Psycho-Social Factors Causing Stress: A Study of Teacher Educators

Purpose: The present investigation was planned to determine the influence of type of personality, gender, age, qualification and experience causing stress among teacher educators at work.Method: A sample of 100 subjects from male and female teachers teaching in teacher training colleges, Delhi, India was drawn randomly. The data was collected by applying the following tools: (i) Organizational Role Stress Scale (ORS) by Udai Pareek (1993). This tool measures role space and role set conflict. Test carries 50 items which are rated at five point scale. (ii) R-R introversion-Extroversion Scale by Dr. R.N.Singh and Dr. R.B.Tripathi (2010). This tool measures the personality in terms of Highly Extrovert, Predominantly Extrovert, Balanced Ambivert, Predominantly Introvert and Highly Introvert. This tool consists of 50 items with ‘yes’ and ‘no’ alternative responsesResults: The results revealed that (i) Female teacher educators are more likely to experience stress as compared to male teacher educators. (ii) Younger teacher educators are more likely to experience stress as compared to older teacher educators. (iii) Less qualified teacher educators are more likely to experience stress as compared to highly qualified teacher educators.(iv) Less experienced teacher educators are more likely to experience stress as compared to highly experienced teacher educators. (v) Introvert type of teacher educators are more likely to experience stress as compared to Extrovert teacher educators. Keywords: Demographic and psychological factors, Organizational role stres

DLT-based Regulatory Systems Dynamics

In this research, we examine the interplay between ‘actors’ and ‘agents’ in Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) systems. We identify regulatory interactions between off-chain agents setting the rules, as well as on-chain code as actors regulating the behavior of DLT users. We theorize about the relationship between agents and actors that mutually regulate each other in certain ways through the DLT system and identify the significant dimensions related to the trifecta in which the soft system agent sphere regulation of DLT is likely to interact with the hard system actor sphere regulation by DLT. By proposing the trifecta between DLT design, DLT protocol, and DLT use, we explain the relationship between these three and the role of DLT protocol as a mediator between DLT design and DLT use. Our research sheds light on the dynamics within DLT systems and the regulating forces at play from a systems’ thinking perspective.e

Determinants of Blockchain Adoption as Decentralized Business Model by Spanish Firms : an Innovation Theory Perspective

Purpose: Large attention surrounds identifying the meaningful blockchain business model on financial services, while a little focus about non-financial organizations and solutions in terms of how the blockchain business model can affect the organization and bring more value. To address the complex structure of businesses that have public goods, it is important to develop sustainable blockchain-based business models. Design/methodology/approach: This study offers the first qualitative research that uses an integrated technological, environmental and organizational (TOE) framework with technology acceptance theory (TAM) to study the adoption of blockchain technology by Spanish firms. Findings: The results of the paper discuss how that competitive pressure, competence, top management support and relative advantage have a positive impact on intention to adopt blockchain technology while complexity affects the intention to adopt the technology negatively. Contrary to many adoption studies, the findings show that intention to adopt negatively impacts adoption and outline the effect of blockchain on business model elements on the macroeconomic level. Originality/value: The key contribution of this study lies in providing a comprehensive understanding of the environmental, technological and organizational factors that impact the intention to adopt blockchain that eventually affects adoption

Vitamin deficiency prevalence in primary school children in Punjab, India

Background: Vitamin deficiencies are the conditions which are prevalent in the society and parents are unaware of them due to their asymptomatic nature. Overcoming this deficiency is integral in achieving the second Sustainable Development Goal charted out by the United Nations. Treatable and preventable nature of these conditions needs to be emphasized. Aims and objectives of the study were to study the prevalence of clinical features of vitamin deficiencies in primary school children.Methods: This single point cross sectional study was conducted in primary school children in Faridkot and comprised of students in the age group of 5-11 years. A total of 849 students were clinically examined. The clinical features of vitamin deficiencies were recorded. Descriptive analysis was used for interpretation.Results: Overall incidence of vitamin deficiency features was 18.96%. The features of vitamin A, B complex, C, and D deficiency were seen in 7.18%, 18.02%, 3.06% and 8.48% respectively. Some children have more than one deficiency features.Conclusions: The primary school children do suffer from vitamin deficiencies and there should be timely evaluation for these diseases. Larger studies substantiated with blood levels would provide more insight into these conditions

Platelet transfusion in pregnancy: clinical profile and pregnancy outcome

Background: Thrombocytopenia, being second important hematological disorder of pregnancy can result in maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in some women. Some of these disorders are not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes while in others it is associated with maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. So this study was conducted to evaluate the various causes of thrombocytopenia associated with platelet transfusion and its effect on maternal and neonatal outcome.Methods: It is a retrospective data analysis of 70 peripartum women admitted in a tertiary level hospital with thrombocytopenia, requiring platelet transfusion over a period of 9 months (January 2013 to September 2013). Patients were analyzed for the cause of thrombocytopenia, requirement of platelet transfusion, additional treatment, duration of hospital stay and maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.Results: In this study, pre-eclampsia and HELLP was present in 37.1% (n=26) of women requiring platelet transfusion while obstetrical hemorrhage (APH, PPH and Rupture uterus), combined iron deficiency anemia and infective causes accounted for 27.1% (n=19), 17.1% (n=12) and 15.7% (n=11) of women respectively. One case each of APLA and idiopathic thrombocytopenia was seen. 70% of women had to stay in hospital for more than 5 days. Four women expired and the incidence of morbidities was 73.1%. Prematurity was present in 41.1% neonates and three expired in nursery. Neonatal morbidity and mortality was not affected by maternal thrombocytopenia.Conclusions: Thrombocytopenia associated with pathological conditions like HELLP, dengue and malaria were associated with profound maternal and neonatal morbidity

Development of Silicon Sensor Characterization System for Future High Energy Physics Experiments

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is one of the general purpose experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), CeRN and has its tracker built of all silicon strip and pixel sensors. Si sensors are expected to play extremely important role in the upgrades of the existing tracker for future high luminosity environment and will also be used in future lepton colliders. however, properties of the silicon sensors have to be carefully understood before they can be put in the extremely high luminosity condition. At Delhi university (DU), we have been working on the development of Si sensor characterization system, as part of the collaboration with the CMS experiment and RD50 collaboration. this works reports the installation of current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) systems at DU

Public Sentiments towards the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from the Academic Literature Review and Twitter Analytics

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted nations across the globe. Not only has it created economic shocks, but also long-term impacts on the social and psychological behaviors of the public. This can be attributed to the severity of the pandemic and because of the preventive and control measures such as global lockdowns, social distancing, and selfisolation that the governments imposed. Previous studies have reported significant changes in human emotions and behaviors are used to measure public sentiments about certain phenomena (such as the recent pandemic). The present study aims to study the public's sentiments during the COVID-19 outbreak based on an analytics review of public tweets highlighting changes in emotions. A dataset of 58,320 tweets extracted from Twitter and 61 academic articles was explored to analyze behavioral and emotional changes during previous and current pandemic situations. We chose the RPA – COV (Research Process Approach – COVID-19) approach, which was combined with the LBTA (Literature-Based Thematic Analysis) and the COVTA (COVID-19 Twitter Analytics). The sentiments' analysis results were coupled with word-tree analysis and highlighted that the public showed more highly neutral, positive, and mixed emotions than negative ones. The analysis pointed that people may react differently on Twitter as compared to real-life circumstances. The present study makes a significant contribution towards understanding how the public express their sentiments in pandemic situations

Developing and testing the urban sustainable development goal’s targets and indicators – a five-city study

The campaign for the inclusion of a specifically urban goal within the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was challenging. Numerous divergent interests were involved, while urban areas worldwide are also extremely heterogeneous. It was essential to minimize the number of targets and indicators while still capturing critical urban dimensions relevant to human development. It was also essential to test the targets and indicators. This paper reports the findings of a unique comparative pilot project involving co-production between researchers and local authority officials in five diverse secondary and intermediate cities: Bangalore (Bengaluru), India; Cape Town, South Africa; Gothenburg, Sweden; Greater Manchester, United Kingdom; and Kisumu, Kenya. Each city faced problems in providing all the data required, and each also proposed various changes to maximize the local relevance of particular targets and indicators. This reality check provided invaluable inputs to the process of finalizing the urban SDG prior to the formal announcement of the entire SDG set by the UN Secretary-General in late September 2015