Cultural Intelligence as a Correlate of Academic Performance among the students of Masters in Library and Information Science

A library is a perfect multi-cultural setting, where people from all ethnic backgrounds come together to access information. In this context, it becomes very vital for future library professionals to consider cultural skills as a tool kit to identify and manage varied cultural characteristics. Academic performance of Library science students might be an effective indicator of their being a potential professional in library settings in the future. So the objective of the paper was to investigate whether academic performance of library students was significantly predicted by Cultural Intelligence and certain demographic variables of students studying in the Department of Library Science and Information from the three prominent universities of Assam. For the study, all the 66 students from the three universities were selected, out of which 61 students responded to the survey. Data was collected using Cultural Quotient Scale, developed by Soon Ang and Van Dyne. The results of regression analysis were found to be statistically significant in case of both Gauhati and Dibrugarh universities. The motivational and behavioral components of cultural intelligence, along with demographic characteristics like gender and work experience emerged as strong predictors of academic performance among the students of Gauhati University. The cognitive, metacognitive and behavioral components of cultural intelligence, along with demographic characteristics like possession of professional qualification and place of residence were found to be strong predictors of academic performance among the students of Dibrugarh University

Exploring Prevalence and Psycho-Social factors of Library Anxiety among the Student Category of Users based on University affiliations

An outright fear of using library facilities has been observed among students which can hinder academic productivity among students. Library anxiety poses as a psychological barrier in effective use of library resources. Research suggests us to delve deeper in the library perspectives in order to unearth possible causes of anxiety associated with it. The present study is a descriptive cross-sectional design intended to examine library anxiety among the students\u27 category of library users in Assam\u27s state universities; along with investigation of probable psycho-social reasons for such an anxiety. For the study, a sample size of 160 (Gauhati University = 80 and Dibrugarh University = 80) was selected using the Purposive sampling technique. The Bostick’s Library anxiety scale and a self-constructed questionnaire were administered and simple frequencies, summarized figures and chi-square was applied to achieve the objectives. Results revealed that no significant difference exists in the prevalence of library anxiety among the students on the basis of university affiliations. It was also found that existence of pre-conceived social and exam anxiety, along with difficulties in academic planning and learning were detected as major psycho-social causes for higher levels of anxiety

Simulace venkovního osvětlení sportovišť pomocí vícečetných optických parametrů metodou t-test

The standard lighting design softwares are essentially calculating tools without any optimizing features. Use of these softwares lead to trial & error based iterative design approach. This however produces a set of interim design solutions consisting of appropriate or inappropriate design cases. In this paper, a statistical method, t-test, is successfully applied on these interim design solutions. Hence the list of Determinant Luminaires (DLs) and corresponding Optimized Aiming Angles (OAAs) are identified to enhance multiple optical parameters for the inappropriate design cases

Release behavior of oxyfluorfen polyurea capsules prepared using PVA and kraft lignin as emulsifying agents and phytotoxicity study on paddy

Polyurea microcapsules containing oxyfluorfen herbicide were synthesized by interfacial polymerization reaction between toluene diisocyanate and ethylene diamine at various core to shell ratios using green solvent N-N-dimethyldecanamide as carrier medium and using biodegradable PVA203S and Kraft lignin grade (varying molecular weight) as the emulsifying agent. The study was done to understand the effect of stirring rate on preparing microcapsules and find out how the process conditions changed the attributes of microcapsules such as particle size distribution, encapsulation efficiency and release kinetics. The formation of capsules was confirmed by FT-IR, SEM and TGA. The study indicated that the encapsulation efficiency decreased with increasing core to shell ratio. The change in release kinetics was based on the stirring rate and was dependent on the pH of release medium. Particle size distribution was influenced by the agitation speed during formation of emulsion. Kraft lignins of varying molecular weight were used to synthesize the polyurea capsules. It was found that capsules with high molecular weight lignin showed slow and sustained release. Synthesized polyurea capsules was subjected to safety study on paddy crop and compared with commercially available oxyfluorfen and was found to be safe for use on paddy crop

A Comparative Study on Nutritional and Biochemical Characterization of Banana Cultivars of Assam, India

An experiment was conducted in the Department of Horticulture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat to evaluate the huge diversity among the different banana germplasm in the state of Assam. The experiment comprised of 24 banana (Musa spp.) genotypes, of which the fruits were collected for precise biochemical characterization of the variations present in the collection. This analysis had created a database of the biochemical characterization of the fruits of different indigenous banana genotypes of Assam from which, it can be concluded that, there exists great genotype diversity among the Musa germplasm of Assam considering the fruit biochemical aspects and considerable amount of genetic variations are present even among the closely related genotypes within the same genomic group

Can the availability of unrestricted financial support improve the quality of care of thalassemics in a center with limited resources? A single center study from India

Comprehensive management of thalassemia demands a multidisciplinary approach, sufficient financial resources, carefully developed expertise of the care givers, as well as significant compliance on the patients&rsquo; part. Studies exploring the utility of unrestricted financing within the existing infrastructure, for the management of thalassemia, particularly in the context of a developing country, are scarce. This study aimed to assess the impact of sponsored comprehensive care compared to the routine care of thalassemics provided at Institute of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine, Kolkata, India. Two hundred and twenty patients were selected for the study and distributed in two arms. Regular monthly follow up was done including a Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) assessment with SF 36 v2 (validated Bengali version). Patients receiving sponsored comprehensive care showed a significant improvement in the mean hemoglobin levels and decrease in mean ferritin. HRQoL assessment revealed a better score in the physical domain though the mental health domain score was not significantly better at nine months. Unrestricted financial support in the form of comprehensive care has a positive impact on the thalassemia patients in a developing country not only in terms of clinical parameters but also in health related quality of life.&nbsp;地中海贫血症的综合管理需要多学科的研究方法、充足的财政资源，护理人员应具备丰富的专业知识，并且患者应尽可能服从安排。探讨现有基础设施内无限制财政支持的实用性和地中海贫血症管理（尤其是在发展中国家）的研究甚少。 此研究旨在评估与印度加尔各答血液及输血医学会提供的地中海贫血症常规护理相比，综合护理对患者的影响 。 此研究筛选了 220名患者，并分为两组进行研究。每月定期跟进两组患者情况，包括使用第2版SF 36（经验证的孟加拉语版本）进行的健康生存质量评估（HRQoL）。 接受综合护理的患者，平均血红蛋白水平明显提高，而平均铁蛋白有所降低。尽管九个月后患者心理健康恢复程度不高，但HRQoL评估表明患者在生理方面情况较好。 研究表明，以综合护理形式提供的无限制财政支持无论是在临床参数还是健康生存质量方面都对发展中国家地中海贫血患者有着积极的影响。</p

Increased levels of interleukin‐10 and IgG3 are hallmarks of Indian Post–kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis

Background. Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), an established sequela of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), is proposed to facilitate anthroponotic transmission of VL, especially during interepidemic periods. Immunopathological mechanisms responsible for Indian PKDL are still poorly defined. Methods. Our study attempted to characterize the immune profiles of patients with PKDL or VL relative to that of healthy control subjects by immunophenotyping, intracellular cytokine staining of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for serum cytokines and immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses. Results. Patients with PKDL had significantly raised percentages of peripheral CD3+CD8+ cells compared with control subjects, a difference that persisted after cure. Patients with PKDL showed an intact response to phytohemagglutinin, with the percentages of lymphocytes expressing interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, and IL-10 being comparable to those in control subjects. Patients with VL had decreased IFN-γ and IL-2 expression, which was restored after cure, and increased IL-10 expression, which persisted after cure. In their response to Leishmania donovani antigen, patients with PKDL showed a 9.6-fold increase in the percentage of IL-10-expressing CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes compared with control subjects, and this percentage decreased with treatment. Patients with PKDL had raised levels of IgG3 and IgG1 (surrogate markers for IL-10), concomitant with increased serum levels of IL-10. Conclusions. IL-10-producing CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes are important protagonists in the immunopathogenesis of Indian PKDL