Determinants of Voting Behaviour in India: Theoretical Perspective

The study of determinants of electoral behaviour constitutes a very significant area of empirical investigation. Man is a rational creature in the philosophical sense of term; he is not so rational in the realms of his economic or political behaviour. An empirical study of the determinants of electoral behaviour displays the astounding fact that the behaviour of man is influenced by several irrational factors and pressure groups in invoking religious and communal factors, influence of money or charismatic personality of a leader and host of other irrational forces have their definite influence on the minds of the voters. The main purpose of the present study is to focus attention on voting behaviour in India and to highlight the factors that determine the voting behaviour in India. Key Words: Determinants, Voting Behaviour, Election, Constituency, Respondents etc

Voting Behaviour of People in Anantnag Constituency of J&K

In the democratic set up voting is an important process. Proper utilization of vote can lead to the development of a country to a greater extent. However political parties try to capture maximum number of votes in order to come in power. For this they tend to develop and determine the voting behaviour of the voters. The behaviour of a voter is influence by several factors such as religion, caste, community, language, money, etc. The political parties and groups make use of these variables for the sake of their interest. Issues related to the daily life such as unemployment, price rate, law and order system and other developmental issues often influence the vote of common people. The present paper is about the Anantnag constituency of J&K state of India. The main focus of the study is on the factors that affect on voting behaviour and to ascertain the basis on which people of the Anantnag Constituency vote

Comparison of pre-operative and post-operative liver function tests in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy at different intra-peritoneal pressures

Background: Establishing pneumoperitoneum is a pre-requisite for any laparoscopic procedure. However, its adverse effects are not uncommon. Increased intra-peritoneal pressure during laparoscopic cholecystectomy is expected to alter the liver function test (LFT) in immediate post-operative period, which may raise concerns in surgeons’ mind regarding integrity of biliary tract. The aim of our study was to compare the post-operative LFT with pre-operative values in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy at different pneumoperitoneal pressures and to assess its clinical significance. Methods: It was a prospective observational study in which the enrolled patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy at 12 mm Hg pressure and group 2 underwent the surgery at 15 mmHg pressure. Pre-operative LFT was compared with post-operative LFT done 24 hours and 2 weeks after surgery. Results: Among 73 included patients, 41 constituted group 1 and 32 were included in group 2. Statistically significant difference was observed in hepatic transaminases between pre-operative and post-operative (1st POD) values. Mean AST in group 1: 34.7 versus 51.4 U/l; in group 2, the values were 35.1 versus 50.9 U/l respectively. Mean ALT in group 1: 36.3 versus 50.1 U/l; in group 2, values were 32.9 versus 45.6 U/l respectively. However, the enzymes normalized in all patients in 2 weeks without any adverse clinical outcome. Conclusions: Early post-operative transient elevation of hepatic transaminases after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is not associated with any adverse clinical outcome.

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

In Response to Abiotic Stress, DNA Methylation Confers EpiGenetic Changes in Plants

Epigenetics involves the heritable changes in patterns of gene expression determined by developmental and abiotic stresses, i.e., drought, cold, salinity, trace metals, and heat. Gene expression is driven by changes in DNA bases, histone proteins, the biogenesis of ncRNA, and changes in the nucleotide sequence. To cope with abiotic stresses, plants adopt certain changes driven by a sophisticated biological system. DNA methylation is a primary mechanism for epigenetic variation, which can induce phenotypic alterations in plants under stress. Some of the stress-driven changes in plants are temporary, while some modifications may be stable and inheritable to the next generations to allow them to cope with such extreme stress challenges in the future. In this review, we discuss the pivotal role of epigenetically developed phenotypic characteristics in plants as an evolutionary process participating in adaptation and tolerance responses to abiotic and biotic stresses that alter their growth and development. We emphasize the molecular process underlying changes in DNA methylation, differential variation for different species, the roles of non-coding RNAs in epigenetic modification, techniques for studying DNA methylation, and its role in crop improvement in tolerance to abiotic stress (drought, salinity, and heat). We summarize DNA methylation as a significant future research priority for tailoring crops according to various challenging environmental issues