Elevating fishers of Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir

The deteriorating condition of one of the most magnificent lakes of India, the Dal Lake, has provoked a lot of research interest from the biological and ecological points of view. However, the impact of deterioration of the ecology on the inhabitant fisher folk around Dal Lake has not been given much importance. In this study, the three major beats of the lake, namely, Hazratbal, Nishat and Nehru Park, were surveyed, randomly taking 10% of the fishermen families. It was observed that the summer mean catch per day (5.18 ± 0.69 kg) was more than the mean winter catch per day (2.85 ± 0.40 kg). However, the total annual catch per person was only 1195.56 ± 211.63 kg. Moreover, marketing through middlemen, especially, during summer, was observed to be very low fetching in terms of mean price per kilogram fish, amounting to Rs 37.50 ± 2.54 for local fish and Rs 22.50 ± 2.88 for the carp. It was also observed that the fisher folk had borrowed a good amount of money for the repair and construction of their houses and boats. Therefore, on the whole, the fishing business around Dal Lake was observed to be under severe stress. In this context, this paper has come out with recommendations to uplift the socio-economic conditions of the fishers

Untying the Knot Divorce and Muslim law in the UK

Severing the ties of marriage in any context is a trying process, while in almost proportionate contrast, obtaining marital status is nearly always relatively easy. If Muslim women in the UK are unable to obtain an Islamic divorce (talaq) from their husbands, they are obliged to go through a complex set of procedures in order to dissolve their Islamic marriage contracts (faskhofnikah). If the women are recognized as legally married according to UK civil law, they must take steps to change that status as well by undergoing the civil divorce process

Multi-modal treatment approach in management of Sandhigata Vata w.s.r. to Osteoarthritis

The disease like Sandhigata Vata which is similar to modern disease entity Osteoarthritis, is a silent enemy of the physical ability of human beings. Besides other Vata provoking factors Jara (old age) is an important factor and hence the disease is prevalent more in aging population. The provoked Vata gets seated in the Sandhis (Joints) and damages the joint structure (Hantisandhin). Functional and structural deterioration is obvious in the disease. For effective management of the disease Multi-modal treatment approach is the need of time. Amapachana, Snehana, Swedana, Lekhana, Basti, Upnaha, Agnikarma, Shamana Yoga etc. treatment modalities are used in Sandhigata Vata according to the patient condition. Multi-modal approach in the management of Sandhigata Vata (osteoarthritis) is much useful to treat patient successfully

Multi modal treatment approach in management of Sthaulya (Obesity)

Charaka has emphasized Sthaulya (obesity) in planning of treatment according to Sharira (Purusha Prakruti). Obesity is irreversible blessing from current machinery, vehicle friendly, foody life style. India is prime hub of Obesity due to genetic tendency and lifestyle. According to the WHO, World Health Statistics Report 2012, globally one in six adults is obese and nearly 2.8 million individuals die each year due to overweight or obesity, so present study is the need of the hour. Apakva Meda Dhatu along with Ama plays a key role in development of the disease and will lead to many life style disorders (Santarpanottha Vyadhi). For effective management of this disease Multi-modal treatment approach is the need of time. Amapachana, Shodhana, Udvartana, Langhana, Lekhana, Pathya Ahara Vihara etc. treatment modalities are used in Sthaulya according to condition of patient and cause of the disease. Multi-modal approach in the management of Sthaulya (obesity) is much useful to treat patient successfully

Impact of different mulching treatments on weed flora and productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

The concerns on weed control through herbicides are increasing due to their negative impacts on environment and human health. Therefore, alternative weed management methods are inevitable for sustainable crop production and lowering the negative consequences of herbicides. Mulching is an environment-friendly weed management approach capable of substituting herbicides to significant extent. Therefore, this study evaluated the role of different mulching treatments on suppressing weed flora in maize (Zea mays L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) crops. Furthermore, the impact of different mulching treatments on the productivity of both crops was also investigated. Three mulch treatments, i.e., plastic mulch (PLM), sorghum mulch (SM) and paper mulch (PM) along with two controls, i.e., weed-free (WF) and weedy-check (WC) were included in the study. Different mulch treatments significantly altered weed flora in both crops. The PLM and PM resulted in the highest suppression (43–47%) of weed flora compared to WC treatment in both crops. The highest and the lowest weed diversity was recorded for WC and WF treatments, respectively. Different allometric traits, i.e., leaf area index, crop growth rate and root length of both crops were significantly improved by PLM as compared to the WC. Overall, maize crop recorded higher density of individual and total weeds compared to sunflower with WC treatment. The density of individual and total weeds was significantly lowered by PLM compared to WC treatment in both crops. Similarly, higher growth and yield-related traits of both crops were noted with PLM compared to the rest of the mulching treatments. Results of the current study warrant that PLM could suppress weed flora and improve the productivity of both crops. However, PLM alone could not provide 100% control over weed flora; therefore, it should be combined with other weed management approaches for successful weed control in both crops

Macrosegregation During Dendritic Arrayed Growth of Hypoeutectic Pb-Sn Alloys: Influence of Primary Arm Spacing and Mushy Zone Length

Thermosolutal convection in the dendritic mushy zone occurs during directional solidification of hypoeutectic lead tin alloys in a positive thermal gradient, with the melt on the top and the solid below. This results in macrosegregation along the length of the solidified samples. The extent of macrosegregation increases with increasing primary dendrite spacings for constant mushy zone length. For constant primary spacings, the macrosegregation increases with decreasing mushy zone length. Presence of convection reduces the primary dendrite spacings. However, convection in the interdendritic melt has significantly more influence on the spacings as compared with that in the overlying melt, which is caused by the solutal buildup at the dendrite tips

The Glasgow Benefit Inventory: a systematic review of the use and value of an otorhinolaryngological generic patient-recorded outcome measure

The Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) is a validated, generic patient-recorded outcome measure widely used in otolaryngology to report change in quality of life post-intervention.To date, no systematic review has made (i) a quality assessment of reporting of Glasgow Benefit Inventory outcomes; (ii) a comparison between Glasgow Benefit Inventory outcomes for different interventions and objectives; (iii) an evaluation of subscales in describing the area of benefit; (iv) commented on its value in clinical practice and research.Systematic review.'Glasgow Benefit Inventory' and 'GBI' were used as keywords to search for published, unpublished and ongoing trials in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL and Google in addition to an ISI citation search for the original validating Glasgow Benefit Inventory paper between 1996 and January 2015.Papers were assessed for study type and quality graded by a predesigned scale, by two authors independently. Papers with sufficient quality Glasgow Benefit Inventory data were identified for statistical comparisons. Papers with 50% and gave sufficient Glasgow Benefit Inventory total and subscales for meta-analysis. For five of the 11 operation categories (vestibular schwannoma, tonsillectomy, cochlear implant, middle ear implant and stapes surgery) that were most likely to have a single clear clinical objective, score data had low-to-moderate heterogeneity. The value in the Glasgow Benefit Inventory having both positive and negative scores was shown by an overall negative score for the management of vestibular schwannoma. The other six operations gave considerable heterogeneity with rhinoplasty and septoplasty giving the greatest percentages (98% and 99%) most likely because of the considerable variations in patient selection. The data from these operations should not be used for comparative purposes. Five papers also reported the number of patients that had no or negative benefit, a potentially a more clinically useful outcome to report. Glasgow Benefit Inventory subscores for tonsillectomy were significantly different from ear surgery suggesting different areas of benefitThe Glasgow Benefit Inventory has been shown to differentiate the benefit between surgical and medical otolaryngology interventions as well as 'reassurance'. Reporting benefit as percentages with negative, no and positive benefit would enable better comparisons between different interventions with varying objectives and pathology. This could also allow easier evaluation of factors that predict benefit. Meta-analysis data are now available for comparison purposes for vestibular schwannoma, tonsillectomy, cochlear implant, middle ear implant and stapes surgery. Fuller report of the Glasgow Benefit Inventory outcomes for non-surgical otolaryngology interventions is encouraged

Effect of Magnetic-Field on the Microstructure and Macrosegregation in Directionally Solidified Pb-Sn Alloys

An investigation into the influence of a transverse magnetic field (0.45 T) on the mushy zone morphology and macrosegregation in directionally solidified hypoeutectic Pb-Sn alloy shows that the field has no influence on the morphology of dendritic arrays. The field does, however, cause severe distortion in the cellular array morphology. Cellular arrayed growth with the magnetic field results in an extensive channel formation in the mushy zone, as opposed to the well-aligned and uniformly distributed cells formed in the absence of the field. The channels are produced due to the anisotropy in the thermosolutal convection caused by the magnetic field. Macrosegregation, however, along the length of the directionally solidified samples is not influenced by this magnetic field for either the cellular or dendritic arrays

Influences of Draw Forming Process on the Crash Analysis of a Circular Cup

The change of a structural part that occurred after forming process can affect crash response. Current industrial practice only utilizes the geometry in crash analysis. This study investigates the effect of forming histories of a circular cup formed by draw forming process in the crash simulation. Crash analysis at an initial velocity of 50km/h was performed using the explicit finite element code Radioss. The Johnson-Cook constitutive material model was used to characterize the material properties of advanced high strength steel DP600. Crash simulations are conducted in two different cases using a geometrical cup model with case 1 no forming history and case 2 all forming histories obtained from forming process. Results from this study indicate that the mechanical response of steel DP600 in a crash differ by 80.7 % for contact force and 5.87% for energy absorption when forming effects were considered. The contact force tends to increase more with displacement in case 2 compared to case 1. The non-uniform thickness and work hardening from forming process do alter significantly the crashworthiness of a structural part in the subsequent crash event

Perceptions on the accessibility of Islamic banking in the UK—Challenges, opportunities and divergence in opinion

This study examines the views of UK-based Muslims, Islamic Scholars and Islamic banking employees on the current state of the latter industry, both in practical terms and as regards engagement with the nation’s large, but often marginalised Islamic community. The British Government has recently championed the Islamic banking sector and committed to supporting it as a means of addressing financial services needs and consolidating London’s position as the global centre for Islamic investment. The analysis adds to the substantive literature in two principal ways: (i) by contextualising the evidence via the notions of empowerment, engagement and social justice that underpin both the state’s attempts to foster growth and the central tenets of Islam; and (ii) by placing comparison of the opinions of key groups at the heart of the investigation. The findings reveal that while progress has been made, UK-based Muslims see several substantive impediments to access, including the complex terminology of Islamic banking products, the lack of internet banking facilities and branch networks as well as a generalised lack of interest in marketing on the part of the institutions. Whilst some coincidence of perception is evident, the views of bankers are shown to be out of line with those of the other parties in a number of key areas. For example, bankers appear to see less potential in the role of the internet as a medium for spreading awareness than do either potential customers or religious scholars. The paper therefore concludes with a call for multi-party Ijtihad and Qiyas (deductive analogy) that will encourage industrial outreach and, in so doing, support long-term growth