Search

Deepak Saxena,1,2,* Poonam Trivedi,1,* Priya Bhavsar,1,* Farjana Memon,1 Abhi Thaker,1 Chintan Chaudhary,1 Sandul Yasobant,1,2,* Deepika Singhal,3 Sanjay Zodpey4 1Department of Public Health Science, Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar (IIPHG), Gandhinagar, India; 2School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed to be University), Wardha, India; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Gujarat Medical Education & Research Society, Ahmedabad, India; 4Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Gurgaon, India*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Deepak Saxena, Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar (IIPHG), Opp. Air Force Head Quarters, Nr. Lekawada, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382042, India, Email ddeepak72@iiphg.orgPurpose: Despite the global efforts to improve organ donation, there is a demand-supply gap for organs in India. The only solution to meet this disparity is to improve deceased donor transplants in the country through victims of road accidents. The government has instituted several initiatives to achieve this goal. However, challenges and barriers continue to affect the organ donation process. The present study aims to document the motivating factors and obstacles in the decision of families to donate organs in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and their suggestions to improve the processes involved in organ donation.Patients and Methods: A qualitative exploratory study (in-depth interview) of ten relatives of deceased organ donors was conducted from Oct 2021 to Feb 2022. Interviews were audio recorded, and detailed notes were taken during the interview. Thematic analysis was done using ATLAS.ti version 8 software.Results: The significant motivators identified were family members’ belief or conviction that it would help save the lives of others; a sense of moral obligation to do so as bodies of brain-dead persons can contribute to this noble goal, no use of the body after death, an extension of life, and being a role model for others. The challenges were mistrusting the organ donation process, fear of being responsible for any mishappening, and feeling of shock. The suggestions to improve organ donation included awareness creation, simplifying the legal process for accidental deaths, providing benefits to the donor family, and a system for identifying potential donors and their counselling.Conclusion: The present study reflects the need for a more comprehensive awareness campaign to generate awareness and remove the misconception about organ donation in India. The findings of the study can be helpful for policymakers to amend the current organ donation process in India and improve the disequilibrium of demand and supply of deceased donations in India.Keywords: organ donation, factors, motivators, barriers

Silicosis is an occupational hazard for those working in mines & in construction works. These patients are exposed to long term complications and chronic morbidity. In patients with silicosis, the involvement of pleura in the form of pneumothorax is uncommon. In our study, we have made an attempt to study the risk factors, pathophysiology & clinical profile of patients with silicosis presenting with pneumothorax, its treatment outsome and recurrence rate of pneumothorax. Silicosis has no definitive treatment. An awareness of safety & preventive measures to reduce the incidence of the disease, morbidity & mortality are needed to improve the health of people working in such places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the research output on Bamboo for a period of 29 years (1989-2018). The web of science database has been used to retrieve worldwide publication records on bamboo research. The records were analysed using the descriptive statistics. Based on the retrieved data, various aspect of literature on bamboo research analysed and interpreted. The performance of the most productivity countries, authors, journals, Institution wise, and Growth rate and doubling time have assessed. The articles were classified as Research, review and others and grouped under 22 subjects to identify the subject coverage of bamboo research. The study found a positive growth in research and review article while very sharp decrement was observed. The growth rate and doubling period were estimated 8.5 and 8.34 respectively. Most of the articles written on Agriculture, Material Science, building technology and chemistry. M. Das (Presidency University, Department Life Science, Kolkata) is the most prolific primary author while R. Kumar (National Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineer, Silchar, India) mostly occurred as secondary author. Local and National collaboration mostly observed in the paper. India is the most productive country of world followed by china and Tamilnadu is most productive state of India. Indian Institute of Technology, India is a premier institute in bamboo research activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicles are having significant priority in transportation including goods, public transport etc. among many technologies in electric vehicle, brushless DC (BLDC) motors operated eclectic drives are mostly used. Speed sensorless control is required to implement for obtaining a best performance. At the same time, a sliding mode controller (SMC) can be able to produce the ultimate response under various conditions. Hence sensorless speed control with SMC of BLDC motor is implemented in this paper to drive the electric vehicle. In order to develop speed sensorless of motor, a model reference adaptive control (MRAC) system is developed. However, obtaining a fastest response is very important in electric vehicle speed control. Hence a TS-Fuzzy model is developed to use in the place of conventional PI controllers. Extensive results are collected for presentation by establishing Hardware – in the – Loop (HIL) with the help of two OPAL-RT devices.

A Modified Invasive Weed Optimization (EIWO) method has been created and combined with the perturb & observe (P&O) algorithm in order to maximize the power output of a photovoltaic (PV) system amidst sudden weather variations and instances of partial shading. Extracting the maximum power from photovoltaic systems under partial shading conditions poses a challenge, as traditional P&O algorithms are unable to accurately identify the maximum power point (MPP) due to the presence of multiple MPPs. Evolutionary optimization techniques have the capability to attain the global maximum power point under such circumstances. The MIWO-based P&O algorithm adjusts the reference voltage in order to optimize the operation of the PV system at the maximum power point based on prevailing weather conditions. The boost converter is utilized to optimize power output from the PV system and supply it to DC loads. Rapid weather changes are considered for case studies. MATLAB results through OPAL-RT platform by using Hardwrein-Loop (HIL) are presented to validate the performance of the proposed method. Small signal analysis also reported in this paper for better analysis. The robustness of the loop design is also analyzed. Simulations for the small signal model and robustness studies are conducted for a specific set of system parameters to validate the findings.

Subglottic foreign body removal is one of the challenging tasks for anaesthesiologists as it may cause partial or complete airway obstruction which is a life-threatening condition. We have discussed here a four-year-old child who presented with whistling sounds during breathing to the emergency department. The clinical signs, symptoms, diagnosis and management of a subglottic foreign body are discussed with its subsequent removal requiring tracheostomy following failure with rigid bronchoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate salivary flow rate, pH, buffering capacity, calcium, total protein content and total antioxidant capacity in relation to dental caries, age and gender. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 120 healthy children aged 7-15 years that was further divided into two groups: 7-10 years and 11-15 years. In this 60 children with DMFS/dfs = 0 and 60 children with DMFS/dfs ≥5 were included. The subjects were divided into two groups; Group A: Children with DMFS/dfs = 0 (caries-free) Group B: Children with DMFS/dfs ≥5 (caries active). Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from all groups. Flow rates were determined, and samples analyzed for pH, buffer capacity, calcium, total protein and total antioxidant status. Salivary antioxidant activity is measured with spectrophotometer by an adaptation of 2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) assays. Results: The mean difference of the two groups; caries-free and caries active were proved to be statistically significant (P < 0.05) for salivary calcium, total protein and total antioxidant level for both the sexes in the age group 7-10 years and for the age 11-15 years the mean difference of the two groups were proved to be statistically significant (P < 0.05) for salivary calcium level for both the sexes. Salivary total protein and total antioxidant level were proved to be statistically significant for male children only. Conclusions: In general, total protein and total antioxidants in saliva were increased with caries activity. Calcium content of saliva was found to be more in caries-free group and increased with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dividend decision has been a subject of enquiry of financial analysts, academicians and researchers for many decades. Dividend decision refers to the policy that the management formulates concerning earnings for distribution among shareholders. The Dividend decision is an important one for the firm as it may influence its capital structure and stock price. The Lintner proposition, which asserts that the corporate management maintains a constant target payout ratio has been the most influential. The present study re-examines the applicability of Lintner's (1956) dividend policy in pharmaceutical sector of India. Historically the pharmaceutical industry has been a safe haven during volatile times, with higher returns and smaller downside risk. This is one of the traditional defensive sectors, which the investors might find interesting - as fear and uncertainty cloud markets. A sample of 40 companies from the pharmaceutical sector has been selected based on 365 days average market capitalization for the present study. Here, a cross-sectional analysis has been carried out from the year 2000 to 2009. The study carries out empirical tests with four different dividend behavior models, inclusive of Lintner's original model and its subsequently revised (Cash flow model) and extended models (With Capex & Cash flow model with Capex) to investigate the dividend behavior in Indian Pharmaceutical sector. The results were found in line with the Lintner's Model. The findings offer evidence that dividend policy is stable in the drugs and pharmaceutical sector in India. The results indicate that the major determinants of current dividend are lagged dividend and the current earnings. This study also supports the argument of 'information content of dividend' in the context of dividend proceeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted this study to assess the prevalence of goitre among 2700 children (6-12 yr) of district Ambala in Haryana. Children were examined as per standards laid by National iodine deficiency disorder control programme (NIDDCP). Multi stage cluster sampling method was used. Urine and salt samples were also studied for iodine concentration. The overall prevalence of goitre in the studied subjects was 12.6%. The median urinary iodine excretion in the study sample was more than 100μg/L Iodine content was found to be adequate in 88% of salt samples. We conclude that there was a high prevalence of goitre in young children despite iodine repletion. This calls for identification of factors to strengthen NIDDCP and the need to emphasize use of iodized salt in Haryana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES - Objective of this study is to evaluate the new bone formation in bony defects after placement of PRP and its efficacy of regenerative potential. METHOD - Twenty five pediatric patients were selected for the study and PRP was extracted from patients own blood and placed in defect in all patients. Post operative clinical and radiographic observation was done at 1st,4th and 6th month. RESULTS - Faster bone healing in all patients was observed. CONCLUSION - It can be concluded by the study that PRP is a better source of bone induction growth factors and regeneration of bone can be done at faster rate which is a favorable biological response similar to natural healing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existence of potent in vitro regeneration system is a prerequisite for efficient genetic transformation and functional genomics of crop plants. In this study, two contrasting cultivars differencing in their in vitro regeneration efficiency were identified. Tissue culture friendly cultivar Golden Promise (GP) and tissue culture resistant DWRB91(D91) were selected as contrasting cultivars to investigate the molecular basis of regeneration efficiency through multiomics analysis. Transcriptomics analysis revealed 1487 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), in which 795 DEGs were upregulated and 692 DEGs were downregulated in the GP-D91 transcriptome. Genes encoding proteins localized in chloroplast and involved in ROS generation were upregulated in the embryogenic calli of GP. Moreover, proteome analysis by LC-MS/MS revealed 3062 protein groups and 16,989 peptide groups, out of these 1586 protein groups were differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Eventually, GC-MS based metabolomics analysis revealed the higher activity of plastids and alterations in key metabolic processes such as sugar metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and secondary metabolism. TEM analysis also revealed differential plastid development. Higher accumulation of sugars, amino acids and metabolites corresponding to lignin biosynthesis were observed in GP as compared to D91. A comprehensive examination of gene expression, protein profiling and metabolite patterns unveiled a significant increase in the genes encompassing various functions, such as ion homeostasis, chlorophyll metabolic process, ROS regulation, and the secondary metabolic pathway., Competing Interests: Declarations Conflict of interest On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Rapid urbanization and evolving dietary preferences have heightened the demand for durum wheat and its derivatives in developing nations like Nepal. This study represents the first comprehensive exploration and evaluation of durum wheat genotypes in Nepal, addressing the escalating need for high-yielding varieties. The primary objective was to identify stable and prolific durum wheat lines for release, enhancing Nepal's durum wheat breeding program. Utilizing genotypes from CIMMYT's disease screening and yield nurseries from 2011/12 to 2020/21, a total of 132 genotypes, including international checks, underwent evaluation over ten years under the Alpha Lattice design. Results revealed significant variation among genotypes for grain yield and other traits, identifying high-yielding and stable lines suitable for Nepal. Heritability analysis highlighted moderate heritability for grain number per spike, thousand-grain weight, and grain yield. Cluster analysis identified distinct clusters with high grain yield and desirable agronomic traits. Disease incidence facilitated the selection of resistant lines, with DWK38 emerging as the highest grain yielder (4416.04 kg/ha). Overall, durum wheat lines from CIMMYT exhibited robust performance in Nepal, enabling the identification of superior lines with potential benefits for farmers and consumers. The study's implications include developing and releasing superior durum lines in Nepal, providing farmers with profitable alternatives amidst evolving food habits. In conclusion, the findings from this study provide a valuable foundation for future durum wheat breeding efforts in Nepal, guiding the selection of genotypes that are well-suited to the diverse environmental challenges of the region., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Thapa, Subedi, Sapkota, Bohara, Pokhrel, Aryal, Acharya, Tripathi, Chaudhary, Mahato, Timsina, Govindan and Joshi.)

Key Message: In a genome-wide association study involving 269 cultivated and wild soybean accessions, potential salt tolerance donors were identified along with significant markers and candidate genes, such as GmKUP6 and GmWRKY33. Salt stress remains a significant challenge in agricultural systems, notably impacting soybean productivity worldwide. A comprehensive genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to elucidate the genetic underpinnings of salt tolerance and identify novel source of salt tolerance among soybean genotypes. A diverse panel comprising 269 wild and cultivated soybean accessions was subjected to saline stress under controlled greenhouse conditions. Phenotypic data revealed that salt tolerance of soybean germplasm accessions was heavily compromised by the accumulation of sodium and chloride, as indicated by highly significant positive correlations of leaf scorching score with leaf sodium/chloride content. The GWAS analysis, leveraging a dataset of 32,832 SNPs, unveiled 32 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) across seven traits associated with salt tolerance. These markers explained a substantial portion of the phenotypic variation, ranging from 14 to 52%. Notably, 11 markers surpassed Bonferroni's correction threshold, exhibiting highly significant associations with the respective traits. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis conducted within a 100 Kb range of the identified MTAs highlighted candidate genes such as potassium transporter 6 (GmKUP6), cation hydrogen exchanger (GmCHX15), and GmWRKY33. Expression levels of GmKUP6 and GmWRKY33 significantly varied between salt-tolerant and salt-susceptible soybean accessions under salt stress. The genetic markers and candidate genes identified in this study hold promise for developing soybean varieties resilient to salinity stress, thereby mitigating its adverse effects., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The efficacy of Ozonated oil in treating chronic periodontitis compared to Chlorhexidine gel following Scaling and Root Planing (SRP) is of interest. Fifty-six patients were randomly assigned to two groups: one receiving Ozonated oil post-SRP and the other receiving Chlorhexidine gel. Periodontal indices (Plaque Index, Gingival Index), Periodontal Probing Depth (PPD), and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) were measured at baseline, one month, and three months. Intragroup comparisons for Plaque and Gingival indices showed statistically significant improvements over time (p < 0.05), but intergroup comparisons did not reveal significant differences. However, both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvements in PPD and CAL at all-time points (p < 0.05). Further research is warranted to explore Ozonated oil's potential as an antimicrobial treatment for chronic periodontitis and other oral microbial infections., (© 2024 Biomedical Informatics.)

On a global scale, biodiversity is geographically structured into regions of biotic similarity. Delineating these regions has been mostly targeted for tetrapods and plants, but those for hyperdiverse groups such as insects are relatively unknown. Insects may have higher biogeographic congruence with plants than tetrapods due to their tight ecological and evolutionary links with the former, but it remains untested. Here, we develop a global regionalization for a major and widespread insect group, ants, based on the most comprehensive distributional and phylogenetic information to date, and examine its similarity to regionalizations for tetrapods and vascular plants. Our ant regionalization supports the newly proposed Madagascan and Sino-Japanese realms based on tetrapod delineations, and it recovers clusters observed in plants but not in tetrapods, such as the Holarctic and Indo-Pacific realms. Quantitative comparison suggests strong associations among different groups-plants showed a higher congruence with ants than with tetrapods. These results underscore the wide congruence of diverse distribution patterns across the tree of life and the similarities shared by insects and plants that are not captured by tetrapod groups. Our analysis highlights the importance of developing global biogeographic maps for insect groups to obtain a more comprehensive geographic picture of life on Earth., (© 2024. The Author(s).)