Examining The Effectiveness of Community-based DE-Addiction Camps among Adults with Alcohol Problems in Rural India

India has reported higher alcohol per capita consumption and problem use in the past. Per the 2005-06 NFHS-3, problem use has been disproportionately high among men, less educated people, those living in rural areas and lower socioeconomic groups. Despite the growing problem, the data available on the effectiveness alcohol treatment services is very limited. The proposed study intends to address this gap by analyzing the treatment outcome (i.e., complete abstinence) among adult users participating in de-addiction camps and the impact of various individual and environmental factors on alcohol use and treatment outcome. Data (N=176) was collected on adult alcohol users participating in treatment camps conducted in Manjakkudi village of Tamil Nadu between 2004 and 2009 by the T.T. Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation (TTK center), a renowned non-profit organization. Treatment outcome and impact of various factors (AOI, ACEs, religiosity, family h/o addiction, other drug use, and relationship with family members) on the baseline alcohol use and outcome was analyzed using the advanced statistical methods of Structural Equation Modeling. As expected, heavy alcohol use was common among the sample. Almost 44% of the sample reported consuming 12 standard drinks per day. In addition, 83% of the patients scored high on the SADD scale indicating high alcohol dependence. Nearly, half (49%) of the population had a positive history of family addiction and more than half of the sample (66%) reported one or more ACEs. Nearly, 68% of the patients reported being sober at the end of 12 months’ post treatment. A total number of ACEs and supportive relationships with family members were found to influence the treatment outcome. Consistent with the literature, AOI was found to be associated with baseline alcohol use. By contrast, alcohol use was found to be higher among those who reported no tobacco use. Findings of this study indicate that trends of substance abuse are shifting in India and it is important to tailor the education and preventive efforts towards a younger population. In addition to patients, treatment providers should consider educating friends and family members to increase the support during the treatment process and guarantee long-lasting treatment effect

Indigenous traditional practices for eco-friendly management of insect/pest in Maharashtra, India

An ethnobotanical study on plants used for indigenous traditional management of insects pests by people in Maharashtra was conducted to document the information particularly associated with the use as insecticide and pesticide potential of plants. In this study, following areas from the Maharastra were worked out, Ratnagiri, Raigad and Sindhudurg of Konkan, Toranmal and Dhadgaon areas in Nandurbar district, some areas in Nasik and Ahemdnagar districts. People residing in the villages and nearby forests depends mostly on traditional management of household insects, pests through their own methods use different plants, plant parts, etc. The present paper deals with the plants used to control insects and pests by the people of Maharashtra. A total of 84 plants belonging to 40 families have been documented for their insecticidal/pesticidal potential. Of these, families with more number of species used as insecticide or pesticide are, Fabaceae with 10 species; Lamiaceae with 8 species; Euphorbiaceae with 6 and Asteraceae with 5 species

पिंजऱ्याची बांधणी : तत्त्व आणि आराखडा

The culture of finfishes in cages has been practiced for years in countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Hongkong. Cage was first used as a holding facility for fish. True cage culture was said to have started in 1243 in China. Use of modern cage materials like synthetic nets, woods and metals started in early 1960’s. The size and shape of the cages are very important for the growth and production of the fishes/ shell fishes living inside it. The design will vary depending on the selected site. The constructed cage must withstand the force of wind and wave while holding the stock safely. The cage must be safe, secure and easy to manage. Circular cage bags make the most efficient use of materials, and thus have the lowest costs per unit volume. Shape is likely to influence effective stocking densities and swimming behaviour, which in turn can influence production. Fish cages can be constructed from a variety of materials. All materials used for the cage should be durable, nontoxic, and rustproof

Cadmium sulfide decorated with carbon nanoparticles from peanut shells: an efficient photocatalyst

Carbon decorated cadmium sulfide nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical precipitation method in aqueous medium using dichloroacetic acid as a complexing agent to study their optical and photocatalytic properties. Carbon nanoparticles were prepared from waste peanut shells by simple pyrolysis method. The as-prepared materials were characterized by XRD analysis, UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Spectro fluorometry, FTIR and BET analysis. SEM and TEM images indicate nano crystallites with spherical agglomeration of average 40nm size. Band gap energy for pure CdS was observed in the order of 2.4eV. As prepared carbon decorated CdS nanoparticles with increased surface area efficiently catalyzed the photodegradation of Rhodamine-B dye solution under sunlight irradiation than pure CdS

Effect of temperature, relative humidity and moisture content on germination percentage of wheat stored in different storage structures

The paper presents information regarding the pattern of changes in the environmental conditions (i.e. temperature, relative humidity and moisture content) on the stored wheat in Galvanized Iron Corrugated (GIC) silo, Godown storage and CAP storage.  The grain moisture content in the silo increased from 11.20% to 17.08% wet basis (w.b.), in bag storage increased from 11.20% to 17.25%, and in CAP storage increased from 11.20% to 17.19% wet basis (w.b.) during the storage period from April 06 to November 06.  The moisture content of the wheat grain then slightly decreased during the storage period from November 06 to April 07.  The temperature of the grain inside silo was 29.30℃ while at the end of the storage period, the temperature was 42.90℃.  The initial grain temperature inside Godown storage was 29.30℃ and at the end of the storage period, it was 32.31℃.  The initial grain temperature inside CAP storage was 29.10℃ and it increased to 39.94℃ at the end of the storage period.  The relative humidity in the silo was 16.1% lower than the ambient relative humidity.  The germination percentage of grain inside the silo was decreased from 86.70% to 78.60%, in Godown storage it decreased from 86.70% to 53.30%, and in CAP storage it decreased from 86.70% to 46.60% during the storage period from April to September. Keywords: temperature, moisture content, relative humidity, germination percentage, wheat, GIC, silo, Godown, CA