SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AND INDIAN TEENAGERS

The social networking sites have a primary purpose of promoting communication and interactions amongst users. Such sites like Facebook, Orkut, and Twitter have become popular and a vital part of social life in India, especially among teenagers. However, available literature indicates lack of in-depth study to evaluate how and why Indian teenagers engage with social networking sites. This study hopes to fill this gap as it uses Focus Group Discussion to explore the experiences of Indian teenagers with social networking sites. Information from the groups was analyzed in terms of their use of social networking sites, online versus offline friendships, and extending friendships beyond cyberspace. Our findings indicate that both boys and girls use other forms of communication channels to strengthen existing friendships more with the same gender than with the opposite. However, the boys enjoy more freedom when compared with the girls and they admitted talking to online friends and meeting them outside cyberspace without any hesitation. The girls, on their part, were hesitant to extend online friendships beyond virtual space because of security issues and resistance from family members.Keywords: Social Networking Sites (SNSs), Teenagers, Online relationship, Offline relationship, Indi

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AND INDIAN TEENAGERS

The social networking sites have a primary purpose of promoting communication and interactions amongst users. Such sites like Facebook, Orkut, and Twitter have become popular and a vital part of social life in India, especially among teenagers. However, available literature indicates lack of in-depth study to evaluate how and why Indian teenagers engage with social networking sites. This study hopes to fill this gap as it uses Focus Group Discussion to explore the experiences of Indian teenagers with social networking sites. Information from the groups was analyzed in terms of their use of social networking sites, online versus offline friendships, and extending friendships beyond cyberspace. Our findings indicate that both boys and girls use other forms of communication channels to strengthen existing friendships more with the same gender than with the opposite. However, the boys enjoy more freedom when compared with the girls and they admitted talking to online friends and meeting them outside cyberspace without any hesitation. The girls, on their part, were hesitant to extend online friendships beyond virtual space because of security issues and resistance from family members.Keywords: Social Networking Sites (SNSs), Teenagers, Online relationship, Offline relationship, Indi

Experimental Evidence of Large Collective Enhancement of Nuclear Level Density and its Significance in Radiative Neutron Capture

The collective enhancement of nuclear level density and its fade out with excitation energy in deformed $^{171}$Yb nucleus has been inferred through an exclusive measurement of neutron spectra.The statistical model analysis of neutron spectra demonstrated a large collective enhancement factor of 40$\pm$3 for the first time, which corroborates with the recent microscopic model predictions but is an anomalous result compared with the measurements in the nearby deformed nuclei. The complete picture of the energy dependent collective enhancement has been obtained by combining with Oslo data below neutron binding energy. The significance of large collective enhancement in radiative neutron capture cross section of astrophysical interest is highlighted.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly