An Examination of Gandhian Economic and Political Thought and Its Relevance to the Empowerment of Women

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) sought to alleviate poverty and empower women. His commitment to nonviolence and the economic ideal of “small is beautiful” continue to inspire grassroots movements around the globe. This article discusses the Chipko movement of northern India, the protection of rain forests in Kerala’s Silent Valley, the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), and Medha Patkar’s valiant though ultimately futile attempt to save the Narmada River from a massive government damming project. The ongoing legacy of these movements can be found in AWAG, the Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group and Women’s Shanti Sena (Peace Force)

Bt Cotton and farmer suicides in India: Reviewing the evidence

"Suicides in general, including farmers' suicides, are a sad and complex phenomenon. Hence, their underlying causes need to be addressed within an equally complex societal framework. Here, we provide a specific case study on the potential link between technological choices and farmer suicides in India. Although officially recognized for having increased production and farmers' income, Bt cotton, genetically-modified, insect-resistant cotton, remains highly controversial in India. Among other allegations, it is accused of being the main reason for a resurgence of farmer suicides in India. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of evidence on Bt cotton and farmer suicides, taking into account information from published official and unofficial reports, peer-reviewed journal articles, published studies, media news clips, magazine articles, and radio broadcasts from India, Asia, and international sources from 2002 to 2007. The review is used to evaluate a set of hypotheses on whether or not there has been a resurgence of farmer suicides, and the potential relationship suicide may have with the use of Bt cotton. We first show that there is no evidence in available data of a “resurgence” of farmer suicides in India in the last five years. Second, we find that Bt cotton technology has been very effective overall in India. However, the context in which Bt cotton was introduced has generated disappointing results in some particular districts and seasons. Third, our analysis clearly shows that Bt cotton is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for the occurrence of farmer suicides. In contrast, many other factors have likely played a prominent role. Nevertheless, in specific regions and years, where Bt cotton may have indirectly contributed to farmer indebtedness, leading to suicides, its failure was mainly the result of the context or environment in which it was planted. We close the paper by proposing a conceptual framework for empirical applications linking the different agricultural and institutional factors that could have contributed to farmer suicides in recent years in certain districts of Central and Southern India." from authors' abstractCotton, Genetically modified crops, farmer suicides,

Pedagogy and adult training: A trainer’s manual

This manual, to be used to train adult participants, is designed with features to help overcome the challenges faced in delivering such training service. For one it promotes interactive, experience-based, practical and impact-oriented approaches based on various experiences. This involves role plays, hands-on exercises and training materials that are designed for trainers to deliver the service effectively. The course is based on case studies and shared learning from a large number of developing countries with agriculture, climate change and animal science focus. The training manual is divided into seven sessions. Session 1 defines adult learning; Session 2 explains the principles of designing and planning of a training program; Session 3 describes the course introductory session; Session 4 elaborates on guidelines for effective teaching styles for adults; Session 5 explains the different styles involved in adult training; Session 6 describes training aids or materials that can be used to support the training; and Session 7 covers the steps to be taken to evaluate and measure the impact of an adult training course. Each manual session has four parts to facilitate its use as a practical training guide, whereby each session can be implemented as a stand-alone course. The first part of a session gives a summarized introduction of the session. The second part contains session guide, objectives to be achieved and the training activities and requirements. The third part of each session contains slides that can be used in plenary presentation. The fourth part contains detailed notes to be used by the trainer or given out to the course participants. Each session then ends with a list of references used and recommended reading. The manual’s goal is to strengthen trainers and their faculties’ capacities to design, disseminate (or conduct) and evaluate the impact of adult trainings forums and their development as ‘Trainer of Trainers’

Sedation in Children: Current Concepts

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90049/1/j.1875-9114.1998.tb03900.x.pd

Fetal Exposure to Lisinopril: Neonatal Manifestations and Management

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90123/1/j.1875-9114.1993.tb04318.x.pd

Probiotics: An Adjuvant therapy for D-Galactose induced Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic and slowly progressing neurodegenerative disorder which has become a major health concern worldwide. The literature has shown that oxidative stress is one of the most important risk factors behind the cause of AD. Oxidative stress often leads to the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). D-Galactose, a physiological nutrient and reducing sugar, non-enzymatically reacts with amines of amino acids in proteins and peptides to form Advanced Glycation End products which activate its receptors coupled to Biochemical pathways that stimulate free radical production and induces mitochondrial dysfunction which damages the neuron intracellularly. High dosage of D-Galactose also suppresses the expression of nerve growth factors and its associated protein which results in the degeneration of nerve cells and reduction of acetylcholine levels in brain regions. This article put forwards the advantages of using Lactic Acid Bacteria (Probiotics) possessing anti-oxidant properties and which produces Acetyl Choline against D-Galactose induced Alzheimer’s disease

Gentamicin Pharmacokinetics in Term Neonates Receiving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90148/1/j.1875-9114.1992.tb02667.x.pd

An analytical survey of promotional drug literatures at C. U. Shah Medical College and Hospital, Surendranagar

Background: The research and marketing of a new drug requires a lot of money by the pharmaceutical companies. Promotion through advertising brochures and leaflets is widely used to influence the physicians. Most of the times, this information is the only source of new drug information for the physicians. Hence, this study to analyze the appropriateness, accuracy, and validity of promotional drug literatures was undertaken.Methods: Promotional materials were collected from outpatient departments of C. U. Shah Medical College and Hospital, Surendranagr. They were evaluated according to the “WHO criteria, 1988,” and the references cited to support the claims were checked for their validity and authenticity. The images and the pictorial content were evaluated to find out any biased nature of gender representation.Results: Evaluation of the total 486 brochures showed that none of them fulfilled all the nine criteria. Of the 308 claims, only 208 (42.79%) gave references to support the claims. Only 27 (39.13%) of the research articles among the 125 journal article cited were of high methodological quality. Among the 218 human figures, 144 were patients, and 103 were doctors. Female patients (62.5%) were depicted more than male patients (37.5%).Conclusion: The present study showed that pharmaceutical companies do not strictly follow the WHO guidelines and majority of the research were sponsored by companies. Hence, more stringent regulations need to be implemented for the proper promotion and dissemination of information about the new drugs