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Background: Maternal mortality has been declining over the years in India. Despite India achieving a maternal mortality ratio below 100 per 100,000 live births by 2020, Chamba, an aspirational district of Himachal Pradesh, still faces challenges. In Chamba, access to antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) remains suboptimal. Objective: To understand the perspectives of key stakeholders on barriers and facilitators for accessing ANC/PNC and institutional delivery services in the Chamba district. Methodology: The qualitative study was conducted in May and June 2023 in two blocks of the Chamba district. Around 5-6 villages were purposively selected in each block. The study encompassed 19 in-depth interviews and 7 focus group discussions involving lactating and pregnant women, family members, medical officers, and frontline healthcare workers. Additionally, the assessment of 2 labour rooms at the health facility was conducted using DAKSHATA standards. Results: The study revealed multifaceted barriers in Chamba, including challenging road conditions worsened by weather impeding timely health facility access. Women’s heavy workloads and limited awareness resulted in delayed ANC, PNC, and registration. Cultural preferences and myths hindered institutional deliveries. Transportation challenges, ambulance limitations, hospital overload, and health facility constraints amplified the difficulties. The DAKSHATA assessment indicated a mean score of 22 out of 30, stressing the need for improvements to enhance ANC, PNC, and institutional delivery access. Conclusion: The findings emphasize the critical need for interventions that enhance awareness among women, counteract cultural preferences for home deliveries and dispel prevalent myths and misconceptions. Furthermore, addressing transportation limitations, ambulance constraints, and hospital overload is crucial.

The sustainable exploitation of natural stone resources poses a multifaceted dilemma that lies at the confluence of environmental protection and the preservation of cultural heritage. This study explores the complex interplay between the exploitation and use of natural stone resources, the consequent environmental ramifications, and the necessity of preserving cultural legacy for posterity. The procurement of natural stone resources, although being indispensable for the purposes of building, architecture, and artistic endeavours, sometimes gives rise to substantial ecological ramifications. Quarrying activities have been found to result in a range of detrimental consequences, including deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, and habitat destruction. The intricate equilibrium between the preservation of natural resources and their utilisation necessitates the implementation of inventive approaches to minimise ecological harm and save cultural heritage. In order to effectively tackle these difficulties, it is imperative to adopt a holistic strategy. The use of circular economy concepts has the potential to significantly improve the utilisation of stone resources in a more effective manner. The preservation of cultural heritage necessitates thorough documentation, continuous monitoring, and proper care, as well as the use of protective coatings and materials that effectively minimise degradation while preserving the aesthetic and historical significance. This study argues for the cohabitation of natural stone extraction with cultural heritage preservation by examining the intersection of environmental issues and cultural relevance.

The field of materials science has experienced significant advancements, leading to the emergence of multifunctional SMART (Sensing, Measuring, Actuation, and Responsive Technologies) materials. These materials possess a distinctive set of properties that allow them to detect alterations in their surroundings and react accordingly by employing customised actuation mechanisms. The current study provides a full exposition on the design, synthesis, and characterisation of multifunctional SMART materials, with a specific focus on their applications in sensing and actuation. The design process include the meticulous identification and incorporation of diverse functional components, including piezoelectric materials, shape memory alloys, electroactive polymers, and nanomaterials, inside a composite matrix. The selection of these components is based on their unique physical and chemical characteristics, which enable them to detect external stimuli and demonstrate response behaviours. The amalgamation of various constituents inside a unified material framework yields a synergistic outcome, hence augmenting the holistic functionality of the SMART material. The research also explores the many uses of multifunctional SMART materials, encompassing areas such as structural health monitoring and biological devices. The capacity of these materials to detect alterations in temperature, strain, pressure, and other environmental factors, in conjunction with their actuation capabilities, presents novel opportunities for advancement in several disciplines.

The sustainable exploitation of natural stone resources poses a multifaceted dilemma that lies at the confluence of environmental protection and the preservation of cultural heritage. This study explores the complex interplay between the exploitation and use of natural stone resources, the consequent environmental ramifications, and the necessity of preserving cultural legacy for posterity. The procurement of natural stone resources, although being indispensable for the purposes of building, architecture, and artistic endeavours, sometimes gives rise to substantial ecological ramifications. Quarrying activities have been found to result in a range of detrimental consequences, including deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, and habitat destruction. The intricate equilibrium between the preservation of natural resources and their utilisation necessitates the implementation of inventive approaches to minimise ecological harm and save cultural heritage. In order to effectively tackle these difficulties, it is imperative to adopt a holistic strategy. The use of sustainable quarrying practises, which encompass waste minimization, reclamation of abandoned quarries, and the utilisation of new technology for resource extraction, has the potential to mitigate ecological damage. The use of circular economy concepts has the potential to significantly improve the utilisation of stone resources in a more effective manner. The preservation of cultural heritage necessitates thorough documentation, continuous monitoring, and proper care, as well as the use of protective coatings and materials that effectively minimise degradation while preserving the aesthetic and historical significance. This study argues for the cohabitation of natural stone extraction with cultural heritage preservation by examining the intersection of environmental issues and cultural relevance.

The advancement of SMART (Self-Healing, Multifunctional, Adaptive, Responsive, and Tunable) materials has had a significant impact on the domain of biomedical applications. These materials possess distinct characteristics that exhibit responsiveness to alterations in their surroundings, rendering them exceedingly appealing for a wide range of therapeutic applications. This study aims to examine the progress and obstacles related to SMART materials within the field of biomedicine. In recent decades, notable advancements have been achieved in the development, synthesis, and analysis of intelligent materials specifically designed for biomedical purposes. Self-healing materials have been employed in the development of implants, wound healing scaffolds, and drug delivery systems, drawing inspiration from natural regeneration mechanisms. The ongoing advancements in SMART materials have significant opportunities for transforming biological applications. The progression of nanotechnology, biomaterials, and bioengineering is expected to play a significant role in the advancement of materials that possess enhanced qualities and capabilities. The integration of SMART materials with emerging technologies such as 3D printing, gene editing, and microfluidics has the potential to create novel opportunities in the field of precision medicine and personalised healthcare. The effective translation of SMART materials from the laboratory to the clinic will need concerted efforts by researchers, physicians, regulatory agencies, and industry partners to address the present difficulties.