A Study on NGO Services for Children in Mumbai, India

The present research was conducted to study NGOs services for children in Mumbai through a child rights perspective. The study was exploratory in nature and aimed to assess the implementation of child rights by the NGOs. 35 NGOs working for children in the city of Mumbai comprised the sample and were studied using a questionnaire and rating scale as tools. Findings revealed that education (74 percent) and health (54 percent) were the most common concerns of the organizations. Only 17 percent of the NGOs considered child rights to be a concern. The NGOs implemented the right to participation better than any other right. The right to survival was, however, grossly neglected. It was concluded that there are several gaps and areas of lack in the services offered to children. There is also an urgent need to spread awareness amongst the NGO workers themselves to make child rights a part of organizational mandates

A Study on NGO Services for Children in Mumbai, India

Abstract: The present research was conducted to study NGOs services for children in Mumbai through a child rights perspective. The study was exploratory in nature and aimed to assess the implementation of child rights by the NGOs. 35 NGOs working for children in the city of Mumbai comprised the sample and were studied using a questionnaire and rating scale as tools. Findings revealed that education (74 percent) and health (54 percent) were the most common concerns of the organizations. Only 17 percent of the NGOs considered child rights to be a concern. The NGOs implemented the right to participation better than any other right. The right to survival was, however, grossly neglected. It was concluded that there are several gaps and areas of lack in the services offered to children. There is also an urgent need to spread awareness amongst the NGO workers themselves to make child rights a part of organizational mandates

Alterations in urine, serum and brain metabolomic profiles exhibit sexual dimorphism during malaria disease progression

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Metabolic changes in the host in response to <it>Plasmodium </it>infection play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of malaria. Alterations in metabolism of male and female mice infected with <it>Plasmodium berghei </it>ANKA are reported here.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>¹H NMR spectra of urine, sera and brain extracts of these mice were analysed over disease progression using Principle Component Analysis and Orthogonal Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analyses of overall changes in urinary profiles during disease progression demonstrate that females show a significant early post-infection shift in metabolism as compared to males. In contrast, serum profiles of female mice remain unaltered in the early infection stages; whereas that of the male mice changed. Brain metabolite profiles do not show global changes in the early stages of infection in either sex. By the late stages urine, serum and brain profiles of both sexes are severely affected. Analyses of individual metabolites show significant increase in lactate, alanine and lysine, kynurenic acid and quinolinic acid in sera of both males and females at this stage. Early changes in female urine are marked by an increase of ureidopropionate, lowering of carnitine and transient enhancement of asparagine and dimethylglycine. Several metabolites when analysed individually in sera and brain reveal significant changes in their levels in the early phase of infection mainly in female mice. Asparagine and dimethylglycine levels decrease and quinolinic acid increases early in sera of infected females. In brain extracts of females, an early rise in levels is also observed for lactate, alanine and glycerol, kynurenic acid, ureidopropionate and 2-hydroxy-2-methylbutyrate.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results suggest that <it>P. berghei </it>infection leads to impairment of glycolysis, lipid metabolism, metabolism of tryptophan and degradation of uracil. Characterization of early changes along these pathways may be crucial for prognosis and better disease management. Additionally, the distinct sexual dimorphism exhibited in these responses has a bearing on the understanding of the pathophysiology of malaria.</p

A Study on NGO Services for Children in Mumbai, India

Abstract: The present research was conducted to study NGOs services for children in Mumbai through a child rights perspective. The study was exploratory in nature and aimed to assess the implementation of child rights by the NGOs. 35 NGOs working for children in the city of Mumbai comprised the sample and were studied using a questionnaire and rating scale as tools. Findings revealed that education (74 percent) and health (54 percent) were the most common concerns of the organizations. Only 17 percent of the NGOs considered child rights to be a concern. The NGOs implemented the right to participation better than any other right. The right to survival was, however, grossly neglected. It was concluded that there are several gaps and areas of lack in the services offered to children. There is also an urgent need to spread awareness amongst the NGO workers themselves to make child rights a part of organizational mandates

Liver Metabolic Alterations and Changes in Host Intercompartmental Metabolic Correlation during Progression of Malaria

1H NMR-based metabonomics was used to investigate the multimodal response of mice to malarial parasite infection by P. berghei ANKA. Liver metabolism was followed by NMR spectroscopy through the course of the disease in both male and female mice. Our results showed alterations in the level of several metabolites as a result of the infection. Metabolites like kynurenic acid, alanine, carnitine, and β-alanine showed significant alteration in the liver, suggesting altered kynurenic acid, glucose, fatty acid and amino acid pathways. Distinct sexual dimorphism was also observed in the global analysis of the liver metabolic profiles. Multiway principal component analysis (MPCA) was carried out on the liver, brain, and serum metabolic profile in order to explore the correlation of liver and brain metabolic profile to the metabolite profile of serum. Changes in such correlation profile also indicated distinct sexual dimorphism at the early stage of the disease. Indications are that the females are able to regulate their metabolism in the liver in such a way to maintain homeostasis in the blood. In males, however, choline in liver showed anticorrelation to choline content of serum indicating a higher phospholipid degradation process. The brain-serum correlation profile showed an altered energy metabolism in both the sexes. The differential organellar responses during disease progression have implications in malaria management

Global host metabolic response to Plasmodium vivax infection: a 1H NMR based urinary metabonomic study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Plasmodium vivax </it>is responsible for the majority of malarial infection in the Indian subcontinent. This species of the parasite is generally believed to cause a relatively benign form of the disease. However, recent reports from different parts of the world indicate that vivax malaria can also have severe manifestation. Host response to the parasite invasion is thought to be an important factor in determining the severity of manifestation. In this paper, attempt was made to determine the host metabolic response associated with <it>P. vivax </it>infection by means of NMR spectroscopy-based metabonomic techniques in an attempt to better understand the disease pathology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>NMR spectroscopy of urine samples from <it>P. vivax-</it>infected patients, healthy individuals and non-malarial fever patients were carried out followed by multivariate statistical analysis. Two data analysis techniques were employed, namely, Principal Component Analysis [PCA] and Orthogonal Projection to Latent Structure Discriminant Analysis [OPLS-DA]. Several NMR signals from the urinary metabolites were further selected for univariate comparison among the classes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The urine metabolic profiles of <it>P. vivax-</it>infected patients were distinct from those of healthy individuals as well as of non-malarial fever patients. A highly predictive model was constructed from urine profile of malarial and non-malarial fever patients. Several metabolites were found to be varying significantly across these cohorts. Urinary ornithine seems to have the potential to be used as biomarkers of vivax malaria. An increasing trend in pipecolic acid was also observed. The results suggest impairment in the functioning of liver as well as impairment in urea cycle.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results open up a possibility of non-invasive analysis and diagnosis of <it>P. vivax </it>using urine metabolic profile. Distinct variations in certain metabolites were recorded, and amongst these, ornithine may have the potential of being used as biomarker of malaria. Pipecolic acid also showed increasing trend in the malaria patient compared to the other groups.</p

Towards biochemical fuel cells

A biochemical fuel cell is a device which converts chemical energy into electrical power. The catalysts used in this process can be either inorganic or organic type giving rise to 'inorganic fuel cells' or 'biochemical fuel cells', respectively. Biochemical fuel cells use either micro-organism or enzymes as active components to carry out electrochemical reactions. The efficiency of such a device theoretically can be as high as 90%. The difficulty in attaining these values arises due to sluggishness of electron transfer from active site to conducting electrode. This can be overcome by using mediators or by immobilizing active components on conducting electrode. We have immobilizedfad-glucose oxidase on a graphite electrode using a semiconducting chain as a bridge. At the present stage of development, such a device tacks high current densities, which is essential for commercial power generation but can be used in applications such as pacemakers and glucose sensors

Romantic ideals, mate preferences, and anticipation of future difficulties in marital life: a comparative study of young adults in India and America

This article has been made available through open access by the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Previous studies have established that Indians tend to be greater in collectivism and gender role traditionalism than Americans. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether these differences explained further cultural differences in romantic beliefs, traditional mate preferences, and anticipation of future difficulties in marital life. Results revealed that Indians reported greater collectivism than Americans and, in turn, held stronger romantic beliefs. Additionally, Indians’ greater collectivism and endorsement of more traditional gender roles in part predicted their preferences for a marital partner possessing traditional characteristics, and fully accounted for their heightened concerns about encountering future difficulties in marital life. These results shed light on the processes underlying cultural differences in relationship attitudes and preferences, and point to culture-specific therapies to enhance marital functioning

Metabolism of halophilic archaea

In spite of their common hypersaline environment, halophilic archaea are surprisingly different in their nutritional demands and metabolic pathways. The metabolic diversity of halophilic archaea was investigated at the genomic level through systematic metabolic reconstruction and comparative analysis of four completely sequenced species: Halobacterium salinarum, Haloarcula marismortui, Haloquadratum walsbyi, and the haloalkaliphile Natronomonas pharaonis. The comparative study reveals different sets of enzyme genes amongst halophilic archaea, e.g. in glycerol degradation, pentose metabolism, and folate synthesis. The carefully assessed metabolic data represent a reliable resource for future system biology approaches as it also links to current experimental data on (halo)archaea from the literature

Understanding families in India: a reflection of societal changes

Literature on family studies in India has grown to a large extent in the last two decades, although such studies are scattered. This article presents socio-demographic data on families in India aiming to provide bases for analyzing research, particularly in the area of family development. Indian families are classified as patrilineal and matrilineal according to the lineage or descent by father or mother. The family structure is conceptualized as the configuration of role, power, and status and relationships in the family which depends upon the families socio-economic background, family pattern, and extent of urbanization. Marriage practices are emphasized covering subjects such as marriage patterns, selection of marriage partner, age at marriage, age at consummation of marriage, marriage rituals, financial exchanges and divorce. In spite of urbanization and industrialization in the contemporary Indian society, the family institution continues to play a central role in the lives of people