A Comparative Analysis on the Causes of Occupational Stress among Men and Women Employees and its Effect on Performance at the workplace of Information Technology Sector, Hyderabad

The research study presents the outcome of a comparative analysis on causes of occupational stress among the Men and Women employees and its effect on the employee performance at the workplace of Information Technology Sector (ITS), Hyderabad. A survey of 200 employees consisting 110 Men and 90 Women working in the IT sector was carried out to assess the six independent stress causing factors Job related, Organizational Related, Career, Physiological, Behavioral and Individual factors and its effect on employees’ Performance a dependent factor. The descriptive analysis, correlation techniques and parametric statistics like t-test, F-test and multiple regression analysis carried out to arrive at the conclusions. To measure the reliability of the scale used for this study, and internal consistencies of the survey questionnaire, the reliability static Cronbach’s alpha (C-alpha) and Spearman-Brown split-half reliability statistics were estimated. The overall C-alpha is 0.89 whereas the Spearman-Brown split half statistic is 0.83. The C-alpha values ranged from 0.62 to 0.76 for Men and 0.60 to 0.74 for Women, for all the 6 independent and one dependent factor. The results of the study indicate that the medium level occupational stress exists at the workplace in general, effecting the performance moderately. Health-wise, some employees developed chronic neck and back pain, an effect of long sitting hours at work. The study confirms that Women will have more stress than Men, however the factors causing the stress among the Men and Women are not similar

Cooperation of Notch and Ras/MAPK signaling pathways in human breast carcinogenesis

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Note on Length Weight Relation in Fishes

Fishes are unique among vertebrates, especially when their growth patterns are taken into account. Baring very few exceptions, fishes show an indeterminate type of growth, implying that they show continued growth throughout the life, invariably with rate of growth declining with age (Mommsen, 2001). The growth among fishes, like other organism are affected by several factors like abundance of food, ambient physical environment, internal biological cycles (e.g. reproductive cycles), etc. Growth monitoring is a key discipline in fisheries, be it capture or culture sector. Growth can be monitored either in terms of change in length or weight. Weight-length relationship enables the inter-conversion of these two measures of growth. Establishing weight-length relationships though a routine exercise in fisheries, still the relationships are available for a limited number of species, considering the enormous α- diversity among fishes (Kulbicki et al. 2005; Froese, 2006)

Gender preferences among antenatal women: a cross-sectional study from coastal South India

Background: A balanced sex ratio is essential for a stable society.Objective: The main objective of the present research was to study the perceptions of women attending the antenatal care (ANC) facility regarding their gender preferences and family composition.Method: In this cross-sectional study 132 antenatal women were interviewed in their preferred language using a predesigned semi-structured questionnaire. The collected information was analyzed using SPSS version 11.5.Results: The mean age of the study participants was 27.2 ± 4.1 years. The majority of the antenatal women (60.6%, n=80) did not have any gender preferences. Among those who had a gender preference (39.4%, n=52), male and female preference was reported by 55.7% (n=29) and 44.3% (n=23) of the participants respectively. The overall son preference index was observed to be 1.3. No consistent relationship could be established between the socio-demographic factors and the preference for gender. The mean preferred family size in our study was 1.85±0.531 and more than half of the participants had a balanced gender preference. The majority of the participants were aware that the adverse sex ratio can lead to fall in the number of brides and that it would bring about a social imbalance.Conclusion: As a developed society we need to ensure that both the genders get equal respect and are free from any sort of preferences and prejudices. To achieve this, more and more people need to be made aware of the consequences of gender imbalance and adverse sex ratio in a society.Keywords: Gender preferences; family composition; antenatal women; coastal South Indi

Premature Centromere Division and Spontaneous Abortion

Premature Centromere Division (PCD) was observed in the chromosomes of metaphase spreads in a patient with the history of recurrent abortions. Short term leukocyte cultures were set up with blood sample from the woman with a history of recurrent abortions for the past four consequent years. 25 % of the metaphase spreads screened displayed premature centromere division of the chromosomes in each of the cells. This abnormal behavior of the centromeres may predispose the individual to cell division errors due to chromosome instability and the consequences of which may be a spontaneous abortion

Analysis of relative nuclear DNA content in carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) accessions reveals ploidy levels by flow cytometry

Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) is one of the fifth most important ornamental species worldwide. Many desirable plant characteristics such as big size flower, adaptation to stress, and intra or interspecific hybridization capability are dependent on plant ploidy level. We optimized a quick flow cytometry method for DNA content determination in carnation accession samples that allowed a systematic evaluation of ploidy levels. To verify the actual ploidy levels, we counted chromosome numbers in the root tips of representative cultivar for each ploidy level. The relative nuclear DNA content was distributed into four kinds of discontinuous groups: 1.32 to 1.95 pg (group 1), 2.03 to 2.72 pg (group 2), 2.98 to 4.65 pg (group 3) and 5.33 pg (group 4) which might correspond to the following ploidy levels; diploid, triploid, tetraploid and hexaploid. The results showed that out of 60 carnation accessions, 33 were diploid, 5 were triploid, 21 were tetraploid and 1 was hexaploid

Heavy landings of mobulids reported at Cochin Fisheries Harbour, Kerala

Heavy landings of mobulids was seen for four days during 19 - 22 August and again during 31 August - 3 September 2013 at Cochin Fisheries Harbour. During the first phase, around 600 mobulids (16 tonnes) were landed by gillnetters which operated off the coast of Vizhinjam, Kovalam and Colachel. The vessels operated for a period of 5-7 days in the fishing ground 08014’N; 76033’E at a depth of 15 -30 m. The gear used was “ozhukkuvalai” with a square mesh size of 80 - 150 mm. On an average, 15 – 30 numbers of mobulids were landed per boat

Quantitative trait loci associated with constitutive traits controlling water use in pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.]

Substantial genetic variation for drought adaption exists in pearl millet via traits controlling plant water use. Knowing genomic regions responsible for these traits is important. F7 recombinant inbred lines were used to identify QTLs and allelic interactions for traits affecting plant water use, and we discuss their relevance for crop productivity in water-limited environments. Four QTLs contributed to increased transpiration rate under high VPD conditions, all with alleles from drought-sensitive parent ICMB 841. Of these four QTLs, a major QTL (35.7%) was mapped on LG 6. The alleles for 863B at this QTL decreased transpiration rate and this QTL co-mapped to a previously detected LG 6 QTL, with alleles from 863B, for grain mass and panicle harvest index across severe terminal drought stress environments. This evidence provided additional support for a link between water savings from lower transpiration rate under high VPD and drought tolerance. 863B alleles in this same genomic region also increased shoot weight, leaf area, and total transpiration under well-watered conditions. One unexpected outcome was a reduced transpiration under high VPD (15%) from the interaction of two alleles for high VPD transpiration (LG 6 (B), 40.7) and specific leaf weight and biomass (LG 7 (A), 35.3), (A, allele from ICMB 841, B, allele from 863B, marker position) . The LG 6 QTL appears to combine alleles for growth potential, beneficial for non-stress conditions, and for saving water under high evaporative demand, beneficial for stressful conditions. Mapping QTLs for water-use traits, and assessing their interactions, offers considerable potential for improving pearl millet adaptation to specific stress conditions through physiology-informed marker-assisted selection

Clinicopathological Profile of Pure Neuroendocrine Neoplasms of the Esophagus: A South Indian Center Experience

Purpose. Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) of the esophagus are very uncommon with only a few studies published worldwide. Studies on clinical profile, management, and outcomes are very uncommon. Methods. We report the largest single institution retrospective review of 43 patients of pure esophageal NENs out of our registry of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors treated between 2005 and 2014. Data on the incidence, tumor location, clinical symptoms, stage at presentation, grading, treatment protocol, and treatment outcomes was collected and analyzed. Results. Among 1293 cases of esophageal cancers, pure esophageal NENs were diagnosed in 43 cases. The mean patient age was 55.8 years. The male : female ratio was 1.5 : 1. 81.4% of the tumors were located in the lower third of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction. Neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC; G3) accounted for the vast majority of NENs (83.7%). 53.5% patients were Stage IV and 32.5% were Stage III at presentation. The combined median survival of stages II and III patients was 18.25 months, with treatment. The median survival of treated patients with metastatic disease was 6.5 months. Conclusion. Esophageal NENs most commonly were neuroendocrine carcinomas, presented in metastatic stage and were associated with poor prognosis. Grade 2 (G2) tumors had better outcomes than NEC (G3). In nonmetastatic disease, presence of lymph node metastasis and unresectable disease had poorer outcomes

Quality indicators in a mycobacteriology laboratory supporting clinical trials for pulmonary tuberculosis

AbstractBackgroundDocumentation of structured quality indicators for mycobacteriology laboratories supporting exclusively controlled clinical trials in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is lacking.ObjectiveTo document laboratory indicators for a solid (Lowenstein–Jensen medium) culture system in a mycobacteriology laboratory for a period of 4years (2007–2010).MethodsThe sputum samples, collected from PTB suspects/patients enrolled in clinical trials, were subjected to fluorescence microscopy, culture and drug sensitivity testing (DST). Data was retrospectively collected from TB laboratory registers and computed using pre-formulated Microsoft Office Excel. Laboratory indicators were calculated and analyzed.ResultsThe number of samples processed in a calendar year varied from 6261 to 10,710. Of the samples processed in a calendar year, specimen contamination (4.8–6.9%), culture positives (78.4–85.1%) among smear positives, smear positives (71.8–79.0%) among culture positive samples, smear negatives among culture negative samples (95.2–96.7%), and average time to report DST results (76–97days) varied as shown in parentheses.ConclusionValues of quality indicators in mycobacteriology laboratories supporting exclusively clinical trials of PTB have to be defined and used for meaningful monitoring of laboratories