Contrasting pattern of hydrological changes during the past two millennia from central and northern India: Regional climate difference or anthropogenic impact?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, Praveen K.; Prasad, Sushma; Marwan, Norbert; Anoop, A.; Krishnan, R.; Gaye, Birgit; Basavaiah, N.; Stebich, Martina; Menzel, Philip; Riedel, Nils

2018-02-01

High resolution reconstructions of the India Summer Monsoon (ISM) are essential to identify regionally different patterns of climate change and refine predictive models. We find opposing trends of hydrological proxies between northern (Sahiya cave stalagmite) and central India (Lonar Lake) between 100 and 1300 CE with the strongest anti-correlation between 810 and 1300 CE. The apparently contradictory data raise the question if these are related to widely different regional precipitation patterns or reflect human influence in/around the Lonar Lake. By comparing multiproxy data with historical records, we demonstrate that only the organic proxies in the Lonar Lake show evidence of anthropogenic impact. However, evaporite data (mineralogy and δ18O) are indicative of precipitation/evaporation (P/E) into the Lonar Lake. Back-trajectories of air-mass circulation over northern and central India show that the relative contribution of the Bay of Bengal (BoB) branch of the ISM is crucial for determining the δ18O of carbonate proxies only in north India, whereas central India is affected significantly by the Arabian Sea (AS) branch of the ISM. We conclude that the δ18O of evaporative carbonates in the Lonar Lake reflects P/E and, in the interval under consideration, is not influenced by source water changes. The opposing trend between central and northern India can be explained by (i) persistent multidecadal droughts over central India between 810 and 1300 CE that provided an effective mechanism for strengthening sub-tropical westerly winds resulting in enhancement of wintertime (non-monsoonal) rainfall over northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, and/or (ii) increased moisture influx to northern India from the depleted BoB source waters.

A central storage facility to reduce pesticide suicides--a feasibility study from India.

PubMed

Vijayakumar, Lakshmi; Jeyaseelan, Lakshmanan; Kumar, Shuba; Mohanraj, Rani; Devika, Shanmugasundaram; Manikandan, Sarojini

2013-09-16

Pesticide suicides are considered the single most important means of suicide worldwide. Centralized pesticide storage facilities have the possible advantage of delaying access to pesticides thereby reducing suicides. We undertook this study to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a centralized pesticide storage facility as a preventive intervention strategy in reducing pesticide suicides. A community randomized controlled feasibility study using a mixed methods approach involving a household survey; focus group discussions (FGDs) and surveillance were undertaken. The study was carried out in a district in southern India. Eight villages that engaged in floriculture were identified. Using the lottery method two were randomized to be the intervention sites and two villages constituted the control site. Two centralized storage facilities were constructed with local involvement and lockable storage boxes were constructed. The household survey conducted at baseline and one and a half years later documented information on sociodemographic data, pesticide usage, storage and suicides. At baseline 4446 individuals (1097 households) in the intervention and 3307 individuals (782 households) in the control sites were recruited while at follow up there were 4308 individuals (1063 households) in the intervention and 2673 individuals (632 households) in the control sites. There were differences in baseline characteristics and imbalances in the prevalence of suicides between intervention and control sites as this was a small feasibility study.The results from the FGDs revealed that most participants found the storage facility to be both useful and acceptable. In addition to protecting against wastage, they felt that it had also helped prevent pesticide suicides as the pesticides stored here were not as easily and readily accessible. The primary analyses were done on an Intention to Treat basis. Following the intervention, the differences between sites in changes in combined

Forest corridors maintain historical gene flow in a tiger metapopulation in the highlands of central India.

PubMed

Sharma, Sandeep; Dutta, Trishna; Maldonado, Jesús E; Wood, Thomas C; Panwar, Hemendra Singh; Seidensticker, John

2013-09-22

Understanding the patterns of gene flow of an endangered species metapopulation occupying a fragmented habitat is crucial for landscape-level conservation planning and devising effective conservation strategies. Tigers (Panthera tigris) are globally endangered and their populations are highly fragmented and exist in a few isolated metapopulations across their range. We used multi-locus genotypic data from 273 individual tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) from four tiger populations of the Satpura-Maikal landscape of central India to determine whether the corridors in this landscape are functional. This 45 000 km(2) landscape contains 17% of India's tiger population and 12% of its tiger habitat. We applied Bayesian and coalescent-based analyses to estimate contemporary and historical gene flow among these populations and to infer their evolutionary history. We found that the tiger metapopulation in central India has high rates of historical and contemporary gene flow. The tests for population history reveal that tigers populated central India about 10 000 years ago. Their population subdivision began about 1000 years ago and accelerated about 200 years ago owing to habitat fragmentation, leading to four spatially separated populations. These four populations have been in migration-drift equilibrium maintained by high gene flow. We found the highest rates of contemporary gene flow in populations that are connected by forest corridors. This information is highly relevant to conservation practitioners and policy makers, because deforestation, road widening and mining are imminent threats to these corridors.

Forest corridors maintain historical gene flow in a tiger metapopulation in the highlands of central India

PubMed Central

Sharma, Sandeep; Dutta, Trishna; Maldonado, Jesús E.; Wood, Thomas C.; Panwar, Hemendra Singh; Seidensticker, John

2013-01-01

Understanding the patterns of gene flow of an endangered species metapopulation occupying a fragmented habitat is crucial for landscape-level conservation planning and devising effective conservation strategies. Tigers (Panthera tigris) are globally endangered and their populations are highly fragmented and exist in a few isolated metapopulations across their range. We used multi-locus genotypic data from 273 individual tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) from four tiger populations of the Satpura–Maikal landscape of central India to determine whether the corridors in this landscape are functional. This 45 000 km2 landscape contains 17% of India's tiger population and 12% of its tiger habitat. We applied Bayesian and coalescent-based analyses to estimate contemporary and historical gene flow among these populations and to infer their evolutionary history. We found that the tiger metapopulation in central India has high rates of historical and contemporary gene flow. The tests for population history reveal that tigers populated central India about 10 000 years ago. Their population subdivision began about 1000 years ago and accelerated about 200 years ago owing to habitat fragmentation, leading to four spatially separated populations. These four populations have been in migration–drift equilibrium maintained by high gene flow. We found the highest rates of contemporary gene flow in populations that are connected by forest corridors. This information is highly relevant to conservation practitioners and policy makers, because deforestation, road widening and mining are imminent threats to these corridors. PMID:23902910

Maiden outbreaks of dengue virus 1 genotype III in rural central India.

PubMed

Barde, P V; Kori, B K; Shukla, M K; Bharti, P K; Chand, G; Kumar, G; Ukey, M J; Ali, N A; Singh, N

2015-01-01

Dengue is regarded as the most important arboviral disease. Although sporadic cases have been reported, serotypes responsible for outbreaks have not been identified from central India over the last 20 years. We investigated two outbreaks of febrile illness, in August and November 2012, from Korea district (Chhattisgarh) and Narsinghpur district (Madhya Pradesh), respectively. Fever and entomological surveys were conducted in the affected regions. Molecular and serological tests were conducted on collected serum samples. Dengue-specific amplicons were sequenced and phylogenetic analyses were performed. In Korea and Narsinghpur districts 37·3% and 59% of cases were positive, respectively, for dengue infection, with adults being the worst affected. RT-PCR confirmed dengue virus serotype 1 genotype III as the aetiology. Ninety-six percent of infections were primary. This is the first time that dengue virus 1 outbreaks have been documented from central India. Introduction of the virus into the population and a conducive mosquitogenic environment favouring increased vector density caused the outbreak. Timely diagnosis and strengthening vector control measures are essential to avoid future outbreaks.

Mass loading and episodic variation of molecular markers in PM2.5 aerosols over a rural area in eastern central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nirmalkar, Jayant; Deshmukh, Dhananjay K.; Deb, Manas K.; Tsai, Ying I.; Sopajaree, Khajornsak

2015-09-01

The impact of biomass burning in atmospheric aerosols load is poorly known. We investigated the impact of biomass burning through molecular markers on the concentration of PM2.5 aerosol samples collected from a rural site in eastern central India during three episodic periods from October to November 2011. The collected PM2.5 samples were chemically quantified for potassium as well as sugars and dicarboxylic acids using ion chromatography. Levoglucosan and glucose were found as the most abundant sugar compounds and sugar-alcohols showed the predominance of mannitol whereas oxalic acid was the most abundant diacid followed by maleic acid in PM2.5 aerosols. Substantially enhanced concentrations of K+ as well as levoglucosan and glucose were observed in eastern central India. Analysis of the source specific molecular markers and ratios of sugars and diacids infer that combustion of biomass was the major emission sources of organic compounds associated with PM2.5 aerosols over eastern central India. We applied Spearman correlation analysis and principal component analysis to further investigate the sources of measured sugars and diacids. The concentrations of K+ and levoglucosan were significantly correlated with sugars and diacids that verifying their common sources from biomass burning emission. This study demonstrates that biomass burning for domestic heating and cooking purposes and agricultural activities significantly influence the air quality of eastern central India during the investigation period. The obtained data in this research is helpful for the global scientific community to assessments and remedial of air quality parameters in rural areas of developing countries under similar atmospheric circumstances.

A tentative 2D thermal model of central India across the Narmada-Son Lineament (NSL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rai, S. N.; Thiagarajan, S.

2006-12-01

This work deals with 2D thermal modeling in order to delineate the crustal thermal structure of central India along two Deep Seismic Sounding (DSS) profiles, namely Khajuriakalan-Pulgaon and Ujjan-Mahan, traversing the Narmada-Son-Lineament (NSL) in an almost north-south direction. Knowledge of the crustal structure and P-wave velocity distribution up to the Moho, obtained from DSS studies, has been used for the development of the thermal model. Numerical results reveal that the Moho temperature in this region of central India varies between 500 and 580 °C. The estimated heat flow density value is found to vary between 46 and 49 mW/m 2. The Curie depth varies between 40 and 42 km and is in close agreement with the Curie depth (40±4 km) estimated from the analysis of MAGSAT data. Based on the present work and previous work, it is suggested that the major part of peninsular India consisting of the Wardha-Pranhita Godavari graben/basin, Bastar craton and the adjoining region of the Narmada Son Lineament between profiles I and III towards the north and northwest of the Bastar craton are characterized with a similar mantle heat flow density value equal to ˜23 mW/m 2. Variation in surface heat flow density values in these regions are caused by variation in the radioactive heat production and fluid circulation in the upper crustal layer.

Portfolio of Outpatients Attending Centre for Urban Health, Madhya Pradesh, Central India.

PubMed

Gupta, Arti; Reddy, B Venkatashiva; Nagar, Mukesh Kumar; Chandel, Ajeet; Bali, Surya

2015-01-01

Knowledge on distribution and burden of diseases in a community is essential for planning of public health services. In the absence of information on morbidity profile through community-based surveys, facility-based data provide a good alternative. The aim of this study was to describe the morbidity profile of patients attending the Centre for Urban Health All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal (CUHA). A record-based descriptive study was carried out in the CUHA Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Information on age, gender, residence, new case, and principal diagnosis were extracted from the outpatient registers for the period between January 2014 and December 2014. Only newly registered patients for the study year (2014) were included. Descriptive analysis was done. A total of 6685 new episodes of illnesses were treated. Adults (>15 years) constituted about 85.0%. Overall, the respiratory disorders were the most common (27.2%) followed by the digestive disorders (10.9%), circulatory disorders (9.9%), musculoskeletal disorders (8.8%), and infectious and parasitic disorders (7.4%). This study gives a brief description of the morbidity profile of patients attending a primary health care center over a period of 1 year. This knowledge would help in planning health services to meet the patients' needs and help in training health staff.

Prevalence of the β(S) gene among scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward class groups in Central India.

PubMed

Shrikhande, Anuradha V; Arjunan, Aishwarya; Agarwal, Amit; Dani, Aarti; Tijare, Jayashri; Gettig, Elizabeth; Krishnamurti, Lakshmanan

2014-01-01

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder of the blood, and characterized by vasoocclusive crises (VOC), risks for pneumococcal infections and organ toxicities, is associated with morbidity and premature mortality. India, with a population of 1.2 billion individuals, is estimated to be home to over 50.0% of the world's patients with sickle cell disease. The β(S) gene [β6(A3)Glu→Val; HBB: c.20A>T] has the highest prevalence in three socio-economically disadvantaged ethnic categories: the Scheduled Castes (SC), the Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Class (OBC) groups in India. The tradition of endogamy practiced by the ethnic groups in India provides the rationale for the screening of individual populations to better understand the distribution of the β(S) gene, guide counseling and awareness programs and aid development of public policy. We undertook a study to describe the prevalence of the β(S) gene in these ethnic groups in the district of Nagpur, Maharashtra in Central India. Through community screening and subsequent targeted screening of high risk individuals, 35,636 individuals were screened, of whom 5466 were found to have sickle cell trait and 1010 were identified with sickle cell disease. Community screening revealed a sickle cell trait prevalence of 13.0% in the SC, 12.0% in the ST and 3.4% in the OBC population. This study describes the prevalence of the β(S) gene within these groups in Central India determined by large scale community screening. This program has uncovered previously undiagnosed cases, provided detailed information to guide population-based disease counseling, prevention and comprehensive care programs.

Pathology of fungal infections of the central nervous system: 17 years' experience from Southern India.

PubMed

Sundaram, C; Umabala, P; Laxmi, V; Purohit, A K; Prasad, V S S V; Panigrahi, M; Sahu, B P; Sarathi, M V; Kaul, S; Borghain, R; Meena, A K; Jayalakshmi, S S; Suvarna, A; Mohandas, S; Murthy, J M K

2006-10-01

To describe the pathology of central nervous system (CNS) fungal infections with particular reference to India. This was a retrospective study from 1988 to 2004 constituting 130 cases. The diagnosis was based on morphology of biopsy/autopsy material. These included aspergillosis (n=73), zygomycosis (n=40), cryptococcosis (n=2), rhodotorulosis (n=1), candidiasis (n=5), maduramycosis (n=1), pheohyphomycosis (n=3) and mixed infections (n=5). Predisposing risk factors were present in 49 (38%) patients only. The majority of the patients were immunocompetent. The commonest risk factor was diabetes mellitus, the commonest route of infection was from a contiguous site and the commonest pathology was granuloma. Culture positivity was seen in only 31%. Environmental factors in tropical countries such as India play a significant role in the pathogenesis of CNS fungal infections.

A deep structural ridge beneath central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, P. K.; Thakur, N. K.; Negi, J. G.

A joint-inversion of magnetic satellite (MAGSAT) and free air gravity data has been conducted to quantitatively investigate the cause for Bouguer gravity anomaly over Central Indian plateaus and possible fold consequences beside Himalayan zone in the Indian sub-continent due to collision between Indian and Eurasian plates. The appropriate inversion with 40 km crustal depth model has delineated after discriminating high density and magnetisation models, for the first time, about 1500 km long hidden ridge structure trending NW-SE. The structure is parallel to Himalayan fold axis and the Indian Ocean ridge in the Arabian Sea. A quantitative relief model across a representative anomaly profile confirms the ridge structure with its highest point nearly 6 km higher than the surrounding crustal level in peninsular India. The ridge structure finds visible support from the astro-geoidal contours.

Neonatal Screening and the Clinical Outcome in Children with Sickle Cell Disease in Central India

PubMed Central

Upadhye, Dipti S.; Jain, Dipty L.; Trivedi, Yogesh L.; Nadkarni, Anita H.; Ghosh, Kanjaksha; Colah, Roshan B.

2016-01-01

Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major health burden in India. The objective of the study was to establish a neonatal screening program and to understand the clinical course of children with SCD in central India. Methods and Findings Pregnant mothers were screened for sickle hemoglobin using the solubility test. Babies were screened by high performance liquid chromatography if the mother was positive for sickle hemoglobin. The diagnosis was confirmed by molecular analysis. They received early prophylactic treatment and vaccination. Of 2134 newborns screened, 104 were sickle homozygous (SS), seven had sickle β-thalassemia (S-β thal) and 978 were sickle heterozygous (AS). The other hemoglobin abnormalities detected included HbS -δβ thalassemia-1, HbSD disease-2, HbE traits-5, β-thalassemia traits-4, alpha chain variants-3 and HbH disease-1.These babies were followed up regularly for hematological and clinical evaluation. Pain, severe anemia requiring blood transfusions and acute febrile illness were the major complications with 59.7, 45.1 and 42.6 cases per 100 person years. Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels were inversely associated with vaso-oclussive crisis (VOC) and severe anemia while presence of alpha thalassemia increased the rate of painful events and sepsis. Six early deaths occurred among the SS babies. Conclusion A systematic follow up of this first newborn SCD cohort in central India showed that 47% of babies presented within 1 year of age. In spite of the presence of the Arab-Indian haplotype many babies had severe manifestations. PMID:26785407

Injury pattern among non-fatal road traffic accident cases: a cross-sectional study in Central India.

PubMed

Ganveer, Gunjan B; Tiwari, Rajnarayan R

2005-01-01

What is the pattern of injuries among non-fatal cases of road traffic accidents? To study the pattern of injuries among non-fatal cases of road traffic accidents. Cross-sectional study. Nagpur, a city in central India. 423 non-fatal cases of road traffic accidents reporting for treatment to Indira Gandhi Medical College, Nagpur during 1999-2000. Demographic characteristics, accident characteristics. Percentages, proportions, Chi-square test. Out of total 423 subjects, 363 (85.8%) were male while only 60 (14.2%) were female subjects. Majority of the victims (75%) were in the age group 18- 37 years. Sideways collision was the most common type of accident seen in 269 (63.59%) cases. Two wheelers and LMV were the common vehicle being involved in accidents (69.97%) and these accidents were almost equally distributed in both half of the day. Fracture of the bones was the common injury afflicted to the victims followed by multiple injuries like blunt injury, abrasions and lacerations. Lower extremity was involved in 192 (45.39%) cases while multiple sites were affected in 114 (26.95%) cases. In the present study, the fractures were the commonest injury among the victims of non-fatal road traffic accidents.

A New Insight into Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis for Central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, H. S.; Shukla, A. K.; Khan, P. K.; Mishra, O. P.

2013-12-01

The Son-Narmada-Tapti lineament and its surroundings of Central India (CI) is the second most important tectonic regime following the converging margin along Himalayas-Myanmar-Andaman of the Indian sub-continent, which attracted several geoscientists to assess its seismic hazard potential. Our study area, a part of CI, is bounded between latitudes 18°-26°N and longitudes 73°-83°E, representing a stable part of Peninsular India. Past damaging moderate magnitude earthquakes as well as continuing microseismicity in the area provided enough data for seismological study. Our estimates based on regional Gutenberg-Richter relationship showed lower b values (i.e., between 0.68 and 0.76) from the average for the study area. The Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis carried out over the area with a radius of ~300 km encircling Bhopal yielded a conspicuous relationship between earthquake return period ( T) and peak ground acceleration (PGA). Analyses of T and PGA shows that PGA value at bedrock varies from 0.08 to 0.15 g for 10 % ( T = 475 years) and 2 % ( T = 2,475 years) probabilities exceeding 50 years, respectively. We establish the empirical relationships and between zero period acceleration (ZPA) and shear wave velocity up to a depth of 30 m [ V s (30)] for the two different return periods. These demonstrate that the ZPA values decrease with increasing shear wave velocity, suggesting a diagnostic indicator for designing the structures at a specific site of interest. The predictive designed response spectra generated at a site for periods up to 4.0 s at 10 and 2 % probability of exceedance of ground motion for 50 years can be used for designing duration dependent structures of variable vertical dimension. We infer that this concept of assimilating uniform hazard response spectra and predictive design at 10 and 2 % probability of exceedance in 50 years at 5 % damping at bedrocks of different categories may offer potential inputs for designing earthquake resistant

Sickle cell disease in Madhya Pradesh, Central India: A comparison of clinical profile of sickle cell homozygote vs. sickle-beta thalassaemia individuals.

PubMed

Yadav, Rajiv; Lazarus, Monica; Ghanghoria, Pawan; Singh, Mpss; Gupta, Rasik Behari; Kumar, Surendra; Sharma, Ravendra K; Shanmugam, Rajasubramaniam

2016-10-01

The clinical manifestation in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients varies from one individual to another due to factors like the presence of alpha-thalassaemia mutation, foetal haemoglobin, and β-globin gene haplotype. The present study enumerates the clinical profile of sickle cell anaemia patients from Central India. Seven hundred seventy-six SCD patients from Jabalpur and surrounding districts (Madhya Pradesh) in central India were registered with the sickle cell clinic of NIRTH, Jabalpur. The present study reveals recorded signs and symptoms of genetically confirmed sickle cell anaemia (404) and sickle beta thalassaemia (92) patients. Majority of the patients were from scheduled caste communities (47.9%) and Gond tribal community (13.8%). Splenomegaly was the most common clinical manifestation observed (71.4%). Overall, 63.5% patients had a history of blood transfusion. The most frequent signs and symptoms observed were Pallor, Icterus, Joint pain, Fever, and Fatigue. Majority of the patients revealed onset of disease prior to attaining the age of 3 years (sickle cell anaemia 44.3% and sickle beta thalassaemia 35.9%). Mean haemoglobin levels among SCA individuals were marginally higher than SBT patients. On the other hand, mean foetal haemoglobin levels among SBT individuals showed the reverse trend. Notably, the present study reports the first incidence of priapism recorded in Central India. The study revealed a high prevalence of SCD among scheduled caste, backward caste, and tribal communities. Dissemination of study findings, screening, pre-marriage counselling, and pre-natal diagnosis are fundamental to preventing or lowering of birth of sickle cell anaemia children in the affected populations.

Estimating the Impact of Reducing Under-Nutrition on the Tuberculosis Epidemic in the Central Eastern States of India: A Dynamic Modeling Study.

PubMed

Oxlade, Olivia; Huang, Chuan-Chin; Murray, Megan

2015-01-01

Tuberculosis (TB) and under-nutrition are widespread in many low and middle-income countries. Momentum to prioritize under-nutrition has been growing at an international level, as demonstrated by the "Scaling Up Nutrition" movement. Low body mass index is an important risk factor for developing TB disease. The objective of this study was to project future trends in TB related outcomes under different scenarios for reducing under-nutrition in the adult population in the Central Eastern states of India. A compartmental TB transmission model stratified by body mass index was parameterized using national and regional data from India. We compared TB related mortality and incidence under several scenarios that represented a range of policies and programs designed to reduce the prevalence of under-nutrition, based on the experience and observed trends in similar countries. The modeled nutrition intervention scenarios brought about reductions in TB incidence and TB related mortality in the Central Eastern Indian states ranging from 43% to 71% and 40% to 68% respectively, relative to the scenario of no nutritional intervention. Modest reductions in under-nutrition averted 4.8 (95% UR 0.5, 17.1) million TB cases and 1.6 (95% UR 0.5, 5.2) million TB related deaths over a period of 20 years of intervention, relative to the scenario of no nutritional intervention. Complete elimination of under-nutrition in the Central Eastern states averted 9.4 (95% UR 1.5, 30.6) million TB cases and 3.2 (95% UR 0.7-, 10.1) million TB related deaths, relative to the scenario of no nutritional intervention. Our study suggests that intervening on under-nutrition could have a substantial impact on TB incidence and mortality in areas with high prevalence of under-nutrition, even if only small gains in under-nutrition can be achieved. Focusing on under-nutrition may be an effective way to reduce both rates of TB and other diseases associated with under-nutrition.

Finger Length Ratio (2D:4D) in Central India and an Attempt to Verify Fraternal Birth Order Effect: A Population Based Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Maitra, Arjun; Maitra, Chaitali; Jha, Dilip Kumar; Biswas, Rakesh

2016-12-01

A normal physiology of a human being is not mere a series of functions occurring with specific intensities and timing. There are lot of factors that may change the normal physiological activity within normal limits. Finger length ratio is one of the markers of intrauterine androgen exposure and it is debated and contradicted by many authors. Digit ratio varies among the ethnicities. Many Indian studies show that there is considerable difference in finger length ratio in different population. Data regarding Central India was not found on extensive search. To find out the finger length ratio and explore the birth order effect on finger length ratio among the first two successive born in the said population. We conducted a survey on 1500 volunteer persons (800 male and 700 female) over two years of time. We measured the length of the index finger (2D) and ring finger (4D) of both the hands and asked about their birth order history to find out the digit ratio for Central India population and any existing correlation of the same with birth order. T Test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used for the measure of significance and difference among the groups. The p< 0.05 was considered to be significant. Our study reports that, study population mean for right hand 2D:4D ratio was 0.976 (SD±0.031) and for left hand it was found to be 0.969 (SD±0.035). For males, mean finger length ratio for right hand was 0.967 (SD±0.033) and 0.963 (SD±0.037) for left hand. In females the mean Finger length ratio was 0.982 (SD±0.027) for right hand and 0.974 (SD±0.034) for the left hand respectively. Finger length ratio was found to be significantly less (p=0.03) in males for right hand. No significant (p=0.24) difference was observed for left hand. When assessed fraternal birth order effect among the eldest, second born with elder brother and second born with elder sister groups, no significant (p>0.05) variation for finger length ratio of right and left hands observed in both

India Renewable Integration Study | Energy Analysis | NREL

Science.gov Websites

India Renewable Integration Study India Renewable Integration Study An NREL grid integration study Energy into India's Electric Grid Vol. I-National Study and Vol. II-Regional Study resolves many system modeling, the study explored operational impacts of meeting India's 2022 targets and identified

Lead distribution in coastal and estuarine sediments around India.

PubMed

Chakraborty, Sucharita; Chakraborty, Parthasarathi; Nath, B Nagender

2015-08-15

This study describes the geochemical distribution of lead (Pb) and identifies the critical factors that significantly control Pb distribution and speciation in coastal and estuarine sediments around India by using published data from the literature. Crustal sources influence the abundance of Pb in coastal sediment from the south-east and central-west coast of India. Parts of north-east, north-west, and south-west coast of India were polluted by Pb. Distribution of Pb in sediments, from the north-east and north-west coasts of India, were controlled by Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide mineral phases of the sediments. However, organic carbon (OC) seemed to be a dominant factor in controlling the distribution of Pb in sediments from the central-east and south-west coasts of India. The outcome of this study may help in decision-making to predict the levels of Pb from natural and anthropogenic sources and to control Pb pollution in coastal and estuarine sediments around India. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teleconnections of ENSO and IOD to summer monsoon and rice production potential of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jha, Somnath; Sehgal, Vinay Kumar; Raghava, Ramesh; Sinha, Mourani

2016-12-01

Regional trend of summer monsoon precipitation has been analyzed for broad physical regions of India namely, (i) Indo-Gangetic plain, (ii) Central and East India, (iii) Coastal and Peninsular India and (iv) Western India. A significantly drying trend has been found in the two regions namely, Indo-Gangetic plain and Central and East India with comparative seasonal rate of drying higher in the latter region. A complex relation between the regional trend of summer monsoon precipitation, global teleconnection parameters and rice production of the regions have been studied. El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) have a significant role in the precipitation anomaly of Indo-Gangetic plain unlike Central and East India where the ENSO only plays role as global teleconnection parameter. Rice production of Central and East India has been found to be affected adversely during the El Nino years. Central and East India is found to be the worst affected region compared to the Indo-Gangetic plain with respect to its fragile rainfed rice production potential and strong adverse teleconnection of El Nino on the rice production in this zone.

Finger Length Ratio (2D:4D) in Central India and an Attempt to Verify Fraternal Birth Order Effect: A Population Based Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Maitra, Chaitali; Jha, Dilip Kumar; Biswas, Rakesh

2016-01-01

Introduction A normal physiology of a human being is not mere a series of functions occurring with specific intensities and timing. There are lot of factors that may change the normal physiological activity within normal limits. Finger length ratio is one of the markers of intrauterine androgen exposure and it is debated and contradicted by many authors. Digit ratio varies among the ethnicities. Many Indian studies show that there is considerable difference in finger length ratio in different population. Data regarding Central India was not found on extensive search. Aim To find out the finger length ratio and explore the birth order effect on finger length ratio among the first two successive born in the said population. Materials and Methods We conducted a survey on 1500 volunteer persons (800 male and 700 female) over two years of time. We measured the length of the index finger (2D) and ring finger (4D) of both the hands and asked about their birth order history to find out the digit ratio for Central India population and any existing correlation of the same with birth order. T Test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used for the measure of significance and difference among the groups. The p< 0.05 was considered to be significant. Results Our study reports that, study population mean for right hand 2D:4D ratio was 0.976 (SD±0.031) and for left hand it was found to be 0.969 (SD±0.035). For males, mean finger length ratio for right hand was 0.967 (SD±0.033) and 0.963 (SD±0.037) for left hand. In females the mean Finger length ratio was 0.982 (SD±0.027) for right hand and 0.974 (SD±0.034) for the left hand respectively. Finger length ratio was found to be significantly less (p=0.03) in males for right hand. No significant (p=0.24) difference was observed for left hand. When assessed fraternal birth order effect among the eldest, second born with elder brother and second born with elder sister groups, no significant (p>0.05) variation for finger length

Offshore Extension of Deccan Traps in Kachchh, Central Western India: Implications for Geological Sequestration Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pandey, D. K., E-mail: pandey@ncaor.org; Pandey, A.; Rajan, S.

2011-03-15

The Deccan basalts in central western India are believed to occupy large onshore-offshore area. Using geophysical and geological observations, onshore sub-surface structural information has been widely reported. On the contrary, information about offshore structural variations has been inadequate due to scarcity of marine geophysical data and lack of onshore-offshore lithological correlations. Till date, merely a few geophysical studies are reported that gauge about the offshore extent of Deccan Traps and the Mesozoic sediments (pre-Deccan). To fill this gap in knowledge, in this article, we present new geophysical evidences to demonstrate offshore continuation of the Deccan volcanics and the Mesozoic sediments.more » The offshore multi-channel seismic and onshore-offshore lithological correlations presented here confirm that the Mesozoic sedimentary column in this region is overlain by 0.2-1.2-km-thick basaltic cover. Two separate phases of Mesozoic sedimentation, having very distinctive physical and lithological characteristics, are observed between overlying basaltic rocks and underlying Precambrian basement. Using onshore-offshore seismic and borehole data this study provides new insight into the extent of the Deccan basalts and the sub-basalt structures. This study brings out a much clearer picture than that was hitherto available about the offshore continuation of the Deccan Traps and the Mesozoic sediments of Kachchh. Further, its implications in identifying long-term storage of anthropogenic CO{sub 2} within sub-basalt targets are discussed. The carbon sequestration potential has been explored through the geological assessment in terms of the thickness of the strata as well as lithology.« less

India.

PubMed

1985-05-01

In this discussion of India attention is directed to the following: the people; geography; history; government; political conditions; the economy; foreign relations (Pakistan and Bangladesh, China, and the Soviet Union); defense; and the relations between the US and India. In 1983 India's population was estimated at 746 million with an annual growth rate of 2.24%. The infant mortality rate was estimated at 116/1000 in 1984 with a life expectancy of 54.9 years. Although India occupies only 2.4% of the world's land area, it supports nearly 15% of the world's population. 2 major ethnic strains predominate in India: the Aryan in the north and the Dravidian in the south, although the lines between them are blurred. India dominates the South Asian subcontinent geographically. The people of India have had a continuous civilization since about 2500 B.C., when the inhabitants of the Indus River Valley developed an urban culture based on commerce, trade, and, to a lesser degree, agriculture. This civilization declined about 1500 B.C. and Aryan tribes originating in central Asia absorbed parts of its culture as they spread out over the South Asian subcontinent. During the next few centuries, India flourished under several successive empires. The 1st British outpost in South Asia was established in 1619 at Surat on the northwestern coast of India. The British gradually expanded their influence until, by the 1850s, they controlled almost the entire area of present-day India. Independence was attained on August 15, 1947, and India became a dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations with Jawaharlal Nehru as prime minister. According to its constitution, India is a "sovereign socialist secular democratic republic." Like the US, India has a federal form of government, but the central government in India has greater power in relation to its states, and government is patterned after the British parliamentary system. The Congress Party has ruled India since independence with the

A Multi-sensor Approach to Identify Crop Sensitivity Related to Climate Variability in Central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, P.; DeFries, R. S.; Jain, M.; Robertson, A. W.; Galford, G. L.; Small, C.

2012-12-01

Agriculture is a primary source of livelihood for over 70% of India's population, with staple crops (e.g. winter wheat) playing a pivotal role in satisfying an ever-increasing food-demand of a growing population. Agricultural yield in India has been reported to be highly correlated with the timing and total amount of monsoon rainfall and/or temperature depending on crop type. With expected change in future climate (temperature and precipitation), significant fluctuations in crop yields are projected for near future. To date, little work has identified the sensitivity of cropping intensity, or the number of crops planted in a given year, to climate variability. The objective of this study is to shed light on relative importance of different climate parameters through a statistical analysis of inter-annual variations in cropping intensity at a regional scale, which may help identify adaptive strategies in response to future climate anomalies. Our study focuses on a highly human-modified landscape in central India, and uses a multi-sensor approach to determine the sensitivity of agriculture to climate variability. First, we assembled the 16-day time-series of 250m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), and applied a spline function-based smoothing algorithm to develop maps of monsoon and winter crops in Central India for a decadal time-span. A hierarchical model involving moderate resolution Landsat (30m) data was used to estimate the heterogeneity of the spectral signature within the MODIS dataset (250m). We then compared the season-specific cropping patterns with spatio-temporal variability in climate parameters derived from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data. Initial data indicates that the existence of a monsoon crop has moderate to strong correlation with wet season end date (ρ = .522), wet season length (ρ = .522), and the number of rainy days during wet season (ρ = .829). Existence of a winter

Drinking Water Quality Assessment Studies for an Urbanized Part of the Nagpur District, Central India.

PubMed

Varade, Abhay M; Yenkie, Rajshree; Shende, Rahul; Kodate, Jaya

2014-01-01

The water quality of Hingna area of Nagpur district, Central India was assessed for its suitability as drinking water. 22 water samples, representing both the surface and groundwater sources, were collected and analysed for different inorganic constituents by using the standard procedures. The result depicted abundance of major ions; Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Na+ > K+ = HCO3- > Cl- > SO4(2-) > NO3-. The concentrations of different elements in water were compared with the drinking water standards defined by World Health Organization (WHO). The hydro-chemical results reveal that most of the samples were within the desirable limits of the drinking water quality. However, few samples of the area, showed higher values of total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), and magnesium (Mg) indicating their 'hard water type' nature and found to be unfit for the drinking purpose. Such poor water quality of these samples is found due to the combined effect of urbanization and industrial activities. The potential health risks associated with various water parameters have also been documented in this paper.

Socio-cultural and service delivery dimensions of maternal mortality in rural central India: a qualitative exploration using a human rights lens

PubMed Central

Jat, Tej Ram; Deo, Prakash R.; Goicolea, Isabel; Hurtig, Anna-Karin; San Sebastian, Miguel

2015-01-01

Background Despite the avoidable nature of maternal mortality, unacceptably high numbers of maternal deaths occur in developing countries. Considering its preventability, maternal mortality is being increasingly recognised as a human rights issue. Integration of a human rights perspective in maternal health programmes could contribute positively in eliminating avertable maternal deaths. This study was conducted to explore socio-cultural and service delivery–related dimensions of maternal deaths in rural central India using a human rights lens. Design Social autopsies were conducted for 22 maternal deaths during 2011 in Khargone district in central India. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The factors associated with maternal deaths were classified by using the ‘three delays’ framework and were examined by using a human rights lens. Results All 22 women tried to access medical assistance, but various factors delayed their access to appropriate care. The underestimation of the severity of complications by family members, gender inequity, and perceptions of low-quality delivery services delayed decisions to seek care. Transportation problems and care seeking at multiple facilities delayed reaching appropriate health facilities. Negligence by health staff and unavailability of blood and emergency obstetric care services delayed receiving adequate care after reaching a health facility. Conclusions The study highlighted various socio-cultural and service delivery–related factors which are violating women's human rights and resulting in maternal deaths in rural central India. This study highlights that, despite the health system's conscious effort to improve maternal health, normative elements of a human rights approach to maternal health (i.e. availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of maternal health services) were not upheld. The data and analysis suggest that the deceased women and their relatives were unable to claim their

Socio-cultural and service delivery dimensions of maternal mortality in rural central India: a qualitative exploration using a human rights lens.

PubMed

Jat, Tej Ram; Deo, Prakash R; Goicolea, Isabel; Hurtig, Anna-Karin; San Sebastian, Miguel

2015-01-01

Despite the avoidable nature of maternal mortality, unacceptably high numbers of maternal deaths occur in developing countries. Considering its preventability, maternal mortality is being increasingly recognised as a human rights issue. Integration of a human rights perspective in maternal health programmes could contribute positively in eliminating avertable maternal deaths. This study was conducted to explore socio-cultural and service delivery-related dimensions of maternal deaths in rural central India using a human rights lens. Social autopsies were conducted for 22 maternal deaths during 2011 in Khargone district in central India. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The factors associated with maternal deaths were classified by using the 'three delays' framework and were examined by using a human rights lens. All 22 women tried to access medical assistance, but various factors delayed their access to appropriate care. The underestimation of the severity of complications by family members, gender inequity, and perceptions of low-quality delivery services delayed decisions to seek care. Transportation problems and care seeking at multiple facilities delayed reaching appropriate health facilities. Negligence by health staff and unavailability of blood and emergency obstetric care services delayed receiving adequate care after reaching a health facility. The study highlighted various socio-cultural and service delivery-related factors which are violating women's human rights and resulting in maternal deaths in rural central India. This study highlights that, despite the health system's conscious effort to improve maternal health, normative elements of a human rights approach to maternal health (i.e. availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of maternal health services) were not upheld. The data and analysis suggest that the deceased women and their relatives were unable to claim their entitlements and that the duty bearers were not

Epidemiology of malaria in pregnancy in central India.

PubMed Central

Singh, N.; Shukla, M. M.; Sharma, V. P.

1999-01-01

Analysis of three years of data from a malaria clinic operated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in the Government Medical College Hospital in Jabalpur, central India, showed a high malaria prevalence among pregnant women, which was statistically highly significant (P < 0.0001) compared with the situation among nonpregnant women. Cerebral malaria was a common complication of severe Plasmodium falciparum infection, with a high mortality during pregnancy, requiring immediate attention. The study also showed that malaria infection was more frequent in primigravidae, falling progressively with increasing parity. Mean parasite densities were significantly higher in pregnant women compared with nonpregnant women for both P. falciparum (P < 0.001; df = 137) and P. vivax (P < 0.05; df = 72) infection. Pregnant women with falciparum or vivax malaria were significantly more anaemic than noninfected pregnant women or infected nonpregnant women. The average weight of 155 neonates from infected mothers was 350 g less than that of 175 neonates from noninfected mothers. This difference in birth weight was statistically significant for both P. falciparum (P < 0.0001; df = 278) and P. vivax (P < 0.0001; df = 223) infection. Congenital malaria was not recorded. We conclude that pregnant women from this geographical area require systematic intervention owing to their high susceptibility to malaria during pregnancy and the puerperium. PMID:10444880

Treatment of wastewater and restoration of aquatic systems through an eco-technology based constructed treatment wetlands - a successful experience in Central India.

PubMed

Billore, S K; Sharma, J K; Singh, N; Ram, H

2013-01-01

In the last couple of decades constructed wetlands (CWs) have drawn considerable interest in Central India. CWs offer an effective means of integrating wastewater treatment and resource enhancement, often at competitive cost in comparison to conventional wastewater treatments, with additional benefits of Green Urban Landscaping and wildlife habitat. This paper describes treatment performances and the design of some Sub Surface Flow CWs (SSFCW) and Artificial Floating Islands (AFIs) in Central India. Central Indian CWs show significant pollution reduction load for total suspended solids (TSS) (62-82%), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (40-75%), NH(4)-N (67-78%) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) (59-78%). Field scale SSFCWs installed so far in Central India are rectangular, earthen, single/multiple celled having similar depths of 0.60-0.90 m, hydraulic retention capacity 18-221 m(3) with effective size 41.8-1,050 m(2). The major components of CWs incorporate puddled bottom/side walls, sealed with impermeable low-density polyethylene, a bed of locally available river gravel planted with Phragmites karka, and an inlet distribution and outlet collection system. A new variant on CWs are AFIs working under hydroponics. The field scale experimental AFIs installed in-situ in a slowly flowing local river were composed of hollow bamboo, a bed of coconut coir, floating arrangements and Phragmites karka as nutrient stripping plant species. The AFIs polish the aquatic system by reducing 46.6% of TSS, 45-55% of NH(4)-N, 33-45% of NO(3)-N, 45-50% of TKN and 40-50% of BOD. The study established that there is a need for further research and sufficient data to assist the development of CWs by instilling confidence in policymakers, planners and in the public.

[Current development of acupuncture-moxibustion in India:a case study of West Bengal].

PubMed

Yang, Yuyang; Liu, Jingyuan; Luo, Lu

2017-03-12

Acupuncture-moxibustion was introduced to India in mid-20th century and has been legislated in two provinces in India where the registration of acupuncture practitioners is implemented at present. In India, the central government recognizes that acupuncture-moxibustion is an approach of treatment and is permitted by the licensed doctor. Because of the weakness of the basic development of acupuncture-moxibustion in India, the go-vernment put great effort to support and protect their national traditional medicine. Acupuncture-moxibustion development is mainly in the folk and in the progression for the provincial and governmental legislation. In the paper, by taking West Bengal as example, the legislation, clinical application, education and scientific research of acupuncture-moxibustion are analyzed so that an approach is explored for the further development of acupuncture-moxibustion in India.

Comparison of Opinion Referendum of Medical and Dental Postgraduates Towards Plagiarism in Bhopal - Central India.

PubMed

Jain, Shubham; Saxena, Vrinda; Hongal, Sudheer; Jain, Manish; Torwane, Nilesh; Sharva, Vijayta

2015-07-01

To evaluate awareness and attitude towards plagiarism of postgraduates of health fraternity in Bhopal, Central India. Across-sectional survey. People's University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, from January to March 2014. A total of 164 postgraduates, medical (n = 80) and dental postgraduates (n = 84) were included in the study. A standard pre-tested self-administered questionnaire assessing positive, negative and subjective norms towards plagiarism was the assessing tool. Data was captured through distribution of the instrument and collected as scheduled from the study participants. The distribution of scores based on the responses to the individual questions in each dimension between the groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U-test. Among dental and medical postgraduates the median values for the questions under positive attitude was 34.0 and 32.0, negative attitude was 21.5 and 19, subjective norms was 29.0 and 27.5 respectively. The difference in the opinion regarding positive attitude was found to be statistically significant in between the groups (p < 0.05). Overall plagiarism was favored more by dental students as compared to medical students. Moreover, inadequate level of knowledge and awareness was observed in both the streams. Efforts should be undertaken to motivate health professionals to instill honest behavior in order to preserve the intellectual property right.

Granulite belts of Central India with special reference to the Bhopalpatnam Granulite Belt: Significance in crustal evolution and implications for Columbia supercontinent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vansutre, Sandeep; Hari, K. R.

2010-11-01

The Central Indian collage incorporates the following major granulite belts: (1) the Balaghat-Bhandara Granulite Belt (BBG), (2) the Ramakona-Katangi Granulite Belt (RKG), (3) the Chhatuabhavna Granulite (CBG) of Bilaspur-Raigarh Belt, (4) the Makrohar Granulite Belt (MGB) of Mahakoshal supracrustals, (5) the Kondagaon Granulite Belt (KGGB), (6) the Bhopalpatnam Granulite Belt (BGB), (7) the Konta Granulite Belt (KTGB) and (8) the Karimnagar Granulite Belt (KNGB) of the East Dharwar Craton (EDC). We briefly synthesize the general geologic, petrologic and geochronologic features of these belts and explain the Precambrian crustal evolution in Central India. On the basis of the available data, a collisional relationship between Bastar craton and the EDC during the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic is reiterated as proposed by the earlier workers. The tectonic evolution of only few of the orogenic belts (BGB in particular) of Central India is related to Columbia.

Retrospective study of root canal configurations of maxillary third molars in Central India population using cone beam computed tomography Part- I.

PubMed

Rawtiya, Manjusha; Somasundaram, Pavithra; Wadhwani, Shefali; Munuga, Swapna; Agarwal, Manish; Sethi, Priyank

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the root and canal morphology of maxillary third molars in Central India population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) analysis. CBCT images of 116 maxillary third molars were observed, and data regarding the number of roots, the number of canals, and Vertucci's Classification in each root was statistically evaluated. Majority of Maxillary third molars had three roots (55.2%) and three canals (37.9%). Most MB root (43.8%), DB root (87.5%), and palatal root (100%) of maxillary third molars had Vertucci Type I. Mesiobuccal root of three-rooted maxillary third molars had Vertucci Type I (43.8%) and Type IV (40.6%) configuration. Overall prevalence of C-shaped canals in maxillary third molars was 3.4%. There was a high prevalence of three-rooted maxillary molars with three canals.

Endorsing the declining indigenous ethnobotanical knowledge system of seabuckthorn in Central Himalaya, India.

PubMed

Dhyani, D; Maikhuri, R K; Misra, S; Rao, K S

2010-02-03

Based on research findings this study is aimed to generate database on ethnobotanical aspects, sustainable utilization by value addition and awareness generation through outreach programme related to Hippophae salicifolia D. Don. (Elaeagnaceae) in the higher Himalayan zone of Uttarakhand in Central Himalaya, India. An in-depth survey from June 2004 to July 2006 followed by 480 interviews with the help of semi-structured questionnaires was carried out in 24 Hippophae growing locations in 12 different valleys of Uttarakhand. Plant has immense multipurpose properties and is traditionally utilized for food (20(Min)-90%(Max)), medicine (10(Min)-60%(Max)), veterinary (20(Min)-100%(Max)), fuel (10(Min)-80%(Max)), fencing (20(Min)-80%(Max)), agricultural tools (20(Min)-50%(Max)) and dye mordant (60%). Besides, awareness programmes and value added product demonstration resulted in economical upliftment of local inhabitants of Central Himalaya. The present manuscript will certainly provide an ethnobotanical statistics' impact on the modern scientific societies regarding conservation, cultivation and popularization of this underutilized wild edible species at mass scale. Simultaneously, these findings have important connotations in light of upcoming organic food and nutraceutical industries in the country. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular and epidemiological analysis of pandemic and post-pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus from central India.

PubMed

Sahu, Mahima; Singh, Neeru; Shukla, Mohan K; Potdar, Varhsa A; Sharma, Ravendra K; Sahare, Lalit Kumar; Ukey, Mahendra J; Barde, Pradip V

2018-03-01

Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus pandemic struck India in 2009 and continues to cause outbreaks in its post-pandemic phase. Diminutive information is available about influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 from central India. This observational study presents epidemiological and molecular findings for the period of 6 years. Throat swab samples referred from districts of Madhya Pradesh were subjected to diagnosis of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 following WHO guidelines. Clinical and epidemiological data were recorded and analyzed. Hemagglutinin (HA) gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed. The H275Y mutation responsible for antiviral resistance was tested using allelic real-time RT-PCR. Out of 7365 tested samples, 2406 (32.7%) were positive for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, of which 363 (15.08%) succumbed to infection. Significant trends were observed in positivity (χ 2  = 50.8; P < 0.001) and mortality (χ 2  = 24.4; P < 0.001) with increasing age. Mutations having clinical and epidemiological importance were detected. Phylogenetic analysis of HA gene sequences revealed that clade 7, 6A, and 6B viruses were in circulation. Oseltamivir resistance was detected in three fatal cases. Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses having genetic diversity were detected from central India and continues to be a concern for public health. This study highlights the need of year-round monitoring by establishment of strong molecular and clinical surveillance program. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Online Bullying among High-School Students in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhat, Christine Suniti; Ragan, Moira A.; Selvaraj, Priscilla R.; Shultz, Benjamin J.

2017-01-01

Six hundred and forty high-school students (Grades 7-12) from a large central government school in South India participated in this exploratory study of online bullying (cyberbullying) in India. Participants responded to the Survey on Social Use of Information and Communications Technology (SSUICT; Bhat and Ragan 2013). Findings indicated that…

The Indian Council of Medical Research–India Diabetes (ICMR–INDIAB) Study: Methodological Details

PubMed Central

Anjana, Ranjit Mohan; Pradeepa, Rajendra; Deepa, Mohan; Datta, Manjula; Sudha, Vasudevan; Unnikrishnan, Ranjit; Nath, Lalith M; Das, Ashok Kumar; Madhu, Sri Venkata; Rao, Paturi Vishnupriya; Shukla, Deepak Kumar; Kaur, Tanvir; Ali, Mohammed K; Mohan, Viswanathan

2011-01-01

Background Currently available estimates of diabetes prevalence in India are based on published data derived from very few studies. The Indian Council of Medical Research–India Diabetes (ICMR–INDIAB) study is a community-based survey conceived with the aim of obtaining the prevalence rates of diabetes in India as a whole, covering all 28 states, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and two of the union territories in the mainland of India, with a total sample size of 124,000 individuals. Methods A stratified multistage sampling design has been used. In all study subjects, a structured questionnaire was administered and anthropometric parameters and blood pressure were measured. Fasting capillary blood glucose was first determined using a glucose meter. An oral glucose load was then administered to all subjects except those with self-reported diabetes, and the 2 h post-load capillary blood glucose was estimated. In every fifth subject, a fasting venous sample was collected for measurement of lipids and creatinine, a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram was performed, and dietary assessment questionnaire was administered. In all diabetic subjects, an additional diabetes questionnaire was used and a fasting venous sample drawn for glycated hemoglobin. Results All biological samples collected were analyzed in a central laboratory. All data collected were stored electronically. Quality control was achieved through multiple tiers of checks. Conclusions The ICMR–INDIAB study is the first of its kind attempting to provide accurate and comprehensive state- and national-level data on diabetes prevalence in India. PMID:21880233

Estimation of tiger densities in the tropical dry forests of Panna, Central India, using photographic capture-recapture sampling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karanth, K.Ullas; Chundawat, Raghunandan S.; Nichols, James D.; Kumar, N. Samba

2004-01-01

Tropical dry-deciduous forests comprise more than 45% of the tiger (Panthera tigris) habitat in India. However, in the absence of rigorously derived estimates of ecological densities of tigers in dry forests, critical baseline data for managing tiger populations are lacking. In this study tiger densities were estimated using photographic capture–recapture sampling in the dry forests of Panna Tiger Reserve in Central India. Over a 45-day survey period, 60 camera trap sites were sampled in a well-protected part of the 542-km2 reserve during 2002. A total sampling effort of 914 camera-trap-days yielded photo-captures of 11 individual tigers over 15 sampling occasions that effectively covered a 418-km2 area. The closed capture–recapture model Mh, which incorporates individual heterogeneity in capture probabilities, fitted these photographic capture history data well. The estimated capture probability/sample, p̂= 0.04, resulted in an estimated tiger population size and standard error (N̂(SÊN̂)) of 29 (9.65), and a density (D̂(SÊD̂)) of 6.94 (3.23) tigers/100 km2. The estimated tiger density matched predictions based on prey abundance. Our results suggest that, if managed appropriately, the available dry forest habitat in India has the potential to support a population size of about 9000 wild tigers.

Temporal fluctuations and frontal area change of Bangni and Dunagiri glaciers from 1962 to 2013, Dhauliganga Basin, central Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Vinit; Mehta, Manish; Mishra, Ajai; Trivedi, Anjali

2017-05-01

Glaciers have been receding for the last 100 years in many glaciated regions of the world, and the rate of recession has accelerated during the last 60 years. Recent assessments of changes in glaciers in the Himalaya have usually recognized their variable rate of recession. The present study deals with snout retreat, frontal area vacation, and estimation of the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of Bangni and Dunagiri glaciers, in the Dhauliganga Basin, central Himalaya (India), using multi-image satellite data (Landsat MSS, 1976; Landsat TM, 1990; Landsat ETM +, 2005) and Survey of India topographic maps (1962; 1:50,000) along with field surveys (2012 to 2014) for the period of 1962-2013. The meteorological data of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and TRMM suggested that the central Himalaya received less precipitation between 1960 and 1990. Because of the less precipitation, glaciers receded rapidly during this period. The present study shows that Bangni and Dunagiri glaciers retreated 2080 ± 162 m and 484 ± 38 m with average rates of 41 ± 3.2 m a- 1 and 9 ± 0.6 m a- 1 between 1962 and 2013, respectively. During this period Bangni and Dunagiri glaciers lost about 17% and 11% of their length, respectively. The result also suggested that Bangni Glacier vacated 598,948 ± 12,257 m2 frontal area, while Dunagiri Glacier vacated 170,428 ± 7833 m2 frontal area between 1962 and 2013. Moreover, the estimated ELA change for Bangni Glacier was 64 ± 30 m upward during the study period. The Geological Survey of India (GSI, 1998a,b) suggested that the ELA of Dunagiri Glacier rose 28 m between 1984 and 1992 and that the glacier lost (-)16 × 106 m3 w.e. ice with an average rate of loss of (-)1.04 m w.e. a- 1. The geomorphology of the Dunagiri Valley reflected that Bangni and Dunagiri glaciers were joined together in the past. Nevertheless, these two glaciers retreat at different rates, indicating that climate change is not the only factor in glacier retreat but that

Retrospective study of root canal configurations of maxillary third molars in Central India population using cone beam computed tomography Part- I

PubMed Central

Rawtiya, Manjusha; Somasundaram, Pavithra; Wadhwani, Shefali; Munuga, Swapna; Agarwal, Manish; Sethi, Priyank

2016-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the root and canal morphology of maxillary third molars in Central India population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) analysis. Materials and Methods: CBCT images of 116 maxillary third molars were observed, and data regarding the number of roots, the number of canals, and Vertucci's Classification in each root was statistically evaluated. Results: Majority of Maxillary third molars had three roots (55.2%) and three canals (37.9%). Most MB root (43.8%), DB root (87.5%), and palatal root (100%) of maxillary third molars had Vertucci Type I. Mesiobuccal root of three-rooted maxillary third molars had Vertucci Type I (43.8%) and Type IV (40.6%) configuration. Overall prevalence of C-shaped canals in maxillary third molars was 3.4%. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of three-rooted maxillary molars with three canals. PMID:27011747

LA-SF-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb geochronology of granitic rocks from the central Bundelkhand greenstone complex, Bundelkhand craton, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Sanjeet K.; Verma, Surendra P.; Oliveira, Elson P.; Singh, Vinod K.; Moreno, Juan A.

2016-03-01

The central Bundelkhand greenstone complex in Bundelkhand craton, northern India is one of the well exposed Archaean supracrustal amphibolite, banded iron formation (BIF) and felsic volcanic rocks (FV) and associated with grey and pink porphyritic granite, tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG). Here we present high precision zircon U-Pb geochronological data for the pinkish porphyritic granites and TTG. The zircons from the grey-pinkish porphyritic granite show three different concordia ages of 2531 ± 21 Ma, 2516 ± 38 Ma, and 2514 ± 13 Ma, which are interpreted as the best estimate of the magmatic crystallization age for the studied granites. We also report the concordia age of 2669 ± 7.4 Ma for a trondhjemite gneiss sample, which is so far the youngest U-Pb geochronological data for a TTG rock suite in the Bundelkhand craton. This TTG formation at 2669 Ma is also more similar to Precambrian basement TTG gneisses of the Aravalli Craton of north western India and suggests that crust formation in the Bundelkhand Craton occurred in a similar time-frame to that recorded from the Aravalli craton of the North-western India.

Male involvement in reproductive health among scheduled tribe: experience from Khairwars of central India.

PubMed

Saha, Kalyan B; Singh, Neeru; Chatterjee Saha, Uma; Roy, Jyotirmoy

2007-01-01

Indian tribal men's lack of participation in reproductive health not only damages their own health, but also contributes to the reproductive ill health of their female partners and children. In India the involvement of men in such matters is a new concept. There is a paucity of data particularly on Scheduled tribesmen's knowledge and the extent of their participation in reproductive health. This inhibits planning. The present study aims to understand the involvement of Scheduled tribesmen in reproductive health and the barriers to their involvement by generating a database from the Khairwar tribe of Central India. A door-to-door survey on knowledge, attitude and practice relating to aspects of reproductive health was conducted by canvassing a pre-designed interview schedule among 15-40 year old, currently married Khairwar males in the Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh, India. As far as reproductive morbidity is concerned, only 17% of the respondents had heard of HIV/AIDS, and most had no proper knowledge of its transmission. Although 74% of the respondents had heard about reproductive tract infections, the majority of them were unaware of the mechanism of transmission and seriousness of the problem. The duel role of condoms, both as a method of family planning and a protective measure against sexually transmitted infections, was also unknown to them. Approximately 59% of the males were aware of family planning but only 13% were using any method (mostly female sterilization) at the time of survey. Their view on the ideal number of children (3.56) exceeded the actual number of children born and living. High infant and child mortality influenced their preference for higher fertility. Very few among them (29%) had knowledge of antenatal care. They expressed faulty knowledge, myths and unhelpful attitudes towards sexual health matters. The study revealed the male Scheduled tribe population's lack of knowledge and misinformation regarding male sexual health issues, the

Comparison of interpupillary distance and combined mesiodistal width of maxillary central incisor teeth in two ethnic groups of Northeast India: An in vivo study.

PubMed

Barman, Jogeswar; Serin, Sangma

2018-01-01

Anthropometric measurements of the face can be used as a guide in selecting proper sized anterior teeth. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the interpupillary distance (IPD) and the combined mesiodistal width of maxillary central incisors (MDW of MCIs) to establish their morphometric criterion and their significance in two ethnic groups of Northeast India. A total of 120 participants consisting of 60 indigenous students each from Assam and Meghalaya in the age group of 18-25 years were selected after taking their written consent. Standardized facial frontal photographs of all the participants were taken using a digital camera in such a manner that maxillary anterior teeth were visible. The photographs were uploaded onto the computer and saved in a file. Anthropometric measurements of IPD and combined MDW of MCIs in centimeters were made using both Adobe Photoshop ® 7.0 software program and manually using a digital vernier caliper on the developed photographs to a same size of 15 cm × 10 cm. Data obtained were tabulated and analyzed using Student "t"-test and Pearson correlation test. The present study reveals a positive correlation with a high degree of statistical significance between IPD and combined mesiodistal width of maxillary central incisors among all the samples irrespective of gender and ethnicity where P < 0.01. IPD can be used as a guide in determining the suitable mesiodistal dimension of the maxillary central incisors.

Aerosol Optical Depth Over India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

David, Liji Mary; Ravishankara, A. R.; Kodros, John K.; Venkataraman, Chandra; Sadavarte, Pankaj; Pierce, Jeffrey R.; Chaliyakunnel, Sreelekha; Millet, Dylan B.

2018-04-01

Tropospheric aerosol optical depth (AOD) over India was simulated by Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS)-Chem, a global 3-D chemical-transport model, using SMOG (Speciated Multi-pOllutant Generator from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay) and GEOS-Chem (GC) (current inventories used in the GEOS-Chem model) inventories for 2012. The simulated AODs were 80% (SMOG) and 60% (GC) of those measured by the satellites (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer). There is no strong seasonal variation in AOD over India. The peak AOD values are observed/simulated during summer. The simulated AOD using SMOG inventory has particulate black and organic carbon AOD higher by a factor 5 and 3, respectively, compared to GC inventory. The model underpredicted coarse-mode AOD but agreed for fine-mode AOD with Aerosol Robotic Network data. It captured dust only over Western India, which is a desert, and not elsewhere, probably due to inaccurate dust transport and/or noninclusion of other dust sources. The calculated AOD, after dust correction, showed the general features in its observed spatial variation. Highest AOD values were observed over the Indo-Gangetic Plain followed by Central and Southern India with lowest values in Northern India. Transport of aerosols from Indo-Gangetic Plain and Central India into Eastern India, where emissions are low, is significant. The major contributors to total AOD over India are inorganic aerosol (41-64%), organic carbon (14-26%), and dust (7-32%). AOD over most regions of India is a factor of 5 or higher than over the United States.

Biomarker evidence for increasing aridity in south-central India over the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, S.; Wilkes, H.; Prasad, S.; Brauer, A.; Basavaiah, N.; Strecker, M. R.; Sachse, D.

2012-12-01

Summer monsoonal rainfall has played an important role in the development and sustenance of the largely agro-based economy in the Indian subcontinent in the recent past. A better understanding of past variations in monsoonal rainfall can therefore lead to an assessment of its potential impact on early human societies. However, our knowledge of spatiotemporal patterns of past monsoon strength, as inferred from proxy records, is limited due to the lack of high-resolution paleo-hydrological records from continental archives. Here, we reconstruct centennial-scale hydrological variability associated with changes in the intensity of the Indian Summer Monsoon based on a record of lipid biomarker abundances and compound-specific stable isotopic composition of a 10-m-long sediment core from saline-alkaline Lonar Lake, situated in the core 'monsoon zone' of south-central India. We identified three periods of distinct hydrology over the Holocene in south-central India. The period between 10.4 and 6.5 ka BP was characterized by a relatively high abundance of land-plant biomarkers, such as long-chain n-alkanes. The composition of these leaf-wax n-alkanes (weighted average of concentration of different chain-length n-alkanes, expressed as the ACL index) and their negative δ13C (-30‰ to -33 ‰) indicate the dominance of woody C3 vegetation in the catchment, and negative δD (-170‰ to -175‰) values argue for a wet period due to an intensified monsoon. Rapid fluctuations in abundance of both terrestrial and aquatic biomarkers between 6.5 and 4 ka BP indicate an unstable lake ecosystem, culminating in a transition to arid conditions. Higher ACL values and a pronounced shift to more positive δ13C values (up to -22‰) of leaf-wax n-alkanes over this period indicate a change of dominant vegetation to C4 grasses. Along with a 40‰ increase in leaf wax n-alkane δD values, which likely resulted from less rainfall and/or higher plant evapotranspiration, we interpret this period

Development of zij literature in India.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghori, S. A. Khan

Muslim astronomy, or to be more precise, Graeco-Arabic astronomy in Medieval India had its origin in West-Central Asia whence it passed to this country. Valuable contributions were made to it by Arabic and Persian knowing scholars. Hence in order to evaluate these contributions it is essential to know the nature, origin and development of this system, to examine important zijes prepared in West-Central Asia and to understand how they influenced the preparation of their counterparts in India.

Hepatitis C Virus: Unnoticed and on the Rise in Blood Donor Screening? A 5 Years Cross-sectional Study on Seroprevalence in Voluntary Blood Donors from Central India.

PubMed

Saini, Purti Agrawal; Chakrabarti, Preeti Rihal; Varma, Amit V; Gambhir, Shankhini; Tignath, Gargi; Gupta, Priyanka

2017-01-01

The ultimate goal of a blood transfusion service is the provision of safe and adequate supply free from transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs). TTIs not only threaten the recipient's safety, but they also increase disease burden. Seroprevalence of TTIs in healthy blood donors indirectly reflects the prevalence of these infections in the general healthy population. To study the seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in healthy donors at a tertiary care hospital-based blood bank. To know the yearly and age-group prevalence of these TTIs as compared with other studies across India. This is 5 years observational cross-section study conducted in a tertiary hospital-based teaching institute of Central India (Malwa region). The results of serological testing of TTIs and donor variables were analyzed during 2011-2015. Chi-square test and Chi-square for trend analysis on TTIs prevalence. A total of 58,998 donors were screened for TTIs with dominance of male donation (99.7%). The overall cumulative seroprevalence was 1.14% in our study. The seroprevalence of HIV, HBV, and HCV was 0.09%, 0.98%, and 0.07%, respectively. We found a statistically significant increasing trend for HCV seropositivity during the study. Our study reflects an increasing trend of HCV seroprevalence over time. Thus, efforts are needed to increase the awareness and to educate the population in reducing risk factors for HCV infection.

Fatal corrosive attack: a study of 13 cases from central Delhi, India.

PubMed

Behera, C; Rani, A; Pradhan, M; Dikshit, P C

2014-06-01

The present study is a retrospective analysis of 13 cases of deaths, which resulted from throwing of corrosives over the body. The cases were autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College & Associated Hospitals, Delhi, India, during a period of 13 years from July 1998 to June 2011. The cases represented approximately 0.1% of all autopsy cases during the same period. Data were analyzed with regard to the age, sex, place of occurrence, pattern of injury, survival period, and cause of death. Of these cases, 8 (61.54%) were male, and 5 (38.46%) were female. The most common age group of the victim was 21 to 30 years (46.15%). Six of the victims were attacked on the road side. Face and thorax were involved in all cases (100%). The average total body surface area of burn was 56.69%.The mean survival period was 28.2 days. In 53.85% of cases, the cause of death was septicemia.

Malaria in India: The Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India

PubMed Central

Das, Aparup; Anvikar, Anupkumar R.; Cator, Lauren J.; Dhiman, Ramesh C.; Eapen, Alex; Mishra, Neelima; Nagpal, Bhupinder N.; Nanda, Nutan; Raghavendra, Kamaraju; Read, Andrew F.; Sharma, Surya K.; Singh, Om P.; Singh, Vineeta; Sinnis, Photini; Srivastava, Harish C.; Sullivan, Steven A.; Sutton, Patrick L.; Thomas, Matthew B.; Carlton, Jane M.; Valecha, Neena

2012-01-01

Malaria is a major public health problem in India and one which contributes significantly to the overall malaria burden in Southeast Asia. The National Vector Borne Disease Control Program of India reported ~1.6 million cases and ~1100 malaria deaths in 2009. Some experts argue that this is a serious underestimation and that the actual number of malaria cases per year is likely between 9 and 50 times greater, with an approximate 13-fold underestimation of malaria-related mortality. The difficulty in making these estimations is further exacerbated by (i) highly variable malaria eco-epidemiological profiles, (ii) the transmission and overlap of multiple Plasmodium species and Anopheles vectors, (iii) increasing antimalarial drug resistance and insecticide resistance, and (iv) the impact of climate change on each of these variables. Simply stated, the burden of malaria in India is complex. Here we describe plans for a Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India (CSCMi), one of ten International Centers of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMRs) located in malarious regions of the world recently funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. The CSCMi is a close partnership between Indian and United States scientists, and aims to address major gaps in our understanding of the complexity of malaria in India, including changing patterns of epidemiology, vector biology and control, drug resistance, and parasite genomics. We hope that such a multidisciplinary approach that integrates clinical and field studies with laboratory, molecular, and genomic methods will provide a powerful combination for malaria control and prevention in India. PMID:22142788

Molecular characterization of chikungunya virus from Andhra Pradesh, India & phylogenetic relationship with Central African isolates.

PubMed

M Naresh Kumar, C V; Anthony Johnson, A M; R Sai Gopal, D V

2007-12-01

Chikungunya virus has caused numerous large outbreaks in India. Suspected blood samples from the epidemic were collected and characterized for the identification of the responsible causative from Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. RT-PCR was used for screening of suspected blood samples. Primers were designed to amplify partial E1 gene and the amplified fragment was cloned and sequenced. The sequence was analyzed and compared with other geographical isolates to find the phylogenetic relationship. The sequence was submitted to the Gen bank DNA database (accession DQ888620). Comparative nucleotide homology analysis of the AP Ra-CTR isolate with the other isolates revealed 94.7+/-3.6 per cent of homology of CHIKAPRa-CTR with other isolates of Chikungunya virus at nucleotide level and 96.8+/-3.2 per cent of homology at amino acid level. The current epidemic was caused by the Central African genotype of CHIKV, grouped in Central Africa cluster in phylogenetic trees generated based on nucleotide and amino acid sequences.

Malaria in India: the center for the study of complex malaria in India.

PubMed

Das, Aparup; Anvikar, Anupkumar R; Cator, Lauren J; Dhiman, Ramesh C; Eapen, Alex; Mishra, Neelima; Nagpal, Bhupinder N; Nanda, Nutan; Raghavendra, Kamaraju; Read, Andrew F; Sharma, Surya K; Singh, Om P; Singh, Vineeta; Sinnis, Photini; Srivastava, Harish C; Sullivan, Steven A; Sutton, Patrick L; Thomas, Matthew B; Carlton, Jane M; Valecha, Neena

2012-03-01

Malaria is a major public health problem in India and one which contributes significantly to the overall malaria burden in Southeast Asia. The National Vector Borne Disease Control Program of India reported ∼1.6 million cases and ∼1100 malaria deaths in 2009. Some experts argue that this is a serious underestimation and that the actual number of malaria cases per year is likely between 9 and 50 times greater, with an approximate 13-fold underestimation of malaria-related mortality. The difficulty in making these estimations is further exacerbated by (i) highly variable malaria eco-epidemiological profiles, (ii) the transmission and overlap of multiple Plasmodium species and Anopheles vectors, (iii) increasing antimalarial drug resistance and insecticide resistance, and (iv) the impact of climate change on each of these variables. Simply stated, the burden of malaria in India is complex. Here we describe plans for a Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India (CSCMi), one of ten International Centers of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMRs) located in malarious regions of the world recently funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. The CSCMi is a close partnership between Indian and United States scientists, and aims to address major gaps in our understanding of the complexity of malaria in India, including changing patterns of epidemiology, vector biology and control, drug resistance, and parasite genomics. We hope that such a multidisciplinary approach that integrates clinical and field studies with laboratory, molecular, and genomic methods will provide a powerful combination for malaria control and prevention in India. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Skillful Revelation: Local Healers, Rationalists, and Their 'Trickery' in Chhattisgarh, Central India.

PubMed

Macdonald, Helen M

2015-01-01

To understand the workings of medicine, healing, placebo, belief, and rationality, medical anthropologists need to pay attention to the complex relations of various forms of revelation, contemplation, and rejoining revelation that attach to illness and healing. In this article two performances of a healing technique located in the agricultural plain of Chhattisgarh, central India, are compared: one representing scientific rationality; the other 'blind' superstition. In both performances the practitioner's aim is to reveal: the local healer reveals witchcraft objects from the afflicted body; the local rationalist society reveals the healer's technique as a fraudulent trick. Each performance shares 'an aesthetics of revelation'-they rely on seeing or revealing to obtain their social effect. The interplay between forms of revelation, a reliance on aesthetics for the revelation, and the ways of seeing can indicate how distinctions are made (or not) between doctor and quack, expertise and gimmickry, and truth and falsehood.

India RE Grid Integration Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cochran, Jaquelin M

The use of renewable energy (RE) sources, primarily wind and solar generation, is poised to grow significantly within the Indian power system. The Government of India has established a target of 175 gigawatts (GW) of installed RE capacity by 2022, including 60 GW of wind and 100 GW of solar, up from 29 GW wind and 9 GW solar at the beginning of 2017. Thanks to advanced weather and power system modeling made for this project, the study team is able to explore operational impacts of meeting India's RE targets and identify actions that may be favorable for integration.

Nutritional status and its correlates among tribal children of Melghat, central India.

PubMed

Talapalliwar, Manoj Rajanna; Garg, Bishan S

2014-11-01

To find out the magnitude and epidemiological determinants of malnutrition among 0-6 y tribal children. A community based cross sectional study was done in the villages of Melghat in central India. The information of 540 children in the age group 0-6 y was collected. The newly developed WHO growth standards were used to calculate conventional indices of malnutrition (underweight, stunting and wasting) and composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF). Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to find out the correlates of malnutrition. The prevalence of malnutrition among these tribal children in terms of underweight, stunting, and wasting were 60.9 %, 66.4 % and 18.8 % respectively. Malnutrition in terms of composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) was 76.3 %. The important correlates of malnutrition that emerged out of this study were the age of child, age of mother less than 20 y at her first pregnancy, practice of not feeding colostrum, calorie deficit diet, anemia and morbidities like diarrhea and acute respiratory illnesses. The prevalence of malnutrition was high in tribal children. The health care delivery at village level should be strengthened for early diagnosis and prompt treatment of anemia and other morbidities in children. The strategies are needed to delay the child bearing age in this community and improve breast feeding practices.

Traditional zootherapeutic studies in India: a review

PubMed Central

Mahawar, Madan Mohan; Jaroli, DP

2008-01-01

The present study aims to review the zootherapeutic practices of the different ethnic communities of India. This work is also an attempt to present a list of animals' use for medicinal purposes by different communities of India. Data were gathered from 15 published research papers of various authors on zootherapeutic studies in India from 2000 to 2007. Approximately 109 animals and their 270 uses are reported in traditional medicine in different parts of India. Of these, the highest numbers of animal species (42, 38.5%) with 50 (18.5%) uses have been reported for the treatment of Respiratory system related problems. Rheumatic and other pains are treated with 32 species (29.4%) in 34 (12.9%) uses. Gastric problems are reported to be treated with 22 (20.2%) species in 26 (9.9%) uses. The mammals constitute the highest number of animals used for medicinal purposes. 44 (40%) mammals, 24 (22%) invertebrates, 18 (17%) birds, 12 (11%) reptiles, nine (8%) fishes and two (2%) amphibians have been reported for medicinal purposes. Of the total 109 animal species reported, 76(70%) are included in IUCN red data list and 36 (33%) animal species are listed in CITES appendix I, II, and III. This work will be helpful in biodiversity conservation in India and also give a clue to investigate bio-active compound in these animal raw materials. PMID:18634551

Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Commercially Important Oysters from Goa, Central-West Coast of India.

PubMed

Shenai-Tirodkar, Prachi S; Gauns, Mangesh U; Ansari, Zakir A

2016-12-01

The major beds of oyster along the central-west coast of India are exposed to different anthropogenic activities and are severely exploited for human consumption. In this viewpoint, tissues of oyster Crassostrea madrasensis, C. gryphoides and Saccostrea cucullata were analyzed for Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb concentrations (dry weight) from Chicalim Bay, Nerul Creek and Chapora Bay in pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. A higher concentration of Cu (134.4-2167.9 mg kg -1 ) and Cd (7.1-88.5 mg kg -1 ) was found, which is greater than the recommended limits in all the three species (and sites). Moreover, significant (p < 0.05) variations were observed for all the metals concentrations among the species, seasons and sites. The high concentrations of Cd and Cu in tissues of edible oyster pose a threat to human health. Therefore, continuous monitoring, people awareness and a stringent government policy should be implemented to mitigate the metal pollution along the studied sites.

Prevalence and risk factors for age-related macular degeneration in Indians: a comparative study in Singapore and India.

PubMed

Gemmy Cheung, Chui Ming; Li, Xiang; Cheng, Ching-Yu; Zheng, Yingfeng; Mitchell, Paul; Wang, Jie Jin; Jonas, Jost B; Nangia, Vinay; Wong, Tien Yin

2013-04-01

To compare the prevalence and risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 2 Indian populations, 1 living in urban Singapore and 1 in rural central India. Population-based, cross-sectional studies of Indians aged 40+ years. Our analysis included 3337 Singapore-residing participants and 3422 India-residing participants. All participants underwent comprehensive systemic and ocular examinations and retinal photography. AMD was graded from retinal photographs according to the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System. Systemic and ocular risk factors were assessed for association with AMD. Singapore-residing participants were older (mean age 57.8 years vs 53.8 years) and, after adjusting for age and sex, were more likely to have previous cataract surgery, higher body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, previous myocardial infarction, higher cholesterol, and lower creatinine levels, but less likely to be current smokers, than India-residing participants. The age-standardized prevalence of early and late AMD was 4.45% and 0.34%, respectively, in Singapore and 5.80% and 0.16%, respectively, in India. Shorter axial length was associated with early AMD in both Singapore and India, whereas previous cataract surgery, higher body mass index, hypertension, and lower cholesterol were associated with early AMD in Singapore but not in India. The prevalence of AMD was similar among Indian adults living in urban Singapore and rural India, despite differences in cardiovascular risk factor profile and demographics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reductions in India's crop yield due to ozone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghude, Sachin D.; Jena, Chinmay; Chate, D. M.; Beig, G.; Pfister, G. G.; Kumar, Rajesh; Ramanathan, V.

2014-08-01

This bottom-up modeling study, supported by emission inventories and crop production, simulates ozone on local to regional scales. It quantifies, for the first time, potential impact of ozone on district-wise cotton, soybeans, rice, and wheat crops in India for the first decade of the 21st century. Wheat is the most impacted crop with losses of 3.5 ± 0.8 million tons (Mt), followed by rice at 2.1 ± 0.8 Mt, with the losses concentrated in central and north India. On the national scale, this loss is about 9.2% of the cereals required every year (61.2 Mt) under the provision of the recently implemented National Food Security Bill (in 2013) by the Government of India. The nationally aggregated yield loss is sufficient to feed about 94 million people living below poverty line in India.

Etiology and mode of presentation of chronic liver diseases in India: A multi centric study.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Partha S; Vishnubhatla, Sreenivas; Amarapurkar, Deepak N; Das, Kausik; Sood, Ajit; Chawla, Yogesh K; Eapen, Chundamannil E; Boddu, Prabhakar; Thomas, Varghese; Varshney, Subodh; Hidangmayum, Diamond Sharma; Bhaumik, Pradip; Thakur, Bhaskar; Acharya, Subrat K; Chowdhury, Abhijit

2017-01-01

There is a paucity of health policy relevant data for chronic liver disease from India, impeding formulation of an interventional strategy to address the issue. A prospective, multicentric study to delineate the etiology and clinical profile of chronic liver disease in India is reported here. A centrally coordinated and monitored web-based data repository was developed (Feb, 2010 to Jan, 2013) and analyzed. Eleven hospitals from different parts of India participated. Data were uploaded into a web based proforma and monitored by a single centre according to a standardized protocol. 1.28% (n = 266621) of all patients (n = 20701383) attending the eleven participating hospitals of India had liver disease. 65807 (24·68%) were diagnosed for the first time (new cases). Of these, 13014 (19·77%, median age 43 years, 73% males) cases of chronic liver disease were finally analyzed. 33.9% presented with decompensated cirrhosis. Alcoholism (34·3% of 4413) was the commonest cause of cirrhosis while Hepatitis B (33·3%) was predominant cause of chronic liver disease in general and non-cirrhotic chronic liver disease (40·8% out of 8163). There was significant interregional differences (hepatitis C in North, hepatitis B in East and South, alcohol in North-east, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in West) in the predominant cause of chronic liver disease. Hepatitis B (46·8% of 438 cases) was the commonest cause of hepatocellular Cancer.11·7% had diabetes. Observations of our study will help guide a contextually relevant liver care policy for India and could serve as a framework for similar endeavor in other developing countries as well.

Migratory ducks and protected wetlands in India

USGS Publications Warehouse

Namgail, Tsewang; Takekawa, John Y.; Balachandran, Sivananinthaperumal; Mundkur, Taej; Sathiyaselvam, Ponnusamy; Prosser, Diann J.; McCracken, Tracy; Newman, Scott H.

2017-01-01

India is the most important wintering ground for migratory ducks in the Central Asian Flyway. Because of its latitudinal and climatic extent, the country provides a diversity of wetland habitats for migratory ducks (Ali & Ripley 1978). India is the seventh largest country in the world with an area of about 3.3 million km2 or 2.4% of the world’s land-area. Mainland India stretches nearly 3200 km from north to south (6° to 36° N), and 3000 km from west to east (68° to 98° E). Given this huge geographical extent, migratory ducks wintering in the southern part of the country need to refuel at several wetlands before they cross the Himalayas on their way to the breeding areas in Central Asia and Siberia.

Health status of the prisoners in a central jail of South India.

PubMed

Kumar, Sunil D; Kumar, Santosh A; Pattankar, Jayashree V; Reddy, Shrinivas B; Dhar, Murali

2013-10-01

Health care in prisons is one of the neglected health areas in our country. Looking into the health problems of prisons will show us a way for the approach in providing the heath care for prisoners. To assess the health status of convicted inmates of prison and to study their sociodemographic profile. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the inmates of central prison over a period of 1 year. Study population comprised of 300 convicted life-term prisoners. The inmates were interviewed using predesigned and pretested proforma. Sociodemographic data were analyzed by frequencies and percentages along with 95% confidence interval using statistical package SPSS18. In health status, 29 (9.6%) inmates suffered from acute upper respiratory tract infections and 15 (5%) from acute lower respiratory tract infections. A total of 54 (18%) inmates had ascariasis. Diseases of musculoskeletal system and connective tissue contributed to 26 (8.7%) of inmates. A total of 252 (84%) prisoners had anemia. In sociodemographic profile, it was found that rural people, unmarried, illiterates, lower socioeconomic status people were more likely to have committed the crime resulting in the conviction for life. As there is an increase in number of prisoners and morbidities among them, there is an urgent need for prison health care services in developing countries like India and provide training to the health care providers to manage the commonly existing health problems among prisoners in the prisons.

Integrated hydrochemical and geophysical studies for assessment of groundwater pollution in basaltic settings in Central India.

PubMed

Pujari, Paras R; Padmakar, C; SuriNaidu, L; Vaijnath, V U; Kachawe, Bhusan; Gurunadha Rao, V V S; Labhasetwar, P K

2012-05-01

The Pithampur Industrial sectors I, II, and III, located approximately, 45 km from Indore in Central India have emerged as one of the largest industrial clusters in the region. Various types of industries ranging from automobiles to chemicals and pharmaceuticals have been set up in the region since 1990. Most of the industries have effluent treatment plants (ETP) for treating wastewater before its disposal on land and/or in water body. The present study is an attempt to assess the groundwater quality in the watersheds surrounding these industrial sectors to develop the baseline groundwater quality in order to enable the policy makers to facilitate decisions on the development of industries in this region. The industries are located in two sub-watersheds, namely, Gambhir river sub-watershed and Chambal river sub-watershed. Geologically, the study area is located in the Deccan traps of Cretaceous to Paleocene age. The different basaltic flow units underlie clayey soils varying in thickness from 2-3 m. The aquifer is mostly of unconfined nature. Samples have been collected from a network of observation wells set up in the watersheds. The water quality analysis of the groundwater samples has been carried out six times during three hydrological cycles of 2004, 2005, and 2006. The results indicate that a few observation wells in the vicinity of the industrial clusters have very high TDS concentration and exceed the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) guideline for TDS concentration. The contamination of groundwater has been more severe in the Gambhir watershed as compared to the Chambal watershed. The presence of the impermeable clay layers has resulted in a slow migration of contaminants from the sources. The findings reveal that there is no significant groundwater contamination in the Pithampur industrial sectors except in the vicinity of the industrial clusters, which indicates that there is good environmental space available for the expansion of industrial units in

Selected risk factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis among Saharia tribe of Madhya Pradesh, central India.

PubMed

Rao, Vikas G; Gopi, P G; Bhat, Jyothi; Yadav, Rajiv; Selvakumar, N; Wares, Douglas F

2012-04-01

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem among the Saharia, a marginalized tribal group in Madhya Pradesh state, central India. However, there is no information on the risk factors associated with the development of TB disease in this community. A cross-sectional TB prevalence survey was conducted among the Saharia residing in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. Information on tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption was collected from all the individuals. Persons aged ≥45 years, males, smokers and alcohol consumers had higher risks of developing TB disease. There is an urgent need to develop and implement culturally appropriate awareness raising activities to target smoking and alcohol consumption to support the efforts to control TB in this community.

Rural Self Development in India: Two Case Studies. A Curriculum Supplement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grant, Thomas N.

Case studies of two, successful, rural, self-development programs in India are presented in this document, which is designed to supplement the study of India in the social studies curriculum. After a brief introduction to India's village system, the two projects are discussed. The first case study presents a water collection system in Bagrunda…

Fighting malaria in Madhya Pradesh (Central India): Are we loosing the battle?

PubMed Central

Singh, Neeru; Dash, Aditya P; Thimasarn, Krongthong

2009-01-01

Malaria control in Madhya Pradesh is complex because of vast tracts of forest with tribal settlement. Fifty four million individuals of various ethnic origins, accounting for 8% of the total population of India, contributed 30% of total malaria cases, 60% of total falciparum cases and 50% of malaria deaths in the country. Ambitious goals to control tribal malaria by launching "Enhanced Malaria Control Project" (EMCP) by the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), with the World Bank assistance, became effective in September 1997 in eight north Indian states. Under EMCP, the programme used a broader mix of new interventions, i.e. insecticide-treated bed nets, spraying houses with effective residual insecticides, use of larvivorous fishes, rapid diagnostic tests for prompt diagnosis, treatment of the sick with effective radical treatment and increased public awareness and IEC. However, the challenge is to scale up these services. A retrospective analysis of data on malaria morbidity and associated mortality reported under the existing surveillance system of the Madhya Pradesh (Central India) for the years 1996–2007 was carried out to determine the impact of EMCP on malaria morbidity and associated mortality. Analysis revealed that despite the availability of effective intervention tools for the prevention and control of malaria, falciparum malaria remains uncontrolled and deaths due to malaria have increased. Precisely, the aim of this epidemiological analysis is to draw lessons applicable to all international aid efforts, bureaucracy, policy makers and programme managers in assessing its project performance as a new Global Malaria Action Plan is launched with ambitious goal of reducing malaria and its elimination by scaling up the use of existing tools. PMID:19419588

A clinicopathologic study of glomerular disease: A single-center, five-year retrospective study from Northwest India.

PubMed

Beniwal, Pankaj; Pursnani, Lalit; Sharma, Sanjeev; Garsa, R K; Mathur, Mohit; Dharmendra, Prasad; Malhotra, Vinay; Agarwal, Dhanajai

2016-01-01

Studies published from centers across India have reported different and contradicting patterns of glomerular disease. In this retrospective study, we report our experience from a Tertiary Care Center in Northwest India. A total of 702 renal biopsies performed between 2008 and 2013 were reviewed of which 80 were excluded from the study because of having insufficient records or if the biopsies were taken from an allograft. The study included 411 males (66.1 %) and 211 females (33.9%) with an age range of 12-70 years (mean 30.34 ± 7.04 years). Majority of the biopsies (93.9%) showed some form of glomerulonephritis (GN), either primary (79.4%) or secondary glomerular disease (SGD) (14.5%). Minimal change disease (MCD) was the most common type of primary GN (26.5% of primary GN), followed by membranous nephropathy (MN; 18.8%) and focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS; 13.2%). Lupus nephritis (LN) was the most frequent SGD (52.2% of secondary GN). Amyloidosis was found in 41.1% and diabetic glomerulosclerosis in 4.4%. LN was also the second most common diagnosis in females after MCD, seen in 19.4% of females. MCD followed by membranoproliferative GN and diffuse proliferative GN were the most common entities in individuals <20 years of age. In the 20-39 years age group, MN was the most common pathology seen. MN was again the most common pathology seen in patients aged above 40 years followed by amyloidosis and FSGS. In this study, MCD was the most common primary GN observed overall from this part of India. MN was the most common GN in individuals above 20 years of age presenting with the nephrotic syndrome. The geographical and regional differences in the pattern of GNs point to the necessity of having a central biopsy registry.

Haplotype diversity and linkage disequilibrium at DRD2 locus--a study on four population groups of Andhra Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Saraswathy, Kallur Nava; Mukhopadhyay, Rupak; Shukla, Deepti; Kaur, Harpreet; Sachdeva, Mohinder Pal; Rao, A P; Saksena, Deepti; Kalla, Aloke Kumar

2009-02-01

Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) is expressed in the central nervous system and has a high affinity for many antipsychotic drugs. Besides several epidemiological investigations on association of DRD2 locus polymorphism(s) with neuropsychiatric problems and addictive behavior, a few polymorphisms in this locus have also been used to understand genomic diversity and population migratory histories globally. The present study attempts to understand the genomic diversity/affinity among four endogamous groups of Andhra Pradesh (India) against the backdrop of diversity studies from other parts of India and the rest of the world, with special reference to DRD2 locus. The four population groups from Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh, namely, Brahmin (n=50), Nayakpod (n=49), Thoti (n=52), and Kolam (n=53), were included in the study. The DRD2 markers typed for the present study are three biallelic restriction fragments, that is, TaqI A (rs1800497), TaqI B (rs1079597), and TaqI D (rs1800498). Scoring of DRD2 haplotypes with respect to the three TaqI sites shows that five out of eight possible haplotypes are shared by the four populations. Ancestral haplotype B2D2A1 is most frequent among Thotis (0.359). The results of the present study indicate a differential gene flow into South India followed by certain important demographic events resulting in diversified peopling of India.

East Meets West: An Earthquake in India Helps Hazard Assessment in the Central United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2002-01-01

Although geographically distant, the State of Gujarat in India bears many geological similarities to the Mississippi Valley in the Central United States. The Mississippi Valley contains the New Madrid seismic zone that, during the winter of 1811-1812, produced the three largest historical earthquakes ever in the continental United States and remains the most seismically active region east of the Rocky Mountains. Large damaging earthquakes are rare in ‘intraplate’ settings like New Madrid and Gujarat, far from the boundaries of the world’s great tectonic plates. Long-lasting evidence left by these earthquakes is subtle (fig. 1). Thus, each intraplate earthquake provides unique opportunities to make huge advances in our ability to assess and understand the hazards posed by such events.

Assessment of orthodontic treatment need among tribal children of Indore division, Central India

PubMed Central

MURALIDHARAN, SHRIKANTH; GOWDA, SRINIVASA; AMBEKAR, RUTUJA; RATHORE, BHUPENDRA S.; CHABRA, SAKSHI; LALANI, AFSHEEN; HARANI, HARSH

2018-01-01

Introduction India is home to many tribes which have an interesting and varied history of origins, customs and social practices. Oral health care in tribal areas is limited due to shortage of dental manpower, financial constraints and the lack of perceived need for dental care among tribal masses. Objective To assess orthodontic treatment need among tribal children of Indore division, Central India. Methods A cross-sectional house to house survey was carried out among 800 tribal children aged 5 to 15 years old in two major tribal districts of Indore division. Permissions and consent were obtained from local administrative authorities, ethical committee and parents respectively. A structured proforma was used to record demographic data. Examination for dentofacial anomalies was conducted according to WHO 1997 survey methods. Descriptive tables and analytical tests like ANOVA, post-hoc and chi-square test were employed. Results The mean age was 9.75(±2.43) years. The mean DAI score among 12 to 15 years old children was 23.19±5.22. Female exhibited higher (24.51±5.34) mean DAI score compared to males (22.12±4.87) (p<0.05). The Patelia tribes (24.38±5.13) reported higher mean DAI score than Bhilala (23.02±5.69) and Bhil tribe (22.73±4.79) (p<0.005). Conclusion The tribal children had minor malocclusion with no or slight treatment need. Categorization of orthodontic treatment need according to malocclusion severity is particularly important for the planning of corresponding public policies. The isolation of the villages, lack of transportation options imposes limitations on the availability of health professionals to provide dental services. PMID:29440959

Assessment of orthodontic treatment need among tribal children of Indore division, Central India.

PubMed

Muralidharan, Shrikanth; Chauhan, Astha; Gowda, Srinivasa; Ambekar, Rutuja; Rathore, Bhupendra S; Chabra, Sakshi; Lalani, Afsheen; Harani, Harsh

2018-01-01

India is home to many tribes which have an interesting and varied history of origins, customs and social practices. Oral health care in tribal areas is limited due to shortage of dental manpower, financial constraints and the lack of perceived need for dental care among tribal masses. To assess orthodontic treatment need among tribal children of Indore division, Central India. A cross-sectional house to house survey was carried out among 800 tribal children aged 5 to 15 years old in two major tribal districts of Indore division. Permissions and consent were obtained from local administrative authorities, ethical committee and parents respectively. A structured proforma was used to record demographic data. Examination for dentofacial anomalies was conducted according to WHO 1997 survey methods. Descriptive tables and analytical tests like ANOVA, post-hoc and chi-square test were employed. The mean age was 9.75(±2.43) years. The mean DAI score among 12 to 15 years old children was 23.19±5.22. Female exhibited higher (24.51±5.34) mean DAI score compared to males (22.12±4.87) (p<0.05). The Patelia tribes (24.38±5.13) reported higher mean DAI score than Bhilala (23.02±5.69) and Bhil tribe (22.73±4.79) (p<0.005). The tribal children had minor malocclusion with no or slight treatment need. Categorization of orthodontic treatment need according to malocclusion severity is particularly important for the planning of corresponding public policies. The isolation of the villages, lack of transportation options imposes limitations on the availability of health professionals to provide dental services.

A shared Y-chromosomal heritage between Muslims and Hindus in India.

PubMed

Gutala, Ramana; Carvalho-Silva, Denise R; Jin, Li; Yngvadottir, Bryndis; Avadhanula, Vasanthi; Nanne, Khaja; Singh, Lalji; Chakraborty, Ranajit; Tyler-Smith, Chris

2006-11-01

Arab forces conquered the Indus Delta region in 711 AD: and, although a Muslim state was established there, their influence was barely felt in the rest of South Asia at that time. By the end of the tenth century, Central Asian Muslims moved into India from the northwest and expanded throughout the subcontinent. Muslim communities are now the largest minority religion in India, comprising more than 138 million people in a predominantly Hindu population of over one billion. It is unclear whether the Muslim expansion in India was a purely cultural phenomenon or had a genetic impact on the local population. To address this question from a male perspective, we typed eight microsatellite loci and 16 binary markers from the Y chromosome in 246 Muslims from Andhra Pradesh, and compared them to published data on 4,204 males from East Asia, Central Asia, other parts of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, the Middle East, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco. We find that the Muslim populations in general are genetically closer to their non-Muslim geographical neighbors than to other Muslims in India, and that there is a highly significant correlation between genetics and geography (but not religion). Our findings indicate that, despite the documented practice of marriage between Muslim men and Hindu women, Islamization in India did not involve large-scale replacement of Hindu Y chromosomes. The Muslim expansion in India was predominantly a cultural change and was not accompanied by significant gene flow, as seen in other places, such as China and Central Asia.

Kerosene-a toddler's sin: A five years study at tertiary care hospital in western India.

PubMed

Parekh, Utsav; Gupta, Sanjay

2017-04-01

Acute kerosene poisoning is a preventable health problem in children perceived mainly in developing countries. It influences socioeconomic and cultural status of country due to its contribution in morbidity and mortality. As kerosene is widely used as household energy source in India at rural areas as well as urban, it accounts for significant number of poisoning cases mainly accidental in manner. As there are only handful studies from India on kerosene poisoning in children, we planned this study to evaluate incidence of kerosene poisoning in Western Indian population and its clinico-epidemiotoxicological profile. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we collected data of all the cases of kerosene poisoning diagnosed during five years from 2009 to 2013 at Shri Krishna hospital situated at Karamsad, Gujarat state of Western India. We observed among total 42 cases, all victims were under 3 years of age. Evening in summer months, rural areas, storage of kerosene in household containers, inadequate parental supervision and door-to-hospitalization period emerged as most serious associated factors. Fever, cough, vomiting, tachypnoea and leucocytosis were commonest manifestations while pneumonia was the most common complication. Signs of central nervous system involvement, leucocytosis and vomiting were significantly correlated with pneumonia. Deaths occurred due to pneumonia. Early diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia may reduce mortality and recommendations are made to reduce the incidence of kerosene poisoning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Deep crustal electromagnetic structure of central India tectonic zone and its implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naganjaneyulu, K.; Naidu, G. Dhanunjaya; Rao, M. Someswara; Shankar, K. Ravi; Kishore, S. R. K.; Murthy, D. N.; Veeraswamy, K.; Harinarayana, T.

2010-07-01

Magnetotelluric data at 45 locations along the Mahan-Khajuria Kalan profile in the central India tectonic zone are analysed. This 290 km long profile yields data in the period range 0.001-1000 s across the tectonic elements of the study region bounded by Purna fault, Gavligarh fault, Tapti fault, Narmada South fault and Narmada North fault. Multi-site, multi-frequency analysis suggests N70°E as the geo-electric strike direction. Data rotated into the N70°E strike direction are modelled using a non-linear conjugate gradient scheme with error floors of 10% for both apparent resistivity and phase components. Two-dimensional magnetotelluric model yields conductors that correlate with known faults in the study region and regional seismicity. Presence of a -30 mgal gravity high together with the observed conductive bodies (less than 20 ohm m) in the deep crust beneath the Purna graben and Tapti valley is explained by the process of magmatic underplating. The conductive bodies beneath the Mahakoshal rift belt and Vindhyans accompanied by regional gravity lows of the order -70 mgal are attributed to the presence of deep crustal fluids. Following the re-activation model proposed for the entire region, the conductors (20 ohm m) at various depth levels correspond to mafic magmatic and/or fluid intrusions controlled by deep-seated faults that seem to tap reservoirs beyond the crust-mantle boundary. The shallow depth localized faults also seem to have facilitated further upward movement of these underplated material and fluids release during this process.

Gender Disparity in Late-life Cognitive Functioning in India: Findings From the Longitudinal Aging Study in India

PubMed Central

Shih, Regina; Feeney, Kevin; Langa, Kenneth M.

2014-01-01

Objectives. To examine gender disparities in cognitive functioning in India and the extent to which education explains this disparity in later life. Methods. This study uses baseline interviews of a prospective cohort study of 1,451 community-residing adults 45 years of age or older in four geographically diverse states of India (Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan). Data collected during home visits includes cognitive performance tests, and rich sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial variables. The cognitive performance tests include episodic memory, numeracy, and a modified version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. Results. We find gender disparity in cognitive function in India, and this disparity is greater in the north than the south. We also find that gender disparities in educational attainment, health, and social and economic activity explain the female cognitive disadvantage in later life. Discussion. We report significant gender disparities in cognitive functioning among older Indian adults, which differ from gender disparities in cognition encountered in developed countries. Our models controlling for education, health status, and social and economic activity explain the disparity in southern India but not the region-specific disparity in the northern India. North Indian women may face additional sources of stress associated with discrimination against women that contribute to persistent disadvantages in cognitive functioning at older ages. PMID:24622150

Late Quaternary glaciation history of monsoon-dominated Dingad basin, central Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, Tanuj; Mehta, Manish; Jaiswal, Manoj K.; Srivastava, Pradeep; Dobhal, D. P.; Nainwal, H. C.; Singh, Atul K.

2018-02-01

The study presents the Late Quaternary glaciation history of monsoon-dominated Dokriani Glacier valley, Dingad basin, central Himalaya, India. The basin is tested for the mechanism of landforms preservation in high relief and abundant precipitation regimes of the Higher Himalaya. Field geomorphology and remote sensing data, supported by Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating enabled identification of five major glacial events of decreasing magnitude. The oldest glacial stage, Dokriani Glacial Stage I (DGS-I), extended down to ∼8 km (2883 m asl) from present-day snout (3965 m asl) followed by other four glaciations events viz. DGS-II, DGS-III, DGS-IV and DGS-V terminating at ∼3211, 3445, 3648 and ∼3733 m asl respectively. The DGS-I glaciation (∼25-∼22 ka BP) occurred during early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) -2, characterized as Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) extension of the valley. Similarly, DGS-II stage (∼14-∼11 ka BP) represents the global cool and dry Older Dryas and Younger Dryas event glaciation. The DGS-III glaciation (∼8 ka BP) coincides with early Holocene 8.2 ka cooling event, the DGS-IV glaciations (∼4-3.7 ka BP) corresponds to 4.2 ka cool and drier event, DGS-V (∼2.7-∼1 ka BP) represents the cool and moist late Holocene glacial advancement of the valley. This study suggests that the Dokriani Glacier valley responded to the global lowering of temperature and variable precipitation conditions. This study also highlights the close correlation between the monsoon-dominated valley glaciations and Northern Hemisphere cooling events influenced by North Atlantic climate.

Evaluation of chikungunya virus infection in children from India during 2009-2010: A cross sectional observational study.

PubMed

Raghavendhar, B Siva; Ray, Pratima; Ratagiri, Vinod H; Sharma, B S; Kabra, Sushil K; Lodha, Rakesh

2016-06-01

positive cases were from KIMS center, Hubli. Seasonally, positivity varied with number of enrolled cases at KIMS and SMS. Joint pain was significantly associated with CHIKV positivity (P = 0.0156). Presence/absence of certain clinical features varied with age (P < 0.05). Sequence analysis revealed four amino acid changes. Phylogenetic analysis with partial sequences of E1 gene from KIMS (n = 12) and SMS (n = 5) showed that the study isolates clustered with Indian Ocean Lineage strains (IOL) of East, Central and South African (ECSA) type. Evaluation of chikungunya virus infection in children from India during 2009-2010 showed high proportion of CHIKV infection in Southern region of India compared to Northern region. The circulating CHIKV strains were of Indian Ocean Lineage (IOL) group within the East, Central, and South African (ECSA) genotype. However few amino acid changes were observed in E1 polypeptide with reference to African strain S-27 (AF369024). Further studies are needed to know the implications of these changes in vector-pathogen compatibility and host-pathogen interactivity. As a whole, this study highlighted the proportion of CHIKV cases, lineage of causative strain and evolutionary pattern of circulating strain in terms of amino acid changes in the structural protein. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Health literacy on tuberculosis amongst vulnerable segment of population: special reference to Saharia tribe in central India

PubMed Central

Muniyandi, M.; Rao, V.G.; Bhat, J.; Yadav, R.; Sharma, R.K.; Bhondeley, M.K.

2015-01-01

Background & objectives: Health literacy on tuberculosis (TB) is an understanding about TB to perform activities with regard to prevention, diagnosis and treatment. We undertook a study to assess the health literacy on TB among one of the vulnerable tribal groups (Saharia) in central India. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 2721 individuals aged >15 yr from two districts of Madhya Pradesh State of India were interviewed at their residence during December 2012-July 2013. By using a short-form questionnaire, health literacy on cause, symptoms, mode of transmission, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of TB was assessed. Results: Of the 2721 (Gwalior 1381; Shivpuri 1340) individuals interviewed; 76 per cent were aged <45 yr. Living condition was very poor (62% living in huts/katcha houses, 84 per cent with single room, 89 per cent no separate kitchen, 97 per cent used wood/crop as a fuel). Overall literacy rate was 19 per cent, and 22 per cent had >7 members in a house. Of the 2721 respondents participated, 52 per cent had never heard of TB; among them 8 per cent mentioned cough as a symptom, 64 per cent mentioned coughing up blood, and 91 per cent knew that TB diagnosis, and treatment facilities were available in both government and private hospitals. Health literacy score among participants who had heard of TB was <40 per cent among 36 per cent of respondents, 41-60 per cent among 54 per cent and >60 per cent among 8 per cent of respondents. Interpretation & conclusions: The finding that nearly half of the respondents had not heard of TB indicated an important gap in education regarding TB in this vulnerable population. There is an urgent need to implement targeted interventions to educate this group for better TB control. PMID:26139783

Health literacy on tuberculosis amongst vulnerable segment of population: special reference to Saharia tribe in central India.

PubMed

Muniyandi, M; Rao, V G; Bhat, J; Yadav, R; Sharma, R K; Bhondeley, M K

2015-05-01

Health literacy on tuberculosis (TB) is an understanding about TB to perform activities with regard to prevention, diagnosis and treatment. We undertook a study to assess the health literacy on TB among one of the vulnerable tribal groups (Saharia) in central India. In this cross-sectional study, 2721 individuals aged >15 yr from two districts of Madhya Pradesh State of India were interviewed at their residence during December 2012-July 2013. By using a short-form questionnaire, health literacy on cause, symptoms, mode of transmission, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of TB was assessed. Of the 2721 (Gwalior 1381; Shivpuri 1340) individuals interviewed; 76 per cent were aged <45 yr. Living condition was very poor (62% living in huts/katcha houses, 84 per cent with single room, 89 per cent no separate kitchen, 97 per cent used wood/crop as a fuel). Overall literacy rate was 19 per cent, and 22 per cent had >7 members in a house. Of the 2721 respondents participated, 52 per cent had never heard of TB; among them 8 per cent mentioned cough as a symptom, 64 per cent mentioned coughing up blood, and 91 per cent knew that TB diagnosis, and treatment facilities were available in both government and private hospitals. Health literacy score among participants who had heard of TB was <40 per cent among 36 per cent of respondents, 41-60 per cent among 54 per cent and >60 per cent among 8 per cent of respondents. The finding that nearly half of the respondents had not heard of TB indicated an important gap in education regarding TB in this vulnerable population. There is an urgent need to implement targeted interventions to educate this group for better TB control.

Factors associated with long-term species composition in dry tropical forests of Central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwala, M.; DeFries, R. S.; Qureshi, Q.; Jhala, Y. V.

2016-10-01

The long-term future of species composition in forests depends on regeneration. Many factors can affect regeneration, including human use, environmental conditions, and species’ traits. This study examines the influence of these factors in a tropical deciduous forest of Central India, which is heavily used by local, forest-dependent residents for livestock grazing, fuel-wood extraction, construction and other livelihood needs. We measure size-class proportions (the ratio of abundance of a species at a site in a higher size class to total abundance in both lower and higher size classes) for 39 tree species across 20 transects at different intensities of human use. The size-class proportions for medium to large trees and for small to medium-sized trees were negatively associated with species that are used for local construction, while size class proportions for saplings to small trees were positively associated with those species that are fire resistant and negatively associated with livestock density. Results indicate that grazing and fire prevent non-fire resistant species from reaching reproductive age, which can alter the long term composition and future availability of species that are important for local use and ecosystem services. Management efforts to reduce fire and forest grazing could reverse these impacts on long-term forest composition.

Multi-center feasibility study evaluating recruitment, variability in risk factors and biomarkers for a diet and cancer cohort in India

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background India's population exhibits diverse dietary habits and chronic disease patterns. Nutritional epidemiologic studies in India are primarily of cross-sectional or case-control design and subject to biases, including differential recall of past diet. The aim of this feasibility study was to evaluate whether a diet-focused cohort study of cancer could be established in India, providing insight into potentially unique diet and lifestyle exposures. Methods Field staff contacted 7,064 households within three regions of India (New Delhi, Mumbai, and Trivandrum) and found 4,671 eligible adults aged 35-69 years. Participants completed interviewer-administered questionnaires (demographic, diet history, physical activity, medical/reproductive history, tobacco/alcohol use, and occupational history), and staff collected biological samples (blood, urine, and toenail clippings), anthropometric measurements (weight, standing and sitting height; waist, hip, and thigh circumference; triceps, sub-scapula and supra-patella skin fold), and blood pressure measurements. Results Eighty-eight percent of eligible subjects completed all questionnaires and 67% provided biological samples. Unique protein sources by region were fish in Trivandrum, dairy in New Delhi, and pulses (legumes) in Mumbai. Consumption of meat, alcohol, fast food, and soft drinks was scarce in all three regions. A large percentage of the participants were centrally obese and had elevated blood glucose levels. New Delhi participants were also the least physically active and had elevated lipids levels, suggesting a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Conclusions A high percentage of participants complied with study procedures including biological sample collection. Epidemiologic expertise and sufficient infrastructure exists at these three sites in India to successfully carry out a modest sized population-based study; however, we identified some potential problems in conducting a cohort study, such as limited

Dental public health in India: An insight

PubMed Central

Gambhir, Ramandeep Singh; Kaur, Amanpreet; Singh, Arshdeep; Sandhu, Anmol Rattan Singh; Dhaliwal, Angad Prakash Singh

2016-01-01

Oral diseases are a major public health problem, and their burden is on increase in many low- and middle-income countries. Dental public health (DPH) aims to improve the oral health of the population through preventive and curative services. However, its achievements in India are being questioned probably because of lack of proficiency and skill among DPH personnel. The literature search for the present study was conducted utilizing various search engines and electronic databases such as PubMed and MEDLINE. Documents related to the Central and State Governments of India were also considered. Finally, 26 articles were selected for the present study from which relevant information can be extracted. The present study focuses on some of the important aspects relating to DPH in India such as priority for oral health, DPH workforce and curriculum, utilization of DPH personnel in providing primary oral health care, role of mobile dental vans, and research in DPH. It was concluded that more attention should be given toward preventive oral health care by employing more number of public health dentists in public sector, strengthening DPH education and research, and combining oral health programs with general health-care programs. PMID:28348984

Data on nearshore wave process and surficial beach deposits, central Tamil Nadu coast, India.

PubMed

Joevivek, V; Chandrasekar, N

2017-08-01

The chronicles of nearshore morphology and surficial beach deposits provide valuable information about the nature of the beach condition and the depositional environment. It imparts an understanding about the spatial and temporal relationship of nearshore waves and its influence over the distribution of beach sediments. This article contains data about wave and sediment dynamics of the ten sandy beaches along the central Tamil Nadu coast, India. This present dataset comprises nearshore wave parameters, breaker wave type, beach morphodynamic state, grain size distribution and weight percentage of heavy and light mineral distribution. The dataset will figure out the beach morphology and hydrodynamic condition with respect to the different monsoonal season. This will act as a field reference to realize the coastal dynamics in an open sea condition. The nearshore entities were obtained from the intensive field survey between January 2011 and December 2011, while characteristics of beach sediments are examined by the chemical process in the laboratory environment.

The Central Eurasia collision zone: insights from a neotectonic study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tunini, Lavinia; Jiménez-Munt, Ivone; Fernandez, Manel; Vergés, Jaume

2017-04-01

In this study, we explore the neotectonic deformation in the whole Central Eurasia, including both the India-Eurasia and the Arabia-Eurasia collision zones, by using the thin-sheet approach in which the lithosphere strength is calculated from the lithosphere structure and thermal regime. We investigate the relative contributions of the lithospheric structure, rheology, boundary conditions, and friction coefficient on faults on the predicted velocity and stress fields. The resulting models have been evaluated by comparing the predictions with available data on seismic deformation, stress directions and GPS velocities. A first order approximation of the velocity and stress directions is obtained, reproducing the counter-clockwise rotation of Arabia and Iran, the westward escape of Anatolia, and the eastward extrusion of the northern Tibetan Plateau. To simulate the observed extensional faults within Tibet a weaker lithosphere is required, provided by a change in the rheological parameters or a reduction of the lithosphere thickness in NE-Tibet. The temperature increase generated by the lithospheric thinning below the Tibetan Plateau would also allow reconciling the model with the high heat flow and low mantle seismic velocities observed in the area. Besides the large scale, this study offers a coherent result in regions with little or no data coverage, as in the case of the Arabia-India inter-collision zone, over large areas of Pakistan and entire Afghanistan. The study is supported by MITE (CGL2014-59516-P) and WE-ME (PIE-CSIC-201330E111) projects.

Challenges in conducting psychiatry studies in India

PubMed Central

Kharawala, Saifuddin; Dalal, Jeroze

2011-01-01

A large number of psychiatry studies are conducted in India. Psychiatry studies are complex and present unique challenges in the Indian setting. Ethical issues pertaining to the risk of worsening of illness, use of placebo and validity of informed consents are commonly faced. Site selection can be difficult due to the relative paucity of ICH-GCP (International Conference on Harmonisation - Good Clinical Practice) trained psychiatry investigators in India. Recruitment can be challenging due to issues such as strict eligibility criteria, (lack of) availability of caregiver, illness-related considerations, etc. Assessment of the consent capacity of patients is not simple, while structured assessments are not commonly employed. As the illness fluctuates, the consent capacity may change, thus requiring continued assessment of consent capacity. Study patients run the risk of worsening of illness and suicide due to exposure to inactive treatments; this risk is counterbalanced by use of appropriate study designs, as well as the indirect psychotherapeutic support received. Psychiatry studies are associated with a high placebo response. This necessitates conduct of placebo-controlled studies despite the attendant difficulties. Also, the high placebo response is often the cause of failed trials. Rating scales are essential for assessment of drug response. Some rating instruments as well as some rater training procedures may not be suitable for the Indian setting. Technological advancements may increase the procedural complexity but improve the quality of ratings. Psychiatry studies present monitors and auditors with unique scenarios too. Utilization of psychiatry specific training and expertise is recommended to ensure successful conduct of these studies in India. PMID:21584176

Coarse particle (PM10-2.5) source profiles for emissions from domestic cooking and industrial process in Central India.

PubMed

Bano, Shahina; Pervez, Shamsh; Chow, Judith C; Matawle, Jeevan Lal; Watson, John G; Sahu, Rakesh Kumar; Srivastava, Anjali; Tiwari, Suresh; Pervez, Yasmeen Fatima; Deb, Manas Kanti

2018-06-15

To develop coarse particle (PM 10-2.5 , 2.5 to 10μm) chemical source profiles, real-world source sampling from four domestic cooking and seven industrial processing facilities were carried out in "Raipur-Bhilai" of Central India. Collected samples were analysed for 32 chemical species including 21 elements (Al, As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, S, Sb, Se, V, and Zn) by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), 8 water-soluble ions (Na + , K + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Cl - , F - , NO 3 - , and SO 4 2- ) by ion chromatography, ammonium (NH 4 + ) by spectrophotometry, and carbonaceous fractions (OC and EC) by thermal/optical transmittance. The carbonaceous fractions were most abundant fraction in household fuel and municipal solid waste combustion emissions while elemental species were more abundant in industrial emissions. Most of the elemental species were enriched in PM 2.5 (<2.5μm) size fraction as compared to the PM 10-2.5 fraction. Abundant Ca (13-28%) was found in steel-rolling mill (SRM) and cement production industry (CPI) emissions, with abundant Fe (14-32%) in ferro-manganese (FEMNI), steel production industry (SPI), and electric-arc welding emissions. High coefficients of divergence (COD) values (0.46 to 0.88) among the profiles indicate their differences. These region-specific source profiles are more relevant to source apportionment studies in India than profiles measured elsewhere. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Gender disparity in late-life cognitive functioning in India: findings from the longitudinal aging study in India.

PubMed

Lee, Jinkook; Shih, Regina; Feeney, Kevin; Langa, Kenneth M

2014-07-01

To examine gender disparities in cognitive functioning in India and the extent to which education explains this disparity in later life. This study uses baseline interviews of a prospective cohort study of 1,451 community-residing adults 45 years of age or older in four geographically diverse states of India (Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan). Data collected during home visits includes cognitive performance tests, and rich sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial variables. The cognitive performance tests include episodic memory, numeracy, and a modified version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. We find gender disparity in cognitive function in India, and this disparity is greater in the north than the south. We also find that gender disparities in educational attainment, health, and social and economic activity explain the female cognitive disadvantage in later life. We report significant gender disparities in cognitive functioning among older Indian adults, which differ from gender disparities in cognition encountered in developed countries. Our models controlling for education, health status, and social and economic activity explain the disparity in southern India but not the region-specific disparity in the northern India. North Indian women may face additional sources of stress associated with discrimination against women that contribute to persistent disadvantages in cognitive functioning at older ages. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Quality of Life Determinants in Breast Cancer Patients in Central Rural India

PubMed

Gangane, Nitin; Khairkar, Pravin; Hurtig, Anna-Karin; San Sebastián, Miguel

2017-12-29

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women throughout world, with incidence rates increasing in India. Improved survival in breast cancer patients has resulted in their quality of life (QOL) becoming an important issue. Identifying determinants for QOL may provide insights into how to improve their living conditions. This study aimed to assess socio-demographic and clinical factors, as well as the role of self-efficacy, in relation to QOL among women with breast cancer in rural India. Methods: A total of 208 female patients with infiltrating carcinoma of the breast participated in the study. A questionnaire was administered that included sections for socio-demographic characteristics, clinical stage of the cancer and patient delay in seeking health care. A standardized instrument to measure self-efficacy was applied. To assess QOL, the WHOQOL – BREF instrument was used. Results: The overall mean score for QOL was 59.3. For domain 1 (physical health) the mean score across all groups was 55.5, for psychological health 58.2, for social relationships 63.2 and for environmental factors, 60.4. The environmental domain in QOL was negatively associated with lower education. Being divorced/widowed/unmarried had a negative association with the psychological health and social relationship dimensions, whereas higher income was positively associated with QOL parameters such as psychology, social relationships and environmental factors. Self-efficacy was positively associated with all four domains of QOL. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated a moderate QOL in women with breast cancer in rural India. Young age, lack of education and being without a partner were negatively related to QOL, and employment as casual and industrial workers, high monthly family income and higher self-efficacy were positively associated with QOL. A comprehensive public health initiative is required, including social, financial and environmental support, that

Depositional characteristics of the Indus Group in the India-Asia collision zone, northwest India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, G.; Robinson, D.; Orme, D. A.; Najman, Y.; Khanolkar, S.

2017-12-01

The Indus Group in northwest India are synorogenic sedimentary rocks deposited within the Indus-Yarlung Suture Zone between 50-6 Ma in an intermontane basin, and record the tectono-depositional history of the Indus basin following the India-Asia plate collision at 60-50 Ma. Controversy surrounds the provenance and timing of deposition of two major Indus Group formations, the Basgo and Temesgam formations. Researchers argue between an Asian or Indian origin and whether these formations are Maastrichtian-Early Eocene or Late Oligocene in age. In the central Ladakh region in northwest India, the Zanskar Gorge bisects the Indus Group. Thus, Zanskar Gorge section is well-studied with measured sections, point counting, illite crystallinity, apatite fission track, Ar-Ar detrital white mica and U-Pb detrital zircon ages. In eastern Ladakh, works on the Indus Group are fewer. The purpose of this study is to document both the Basgo and Temesgam formations in the Indus Group along four sections in eastern Ladakh and, if possible, correlate the results to the Zanskar Gorge section. The four sections are the Domkhar-Skurbuchan, Skinning-Khalsi, Temesgam-Nurla and Likir-Taruche sections. Measured sections, conglomerate clast counts and sandstone point counting analyses assess the facies characteristics and provenance of the Indus Group. The results of these data will be presented. Interpretation of the provenance as it applies to these data will be discussed.

Morphotectonics of the Jamini River basin, Bundelkhand Craton, Central India; using remote sensing and GIS technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prakash, K.; Mohanty, T.; Pati, J. K.; Singh, S.; Chaubey, K.

2017-11-01

Morphological and morphotectonic analyses have been used to obtain information that influence hydrographic basins, predominantly these are modifications of tectonic elements and the quantitative description of landforms. Discrimination of morphotectonic indices of active tectonics of the Jamini river basin consists the analyses of asymmetry factor, ruggedness number, basin relief, gradient, basin elongation ratio, drainage density analysis, and drainage pattern analysis, which have been completed for each drainage basin using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The Jamini river is one of the major tributaries of the Betwa river in central India. The Jamini river basin is divided into five subwatersheds viz. Jamrar, Onri, Sainam, Shahzad and Baragl subwatershed. The quantitative approach of watershed development of the Jamini river basin, and its four sixth (SW1-SW4) and one fifth (SW5) order subwatersheds, was carried out using Survey of India toposheets (parts of 54I, 54K, 54L, 54O, and 54P), Landsat 7 ETM+, ASTER (GDEM) data, and field data. The Jamini river has low bifurcation index which is a positive marker of tectonic imprint on the hydrographic network. The analyses show that the geomorphological progression of the study area was robustly influenced by tectonics. The analysis demonstrates to extensional tectonics system with the following alignments: NE-SW, NW-SE, NNE-SSW, ENE-WSW, E-W, and N-S. Three major trends are followed by lower order streams viz. NE-SW, NW-SE, and E-W directions which advocate that these tectonic trends were active at least up to the Late Pleistocene. The assessment of morphotectonic indices may be used to evaluate the control of active faults on the hydrographic system. The analysis points out westward tilting of the drainage basins with strong asymmetry in some reaches, marked elongation ratio of subwatersheds, and lower order streams having close alignment with lineaments (active faults). The study facilitated to considerate the

Impacts of Changing Climate on Agricultural Variability: Implications for Smallholder Farmers in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, P.; Jain, M.; DeFries, R. S.; Galford, G. L.; Small, C.

2013-12-01

Agriculture is the largest employment sector in India, where food productivity, and thus food security, is highly dependent on seasonal rainfall and temperature. Projected increase in temperature, along with less frequent but intense rainfall events, will have a negative impact on crop productivity in India in the coming decades. These changes, along with continued ground water depletion, could have serious implications for Indian smallholder farmers, who are among some of the most vulnerable communities to climatic and economic changes. Hence baseline information on agricultural sensitivity to climate variability is important for strategies and policies that promote adaptation to climate variability. This study examines how cropping patterns in different agro-ecological zones in India respond to variations in precipitation and temperature. We specifically examine: a) which climate variables most influence crop cover for monsoon and winter crops? and b) how does the sensitivity of crop cover to climate variability vary in different agro-ecological regions with diverse socio-economic factors? We use remote sensing data (2000-01 - 2012-13) for cropping patterns (developed using MODIS satellite data), climate parameters (derived from MODIS and TRMM satellite data) and agricultural census data. We initially assessed the importance of these climate variables in two agro-ecoregions: a predominantly groundwater irrigated, cash crop region in western India, and a region in central India primarily comprised of rain-fed or surface water irrigated subsistence crops. Seasonal crop cover anomaly varied between -25% and 25% of the 13-year mean in these two regions. Predominantly climate-dependent region in central India showed high anomalies up to 200% of the 13-year crop cover mean, especially during winter season. Winter daytime mean temperature is overwhelmingly the most important climate variable for winter crops irrespective of the varied biophysical and socio

AIDS in India: emerging from initial chaos.

PubMed

Chatterjee, A

1991-01-01

India's response to AIDS has ranged from a 3-phase official surveillance program begun by the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 1985, to legislation criticized as "bigoted and superficial", to conflicting messages, panic and confusion. The ICMR has determined that HIV is transmitted mainly by heterosexual contacts in India. In the media the Director-General of the ICMR was cited as recommending that sex with foreign visitors be banned, as a way to contain the HIV epidemic. Media also reported that defective ELISA screening kits were imported into India that infection control in some hospitals is sub-optimal, that the blood and blood products supply is grossly contaminated with HIV and that certain commercial blood donors were infected from giving blood. All foreign students currently must be HIV-negative to get a visa. It is a major problem to plan an AIDS education campaign with India's large illiterate population and dozens of languages. An AIDS network is emerging incorporating ICMR, the All India Institute of Medical Science, the Central Health Education Bureau, Mother Teresa's order, and a newly formed gay awareness group with the newsletter "Bombay Dost."

Basic Skills in Asian Studies: India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hantula, James

Designed for an Asian studies program at the secondary level and using learning activities centering on India, the guide develops four basic skills: reading, applying critical thinking, interpreting the geography, and understanding history. Five learning activities are provided for each basic skill and each unit is introduced with a description…

Climatology and trends of summer high temperature days in India during 1969-2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaswal, A. K.; Rao, P. C. S.; Singh, Virendra

2015-02-01

Based on the daily maximum air temperature data from 176 stations in India from 1969 to 2013, the climatological distribution of the number of days with high temperature (HT) defined as days with maximum temperature higher than 37°C during summer season (March-June) are studied. With a focus on the regional variability and long-term trends, the impacts of HT days are examined by dividing the country into six geographical regions (North, West, North-central, East, South-central and South). Although the long-term (1969-2013) climatological numbers of HT days display well-defined spatial patterns, there is clear change in climatological mean and coefficient of variation of HT days in a recent period (1991-2013). The long period trends indicate increase in summer HT days by 3%, 5%, and 18% in north, west, and south regions, respectively and decrease by 4% and 9% in north-central and east regions respectively. However, spatial variations in HT days exist across different regions in the country. The data analysis shows that 2010 was the warmest summer year and 2013 was the coolest summer year in India. Comparison of spatial distributions of trends in HT days for 1969-1990 and 1991-2013 periods reveal that there is an abrupt increase in the number of HT days over north, west and north-central regions of India probably from mid 1990s. A steep increase in summer HT days in highly populated cities of Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur, and Visakhapatnam is noticed during the recent period of 1991-2013. The summer HT days over southern India indicate significant positive correlation with Nino 3.4 index for three months' running mean (December-January-February, January-March, February-April, March-May and April-June).

A delphi study on health in future India.

PubMed

Rohatgi, K; Rohatgi, P K

1980-07-01

A delphi study was conducted to identify or envision health scenarios in India by the year 2000. Questionnaires consisting of 48 questions on 5 areas (diagnosis and therapy; family planning; pharmaceuticals and drugs; biochemical and biomedical research; health services) were mailed to 250 experts in India. 36 responded. Results were compiled and mailed back to the respondents for changes and comments. 17 people responded. Results of the delphi study shows that policy decisions with respect to compulsory family planning as well as health education at secondary school level will precede further breakthroughs in birth control technology. Non operation reversible sterilization procedures, immunological birth control, Ayurvedic medicines for contraception and abortion, and selection of baby's sex are all possible by 2000 thereafter. Complete eradication of infectious diseases, malnutrition and associated diseases is considered unlikely before 2000, as are advances in biomedical research. Changes in health services (e.g., significant increases in hospital beds and doctors, cheap bulk drugs), particularly in rural areas, are imminent, leading to prolonging of life expectancy to 70 years. Genetic engineering may provide significant breakthroughs in the prevention of malignancies and cardiac disorders. The India delphi study is patterned after a similar delphi study conducted in the U.S. by Smith, Kline and French (SKF) Laboratories in 1968. The SKF study was able to predict some breakthroughs with basic research which have been realized.

Blood banking services in India.

PubMed

Sardana, V N

1996-01-01

India's health care sector has made impressive strides toward providing health for all by the year 2000. That progress, however, has not been supported by a modern transfusion services network which continues to improve itself. In India, blood collection, storage, and delivery occur mainly in blood banks attached to hospitals, most of which are under central and state government controls. A significant portion of blood banking activity is also done by voluntary agencies and private sector blood banks. A study found the blood transfusion services infrastructure to be highly decentralized and lacking of many critical resources; an overall shortage of blood, especially from volunteer donors; limited and erratic testing facilities; an extremely limited blood component production/availability/use; and a shortage of health care professionals in the field of transfusion services. Infrastructural modernization and the technical upgrading of skills in the blood banks would, however, provide India with a dynamic transfusion services network. The safety of blood transfusion, the national blood safety program, HIV testing facilities, modernization of blood banks, the rational use of blood, program management, manpower development, the legal framework, voluntary blood donation, and a 1996 Supreme Court judgement on the need to focus greater attention upon the blood program are discussed.

Emergence of a World Class Atmospheric Science Facility in the Central Himalayan Regions of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taori, A.; Sunilkumar, S. V.; Pant, P.; Sagar, R.

A new institute Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observation Sciences ARIES has re-borne in year 2004 when the Department of Science and Technology Govt of India took over the 50 year old State Observatory Nainital situated at 2km above the mean sea level in the Shivalik range of central Himalayas Understanding the importance of Nainital 29 4 N 79 5 E it was decided that prime focus should be to set up a world-class research facility for atmospheric sciences apart from the existing astronomy and astrophysics Reason for the above being the strategic location of Nainital to study the free tropospheric aerosols stratosphere-troposphere exchange monsoon dynamics and atmospheric waves These waves can be seeded by the Himalayan topography and may propagate up to the mesosphere-lower thermosphere altitudes and manifest themselves as an important coupling agent between lower middle and upper atmosphere Advance facilities to study the middle atmospheric dynamics are getting established For this an 84-cm Rayleigh lidar is under development to study the thermal structure of the middle atmosphere which will be commissioned by year 2009 A new project has already been approved to set up a stratosphere-troposphere ST radar facility which will further help understanding the thermal structure and wind field measurements in troposphere-stratosphere altitudes To supplement these several airglow experiments will also be stationed for simultaneous measurements Such facilities are of great importance for coordination with the space borne measurements After

Unlocking India’s Strategic Potential in Central Asia

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

influence via the newly created Eurasian Economic Union. China is expanding its reach through a recently launched Silk Road Eco- nomic Belt. Other...argues that India needs not only to compete but also cooperate with its perceived rivals in the broader region, especially China and Pakistan. Most...a comparative perspec- tive with China , another aspiring Asian great power poised to stiffen competition for resources and influ- ence worldwide

Perceptions about Intellectual Disability: A Qualitative Study from Vellore, South India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwardraj, S.; Mumtaj, K.; Prasad, J. H.; Kuruvilla, A.; Jacob, K. S.

2010-01-01

Background: Cultural and religious beliefs influence perceptions about health and illness. Data, from India, on perceptions about intellectual disability are scant. This study explored people's cultural beliefs and attitudes about intellectual disability, perceived needs and burden associated with care in Vellore, south India. Method: A…

In Search of Lakshmi's Footprints: A Brief Study of the Use of Surface Design in India. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad, 1997 (India).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasmussen, Marie

This paper provides a description of the use of surface design in India and how those patterns have migrated throughout India. This study is confined in interest to the use of design and pattern to convey religious symbolism and other auspicious meanings. The migration of pattern to various parts of India will change the name or the technique, but…

Study Shows India Can Integrate 175 GW of Renewable Energy into Its

Science.gov Websites

Electricity Grid | News | News | NREL Study Shows India Can Integrate 175 GW of Renewable Energy into Its Electricity Grid News Release: Study Shows India Can Integrate 175 GW of Renewable Energy Corporation, Ltd. (POSOCO); and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) produced the study Greening the

Nuclear programs in India and Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mian, Zia

India and Pakistan launched their respective nuclear programs in the 1940s and 1950s with considerable foreign technical support, especially from the United States Atoms for Peace Program. The technology and training that was acquired served as the platform for later nuclear weapon development efforts that included nuclear weapon testing in 1974 and in 1998 by India, and also in 1998 by Pakistan - which had illicitly acquired uranium enrichment technology especially from Europe and received assistance from China. As of 2013, both India and Pakistan were continuing to produce fissile material for weapons, in the case of India also formore » nuclear naval fuel, and were developing a diverse array of ballistic and cruise missiles. International efforts to restrain the South Asian nuclear build-up have been largely set aside over the past decade as Pakistani support became central for the U.S. war in Afghanistan and as U.S. geopolitical and economic interests in supporting the rise of India, in part as a counter to China, led to India being exempted both from U.S non-proliferation laws and international nuclear trade guidelines. In the absence of determined international action and with Pakistan blocking the start of talks on a fissile material cutoff treaty, nuclear weapon programs in South Asia are likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future.« less

Nuclear programs in India and Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mian, Zia

2014-05-01

India and Pakistan launched their respective nuclear programs in the 1940s and 1950s with considerable foreign technical support, especially from the United States Atoms for Peace Program. The technology and training that was acquired served as the platform for later nuclear weapon development efforts that included nuclear weapon testing in 1974 and in 1998 by India, and also in 1998 by Pakistan - which had illicitly acquired uranium enrichment technology especially from Europe and received assistance from China. As of 2013, both India and Pakistan were continuing to produce fissile material for weapons, in the case of India also for nuclear naval fuel, and were developing a diverse array of ballistic and cruise missiles. International efforts to restrain the South Asian nuclear build-up have been largely set aside over the past decade as Pakistani support became central for the U.S. war in Afghanistan and as U.S. geopolitical and economic interests in supporting the rise of India, in part as a counter to China, led to India being exempted both from U.S non-proliferation laws and international nuclear trade guidelines. In the absence of determined international action and with Pakistan blocking the start of talks on a fissile material cutoff treaty, nuclear weapon programs in South Asia are likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future.

Dental manpower in India: changing trends since 1920.

PubMed

Jaiswal, Ashish K; Srinivas, Pachava; Suresh, Sanikommu

2014-08-01

To analyse the changing trends in dental manpower production of India since 1920 and its development to date. The databases consulted were those provided by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence, Dental Council of India, and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Descriptive statistics. In India, dental education was formally established in 1920 when the first dental college was started. Current data revealed that there are 301 colleges nationwide granting degrees in dentistry, with a total of 25,270 student positions offering annually. Both the distribution of dental colleges and of dentists varies among the regions of the country with the greatest concentration in major urban areas, resulting in limited coverage in rural regions. The current scenario indicates that there is lack of systematic planning in the allocation and development of dental colleges in India. © 2014 FDI World Dental Federation.

Workers Education Programme in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chansarkar, M. A.

1970-01-01

The philosophy of Workers Education in India is that strong and enlightened trade unions could be of great value in the rapid industrialization of the country. The Central Board for Workers Education has devised a number of training programs, the most important of which are training of education officers, worker-teachers training, and training…

Foreign Area Studies: India. A Syllabus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Emily C., Ed.

Developed for a one-semester college credit course, this syllabus encourages a cross-cultural approach to the study of Indian society. The objective is to provide students with not only a balanced view of India but also with an idea of dynamics of change. Emphasis is upon paralleling social and political issues in the United States with those of…

GIS-based multicriteria overlay analysis in soil-suitability evaluation for cotton (Gossypium spp.): A case study in the black soil region of Central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walke, N.; Obi Reddy, G. P.; Maji, A. K.; Thayalan, S.

2012-04-01

In this study an attempt was made to characterize the soils of the Ringanbodi watershed, Nagpur district, Maharashtra, Central India, for soil-suitability evaluation for cotton using geographic information system (GIS)-based multicriteria overlay analysis techniques. The study shows that 8 soil series and 16 soil series associations in the study area and soils were classified into three orders, i.e., Entisol, Inceptisol, and Vertisol. The analysis reveals that the soil associations E-F, F-G, G-H, and H-G are "moderately suitable" (S2), D-E are "marginally to moderately suitable," and C-D are marginally (S3) suitable. However, soils B-C are "not suitable" to "marginally suitable" (N2-S3) and A-B are "unsuitable" (N2) for cultivation of cotton. The area analysis shows that for a cotton crop an area about 966.7 ha (49.1%) of TGA is moderately suitable and classified as S2. An area about 469.9 ha (23.8%) of TGA is marginal to moderately suitable (S3-S2). The marginally suitable soils for cotton are classified as S3 and cover an area about 35.2 ha (1.8%) of TGA. However, a 172.3 ha (8.7%) area is not suitable (N2) to marginally suitable (S3) and a 326.9 (16.6%) area is not suitable (N2) for cotton because of uncorrectable factors like soil depth, slope, etc. The study demonstrated that GIS-based multicriteria overlay analysis of soil thematic parameters will be of immense help in soil-suitability evaluation for cotton.

Neotectonic Deformation in Central Eurasia: A Geodynamic Model Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tunini, Lavinia; Jiménez-Munt, Ivone; Fernandez, Manel; Vergés, Jaume; Bird, Peter

2017-11-01

Central Eurasia hosts wide orogenic belts of collision between India and Arabia with Eurasia, with diffuse or localized deformation occurring up to hundreds of kilometers from the primary plate boundaries. Although numerous studies have investigated the neotectonic deformation in central Eurasia, most of them have focused on limited segments of the orogenic systems. Here we explore the neotectonic deformation of all of central Eurasia, including both collision zones and the links between them. We use a thin-spherical sheet approach in which lithosphere strength is calculated from lithosphere structure and its thermal regime. We investigate the contributions of variations in lithospheric structure, rheology, boundary conditions, and fault friction coefficients on the predicted velocity and stress fields. Results (deformation pattern, surface velocities, tectonic stresses, and slip rates on faults) are constrained by independent observations of tectonic regime, GPS, and stress data. Our model predictions reproduce the counterclockwise rotation of Arabia and Iran, the westward escape of Anatolia, and the eastward extrusion of the northern Tibetan Plateau. To simulate the observed extensional faults in the Tibetan Plateau, a weaker lithosphere is required, provided by a change in the rheological parameters. The southward movement of the SE Tibetan Plateau can be explained by the combined effects of the Sumatra trench retreat, a thinner lithospheric mantle, and strik-slip faults in the region. This study offers a comprehensive model for regions with little or no data coverage, like the Arabia-India intercollision zone, where the surface velocity is northward showing no deflection related to Arabia and India indentations.

Mapping the Characteristics of Critical Care Facilities: Assessment, Distribution, and Level of Critical Care Facilities from Central India.

PubMed

Saigal, Saurabh; Sharma, Jai Prakash; Pakhare, Abhijit; Bhaskar, Santosh; Dhanuka, Sanjay; Kumar, Sanjay; Sabde, Yogesh; Bhattacharya, Pradip; Joshi, Rajnish

2017-10-01

In low- and middle-income countries such as India, where health systems are weak, the number of available Critical Care Unit (Intensive Care Unit [ICU]) beds is expected to be low. There is no study from the Indian subcontinent that has reported the characteristics and distribution of existing ICUs. We performed this study to understand the characteristics and distribution of ICUs in Madhya Pradesh (MP) state of Central India. We also aimed to develop a consensus scoring system and internally validate it to define levels of care and to improve health system planning and to strengthen referral networks in the state. We obtained a list of potential ICU facilities from various sources and then performed a cross-sectional survey by visiting each facility and determining characteristics for each facility. We collected variables with respect to infrastructure, human resources, equipment, support services, procedures performed, training courses conducted, and in-place policies or standard operating procedure documents. We identified a total of 123 ICUs in MP. Of 123 ICUs, 35 were level 1 facilities, 74 were level 2 facilities, and only 14 were level 3 facilities. Overall, there were 0.17 facilities per 100,000 population (95* confidence interval [CI] 0.14-0.20 per 100,000 populations). There were a total of 1816 ICU beds in the state, with an average of 2.5 beds per 100,000 population (95* CI 2.4-2.6 per 100,000 population). Of the total number of ICU beds, 250 are in level 1, 1141 are in level 2, and 425 are in level 3 facilities. This amounts to 0.34, 1.57, and 0.59 ICU beds per 100,000 population for levels 1, 2, and 3, respectively. This study could just be an eye opener for our healthcare authorities at both state and national levels to estimate the proportion of ICU beds per lac population. Similar mapping of intensive care services from other States will generate national data that is hitherto unknown.

A short history of the development of homeopathy in India.

PubMed

Ghosh, Ajoy Kumar

2010-04-01

Homeopathy was introduced in India the early 19th century. It flourished in Bengal at first, and then spread all over India. In the beginning, the system was extensively practised by amateurs in the civil and military services and others. Mahendra Lal Sircar was the first Indian who became a homeopathic physician. A number of allopathic doctors started homeopathic practice following Sircar's lead. The 'Calcutta Homeopathic Medical College', the first homeopathic medical college was established in 1881. This institution took on a major role in popularising homeopathy in India. In 1973, the Government of India recognised homeopathy as one of the national systems of medicine and set up the Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH) to regulate its education and practice. Now, only qualified registered homeopaths can practice homeopathy in India. At present, in India, homeopathy is the third most popular method of medical treatment after allopathy and Ayurveda. There are over 200,000 registered homeopathic doctors currently, with approximately 12,000 more being added every year.

Prevalence of overweight/obesity and central obesity and its associated factors among a sample of university students in India.

PubMed

Pengpid, Supa; Peltzer, Karl

2014-01-01

Obesity and the lifestyle characteristic of Indian society lead young people to conditions of potential cardiovascular risk. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of overweight/obesity and central obesity and its associated factors in a sample of Indian university students. In a cross-sectional survey assessed anthropometric measurements and a self-administered questionnaire among a sample of randomly selected university students. The sample included 800 university students from non health (mainly sciences) courses Gitam University in India. The students were 541 (67.6%) males and 259 (32.4%) females in the age range of 17-20 years (M age 18.2 years, SD=1.0). 37.5% were overweight or obese, 26.8% overweight (≥23-27.4 BMI) and 10.7% obese (≥27.5 kg/m(2)), 11.7% underweight (<18.5 kg/m(2)) and 16.4% central obesity (WC ≥90 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women). In multivariate analysis among men lack of non-organised religious activity (odds ratio=OR 0.85, confidence interval=CI 0.77-0.95), lower dietary risk knowledge (OR=0.64, CI=0.41-0.99), tobacco use (OR=2.23, CI=1.14-4.38), and suffering from depression (OR=1.59, CI=1.00-2.47) were associated with overweight/obesity, and younger age (OR=0.32, CI=0.12-0.90), lives away from parents or guardians (OR=1.79, CI=1.04-3.07), healthy dietary practices (OR=1.95, CI=1.02-3.72) and 9 or more hours sleep duration (OR=0.28, CI=0.09-0.96) were associated with central obesity. In bivariate analysis among women, lack of social support, lower dietary risk knowledge, tobacco use, and 9 or more hours sleep duration were associated with overweight/obesity and lives away from parents or guardians and abstinence from alcohol associated with central obesity. The study found a high prevalence of overweight/obesity and central obesity. Several gender specific health risk practices were identified including lack of dietary risk knowledge, shorter sleep duration, living away from parents or guardians, tobacco use and

Assessing the quality of pharmacoeconomic studies in India: a systematic review.

PubMed

Desai, Pooja R; Chandwani, Hitesh S; Rascati, Karen L

2012-09-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of pharmacoeconomic studies based in India. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, EconLit, PsycInfo and Google Scholar to identify published work on pharmacoeconomics studies based in India. Articles were included if they were original studies that evaluated pharmaceuticals, were based in India and were conducted between 1990 and 2010. Two reviewers independently reviewed the articles using a subjective 10-point quality scale in addition to the 100-point Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) questionnaire. Twenty-nine articles published between 1998 and May 2010 were included in the review. The included articles were published in 23 different journals. Each article was written by an average of five authors. The mean subjective quality score of the 29 articles was 7.8 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.3) and the mean QHES scores for the complete pharmacoeconomic studies (n = 24) was 86 (SD = 6). The majority of authors resided in India (62%) at the time of publication and had a medical background (90%). The quality score was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) related to the country of residence of the primary author (non-India = higher) and the study design (randomized controlled trials = higher). Although the overall quality scores were comparable to (e.g. Nigeria) or higher than (e.g. Zimbabwe) similar studies in other developing countries, key features such as an explicit study perspective and the use of sensitivity analyses were missing in about 40% of the articles. The need for economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals is imperative, especially in developing countries such as India as this helps decision makers allocate scarce resources in a justifiable manner.

Cross-cultural standardization of the South Texas Assessment of Neurocognition in India.

PubMed

Cherkil, S; Satish, S; Mathew, S S; Dinesh, N; Kumar, C T S; Lombardo, L E; Glahn, D C; Frangou, S

2012-08-01

Despite the central role of cognition for mental disorders most studies have been conducted in western countries. Similar research from other parts of the world, particularly India, is very limited. As a first step in closing this gap this cross-cultural comparability study of the South Texas Assessment of Neurocognition (STAN) battery was conducted between USA and India. One hundred healthy adults from Kerala, India, were administered six language independent subtests of the Java Neuropsychological Test (JANET) version of the STAN, assessing aspects of general intellectual ability (Matrix Reasoning), attention (Identical Pairs Continuous Performance, 3 Symbol Version Test; IPCPTS), working memory (Spatial Capacity Delayed Response Test; SCAP), response inhibition (Stop Signal Reaction Time; SSRT), Emotional Recognition and Risk taking (Balloon Analogue Risk Task; BART). Test results were compared to a demographically matched US sample. Overall test performance in the Kerala sample was comparable to that of the US sample and commensurate to that generally described in studies from western countries. Our results support the metric equivalence of currently available cognitive test batteries developed in western countries for use in India. However, the sample was restricted to individuals who were literate and had completed basic primary and secondary education.

The Reverberations of a Graduate Study Abroad Course in India: Transformational Journeys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson Sathe, Laurie; Geisler, Carol C.

2017-01-01

Faculty in a transdisciplinary graduate program in holistic health studies, which is grounded in transformational learning led a study abroad course in India. The focus of the course is on perspectives of health and healing in India, including an understanding of Yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic medicine, and Tibetan medicine. The purpose of this…

[Global Studies]. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad, 1997 (India).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunn, Susan Strong

This unit contains a sampling of lessons from a unit on India designed for ninth-grade students. Sections of the unit include: (1) "Geography of India"; (2) "Comparison of Major Religions"; (3) "The Caste System"; (4) "Empires of India"; (5) "Gandhi and Independence"; (6) "Division of the…

Associations Between the Macroeconomic Indicators and Suicide Rates in India: Two Ecological Studies.

PubMed

Rajkumar, Anto P; Senthilkumar, P; Gayathri, K; Shyamsundar, G; Jacob, K S

2015-01-01

While western studies have focused on the importance of psychiatric illnesses in the complex pathways leading to suicides, several Indian studies have highlighted the important contributions by economic, social, and cultural factors. Hence, we tested the hypothesis that annual national suicide rates and suicide rates of the different states in India were associated with macroeconomic indices. Data from the National crime records bureau, Ministry of finance, labour bureau, Government of India, population commission, and planning commission official portals, World Bank and the United Nations were accessed. We assessed the correlations of annual national and state-wise suicide rates with macroeconomic, health, and other indices using ecological study design for India, and for its different states and union territories. We documented statistically significant associations between the suicide rates and per capita gross domestic product, consumer price index, foreign exchange, trade balance, total health expenditure as well as literacy rates. As recent economic growth in India is associated with increasing suicide rates, macroeconomic policies emphasizing equitable distribution of resources may help curtailing the population suicide rates in India.

Perceptions about Training during Endocrinology Residency Programs in India over the Years: A Cross-sectional Study (PEER India Study)

PubMed Central

Khandelwal, Deepak; Dutta, Deep; Singla, Rajiv; Surana, Vineet; Aggarwal, Sameer; Gupta, Yashdeep; Kalra, Sanjay; Khadgawat, Rajesh; Tandon, Nikhil

2017-01-01

Background: Residents' perception on quality of endocrinology training in India is not known. This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions about endocrinology residency programs in India among current trainees as compared to practicing endocrinologists. Methods: Trainees attending a preconference workshop at the annual conference of Endocrine Society of India (ESI) were given a questionnaire designed to evaluate their perceptions on their training. These evaluated the reasons for choosing endocrinology, their experiences during residency, and career plans. Practicing endocrinologists attending ESICON with at least 5-year experience were evaluated as controls. Results: Questionnaires from 63 endocrine trainees and 78 practicing endocrinologists were analyzed. Endocrinology is perceived to be the super-specialty with the best quality of life (QOL) but fair with regard to financial remuneration. Among current trainees, 61.89%, 31.74%, and 34.91% are satisfied with training in clinical endocrinology, laboratory endocrinology, and clinical/translational research, respectively. The corresponding figures for practicing endocrinologists are 71.78%, 25.63%, and 30.75%, respectively. Exposure to national endocrinology conferences during their endocrinology residency was adequate. However, exposure to international endocrinology conferences, research publications, project writing, and grant application are limited. Laboratory endocrinology is rated as the most neglected aspect during endocrine residency. Most of the trainees want to establish their own clinical practice in the long run. Very few trainees (17.46%) wish to join the medical education services. Conclusion: There is a good perception of QOL in endocrinology in spite of average financial remuneration. There is dissatisfaction with the quality of training in laboratory endocrinology and clinical research. Very few endocrine trainees consider academics as a long-term career option in India. PMID:28459024

Genetic biodiversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in India.

PubMed

Singh, Urvashi Balbir; Arora, Jyoti; Suresh, Naga; Pant, Hema; Rana, Tanu; Sola, Christophe; Rastogi, Nalin; Pande, Jitendra Nath

2007-07-01

Spoligotyping was performed on 540 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in order to evaluate the genetic biodiversity of tubercle bacilli in India. One hundred and forty seven patterns were unique and 393 were grouped in 48 clusters. Comparison with an international spoligotype database showed that the most predominant clades among tuberculosis (TB) isolates were Central Asian (CAS) and East-African Indian (EAI) with shared-types (ST) ST26 and ST11 alone being responsible for 34% of all TB cases. Twenty one (3.8%) isolates belonged to the Beijing genotype. Marked variations were observed among circulating strains, STs belonging to CAS family predominated in the North, whereas the EAI family was more common in the Southern India. TB in India is predominantly caused by strains belonging to the principal genetic group 1 (PGG1), suggesting that most of the TB burden in India may be traced to ancestral clones of the tubercle bacilli. This study gives an insight into the global M. tuberculosis genetic biodiversity in India, the predominant spoligotypes and their impact on disease transmission.

Development Status of Higher Education in Northern India: A Review Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verma, Chaman

2017-01-01

In development of any country depends upon higher educational status. India is fast growing country in the field of education and technology. Most of IT engineers are deputed in world's most IT companies. It has been possible because of strong development higher education system in India. This paper focuses on the comparative study of higher…

Depth to the bottom of magnetic sources (DBMS) from aeromagnetic data of Central India using modified centroid method for fractal distribution of sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bansal, A. R.; Anand, S. P.; Rajaram, Mita; Rao, V. K.; Dimri, V. P.

2013-09-01

The depth to the bottom of the magnetic sources (DBMS) has been estimated from the aeromagnetic data of Central India. The conventional centroid method of DBMS estimation assumes random uniform uncorrelated distribution of sources and to overcome this limitation a modified centroid method based on scaling distribution has been proposed. Shallower values of the DBMS are found for the south western region. The DBMS values are found as low as 22 km in the south west Deccan trap covered regions and as deep as 43 km in the Chhattisgarh Basin. In most of the places DBMS are much shallower than the Moho depth, earlier found from the seismic study and may be representing the thermal/compositional/petrological boundaries. The large variation in the DBMS indicates the complex nature of the Indian crust.

Teachers' Beliefs and Practices regarding Developmentally Appropriate Practices: A Study Conducted in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hegde, Archana V.; Cassidy, Deborah J.

2009-01-01

The study assessed kindergarten teachers' beliefs, stated practices and actual practices regarding developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) in India. Forty kindergarten teachers from the urban city of Mumbai (India) participated in the study. Overall, the results indicated that teachers' beliefs were more developmentally appropriate than their…

Multiple sclerosis in India: An institutional study.

PubMed

Singhal, Ankit; Bhatia, Rohit; Srivastava, M V Padma; Prasad, Kameshwar; Singh, Mamta Bhushan

2015-05-01

Few population based studies on multiple sclerosis have been published from India. There is an increasing demand to establish a nationwide MS registry in India especially in view of the percieved increased incidence and prevalence. To create a registry data base for all MS patients presenting at our institute and understand the disease characteristics in our population and compare them with the published reports from the west. MS was diagnosed on the basis of clinical and imaging features (Revised McDonald׳s criteria 2010). Demographics, clinical data, treatment details and disease behavior were recorded over a follow up of one year. Descriptive analyses was performed. 101 patients (61 females) were recruited in the study period from June 2011 to December 2012. Mean age of the patients at the time of presentation was 33.3±9.2 years and mean duration of illness was 5.98±4.95. 68.4% patients had RRMS, 16.8% had SPMS whereas 14.8% patients had PPMS. Site(s) involved in first relapse was spinal cord in 43.7% patients followed by brainstem 25.3% and optic nerve in 24.1% patients. Mean number of relapses were 3.26±2.026. Mean EDSS at the time of presentation was 3.20±2.11. Overall, 55.44% patients took DMT at some point during their course of disease. No significant differences were observed between our patient characteristics when compared to publications from west. Demographic data in the present study are comparable to those reported in population-based epidemiological studies from west. A nationwide registry network will help establish stronger data on incidence, prevalence and disease profile of MS in India. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Study on Drug Safety Monitoring Program in India

PubMed Central

Ahmad, A.; Patel, Isha; Sanyal, Sudeepa; Balkrishnan, R.; Mohanta, G. P.

2014-01-01

Pharmacovigilance is useful in assuring the safety of medicines and protecting the consumers from their harmful effects. A number of single drugs as well as fixed dose combinations have been banned from manufacturing, marketing and distribution in India. An important issue about the availability of banned drugs over the counter in India is that sufficient adverse drug reactions data about these drugs have not been reported. The most common categories of drugs withdrawn in the last decade were nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (28%), antidiabetics (14.28%), antiobesity (14.28%), antihistamines (14.28%), gastroprokinetic drugs (7.14%), breast cancer and infertility drugs (7.14%), irritable bowel syndrome and constipation drugs (7.14%) and antibiotics (7.14%). Drug withdrawals from market were made mainly due to safety issues involving cardiovascular events (57.14%) and liver damage (14.28%). Majority of drugs have been banned since 3-5 years in other countries but are still available for sale in India. The present study compares the drug safety monitoring systems in the developed countries such as the USA and UK and provides implications for developing a system that can ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs in India. Absence of a gold standard for a drug safety surveillance system, variations in culture and clinical practice across countries makes it difficult for India to completely adopt another country's practices. There should be a multidisciplinary approach towards drug safety that should be implemented throughout the entire duration spanning from drug discovery to usage by consumers. PMID:25425751

A study on drug safety monitoring program in India.

PubMed

Ahmad, A; Patel, Isha; Sanyal, Sudeepa; Balkrishnan, R; Mohanta, G P

2014-09-01

Pharmacovigilance is useful in assuring the safety of medicines and protecting the consumers from their harmful effects. A number of single drugs as well as fixed dose combinations have been banned from manufacturing, marketing and distribution in India. An important issue about the availability of banned drugs over the counter in India is that sufficient adverse drug reactions data about these drugs have not been reported. The most common categories of drugs withdrawn in the last decade were nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (28%), antidiabetics (14.28%), antiobesity (14.28%), antihistamines (14.28%), gastroprokinetic drugs (7.14%), breast cancer and infertility drugs (7.14%), irritable bowel syndrome and constipation drugs (7.14%) and antibiotics (7.14%). Drug withdrawals from market were made mainly due to safety issues involving cardiovascular events (57.14%) and liver damage (14.28%). Majority of drugs have been banned since 3-5 years in other countries but are still available for sale in India. The present study compares the drug safety monitoring systems in the developed countries such as the USA and UK and provides implications for developing a system that can ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs in India. Absence of a gold standard for a drug safety surveillance system, variations in culture and clinical practice across countries makes it difficult for India to completely adopt another country's practices. There should be a multidisciplinary approach towards drug safety that should be implemented throughout the entire duration spanning from drug discovery to usage by consumers.

Tsutsugamushi Disease (Scrub Typhus) Meningoencephalitis in North Eastern India: A Prospective Study.

PubMed

Sharma, S R; Masaraf, H; Lynrah, K G; Lyngdoh, M

2015-01-01

Scrub typhus is rampant in northern, eastern, and southern India. Central nervous system involvement in the form of meningitis or meningoencephalitis is common in scrub typhus. As specific laboratory methods remain inadequate or inaccessible in developing countries, prompt diagnosis is often difficult. The aim of this study was to characterize neurological complications in scrub typhus from northeastern region of India. We did a prospective study of scrub meningoencephalitis at North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Medical Sciences among patients admitted to hospital between October 2009 and November 2011. The diagnosis was made based on the clinical pictures, presence of an eschar, and a positive Weil-Felix test (WFT) with a titer of >1:160 and if required a positive scrub IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lumbar puncture was performed in patients with headache, nuchal rigidity, altered sensorium or cranial nerve deficits, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain performed if needed. Twenty-three patients of scrub typhus meningitis that were serologically confirmed were included in the study. There were 13 males and 10 females. Fever ≥1 week was the most common manifestation (39.1%). Interestingly, none had an eschar. Median cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cell count, lymphocyte percentage, CSF protein, CSF glucose/blood glucose, CSF ADA were 17 cells/μL, 90%, 86 mg/dL, 0.6605 and 3.6 U/mL, respectively. All patients were treated with doxycycline. There was no mortality in our study. Absence of Eschar does not rule out scrub typhus. Clinical features and CSF findings can mimic tuberculous meningitis so misdiagnosis may lead to unwarranted prolonged empirical antituberculous therapy in cases of lymphocytic meningoencephalitis. Delay in treatment can be potentially fatal. WFT still serves as a useful and affordable diagnostic tool for this disease in resource-poor countries.

Short communication: Massive erosion in monsoonal central India linked to late Holocene land cover degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giosan, Liviu; Ponton, Camilo; Usman, Muhammed; Blusztajn, Jerzy; Fuller, Dorian Q.; Galy, Valier; Haghipour, Negar; Johnson, Joel E.; McIntyre, Cameron; Wacker, Lukas; Eglinton, Timothy I.

2017-12-01

Soil erosion plays a crucial role in transferring sediment and carbon from land to sea, yet little is known about the rhythm and rates of soil erosion prior to the most recent few centuries. Here we reconstruct a Holocene erosional history from central India, as integrated by the Godavari River in a sediment core from the Bay of Bengal. We quantify terrigenous fluxes, fingerprint sources for the lithogenic fraction and assess the age of the exported terrigenous carbon. Taken together, our data show that the monsoon decline in the late Holocene significantly increased soil erosion and the age of exported organic carbon. This acceleration of natural erosion was later exacerbated by the Neolithic adoption and Iron Age extensification of agriculture on the Deccan Plateau. Despite a constantly elevated sea level since the middle Holocene, this erosion acceleration led to a rapid growth of the continental margin. We conclude that in monsoon conditions aridity boosts rather than suppresses sediment and carbon export, acting as a monsoon erosional pump modulated by land cover conditions.

World Studies. Japan, India, China: Which Direction? Social Studies: 6478.20.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrams, Grace C.; Schmidt, Fran

This Quinmester world studies elective course for grades 7, 8, and 9, focuses on the comparative study of three far eastern nations: China, India, and Japan. The study examines the successes and failures of each nation in dealing with the common problems of over-population, industrialization, and literacy education, leading to speculation as to…

Active faulting in apparently stable peninsular India: Rift inversion and a Holocene-age great earthquake on the Tapti Fault

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Copley, Alex; Mitra, Supriyo; Sloan, R. Alastair; Gaonkar, Sharad; Reynolds, Kirsty

2014-08-01

We present observations of active faulting within peninsular India, far from the surrounding plate boundaries. Offset alluvial fan surfaces indicate one or more magnitude 7.6-8.4 thrust-faulting earthquakes on the Tapti Fault (Maharashtra, western India) during the Holocene. The high ratio of fault displacement to length on the alluvial fan offsets implies high stress-drop faulting, as has been observed elsewhere in the peninsula. The along-strike extent of the fan offsets is similar to the thickness of the seismogenic layer, suggesting a roughly equidimensional fault rupture. The subsiding footwall of the fault is likely to have been responsible for altering the continental-scale drainage pattern in central India and creating the large west flowing catchment of the Tapti river. A preexisting sedimentary basin in the uplifting hanging wall implies that the Tapti Fault was active as a normal fault during the Mesozoic and has been reactivated as a thrust, highlighting the role of preexisting structures in determining the rheology and deformation of the lithosphere. The slip sense of faults and earthquakes in India suggests that deformation south of the Ganges foreland basin is driven by the compressive force transmitted between India and the Tibetan Plateau. The along-strike continuation of faulting to the east of the Holocene ruptures we have studied represents a significant seismic hazard in central India.

Role of mucosal high-risk human papillomavirus types in head and neck cancers in central India.

PubMed

Gheit, Tarik; Anantharaman, Devasena; Holzinger, Dana; Alemany, Laia; Tous, Sara; Lucas, Eric; Prabhu, Priya Ramesh; Pawlita, Michael; Ridder, Ruediger; Rehm, Susanne; Bogers, Johannes; Maffini, Fausto; Chiocca, Susanna; Lloveras, Belén; Kumar, Rekha Vijay; Somanathan, Thara; de Sanjosé, Silvia; Castellsagué, Xavier; Arbyn, Marc; Brennan, Paul; Sankaranarayanan, Rengaswamy; Pillai, Madhavan Radhakrishna; Gangane, Nitin; Tommasino, Massimo

2017-07-01

Mucosal high-risk (HR) human papillomaviruses (HPV) cause a subset of head and neck cancers (HNC). The HPV-attributable fraction of HNC varies substantially between countries. Although HNC has a very high incidence in the Indian subcontinent, information on the contribution of HPV infection is limited. Here, we evaluated the HPV-attributable fraction in HNC (N = 364) collected in a central region of India. HNC from three different anatomical subsites were included, namely, oral cavity (n = 252), oropharynx (n = 53) and hypopharynx/larynx (n = 59). In this retrospective study, HPV-driven HNC were defined by presence of both viral DNA and RNA. Overexpression of p16 INK4a was also evaluated. HR-HPV DNA was detected in 13.7% of the cases; however, only 2.7% were positive for both HPV DNA and RNA. The highest percentage of HPV DNA/RNA double positivity was found in oropharynx (9.4%), followed by larynx (1.7%) and oral cavity (1.6%) (p = 0.02). More than half of HPV DNA/RNA-positive cases were p16 INK4a -negative, while a considerable number of HPV RNA-negative cases were p16 INK4a -positive (17.9%). HPV16 was the major type associated with HNC (60.0%), although cases positive for HPV18, 35 and 56 were also detected. Our data indicate that the proportion and types of mucosal HR-HPV associated with HNC in this central Indian region differ from those in other (developed) parts of the world. This may be explained by differences in smoking and/or sexual behaviour compared with North America and northern Europe. Moreover, we show that p16 INK4a staining appeared not to be a good surrogate marker of HPV transformation in the Indian HNC cases. © 2017 UICC.

Associations Between the Macroeconomic Indicators and Suicide Rates in India: Two Ecological Studies

PubMed Central

Rajkumar, Anto P.; Senthilkumar, P.; Gayathri, K.; Shyamsundar, G.; Jacob, K. S.

2015-01-01

Background: While western studies have focused on the importance of psychiatric illnesses in the complex pathways leading to suicides, several Indian studies have highlighted the important contributions by economic, social, and cultural factors. Hence, we tested the hypothesis that annual national suicide rates and suicide rates of the different states in India were associated with macroeconomic indices. Materials and Methods: Data from the National crime records bureau, Ministry of finance, labour bureau, Government of India, population commission, and planning commission official portals, World Bank and the United Nations were accessed. We assessed the correlations of annual national and state-wise suicide rates with macroeconomic, health, and other indices using ecological study design for India, and for its different states and union territories. Results: We documented statistically significant associations between the suicide rates and per capita gross domestic product, consumer price index, foreign exchange, trade balance, total health expenditure as well as literacy rates. Conclusions: As recent economic growth in India is associated with increasing suicide rates, macroeconomic policies emphasizing equitable distribution of resources may help curtailing the population suicide rates in India. PMID:26664075

Nitrate contamination of shallow aquifer groundwater in the central districts of Punjab, India.

PubMed

Bhardwaj, Anil; Garg, Sunil; Sondhi, S K; Taneja, D S

2012-01-01

The increasing trend in nitrogenous fertilizer use and extensive irrigation in the agricultural production system in Punjab, India are the reasons of contamination of groundwater, which is the main source of drinking water. A study was conducted to determine the extent of nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) contamination of groundwater in the shallow aquifers of Ludhiana district. Pre and post-monsoon groundwater samples from hand pumps of 36 villages, located at or near the nodes of 6-12 km grid, were collected during the years 1998 and 1999 and were analyzed for NO3-N concentration. During the period of study, the NO3-N concentration in 34.7%, 37.5%, 15.3%, 11.1% and 1.4% of the groundwater samples was between 0-5 mg/L, 6-10 mg/L, 11-15 mg/L, 16-20 mg/L and 21-25 mg/L, respectively. Around 72% of the groundwater samples were safe and did not exceed the critical limit of NO3-N concentration (10 mg/L) prescribed for drinking water. Although, statistically no change in the mean NO3-N concentration level has been observed during the study period and is within the safe limit in most of the samples (72%), yet there is every possibility of further contamination of groundwater due to continuous high N-fertilizer use and over irrigation which necessitates judicious and efficient N-fertilizer and irrigation water use in Punjab (India).

Rheumatic heart disease: progress and challenges in India.

PubMed

Shah, Bela; Sharma, Meenakshi; Kumar, Rajesh; Brahmadathan, K N; Abraham, Vinod Joseph; Tandon, Rajan

2013-03-01

Rheumatic heart disease, a neglected disease, continues to be a burden in India and other developing countries. It is a result of an autoimmune sequalae in response to group A beta hemolytic streptococcus (GAS) infection of the pharynx. Acute rheumatic fever (RF), a multisystem inflammatory disease, is followed by rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and has manifestations of joints, skin and central nervous system involvement. A review of epidemiological studies indicates unchanged GAS pharyngitis and carrier rates in India. The apparent decline in RHD rates in India as indicated by the epidemiological studies has to be taken with caution as methodological differences exist among studies. Use of echocardiography increases case detection rates of RHD in population surveys. However, the significance of echo based diagnosis of carditis needs further evaluation to establish the significance. Research in this area through prospective follow up studies will have to be undertaken by the developing countries as the interest of developed countries in the disease has waned due the declined burden in their populations. Prevention of RHD is possible through treatment of GAS pharyngitis (primary prophylaxis) and continued antibiotic treatment for number of years in patients with history of RF to prevent recurrences (secondary prophylaxis). The cost effectiveness and practicality of secondary prophylaxis is well documented. The challenge to any secondary prophylaxis program for prevention of RF in India will be the availability of benzathine penicillin G and dissipation of fears of allergic reactions to penicillin among practitioners, general public and policy makers. The authors review here the progress and challenges in epidemiology, diagnosis and primary and secondary prevention of RF and RHD.

Clinical trials and contract research organizations in India.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Shoibal

2012-06-01

Economics and demography are driving drug development to the developing world. India needs this opportunity to build research skills required to combat its enormous disease burden. A variety of global and local contract research organizations (CROs) that specialize in the execution of research to develop health care products operate in India today. CROs assure quality and compliance to regulations while coordinating with tertiary providers such as a site management organization and the central laboratory. Back room operations to manage, analyze, and report data form a bulk of the employment generated by clinical research, absorbing programmers, data managers, biostatisticians,and medical writers. Despite rapid growth and strong potential, India remains a minor contributor to global pharmaceutical research because of policy stagnation, regulatory gaps, and misinformed controversies in the media.

The role of physicians in prescribing irrational fixed-dose combination medicines in India.

PubMed

Bhaskarabhatla, Ajay; Chatterjee, Chirantan

2017-02-01

Many irrational fixed-dose combination (FDC) medicines have been approved by the state and central regulatory authorities in India and their use is promoted extensively by pharmaceutical firms. In this study, we examine the previously-neglected role of physicians in India, as their prescriptions are essential for the continued proliferation of FDCs. Primarily using longitudinal data on prescriptions by 4600 physicians spanning 19 disciplinary categories for 48 months between 2008 and 2011 provided by IMS Medical Audit, we study 201 medicines in the cardiovascular and oral-antidiabetic markets. We find that 129.6 million (8.1%) prescriptions for irrational FDCs were written by the sample of physicians in India during the study period, half of which were written by cardiologists and consulting physicians. A further analysis of the regional markets reveals that cardiologists prescribe more irrational FDCs in the richer, metropolitan cities of western India. We also document the role of medical practitioners without an undergraduate degree in medicine in generating prescriptions for irrational FDCs. Our results suggest that an effective government strategy to curb irrational FDCs must recognize that spreading greater awareness about the perils of irrational FDCs is at best an incomplete solution to the problem in India as many who prescribe them are specialists. Organizations such as the Indian Medical Association must develop clear guidelines to stop prescribing such FDCs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ethnomedicinal plants to cure skin diseases-an account of the traditional knowledge in the coastal parts of Central Western Ghats, Karnataka, India.

PubMed

Bhat, Pradeep; Hegde, Ganesh R; Hegde, Gurumurthi; Mulgund, Gangadhar S

2014-01-01

Documentation of ethnomedicinal knowledge pertaining to the treatment of different types of skin diseases from the Central Western Ghats of India, a rich habitat of different ethnic communities. Frequent field surveys were carried out to invent the 'key informants' in the treatment of skin diseases in the study area. The information was collected through semi-structured open ended interviews with questionnaire in their local Kannada language. All medicinal plants recorded for the treatment of skin diseases were photographed in the field; voucher specimens were made subsequently and are deposited in the Herbarium, P.G. Department of Botany, Karnatak University, Dharwad. The information such as botanical name, status, family, vernacular name, habit and habitat, analysis like percentage of parts used, percentage of drug preparations, use value (UV), informants consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL) and correlation between UV and use mention (Np) of the plants are provided. In all, 48 informants were interviewed. Amongst which 38 were the 'key informants' who gave the information exclusively about the treatment of skin diseases. Among 102 plant species collected, seven species are endemic to India and eleven species have their nativity outside India. Twelve species could be considered as new claims for skin diseases as their use has not been mentioned in Ayurveda or any other research articles surveyed. Of all the drug formulations, paste is the most preferred method (50%) followed by oil extraction (18.89%), juice (14.44%), ash (4.44%) etc. The highest UV is for Pongamia pinnata, Naregamia alata, Randia dumetorum and Girardinia diversifolia (1.50 each). The treatment for different types of skin diseases by the herbal healers are classified into 13 categories, out of which ringworm scored the highest ICF value. Similarly, the 100% FL value scored was in the order of 10 plants for boils, 4 plants for different types of sore, 2 plants for ringworm, intertrigo

Greater India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Jason R.; Aitchison, Jonathan C.

2005-10-01

west of Australia, in particular the Wallaby-Zenith Plateau Ridge and the Wallaby-Zenith Fracture Zone. We suggest that the Indian continent probably extended no more than 950 km in the central portion of the Main Boundary Thrust, up to the Wallaby-Zenith Fracture Zone. At the Western Syntaxis, the extension was about 600 km. These estimates are broadly compatible with some of the geophysically-derived models depicting subducted Indian lithosphere beneath Tibet, as well as estimates of Himalayan shortening. Models requiring sub-continent extensions > 9° ahead of the craton are probably wrong. We also suggest that northern India did not have a thinned rifted passive margin due to the earlier rifting of blocks away from it when it formed part of Gondwana. Instead, the boundary developed as a transform fault and probably had a very narrow ocean-continent transition zone (5-10 km wide), similar to the Romanche Fracture Zone offshore of Ghana, West Africa.

Study of Cost of Distance Education Institutes with Different Size Classes in India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Datt, Ruddar

A study of the cost of distance education institutes in India with different size classes involved nine institutions. The sample included 47 percent of total enrollment in distance education institutions in India. The study was restricted to recurring costs and examined the shares of different components of costs and the sources of funding. It…

India's population in transition.

PubMed

Visaria, L; Visaria, P

1995-10-01

This demographic profile of India addresses fertility, family planning, and economic issues. India is described as a country shifting from economic policies of self-reliance to active involvement in international trade. Wealth has increased, particularly at higher educational levels, yet 25% still live below the official poverty line and almost 66% of Indian women are illiterate. The government program in family planning, which was instituted during the early 1950s, did not change the rate of natural increase, which remained stable at 2.2% over the past 30 years. 1993 marked the first time the growth rate decline to under 2%. The growth rate in 1995 was 1.9%. The total population is expected double in 36 years. Only Nigeria, Pakistan, and Bangladesh had a higher growth rate and higher fertility in 1995. India is geographically diverse (with the northern Himalayan mountain zone, the central alluvial plains, the western desert region, and the southern peninsula with forest, mountains, and plains). There are regional differences in the fertility rates, which range from replacement level in Kerala and Goa to 5.5 children in Uttar Pradesh. Fertility is expected to decline throughout India due to the slower pace of childbearing among women over the age of 35 years, the increase in contraceptive use, and increases in marriage age. Increased educational levels in India and its state variations are related to lower fertility. Literacy campaigns are considered to be effective means of increasing the educational levels of women. Urbanization is not expected to markedly affect fertility levels. Urban population, which is concentrated in a few large cities, remains a small proportion of total population. Greater shifts are evident in the transition from agriculture to other wage labor. Fertility is expected to decline as women's share of labor force activity increases. The major determinant of fertility decline in India is use of family planning, which has improved in access

Characterizing measles transmission in India: a dynamic modeling study using verbal autopsy data.

PubMed

Verguet, Stéphane; Jones, Edward O; Johri, Mira; Morris, Shaun K; Suraweera, Wilson; Gauvreau, Cindy L; Jha, Prabhat; Jit, Mark

2017-08-10

Decreasing trends in measles mortality have been reported in recent years. However, such estimates of measles mortality have depended heavily on assumed regional measles case fatality risks (CFRs) and made little use of mortality data from low- and middle-income countries in general and India, the country with the highest measles burden globally, in particular. We constructed a dynamic model of measles transmission in India with parameters that were empirically inferred using spectral analysis from a time series of measles mortality extracted from the Million Death Study, an ongoing longitudinal study recording deaths across 2.4 million Indian households and attributing causes of death using verbal autopsy. The model was then used to estimate the measles CFR, the number of measles deaths, and the impact of vaccination in 2000-2015 among under-five children in India and in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP), two states with large populations and the highest numbers of measles deaths in India. We obtained the following estimated CFRs among under-five children for the year 2005: 0.63% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.40-1.00%) for India as a whole, 0.62% (0.38-1.00%) for Bihar, and 1.19% (0.80-1.75%) for UP. During 2000-2015, we estimated that 607,000 (95% CI: 383,000-958,000) under-five deaths attributed to measles occurred in India as a whole. If no routine vaccination or supplemental immunization activities had occurred from 2000 to 2015, an additional 1.6 (1.0-2.6) million deaths for under-five children would have occurred across India. We developed a data- and model-driven estimation of the historical measles dynamics, CFR, and vaccination impact in India, extracting the periodicity of epidemics using spectral and coherence analysis, which allowed us to infer key parameters driving measles transmission dynamics and mortality.

Spatial and temporal variations of wave energy in the nearshore waters of the central west coast of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amrutha, M. M.; Sanil Kumar, V.

2016-12-01

Assessment of wave power potential at different water depths and time is required for identifying a wave power plant location. This study examines the variation in wave power off the central west coast of India at water depths of 30, 9 and 5 m based on waverider buoy measured wave data. The study shows a significant reduction ( ˜ 10 to 27 %) in wave power at 9 m water depth compared to 30 m and the wave power available at 5 m water depth is 20 to 23 % less than that at 9 m. At 9 m depth, the seasonal mean value of the wave power varied from 1.6 kW m-1 in the post-monsoon period (ONDJ) to 15.2 kW m-1 in the Indian summer monsoon (JJAS) period. During the Indian summer monsoon period, the variation of wave power in a day is up to 32 kW m-1. At 9 m water depth, the mean annual wave power is 6 kW m-1 and interannual variations up to 19.3 % are observed during 2009-2014. High wave energy ( > 20 kW m-1) at the study area is essentially from the directional sector 245-270° and also 75 % of the total annual wave energy is from this narrow directional sector, which is advantageous while aligning the wave energy converter.

Benzimidazole resistance in equine cyathostomins in India.

PubMed

Kumar, Sunil; Garg, Rajat; Kumar, Saroj; Banerjee, P S; Ram, Hira; Prasad, A

2016-03-15

Benzimidazole resistance is a major hindrance to the control of equine cyathostominosis throughout the world. There is a paucity of knowledge on the level of benzimidazole resistance in small strongyles of horses in India. In the present study, allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) that detects F200Y mutation of the isotype 1 β-tubulin gene and faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) were used for detecting benzimidazole resistance in equine cyathostomin populations in different agro-climatic zones of Uttar Pradesh, India. Results of the FECRT revealed prevalence of benzimidazole resistance in cyathostomins in an intensively managed equine farm in the mid-western plain (FECR=27.5%, LCI=0) and in working horses (extensively managed) at three locations in central plains of Uttar Pradesh (FECR=75.7-83.6%, LCI=29-57%). Post-treatment larval cultures revealed the presence of exclusively cyathostomin larvae. Genotyping of cyathostomin larvae by AS-PCR revealed that the frequency of homozygous resistant (rr) individuals and the resistant allele frequency was significantly higher (p<0.001) in the intensively managed farm in the mid-western plain and in working horses at two locations in central plains of the state. The resistant allele (r) frequency in cyathostomins was significantly higher (p<0.05) in Vindhyan and Tarai and Bhabar zones of Uttar Pradesh. The prevalence of benzimidazole resistant allele (r) was significantly higher (p<0.05) in cyathostomins of intensively managed horses (allelic frequency-0.35) as compared to extensively managed horses (allelic frequency-0.22). The widespread prevalence of benzimidazole resistant alleles in equine cyathostomins in Uttar Pradesh, India, necessitates immediate replacement of the drugs of benzimidazole group with other unrelated effective anthelmintics for management and control of equine cyathostomins. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Is the negative IOD during 2016 the reason for monsoon failure over southwest peninsular India?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sreelekha, P. N.; Babu, C. A.

2018-01-01

The study investigates the mechanism responsible for the deficit rainfall over southwest peninsular India during the 2016 monsoon season. Analysis shows that the large-scale variation in circulation pattern due to the strong, negative Indian Ocean Dipole phenomenon was the reason for the deficit rainfall. Significant reduction in the number of northward-propagating monsoon-organized convections together with fast propagation over the southwest peninsular India resulted in reduction in rainfall. On the other hand, their persistence for longer time over the central part of India resulted in normal rainfall. It was found that the strong convection over the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean creates strong convergence over that region. The combined effect of the sinking due to the well-developed Walker circulation originated over the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean and the descending limb of the monsoon Hadley cell caused strong subsidence over the western equatorial Indian Ocean. The tail of this large-scale sinking extended up to the southern parts of India. This hinders formation of monsoon-organized convections leading to a large deficiency of rainfall during monsoon 2016 over the southwest peninsular India.

Meta-analysis of classical swine fever prevalence in pigs in India: A 5-year study

PubMed Central

Patil, S. S.; Suresh, K. P.; Saha, S.; Prajapati, A.; Hemadri, D.; Roy, P.

2018-01-01

Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the overall prevalence of classical swine fever (CSF) in pigs in India, through a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data. Materials and Methods: Consortium for e-Resources in Agriculture, India, Google Scholar, PubMed, annual reports of All India Coordinated Research Project on Animal Disease Monitoring and Surveillance, and All India Animal Disease database of NIVEDI (NADRES) were used for searching and retrieval of CSF prevalence data (seroprevalence, virus antigen, and virus nucleic acid detection) in India using a search strategy combining keywords and related database-specific subject terms from January 2011 to December 2015 in English only. Results: A total of 22 data reports containing 6,158 samples size from 18 states of India were used for the quantitative synthesis, and overall 37% (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.24, 0.51) CSF prevalence in India was estimated. The data were classified into 4 different geographical zones of the country: 20% (95% CI=0.05, 0.55), 31% (95% CI=0.18, 0.47), 55% (95% CI=0.32, 0.76), and 34% (95% CI=0.14, 0.62). CSF prevalence was estimated in northern, eastern, western, and southern regions, respectively. Conclusion: This study indicates that overall prevalence of CSF in India is much lower than individual published reports. PMID:29657420

Antibiotic Prescribing among Pediatric Inpatients with Potential Infections in Two Private Sector Hospitals in Central India.

PubMed

Sharma, Megha; Damlin, Anna; Pathak, Ashish; Stålsby Lundborg, Cecilia

2015-01-01

Infectious diseases are one of the major causes of child mortality in India. Pediatric patients are commonly prescribed antibiotics for non-bacterial infections. Monitoring of local antibiotic prescribing with respect to the diagnosis is necessary to improve the prescribing practices. The aim of the study was to describe antibiotic prescribing for potential infections among patients admitted in pediatric departments in two private sector hospitals; one teaching (TH) and one non-teaching (NTH) in Central India. Data from all patients admitted at the pediatric departments of both study hospitals was collected manually, for 3 years (2008-2011) using a customized form. Data from inpatients aged 0-18 years, diagnosed with; acute gastroenteritis (AGE), respiratory tract infections, enteric fever, viral fever or unspecified fever were focused for analysis. Antibiotic prescriptions were analysed using the WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system and defined daily doses (DDDs). Adherence to the Indian Academy of Pediatrics list of essential medicines (IAP-LEM) was investigated. P-values <0.05 were considered significant. Oftotal6, 825 inpatients admitted at two pediatric departments, 510 patients from the TH and 2,479from the NTH were selected based on the assigned potential infectious diagnoses. Of these, 224 patients (44%) at the TH and 2,088 (84%) at the NTH were prescribed at least one antibiotic during hospital stay (odds ratio-0.69, 95%confidence interval-0.52 to 0.93; p<0.001). Patients with AGE, viral- and enteric fever were frequently prescribed antibiotics at both hospitals, yet higher proportion were prescribed antibiotics at the NTH compared to the TH. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were the most commonly prescribed antibiotic class in both hospitals, namely third generation cephalosporins, J01DD (69%) at the TH, and new fixed dose combinations of antibiotics J01R (FDCs, 42%) at the NTH. At the TH, 37% of the antibiotic prescriptions were

A re-evaluation of the Kumta Suture in western peninsular India and its extension into Madagascar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armistead, Sheree E.; Collins, Alan S.; Payne, Justin L.; Foden, John D.; De Waele, Bert; Shaji, E.; Santosh, M.

2018-05-01

It has long been recognised that Madagascar was contiguous with India until the Late Cretaceous. However, the timing and nature of the amalgamation of these two regions remain highly contentious as is the location of Madagascar against India in Gondwana. Here we address these issues with new U-Pb and Lu-Hf zircon data from five metasedimentary samples from the Karwar Block of India and new Lu-Hf data from eight previously dated igneous rocks from central Madagascar and the Antongil-Masora domains of eastern Madagascar. New U-Pb data from Karwar-region detrital zircon grains yield two dominant age peaks at c. 3100 Ma and c. 2500 Ma. The c. 3100 Ma population has relatively juvenile εHf(t) values that trend toward an evolved signature at c. 2500 Ma. The c. 2500 Ma population shows a wide range of εHf(t) values reflecting mixing of an evolved source with a juvenile source at that time. These data, and the new Lu-Hf data from Madagascar, are compared with our new compilation of over 7000 U-Pb and 1000 Lu-Hf analyses from Madagascar and India. We have used multidimensional scaling to assess similarities in these data in a statistically robust way. We propose that the Karwar Block of western peninsular India is an extension of the western Dharwar Craton and not part of the Antananarivo Domain of Madagascar as has been suggested in some models. Based on εHf(t) signatures we also suggest that India (and the Antongil-Masora domains of Madagascar) were palaeogeographically isolated from central Madagascar (the Antananarivo Domain) during the Palaeoproterozoic. This supports a model where central Madagascar and India amalgamated during the Neoproterozoic along the Betsimisaraka Suture.

Evaluation of telemedicine centres in Madhya Pradesh, Central India.

PubMed

Bali, Surya; Gupta, Arti; Khan, Asif; Pakhare, Abhijit

2016-04-01

In a developing country such as India, there is substantial inequality in health care distribution. Telemedicine facilities were established in Madhya Pradesh in 2007-2008. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the infrastructure, equipment, manpower, and functional status of Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) telemedicine nodes in Madhya Pradesh. All district hospitals and medical colleges with nodes were visited by a team of three members. The study was conducted from December 2013-January 2014. The team recorded the structural facility situation and physical conditions on a predesigned pro forma. The team also conducted interviews with the nodal officers, data entry operator and other relevant people at these centres. Of the six specialist nodes, four were functional and two were non-functional. Of 10 patient nodes, two nodes were functional, four were semi-functional and four were non-functional. Most of the centres were not working due to a problem with their satellite modem. The overall condition of ISRO run telemedicine centres in Madhya Pradesh was found to be poor. Most of these centres failed to provide telemedicine consultations. We recommend replacing this system with another cost effective system available in the state wide area network (SWAN). We suggest the concept of the virtual out-patient department. © The Author(s) 2015.

Portrait of a Science Teacher as a Bricoleur: A Case Study from India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Ajay

2008-01-01

This paper presents a case study of science teaching in an eighth grade school classroom in India. It comes out of a larger ethnographic study done in 2005 that looked at how science was taught and learned in a rural government run middle school in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. Subscribing to a sociocultural perspective, the paper presents…

Metagenomic Analysis of Hot Springs in Central India Reveals Hydrocarbon Degrading Thermophiles and Pathways Essential for Survival in Extreme Environments.

PubMed

Saxena, Rituja; Dhakan, Darshan B; Mittal, Parul; Waiker, Prashant; Chowdhury, Anirban; Ghatak, Arundhuti; Sharma, Vineet K

2016-01-01

Extreme ecosystems such as hot springs are of great interest as a source of novel extremophilic species, enzymes, metabolic functions for survival and biotechnological products. India harbors hundreds of hot springs, the majority of which are not yet explored and require comprehensive studies to unravel their unknown and untapped phylogenetic and functional diversity. The aim of this study was to perform a large-scale metagenomic analysis of three major hot springs located in central India namely, Badi Anhoni, Chhoti Anhoni, and Tattapani at two geographically distinct regions (Anhoni and Tattapani), to uncover the resident microbial community and their metabolic traits. Samples were collected from seven distinct sites of the three hot spring locations with temperature ranging from 43.5 to 98°C. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of V3 hypervariable region and shotgun metagenome sequencing uncovered a unique taxonomic and metabolic diversity of the resident thermophilic microbial community in these hot springs. Genes associated with hydrocarbon degradation pathways, such as benzoate, xylene, toluene, and benzene were observed to be abundant in the Anhoni hot springs (43.5-55°C), dominated by Pseudomonas stutzeri and Acidovorax sp., suggesting the presence of chemoorganotrophic thermophilic community with the ability to utilize complex hydrocarbons as a source of energy. A high abundance of genes belonging to methane metabolism pathway was observed at Chhoti Anhoni hot spring, where methane is reported to constitute >80% of all the emitted gases, which was marked by the high abundance of Methylococcus capsulatus . The Tattapani hot spring, with a high-temperature range (61.5-98°C), displayed a lower microbial diversity and was primarily dominated by a nitrate-reducing archaeal species Pyrobaculum aerophilum . A higher abundance of cell metabolism pathways essential for the microbial survival in extreme conditions was observed at Tattapani. Taken together, the

Metagenomic Analysis of Hot Springs in Central India Reveals Hydrocarbon Degrading Thermophiles and Pathways Essential for Survival in Extreme Environments

PubMed Central

Saxena, Rituja; Dhakan, Darshan B.; Mittal, Parul; Waiker, Prashant; Chowdhury, Anirban; Ghatak, Arundhuti; Sharma, Vineet K.

2017-01-01

Extreme ecosystems such as hot springs are of great interest as a source of novel extremophilic species, enzymes, metabolic functions for survival and biotechnological products. India harbors hundreds of hot springs, the majority of which are not yet explored and require comprehensive studies to unravel their unknown and untapped phylogenetic and functional diversity. The aim of this study was to perform a large-scale metagenomic analysis of three major hot springs located in central India namely, Badi Anhoni, Chhoti Anhoni, and Tattapani at two geographically distinct regions (Anhoni and Tattapani), to uncover the resident microbial community and their metabolic traits. Samples were collected from seven distinct sites of the three hot spring locations with temperature ranging from 43.5 to 98°C. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of V3 hypervariable region and shotgun metagenome sequencing uncovered a unique taxonomic and metabolic diversity of the resident thermophilic microbial community in these hot springs. Genes associated with hydrocarbon degradation pathways, such as benzoate, xylene, toluene, and benzene were observed to be abundant in the Anhoni hot springs (43.5–55°C), dominated by Pseudomonas stutzeri and Acidovorax sp., suggesting the presence of chemoorganotrophic thermophilic community with the ability to utilize complex hydrocarbons as a source of energy. A high abundance of genes belonging to methane metabolism pathway was observed at Chhoti Anhoni hot spring, where methane is reported to constitute >80% of all the emitted gases, which was marked by the high abundance of Methylococcus capsulatus. The Tattapani hot spring, with a high-temperature range (61.5–98°C), displayed a lower microbial diversity and was primarily dominated by a nitrate-reducing archaeal species Pyrobaculum aerophilum. A higher abundance of cell metabolism pathways essential for the microbial survival in extreme conditions was observed at Tattapani. Taken together

Sustainability of cement kiln co-processing of wastes in India: a pilot study.

PubMed

Baidya, Rahul; Ghosh, Sadhan Kumar; Parlikar, Ulhas V

2017-07-01

Co-processing in cement kiln achieves effective utilization of the material and energy value present in the wastes, thereby conserving the natural resources by reducing the use of virgin material. In India, a number of multifolded initiatives have been taken that take into account the potential and volume of waste generation. This paper studies the factors which might influence the sustainability of co-processing of waste in cement kilns as a business model, considering the issues and challenges in the supply chain framework in India in view of the four canonical pillars of sustainability. A pilot study on co-processing was carried out in one of the cement plant in India to evaluate the environmental performance, economical performance, operational performance and social performance. The findings will help India and other developing countries to introduce effective supply chain management for co-processing while addressing the issues and challenges during co-processing of different waste streams in the cement kilns.

Meteorological features associated with unprecedented precipitation over India during 1st week of March 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Naresh; Mohapatra, M.; Jaswal, A. K.

2017-07-01

Unprecedented precipitation along with heavy falls occurred over many parts of India from 28th February to 2nd March 2015. Many of the stations of northwest and central India received an all time high 24 hr cumulative precipitation of March during this period. Even the national capital, New Delhi, broke all the previous historical 24 hr rainfall records of the last 100 years to the rainfall record in March 2015. Due to this event, huge loss to agricultural and horticultural crops occurred in several parts of India. In the present study, an attempt is made to understand the various meteorological features associated with this unprecedented precipitation event over India. It occurred due to the presence of an intense western disturbance (WD) over Afghanistan and neighbouring areas in the form of north-south oriented deep trough in westerlies in middle and upper tropospheric levels with its southern end deep in the Arabian Sea, which pumped huge moisture feed over Indian region. Also, there was a jet stream with core wind speed up to 160 knots that generated high positive divergence at upper tropospheric level over Indian region; along with this there was high magnitude of negative vertical velocity and velocity convergence were there at middle tropospheric level. It caused intense upward motion and forced lower levels air to rise and strengthen the lower levels cyclonic circulations (CCs)/Lows. Moreover, the induced CCs/Lows at lower tropospheric levels associated with WD were more towards south of its normal position. Additionally, there was wind confluence over central parts of India due to westerlies in association with WD and easterlies from anticyclone over north Bay of Bengal. Thus, intense WD along with wind confluence between westerlies and easterlies caused unprecedented precipitation over India during the 1st week of March 2015.

PM2.5 pollution from household solid fuel burning practices in central India: 1. Impact on indoor air quality and associated health risks.

PubMed

Matawle, Jeevan Lal; Pervez, Shamsh; Shrivastava, Anjali; Tiwari, Suresh; Pant, Pallavi; Deb, Manas Kanti; Bisht, Diwan Singh; Pervez, Yasmeen F

2017-10-01

PM 2.5 concentrations were measured in residential indoor environment in slums of central India during 2012-2013. In addition, a suite of chemical components including metals (Al, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, Mo, Se, Sb, Na, Mg, K and Hg), ions (Na + , Mg 2+ , K + , Ca 2+ , F - , Cl - , NH 4 + , NO 3 - and SO 4 2- ) and carbon (OC and EC) were analyzed for all samples. Indoor PM 2.5 concentrations were found to be several folds higher than the 24-h national ambient air quality standard (60 µg/m 3 ) for PM 2.5 in India, and the concentrations were found to vary from season to season. Mass closure was attempted for PM 2.5 data, and close to 100 % mass was accounted for by organic matter, crustal material, secondary organic and inorganic aerosols and elemental carbon. Additionally, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks associated with exposure to indoor PM 2.5 (inhalation, dermal and ingestion) were estimated and while exposures associated with dermal contact and ingestion were found to be within the acceptable limits, risk associated with inhalation exposure was found to be high for children and adults. Elements including Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, As and Pb were present in high concentrations and contributed to carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks for residents' health. Results from this study highlight the need for efforts to reduce air pollution exposure in slum areas.

Two Blades of Grass: A Summary of Two Studies on Agricultural Innovation in India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Prodipto; And Others

Under contract with the United States Agency for International Development and Michigan State University, a study was made comparing diffusion of innovations in Brazil, Nigeria, and India. In India, the study was in two phases: a survey of 108 villages in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal; and a study of adoption behavior among 680…

Lumping and splitting: the health policy agenda in India.

PubMed

Peters, David H; Rao, K Sujatha; Fryatt, Robert

2003-09-01

India's health system was designed in a different era, when expectations of the public and private sectors were quite different. India's population is also undergoing transitions in the demographic, epidemiologic and social aspects of health. Disparities in life expectancy, disease, access to health care and protection from financial risks have increased. These factors are challenging the health system to respond in new ways. The old approach to national health policies and programmes is increasingly inappropriate. By analyzing inter- and intra-state differences in contexts and processes, we argue that the content of national health policy needs to be more diverse and accommodating to specific states and districts. More 'splitting' of India's health policy at the state level would better address their health problems, and would open the way to innovation and local accountability. States further along the health transition would be able to develop policies to deal with the emerging epidemic of non-communicable diseases and more appropriate health financing systems. States early in the transition would need to focus on improving the quality and access of essential public health services, and empowering communities to take more ownership. Better 'lumping' of policy issues at the central level is also needed, but not in ways that have been done in the past. The central government needs to focus on overcoming the large inequalities in health outcomes across India, tackle growing challenges to health such as the HIV epidemic, and provide the much needed leadership on systemic issues such as the development of systems for quality assurance and regulation of the private sector. It also needs to support and facilitate states and districts to develop critical capacities rather than directly manage programmes. As India develops a more diverse set of state health policies, there will be more opportunities to learn what works in different policy environments.

Pilot Study of Essential Drug Quality in Two Major Cities in India

PubMed Central

Bate, Roger; Tren, Richard; Mooney, Lorraine; Hess, Kimberly; Mitra, Barun; Debroy, Bibek; Attaran, Amir

2009-01-01

Background India is an increasingly influential player in the global pharmaceutical market. Key parts of the drug regulatory system are controlled by the states, each of which applies its own standards for enforcement, not always consistent with others. A pilot study was conducted in two major cities in India, Delhi and Chennai, to explore the question/hypothesis/extent of substandard and counterfeit drugs available in the market and to discuss how the Indian state and federal governments could improve drug regulation and more importantly regulatory enforcement to combat these drugs. Methodology/Principal Findings Random samples of antimalarial, antibiotic, and antimycobacterial drugs were collected from pharmacies in urban and peri-urban areas of Delhi and Chennai, India. Semi-quantitative thin-layer chromatography and disintegration testing were used to measure the concentration of active ingredients against internationally acceptable standards. 12% of all samples tested from Delhi failed either one or both tests, and were substandard. 5% of all samples tested from Chennai failed either one or both tests, and were substandard. Spatial heterogeneity between pharmacies was observed, with some having more or less substandard drugs (30% and 0% respectively), as was product heterogeneity, with some drugs being more or less frequently substandard (12% and 7% respectively). Conclusions/Significance In a study using basic field-deployable techniques of lesser sensitivity rather than the most advanced laboratory-based techniques, the prevalence of substandard drugs in Delhi and Chennai is confirmed to be roughly in accordance with the Indian government's current estimates. However, important spatial and product heterogeneity exists, which suggests that India's substandard drug problem is not ubiquitous, but driven by a subset of manufacturers and pharmacies which thrive in an inadequately regulated environment. It is likely that the drug regulatory system in India needs

Arsenic contamination of the environment: a new perspective from central-east India.

PubMed

Pandey, Piyush Kant; Yadav, Sushma; Nair, Sumita; Bhui, Ashish

2002-09-01

This paper reports a regional contamination of the environment in central-east India that does not share geology or boundary with the Bengal Delta Plain. About 30,000 people residing in 30 villages and towns are directly exposed to arsenic and more than 200,000 people are "at risk." Complete geographical extent of this contamination is being established, and this newly reported contaminated area could be quite large. This paper further reports that the mechanisms involved in arsenic mobilisation are complex and the two theories of arsenic mobilisation, i.e., pyrite oxidation and oxyhydroxides reduction, do not fully explain the high levels of arsenic contamination. This paper also proposes the "oxidation-reduction theory" for arsenic mobilisation where the arsenic originates from the arsenopyrite oxidation and the arsenic thus mobilised forms the minerals and gets reduced underground in favourable Eh conditions. The stoppage of water withdrawal from the contaminated sources did not result in lowering of arsenic levels as expected according to the heavy groundwater extraction theory (pyrite oxidation theory). Cases of arsenicosis in the region are on the rise and the switchover to less contaminated water has not reversed the arsenicosis progression in the affected persons even after 2 years. Surface water of the rivers is also being contaminated because of the probable dislocation of contaminated groundwater due to the heavy rains in monsoon season, which indicates that the river water could be a major carrier of arsenic in dissolved or adsorbed forms that may be a cause of contamination of the delta plains.

Prevalence of C-shaped canals in mandibular second and third molars in a central India population: A cone beam computed tomography analysis.

PubMed

Wadhwani, Shefali; Singh, Mahesh Pratap; Agarwal, Manish; Somasundaram, Pavithra; Rawtiya, Manjusha; Wadhwani, P K

2017-01-01

To evaluate the prevalence of C-shaped root canals in mandibular molars using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in a subpopulation of Central India. CBCT scans of patients from diagnostic imaging center were selected in accordance with the criteria given by Fan et al . (2004) for C-shaped canals. A total of 238 CBCT scans fulfilled the inclusion criteria and thereby divided into two groups: Group 1: Images showing C-shaped canal configuration in mandibular second molars. Group 2: Images showing C-shaped canal configuration in mandibular third molars. The frequency and distribution of canals and their configuration along with the position of lingual/buccal grooves in the images were evaluated, and the data was analyzed. CBCT evaluation showed that 9.7% of second molars and 8% of third molars had C-shaped canals. A prominent buccal groove was seen in these teeth. The data showed a significant difference ( P = 0.038) for the presence of such anatomy on the right side for mandibular third molars. The study showed a significant prevalence of C-shaped canal configuration in the subpopulation studied.

Assessment of Land Degradation and Greening in Ken River Basin of Central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Ashish; Palmate, Santosh S.

2017-04-01

Natural systems have significant impact of land degradation on biodiversity loss, food and water insecurity. To achieve the sustainable development goals, advances in remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS) are progressively utilized to combat climate change, land degradation and poverty issues of developing country. The Ken River Basin (KRB) has dominating land cover pattern of agriculture and forest area. Nowadays, this pattern is affected due to climate change and anthropogenic activity like deforestation. In this study, land degradation and greening status of KRB of Central India during the years 2001 to 2013 have been assessed using MODIS land cover (MCD12Q1) data sets. International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP) land cover data has been extracted from the MCD12Q1 data product. Multiple rasters of MODIS landcover were analyzed and compared for assigning unique combination of land cover dynamics employing ArcGIS software. Result reveals that 14.38% natural vegetation was degraded, and crop land and woody savannas were greened by 9.68% to 6.94% respectively. Natural vegetation degradation have been observed in the upper KRB area, and resulted to increase in crop land (3418.87 km2) and woody savannas (1242.23 km2) area. Due to transition of 1043.6 km2 area of deciduous broadleaf forest to woody savannas greening was also observed. Moreover, both crop land and woody savannas showed inter-transitions of 669.31 km2 into crop land to woody savannas, and 874.09 km2 into woody savannas to crop land. The present analysis reveals that natural vegetation has more land conversions into woody savannas and crop land in the KRB area. Further, Spatial change analysis shows that land degradation and greening has occurred mostly in the upper part of the KRB. The study reveals that the land transition information can be useful for proper planning and management of natural resources.

Assessment of Cr, Ni and Pb Pollution in Rural Agricultural Soils of Tonalite-Trondjhemite Series in Central India.

PubMed

Shukla, Kriti; Kumar, Bijendra; Agrawal, Rahul; Priyanka, Kumari; Venkatesh, Madavi; Anshumali

2017-06-01

Chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) contamination was investigated in wheat cultivated rain-fed and irrigated rural agricultural soils (n = 31) of Tonalite-Trondjhemite Series in Central India. The soil sampling was carried out by using stratified random sampling method. The mean concentrations of Cr, Ni and Pb were 54.8, 38.1 and 68.9 mg/kg, respectively. The average values of enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (I geo ) and contamination factor (CF) followed the order as: Pb > Ni > Cr. Distribution patterns of soil parent material and weathering processes govern mineral enrichments, irrespective of rainfed or irrigated agricultural practices. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed strong loading of Cr and Ni (PC1) and Pb and clay (PC3). The strong loading on Cr and Ni indicates soils are originating from basic and volcanic rocks in the study area. The strong loading of Pb and clay indicates Pb is strongly adsorbed on clay minerals and Fe-oxides. The cancer risk (CR) index showed negligible carcinogenic risk to the residing population. However, hazard index (HI) values for children exceed the safe limit (HI > 1) for Cr and Pb. Spatial distribution of pollution load index suggest highest pollution in the northeastern part of the district. The study revealed that geogenically enriched soils of the area are suitable for agricultural activities under present conditions.

Socioeconomic gradients of cardiovascular risk factors in China and India: results from the China health and retirement longitudinal study and longitudinal aging study in India.

PubMed

Hu, Peifeng; Wang, Serena; Lee, Jinkook

2017-09-01

Cardiovascular disease has become a major public health challenge in developing countries. The goal of this study is to compare socioeconomic status (SES) gradients of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) both within and between China and India. We used multivariable logistic regression models to examine the associations between SES and CVRF, using data from the China health and retirement longitudinal study and the longitudinal aging study in India. The results showed that, compared to illiteracy, the odds ratios of completing junior high school for high-risk waist circumference were 4.99 (95% confidence interval: 1.77-14.06) among Indian men, 3.42 (95% confidence interval: 1.66-7.05) among Indian women, but 0.74 (95% confidence interval: 0.59-0.92) among Chinese women. Similar patterns were observed between educational attainment and high-risk body mass index, and between education and hypertension, based on self-reported physician diagnosis and direct blood pressure measurements. SES is associated with CVRF in both China and India. However, this relationship showed opposite patterns across two countries, suggesting that this association is not fixed, but is subjective to underlying causal pathways, such as patterns of risky health behaviors and different social and health policies.

Changes in erosional and depositional processes with time and management of Goa Coast, central west coast of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayak, Ganapati; D'Souza, Joseph

2010-05-01

Coastal and estuarine environments, world over are facing immense impact due to both natural and anthropogenic processes. The natural processes include climatic changes, rise in sea level, cyclone, flood, tsunamis, coastal erosion, salinity ingress and siltation. Likewise, anthropogenic pressures include population expansion, ocean traffic, dredging, resource exploitation, pollution, unplanned urbanization and intensive industrialization. Due to these impacts the fragile coastal ecosystem and its entities, like sub ecosystems, resources, morphological units are undergoing unprecedented degradation, rendering these coastal regions vulnerable, impinging risk to human population, livestock, properties, as also, devastation of resourceful lands. This accelerates economic fatalities and irreversible obliteration to the ecosystems. Evidences on the global concern towards this issue have been well established. The countries world over, including India, pledged consensus towards the protection of the fragile coastal ecosystems through UNCED, Agenda-21. India, on 19th February 1991, has designated specified corridors along the landward side of the coastline as "Coastal Regulatory Zones" (CRZ), through appropriate policy and law. In context with the CRZ notification, scientific database at local and site-specific areas, developed. Synergy of ecosystems, landscape and resources with demographic, tourism data, vis-à-vis, economic corridors/sectors aided the paradigms and criterion for local and site specific prescriptions for Goa Coast. The Goa coast is a part of central west coast of India and is characterized by pocket beaches flanked by rocky cliffs, estuaries, bays, and at some places mangroves. Beaches in southern Goa are long and linear in nature with sand dunes. The Mandovi and Zuari estuarine system in Goa is the largest in this part of the coast. Mud flats, swampy marshes and wetlands are found mainly along estuaries and creeks. The beaches of Goa are stable beaches

Spatio-temporal variation in the hydrochemistry of Tawa River, Central India: effect of natural and anthropogenic factors.

PubMed

Mehto, Ashwini; Chakrapani, G J

2013-12-01

Tawa River is the biggest left bank tributary of the Narmada, the largest west-flowing river of the Indian peninsula. Central India enjoys a tropical climate, is highly urbanized, and the river flow is mostly controlled by monsoon; a large part of the population depend on rivers for their livelihood. Spatial and temporal variations in the hydrochemistry of the Tawa River were studied based on seasonal sampling along the course of the river and its tributaries. The study is important because not much data exist on small size rivers and the river processes spell out correctly in smaller basins. The monsoon season accounts for more than 70% of river water flow. The basin is characterized by silicate lithology; however, water chemistry is controlled by carbonate-rich soils and other weathering products of the silicate rocks, as indicated by the high (Ca + Mg)/(Na + K) ratios (>3.8). The values of the Na-normalized ratios of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and HCO₃(-) suggest that both the carbonate and silicate lithology contribute to the hydrochemistry. On average, 42% of HCO₃(-) in the Tawa River water is contributed by silicate weathering and 58% from carbonate lithology. The water remains undersaturated with respect to calcite during the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons and supersaturated during the pre-monsoon season. A significant influence of mining in the basin and other industrial units is observed in water chemical composition.

Identity Dystopias, Empire Framing and Theoretical Hegemonies: Two Case Studies, India and Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allender, Tim; O'Donoghue, Tom

2014-01-01

This article explores the connections between official contemporary identity formation and colonial pasts. Using the case studies of India and Ireland the article explores how different traditions of theorisation are powerful in these formations. India and Ireland were two colonial domains that had many linkages outside the ambit of the British.…

Heat wave over India during summer 2015: an assessment of real time extended range forecast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pattanaik, D. R.; Mohapatra, M.; Srivastava, A. K.; Kumar, Arun

2017-08-01

Hot winds are the marked feature of summer season in India during late spring preceding the climatological onset of the monsoon season in June. Some years the conditions becomes very vulnerable with the maximum temperature ( T max) exceeding 45 °C for many days over parts of north-western, eastern coastal states of India and Indo-Gangetic plain. During summer of 2015 (late May to early June) eastern coastal states, central and northwestern parts of India experienced severe heat wave conditions leading to loss of thousands of human life in extreme high temperature conditions. It is not only the loss of human life but also the animals and birds were very vulnerable to this extreme heat wave conditions. In this study, an attempt is made to assess the performance of real time extended range forecast (forecast up to 3 weeks) of this scorching T max based on the NCEP's Climate Forecast System (CFS) latest version coupled model (CFSv2). The heat wave condition was very severe during the week from 22 to 28 May with subsequent week from 29 May to 4 June also witnessed high T max over many parts of central India including eastern coastal states of India. The 8 ensemble members of operational CFSv2 model are used once in a week to prepare the weekly bias corrected deterministic (ensemble mean) T max forecast for 3 weeks valid from Friday to Thursday coinciding with the heat wave periods of 2015. Using the 8 ensemble members separately and the CFSv2 corresponding hindcast climatology the probability of above and below normal T max is also prepared for the same 3 weeks. The real time deterministic and probabilistic forecasts did indicate impending heat wave over many parts of India during late May and early June of 2015 associated with strong northwesterly wind over main land mass of India, delaying the sea breeze, leading to heat waves over eastern coastal regions of India. Thus, the capability of coupled model in providing early warning of such killer heat wave can be very

A Study Tour of India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French, Shirley

1992-01-01

Describes 1991 site visits by British educational administrators of early childhood educational institutions in Delhi and Bombay, India. Discusses philosophies and practices witnessed at a national center providing preschool education and meals, a mobile day-care center for children of migrant workers, a preschool teacher training institute, and…

Community pharmacy based research activity in India: A bibliometric study of the past ten years

PubMed Central

Basak, Subal Chandra; Sathyanarayana, Dondeti

2010-01-01

Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze and record the published evidence regarding community pharmacy practice in India during the past decade (1998-2008). Methods: A bibliometric review analysis of the original papers was undertaken to assess the different aspects of community pharmacy practice in India. The MEDLINE, Index Copernicus, IndMed, DOAJ databases and the journals such as Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Indian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy were used as data sources. Type of papers, type of journals, category of papers, production indicators and impact factor of the journals were analyzed. Results: Thirty papers were included in the study. The papers were published in 13 different journals, 33.3% of them being in the Indian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy. The average number of authors per paper was 2.73 (SD=1.41). Impact factor was available for only three journals. Conclusions: There are limited studies being published in India which cover the community pharmacy related activities in India. The key indicators which emerge from the literature review present some fundamental challenges to the development of the role of the community pharmacist in India. PMID:23093877

Community pharmacy based research activity in India: A bibliometric study of the past ten years.

PubMed

Basak, Subal Chandra; Sathyanarayana, Dondeti

2010-02-01

The objective of this study was to analyze and record the published evidence regarding community pharmacy practice in India during the past decade (1998-2008). A bibliometric review analysis of the original papers was undertaken to assess the different aspects of community pharmacy practice in India. The MEDLINE, Index Copernicus, IndMed, DOAJ databases and the journals such as Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Indian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy were used as data sources. Type of papers, type of journals, category of papers, production indicators and impact factor of the journals were analyzed. Thirty papers were included in the study. The papers were published in 13 different journals, 33.3% of them being in the Indian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy. The average number of authors per paper was 2.73 (SD=1.41). Impact factor was available for only three journals. There are limited studies being published in India which cover the community pharmacy related activities in India. The key indicators which emerge from the literature review present some fundamental challenges to the development of the role of the community pharmacist in India.

Impact of water management interventions on hydrology and ecosystem services in Garhkundar-Dabar watershed of Bundelkhand region, Central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Ramesh; Garg, Kaushal K.; Wani, Suhas P.; Tewari, R. K.; Dhyani, S. K.

2014-02-01

Bundelkhand region of Central India is a hot spot of water scarcity, land degradation, poverty and poor socio-economic status. Impacts of integrated watershed development (IWD) interventions on water balance and different ecosystem services are analyzed in one of the selected watershed of 850 ha in Bundelkhand region. Improved soil, water and crop management interventions in Garhkundar-Dabar (GKD) watershed of Bundelkhand region in India enhanced ET to 64% as compared to 58% in untreated (control) watershed receiving 815 mm annual average rainfall. Reduced storm flow (21% vs. 34%) along with increased base flow (4.5% vs. 1.2%) and groundwater recharge (11% vs. 7%) of total rainfall received were recorded in treated watershed as compared to untreated control watershed. Economic Water productivity and total income increased from 2.5 to 5.0 INR m-3 and 11,500 to 27,500 INR ha-1 yr-1 after implementing integrated watershed development interventions in GKD watershed, respectively. Moreover IWD interventions helped in reducing soil loss more than 50% compared to control watershed. The results demonstrated that integrated watershed management practices addressed issues of poverty in GKD watershed. Benefit to cost ratio of project interventions was found three and pay back period within four years suggest economic feasibility to scale-up IWD interventions in Bundelkhend region. Scaling-up of integrated watershed management in drought prone rainfed areas with enabling policy and institutional support is expected to promote equity and livelihood along with strengthening various ecosystem services, however, region-specific analysis is needed to assess trade-offs for downstream areas along with onsite impact.

Fluid-assisted Ductile Deformation in the Main Central Thrust, Sikkim Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, S.; Majumdar, A. S.; Mukul, M.

2016-12-01

The disparity in the definition and position of the Main Central Thrust (MCT), a major crustal scale fault-zone (FZ) in the Himalaya have hindered detailed studies on its geometry, kinematics, deformation mechanisms and role of fluid aiding in deformation within the MCTFZ. To resolve these ambiguities, we have mapped the MCT using a ductile fault-zone model, characterized by a fault core (FC) of maximum-grain size reduction flanked by relatively less deformed hanging-wall (HWDZ) and footwall damage zones (FWDZ). The mineralogical and compositional variations from protolith to FC are analysed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). The study reveals in the structurally lowest exposure near Rongli, Sikkim, India the MCTFZ outcrops with 120m thick FC flanked by 1.2km HWDZ and 1.3km FWDZ. The modal proportion of quartz progressively increases from protolith ( 32%) to the FC ( 90%), coupled with decrease in proportion of feldspars ( 60% to 9%) and biotite ( 6% to 2%). Volume-conservative mass balance calculations show an increase in SiO2 concentration (in wt%), coupled with a decrease in other major and minor element concentrations like Al2O3, TiO2, Fe2O3, Na2O and CaO in the FC relative to the protolith composition. Similar trend was observed for Al2O3 and TiO2 conservative isocon analyses with volume gain of 138% and 55% respectively from the protolith to the FC. The extensive mineralogical and compositional changes from the protolith to the FC indicate fluid-induced element mobilization in the MCTFZ. Evidences of reaction softening, as observed by the transformation of mechanically stronger minerals like feldspar and hornblende to weaker sericite and biotite respectively, attest to deformation in the presence of fluid. The fluid enriches the FC with easily deformable quartz along with reduction in proportion of relatively less deformable feldspar. The presence of fluid facilitates deformation of quartz in MCTFZ at lower temperatures by hydrolytic

Willingness to pay for cattle and buffalo insurance: an analysis of dairy farmers in central India.

PubMed

Khan, Mohd Ameer; Chander, Mahesh; Bardhan, Dwaipayan

2013-02-01

In India, insurance market especially in agricultural sector is usually underdeveloped. The idea of livestock insurance emerged in India before three decades, yet, it has not operated in a significant way till date. It is well noted that livestock insurance scheme is the relevant strategy in managing different risks related to livestock farming but very little attention has been paid to address the livestock insurance needs of the dairy farmers. This study, therefore, addresses the basic question that how many people and to what extent they are willing to pay for livestock insurance and determine the main factors which influence insurance participation of dairy farmers. The data was collected from Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh in India with a sample survey of 120 cattle and buffalo farmers. For eliciting willingness to pay, a contingent valuation scenario was presented to dairy animal owners in the group of five to six. A logit discrete binary regression model was used to know the factors influencing adoption of livestock insurance. The results suggest that most of the farmers were willing to participate in cattle and buffalo insurance. The amount of premium varies across different breeds of dairy animals. The low level of education of many dairy farmers have negatively influenced the decision to purchase livestock insurance. Farmers having more experience in rearing dairy animals are more likely to be willing to pay for cattle and buffalo insurance.

Literary Vision of Symbolic India: Removing the Veil and Stepping into Spiritual India. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad 1996 (India).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barry, Patricia

This curriculum guide was developed to assist middle-school students in understanding the complexity of India. A slide presentation is used in combination with several activities for interdisciplinary study of India through literature and social studies. A comprehensive bibliography provides suggestions for further reading. Sections of the guide…

Why is it important to study malaria epidemiology in India?

PubMed

Singh, Vineeta; Mishra, Neelima; Awasthi, Gauri; Dash, Aditya P; Das, Aparup

2009-10-01

Malaria is a major vector-borne disease in India. Based on vast geographic areas with associated topographic and climatic diversity, the variable malaria epidemiology in India is associated with high parasite genetic diversity and rapidly evolving drug resistance, differential distribution of vector species and emerging insecticide resistance and underlying human genetic diversity and past evolutionary histories. Further, changing climatic patterns have possibly changed malaria epidemiology to a great extent. The outcome of these changes is an increased incidence of Plasmodium falciparum over the P. vivax malaria in recent years. Accordingly, the drug and insecticide application policy in India has changed too. The above facts and associated rapid shifting trend of malaria epidemiology makes India a hot-spot for malaria research.

Genetic population structure of the malaria vector Anopheles baimaii in north-east India using mitochondrial DNA

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Anopheles baimaii is a primary vector of human malaria in the forest settings of Southeast Asia including the north-eastern region of India. Here, the genetic population structure and the basic population genetic parameters of An. baimaii in north-east India were estimated using DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase sub unit II (COII) gene. Methods Anopheles baimaii were collected from 26 geo-referenced locations across the seven north-east Indian states and the COII gene was sequenced from 176 individuals across these sites. Fifty-seven COII sequences of An. baimaii from six locations in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand from a previous study were added to this dataset. Altogether, 233 sequences were grouped into eight population groups, to facilitate analyses of genetic diversity, population structure and population history. Results A star-shaped median joining haplotype network, unimodal mismatch distribution and significantly negative neutrality tests indicated population expansion in An. baimaii with the start of expansion estimated to be ~0.243 million years before present (MYBP) in north-east India. The populations of An. baimaii from north-east India had the highest haplotype and nucleotide diversity with all other populations having a subset of this diversity, likely as the result of range expansion from north-east India. The north-east Indian populations were genetically distinct from those in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand, indicating that mountains, such as the Arakan mountain range between north-east India and Myanmar, are a significant barrier to gene flow. Within north-east India, there was no genetic differentiation among populations with the exception of the Central 2 population in the Barail hills area that was significantly differentiated from other populations. Conclusions The high genetic distinctiveness of the Central 2 population in the Barail hills area of the north-east India should be confirmed and its

Role of absorbing aerosols on hot extremes in India in a GCM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, A.; Sah, N.; Venkataraman, C.; Patil, N.

2017-12-01

Temperature extremes and heat waves in North-Central India during the summer months of March through June are known for causing significant impact in terms of human health, productivity and mortality. While greenhouse gas-induced global warming is generally believed to intensify the magnitude and frequency of such extremes, aerosols are usually associated with an overall cooling, by virtue of their dominant radiation scattering nature, in most world regions. Recently, large-scale atmospheric conditions leading to heat wave and extreme temperature conditions have been analysed for the North-Central Indian region. However, the role of absorbing aerosols, including black carbon and dust, is still not well understood, in mediating hot extremes in the region. In this study, we use 30-year simulations from a chemistry-coupled atmosphere-only General Circulation Model (GCM), ECHAM6-HAM2, forced with evolving aerosol emissions in an interactive aerosol module, along with observed sea surface temperatures, to examine large-scale and mesoscale conditions during hot extremes in India. The model is first validated with observed gridded temperature and reanalysis data, and is found to represent observed variations in temperature in the North-Central region and concurrent large-scale atmospheric conditions during high temperature extremes realistically. During these extreme events, changes in near surface properties include a reduction in single scattering albedo and enhancement in short-wave solar heating rate, compared to climatological conditions. This is accompanied by positive anomalies of black carbon and dust aerosol optical depths. We conclude that the large-scale atmospheric conditions such as the presence of anticyclones and clear skies, conducive to heat waves and high temperature extremes, are exacerbated by absorbing aerosols in North-Central India. Future air quality regulations are expected to reduce sulfate particles and their masking of GHG warming. It is

Private Higher Education in India: A Study of Two Private Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angom, Sangeeta

2015-01-01

The Private higher education sector is growing fast in many settings, including India, and there are variations at the national level. Privatization of higher education in India has been the result of changes in the economic policy towards liberalization and privatization by the Government of India. Till 1980, higher education sector was…

Relative Contribution of Monsoon Precipitation and Pumping to Changes in Groundwater Storage in India

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asoka, Akarsh; Gleeson, Tom; Wada, Yoshihide; Mishra, Vimal

2017-01-01

The depletion of groundwater resources threatens food and water security in India. However, the relative influence of groundwater pumping and climate variability on groundwater availability and storage remains unclear. Here we show from analyses of satellite and local well data spanning the past decade that long-term changes in monsoon precipitation are driving groundwater storage variability in most parts of India either directly by changing recharge or indirectly by changing abstraction. We find that groundwater storage has declined in northern India at the rate of 2 cm/yr and increased by 1 to 2 cm/yr in southern India between 2002 and 2013. We find that a large fraction of the total variability in groundwater storage in north-central and southern India can be explained by changes in precipitation. Groundwater storage variability in northwestern India can be explained predominantly by variability in abstraction for irrigation, which is in turn influenced by changes in precipitation. Declining precipitation in northern India is linked to Indian Ocean warming, suggesting a previously unrecognized teleconnection between ocean temperatures and groundwater storage.

Disparity in rainfall trend and patterns among different regions: analysis of 158 years' time series of rainfall dataset across India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Saurav; Chakraborty, Debasish; Paul, Ranjit Kumar; Samanta, Sandipan; Singh, S. B.

2017-10-01

Rainfall anomaly during crop-growing season can have large impact on the agricultural output of a country, especially like India, where two-thirds of the crop land is rain-fed. In such situation, decreased agricultural production not only challenges food security of the country but directly and immediately hits the livelihood of its farming community. In a vast country like India, rainfall or its anomalies hardly follow a specific pattern, rather it is having high variability in spatial domain. This study focused on the trends of national and regional rainfall anomalies (wetness/dryness) along with their interrelationship using time series data of past 158 years. The significant reducing wetness trend (p < 0.05) over north mountainous India was prominent with an increasing trend over southern peninsular India (p < 0.10). However, long-term annual wetness was increasing over entire peninsular India. The results of change point tests indicate that major abrupt changes occurred between early to mid-twentieth century having regional variations. The regional interrelationship was studied using principal component, hierarchical clustering, and pair-wise difference test, which clearly indicated a significantly different pattern in rainfall anomalies for north east India (p = 0.022), north central India (p = 0.022), and north mountainous India (p = 0.011) from that of the all India. Result of this study affirmed high spatial variability in rainfall anomaly and most importantly established the unalike pattern in trends of regional rainfall vis-à-vis national level, ushering towards paradigm shift in rainfall forecast from country scale to regional scale for pragmatic planning.

India

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-16

article title:  Aerosols over India     View Larger Image ... particulates, over the low-lying plains of northeastern India appear in dramatic contrast with the relatively pristine air of the ... October 15, 2001 - High concentrations of aerosols over India. project:  MISR category:  gallery ...

Measles case fatality ratio in India a review of community based studies.

PubMed

Sudfeld, C R; Halsey, N A

2009-11-01

Measles remains a major cause of child mortality in India. Measles case fatality ratios (CFRs) vary substantially between countries and even within the same community over time. We present a review of Indian community-based measles CFR studies conducted from 1975 to 2008. PubMed, Cochrane Libraries, and all WHO databases were searched using a combination of terms. All community-based studies were abstracted into a database. We identified 25 studies with data on 27 communities. The median CFR was 1.63 per 100 cases (Q1= 0.00 and Q3= 5.06). Studies conducted after 1994 had significantly lower CFRs (P=0.031). Studies in rural settings had significantly higher CFRs compared to urban studies (P=0.015). No differences were found by study design or outbreak/endemic setting. This review suggests measles CFR may be declining in India. We hypothesize that increased measles vaccination coverage is the main factor contributing to the decline. Widespread vaccination increases both the average age of infection and the proportion of total measles cases previously vaccinated. Vitamin A treatment/supplementation is also likely to have contributed. In order to further reduce measles burden in India, vaccination and vitamin A treatment/supplementation coverage should be increased and a two dose vaccine strategy should be implemented in all areas.

Depth to the bottom of magnetic sources (DBMS) from aeromagnetic data of Central India using modified centroid method for fractal distribution of sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bansal, A. R.; Anand, S.; Rajaram, M.; Rao, V.; Dimri, V. P.

2012-12-01

The depth to the bottom of the magnetic sources (DBMS) may be used as an estimate of the Curie - point depth. The DBMSs can also be interpreted in term of thermal structure of the crust. The thermal structure of the crust is a sensitive parameter and depends on the many properties of crust e.g. modes of deformation, depths of brittle and ductile deformation zones, regional heat flow variations, seismicity, subsidence/uplift patterns and maturity of organic matter in sedimentary basins. The conventional centroid method of DBMS estimation assumes random uniform uncorrelated distribution of sources and to overcome this limitation a modified centroid method based on fractal distribution has been proposed. We applied this modified centroid method to the aeromagnetic data of the central Indian region and selected 29 half overlapping blocks of dimension 200 km x 200 km covering different parts of the central India. Shallower values of the DBMS are found for the western and southern portion of Indian shield. The DBMSs values are found as low as close to middle crust in the south west Deccan trap and probably deeper than Moho in the Chhatisgarh basin. In few places DBMS are close to the Moho depth found from the seismic study and others places shallower than the Moho. The DBMS indicate complex nature of the Indian crust.

18. Detail view of central pivot pier, drive gear rack, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

18. Detail view of central pivot pier, drive gear rack, and stabilizing wheel, looking southwest - India Point Railroad Bridge, Spanning Seekonk River between Providence & East Providence, Providence, Providence County, RI

What is the burden of submicroscopic malaria in pregnancy in central India?

PubMed Central

Singh, Neeru; Bharti, Praveen K; Singh, Mrigendra P; Singh, Rajshree; Yeboah-Antwi, Kojo; Desai, Meghna; Udhayakumar, Venkatachalam; Muniyandi, Malaisamy; Hamer, Davidson H; Wylie, Blair J

2015-01-01

Background: Conventional microscopy underestimates the burden of malarial infection when compared with molecular diagnosis using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. Lower density parasitemias serve as a reservoir for infection. We evaluated the prevalence of submicroscopic infections in an area of unstable malarial transmission in India and determined whether these infections negatively impacted maternal or fetal outcomes. Methods: This cross-sectional study (2007–2008) was undertaken in two districts of Chhattisgarh, recruiting women from both antenatal clinics (ANCs) and delivery units (DUs). For ANC/DU subjects, peripheral/placental blood, respectively, was obtained for conventional microscopy and collected onto filter paper for PCR analysis. Results: There were 3425 pregnant women, including 2477 ANC subjects and 948 DU subjects who had both microscopic and PCR samples available. Polymerase chain reaction detected significantly more Plasmodium infections than traditional light microscopy both from peripheral (3.4 vs 1.2%; OR 2.9, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.9–4.5) and placental (4.2 vs 1.7%; OR 2.5, 95% CIs 1.4–4.8) blood samples. Submicroscopic infections were not associated with anemia or severe maternal anemia among ANC or DU participants and were not associated with low birth weight (LBW) among DU participants. In contrast, microscopically detected infections were associated with severe anemia and LBW. Conclusions: In this area of unstable malarial transmission from India, submicroscopic infections did not identify a set of pregnant women at increased risk for anemia or LBW. Until PCR techniques become much less expensive and available as a point of care test for the field setting, its use will be limited for malarial detection. PMID:25627878

A Statistical Study on Higher Educational Institutions in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neelaveni, C.; Manimaran, S.

2014-01-01

This study aims to observe the increased effectiveness of Higher Educational Institutions in India and its competitiveness. It proposes to develop the interest in enhancing the quality in Educational Institutions. It is monitored and evaluated through rapid growth of information technology, which makes sophisticated data collection possible. This…

Library Automation Facilitation: A Case Study of NIT Libraries in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, Y. Srinivasa; Choudhury, B. K.

2009-01-01

India is a huge country with a population of more than 1 billion. In India, by tradition, education and learning are highly valued. In fact, India has one of the largest higher education systems in the world, with regard to the number of institutions. Education is a necessity. It is the most effective instrument with which to imbue people with the…

Nature cure treatment in the context of India's epidemiological transition.

PubMed

Alter, Joseph Stewart; Sharma, Chandrashekar

2016-07-01

Scholars have argued that theoretical insights of critical medical anthropology should be applied to the analysis of complementary and alternative medicine in order to develop more critically engaged integrative medicine. In this essay we focus on nature cure in the context of India's contemporary epidemiological transition as an example of why engaged integrative medicine is important for public health, and how the institutionalization of nature cure treatment in India provides a critical framework for the development of programs focused on holistic treatment and prevention. After providing an overview of the epidemiological transition in contemporary India, we develop this argument through an examination of illustrative cases in a clinic that operates within the structure of India's Central Council for Research on Yoga and Naturopathy. Based on a review of recent history and contemporary practice we describe how a system of medicine that makes use exclusively of air, earth, sunlight, water and food has been institutionalized and professionalized in India. Whereas biomedical treatment for chronic non-communicable diseases is focused on the problem of curing individual diseases, nature cure establishes a regimen of personalized public healthcare for the integrated management of symptoms. We argue that nature cure is based on an ecological understanding of health, thus providing treatment that reflects a broad appreciation for the risk factors that characterize India's current crises of public health.

Male perceptions on female sterilization: a community-based study in rural Central India.

PubMed

Char, Arundhati; Saavala, Minna; Kulmala, Teija

2009-09-01

Use of modern contraceptive methods has increased fourfold in India since the 1970s, characterized by a predominance of female sterilization. There has been considerable investigation about women's choice of female sterilization, but little from the male perspective. Seven focus group discussions were conducted among 58 men currently married to women aged 15-45, followed by a cross-sectional survey among 793 men currently married to same-aged women. Bivariate analysis was used for the survey data, and content analysis was used for the qualitative data. Men's primary source of reproductive health information was mass media, although they expressed interest in getting information through discussion with knowledgeable sources. Men understood family planning and contraception to be two separate issues: Men viewed "family planning" as synonymous with female sterilization, whereas they saw "contraception" as referring to spacing methods, knowledge of which was limited. Thirty-four percent of men reported that their wives had been sterilized; 79% of men who did not rely on any permanent method said they wanted their wives to be sterilized. In focus group discussions, most men reported themselves as their family's sole decision maker about reproductive health; however, only one-third of survey respondents did so. Men are interested in acquiring family planning information, but lack knowledge about available information sources, which hampers their ability to make informed family planning choices. Family planning service providers and program planners need to be aware of males' knowledge and perceptions pertaining to family planning, and make appropriate modifications to communication strategies.

Structure of pseudotachylyte vein systems as a key to co-seismic rupture dynamics: the case of Gavilgarh-Tan Shear Zone, central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chattopadhyay, A.; Bhattacharjee, D.; Mukherjee, S.

2014-04-01

The secondary fractures associated with a major pseudotachylyte-bearing fault vein in the sheared aplitic granitoid of the Proterozoic Gavilgarh-Tan Shear Zone in central India are mapped at the outcrop scale. The fracture maps help to identify at least three different types of co-seismic ruptures, e.g., X-X', T1 and T2, which characterize sinistral-sense shearing of rocks, confined between two sinistral strike-slip faults slipping at seismic rate. From the asymmetric distribution of tensile fractures around the sinistral-sense fault vein, the direction of seismic rupture propagation is predicted to have occurred from west-southwest to east-northeast, during an ancient (Ordovician?) earthquake. Calculations of approximate co-seismic displacement on the faults and seismic moment ( M 0) of the earthquake are attempted, following the methods proposed by earlier workers. These estimates broadly agree to the findings from other studied fault zones (e.g., Gole Larghe Fault zone, Italian Alps). This study supports the proposition by some researchers that important seismological information can be extracted from tectonic pseudotachylytes of all ages, provided they are not reworked by subsequent tectonic activity.

Prevalence of C-shaped canals in mandibular second and third molars in a central India population: A cone beam computed tomography analysis

PubMed Central

Wadhwani, Shefali; Singh, Mahesh Pratap; Agarwal, Manish; Somasundaram, Pavithra; Rawtiya, Manjusha; Wadhwani, P. K.

2017-01-01

Introduction: To evaluate the prevalence of C-shaped root canals in mandibular molars using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in a subpopulation of Central India. Materials and Methods: CBCT scans of patients from diagnostic imaging center were selected in accordance with the criteria given by Fan et al. (2004) for C-shaped canals. A total of 238 CBCT scans fulfilled the inclusion criteria and thereby divided into two groups: Group 1: Images showing C-shaped canal configuration in mandibular second molars. Group 2: Images showing C-shaped canal configuration in mandibular third molars. The frequency and distribution of canals and their configuration along with the position of lingual/buccal grooves in the images were evaluated, and the data was analyzed. Results: CBCT evaluation showed that 9.7% of second molars and 8% of third molars had C-shaped canals. A prominent buccal groove was seen in these teeth. The data showed a significant difference (P = 0.038) for the presence of such anatomy on the right side for mandibular third molars. Conclusion: The study showed a significant prevalence of C-shaped canal configuration in the subpopulation studied. PMID:29386785

Digital Libraries and Repositories in India: An Evaluative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mittal, Rekha; Mahesh, G.

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify and evaluate the collections within digital libraries and repositories in India available in the public domain. Design/methodology/approach: The digital libraries and repositories were identified through a study of the literature, as well as internet searching and browsing. The resulting digital…

New evidence for paleobiogeographic intercontinental Gondwana relationships based on Late Cretaceous-earliest Paleocene coastal faunas from peninsular India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahni, Ashok; Rana, R. S.; Prasad, G. V. R.

A number of localities for freshwater microvertebrate assemblages of Late Cretaceous-early Paleocene age fringing the Deccan Basalt outcrops of Peninsular India have been studied during the last 4 years. The diversified vertebrate assemblages recovered by bulk wet screening at the localities of Rahioli (Gujarat), Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Nagpur, Umrer, Pisdura (Maharashtra), and Asifabad (Andhra Pradesh) clearly suggest lack of faunal endemism for the drifting Indian island subcontinent. On the contrary, at the generic level, the fauna from the peninsular Indian localities is cosmopolitan in nature. The presence of a number of Laurasiatic elements, such as pelobatid frogs, suggests that a dispersal corridor was maintained with Laurasia throughout the drifting phase of India. The coastal plain faunas contain a mixed assemblage of freshwater and marine forms represented by 62 genera and 79 species. There is a striking similarity at the generic level between the fish and turtle faunas of the Upper Cretaceous of Peninsular India and those of Niger. Similarly, the few data now available from south central Bolivia, South America, also suggest interesting similarities to the corresponding faunas of Peninsular India. The lack of faunal endemism in India during the temporal span of India's northward drift as an island subcontinent can be attributed to a land contact maintained with Madagascar and the east African region by such aseismic elements as the Mascarene plateau and the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. A more northerly contact with Laurasia may have been established by an island arc system represented at present by the Dras volcanics of Kashmir. The proximity of the Iran-Afghan plate to the drifting Indian landmass may have further contributed as a corridor for the dispersal of Laurasiatic elements into the subcontinent. By the middle Eocene, with the establishment of a firm dispersal corridor with central and east Asia, faunal affinities changed from Gondwanic to

Fluoride and health hazards: community perception in a fluorotic area of central Rajasthan (India): an arid environment.

PubMed

Hussain, J; Hussain, I; Sharma, K C

2010-03-01

India is among the 23 nations around the globe where health problems occur due to excess ingestion of fluoride (>1.5 mg/l) by drinking water. In Rajasthan, 18 out of 32 districts are fluorotic and 11 million of the populations are at risk. An exploratory qualitative survey was conducted to describe perception of the community regarding fluoride and related health problems in Central Rajasthan. A study on distribution and health hazards by fluoride contaminate in groundwater was performed in 1,030 villages of Bhilwara district of Central Rajasthan. One thousand thirty water samples were collected and analyzed for fluoride concentration. Fluoride concentration in these villages varies from 0.2 to 13.0 mg/l. Seven hundred fifty-six (73.4%) villages have fluoride concentration above 1.0 mg/l. Sixty (5.83%) villages have fluoride concentration above 5.0 mg/l with maximum numbers (24, 19.5%) from Shahpura tehsil. A detailed fluorosis study was carried out in 41 villages out of 60 villages having fluoride above 5.0 mg/l in the study age, sex, and occupation data were also collected. Four thousand, two hundred fifty-two individuals above 5 years age were examined for the evidence of dental fluorosis, while 1998 individuals above 21 years were examined for the evidence of skeletal fluorosis. The overall prevalence of dental and skeletal fluorosis was found to be 3,270/4,252 (76.9%) and 949/1,998 (47.5%), respectively. Maximum of 23.9% (1,016) individuals have mild grade of Dean's classification. Three hundred seventy-four (8.8%) individuals have severe type of dental fluorosis. The Dean's Community Fluorosis Index for the studied area in total is 1.62. Maximum CFI 3.0 was recorded from Surajpura of Banera Tehsil. Five hundred sixty-six (28.3%) individuals have Grade I type of skeletal fluorosis while only 0.6% (12) individuals have Grade III skeletal fluorosis. In conclusion, the prevalence and severity of fluorosis increased with increasing fluoride concentration. It was

A multidisciplinary study on the crustal architecture and tectonic evolution of the Biligiri Rangan Block, southern India: Implications for Neoarchean plate tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raveendran Thankamoni, Ratheesh Kumar

2017-04-01

Southern India is comprised of a collage of crustal blocks ranging in age from Archean to Neoproterozoic. Previous studies considered the Archean high-grade granulite terrain to the north of the Southern Granuilte Terrain (SGT) of southern India as the part of the Dharwar Craton and hence subdivided this craton into western, central and eastern provinces. This contribution presents my detailed examinations on the least studied Central Dharwar Province, comprising the Biligiri Rangan (BR) - Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills domain composed predominantly of charnockites. One of my recent study (Ratheesh-Kumar et al., 2016) for the first time provided necessary evidence for Neoarchean subduction-accretion-collision tectonic evolution of this domain as a separate crustal block which has been named as Biligiri Rangan Block (BRB) by using a multidisciplinary approach involving field investigation, petrography, mineral chemistry, thermodynamic modeling of metamorphic P-T evolution, and LA-ICPMS U-Pb and Lu-Hf analyses of zircons on representative rocks together with regional-scale crustal thickness model derived using isostatic gravimetric geophysical method. The important findings of this study are: (1) The BRB preserves the vestiges of a Mesoarchean primitive continental crust as indicated by the age (ca. 3207) and positive ɛHf value (+2.7) of quartzofeldspathic gneiss occurred in the central part of the block (2) The charnockites and associated mafic granulites and granites provide ages between ca. 2650 Ma and ca. 2498 Ma with large negative ɛHf values are suggestive of Neoarchean charnockitization and crustal remelting (3) New geochemical data of charnockites and mafic granulites from BRB are consistent with arc magmatic rocks generated through oceanic plate subduction (4) Delineation of a suture zone along the Kollegal structural lineament bounding the BRB and the Western Dharwar Craton surmised from the occurrences of quartzite-iron formation intercalations and also

Newborn screening: need of the hour in India.

PubMed

Verma, Ishwar C; Bijarnia-Mahay, Sunita; Jhingan, Geetu; Verma, Jyotsna

2015-01-01

After a review of the current health scene in India, the authors suggest that the Government of India should consider seriously, the introduction of new born screening. As a first step, a central advisory committee should be constituted to recommend what is required to be done to strengthen the infrastructure and the manpower to carry out new born screening, and the disorders to be screened. In the urban hospitals newborn screening (NBS) for three disorders can be easily introduced (congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and G-6-PD deficiency), while in the rural areas this should begin with congenital hypothyroidism, especially in the sub Himalayan areas. Concurrently, logistic issues regarding diets and special therapies for inborn errors of metabolism should be sorted out, laboratories to confirm the diagnosis should be set up, and a cadre of metabolic physicians should be build up to treat those identified to have inborn errors of metabolism. Once these are established on a firm footing, tandem mass spectrometry should be introduced as it allows the identification of a number of disorders in an affordable manner. The recent improvements and current trends in health care in India have created the necessary infrastructure for adopting NBS for the benefit of infants in India.

Water circulation and governing factors in humid tropical river basins in the central Western Ghats, Karnataka, India.

PubMed

Tripti, M; Lambs, L; Gurumurthy, G P; Moussa, I; Balakrishna, K; Chadaga, M D

2016-01-15

The small river basins in the narrow stretch of the Arabian Sea coast of southwest India experience high annual rainfall (800-8000 mm), with a higher proportion (85 %) during the summer monsoon period between June and September. This is due to a unique orographic barrier provided by the Western Ghats mountain belt (600-2600 m) for the summer monsoon brought by the southwesterly winds. This study is the first of a kind focusing on the water cycle with an intensive stable isotopes approach (samples of river water, groundwater, rainwater; seasonal and spatial sampling) in this part of the Western Ghats in Karnataka and also in the highest rainfall-receiving region (with places like Agumbe receiving 7000-8000 mm annual rainfall) in South India. In addition, the region lacks sustainable water budgeting due to high demographic pressure and a dry pre-monsoon season as the monsoon is mainly unimodal in this part of India, particularly close to the coast. The stable isotopic compositions of groundwater, river water and rainwater in two tropical river basins situated approximately 60 km apart, namely the Swarna near Udupi and the Nethravati near Mangalore, were studied from 2010 to 2013. The δ(18)O and δ(2)H values of the water samples were measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry, and the d-excess values calculated to better understand the dominant source of the water and the influence of evaporation/recycling processes. The water in the smaller area basin (Swarna basin) does not show seasonal variability in the δ(18)O values for groundwater and river water, having a similar mean value of -3.1 ‰. The d-excess value remains higher in both wet and dry seasons suggesting strong water vapor recycling along the foothills of the Western Ghats. In contrast, the larger tropical basin (Nethravati basin) displays specific seasonal isotopic variability. The observation of higher d-excess values in winter with lower δ(18)O values suggests an influence of northeast winter

Life-Stage and Mobility: An Exploratory GPS Study of Mobility in Multigenerational Families, Ahmedabad, India.

PubMed

Isaacson, Michal; D'Ambrosio, Lisa; Samanta, Tannistha; Coughlin, Joseph

2015-01-01

As the population of older adults in India grows, research is needed to plan a sustainable future for India's older adults. This article reports results from a Global Positioning System (GPS)-based pilot study that examined the mobility of middle-class, older adults living in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Using mobility as a lens through which to examine the lives of older adults, we map potential research and identify policy areas of interest considering older adults in urban India. The study explores the role of life stage in mobility as well as the effects of gender and urban environment on mobility. Using this distinctive perspective on day-to-day life, we propose themes through which, using policy and planning tools, the living environments of older adults in Indian cities can be improved. These policy measures include focusing on walkability and pedestrian safety in residential areas and building on existing mixed land use to create high accessibility to goods and services in urban environments.

Perceived health concerns among sexual minority women in Mumbai, India: an exploratory qualitative study.

PubMed

Bowling, Jessamyn; Dodge, Brian; Banik, Swagata; Rodriguez, Israel; Mengele, Shruta Rawat; Herbenick, Debby; Guerra-Reyes, Lucia; Sanders, Stephanie; Dange, Alpana; Anand, Vivek

2016-07-01

The experiences of sexual minority women (i.e., women who do not identify as 'heterosexual') in India have largely been absent in scientific literature. In partnership with India's oldest and largest sexual and gender minority-advocacy organisation, the Humsafar Trust, our study used community-based participatory research principles to explore the lived experiences and health concerns of sexual minority women in Mumbai. Study methodologies included interviews with key informants, a focus group comprised of six women, and an additional 12 in-person interviews with sexual minority women to identify important physical, mental, social and other health priorities from these women's perspectives. Thematic data are organised within the framework offered by the social ecological model, including individual, interpersonal, micro and macro levels. Findings from this study are important in providing the groundwork for future research and intervention involving sexual minority women in India, a dramatically underserved population.

Diagnosis of Dementia by Machine learning methods in Epidemiological studies: a pilot exploratory study from south India.

PubMed

Bhagyashree, Sheshadri Iyengar Raghavan; Nagaraj, Kiran; Prince, Martin; Fall, Caroline H D; Krishna, Murali

2018-01-01

There are limited data on the use of artificial intelligence methods for the diagnosis of dementia in epidemiological studies in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings. A culture and education fair battery of cognitive tests was developed and validated for population based studies in low- and middle-income countries including India by the 10/66 Dementia Research Group. We explored the machine learning methods based on the 10/66 battery of cognitive tests for the diagnosis of dementia based in a birth cohort study in South India. The data sets for 466 men and women for this study were obtained from the on-going Mysore Studies of Natal effect of Health and Ageing (MYNAH), in south India. The data sets included: demographics, performance on the 10/66 cognitive function tests, the 10/66 diagnosis of mental disorders and population based normative data for the 10/66 battery of cognitive function tests. Diagnosis of dementia from the rule based approach was compared against the 10/66 diagnosis of dementia. We have applied machine learning techniques to identify minimal number of the 10/66 cognitive function tests required for diagnosing dementia and derived an algorithm to improve the accuracy of dementia diagnosis. Of 466 subjects, 27 had 10/66 diagnosis of dementia, 19 of whom were correctly identified as having dementia by Jrip classification with 100% accuracy. This pilot exploratory study indicates that machine learning methods can help identify community dwelling older adults with 10/66 criterion diagnosis of dementia with good accuracy in a LMIC setting such as India. This should reduce the duration of the diagnostic assessment and make the process easier and quicker for clinicians, patients and will be useful for 'case' ascertainment in population based epidemiological studies.

Maternal Health Situation in India: A Case Study

PubMed Central

Mavalankar, Dileep V.; Ramani, K.V.; Upadhyaya, Mudita; Sharma, Bharati; Iyengar, Sharad; Gupta, Vikram; Iyengar, Kirti

2009-01-01

Since the beginning of the Safe Motherhood Initiative, India has accounted for at least a quarter of maternal deaths reported globally. India's goal is to lower maternal mortality to less than 100 per 100,000 livebirths but that is still far away despite its programmatic efforts and rapid economic progress over the past two decades. Geographical vastness and sociocultural diversity mean that maternal mortality varies across the states, and uniform implementation of health-sector reforms is not possible. The case study analyzes the trends in maternal mortality nationally, the maternal healthcare-delivery system at different levels, and the implementation of national maternal health programmes, including recent innovative strategies. It identifies the causes for limited success in improving maternal health and suggests measures to rectify them. It recommends better reporting of maternal deaths and implementation of evidence-based, focused strategies along with effective monitoring for rapid progress. It also stresses the need for regulation of the private sector and encourages further public-private partnerships and policies, along with a strong political will and improved management capacity for improving maternal health. PMID:19489415

Extension of the Caucasus Seismic Information Network Study into Central Asia

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan, Lop Nor in China, Pokharan in India, and Chagai in Pakistan, as well as for several peaceful... Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan, Lop Nor in China, Pokharan in India, and Chagai in Pakistan, and several peaceful nuclear explosion (PNE) events...truth in tomography studies. Figures 5 and 6 show waveforms for a nuclear explosion at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan and for a

Source Apportionment of PM2.5 Mass and Optical Attenuation Over an Ecologically Sensitive Zone in Central India by Positive Matrix Factorization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nirmalkar, J.; Raman, R. S.

2016-12-01

Ambient PM2.5 samples (N=366) were collected over an ecologically sensitive zone (Van Vihar National Park) in Bhopal, Central India for two years (01 January, 2012 to 31 December, 2013). Samples were collected using three co-located Mini-Vol® samplers on Teflon, Nylon, and Quartz filter substrates. The aerosol was then chemically characterized for water-soluble inorganic ions, elements, and carbon fractions (elemental carbon and organic carbon) using ion chromatography, ED-XRF, and thermal-optical EC/OC analyzer, respectively. The optical attenuation (at 370 nm and 800 nm) of PM2.5 aerosols was also determined by optical transmissometry (OT-21). The application of Positive matrix factorization (PMF) to a combination of PM2.5 mass, its ions, elements, carbon fractions, and optical attenuation and its outcomes will be discussed.

Isolation and molecular characterization of Chikungunya virus from the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, India: evidence of an East, Central, and South African genotype.

PubMed

Muruganandam, N; Chaaithanya, I K; Senthil, G S; Shriram, A N; Bhattacharya, D; Jeevabharathi, G S; Sudeep, A B; Pradeepkumar, N; Vijayachari, P

2011-12-01

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an Alphavirus belonging to the family Togaviridae. In 2006, CHIKV infection struck the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, with an attack rate of 60%. There were more than 10 cases with acute flaccid paralysis simulating the Guillian Barre Syndrome. The majority of the patients presented severe joint pain. The cause for such an explosive nature of the outbreak with increased morbidity was not known. The isolation of CHIKV was attempted and succeeded from nine subjects presenting clinical symptoms of Chikungunya fever. The cDNA of all the isolates was sequenced for partial E1 and nsP1 genes. Sequences were aligned based on the double locus sequence typing concept. The phylogenetic analysis shows that sequences of Andaman isolates grouped with the East, Central, and South African genotype of virus isolates from India, Sri Lanka, and Réunion. The genetic distance between Andaman isolates and the Réunion isolates was very small. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed the origin of the isolates responsible for the first ever confirmed CHIKV outbreak in these islands to be the East, Central, and South African genotype. In this manuscript, we discuss the involvement of the East, Central, and South African strain with the Chikungunya fever outbreak in this archipelago and double locus sequence typing as a first time approach.

The Exhumation of the Central Lhasa, Tibet: Evidence from the Low-temperature Thermochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, G.; Xiumian, H.; Sinclair, H. D.; Stuart, F. M.

2017-12-01

The modern Tibetan Plateau has an average elevation of 4500 m above the sea level. But its early growth history still remains debate, despite its significance to the global climate system. In common, the early growth of the Tibetan Plateau has been attributed to the India-Asia collision in the early Paleocene. However, the structural reconstruction, Late Cretaceous sedimentation, and petrology studies, imply there would be a paleo-plateau or the high-elevation gain in the Lhasa terrane prior to the India-Asia collision. In order to examine this model, the zircon/apatite U-Th-He (ZHe and AHe) and apatite fission track (AFT) are employed to the mid-Cretaceous granites in Coqen area, central Lhasa. Eight samples from the plateau surface yield ZHe ages ranging from 88 to 54 Ma, while the AHe ages ranging from 70 to 45 Ma. Five samples from the above have been conducted the AFT analysis and yielded AFT ages ranging between 73 and 62 Ma, showing the similar age ranges with the corresponding AHe ages. Single-sample inverse thermal kinetic modeling reveal that these intrusive rocks have undergone the rapid cooling history since 85 Ma, after when, the relatively slow cooling process has been established at 45 Ma. Inverse thermal-kinetic modeling of these data, recorded in the context of the Late Cretaceous rapid cooling history, is best interpreted by the early plateau growth in the central Lhasa. In consideration of the substantial crustal thickening and shortening in the Lhasa terrane during the Cretaceous, this Late Cretaceous-Early Paleogene rapid cooling history reveal that the exhumation of the central Lhasa has initiated before the India-Asia collision. This scenario is consistent with a 30 Ma ( 90-60 Ma) sedimentation hiatus since the Late Cretaceous terrestrial conglomerate deposition in the central Lhasa terrane.

Coryphoid Palm Leaf Fossils from the Maastrichtian–Danian of Central India with Remarks on Phytogeography of the Coryphoideae (Arecaceae)

PubMed Central

Srivastava, Rashmi; Srivastava, Gaurav; Dilcher, David L.

2014-01-01

Premise of research A large number of fossil coryphoid palm wood and fruits have been reported from the Deccan Intertrappean beds of India. We document the oldest well-preserved and very rare costapalmate palm leaves and inflorescence like structures from the same horizon. Methodology A number of specimens were collected from Maastrichtian–Danian sediments of the Deccan Intertrappean beds, Ghughua, near Umaria, Dindori District, Madhya Pradesh, India. The specimens are compared with modern and fossil taxa of the family Arecaceae. Pivotal results Sabalites dindoriensis sp. nov. is described based on fossil leaf specimens including basal to apical parts. These are the oldest coryphoid fossil palm leaves from India as well as, at the time of deposition, from the Gondwana- derived continents. Conclusions The fossil record of coryphoid palm leaves presented here and reported from the Eurasian localities suggests that this is the oldest record of coryphoid palm leaves from India and also from the Gondwana- derived continents suggesting that the coryphoid palms were well established and wide spread on both northern and southern hemispheres by the Maastrichtian–Danian. The coryphoid palms probably dispersed into India from Europe via Africa during the latest Cretaceous long before the Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian Plate. PMID:25394208

Solar power potential of North-east India - A case study for Silchar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maisanam, Anil; Biswas, Agnimitra; Sharma, Kaushal Kumar

2018-04-01

High energy demand has necessitated search for all possible sources of energy. Conventional energy source is having negative impact on our environment, therefore our attention is focused on renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, which are considered to be clean and sustainable energy sources. India has set an ambitious target of producing 175 GW of energy using solar energy. Therefore, it is necessary to estimate the solar potential to observe the feasibility of such project. North-east India is an underdeveloped region of India and due to its geographical location and difficult terrain, many regions are still not electrified. Such regions can be electrified by installing renewable energy based power plants, which can also generate number of jobs hence improving the quality of life and economic condition of the region. The objective of this paper is to estimate the solar power potential of Silchar (Assam, India) and perform a feasibility study for installation of solar-based power plant in the region. In this paper, solar radiation on tilted surface is estimated by using an anisotropic sky model. This radiation data has been used to estimate the PV power output. Finally, feasibility of the PV plant has been verified by mapping with a practical load demand.

Further geochronological and paleomagnetic constraints on Malani (and pre-Malani) magmatism in NW India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meert, Joseph G.; Pandit, Manoj K.; Kamenov, George D.

2013-11-01

At 750 Ma India was part of a larger fragment of eastern Gondwana blocks that included the Seychelles-Mauritia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and the Enderby Land-Prydz Bay region of East Antarctica. Subduction of the Mozambique Ocean beneath Seychelles-Mauritia, northern Madagascar and northwestern India formed a lengthy continental arc that remained active during the formation of Gondwana. Paleomagnetic data from the Malani rhyolites and associated dykes provide a robust paleomagnetic pole constraining India's position at this time. The rhyolitic and granitic rocks associated with the Malani Igneous Suite (MIS) have robust age constraints; however, the ages of the mafic dykes were inferred solely on the basis of similarity in paleomagnetic directions to the rhyolitic units. Here we present new geochronological data from the Malani mafic dykes that yield a minimum age of 704 Ma. The 207Pb/206Pb ages obtained for the dykes are less-likely to be affected by Pb-loss and yield a more reliable estimate for the age of the mafic dykes of ~ 750 Ma. We argue that intrusion of these mafic (and minor felsic) dykes represents the final pulse of MIS magmatism. Many of the granitic rocks in the region are reported as ‘unclassified’ due to limited geochemical data and/or geochronological ages. Some of these ‘unclassified’ granites are intruded by the mafic dykes sampled in this study near the town of Bilara. The granites yielded zircon core ages of ~ 1100 Ma with younger rims averaging ~ 1020 Ma. We argue that this provides further evidence for a significant orogenic event ~ 1000 Ma that may relate to the collision of the Marwar block with the Banded Gneiss Complex/Bundelkhand craton in north-central India. Other ~ 1000 Ma orogenesis is also known along the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ) and the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt. Globally, this same time interval is thought to represent the amalgamation of the supercontinent Rodinia and may also have resulted in the closure of the

Aetiologic spectrum of mental retardation & developmental delay in India

PubMed Central

Aggarwal, Shagun; Bogula, Vijay Raju; Mandal, Kausik; Kumar, Rashmi; Phadke, Shubha R.

2012-01-01

Background & objectives: The aetiology of mental retardation is varied and difficult to establish. Reports from India on the spectrum of underlying causative conditions are lacking. This retrospective study was conducted to establish the various aetiologies of mental retardation (MR) and developmental delay (DD) in patients attending a medical genetics centre in north India and to assess the contribution of genetic disorders. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care centre in north India. All patients attending the centre with MR or DD from January 2007 to December 2009 were included. The aetiology of MR/DD was ascertained after clinical assessment and targeted laboratory evaluation. The spectrum of causative conditions and contribution of genetic disorders was established. Results: A total of 338 patients were included in the study, of whom definite diagnosis was established in 253 (74.8%). The various aetiological categories were: chromosomal disorders in 112 (33.1%), non chromosomal syndromes in 32 (9.5%), neurometabolic disorders in 34 (10.1%), central nervous system structural defects in 25 (7.4%), cerebral palsy in 43 (12.7%) and environmental insults in 7 (2%). Eighty five patients (25.2%) had idiopathic mental retardation. A total of 196 (58%) patients had a genetic disorder as the cause of MR/DD. Interpretation & conclusions: The aetiology of MR/DD is varied and difficult to establish in a significant proportion of patients. Chromosomal and various monogenic disorders contribute to a large number of MR/DD cases and hence a genetic work up is essential for all such patients. PMID:23041737

Asthma Insights and Management in India: Lessons Learnt from the Asia Pacific - Asthma Insights and Management (AP-AIM) Study.

PubMed

Salvi, Sundeep S; Apte, Komalkirti K; Dhar, Raja; Shetty, Pradeep; Faruqi, Rab A; Thompson, Philip J; Guleria, Randeep

2015-09-01

Despite a better understanding of the pathophysiology of asthma, presence of reliable diagnostic tools, availability of a wide array of effective and affordable inhaled drugs and simplified national and international asthma management guidelines, asthma remains poorly managed in India. The Asia-Pacific Asthma Insight and Management (AP-AIM) study was aimed at understanding the characteristics of asthma, current management, level of asthma control and its impact on quality of life across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. This paper describes the results of asthma management issues in India in detail and provides a unique insight into asthma in India. The AP-AIM India study was conducted in eight urban cities in India, viz: Ajmer, Delhi, Kolkata, Rourkela, Chennai, Mangalore, Mumbai and Rajkot from February to July 2011. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in adult asthmatics and parents of asthmatic children between the ages of 12 and 17 years with a confirmed diagnosis or a treatment history of 1 year for asthma. Four hundred asthmatics (M:F::1:1.273), with a mean age of 50 ± 17.8 years, from across India were studied. 91% of the asthmatics in India perceived their asthma to be under control, however, none of the asthmatics had controlled asthma by objective measures. Asthmatics in India believed that their asthma was under control if they have up to 2 emergency doctor visits a year. The quality of life of these patients was significantly affected with 93% school/work absenteeism and a loss of 50% productivity. Seventy-five percent of the asthmatics have never had a lung function test. The common triggers for asthmatics in India were dust (49%) and air pollution (49%), while only 5% reported of pollen as triggers. Eighty-nine percent of Indian asthmatics reported an average use of oral steroids 10.5 times a year. Only 36% and 50% of Indian asthmatics used controller and rescue inhalers with a majority

AIDS in India.

PubMed

Shreedhar, J

1995-01-01

A major HIV epidemic is underway in India, home to 900 million people and the world's second largest population. The director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research expects India by the year 2000 to be the country with the largest number of HIV infections, with some experts predicting 5 million people to be infected with HIV in India by the year 2000. Others predict 30-55 million to be infected. Although HIV is increasingly spreading to typically low-risk group populations, it is the female sex workers and their clients, long distance truck drivers, men who have sex with men, blood transfusion donors and recipients, and IV drug users throughout the country who are both the reservoirs of HIV and vectors of transmission to the general population. For example, 52% of sex workers in Bombay in 1994 were found to be infected with HIV. Studies indicate that India's long-distance truck drivers average 200 sexual encounters per year; at any given time, 70% of them have STDs. Preliminary surveys estimate that almost 33% are infected with HIV. HIV seroprevalence among truckers in Madras requesting HIV testing because they have STDs increased from almost 60% in 1993 to 91% in 1995. Moreover, the illegal status of homosexuality in India has created an underground culture in which HIV and STDs are rampant; one 1995 study in the Sangli district of Maharashtra found 50% of men who have sex with men to be infected with HIV. Half of India's blood for transfusion is drawn from commercial donors. A Bombay study, however, found 86% of such donors screened in 1992 to be HIV-seropositive and not all blood banks comply with mandatory screening laws. As widespread HIV infection evolves into a multitude of AIDS cases, India's health care system and economy will be heavily taxed, and the number of tuberculosis (TB) cases greatly increased. More than half the population carries the TB bacillus. The government by 1992 had drafted a national prevention and control plan and formed the

India. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad 1994 (India).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickler, Paul

This curriculum packet on politics and international relations in India contains an essay, three lessons and a variety of charts, maps, and additional readings to support the unit. The essay is entitled "India 1994: The Peacock and the Vulture." The lessons include: (1) "The Kashmir Dispute"; (2) "India: Domestic Order and…

Do tribal communities show an inverse relationship between sickle cell disorders and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in malaria endemic areas of Central-Eastern India?

PubMed

Balgir, R S

2006-01-01

Tribal communities in India constitute the largest tribal population in the world. There are about 635 biological isolates (tribes and subtribes), which constituted 8.08% (about 84.3 million) of the total population of India as per the 2001 census. Out of 635 scheduled tribes (aborigines), 62 live in the state of Orissa alone forming about 10.8% of the tribal population of India. Orissa state occupies an important place, being the 3rd in rank for the highest concentration of tribal population in the country. In India, tribal communities are highly vulnerable to hereditary diseases and have a high degree of malnutrition, morbidity and mortality. The sickle cell haemoglobinopathy and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzyme deficiency are important genetic and public health problems in Central-Eastern part of India. In order to map out these genetic disorders among the tribal people, a cross-section of 15 major tribal communities from different parts of Orissa was randomly screened for haemoglobin variants and G6PD deficiency. The high frequency of sickle cell haemoglobinopathy (0-22.4%) and G6PD deficiency (4.3-17.4%), with beta-thalassemia trait (0-8.5%) taking almost an intermediate position, was observed. For G6PD deficiency, hemizygous males as well as female heterozygotes and female homozygotes were detected. Twelve cases showed compound heterozygosity for sickle cell haemoglobinopathy and G6PD deficiency. There seems to be a trend towards an inverse relationship between the sickle cell allele and G6PD deficiency, and sickle cell and beta-thalassemia allele in a cross-section of malaria endemic (Plasmodium falciparum) tribal communities in Orissa. When the frequency of sickle cell allele decreases in a cross-section of malaria endemic tribal population, the frequency of G6PD enzyme deficiency and beta-thalassemia allele increases and vice versa. Natural selection had played a major role in favour of sickle cell, beta-thalassemia and G6PD mutation alleles

India Should Develop Its Naval Power in View of Growing Potential Security Concerns Connected to China’s Non-Transparent Intentions in the Indian Ocean Region

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-09

across the Indian Ocean is central to interests of India and China. Hence, both have increased their regional presence using diplomatic, economic , and...trade across the Indian Ocean is central to interests of India and China. Hence, both have increased their regional presence using diplomatic, economic ...of Defense Staff CPEC China Pakistan Economic Corridor GDP Gross Domestic Product IOR Indian Ocean Region NSS National Security Strategy PLAN

Identifying Factors Associated with Maternal Deaths in Jharkhand, India: A Verbal Autopsy Study

PubMed Central

Pradhan, Manas Ranjan

2013-01-01

Maternal mortality has been identified as a priority issue in health policy and research in India. The country, with an annual decrease of maternal mortality rate by 4.9% since 1990, now records 63,000 maternal deaths a year. India tops the list of countries with high maternal mortality. Based on a verbal autopsy study of 403 maternal deaths, conducted in 2008, this paper explores the missed opportunities to save maternal lives, besides probing into the socioeconomic factors contributing to maternal deaths in Jharkhand, India. This cross-sectional study was carried out in two phases, and a multistage sampling design was used in selecting deaths for verbal autopsy. Informed consent was taken into consideration before verbal autopsy. The analytical approach includes bivariate analysis using SPSS 15, besides triangulation of qualitative and quantitative findings. Most of the deceased were poor (89%), non-literates (85%), and housewives (74%). Again, 80% died in the community/at home, 28% died during pregnancy while another 26% died during delivery. Any antenatal care was received by merely 28% women, and only 20% of the deliveries were conducted by skilled birth attendants (doctors and midwives). Delays in decision-making, travel, and treatment compounded by ignorance of obstetric complications, inadequate use of maternal healthcare services, poor healthcare infrastructure, and harmful rituals are the major contributing factors of maternal deaths in India. PMID:23930345

Identifying factors associated with maternal deaths in Jharkhand, India: a verbal autopsy study.

PubMed

Khan, Nizamuddin; Pradhan, Manas Ranjan

2013-06-01

Maternal mortality has been identified as a priority issue in health policy and research in India. The country, with an annual decrease of maternal mortality rate by 4.9% since 1990, now records 63,000 maternal deaths a year. India tops the list of countries with high maternal mortality. Based on a verbal autopsy study of 403 maternal deaths, conducted in 2008, this paper explores the missed opportunities to save maternal lives, besides probing into the socioeconomic factors contributing to maternal deaths in Jharkhand, India. This cross-sectional study was carried out in two phases, and a multistage sampling design was used in selecting deaths for verbal autopsy. Informed consent was taken into consideration before verbal autopsy. The analytical approach includes bivariate analysis using SPSS 15, besides triangulation of qualitative and quantitative findings. Most of the deceased were poor (89%), non-literates (85%), and housewives (74%). Again, 80% died in the community/at home, 28% died during pregnancy while another 26% died during delivery. Any antenatal care was received by merely 28% women, and only 20% of the deliveries were conducted by skilled birth attendants (doctors and midwives). Delays in decision-making, travel, and treatment compounded by ignorance of obstetric complications, inadequate use of maternal healthcare services, poor healthcare infrastructure, and harmful rituals are the major contributing factors of maternal deaths in India.

Study of spatiotemporal variation of atmospheric mercury and its human exposure around an integrated steel plant, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pervez, S.; Koshle, A.; Pervez, Y.

2010-01-01

Mercury release by coal combustion has been significantly increased in India. Mercury content in coal has been analyzed to 0.272 ppm by Central Pollution Control Board. Toxicological effects of elemental Hg (Hg0) exposure include respiratory and renal failures, cardiac arrest, and cerebral oedema, while subclinical exposure may induce kidney, behavioral, and cognitive dysfunctions. The present work is focused on dispersion pattern and inter-phase exchange phenomena of ambient mercury between air-particulate matter evaluations of alongwith dominance of various major routes of human exposure-dose response using regression analysis around an integrated steel plant in central India. Source-downwind type stratified random sampling plan using longitudinal study design has been adopted for ambient monitoring of total mercury, while representative sampling plant has been adopted for persona exposure-dose response study In space-time framework. Control sites and subjects have been chosen from uncontaminated area (100 km away from any industrial activities). 06 ambient air monitoring stations and 17 subjects from workers, non-workers but local residents' categories and from controlled sites have been chosen for the study. Samples of mercury biomarkers (blood, breast milk and urine) have also been collected from same subjects in each month during sampling period. The sampling period was March 2005 to February 2006 . Samples of 30% acidified KMnO4 for air-Hg absorption, PM10, RPM and biological samples were analyzed for total mercury by ICP-AES using standard methods. Local soils and ground water were also monitored for total mercury content during the sampling period. Results have shown that mercury concentration is very high compared to prescribed limits in all receptors. Results of exchange phenomenon have shown the higher transfer of mercury from air to particulate during combustion in steel plant environment due to presence of huge amount of iron particles, in contrast to

Study of spatiotemporal variation of atmospheric mercury and its human exposure around an integrated steel plant, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pervez, S.; Koshle, A.; Pervez, Y.

2010-06-01

Mercury release by coal combustion has been significantly increased in India. Mercury content in coal has been analyzed to 0.272 ppm by Central Pollution Control Board. Toxicological effects of elemental Hg (Hg0) exposure include respiratory and renal failures, cardiac arrest, and cerebral oedema, while subclinical exposure may induce kidney, behavioral, and cognitive dysfunctions. The present work is focused on dispersion pattern and inter-phase exchange phenomena of ambient mercury between air-particulate matter evaluations of alongwith dominance of various major routes of human exposure-dose response using regression analysis around an integrated steel plant in central India. Source-downwind type stratified random sampling plan using longitudinal study design has been adopted for ambient monitoring of total mercury, while representative sampling plant has been adopted for persona exposure-dose response study In space-time framework. Control sites and subjects have been chosen from uncontaminated area (100 km away from any industrial activities). 06 ambient air monitoring stations and 17 subjects from workers, non-workers but local residents' categories and from controlled sites have been chosen for the study. Samples of mercury biomarkers (blood, breast milk and urine) have also been collected from same subjects in each month during sampling period. The sampling period was March 2005 to February 2006 . Samples of 30% acidified KMnO4 for air-Hg absorption, PM10, RPM and biological samples were analyzed for total mercury by ICP-AES using standard methods. Local soils and ground water were also monitored for total mercury content during the sampling period. Results have shown that mercury concentration is very high compared to prescribed limits in all receptors. Results of exchange phenomenon have shown the higher transfer of mercury from air to particulate during combustion in steel plant environment due to presence of huge amount of iron particles, in contrast to

Biology, distribution and control of Anopheles (Cellia) minimus in the context of malaria transmission in northeastern India.

PubMed

Dev, Vas; Manguin, Sylvie

2016-11-15

Among six dominant mosquito vector species involved in malaria transmission in India, Anopheles minimus is a major species in northeast India and held responsible for focal disease outbreaks characterized by high-rise of Plasmodium falciparum infections and attributable death cases. It has been now genetically characterized that among the three-member species of the Minimus Complex spread in Asia, An. minimus (former species A) is prevalent in India including northeastern states and east-central state of Odisha. It is recorded in all seasons and accounts for perennial transmission evidenced by records of sporozoite infections. This species is highly anthropophilic, and largely endophilic and endophagic, recorded breeding throughout the year in slow flowing seepage water streams. The populations of An. minimus in India are reported to be highly diverse indicating population expansion with obvious implications for judicious application of vector control interventions. Given the rapid ecological changes due to deforestation, population migration and expansion and developmental activities, there is scope for further research on the existence of potential additional sibling species within the An. minimus complex and bionomics studies on a large geographical scale for species sanitation. For control of vector populations, DDT continues to be applied on account of retaining susceptibility status even after decades of residual spraying. Anopheles minimus is a highly adaptive species and requires continuous and sustained efforts for its effective control to check transmission and spread of drug-resistant malaria. Anopheles minimus populations are reportedly diminishing in northeastern India whereas it has staged comeback in east-central State of Odisha after decades of disappearance with its eco-biological characteristics intact. It is the high time to siege the opportunity for strengthening interventions against this species for its population diminution to sub

Research on antidepressants in India

PubMed Central

Avasthi, Ajit; Grover, Sandeep; Aggarwal, Munish

2010-01-01

Data suggests that antidepressants are useful in the management of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, sexual dysfunction, eating disorders, impulse control disorders, enuresis, aggression and some personality disorders. Research focusing on the usefulness of antidepressants in India has more or less followed the trends seen in the West. Most of the studies conducted in India have evaluated various antidepressants in depression. In this article, we review studies conducted in India on various antidepressants. The data suggests that antidepressants have been evaluated mainly in the acute phase treatment and rare studies have evaluated the efficacy in continuation phase treatment. PMID:21836704

Viral hepatitis in India.

PubMed

Acharya, S K; Madan, Kaushal; Dattagupta, S; Panda, S K

2006-01-01

Viral hepatitis is a major public health problem in India, which is hyperendemic for HAV and HEV. Seroprevalence studies reveal that 90%-100% of the population acquires anti-HAV antibody and becomes immune by adolescence. Many epidemics of HEV have been reported from India. HAV related liver disease is uncommon in India and occurs mainly in children. HEV is also the major cause of sporadic adult acute viral hepatitis and ALF. Pregnant women and patients with CLD constitute the high risk groups to contract HEV infection, and HEV-induced mortality among them is substantial, which underlines the need for preventive measures for such groups. Children with HAV and HEV coinfection are prone to develop ALF. India has intermediate HBV endemicity, with a carrier frequency of 2%-4%. HBV is the major cause of CLD and HCC. Chronic HBV infection in India is acquired in childhood, presumably before 5 years of age, through horizontal transmission. Vertical transmission of HBV in India is considered to be infrequent. Inclusion of HBV vaccination in the expanded programme of immunization is essential to reduce the HBV carrier frequency and disease burden. HBV genotypes A and D are prevalent in India, which are similar to the HBV genotypes in the West. HCV infection in India has a population prevalence of around 1%, and occurs predominantly through transfusion and the use of unsterile glass syringes. HCV genotypes 3 and 2 are prevalent in 60%-80% of the population and they respond well to a combination of interferon and ribavirin. About 10%-15% of CLD and HCC are associated with HCV infection in India. HCV infection is also a major cause of post-transfusion hepatitis. HDV infection is infrequent in India and is present about 5%-10% of patients with HBV-related liver disease. HCC appears to be less common in India than would be expected from the prevalence rates of HBV and HCV. The high disease burden of viral hepatitis and related CLD in India, calls for the setting up of a

Mental Hospitals in India: Reforms for the future

PubMed Central

Daund, Muktesh; Sonavane, Sushma; Shrivastava, Amresh; Desousa, Avinash; Kumawat, Sanjay

2018-01-01

Mental hospitals are an integral part of mental health services in India. It is an interesting story how mental hospitals have responded to the challenges of contemporary period they were built in. It is beyond doubt that it is a progressive journey along with advances in mental health both in India and internationally. As in other countries, mental hospitals in India have responded to the social challenges, disparities, and poor resources of workforce and fiscal investment. Historically, there have been changes and three major reforms are needed, namely attempt to facilitate discharge and placing patients back into the family, introducing teaching and research in mental hospitals, and accountability to civil rights as per the requirements of the National Human Rights Commission. In this review, we explore the brief history of mental hospitals in India and examine the reforms in the clinical, administrative, and psychosocial areas of these hospitals and progress in teaching and research. We finally summarize and conclude the necessity and the relevance of mental hospitals in India akin to modern psychiatric practice. We believe that mental hospitals have an important and perhaps a central role in mental health services in India. Its modernization to address issues of long-term stay, burden on caregivers, stigma, research and teaching including undergraduate and postgraduate training, new curriculum, and training for nonpsychiatric professionals and primary care physicians are necessary components of the role of mental hospitals and responsibilities of both government and nongovernmental sectors. Last but not the least, it is obligatory for mental hospitals to ensure that evidence-based treatments are implemented and that the standard of care and respect of civil and human rights of the patients and families are provided while involving the people's participation in its functioning. PMID:29527055

Teaching About India. A Guide for Ninth Grade Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Secondary Curriculum Development.

The teaching and resource guide on India for ninth grade students is intended to supplement and enrich "Social Studies 9: Asian and African Culture." It is designed as a flexible set of suggestions for incorporating concepts, understandings, objectives, strategies, and available materials. Emphasis is upon inductive methods which…

An empirical analysis of suicidal death trends in India: a 5 year retrospective study.

PubMed

Badiye, Ashish; Kapoor, Neeti; Ahmed, Shagufa

2014-10-01

Suicide, a major problem worldwide, continues to be a criminal offence in most of the developing countries of the world, including India. This paper retrospectively examines the latest trends and the relevant determinants of the suicidal deaths in one of the most important city of central India- Nagpur of Maharashtra state, carried out for a period of 5 years i.e. 2009-2013. Total 2036 cases were analyzed. An alarmingly increasing trend in the rate of suicides has been observed in the region, which increased from 16% to 22.68% during the study period. The male to female suicide ratio was found to be 2.50:1. The rate of suicidal deaths ranged from 15.34 to 21.74 per 100,000 populations. Hanging was found to be the most preferred mean adopted for suicide by males (54.77%) and females (47.65%), while, Family problems was the most common cause of suicide among both male (38.25%) and female (52.65%). The Suicides were concentrated in the age group of 30-44 years for males (35.76%), while in the age group of 15-29 years for females (51.75%). The prevalence was higher among the people who were married, being as high as 1099 (66.73%) males and 372 (56.45%) females. Highest trend has been found among the people with matriculate/secondary education level. The males with job in private sector accounted for 1007 suicides (61.14%) and 434 (65.86%) females in the category of housewives (non-working, homemakers) committed the same. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

'Before reaching the last mile'- Knowledge, attitude, practice and perceived barriers related to tuberculosis directly observed therapy among ASHA workers in Central India: A mixed method study.

PubMed

Singh, Akash Ranjan; Pakhare, Abhijit; Kokane, Arun M; Shewade, Hemant Deepak; Chauhan, Ashish; Singh, Abhishek; Gangwar, Arti; Thakur, Prahlad Singh

2017-12-01

Community-based direct observed treatment (DOT) providers are an important bridge for the national tuberculosis programme in India to reach the unreached. The present study has explored the knowledge, attitude, practice and barriers perceived by the community-based DOT providers. Mixed-methods study design was used among 41 community-based DOT providers (Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHAs)) working in 67 villages from a primary health center in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, India. The cross-sectional quantitative component assessed the knowledge and practices and three focus-group discussions explored the attitude and perceived barriers related to DOT provision. 'Adequate knowledge' and 'satisfactory practice' related to DOT provision was seen in 14 (34%) and 13 (32%) ASHAs respectively. Only two (5%) received any amount of honorarium for completion of DOT in last 3years. The focus-group discussions revealed unfavourable attitude; inadequate training and supervision, non-payment of honorarium, issues related to assured services after referral and patient related factors as the barriers to satisfactory practice of DOT. Study revealed inadequate knowledge and unsatisfactory practice related to DOT provision among ASHAs. Innovations addressing the perceived barriers to improve practice of DOT provision by ASHAs are urgently required. Copyright © 2017 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders among the Rural Geriatric Population: A Pilot Study in Karnataka, India

PubMed Central

Nair, Sreejith S.; Raghunath, Pooja; Nair, Sreekanth S.

2015-01-01

Background: Increasing life expectancy around the world, an outstanding achievement of our century, has brought with it new public health challenges. India is the second most populous country in the world, with over 72 million inhabitants above 60 years of age as of 2001. The life expectancy in India increased from 32 years in 1947 to over 66 years in 2010, with 8.0% of the population now reaching over 60 years of age. Few studies in India target the health, especially mental health, of this geriatric population. This study aims to estimate the current prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the geriatric population of the rural area of Singanodi,Karnataka, India. Methods: This cross sectional, epidemiological, community-based study was conducted in a rural health training area of Singanodi, Raichur District, Karnataka, India.The General Health Questionnaire-12, Mini Mental State Examination, and Geriatric Depression Scale were administered to 366 participants. Chi square tests with Yates correction were utilized for statistical analysis using SPSS 19.0 software. Results: We found that 33.9% of the geriatric population in the selected province were above the threshold for mental illness based on the GHQ-12 questionnaire. Females had a higher prevalence of mental disorder at 77.6% (152 out of 196) as compared to males who had a prevalence of 42.4% (72 out of 170). The most common psychiatric disorder was depression (21.9%), and generalized anxiety was present in 10.7% of the study population. Prevalence of cognitive impairment was 16.3%, with a significantly higher percentage of affected individuals in 80+ age group. Conclusion: Mental disorders are common among elderly people, but they are not well documented in rural India. The assessment of psychiatric disorder prevalence will help strengthen psycho-geriatric services and thus improve the quality of life of the elderly. A system that ensures comprehensive health care will have to be developed for this purpose as

Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders among the Rural Geriatric Population: A Pilot Study in Karnataka, India.

PubMed

Nair, Sreejith S; Raghunath, Pooja; Nair, Sreekanth S

2015-01-01

Increasing life expectancy around the world, an outstanding achievement of our century, has brought with it new public health challenges. India is the second most populous country in the world, with over 72 million inhabitants above 60 years of age as of 2001. The life expectancy in India increased from 32 years in 1947 to over 66 years in 2010, with 8.0% of the population now reaching over 60 years of age. Few studies in India target the health, especially mental health, of this geriatric population. This study aims to estimate the current prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the geriatric population of the rural area of Singanodi,Karnataka, India. This cross sectional, epidemiological, community-based study was conducted in a rural health training area of Singanodi, Raichur District, Karnataka, India.The General Health Questionnaire-12, Mini Mental State Examination, and Geriatric Depression Scale were administered to 366 participants. Chi square tests with Yates correction were utilized for statistical analysis using SPSS 19.0 software. We found that 33.9% of the geriatric population in the selected province were above the threshold for mental illness based on the GHQ-12 questionnaire. Females had a higher prevalence of mental disorder at 77.6% (152 out of 196) as compared to males who had a prevalence of 42.4% (72 out of 170). The most common psychiatric disorder was depression (21.9%), and generalized anxiety was present in 10.7% of the study population. Prevalence of cognitive impairment was 16.3%, with a significantly higher percentage of affected individuals in 80+ age group. Mental disorders are common among elderly people, but they are not well documented in rural India. The assessment of psychiatric disorder prevalence will help strengthen psycho-geriatric services and thus improve the quality of life of the elderly. A system that ensures comprehensive health care will have to be developed for this purpose as part of our future efforts.

India. National Studies. Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

This study examines the work of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) since its 1987 inception. Efforts to assess educational achievement at the local, regional, and national levels in India are examined with a view to achieving universal primary education (UPE); eradicating illiteracy; and providing continuing education in…

Mechanisms for strain localization within Archaean craton: A structural study from the Bundelkhand Tectonic Zone, north-central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Saheli; Patole, Vishal; Saha, Lopamudra; Pati, Jayanta Kumar; Nasipuri, Pritam

2015-04-01

The transformation of palaeo-continents involve breakup, dispersal and reassembly of cratonic blocks by collisional suturing that develop a network of orogenic (mobile) belts around the periphery of the stable cratons. The nature of deformation in the orogenic belt depends on the complex interaction of fracturing, plastic deformation and diffusive mass transfer. Additionally, the degree and amount of melting during regional deformation is critical as the presence of melt facilitates the rate of diffusive mass transfer and weakens the rock by reducing the effective viscosity of the deformed zone. The nature of strain localization and formation of ductile shear zones surrounding the cratonic blocks have been correlated with Proterozoic-Palaeozoic supercontinent assembly (Columbia, Rodinia and Gondwana reconstruction). Although, a pre-Columbia supercontinent termed as Kenorland has been postulated, there is no evidence that supports the notion due to lack of the presence of shear zones within the Archaean cratonic blocks. In this contribution, we present the detailed structural analysis of ductile shear zones within the Bundelkhand craton. The ductlile shear zone is termed as Bundelkhand Tectonic Zone (BTZ) that extends east-west for nearly 300 km throughout the craton with a width of two-three kilometer . In the north-central India, the Bundelkhand craton is exposed over an area of 26,000 sq. The craton is bounded by Central Indian Tectonic zone in the south, the Great Boundary fault in the west and by the rocks of Lesser Himalaya in the north. A series of tonalite-trondjhemite-granodiorite gneiss are the oldest rocks of the Bundelkhand craton that also contains a succession of metamorphosed supracrustal rocks comprising of banded iron formation, quartzite, calc-silicate and ultramafic rocks. K-feldspar bearing granites intrude the tonalite-trondjhemite-granodiorite and the supracrustal rocks during the time span of 2.1 to 2.5 Ga. The TTGs near Babina, in central

Studies on geotechnical properties of subsoil in south east coastal region of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, Susom; Barik, D. K.

2017-11-01

Soil testing and analysis has become essential before commencement of any activity or process on soil i.e. residential construction, road construction etc. It is the most important work particularly in coastal area as these areas are more vulnerable to the natural disastrous like tsunami and cyclone. In India, there is lack of facility to collect and analyse the soil from the field. Hence, to study the various characteristics of the coastal region sub soil, Old Mahabalipuram area, which is the South East region of India has been chosen in this study. The aim of this study is to collect and analyse the soil sample from various localities of the Old Mahabalipuram area. The analysed soil data will be helpful for the people who are working in the field of Geotechnical in coastal region of India to make decision. The soil sample collected from different boreholes have undergone various field and laboratory tests like Pressuremeter Test, Field Permeability Test, Electrical Resistivity Test, Standard Penetration Test, Shear Test, Atterberg Limits etc. are performed including rock tests to know the geotechnical properties of the soil samples for each and every stratum

Sources and formation processes of water-soluble dicarboxylic acids, ω-oxocarboxylic acids, α-dicarbonyls, and major ions in summer aerosols from eastern central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshmukh, Dhananjay K.; Kawamura, Kimitaka; Deb, Manas K.; Boreddy, Suresh K. R.

2017-03-01

The sources and formation processes of dicarboxylic acids are still under investigation. Size-segregated aerosol (nine-size) samples collected in the urban site (Raipur: 21.2°N and 82.3°E) in eastern central India during summer of 2013 were measured for water-soluble diacids (C2-C12), ω-oxoacids (ωC2-ωC9), α-dicarbonyls (C2-C3), and inorganic ions to better understand their sources and formation processes. Diacids showed the predominance of oxalic acid (C2), whereas ω-oxoacids showed the predominance of glyoxylic acid (ωC2), and glyoxal (Gly) was a major α-dicarbonyl in all the sizes. Diacids, ω-oxoacids, and α-dicarbonyls as well as SO42

Inhalant use among schoolchildren in northeast India: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Akoijam, Brogen Singh; Jamir, M Nukshisangla; Phesao, Ebenezer; Senjam, Gojendra Singh

2013-01-01

Inhalant use by children leads to poor performance in school and has been observed to precede substance use later in life. There is paucity of data on inhalant use among school children in India, particularly in the Northeast region of the country. We determined the prevalence and documented inhalant use characteristics among schoolchildren in the Northeast region of India. This cross sectional study was conducted in six states in the Northeast region of India. Schoolchildren between eighth and eleventh standards from the capital areas of the states were included in the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. Of the 4074 enrolled students, data from 3943 students who responded to the inhalant use question were analyzed. Mean age was 14.8 ± 1.2 years and 51.2% of participants were male. The proportion of students who had ever used inhalants (ever user) was 18.8% and adhesive/glue was the inhalant misused by most of the students. A higher proportion of males than females were ever users (P ≤ 0.001) and the most common place of use was at home (33.1%). Being in the presence of an older person using an inhalant or tobacco was found to be associated with use of inhalants among students. Nearly one-fifth of the students had used inhalants and nearly half used inhalants in the past month. Sensitization of the parents and school authorities to the problem, as well as preventive and curative services, should be considered.

Ecology driving genetic variation: a comparative phylogeography of jungle cat (Felis chaus) and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) in India.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Shomita; Krishnan, Anand; Tamma, Krishnapriya; Home, Chandrima; Navya, R; Joseph, Sonia; Das, Arundhati; Ramakrishnan, Uma

2010-10-29

Comparative phylogeography links historical population processes to current/ecological processes through congruent/incongruent patterns of genetic variation among species/lineages. Despite high biodiversity, India lacks a phylogeographic paradigm due to limited comparative studies. We compared the phylogenetic patterns of Indian populations of jungle cat (Felis chaus) and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). Given similarities in their distribution within India, evolutionary histories, body size and habits, congruent patterns of genetic variation were expected. We collected scats from various biogeographic zones in India and analyzed mtDNA from 55 jungle cats (460 bp NADH5, 141 bp cytochrome b) and 40 leopard cats (362 bp NADH5, 202 bp cytochrome b). Jungle cats revealed high genetic variation, relatively low population structure and demographic expansion around the mid-Pleistocene. In contrast, leopard cats revealed lower genetic variation and high population structure with a F(ST) of 0.86 between North and South Indian populations. Niche-model analyses using two approaches (BIOCLIM and MaxEnt) support absence of leopard cats from Central India, indicating a climate associated barrier. We hypothesize that high summer temperatures limit leopard cat distribution and that a rise in temperature in the peninsular region of India during the LGM caused the split in leopard cat population in India. Our results indicate that ecological variables describing a species range can predict genetic patterns. Our study has also resolved the confusion over the distribution of the leopard cat in India. The reciprocally monophyletic island population in the South mandates conservation attention.

Ecology Driving Genetic Variation: A Comparative Phylogeography of Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) and Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) in India

PubMed Central

Mukherjee, Shomita; Krishnan, Anand; Tamma, Krishnapriya; Home, Chandrima; R, Navya; Joseph, Sonia; Das, Arundhati; Ramakrishnan, Uma

2010-01-01

Background Comparative phylogeography links historical population processes to current/ecological processes through congruent/incongruent patterns of genetic variation among species/lineages. Despite high biodiversity, India lacks a phylogeographic paradigm due to limited comparative studies. We compared the phylogenetic patterns of Indian populations of jungle cat (Felis chaus) and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). Given similarities in their distribution within India, evolutionary histories, body size and habits, congruent patterns of genetic variation were expected. Methodology/Principal Findings We collected scats from various biogeographic zones in India and analyzed mtDNA from 55 jungle cats (460 bp NADH5, 141 bp cytochrome b) and 40 leopard cats (362 bp NADH5, 202 bp cytochrome b). Jungle cats revealed high genetic variation, relatively low population structure and demographic expansion around the mid-Pleistocene. In contrast, leopard cats revealed lower genetic variation and high population structure with a F ST of 0.86 between North and South Indian populations. Niche-model analyses using two approaches (BIOCLIM and MaxEnt) support absence of leopard cats from Central India, indicating a climate associated barrier. We hypothesize that high summer temperatures limit leopard cat distribution and that a rise in temperature in the peninsular region of India during the LGM caused the split in leopard cat population in India. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that ecological variables describing a species range can predict genetic patterns. Our study has also resolved the confusion over the distribution of the leopard cat in India. The reciprocally monophyletic island population in the South mandates conservation attention. PMID:21060831

Identification of Variables and Factors Impacting Consumer Behavior in On-line Shopping in India: An Empirical Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chhikara, Sudesh

On-line shopping is a recent phenomenon in the field of E-Business and is definitely going to be the future of shopping in the world. Most of the companies are running their on-line portals to sell their products/services. Though online shopping is very common outside India, its growth in Indian Market, which is a large and strategic consumer market, is still not in line with the global market. The potential growth of on-line shopping has triggered the idea of conducting a study on on-line shopping in India. The present research paper has used exploratory study to depict and highlight the various categories of factors and variables impacting the behavior of consumers towards on-line shopping in India. The data was collected through in-depth interviews on a sample of 41 respondents from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. The results of the study show that on-line shopping in India is basically impacted by five categories of factors like demographics factor, Psychographics factor, Online shopping feature and policies, Technological factor, Security factor. The results of the study are used to present a comprehensive model of on-line shopping which could be further used by the researchers and practitioners for conducting future studies in the similar area. A brief operational definition of all the factors and variables impacting on-line shopping in India is also described. And finally practical implications of the study are also elucidated.

CENTRAL PLATEAU REMEDIATION OPTIMIZATION STUDY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

BERGMAN, T. B.; STEFANSKI, L. D.; SEELEY, P. N.

2012-09-19

THE CENTRAL PLATEAU REMEDIATION OPTIMIZATION STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DEVELOP AN OPTIMAL SEQUENCE OF REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTING THE CERCLA DECISION ON THE CENTRAL PLATEAU. THE STUDY DEFINES A SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES THAT RESULT IN AN EFFECTIVE USE OF RESOURCES FROM A STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE WHEN CONSIDERING EQUIPMENT PROCUREMENT AND STAGING, WORKFORCE MOBILIZATION/DEMOBILIZATION, WORKFORCE LEVELING, WORKFORCE SKILL-MIX, AND OTHER REMEDIATION/DISPOSITION PROJECT EXECUTION PARAMETERS.

Adaptation and Evaluation of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale in India (NEWS-India).

PubMed

Adlakha, Deepti; Hipp, J Aaron; Brownson, Ross C

2016-04-02

Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, with most of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India. Research from developed countries has consistently demonstrated associations between built environment features and physical activity levels of populations. The development of culturally sensitive and reliable measures of the built environment is a necessary first step for accurate analysis of environmental correlates of physical activity in LMICs. This study systematically adapted the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) for India and evaluated aspects of test-retest reliability of the adapted version among Indian adults. Cultural adaptation of the NEWS was conducted by Indian and international experts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with local residents and key informants in the city of Chennai, India. At baseline, participants (N = 370; female = 47.2%) from Chennai completed the adapted NEWS-India surveys on perceived residential density, land use mix-diversity, land use mix-access, street connectivity, infrastructure and safety for walking and cycling, aesthetics, traffic safety, and safety from crime. NEWS-India was administered for a second time to consenting participants (N = 62; female = 53.2%) with a gap of 2-3 weeks between successive administrations. Qualitative findings demonstrated that built environment barriers and constraints to active commuting and physical activity behaviors intersected with social ecological systems. The adapted NEWS subscales had moderate to high test-retest reliability (ICC range 0.48-0.99). The NEWS-India demonstrated acceptable measurement properties among Indian adults and may be a useful tool for evaluation of built environment attributes in India. Further adaptation and evaluation in rural and suburban settings in India is essential to create a version that could be used throughout India.

Adaptation and Evaluation of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale in India (NEWS-India)

PubMed Central

Adlakha, Deepti; Hipp, J. Aaron; Brownson, Ross C.

2016-01-01

Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, with most of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India. Research from developed countries has consistently demonstrated associations between built environment features and physical activity levels of populations. The development of culturally sensitive and reliable measures of the built environment is a necessary first step for accurate analysis of environmental correlates of physical activity in LMICs. This study systematically adapted the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) for India and evaluated aspects of test-retest reliability of the adapted version among Indian adults. Cultural adaptation of the NEWS was conducted by Indian and international experts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with local residents and key informants in the city of Chennai, India. At baseline, participants (N = 370; female = 47.2%) from Chennai completed the adapted NEWS-India surveys on perceived residential density, land use mix-diversity, land use mix-access, street connectivity, infrastructure and safety for walking and cycling, aesthetics, traffic safety, and safety from crime. NEWS-India was administered for a second time to consenting participants (N = 62; female = 53.2%) with a gap of 2–3 weeks between successive administrations. Qualitative findings demonstrated that built environment barriers and constraints to active commuting and physical activity behaviors intersected with social ecological systems. The adapted NEWS subscales had moderate to high test-retest reliability (ICC range 0.48–0.99). The NEWS-India demonstrated acceptable measurement properties among Indian adults and may be a useful tool for evaluation of built environment attributes in India. Further adaptation and evaluation in rural and suburban settings in India is essential to create a version that could be used throughout India. PMID:27049394

Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. I -- National Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Palchak, David; Cochran, Jaquelin; Ehlen, Ali

The use of renewable energy (RE) sources, primarily wind and solar generation, is poised to grow significantly within the Indian power system. The Government of India has established a target of 175 gigawatts (GW) of installed RE capacity by 2022, including 60 GW of wind and 100 GW of solar, up from 29 GW wind and 9 GW solar at the beginning of 2017. Thanks to advanced weather and power system modeling made for this project, the study team is able to explore operational impacts of meeting India's RE targets and identify actions that may be favorable for integration. Ourmore » primary tool is a detailed production cost model, which simulates optimal scheduling and dispatch of available generation in a future year (2022) by minimizing total production costs subject to physical, operational, and market constraints. Our team comprises a core group from the Power System Operation Corporation, Ltd. (POSOCO), which is the national grid operator (with representation from the National, Southern, and Western Regional Load Dispatch Centers) under Ministry of Power, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and a broader modeling team that includes Central Electricity Authority (CEA), POWERGRID (the central transmission utility, CTU), and State Load Dispatch Centers in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh. Our model includes high-resolution wind and solar data (forecasts and actuals), unique properties for each generator, CEA/CTU's anticipated buildout of the power system, and enforced state-to-state transmission flows. Assuming the fulfillment of current efforts to provide better access to the physical flexibility of the power system, we find that power system balancing with 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind is achievable at 15-minute operational timescales with minimal RE curtailment. This RE capacity meets 22% of total projected 2022 electricity consumption in India with annual RE

Pine Needles as Potential Energy Feedstock: Availability in the Central Himalayan State of Uttarakhand, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kala, L. D.; Subbarao, P. M. V.

2017-11-01

The amount of pine needles (pinus roxburgii) potentially available for use as energy feedstock in the Central Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in India has been estimated. It involves estimating the gross annual amount of pine needle yield followed by a comprehensive identification and quantification of the factors that affect the net annual pine needle yield available as energy feedstock. These factors include considerations such as accessibility, alternative uses, forest fires, other losses, etc., that are influenced by aspects ranging from physical constraints to traditional societal traits. Tree canopy cover method has been used for estimating the gross annual pine needle yield. The information on canopy density is obtained from remote sensing data, that forms the basis for forest classification. The annual gross pine needle yield has been estimated at 1.9 million tonnes while the annual net pine needle yield at 1.33 million tonnes. The annual primary energy potential of pine needles available as energy feedstock has also been estimated. For annual net energy potential estimation, thermal and electrical routes are considered. Electrical energy generation from pine needles using thermochemical conversion has been examined and the corresponding potential for electricity generation been estimated. An installed capacity of 789 MW can be supported with pine needles feedstock for supplying electricity in rural areas for five hours a day. For round the clock generation, an installed capacity of 165 MW can be supported by the pine needle energy feedstock.

Heat Wave Vulnerability Mapping for India.

PubMed

Azhar, Gulrez; Saha, Shubhayu; Ganguly, Partha; Mavalankar, Dileep; Madrigano, Jaime

2017-03-30

Assessing geographic variability in heat wave vulnerability forms the basis for planning appropriate targeted adaptation strategies. Given several recent deadly heatwaves in India, heat is increasingly being recognized as a public health problem. However, to date there has not been a country-wide assessment of heat vulnerability in India. We evaluated demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental vulnerability factors and combined district level data from several sources including the most recent census, health reports, and satellite remote sensing data. We then applied principal component analysis (PCA) on 17 normalized variables for each of the 640 districts to create a composite Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI) for India. Of the total 640 districts, our analysis identified 10 and 97 districts in the very high and high risk categories (> 2SD and 2-1SD HVI) respectively. Mapping showed that the districts with higher heat vulnerability are located in the central parts of the country. On examination, these are less urbanized and have low rates of literacy, access to water and sanitation, and presence of household amenities. Therefore, we concluded that creating and mapping a heat vulnerability index is a useful first step in protecting the public from the health burden of heat. Future work should incorporate heat exposure and health outcome data to validate the index, as well as examine sub-district levels of vulnerability.

Use of Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) Drugs in India: Central Regulatory Approval and Sales of FDCs Containing Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), Metformin, or Psychotropic Drugs

PubMed Central

McGettigan, Patricia; Roderick, Peter; Mahajan, Rushikesh; Kadam, Abhay; Pollock, Allyson M.

2015-01-01

Background In 2012, an Indian parliamentary committee reported that manufacturing licenses for large numbers of fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs had been issued by state authorities without prior approval of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in violation of rules, and considered that some ambiguity until 1 May 2002 about states’ powers might have contributed. To our knowledge, no systematic enquiry has been undertaken to determine if evidence existed to support these findings. We investigated CDSCO approvals for and availability of oral FDC drugs in four therapeutic areas: analgesia (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs]), diabetes (metformin), depression/anxiety (anti-depressants/benzodiazepines), and psychosis (anti-psychotics). Methods and Findings This was an ecologic study with a time-trend analysis of FDC sales volumes (2007–2012) and a cross-sectional examination of 2011–2012 data to establish the numbers of formulations on the market with and without a record of CDSCO approval (“approved” and “unapproved”), their branded products, and sales volumes. Data from the CDSCO on approved FDC formulations were compared with sales data from PharmaTrac, a database of national drug sales. We determined the proportions of FDC sales volumes (2011–2012) arising from centrally approved and unapproved formulations and from formulations including drugs banned/restricted internationally. We also determined the proportions of centrally approved and unapproved formulations marketed before and after 1 May 2002, when amendments were made to the drug rules. FDC approvals in India, the United Kingdom (UK), and United States of America (US) were compared. For NSAID FDCs, 124 formulations were marketed, of which 34 (27%) were centrally approved and 90 (73%) were unapproved; metformin: 25 formulations, 20 (80%) approved, five (20%) unapproved; anti-depressants/benzodiazepines: 16 formulations, three (19%) approved, 13 (81%) unapproved

Diabetes mellitus: Trends in northern India

PubMed Central

Gutch, Manish; Razi, Syed Mohd; Kumar, Sukriti; Gupta, Keshav Kumar

2014-01-01

Diabetes mellitus is becoming a global health issue with more than 80% diabetics living in developing countries. India accounts for 62.4 million diabetics (2011). Indian Council of Medical Research India Diabetes Study (ICMR-INDIAB) study showed highest weighted prevalence rate in the north India among all studied regions. Diabetes in north India has many peculiarities in all aspects from risk factors to control programmers. North Indians are becoming more prone for diabetes and dyslipidemia because rapid westernization of living style and diet due rapid migration to metropolitan cities for employment. North Indian diabetes is plagued with gender bias against females, poor quality of health services, myths, and lack of disease awareness compounded with small number of prevention and awareness programmers that too are immature to counteract the growing pandemic. PMID:25285295

The Contribution of Jayaprakash Narayan in Preserving Free Expression in India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merriam, Allen H.

India's policy of free speech suffered a severe if temporary setback in the 1970s. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a 19-month state of emergency, during which 150,000 people were arrested, newspapers were censored, and dissent was essentially eliminated. A central figure in the confrontation with the Indian government over political…

Philanthropic Engagement in Education: Localised Expressions of Global Flows in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Srivastava, Prachi

2016-01-01

This article argues that the rise of domestic and international philanthropic engagement in education in India cannot be understood in isolation; rather, it is part of a broader trend of what is termed "new global philanthropy in education" in the Global South. Central to understanding the nature of this engagement is the localised…

Assessing the needs of siblings of persons with schizophrenia: A qualitative study from India.

PubMed

Amaresha, Anekal C; Joseph, Boban; Agarwal, Sri Mahavir; Narayanaswamy, Janardhanan C; Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan; Muralidhar, Daliboina; Subbakrishna, Doddaballapura K

2015-10-01

There is a lack of studies on siblings of persons with schizophrenia (SOPS) in Asia. This study aims to explore the needs of SOPS in India. 15 SOPS participated in this qualitative explorative study. All the interviews were audio recorded and later transcribed. Data analysis was carried out using General Inductive Approach. Five themes emerged from the data: managing illness or socio-occupational functioning; follow up services; informational needs; personal needs; and miscellaneous needs. SOPS in India have some distinctive needs. Identifying these needs might help in developing and designing specific psychosocial interventions for better management. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environmental management of industrial hazardous wastes in India.

PubMed

Dutta, Shantanu K; Upadhyay, V P; Sridharan, U

2006-04-01

Hazardous wastes are considered highly toxic and therefore disposal of such wastes needs proper attention so as to reduce possible environmental hazards. Industrial growth has resulted in generation of huge volume of hazardous wastes in the country. In addition to this, hazardous wastes sometimes get imported mainly from the western countries for re-processing or recycling. Inventorisation of hazardous wastes generating units in the country is not yet completed. Scientific disposal of hazardous wastes has become a major environmental issue in India. Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989 have been framed by the Central Government and amended in 2000 and 2003 to deal with the hazardous wastes related environmental problems that may arise in the near future. This paper gives details about the hazardous wastes management in India. Health effects of the selected hazardous substances are also discussed in the paper.

Invasive pneumococcal disease in children aged younger than 5 years in India: a surveillance study.

PubMed

Manoharan, Anand; Manchanda, Vikas; Balasubramanian, Sundaram; Lalwani, Sanjay; Modak, Meera; Bai, Sushama; Vijayan, Ajith; Shet, Anita; Nagaraj, Savitha; Karande, Sunil; Nataraj, Gita; Yewale, Vijay N; Joshi, Shrikrishna A; Iyer, Ranganathan N; Santosham, Mathuram; Kahn, Geoffrey D; Knoll, Maria Deloria

2017-03-01

Invasive pneumococcal disease continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children younger than 5 years of age in India. We aimed to provide nationally representative data for the pattern of disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, trends in the serotype of invasive pneumococci, and invasive pneumococci antimicrobial resistance patterns, in India. In this prospective hospital-based and retrospective laboratory-based surveillance study, we prospectively enrolled children aged younger than 5 years with suspected or proven invasive pneumococcal disease from 18 hospitals or institutional centres and retrospectively included laboratory-confirmed pneumococcal isolates from ten sentinel laboratories, together representing 11 states in India. Eligibility criteria were fever higher than 38°C without localising symptoms, clinical presentation of suspected meningitis or pneumonia, and evidence of radiographic pneumonia. We cultured blood and other normally sterile body fluids, reconfirmed and serotyped pneumococcal isolates, and established antimicrobial susceptibility using standard study protocols. Between Jan 1, 2011, and June 30, 2015, we enrolled 4377 patients. Among 361 (8%) patients with culture-proven pneumococcal disease, all clinical data were known for 226 (63%); among these patients, 132 (58%) presented with pneumonia, 78 (35%) presented with meningitis, and 16 (7%) had other clinical conditions. 131 (3%) died overall and 29 (8%) patients with invasive pneumococcal disease died. Serotypes 14 (52 [14%] of 361), 1 (49 [14%]), 5 (37 [10%]), and 19F (33 [9%]) were the most common. Penicillin non-susceptibility occurred in isolates from 29 (8%) patients, co-trimoxazole resistance occurred in 239 (66%), erythromycin resistance occurred in 132 (37%), and chloramphenicol resistance occurred in 33 (9%). We found multidrug resistance in 33 (9%) of 361 patients. The proportion of positive blood cultures, number of isolates, geographical representation

A cross-sectional study on prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in India: rationale and methods

PubMed Central

Pattabi, Kamaraj; Vadivoo, Selvaraj; Bhome, Arvind; Brashier, Bill; Bhattacharya, Prashanta; Mehendale, Sanjay M

2017-01-01

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common preventable and treatable chronic respiratory disease, which affects 210 million people globally. Global and national guidelines exist for the management of COPD. Although evidence-based, they are inadequate to address the phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity in India. Co-existence of other chronic respiratory diseases can adversely influence the prognosis of COPD. India has a huge burden of COPD with various risk factors and comorbid conditions. However, valid prevalence estimates employing spirometry as the diagnostic tool and data on important comorbid conditions are not available. This study protocol is designed to address this knowledge gap and eventually to build a database to undertake long-term cohort studies to describe the phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity among COPD patients in India. Objectives The primary objective is to estimate the prevalence of COPD among adults aged ≥25 years for each gender in India. The secondary objective is to identify the risk factors for COPD and important comorbid conditions such as asthma and post-tuberculosis sequelae. It is also proposed to validate the currently available definitions for COPD diagnosis in India. Methods and analysis A cross-sectional study will be undertaken among the populations of sub-urban areas of Chennai and Shillong cities, which represent the Southern and Northeastern regions of India. We will collect data on sociodemographic variables, economic characteristics, risk factors of COPD and comorbidities. The Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) definitions will be used for the diagnosis of COPD and asthma. Data will be analysed for estimation of the prevalence of COPD, asthma and associated factors. Ethics and dissemination This study proposal was approved by the respective institutional ethics committees of participating institutions. The results will be

The Role of Parents in the Education of Children of Pre-School Age in Tropical Africa, India and the Maghreb Countries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). Div. of Structures, Content, Methods and Techniques of Education.

The case studies summarized in this report are based on ethnographic surveys carried out mainly in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, and Senegal (collectively called "Tropical Africa" in the text). The surveys were also carried out in the Maghreb countries, especially Algeria and southern India. Their common objective…

Assessment of Crop Damage by Protected Wild Mammalian Herbivores on the Western Boundary of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), Central India

PubMed Central

Bayani, Abhijeet; Tiwade, Dilip; Dongre, Ashok; Dongre, Aravind P.; Phatak, Rasika; Watve, Milind

2016-01-01

Crop raiding by wild herbivores close to an area of protected wildlife is a serious problem that can potentially undermine conservation efforts. Since there is orders of magnitude difference between farmers’ perception of damage and the compensation given by the government, an objective and realistic estimate of damage was found essential. We employed four different approaches to estimate the extent of and patterns in crop damage by wild herbivores along the western boundary of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in the state of Maharashtra, central India. These approaches highlight different aspects of the problem but converge on an estimated damage of over 50% for the fields adjacent to the forest, gradually reducing in intensity with distance. We found that the visual damage assessment method currently employed by the government for paying compensation to farmers was uncorrelated to and grossly underestimated actual damage. The findings necessitate a radical rethinking of policies to assess, mitigate as well as compensate for crop damage caused by protected wildlife species. PMID:27093293

Textile Arts of India, Curriculum Project. Fulbright Hays Summer Seminar Abroad 1995 (India).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Barbara

This interdisciplinary unit focuses on five techniques found in the textile arts of India: tie-dye, embroidery, applique, block printing, and weaving. The unit is designed for students in third through sixth grades but could be adapted to other levels. This unit could be incorporated with a study of India's land, history, and geography. The…

Who killed Rambhor?: The state of emergency medical services in India

PubMed Central

Garg, Rajesh H

2012-01-01

In India, the healthcare delivery system starts up from the sub-center at the village level and reaches up to super specialty medical centers providing state of the art emergency medical services (EMS). These highest centers, located in big cities, are considered the last referral points for the patients from nearby cities and states. As the incidents of rail and road accidents have increased in recent years, the role of EMS becomes critical in saving precious lives. But when the facilities and management of these emergency centers succumbs before the patient, then the question arises regarding the adequate availability and quality of EMS. The death of an unknown common man, Rambhor, for want of EMS in three big hospitals in the national capital of India put a big question on the “health” of the emergency health services in India. The emergency services infrastructure seems inadequate and quality and timely provision of EMS to critical patients appears unsatisfactory. There is lack of emergency medicine (EM) specialists in India and also the postgraduation courses in EM have not gained foot in our medical education system. Creation of a Centralized Medical Emergency Body, implementation of management techniques, modification of medical curriculum, and fixing accountability are some of the few steps which are required to improve the EMS in India. PMID:22416155

Suicide in India.

PubMed

Aggarwal, Shilpa

2015-06-01

The current report reviews the data from the series Accidental Death and Suicide in India published by India's National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reporting official suicide rates based on police reports over the period of 10 years from 2004 to 2013. A reference to wider literature is made to present a comprehensive picture. Suicide in India is more prevalent in young, is likely to involve hanging and ingestion of pesticides and is related to social and economic causes. Reducing alcohol consumption, unemployment, poverty, social inequities, domestic violence and improving social justice are essential to reduce suicide in India. NCRB data might underreport suicide. Discrepancy in farmers' suicide rate between reports suggests that this might be overrepresented in NCRB data. An integrated suicide prevention programme with a multidimensional approach is needed. Mental health care bill and the recent launch of first national mental health policy are welcome measures. Decriminalization of suicide is likely to positively influence mental health practice and policy in India. Nationally representative studies investigating fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviours, evaluation of models of service delivery for the vulnerable population, investigating suicide following different treatment services and effects of decriminalization of suicide on suicide rates should be the focus of future research. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Diabetes Care in India.

PubMed

Joshi, Shashank R

2015-01-01

Diabetes has become a major health care problem in India with an estimated 66.8 million people suffering from the condition, representing the largest number of any country in the world. The rising burden of diabetes has greatly affected the health care sector and economy in India. The goal of health care experts in India is to transform India into a diabetes care capital in the world. An expert detailed review of the medical literature with an Asian Indian context was performed. Recent epidemiologic studies from India point to a great burden from diabetes. Diabetes control in India is far from ideal with a mean hemoglobin A1c of 9.0%-at least 2.0% higher than suggested by international bodies. Nearly half of people with diabetes remain undetected, accounting for complications at the time of diagnosis. Screening can differentiate an asymptomatic individual at high risk from one at low risk for diabetes. Despite the large number of people with diabetes in India, awareness is low and needs to be addressed. Other challenges include balancing the need for glycemic control with risk reduction due to overly tight control, especially in high-risk groups and taking into account health care professional expertise, attitudes, and perceptions. Pharmacologic care should be individualized with early consideration of combination therapy. Regular exercise, yoga, mindful eating, and stress management form a cornerstone in the management of diabetes. Considering the high cost incurred at various steps of screening, diagnosis, monitoring, and management, it is important to realize the cost-effective measures of diabetes care that are necessary to implement. Result-oriented organized programs involving patient education, as well as updating the medical fraternity on various developments in the management of diabetes, are required to combat the current diabetes epidemic in India. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Burden of asymptomatic malaria among a tribal population in a forested village of central India: a hidden challenge for malaria control in India.

PubMed

Chourasia, M K; Raghavendra, K; Bhatt, R M; Swain, D K; Valecha, N; Kleinschmidt, I

2017-06-01

Chhattisgarh in India is a malaria-endemic state with seven southern districts that contributes approximately 50-60% of the reported malaria cases in the state every year. The problem is further complicated due to asymptomatic malaria cases which are largely responsible for persistent transmission. This study was undertaken in one of the forested villages of the Keshkal subdistrict in Kondagaon district to ascertain the proportion of the population harbouring subclinical malarial infections. Community-based cross-sectional study. Mass blood surveys were undertaken of the entire population of the village in the post-monsoon seasons of 2013 and 2014. Fingerprick blood smears were prepared from individuals of all ages to detect malaria infections in their blood. Individuals with fever at the time of the survey were tested with rapid diagnostic tests, and parasitaemia in thick blood smears was confirmed by microscopy. Malaria-positive cases were treated with anti-malarials in accordance with the national drug policy. Peripheral blood smears of 134 and 159 individuals, including children, were screened for malaria infection in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Overall, the malaria slide positivity rates were 27.6% and 27.7% in 2013 and 2014, respectively, and the prevalence rates of asymptomatic malaria were 20% and 22.8%. This study showed that, for two consecutive years, the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria infection was significantly higher among children aged ≤14 years (34.4% and 34.1% for 2013 and 2014, respectively) compared with adults (15.2% and 18.2% for 2013 and 2014, respectively; P = 0.023 and 0.04, respectively). The number of asymptomatic malaria cases, especially Plasmodium falciparum, is significant, reinforcing the underlying challenge facing the malaria elimination programme in India. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Prospects of Sino-India Relations 2020

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

there has been a realization among analysts in India that the prospects of Sino-India relations are not a case of conflict OR cooperation, but conflict...29 Peter J. Katzenstein and Nobua Okowara, "Japan, Asian-Pacific Security, and the Case for...Thesis F. CHAPTER OUTLINE This thesis is based upon the single case study of Sino-India relations extending over the past six decades. Chapter II

India Through Literature: An Annotated Bibliography for Teaching India. Part I: India Through the Ancient Classics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Donald; Johnson, Jean

The past and the present interweave in contemporary India. To understand India, one must know of the traditional stories. Two short pocket books make them accessible and acceptable to students: 1) The Dance of Shiva and Other Tales from India by Oroon Ghosh, published by the New American Library in New York; and, 2) Gods, Demons, and Others by R.…

The Cultural Roots of Teacher Associations: A Case Study from India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padwad, Amol

2016-01-01

Teacher associations (TAs) are communities located in complex cultural spaces that may affect their functioning, vision, priorities, and policies. This case study of the English Language Teachers' Association of India (ELTAI) attempts to examine the relationship between the Association and the cultural space it inhabits, with specific reference to…

Predominance of Central Asian and European families among Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Kashmir Valley, India.

PubMed

Bashir, Gulnaz; Wani, Tehmeena; Sharma, Pragya; Katoch, V M; Lone, Rubina; Shah, Azra; Katoch, Kiran; Kakru, D K; Chauhan, Devendra Singh

2017-10-01

As there are no data available regarding the strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis circulating in Kashmir Valley, India, the current study aimed at describing the genetic diversity of M. tuberculosis strains in this region, by spoligotyping and 12-locus-based MIRU-VNTR typing (Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit-Variable Number Tandem Repeat). Sputa from 207 smear positive cases with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis were subjected to culture for M. tuberculosis. Eighty-five isolates confirmed as M. tuberculosis were subjected to drug susceptibility testing and molecular typing by spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTRs. Drug susceptibility results of 72 isolates revealed 76.3% as fully sensitive while 5.5% as multidrug resistant (MDR). Spoligotyping of 85 isolates detected 42 spoligotypes with 50 isolates (58.8%) clustered into seven spoligotypes. SIT26/CAS1_Del was the major spoligotype (23, 27%) followed by SIT127/H4 (12, 14.1%); CAS lineage (37.6%) was predominant, followed by Haarlem (25.8%) and ill-defined T clade (23.5%). MIRU-VNTR analysis displayed 82 MIRU patterns from 85 strains, including 3 small clusters and 79 unique. MIRU 26 was found to be the most discriminatory locus. Kashmir Valley has CAS as the predominant lineage of M. tuberculosis similar to the rest of the Indian sub-continent, while it is peculiar in having Euro American lineages such as Haarlem and ill-defined T clade. Copyright © 2017 Tuberculosis Association of India. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impacts of Aerosol-Monsoon Interaction on Rainfall and Circulation over Northern India and the Himalaya Foothills

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lau, William K. M.; Kim, Kyu-Myong; Shi, Jainn-Jong; Matsui, T.; Chin, M.; Tan, Qian; Peters-Lidard, C.; Tao, W. K.

2016-01-01

The boreal summer of 2008 was unusual for the Indian monsoon, featuring exceptional heavy loading of dust aerosols over the Arabian Sea and northern-central India, near normal all- India rainfall, but excessive heavy rain, causing disastrous flooding in the Northern Indian Himalaya Foothills (NIHF) regions, accompanied by persistent drought conditions in central and southern India. Using NASA Unified-physics Weather Research Forecast (NUWRF) model with fully interactive aerosol physics and dynamics, we carried out three sets of 7-day ensemble model forecast experiments: 1) control with no aerosol, 2) aerosol radiative effect only and 3) aerosol radiative and aerosol-cloud-microphysics effects, to study the impacts of aerosol monsoon interactions on monsoon variability over the NIHF during the summer of 2008. Results show that aerosol-radiation interaction (ARI), i.e., dust aerosol transport, and dynamical feedback processes induced by aerosol-radiative heating, plays a key role in altering the large scale monsoon circulation system, reflected by an increased north-south tropospheric temperature gradient, a northward shift of heavy monsoon rainfall, advancing the monsoon onset by 1-5 days over the HF, consistent with the EHP hypothesis (Lau et al. 2006). Additionally, we found that dust aerosols, via the semi-direct effect, increase atmospheric stability, and cause the dissipation of a developing monsoon onset cyclone over northeastern India northern Bay of Bengal. Eventually, in a matter of several days, ARI transforms the developing monsoon cyclone into mesoscale convective cells along the HF slopes. Aerosol-Cloud-microphysics Interaction (ACI) further enhances the ARI effect in invigorating the deep convection cells and speeding up the transformation processes. Results indicate that even in short-term (up to weekly) numerical forecasting of monsoon circulation and rainfall, effects of aerosol-monsoon interaction can be substantial and cannot be ignored.

Impacts of aerosol-monsoon interaction on rainfall and circulation over Northern India and the Himalaya Foothills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, William K. M.; Kim, Kyu-Myong; Shi, Jainn-Jong; Matsui, T.; Chin, M.; Tan, Qian; Peters-Lidard, C.; Tao, W. K.

2017-09-01

The boreal summer of 2008 was unusual for the Indian monsoon, featuring exceptional heavy loading of dust aerosols over the Arabian Sea and northern-central India, near normal all-India rainfall, but excessive heavy rain, causing disastrous flooding in the Northern Indian Himalaya Foothills (NIHF) regions, accompanied by persistent drought conditions in central and southern India. Using the NASA Unified-physics Weather Research Forecast (NUWRF) model with fully interactive aerosol physics and dynamics, we carried out three sets of 7-day ensemble model forecast experiments: (1) control with no aerosol, (2) aerosol radiative effect only and (3) aerosol radiative and aerosol-cloud-microphysics effects, to study the impacts of aerosol-monsoon interactions on monsoon variability over the NIHF during the summer of 2008. Results show that aerosol-radiation interaction (ARI), i.e., dust aerosol transport, and dynamical feedback processes induced by aerosol-radiative heating, plays a key role in altering the large-scale monsoon circulation system, reflected by an increased north-south tropospheric temperature gradient, a northward shift of heavy monsoon rainfall, advancing the monsoon onset by 1-5 days over the HF, consistent with the EHP hypothesis (Lau et al. in Clim Dyn 26(7-8):855-864, 2006). Additionally, we found that dust aerosols, via the semi-direct effect, increase atmospheric stability, and cause the dissipation of a developing monsoon onset cyclone over northeastern India/northern Bay of Bengal. Eventually, in a matter of several days, ARI transforms the developing monsoon cyclone into meso-scale convective cells along the HF slopes. Aerosol-Cloud-microphysics Interaction (ACI) further enhances the ARI effect in invigorating the deep convection cells and speeding up the transformation processes. Results indicate that even in short-term (up to weekly) numerical forecasting of monsoon circulation and rainfall, effects of aerosol-monsoon interaction can be

Bionomics of Anopheles fluviatilis and Anopheles culicifacies (Diptera: Culicidae) in Relation to Malaria Transmission in East-Central India

PubMed Central

Gunasekaran, K.; Krishnamoorthy, N.; Vanamail, P.; Mathivanan, A; Manonmani, A.; Jambulingam, P.

2017-01-01

Abstract The southern districts of Odisha State in east-central India have been highly endemic for falciparum malaria for many decades. However, there is no adequate information on the abundance of the vector species or their bionomics in relation to space and time in these districts. Therefore, a study was carried out on the entomological aspects of malaria transmission to generate such information. Collections of mosquitoes were made once during each of the three seasons in 128 villages selected from eight districts. Villages within the foot-hill ecotype had a significantly greater abundance of Anopheles fluviatilis James s. l., whereas the abundance of Anopheles culicifacies Giles s. l. was significantly greater in the plain ecotype. The abundance of An. fluviatilis was maximum during the cold season, whereas An. culicifacies abundance was highest during summer and rainy seasons. The maximum likelihood estimation of the malaria infection rate in An. fluviatilis was 1.78%, 6.05%, and 2.6% in Ganjam, Kalahandi, and Rayagada districts, respectively. The infection rate of An. culicifacies was 1.39% only in Kandhamal district; infected females were not detected elsewhere. Concurrently, the annual malaria parasite incidence (MPI) was significantly higher in hill-top (17.6) and foot-hill (14.4) villages compared to plain villages (4.1). The districts with more villages in hill-top and foot-hill ecotypes also had a greater abundance of An. fluviatilis, the major malaria vector, and exhibited a higher incidence of malaria than villages within the plain ecotype, where An. culicifacies was the most abundant vector. PMID:28399290

Fate of Metals in Relation to Water and Sediment Properties in a Subtropical Lake in Central Himalaya, India.

PubMed

Inaotombi, Shaikhom; Gupta, Prem Kumar

2017-04-01

Lakes of Himalaya are one of the most fragile ecosystems on earth. Tourism and urban development in the upland region strongly affect its water resources. The high rate of sedimentation and organic matter deposition alters the ecological state of sediment bed, which indirectly influences on dynamics of metallic elements. We investigated spatial and temporal variations of water and sediment characteristic in Lake Sattal of Central Himalaya, India. Samples were collected seasonally from four sampling locations from January 2011 to December 2012. Pearson's correlation and Canonical correspondence analysis (CCAs) were applied to examine the dynamics and behaviors of heavy metals. Concentrations of elements were in the order of fluoride (Fl) > zinc (Zn) > copper (Cu) > iron (Fe) > manganese (Mn). Sand size fraction was higher in the littoral zone while clay particle was dominant in the profundal zone of the lake. Dissolved oxygen at sediment-water-interface (SWI) and water temperature were the major factors influencing the dynamics of metallic contents in the water column. Spatially, total organic matter (TOM) was higher in the deeper portion of the lake. Our study revealed that mobility of Fe is temperature-dependent, whereas speciation of Mn and Cu are primarily controlled by the suboxic condition of SWI in organic-rich site. Upland lakes are more vulnerable to anoxic condition and have severe implications on heavy metals speciation. Proper implementation of land use policies and management practices, including stormwater detention, can be integrated into resolving such problems.

Patent litigation in India continues to throw up new challenges.

PubMed

Reddy Thikkavarapu, Prashant

2016-07-01

For several years after the reinstitution of a pharmaceutical patent regime in India, most innovator pharmaceutical companies have faced a string of high-profile defeats during litigation in India. In the last 2 years, however, the fortunes of pharmaceutical patentees have changed dramatically. Not only have Indian courts enforced pharmaceutical patents and issued injunctions restraining Indian generic companies from infringing valid patents, but they have also refused to invoke 'public interest' arguments to delay the enforcement of patents. This string of victories for pharmaceutical patents indicates a new era for the innovator industry in India. These victories for the innovator industry demonstrate the objectivity of the Indian judiciary. Even on the issue of compulsory licensing, the Patent Office, which functions as a part of the central government, has been restrained - granting only one compulsory license for a drug owned by Bayer but declining two other similar requests. Similarly, even the Indian judiciary while enforcing patents has also remained sensitive to the flexibilities in the Patents Act, such as the 'Bolar-type' provisions and compulsory licensing provisions.

Improving preparedness of farmers to Climate Variability: A case study of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swami, D.; Parthasarathy, D.; Dave, P.

2016-12-01

A key objective of the ongoing research is to understand the risk and vulnerability of agriculture and farming communities with respect to multiple climate change attributes, particularly monsoon variability and hydrology such as ground water availability. Climate Variability has always been a feature affecting Indian agriculture but the nature and characteristics of this variability is not well understood. Indian monsoon patterns are highly variable and most of the studies focus on larger domain such as Central India or Western coast (Ghosh et al., 2009) but district level analysis is missing i.e. the linkage between agriculture and climate variables at finer scale has not been investigated comprehensively. For example, Eastern Vidarbha region in Maharashtra is considered as one of the most agriculturally sensitive region in India, where every year a large number of farmers commit suicide. The main reasons for large number of suicides are climate related stressors such as droughts, hail storms, and monsoon variability aggravated with poor socio-economic conditions. Present study has tried to explore the areas in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra where famers and crop productivity, specifically cotton, sorghum, is highly vulnerable to monsoon variability, hydrological and socio-economic variables which are further modelled to determine the maximal contributing factor towards crops and farmers' vulnerability. After analysis using primary and secondary data, it will aid in decision making regarding field operations such as time of sowing, harvesting and irrigation requirements by optimizing the cropping pattern with climatic, hydrological and socio-economic variables. It also suggests the adaptation strategies to farmers regarding different types of cropping and water harvesting practices, optimized dates and timings for harvesting, sowing, water and nutrient requirements of particular crops according to the specific region. Primarily along with secondary analysis

Factors Influencing the Accessibility of Education for Children with Disabilities in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Limaye, Sandhya

2016-01-01

The Central and State governments in India have formulated programs and policies over the years for children with disabilities in order to help them to enter mainstream society. However, despite these policies, children with disabilities are amongst the most disadvantaged in terms of access to schooling and completion of elementary education, as…

Antimalarial plants of northeast India: An overview.

PubMed

Shankar, Rama; Deb, Sourabh; Sharma, B K

2012-01-01

The need for an alternative drug for malaria initiated intensive efforts for developing new antimalarials from indigenous plants. The information from different tribal communities of northeast India along with research papers, including books, journals and documents of different universities and institutes of northeast India was collected for information on botanical therapies and plant species used for malaria. Sixty-eight plant species belonging to 33 families are used by the people of northeast India for the treatment of malaria. Six plant species, namely, Alstonia scholaris, Coptis teeta, Crotolaria occulta, Ocimum sanctum, Polygala persicariaefolia, Vitex peduncularis, have been reported by more than one worker from different parts of northeast India. The species reported to be used for the treatment of malaria were either found around the vicinity of their habitation or in the forest area of northeast India. The most frequently used plant parts were leaves (33%), roots (31%), and bark and whole plant (12%). The present study has compiled and enlisted the antimalarial plants of northeast India, which would help future workers to find out the suitable antimalarial plants by thorough study.

The need for obtaining accurate nationwide estimates of diabetes prevalence in India - Rationale for a national study on diabetes

PubMed Central

Anjana, R.M.; Ali, M.K.; Pradeepa, R.; Deepa, M.; Datta, M.; Unnikrishnan, R.; Rema, M.; Mohan, V.

2011-01-01

According to the World Diabetes Atlas, India is projected to have around 51 million people with diabetes. However, these data are based on small sporadic studies done in some parts of the country. Even a few multi-centre studies that have been done, have several limitations. Also, marked heterogeneity between States limits the generalizability of results. Other studies done at various time periods also lack uniform methodology, do not take into consideration ethnic differences and have inadequate coverage. Thus, till date there has been no national study on the prevalence of diabetes which are truly representative of India as a whole. Moreover, the data on diabetes complications is even more scarce. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a large well-planned national study, which could provide reliable nationwide data, not only on prevalence of diabetes, but also on pre-diabetes, and the complications of diabetes in India. A study of this nature will have enormous public health impact and help policy makers to take action against diabetes in India. PMID:21537089

Birth control practices and levels of development in India.

PubMed

Karan, P P; Bladen, W A; Singh, G

1978-11-01

The paper examines the acceptance of birth control practices in India, and examines the relationhsip of these patterns to levels of economic development. A study of selected couples with markedly low incomes revealed that fertility tended to increase until a certain level of per capita income was reached. From this level onward, fertility and desired family size goals declined with increasing economic status. The study reveals an association in India between those less developed states and poor acceptance of family planning. The level of medical and administrative personnel for family planning services is superior in the more developed states and, logically, adoption of family planning practices is also higher. In higher-income states, characterized by relatively higher spatial mobility and literacy rates, the spread of family planning practices is relatively rapid. In less developed states, characterized by poorly developed centralized systems of communication and distribution, a lower spatial mobility of people, and a lower diffusion of knowledge through personal contact, family planning methods tend to spread very slowly or become less and less popular. A classification of Indian states as related to their acceptance of formal family planning policy and governmental efforts has been helpful in developing regionally-oriented program strategies for the future. Such strategies would take into account varying socioeconomic, cultural and administrative infrastructure differences in order to better assure delivery of services. As India also faces a shortage of trained physicians and personnel for the National Family Planning program, a regionally-based spatial allocation policy must be formulated that will divert some family planning personnel from states with high-acceptance patterns to the more densely populated, less developed regions of the country.

Water-food-energy nexus with changing agricultural scenarios in India during recent decades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barik, Beas; Ghosh, Subimal; Saheer Sahana, A.; Pathak, Amey; Sekhar, Muddu

2017-06-01

Meeting the growing water and food demands in a densely populated country like India is a major challenge. It requires an extensive investigation into the changing patterns of the checks and balances behind the maintenance of food security at the expense of depleting groundwater, along with high energy consumption. Here we present a comprehensive set of analyses which assess the present status of the water-food-energy nexus in India, along with its changing pattern, in the last few decades. We find that with the growth of population and consequent increase in the food demands, the food production has also increased, and this has been made possible with the intensification of irrigation. However, during the recent decade (after 1996), the increase in food production has not been sufficient to meet its growing demands, precipitating a decline in the per-capita food availability. We also find a statistically significant declining trend of groundwater storage in India during the last decade, as derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite datasets. Regional studies reveal contrasting trends between northern and western-central India. North-western India and the middle Ganga basin show a decrease in the groundwater storage as opposed to an increasing storage over western-central India. Comparison with well data reveals that the highest consistency of GRACE-derived storage data with available well measurements is in the middle Ganga basin. After analysing the data for the last 2 decades, we further showcase that, after a drought, the groundwater storage drops but is unable to recover to its original condition even after good monsoon years. The groundwater storage reveals a very strong negative correlation with the electricity consumption for agricultural usage, which may also be considered as a proxy for groundwater pumped for irrigation in a region. The electricity usage for agricultural purposes has an increasing trend and, interestingly

A cross-sectional study on prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in India: rationale and methods.

PubMed

Rajkumar, Prabu; Pattabi, Kamaraj; Vadivoo, Selvaraj; Bhome, Arvind; Brashier, Bill; Bhattacharya, Prashanta; Mehendale, Sanjay M

2017-05-29

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common preventable and treatable chronic respiratory disease, which affects 210 million people globally. Global and national guidelines exist for the management of COPD. Although evidence-based, they are inadequate to address the phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity in India. Co-existence of other chronic respiratory diseases can adversely influence the prognosis of COPD.India has a huge burden of COPD with various risk factors and comorbid conditions. However, valid prevalence estimates employing spirometry as the diagnostic tool and data on important comorbid conditions are not available. This study protocol is designed to address this knowledge gap and eventually to build a database to undertake long-term cohort studies to describe the phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity among COPD patients in India. The primary objective is to estimate the prevalence of COPD among adults aged ≥25 years for each gender in India. The secondary objective is to identify the risk factors for COPD and important comorbid conditions such as asthma and post-tuberculosis sequelae. It is also proposed to validate the currently available definitions for COPD diagnosis in India. A cross-sectional study will be undertaken among the populations of sub-urban areas of Chennai and Shillong cities, which represent the Southern and Northeastern regions of India. We will collect data on sociodemographic variables, economic characteristics, risk factors of COPD and comorbidities. The Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) definitions will be used for the diagnosis of COPD and asthma. Data will be analysed for estimation of the prevalence of COPD, asthma and associated factors. This study proposal was approved by the respective institutional ethics committees of participating institutions. The results will be disseminated through publications in the peer-reviewed journals and a report

Do High School Students in India Gamble? A Study of Problem Gambling and Its Correlates.

PubMed

Jaisoorya, T S; Beena, K V; Beena, M; Ellangovan, K; Thennarassu, K; Bowden-Jones, Henrietta; Benegal, Vivek; George, Sanju

2017-06-01

Studies from the West suggest that significant numbers of high school students gamble, despite it being illegal in this age group. To date, there have been no studies on the prevalence of gambling among senior high school and higher secondary school students in India. This study reports point prevalence of gambling and its psychosocial correlates among high school students in the State of Kerala, India. 5043 high school students in the age group 15-19 years, from 73 schools, were selected by cluster random sampling from the district of Ernakulam, Kerala, South India. They completed questionnaires that assessed gambling, substance use, psychological distress, suicidality, and symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Of a total of 4989 completed questionnaires, 1400 (27.9 %) high school students reported to have ever gambled and 353 (7.1 %) were problem gamblers. Of those who had ever gambled, 25.2 % were problem gamblers. Sports betting (betting on cricket and football) was the most popular form of gambling followed by the lottery. Problem gamblers when compared with non-problem gamblers and non-gamblers were significantly more likely to be male, have academic failures, have higher rates of lifetime alcohol and tobacco use, psychological distress, suicidality, history of sexual abuse and higher ADHD symptom scores. Gambling among adolescents in India deserves greater attention, as one in four students who ever gambled was a problem gambler and because of its association with a range of psychosocial variables.

Ethics committees in India: Facing the challenges!

PubMed Central

Kadam, Rashmi; Karandikar, Shashikant

2012-01-01

The past few years have seen a tremendous rise in the number of clinical trials conducted in India. This is been attributed to the huge patient population, genetic diversity, and rich technical pool in our country. However, the economical upsurge in the clinical trial industry has also caused concerns pertaining to the efficiency of the Regulatory Agencies and Ethics Committees (EC). The EC plays an important role in the regulation of clinical research at the local level. However, it is seen that many ECs are oblivious to their roles and responsibilities. It is reported that ECs lack standard operating procedures, do not have a proper composition or adequate representation, thus affecting their functions in regulating clinical research. Moreover, ECs seem to function in isolation, as self-sufficient bodies, having no communication with the regulatory agency or other ECs. This brings forth the need for ECs to come together and share their experiences and observations, with the aim of updating themselves and refining their functions. Efforts also need to be focused on capacity building, centralized registration of ECs, and bringing an oversight mechanism in place. The Ethics Committees in India need to work in close association with forums such as the Forum for Ethics Review Committees in India and the Forum for Ethical Review Committees in Asia Pacific, in an effort towards empowering themselves. PMID:22701820

Ethics committees in India: Facing the challenges!

PubMed

Kadam, Rashmi; Karandikar, Shashikant

2012-04-01

The past few years have seen a tremendous rise in the number of clinical trials conducted in India. This is been attributed to the huge patient population, genetic diversity, and rich technical pool in our country. However, the economical upsurge in the clinical trial industry has also caused concerns pertaining to the efficiency of the Regulatory Agencies and Ethics Committees (EC). The EC plays an important role in the regulation of clinical research at the local level. However, it is seen that many ECs are oblivious to their roles and responsibilities. It is reported that ECs lack standard operating procedures, do not have a proper composition or adequate representation, thus affecting their functions in regulating clinical research. Moreover, ECs seem to function in isolation, as self-sufficient bodies, having no communication with the regulatory agency or other ECs. This brings forth the need for ECs to come together and share their experiences and observations, with the aim of updating themselves and refining their functions. Efforts also need to be focused on capacity building, centralized registration of ECs, and bringing an oversight mechanism in place. The Ethics Committees in India need to work in close association with forums such as the Forum for Ethics Review Committees in India and the Forum for Ethical Review Committees in Asia Pacific, in an effort towards empowering themselves.

India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Semaan, Leslie

This text examines India's rich and long history, then uses this perspective to focus on present day problems and aspirations. It forces students to reevaluate their stereotyped images of India by presenting a nation that has striven to recover from a past of colonial domination, is presently faced with regional ethnic discord and disparity, and…

India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Semaan, Leslie; Lightman, Kathleen

Not only is India one of the oldest continuous civilizations in the world, it has also become one of the greatest industrial nations. This package explores India's heritage, its people, and the traumatic changes of the 20th century. Contents include: Introduction, Climate, The Land, Cities, Agriculture, Rural Life, History, Religions, Dress, Food,…

Forest carbon stocks and fluxes in physiographic zones of India.

PubMed

Sheikh, Mehraj A; Kumar, Munesh; Bussman, Rainer W; Todaria, Np

2011-12-25

Reducing carbon Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) is of central importance to combat climate change. Foremost among the challenges is quantifying nation's carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation, which requires information on forest carbon storage. Here we estimated carbon storage in India's forest biomass for the years 2003, 2005 and 2007 and the net flux caused by deforestation and degradation, between two assessment periods i.e., Assessment Period first (ASP I), 2003-2005 and Assessment Period second (ASP II), 2005-2007. The total estimated carbon stock in India's forest biomass varied from 3325 to 3161 Mt during the years 2003 to 2007 respectively. There was a net flux of 372 Mt of CO2 in ASP I and 288 Mt of CO2 in ASP II, with an annual emission of 186 and 114 Mt of CO2 respectively. The carbon stock in India's forest biomass decreased continuously from 2003 onwards, despite slight increase in forest cover. The rate of carbon loss from the forest biomass in ASP II has dropped by 38.27% compared to ASP I. With the Copenhagen Accord, India along with other BASIC countries China, Brazil and South Africa is voluntarily going to cut emissions. India will voluntary reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 20-25% by 2020 in comparison to 2005 level, activities like REDD+ can provide a relatively cost-effective way of offsetting emissions, either by increasing the removals of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere by afforestation programmes, managing forests, or by reducing emissions through deforestation and degradation.

Forest carbon stocks and fluxes in physiographic zones of India

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Reducing carbon Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) is of central importance to combat climate change. Foremost among the challenges is quantifying nation's carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation, which requires information on forest carbon storage. Here we estimated carbon storage in India's forest biomass for the years 2003, 2005 and 2007 and the net flux caused by deforestation and degradation, between two assessment periods i.e., Assessment Period first (ASP I), 2003-2005 and Assessment Period second (ASP II), 2005-2007. Results The total estimated carbon stock in India's forest biomass varied from 3325 to 3161 Mt during the years 2003 to 2007 respectively. There was a net flux of 372 Mt of CO2 in ASP I and 288 Mt of CO2 in ASP II, with an annual emission of 186 and 114 Mt of CO2 respectively. The carbon stock in India's forest biomass decreased continuously from 2003 onwards, despite slight increase in forest cover. The rate of carbon loss from the forest biomass in ASP II has dropped by 38.27% compared to ASP I. Conclusion With the Copenhagen Accord, India along with other BASIC countries China, Brazil and South Africa is voluntarily going to cut emissions. India will voluntary reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 20-25% by 2020 in comparison to 2005 level, activities like REDD+ can provide a relatively cost-effective way of offsetting emissions, either by increasing the removals of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere by afforestation programmes, managing forests, or by reducing emissions through deforestation and degradation. PMID:22196920

Opinion Leadership in India, A Study of Interpersonal Communication in Eight Villages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sen, Lalit K.

A part of a larger study on "Diffusion of Innovations in Rural Societies" conducted in Brazil, Nigeria, and India during 1966-1968, this particular study is based on opinion leadership provided by 680 farmers in 8 Indian villages. In these villages, opinion leaders comprise the primary source of basic information and play a very…

Community expansion and gene geography of sickle cell trait and G6PD deficiency, and natural selection against malaria: experience from tribal land of India.

PubMed

Balgir, R S

2012-03-01

Malaria is globally endemic in tropical and subtropical regions and so is the hemoglobinopathies, thalassemias and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. This biological dogma of hyper-endemic all over the tribal land in India leads to high morbidity and mortality. The directed genetic abnormalities of human erythrocytes have found to decrease the susceptibility towards malaria parasites and the heterozygotes of abnormalities probably confer protection against the Plasmodium falciparum infection. A fascinating trend for an inverse relationship between sickle cell disorders and G6PD deficiency in scheduled caste and tribal communities of Central-Eastern India has been observed. When the frequency of sickle cell allele decreases in malaria endemic cross-section of the tribal population, the frequency of G6PD deficiency allele increases and vice versa. This medical aspect is important from an evolutionary biological background and could be an excellent point for molecular analyses to determine the signature of selection in the genomic regions of β- globin and G6PD genes. Since the selection favors the mutation with least cost to the population [as the clinical manifestations of G6PD deficiency are mild and do not result in a complete loss of enzyme activity against the sickle cell disease with high morbidity and mortality in the region] and the predominant frequency of G6PD deficiency over the sickle cell disorders in some tribal communities, it seems that the replacement of sickle cell allele for G6PD deficiency is occurring in the scheduled castes/tribes of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha states in Central India. These findings are consistent with our previous studies carried out in Central-Eastern India.

Women's political participation and health: a health capability study in rural India.

PubMed

Feldman, Candace H; Darmstadt, Gary L; Kumar, Vishwajeet; Ruger, Jennifer Prah

2015-02-01

Understanding the relationship between women's political participation and health has eluded researchers and cannot be adequately studied using traditional epidemiological or social scientific methodologies. We employed a health capability framework to understand dimensions of health agency to illuminate how local political economies affect health. Exploiting a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a community-based behavior change management intervention in northern India, we conducted a qualitative study with semistructured, in-depth focus groups in both intervention and nonintervention villages. We presented scenarios to each group regarding the limitations and motivations involved in women's political participation and health. Thematic analysis focused on four domains of health agency -- participation, autonomy, self-efficacy, and health systems -- relevant for understanding the relationship between political participation and health. Elder women demonstrated the greatest sense of self-efficacy and as a group cited the largest number of successful health advocacy efforts. Participation in an associated community-based neonatal intervention had varying effects, showing some differences in self-efficacy, but only rare improvements in participation, autonomy, or health system functioning. Better understanding of cultural norms surrounding autonomy, the local infrastructure and health system, and male and female perceptions of political participation and self-efficacy are needed to improve women's health agency. For a community-based participatory health intervention to improve health capability effectively, explicit strategies focused on health agency should be as central as health indicators. Copyright © 2015 by Duke University Press.

Connecting pills and people: an ethnography of the pharmaceutical nexus in Odisha, India.

PubMed

Seeberg, Jens

2012-06-01

This article explores the impact of intensive competition within the pharmaceutical industry and among private providers on health care in an Indian city. In-depth interviewing and clinical observation were used over a period of 18 months. Private practitioners and chemists who provided regular services to inhabitants of a poor neighborhood in central Bhubaneswar were included. Fierce competition in private health in Odisha, India, reduced quality of care for the poor. The pharmaceutical industry exploited weak links in the health system to push drugs aggressively, including through illegal channels. The private health market is organized in small "network molecules" that maximize profit at the cost of health. The large private share of health care in India and stiff competition are detrimental for primary care in urban India. Free government services are urgently needed and a planned health insurance scheme should be linked to quality control measures.

Epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma in India.

PubMed

Acharya, Subrat K

2014-08-01

Indian data on epidemiology of HCC is not available. Cancer is not a reportable disease in India and the cancer registries in India are mostly urban. National cancer registry program of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been recently expanded to include 21 population based and 6 hospital based cancer registries. The last published registry data by ICMR available in the cancer registry website (www.ncrpindia.org) was in 2008 which provides information on various cancers from 2006 to 2008. The other source of information was the report published by International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO). According to these available data the age adjusted incidence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in India for men ranges from 0.7 to 7.5 and for women 0.2 to 2.2 per 100,000 population per year. The male:female ratio for HCC in India is 4:1. The age of presentation varies from 40 to 70 years. According to a study conducted by verbal autopsy in 1.1 million homes representing the whole country, the age standardized mortality rate for HCC in India for men is 6.8/100,000 and for women is 5.1/100,000. According to another study the incidence of HCC in cirrhotics in India is 1.6% per year. The unpublished data from various tertiary care centers suggest that the incidence of HCC is increasing in India. There is a need for a multi-centric HCC registry under the aegis of INASL.

An ethnographic study of barriers to cancer pain management and opioid availability in India.

PubMed

Lebaron, Virginia; Beck, Susan L; Maurer, Martha; Black, Fraser; Palat, Gayatri

2014-05-01

The world's global cancer burden disproportionally affects lower income countries, where 80% of patients present with late-stage disease and have limited access to palliative care and effective pain-relieving medications, such as morphine. Consequently, millions die each year with unrelieved pain. Objective. The objective of this study was to examine barriers to opioid availability and cancer pain management in India, with an emphasis on the experiences of nurses, who are often the front-line providers of palliative care. Methods. Fifty-nine participants were recruited using a purposive, snowball sampling strategy. Ethnographic data collection included in-depth, semistructured interviews (n = 54), 400+ hours of participant observation, and review of documents over 9 months at a government cancer hospital in South India. Systematic qualitative analysis led to identification of key barriers that are exemplified by representative quotes. Results. Morphine is more available at this study site than in most of India, but access is limited to patients seen by the palliative care service, and significant gaps in supply still occur. Systems to measure and improve pain outcomes are largely absent. Key barriers related to pain management include the role of nursing, opioid misperceptions, bureaucratic hurdles, and sociocultural/infrastructure challenges. Implications. Interventions must streamline process details of morphine procurement, work within the existing sociocultural infrastructure to ensure opioids reach patients most in need, target unexpected audiences for symptom management education, and account for role expectations of health care providers. Conclusion. Macro- and micro-level policy and practice changes are needed to improve opioid availability and cancer pain management in India.

An Ethnographic Study of Barriers to Cancer Pain Management and Opioid Availability in India

PubMed Central

Beck, Susan L.; Maurer, Martha; Black, Fraser; Palat, Gayatri

2014-01-01

Background. The world’s global cancer burden disproportionally affects lower income countries, where 80% of patients present with late-stage disease and have limited access to palliative care and effective pain-relieving medications, such as morphine. Consequently, millions die each year with unrelieved pain. Objective. The objective of this study was to examine barriers to opioid availability and cancer pain management in India, with an emphasis on the experiences of nurses, who are often the front-line providers of palliative care. Methods. Fifty-nine participants were recruited using a purposive, snowball sampling strategy. Ethnographic data collection included in-depth, semistructured interviews (n = 54), 400+ hours of participant observation, and review of documents over 9 months at a government cancer hospital in South India. Systematic qualitative analysis led to identification of key barriers that are exemplified by representative quotes. Results. Morphine is more available at this study site than in most of India, but access is limited to patients seen by the palliative care service, and significant gaps in supply still occur. Systems to measure and improve pain outcomes are largely absent. Key barriers related to pain management include the role of nursing, opioid misperceptions, bureaucratic hurdles, and sociocultural/infrastructure challenges. Implications. Interventions must streamline process details of morphine procurement, work within the existing sociocultural infrastructure to ensure opioids reach patients most in need, target unexpected audiences for symptom management education, and account for role expectations of health care providers. Conclusion. Macro- and micro-level policy and practice changes are needed to improve opioid availability and cancer pain management in India. PMID:24755460

Coordination between Education and Population Policies--A Case Study of India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chawla, S. P.

Population and educational policies of the government of India since 1950 are reviewed. A major objective of the study is to take stock of accomplishments and problems in the two policy areas so that policymakers will have up to date information upon which to base future planning. The document is presented in seven chapters. Chapter I offers an…

Electronic Health Records and Information Portability: A Pilot Study in a Rural Primary Healthcare Center in India

PubMed Central

Radhakrishna, Kedar; Goud, B. Ramakrishna; Kasthuri, Arvind; Waghmare, Abijeet; Raj, Tony

2014-01-01

Clinical documentation and health information portability pose unique challenges in urban and rural areas of India. This article presents findings of a pilot study conducted in a primary health center in rural India. In this article, we focus on primary care in rural India and how a portable health record system could facilitate the availability of medical information at the point of care. We followed a geriatric cohort and a maternal cohort of 308 participants over a nine-month period. Physician encounters were entered into a web-based electronic health record. This information was made available to all study participants through a short messaging service (SMS). Additionally, 135 randomly selected participants from the cohort were issued a USB-based memory card that contained their detailed health records and could be viewed on most computers. The dual portability model implemented in the pilot study demonstrates the utility of the concept. PMID:25214819

The India Connection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdul-Alim, Jamaal

2012-01-01

Even though lawmakers in India don't seem likely to pass any laws that would enable foreign universities to set up shop in India anytime soon, opportunities still abound for institutions of higher learning in the United States to collaborate with their Indian counterparts and to engage and recruit students in India as well. That's the consensus…

A Comparitive Study of Anticardiolipin Antibodies among Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients from Western and Eastern India.

PubMed

Doley, D; Kakati, S; Saikia, L; Rajadhyaksha, A; Nadkar, Milind; Khadilkar, P; Patwardhan, M; Pradhan, V

2017-03-01

Anti-phospholipid antibodies (APA) like anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) are important cause of venous and arterial thrombosis and other occlusive vascular diseases. Prevalence of these antibodies in SLE patients at the time of diagnosis is not known in Indian SLE patients. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of ACA in SLE patients from Eastern and Western India and to correlate them with disease activity. Seventy SLE patients from Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, Assam and 85 SLE patients from Rheumatology Department, KEM Hospital, Mumbai were studied. SLE disease activity was evaluated by SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score at the time of evaluation. All patients studied were in an active stage of disease. Demographic data showed significant variations in the clinical manifestations of SLE between two regions. Renal manifestations were higher (42.9%) among SLE patients from Eastern region as compared with 37.6% patients from Western region. These patients were categorized as Lupus Nephritis (LN) and patients that did not show any renal manifestations were categories as non-LN. ACA to IgG and IgM subclasses were tested by ELISA. IgGACA positivity was 20%, 12.9% and IgM-ACA positivity was 18.6%, 12.9% where asIgG + IgM ACA positivity as found in 12.9%, 3.5% patients respectively among SLE patients from Eastern and Western India. ACA positivity was higher among LN patients from Eastern India whereas the same was higher among non-LN patients from Western India. Hence detection of ACA alongwith associated clinical manifestations were helpful to evaluate their possible association with disease severity in SLE patients. A long term follow up of patients having ACA antibodies without thrombotic event is needed to detect their possible thrombotic event in future along with their clinical presentation from these two different geographic regions from India.

Public, patient and carers' views on palliative and end-of-life care in India.

PubMed

Ramasamy Venkatasalu, M; Sirala Jagadeesh, N; Elavally, S; Pappas, Y; Mhlanga, F; Pallipalayam Varatharajan, R

2018-06-01

To systematically review the existing evidence on the Indian public, patient and carers' perspectives on palliative and end-of-life care. With a growing population of terminally ill people across the world, there is also an increasing awareness among international health policy makers of the need to improve the quality of life for terminally ill patients. Understanding service users' (patients, family and public) perspectives is crucial in developing and sustaining successful community-centred palliative nursing policies and service models especially in countries like India with diverse population. An integrative review was performed on five databases, using hand searches of key journals and reference citation tracking for empirical studies published in English from 1990 to 2015. A thematic analysis framework was used to analyse and identify key themes. Analysis of the six eligible studies revealed five themes. Themes describe how social, economic, cultural, religious, spiritual and traditional factors influenced the palliative and end-of-life care perspectives and experiences among Indians. They also illustrated preferences relating to place of care, as well as benefits and challenges of family caregiving during the last days of life. Although we found minimal evidence on user perspectives, nurses need to aware of those unique components of context-specific palliative and end-of-life care practices in India - socioeconomic, cultural and religious factors - on their nursing encounters. Nurses need to advocate same in policy development to enable accessibility and utility of palliative and end-of-life care services, which are scant in India. Nurses can be central in gathering the contextual evidence that advocate users' perspectives to inform further studies and national palliative care policies in India. Emerging policies in nursing education need to focus on integrating family-centred palliative and end-of-life care within curricula, whereas nursing practice may

Delhi, India

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-01-17

Delhi is the second largest metropolis in India, with a population of 16 million and is located in northern India along the banks of the Yamuna River. This image was acquired by NASA Terra satellite on September 22, 2003.

Bionomics of Anopheles fluviatilis and Anopheles culicifacies (Diptera: Culicidae) in Relation to Malaria Transmission in East-Central India.

PubMed

Sahu, S S; Gunasekaran, K; Krishnamoorthy, N; Vanamail, P; Mathivanan, A; Manonmani, A; Jambulingam, P

2017-07-01

The southern districts of Odisha State in east-central India have been highly endemic for falciparum malaria for many decades. However, there is no adequate information on the abundance of the vector species or their bionomics in relation to space and time in these districts. Therefore, a study was carried out on the entomological aspects of malaria transmission to generate such information. Collections of mosquitoes were made once during each of the three seasons in 128 villages selected from eight districts. Villages within the foot-hill ecotype had a significantly greater abundance of Anopheles fluviatilis James s. l., whereas the abundance of Anopheles culicifacies Giles s. l. was significantly greater in the plain ecotype. The abundance of An. fluviatilis was maximum during the cold season, whereas An. culicifacies abundance was highest during summer and rainy seasons. The maximum likelihood estimation of the malaria infection rate in An. fluviatilis was 1.78%, 6.05%, and 2.6% in Ganjam, Kalahandi, and Rayagada districts, respectively. The infection rate of An. culicifacies was 1.39% only in Kandhamal district; infected females were not detected elsewhere. Concurrently, the annual malaria parasite incidence (MPI) was significantly higher in hill-top (17.6) and foot-hill (14.4) villages compared to plain villages (4.1). The districts with more villages in hill-top and foot-hill ecotypes also had a greater abundance of An. fluviatilis, the major malaria vector, and exhibited a higher incidence of malaria than villages within the plain ecotype, where An. culicifacies was the most abundant vector. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.

Cultural differences are reflected in variables associated with carer burden in FTD: a comparison study between India and Australia

PubMed Central

Mekala, Shailaja; Alladi, Suvarna; Chandrasekar, Kammammettu; Fathima, Safiya; M.O.'Connor, Claire; McKinnon, Colleen; Hornberger, Michael; Piguet, Olivier; Hodges, John R.; Mioshi, Eneida

2013-01-01

There is great need to understand variables behind carer burden, especially in FTD. Carer burden is a complex construct, and its factors are likely to vary depending on the type of dementia, carer characteristics and cultural background. OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to compare profiles and severity of carer burden, depression, anxiety and stress in carers of FTD patients in India in comparison to Australia; to investigate which carer variables are associated with carer burden in each country. METHODS Data of 138 participants (69 dyads of carers-patients) from India and Australia (India, n=31; Australia, n=38). Carer burden was assessed with the short Zarit Burden Inventory; carer depression, anxiety and stress were measured with the Depression, Anxiety and Stress-21. Dementia severity was determined with the Frontotemporal Dementia Rating Scale (FTD-FRS), and a range of demographic variables regarding the carer and patient were also obtained. RESULTS Overall, levels of carer burden were not significantly different across India and Australia, despite more hours delivering care and higher dementia severity in India. Variables associated with burden, however, differed between countries, with carer depression, anxiety and stress strongly associated with burden in India. By contrast, depression, stress, and dementia severity were associated with burden in Australia. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that variables associated with carer burden in FTD differ between cultures. Consequently, cultural considerations should be taken into account when planning for interventions to reduce burden. This study suggests that addressing carers' skills and coping mechanisms are likely to result in more efficacious outcomes than targeting patient symptoms alone. PMID:29213826

Methods for determination of the age of Pleistocene tephra, derived from eruption of Toba, in central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westaway, Rob; Mishra, Sheila; Deo, Sushama; Bridgland, David R.

2011-06-01

Tephra, emplaced as a result of Pleistocene eruption of the Indonesian `supervolcano' Toba, occurs at many localities in India. However, the ages of these deposits have hitherto been contentious; some workers have argued that these deposits mark the most recent eruption (eruption A, ca 75 ka), although at some sites they are stratigraphically associated with Acheulian (Lower Palaeolithic) artefacts. Careful examination of the geochemical composition of the tephras, which are composed predominantly of shards of rhyolitic glass, indicates that discrimination between the products of eruption A and eruption D (ca 790 ka) of Toba is difficult. Nonetheless, this comparison favours eruption D as the source of the tephra deposits at some sites in India, supporting the long-held view that the Lower Palaeolithic of India spans the late Early Pleistocene. In principle, these tephra deposits should be dateable using the K-Ar system; however, previous experience indicates contamination by a small proportion of ancient material, resulting in apparent ages that exceed the true ages of the tephras. We have established the optimum size-fraction in which the material from Toba is concentrated, 53-61 μm, and have considered possible origins for the observed contamination. We also demonstrate that Ar-Ar analysis of four out of five of our samples has yielded material with an apparent age similar to that expected for eruption D. These numerical ages, of 809 ± 51, 714 ± 62, 797 ± 45 and 827 ± 39 ka for the tephras at Morgaon, Bori, Gandhigram and Simbhora, provide a weighted mean age for this eruption of 799 ± 24 ka (plus-or-minus two standard deviations). However, these numerical ages are each derived from no more than 10-20% of the argon release in each sample, which is not ideal. Nonetheless, our results demonstrate that it is feasible, in principle, to date this difficult material using the Ar-Ar technique; future follow-up studies will therefore be able to refine our

Tradition and Modernity: India's Quantum Leap into the 21st Century. Independent Curriculum Project. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad 1998 (India).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Elise

This lesson on India is suggested as a culminating activity to bring together previously taught units about infrastructure, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, ancient India, and contemporary India. The lesson's goals are to examine how a country's cultural background can influence change and to study the development of modern infrastructure. The students…

High prevalence of tobacco use, alcohol use and overweight in a rural population in Tamil Nadu, India.

PubMed

Kaur, P; Rao, S R; Radhakrishnan, E; Ramachandran, R; Venkatachalam, R; Gupte, M D

2011-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death in India. There is high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in urban Tamil Nadu. There are limited data on the prevalence of behavioral risk factors and overweight in rural Tamil Nadu. We estimated prevalence of behavioral risk factors, overweight and central obesity in a rural population in Tamil Nadu, India. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 11 villages in Kancheepuram/Thiruvallur districts, Tamil Nadu. Study population included 10,500 subjects aged 25-64 years. We collected data on behavioral risk factors and anthropometric measurements. Body mass index (BMI) was categorized using the classification recommended for Asians. Central obesity was defined as waist circumference ≥90 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women. We computed proportions for all risk factors and used trend chi-square to examine trend. Among the 10,500 subjects, 4927 (47%) were males. Among males, 1852 (37.6%) were current smokers and 3073 (62.4%) were current alcohol users. Among females, 840 (15.1%) were smokeless tobacco users. BMI was ≥23.0 kg/m 2 for 1618 (32.8%) males and 2126 (38.2%) females. 867 (17.6%) males and 1323 (23.7%) females were centrally obese. Most commonly used edible oil was palm oil followed by sunflower oil and groundnut oil. We observed high prevalence of tobacco use, alcohol use and central obesity in the rural population in Tamil Nadu. There is need for health promotion programs to encourage adoption of healthy lifestyle and policy interventions to create enabling environment.

Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Study Tobacco Behavior in Urban India: There's an App for That.

PubMed

Soong, Andrea; Chen, Julia Cen; Borzekowski, Dina Lg

2015-06-24

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) uses real-time data collection to assess participants' behaviors and environments. This paper explores the strengths and limitations of using EMA to examine social and environmental exposure to tobacco in urban India among older adolescents and adults. Objectives of this study were (1) to describe the methods used in an EMA study of tobacco use in urban India using a mobile phone app for data collection, (2) to determine the feasibility of using EMA in the chosen setting by drawing on participant completion and compliance rates with the study protocol, and (3) to provide recommendations on implementing mobile phone EMA research in India and other low- and middle-income countries. Via mobile phones and the Internet, this study used two EMA surveys: (1) a momentary survey, sent multiple times per day at random to participants, which asked about their real-time tobacco use (smoked and smokeless) and exposure to pro- and antitobacco messaging in their location, and 2) an end-of-day survey sent at the end of each study day. Trained participants, from Hyderabad and Kolkata, India, reported on their social and environmental exposure to tobacco over 10 consecutive days. This feasibility study examined participant compliance, exploring factors related to the successful completion of surveys and the validity of EMA data. The sample included 205 participants, the majority of whom were male (135/205, 65.9%). Almost half smoked less than daily (56/205, 27.3%) or daily (43/205, 21.0%), and 4.4% (9/205) used smokeless tobacco products. Participants completed and returned 46.87% and 73.02% of momentary and end-of-day surveys, respectively. Significant predictors of momentary survey completion included employment and completion of end-of-day surveys. End-of-day survey completion was only significantly predicted by momentary survey completion. This first study of EMA in India offers promising results, although more research is needed on how to

Spoligotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Mumbai, India.

PubMed

Kulkarni, Savita; Sola, Christophe; Filliol, Ingrid; Rastogi, Nalin; Kadival, Gururaj

2005-05-01

Tuberculosis remains a major health problem in India, with 2 million new cases and 421,000 deaths each year. In this paper, we describe the spoligotyping results of 216 Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture isolates from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Mumbai, India. As spoligotyping data from India have rarely been described until now, and as there is limited information on the major circulating clades of M. tuberculosis, the data obtained were also compared to an international spoligotype database (SpolDB4) that contained patterns from 22,546 isolates from more than 100 countries. Eighty-four (39%) of the isolates were definitively marked as orphan strains, indicating the paucity of such data from India. The remaining 132 isolates clustered among 59 shared types; among these, 42 shared types were already present in the database, 17 were newly created, and 5 of them were specifically reported from Mumbai. A total of 9 major types in this study clustered 32% of the isolates. At the phylogenetic level, 30% of the isolates belonged to the Central Asian families CAS1 and CAS2, of the major genetic group (MGG) 1, 29% to MGG 2 and 3 families (spacers 33-36 missing) and 17% to the ancestral East African Indian (EAI) family. Finally, nearly 10% of the isolates belonged to the W-Beijing family in a broad sense, also in the MGG 1 group. In conclusion, historic clones of the MGG 1 group of M. tuberculosis are responsible for roughly 60% of all tuberculosis cases in Mumbai. Together with the fact that organisms presumably of European descent (such as the Haarlem family) were only rarely found, our observations suggest that tuberculosis in Mumbai, India is essentially caused by historical clones of tubercle bacilli undergoing active circulation due to uncontrolled demography, high prevalence of the disease, and a paucity of resources.

New paleomagnetic results from the Paleocene redbeds in the Tethyan Himalaya: Insights into the precollisional extension of Greater India and the time of the India-Asia collision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, T.; Jin, J.; Ma, Y.; Bian, W.; Zhang, S.; Gao, F.; Wu, H.; Li, H.; Yang, Z.; Cao, L.

2017-12-01

The collision and ongoing convergence between the India and Asia continents have produced the Himalayan-Tibetan Orogen. The precollisional extension of Greater India and the time of the India-Asia collision are very important to understand the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau, but disputes still remain concerning these two problems. A paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic study has been carried out on the Sangdanlin and Zheya Formation redbeds, which were dated at 60-58.5 Ma, in the Saga area of the Tethyan Himalaya. Thirty-six Paleocene redbed sites provide a tilt-corrected site-mean direction of D=178.3°, I=9.8° with ɑ95=5.5°, corresponding to a paleopole at 55.6°N, 268.5°E with A95 = 4.9°. This Paleocene paleomagnetic dataset passes positive fold tests and shows that the Saga area (29.3°N, 85.3°E) was located at 5.1°S during 60-58.5 Ma. Comparing the Paleocene (60-58.5 Ma) paleomagnetic results observed from the Tethyan Himalaya with those expected from the Indian APWP indicates a paleolatitude difference of 2.1°, which, combined with that the Early Cretaceous paleomagnetic results obtained from the Tethyan Himalaya and the Indian craton also showed a similar paleolatitude difference, suggests that neither a great north-south crustal shortening occurred between the Indian craton and the Tethyan Himalaya after the India-Asia collision, nor that a wide ocean extended between them after the Early Cretaceous. Therefore, high-quality paleomagnetic results show no a big Greater India. Based on our new Paleocene results obtained from the Tethyan Himalaya and the reliable Cretaceous-Early Eocene paleomagnetic results observed from the Lhasa terrane, as well as on extrapolating a constant Indian northward velocity of 18.8 cm/yr, the India-Asia collision occurred at 49.2 Ma for the reference point at 29.3°N, 85.3°E. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41572205) and the Fundamental Research Fund for the Central

Rationale and design of South Asian Birth Cohort (START): a Canada-India collaborative study.

PubMed

Anand, Sonia S; Vasudevan, Anil; Gupta, Milan; Morrison, Katherine; Kurpad, Anura; Teo, Koon K; Srinivasan, Krishnamachari

2013-01-28

People who originate from the Indian subcontinent (South Asians) suffer among the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in the world. Prior evidence suggests that metabolic risk factors develop early in life and are influenced by maternal and paternal behaviors, the intrauterine environment, and genetic factors. The South Asian Birth Cohort Study (START) will investigate the environmental and genetic basis of adiposity among 750 South Asian offspring recruited from highly divergent environments, namely, rural and urban India and urban Canada. Detailed information on health behaviors including diet and physical activity, and blood samples for metabolic parameters and DNA are collected from pregnant women of South Asian ancestry who are free of significant chronic disease. They also undergo a provocative test to diagnose impaired glucose tolerance and gestational diabetes. At delivery, cord blood and newborn anthropometric indices (i.e. birth weight, length, head circumference and skin fold thickness) are collected. The mother and growing offspring are followed prospectively and information on the growth trajectory, adiposity and health behaviors will be collected annually up to age 3 years. Our aim is to recruit a minimum of 750 mother-infant pairs equally divided between three divergent environments: rural India, urban India, and Canada. The START cohort will increase our understanding of the environmental and genetic determinants of adiposity and related metabolic abnormalities among South Asians living in India and Canada.

Unsafe Disposal of Child Faeces: A Community-based Study in a Rural Block in West Bengal, India.

PubMed

Ps, Preeti; Sahoo, Sanjaya Kumar; Biswas, Dhiraj; Dasgupta, Aparajita

2016-09-01

A clean India is the responsibility of all Indians. One of the objectives of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Initiative) is to bring about behavioural changes regarding healthy sanitation practices. While large-scale programs in India have increased latrine coverage, they have to some extent failed to bring behavioural changes ensuring optimal latrine use, including the safe disposal of child faeces, which is a significant source of exposure to faecal pathogens. Hence, this study was done to explore child faeces disposal practices in rural West Bengal and to elicit the determinants of unhygienic faeces disposal. Data collection was done using an interview method among the mothers of 502 under-5 children, following a pre-designed, semi-structured schedule during house-to-house visits in a set of villages in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. The prevalence of unsafe disposal of child faeces was 72.4%, and maternal education, per capita income, and water source were found to be significantly associated with unsafe child faeces disposal. This study draws attention to the unsafe disposal of child faeces in this area of India and raises questions about the efficiency of sanitation campaigns in rural India that focus on expanding coverage rather than emphasizing behavioural changes, which are crucial to ensure the safe disposal of child faeces. Thus, it is urgently necessary to strengthen efforts focusing on behavioural changes regarding the safe disposal of child faeces in order to minimise adverse health outcomes.

A Study of the Patients Suffering from Tuberculosis and Tuberculosis-diabetes Comorbidity in Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program Centers of Northern Madhya Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Agarwal, Anil Kumar; Gupta, Ginisha; Marskole, Priyesh; Agarwal, Anju

2017-01-01

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is recognized as an important risk factor to tuberculosis (TB). India has high TB burden, along with rising DM prevalence. This study was conducted to document the coexistence of DM and TB in persons with established TB under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive observational study conducted at selected Directly Observed Therapy center in Gwalior North Central India. A total of 550 patients with confirmed diagnosis of TB and on treatment were recruited. The study participants were screened for DM and diagnoses were made on the basis of the World Health Organization criteria. Clinical parameters were compared between persons with DM and those without DM. DM/TB co-morbidity was noted in 85 individuals and these made up 15.4% of the study population. The mean age was higher in DM patients with TB (43.4 ± 15.4 vs. 33.1 ± 16.2 years, P = 0.000); the mean duration of symptoms of TB with DM was more (124 ± 16.4 vs. 107.49 ± 10.3 days). Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that increasing age, positive family history of diabetes, sedentary occupation, and presence of pulmonary TB were significantly associated with diabetes among TB patients. Diabetes is an important co-morbid feature to be sought in patients with TB. This study re-echo the need to raise awareness on screening for DM in persons with TB.

Geological indicators of a suspected seismic source from Peninsular India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Yogendra; John, Biju; P, Ganapathy G.; S, Divyalakshmi K.

2014-05-01

An increase in seismicity in Peninsular India during the last few decades has initiated various studies for identifying seismogenic structures and their behaviour. Even though few earthquakes occurred at well defined structures many of them occurred at unexpected locations where no previous seismicity reported. However, studies subsequent to the 1993 Latur earthquake as well as the studies at different parts of peninsular India, have led to the identification of pre-existing faults that have activated in the past. Studies elsewhere in the cratonic hinderland also show that the damaging earthquakes occur on pre-existing faults with a recurrence period of tens of thousands of year Studies subsequent to 1989 Wadakkancheri earthquake (M=4.3) identified Desamangalam fault which are capable of generating earthquakes. However, it is noted that a number of later events are occurring much south of the Desamangalam fault. We identified a set of NW-SE trending lineaments which are influencing the drainage pattern of the area. A network of paleochannels is also observed in the remote sensing analysis and field studies in this area. Regionally these lineaments meeting one of the major lineaments in central Kerala called Periyar lineament, in the south. Charnockite rocks constitutes the major rock type of the region. These rocks at places developed strong foliation similar to the lineament direction. Detailed field studies identified oblique movement (reverse and strike slip component) along NW-SE trending faults which are dipping south-west. The studies also find NNE-SSW trending vertical faults showing strike-slip movement. The damage zones of each of these faults bears different mineral precipitations and gouge injections of episodic nature. The presence of loose gouge may indicate the faulting is a much later development in the brittle regime. The sense of movement of the observed faults may indicate that the various river/drainage abandonment observed in the area are due to

Water quality studies of TV station reservoir at Davangere City, Karnataka (India).

PubMed

Begum, Nafeesa; Purushothama, R; Narayana, J; Kumar, K P Ravindra

2006-10-01

Studies were carried out to assess the water quality of TV station reservoir at Davangere City, Karnataka (India). The study revealed that there were variations in physico-chemical concentrations during the rainy season. Except turbidity, all the other physico-chemical characteristics were found within the permissible limits. The results were compared with the standards given by ISI for water quality.

LIFENET hospitals (India): developing new services' case study.

PubMed

Rahman, Zillur; Qureshi, M N

2008-01-01

Indian healthcare is in the process of offering a plethora of services to customers hailing largely from India and from neighboring countries. The Indian hospital sector consists of private "nursing homes" and government and charitable missionary hospitals. Government and missionary hospitals determine their charges according to patients' income levels and treat poor patients freely. Nursing homes charged higher, market-determined rates. They offer services in just a few medical specialties, owned and operated by physicians who worked with them. Nursing homes cannot afford the latest medical technology, but they provide more intimate settings than government hospitals. This case study aims to demonstrate the various strategic options available to a for-profit hospital, in an emerging economy with a burgeoning middle-class population and how it can choose which services that it can best offer to its target population. Diagnosing and treating complex ailments in nursing homes could be a time-consuming and expensive proposition as visits to several nursing homes with different specialties may be necessary. This paper demonstrates how an hospital can develop new customer-oriented services and eliminate the hassle for patients needing to run around different healthcare outlets even for minor ailments. The paper finds that large government hospitals generally have better facilities than nursing homes, but they were widely believed to provide poor-quality care. They failed to keep up with advanced equipment, train their technicians adequately and did not publicize their capabilities to doctors who might refer patients. Many missionary and charitable hospitals were undercapitalized and did not offer all services. These conditions left an unsatisfied demand for high-quality medical care. In 1983, LIFENET opened in Madras, becoming the first comprehensive, for-profit hospital in India. LIFENET, invested in a cardiology laboratory and clinics with capacity to diagnose heart

Greater India Basin hypothesis and a two-stage Cenozoic collision between India and Asia

PubMed Central

van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.; Lippert, Peter C.; Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume; McQuarrie, Nadine; Doubrovine, Pavel V.; Spakman, Wim; Torsvik, Trond H.

2012-01-01

Cenozoic convergence between the Indian and Asian plates produced the archetypical continental collision zone comprising the Himalaya mountain belt and the Tibetan Plateau. How and where India–Asia convergence was accommodated after collision at or before 52 Ma remains a long-standing controversy. Since 52 Ma, the two plates have converged up to 3,600 ± 35 km, yet the upper crustal shortening documented from the geological record of Asia and the Himalaya is up to approximately 2,350-km less. Here we show that the discrepancy between the convergence and the shortening can be explained by subduction of highly extended continental and oceanic Indian lithosphere within the Himalaya between approximately 50 and 25 Ma. Paleomagnetic data show that this extended continental and oceanic “Greater India” promontory resulted from 2,675 ± 700 km of North–South extension between 120 and 70 Ma, accommodated between the Tibetan Himalaya and cratonic India. We suggest that the approximately 50 Ma “India”–Asia collision was a collision of a Tibetan-Himalayan microcontinent with Asia, followed by subduction of the largely oceanic Greater India Basin along a subduction zone at the location of the Greater Himalaya. The “hard” India–Asia collision with thicker and contiguous Indian continental lithosphere occurred around 25–20 Ma. This hard collision is coincident with far-field deformation in central Asia and rapid exhumation of Greater Himalaya crystalline rocks, and may be linked to intensification of the Asian monsoon system. This two-stage collision between India and Asia is also reflected in the deep mantle remnants of subduction imaged with seismic tomography. PMID:22547792

Geochemical fingerprinting of ∼2.5 Ga forearc-arc-backarc related magmatic suites in the Bastar Craton, central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asthana, Deepanker; Kumar, Sirish; Vind, Aditya Kumar; Zehra, Fatima; Kumar, Harshavardhan; Pophare, Anil M.

2018-05-01

The Pitepani volcanic suite of the Dongargarh Supergroup, central India comprises of a calc-alkaline suite and a tholeiitic suite, respectively. The rare earth element (REE) patterns, mantle normalized plots and relict clinopyroxene chemistry of the Pitepani calc-alkaline suite are akin to high-Mg andesites (HMA) and reveal remarkable similarity to the Cenozoic Setouchi HMA from Japan. The Pitepani HMAs are geochemically correlated with similar rocks in the Kotri-Dongargarh mobile belt (KDMB) and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton. The rationale behind lithogeochemical correlations are that sanukitic HMAs represent fore-arc volcanism over a very limited period of time, under abnormally high temperature conditions and are excellent regional and tectonic time markers. Furthermore, the tholeiitic suites that are temporally and spatially associated with the HMAs in the KDMB and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton are classified into: (a) a continental back-arc suite that are depleted in incompatible elements, and (b) a continental arc suite that are more depleted in incompatible elements, respectively. The HMA suite, the continental back-arc and continental arc suites are lithogeochemically correlated in the KDMB and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton. The three geochemically distinct Neoarchaean magmatic suites are temporally and spatially related to each other and to an active continental margin. The identification of three active continental margin magmatic suites for the first time, provides a robust conceptual framework to unravel the Neoarchaean geodynamic evolution of the Bastar Craton. We propose an active continental margin along the Neoarchaen KDMB with eastward subduction coupled with slab roll back or preferably, ridge-subduction along the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ) to account for the three distinct magmatic suites and the Neoarchean geodynamic evolution of the Bastar Craton.

Factors Affecting the Attractiveness of Medical Tourism Destination: An Empirical Study on India- Review Article

PubMed Central

SULTANA, Seyama; HAQUE, Ahasanul; MOMEN, Abdul; YASMIN, Farzana

2014-01-01

Abstract Background In this edge, medical tourism is not a new idea. Medical treatment is one of the essential demands of human beings and it requires high quality and intensive care. Beside western world, few developing countries are playing key roles as medical tourism destinations. India is one of the leading names among these countries. The purpose of the paper is to find the factors influencing the attractiveness of India as a health tourism destination. Methods The study has found the major contributing factors and their relative importance in the attractiveness of the health tourism destination that is India from consumers’ perspectives by conducting survey with an application of structural equation modelling approach. Results In Indian context, medical tourists consider service quality and cost mostly to select any medical destination. In addition they also give value to the destination competitiveness but tourist attitude is less important in comparison with other factors affecting their destination choice. Since the study has used structural equation modelling approach to test the hypothesis and figure out the relative importance of the factors, the fundamental indices such as Normed Chi square(less than 3), RMSEA (less than 0.08) and CFI (more than 0.90) values show the overall model fit of the proposed model. Conclusion In order to transform a country such as India as an attractive and competitive medical tourist destination in this time of globalization, a step should be taken to control cost ensuring the quality of services. PMID:25909055

Factors affecting the attractiveness of medical tourism destination: an empirical study on India- review article.

PubMed

Sultana, Seyama; Haque, Ahasanul; Momen, Abdul; Yasmin, Farzana

2014-07-01

In this edge, medical tourism is not a new idea. Medical treatment is one of the essential demands of human beings and it requires high quality and intensive care. Beside western world, few developing countries are playing key roles as medical tourism destinations. India is one of the leading names among these countries. The purpose of the paper is to find the factors influencing the attractiveness of India as a health tourism destination. The study has found the major contributing factors and their relative importance in the attractiveness of the health tourism destination that is India from consumers' perspectives by conducting survey with an application of structural equation modelling approach. In Indian context, medical tourists consider service quality and cost mostly to select any medical destination. In addition they also give value to the destination competitiveness but tourist attitude is less important in comparison with other factors affecting their destination choice. Since the study has used structural equation modelling approach to test the hypothesis and figure out the relative importance of the factors, the fundamental indices such as Normed Chi square(less than 3), RMSEA (less than 0.08) and CFI (more than 0.90) values show the overall model fit of the proposed model. In order to transform a country such as India as an attractive and competitive medical tourist destination in this time of globalization, a step should be taken to control cost ensuring the quality of services.

Factors associated with persons with disability employment in India: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Naraharisetti, Ramya; Castro, Marcia C

2016-10-07

Over twenty million persons with disability in India are increasingly being offered poverty alleviation strategies, including employment programs. This study employs a spatial analytic approach to identify correlates of employment among persons with disability in India, considering sight, speech, hearing, movement, and mental disabilities. Based on 2001 Census data, this study utilizes linear regression and spatial autoregressive models to identify factors associated with the proportion employed among persons with disability at the district level. Models stratified by rural and urban areas were also considered. Spatial autoregressive models revealed that different factors contribute to employment of persons with disability in rural and urban areas. In rural areas, having mental disability decreased the likelihood of employment, while being female and having movement, or sight impairment (compared to other disabilities) increased the likelihood of employment. In urban areas, being female and illiterate decreased the likelihood of employment but having sight, mental and movement impairment (compared to other disabilities) increased the likelihood of employment. Poverty alleviation programs designed for persons with disability in India should account for differences in employment by disability types and should be spatially targeted. Since persons with disability in rural and urban areas have different factors contributing to their employment, it is vital that government and service-planning organizations account for these differences when creating programs aimed at livelihood development.

Modern and ancestral genotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Andhra Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Thomas, Shirly K; Iravatham, Chitra C; Moni, Bottu Heleena; Kumar, Ashutosh; Archana, Bandaru V; Majid, Mohammad; Priyadarshini, Yerra; Rani, Pittu Sandhya; Valluri, Vijayalakshmi; Hasnain, Seyed E; Ahmed, Niyaz

2011-01-01

Traditionally, the distribution of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes in India has been characterized by widespread prevalence of ancestral lineages (TbD1+ strains and variants) in the south and the modern forms (TbD1(-) CAS and variants) predominating in the north of India. The pattern was, however, not clearly known in the south-central region such as Hyderabad and the rest of the state of Andhra Pradesh where the prevalence of both tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is one of the highest in the country; this area has been the hotspot of TB vaccine trials. Spoligotyping of 101 clinical isolates obtained from Hyderabad and rural Andhra Pradesh confirmed the occurrence of major genogroups such as the ancestral (or the TbD1+ type or the East African Indian (EAI) type), the Central Asian (CAS) or Delhi type and the Beijing lineage in Andhra Pradesh. Sixty five different spoligotype patterns were observed for the isolates included in this study; these were further analyzed based on specific genetic signatures/mutations. It was found that the major genogroups, CAS and "ancestral," were almost equally prevalent in our collection but followed a north-south compartmentalization as was also reported previously. However, we observed a significant presence of MANU lineage in south Andhra Pradesh, which was earlier reported to be overwhelmingly present in Mumbai. This study portrays genotypic diversity of M. tuberculosis from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and provides a much needed snapshot of the strain diversity that will be helpful in devising effective TB control programs in this part of the world.

A Family Study of Consanguinity in Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Barwani, India.

PubMed

Lakhan, Ram; Bipeta, Rajshekhar; Yerramilli, Srinivasa S R R; Nahar, Vinayak K

2017-01-01

Intellectual disability (ID) can be inherited in families through consanguineous marriage. The ID in an individual can be associated with the ID, epilepsy, and mental illness in their parents. Such connections can be seen more closely among consanguineous marriages in tribal and nontribal population in India. This study shows a few common patterns of the consanguineous relationship in the parents of children with ID in India. This is a case series research design. Extreme or deviant case sampling was applied. Data were collected in homes, camps, and clinical settings in the Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh, India. The patterns of consanguineous marriages and the relationship between children with ID and their relatives with ID, epilepsy, and mental illness were analyzed and reported with pedigree charts. Multiple patterns of consanguineous marriages in tribal and nontribal populations were observed. ID was found to be associated in children with their relatives of the first, second, and third generations. ID may inherit in individuals from their relatives of the first, second, and third generations who have ID, epilepsy, or mental illness and married in the relationship. Appropriate knowledge, guidance, and counseling may be provided to potential couples before planning a consanguineous marriage.

Kindergarten Teachers' Perspectives on Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP): A Study Conducted in Mumbai (India)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hegde, Archana V.; Cassidy, Deborah J.

2009-01-01

A qualitative study examining teachers' beliefs regarding developmentally appropriate practices was conducted in the city of Mumbai, India. Twelve kindergarten teacher's were interviewed for this study, and a constant comparative method was used to analyze the interviews. Six themes were identified within this study. The themes highlighted…

Bridging the Expectation-Reality Gap: Exploring a Transformational Model for Theological Education in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornelius, Paul Premsekaran

2014-01-01

This research aims to provide a forward-looking missional and transformational framework with which to approach theological education in India. The Indian context at present is one of cultural diversity, religious plurality and socio-economic struggle intensified by economic and cultural globalization. The central thesis of this research is that…

CMIP5 ensemble-based spatial rainfall projection over homogeneous zones of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhter, Javed; Das, Lalu; Deb, Argha

2017-09-01

Performances of the state-of-the-art CMIP5 models in reproducing the spatial rainfall patterns over seven homogeneous rainfall zones of India viz. North Mountainous India (NMI), Northwest India (NWI), North Central India (NCI), Northeast India (NEI), West Peninsular India (WPI), East Peninsular India (EPI) and South Peninsular India (SPI) have been assessed using different conventional performance metrics namely spatial correlation (R), index of agreement (d-index), Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), Ratio of RMSE to the standard deviation of the observations (RSR) and mean bias (MB). The results based on these indices revealed that majority of the models are unable to reproduce finer-scaled spatial patterns over most of the zones. Thereafter, four bias correction methods i.e. Scaling, Standardized Reconstruction, Empirical Quantile Mapping and Gamma Quantile Mapping have been applied on GCM simulations to enhance the skills of the GCM projections. It has been found that scaling method compared to other three methods shown its better skill in capturing mean spatial patterns. Multi-model ensemble (MME) comprising 25 numbers of better performing bias corrected (Scaled) GCMs, have been considered for developing future rainfall patterns over seven zones. Models' spread from ensemble mean (uncertainty) has been found to be larger in RCP 8.5 than RCP4.5 ensemble. In general, future rainfall projections from RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 revealed an increasing rainfall over seven zones during 2020s, 2050s, and 2080s. The maximum increase has been found over southwestern part of NWI (12-30%), northwestern part of WPI (3-30%), southeastern part of NEI (5-18%) and northern and eastern part of SPI (6-24%). However, the contiguous region comprising by the southeastern part of NCI and northeastern part of EPI, may experience slight decreasing rainfall (about 3%) during 2020s whereas the western part of NMI may also receive around 3% reduction in rainfall during both 2050s and 2080s.

Coverage gap in maternal and child health services in India: assessing trends and regional deprivation during 1992-2006.

PubMed

Kumar, Chandan; Singh, Prashant Kumar; Rai, Rajesh Kumar

2013-12-01

Increasing the coverage of key maternal, newborn and child health interventions is essential, if India has to attain Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. This study assesses the coverage gap in maternal and child health services across states in India during 1992-2006 emphasizing the rural-urban disparities. Additionally, association between the coverage gap and under-5 mortality rate across states are illustrated. The three waves of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted during 1992-1993 (NFHS-1), 1998-1999 (NFHS-2) and 2005-2006 (NFHS-3) were used to construct a composite index of coverage gap in four areas of health-care interventions: family planning, maternal and newborn care, immunization and treatment of sick children. The central, eastern and northeastern regions of India reported a higher coverage gap in maternal and child health care services during 1992-2006, while the rural-urban difference in the coverage gap has increased in Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and Kerala over the period. The analysis also shows a significant positive relationship between the coverage gap index and under-five mortality rate across states. Region or area-specific focus in order to increase the coverage of maternal and child health care services in India should be the priority of the policy-makers and programme executors.

Place-Based Education and Pre-Service Teachers: A Case Study from India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molyneux, Paul; Tyler, Debra

2014-01-01

Case studies of successful place-based education that involve international partnerships are rare. This article reports on an inclusive educational collaboration between pre-service teachers at an Australian university and primary and secondary school-aged children in a slum area of Delhi, India. Encouraged to undertake teaching that affirmed and…

Fluoride contamination in drinking water in rural habitations of Central Rajasthan, India.

PubMed

Hussain, Ikbal; Arif, Mohd; Hussain, Jakir

2012-08-01

Fluoride concentration in groundwater sources used as major drinking water source in rural area of block Nawa (Nagaur District), Rajasthan was examined and the toxic effects by intake of excess fluoride on rural habitants were studied. In block 13, habitations (30%) were found to have fluoride concentration more than 1.5 mg/l (viz. maximum desirable limit of Indian drinking water standards IS 10500, 1999). In five habitations (11%), fluoride concentration in groundwater is at toxic level (viz. above 3.0 mg/l). The maximum fluoride concentration in the block is 5.91 mg/l from Sirsi village. As per the desirable and maximum permissible limit for fluoride in drinking water, determined by World Health Organization or by Bureau of Indian Standards, the groundwater of about 13 habitations of the studied sites is unfit for drinking purposes. Due to the higher fluoride level in drinking water, several cases of dental and skeletal fluorosis have appeared at alarming rate in this region. There is an instant need to take ameliorative steps in this region to prevent the population from fluorosis. Groundwater sources of block Nawa can be used for drinking after an effective treatment in absence of other safe source. The evaluation of various defluoridation methods on the basis of social and economical structure of India reveals that the clay pot chip, activated alumina adsorption, and Nalgonda techniques are the most promising.

India: Kachchh

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-16

... show the Kachchh region in the Gujarat province of western India. On January 26, 2001, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake devastated this area, ... for the earthquake are related to the collision of India with Asia and the resulting rise of the Himalayas to the northeast. ...

India-U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-07-31

military exercises. Discussions of possi- ble sales to India of major U.S.-built weapons systems are ongoing. Continuing U.S. interest in South Asia ...India and Pakistan. The United States also seeks to curtail the proliferation of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in South Asia . Both India and...RL33515, Combat Aircraft Sales to South Asia .) ! Rates of separatist-related violence in India-controlled Kashmir have spiked following a May massacre of

Genetic variations in the Dravidian population of South West coast of India: Implications in designing case-control studies.

PubMed

D'Cunha, Anitha; Pandit, Lekha; Malli, Chaithra

2017-06-01

Indian data have been largely missing from genome-wide databases that provide information on genetic variations in different populations. This hinders association studies for complex disorders in India. This study was aimed to determine whether the complex genetic structure and endogamy among Indians could potentially influence the design of case-control studies for autoimmune disorders in the south Indian population. A total of 12 single nucleotide variations (SNVs) related to genes associated with autoimmune disorders were genotyped in 370 healthy individuals belonging to six different caste groups in southern India. Allele frequencies were estimated; genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationship within the various caste groups and other HapMap populations were ascertained. Allele frequencies for all genotyped SNVs did not vary significantly among the different groups studied. Wright's FSTwas 0.001 per cent among study population and 0.38 per cent when compared with Gujarati in Houston (GIH) population on HapMap data. The analysis of molecular variance results showed a 97 per cent variation attributable to differences within the study population and <1 per cent variation due to differences between castes. Phylogenetic analysis showed a separation of Dravidian population from other HapMap populations and particularly from GIH population. Despite the complex genetic origins of the Indian population, our study indicated a low level of genetic differentiation among Dravidian language-speaking people of south India. Case-control studies of association among Dravidians of south India may not require stratification based on language and caste.

Identification of burden hotspots and risk factors for cholera in India: An observational study

PubMed Central

Sen Gupta, Sanjukta; Arora, Nisha; Khasnobis, Pradeep; Venkatesh, Srinivas; Sur, Dipika; Nair, Gopinath B.; Sack, David A.; Ganguly, Nirmal K.

2017-01-01

Background Even though cholera has existed for centuries and many parts of the country have sporadic, endemic and epidemic cholera, it is still an under-recognized health problem in India. A Cholera Expert Group in the country was established to gather evidence and to prepare a road map for control of cholera in India. This paper identifies cholera burden hotspots and factors associated with an increased risk of the disease. Methodology/Principle findings We acquired district level data on cholera case reports of 2010–2015 from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program. Socioeconomic characteristics and coverage of water and sanitation was obtained from the 2011 census. Spatial analysis was performed to identify cholera hotspots, and a zero-inflated Poisson regression was employed to identify the factors associated with cholera and predicted case count in the district. 27,615 cholera cases were reported during the 6-year period. Twenty-four of 36 states of India reported cholera during these years, and 13 states were classified as endemic. Of 641 districts, 78 districts in 15 states were identified as “hotspots” based on the reported cases. On the other hand, 111 districts in nine states were identified as “hotspots” from model-based predicted number of cases. The risk for cholera in a district was negatively associated with the coverage of literate persons, households using treated water source and owning mobile telephone, and positively associated with the coverage of poor sanitation and drainage conditions and urbanization level in the district. Conclusions/Significance The study reaffirms that cholera continues to occur throughout a large part of India and identifies the burden hotspots and risk factors. Policymakers may use the findings of the article to develop a roadmap for prevention and control of cholera in India. PMID:28837645

Identification of burden hotspots and risk factors for cholera in India: An observational study.

PubMed

Ali, Mohammad; Sen Gupta, Sanjukta; Arora, Nisha; Khasnobis, Pradeep; Venkatesh, Srinivas; Sur, Dipika; Nair, Gopinath B; Sack, David A; Ganguly, Nirmal K

2017-01-01

Even though cholera has existed for centuries and many parts of the country have sporadic, endemic and epidemic cholera, it is still an under-recognized health problem in India. A Cholera Expert Group in the country was established to gather evidence and to prepare a road map for control of cholera in India. This paper identifies cholera burden hotspots and factors associated with an increased risk of the disease. We acquired district level data on cholera case reports of 2010-2015 from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program. Socioeconomic characteristics and coverage of water and sanitation was obtained from the 2011 census. Spatial analysis was performed to identify cholera hotspots, and a zero-inflated Poisson regression was employed to identify the factors associated with cholera and predicted case count in the district. 27,615 cholera cases were reported during the 6-year period. Twenty-four of 36 states of India reported cholera during these years, and 13 states were classified as endemic. Of 641 districts, 78 districts in 15 states were identified as "hotspots" based on the reported cases. On the other hand, 111 districts in nine states were identified as "hotspots" from model-based predicted number of cases. The risk for cholera in a district was negatively associated with the coverage of literate persons, households using treated water source and owning mobile telephone, and positively associated with the coverage of poor sanitation and drainage conditions and urbanization level in the district. The study reaffirms that cholera continues to occur throughout a large part of India and identifies the burden hotspots and risk factors. Policymakers may use the findings of the article to develop a roadmap for prevention and control of cholera in India.

Epidemiology of viral pathogens of free-ranging dogs and Indian foxes in a human-dominated landscape in central India.

PubMed

Belsare, A V; Vanak, A T; Gompper, M E

2014-08-01

There is an increasing concern that free-ranging domestic dog (Canis familiaris) populations may serve as reservoirs of pathogens which may be transmitted to wildlife. We documented the prevalence of antibodies to three viral pathogens, canine parvovirus (CPV), canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine adenovirus (CAV), in free-ranging dog and sympatric Indian fox (Vulpes bengalensis) populations in and around the Great Indian Bustard Wildlife Sanctuary, in Maharashtra, central India. A total of 219 dogs and 33 foxes were sampled during the study period. Ninety-three percentage of dogs and 87% of foxes were exposed to one or more of the three pathogens. Exposure rates in dogs were high: >88% for CPV, >72% for CDV and 71% for CAV. A large proportion of adult dogs had antibodies against these pathogens due to seroconversion following earlier natural infection. The high prevalence of exposure to these pathogens across the sampling sessions, significantly higher exposure rates of adults compared with juveniles, and seroconversion in some unvaccinated dogs documented during the study period suggests that these pathogens are enzootic. The prevalence of exposure to CPV, CDV and CAV in foxes was 48%, 18% and 52%, respectively. Further, a high rate of mortality was documented in foxes with serologic evidence of ongoing CDV infection. Dogs could be playing a role in the maintenance and transmission of these pathogens in the fox population, but our findings show that most dogs in the population are immune to these pathogens by virtue of earlier natural infection, and therefore, these individuals make little current or future contribution to viral maintenance. Vaccination of this cohort will neither greatly improve their collective immune status nor contribute to herd immunity. Our findings have potentially important implications for dog disease control programmes that propose using canine vaccination as a tool for conservation management of wild carnivore populations. © 2014

The Oman-India gas pipeline

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roberts, P.M.

1995-12-31

In March 1993, the Governments of the Sultanate of Oman and India executed a Memorandum of Understanding for a long term Gas Supply Contract to transport natural gas from Oman to India by pipeline. A feasibility study was undertaken to determine if such a pipeline was technically achievable and economically attractive. Work was initiated with a consortium of internationally recognized major design and construction firms, as well as with consultants knowledgeable in gas supply and demand in the region. Alternative gas supply volumes as well as two distinct pipeline routes were analyzed in significant detail. As a result of thismore » work, it was concluded that a pipeline crossing, taking a direct route from Oman to India, is economically and technically feasible. In September, 1994, the Agreement on Principal Terms for supply of gas to India from Oman was agreed by the respective governmental authorities. The project and its status are described.« less

Genetic affinities of north and northeastern populations of India: inference from HLA-based study.

PubMed

Agrawal, S; Srivastava, S K; Borkar, M; Chaudhuri, T K

2008-08-01

India is like a microcosm of the world in terms of its diversity; religion, climate and ethnicity which leads to genetic variations in the populations. As a highly polymorphic marker, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system plays an important role in the genetic differentiation studies. To assess the genetic diversity of HLA class II loci, we studied a total of 1336 individuals from north India using DNA-based techniques. The study included four endogamous castes (Kayastha, Mathurs, Rastogies and Vaishyas), two inbreeding Muslim populations (Shias and Sunnis) from north India and three northeast Indian populations (Lachung, Mech and Rajbanshi). A total of 36 alleles were observed at DRB1 locus in both Hindu castes and Muslims from north, while 21 alleles were seen in northeast Indians. At the DQA1 locus, the number of alleles ranged from 11 to 17 in the studied populations. The total number of alleles at DQB1 was 19, 12 and 20 in the studied castes, Muslims and northeastern populations, respectively. The most frequent haplotypes observed in all the studied populations were DRB1*0701-DQA1*0201-DQB1*0201 and DRB1*1501-DQA1*0103-DQB1*0601. Upon comparing our results with other world populations, we observed the presence of Caucasoid element in north Indian population. However, differential admixturing among Sunnis and Shias with the other north Indians was evident. Northeastern populations showed genetic affinity with Mongoloids from southeast Asia. When genetic distances were calculated, we found the north Indians and northeastern populations to be markedly unrelated.

Counterfeit Avastin in India: Punish the Criminals, Not the Patients.

PubMed

Stewart, Michael W; Narayanan, Raja; Gupta, Vishali; Rosenfeld, Philip J; Martin, Daniel F; Chakravarthy, Usha

2016-10-01

To report the recent controversy surrounding the intraocular use of bevacizumab in India and its relationship to the broader problems of off-label drug use, medication compounding, and drug counterfeiting. Perspective. Data for this perspective were obtained from several sources. Literature reviews for compounding-related endophthalmitis and drug counterfeiting were performed. Supplemental information was obtained through targeted Google searches for related published manuscripts. First-hand accounts of negotiations between representatives of the Vitreoretinal Society of India (VRSI) and India's Central Drugs Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) were provided by 2 of the authors (R.N., V.G.). In December, 2015, 15 cases of intraocular inflammation following injections of counterfeit bevacizumab occurred in Gujarat, India. CDSCO reacted by prohibiting the use of intraocular bevacizumab throughout the country. Intense negotiations between the VRSI and CDSCO resulted in the permission to use bevacizumab in accordance with new safety guidelines. These include an enhanced informed consent process, the stamping of the Kezzler code on all bevacizumab vials, a real-time digital verification process between the end user and Roche Pharmaceuticals, and mandatory destruction of empty drug vials. Counterfeit bevacizumab has caused outbreaks of sterile and infectious postinjection endophthalmitis in at least 3 countries during the past 5 years and has entered the supply chain in other countries. Physicians and compounding pharmacists need to be aware that international counterfeiters have targeted bevacizumab. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gestures of India: A Study of Emblems among Punjabi Residents of Canada.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Christopher R.

Based on the theoretical concepts and research methodology of Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen, a study examined the emblems (gestures with exact verbal meanings) of Punjabi (India) immigrants in Canada. A limited repertoire of 63 emblems was elicited from nine Punjabi informants and then shown to nine Canadian citizens and one United States…

Greening the Grid: Advances in Production Cost Modeling for India Renewable Energy Grid Integration Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cochran, Jaquelin; Palchak, David

The Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid study uses advanced weather and power system modeling to explore the operational impacts of meeting India's 2022 renewable energy targets and identify actions that may be favorable for integrating high levels of renewable energy into the Indian grid. The study relies primarily on a production cost model that simulates optimal scheduling and dispatch of available generation in a future year (2022) by minimizing total production costs subject to physical, operational, and market constraints. This fact sheet provides a detailed look at each of thesemore » models, including their common assumptions and the insights provided by each.« less

Influence of HRM Practices on Organizational Commitment: A Study among Software Professionals in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paul, A. K.; Anantharaman, R. N.

2004-01-01

Although organizational commitment has been discussed frequently in organizational psychology for almost four decades, few studies have involved software professionals. A study in India reveals that HRM practices such as employee-friendly work environment, career development, development oriented appraisal, and comprehensive training show a…

Potential for early warning of maalria in India using NOAA-AVHRR based vegetation health indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhiman, R. C.; Kogan, Felix; Singh, Neeru; Singh, R. P.; Dash, A. P.

Malaria is still a major public health problem in India with about 1 82 million cases annually and 1000 deaths As per World Health Organization WHO estimates about 1 3 million Disability Adjusted Life Years DALYs are lost annually due to malaria in India Central peninsular region of India is prone to malaria outbreaks Meteorological parameters changes in ecological conditions development of resistance in mosquito vectors development of resistance in Plasmodium falciparum parasite and lack of surveillance are the likely reasons of outbreaks Based on satellite data and climatic factors efforts have been made to develop Early Warning System EWS in Africa but there is no headway in this regard in India In order to find out the potential of NOAA satellite AVHRR derived Vegetation Condition Index VCI Temperature Condition Index TCI and a cumulative indicator Vegetation Health Index VHI were attempted to find out their potential for development of EWS Studies were initiated by analysing epidemiological data of malaria vis-a-vis VCI TCI and VHI from Bikaner and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan and Tumkur and Raichur districts of Karnataka Correlation coefficients between VCI and monthly malaria cases for epidemic years were computed Positive correlation 0 67 has been found with one-month lag between VCI and malaria incidence in respect of Tumkur while a negative correlation with TCI -0 45 is observed In Bikaner VCI is found to be negatively related -0 71 with malaria cases in epidemic year of 1994 Weekly

Indications of human activity from amino acid and amino sugar analyses on Holocene sediments from lake Lonar, central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menzel, P.; Gaye, B.; Wiesner, M.; Prasad, S.; Basavaiah, N.; Stebich, M.; Anoop, A.; Riedel, N.; Brauer, A.

2012-04-01

The DFG funded HIMPAC (Himalaya: Modern and Past Climates) programme aims to reconstruct Holocene Indian Monsoon climate using a multi-proxy and multi-archive approach. First investigations made on sediments from a ca. 10 m long core covering the whole Holocene taken from the lake Lonar in central India's state Maharashtra, Buldhana District, serve to identify changes in sedimentation, lake chemistry, local vegetation and regional to supra-regional climate patterns. Lake Lonar occupies the floor of an impact crater that formed on the ~ 65 Ma old basalt flows of the Deccan Traps. It covers an area of ca. 1 km2 and is situated in India's core monsoon area. The modern lake has a maximum depth of about 5 m, is highly alkaline, and hyposaline, grouped in the Na-Cl-CO3 subtype of saline lakes. No out-flowing stream is present and only three small streams feed the lake, resulting in a lake level highly sensitive to precipitation and evaporation. The lake is eutrophic and stratified throughout most of the year with sub- to anoxic waters below 2 m depth. In this study the core sediments were analysed for their total amino acid (AA) and amino sugar (AS) content, the amino acid bound C and N percentage of organic C and total N in the sediment and the distribution of individual amino acids. The results roughly show three zones within the core separated by distinct changes in their AA content and distribution. (i) The bottom part of the core from ca. 12000 cal a BP to 11400 cal a BP with very low AA and AS percentage indicating high lithogenic contribution, most probably related to dry conditions. (ii) From 11400 cal a BP to 1200 cal a BP the sediments show moderate AA and AS percentages and low values for the ratios of proteinogenic AAs to their non-proteinogenic degradation products (e.g. ASP/β-ALA; GLU/γ-ABA). (iii) The top part of the core (< 1200 cal a BP) is characterised by an intense increase in total AA and AS, AA-C/Corg and AA-N/Ntotas well as in the ratio of

Rationale and design of South Asian Birth Cohort (START): a Canada-India collaborative study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background People who originate from the Indian subcontinent (South Asians) suffer among the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in the world. Prior evidence suggests that metabolic risk factors develop early in life and are influenced by maternal and paternal behaviors, the intrauterine environment, and genetic factors. The South Asian Birth Cohort Study (START) will investigate the environmental and genetic basis of adiposity among 750 South Asian offspring recruited from highly divergent environments, namely, rural and urban India and urban Canada. Methods Detailed information on health behaviors including diet and physical activity, and blood samples for metabolic parameters and DNA are collected from pregnant women of South Asian ancestry who are free of significant chronic disease. They also undergo a provocative test to diagnose impaired glucose tolerance and gestational diabetes. At delivery, cord blood and newborn anthropometric indices (i.e. birth weight, length, head circumference and skin fold thickness) are collected. The mother and growing offspring are followed prospectively and information on the growth trajectory, adiposity and health behaviors will be collected annually up to age 3 years. Our aim is to recruit a minimum of 750 mother-infant pairs equally divided between three divergent environments: rural India, urban India, and Canada. Summary The START cohort will increase our understanding of the environmental and genetic determinants of adiposity and related metabolic abnormalities among South Asians living in India and Canada. PMID:23356884

Exploring the relationship between development and road traffic injuries: a case study from India.

PubMed

Garg, Nitin; Hyder, Adnan A

2006-10-01

Road traffic injuries (RTI) are a major cause of mortality and disability in the world. Only after significant losses have communities in developed nations taken necessary steps to prevent crashes and their consequences. Increase in road safety is related to increasing socio-economic development. We aim to study the trends in injury and death rates in a developing country, India, define sub-national variations, and analyse these trends in relation to economic and population growth. Public sector data from India were used to develop a standardized database on traffic injuries and indicator of economic development. The data were analysed using linear regression models to test the a priori hypothesis of a positive relationship between net domestic product (NDP), and injury and death rates from road crashes across states. The absolute burden of RTI in India has been consistently rising over the past three decades. The reported rates are lower than those estimated by global health agencies and may reflect under-reporting. Population-based rates provide a better assessment of the public health burden of RTI than vehicle-based rates. There is an inverted U-shaped relationship between NDP and injury and death rates. Even with the limited data, Kuznets phenomenon is evident for within-country level comparisons. India and other developing countries could learn from the experience of highly motorized nations to avoid the expected rise in RTI and deaths with economic development, by currently investing in road safety and prevention measures.

Depression, anxiety and stress levels in industrial workers: A pilot study in Bangalore, India

PubMed Central

Rao, Sheldon; Ramesh, Naveen

2015-01-01

Background: Mental health disorders affect around 500 million people worldwide. In India, around 10–12% of people are affected by a mental disorder either due to stress, depression, anxiety, or any other cause. Mental health of workers affects the productivity of the workplace, with estimates putting these losses to be over 100 million dollars annually. Aims: The study aims to measure depression, anxiety, and stress levels of workers in an industry and to investigate if it has any effect on productivity of the firm. Materials and Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional design and was conducted among workmen of the firm. A sociodemographic based questionnaire and a mental health screening tool -Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS)-21 were used for the same. A total of 90 completed questionnaires were analyzed for the study. The data was analyzed for central tendencies as well as for any associations and correlations. Results: The study showed that none of the workers had a positive score for depression. It also showed that around 36% of the workers had a positive score for anxiety and 18% of the workers had a positive score for stress on DASS-21 scale. The odds ratio between stress and number of leaves taken by a worker in the last 3 months suggested a dose–response relationship, but was statistically insignificant. Conclusion: The study found a prevalence rate of around 18–36% for anxiety and stress amongst the workers at the factory. Large-scale studies will help understand the effect mental health status has on the Indian workplace. PMID:26257479

Secondary School Teachers' Perception of Corporal Punishment: A Case Study in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheruvalath, Reena; Tripathi, Medha

2015-01-01

This article examines secondary school teachers' perceptions of corporal punishment in India. Although it has been banned in Indian schools, various types of corporal punishment are still used by teachers. It has been mainly used as a mechanism for controlling disciplinary problems in schools. Based on a pilot study of 160 secondary teachers, the…

Study protocol for Smartphone Monitoring for Atrial fibrillation in Real-Time in India (SMART-India): a community-based screening and referral programme.

PubMed

Soni, Apurv; Karna, Sunil; Patel, Harshil; Fahey, Nisha; Raithatha, Shyamsundar; Handorf, Anna; Bostrom, John; Bashar, Syed; Talati, Kandarp; Shah, Ravi; Goldberg, Robert J; Thanvi, Sunil; Phatak, Ajay Gajanan; Allison, Jeroan J; Chon, Ki; Nimbalkar, Somashekhar Marutirao; McManus, David D

2017-12-14

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the world's most common arrhythmia, often goes undetected and untreated in low-resource communities, including India, where AF epidemiology is undefined. AF is an important risk factor for stroke, which plagues an estimated 1.6 million Indians annually. As such, early detection of AF and management of high-risk patients is critically important to decrease stroke burden in individuals with AF. This study aims to describe the epidemiology of AF in Anand District, Gujarat, India, characterise the clinical profile of individuals who are diagnosed with AF and determine the performance of two mobile technologies for community-based AF screening. This observational study builds on findings from a previous feasibility study and leverages two novel technologies as well as an existing community health programme to perform door-to-door AF screening for 2000 people from 60 villages of Anand District, Gujarat, India using local health workers. A single-lead ECG and a pulse-based application is used to screen each individual for AF three times over a period of 5 days. Participants with suspected arrhythmias are followed up by study cardiologist who makes final diagnoses. Participants diagnosed with AF are initiated on treatment based on current anticoagulation guidelines and clinical reasoning. Age-stratified and sex-stratified prevalence of AF in the Anand District will be calculated for sample and estimated for Anand distribution using survey design weights. Sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with AF will be evaluated using multivariable regression methods. Performance of each mobile technology in detecting AF will be evaluated using a 12-lead ECG interpretation as the gold standard. This protocol was approved separately by the Institutional Review Board of University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Human Research Ethics Committee at Charutar Arogya Mandal. The findings of this study will be disseminated through peer

Study protocol for Smartphone Monitoring for Atrial fibrillation in Real-Time in India (SMART-India): a community-based screening and referral programme

PubMed Central

Karna, Sunil; Patel, Harshil; Fahey, Nisha; Raithatha, Shyamsundar; Handorf, Anna; Bostrom, John; Bashar, Syed; Talati, Kandarp; Shah, Ravi; Goldberg, Robert J; Thanvi, Sunil; Allison, Jeroan J; Chon, Ki; Nimbalkar, Somashekhar Marutirao; McManus, David D

2017-01-01

Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF), the world’s most common arrhythmia, often goes undetected and untreated in low-resource communities, including India, where AF epidemiology is undefined. AF is an important risk factor for stroke, which plagues an estimated 1.6 million Indians annually. As such, early detection of AF and management of high-risk patients is critically important to decrease stroke burden in individuals with AF. This study aims to describe the epidemiology of AF in Anand District, Gujarat, India, characterise the clinical profile of individuals who are diagnosed with AF and determine the performance of two mobile technologies for community-based AF screening. Methods This observational study builds on findings from a previous feasibility study and leverages two novel technologies as well as an existing community health programme to perform door-to-door AF screening for 2000 people from 60 villages of Anand District, Gujarat, India using local health workers. A single-lead ECG and a pulse-based application is used to screen each individual for AF three times over a period of 5 days. Participants with suspected arrhythmias are followed up by study cardiologist who makes final diagnoses. Participants diagnosed with AF are initiated on treatment based on current anticoagulation guidelines and clinical reasoning. Analytical plan Age-stratified and sex-stratified prevalence of AF in the Anand District will be calculated for sample and estimated for Anand distribution using survey design weights. Sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with AF will be evaluated using multivariable regression methods. Performance of each mobile technology in detecting AF will be evaluated using a 12-lead ECG interpretation as the gold standard. Ethics and dissemination This protocol was approved separately by the Institutional Review Board of University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Human Research Ethics Committee at Charutar Arogya Mandal. The

Inequality in child mortality across different states of India: a comparative study.

PubMed

De, Partha; Dhar, Arpita

2013-12-01

The burden of social inequality falls disproportionately on child health and survival. This inequality raises the question of how wide this gap is, or what its relation is with the level of child mortality. Whether these disparities are increasing or declining with the development and how they differ from region to region or from state to state within the country needs to be looked into. As a measure of inequality and to compare the disparities between different states of India, concentration curves and indices are constructed from infant and under five mortality data classified under different quintiles of wealth index from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) data of India. Inequality measures indicate that inequality in child mortality is more concentrated in the comparatively developed states than the poorer states in India.

The Association Between Unintended Births and Poor Child Development in India: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Singh, Abhishek; Upadhyay, Ashish Kumar; Singh, Ashish; Kumar, Kaushalendra

2017-03-01

Evidence on the association between unintended births and poor child development in developing countries is limited. We used data from three waves of the Young Lives study on childhood poverty conducted in Andhra Pradesh in 2002, 2006-07, and 2009 to examine the association between unintended births and poor child development in India. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association between unintended births and four indicators of child development-height-for-age Z-score (HAZ), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) score, Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) score, and Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) test score. The Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique was also used to analyze data. Children who were reported as unintended at birth had significantly lower HAZ, PPVT, and EGRA scores compared with those who were reported as intended. PSM results support the findings from the multivariable linear regressions. Our findings provide evidence on the association between unintended births and poor child development in India. There may be a need to reposition family planning within India's reproductive and child health care programs. Future studies must take into account the unobserved heterogeneity that our study could not address fully. © 2017 The Population Council, Inc.

Psychological violence experienced by men who have sex with men in Puducherry, India: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Elouard, Yajna; Essén, Birgitta

2013-01-01

Men who have sex with men are a hidden population in India. This study explores the psychological violence such men are exposed to in Puducherry, India. Eleven in-depth interviews probe experiences of blackmail, discrimination, and rejection. Some informants modified their behaviors or appearances to avoid harassment and safeguard their families' reputations. Others told how Indian men accepted their behaviors, but rejected their identities. Social pressure to marry was also a recurring theme. Understanding the factors behind these violent experiences may facilitate their amelioration.

Compliance with smoke-free legislation and smoking behaviour: observational field study from Punjab, India.

PubMed

Goel, Sonu; Sharma, Deepak; Gupta, Rakesh; Mahajan, Vini

2017-08-10

Indian smoke-free legislation requires prohibition of smoking at public places and owners of public places to display 'no smoking' signages. The study aims to assess the compliance of public places with smoke-free legislation and determine the factors associated with active smoking in public places. This was a cross-sectional analytic observational quantitative survey conducted by a team of trained field investigators using a structured observational checklist across 6875 public places in Punjab state of India. The study was carried out over a period of 3 years. A total of 6875 public places across 22 districts of Punjab were observed. The overall compliance to smoke-free law in Punjab was 83.8%. The highest overall compliance was observed in healthcare facilities (89.6%) and least in transit stations (78.8%). Less active smoking was observed in public places where display of 'no smoking' signage compliant with smoke-free law of India was present (adjusted OR 0.6). Further, there was a positive association between active smoking and places where the owner of public places smoked (OR 5.2, CI 2.5 to 11.1). More than 80% of the public places in a jurisdiction in north India were compliant with the smoke-free legislation of India. 'No smoking' signages displayed as per legislation have an effect on curbing smoking behaviours at public places. It is recommended that policymakers should focus more on implementing the smoke-free law at transit sites and structured training sessions should be organised for owners of workplaces. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Prevalence of β-thalassemia and other haemoglobinopathies in six cities in India: a multicentre study.

PubMed

Mohanty, D; Colah, R B; Gorakshakar, A C; Patel, R Z; Master, D C; Mahanta, J; Sharma, S K; Chaudhari, U; Ghosh, M; Das, S; Britt, R P; Singh, S; Ross, C; Jagannathan, L; Kaul, R; Shukla, D K; Muthuswamy, V

2013-01-01

The population of India is extremely diverse comprising of more than 3,000 ethnic groups who still follow endogamy. Haemoglobinopathies are the commonest hereditary disorders in India and pose a major health problem. The data on the prevalence of β-thalassemias and other haemoglobinopathies in different caste/ethnic groups of India is scarce. Therefore the present multicentre study was undertaken in six cities of six states of India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka and Punjab) to determine the prevalence of haemoglobinopathies in different caste/ethnic groups using uniform methodology. Fifty-six thousand seven hundred eighty individuals (college students and pregnant women) from different caste/ethnic groups were screened. RBC indices were measured on an automated haematology counter while the percentage of HbA(2), HbF and other abnormal Hb variants were estimated by HPLC on the Variant Hemoglobin Testing System. The overall prevalence of β-thalassemia trait was 2.78 % and varied from 1.48 to 3.64 % in different states, while the prevalence of β-thalassemia trait in 59 ethnic groups varied from 0 to 9.3 %. HbE trait was mainly seen in Dibrugarh in Assam (23.9 %) and Kolkata in West Bengal (3.92 %). In six ethnic groups from Assam, the prevalence of HbE trait varied from 41.1 to 66.7 %. Few subjects with δβ-thalassemia, HPFH, HbS trait, HbD trait, HbE homozygous and HbE β-thalassemia as well as HbS homozygous and HbS-β-thalassemia (<1 %) were also identified. This is the first large multicentre study covering cities from different regions of the country for screening for β-thalassemia carriers and other haemoglobinopathies where uniform protocols and methodology was followed and quality control ensured by the co-ordinating centre. This study also shows that establishment of centres for screening for β-thalassemia and other haemoglobinopathies is possible in medical colleges. Creating awareness, screening and counselling can be

Age and sex-specific associations of anthropometric measures of adiposity with blood pressure and hypertension in India: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Taing, Kevin Y; Farkouh, Michael E; Moineddin, Rahim; Tu, Jack V; Jha, Prabhat

2016-12-01

A determinant of blood pressure is adiposity; however, there are uncertainties surrounding whether general or central adiposity is the more important determinant of blood pressure. Further, inconsistent results exist for the relationships of anthropometric measures with blood pressure and hypertension, and whether these relationships differ substantially by age and sex is unclear. We aimed to elucidate the associations of anthropometric measures of general and central adiposity with blood pressure and hypertension, and determine the effect of age and sex on these relationships. We used cross-sectional data from the Centre for Global Health Research health check-up survey conducted during 2006-2007 of the general population in India (n = 7 601; age 18-59 years). We examined the associations of anthropometric measures (body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-hip ratio, waist-height ratio) with blood pressure components (systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, pulse pressure, mean arterial pressure, mid-blood pressure) and hypertension within four (18-29 years, 30-39 years, 40-49 years, 50-59 years) age groups, by sex. We adjusted all analyses for education and location, with further adjustments, variously, for either a measure of central (waist circumference) or general (body mass index) adiposity. On average, every 5 kg/m 2 greater body mass index or 10 cm wider waist circumference was associated with a 5 and 4 mmHg higher systolic blood pressure, respectively. When considered separately, each anthropometric measure was strongly and positively associated with most blood pressure components in all age groups, and for both sexes. However, with few exceptions, when considered jointly (body mass index adjusted for waist circumference), the associations of body mass index with blood pressure components and hypertension were greatly diminished for both sexes, and particularly in the ≥30 years age groups. By contrast, further adjustment

U.S.-India Relations: Partners in Democracy

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-01

1029-49. Dasgupta, Sunil and Stephen P. Cohen. "Is India Ending Its Strategic Restraint Doctrine?" Washington Quarterly 34, no. 2(Spring 2011): 163-77...Security on the Borders of India." The Journal of Asian Studies 68, no. 2(May 2009): 519-42. Dasgupta, Sunil and Stephen P..Cohen. "Arms Sales for India...Nuclear Weapons: Aspiring to “Indefinite Retention”? " Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 68, no. 5(September 2012-October 2012): 88-95. Dasgupta, Sunil

Holocene aridification of India

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ponton, C.; Giosan, L.; Eglinton, T.I.; Fuller, D.Q.; Johnson, J.E.; Kumar, P.; Collett, T.S.

2012-01-01

Spanning a latitudinal range typical for deserts, the Indian peninsula is fertile instead and sustains over a billion people through monsoonal rains. Despite the strong link between climate and society, our knowledge of the long-term monsoon variability is incomplete over the Indian subcontinent. Here we reconstruct the Holocene paleoclimate in the core monsoon zone (CMZ) of the Indian peninsula using a sediment core recovered offshore from the mouth of Godavari River. Carbon isotopes of sedimentary leaf waxes provide an integrated and regionally extensive record of the flora in the CMZ and document a gradual increase in aridity-adapted vegetation from ???4,000 until 1,700 years ago followed by the persistence of aridity-adapted plants after that. The oxygen isotopic composition of planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber detects unprecedented high salinity events in the Bay of Bengal over the last 3,000 years, and especially after 1,700 years ago, which suggest that the CMZ aridification intensified in the late Holocene through a series of sub-millennial dry episodes. Cultural changes occurred across the Indian subcontinent as the climate became more arid after ???4,000 years. Sedentary agriculture took hold in the drying central and south India, while the urban Harappan civilization collapsed in the already arid Indus basin. The establishment of a more variable hydroclimate over the last ca. 1,700 years may have led to the rapid proliferation of water-conservation technology in south India. Copyright 2012 by the American Geophysical Union.

Motion Pictures for the Study of India: A Guide to Classroom Films.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vestal, Theodore M.

After a three year review of films on India available in the United States, the Resource Center offered this guide to those motion pictures adjudged best for use in American classrooms. There are twelve documentary films and four commercial feature films included for use at any level of school, college, or university study: Child of the Streets; A…

A Family Study of Consanguinity in Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Barwani, India

PubMed Central

Lakhan, Ram; Bipeta, Rajshekhar; Yerramilli, Srinivasa S. R. R.; Nahar, Vinayak K.

2017-01-01

Background: Intellectual disability (ID) can be inherited in families through consanguineous marriage. The ID in an individual can be associated with the ID, epilepsy, and mental illness in their parents. Such connections can be seen more closely among consanguineous marriages in tribal and nontribal population in India. Objective: This study shows a few common patterns of the consanguineous relationship in the parents of children with ID in India. Materials and Methods: This is a case series research design. Extreme or deviant case sampling was applied. Data were collected in homes, camps, and clinical settings in the Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh, India. The patterns of consanguineous marriages and the relationship between children with ID and their relatives with ID, epilepsy, and mental illness were analyzed and reported with pedigree charts. Results: Multiple patterns of consanguineous marriages in tribal and nontribal populations were observed. ID was found to be associated in children with their relatives of the first, second, and third generations. Conclusion: ID may inherit in individuals from their relatives of the first, second, and third generations who have ID, epilepsy, or mental illness and married in the relationship. Appropriate knowledge, guidance, and counseling may be provided to potential couples before planning a consanguineous marriage. PMID:29204013

Instantaneous deformation and kinematics of the India-Australia Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delescluse, Matthias; Chamot-Rooke, Nicolas

2007-02-01

Active intraplate deformation of the India-Australia Plate is now being captured by far-field global positioning system (GPS) measurements as well as measurements on a few islands located within the deforming zone itself. In this paper, we combine global and regional geodetic solutions with focal mechanisms of earthquakes to derive the present-day strain field of the India-Australia Plate. We first compile an updated catalogue of 131 Indian intraplate earthquakes (M > 5) spanning the period between the two Asian mega earthquakes of Assam 1897 and Sumatra 2004. Using Haines and Holt's numerical approach applied to a fully deformable India-Australia Plate, we show that the use of GPS data only or earthquakes data only has severe drawbacks, related, respectively, to the small number of stations and the incompleteness of the earthquakes catalogue. The combined solution avoids underestimation of the strain inherent to the Kostrov summation of seismic moments and provides details that cannot be reached by pure GPS modelling. We further explore the role of heterogeneity of the India-Australia Plate and find that the best model, in terms of geodetic vectors fit, relative distribution of strain, style and direction of principal strain from earthquakes, is obtained using the surface heat-flow as a proxy for rheological weakness of the oceanic lithosphere. The present-day deformation is distributed around the Afanasy Nikitin Chain in the Central Indian Basin (CIB)-where it is almost pure shortening-and within the Wharton Basin (WB) off Sumatra-where it is almost pure lateral strike-slip. The northern portion of NinetyEast ridge (NyR) appears as a major discontinuity for both strain and velocity. The new velocity field gives an India/Australia rotation pole located at 11.3°S, 72.8°E (-0.301°Myr-1) overlapping with previous solutions, with continental India moving eastward at rates ranging from 13 mm yr-1 (southern India) to 26 mm yr-1 (northern India) with respect to

Anomalous low tropospheric column ozone over eastern India during the severe drought event of monsoon 2002: a case study.

PubMed

Ghude, Sachin D; Kulkarni, Santosh H; Kulkarni, Pavan S; Kanawade, Vijay P; Fadnavis, Suvarna; Pokhrel, Samir; Jena, Chinmay; Beig, G; Bortoli, D

2011-09-01

The present study is an attempt to examine some of the probable causes of the unusually low tropospheric column ozone observed over eastern India during the exceptional drought event in July 2002. We examined horizontal wind and omega (vertical velocity) anomalies over the Indian region to understand the large-scale dynamical processes which prevailed in July 2002. We also examined anomalies in tropospheric carbon monoxide (CO), an important ozone precursor, and observed low CO mixing ratio in the free troposphere in 2002 over eastern India. It was found that instead of a normal large-scale ascent, the air was descending in the middle and lower troposphere over a vast part of India. This configuration was apparently responsible for the less convective upwelling of precursors and likely caused less photochemical ozone formation in the free troposphere over eastern India in July 2002. The insight gained from this case study will hopefully provide a better understanding of the process controlling the distribution of the tropospheric ozone over the Indian region.

Economic development and gender inequality in cognition: a comparison of China and India, and of SAGE and the HRS sister studies.

PubMed

Weir, David; Lay, Margaret; Langa, Kenneth

2014-12-01

This paper examines cognition measures by age and gender from two types of studies in China and India. It finds that despite some notable differences in samples and measures, a general strong association of cognition in older ages with education emerges as a potential explanation for gender gaps and cohort differences. Female disadvantage in cognition is greater in India, both before and after controlling for education. The process of rural-urban migration draws more cognitively able women to cities in China but not in India. The advent of modern longitudinal studies of aging in these developing countries holds great promise for future work.

Visual Impairment Registry of Patients from North Kolkata, Eastern India: A Hospital-based Study.

PubMed

Bandyopadhyay, Sabyasachi; Bandyopadhyay, Samir Kumar; Biswas, Jaya; Saha Dutta Chowdhury, Mita; Dey, Asim Kumar; Chakrabarti, Asim

2018-01-01

To study the demographic profile, severity and causes of visual impairment among registered patients in a tertiary care hospital in north Kolkata, eastern India, and to assess the magnitude of under-registration in that population. This is a retrospective analytical study. A review of all visually impaired patients registered at our tertiary care hospital during a ten-year period from January 2005 to December 2014, which is entitled for certification of people of north Kolkata, eastern India (with a population denominator of 1.1 million), was performed. Overall, 2472 eyes of 1236 patients were analyzed in terms of demographic characteristics, cause of visual impairment, and percentage of visual disability as per the guidelines established by the government of India. Male patients (844, 68.28%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 65.69-70.87) registered more often than female patients (392; 31.72%, P = 0.0004). The registration rate for visual impairment was 11.24 per 100,000 per annum; this is not the true incidence rate, as both new patients and those visiting for renewal of certification were included in the study. Optic atrophy was the most common cause of visual impairment (384 eyes, 15.53%; 95% CI, 14.1-16.96). Commonest cause of visual impairment was optic atrophy followed by microphthalmos. Under-registration is a prevalent problem as the registration system is voluntary rather than mandatory, and female patients are more likely to be unregistered in this area.

Use of Cooking Fuels and Cataract in a Population-Based Study: The India Eye Disease Study

PubMed Central

Ravilla, Thulasiraj D.; Gupta, Sanjeev; Ravindran, Ravilla D.; Vashist, Praveen; Krishnan, Tiruvengada; Maraini, Giovanni; Chakravarthy, Usha; Fletcher, Astrid E.

2016-01-01

Background: Biomass cooking fuels are commonly used in Indian households, especially by the poorest socioeconomic groups. Cataract is highly prevalent in India and the major cause of vision loss. The evidence on biomass fuels and cataract is limited. Objectives: To examine the association of biomass cooking fuels with cataract and type of cataract. Methods: We conducted a population-based study in north and south India using randomly sampled clusters to identify people ≥ 60 years old. Participants were interviewed and asked about cooking fuel use, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors and attended hospital for digital lens imaging (graded using the Lens Opacity Classification System III), anthropometry, and blood collection. Years of use of biomass fuels were estimated and transformed to a standardized normal distribution. Results: Of the 7,518 people sampled, 94% were interviewed and 83% of these attended the hospital. Sex modified the association between years of biomass fuel use and cataract; the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for a 1-SD increase in years of biomass fuel use and nuclear cataract was 1.04 (95% CI: 0.88, 1.23) for men and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.48) for women, p interaction = 0.07. Kerosene use was low (10%). Among women, kerosene use was associated with nuclear (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.97) and posterior subcapsular cataract (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.64). There was no association among men. Conclusions: Our results provide robust evidence for the association of biomass fuels with cataract for women but not for men. Our finding for kerosene and cataract among women is novel and requires confirmation in other studies. Citation: Ravilla TD, Gupta S, Ravindran RD, Vashist P, Krishnan T, Maraini G, Chakravarthy U, Fletcher AE. 2016. Use of cooking fuels and cataract in a population-based study: the India Eye Disease Study. Environ Health Perspect 124:1857–1862; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP193 PMID:27227523

Use of Cooking Fuels and Cataract in a Population-Based Study: The India Eye Disease Study.

PubMed

Ravilla, Thulasiraj D; Gupta, Sanjeev; Ravindran, Ravilla D; Vashist, Praveen; Krishnan, Tiruvengada; Maraini, Giovanni; Chakravarthy, Usha; Fletcher, Astrid E

2016-12-01

Biomass cooking fuels are commonly used in Indian households, especially by the poorest socioeconomic groups. Cataract is highly prevalent in India and the major cause of vision loss. The evidence on biomass fuels and cataract is limited. To examine the association of biomass cooking fuels with cataract and type of cataract. We conducted a population-based study in north and south India using randomly sampled clusters to identify people ≥ 60 years old. Participants were interviewed and asked about cooking fuel use, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors and attended hospital for digital lens imaging (graded using the Lens Opacity Classification System III), anthropometry, and blood collection. Years of use of biomass fuels were estimated and transformed to a standardized normal distribution. Of the 7,518 people sampled, 94% were interviewed and 83% of these attended the hospital. Sex modified the association between years of biomass fuel use and cataract; the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for a 1-SD increase in years of biomass fuel use and nuclear cataract was 1.04 (95% CI: 0.88, 1.23) for men and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.48) for women, p interaction = 0.07. Kerosene use was low (10%). Among women, kerosene use was associated with nuclear (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.97) and posterior subcapsular cataract (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.64). There was no association among men. Our results provide robust evidence for the association of biomass fuels with cataract for women but not for men. Our finding for kerosene and cataract among women is novel and requires confirmation in other studies. Citation: Ravilla TD, Gupta S, Ravindran RD, Vashist P, Krishnan T, Maraini G, Chakravarthy U, Fletcher AE. 2016. Use of cooking fuels and cataract in a population-based study: the India Eye Disease Study. Environ Health Perspect 124:1857-1862; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP193.

Situational analysis of services for diabetes and diabetic retinopathy and evaluation of programs for the detection and treatment of diabetic retinopathy in India: Methods for the India 11-city 9-state study.

PubMed

Murthy, G V S; Gilbert, Clare E; Shukla, Rajan; Vashist, Praveen; Shamanna, B R

2016-04-01

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of visual impairment in India. Available evidence shows that there are more than 60 million persons with diabetes in India and that the number will increase to more than a 100 million by 2030. There is a paucity of data on the perceptions and practices of persons with diabetes and the available infrastructure and uptake of services for DR in India. Assess perception of care and challenges faced in availing eye care services among persons with diabetics and generate evidence on available human resources, infrastructure, and service utilization for DR in India. The cross-sectional, hospital-based survey was conducted in eleven cities across 9 States in India. In each city, public and private providers of eye-care were identified. Both multispecialty and standalone facilities were included. Specially designed semi-open ended questionnaires were administered to the clients. Semi-structured interviews were administered to the service providers (both diabetic care physicians and eye care teams) and observational checklists were used to record findings of the assessment of facilities conducted by a dedicated team of research staff. A total of 859 units were included in this study. This included 86 eye care and 73 diabetic care facilities, 376 persons with diabetes interviewed in the eye clinics and 288 persons with diabetes interviewed in the diabetic care facilities. The findings will have significant implications for the organization of services for persons with diabetes in India.

Nutritional status of adult patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in rural central India and its association with mortality.

PubMed

Bhargava, Anurag; Chatterjee, Madhuri; Jain, Yogesh; Chatterjee, Biswaroop; Kataria, Anju; Bhargava, Madhavi; Kataria, Raman; D'Souza, Ravi; Jain, Rachna; Benedetti, Andrea; Pai, Madhukar; Menzies, Dick

2013-01-01

Under-nutrition is a known risk factor for TB and can adversely affect treatment outcomes. However, data from India are sparse, despite the high burden of TB as well as malnutrition in India. We assessed the nutritional status at the time of diagnosis and completion of therapy, and its association with deaths during TB treatment, in a consecutive cohort of 1695 adult patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in rural India during 2004 - 2009.Multivariable logistic regression was used to obtain adjusted estimates of the association of nutritional status with deaths during treatment. At the time of diagnosis, median BMI and body weights were 16.0 kg/m(2)and 42.1 kg in men, and 15.0 kg/m(2)and 34.1 kg in women, indicating that 80% of women and 67% of men had moderate to severe under-nutrition (BMI<17.0 kg/m(2)). Fifty two percent of the patients (57% of men and 48% of women) had stunting indicating chronic under-nutrition. Half of women and one third of men remained moderately to severely underweight at the end of treatment. 60 deaths occurred in 1179 patients (5%) in whom treatment was initiated. Severe under-nutrition at diagnosis was associated with a 2 fold higher risk of death. Overall, a majority of patients had evidence of chronic severe under-nutrition at diagnosis, which persisted even after successful treatment in a significant proportion of them. These findings suggest the need for nutritional support during treatment of pulmonary TB in this rural population.

Drug poisoning in the community among children: a nine years' experience from a tertiary care center in south India.

PubMed

Winston A, Blessed; Das Adhikari, Debasis; Das, Saibal; Vazhudhi, Kaysina; Kumar, Aniket; Shanthi Fx, Margaret; Agarwal, Indira

2017-02-01

This study was performed to determine the incidence, demographic distribution, types and outcomes across various drug poisonings among children from south India. This retrospective study included children less than 16 years who presented to the Pediatric Emergency Department with drug poisoning from the 1st of October 2004 to the 30th of September 2013. Out of the total 997 poisoning cases, 366 (36.71%) were contributed by drugs; mainly antiepileptics, central nervous system depressants, psychotropics, analgesic-antipyretics and natural drugs. Males and children of < 5 years were mostly affected. Although many children developed complications and required intensive care unit admissions, the total mortality rate was less than 1%. The incidence of drug poisoning showed a decreasing trend over the last 4 years. This study for the first time gives an elaborative insight into pediatric drug poisoning over a nine-year period from a Pediatric Emergency Department tertiary care center in south India.

Clinical trials in dentistry in India: Analysis from trial registry.

PubMed

Gowri, S; Kannan, Sridharan

2017-01-01

Evidence-based practice requires clinical trials to be performed. In India, if any clinical trial has to be performed, it has to be registered with clinical trial registry of India. Studies have shown that the report of clinical trials is poor in dentistry. Hence, the present study has been conducted to assess the type and trends of clinical trials being undertaken in dentistry in India over a span of 6 years. All the clinical trials which were registered with the Central Trial Registry of India (CTRI) (www.ctri.nic.in) from January 1, 2007 to March 3, 2014 were evaluated using the keyword "dental." Following information were collected for each of the clinical trials obtained from the search; number of centres (single center/multicentric), type of the institution undertaking the research (government/private/combined), study (observational/interventional), study design (randomized/single blinded/double-blinded), type of health condition, type of participants (healthy/patients), sponsors (academia/commercial), phase of clinical trial (Phase 1/2/3/4), publication details (published/not published), whether it was a postgraduate thesis or not and prospective or retrospective registration of clinical trials, methodological quality (method of randomization, allocation concealment). Descriptive statistics was used for analysis of various categories. Trend analysis was done to assess the changes over a period of time. The search yielded a total of 84 trials of which majority of them were single centered. Considering the study design more than half of the registered clinical trials were double-blinded (47/84 [56%]). With regard to the place of conducting a trial, most of the trials were planned to be performed in private hospitals (56/84 [66.7%]). Most (79/84, 94.1%) of the clinical trials were interventional while only 5/84 (5.9%) were observational. Majority (65/84, 77.4%) of the registered clinical trials were recruiting patients while the rest were being done in healthy

Human leukocyte antigen alleles, genotypes and haplotypes frequencies in renal transplant donors and recipients from West Central India.

PubMed

Patel, Jaina S; Patel, Manisha M; Koringa, Prakash G; Shah, Tejas M; Patel, Amrutlal K; Tripathi, Ajai K; Mathew, Anila; Rajapurkar, Mohan M; Joshi, Chaitanya G

2013-04-01

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is comprised of a highly polymorphic set of genes which determines the histocompatibility of organ transplantation. The present study was undertaken to identify HLA class I and class II allele, genotype and haplotype frequencies in renal transplant recipients and donors from West Central India. HLA typing was carried out using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Sequence Specific Primer in 552 live related and unrelated renal transplant recipients and donors. The most frequent HLA class I and class II alleles and their frequencies in recipients were HLA-AFNx0101 (0.1685) and AFNx0102 (0.1649), HLA-BFNx0135 (0.1322), and HLA-DR beta 1 (DRB 1)FNx0115 (0.2192), whereas in donors, these were HLA-AFNx0102 (0.1848) and AFNx0101 (0.1667), HLA-BFNx0135 (0.1359), and HLA-DRB1FNx0115 (0.2409). The two-locus haplotype statistical analysis revealed HLA-AFNx0102-B61 as the most common haplotype with the frequency of 0.0487 and 0.0510 in recipients and donors, respectively. Further, among the three locus haplotypes HLA-AFNx0133-BFNx0144-DRB1FNx0107 and HLA-AFNx0102-BFNx0161-DRB1FNx0115 were the most common haplotypes with frequencies 0.0362 and 0.0326, respectively in recipients and 0.0236 and 0.0323, respectively in donors. Genotype frequency revealed a high prevalence of genotype HLA-AFNx0102/AFNx0124 in recipients (0.058) compared to donors (0.0109) whereas low prevalence of HLA-AFNx0101/AFNx0102 in recipients (0.0435) than in donors (0.0797). The phylogenetic and principal component analysis of HLA allele and haplotype frequency distribution revealed genetic similarities of various ethnic groups. Further, case control analysis provides preliminary evidence of association of HLA-A genotype (P < 0.05) with renal failure. This study will be helpful in suitable donor search besides providing valuable information for population genetics and HLA disease association analysis.

Educational Services for Tibetan Students with Disabilities Living in India: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Britany; Gibb, Gordon S.; Ashbaker, Betty Y.; Prater, Mary Anne

2014-01-01

This case study describes services for students with disabilities at Karuna Home in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, India, a residential facility established to address the needs of individuals whose parents are primarily Tibetan immigrants. Interview, observation, and document review data collected over three months were used to describe and explain…

Protein malnutrition in South India

PubMed Central

Rao, K. Someswara; Swaminathan, M. C.; Swarup, S.; Patwardhan, V. N.

1959-01-01

A protein malnutrition survey was carried out in ten areas of four States of South India among children under 5 years of age in families with a monthly income of less than Rs 100, estimated to constitute 85% of the population. The agricultural situation and socio-economic conditions are described. The diets investigated consisted largely of cereals, with small quantities of pulses and green vegetables; milk, meat and eggs were little eaten. The survey covered investigation of infant care, feeding and weaning practices, clinical examinations, anthropometric measurements, determinations of haemoglobin and serum protein, and analysis of hospital records. Although infants were usually breast-fed for a long time, the quantity of breast milk was found to be low after 6 months, at which time supplementary foods were introduced, but these were usually inadequate. Extreme growth retardation was seen after weaning. Diarrhoea was complained of in some 20% of children. Such deficiency signs as dyschromotrichia, hepatomegaly, moon face, angular stomatitis and xerophthalmia were frequently seen. Frank cases of kwashiorkor and marasmus were observed in 1% and 1.7% respectively of children at home. These findings and others clearly show protein malnutrition to be a problem of very considerable magnitude in the poorer communities of South India. A comparison is made with the results of surveys conducted in Africa and in Central America. ImagesFIG. 6FIG. 7FIG. 2 PMID:14436226

U.S.-India Security Burden-Sharing? The Potential for Coordinated Capacity-Building in the Indian Ocean

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

their country’s eco - nomic image and prospects. Regardless of terminology, many Bang- ladeshi officers and experts express a desire to coordinate on...put on the back burner for short-term considerations. 2014 Indian central elections – A new Prime Minister in India could inject a very different tone

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Nutrition and Food Safety Information in School Science Textbooks of India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subba Rao, G. M.; Vijayapushapm, T.; Venkaiah, K.; Pavarala, V.

2012-01-01

Objective: To assess quantity and quality of nutrition and food safety information in science textbooks prescribed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India for grades I through X. Design: Content analysis. Methods: A coding scheme was developed for quantitative and qualitative analyses. Two investigators independently coded the…

Medication misuse in India: a major public health issue in India.

PubMed

Porter, Gillian; Grills, Nathan

2016-06-01

In India, it has been estimated that 50% of family spending on healthcare is on unnecessary medications or investigations. This, combined with the wide availability of medications, has seemingly contributed to increasing rates of antibiotic resistance and further impoverishment. In this literature review, we aim to characterize the extent of misuse and describe underlying factors contributing to the misuse of medication in India. This literature review included relevant articles published after 2000 that assessed medication use and misuse in India. A narrative review framework was used to analyse each article, confirm its inclusion, extract relevant information and group the findings under thematic areas. There were 115 articles included in this literature review. The literature demonstrated that the misuse of medications in India is widespread. The factors resulting in this involves all levels of the health system including regulation, enforcement and policy, healthcare providers and consumers. This is one of the most comprehensive reviews of medication misuse in India. It indicates the widespread nature of the problem and so highlights the need for action. This review provides a detailed understanding as to the complex interplay of factors that result in medication misuse in India. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sensitivity of annual mass balance gradient and Hypsometry to the changing climate: the case of Dokriani Glacier, central Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratap, B.

2015-12-01

The glacier mass balance is undelayed, unfiltered and direct method to assess the impact of climate change on the glaciers. Many studies suggest that some of the Himalayan glaciers have lost their mass at an increased rate during the past few decades. Furthermore, the mass balance gradient and hypsometric analysis are important to understand the glacier response towards climatic perturbations. Our long term in-situ monitoring on the Dokriani Glacier provides great insights to understand the variability in central Himalayan glaciers. We report the relationship between glacier hypsometry and annual mass balance gradient (12 years) to understand the glacier's response towards climate change. Dokriani Glacier in the Bhagirathi basin is a small (7 km2) NNW exposed glacier in the western part of central Himalaya, India. The study analysed the annual balance, mass balance gradient and length changes observed during first decade of 21st century (2007-2013) and compare with the previous observations of 1990s (1992-2000). A large spatial variability in the mass balance gradients of two different periods has been observed. The equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) was fluctuated between 5000 and 5100 m a.s.l. and the derived time averaged ELA (ELAn) and balance budget ELA (ELA0) were 5075 and 4965 m a.s.l respectively during 1992-2013. The observed time-averaged accumulation-area ratio (AARn) and balance budget AAR (AAR0) were 0.67 and 0.72 respectively during 1992-2013. The higher value of AAR comprises due to flat and broader accumulation area (4.50 km2) of the glacier. Although, having larger accumulation area, the glacier has faced strong mass wasting with average annual ablation of -1.82 m w.e. a-1 in the ablation zone as compare to residual average annual accumulation of 0.41 m w.e. a-1. Based on the annual mass balance series (12 years) Dokriani Glacier has continuous negative annual balances with monotonically negative cumulative mass loss of -3.86 m w.e with the average

Irregular Warfare: The Maoist Challenge to India’s Internal Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

ABSTRACT Same as Report (SAR) 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 116 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT unclassified b . ABSTRACT unclassified c. THIS PAGE...and its approach to the various problems. These were, briefly, as follows: 8 JSOU Report 12-9 a. India is a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country. b ...leaders like Bhaskar Rao, Subbarao Panigrahi, and Nirmala Krishnamurti were killed. These losses greatly upset the Central Committee of the CPI (ML

Standardizing evaluation process: Necessary for achieving SDGs - A case study of India.

PubMed

Srivastava, Alok

2018-05-09

A set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 are to be implemented and achieved in every country from the year 2016 to 2030. In Indian context, all these goals are very relevant and critical, as India missed the target on many components of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The author strongly feels that one of the key reasons was lack of an in-built robust system for measuring the progress and achievements of MDGs. Monitoring and Evaluation of programmes and schemes, aiming at different SDGs, in a robust and regular manner is therefore need of the hour. A National evaluation policy (NEP) would set the tone in the right direction from the very beginning for achieving SDGs. The paper taking India as a case study discusses different critical factors pertinent for having a well laid down national level policy towards standardizing evaluation. Using real examples under different components of an evaluation policy, the paper discusses and questions the credibility and acceptance of the present evaluation system in place. The paper identifies five core mantras or pre-requisites of a national evaluation guideline. The paper emphasizes the importance of an evaluation policy in India and other countries as well, to provide authentic data gathered through a well-designed evaluation process and take corrective measures well on time to achieve SDGs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceived Rewards of Nursing Among Christian Nursing Students in Bangalore, India.

PubMed

Garner, Shelby L; Prater, Llewellyn S; Putturaj, Meena; Raj, Leena

2015-12-01

Nurses in India face significant challenges and often migrate to practice nursing abroad. Few studies have focused on the rewards of nursing in India. The aim of this study was to illuminate perceived rewards of nursing among Christian student nurses in Bangalore, India. Photovoice, a participatory action methodology was used, and 14 Christian student nurses participated in the study. Thematic interpretation of photographs, journals, critical group dialog sessions, and observational field notes resulted in the identification of two main themes. These themes included intrinsic rewards and lifelong benefits of nursing in India.

A study to assess the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS reporting to an ART Center of Central India.

PubMed

Taneja, Gunjan; Dixit, Sanjay; Yesikar, Veena; Sharma, Shiv S

2013-01-01

Effectively addressing the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) and providing them with adequate care and support services are an essential intervention necessary to address the problem of HIV. The current study analyzed the needs of PLHA, the support received and the support required, to help frame comprehensive and focused programs for HIV infected individuals. The study was cross-sectional in design, incorporating quantitative analysis techniques and was conducted at the Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) Center of MGM Medical College Indore, India, from February 2009 to January 2010. A semistructured interview schedule was used to interview 420 respondents currently on ART and the data was analyzed using SPSS software. Males and females constituted 69 and 31% of the study participants, respectively. The major support received by the respondents was care and help from families and friends, free ART, medicines for opportunistic infections (OI) and monthly health check-up at the ART Center. Other support received included nutritional supplements, traveling allowance to travel to the ART Center for availing the monthly dose of ART and educational help for children. The major support required was regular availability of medicines for various OI and associated diseases at ART centers, free laboratory investigations at hospitals, educational help for children, employment opportunities, development of a vaccine, facility of households, availability of second line ART drugs at ART centers, decentralization of ART centers, strengthening of existing PLHA networks and support groups, and better and effective counseling services. Coordinated efforts by governmental, non-governmental sources and PLHA themselves will result in the development of a comprehensive package of care and support for PLHA, to cater to their needs and requirements.

Community based retrospective study of sex in infant mortality in India

PubMed Central

Khanna, R; Kumar, A; Vaghela, J F; Sreenivas, V; Puliyel, J M

2003-01-01

Objective To determine whether the imbalance in the sex ratio in India can be explained by less favourable treatment of girls in infancy. Design Analysis of results of verbal autopsy reports over a five year period. Setting Community health project in urban India. Main outcome measures Deaths from all causes in infants aged less than 1 year. Results The sex ratio at birth was 869 females per 1000 males. The mean infant mortality was 1.3 times higher in females than in males (72 v 55 per 1000). Diarrhoea was responsible for 22% of deaths overall, though twice as many girls died from diarrhoea. There were no significant differences in the numbers of deaths from causes such as birth asphyxia, septicaemia, prematurity, and congenital anomalies. In 10% of deaths there was no preceding illness and no satisfactory cause was found. Three out of every four such deaths were in girls. Conclusions The excess number of unexplained deaths and deaths due to treatable conditions such as diarrhoeal disease in girls may be because girls are regarded and treated less favourably in India. PMID:12869451

Is current eye-care-policy focus almost exclusively on cataract adequate to deal with blindness in India?

PubMed

Dandona, L; Dandona, R; Naduvilath, T J; McCarty, C A; Nanda, A; Srinivas, M; Mandal, P; Rao, G N

1998-05-02

India's National Programme for Control of Blindness focuses almost exclusively on cataract, based on a national survey done in the 1980s which reported that cataract caused 80% of the blindness in India. No current population-based data on the causes of blindness in India are available. We assessed the rate and causes of blindness in an urban population in southern India. We selected 2954 participants by stratified, random, cluster, systematic sampling from Hyderabad city. Eligible participants were interviewed and given a detailed ocular assessment, including visual acuity, refraction, slitlamp biomicroscopy, applanation intraocular pressure, gonioscopy, dilatation, grading of cataract, stereoscopic fundus assessment, and automated-threshold visual fields. 2522 participants, including 1399 aged 30 years or more, were assessed. 49 participants (all aged > or =30 years) were blind (presenting distance visual acuity <6/60 or central visual field <200 in the better eye). The rate of blindness among those aged 30 years or more, adjusted for age and sex, was 3.08% ([95% CI 1.95-4.21]). Causes included cataract (29.7%), retinal disease (17.1%), corneal disease (15.4%), refractive error (12.5%), glaucoma (12.1%), and optic atrophy (11.0%). 15.7% of the blindness caused by visual-field constriction would have been missed without visual-field examination. Also without visual-field and detailed dilated-fundus assessments, blindness attributed to cataract would have been overestimated by up to 75.8%. If the use of cataract surgery in this urban population was half that found in this study, which simulates the situation in rural India, cataract would have caused 51.8% (39.4-64.2) of blindness, significantly less than the 80% accepted by current policy. Much of the blindness in this Indian population was due to non-cataract causes. The previous national survey did not include detailed dilated-fundus assessment and visual-field examination which could have led to overestimation

Comparison of GPS and GRACE hydrological loading signatures in Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Materna, K.; Feng, L.; Lindsey, E. O.; Hill, E.; Burgmann, R.

2017-12-01

The elastic response of the lithosphere to surface mass redistributions produces significant deformation that can be observed in geodetic time series. This deformation is especially pronounced in Southeast Asia, where the annual monsoon produces large-amplitude hydrological loads. The MIBB network of 20 continuous GPS stations in Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, operational since 2012, provides an opportunity to study the earth's response to these loads. In this study, we use GRACE gravity products as an estimate of surface water distribution, and input these estimates into an elastic loading calculation. We compare the predicted deformation with that observed with GPS. We find that elastic loading from the GRACE gravity field is able to explain the phase and the peak-to-peak amplitude (typically 2-3 cm) of the vertical GPS oscillations in northeast India and central Myanmar. GRACE-based corrections reduce the RMS scatter of the GPS data by 30%-45% in these regions. However, this approach does not capture all of the variation in central Bangladesh and southern Myanmar. Local hydrological effects, non-tidal ocean loads, poroelastic deformation, or differences in elastic properties may explain discrepancies between the GPS and GRACE signals in these places. The results of our calculations have practical implications for campaign GPS measurements in Myanmar, which make up the majority of geodetic measurements at this point. We may be able to reduce errors in campaign measurements and increase the accuracy of velocity estimates by correcting for hydrologic signals with GRACE data. The results also have potential implications for crustal rheology in Southeast Asia.

Drainage morphometric analysis for assessing form and processes of the watersheds of Pachamalai hills and its adjoinings, Central Tamil Nadu, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prabhakaran, A.; Jawahar Raj, N.

2018-03-01

The present study attempts to understand the form and geomorphic/hydrologic processes of the 20 watersheds of the Pachamalai hills and its adjoinings located in Tamil Nadu State of southern India from the analysis of its drainage morphometric characteristics. Survey of India's topographic sheets of 1:50,000 is the data source from which stream networks and watersheds of the study area were demarcated followed by the analysis of their morphometric characteristics using ArcGIS software. The results of the analysis formed the basis for deducing the form and processes of the watersheds of the study area. The form of the watersheds inferred from the analysis includes shape, length, slope steepness and length, degree of branching of streams, dissection and elongation of watersheds. The geomorphic/hydrologic processes inferred include denudation rate, potential energy, intensity of erosion, mean annual run off, mean discharge, discharge rate, rock resistivity and infiltration potential, amount of sediment transported, mean annual rainfall, rainfall intensity, lagtime, flash flood potential, flood discharge per unit area, sediment yield and speed of the water flow in the streams. The understanding of variations of form and processes mentioned can be used towards prioritizing the watersheds for development, management and conservation planning.

The Family Context of Care in HIV/AIDS: A Study of Mumbai, India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Cruz, Premilla

2004-01-01

Though the continuum of care model has been adopted in HIV/AIDS intervention, there is little empirical work documenting the experiences of caregiving families. Addressing this gap, a study on family caregiving and care receiving was undertaken in Mumbai, India. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven seropositive caregivers, seven…

India-Based Knee Osteoarthritis Evaluation (iKare): A Multi-Centre Cross-Sectional Study on the Management of Knee Pain and Early Osteoarthritis in India.

PubMed

Sancheti, Parag; Shetty, Vijay D; Dhillon, Mandeep S; Sprague, Sheila A; Bhandari, Mohit

2017-09-01

Access to early knee osteoarthritis treatment in low and middle income nations is often believed to be limited. We conducted a cross-sectional study in India to assess prior access to treatment among patients presenting with knee pain to specialist orthopaedic clinics. The multi-centre, cross-sectional study included patients presenting with knee pain at 3 hospitals in India. Patients who met the inclusion criteria and provided informed consent completed a questionnaire designed to assess patient demographics, socioeconomic status, knee pain, treatment method, and patient's knowledge on osteoarthritis (OA). Their orthopaedic surgeons also completed a questionnaire on the severity of patient's OA and their recommended treatments. The impact of demographic characteristics on the prescription of treatment options was analyzed using logistic regression. A total of 714 patients met the eligibility criteria and participated in this study. The majority of patients had been experiencing pain for less than 1 year (64.8%) and had previously been prescribed medications (91.6%), supplements (68.6%), and nonpharmacological (81.9%) treatments to manage their knee OA. Current treatment recommendations included oral medications (83.3%), intra-articular injections (29.8%), and surgical intervention (12.7%). Prescription of oral medications was related to younger age, lack of deformities, and lower Kellgren-Lawrence grades ( p < 0.01). Patients treated in private hospital settings were more likely to have been previously treated with medications (range, 84.3% to 92.6%; p < 0.01) and physical treatments (range, 61.8% to 84.8%; p < 0.01) than patients treated at government hospitals. Contrary to the perception, our findings suggest a similar proportion of early knee OA treatment between India and North America.

Evolution of agricultural water use in India: a systems approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hora, T.; Basu, N. B.

2016-12-01

Groundwater plays an important role in improving the resilience of agriculture practices by mitigating the risk associated with unreliable and seasonal rainfalls. This has been an important driver in satisfying the food demand for an ever increasing population across the world. However, the inability to manage this large but limited freshwater reserve has resulted in a sharp decline in water table levels, with India being at the forefront of this problem. This study looks at the temporal trajectory of groundwater extraction in India over a 40 year time span during which well irrigation has evolved to become a central component of agriculture there. Using a systems approach, we identify the regional hot-spots of unsustainable groundwater extraction and then analyze its relationship with the environmental, economic and social components of the region. Early results indicate that the state of Punjab has been overexploiting its groundwater resources since the early 1980's with a 22% jump in groundwater extraction after the introduction of a free electricity policy, with a concomitant reduction in the number of marginal farmers by 36%. This is in contrast with the state of Tamil Nadu, in which groundwater extraction is less severe, but the number of marginal farmers has increased.

Breast Cancer Awareness among Middle Class Urban Women--a Community-Based Study from Mumbai, India.

PubMed

Gadgil, Anita; Sauvaget, Catherine; Roy, Nobhojit; Grosse Frie, Kirstin; Chakraborty, Anuradha; Lucas, Eric; Bantwal, Kanchan; Haldar, Indrani; Sankaranarayanan, Rengaswamy

2015-01-01

Targeting breast cancer awareness along with comprehensive cancer care is appropriate in low and middle income countries like India, where there are no organized and affordable screening services. It is essential to identify the existing awareness about breast cancer in the community prior to launching an organized effort. This study assessed the existing awareness about breast cancer amongst women and their health seeking practices in an urban community in Mumbai, India. A postal survey was undertaken with low or no cost options for returning the completed questionnaires. The majority of the women were aware about cancer but awareness about symptoms and signs was poor. Women were willing to accept more information about cancer and those with higher awareness scores were more likely to seek medical help. They were also more likely to have undergone breast examination in the past and less likely to use alternative medicines. High income was associated with better awareness but this did not translate into better health seeking behaviour. Organized programmes giving detailed information about breast cancer and its symptoms are needed and women from all income categories need to be encouraged for positive change towards health seeking. Further detailed studies regarding barriers to health seeking in India are necessary.

Economic development and gender inequality in cognition: a comparison of China and India, and of SAGE and the HRS sister studies

PubMed Central

Weir, David; Lay, Margaret; Langa, Kenneth

2014-01-01

This paper examines cognition measures by age and gender from two types of studies in China and India. It finds that despite some notable differences in samples and measures, a general strong association of cognition in older ages with education emerges as a potential explanation for gender gaps and cohort differences. Female disadvantage in cognition is greater in India, both before and after controlling for education. The process of rural-urban migration draws more cognitively able women to cities in China but not in India. The advent of modern longitudinal studies of aging in these developing countries holds great promise for future work. PMID:25506546

The impact of monsoon intraseasonal variability on renewable power generation in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunning, C. M.; Turner, A. G.; Brayshaw, D. J.

2015-06-01

India is increasingly investing in renewable technology to meet rising energy demands, with hydropower and other renewables comprising one-third of current installed capacity. Installed wind-power is projected to increase 5-fold by 2035 (to nearly 100GW) under the International Energy Agency's New Policies scenario. However, renewable electricity generation is dependent upon the prevailing meteorology, which is strongly influenced by monsoon variability. Prosperity and widespread electrification are increasing the demand for air conditioning, especially during the warm summer. This study uses multi-decadal observations and meteorological reanalysis data to assess the impact of intraseasonal monsoon variability on the balance of electricity supply from wind-power and temperature-related demand in India. Active monsoon phases are characterized by vigorous convection and heavy rainfall over central India. This results in lower temperatures giving lower cooling energy demand, while strong westerly winds yield high wind-power output. In contrast, monsoon breaks are characterized by suppressed precipitation, with higher temperatures and hence greater demand for cooling, and lower wind-power output across much of India. The opposing relationship between wind-power supply and cooling demand during active phases (low demand, high supply) and breaks (high demand, low supply) suggests that monsoon variability will tend to exacerbate fluctuations in the so-called demand-net-wind (i.e., electrical demand that must be supplied from non-wind sources). This study may have important implications for the design of power systems and for investment decisions in conventional schedulable generation facilities (such as coal and gas) that are used to maintain the supply/demand balance. In particular, if it is assumed (as is common) that the generated wind-power operates as a price-taker (i.e., wind farm operators always wish to sell their power, irrespective of price) then investors in

Estimation of fuel loss due to idling of vehicles at a signalized intersection in Chennai, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasantha Kumar, S.; Gulati, Himanshu; Arora, Shivam

2017-11-01

The vehicles while waiting at signalized intersections are generally found to be in idling condition, i.e., not switching off their vehicles during red times. This phenomenon of idling of vehicles during red times at signalized intersections may lead to huge economic loss as lot of fuel is consumed by vehicles when they are in idling condition. The situation may even be worse in countries like India as different vehicle types consume varying amount of fuel. Only limited studies have been reported on estimation of fuel loss due to idling of vehicles in India. In the present study, one of the busy intersections in Chennai, namely, Tidel Park Junction in Rajiv Gandhi salai was considered. Data collection was carried out in one approach road of the intersection during morning and evening peak hours on a typical working day by manually noting down the red timings of each cycle and the corresponding number of two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger cars, light commercial vehicles (LCV) and heavy motorized vehicles (HMV) that were in idling mode. Using the fuel consumption values of various vehicles types suggested by Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), the total fuel loss during the study period was found to be Rs. 4,93,849/-. The installation of red timers, synchronization of signals, use of non-motorized transport for short trips and public awareness are some of the measures which government need to focus to save the fuel wasted at signalized intersections in major cities of India.

Y Chromosome Haplogroup Distribution in Indo-European Speaking Tribes of Gujarat, Western India

PubMed Central

Aggarwal, Aastha; Mitra, Siuli; Italia, Yazdi M.; Saraswathy, Kallur N.; Chandrasekar, Adimoolam

2014-01-01

The present study was carried out in the Indo-European speaking tribal population groups of Southern Gujarat, India to investigate and reconstruct their paternal population structure and population histories. The role of language, ethnicity and geography in determining the observed pattern of Y haplogroup clustering in the study populations was also examined. A set of 48 bi-allelic markers on the non-recombining region of Y chromosome (NRY) were analysed in 284 males; representing nine Indo-European speaking tribal populations. The genetic structure of the populations revealed that none of these groups was overtly admixed or completely isolated. However, elevated haplogroup diversity and FST value point towards greater diversity and differentiation which suggests the possibility of early demographic expansion of the study groups. The phylogenetic analysis revealed 13 paternal lineages, of which six haplogroups: C5, H1a*, H2, J2, R1a1* and R2 accounted for a major portion of the Y chromosome diversity. The higher frequency of the six haplogroups and the pattern of clustering in the populations indicated overlapping of haplogroups with West and Central Asian populations. Other analyses undertaken on the population affiliations revealed that the Indo-European speaking populations along with the Dravidian speaking groups of southern India have an influence on the tribal groups of Gujarat. The vital role of geography in determining the distribution of Y lineages was also noticed. This implies that although language plays a vital role in determining the distribution of Y lineages, the present day linguistic affiliation of any population in India for reconstructing the demographic history of the country should be considered with caution. PMID:24614885

Y chromosome haplogroup distribution in Indo-European speaking tribes of Gujarat, western India.

PubMed

Khurana, Priyanka; Aggarwal, Aastha; Mitra, Siuli; Italia, Yazdi M; Saraswathy, Kallur N; Chandrasekar, Adimoolam; Kshatriya, Gautam K

2014-01-01

The present study was carried out in the Indo-European speaking tribal population groups of Southern Gujarat, India to investigate and reconstruct their paternal population structure and population histories. The role of language, ethnicity and geography in determining the observed pattern of Y haplogroup clustering in the study populations was also examined. A set of 48 bi-allelic markers on the non-recombining region of Y chromosome (NRY) were analysed in 284 males; representing nine Indo-European speaking tribal populations. The genetic structure of the populations revealed that none of these groups was overtly admixed or completely isolated. However, elevated haplogroup diversity and FST value point towards greater diversity and differentiation which suggests the possibility of early demographic expansion of the study groups. The phylogenetic analysis revealed 13 paternal lineages, of which six haplogroups: C5, H1a*, H2, J2, R1a1* and R2 accounted for a major portion of the Y chromosome diversity. The higher frequency of the six haplogroups and the pattern of clustering in the populations indicated overlapping of haplogroups with West and Central Asian populations. Other analyses undertaken on the population affiliations revealed that the Indo-European speaking populations along with the Dravidian speaking groups of southern India have an influence on the tribal groups of Gujarat. The vital role of geography in determining the distribution of Y lineages was also noticed. This implies that although language plays a vital role in determining the distribution of Y lineages, the present day linguistic affiliation of any population in India for reconstructing the demographic history of the country should be considered with caution.

Behavioral emergencies in India: a population based epidemiological study.

PubMed

Saddichha, Sahoo; Vibha, Pandey; Saxena, Mukul Kumar; Methuku, Mithilesh

2010-05-01

Behavioral emergencies constitute an important but neglected part of emergencies seen worldwide in both emergency departments and by emergency services. Yet research on behavioral emergencies in India has been scarce. The study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of acute behavioral problems as an emergency attended by our emergency management service-108 services. During the period of August 1st 2007-July 31st 2008, all behavioral emergencies presenting to our emergency services in the states of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, which together account for more than 15% of India's population, were reviewed for data completeness and validity. Key word analysis of recorded case details was carried out to determine cause of emergency. Survival to hospital and 48-h outcome was also evaluated to study risk factors for mortality. A total of 40,541 cases of behavioral emergencies were recorded, in which the male:female ratio was 1.3:1. Most victims were in the 20 and 30 years (42%), from a poor socio-economic background (93%), rural area (74.3%), and backward caste (42.6%). Suicidal attempts, whether in the form of poisoning (60.5%) or otherwise (30.7%) was the most common emergency, followed by acute psychiatric causes (4%) and alcohol intoxication (3%). Victims, who met a fatal outcome, were more likely to be male (p = 0.02), having a better socio-economic condition (p < 0.001) and older (p < 0.001). Suicidal attempts, which form the largest chunk of behavioral emergencies, need to be tackled on a war-footing, given the sensitivity it deserves. Acute psychiatric emergencies, which form about 9% of all emergencies, require the emerging role of emergency psychiatric services.

One Health approach to cost-effective rabies control in India.

PubMed

Fitzpatrick, Meagan C; Shah, Hiral A; Pandey, Abhishek; Bilinski, Alyssa M; Kakkar, Manish; Clark, Andrew D; Townsend, Jeffrey P; Abbas, Syed Shahid; Galvani, Alison P

2016-12-20

Over 20,000 rabies deaths occur annually in India, representing one-third of global human rabies. The Indian state of Tamil Nadu has pioneered a "One Health" committee to address the challenge of rabies in dogs and humans. Currently, rabies control in Tamil Nadu involves postexposure vaccination of humans after dog bites, whereas potential supplemental approaches include canine vaccination and sterilization. We developed a data-driven rabies transmission model fit to human rabies autopsy data and human rabies surveillance data from Tamil Nadu. Integrating local estimates for canine demography and costs, we predicted the impact of canine vaccination and sterilization on human health outcomes and evaluated cost-effectiveness according to the WHO criteria for India, which correspond to thresholds of $1,582 and $4,746 per disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for very cost-effective and cost-effective strategies, respectively. We found that highly feasible strategies focused on stray dogs, vaccinating as few as 7% of dogs annually, could very cost-effectively reduce human rabies deaths by 70% within 5 y, and a modest expansion to vaccinating 13% of stray dogs could cost-effectively reduce human rabies by almost 90%. Through integration over parameter uncertainty, we find that, for a cost-effectiveness threshold above $1,400 per DALY, canine interventions are at least 95% likely to be optimal. If owners are willing to bring dogs to central point campaigns at double the rate that campaign teams can capture strays, expanded annual targets become cost-effective. This case study of cost-effective canine interventions in Tamil Nadu may have applicability to other settings in India and beyond.

One Health approach to cost-effective rabies control in India

PubMed Central

Shah, Hiral A.; Pandey, Abhishek; Bilinski, Alyssa M.; Kakkar, Manish; Clark, Andrew D.; Galvani, Alison P.

2016-01-01

Over 20,000 rabies deaths occur annually in India, representing one-third of global human rabies. The Indian state of Tamil Nadu has pioneered a “One Health” committee to address the challenge of rabies in dogs and humans. Currently, rabies control in Tamil Nadu involves postexposure vaccination of humans after dog bites, whereas potential supplemental approaches include canine vaccination and sterilization. We developed a data-driven rabies transmission model fit to human rabies autopsy data and human rabies surveillance data from Tamil Nadu. Integrating local estimates for canine demography and costs, we predicted the impact of canine vaccination and sterilization on human health outcomes and evaluated cost-effectiveness according to the WHO criteria for India, which correspond to thresholds of $1,582 and $4,746 per disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for very cost-effective and cost-effective strategies, respectively. We found that highly feasible strategies focused on stray dogs, vaccinating as few as 7% of dogs annually, could very cost-effectively reduce human rabies deaths by 70% within 5 y, and a modest expansion to vaccinating 13% of stray dogs could cost-effectively reduce human rabies by almost 90%. Through integration over parameter uncertainty, we find that, for a cost-effectiveness threshold above $1,400 per DALY, canine interventions are at least 95% likely to be optimal. If owners are willing to bring dogs to central point campaigns at double the rate that campaign teams can capture strays, expanded annual targets become cost-effective. This case study of cost-effective canine interventions in Tamil Nadu may have applicability to other settings in India and beyond. PMID:27994161

Geo-spatial analysis of the temporal trends of kharif crop phenology metrics over India and its relationships with rainfall parameters.

PubMed

Chakraborty, Abhishek; Seshasai, M V R; Dadhwal, V K

2014-07-01

The Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies bimonthly Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data of 8 × 8 km spatial resolution for the period of 1982-2006 were analyzed to detect the trends of crop phenology metrics (start of the growing season (SGS), seasonal NDVI amplitude (AMP), seasonally integrated NDVI (SiNDVI)) during kharif season (June to October) and their relationships with the amount of rainfall and the number of rainy days over Indian subcontinent. Direction and magnitude of trends were analyzed at pixel level using the Mann-Kendall test and further assessed at meteorological subdivision level using field significance test (α = 0.1). Significant pre-occurrence of the SGS was observed over northern (Punjab, Haryana) and central (Marathwada, Vidarbha and Madhya Maharashtra) parts, whereas delay was found over southern (Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra Pradesh) and eastern (Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal) parts of India. North, west, and central India showed significant increasing trends of SiNDVI, corroborating the kharif food grain production performance during the time frame. Significant temporal correlation (α = 0.1) between the rainfall/number of rainy days and crop phenology metrics was observed over the rainfed region of India. About 35-40 % of the study area showed significant correlation between the SGS and the rainfall/number of rainy days during June to August. June month rainfall/number of rainy days was found to be the most sensitive to the SGS. The amount of rainfall and the number of rainy days during monsoon were found to have significant influence over the SiNDVI in 24-30 % of the study area. The crop phenology metrics had significant correlation with the number of rainy days over the larger areas than that of the rainfall amount.

Lifelong Education and Community Learning: Three Case Studies in India. UIE Monographs, 7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patel, V; Shukla, N. N.

Three case studies of educational practices in India illustrate that lifelong learning (1) is not confined to childhood; (2) encompasses a large number of sources outside formal education; and (3) can lead to improvement of everday life. These three educational activities, all at semi-rural institutions, and directed toward improving aborigines'…

Analysis of Food Pairing in Regional Cuisines of India

PubMed Central

Bagler, Ganesh

2015-01-01

Any national cuisine is a sum total of its variety of regional cuisines, which are the cultural and historical identifiers of their respective regions. India is home to a number of regional cuisines that showcase its culinary diversity. Here, we study recipes from eight different regional cuisines of India spanning various geographies and climates. We investigate the phenomenon of food pairing which examines compatibility of two ingredients in a recipe in terms of their shared flavor compounds. Food pairing was enumerated at the level of cuisine, recipes as well as ingredient pairs by quantifying flavor sharing between pairs of ingredients. Our results indicate that each regional cuisine follows negative food pairing pattern; more the extent of flavor sharing between two ingredients, lesser their co-occurrence in that cuisine. We find that frequency of ingredient usage is central in rendering the characteristic food pairing in each of these cuisines. Spice and dairy emerged as the most significant ingredient classes responsible for the biased pattern of food pairing. Interestingly while individual spices contribute to negative food pairing, dairy products on the other hand tend to deviate food pairing towards positive side. Our data analytical study highlighting statistical properties of the regional cuisines, brings out their culinary fingerprints that could be used to design algorithms for generating novel recipes and recipe recommender systems. It forms a basis for exploring possible causal connection between diet and health as well as prospection of therapeutic molecules from food ingredients. Our study also provides insights as to how big data can change the way we look at food. PMID:26430895

Analysis of Food Pairing in Regional Cuisines of India.

PubMed

Jain, Anupam; N K, Rakhi; Bagler, Ganesh

2015-01-01

Any national cuisine is a sum total of its variety of regional cuisines, which are the cultural and historical identifiers of their respective regions. India is home to a number of regional cuisines that showcase its culinary diversity. Here, we study recipes from eight different regional cuisines of India spanning various geographies and climates. We investigate the phenomenon of food pairing which examines compatibility of two ingredients in a recipe in terms of their shared flavor compounds. Food pairing was enumerated at the level of cuisine, recipes as well as ingredient pairs by quantifying flavor sharing between pairs of ingredients. Our results indicate that each regional cuisine follows negative food pairing pattern; more the extent of flavor sharing between two ingredients, lesser their co-occurrence in that cuisine. We find that frequency of ingredient usage is central in rendering the characteristic food pairing in each of these cuisines. Spice and dairy emerged as the most significant ingredient classes responsible for the biased pattern of food pairing. Interestingly while individual spices contribute to negative food pairing, dairy products on the other hand tend to deviate food pairing towards positive side. Our data analytical study highlighting statistical properties of the regional cuisines, brings out their culinary fingerprints that could be used to design algorithms for generating novel recipes and recipe recommender systems. It forms a basis for exploring possible causal connection between diet and health as well as prospection of therapeutic molecules from food ingredients. Our study also provides insights as to how big data can change the way we look at food.

India: Chronology of Recent Events

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-13

Order Code RS21589 Updated February 13, 2007 India : Chronology of Recent Events K. Alan Kronstadt Specialist in Asian Affairs Foreign Affairs...Defense, and Trade Division Summary This report provides a reverse chronology of recent events involving India and India -U.S. relations. Sources include... India -U.S. Relations. This report will be updated regularly. 02/13/07 — Commerce Secretary Gutierrez began a two-day visit to New Delhi, where he

Studies in Continuity and Change: A Comparative Study of the Mother Goddess in Ancient India and Ancient Egypt.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardiman, W. J.

Visiting the Temple of Kali in Calcutta, India, one understands the importance of an Afro-centric methodology in describing the complex nature of the Mother Goddess in ancient India. Discoveries of ancient female figurines indicate an early Indian concept of the female role in the creation of civilization and culture and of the notion of the…

Nurse migration from India: a literature review.

PubMed

Garner, Shelby L; Conroy, Shelley F; Bader, Susan Gerding

2015-12-01

A profound nursing shortage exists in India where nurses are increasingly outmigrating to practice nursing in surrounding countries and abroad. This is important globally because countries with the lowest nursing and healthcare workforce capacities have the poorest health outcomes. This review sought to synthesize and unify the evidence about nurse migration from India and includes a look at nurse retention within India. A comprehensive literature review was performed to synthesize and unify both qualitative and quantitative research. Bibliographic databases searched included CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EconLit using associated keywords for empirical and descriptive literature published between January 2004 and May 2014. Hand searches of the Nursing Journal of India from 2004 to February 2014 and the Journal of Nursing Research Society of India from its inception in 2007-February 2014 were also completed. 29 studies were selected and analyzed for the review. Data were appraised for quality; reduced through sub-categorization; extracted; and coded into a framework. Thematic interpretation occurred through comparing and contrasting performed by multiple reviewers. Findings included an exponential growth in nurse recruitment efforts, nurse migration, and a concomitant growth in educational institutions within India with regional variations in nurse migration patterns. Decision-making factors for migration were based on working conditions, salience of family, and the desire for knowledge, skill, technology, adventure and personal enrichment. Challenges associated with migration included questionable recruiting practices, differing scopes of practice encountered after migration and experiences of racism and cultural differences. A shift toward a positive transformation of nursing status in India has resulted in an increased respect for individual nurses and the profession of nursing. This was attributed to the increased globalization of nursing. Results from this

A Three-Year Follow-Up Study of Antibiotic and Metal Residues, Antibiotic Resistance and Resistance Genes, Focusing on Kshipra-A River Associated with Holy Religious Mass-Bathing in India: Protocol Paper.

PubMed

Diwan, Vishal; Purohit, Manju; Chandran, Salesh; Parashar, Vivek; Shah, Harshada; Mahadik, Vijay K; Stålsby Lundborg, Cecilia; Tamhankar, Ashok J

2017-05-29

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is one of the major health emergencies for global society. Little is known about the ABR of environmental bacteria and therefore it is important to understand ABR reservoirs in the environment and their potential impact on health. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected during a 3-year follow-up study of a river associated with religious mass-bathing in Central India. Surface-water and sediment samples will be collected from seven locations at regular intervals for 3 years during religious mass-bathing and in absence of it to monitor water-quality, antibiotic residues, resistant bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes and metals. Approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of R.D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India (No. 2013/07/17-311). The results will address the issue of antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistance with a focus on a river environment in India within a typical socio-behavioural context of religious mass-bathing. It will enhance our understanding about the relationship between antibiotic residue levels, water-quality, heavy metals and antibiotic resistance patterns in Escherichia coli isolated from river-water and sediment, and seasonal differences that are associated with religious mass-bathing. We will also document, identify and clarify the genetic differences/similarities relating to phenotypic antibiotic resistance in bacteria in rivers during religious mass-bathing or during periods when there is no mass-bathing.

Characterizing the genetic differences between two distinct migrant groups from Indo-European and Dravidian speaking populations in India.

PubMed

Ali, Mohammad; Liu, Xuanyao; Pillai, Esakimuthu Nisha; Chen, Peng; Khor, Chiea-Chuen; Ong, Rick Twee-Hee; Teo, Yik-Ying

2014-07-22

India is home to many ethnically and linguistically diverse populations. It is hypothesized that history of invasions by people from Persia and Central Asia, who are referred as Aryans in Hindu Holy Scriptures, had a defining role in shaping the Indian population canvas. A shift in spoken languages from Dravidian languages to Indo-European languages around 1500 B.C. is central to the Aryan Invasion Theory. Here we investigate the genetic differences between two sub-populations of India consisting of: (1) The Indo-European language speaking Gujarati Indians with genome-wide data from the International HapMap Project; and (2) the Dravidian language speaking Tamil Indians with genome-wide data from the Singapore Genome Variation Project. We implemented three population genetics measures to identify genomic regions that are significantly differentiated between the two Indian populations originating from the north and south of India. These measures singled out genomic regions with: (i) SNPs exhibiting significant variation in allele frequencies in the two Indian populations; and (ii) differential signals of positive natural selection as quantified by the integrated haplotype score (iHS) and cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH). One of the regions that emerged spans the SLC24A5 gene that has been functionally shown to affect skin pigmentation, with a higher degree of genetic sharing between Gujarati Indians and Europeans. Our finding points to a gene-flow from Europe to north India that provides an explanation for the lighter skin tones present in North Indians in comparison to South Indians.

Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Study Tobacco Behavior in Urban India: There’s an App for That

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) uses real-time data collection to assess participants’ behaviors and environments. This paper explores the strengths and limitations of using EMA to examine social and environmental exposure to tobacco in urban India among older adolescents and adults. Objective Objectives of this study were (1) to describe the methods used in an EMA study of tobacco use in urban India using a mobile phone app for data collection, (2) to determine the feasibility of using EMA in the chosen setting by drawing on participant completion and compliance rates with the study protocol, and (3) to provide recommendations on implementing mobile phone EMA research in India and other low- and middle-income countries. Methods Via mobile phones and the Internet, this study used two EMA surveys: (1) a momentary survey, sent multiple times per day at random to participants, which asked about their real-time tobacco use (smoked and smokeless) and exposure to pro- and antitobacco messaging in their location, and 2) an end-of-day survey sent at the end of each study day. Trained participants, from Hyderabad and Kolkata, India, reported on their social and environmental exposure to tobacco over 10 consecutive days. This feasibility study examined participant compliance, exploring factors related to the successful completion of surveys and the validity of EMA data. Results The sample included 205 participants, the majority of whom were male (135/205, 65.9%). Almost half smoked less than daily (56/205, 27.3%) or daily (43/205, 21.0%), and 4.4% (9/205) used smokeless tobacco products. Participants completed and returned 46.87% and 73.02% of momentary and end-of-day surveys, respectively. Significant predictors of momentary survey completion included employment and completion of end-of-day surveys. End-of-day survey completion was only significantly predicted by momentary survey completion. Conclusions This first study of EMA in India offers promising

Challenges in diabetology research in India.

PubMed

Jena, Swarup; Mishra, Brijesh; Yadav, Anamika; Desai, Pranav

2018-05-01

Diabetes emerges out to be a major epidemic in recent years that engulfs both developed and developing countries across the globe. India, a country witnessing rapid socioeconomic progress and urbanization carries a considerable share of the global diabetes burden. There has been an incongruity between disease burden and the technical capacity to make use of existing knowledge or to generate new knowledge to combat diabetes in India. This paper examines the role of different actors, organizations & institutions in shaping diabetology research in India using arrays of scientific indicators such as research output (publications and patents), research finance and role of policy-making bodies. This paper also identifies research gaps and challenges pertinent to this sector. A combination of three methods patent data analysis, publication data analysis and primary survey corroborated with secondary data to obtain desire objectives. We made an in-depth study of the patent and publication data (2000-2016) to know the research output and direction of Indian actors, institutions and organizations in the area of diabetes research. This paper identifies some key structural barriers and institutional challenges pertinent to diabetology research in India that will help in canvassing and formulating science, technology and policy guidelines for diabetology research in India CONCLUSION: Multilevel intervention requires bridging the gap between knowledge and action hence policy-making should align to balance resources with innovation capabilities. Copyright © 2017 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Regional Study: Gujarat

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cochran, Jaquelin M; Palchak, Joseph D; Ehlen, Annaliese K

This chapter on Andhra Pradesh is one of six state chapters included in Appendix C of 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. II - Regional Study' (the Regional Study). The objective of the state chapters is to provide modeling assumptions, results, and next steps to use and improve the model specific to each state. The model has inherent uncertainties, particularly in how the intrastate transmission network and RE generation projects will develop (e.g., locations, capacities). The model also does not include information on contracts or must-run status of particular plantsmore » for reliability purposes. By providing details on the higher spatial resolution model of 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. II - Regional Study' (the Regional Study), which better represents the impact of congestion on least-cost scheduling and dispatch, provides a deeper understanding of the relationship among renewable energy (RE) location, transmission, and system flexibility with regard to RE integration, compared to 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. I - National Study.'« less

Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Regional Study: Rajasthan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cochran, Jaquelin M; Palchak, Joseph D; Ehlen, Annaliese K

This chapter on Andhra Pradesh is one of six state chapters included in Appendix C of 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. II - Regional Study' (the Regional Study). The objective of the state chapters is to provide modeling assumptions, results, and next steps to use and improve the model specific to each state. The model has inherent uncertainties, particularly in how the intrastate transmission network and RE generation projects will develop (e.g., locations, capacities). The model also does not include information on contracts or must-run status of particular plantsmore » for reliability purposes. By providing details on the higher spatial resolution model of 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. II - Regional Study' (the Regional Study), which better represents the impact of congestion on least-cost scheduling and dispatch, provides a deeper understanding of the relationship among renewable energy (RE) location, transmission, and system flexibility with regard to RE integration, compared to 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. I - National Study.'« less

Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Regional Study: Karnataka

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cochran, Jaquelin M; Palchak, Joseph D; Ehlen, Annaliese K

This chapter on Andhra Pradesh is one of six state chapters included in Appendix C of 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. II - Regional Study' (the Regional Study). The objective of the state chapters is to provide modeling assumptions, results, and next steps to use and improve the model specific to each state. The model has inherent uncertainties, particularly in how the intrastate transmission network and RE generation projects will develop (e.g., locations, capacities). The model also does not include information on contracts or must-run status of particular plantsmore » for reliability purposes. By providing details on the higher spatial resolution model of 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. II - Regional Study' (the Regional Study), which better represents the impact of congestion on least-cost scheduling and dispatch, provides a deeper understanding of the relationship among renewable energy (RE) location, transmission, and system flexibility with regard to RE integration, compared to 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. I - National Study.'« less

Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Regional Study: Maharashtra

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cochran, Jaquelin M; Palchak, Joseph D; Ehlen, Annaliese K

This chapter on Andhra Pradesh is one of six state chapters included in Appendix C of 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. II - Regional Study' (the Regional Study). The objective of the state chapters is to provide modeling assumptions, results, and next steps to use and improve the model specific to each state. The model has inherent uncertainties, particularly in how the intrastate transmission network and RE generation projects will develop (e.g., locations, capacities). The model also does not include information on contracts or must-run status of particular plantsmore » for reliability purposes. By providing details on the higher spatial resolution model of 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. II - Regional Study' (the Regional Study), which better represents the impact of congestion on least-cost scheduling and dispatch, provides a deeper understanding of the relationship among renewable energy (RE) location, transmission, and system flexibility with regard to RE integration, compared to 'Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid, Vol. I - National Study.'« less

Addressing poverty through disease control programmes: examples from Tuberculosis control in India

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Introduction Tuberculosis remains a major public health problem in India with the country accounting for one-fifth or 21% of all tuberculosis cases reported globally. The purpose of the study was to obtain an understanding on pro-poor initiatives within the framework of tuberculosis control programme in India and to identify mechanisms to improve the uptake and access to TB services among the poor. Methodology A national level workshop was held with participation from all relevant stakeholder groups. This study conducted during the stakeholder workshop adopted participatory research methods. The data was elicited through consultative and collegiate processes. The research study also factored information from primary and secondary sources that included literature review examining poverty headcount ratios and below poverty line population in the country; and quasi-profiling assessments to identify poor, backward and tribal districts as defined by the TB programme in India. Results Results revealed that current pro-poor initiatives in TB control included collaboration with private providers and engaging community to improve access among the poor to TB diagnostic and treatment services. The participants identified gaps in existing pro-poor strategies that related to implementation of advocacy, communication and social mobilisation; decentralisation of DOT; and incentives for the poor through the available schemes for public-private partnerships and provided key recommendations for action. Synergies between TB control programme and centrally sponsored social welfare schemes and state specific social welfare programmes aimed at benefitting the poor were unclear. Conclusion Further in-depth analysis and systems/policy/operations research exploring pro-poor initiatives, in particular examining service delivery synergies between existing poverty alleviation schemes and TB control programme is essential. The understanding, reflection and knowledge of the key stakeholders

Addressing poverty through disease control programmes: examples from Tuberculosis control in India.

PubMed

Kamineni, Vishnu Vardhan; Wilson, Nevin; Das, Anand; Satyanarayana, Srinath; Chadha, Sarabjit; Sachdeva, Kuldeep Singh; Chauhan, Lakbir Singh

2012-03-26

Tuberculosis remains a major public health problem in India with the country accounting for one-fifth or 21% of all tuberculosis cases reported globally. The purpose of the study was to obtain an understanding on pro-poor initiatives within the framework of tuberculosis control programme in India and to identify mechanisms to improve the uptake and access to TB services among the poor. A national level workshop was held with participation from all relevant stakeholder groups. This study conducted during the stakeholder workshop adopted participatory research methods. The data was elicited through consultative and collegiate processes. The research study also factored information from primary and secondary sources that included literature review examining poverty headcount ratios and below poverty line population in the country; and quasi-profiling assessments to identify poor, backward and tribal districts as defined by the TB programme in India. Results revealed that current pro-poor initiatives in TB control included collaboration with private providers and engaging community to improve access among the poor to TB diagnostic and treatment services. The participants identified gaps in existing pro-poor strategies that related to implementation of advocacy, communication and social mobilisation; decentralisation of DOT; and incentives for the poor through the available schemes for public-private partnerships and provided key recommendations for action. Synergies between TB control programme and centrally sponsored social welfare schemes and state specific social welfare programmes aimed at benefitting the poor were unclear. Further in-depth analysis and systems/policy/operations research exploring pro-poor initiatives, in particular examining service delivery synergies between existing poverty alleviation schemes and TB control programme is essential. The understanding, reflection and knowledge of the key stakeholders during this participatory workshop provides

Upper and lower mantle anisotropy inferred from comprehensive SKS and SKKS splitting measurements from India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Sunil K.; Ravi Kumar, M.; Srinagesh, D.

2014-04-01

In this study, we investigate the upper mantle anisotropy beneath India using high quality SKS and SKKS waveforms from 382 teleseismic earthquakes recorded at 119 broadband seismic stations. In addition, we present evidence for anisotropy in the D″ layer beneath southeast Asia using SKS and SKKS splitting discrepancies on the same seismogram. During this exercise, we obtain 200 new splitting measurements from 35 stations recently deployed in the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP), central India and northeast India. While the delay times between the fast and slow axes of anisotropy (δt) range from 0.3 to 1.7 s, the fast polarization azimuths (Φ) at a majority of stations in the IGP and central India coincide with the absolute plate motion of India implying shear at the base of the lithosphere as the dominant mechanism for forging anisotropy. However, stations in NE India reveal fast polarization azimuths mainly in the ENE-WSW direction suggestive of lithospheric strain induced by the ongoing Indo-Eurasian collision. Our analysis for D″ anisotropy yielded a total of 100 SKS-SKKS pairs, which can be categorized into those exhibiting (I) null measurements for one phase and significant splitting for the other phase, (II) null measurement for both the phases, (III) significant splitting for both the phases. A pair is considered to be anomalous if the splitting difference between SKS and SKKS is ⩾0.5 s and the individual split time is ⩾0.5 s. Using this criterion, we obtain 12 measurements under category III and 9 under category I that show a null measurement for SKS and large splitting for the SKKS phase. Further, we quantify the strength of the lower mantle anisotropy by correcting the SKKS measurement for the upper mantle anisotropy obtained by the SKS phase on the same seismogram. The SKS delay times are found to be consistently less than SKKS times, suggesting that the SKS phases do not capture the lower mantle anisotropy in comparison to their SKKS counterparts

Framework for a National STEMI Program: consensus document developed by STEMI INDIA, Cardiological Society of India and Association Physicians of India.

PubMed

Alexander, Thomas; Mullasari, Ajit S; Kaifoszova, Zuzana; Khot, Umesh N; Nallamothu, Brahmajee; Ramana, Rao G V; Sharma, Meenakshi; Subramaniam, Kala; Veerasekar, Ganesh; Victor, Suma M; Chand, Kiran; Deb, P K; Venugopal, K; Chopra, H K; Guha, Santanu; Banerjee, Amal Kumar; Armugam, A Muruganathan; Panja, Manotosh; Wander, Gurpreet Singh

2015-01-01

The health care burden of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in India is enormous. Yet, many patients with STEMI can seldom avail timely and evidence based reperfusion treatments. This gap in care is a result of financial barriers, limited healthcare infrastructure, poor knowledge and accessibility of acute medical services for a majority of the population. Addressing some of these issues, STEMI India, a not-for-profit organization, Cardiological Society of India (CSI) and Association Physicians of India (API) have developed a protocol of "systems of care" for efficient management of STEMI, with integrated networks of facilities. Leveraging newly-developed ambulance and emergency medical services, incorporating recent state insurance schemes for vulnerable populations to broaden access, and combining innovative, "state-of-the-art" information technology platforms with existing hospital infrastructure, are the crucial aspects of this system. A pilot program was successfully employed in the state of Tamilnadu. The purpose of this article is to describe the framework and methods associated with this programme with an aim to improve delivery of reperfusion therapy for STEMI in India. This programme can serve as model STEMI systems of care for other low-and-middle income countries. Copyright © 2015 Cardiological Society of India. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Globalisation of birth markets: a case study of assisted reproductive technologies in India

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The escalation of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) in India into a veritable fertility industry is the result of a multitude of reasons. This paper places the bio-genetic industry within the larger political economy framework of globalisation and privatisation, thus employing a framework that is often omitted from discussions on ARTs, but has direct and significant bearings on the ART industry in India. As markets for human organs, tissues and reproductive body parts experience unprecedented growth, the limits of what can or should be bought and sold continue to be pushed. As such, bodies have emerged as sale-worthy economic capital. Commercial flows of reproductive material create and deploy the division of the body into parts over which ownership is claimed, in the process following 'modern routes of capital' and raising issues of structural inequality. This paper presents a brief picture of India's fertility industry with specific focus on its ground-level operation, nature and growth. It aims to explore the industry dimensions of ARTs, by highlighting the macro picture of health care markets and medical tourism in India, the proliferation of the ART industry, market features such as the social imperative to mother, costs, promotion and marketing, unverified claims, inflated success rates, deals and offers, actors and collaborations in the field, and finally, the absence of standards. This paper presents findings from the research 'Constructing Conceptions: The Mapping of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in India', by Sama, a Delhi-based resource group working on gender, health and rights. This research was conducted from 2008 to 2010 in the three states of Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu in India, and is one of the first of its kind, highlighting unethical medical practices and making a case for the regulation of the ART industry. As such, it forms a significant part of Sama's ongoing work on women and technologies, particularly policy

Globalisation of birth markets: a case study of assisted reproductive technologies in India.

PubMed

Sarojini, Nadimpally; Marwah, Vrinda; Shenoi, Anjali

2011-08-12

The escalation of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) in India into a veritable fertility industry is the result of a multitude of reasons. This paper places the bio-genetic industry within the larger political economy framework of globalisation and privatisation, thus employing a framework that is often omitted from discussions on ARTs, but has direct and significant bearings on the ART industry in India. As markets for human organs, tissues and reproductive body parts experience unprecedented growth, the limits of what can or should be bought and sold continue to be pushed. As such, bodies have emerged as sale-worthy economic capital. Commercial flows of reproductive material create and deploy the division of the body into parts over which ownership is claimed, in the process following 'modern routes of capital' and raising issues of structural inequality.This paper presents a brief picture of India's fertility industry with specific focus on its ground-level operation, nature and growth. It aims to explore the industry dimensions of ARTs, by highlighting the macro picture of health care markets and medical tourism in India, the proliferation of the ART industry, market features such as the social imperative to mother, costs, promotion and marketing, unverified claims, inflated success rates, deals and offers, actors and collaborations in the field, and finally, the absence of standards. This paper presents findings from the research 'Constructing Conceptions: The Mapping of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in India', by Sama, a Delhi-based resource group working on gender, health and rights. This research was conducted from 2008 to 2010 in the three states of Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu in India, and is one of the first of its kind, highlighting unethical medical practices and making a case for the regulation of the ART industry. As such, it forms a significant part of Sama's ongoing work on women and technologies, particularly policy

Culture and Poverty: A Case Study of a Girl with Special Educational Needs from a Poor Community in South India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philip, Neetha

2015-01-01

Girls with disabilities from lower economic homes are disadvantaged (in terms of gender, disability and poverty) in India, and are often regarded as useless by their communities. There is a need to improve and provide a chance for self-sufficiency among women with disabilities in India. The purpose of this study was to examine the life-chances…

India Culture Trunk. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad, 1997 (India).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doeksen, Peggy

This unit is intended to provide students with a general knowledge of the history and culture of India. Activities include: (1) "What Do You Know about India?"; (2) "What Is All This Stuff For?"; (3) "Name That Spice and Why It's Nice"; (4) "Where and How Are These Elephants Marching?"; (5) "Why Is…

PM2.5 pollution from household solid fuel burning practices in Central India: 2. Application of receptor models for source apportionment.

PubMed

Matawle, Jeevan Lal; Pervez, Shamsh; Deb, Manas Kanti; Shrivastava, Anjali; Tiwari, Suresh

2018-02-01

USEPA's UNMIX, positive matrix factorization (PMF) and effective variance-chemical mass balance (EV-CMB) receptor models were applied to chemically speciated profiles of 125 indoor PM 2.5 measurements, sampled longitudinally during 2012-2013 in low-income group households of Central India which uses solid fuels for cooking practices. Three step source apportionment studies were carried out to generate more confident source characterization. Firstly, UNMIX6.0 extracted initial number of source factors, which were used to execute PMF5.0 to extract source-factor profiles in second step. Finally, factor analog locally derived source profiles were supplemented to EV-CMB8.2 with indoor receptor PM 2.5 chemical profile to evaluate source contribution estimates (SCEs). The results of combined use of three receptor models clearly describe that UNMIX and PMF are useful tool to extract types of source categories within small receptor dataset and EV-CMB can pick those locally derived source profiles for source apportionment which are analog to PMF-extracted source categories. The source apportionment results have also shown three fold higher relative contribution of solid fuel burning emissions to indoor PM 2.5 compared to those measurements reported for normal households with LPG stoves. The previously reported influential source marker species were found to be comparatively similar to those extracted from PMF fingerprint plots. The comparison between PMF and CMB SCEs results were also found to be qualitatively similar. The performance fit measures of all three receptor models were cross-verified and validated and support each other to gain confidence in source apportionment results.

Physicians of ancient India.

PubMed

Saini, Anu

2016-01-01

A survey of Indian medical historiography will reveal no dearth of work on the systems of medicine and medical literature of ancient India. However, the people who were responsible for the healing have not received much attention. This article traces the evolution of the physician as a professional in ancient India. This article reviews the secondary literature on healing and medical practice in India, specifically pertaining to the individual medical practitioner, drawing from varied sources. The healers of ancient India hailed from different castes and classes. They were well-respected and enjoyed state patronage. They were held to the highest ethical standards of the day and were bound by a strict code of conduct. They underwent rigorous training in both medicine and surgery. Most physicians were multi-skilled generalists, and expected to be skilled in elocution and debate. They were reasonably well-off financially. The paper also briefly traces the evolution of medicinal ideas in ancient India.

The burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders in China and India: a systematic analysis of community representative epidemiological studies.

PubMed

Charlson, Fiona J; Baxter, Amanda J; Cheng, Hui G; Shidhaye, Rahul; Whiteford, Harvey A

2016-07-23

China and India jointly account for 38% of the world population, so understanding the burden attributed to mental, neurological, and substance use disorders within these two countries is essential. As part of the Lancet/Lancet Psychiatry China-India Mental Health Alliance Series, we aim to provide estimates of the burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders for China and India from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 (GBD 2013). In this systematic analysis for community representative epidemiological studies, we conducted systematic reviews in line with PRISMA guidelines for community representative epidemiological studies. We extracted estimates of prevalence, incidence, remission and duration, and mortality along with associated uncertainty intervals from GBD 2013. Using these data as primary inputs, DisMod-MR 2.0, a Bayesian meta-regression instrument, used a log rate and incidence-prevalence-mortality mathematical model to develop internally consistent epidemiological models. Disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) changes between 1990 and 2013 were decomposed to quantify change attributable to population growth and ageing. We projected DALYs from 2013 to 2025 for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders using United Nations population data. Around a third of global DALYs attributable to mental, neurological, and substance use disorders were found in China and India (66 million DALYs), a number greater than all developed countries combined (50 million DALYs). Disease burden profiles differed; India showed similarities with other developing countries (around 50% of DALYs attributable to non-communicable disease), whereas China more closely resembled developed countries (around 80% of DALYs attributable to non-communicable disease). The overall population growth in India explains a greater proportion of the increase in mental, neurological, and substance use disorder burden from 1990 to 2013 (44%) than in China (20%). The burden of

An epidemological study of obsessive compulsive disorder in adolescents from India.

PubMed

Jaisoorya, T S; Janardhan Reddy, Y C; Thennarasu, K; Beena, K V; Beena, M; Jose, Dalia C

2015-08-01

There is scarce data on the prevalence of OCD among adolescents in India. This study reports point prevalence of OCD among school students (age 12-18years) in the Kerala state of India and examines its association with ADHD, psychological distress, tobacco/alcohol abuse, suicide risk and history of sexual abuse. 7560 students of 73 schools were self-administered the OCD subsection of Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised, the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) for obsessive compulsive symptoms and other relevant instruments to identify OCD and related clinical measures. A diagnosis of ICD-10 OCD was derived through the CIS-R algorithm which required duration of at least 2weeks and at least a thought/behavior to be resisted along with a cut-off score for severity and impairment. In the sample, 50.3% were males with a mean age of 15.2years (range of 12-18years). The response rate was 97.3% (7380 valid responses). 0.8% (n=61) fulfilled criteria for OCD with a male predominance (1.1 vs. 0.5%, p=0.005). Prevalence was higher among Muslims and increased with age. Taboo thoughts (62.3%) and mental rituals (45.9%) were the commonest symptoms. Those with OCD had significantly higher suicidal thoughts (59 vs. 16.3%, p<0.01) suicide attempts (24.6 vs. 3.8%, p<0.01), ADHD (28 vs. 4%, p<0.001), sexual abuse (24.6 vs. 4.2%, p<0.01), and tobacco use (23 vs. 6.8%, p=0.01). They also reported greater psychological distress and poorer academic performance. OCD is common among adolescents in India. Its associations with ADHD, sexual abuse, psychological distress, poorer academic performance and suicidal behavior are additional reasons for it to be recognized and treated early. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic and prognostic utility of an inexpensive rapid on site malaria diagnostic test (ParaHIT f) among ethnic tribal population in areas of high, low and no transmission in central India.

PubMed

Singh, Neeru; Mishra, A K; Shukla, M M; Chand, S K; Bharti, Praveen Kumar

2005-06-21

Malaria presents a diagnostic challenge in most tropical countries. Rapid detection of the malaria parasite and early treatment of infection still remain the most important goals of disease management. Therefore, performance characteristics of the new indigenous ParaHIT f test (Span diagnostic Ltd, Surat, India) was determined among ethnic tribal population in four districts of different transmission potential in central India to assess whether this rapid diagnostic test (RDT) could be widely applied as a diagnostic tool to control malaria. Beyond diagnosis, the logical utilization of RDTs is to monitor treatment outcome. A finger prick blood sample was collected from each clinically suspected case of malaria to prepare blood smear and for testing with the RDT after taking informed consent. The blood smears were read by an experienced technician blinded to the RDT results and clinical status of the subjects. The figures for specificity, sensitivity, accuracy and predictive values were calculated using microscopy as gold standard. The prevalence of malaria infection estimated by RDT in parallel with microscopy provide evidence of the type of high, low or no transmission in the study area. Analysis revealed (pooled data of all four epidemiological settings) that overall sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the RDT were >90% in areas of different endemicity. While, RDT is useful to confirm the diagnosis of new symptomatic cases of suspected P. falciparum infection, the persistence of parasite antigen leading to false positives even after clearance of asexual parasitaemia has limited its utility as a prognostic tool. The study showed that the ParaHIT f test was easy to use, reliable and cheap. Thus this RDT is an appropriate test for the use in the field by paramedical staff when laboratory facilities are not available and thus likely to contribute greatly to an effective control of malaria in resource poor countries.

Exploring perceptions of group antenatal Care in Urban India: results of a feasibility study.

PubMed

Jolivet, R Rima; Uttekar, Bella Vasant; O'Connor, Meaghan; Lakhwani, Kanchan; Sharma, Jigyasa; Wegner, Mary Nell

2018-04-03

Making high-quality health care available to all women during pregnancy is a critical strategy for improving perinatal outcomes for mothers and babies everywhere. Research from high-income countries suggests that antenatal care delivered in a group may be an effective way to improve the provision, experiences, and outcomes of care for pregnant women and newborns. A number of researchers and programmers are adapting group antenatal care (ANC) models for use in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), but the evidence base from these settings is limited and no studies to date have assessed the feasibility and acceptability of group ANC in India. We adapted a "generic" model of group antenatal care developed through a systematic scoping review of the existing evidence on group ANC in LMICs for use in an urban setting in India, after looking at local, national and global guidelines to tailor the model content. We demonstrated one session of the model to physicians, auxiliary nurse midwives, administrators, pregnant women, and support persons from three different types of health facilities in Vadodara, India and used qualitative methods to gather and analyze feedback from participants on the perceived feasibility and acceptability of the model. Providers and recipients of care expressed support and enthusiasm for the model and offered specific feedback on its components: physical assessment, active learning, and social support. In general, after witnessing a demonstration of the model, both groups of participants-providers and beneficiaries-saw group ANC as a vehicle for delivering more comprehensive ANC services, improving experiences of care, empowering women to become more active partners and participants in their care, and potentially addressing some current health system challenges. This study suggests that introducing group ANC would be feasible and acceptable to stakeholders from various care delivery settings, including an urban primary health clinic, a