis and would help in selecting the good quality brooder among the broodstock. Relationships between components of semen might provide information of the metabolic pathways essential for motility and serve as a basis for further studies evaluating the fertilization capacity of spermatozoa based on biochemical criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we obtain Laurent and Maclaurin types of hypergeometric generating relations for certain mixed special functions related to the Bessel functions using series rearrangement technique. Further some generating functions for Appell's functions, Lauricella's functions and multiple hypergeometric functions of Kampé de Fériet, are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review, the most applicable mechanistic studies on Pd-catalyzed general and C-C cross-coupling reactions have been presented and discussed. It has been revealed that in Pd-catalysed reactions, the activation energy of reacting species is decreased by Pd because of stabilizing the unstable and short-lived species transition state. The Pd may get coordinated to one or more of the reactants throughout the transition state of the catalytic process. During this process, the dissociation of the product either reproduces the Pd catalyst directly or a compounds that may be transformed into Pd. The Pd-catalyzed processes occurred more often in organometallic chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Today, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has evolved into a modern procedure with a benign side effect profile, which is performed under anesthesia and the administration of muscle relaxants, but the negative view of this treatment is held not only by the general lay public but also by the medical professionals including nurses. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge about and attitude toward ECT in nursing students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which knowledge about ECT and attitude toward this treatment were assessed in nursing students using ECT knowledge and attitude questionnaires. Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. RESULTS: A total of 54 3rd year nursing students were included in the study. More than half (59.3%) reported the primary source of information as media. None of our students had full knowledge about ECT, i.e., a score of 31. The mean knowledge score was 16.22 ± 3.36 with a range of 10–21. They were more knowledgeable about the consent, side effects, and procedure part of the questionnaire compared to indications and effectiveness parts of it. A negative attitude toward ECT was highly prevalent. The mean score on attitude questionnaire was −7.5 ± 3.61 with a range of 0–−12. More than three-quarters of our subjects had a negative attitude in 12 out of 16 items. The total score on the knowledge questionnaire and total score on the attitude questionnaire were correlated positively (r = 0.387,P < 0.004). CONCLUSION: There is a deficiency in knowledge and highly prevalent negative attitude toward ECT among nursing students, which needs to be rectified so that ECT becomes a more acceptable treatment procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the convergence of growth of per capita income across the districts of Madhya Pradesh first estimating the basic crosssection equations for unconditional and conditional convergence then provides the estimates from spatial data model over a period from 2004/05 to 2016/17. There is existence of unconditional beta (ß) convergence and conditional beta convergence when controlled for more conditioning variables, sigma convergence also confirm the decline in disparity in distribution of per capita income. From the spatial data analysis a significant spatial autocorrelation is revealed in the initial level of per capita income and majority of other conditioning variables. The significant spatial econometric models implies that the growth rate of per capita income of districts depends on how better their neighbours are doing. This has important policy making implications in Madhya Pradesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although lithium is known to cause thyroid dysfunction and increased thyroid gland volume, clinical examination and biochemical assessment are fundamental to thyroid workup of patients on lithium treatment. We aimed to determine thyroid gland volume and the Thyroid hormone levels of patients who have been receiving lithium treatment for affective disorders in comparison to voluntary healthy controls. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, hospital-based observational study which was performed in 43 patients on long-term lithium treatment for bipolar disorder, major depressive and schizoaffective disorders. Patients with documented continuous and adequate serum lithium levels for more than or equal to 6 months recruited consecutively underwent the ultrasonographic examination of the thyroid gland. Ultrasonographic examinations were also done in all gender- and age-matched healthy controls. All cases and controls underwent biochemical thyroid function tests. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in gender (P = 0.198; Chi-square = 1.654) of cases and controls. Most of the cases were married, maximum number of them unemployed and belonged to the lower socioeconomic status. Total thyroid volume was significantly greater in the lithium-treated group than the controls (9.40 ± 1.41 vs. 4.79 ± 0.45). Clinical inspection and palpation only detected goiter in six (n = 6, 13.95%) of patients on lithium and none among controls. The mean triiodothyronine, mean thyroxine, and mean scores for thyroid-stimulating hormone were significantly increased in patients receiving lithium therapy as compared to controls. Conclusion: It would seem wise from a clinical point of view to include ultrasonographic examination of the thyroid gland as part of the standard thyroid workup before initiating lithium treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ubiquitous presence of highly oxygenated furo[3,2‐b]furanone fragments in diverse natural products with wide range of biological activities such as anti‐cancer, anti‐HIV, anti‐microbial activities, etc. has augmented their appeal both for synthetic and medicinal chemistry campaigns. Enticed by their potent biological activities and challenging polycyclic architecture, total synthesis of furo[3,2‐b]furanone natural products has witnessed intense activity in recent years with many notable achievements in the synthesis of structurally embellished family of bioactive metabolites such as plakortones, lactonamycines, schisanartanes, etc. While presenting a comprehensive account of post‐2000 syntheses of these natural products, through strategic and nuanced use of modern tools of organic synthesis, this review also aims to stimulate interest in exploring the diversity space around these natural products for newer applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although lithium is known to cause thyroid dysfunction and increased thyroid gland volume, clinical examination and biochemical assessment are fundamental to thyroid workup of patients on lithium treatment. We aimed to determine the thyroid gland volume and the thyroid hormone levels of patients who have been receiving lithium treatment for affective disorders in comparison to voluntary healthy controls. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, hospital-based observational study, performed in 43 patients on long-term lithium treatment for bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizoaffective disorder. Patients with documented continuous and adequate serum lithium levels for more than or equal to 6 months recruited consecutively underwent ultrasonographic examination of the thyroid gland. Ultrasonographic examinations were also done in all gender- and age-matched healthy controls. All cases and controls underwent biochemical thyroid function tests. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in gender (P = 0.198; χ2 = 1.654) of cases and controls. Most of the cases were married; maximum number of them unemployed and belonged to the lower socioeconomic status. Total thyroid volume was significantly greater in the lithium-treated group than the control group (9.40 ± 1.41 vs. 4.79 ± 0.45). Clinical inspection and palpation only detected goiter in six (n = 6, 13.95%) of patients on lithium and none among controls. The mean triiodothyronine (T3), mean thyroxine (T4), and mean scores for thyroid-stimulating hormone were significantly increased in patients receiving lithium therapy as compared to controls. Conclusion: It would seem wise from a clinical point of view to include ultrasonographic examination of the thyroid gland as part of the standard thyroid workup before initiating lithium treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Menopausal transition (MT) is the period of irregular menstrual activity which directly precedes menopause and is characterized by widely fluctuating hormone levels and reproductive, metabolic, and psychological disturbances. We aimed to study the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity among ambulatory women in MT. Materials and Methods: One hundred consecutive ambulatory women in MT were assessed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria by means of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, English version 5.0.0. The diagnosis of MT was made according to the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop. Results: About 28% of the cases had major depressive disorder (MDD), 14% had anxiety disorders, and 7% had anxiety with depression. A statistically significant difference in psychiatric comorbidity was found between the age groups of 45–50 years and 51–55 years. There was a statistically significant difference between onset of menarche and psychiatric comorbidity. Women in the late MT had statistically significant sleep disturbances. Conclusion: A high prevalence of mental disorders was observed which included MDD and other anxiety disorders. The results suggested that screening and appropriate management for psychiatric disorders should be part of the routine evaluation that would help in early recognition of symptoms and reduction in discomfort of these symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, some hypergeometric generating relations involving Kampé de Fériet's double hypergeometric functions are derived by using series rearrangement technique, a reduction formula and Whipple's quadratic transformation. Some special cases involving Appell's functions of second, third kind, Rainville polynomial and two Bedient's polynomials, are also obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: India has the highest burden of both Tuberculosis and MDR‑Tuberculosis based on estimates reported in the Global Tuberculosis Report 2016. The estimates have been revised upwards based on the newer evidence, and the current study was done to estimate the prevalence of bacteriologically positive pulmonary Tuberculosis among the adult population and to provide baseline information for future measurements of Tuberculosis burden and trends. Methods: A cluster‑based sampling design was adopted in 10 districts of Kashmir valley in India. Assuming a prevalence of 217 per lakh population, a design effect of 2.5, a relative precision of 0.25% and the expected participation rate of 80%, a sample size of 49,716 was achieved. A total of 67 clusters were identified where each cluster had 750 subjects aged ≥15 years, and eligible individuals were questioned for pulmonary symptoms suggestive of Tuberculosis. Results: Of the total 42,805 that were interviewed, 3.85% had pulmonary Tuberculosis symptoms. A total of 1539 sputum samples were collected from symptomatic and 1351 chest X‑ rays were done. Cartridge based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT) tests were done on individuals with suspicious X‑ray findings. The prevalence of bacteriologically positive pulmonary Tuberculosis was found to be 147 per 100,000 population. Females are affected more than males, and the age of female Tuberculosis patients is less than that of males. Conclusion: The study is the first survey of its kind providing a baseline for further research in the state. CBNAAT is going to be game‑changer which surmounts the drawbacks of sputum smear microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kashmir has remained a seat of learning and knowledge, religious and philosophical discourses since centuries. Kashmir has a rich and vibrant cultural history and a tradition of learning and scholarly pursuit since times immemorial. Through the ages, it has been a melting pot of ideas, which have been distilled into the finest traditions of learning, tolerance and cultural cohesion. These ideas have been portrayed by different writers, Poets and historians from time to time. Unfortunately, very less information pertaining to these cultural icons is available. The main aim of this work is to build a Digital collection of biographies of eminent poets of Kashmir using Green Stone Digital Library Software. The collection can be browsed and Searched by Name, Pen Name, Place of Birth, Year of Birth, Year of Death, Preferred Language, Form of Poetry and Important Works., INTRODUCTION Information explosion, literature flood, publication deluge, mushroom growth of computer and communication technologies and networks worldwide not only made the task of bibliographical control difficult, but also forced the [...]

Heavy metals in drinking water cause a serious threat to human health. Urban population is exposed to heavy metals primarily through water consumption and some heavy metals can bio accumulates in the human body and may induce cancer and other risks. The general objective of the study is to analyze the heavy metals in drinking water. The results revealed that Pb, Fe, Zn, and Asare present in the drinking water of Morena and may cause health risks to the residents. According to the indices, the city drinking water quality is good in terms of heavy metals. Continuous monitoring of drinking water quality is essential in terms of heavy metals and toxic substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]