Women’s Experiences in Religious Tourism: An Investigation into Women’s Involvement in Sabarimala Pilgrimage, Kerala

Preparations for the Sabarimala pilgrimage involves devotees observing a 41 day period of austerity (vrata) during which they practice an ascetic life. Women between the age of 10 and 50 do not visit the shrine at Sabarimala due to long-established customs. However, women do play an important role during the 41-day austerity observed by family members preparing for the pilgrimage, which could be described as a non-participant involvement in the pilgrimage. While there have been many studies on the spiritual and secular experiences of pilgrims, research on this unique form of non-participant involvement in pilgrimages is not found especially in the Indian context. This study explores the religious experience of female family members, who do not join the pilgrimage but participate by assisting family members going on the Sabarimala pilgrimage. The study aims to identify their unique experience from multiple perspectives such as personal, interpersonal, and societal through a constructivist approach. Adopting qualitative research methods, interviews were carried out among female members of Sabarimala pilgrims’ families in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to get insight into their experiences and their involvement in the pilgrimage process. The findings of the study propose Sabarimala pilgrimage as a very important social process which cements and strengthens family relationships and togetherness

Hospitality Education and Industry Linkages: A Systematic Literature Network Analysis

The purpose of the study was to identify key themes, research gaps, and influential authors, as well as to examine the evolution of research and the quality and rigor of existing literature on hospitality education and its industry linkage. For this, a systematic literature network analysis, comprising a systematic literature review using the PRISMA framework, bibliometric analysis using R programming, network analysis, and thematic analysis was performed. The findings revealed that the most important clusters of research in this area are related to curriculum development, work-integrated learning, and industry partnerships. The review explored the importance of industry-academic collaboration, challenges, curriculum development, and employability as four main themes in the area of industrial linkage in hospitality education. As indicated by researchers, the review suggests the effectiveness of different approaches to industry-academia collaboration in hospitality education, the impact of industrial linkage on the quality of hospitality education in several regions, the role of technologies in enhancing the collaboration between academia and industry in hospitality education, and the development of a sustainable curriculum that incorporates environmental, social, and economic sustainability in hospitality education as future research areas

Co-infection of Yellowtip Halfbeak Fish (Hemiramphus marginatus) with Isopod and Copepod Parasites from the Coromandal Coast, India

Parasitic fish diseases constitute one of the most important problems in fisheries sector. Among fish parasites, cymothoids are obligatory parasites, infesting mostly commercially important fishes. They are protandric hermaphrodites and blood suckers, living on the skin, gill filaments, or in the mouth of the fishes. These parasites retard growth and cause emaciation followed by death. Pathological conditions resulting from parasitic diseases assume high magnitude of epidemics under crowded and other unnatural conditions among fish.Isopod parasite of the family Cymothoidae under order Beloniformes have been reported from about 350 fish species and over 80% of these occurrence are from tropical and subtropical seas, majority being from the Indo-Malaysian archipelago (Lester, 1995)

Histopathology of Y-organ in Indian white shrimp Fenneropenaeus indicus, experimentally infected with white spot syndrome virus

Histopathology of Y-organ (moulting gland) in Indian white shrimp Fenneropenaeus indicus was studied after challenging the shrimp with virulent white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). Histopathological investigation on the Y-organ collected from moribund shrimps revealed the presence of intranuclear basophilic inclusions, characteristic of WSSV. More than 70% of the Y-organ cells were infected, suggesting the degenerated state of the organ. The cellular integrity of the Y-organ was completely destroyed by the WSSV. Further, Y-organ tissue samples collected from all the 16 experimental shrimp were positive by one-step polymerase chain reaction (PCR), confirming severe WSSV infection. The infected Y-organ in F. indicus with majority of the organ cells observed in the lysed condition suggests a physiological dysfunction of the organ. In uninfected and healthy controls, the lobulated Y-organ showed closely packed normal cells with prominent nuclei and sparse cytoplasm. Physiological implication of a degenerated Y-organ in the moulting and reproduction of the penaeid shrimp is discussed

Eimeria species occurrence varies between geographic regions and poultry production systems and may influence parasite genetic diversity

Coccidiosis is one of the biggest challenges faced by the global poultry industry. Recent studies have highlighted the ubiquitous distribution of all Eimeria species which can cause this disease in chickens, but intriguingly revealed a regional divide in genetic diversity and population structure for at least one species, Eimeria tenella. The drivers associated with such distinct geographic variation are unclear, but may impact on the occurrence and extent of resistance to anticoccidial drugs and future subunit vaccines. India is one of the largest poultry producers in the world and includes a transition between E. tenella populations defined by high and low genetic diversity. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors associated with the prevalence of Eimeria species defined by high and low pathogenicity in northern and southern states of India, and seek to understand factors which vary between the regions as possible drivers for differential genetic variation. Faecal samples and data relating to farm characteristics and management were collected from 107 farms from northern India and 133 farms from southern India. Faecal samples were analysed using microscopy and PCR to identify Eimeria occurrence. Multiple correspondence analysis was applied to transform correlated putative risk factors into a smaller number of synthetic uncorrelated factors. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify poultry farm typologies, revealing three distinct clusters in the studied regions. The association between clusters and presence of Eimeria species was assessed by logistic regression. The study found that large-scale broiler farms in the north were at greatest risk of harbouring any Eimeria species and a larger proportion of such farms were positive for E. necatrix, the most pathogenic species. Comparison revealed a more even distribution for E. tenella across production systems in south India, but with a lower overall occurrence. Such a polarised region- and system-specific distribution may contribute to the different levels of genetic diversity observed previously in India and may influence parasite population structure across much of Asia and Africa. The findings of the study can be used to prioritise target farms to launch and optimise appropriate anticoccidial strategies for long-term control

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Not AvailableParasitic fish diseases constitute one of the most important problems in fisheries sector. Among fish parasites, cymothoids are obligatory parasites, infesting mostly commercially important fishes. They are protandric hermaphrodites and blood suckers, living on the skin, gill filaments, or in the mouth of the fishes. These parasites retard growth and cause emaciation followed by death. Pathological conditions resulting from parasitic diseases assume high magnitude of epidemics under crowded and other unnatural conditions among fish.Isopod parasite of the family Cymothoidae under order Beloniformes have been reported from about 350 fish species and over 80% of these occurrence are from tropical and subtropical seas, majority being from the Indo-Malaysian archipelago (Lester, 1995).Not Availabl

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