Human Responsibility and the Environment: A Hindu Perspective

The World Commission on Environment and Development acknowledged that to reconcile human affairs with natural laws \u27our cultural and spiritual heritages can reinforce our economic interests and survival imperatives\u27. But until very recently, the role of our cultural and spiritual heritages in environmental protection and sustainable development was ignored by international bodies, national governments, policy planners, and even environmentalists. Many fear that bringing religion into the environmental movement will threaten objectivity, scientific investigation, professionalism, or democratic values. But none of these need be displaced in order to include the spiritual dimension in environmental protection. That dimension, if introduced in the process of environmental policy planning, administration, education, and law, could help create a self-consciously moral society which would put conservation and respect for God\u27s creation first, and relegate individualism, materialism, and our modern desire to dominate nature in a subordinate place. Thus my plea for a definite role of religion in conservation and environmental protection

Correlation between the Surface Energetics of Reinforcement and Mechanical Properties of Carbon/Carbon Composites

Surface energetics of reinforcement is one of the most important properties in case of adhesion of reinforcement in composites . For this study, PAN fibres were stabilized isothermally with three different timings (viz. 0, 1, 2 h) and eventually prepared fibres having different surface energetics were evaluated by DCA 322. Composites were made by using these stabilized fibres (designated as OP, 1 P, and 2P) with coal tar pitch as matrix precursor using match mould die technique. Green composites were carbonized upto 1000°C, then impregnated and heat treated to 1500, 2000 and 2600°C. Green composites as well as heat treated composites were studied for their mechanical properties . Microstructure as well as interfacial studies were carried out using optical microscope. Optical microscopic examination of composite samples show that Ill treated fibres offer much better adhesion with matrix precursor and the matrix also exhibits an obvious increase in the anisotropic domain size in case of 2P composites . Density of stabilized fibres and also of green composites has been found to increase with stabilization time. Flexural strength of green composites prepared with 0 and 2h treated fibres decreases ( 123 MPa to 60 MPa). However, as a result of better bonding between fibre and matrix , in case of IP composites , strength is always high except in green stage . An attempt has been made to correlate the surface energetics of fibre with mechanical properties as well as matrix microstructure of carbon /carbon composites

Effect of water depth, seedling age, and day length on elongation induced by short-duration flooding treatment in rice

Experiments conducted on seedling age and different water depths revealed that short-duration, 7-day flooding of 3 week- old seedling was effective in assessing elongation potential in deepwater rice varieties. Water depths of 90-100 cm were sufficient to express elongating ability and 3-week-old seedlings gave better contrast between elongating modern varieties and non-elongating modern varieties. Maximum internode length was under short-day-length conditions while shortest internodes were obtained in the long day treatment. Internode elongation may be due only to the signal effect of day length or the shading effect on assimilation. Further experiments should be conducted to confirm these findings

Potency of Nasya Karma

Nasya is a procedure wherein medicaments are instilled into nasal cavity to expel doshas pertaining to Uthamanga. Nasya is one of the least expensive Shodhana Therapy of Panchakarma.  Nasya is very important procedure to cure Urdhva Jatrugata, Sensual and also many Physical Disorders. Nasya purifies these organs and removes vitiated doshas through the nasal openings. Keywords: Nasya, Shiroroga, Dosha, Shringataka Marma, Urdhvajatrugata roga, Navana Nasya, Avapidana Nasya, Dhmapana or Pradhamana Nasya, Dhuma Nasya and Pratimarsha Nasya

Field of a Radiation Distributuion

General relativistic spherically symmetric matter field with a vanishing stress energy scalar is analyzed. Procedure for generating exact solutions of the field equations for such matter distributions is given. It is further pointed out that all such type I spherically symmetric fields with distinct eignvalues in the radial two space can be treated as a mixture of isotropic and directed radiations. Various classes of exact solutions are given. Junction conditions for such a matter field to the possible exterior solutions are also discussed.Comment: Latex file, 13 pages, no figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Targeting the vasopressin type-2 receptor for renal cell carcinoma therapy.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) and its type-2 receptor (V2R) play an essential role in the regulation of salt and water homeostasis by the kidneys. V2R activation also stimulates proliferation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines in vitro. The current studies investigated V2R expression and activity in human RCC tumors, and its role in RCC tumor growth. Examination of the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database, and analysis of human RCC tumor tissue microarrays, cDNA arrays and tumor biopsy samples demonstrated V2R expression and activity in clear cell RCC (ccRCC). In vitro, V2R antagonists OPC31260 and Tolvaptan, or V2R gene silencing reduced wound closure and cell viability of 786-O and Caki-1 human ccRCC cell lines. Similarly in mouse xenograft models, Tolvaptan and OPC31260 decreased RCC tumor growth by reducing cell proliferation and angiogenesis, while increasing apoptosis. In contrast, the V2R agonist dDAVP significantly increased tumor growth. High intracellular cAMP levels and ERK1/2 activation were observed in human ccRCC tumors. In mouse tumors and Caki-1 cells, V2R agonists reduced cAMP and ERK1/2 activation, while dDAVP treatment had the reverse effect. V2R gene silencing in Caki-1 cells also reduced cAMP and ERK1/2 activation. These results provide novel evidence for a pathogenic role of V2R signaling in ccRCC, and suggest that inhibitors of the AVP-V2R pathway, including the FDA-approved drug Tolvaptan, could be utilized as novel ccRCC therapeutics

Genetic Variability, Diversity and Interrelationship for Twelve Grain Minerals in 122 Commercial Pearl Millet Cultivars in India

Pearl millet contributes to the major source of dietary calories and essential micronutrients intake among rural populations in certain regions of India as its grains are more nutritious than other cereals. The aims of this investigation were to profile cultivar nutrition, diversity and interrelationship for grain minerals (Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, S, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Mo and Ni) among 122 pearl millet hybrids and open-pollinated varieties in India. Trials were evaluated in randomized complete block design with three replications at two locations (Patancheru and Mandor) representing two major cultivation zones. The grain minerals in cultivars exhibited two- to- four-fold variation. Positive and significant correlations were noted among different minerals. A higher magnitude of positive and significant association between Fe and Zn (r = 0.71, P\0.01) and with other minerals suggested the existence of greater genetic potential for the concurrent improvement of Fe and Zn without lowering the other grain minerals in pearl millet. The first two principal components accounted for 49% of variation. Euclidian distancebased cluster analysis grouped the 122 cultivars into seven clusters. Cluster I had higher mean for Fe (56 mg kg-1) and Zn (49 mg kg-1), in which ICTP 8203, Ajeet 38, Sanjivani 222,PAC 903 and 86 M86 were identified as rich sources of iron, zinc and calcium with considerable levels of other nutrients. About 65% of cultivars for iron and 100% of cultivars for zinc have met the minimum standards set forth by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. This indicates the feasibility of breeding nutrient-rich hybrids with competitive yields through mainstreaming in future

Ayurveda description of Panchkarma for the management of life style disorders

Ayurveda is indigenous system of medical science offers various therapeutic modalities for the management of healthy living. Ayurveda not only emphasized curative approaches for health management but also suggested some preventive measures as. Panchakarma is one of them which come under Shodhana Chikitsa of ayurveda system; it play crucial role towards the prevention and treatment of various diseases. Panchakarma offers calming and detoxifying effect, it improves circulation, balances mood & behavior, regulate metabolic activities and boost muscular tone therefore recommended for various diseases related to the disturbed pattern of life style such as; obesity, thyroid, diabetes, sleeplessness, headache, depression and anxiety. Different approaches of Panchakarma therapy like; Vamana, Virechana, Basti, Nasya, Raktamokshana, Shirodhara and Abhyanga may be utilized effectively for the management of above mentioned life style disorders. Present article summarized therapeutic importance of Panchakarma therapies for the management of diseases which occurs due to the in disciplinary life style pattern. Keywords: Ayurveda, Panchakarma, Diabetes, Depression and Anxiety

E-government adoption: A cultural comparison

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008.E-government diffusion is an international phenomenon. This study compares e-government adoption in the U.K. to adoption in the U.S. In particular, this study seeks to determine if the same factors are salient in both countries. Several studies have explored citizen acceptance of e-government services in the U.S. However, few studies have explored this phenomenon in the U.K. To identify the similarities and differences between the U.K. and the U.S. a survey is conducted in the U.K. and the findings are compared to the literature that investigates diffusion in the U.S. This study proposes a model of e-government adoption in the U.K. based on salient factors in the U.S. A survey is administered to 260 citizens in London to assess the importance of relative advantage, trust and the digital divide on intention to use e-government. The results of binary logistic regression indicate that there are cultural differences in e-government adoption in the U.K. and the U.S. The results indicate that of the prevailing adoption constructs, relative advantage and trust are pertinent in both the U.S. and the U.K., while ICT adoption barriers such as access and skill may vary by culture. Implications for research and practice are discussed