Analysis of the Maternity Benefits Amendment Act, 2017 and its Implications on the Modern Industrial Discourse

As a recognition of the crucial role played by women, it is vital that governments move away from and rocentric laws and work towards achieving social justice, both in the organized and unorganized sectors. The concept of social justice has manifested itself in the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961 and its subsequent amendments. Complementary to this law, the judiciary has played a vital role in rendering judgments that involve liberal interpretations of the provisions of the law so as to be beneficial to the labor community. This is evidenced in the case of B. Shah v. Labor Court, Coimbatore. However, lacunas and complications continue to exist. The Legislature and the Judiciary must identify the factors that are obstructing the achievement of social and economic equality of women. This paper seeks to analyze judicial interpretations and the legislative intent of the 2017 amendment to the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961

An investigation on flow field partitioning related to the rheological heterogeneities and its application to geological examples

Earth’s lithosphere is heterogeneous and composed of rheologically distinct elements at various scales of observations. This causes the flow of rocks to vary with space and time, which may influence the formation of various kinds of geological rock records. This thesis provides quantitative solutions to some first-order problems in structural geology regarding this heterogeneous flow variation and thereby the development of various geological rock records at different scales of observations. Pressure in a rheologically heterogeneous element may deviate from its ambient value and if significant, may influence the metamorphic assemblages. This might cause problems in the routine use of geothermobarometry-based pressure estimates from mineral assemblages as a proxy for depth in geodynamic models of geological processes. A micromechanics-based multiscale model called Multi Order Power Law Approach (MOPLA) is applied to simulate pressure deviation in and around a rheologically distinct rock element embedded in a rock medium of a non-linear viscous anisotropic rheology. The results show that the pressure deviations are in the same order as the deviatoric stress levels and hence limited by the strength of rocks. Flow variation can influence c-axis fabrics from quartz aggregate within feldspar-mica matrix in the natural high strain zones. If such effect is not accounted for, crucial geological information such as deformation temperature, deformation history and shear sense obtained using c-axis fabrics can be seriously misinterpreted. A multiscale approach coupling MOPLA with Viscoplastic Self-consistent (VPSC) model is used to simulate c-axis fabrics under partitioned flow. The results show that the quartz c-axis fabric variation showing apparent opposite senses of shear within a single thin section, can be explained by partitioned flow within the quartz domains and reflect finite strain gradient rather than a reversal of vorticity sense as previously thought. Flow variation can form flanking structures around a cross-cutting element like a vein or a dyke that may provide kinematic information such as ‘shear sense’ and ‘finite strain’. Their correct interpretations are critical for understanding regional tectonics. A micromechanics-based modeling approach is used to simulate 3-D flanking structures and demonstrate how the flanking structure may vary with the cutting element’s shape, orientation, and rheological contrast to the ambient medium. A reverse-dynamic modeling approach is applied to quantitatively estimate kinematic vorticity number, viscosity contrast of the cutting element to the ambient medium, and finite strain from natural flanking structures

Field Efficacy of Different Insecticides Against Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) in Spring Maize (Zea mays L.)

An experiment was conducted from February to June 2022 to determine the effectiveness of different insecticides in controlling fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda: FA) under field conditions. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 5 treatments and 4 replications. Insecticides were applied three times at 7-day intervals. The treatments included: T1 - untreated or control (water spray), T2 - Cypermethrin 5% + Chlorpyriphos 50% EC, T3 - Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC, T4 - Emamectin Benzoate 5% SG, and T5 - Spinetoram 11.7% SC. Data were collected for the number of live larvae, damage to the top four leaves and whorls, and yield attributes. The results showed that the lowest FA infestation was observed in the plots treated with Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC, while the highest infestation was observed in the control group. The highest yield (7.52 t/ha) was obtained from the Emamectin Benzoate treatment, while the lowest yield (5.74 t/ha) was recorded in the control group. Among the different control measures, spraying Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC at 7-day intervals was found to be the most effective method to control FA in spring maize variety TX-369, achieving 100% efficacy. These results provide valuable guidance to growers in selecting effective insecticides for FA control. This study addresses the challenge of FA management in maize crops while aligning with multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Closing the Gaps: Endoscopic Suturing for Large Submucosal and Full-Thickness Defects

This article is a systematic review of relevant literature on endoscopic suturing as a primary closure technique for large submucosal and full-thickness defects after endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), and endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR). A comprehensive literature search was conducted through 2016 by using PubMed, to find peer-reviewed original articles. The specific factors considered were the procedural indications and details, success rates, clinical outcomes including complications, and study limitations. Six original articles were included in the final review: two with non-human subjects and four with human subjects. The mean success rate of endoscopic suturing was 97.4% (100% for human subjects and 95.4% for non-human subjects). The procedural time ranged from 7 to 89 min. The average size and depth of lesions were 2.71 cm (3.74 cm [human] and 1.96 cm [non-human]) and 1.52 cm, respectively. The technique itself had no reported impact on mortality. In conclusion, endoscopic suturing is a minimally invasive technique for the primary closure of defects caused by EMR, ESD, and EFTR, with a high success and low complication rate

Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty - A New Tool to Manage Obesity

Obesity is a growing pandemic across the world. Dietary restrictions and behavior modifications alone have a limited benefit. Bariatric surgery, despite being the current gold standard, has limited acceptance by patients due to cost and associated morbidity. In our review, we have discussed nine original studies describing endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG). A total of 172 subjects successfully underwent ESG. Of 65 subjects with follow up data, 95.4% (62/65) had intact gastric sleeve confirmed via esophagogastroduodenoscopy or oral contrast study at the end of study specific follow up interval (the longest being 6 months). Individual studies reported a technical success rate for intact gastric sleeve from as low as 50% to as high as 100%. A statistically significant p<0.05) weight loss was reported in seven of the eight studies with available data. None of the patients experienced any intra-procedure complications, and approximately 2.3% (4/172) of patients experienced major post-procedure complications; however, no mortality was reported. Majority of the studies reported relatively high incidence of minor post-procedure complications, which improved with symptomatic treatment alone. Good patient tolerance with comparable clinical efficacy in achieving and sustaining desired weight loss makes ESG an attractive option to consider among other bariatric therapies

Automated Visitors Management System

This paper present the Automated Visitors Management System A visitor management system tracks the usage of a public building or site. By gathering increasing amounts of information, a visitor management system can record the usage of the facilities by specific visitors and provide documentation of visitor’s whereabouts. Because a visitor management system provides a record of building use, these systems are frequently used to complement building security systems and access control systems. As electronic visitor management systems become more common and more powerful, these systems are taking over many of the functions of building security and access control

The Use of a Vortex Generator for the Efficient Cooling of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

High heat flux dissipation from the Lithium-ion battery pack of hybrid electric vehicles is one of the major concerns in the automotive sector, since it directly affects the performance and it may also lead to permanent failure. Among various thermal management systems, forced air cooling is most favorable due to its light weight, compactness, lower cost, and design flexibility. In the present work, a battery thermal management system with the two types of vortex generator in the coolant passage has been used to enhance the performance. A numerical model has been developed in commercial code to investigate the performance of the delta winglet and circular protrusion type vortex generator. Apart from that, both types of vortex generator have been compared in terms of various parameters such as pressure drop, weight, and maximum temperature. From the results of the simulation, it has been observed that both vortex generators performed better at the attack angle of 30° in comparison to the attack angles of 45° and 60°. Furthermore, it has also been found that the cooling system with protrusion as the vortex generator has performed better in terms of thermos-hydraulic performance compared to the cooling system with the delta winglet vortex generator. In addition to that, the protruded system is lighter in weight compared to both the plain and delta winglet systems, and is recommended

Assessment of Appropriateness of Antimicrobial Therapy in Resource-Constrained Settings: Development and Piloting of a Novel Tool—AmRAT

Inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing is considered to be the leading cause of high burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in resource-constrained lower- and middle-income countries. Under its global action plan, the World Health Organization has envisaged tackling the AMR threat through promotion of rational antibiotic use among prescribers. Given the lack of consensus definitions and other associated challenges, we sought to devise and validate an Antimicrobial Rationality Assessment Tool—AmRAT—for standardizing the assessment of appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing. A consensus algorithm was developed by a multidisciplinary team consisting of intensivists, internal medicine practitioners, clinical pharmacologists, and infectious disease experts. The tool was piloted by 10 raters belonging to three groups of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) personnel: Master of Pharmacology (M.Sc.) (n = 3, group A), Doctor of Medicine (MD) residents (n = 3, group B), and DM residents in clinical pharmacology (n = 4, group C) using retrospective patient data from 30 audit and feedback forms collected as part of an existing AMS program. Percentage agreement and the kappa (κ) coefficients were used to measure inter-rater agreements amongst themselves and with expert opinion. Sensitivity and specificity estimates were analyzed comparing their assessments against the gold standard. For the overall assessment of rationality, the mean percent agreement with experts was 76.7% for group A, 68.9% for group B, and 77.5% for group C. The kappa values indicated moderate agreement for all raters in group A (κ 0.47–0.57), and fair to moderate in group B (κ 0.22–0.46) as well as group C (κ 0.37–0.60). Sensitivity and specificity for the same were 80% and 68.6%, respectively. Though evaluated by raters with diverse educational background and variable AMS experience in this pilot study, our tool demonstrated high percent agreement and good sensitivity and specificity, assuring confidence in its utility for assessing appropriateness of antimicrobial prescriptions in resource-constrained healthcare environments