An Assessment of The Diversity of Avifauna at Ranjit Sagar Dam in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, India

A study was carried out for an interval of six months (April–September, 2022) to assess the avifauna diversity at Ranjit Sagar Dam. The dam, also known as Thein Dam, is located at distance of 30 km from Kathua City and geographical it lies between 32°-26' N and 75°-43'. This dam is constructed over the Ravi River and is surrounded by lush green hills, which act as a key driver of local economies, giving its importance to agriculture, recreation, and fishing. Along with being an aesthetic entity, it provides social, economic, and environmental remunerations. Consequently, ornithologists from all over India gathered here for watching the lovely creatures and also to study their behavioral ecology. During the study, the data collection was done through the point count method with eight fixed points in different habitat types. A field binocular (10x50 magnification) was used for visual surveys. Surveys revealed the presence of 93 bird species placed taxonomically under 22 families. Around 37 water bird species are supported by Ranjit Sagar Dam, belonging to 9 families, of which 17 are migratory and 20 are residential bird species. So as to uphold the avifaunal diversity that is crucial in maintaining ecosystems, conservation strategies coupled with the development of potential water resources like Ranjit Sagar Dam are of the utmost importance

Effect of Lime Powder and Metakaolin on Fresh and Hardened Properties of Self Compacting Concrete

This study investigated the fresh and hardened properties of Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) with different types and amounts of admixtures. Six mixes were prepared by replacing 30% of cement with different percentages of fly ash (FA), lime powder (LP) and metakaolin (MK). Water- Cement ratio was kept constant at 0.41 and superplasticizer dosage of 1% by weight of cement. The filling and passing ability were investigated through Slump Flow, J-Ring, V-funnel and L-box test before filling the moulds. The compressive strength of hardened SCC cubes was also measured after specified days of curing (7, 14, 28, 60 90 days). The workability test results showed that as FA was replaced by increasing percentages of LP and MK, the mixes became dense and hence less workable. It was observed that the compressive strength showed an increase with increasing percentage replacement of FA with LP and MK. This increase was higher for mixes with MK than that of mixes with LP

Durability Properties of Self Compacting Concrete containing Fly ash, Lime powder and Metakaolin

This paper investigates the durability properties of Self-compacting concrete (SCC), with different amounts of fly ash (FA), lime powder (LP) and metakaolin (MK). A total of 6 mixes were prepared that have a constant water-binder ratio (w/b) of 0.41 and superplasticizer dosage of 1% by weight of cement. In addition to compressive strength, the durability properties of SCC mixes were determined by means of Initial surface absorption test (ISAT) and Capillary suction test. The test results indicated that the durability properties of the mixes appeared to be very dependent on the type and amount of the mineral admixture used; the mixes containing MK were found to have considerably higher permeability resistance. Good co-relation between strength and absorption were achieved

Immunopathogenesis of Granulibacter bethesdensis, an opportunistic pathogen causing recurrent infection in immunocompromised patients

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp22/1151/thumbnail.jp

Effectiveness of child to parent educational package in terms of knowledge among adolescents and practice among their parents regarding household waste disposal methods

Background: The clean environment not only promotes good health but also enhances the quality of life. Waste management is one of the most concerning issues among developing countries like India. Poor waste management is harmful not only for our environment but it also affects human health. For many infectious diseases like diarrhea, dengue, flu, cholera, etc. The main cause is improper waste management. The largest part of municipal waste is household/ domestic waste hence, it is important to manage waste at a primary source that it household waste.Methods: A quasi-experimental design with quantitative approach was undertaken for the study. Total 103 adolescents who was studying in 6-12th standard in Government Inter College Badowala, Doiwala Block (Dehradun) and their parents were selected as study participants by using a systematic random sampling technique. For data collection Demographic tools, structured knowledge questionnaire and self-reported practice checklist were administered. Data was collected from 17 December to 30 December, 2019. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: The present study revealed that 90.2% of adolescents had average knowledge but it was surprising to note that very less (32%) parents had good practice regarding household waste management. After providing education to adolescents regarding household waste disposal methods there was a significant increase in mean posttest knowledge score (20.84) than the mean pretest knowledge score (13.55) of adolescents. The mean posttest practice score-II (9.17) was higher than mean post-test practice score -I (7.55) after children were educating their parents. There was a significant association of pretest knowledge with the type of house and number of people live in house of adolescents.Conclusions: The study concluded that child to parent educational package is an effective intervention to improve the knowledge of adolescents and the practice of their parents regarding household waste disposal methods. 

The role of entanglement for enhancing the efficiency of quantum kernels towards classification

Quantum kernels are considered as potential resources to illustrate benefits of quantum computing in machine learning. Considering the impact of hyperparameters on the performance of a classical machine learning model, it is imperative to identify promising hyperparameters using quantum kernel methods in order to achieve quantum advantages. In this work, we analyse and classify sentiments of textual data using a new quantum kernel based on linear and full entangled circuits as hyperparameters for controlling the correlation among words. We also find that the use of linear and full entanglement further controls the expressivity of the Quantum Support Vector Machine (QSVM). In addition, we also compare the efficiency of the proposed circuit with other quantum circuits and classical machine learning algorithms. Our results show that the proposed fully entangled circuit outperforms all other fully or linearly entangled circuits in addition to classical algorithms for most of the features. In fact, as the feature increases the efficiency of our proposed fully entangled model also increases significantly

The study of knowledge, attitudes and practices of husbands accompanying patients at obstetrics clinics of a tertiary care center about contraception

Background: Contraceptive practices are the main tool we have in controlling the ever increasing population. It also has a huge role in preventing sexually transmitted infections. The present study was undertaken to find the knowledge, attitudes and practices of husbands accompanying patient at obstetrics clinics of a tertiary care center about contraception.Methods: The study population was 100 husbands accompanying patients at obstetrics clinics of a tertiary care center. A simple questionnaire of 26 questions regarding knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding contraception was provided to the consenting husbands. The results were then analyzed.Results: Vast majority have adequate knowledge about male contraception (93%), vasectomy (85%) and sexually transmitted diseases (72%). Most of the husbands do not have adequate knowledge about female contraception (only 59%) and emergency contraception (only 27%). 70% of the husbands do not know about the free contraceptives provided by the Government of India. A staggering 74% do not participate in effective contraception. Also, 77% agreed that they would remain contended with a single child.Conclusions: This cross-sectional study clearly shows that husbands accompanying patients at obstetrics clinic of a tertiary care center have adequate knowledge about male contraception, vasectomy and sexually transmitted diseases. It is worth noting that most of the husbands do not have adequate knowledge about female contraception, emergency contraception and free contraceptives provided by the Government of India. Very few couples participate in effective contraception despite wanting to adopt a small family norm. This is a pointer towards the ineffectiveness of the family planning program of our country