“WOMEN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ACTION’’ A CASE STUDY OF WOMEN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP INITIATIVES IN TAMIL NADU (INDIA)

Entrepreneurs are not homogeneous and their initiatives determine the social and economic development of a nation. They are able to position themselves successfully in the local and global market.  Many scholars and academicians addressed the functions of entrepreneurs especially women commercial entrepreneurs and their involvement to improve the society. However, there is an urgent need to create awareness among women about social entrepreneurship initiatives, due to an increasingly number of problems that women have been facing in the society. This paper aims to discuss the hindering factors and the support system that is required to promote women social entrepreneurs. This research paper focussed on young and small pioneer organisations. The researcher used case study analysis based on semi-structured interviews with women social entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu (India) being mainly young and small pioneer organizations. The researcher provided some valuable suggestions to increase the number of women social entrepreneurship initiatives along with the scope for further research

Biotechnology for Metal Extraction, Mineral Beneficiation and Environmental Control

With the rapid depletion of high grade ores and concerns about environmental degradation, the necessity for utilisation of lean grade mineral resources have become all the more urgent. With the advent of bioleaching since the early 1960's possibilities of metal extraction in an environment-friendly fashion have emerged. As of now three metals namely copper, uranium and gold are commercially produced around the world using biooxidation in the presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

A Comparative Study of Kinetics of Flotation of a Copper-Nickel Ore by N-Hydrocinnamoyl-N-Phenylhydroxylamine (HCNPHA) Vis-A-Vis Potassium Amyl Xanthate (PAX)

Flotation kinetics was studied for the flotation of Canad-ian nickel ore using N-hydrocinnamoyl- N-phenyl-hydrox-ylamine (HCNPHA) as the collector. The differential flotation between pentlandite and pyrrhotite of HCNPHA was compared by repeating the experiments with potassium amyl xanthate (PAX). However, the pH for the flotation was 9.0 and 9.5, respectively, for using HCNPHA or PAX as collec-tor. Time-recovery plots were fit using the modified first order rate equation for flotation kinetics, namely, 12, = ev"), and flotation rate constant and the cumulative recovery at time infinite (R,) were computed. HCNPHA was found to react with pentlandite slightly faster than PAX. However, HCNPHA was found to float more pyrrhotite and silica than PAX thus the grade of the concentrates were adversely affected

Mycrobially Induced Processing of Mineral Fines

Microorganisms such as Bacillus polymyxa which occur indigenously associated with several ore deposits, bring about significant surface chemical changes on interacted minerals such as hematite, corundum,calcite, quartz and kaolinite. Bacterial interaction rendered quartz and kaolinite surfaces hydrophobic, while hematite, corundum and calcite surfaces became more hydrophilic. Biotrearment of mineral mixtures containing the above minerals was found to result in selective _flocculation and selective flotation. It is shown that selective removal of silica and alumina from iron ores and bauxite can be brought about by biological processes.Mechanisms behind such microbially induced beneficiation processes are illustrated with res-pect to processing of fine particles

Complications of Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking

Cross-linking of corneal collagen (CXL) is a promising approach for the treatment of keratoconus and secondary ectasia. Several long-term and short-term complications of CXL have been studied and documented. The possibility of a secondary infection after the procedure exists because the patient is subjected to epithelial debridement and the application of a soft contact lens. Formation of temporary corneal haze, permanent scars, endothelial damage, treatment failure, sterile infiltrates, and herpes reactivation are the other reported complications of this procedure. Cross-linking is a low-invasive procedure with low complication and failure rate but it may have direct or primary complications due to incorrect technique application or incorrect patient's inclusion and indirect or secondary complications related to therapeutic soft contact lens, patient's poor hygiene, and undiagnosed concomitant ocular surface diseases

Activity Concentrations of Natural Radionuclides in Soils of Rainforest Sites in Western Ghats

Assessments of naturally occurring radionuclides in soil collected from a tropical rainforest forest of western Ghats, India were conducted. These radionuclides were distributed unevenly in the forest soil. For all soil samples, the terrestrial gamma dose rate and the corresponding outdoor annual effective dose equivalents were evaluated. The activity concentration of 232Th and average outdoor gamma dose rates were found to be higher than the global average which appears to affects Western Ghats environment in general, the radiological hazard indices were found to be within the International Commission on Radiological Protection recommended limits. Hence, obtained results for natural radionuclides in the forest soils were within the range specified by UNSCEAR (2000) report for virgin soils except 232Th

The Role of Vitamin D and its Receptor in Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review of the Connection and Potential Implications

Vitamin D and its receptor have attracted significant attention due to their potential roles in various biological processes, including breast cancer. Numerous studies, conducted both in vivo and in vitro, have demonstrated that vitamin D and its analogues exert control over diverse cellular mechanisms in both healthy and breast cancer cells. As a steroid hormone, vitamin D requires binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a specific nuclear receptor. The VDR, in conjunction with RXR, forms a heterodimeric complex that binds to the vitamin D response elements (VDREs) on DNA, thereby regulating the transcription of genes responsive to vitamin D. Remarkably, VDR governs the expression of more than 500 genes. Investigations have revealed that vitamin D and its analogues exert regulatory effects on various hormone receptors in breast cancer, influencing treatment response and augmenting cancer cell sensitivity to therapeutic medications. With VDR being expressed in almost all tissues, the significance of vitamin D in cancer biology has been widely acknowledged. Moreover, breast cancer cells themselves express VDR. The identification of the enzyme system responsible for producing 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) in breast tissue has shed light on the impact of vitamin D on both normal breast tissue and breast cancer cells. Furthermore, evidence indicates that inadequate exposure to solar radiation increases the risk of developing cancer. Given the escalating incidence of breast cancer and the widespread prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, this review aims to comprehensively explore the intricate connection between vitamin D, its receptor, and the likelihood of breast cancer development