Effect of Prayer and “OM” Meditation in Enhancing Galvanic Skin Response

The research was conducted with the purpose to study the effect of prayer and meditation on galvanic skin response (GSR). It was hypothesized that there was a significant positive effect of prayer and meditation (Om chanting) on galvanic skin response (GSR). The sample consisted of 20 normal, healthy female participants through purposive sampling. The age group of the sample was 18 to 24 years (Mean= 18.7, SD= 1.55). Gender was female and minimum education was graduation. The daily practice time of prayer and meditation session was 30 minutes for one month. Pre- Post data were recorded before and after intervention of prayer and meditation session by using single group pre-post research design. Recordings of galvanic skin response (GSR) were made on a computerized polygraph (Model Physiopac, PP 4, Medicaid Systems, Chandigarh, India) test. The results revealed a significant increase in GSR values as an effect of prayer and meditation which suggested the psychophysiological relaxation. Practicing prayer and meditation increases the galvanic skin response and hence decreases the stress level of the individual. Language: Englis

A qualitative study on overcoming heterosexist harassment at work: indian cases

The Purpose of this paper is to understand the heterosexist harassment faced by Lesbian and Gay employees at the workplace in an Indian context where gender stereotypes are rooted throughout society. It also aims at exploring the coping mechanisms used by these gay/lesbian employees to deal with this harassment. In-depth interviews of six lesbian/gay employees from the NCR region of India were conducted for collecting data and information through open-ended questionnaire. The samples were selected through purposive non-probability sampling technique. Each interview has been explained through a case study by identifying themes and patterns based on cross-case synthesis, pattern matching and explanation building among them. The results revealed that the Lesbian/gay employees frequently experienced bullying, unwanted jokes, discrimination based on sexual orientation, sexual assault, dismissal from the job, social ostracism and isolation. Several coping strategies were identified which help the lesbian/gay employees to deal with these heterosexist harassments at workplace. Four broad categories of coping strategies were identified as support seeking, confrontation, inaction, and quitting. It was also revealed that participants resorted to secrecy and withdrawal as a way of managing labeling and stigma and to further avoid the subsequent heterosexual abuse. The findings of the study will advance the knowledge in the heterosexist harassments and coping mechanism used by lesbian/gay employees at workplace. The results contribute to meaningful social change to build safe work environments for Lesbian and gay employees

Advances in Electromagnetic Therapy for Wound Healing

Understanding the molecular basis of wound healing and tissue regeneration continues to remain as one of the major challenges in modern medicine. There is absolute necessity to unveil the rather elusive mechanism with a special emphasis on the approaches to accelerate wound healing. Low frequency low intensity Pulsed electromagnetic therapy is evidenced to have a significant impact on wound repair and regeneration. It provides a non-invasive reparative technique to treat an injury. In vitro studies reported a significant effect of electromagnetic field on neovascularisation and angiogenesis. There are also many pieces of evidence which support its efficiency in reducing the duration of wound healing and improving the tensile strength of scars. Here, we compared the traditional stigma associated with pulsed electromagnetic fields and weighed them with its potential therapeutic effect on wound healing. Furthermore, we emphasized the need for more focused research to determine the therapeutic strategies and optimised parameters of pulsed electromagnetic field that can assure efficient wound healing and regeneration.

Crossing boundaries:bras, lingerie and rape myths in postcolonial urban middle-class India

With the processes of modernization, urbanization and the entry of women in the formal labour market in Indian metropolitan spaces, this paper examines how the modern middle-class woman’s sartorial choices become enmeshed in popular rape myths (false beliefs) that serve to blame her for the wearing of western clothing. The paper articulates the ways in which middle-class women’s social realities are shaped by historical, colonial and nationalist ideologies of modernization, constructed and mediated through moral codes of dressing. By drawing upon original and contemporary empirical narratives from the urban spaces of Delhi and Mumbai, we emphasise how everyday sartorial choices, in relation to particularly the bra and lingerie, can reveal the nuanced ways in which Urban Indian Professional Women (UIPW) seek to understand, negotiate, and resist patriarchal power. Our findings shed light on conflicting and contradictory spatial experiences, where some women internalize and negotiate moral codes of dressing, out of fear, and others who transgress are subject to sanctions. Given the paucity of scholarly literature in this area, the paper makes an important theoretical and empirical contribution with its focus on postcoloniality and everyday discursive material spaces of gendered and sexualized dress practices. It argues for the consciousness raising of everyday urban geographies of dress that reveal complicated structures of power that are often deemed hidden

IJCM_418A: Perceived Social Isolation amongst Medical Undergraduates of Mangalore

Background: Human emotions often tend to be fragile and gullible, changing with time and understanding but is almost always engaged in a competitive manner wherever there is intra-specific human competition leading to social isolation and loneliness. In a professional course like Medicine, there is a lot of competition and academic pressure which to a certain extent impacts the mental health of the individual and this is a crucial time as medical undergraduates generally in age group- 18-24 are in a phase of transition to adulthood. Perceived Social Isolation is generally seen associated with decline in cognitive and conative activities, not only the mental health is affected but chronic feelings of loneliness are a causal factor for CVDs and neuropathies. Our study will help us to identify the proportion of the medical undergraduates with perceived social isolation and its possible association with depression. This becomes greatly significant because of the strong competition and hectic schedule, characteristic of medical curriculum. Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess the proportion of Perceived Social Isolation in Medical Undergraduates and to assess a possible association between Perceived Social Isolation and Depression in Medical Undergraduates. Methodology: A Google Form was circulated amongst the students of KMC, Mangalore to collect the data from the participants. Subjects response to the designated questionnaire (circulated through google form) served as the sources of information, based on the responses in the Public Health Questionnaire -2 and University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale- the scores were evaluated and the data was compiled to comment on the study cohort. Results: Out of 219 participants, 48.9% of study subjects had moderately high degree of loneliness and 11.9% had relatively high degree of loneliness. Only 9.6% were reported to have low degree of loneliness followed by 29.7% having moderate degree of loneliness. Correlation between Loneliness Scale and PHQ-2 for study subjects with perceived social isolation and individuals who are likely to be screened for depression showed r-value of 0.400 and a significant p-value of <0.001. Individuals who had high degree of loneliness also scored significantly high in PHQ-2, 84.6% of all subjects who had high degree of loneliness also reported as potential candidates for screening of depression. Conclusion: The study concludes that a high proportion of medical undergraduates were reported to have either a high or moderately high degree of loneliness. It was also found that people who had high degree of loneliness significantly correlated with the likelihood of being screened for depression as based on their PHQ-2 scores

Multi-Objective Energy Efficient Adaptive Whale Optimization Based Routing for Wireless Sensor Network

In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), routing algorithms can provide energy efficiency. However, due to unbalanced energy consumption for all nodes, the network lifetime is still prone to degradation. Hence, energy efficient routing was developed in this article by selecting cluster heads (CH) with the help of adaptive whale optimization (AWOA) which was used to reduce time-consumption delays. The multi-objective function was developed for CH selection. The clusters were then created using the distance function. After establishing groupings, the supercluster head (SCH) was selected using the benefit of a fuzzy inference system (FIS) which was used to collect data for all CHs and send them to the base station (BS). Finally, for the data-transfer procedure, hop count routing was used. An Oppositional-based Whale optimization algorithm (OWOA) was developed for multi-constrained QoS routing with the help of AWOA. The performance of the proposed OWOA methodology was analyzed according to the following metrics: delay, delivery ratio, energy, NLT, and throughput and compared with conventional techniques such as particle swarm optimization, genetic algorithm, and Whale optimization algorithm

An alternative approach for supportive supervision and skill measurements of health workers for integrated management of neonatal and childhood illnesses program in 10 districts of Haryana

Context: “Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses” (IMNCI) needs regular supportive supervision (SS). Aims: The aim of this study was to find suitable SS model for implementing IMNCI. Settings and Design: This was a prospective interventional study in 10 high-focus districts of Haryana. Subjects and Methods: Two methods of SS were used: (a) visit to subcenters and home visits (model 1) and (b) organization of IMNCI clinics/camps at primary health center (PHC) and community health center (CHC) (model 2). Skill scores were measured at different time points. Routine IMNCI data from study block and randomly selected control block of each district were retrieved for 4 months before and after the training and supervision. Statistical Analysis Used: Change in percentage mean skill score difference and percentage difference in median number of children were assessed in two areas. Results: Mean skill scores increased significantly from 2.1 (pretest) to 7.0 (posttest 1). Supportive supervisory visits sustained and improved skill scores. While model 2 of SS could positively involve health system officials, model 1 was not well received. Outcome indicator in terms of number of children assessed showed a significant improvement in intervention areas. Conclusions: SS in IMNCI clinics/camps at PHC/CHC level and innovative skill scoring method is a promising approach