Poor management of menstrual hygiene: a leading cause of school absenteeism among adolescent girls in the urban slum of Madhya Pradesh

Background: Despite the strides made in the field of adolescent and women health, menstrual problems remain a stigma. Unsatisfactory menstrual hygiene practices have a profound influence on the adolescent girl’s health and academic performance. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the relationship between school absenteeism and poor MHM and its impacts on school girl’s day to day lives.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 384 adolescent girls enrolled in anganwadi centres of the urban slum of Madhya Pradesh from January to June 2018. A pre-designed and pretested questionnaire used to collect the data regarding menstrual hygiene practices and school absenteeism. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software (version 16.0. Chicago, SPSS Inc.).Results: The study found that around two-thirds (64.3%) and nearly one third (30%) of the participants were using a simple cloth and sanitary pads. About half (50.6%) of the respondents miss their school during the menstruation. Majority of them perceived that menstruation interferes with their school performance. The main reason for missing the schools was fear/ shame of leakage. In multivariable regression lack of sanitary facilities and painful menstruation remained significant predictors of school absenteeism.Conclusions: There is a dire need to fortify efforts directed towards increasing awareness on menstrual hygiene, to revamp the existing measures for improving menstrual health of the adolescent girls. Focused attention is warranted by policymakers to improve the quality of life of this vulnerable group

RECENT ADVANCEMENTS IN EAR BIOMETRICS: A REVIEW

Ascertaining the identity of a person is quite an important aspect of Forensic Science. There are so many physiological features have been proved to be highly discriminating among individuals. Biometrics play a significant role in individualizing a person. Fingerprint, Palm print, Retina and Iris recognition are the most popular examples of it. Fingerprint and iris are generally considered to allow more accurate biometric recognition than the face, but the face is more easily used in surveillance scenarios where fingerprint and iris capture are not feasible. However, the face by itself is not yet as accurate and flexible as desired for this scenario due to expression changes, source of illumination, make-up, etc. Besides these limitations, ear images can be acquired in a similar manner to face images. A number of researchers have suggested that the human ear is unique enough to each individual to allow practical use as a biometric. In this article an attempt has been made to review all the recent researches of a decade made in the field of Ear Biometrics

Grid Integration of Renewable Energy: A Case Study

Abstract: India is considering renewable energy resources (RES) like solar and wind as alternative for future energy needs. As on March 31, 2012 the grid interactive power generation from RES is 24914 MW i.e. around 12.1 % of the total installed energy capacity. Further Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India is targeting to achieve 20000 MW grid interactive powers through solar and 38500 MW from wind by 2022. However there are various issues related to grid integration of RES keeping in the view of aforesaid trends it becomes necessary to investigate the possible solutions for these issues. This paper presents the some issues and challenges encountered during grid integration of different renewable and how to overcome them

Feedforward Neural Network for joint inversion of geophysical data to identify geothermal sweet spots in Gandhar, Gujarat, India

Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are used in numerous engineering and scientific disciplines as an automated approach to resolve a number of problems. However, to build an artificial neural network that is prudent enough to rely on, vast quantities of relevant data have to be fed. In this study, we analysed the scope of artificial neural networks in geothermal reservoir architecture. In particular, we attempted to solve joint inversion problem through Feedforward Neural Network (FNN) technique. In order to identify geothermal sweet spots in the subsurface, an extensive geophysical studies were conducted in Gandhar area of Gujarat, India. The data were acquired along six profile lines for gravity, magnetics and magnetotellurics. Initially low velocity zone was identified using refraction seismic technique in order to set a common datum level for other potential data. The depth of low velocity zone in Gandhar was identified at 11 m. The FNN backpropagation method was applied to gain the global minima of the data space and model space as desired. The input dataset fed to the inversion algorithm in the form of gravity, magnetic susceptibility and resistivity helped to predict the suitable model after network training in multiple steps. The joint inversion of data is conducive to understanding the subsurface geological and lithological features along with probable geothermal sweet spots. The results of this study show the geothermal sweet spots at depth ranging from 200 m to 300 m. The results from our study can be used for targeted zones for geothermal water exploitation

Enhanced Geothermal Systems – Promises and Challenges

Geothermal energy plays a very important role in the energy basket of the world. However, understanding the geothermal hotspots and exploiting the same from deep reservoirs, by using advanced drilling technologies, is a key challenge. This study focuses on reservoirs at a depth greater than 3 km and temperatures more than 150°C. These resources are qualified as Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS). Artificially induced technologies are employed to enhance the reservoir permeability and fluid saturation. The present study concentrates on EGS resources, their types, technologies employed to extract energy and their applications in improving power generation. Studies on fracture stimulation using hydraulic fracturing and hydro shearing are also evaluated. The associated micro-seismic events and control measures for the same are discussed in this study. Various simulators for reservoir characterization and description are also analyzed and presented. Controlled fluid injection and super critical CO2 as heat transmission fluid are described for the benefit of the readers. The advantages of using CO2 over water and its role in reducing the carbon footprint are brought out in this paper for further studies

Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles: Development & statistical optimization of norfloxacin for topical drug delivery system

Poly lactic acid is a biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic polymer, widely used in many pharmaceutical preparations such as controlled release formulations, parenteral preparations, surgical treatment applications, and tissue engineering. In this study, we prepared lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles for topical and site targeting delivery of Norfloxacin by emulsification solvent evaporation method (ESE). The design of experiment (DOE) was done by using software to optimize the result, and then a surface plot was generated to compare with the practical results. The surface morphology, particle size, zeta potential and composition of the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles were characterized by SEM, TEM, AFM, and FTIR. The thermal behavior of the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles was characterized by DSC and TGA. The prepared lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles of Norfloxacin exhibited an average particle size from 178.6 ± 3.7 nm to 220.8 ± 2.3 nm, and showed very narrow distribution with polydispersity index ranging from 0.206 ± 0.36 to 0.383 ± 0.66. The surface charge on the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles were confirmed by zeta potential, showed the value from +23.4 ± 1.5 mV to +41.5 ± 3.4 mV. An Antimicrobial study was done against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles showed potential activity against these two. Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles of Norfloxacin showed the %cumulative drug release of 89.72% in 24 h. A stability study of the optimized formulation showed the suitable condition for the storage of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles was at 4 ± 2 °C/60 ± 5% RH. These results illustrated high potential of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles Norfloxacin for usage as a topical antibiotic drug carriers

Determinants of non-use of family planning methods by young married women (15-24 years) living in urban slums of Uttar Pradesh

Background: Total fertility rate of Uttar Pradesh is 2.7 with annual growth rate of 16.5. Age specific marital fertility rate (ASMFR) in Uttar Pradesh is highest in the age group of 20-24 years (383.9) followed by 15-19 years (271.0) age group. Use of contraceptives is also very low in this most productive age group. Among the Young married women in the age group of 15-24 years the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) is only 27.75% which is quite low than the target CPR of 60%. State level data presents a grim picture of contraceptive use in the slum areas in comparison to non-slum areas. This slum population is the most vulnerable section of our society. Aims & Objectives: i) To assess the prevalence of non-use of contraceptives among young married women living in urban slums. ii) To understand the reasons for non-use of contraceptives among young married women. iii) To explore the factors influencing non-use of contraceptive among young married women. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in the urban slums of Lucknow. Out of the eight Nagar-Nigam zones in Lucknow, one Urban-Primary Health Centre was selected randomly from each zone. From each Urban- Primary Health Centre, 2 slums were selected randomly. In selected slum, all the households were visited until at least 33 young married women (15-24 years) were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire to obtain the desired sample size of 535. The data was analyzed using SPSS 16.0. Results: Current use of contraceptives was found to be 33.8 % and almost two-thirds (66.2%) of the participants were not using any form of contraceptive method. The important reasons for non-use of contraception were embarrassment / hesitancy / shyness regarding family planning, lack of knowledge about the contraceptive method or place of availability of services, opposition to contraceptive use by husband or family members and women’s desire to get pregnant. About one third of the women had no perceived need for contraception. Among the various bio-social and fertility related variables, educational attainment of the women, employment status, parity, autonomy of the women, attitude of the husband towards family planning, motivation to adopt contraceptive and contact with ANM during home visits were the prime independent predictors for non-use of contraceptives. Conclusion: The study found contraceptive use to be very low among the young married women. The findings showed that motivation of women to adopt family planning method through counseling along with provision of youth friendly services are needed to be address to achieve improvement in contraceptive use among these young married women living in urban slums

Leadership Training for Nursing Professionals in India: A Workshop Evaluation

Introduction: Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system, and an attempt can be made to improve the quality of care if every individual is empowered with leadership skills. While several leadership workshops and seminars have been conducted to sensitize doctors in India, there have hardly been any for nurses. A two-day workshop for orientation on leadership for nurses was conducted using multimedia presentations, talks by accomplished speakers and activities like role plays.Objective: The current study was undertaken to determine the impact of the workshop on the self-reported competence of nurses; with a secondary objective of evaluating the workshop and suggesting modifications for the future.Methodology: A pre- and post-workshop questionnaire (Crohnbach’s alpha: 0.874) was used to assess the impact of the workshop in self-reported competence. Self-administered structured questionnaires were used to evaluate the relevance of each session and suggestions for improvement. Paired t-test was used to assess difference in pre- and post-workshop competence. Weighted scores were used to rank sessions, and responses of qualitative data were grouped in suitable themes.Results: A total of 29 nurses participated in the workshop. There was a significant rise in knowledge in all the domains of the competence (p-value <0.05). The greatest increase in knowledge was in understanding the relevance of interpersonal skills. Maximum number of participants learnt the importance of effective communication (38%). Almost all the sessions were marked as relevant, and “conflict management” was the highest-ranking session, while the session on “planning and evaluation” was the least favored. The most popular suggested theme for further training was on stress management.Conclusion: The two-day workshop has been successful in raising self-reported competence of nursing professionals, and with minor modifications, regular trainings may go a long way in empowering nurses with leadership qualities

Analysis of glass fracture pattern made by .177″ (4.5 mm) Caliber air rifle

Abstract Background Glass is the hard, amorphous solid. Glass fragments may be an evidence of great value encountered in the investigation of various types of offences. At the scene of occurrence, the glass may be fractured either as an intentional act or due to accident. Glass fractures are of paramount importance in shooting cases where firearm is used as it can provide significant information related to the occurrence and facilitates a variety of evaluations. In fact, fractography i.e. analysis of fracture pattern, is the means and methods for characterization of fractured units or fragments in order to study or identify the mechanism of such fractures. The study of fracture pattern of glass has been of long interest to the forensic community. The glass fracture pattern analysis is very useful to establish the sequence of events and to link together items of evidence and it is of paramount importance in such cases where firearm is used. Now, the use of air guns in criminal activities is an alarm to the law enforcement agencies. The main objective of this work is to analyze the pattern of the fractures on windowpane of various thicknesses with regular .177″/ 4.5 mm lead pellet fired through the .177″/ 4.5 mm caliber Air Rifle manufactured in India. The window panes were kept at front, perpendicularly and away at a fixed distance from the muzzle end of Air Rifle. Samples were measured and analyzed on some fixed parameters. To analyze the consistency, measurements were analyzed graphically and statically checked for the goodness of fit (Chi-Square Test). Result The graphical representation of the measurements of different samples shows regularity in the features and Chi Square test gives very significant information regarding the consistency. Conclusion The hole diameter is ranging from 4.77 to 7.5 mm in case of air rifle. It can lead to distinguish the weapon by which fracture was made, whether it is standard or air weapon. The outcomes of this work on the windowpane by .177″/4.5 mm air rifles may be efficacious to forensic community

Agro‐morphological and nutritional assessment of chenopod and quinoa germplasm—Highly adaptable potential crops

Abstract Quinoa belongs to the family Chenopodiaceae, a pseudo‐grain having high nutritional value and is considered an underexploited vegetable crop with the potential to improve the nutritional security of millions. Therefore, assessing genetic diversity in Chenopodium germplasm to untap nutritional and site‐specific adaptation potential would be of prime importance for breeders/researchers. The present study used 10 accessions of two Chenopodium species, that is, C. quinoa and C. album. Quantitative and qualitative phenotypic traits, proximate composition, minerals, and amino acids profiles were studied to compare the differences in nutritional value and extent of genetic diversity between these two species. Our results showed significant variation existed in yield attributing agro‐morphological traits. All the traits were considered for hierarchical clustering and principal components analysis. Large genetic variability was observed in traits of Chenopodium accessions. The protein, dietary fiber, oil, and sugar content ranged from 16.6% to 19.7%, 16.8% to 26%, 3.54% to 8.46%, and 3.74% to 5.64%, respectively. The results showed that C. album and C. quinoa seeds had good nutritional value and health‐promoting benefits. The C. quinoa was slightly ahead of than C. album in terms of nutritional value, but C. album accession IC415477 was at par for higher test weight, seed yield (117.02 g/plant), and other nutritional parameters with C. quinoa accessions. IC415477 and other potential accessions observed in this study may be taken up by breeders/researchers in the near future to dissect nutritional value of Chenopodium and related species for dietary diversity, which is imperative for the nutritional security of the ever‐growing world's population