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Dermatological issues are one of the most unpreventable disorders on earth. In any case, being typical, its investigation is exceedingly problematic due to its intricacies of coloring, concealing, and handiness of hair. Recognizing skin sicknesses at the beginning phase plays a significant part in therapy. The steps which are used to dig down the problem statement and find out the solution for skin injury are finalized with the domain knowledge of the giant in that field. The analytic interaction should be exact and ideal. Because of the innovative improvements both in medication and data advancements, the achievement rates of both clinical diagnosing and clinical treatment frameworks are expanding step by step. A human-developed domain that works based on logic is utilized in the field of finding out skin illnesses with the help of AI calculations and the abuse of the immense measure of information accessible in wellbeing places and medical clinics, gathering past examinations for the specialists’ classifications is common practice in numerous works. A few frameworks have been effective in characterizing skin sicknesses and accomplishing fluctuating indicative precision. Different frameworks have depended on techniques for picture handling and component extraction that help foresee and recognize sickness types.

PurposeThis study examines the quality of work-life (QoWL) as a formative construct and validates the scale in an Indian context. Taking a cue from the two-factor (Herzberg) theory, the study developed and validated a formative assessment model of QoWL in the current scenario.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional data and a self-administered questionnaire were used to analyze the QoWL scale based on a sample of 841 respondents from IT/ITES, BFSI, CPG and manufacturing sectors. Indicators/items of QoWL were considered a first-order reflective construct, and factors of QoWL were considered second-order formative construct in the study. Embedded two-stage approach was used to assess the antecedent construct in the model in which QoWL was measured with seven formative indicators in stage one, and all the constructs of the QoWL are measured with a single item (Global_QWL, i.e. the essence of all constructs) in stage two.FindingsThe study found QoWL as a formative construct with seven significant dimensions; namely, hygiene factors included fairness in compensation (FC), job security (JS), interpersonal relationship (IR), health and wellbeing (HWB), where motivational factors had rewards and career growth (RG), work-life balance (WLB) and learning and development (LD). The study also indicated the strong association of a single item (global_QWL) with all constructs of QoWL. The study findings conceptualize a QoWL as a formative construct within the mentioned sector and can be generalized and extended to other sectors of the economy as well.Research limitations/implicationsFuture researchers can take guidance to deal with the formative construct in the development and validation of scale in various topics in the field of HRM. Future researchers can extend the study across cities and different sectors.Practical implicationsIn this VUCA world, employees have to be constantly on their toes to ensure their organization remains relevant. In this context, the least organization can do for their employees is to offer a conducive environment and favorable QoWL. This study aims to assist the key decision-makers in applying the QoWL index as a formative construct and aiding them in improving the quality of their decisions.Social implicationsResearcher believes that applying the QoWL index as a formative construct can aid decision-makers in improving the quality of their decisions by equipping them with relevant inputs and knowledge. Government can focus on the employees' welfare and introduce the current motivational and hygiene factors in the area of quality of life of the Indians.Originality/valueFormative assessment measurement of QoWL model was validated with the two-factor theory to understand the work environment of India in the private sector across different sectors. The unique finding of the study was a single item (global_QWL) to conclude the QoWL index as a formative construct by redundancy analysis.

Purpose This study aims to create a more humane and responsible workplace, individuals’ gratitude and meaningfulness seem of utmost importance. This study is an effort to understand the role of gratitude intent of potential managers. Design/methodology/approach This study examines the psychological characteristic of business students in India. The researchers surveyed 333 Indian students as future managers. The collected data has been analysed with the Smart PLS 3 version to assess the formative-reflective scale by comparing model fit, measurement model and structural modelling. Findings The results establish that gratitude significantly affects the life satisfaction of future managers. Findings also show that materialism is negatively related to life satisfaction and meaningfulness. The importance–performance map analysis finding suggests that meaningfulness in life is a potential indicator of life satisfaction for the population studied. Originality/value Due to the limited research available on the psychological underpinnings in the Indian context, there is a massive value in examining how materialism and gratitude concurrently and distinctively predict meaning in life and the life satisfaction of future managers. This paper gives a formative explanation of the model consisted gratitude, materialism and meaningfulness in life on the life satisfaction of future managers. This study establishes the importance of meaningfulness of life in attaining life satisfaction for young managers.

The study focuses on the critical observable determinants reflecting the benefits of e-working for academicians. It highlights the four core constructs—work-life balance, job effectiveness or performance, flexibility, employee relationship—and trust with the organization, which is of prime importance for a fruitful remote working in the current scenario. Empirical testing of the proposed research model was done by collecting data through online questionnaires from 230 academicians involved in online teaching. The study showed that in an e-working scenario, there is indeed a healthier work-life balance, and increased e-working results in improved efficiency or work productivity. The e-working model is quite new for the education sector, and the current study will help colleges and universities to understand and support the well-being of academicians working remotely and will also help the stakeholders of the education sector to frame the strategies keeping in mind the requirement of academicians.

The job profile of police officers places exceptional demands on them leading to risks to life, personal discomfort and stress. This article aims to examine how the physical and emotional well-being of police personnel is affected by their perceived quality of work life (QWL). The study looked at the questionnaire responses of 234 police personnel. Emotional well-being is measured as the absence of depression, emotional hyperactivity, difficulty relaxing, irritability and anxiety, whereas physical well-being is measured as the presence of diabetes, thyroid problems, insomnia and obesity. The study assessed police perceptions of QWL as provided by the government. The study findings are segregated for QWL on the basis of dominant ill-being and dominant well-being. Factors such as career and development, working environment, safety, work load, compensation and fear of punishment should be carefully analysed and improved. Some 71.8% of the respondents suffered from two or more emotional ailments; 70% suffered from two or more physical ailments. Findings suggest that QWL dimensions that fall within dominant ill-being need to be addressed immediately by policy makers and management to improve police well-being.

The present study was executed with an aim to explore the antioxidative potential of goat, cow, and buffalo milk. Buffalo milk has showed highest antioxidative potential than goat and cow milk as measured by ABTS, ORAC, and DPPH assays, whereas goat milk has showed better antioxidative potential than cow milk when measured by ORAC and DPPH. Further, the effect of temperature on the antioxidative potential of goat milk was assessed. An increase in temperature has a negatively affect the antioxidative potential of goat milk. The antioxidative potential of goat milk was in the following order: raw milk > pasteurized milk > boiled milk. Casein derived from goat milk by isoelectric precipitation was hydrolyzed by gastrointestinal enzymes pepsin (P), trypsin (T), chymotrypsin (C), and their combinations PT, PC, TC, and PTC. Among all the casein hydrolysates, the maximum antioxidative potential was found in PT hydrolysate, further fractionated by 10, 3 and 1 kDa ultrafiltration membranes. 3–10 kDa fraction exhibited maximum antioxidative potential in comparison to other fractions of PT hydrolysate. Our results suggested that antioxidative potential of goat milk and its hydrolysates could be an important mean to obtain natural antioxidative peptides.

PurposeThis study aims to explore various determinants of university attractiveness and its relationship with sustainable institutes. Further, the study examines the mediating role of perceived student support and sense of belongingness on the relationship between university attractiveness and sustainable institutes.Design/methodology/approachThe data analysis was conducted with 637 responses from the students from private universities located in the northern region of India. Variance based partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied in the study to investigate the proposed conceptual model on sustainable higher institutions. Additionally, by applying PLS Predict, the predictive relevance of sustainable institutions with important and performing constructs was found out.FindingsThe results of this study indicate that university attractiveness plays a critical role in enhancing perceived student support, and it has a direct and significant impact on developing sustainable institutes. Further, students’ sense of belongingness is expressed as significant mediator between university attractiveness and sustainable institutes. The predictive relevance of the study was reported to be high. Most important indicators of university attractiveness were found to be teaching, research and publications, branding and promotion, and diversity in courses offered by the private universities.Research limitations/implicationsThe conceptual model under study can be investigated with a moderating effect of private and government universities in future. Additionally, the role of additional variables in online scenario under current pandemic situation can be assessed through the model used in this study. Future research can be done by using qualitative analysis through thematic analysis and sentiment analysis of students in higher education institutes.Originality/valueThe present study is the first to explore the mediating relationship of perceived student support and sense of belongingness with university attractiveness and sustainable institutes. The conceptual framework can prove to be important for education specialists, administrators of education institutes at university level and policymakers. The study offers effective ideas for policymakers to bring sustainability in education sector in near future especially in emerging economies and attain sustainable development goals.

Purpose This study aims to perform a systematic literature review to organize the abundance of information on employee relations (ER) and sustainable organizations. Moreover, this study identifies the research gaps by investigating the review of ER’ mediating and moderating variables and the relationship between ER and sustainable organizations. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on the systematic literature review methodology involving 257 studies in the final stage. The Scopus and Google Scholar databases with search criteria “employee relations” and “employee relations and sustainable organization” were used to achieve the research objective. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, researchers come to the distribution of the articles based on the subthemes, geographical region, types of methods, top authors with affiliation and complete research articles based on the citation. In the final stage, this study concluded with the conceptual model comprising mediators and moderators of ER as well as the mediating and moderating variables of the relationship between ER and sustainable organizations. Findings The reviewed literature shows that employee relation is an optimal strategy for retaining employees via proper disclosure of human resources (HRs) and ER Index. This study included the top six publishers, namely, Emerald, Elsevier, Sage, Springer, Taylor and Francis and Wiley Online Library, to do an exhaustive review on a specific topic. The findings indicate that after COVID-19, the ER index, HR disclosures and the sustainability of ER are among the new and required paradigm shifts needed to manage a crisis impact and perform productively. The mediator and moderator variables that can improve employee–employer relationships are organizational trusts, organizational justice, perceived job satisfaction, organizational structure and firm ownership. On the other hand, variables that mediate and moderate the relationship between ER and sustainable organizations are organizational climate, organization trust, organization culture, perceived organization support, psychological empowerment, firm ownership, leadership behavior and attitude, respectively. The findings concluded that harmonious and cordial ER are pertinent in building sustainable organizations and accomplishing organizational goals. Practical implications The mediating and moderating variables that have been identified can be helpful for enthusiastic researchers in contributing to empirical research. Practitioners and managers can use the findings in making an effective organizational model that develops good employee–employer relationships and helps create a culture of trust and harmony. This study focuses on exploring the variables of ER, which strengthens employee–employer relationships and supports organizations to stay agile and attain sustainability to endure in the future. Originality/value This study insights on the specific mediating and moderating variables of ER and sustainable organizations. Till date, studies exploring constructs of ER and sustainable organizations are still in deficit. Better employee relation reflects and leads to a more resilient organization. Future researchers should explore the connection between pandemics and ER which is done insufficiently in the present time.

Increased levels of ambient ozone, one of the six criteria air pollutants, result in respiratory tract injury and worsening of ongoing lung diseases. However, the effect of ozone exposure on the respiratory tract undergoing active lung development and simultaneously experiencing mucoinflammatory lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, remains unclear. To address these questions, we exposed Scnn1b transgenic (Scnn1b-Tg+) mice, a mouse model of cystic fibrosis–like lung disease, and littermate wild-type (WT) mice to ozone from postnatal days (PND) 3–20 and examined the lung phenotypes at PND21. As compared with filtered air (FA)–exposed WT mice, the ozone-exposed WT mice exhibited marked alveolar space enlargement, in addition to significant eosinophilic infiltration, type 2 inflammation, and mucous cell metaplasia. Ozone-exposed Scnn1b-Tg+ mice also exhibited significantly increased alveolar space enlargement, which was also accompanied by exaggerated granulocytic infiltration, type 2 inflammation, and a greater degree of mucus obstruction. The alveolar space enlargement in ozone-exposed WT, FA-exposed Scnn1b-Tg+, and ozone-exposed Scnn1b-Tg+ mice was accompanied by elevated levels of MMP12 protein in macrophages and Mmp12 mRNA in the lung homogenates. Finally, although bacterial burden was largely resolved by PND21 in FA-exposed Scnn1b-Tg+ mice, ozone-exposed Scnn1b-Tg+ mice exhibited compromised bacterial clearance, which was also associated with increased levels of IL-10, an immunosuppressive cytokine, and marked mucus obstruction. Taken together, our data show that ozone exposure results in alveolar space remodeling during active phases of lung development and markedly exaggerates the mucoinflammatory outcomes of pediatric-onset lung disease, including bacterial infections, granulocytic inflammation, mucus obstruction, and alveolar space enlargement.

The current study was intended to investigate the cholesterol-lowering potential of the two Lactobacillus rhamnosus probiotic strains, LR 5957 and LR 5897, isolated from ‘dahi’. Cholesterol-lowering ability of both strains was determined in in vitro conditions. For in vivo investigations, the Wistar rats were randomly assigned into five groups and treated with different diets: standard diet (SD), high-cholesterol diet (HCD), HCD with Milk, HCD with LR 5957–fermented milk, and HCD with LR 5897–fermented milk. After 3 months of feeding, different parameters of hypercholesterolemia were measured in blood, feces, liver, and kidney. Both the strains, LR 5957 and LR 5897, showed the ability to grow in the presence of cholesterol and eliminate the cholesterol under in vitro conditions. In vivo results indicate that consumption of probiotic-fermented milk has significantly reduced the HCD-induced body weight, hyperlipidemia, and hepatic lipids (total cholesterol and triacylglycerol). Further, increased cholesterol excretion in feces was also observed in probiotic-fed groups. The studied fermented milk also helped to maintain healthy liver and kidney by increasing the antioxidant activities and decreasing the lipid peroxidation. Consumption of probiotic-fermented milk also found to decrease the mRNA expression of the inflammatory markers TNF-α and IL-6 in the liver. Overall, our results indicate that the L. rhamnosus strains, LR 5957 and LR 5897, are two potential probiotic strains that can ameliorate the diet-induced hypercholesterolemia.

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to investigate the predictors of employees’ commitment and also find out the critical dimensions of quality of work life (QWL) that engender commitment among in today’s employees in information technology (IT) firms. Further, the study analyses on the association of demographic variables with QWL and organizational commitment (OC). Design/Methodology/Approach: The sample size for the study consists of 618 employees (respondents) from 21 large-caps (large-capital) IT companies in India. Cronbach alpha to test the reliability and validity; Factor Analysis as a data reduction tool. Subsequently, the mixed model and multi-regression methods are applied to test the relationship between the said variables. Findings: The findings suggest that 13 variables of QWL play a key role in the work life of IT employees. The results show that there is a significant relationship between the qualification and number of dependents with QWL and OC both. Moreover, a substantial relationship between QWL and affective commitment of IT employees is found. The results further reveal that there exists a strong link between various dimensions of QWL with OC. Practical Implications: QWL will help in creating a healthy environment in the organization that will enhance the commitment of the employees towards their organization. Enhanced OC will stimulate individual’s attachment to the organization. Moreover, if QWL and OC are boosted, they will motivate employees to stay with the organization and enthusiastically work towards organizational objectives. Further, the escalation of OC will help in achieving growth, profit and market share at a greater pace. Originality/Value: This study focuses on the important variables for employees commitment in the terms of QWL.

The purpose of the study is to find out the relation of quality of work life (QWL) and organizational commitment (OC) that engenders the financial performance of IT Companies in terms of revenue per employee. Data Collection is done through a combination of secondary and primary source. Primary data were collected by distributing questionnaire and collecting responses of participants. This paper emphasizes the data from secondary source and relates it with the findings from primary data. To analyze the performance in terms of revenue per employee of selected organizations, researcher segregates the revenue per employee of the IT companies in three levels i.e. highest Range revenue (above $10 billion), Average range revenue (below $10 billion and above $5 billion) and Low range revenue (Below $5 billion). Data are explained by using descriptive statistics and further analysis is done by regression analysis and ANOVA. Findings of the study say that there is significant relationship between quality of work life and organizational commitment with revenue per employee of IT companies.

Interest in probiotics has grown significantly in the last decades due to their reported nutritional and health promoting effects. The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic potential of probiotic fermented milk (PFM) prepared using three different probiotic strains i.e. Lactobacillus rhamnosus MTCC: 5957, Lactobacillus rhamnosus MTCC: 5897 and Lactobacillus fermentum MTCC: 5898; independently or in combination, for treating streptozotocin induced type-1 diabetes in male Wistar rats. Diabetic rats were fed with PFM preparations for 6 weeks and then analyzed for the various biochemical parameters associated. The results indicated that feeding of PFM significantly improved glucose metabolism (fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, serum insulin), serum inflammation status (tumor necrosis factor-α, and serum interleukin-6), oxidative stress (thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities in liver and kidney), serum lipid profile (total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides) in diabetic rats. In addition, feeding of PFM has significantly reduced mRNA expression of pepck and g6pase genes that code the key enzymes of gluconeogenesis pathway. The results of this study showed that daily consumption of PFM can be effective in combating of type -1 diabetes and its complications.

Oxidative stress has been linked to osteoblast cells dysfunction and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The present study was designed to investigate the effects casein-derived antioxidative peptide VLPVPQK (PEP) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced dysfunction and oxidative damage in osteoblast cells. The present data demonstrated that treatment of osteoblast cells with PEP increases cell viability, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. PEP also reduces reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cell death and capsase-3/9 activities. Moreover, PEP prevent oxidative stress-induced down regulation of osteogenic genes (ALP, OCN, COL-I) expression and matrix mineralization. In addition, PEP decreases the expression of bone resorbing and inflammatory cytokines. Thus, our data demonstrated that PEP increases osteoblast cells differentiation through augmentation of osteogenic genes expression and antioxidant enzymes activities. Altogether, PEP exhibits bone health-promoting effect and could be beneficial agent for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Covid-19 which is a SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome) has caused the new overall pandemic moreover is an arising virus profoundly contagious namely coronavirus. The unavailability of a particular antiviral treatment had led to the utmost destruction of life because of this virus. During this time, impressive efforts were placed into creating safe medications and immunizations against SARS-CoV-2. Just 56 vaccines made it at the different clinical stages from more than 80 clinical trials which had started including 23 antibody candidates got looked at moreover had affirmed for the use. Various types of variables are utilized for the production of such vaccines to start the immune reaction to produce antibodies in a person for killing the virus. The countries which are top of the race for producing vaccines are Russia, India, U.S.A., China as well U.K. Among the vaccines produced by these countries are Covaxin (India), Sputnik V (Russia), CoronaVac (China), AZD1222 (United Kingdom), BNT162b2 (Germany), and mRNA-1273(United States of America). We bring forth the certain potential factors that are required when creating vaccines as well as a comparative analysis of data obtained from SARS-CoV-2 vaccine trials for different vaccines as well as environmental impacts of its preparation.

Background: COVID-19 disproportionately affects persons of age or with comorbidities. However, whether there are factors that predispose individuals to increased chances of infection are not known. Methods: Data from18600 patients screened for COVID-19 in Mumbai during the outbreak’s initial phase, Apr 1 to Jun 30, 2020, was used to assess risk factors associated with COVID-19 using the odds ratio analysis. Findings: Males aged 60+ years having diabetes-hypertension are at most-risk of COVID-19 infection (M vs. F OR=2.5, 95% CI=1.34 – 4.67, p=0.0049). Patients having diabetes-hypertension in 20+ years (OR=4.11, 95% CI=3.26 – 5.20, p

Management of severe malaria remains a critical global challenge. In this study, using a multiplexed quantitative proteomics pipeline we systematically investigated the plasma proteome alterations in non-severe and severe malaria patients. We identified a few parasite proteins in severe malaria patients, which could be promising from a diagnostic perspective. Further, from host proteome analysis we observed substantial modulations in many crucial physiological pathways, including lipid metabolism, cytokine signaling, complement, and coagulation cascades in severe malaria. We propose that severe manifestations of malaria are possibly underpinned by modulations of the host physiology and defense machinery, which is evidently reflected in the plasma proteome alterations. Importantly, we identified multiple blood markers that can effectively define different complications of severe falciparum malaria, including cerebral syndromes and severe anemia. The ability of our identified blood markers to distinguish different severe complications of malaria may aid in developing new clinical tests for monitoring malaria severity., Kumar et al. use proteomes of patients with falciparum and vivax malaria and dengue fever, and identify differentially abundant proteins and their associated functions in the different severities and diseases. This study offers mechanistic pathways to malaria severity, and adopts a machine learning approach for predictive proteins for the malarial types and severities.

DNMT2 is a DNA/tRNA cytosine methyltransferase that is highly conserved in structure and function in eukaryotes. In plants however, limited information is available on the function of this methyltransferase. We have previously reported that in the moss Physcomitrella patens, DNMT2 plays a crucial role in stress recovery and tRNAAsp transcription/stability under salt stress. To further investigate the role of PpDNMT2 at genome level, in this study we have performed RNA sequencing of ppdnmt2. Transcriptome analysis reveals a number of genes and pathways to function differentially and suggests a close link between PpDNMT2 function and osmotic and ionic stress tolerance. We propose PpDNMT2 to play a pivotal role in regulating salt tolerance by affecting molecular networks involved in stress perception and signal transduction that underlie maintenance of ion homeostasis in cells. We also examined interactome of PpDNMT2 using affinity purification (AP) coupled to mass spectrometry (AP-MS). Quantitative proteomic analysis reveals several chloroplast proteins involved in light reactions and carbon assimilation and proteins involved in stress response and some not implicated in stress to co-immunoprecipitate with PpDNMT2. Comparison between transcriptome and interactome datasets has revealed novel association between PpDNMT2 activity and the antioxidant enzyme Superoxide dismutase (SOD), protein turnover mediated by the Ubiquitin-proteasome system and epigenetic gene regulation. PpDNMT2 possibly exists in complex with CuZn-SODs in vivo and the two proteins also directly interact in the yeast nucleus as observed by yeast two-hybrid assay. Taken together, the work presented in this study sheds light on diverse roles of PpDNMT2 in maintaining molecular and physiological homeostasis in P. patens. This is a first report describing transcriptome and interactome of DNMT2 in any land plant.

Drought is one of the prime abiotic stresses responsible for limiting agricultural productivity. A number of drought responsive genes have been isolated and functionally characterized but these studies have been restricted to a few model plant systems. Very few drought responsive genes have been reported till date from non model drought tolerant plants. The present study aimed at identifying differentially expressed genes from a drought tolerant, non-model plant, Ziziphus nummularia (Burm.f.) Wight & Arn. One month old seedlings of Z. nummularia were subjected to drought stress by 30% Polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) treatment for 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h. A significant reduction in RWC and increase in proline was observed at 24 h and 48 h of treatment. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library was constructed with drought stressed seedlings after 24 h and 48 h of PEG 6000 treatment. A total of 142 and 530 unigenes from 24 h and 48 h library were identified respectively. Gene ontology studies revealed that about 9.78% and 15.07% unigenes from 24 h and 48 h SSH libraries were expressed in "response to stress". Fifteen putative drought responsive genes identified in SSH library were validated for drought responsive differential expression by RT-qPCR. Significant changes in fold expressions were observed with time in the treated samples compared to the control. A heat map revealing the expression profile of genes was constructed by hierarchical clustering. Various genes identified in SSH libraries can serve as a resource for marker discovery and selection of candidate genes to improve drought tolerance in other susceptible crops.

Ziziphus nummularia (Burm.f.) Wight & Arn., a perennial shrub that thrives in the arid regions, is naturally tolerant to drought. However, there are limited studies on the genomics of drought tolerance in Ziziphus sp. In this study, RNA-sequencing of one month old seedlings treated with PEG 6000 was performed using Roche GS-FLX454 Titanium pyrosequencing. A total of 367,176 raw sequence reads were generated, and upon adapter trimming and quality filtration 351,872 reads were assembled de novo into 32,739 unigenes. Further characterization of the unigenes indicated that 73.25% had significant hits in the protein database. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes database (KEGG) identified 113 metabolic pathways from the obtained unigenes. A large number of drought-responsive genes were obtained and among them differential gene expression of 16 highly induced genes was validated by qRT-PCR analysis. To develop genic-markers, 3,425 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified in 2,813 unigene sequences. The data generated shall serve as an important reservoir for the identification and characterization of drought stress responsive genes for development of drought tolerant crops.

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the cultural issues in employee engagement. This chapter covers the importance of employee engagement and diverse workforce. The author focuses on the role of culture in employee engagement, and it shows a positive relation between the organization performance and employee engagement. In this chapter, the author also depicts cultural issues in the organization. In the end, the author emphasizes the techniques to improve the cultural issues to enhance employee engagement.

Background: COVID-19 severity is disproportionately high in the elderly and people with comorbidities. However, other factors that predispose individuals to increased chances of infection are unclear. Methods: Data from 18,600 people screened for COVID-19 in Mumbai during the outbreak's initial phase, March 7 to June 30, 2020, were used to assess risk factors associated with COVID-19 using the odds ratio analysis. Findings: Males aged ≥60 years having both diabetes and hypertension were at the highest risk of COVID-19 infection (M vs. F OR=2.5, 95% CI=1.34–4.67, p = 0.0049). People having both diabetes and hypertension in ≥20 years (OR=4.11, 95% CI=3.26–5.20, p

Financial Institutions should be founded on fundamentals of ethical code and values that drive core business practices essential for their sustainable development. The study evaluates the ethical climate and its impact on corporate reputation of two largest banks of India - State Bank of India i.e., a public sector bank and ICICI Bank i.e., a private sector bank through an ethical climate and corporate reputation questionnaire. A descriptive design used empirical research to investigate the ethical climate through a sample size of 250 employees from both banks in the tri-city region of Chandigarh. The study provides a comparison on the ethics climate in the public and private sector bank and assists to find some common factors that affect the reputation of banks that is essential for sustainable growth.

There is a growing and alarming prevalence that increased serum cholesterol is closely related to increased cardiovascular disease risk. Probiotic consumption could be a safe and natural strategy to combat. Therefore, we sought to examine the cholesterol-lowering potential of co-supplementation of probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus fermentum MTCC: 5898-fermented buffalo milk (2.5% fat) in rats fed cholesterol-enriched diet. Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups on the basis of feed, viz. group 1, fed standard diet (SD); group 2, fed cholesterol-enriched diet (CED); and group 3, fed cholesterol-enriched diet along with L. fermentum MTCC: 5898-fermented milk (CED+LF) for 90 days. At the endpoint, significantly higher levels of serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triacylglycerols, very low density lipoprotein cholesterol, atherogenic index, coronary artery risk index, hepatic lipids, lipid peroxidation, and mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) in the liver while significantly lower levels of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and anti-oxidative enzyme activities, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase in the liver and kidney were observed in the CED group compared to the SD group. Compared to the CED group, these adverse physiological alterations were found significantly improved in the CED+LF group. Hence, this study proposes that L. fermentum MTCC: 5898 is a potential probiotic bacteria that can be consumed to tackle hypercholesterolemia. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

The authors discuss in detail the meaning of conflict, cross-cultural conflict, the reasons for the conflicts, and its impact on overall organization performance and productivity. The authors also highlight and discuss the various strategies that can be worked out to reduce and resolve conflicts amicably and how to use conflicts for the betterment of the organization. The authors also focus upon the various issues and concerns that need to be taken care of while handling the conflicts and resolving them effectively. The authors have also drawn attention towards the future research perspectives, which will help organisations and management to address the cross-cultural conflicts and utilizing them for the betterment of the organisation in a constructive manner.

SummaryHigh temperature adversely affects the growth, yield, and quality of crops. Prosopis cineraria, an indigenous plant in India, is highly tolerant of environmental stresses. In the present study, an expressed sequence tag (EST) library was constructed using pooled RNAs from 1-month-old P. cineraria seedlings subjected to heat stress at 48°C for between 15 min to 48 h. A total of 84 unigenes (20 contigs and 64 singletons) were generated from the cluster assembly of 132 good ESTs. Of these, nine unigenes did not show any homology to sequences in the NCBI database. A BLASTX comparison of the remaining 75 unigenes revealed significant similarities to known genes. The 84 ESTs were classified into 14 functional categories, of which 13.75% were in the stress-response category, including approx. 10% that were for heat-shock proteins. The heat stress-induced ESTs reported here are the first for P. cineraria. A phylogenetic analysis based on the complete coding sequence of the Pchsp17.9 gene showed a close rel...

Quality of work life is becoming an imperative issue to achieve the goals of the organization in every sector whether it is education, service sector, banking sector, tourism, manufacturing, etc. Attrition, employees commitment, productivity etc. depend upon the dimensions of Quality of work life i.e. job satisfaction, organizational commitment, reward and recognition, participative management, work life balance, proper grievances handling, welfare facilities, work environment, etc. An organization provides a better QWL then it develops the healthy working environment as well as satisfied employee. High QWL can give a result in better organizational performance, effectiveness, innovativeness, etc. Consequently, to contribute better life for all those peoples whom organizational members serve and with whom they deal and interact. Today, quality of work life also affects the corporate social responsibility. Quality of work life is the corroboration between the employees and their organization it improves the family life as well as work life of the individual. This paper focuses and analyses the literature review on the quality of work life and their dimensions.

The purpose of the paper is to find out the relationship of quality of work life with organisational commitment and job satisfaction in higher education sector. The sample consists of 185 academic professionals. Cronbach alpha, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, Independent T-test, ANOVA and multiple regressions are used to analyses the data. The study reveals that there is a negative correlation of degree of grievances with organisational commitment and job satisfaction whether positive relationship of job satisfaction with quality of work life and organisational commitment. The result also shows that there is a positive relationship of age, experience, designation and salary with the quality of work life, organisational commitment, and job satisfaction. The study reveals that job security, degree of grievances, salary, participative management, and rewards and recognitions play a vital role in improving job satisfaction and commitment in higher education sector.

This observational paper endeavours to recognize the connection between spirituality and stress. Four types of indicators are utilized for the estimation of anxiety, vis-a-vis, behavioural indicators, emotional indicators, sleep indicators and personal habits. As per pre-documented theory, if spirituality is high within an individual, then his/her stress will be low and vice versa. In college, the stress of education and scoring grades influences the understudy. Information is gathered through a survey in the light of spirituality index and stress index. Findings prove that the indicators of the stress are more visible in female students. Apart from this, there has been not much substantial study in the area of stress and spirituality among college students. Hence, the main purpose of this study was to discuss the various types of stress and effects of spirituality on the engineering students belonging to the age group of 21–26 years, prioritizing the indicators of stress as per the gender of students. The entire study constituted of a sample group of 200 participants, and for the entire process, correlation analysis was used to find the relative relation between spirituality and stress among girls and boys. T test is used for rejection of the null hypothesis. The article focuses on the current issues that students have been facing in the twenty-first century. Result of the study showed that there is a negative relationship between the spirituality and stress of male and female students. Moreover, the article provides unique contribution to the literature and also offers suggestions for generating new research ideas that can be used to ameliorate the problems that plague individuals and organizations in today’s world. This is the first article which covers the spirituality and stress of the engineering student and discusses the impact on young adults, as well as highlighting certain ways to overcome stress and enhance spirituality.

Vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vip) represent the second generation of insecticidal proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) during the vegetative growth stage of growth. Bt-based biopesticides are recognized as viable alternatives to chemical insecticides; the latter cause environmental pollution and lead to the emergence of pest resistance. To perform a systematic study of vip genes encoding toxic proteins, a total of 30 soil samples were collected from diverse locations of Kashmir valley, India, and characterized by molecular and analytical methods. Eighty-six colonies showing Bacillus-like morphology were selected. Scanning electron microscopy observations confirmed the presence of different crystal shapes, and PCR analysis of insecticidal genes revealed a predominance of the lepidopteran-specific vip3 (43.18%) gene followed by coleopteran-specific vip1 (22.72%) and vip2 (15.90%) genes in the isolates tested. Multi-alignment of the deduced amino acid sequences revealed that vip3 sequences were highly conserved, whereas vip1 and vip2 showed adequate differences in amino acid sequences compared with already reported sequences. Screening for toxicity against Helicoverpa armigera larvae was performed using partially purified soluble fractions containing Vip3A protein. The mortality levels observed ranged between 70% and 96.6% in the isolates. The LC50 values of 2 of the native isolates, JK37 and JK88, against H. armigera were found to be on par with that of Bt subsp. kurstaki HD1, suggesting that these isolates could be developed as effective biopesticides against H. armigera.

Drought is a calamitous abiotic stress hampering agricultural productivity all over the world and its severity is likely to increase further. Abscisic acid-stress-ripening proteins (ASR), are a group of small hydrophilic proteins which are induced by abscisic acid, stress and ripening in many plants. In the present study, ZnAsr 1 gene was fully characterized for the first time from Ziziphus nummularia, which is one of the most low water forbearing plant. Full length ZnAsr 1 gene was characterised and in silico analysis of ZnASR1 protein was done for predicting its phylogeny and physiochemical properties. To validate transcriptional pattern of ZnAsr 1 in response to drought stress, expression profiling in polyethylene glycol (PEG) induced Z. nummularia seedlings was studied by RT-qPCR analysis and heterologous expression of the recombinant ZnAsr1 in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the complete open reading frame of ZnAsr 1 is 819 bp long encoding a protein of 273 amino acid residues, consisting of a histidine rich N terminus with an abscisic acid/water deficit stress domain and a nuclear targeting signal at the C terminus. In expression studies, ZnAsr 1 gene was found to be highly upregulated under drought stress and recombinant clones of E. coli cells expressing ZnASR1 protein showed better survival in PEG containing media. ZnAsr1 was proven to enhance drought stress tolerance in the recombinant E.coli cells expressing ZnASR1. The cloned ZnAsr1 after proper validation in a plant system, can be used to develop drought tolerant transgenic crops.