Sustainability Practices as a Competitive Edge in Five Star Hotels of Delhi: a Study on Manager's Perception

The study aims to conduct an analysis describing the sustainable strategy available for hotels, evaluating its potential to create competitive advantage and exploring how its implementation influences other actors in the industry specifically and the whole area development generally. For the purpose of this study, Delhi has been chosen with a focus on the Five Star and Five-star Deluxe Hotels of the city. A survey was conducted with the employees working in 15 Five stars and Five-star Deluxe Hotels in Delhi. According to the analysis, the sustainable efforts of the hotel include environmental, social and economic initiatives. The results of the survey highlighted the sustainability practices that are being adopted and the extent of their implementation by these hotels. It also showed the relationship between a hotel's sustainability practices and employees' satisfaction

Short Fibre and Particulate-reinforced Rubber Composites

Particulate fillers (carbon black and silica) and short fibre (aromatic polyamide, Kevlar have been utilised to produce rubber composites based on acrylonitrile-co-butadiene rubber (NBR). Mechanical properties of these composites have been determined and compared with unfilled rubber vulcanisate. The effect of surface treatment on the improvement of strength, in case of Kevlar, has also been considered. The influence of elevated temperature on tear strength, an important failure criterion, has been evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy has been used as a tool to correlate the topographical features associated with changes in the tear strength of the composites

Parents’ Attitude toward Inclusion of their Children with Autism in Mainstream Classrooms

Despite the growth of inclusive education programs adopted by many schools across India, children with special needs rarely find themselves included in them. Autism being a pervasive disorder, it becomes hard for autistic children to communicate and express themselves in a socially appropriate manner. Hence, the objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of parents about inclusion of children with autism in mainstream classrooms. A sample of 20 parents whose children were already enrolled in a mainstream school was selected from a school in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Participants were assessed on Parent’s Attitudes to Inclusion (PATI, 1998). The result of the study showed the attitude of parents towards the quality of educational services in mainstream education is negative; whereas, when it comes to child acceptance and treatment in mainstream education the parents have a positive attitude. It was also found that parents of children with autism have a neutral attitude towards the mutual benefits of inclusive education. The findings also revealed that regardless of their positive outlook, parents had certain conjectures about such inclusivity. These pertained primarily to childcare responsibilities, children’s transition tasks and teachers’ challenges of managing everything effectively while teaching both students with and without diagnosis of autism in the same classroom. This study can be used by special educators, school authorities and teachers teaching in an inclusive classroom to better understand the concerns of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ADS)

Non-destructive Characterizations of Natural Yarns and Fabrics

Textiles, next to skin, are an integral part of our lives, govern the skin microclimate, and contribute to our comfort and health. Over the years, natural and synthetic textiles have dominated the industry in diverse application areas. However, when it comes to the sustainability of the raw materials or products, processes, and the environment, the natural polymers or fibers will always dominate the preference. One of the many natural fibers, cotton fiber is the most popular and widely used one, leading to many fundamental researches in the fields of polymers, fibers, fabrics, their manufacturing processes and finishing, as well as in product characterizations and performance evaluations. To-date, most textile-characterization techniques involve processes which compromise the morphology of the textiles being tested, and are mostly destructive. In this chapter, a few novel non-destructive characterizations of textiles, made from natural fibers (specifically cotton), will be discussed which involve X-ray micro-computed tomographic (XRM-CT) three-dimensional (3D) image analysis. Tomographic characterizations allow the investigation of both the surface profiles and the inner construction of the textiles without compromising the morphology. The findings discussed in this chapter will assist in non-destructive characterizations and performance evaluations of other diverse material classes as well

A prospective randomized study for comparison of haemodynamic changes and recovery characteristics with propofol and sevoflurane anaesthesia during laparoscopic cholecystectomies

Background: Day care laparoscopic surgical procedures are rapidly increasing nowadays. Rapid emergence and early recovery from anaesthesia with minimal complications are desired. Both propofol and sevoflurane meet above criteria and established as agents of choice in laparoscopic surgeries for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia. So this study aimed to compare sevoflurane with propofol for intraoperative haemodynamic changes with postoperative recovery profile in patient’s undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomies under general anaesthesia.Methods: In this prospective randomized study, sixty patients of either sex, 18-60 years with ASA grade 1 and 2 scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomies under general anaesthesia were randomly allocated into two groups. In Group S, patients were maintained on sevoflurane anaesthesia (0.5-2.5%) while in Group P, patients were maintained with propofol infusion (75-125 µg/kg/min) along with O2 (50%) and N2O (50%).The intraoperative haemodynamic parameters, recovery characteristics and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) were observed in both groups.Results: The mean baseline haemodynamic parameters (HR, SBP, DBP, MBP, SpO2 and EtCO2) were comparable in both groups, (P>0.05). No significant difference in HR was at observed any time interval, P>0.05, however, SBP, DBP and MBP were significantly lower in propofol group at different time intervals, P<0.05, but clinically not significant and patients remained haemodynamically stable in both groups. The mean time for all recovery characteristics were significantly shorter in sevoflurane group as compared to propofol group, (P<0.01). However the incidence of PONV was significantly more in sevoflurane group.Conclusions: Sevoflurane can be used as an effective alternative to propofol for maintenance of anaesthesia in day care laparoscopic procedures as it has better recovery profile with stable haemodynamic parameters

Physician behaviour for antimicrobial prescribing for paediatric upper respiratory tract infections: a survey in general practice in Trinidad, West Indies

BACKGROUND: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are among the most frequent reasons for physician office visits in paediatrics. Despite their predominant viral aetiology, URTIs continue to be treated with antimicrobials. We explored general practitioners' (GPs) prescribing behaviour for antimicrobials in children (≤ 16 years) with URTIs in Trinidad, using the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a reference. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 92 consenting GPs from the 109 contacted in Central and East Trinidad, between January to June 2003. Using a pilot-tested questionnaire, GPs identified the 5 most frequent URTIs they see in office and reported on their antimicrobial prescribing practices for these URTIs to trained research students. RESULTS: The 5 most frequent URTIs presenting in children in general practice, are the common cold, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis and acute otitis media (AOM) in rank order. GPs prescribe at least 25 different antibiotics for these URTIs with significant associations for amoxicillin, co-amoxiclav, cefaclor, cefuroxime, erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin (p < 0.001). Amoxicillin alone or with clavulanate was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic for all URTIs. Prescribing variations from the CDC recommendations were observed for all URTIs except for AOM (50%), the most common condition for antibiotics. Doctors practicing for >30 years were more likely to prescribe antibiotics for the common cold (p = 0.014). Severity (95.7%) and duration of illness (82.5%) influenced doctors' prescribing and over prescribing in general practice was attributed to parent demands (75%) and concern for secondary bacterial infections (70%). Physicians do not request laboratory investigations primarily because they are unnecessary (86%) and the waiting time for results is too long (51%). CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotics are over prescribed for paediatric URTIs in Trinidad and amoxicillin with co-amoxiclav were preferentially prescribed. Except for AOM, GPs' prescribing varied from the CDC guidelines for drug and duration. Physicians recognise antibiotics are overused and consider parents expecting antibiotics and a concern for secondary bacterial infections are prescribing pressures. Guidelines to manage URTIs, ongoing surveillance programs for antibiotic resistance, public health education on non-antibiotic strategies, and postgraduate education for rational pharmacotherapy in general practice would decrease inappropriate antibiotic use in URTIs

Histopathological study of ovarian lesions at a tertiary health-care center

Background: Ovary is the most common site of non-neoplastic and neoplastic lesions, can appear at any age, and is the leading cause of hospitalization and surgery. The ovary is made up of totipotent sex cells and multipotent mesenchymal cells. As a result, when it becomes neoplastic, almost any type of tumor can develop. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to find out the histopathological findings of ovarian lesions. Materials and Methods: The present study was carried out in the Department of Pathology, Pacific Institute of Medical Sciences, Udaipur, from April 2021 to September 2022 and includes 102 cases of ovarian lesions. Histopathology department received the specimens in formalin filled container and performed routine grossing and H and E staining procedure. Results: The incidence of neoplastic ovarian lesion was 40.2%. Majority of non-neoplastic lesion of ovary was follicular cyst (42.6%) followed by simple cyst (36.1%). Surface epithelial tumor was diagnosed in majority of ovarian tumors (73.2%) followed by germ cell tumor (22.0%). The majority histopathological benign tumor type was serous cystadenoma (43.9%) and malignant was high-grade serous carcinoma (14.63%). Conclusion: The incidence rate increased with age, with the greatest number of new cases being diagnosed beyond 4th and 5th decade. In our study, the youngest patient was of 2 year and oldest was of more than 60 years. However, histopathological study of ovarian tumors is still considered as a gold standard method, our observations and results proved to be valuable base line information regarding frequency and pattern of ovarian tumors