Phylogenomic-Based Case Study: An Undergraduate Research Pedagogy at Kentucky State University, the Only Historically Black College and University in the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Currently the undergraduate biology curriculum at 2 and 4-year colleges especially in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is undergoing a facelift by implementing a range of recommendations of committees on education. This has produced a demand to educate and train the current and future generation of undergraduates as scientists capable to perform modern biological research that is heavily dependent on genomic training, such as phylogenomics. It is our observation that the HBCUs may not have a strong infrastructure enough to meet this challenge without the development of vigorous research-based learning programs to complement the traditional lecture-only based configuration. In this case study, the first author undertook the objective to facilitate an undergraduate genomic research-pedagogy at the biology department in Kentucky State University, the only HBCU in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The wet-lab activities in this NSF funded research project include molecular microbiology training in culturing bacteria, isolating DNA, performing PCR, cloning amplicons and analyzing the sequence data. The associated case-study subject was assessed in gaining of wet-lab skills, knowledge, application of protocols, analysis of results and impact on career choice. The results reveal an enhanced student confidence in handling of molecular techniques and positive admiration towards bioinformatics. It suggests that the wet-lab based research pedagogy could play a role in retention of students in biology. Although this case-study subject has appreciated the value of the phylogenomic approaches, a substantial and continual support is required to retain student interest especially institution like this HBCU

21 days and counting : COVID-19 lockdown, migrant workers, and the inadequacy of welfare measures in India

On the 25th of March the Prime Minister (PM), Mr. Narendra Modi, announced a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19.. The decision, while imminent, was unplanned and unilaterally made without any consultation with the state governments. This has consequently caught millions of migrant workers and the bureaucracy off-guard, leaving them no time to plan for such an emergency. While millions of migrants successfully reached their home states, only to be quarantined in camps, many remain stranded far from home, with no money or food. We are therefore confronting a lethal combination of crises: health, hunger, sanitation, and trauma, both physical and psychological

Length of the Last Mile: Delays and Hurdles in NREGA Wage Payments

Delaysinwage payments are one of the most pressing issuesfaced byworkers. Various governments have paid much attention in the last decade on the technological aspects of the digital payments architecture through the paradigm of Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT). Through DBT the government directly transfers money toworkers’ bank accounts. In comparison, systematic evaluations of the challengesfaced byworkers once theirwages are credited to their bank/postal accounts hasreceived scant attention. The hurdlesthat workersface in accessing theirwages after they have been credited iswhat isreferred to as‘last mile challenges.’ To assesssome last mile challenges, LibTech India conducted a survey of1947NREGAworkersin 3 states. The surveywas done in one block each of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Rajasthan (RJ) and 2 blocks of Jharkhand (JH). The number of respondentswere similar acrossthe three states; AP - 667, JH- 622 and RJ - 658. Thissurvey has been supported by the Research Centre at Azim Premji University, Bangalore

Degradation of o-Chlorophenol from aqueous solution by electro-fenton process

The study explores the utility of the electro-Fenton process for the degradation of o-chlorophenol (o-CP) from aqueous solution. The extent of degradation of o-CP is found to be a function of applied current, electrolysis time, concentration of o-CP and concentration of ferrous ions. Under optimized conditions it is possible to achieve efficiencies higher than 70%. Accelerating the regeneration of Fe2+ ions in the electrolyte determines the efficiency of the process. Addition of goethite as a catalyst in the medium did not significantly improve the process efficiency

Recent updates on phthalate exposure and human health: a special focus on liver toxicity and stem cell regeneration

Phthalates have been blended in various compositions as plasticizers worldwide for a variety of purposes. Consequently, humans are exposed to a wide spectrum of phthalates that needs to be researched and understood correctly. The goal of this review is to focus on phthalate's internal exposure pathways and possible role of human digestion on liver toxicity. In addition, special focus was made on stem cell therapy in reverting liver toxicity. The known entry of higher molecular weight phthalates is through ingestion while inhalation and dermal pathways are for lower molecular weight phthalates. In human body, certain phthalates are digested through phase 1 (hydrolysis, oxidation) and phase 2 (conjugation) metabolic processes. The phthalates that are made bioavailable through digestion enter the blood stream and reach the liver for further detoxification, and these are excreted via urine and/or feces. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a compound well studied involving human metabolism. Liver plays a pivotal role in humans for detoxification of pollutants. Thus, continuous exposure to phthalates in humans may lead to inhibition of liver detoxifying enzymes and may result in liver dysfunction. The potential of stem cell therapy addressed herewith will revert liver dysfunction and lead to restoration of liver function properly

Manufactured maladies : lives and livelihoods of migrant workers during COVID‑19 lockdown in India

The 68 days of lockdown in India, as a measure to contain the spread of the COVID19 pandemic, resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, unlike any other in the world. In the frst half of the lockdown, migrant workers were stranded with no food and money with severe restrictions on movement when a mass exodus of workers back to their hometowns and villages began. In the second half, the workers’ woes were compounded with a series of chaotic travel orders and gross mismanagement of the repatriation process. In this article, we draw on the work of Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) with more analysis and perspective. SWAN was a spontaneous relief efort that emerged soon after the lockdown was announced in March 2020. In addition to providing relief, SWAN concurrently documented the experiences of over 36,000 workers through the lockdown. We highlight the inadequacy of the government and judicial response to the migrant worker crisis. We present quantitative data elaborating the profle of workers that reached out to SWAN, the extent of hunger, loss of livelihoods and income. We also present qualitative insights based on interactions with workers and discuss multiple, non-exhaustive, dimensions of vulnerability to which migrant workers were exposed

State of Working India 2021: One Year of Covid-19

This report documents the impact of one year of Covid-19 in India, on jobs, incomes, inequality, and poverty. It also examines the effectiveness of policy measures that have thus far been undertaken to offer relief and support. Finally, it offers some policy suggestions for the near and medium-term future.When the pandemic hit, the Indian economy was already in the most prolonged slowdown in recent decades. On top of this, there were legacy problems such as a slow rate of job creation and lack of political commitment to improving working conditions which trapped a large section of the workforce without access to any employment security or social protection.Our analysis shows that the pandemic has further increased informality and led to a severe decline in earnings for the majority of workers resulting in a sudden increase in poverty. Women and younger workers have been disproportionately affected. Households have coped by reducing food intake, borrowing, and selling assets. Government relief has helped avoid the most severe forms of distress, but the reach of support measures is incomplete, leaving out some of the most vulnerable workers and households. We find that additional government support is urgently needed now for two reasons - compensating for the losses sustained during the first year and anticipating the impact of the second wave

Comprehensive computational investigations on various aerospace materials under complicated loading conditions through conventional and advanced analyses: a verified examination

Most failures develop as a result of a lack of resistivity information at the internal structure level during typical loading situations such as shock load and impact load. Impact loads have a significant impact on a component’s structural performance. A careful, organized examination of impact load settings and their side effects can reveal how well something can withstand peak loads. First, this study investigated the impact analyses on nine varied lightweight composite materials through a conventional experimental setup and computational tools. So, the best three lightweight materials are shortlisted for further investigation under complicated explicit analysis. Second, the study investigated the behavior of composite materials subjected to rapid loading circumstances in several real-time applications. The applications chosen include bullet crash analysis, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) propellers, and car bumpers. The three different principal composites, carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP), and Kevlar fiber-reinforced polymer (KFRP), are selected and applied in crash analysis using ANSYS Workbench’s explicit technique-based finite element analysis (FEA). The comparison assessments are conducted using stumpy structural characteristics such as impact stress and equivalent strain. Two distinct grid convergence tests were performed to check whether the computational processes and discretization were correct. The standard methodologies were used on all three selected real-time applications, resulting in error percentages that were within acceptable bounds, ensuring the generation of dependable structural outputs. The ideal composite material is a Kevlar fiber-based composite with minimal defect affectability for all types of crash applications. Furthermore, multidisciplinary optimizations are performed, and the KFRP is verified to give good crash load resistance with reduced dense contribution