Collective Bargaining: A Tool for settling Industrial Disputes

The terms and conditions of employment of workers are regulated between their bargaining agents and the employers. Thus, the obligation to bargain collectively is mutual. So the union and the employer are under the duty to bargain, in view, that the parties are required to meet at reasonable times and confer in good faith, with an intention to negotiate on the subject matter called for. In relation to this, the collective bargaining agreement ought to be written and signed by parties on request, where in either party is required to agree to a proposal or make a concession. With an aim to reduce unwanted strikes and lockdowns caused by the workers, the paper revolves around the role of Trade Unions inthe settlement of disputes between the employer and workers through a collective bargaining process, resulting in the peaceful settlement of industrial disputes

Validation of body fat measurement by skinfolds and two bioelectric impedance methods with DEXA - the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study [CURES-3]

Background and Objective: Although Asian Indians have been shown to have increased body fat compared to Europeans, there have been very few studies in Asian Indians validating the various methods available for body fat measurement. The aim of this study was to test the validity of body fat measured by two commercial impedance analyzers (leg-to-leg and hand-held) as well as by skinfolds with Dual Energy Xray Absorptiometry (DEXA) as the reference method in a population based study in southern India. Methods: Body fat percentage (BF%) was measured in 162 South Indian urban men (n=76) and women (n=86) randomly selected from the "Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study" (CURES), an ongoing population based study of a representative population of Chennai. The mean age of the subjects was 45.1 ± 9.0 years and the body mass index ranged from 16.4 - 34.4 kg/m2. Percentage body fat was measured using DEXA, segmental impedance (leg-to-leg: BF%IMP-LEG; and hand-held BF%IMP-HAND) using the manufacturer's software and skinfolds using the prediction equation from the literature (BF%SKFD). Results: Body fat (%) determined by the leg-to-leg method (BF%IMP-LEG 35.10 ± 7.26) and the skinfolds (BF%SKFD 35.77 ± 6.06) did not differ significantly from the reference method DEXA (BF%DEXA 35.82 ± 8.33), but the hand-held impedance method (BF%IMP-HAND 31.38 ±6.24) showed significant difference (p < 0.001). The bias for estimation of body fat (%) for the bioimpedance leg-to-leg, hand-held and skinfolds were 0.73 ± 5.70, 4.45 ± 4.83 and 0.06 ± 5.86 respectively. All the three methods showed a fairly good correlation with DEXA (BF%IMP-LEG : r = 0.741, p<0.001; BF%IMP-HAND : r = 0.817, p< 0.001; BF%SKFD : r = 0.710, p< 0.001). Conclusion: The study shows that in urban south Indians, measurement of body fat by the leg-to-leg impedance and the skinfold method have better agreement (lower bias) with DEXA than the hand-held impedance. However, all three methods (skinfolds, the leg-to-leg bioelectric impedance and hand-held impedance) show a fairly good correlation with DEXA

Student understanding of the direction of force due to atmospheric pressure: A tale of two models

The direction of force due to atmospheric pressure is a difficult idea for students to understand. We report a study, involving 35 middle school students, which points towards the existence of two contrasting mental models of atmospheric pressure(Patm), which we term the Weight Model (WM) and the Collision Model (CM). Our analysis reveals a predisposition among students to adhere to the WM, wherein they consider Patm akin to a column of air pressing down on the surface of the earth (Tytler,1998). In our presentation, we discuss everyday experiences and textbook presentations as two plausible sources for this predisposition. Our study involves the analysis of the student discourse as they participated in an activity to estimate the value of atmospheric pressure using a syringe and some easily available materials (Inversin, 1977). Students worked in small groups of 3 to 4, facilitated by instructors. Our goal was to help students engage in discussion, wherein they explicitly articulated their ideas and considered notions from others in an authentic context, thereby paving the way for a revision of their own ideas. The activity had the following components: a) A pre-activity questionnaire: A set of 6 questions, aimed at eliciting students’ prior conceptions and basic understanding related to atmospheric pressure. These written responses subsequently served as the basis for discussion among students, within and across student groups. b) A demonstration to show the action of atmospheric pressure: Instructors illustrated the action of atmospheric pressure on the syringe and its directionality. The demonstration sought to scaffold students’ thinking while engaging with the difficult notion of the direction of force due to atmospheric pressure. c) Activity to estimate the magnitude of atmospheric pressure: In this part the students have to design an experiment using the syringe to calculate the value of atmospheric pressure. The experimental design involves a balancing condition between 3 forces: static friction between the barrel and piston of the syringe, force due to atmospheric pressure and weight hung on the syringe. d) Post activity questionnaire: The final part of the activity is a set of questions aimed at checking whether there was any change in student response patterns pertaining to atmospheric pressure. Our analysis reveals that the activity and associated discussions show potential to facilitate students’ transition from the WM to the CM. We present evidence of modest conceptual gains characterized by micro-transitions in students’ problem-solving strategies, being increasingly inclined towards the canonical CM rather than the intuitive WM of the atmosphere. We also present some problematic discourse patterns, which are likely widespread in traditional lecture-based Physics classrooms. REFERENCES Inversin, A. R. (1977). Measuring Atmospheric Pressure with a Syringe. Physics Teacher, 15(4), 232-233. Tytler, R. (1998). Children’s conceptions of air pressure: Exploring the nature of conceptual change. International Journal of Science Education, 20(8), 929–958. https://doi.org/10.1080/095006998020080

Synthesis and characterization of new thiazole involving isatin for studying their antimicrobial activity

485-4871-(Substituted-1-ylmethyl)indoline-2,3-dione 1a-c have been synthesized from different types of secondary amine with isatin and formaldehyde in alcohol. The compound 1 have then been converted to the respective compound 2a-g (Z)3-(4-subsitutedphenylimino)-1-(substituted-1-ylmethyl)indolin-2-one by treatment with different types of primary amines. Interaction of compound 2 with thioglycolic acid and chloro acetyl chloride results in cyclization to give compound spiro isatin derivatives compounds 3a-g. The anti-microbial activity screening of novel spiro isatin substituted compounds have also been carried out

Fruit rind constituents in nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) morphotypes

Rind or pericarp is the outermost part of nutmeg fruit which is thick and fleshy. Fresh rind, contributing 80 to 85 per cent of total fruit weight, has an astringent taste with aromatic flavour. Due to these qualities, the use of rind for food purpose is restricted. At the same time its therapeutic property, especially its anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and anti-diarrhoeal effects, have generated interest in nutmeg rind. Major interest of the processors is the biochemical constitution of the rind. In the present study, 17 distinctly featured nutmeg accessions selected from core collections in central Kerala were employed for biochemical analysis of rind. A total of 10 constituents of ripe rind were estimated using standard analytical techniques. Data were statistically analysed and sub groups formed using DMRT. The range of variation was 87.1 to 89.1 (mg 100 g-1) for ascorbic acid, 0.2 to 1.08 per cent for pectin content (calcium pectate), 0.21to 1.85 (g 100 g-1) for protein, 0.3 to 1.23 (g 100 g-1) for starch, 27.8 to 57.6 (mg 100 g-1) for total phenol, 143.3 to 750.0 (mg 100 g-1) for tannin, 2.01 to 2.57 per cent for total minerals and 2.06 to 3.65 per cent for crude fibre. Since varied overlapping sub-groups were obtained constituents wise, the method to make decisions jointly on a number of dependant characters was co-opted. The final score is an indicator of the relative superiority of the accessions in terms of the biochemical constituents of rind. The accessions were categorized for various end uses based on the score obtained for each constituent. The variation in biochemical composition may be due to inherent genetic character of the tree as also the geographic location and management practices followed. Based on the composition, the nutmeg rind, which at present is discarded as a farm waste, could be utilized for value addition in the food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical sectors

Functional Food Product Development and Quality Analysis of Whey Based Fruit Herbal Beverage

This study focuses on development of herbal fruit beverage based on whey. Whey was mixed with pineapple juices along with mentha flavor in the ratio 8:2:1. This study evaluated the physicochemical, sensory and microbial analysis of the developed product periodically till a period of 20 days. The analyzed physico-chemical parameters in the product reported a decline from 0.02 to 2% as the storage period increased. 0.18% of fat reduced to 0.16% during the study period. Protein content reduced up to 0.13%. Lactose content was reduced to 0.2% at the end of 20 days. Sensory evaluation had a high reading of 8.32 for taste and a least value of 6.64. The hedonic scale reading drastically decreased after ten days of storage. Whey based pineapple beverage can serve as a best alternative functional food in the present-day scenario

Effects of organic manures on yield and yield attributes of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) genotypes

An experiment was carried out to determine the effects of organic sources of fertilizers on yield and yield parameters of five coffee (Coffea arabica) genotypes at Gulmi district in 2015 to 2021. Five different source of organic manures (mustard cake @ 2 kg/plant, poultry manure @ 2.5 kg/plant, vermi compost @ 3 kg/plant, goat manure @ 4 kg/plant and FYM/cattle manure @ 5 kg/plant) was applied on five coffee genotypes (Chhetradip Local, Gulmi Local, Selection-10, Syangja Special and Yellow Cattura). Field experiment was laid out in factorial randomized complete block design with three replications. Irrespective of genotypes, the length of cherry was found maximum (15.3 mm) in mustard cake applied plants which was followed by poultry manure applied plants (15.2 mm). The average cherry length was found longest (15.3 mm) in Yellow Cattura and Syangja Special which was followed by genotype Chhetradip Local (15.1 mm). The highest diameter of cherry (12.7 mm) was obtained with the use of mustard cake followed by poultry manure (12.4 mm). The application of mustard cake produced the highest cherry yield (3.55 kg/plant) followed by poultry manure (3.43 kg/plant). Yellow Cattura produced the highest fresh cherry yield (3.34 kg/ha) followed by Selection-10 (3.07 kg/plant). Results indicate that poultry manure and Yellow Cattura are most effective for higher production of coffee

Direct cell imprint lithography in superconductive carbon black polymer composites: process optimization, characterization and in vitro toxicity analysis

Cell imprint lithography (CIL) or cell replication plays a vital role in fields like biomimetic smart culture substrates, bone tissue engineering, cell guiding, cell adhesion, tissue engineering, cell microenvironments, tissue microenvironments, cell research, drug delivery, diagnostics, therapeutics and many other applications. Herein we report a new formulation of superconductive carbon black photopolymer composite and its characterization towards a CIL process technique. In this article, we demonstrated an approach of using a carbon nanoparticle-polymer composite (CPC) for patterning cells. It is observed that a 0.3 wt % load of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) in a carbon polymer mixture (CPM) was optimal for cell-imprint replica fabrication. The electrical resistance of the 3-CPC (0.3 wt %) was reduced by 68% when compared to N-CPC (0 wt %). This method successfully replicated the single cell with sub-organelle scale. The shape of microvesicles, grooves, pores, blebs or microvilli on the cellular surface was patterned clearly. This technique delivers a free-standing cell feature substrate. In vitro evaluation of the polymer demonstrated it as an ideal candidate for biomimetic biomaterial applications. This approach also finds its application in study based on morphology, especially for drug delivery applications and for investigations based on molecular pathways