The Expectation Disconfirmation Theory of Green Banking Practices of State Bank of India with special reference to Kerala - A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

In light of Agenda 2030, sustainability awareness is steadily growing worldwide. All institutions, including banks and financial institutions, are working to reduce their carbon footprints. Several indirect problems have arisen for India as a result of the banking process, such as global warming, climate change, irregular monsoon, air pollution, heavy rain, poor air quality, health problems, ozone depletion, fossil fuel use, recurrent destruction of forests for daily use, improper e-waste disposal. These issues can be overcome with sustainable banking practices (Green banking), which benefit the customer's satisfaction and quality of life. However, sustainability can be achieved only when the customers accept green banking and are satisfied with it. In order to do that, the bank must understand the level of expectations and perception of its customers toward green initiatives and to what extent the initiatives satisfy their day-to-day needs. This paper provides an overview of Expectancy disconfirmation integrations into customer satisfaction of India's largest public sector banks. As part of the present theoretical analysis, we first examine the level of awareness, expectations, and perception differences of customers to determine their satisfaction level. We then provide some evidence from SBI in Kerala regarding dissatisfying factors in green banking practices

Current distribution of the invasive earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus (Müller, 1857) after a century of its first report from Kerala state, India

Pontoscolex corethrurus (Müller, 1857) is an important peregrine earthworm species in the humid tropics and is found in land disturbed by human activities. Its presence in Kerala state was first reported by Michaelsen in 1910. So far the occurrence of 14 exotic earthworm species has been reported from Kerala state. However present distribution status of any of these exotic species is not yet thoroughly studied. Now P. corethrurus is naturalized in forests, degraded areas, and agroecosystems from the higher altitude areas to the coastal zones. Here, the current distribution pattern of P. corethrurus in the state after a period of 100 years is highlighted

Potential of Egg shell powder as replacement of Lime in soil stabilization

This paper presents a study on the properties of soil stabilized by using lime and egg shell powder. Tests were conducted to assess the potential of egg shell powder in replacing lime, which can make the overall stabilization process economical and eco-friendly. Results obtained show that all the treated mixes gave much better strength than untreated soil. Egg shell powder was introduced in quantities of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2% of the weight of soil. Tests were conducted replacing up to 50% of the lime used for stabilization. It was observed that 25% replacement of lime by egg shell powder gave better strength properties and can be adopted for practical purposes

IDENTIFICATION OF ANTIULCER ACTIVITY BY INSILICO METHOD IN SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS

Ulcer occurs when stomach acid damages the lining of the digestive tract caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori. Many pharmacological activities such as antiulcer activity can act against ulcer. Medicinal plants like Mimosa pudica and Vachellia nilotica has the antiulcer activity in a wide range. To study the antiulcer activity in medicinal plants using insilco studies by comparing the phytocompounds of plants with histamine 2 receptor as a binding protein, which is present in the stomach lining of homosapiens. Histamine 2 receptor was modelled using Swiss model and the ligand structures are obtained from PUB-CHEM, viewed easily via PYMOL. All the phytocompounds showed good binding energy with modelled protein on the docking methodology. Specifically ascorbic acid exhibited the lower binding energy of value -3.24 kcal/mol, indole and catechin shows highest binding energy of value -4.99 kcal/mol and -4.98 kacl/mol respectively. The results can be useful for the design and development of phytocompounds having better inhibitory activity against several types of ulcer

WebStruct and VisualStruct: web interfaces and visualization for Structure software implemented in a cluster environment

Structure, is a widely used software tool to investigate population genetic structure with multi-locus genotyping data. The software uses an iterative algorithm to group individuals into "K" clusters, representing possibly K genetically distinct subpopulations. The serial implementation of this programme is processor-intensive even with small datasets. We describe an implementation of the program within a parallel framework. Speedup was achieved by running different replicates and values of K on each node of the cluster. A web-based user-oriented GUI has been implemented in PHP, through which the user can specify input parameters for the programme. The number of processors to be used can be specified in the background command. A web-based visualization tool "Visualstruct", written in PHP (HTML and Java script embedded), allows for the graphical display of population clusters output from Structure, where each individual may be visualized as a line segment with K colors defining its possible genomic composition with respect to the K genetic sub-populations. The advantage over available programs is in the increased number of individuals that can be visualized. The analyses of real datasets indicate a speedup of up to four, when comparing the speed of execution on clusters of eight processors with the speed of execution on one desktop. The software package is freely available to interested users upon request

Deficiency in origin licensing proteins impairs cilia formation: implications for the aetiology of meier-gorlin syndrome

Mutations in ORC1, ORC4, ORC6, CDT1, and CDC6, which encode proteins required for DNA replication origin licensing, cause Meier-Gorlin syndrome (MGS), a disorder conferring microcephaly, primordial dwarfism, underdeveloped ears, and skeletal abnormalities. Mutations in ATR, which also functions during replication, can cause Seckel syndrome, a clinically related disorder. These findings suggest that impaired DNA replication could underlie the developmental defects characteristic of these disorders. Here, we show that although origin licensing capacity is impaired in all patient cells with mutations in origin licensing component proteins, this does not correlate with the rate of progression through S phase. Thus, the replicative capacity in MGS patient cells does not correlate with clinical manifestation. However, ORC1-deficient cells from MGS patients and siRNA-mediated depletion of origin licensing proteins also have impaired centrosome and centriole copy number. As a novel and unexpected finding, we show that they also display a striking defect in the rate of formation of primary cilia. We demonstrate that this impacts sonic hedgehog signalling in ORC1-deficient primary fibroblasts. Additionally, reduced growth factor-dependent signaling via primary cilia affects the kinetics of cell cycle progression following cell cycle exit and re-entry, highlighting an unexpected mechanism whereby origin licensing components can influence cell cycle progression. Finally, using a cell-based model, we show that defects in cilia function impair chondroinduction. Our findings raise the possibility that a reduced efficiency in forming cilia could contribute to the clinical features of MGS, particularly the bone development abnormalities, and could provide a new dimension for considering developmental impacts of licensing deficiency

All-optical switching due to state-filling in quantum dots

We report all-optical switching due to state-filling in quantum dots (QDs) within a Mach-Zehnder Interferometric (MZI) switch. The MZI was fabricated using InGaAsP/InP waveguides containing a single layer of InAs/InP QDs. A 1530-1570 nm probe beam is switched by optical excitation of one MZI-arm from the top. By exciting below the InGaAsP bandgap, we prove that the refractive index nonlinearity is only due to the QDs. The switching efficiency is 2 rad/(microW absorbed power). Probe wavelength insensitivity was obtained using a broad distribution of QDs.Comment: 12 page

New tools and methods for direct programmatic access to the dbSNP relational database

Genome-wide association studies often incorporate information from public biological databases in order to provide a biological reference for interpreting the results. The dbSNP database is an extensive source of information on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for many different organisms, including humans. We have developed free software that will download and install a local MySQL implementation of the dbSNP relational database for a specified organism. We have also designed a system for classifying dbSNP tables in terms of common tasks we wish to accomplish using the database. For each task we have designed a small set of custom tables that facilitate task-related queries and provide entity-relationship diagrams for each task composed from the relevant dbSNP tables. In order to expose these concepts and methods to a wider audience we have developed web tools for querying the database and browsing documentation on the tables and columns to clarify the relevant relational structure. All web tools and software are freely available to the public at http://cgsmd.isi.edu/dbsnpq. Resources such as these for programmatically querying biological databases are essential for viably integrating biological information into genetic association experiments on a genome-wide scale

PHARMACOGNOSTIC EVALUATION OF GOMPHRENA SERRATA ROOT

Objectives: Gomphrena serrata (Amaranthaceae) has been utilized for many ailments in the conventional system ethnomedicinally; most significantly against bronchial asthma, diarrhea, hay fever, pains, tonic, carminative, diabetes, dermatitis, and piles. The key challenge experienced in the standardization of herbal drugs is the correct identification of the plant source. Thus, setting up quality control parameters by means of pharmacognostic and phytochemical analysis which assures the purity, safety, and efficiency of G. serrata is necessary. The current research was conducted to assess the pharmacognostic characteristics including macroscopic, microscopic, phytochemical and physicochemical parameters of the root of G. serrata. Methods:  Micro, as well as macroscopic characteristics was investigated. Physicochemical parameters had been done by implementing WHO suggested parameters; preliminary phytochemical and fluorescent evaluation of root was executed for appropriate identification and standardization. Results:  The color, shape, size, odor, and surface characteristics were reported from the root and powdered root material of G. serrata.  Light microscope images of cross section and powdered root revealed the presence of lignified xylem fibers, xylem vessels, cork cells and parenchyma cells. Phytochemical testing confirmed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, tannins, proteins, amino acids, phytosterols and flavonoids. Physicochemical parameters such as moisture content, ash value, extractive value and fluorescent behavior of root powder have also been established Conclusion: The current research is useful in order to supplement the information with regard to its standardization, identification and in carrying out further investigation in Ayurvedic system of medicine.            Peer Review History: Received 24 July 2017;   Revised 22 August; Accepted 28 August, Available online 15 September 2017 Academic Editor: Dr. Asia Selman Abdullah, Al-Razi university, Department of Pharmacy, Yemen, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:        Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 4.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.5/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Marwa A. A. Fayed, University of Sadat City, Egypt, [email protected] Dr. Mohamed Said Fathy Al-Refaey, University of Sadat City, Menofia, Egypt, [email protected] Similar Articles: PURIFICATION AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF COMBINATION OF HEMI-SYNTHESIZED THIOSEMICARBAZONES OF MITRACARPUS SCABER ZUC

A flow cytometry-based method to simplify the analysis and quantification of protein association to chromatin in mammalian cells.

Protein accumulation on chromatin has traditionally been studied using immunofluorescence microscopy or biochemical cellular fractionation followed by western immunoblot analysis. As a way to improve the reproducibility of this kind of analysis, to make it easier to quantify and to allow a streamlined application in high-throughput screens, we recently combined a classical immunofluorescence microscopy detection technique with flow cytometry. In addition to the features described above, and by combining it with detection of both DNA content and DNA replication, this method allows unequivocal and direct assignment of cell cycle distribution of protein association to chromatin without the need for cell culture synchronization. Furthermore, it is relatively quick (takes no more than a working day from sample collection to quantification), requires less starting material compared with standard biochemical fractionation methods and overcomes the need for flat, adherent cell types that are required for immunofluorescence microscopy.Research in our laboratory is funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK; programme grant C6/A11224), the European Research Council and the European Community Seventh Framework Programme (grant agreement no. HEALTH¬‐F2¬‐2010¬‐259893 (DDResponse)). Core funding is provided by Cancer Research UK (C6946/A14492) and the Wellcome Trust (WT092096). J.V.F. is funded by Cancer Research UK programme grant C6/A11224 and the Ataxia Telangiectasia Society. S.P.J. receives his salary from the University of Cambridge, supplemented by CRUK.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from NPG via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2015.06