An Enterprise Architecture Framework for Information Management Improvement: Transforming Research into Practice

This paper reports how a SME in the Engineering Services sector was able to apply the ideas from research on enterprise wide information management to improve the coordination and control of its business processes. An established enterprise wide architecture framework regulated by essential e-business interactions and moderated by a customised portfolio of managerial issues is used to design a roadmap for the SME of future ICT implementations. The results of initial progress along the roadmap showed deliverables were validated and guided and by the three core activities of Business and IT alignment towards e-business transformation from emergent managerial issues

Problem-based learning versus lecture-based learning in pharmacology in a junior doctor teaching program: a crossover study from northern India

Background: The undergraduate MBBS training in our country is still in the traditional mode. The main part of the curriculum consists of lecture, tutorial, practical and ward teaching classes with a limited number of problem based session. The objective of the study was undertaken to compare PBL with LBL in terms of students’ knowledge retention in the subject of Pharmacology in undergraduate medical training.Methods: The current survey was planned and executed by the Department of Pharmacology in collaboration with Medical Education Unit, MSDS Medical College, Fatehgarh in the batch currently posted in the Department of Pharmacology for practical classes. Fifty MBBS students posted were enrolled for the study and were divided in 2 groups. One of the topics was presented as LBL for the first group and as PBL for the second group. The other topic was presented as PBL for the first group and as LBL for the second group. Intervention and control groups were taken as those used PBL and LBL respectively. T test was used to compare mean scores obtained by students in the intervention and control groups.Results: Mean scores obtained by students in the intervention group (topics learnt with PBL) were higher (3.80 Vs 2.84) than mean scores obtained by students in the control group (topics learnt with LBL). Mean scores obtained by students in the intervention group were higher (3.72 Vs 2.96) than mean scores obtained by students in the control group.Conclusions: The current study indicates usefulness of Problem-based learning (PBL) over Lecture-based Learning (LBL) in terms of retention of knowledge. However further studies involving more number of students are warranted in order to generate stronger evidence on this tool for improving medical education in our setup.

Comparing Service Quality: An In-depth Analysis of LIC and HDFC Life Insurance Companies

The objective of this study is to compare two leading life insurance providers in India: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and HDFC Life. India’s fast-growing economy has made it the most attractive insurance market globally. The study examines the five key dimensions of service quality provided by life insurance companies: responsiveness, reliability, tangibility, assurance, and empathy, which are crucial in shaping customer satisfaction and loyalty. By utilizing customer perceptions and experiences, the research aims to illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of each company, providing valuable insights for strategic improvements in service delivery. The study analyzed trends and applied t-tests to test the significance of the hypothesis. A sample of 600 respondents from Himachal Pradesh was taken. The present study’s thorough examination of service quality provides a deeper understanding of customer expectations in the life insurance sector. It offers practical recommendations for both LIC and HDFC Life to enhance their service quality and maintain a competitive edge in the industry

Urodynamic changes after valve fulguration alone and valve fulguration with bladder neck incision

Aims: The aim of this study is to compare urodynamic changes after valve fulguration alone and valve fulguration with bladder neck incision (BNI). Settings and Design: A total of 81 patients with posterior urethral valve were treated at our center from July 2010 to July 2016. Patients were randomized into two groups using simple randomization. Forty patients underwent BNI in addition to valve fulguration (Group I), and the remaining 41 patients underwent conventional transurethral valve fulguration (Group II). Subjects and Methods: The exclusion criteria for both the groups were the presence of simultaneous urogenital anomalies, any neurological condition, history of any urethral manipulation, and urinary diversion. Urodynamic changes were compared in both groups postoperatively. All patients were evaluated throughout their follow-up, according to the following protocol: (a) Voiding cystourethrography at 6 weeks after surgery; (b) Renal function test and urine culture at 6 weeks and then 3 monthly; (c) Ultrasound kidney, ureter, and bladder region and urodynamics at 3 and 6 months after surgery and then yearly. Median follow-up period for Group I was 27.5 months (13–72 months) and 14 months (14.5–72 months) for Group II. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was done using the Student's t-test for parametric data and Chi-square test for categorical variable. P ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The mean age was 7.26 years in Group I and 7.66 years in Group II at the end of follow-up. There was no statistically significant difference found regarding detrusor overactivity (P = 0.68), compliance (P = 0.052), end-filling pressure (P = 0.08), and max Pdet at Qmax (P = 0.08) in the both groups. However, there was a statistically significant difference regarding improvement of peak flow (P = 0.038) and postvoid residue (PVR) (P = 0.045) in Group I in comparison to Group II. Conclusions: Valve ablation with BNI gives statistically significant better urodynamics in voiding phase regarding flow and lesser PVR in comparison to valve ablation

A case study on Corporate Social Responsibility in NESTLE, TATA, ITC

Since the times of the barter system to present era of plastic money, the mankind has stridden out long path. There is no doubt in this that “profitability” has always been the primary force and main motivation behind all this development. This motive actually increased cut throat competition between the business forms. Because of this competition, the companies stated exploiting the quality of product as well as the environmental concern. Slowly and gradually the business houses realized that they have to give back to the society because they are surviving because of the society only. This realization gives the birth to the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility. However, the companies started using this concept for brand building more than delivering it as a responsibility. The studies also revealed that the companies used the corporate social responsibility for enhancing their profit as well.This present study attempts to investigate about the core concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and finding out its scope taking the case study of the TATA Group, ITC and NESTLE.

Digital Beamforming for Simultaneous Power and Information Transmission in Wireless Systems

Abstract—This paper proposes a Beamforming algorithm for simultaneous transmission of information and power in multiantenna linear array system. Here we considered three node system in which transmitter and receiver are largely separated from each other whereas energy harvesting circuit is colocated with the information receiver i.e. encounters the same channel from the transmitter. Our primary motto is to maximize the energy harvested by the harvester circuit, at the same time maintaining the information rate above a certain threshold level. Firstly, we used an algorithm to steer the antenna beam in a desired direction. Secondly, we combined this algorithm with another algorithm that maximizes the harvested energy. The hybrid algorithm produces an improvement in the result in terms of received signal level and side-lobe level. Finally, simulation results are presented to justify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. and Information) can be either separate or co-located. Here we consider the scenario in which the energy and information receivers are separated i.e. the signal from the transmitter to the energy and information receivers suffer from different channel path gains. We study transmission strategy to achieve maximum energy transfer, at the same time maintaining the information rate above a threshold level. The scenario in which the receivers are co-located can be solved similarly as the above, considering same channel path gains. However, the practical circuit limitations make this scenario of colocated receivers infeasible

Use of short message service for learning and student support in the Pacific region

The Pacific island communities face challenges such as digital divide, shoestring budgets, and escalating costs in the delivery of quality education to the people. In addition, the widely scattered nature of islands and communities requires proper communication infrastructure for the learners to access education. This chapter heralds the emergence of mobile learning (mLearning) initiatives in higher education in the Pacific region. It focuses on the introduction of mLearning at a University in the Pacific islands, which developed a fit-for-purpose mobile-learning infrastructure that primarily utilized the short message service (SMS). The university hosts an in-house setup open source SMS gateway that facilitates its custom-made SMS services. The SMS services developed serve the purpose for notifying students with important course information, exam timetable information, course mark information, and library book due dates, and students could also attempt quizzes in their courses via SMS. These SMS services are mostly provided as support services to overcome the challenges faced by the learners in the Pacific community

Phylogenomic Based Comparative Studies on Indian and American Commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis Isolates

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a prominent commensal member of human skin microbiome and an emerging nosocomial pathogen, making it a good model organism to provide genomic insights, correlating its transition between commensalism and pathogenicity. While there are numerous studies to understand differences in commensal and pathogenic isolates, systematic efforts to understand variation and evolutionary pattern in multiple strains isolated from healthy individuals are lacking. In the present study, using whole genome sequencing and analysis, we report presence of diverse lineages of S. epidermidis isolates in healthy individuals from two geographically diverse locations of India and North America. Further, there is distinct pattern in the distribution of candidate gene(s) for pathogenicity and commensalism. The pattern is not only reflected in lineages but is also based on geographic origin of the isolates. This is evident by the fact that North American isolates under this study are more genomically dynamic and harbor pathogenicity markers in higher frequency. On the other hand, isolates of Indian origin are less genomically dynamic, harbor less pathogenicity marker genes and possess two unique antimicrobial peptide gene clusters. This study provides a basis to understand the nature of selection pressure in a key human skin commensal bacterium with implications in its management as an opportunistic pathogen

Comparative Study on Dimensional Stability and Biological Durability of Poplar Wood Modified by Chemical and Heat Treatment

The fast-growing species of Populus deltoides is of significant commercial importance to the Indian wood merchants. Despite its abundant availability and better treatability, the use of P. deltoides is limited due to its perishable nature. Heat treated and chemically modified Populus deltoides L. was thus explored for dimensional stability and biological durability to commercialise its use. Chemical modification was performed using a combination of citric acid and sodium hypophosphite. Heat treatment was done in a laboratory oven in air at 140 °C for 8h. Both chemically modified and heat-treated samples exhibited improvements in dimensional stability and biological durability in comparison to the untreated control sets. Chemical modification resulted in better dimensional stability. Anti-swelling efficiency of Populus deltoides was 2-2.5 times more for the chemically modified set compared to heat treatment in both radial and tangential directions. Chemically modified set became significantly more resistant to biodeterioration showing 5 times less mass loss by termites, whereas controls and heat-treated sets returned loss percentages which were comparable. Soil block bioassay with Trametes versicolor (TV) exhibited mass loss of 9.46 % for chemically modified samples, 40.26 % for heat treated samples and 50.02 % for the untreated controls, respectively. Rhodonia placenta (OP) followed a similar trend with mass loss of chemically modified set being 5.72 % and heat-treated set being 37 %, respectively, with the controls showing 43.85 % mass loss. Mass loss exhibited by the heat-treated samples were less than the controls, but the values suggested that heat treatment at 140 °C for 8 h failed to impart any substantial resistance against rotting fungi and termites