E-Learning in India: Experiences, Issues & Challenges

There is massive potential in the higher education space spread across the Asian continent especially in countries like India and China. Global players operating in this space are eyeing these markets. This throws opportunities as well as challenges. There are many players, local as well as global, who have experimented or are experimenting online (pure play) or blended models in education. There have been failures and mistakes, which have thrown lot of learning. As a result players have improvised their offers. Online education is now working. Though the progression is slow, it is expected to grow exponential in the coming years. E-learning is network enabled learning. There is a race to get into e-learning space in India given the scope and size of this market in India. But many organizations and academic institutions trying to foray into E-learning are getting imbalanced due to the lack of proper understanding of the market place and internal/external requirements. IT assimilation throws unimaginable challenges. What should be the operating strategy, deliverable value, approach, processes and technology assimilation strategies so that the entire organization moves towards successful implementation of the E-learning project without compromising on its existing competencies is a serious matter for researchers to ponder. This paper tries to answer some of the above issues with the help of the experiences gained form one of the largest online education project launched and running quite successfully in India. The suggested framework evolves around discovery of a collaboration model with software and connectivity service providers and criteria of collaboration to be drawn from the learner needs and requirement. The collaboration should balance to achieve necessary value proposition for the intended learner segment by careful crafting of the Learner Centric Value Chain

Perilaku Tenaga Kesehatan Gigi dalam Menerapkan Protokol Kesehatan Di Puskesmas Se-Kota Kupang Di Masa New Normal: Perilaku Tenaga Kesehatan Gigi dalam Menerapkan Protokol Kesehatan Di Puskesmas Se-Kota Kupang Di Masa New Normal

Efforts to improve health status are carried out in the form of activities with promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative approaches that are carried out in an integrated, comprehensive, and sustainable manner, in practice, there are still health problems, especially dental and oral health problems. One of the factors causing dental and oral health problems as well as handwashing activities is health behavior, health behavior in seeking healing is still hampered by the covid 19 pandemic outbreak. Therefore, researchers are interested in conducting research on the behavior of dental health workers in implementing health protocols at the Public health center in the whole city of Kupang in the new normal. The purpose of the study was to determine the behavior of dental health workers in implementing health protocols at health centers throughout the city of Kupang in the new normal period. Descriptive analysis research design. The research sample was 30 people. The results of data analysis showed that the knowledge of knowledge with good criteria was 26 people (86.7%), the attitude of respondents in the application of health protocols had the most attitudes with good criteria as many as 26 people (86.7%) and the actions of respondents in implementing the protocol. Health has the most actions with good criteria as many as 27 people (90%). It was concluded that the respondents' knowledge, attitudes, and actions in the application of health protocols had good criteria. Upaya peningkatan derajat kesehatan diselenggarakan dalam bentuk kegiatan dengan pendekatan promotif, preventif, kuratif dan rehabilitatif yang dilaksanakan secara terpadu, menyeluruh dan berkesinambungan, dalam pelaksanaannya masih terjadi masalah kesehatan  khususnya masalah kesehatan gigi dan mulut. Salah satu faktor penyebab masalah kesehatan gigi dan mulut serta kegiatan cuci tangan adalah perilaku kesehatan, perilaku kesehatan dalam mencari penyembuhan masih terhambat dengan adanya wabah pandemi covid 19. Oleh karena itu peneliti tertarik untuk melakukan penelitian tentang perilaku tenaga kesehatan gigi dalam menerapkan protokol kesehatan di puskesmas se-kota kupang di masa new normal. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui perilaku tenaga kesehatan gigi dalam menerapkan protokol kesehatan di puskesmas se-kota kupang di masa new normal. Desain penelitian analisis deskriptif. Sampel penelitian sebanyak 30 orang. Hasil analisis data menunjukkan bahwa  pengetahuan pengetahuan dengan kriteria baik sebanyak 26 orang (86,7%), sikap responden dalam penerapan protokol kesehatan yang paling banyak memiliki sikap dengan kriteria baik sebanyak 26 orang (86,7%) dan tindakan tindakan responden dalam penerapan protokol kesehatan paling banyak memiliki tindakan dengan kriteria baik sebanyak 27 orang (90%). Disimpulkan bahwa pengetahuan, sikap dan tindakan responden dalam penerapan protokol kesehatan rata-rata kriteria baik.  Efforts to improve health status are carried out in the form of activities with promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative approaches that are carried out in an integrated, comprehensive, and sustainable manner, in practice, there are still health problems, especially dental and oral health problems. One of the factors causing dental and oral health problems as well as handwashing activities is health behavior, health behavior in seeking healing is still hampered by the covid 19 pandemic outbreak. Therefore, researchers are interested in conducting research on the behavior of dental health workers in implementing health protocols at the Public health center in the whole city of Kupang in the new normal. The purpose of the study was to determine the behavior of dental health workers in implementing health protocols at health centers throughout the city of Kupang in the new normal period. Descriptive analysis research design. The research sample was 30 people. The results of data analysis showed that the knowledge of knowledge with good criteria was 26 people (86.7%), the attitude of respondents in the application of health protocols had the most attitudes with good criteria as many as 26 people (86.7%) and the actions of respondents in implementing the protocol. Health has the most actions with good criteria as many as 27 people (90%). It was concluded that the respondents' knowledge, attitudes, and actions in the application of health protocols had good criteria. Upaya peningkatan derajat kesehatan diselenggarakan dalam bentuk kegiatan dengan pendekatan promotif, preventif, kuratif dan rehabilitatif yang dilaksanakan secara terpadu, menyeluruh dan berkesinambungan, dalam pelaksanaannya masih terjadi masalah kesehatan  khususnya masalah kesehatan gigi dan mulut. Salah satu faktor penyebab masalah kesehatan gigi dan mulut serta kegiatan cuci tangan adalah perilaku kesehatan, perilaku kesehatan dalam mencari penyembuhan masih terhambat dengan adanya wabah pandemi covid 19. Oleh karena itu peneliti tertarik untuk melakukan penelitian tentang perilaku tenaga kesehatan gigi dalam menerapkan protokol kesehatan di puskesmas se-kota kupang di masa new normal. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui perilaku tenaga kesehatan gigi dalam menerapkan protokol kesehatan di puskesmas se-kota kupang di masa new normal. Desain penelitian analisis deskriptif. Sampel penelitian sebanyak 30 orang. Hasil analisis data menunjukkan bahwa  pengetahuan pengetahuan dengan kriteria baik sebanyak 26 orang (86,7%), sikap responden dalam penerapan protokol kesehatan yang paling banyak memiliki sikap dengan kriteria baik sebanyak 26 orang (86,7%) dan tindakan tindakan responden dalam penerapan protokol kesehatan paling banyak memiliki tindakan dengan kriteria baik sebanyak 27 orang (90%). Disimpulkan bahwa pengetahuan, sikap dan tindakan responden dalam penerapan protokol kesehatan rata-rata kriteria baik. &nbsp

Crown ratio assessment for Prosopis africana (Guill. and Perr.) Taub species in Makurdi, Nigeria

Information on tree crown is prerequisite for sustainable utilization of forest tree resources, as it is the site for physiological activities that lead to tree growth and development. Crown ratio (CR) is an index of tree stability; it indicates tree vigour and is a useful parameter for assessing forest condition. This study aimed at assessing crown ratio for improved silvicultural management of naturally grown Prosopis africana species within the University of Agriculture Makurdi, Nigeria. Nine temporary sample plots (TSPs) of size 100 m x 100 m were established using simple random sampling method. Diameter at breast height (Dbh), total height (Ht) and crown diameter (Cd) and height to live crown base (HCB) were measured for all living P. africana trees with Dbh > 10 cm within the 9 TSPs. Data collected were subjected to descriptive and bivariate correlation analysis. The trees were further classified based on their Crown ratio as high vigour (CR>0.50), moderate vigour (CR= 0.30-0.50) and low vigour (CR<0.30). The result revealed that CR had strong negative correlation with Ht and HCB. Tree diameter attributes showed low positive correlation with CR. However, about 69% of the trees are within moderate CR class and only 3% areof the low CRclass. This implies that majority of the P. africana species in the study area are of moderate and high vigour. Hence, appropriate silvicultural Treatment such as thinning is recommended for trees with CR <0.3 to ensure moderate, better stand stability and sustainability of the species benefits.Keywords: Correlation; Crown ratio; Economic trees; Tree growth characteristics; Prosopis african

Investigating the Effects of Customer Complaints and Feedback Management on Customer Satisfaction in Select Banks in Anambra State, Nigeria

This work examined the effect of customer compliant and feedback management on customer satisfaction in the Nigerian banking sector. In this study, turnaround time of banks to resolve complaints, banks response to customer complaints (responsiveness), employee courtesy, communication of service failures and handling process and service recovery were employed as the explanatory variable while customer satisfaction was employed as the dependent variable. In line with this, five hypotheses were formulated for the study. Relevant conceptual, theoretical and empirical literatures were reviewed in order to identify the knowledge gap. The study is anchored on equity theory. The study adopted survey research design. Primary data were used in the study. A total of 400 customers of five selected banks in Anambra Central Senatorial District were sampled for the study. Questionnaire was employed as the instrument of data collection. The data generated were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. Turnaround time of banks to resolve customer complaint, banks response to customer complaints (responsiveness), communication of service failures and handling process and service recovery were found to have significant effect on customer satisfaction, while employee courtesy was found to have an insignificant effect on customer satisfaction in selected sampled banks in Anambra Central Senatorial District. The study concludes that complaints and feedback management has significant effect in customer satisfaction in banks in Anambra Central Senatorial District. The study recommends that banks should reduce their turnaround time to resolve compliant, ensure service recovery and retrain their employees on effective and quality service delivery to customers. Keywords: Customer satisfaction, Equity theory, Customer complaint, Feedback, Service recovery and Communication  

No Evidence for a Major Effect of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Gene Polymorphisms in Periportal Fibrosis Caused by Schistosoma mansoni Infection

International audienceHepatic periportal fibrosis (PPF), associated with portal hypertension, is a major pathological consequence of infections with Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum. Indeed, affected subjects may die from portal hypertension. Previous studies have indicated that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-␣) may aggravate fibrosis. We therefore investigated whether PPF was associated with certain polymorphisms of the TNF-␣ gene. Four polymorphisms (TNF-␣ ؊376 G/A, ؊308 G/A, ؊238 G/A, and ؉488 G/A) were investigated in two Sudanese populations living in an area in which S. mansoni is endemic. These polymorphisms were analyzed for 105 Sudanese subjects with various grades of PPF, from mild to advanced; all subjects were from two neighboring villages (Taweela and Umzukra). They were then analyzed for 70 subjects with advanced liver disease and for 345 matched controls from the Gezira region. We found no evidence of associations between these four polymorphisms and PPF in both of these studies. Thus, these four polymorphisms, two of which (TNF-␣ ؊376 and ؊308) were found to increase TNF-␣ gene transcription, are unlikely to have a major effect on PPF progression in these populations. However, this result does not exclude the possibility that these polymorphisms have a minor effect on PPF development. Schistosomiasis is a serious public health problem affecting over 200 million people in developing countries (15, 41). Most of the infections occurring in areas where schistosomes are endemic are asymptomatic. However, 5 to 15% of infected individuals develop severe disease with Symmers fibrosis. Schistosomes (Schistosoma mansoni) produce several hundred eggs per day, and a proportion of these eggs are trapped in hepatic tissues and in presinusoidal venules. There, they induce a granulomatous inflammation that leads, in certain subjects , to the accumulation of scar tissue in the periportal spaces. Periportal fibrosis (PPF) causes venous obstruction and portal blood hypertension and contributes to the development of splenomegaly. Severely affected patients develop esopha-geal varices, ascites, and cachexia, resulting in death in the absence of treatment. Fibrosis, which involves stellate (Ito) cells derived from fibroblasts, results from an imbalance between the positive and negative regulatory mechanisms controlling the production and degradation of extracellular matrix proteins (ECMP). The production of collagen and ECMP is stimulated by a variety of cytokines and growth factors (inter-leukin-1 [IL-1], IL-4, IL-13, tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-␣]), monocyte chemotactic protein 1, platelet-derived growth factors, and transforming growth factor ␤), which stimulate fibroblast differentiation and the production of ECMP by fi-broblasts, Kupffer cells, and endothelial cells (14, 16, 22, 30). Other cytokines, such as alpha interferon (IFN-␣) and IFN-␥

Chiral spinors and gauge fields in noncommutative curved space-time

The fundamental concepts of Riemannian geometry, such as differential forms, vielbein, metric, connection, torsion and curvature, are generalized in the context of non-commutative geometry. This allows us to construct the Einstein-Hilbert-Cartan terms, in addition to the bosonic and fermionic ones in the Lagrangian of an action functional on non-commutative spaces. As an example, and also as a prelude to the Standard Model that includes gravitational interactions, we present a model of chiral spinor fields on a curved two-sheeted space-time with two distinct abelian gauge fields. In this model, the full spectrum of the generalized metric consists of pairs of tensor, vector and scalar fields. They are coupled to the chiral fermions and the gauge fields leading to possible parity violation effects triggered by gravity.Comment: 50 pages LaTeX, minor corrections and references adde

Nigella sativa supplementation Improves asthma control and biomarkers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Poor compliance with conventional asthma medications remains a major problem in achieving asthma control. Nigella sativa oil (NSO) is used traditionally for many inflammatory conditions such as asthma. We aimed to investigate the benefits of NSO supplementation on clinical and inflammatory parameters of asthma. NSO capsules 500 mg twice daily for 4 weeks were used as a supplementary treatment in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in asthmatics (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02407262). The primary outcome was Asthma Control Test score. The secondary outcomes were pulmonary function test, blood eosinophils and total serum Immunoglobulin E. Between 1 June and 30 December 2015, 80 asthmatics were enrolled, with 40 patients in each treatment and placebo groups. After 4 weeks, ten patients had withdrawn from each group. Compared with placebo, NSO group showed a significant improvement in mean Asthma Control Test score 21.1 (standard deviation = 2.6) versus 19.6 (standard deviation = 3.7) (p = 0.044) and a significant reduction in blood eosinophils by −50 (−155 to −1) versus 15 (−60 to 87) cells/μL (p = 0.013). NSO improved forced expiratory volume in 1 second as percentage of predicted value by 4 (−1.25 to 8.75) versus 1 (−2 to 5) but non-significant (p = 0.170). This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that NSO supplementation improves asthma control with a trend in pulmonary function improvement. This was associated with a remarkable normalization of blood eosinophlia. Future studies should follow asthmatics for longer periods in a multicentre trial

Einstein's quantum theory of the monatomic ideal gas: non-statistical arguments for a new statistics

In this article, we analyze the third of three papers, in which Einstein presented his quantum theory of the ideal gas of 1924-1925. Although it failed to attract the attention of Einstein's contemporaries and although also today very few commentators refer to it, we argue for its significance in the context of Einstein's quantum researches. It contains an attempt to extend and exhaust the characterization of the monatomic ideal gas without appealing to combinatorics. Its ambiguities illustrate Einstein's confusion with his initial success in extending Bose's results and in realizing the consequences of what later became to be called Bose-Einstein statistics. We discuss Einstein's motivation for writing a non-combinatorial paper, partly in response to criticism by his friend Ehrenfest, and we paraphrase its content. Its arguments are based on Einstein's belief in the complete analogy between the thermodynamics of light quanta and of material particles and invoke considerations of adiabatic transformations as well as of dimensional analysis. These techniques were well-known to Einstein from earlier work on Wien's displacement law, Planck's radiation theory, and the specific heat of solids. We also investigate the possible role of Ehrenfest in the gestation of the theory.Comment: 57 pp