Factors Influencing the Selection of Business Studies: A Comparative Study of Indian Students at an Indian University and Chinese Students at a Thai University

This research is an attempt to find out what is in the mind of today’s business students when they choose business studies. Is their only goal to make money? Indian students at Mahatma Gandhi University Kerala, India and Chinese students at Assumption University, Thailand are the respondents in this study. The research examines the relationship between four independent variables, finance, family and friends, personal interest and job opportunity and career satisfaction, and one dependant variable, the selection of business studies at the Bachelor level. All four influencing factors were found to have an impact on the selection of BBA at a low to medium correlation. The findings also indicate that both Indian and Chinese students are very much influenced by these four factors, though there are small variances in the level of influence, due to differences in the demographics. Students embarking in business studies are for the most part directly and indirectly motivated by money. This mindset needs to be addressed through business ethics teachings and practices at business school. This is a critical role for business schools to assume

Haemorrheologicals: a new approach in the treatment of recurrent aphthous ulcer

Oral ulcers may have a great many causes. Aphthous stomatitis or Recurrent Aphthous Ulceration (RAU) is an extremely common disorder of the oral cavity. The majority of chronic oral ulcers are accounted for by major aphthous ulcers. The diagnosis of RAU is made on clinical grounds and through exclusion criteria .Here we present a   case of RAU treated with a different drug regime

A study on the mobile phone usage pattern and its dependence among medical students of a college in Kerala, India

Background: Mobile phones have become an essential part of life. It has become an important accessory carried by everybody not only because they make it easy to keep in touch with people but because of the various facilities they offer especially the internet. The charm of mobile phone is more among young generation and the increasing use may result in dependence. Aim was to study the usage pattern and dependence of mobile phones among medical students.Methods: A cross sectional study conducted among 200 medical students and studied the pattern of usage of mobile phones, common problems encountered and its dependence using a questionnaire. Statistical analysis done using chi square test and a p value of 30 minutes per day. Female students were talking more to their parents and male students to their friends followed by their lovers. 49 of them never used to attend the call while driving and 58 of them used to stop the vehicle and attend the call. (p=0.002) Mobile phone dependence was also found to be increased which is evident from ringxiety experienced by 68 students (34%) and waking up from sleep to check the mobile for call or message by 62 students(p=0.000). Out of 68 students with ringxiety, 69% were males and 37% were females (p=0.040). 82 participants (41%) commented that life without mobile will be boring and 50 (25%) said that they will feel alone or unsafe (p=0.001).Conclusions: As dependence is increasing with the excessive use of mobile phones, some interventions are required to motivate the youth against it.

Impact of Upper-Tropospheric Temperature Anomalies and Vertical Wind Shear on Tropical Cyclone Evolution Using an Idealized Version of the Operational GFDL Hurricane Model

The GFDL hurricane modeling system, initiated in the 1970s, has progressed from a research tool to an operational system over four decades. This system is still in use today in research and operations, and its evolution will be briefly described. This study used an idealized version of the 2014 GFDL model to test its sensitivity across a wide range of three environmental factors that are often identified as key factors in tropical cyclone (TC) evolution: SST, atmospheric stability (upper-air thermal anomalies), and vertical wind shear (westerly through easterly). A wide range of minimum central pressure intensities resulted (905–980 hPa). The results confirm that a scenario (e.g., global warming) in which the upper troposphere warms relative to the surface will have less TC intensification than one with a uniform warming with height. The TC rainfall is also investigated for the SST–stability parameter space. Rainfall increases for combinations of SST increase and increasing stability similar to global warming scenarios, consistent with climate change TC downscaling studies with the GFDL model. The forecast system’s sensitivity to vertical shear was also investigated. The idealized model simulations showed weak disturbances dissipating under strong easterly and westerly shear of 10 m s−1. A small bias for greater intensity under easterly sheared versus westerly sheared environments was found at lower values of SST. The impact of vertical shear on intensity was different when a strong vortex was used in the simulations. In this case, none of the initial disturbances weakened, and most intensified to some extent

Synchronous multiple primary squamous cell carcinoma a rare entity

Second primary tumor (SPT)develops due to extensive initiation and promotion by various carcinogens such as tobacco and alcohol, leading to a widespread disorder of the epithelial maturation and differentiation with a field effect. Therefore, environmental factors which cause the development of the first tumor can probably cause the subsequent premalignant and malignant changes. This article describes an unusual case of metachronous multiple primary squamous cell carcinomas in the oral mucosa in a chronic smoker and alcoholic and also discusses the clinical features and outcome of SPT

Prevalence of endoparasitic infection in captive macaques in Kerala zoos

The study was conducted in three macaque species namely Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) and Bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) in the zoos of Kerala. Faecal samples were collected from individual macaques kept in open enclosures and retiring cages. The samples were examined by sedimentation method for assessing the endoparasitic infection and its prevalence percentage in captive macaques. The degree of infection was assessed by faecal egg counts of samples by McMaster technique. The study found zero prevalence of strongyles in Lion-tailed macaques; 20 per cent in Rhesus macaque and 100 per cent in Bonnet macaques. The eggs per gram of strongyles in Rhesus macaques were 100 ± 39.22 and in Bonnet macaques were 312 ± 47.94. The prevalence of coccidia was 16.6 per cent in Lion-tailed macaques; 40 per cent in Rhesus macaque and 100 per cent in Bonnet macaques. The oocysts per gram of coccidia in Lion-tailed macaques were 166 ± 98.88; in Rhesus macaques were 200 ± 89.44 and in Bonnet macaques were 1850 ± 53.54. The present study revealed the higher prevalence and degree of infection of coccidia and strongyles in Bonnet macaques when compared to the other two macaque species

Combining ability studies for lodging resistance and yield traits in rice

General and specific combining ability effects of parents and hybrids were studied for lodging resistance and for yield in rice. Twelve F1 hybrids were developed by crossing four lines (lodging genotypes) with three testers (lodging resistant) in the L x T pattern. The analysis of variance was highly significant, indicating the genetic diversity of parents and the importance of both additive and non-additive gene actions in the inheritance of traits investigated. Significant sca effects for different traits indicated a preponderance of non-additive gene action. Among parents, lines viz., Ponmani, Uma and Gouri were found to be good combiner for grain yield per plant and lodging resistance. Among the hybrids viz., Ponmani x Uma, Prathyasha x Pournami and Prathyasha x Gouri were the best cross combinations. Thus, specific parents and crosses can be used effectively in crop improvement programs

Transcriptomic buffering of cryptic genetic variation contributes to meningococcal virulence

Ampattu BJ, Hagmann L, Liang C, et al. Transcriptomic buffering of cryptic genetic variation contributes to meningococcal virulence. BMC Genomics. 2017;18(1): 282.Background: Commensal bacteria like Neisseria meningitidis sometimes cause serious disease. However, genomic comparison of hyperinvasive and apathogenic lineages did not reveal unambiguous hints towards indispensable virulence factors. Here, in a systems biological approach we compared gene expression of the invasive strain MC58 and the carriage strain alpha 522 under different ex vivo conditions mimicking commensal and virulence compartments to assess the strain-specific impact of gene regulation on meningococcal virulence. Results: Despite indistinguishable ex vivo phenotypes, both strains differed in the expression of over 500 genes under infection mimicking conditions. These differences comprised in particular metabolic and information processing genes as well as genes known to be involved in host-damage such as the nitrite reductase and numerous LOS biosynthesis genes. A model based analysis of the transcriptomic differences in human blood suggested ensuing metabolic flux differences in energy, glutamine and cysteine metabolic pathways along with differences in the activation of the stringent response in both strains. In support of the computational findings, experimental analyses revealed differences in cysteine and glutamine auxotrophy in both strains as well as a strain and condition dependent essentiality of the (p) ppGpp synthetase gene relA and of a short non-coding AT-rich repeat element in its promoter region. Conclusions: Our data suggest that meningococcal virulence is linked to transcriptional buffering of cryptic genetic variation in metabolic genes including global stress responses. They further highlight the role of regulatory elements for bacterial virulence and the limitations of model strain approaches when studying such genetically diverse species as N. meningitidis

Development of Thick Superhydrophilic TiO₂−ZrO₂ Transparent Coatings Realized through the Inclusion of Poly(methyl methacrylate) and Pluronic-F127

A thick coating of hierarchically porous double templated TiO₂-ZrO₂-PMMA-PF127 with excellent self-cleaning properties and high transmittance has been developed for the first time on glass substrates using dip coating technique. Comparative studies of this sample with a thick and transparent coating of single templated TiO₂-ZrO₂-PMMA have been performed to probe the origin of its exceptional properties. The formation of the composites and successful incorporation of the polymer into the matrix have been verified by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The porous nature of the film is studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS-WAXS) measurements and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Elemental mapping is used to reveal the presence and the pattern of distribution of constituent elements while Raman imaging is used to fathom the structure of nanopores on the surface of the film. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used to detect the presence of Ti²⁺ and thereby verify the chemisorption of water on the surface of the film. The variation in the self-cleaning properties of the samples on UV-illumination has also been studied. The double templated film is found to possess the capability of hydrophilic retention even a day after UV-irradiation

Smoking prevalence and attributable disease burden in 195 countries and territories, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

BACKGROUND: The scale-up of tobacco control, especially after the adoption of the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, is a major public health success story. Nonetheless, smoking remains a leading risk for early death and disability worldwide, and therefore continues to require sustained political commitment. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) offers a robust platform through which global, regional, and national progress toward achieving smoking-related targets can be assessed. METHODS: We synthesised 2818 data sources with spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression and produced estimates of daily smoking prevalence by sex, age group, and year for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015. We analysed 38 risk-outcome pairs to generate estimates of smoking-attributable mortality and disease burden, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). We then performed a cohort analysis of smoking prevalence by birth-year cohort to better understand temporal age patterns in smoking. We also did a decomposition analysis, in which we parsed out changes in all-cause smoking-attributable DALYs due to changes in population growth, population ageing, smoking prevalence, and risk-deleted DALY rates. Finally, we explored results by level of development using the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). FINDINGS: Worldwide, the age-standardised prevalence of daily smoking was 25·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 24·2-25·7) for men and 5·4% (5·1-5·7) for women, representing 28·4% (25·8-31·1) and 34·4% (29·4-38·6) reductions, respectively, since 1990. A greater percentage of countries and territories achieved significant annualised rates of decline in smoking prevalence from 1990 to 2005 than in between 2005 and 2015; however, only four countries had significant annualised increases in smoking prevalence between 2005 and 2015 (Congo [Brazzaville] and Azerbaijan for men and Kuwait and Timor-Leste for women). In 2015, 11·5% of global deaths (6·4 million [95% UI 5·7-7·0 million]) were attributable to smoking worldwide, of which 52·2% took place in four countries (China, India, the USA, and Russia). Smoking was ranked among the five leading risk factors by DALYs in 109 countries and territories in 2015, rising from 88 geographies in 1990. In terms of birth cohorts, male smoking prevalence followed similar age patterns across levels of SDI, whereas much more heterogeneity was found in age patterns for female smokers by level of development. While smoking prevalence and risk-deleted DALY rates mostly decreased by sex and SDI quintile, population growth, population ageing, or a combination of both, drove rises in overall smoking-attributable DALYs in low-SDI to middle-SDI geographies between 2005 and 2015. INTERPRETATION: The pace of progress in reducing smoking prevalence has been heterogeneous across geographies, development status, and sex, and as highlighted by more recent trends, maintaining past rates of decline should not be taken for granted, especially in women and in low-SDI to middle-SDI countries. Beyond the effect of the tobacco industry and societal mores, a crucial challenge facing tobacco control initiatives is that demographic forces are poised to heighten smoking's global toll, unless progress in preventing initiation and promoting cessation can be substantially accelerated. Greater success in tobacco control is possible but requires effective, comprehensive, and adequately implemented and enforced policies, which might in turn require global and national levels of political commitment beyond what has been achieved during the past 25 years.Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies