Work Life balance during Covid-19 Lockdown: Experiences of Women Academicians of Kashmir

Work-life balance has always been a challenge for all the working class but during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has added to the already existing challenges because the work life too has shifted to home through online mode. COVID-19 and the consequent lockdown throughout the world have diminished the boundary between the workplace and the home place. The work life and family life are to be lived and managed under the same space at the home. In a patriarchal society like India, within the working class the work-life balance of the working women has been a constant challenge. This is because of the gendered roles at the home which are principally considered to be the responsibility of the women of the family. Whether it is the house maintenance, childcare or the elderly care, these responsibilities have been associated with the women of the house only. Since after the lockdown in India, the work was shifted to online mode working women have faced numerous problems while delivering the dual duties of office and home simultaneously at the same time and same place. The paper aims to gain in-depth understanding of the experiences of women academicians regarding their work-life balance during COVID-19 pandemic. We have used the qualitative research approach to explore and analyze the challenges faced by the women working in higher education department to balance work and life during COVID-19 pandemic. Female academicians having at least one kid below the age of 15 years were taken into the study. The study used interview method for data collection. Both face to face and telephonic interviews were conducted with the participants keeping in view the social distancing rules and other lockdown measures. They study used inductive thematic analysis for the generation of the results. Three main themes emerged from the study. The themes along with the respective sub themes are : 1. Work related issues ( need to learn the online teaching tools for digital classes, erratic work schedule, stretched working hours, screen fatigue, camera consciousness, interrupted classes due to internet and connectivity problems) 2. Family Issues (elderly care issues, role conflict and guilt, children’s educational issues, maintenance of social relations, house help problems) 3. Personal Issues (burnout, lack of downtime, feelings of isolation)

Library Services for Students with Disabilities: Barriers and Way Forward.

Libraries form an integral part of any society and provide an impetus for the academic and intellectual growth of the society. They are considered as the repositories of knowledge and should provide information to all without any discrimination on any grounds. Yet, students with disabilities form a vulnerable group who face discrimination and restrictions while accessing the library services. In this paper we have focused on some of the barriers that students with disabilities face while accessing the library services. These have been identified as a) Inaccessible Formats, Materials and Web-Pages b) Inaccessible Libraries c) Lack of Trained Staff in the Libraries. This has been followed by a set of recommendations to make libraries inclusive and accessible for all

Role of ICT in promoting Adolescent Menstrual Health

Adolescent is an important phase in the life of both females and males. Menstruation is a critical phase in adolescent girl’s life which needs special care and attention. However, one of the important challenges for adolescent girls in this phase seems to be the lack of information and awareness concerning the menstruation. Since the last two decades, the embedment of ICT’s in our lives has been increasing including our health care. Adolescents are more attracted to the ICT’s and their applications in different forms. Thus, over the past many years, many attempts have been made by different stakeholders like government, NGO’s and community to promote adolescent menstrual health through the application of such technologies. These technologies can actively involve adolescent girls through different platforms and provide valuable information on menstruation. This paper examines the utility of many ICT’s and other associated technologies that can foster adolescent well being during menstruation and also promote their health during this phase. This paper has highlighted some of these platforms like internet, social media networks, augmented reality, mobile applications, and gaming modules etc. that have a significant role in promoting adolescents’ menstrual well-being

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for effective implementation of MGNREGA in Jammu & Kashmir

The landmark enactment of MGNREGA legislation in the year 2005 was aimed with a new dawn in poverty alleviation and rural self-employment in India, with prerogatives of rural employment and sustainable development. Success of the program is dependent on various parameters like participation, demand, accountability, implementation, fiscal health and usage of ICT as a tool of facilitation. The contemporary trends in development programs demand the extensive usage of ICT tools for the dissemination of information, planning, execution, and monitoring of programs to cultivate transparency and accountability. Knowing that the ICT is an inseparable part of MGNREGA, still, the tools of ICT are either absent or not being used effectively. Thus, it becomes imperative to study the essence of ICT tools about MGNREGA. The present study thus aims to assess ICT through the usage in various aspects of the MGNREGA scheme in district Kupwara and Poonch of J&K

Arterial blood gas levels in high altitude Kashmiri population, India

Background: The valley of Kashmir lies at an average height of 1730 m above the sea level with a barometric pressure of 624 mmHg. The fall in atmospheric pressure at higher altitude decreases the partial pressure of inspired oxygen and hence the driving pressure for gas exchange in the lungs. At sea level the normal range of PaCO2 is 35 mmHg to 45 mmHg and at 1500m above sea level (barometric pressure 634 mmHg), the predicted normal PaO2 in a healthy young adult is approximately 80 mmHg; this contrasts with a value close to 95 mmHg at sea level. On these grounds this study was undertaken to formulate normal ABG values for this place as it lies at a higher altitude.Methods: The study was undertaken to measure "arterial blood gases" (ABG) in ethnic Kashmiri population and consisted of a sample of one hundred healthy Kashmiri subjects of either sex after proper inclusion and exclusion by spirometrically measuring Vital Capacity and Forced expiratory volume in one second/Forced vital capacity (Fev1/FVC). A modified Allen's test was performed to check for adequate collateral circulation ruling out Ischemia.Results: The average mean PaO2 of 78.51 ± 4.40 mmHg and the average mean PaCO2 of 33.37 ± 2.38 mmHg was obtained of the volunteers of both the sexes. The average mean pH of males (7.43 ± 0.02) was significantly lower than the mean pH of females (7.45 ± 0.021).Conclusions: The present study might provide useful base line normal values of Arterial Blood Gases for the local population and will be beneficial to the clinicians.

Integrating Immunotherapy with Chemotherapy: A New Approach to Drug Repurposing

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype lacking the three hormonal receptors namely estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER2 receptor, and the only treatment option available for TNBC is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy lacks specificity since it acts on normal healthy cells as well resulting into secondary diseases in TNBC patients. In addition chemotherapy poses recurrence and relapse issues due to the development of chemoresistance among TNBC patients. Immunotherapy remarkably immune checkpoint inhibitors show a great therapeutic potential in TNBC. As TNBC contain an increased TILs (tumor infiltrating lymphocytes) infiltration making it more suitable as a therapeutic target anti-tumor immune strategy. Moreover, evidences have indicated that chemotherapy upregulates the anti-tumor immune response in TNBC. As a result, a combination of immunotherapy with chemotherapy may increase the overall relapse and recurrence free survival of TNBC patients. Therefore, in this chapter we will focus on how the immunotherapy works in TNBC, their effects and consequences. We will further be discussing the clinical studies and the importance of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in combination with various therapeutic agents and target. Further, we will explore the processes involved

PROCESS OPTIMIZATION FOR AMYLOGLUCOSIDASE BY A MUTANT STRAIN OF ASPERGILLUS NIGER IN STIRRED FERMENTER

Abstract The present study was designed to optimize the process parameters for the production of amyloglucosidase bya mutant strain of Aspergillus niger in stirred fermenter by. For this purpose, various cultural conditions like rate of fermentation, process pH, rate of agitation and size of inoculum was investigated. The maximum production (25.15 U/mL/min) of amyloglucosidase was achieved at the agitation speed of 200rpm. The production of amyloglucosidase was found to be maximum (25.08 U/mL/min) at pH 5 of the medium. The optimum productivity (25.15 U/mL/min) of the enzyme was achieved with 4% inoculum after 48 h of incubation. The process temperature was optimized at 30 o C throughout the study

Nucleotide identity and variability among different Pakistani hepatitis C virus isolates

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The variability within the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome has formed the basis for several genotyping methods and used widely for HCV genotyping worldwide.</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>The aim of the present study was to determine percent nucleotide identity and variability in HCV isolates prevalent in different geographical regions of Pakistan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sequencing analysis of the 5'noncoding region (5'-NCR) of 100 HCV RNA-positive patients representing all the four provinces of Pakistan were carried out using ABI PRISM 3100 Genetic Analyzer.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results showed that type 3 is the predominant genotypes circulating in Pakistan, with an overall prevalence of 50%. Types 1 and 4 viruses were 9% and 6% respectively. The overall nucleotide similarity among different Pakistani isolates was 92.50% ± 0.50%. Pakistani isolates from different areas showed 7.5% ± 0.50% nucleotide variability in 5'NCR region. The percent nucleotide identity (PNI) was 98.11% ± 0.50% within Pakistani type 1 sequences, 98.10% ± 0.60% for type 3 sequences, and 99.80% ± 0.20% for type 4 sequences. The PNI between different genotypes was 93.90% ± 0.20% for type 1 and type 3, 94.80% ± 0.12% for type 1 and type 4, and 94.40% ± 0.22% for type 3 and type 4.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Genotype 3 is the most prevalent HCV genotype in Pakistan. Minimum and maximum percent nucleotide divergences were noted between genotype 1 and 4 and 1 and 3 respectively.</p

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Early administration of tranexamic acid reduces deaths due to bleeding in trauma patients. We aimed to assess the effects of early administration of tranexamic acid on death, hysterectomy, and other relevant outcomes in women with post-partum haemorrhage. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women aged 16 years and older with a clinical diagnosis of post-partum haemorrhage after a vaginal birth or caesarean section from 193 hospitals in 21 countries. We randomly assigned women to receive either 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid or matching placebo in addition to usual care. If bleeding continued after 30 min, or stopped and restarted within 24 h of the first dose, a second dose of 1 g of tranexamic acid or placebo could be given. Patients were assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight numbered packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Participants, care givers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. We originally planned to enrol 15 000 women with a composite primary endpoint of death from all-causes or hysterectomy within 42 days of giving birth. However, during the trial it became apparent that the decision to conduct a hysterectomy was often made at the same time as randomisation. Although tranexamic acid could influence the risk of death in these cases, it could not affect the risk of hysterectomy. We therefore increased the sample size from 15 000 to 20 000 women in order to estimate the effect of tranexamic acid on the risk of death from post-partum haemorrhage. All analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN76912190 (Dec 8, 2008); ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00872469; and PACTR201007000192283. Findings Between March, 2010, and April, 2016, 20 060 women were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tranexamic acid (n=10 051) or placebo (n=10 009), of whom 10 036 and 9985, respectively, were included in the analysis. Death due to bleeding was significantly reduced in women given tranexamic acid (155 [1·5%] of 10 036 patients vs 191 [1·9%] of 9985 in the placebo group, risk ratio [RR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·65–1·00; p=0·045), especially in women given treatment within 3 h of giving birth (89 [1·2%] in the tranexamic acid group vs 127 [1·7%] in the placebo group, RR 0·69, 95% CI 0·52–0·91; p=0·008). All other causes of death did not differ significantly by group. Hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (358 [3·6%] patients in the tranexamic acid group vs 351 [3·5%] in the placebo group, RR 1·02, 95% CI 0·88–1·07; p=0·84). The composite primary endpoint of death from all causes or hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (534 [5·3%] deaths or hysterectomies in the tranexamic acid group vs 546 [5·5%] in the placebo group, RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87-1·09; p=0·65). Adverse events (including thromboembolic events) did not differ significantly in the tranexamic acid versus placebo group. Interpretation Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding in women with post-partum haemorrhage with no adverse effects. When used as a treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, tranexamic acid should be given as soon as possible after bleeding onset. Funding London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pfizer, UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT): A Study of Women Entrepreneurs of Kashmir

In Kashmir, business is one of those spheres where women lag behind men because it is still considered to be a male preserve. However with high unemployment rates in Jammu and Kashmir, younger educated women are starting their entrepreneurial enterprises. The use of ICT in these enterprises is crucial in this era of digitalization and it has changed the overall scenario of doing business. This paper has used the qualitative research approach to explore and analyze the experiences of the women entrepreneurs with respect to the use of ICT in their business ventures. Women entrepreneurs owning and managing a micro enterprise were taken into the study. The study has used an interview method for data collection. Indepth interviews were conducted with the participants. The study has used inductive thematic analysis for the generation of the results. Two main themes have emerged from the study. The themes along with the respective sub- themes are: 1. Merits of using ICT (better communication among the workers, improved workplace efficiency and cost reduction, recruitment of indigenous and talented workers, innovation and strategic thinking, better outreach to the potential consumers). 2. Barriers in using ICT (Cost of implementation, interrupted internet services, digital frauds and ICT literacy). Key Words Women entrepreneurs, experiences, Information and Communication Technologie