Road Rage Menace: A Cross-sectional Study to Assess Driver Anger Level in Public Motor Vehicle Drivers in a City in Central India

Introduction: Road rage and aggressive driving is a prevalent condition in today’s society due to motorists’ frustrations during heavy traffic volumes. Objective: This study was done to assess the level of anger amongst the drivers of public transport vehicles in Indore, using Driving Anger Scale (DAS by Deffenbacher et. al.) and various factors affecting it. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 135 drivers of Public transport vehicle drivers (Star bus, City-van and star cab drivers) in Indore to assess their anger level using Driving Anger Scale. The participants were required to record the amount of anger they would experience in response to each item in the scale (1=not at all angry, 2=a little angry, 3=some anger, 4=much anger, 5=very much angry). Results: The mean DAS score in Indore was found to be 3.013 and in the three organizations namely Star bus drivers, City van drivers and Star cab drivers was 2.92, 3.08 and 3.04 respectively. The DAS score of drivers with respect to the 6 sub-scales were: hostile gestures (Star bus -3.42,City van -3.67,Star cab -3.38), slow driving (Star bus -2.73,City van driv-2.78,Star cab-3.17), traffic obstructions (Star bus-2.85,City van -3.25,Star cab-3.18), discourtesy (Star bus -3.23,City van-3.33,Star cab -3.25)and police presence (Star bus -2.15,City van -1.99,Star cab -2.78), illegal driving (Star bus -3.04,City van -3.14,Star cab -2.89). The DAS scores of the drivers did not vary significantly with age group, experience, and educational qualification. Conclusion: Though DAS scores did not vary between the three groups of drivers, however average level anger for various given circumstances commonly found in the Indian traffic scenario was on the higher side

Hair Growth Promotant Activity of Petroleum Ether Root Extract of Glycyrrhiza Glabra L (Fabaceae) in Female Rats

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract on hair growth in female Wistar rats.Methods: Female Wistar rats were used for the hair growth promotion studies. They were divided into three groups(n = 6) and their dorsal skin was completely denuded to completely remove hair. Paraffin oil (control), 2 % minoxidil solution (reference) or petroleum ether (60 – 80 0C) root extract of G. glabra (2 %), was applied to the denuded skin once daily for 30 days. During this period, they were observed visually for hair growth and thereafter skin biopsy was taken for evaluation of follicular density and cyclic phases of hair growth.Results: Animals treated with petroleum ether extract of G. glabra roots showed longer hair than those treated with either minoxidil or control. Furthermore, the time (5 – 13 days) for commencement of hair growth and to reach complete hair growth was least in extract-treated animals, followed by those treated with minoxidil (6 - 19 days). A maximum of 76 % of hair follicles were in anagenic stage (active growth phase of hair) in extract-treated animals, compared to 66 and 45 % in minoxidil-treated and control groups, respectively.Conclusion: This study indicates that the petroleum ether extract of G. glabra roots has potentials as a hair growth promoting agent for females.Keywords: Hair growth promotant, G. glabra, Minoxidi

Assessment of genetic and biochemical diversity of ecologically variant ectomycorrhizal Russula sp. from India

The aim of this study was to develop the phylogenetic relationship amongst the ecologically variant Russula species by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based technique, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and isozyme analyses. Two groups could be characterized amongst the total isolates by cluster analyses. Protease, cellulase, glutamate dehydrogenase,  pectinase and acid phosphatase designated band P220.16, C472.18, GLD130.21, Pe569.12 and AP472.12, respectively, were common in all the isolates and four monomorphic RAPD bands viz; 818, 512, 298 and 201 bp were also diversified in the isolates. This common band reveals that diversity of these alleles or loci in all ecologically variant isolates. Thus, the present studies discuss the genetic diversity of ecologically variant Russula species on the basis of RAPD and isozyme analysis

Gaussian Filtering for Simultaneously Occurring Delayed and Missing Measurements

Data Access Statement: This research did not use any experimentally generated data or data from any publicly available dataset. Model definitions (including the specified probability distributions) and parameter values (including the initialization parameters) provided in the paper are adequate for reproducing the exact qualitative behavior of the algorithms illustrated in the paper.© Copyright 2022 The Authors. Approximate filtering algorithms in nonlinear systems assume Gaussian prior and predictive density and remain popular due to ease of implementation as well as acceptable performance. However, these algorithms are restricted by two major assumptions: they assume no missing or delayed measurements. However, practical measurements are frequently delayed and intermittently missing. In this paper, we introduce a new extension of the Gaussian filtering to handle the simultaneous occurrence of the delay in measurements and intermittently missing measurements. Our proposed algorithm uses a novel modified measurement model to incorporate the possibility of the delayed and intermittently missing measurements. Subsequently, it redesigns the traditional Gaussian filtering for the modified measurement model. Our algorithm is a generalized extension of the Gaussian filtering, which applies to any of the traditional Gaussian filters, such as the extended Kalman filter (EKF), unscented Kalman filter (UKF), and cubature Kalman filter (CKF). A further contribution of this paper is that we study the stochastic stability of the proposed method for its EKF-based formulation. We compared the performance of the proposed filtering method with the traditional Gaussian filtering (particularly the CKF) and three extensions of the traditional Gaussian filtering that are designed to handle the delayed and missing measurements individually or simultaneously.10.13039/501100001409-Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, through Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Faculty Award (Grant Number: DST/INSPIRE/04/2018/000089

A systematic review of current knowledge of HIV epidemiology and of sexual behaviour in Nepal

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review information on HIV epidemiology and on sexual behaviour in Nepal with a view to identifying gaps in current knowledge. METHODS: Systematic review covering electronic databases, web-based information, personal contact with experts and hand searching of key journals. RESULTS: HIV-1 seroprevalence has been rising rapidly in association with high-risk behaviours, with current levels of 40% amongst the nation's injecting drug users and approaching 20% amongst Kathmandu's female commercial sex workers (FCSWs). HIV seroprevalence remains low in the general population (0.29% of 15–49 year olds). There are significant methodological limitations in many of the seroprevalence studies identified, and these estimates need to be treated with caution. There are extensive migration patterns both within the country and internationally which provide the potential for considerable sexual networking. However, studies of sexual behaviour have focused on FCSWs and the extent of sexual networks within the general population is largely unknown. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst some of the ingredients are present for an explosive HIV epidemic in Nepal, crucial knowledge on sexual behaviour in the general population is missing. Research on sexual networking is urgently required to guide HIV control in Nepal. There is also a need for further good-quality epidemiological studies of HIV seroprevalence

Low-smoke chulha in Indian slums: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background Biomass fuel is used as a primary cooking source by more than half of the world’s population, contributing to a high burden of disease. Although cleaner fuels are available, some households continue using solid fuels because of financial constraints and absence of infrastructure, especially in non-notified slums. The present study documents a randomised controlled study investigating the efficacy of improved cookstove on the personal exposure to air pollution and the respiratory health of women and children in an Indian slum. The improved cookstove was based on co-creation of a low-smoke chulha with local communities in order to support adaption and sustained uptake. Methods The study will be conducted in a non-notified slum called Ashrayanagar in Bangalore, India. The study design will be a 1:1 randomised controlled intervention trial, including 250 households. The intervention group will receive an improved cookstove (low-smoke chulha) and the control group will continue using either the traditional cookstove (chulha) or a combination of the traditional stove and the kerosene/diesel stove. Follow-up time is 1 year. Outcomes include change in lung function (FEV1/FVC), incidence of pneumonia, change in personal PM2.5 and CO exposure, incidence of respiratory symptoms (cough, phlegm, wheeze and shortness of breath), prevalence of other related symptoms (headache and burning eyes), change in behaviour and adoption of the stove. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Indian Institute of Public Health Hyderabad- Bengaluru Campus. Discussion The findings from this study aim to provide insight into the effects of improved cookstoves in urban slums. Results can give evidence for the decrease of indoor air pollution and the improvement of respiratory health for children and women. Trial registration The trial was registered with clinicaltrials.gov on 21 June 2016 with the identifier NCT02821650; A Study to Test the Impact of an Improved Chulha on the Respiratory Health of Women and Children in Indian Slums

Scans for signatures of selection in Russian cattle breed genomes reveal new candidate genes for environmental adaptation and acclimation

Domestication and selective breeding has resulted in over 1000 extant cattle breeds. Many of these breeds do not excel in important traits but are adapted to local environments. These adaptations are a valuable source of genetic material for efforts to improve commercial breeds. As a step toward this goal we identified candidate regions to be under selection in genomes of nine Russian native cattle breeds adapted to survive in harsh climates. After comparing our data to other breeds of European and Asian origins we found known and novel candidate genes that could potentially be related to domestication, economically important traits and environmental adaptations in cattle. The Russian cattle breed genomes contained regions under putative selection with genes that may be related to adaptations to harsh environments (e.g., AQP5, RAD50, and RETREG1). We found genomic signatures of selective sweeps near key genes related to economically important traits, such as the milk production (e.g., DGAT1, ABCG2), growth (e.g., XKR4), and reproduction (e.g., CSF2). Our data point to candidate genes which should be included in future studies attempting to identify genes to improve the extant breeds and facilitate generation of commercial breeds that fit better into the environments of Russia and other countries with similar climates

Advanced Technologies for Oral Controlled Release: Cyclodextrins for oral controlled release

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are used in oral pharmaceutical formulations, by means of inclusion complexes formation, with the following advantages for the drugs: (1) solubility, dissolution rate, stability and bioavailability enhancement; (2) to modify the drug release site and/or time profile; and (3) to reduce or prevent gastrointestinal side effects and unpleasant smell or taste, to prevent drug-drug or drug-additive interactions, or even to convert oil and liquid drugs into microcrystalline or amorphous powders. A more recent trend focuses on the use of CDs as nanocarriers, a strategy that aims to design versatile delivery systems that can encapsulate drugs with better physicochemical properties for oral delivery. Thus, the aim of this work was to review the applications of the CDs and their hydrophilic derivatives on the solubility enhancement of poorly water soluble drugs in order to increase their dissolution rate and get immediate release, as well as their ability to control (to prolong or to delay) the release of drugs from solid dosage forms, either as complexes with the hydrophilic (e.g. as osmotic pumps) and/ or hydrophobic CDs. New controlled delivery systems based on nanotechonology carriers (nanoparticles and conjugates) have also been reviewed