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Effect of heavy metals on the pigmentation and photosynthetic capability in Jacobaea maritima (L.) Pelser & Meijden
Photosynthesis is a fundamental process in plants that enables them to produce their own food. However, this process can be influenced by multiple factors including external factors such as sunlight, nutrients availability and gas concentrations. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of heavy metal stress on the plant Jacobaea maritima (L.) Pelser & Meijden. Three different heavy metals, namely cadmium, chromium, and lead, were applied to the plants at five concentrations ranging from 50-250 ppm (50, 100, 150, 200, and 250). The growth of the plants was observed, and several parameters including net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (E), leaf stomatal conductance (C), and the photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) were measured. The results revealed that the chlorophyll content was higher in the Cr150 concentration (5.470.4). The chlorophyll values for Pb-100 (9.40.35) and Pb-250 (9.80.26) were in close proximity to each other. The Cd-100 concentration showed the highest chlorophyll content. The net photosynthetic rate was least affected in Pb-150 (30.980.75), while Cr-100 (4.050.09) exhibited the greatest impact. Transpiration rate increased slightly in plants treated with Pb, but significantly decreased in Cd-treated plants. The Cr-50 concentration (0.190.02) showed the lowest transpiration rate. Leaf stomatal conductance was reduced significantly in all treated plants, with Cr-100 showing the least variation (2298.251.85). The photosynthetic active radiation capability was reduced in all treated plants, with Pb-treated plants exhibiting nominal reduction and Cd- and Cr-treated plants experiencing substantial reduction. Statistical analysis confirmed significant variations in the measured parameters following heavy metal treatment. 2023 The Author(s) -
Production of bio-diesel from non-edible dried fruits of lagerstroemia speciosa
Rapi d urbani zat i on and i ncr ease i n population have evoked tremendous attention for biofuelsproduction to combatshortage of fuels, environmental concerns, foreign exchange savingsand socioeconomic issues.In recent years bi odi esel product i on f rom agro-i ndust ri al feedstocks such as waste vegetable oil, animal fat, grease, non-edible fruit oils etc.,acquired prominent place to fulfil the gap between production and demand. The present investigation has been undertaken to explore a noveland environmentally friendly process for developing biodiesel production t echnol ogy by subj ect i ng dr i ed f r ui t s of Lagerstroemia speciosa to mild ultrasonication at 33KHz for 20 min at 352Cfor obtaining high lipid yield, precursor for the production of biodiesel by transesterification.The biodiesel compounds 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, hexadecanoic acid methyl ester, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z) methyl ester, 9-octadecenoic acid methyl ester, methyl stearate, cis-11,14-eicosadienoic acid methyl ester, 18-methylnonadecanoate were recognized as the main compounds in GC-MS analysis. 2020, Association of Biotechnology and Pharmacy. All rights reserved. -
Mediating role of self-concept on character strengths and well-being among adolescents with specific learning disorder in India
Background: Adolescents with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) are at higher risk of academic underachievement, stigmatization, and mental health issues. However, the complete elimination of disorder-related deficits and external challenges is an impracticable solution for enhancing their well-being. Aim: The study adopts a strength-based approach to understand the role of an innate factor, i.e., self-concept, in the association between character strengths and well-being of adolescents with SLD. Methods: A correlational research design following a mediation analysis was adopted to examine the association between the study variables on a sample of 115 adolescents with SLD from India. Results: Self-concept functioned as a partial mediator between the life-satisfaction construct of well-being and six character strengths: Appreciation of beauty and excellence, Perseverance, Judgment, Leadership, Perspective, and Zest. Gender differences were identified with regard to the study variables. Conclusions and implications: Self-concept of adolescents with SLD could partly contribute to enhanced character strengths awareness to protect well-being. Further, the crucial role of internal factors like self-concept and character strengths in improving the well-being of this population was highlighted. Thereby encouraging future research on SLD to adopt approaches that focus on innate strengths rather than deficits and external sources of well-being. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
Agile HR-Based Employee Management Practices for Improving Hospital Service Delivery
The effective management of the human resources of a hospital is essential for the delivery of high-quality healthcare services, a task that has become incredibly challenging in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The efficient management of employees is a top priority in healthcare organisations, which is why human resources (HR) plays a pivotal role in their functioning. It includes strategies for improving employee engagement, productivity, motivation, adaptability to change, welfare, and overall health in addition to traditional HR concerns. As part of this process, conducive working conditions must be created, talent management practices must be implemented, and flexibility must be provided to meet the evolving needs of healthcare professionals. The adoption of Agile HR practices is gaining momentum among hospitals in response to the dynamic challenges they face. In the Agile approach, the development cycle of 'Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA)' enables real-time responsiveness. Through a qualitative research design with in-depth interviews conducted through purposive sampling, this study explores the implementation of Agile HR practices in hospitals located in Kerala and Karnataka. The research presents a novel human resources operating model, termed the 'Agile HR Model,' which advocates the integration of Agile principles into the management of healthcare employees. A key objective of this model is to enhance hospital service delivery by embracing agility and adaptability. The study provides HR managers and healthcare professionals with insights into enhancing the delivery of healthcare services. 2024, Iquz Galaxy Publisher. All rights reserved. -
A Conceptual Framework for Agile as HR Operational Strategy
Purpose: This paper examined Agile human resource (HR) as an operational strategy, emphasizing the relationships between operational, HR, and organizational strategies. It develops a collaborative culture, establishes learning organizations, supports agile team design, and improves agile strategic behavior. Agile HR has been underutilized in academic literature despite its potential, highlighting the disconnect between practitioner objectives and HR research. Methodology: A conceptual framework for Agile HR was developed using qualitative secondary research methods. Secondary sources included books, journal articles, research papers, reports, and whitepapers. A thematic analysis was used to code the data and identify themes relevant to Agile HR, and concept mapping was used to illustrate the relationships between the key concepts. Findings: A conceptual framework for Agile HR strategies was developed to foster an agile organizational culture and equip employees with agile strategic behaviors. Organizations will be able to establish and preserve a durable competitive edge in quickly changing marketplaces by using these tactics. Practical Implications: This paper provided insights into implementing agile HR operational strategies. Continuous iteration was used to enhance processes, boost employee experiences, and improve organizational agility to implement these strategies. Originality: While existing literature explored the relationship between organizational agility and dynamic capabilities, it largely overlooked the concept of agile behavior. This research addressed this gap by proposing a framework for flexible adjustments to human and organizational capabilities. It was a targeted approach for agile management aligned with organizational, HR, and agile strategies, emphasizing scalability. 2024, Associated Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd.. All rights reserved. -
TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: Need for Posthuman Ethics in the Anthropocene Era
Ethics, which constitutes principles that guide human conduct, deserves particular attention in this era of the Anthropocene, when human actions greatly influence ecology. Renaissance humans have hegemonised humanistic ethics of living and interacting with the world since the Enlightenment. While exalting human exceptionalism, humanism has relegated all other forms of existence to a subservient taxonomy, categorising them as raw material for human empowerment. The self-exalted autonomous subject, homo sapiens, faces the threat of extinction in the wake of unprecedented and violent ecological reactions. The exponential growth of the agency of intelligent machines also calls to question the autonomous human agency propagated by humanism. A paradigm shift is the moments need; this paper suggests posthuman ethics as an alternative. The new worldview, post-humanism, places the homo sapiens in relation to the rest of the universe. Philosophical post-humanism, proposed by Francesca Ferrando, foregrounds posthuman ethics that are post-humanistic, post-anthropocentric, and post-dualistic. They form a roadmap towards a sustainable future. 2023 Journal of Dharma: Dharmaram Journal of Religions and Philosophies. -
PHILOSOPHICAL POSTHUMANISM: A RENEWED WORLDVIEW AND A METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Exponential technological advances capture the zeitgeist of contemporary society. Machines are increasingly gaining agency, which helps in the deconstruction of the humanist notion of humans. Society takes a posthuman turn with large-scale humanmachine imbrication and nonhuman agency. The posthuman turn is also reflected in the academic world, which is seriously contemplating the integration of posthumanities. The philosophical posthumanism of Francisca Ferrando is a posthuman theory with three constituent elements: post-humanism, post-anthropocentrism, and post-dualism. Post-humanism revisits the definition of human that has given rise to marginalization within the human species. Post-anthropocentrism critiques the human superiority and exceptionalism that have led to the marginalization of other species. Post-dualism revisits the dualistic mindset that allows hierarchical sociopolitical constructions. Ferrando presents a vision of a posthuman utopian society that recognizes pluralistic voices within the human species on egalitarian terms, accepts and values the agency of nonhuman actors, and sheds the dualistic view of life that keeps humans and nonhumans on either side of the binary system. Philosophical posthumanism can be suitable as a methodological framework to analyze the posthuman discourses in literary works, specifically in science fiction. 2024 The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. -
Smart pollution monitoring system
The world has travelled a long way through the industrial revolution. One of the consequences that the industries and its different forms gave to humanity is pollution. The environment that we live is being polluted in different ways. Different parts of the world are already experiencing air pollution as a matter of concern. The increasing amount of industries and the emission of gas by the vehicles cause much damage to the air. We are in a situation where we need to monitor the amount of pollution in our areas of living and working. In order to monitor pollution, the paper proposes an efficient and low-cost method with the help of the internet of things (IoT). The system is designed to monitor the levels of CO, CO2, smoke, alcohol, NH3, temperature and humidity. The various alarms and notification are arranged in such a way that the information is given when there is any sign of threat. The remote monitoring is made possible with dedicated website and mobile app. BEIESP. -
Twitter data analysis using hadoop ecosystems and apache zeppelin
The day-to-day life of the people doesn't depend only on what they think, but it is affected and influenced by what others think. The advertisements and campaigns of the favourite celebrities and mesmerizing personalities influence the way people think and see the world. People get the news and information at lightning speed than ever before. The growth of textual data on the internet is very fast. People express themselves in various ways on the web every minute. They make use of various platforms to share their views and opinions. A huge amount of data is being generated at every moment on this process. Being one of the most important and well-known social media of the present time, millions of tweets are posted on Twitter every day. These tweets are a source of very important information and it can be made use for business, small industries, creating government policies, and various studies can be performed by using it. This paper focuses on the location from where the tweets are posted and the language in which the tweets are written. These details can be effectively analysed by using Hadoop. Hadoop is a tool that is used to analyze distributed big data, streaming data, timestamp data and text data. With the help of Apache Flume, the tweets can be collected from Twitter and then sink in the HDFS (Hadoop Distributed File System). These raw data then analyzed using Apache Pig and the information available can be made use for social and commercial purposes. The result will be visualized using Apache Zeppelin. Copyright 2019 Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved. -
Sustainable human resource management and job satisfactionUnlocking the power of organizational identification: A cross-cultural perspective from 54 countries
Sustainable human resource management is gaining importance in organizations due to its role in developing a sustainable work environment and well-being. This paper discusses the relationship between employee perceptions of sustainable human resource management and job satisfaction in 54 countries. We propose that sustainable HRM is positively associated with job satisfaction but that this relationship is moderated by employees' identification with the organization and country-level individualismcollectivism. Thus, we suggest national culture functions as a second-level moderator of the relationship of sustainable HRM with organizational identification on job satisfaction. Findings from the multi-level analyses using data from 14,502 employees nested within 54 countries provided support for our hypotheses, namely that employee perceptions of sustainable HRM were positively associated with job satisfaction and that this relationship was more pronounced for employees with lower levels compared to higher levels of organizational identification in individualistic rather than collectivistic countries. These findings bear important implications for both theory and practice. 2024 ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. -
Coping with Public and Private Face-to-Face and Cyber Victimization among Adolescents in Six Countries: Roles of Severity and Country
This study investigated the role of medium (face-to-face, cyber) and publicity (public, private) in adolescents perceptions of severity and coping strategies (i.e., avoidant, ignoring, helplessness, social support seeking, retaliation) for victimization, while accounting for gender and cultural values. There were 3432 adolescents (ages 1115, 49% girls) in this study; they were from China, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, and the United States. Adolescents completed questionnaires on individualism and collectivism, and ratings of coping strategies and severity for public face-to-face victimization, private face-to-face victimization, public cyber victimization, and private cyber victimization. Findings revealed similarities in adolescents coping strategies based on perceptions of severity, publicity, and medium for some coping strategies (i.e., social support seeking, retaliation) but differential associations for other coping strategies (i.e., avoidance, helplessness, ignoring). The results of this study are important for prevention and intervention efforts because they underscore the importance of teaching effective coping strategies to adolescents, and to consider how perceptions of severity, publicity, and medium might influence the implementation of these coping strategies. 2022 by the authors. -
A comparative study on the adaptability of the different varieties of solanum lycopersicum L. (tomato) in salt stress condition
The objective of the present study was to study the levels of antioxidant and oxidant metabolites such as total protein, proline, peroxidase, lipid peroxidase, catalase,and anthocyanin and phenol contents in nine varieties of tomato plants (Cerasiforme (Cherry tomato), Indamrohini, Marglobe, Ns 538, Sacchariya, San Marzano 3, Suhyana, Tomato Oblate Yellow, Vanda) treated under various NaCl concentrations (50, 100, 200 and 250 Mm). Salinity is one of the significant abiotic stresses, which affects plant cell metabolism and reduces plant productivity. Plants tolerant to NaCl implement a series of adaptations to acclimate to salinity, including morphological, physiological and biochemical changes. Under saline conditions, plants have to activate different physiological and biochemical mechanisms in order to cope with the resulting stress. Such mechanisms inclu de changes in morphology, anatomy, water relations, photosynthesis, the hormonal profile, toxic ion distribution and biochemical adaptation (such as the antioxidative metabolism response). An updated discussion on salt-induced oxidative stress and its effect on the antioxidant machinery in both salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive plants is the major part of this study. The aim of the present study is to extend our understanding of how salinity may affect the physiological characteristics of plants. 2020 IJSTR. -
Histopathological and Toxicological Studies on Zebra Fish Using White-Fruited and Green-Fruited Varieties of Momordica charantia
Momordica charantia is well known for its medicinal properties. It has exhibited various pharmacological activities, such as antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. Although this plant is used worldwide as a vegetable and medicinal ingredient in herbal medicines, its toxicity studies have not been conducted to date. This study attempts to understand its toxicity. The present study examined the activity of two enzymes, acetylcholinesterase and succinate dehydrogenase, as well as histopathological variations in the liver, intestine, and gills of zebrafish. The results of the acetylcholinesterase assay showed that the concentrations of 40 mg/L and 60 mg/L of the four extracts (leaf and fruit extracts of both varieties) exhibited increased enzyme activity. Interestingly, the leaves of the green fruit variety at a concentration of 60 mg/L showed the highest activity, with a value of 2.824 0.0682 micromoles/min compared to the control value of 1.8347 0.0046 micromoles/min. On the other hand, the succinate dehydrogenase assay revealed that the concentrations of 40 mg/L and 60 mg/L of the extracts decreased the enzyme activity. The highest inhibition was observed in the concentration of 60 mg/L of the leaves of the white-fruited variety and the green-fruited variety, with values of 1.884 0.0482 micromoles/min compared to the control value of 2.747 0.0046 micromoles/min. The studies on histopathological changes also demonstrated abnormalities in the brain, liver, intestine, and gills of zebrafish after the exposure to the extracts of M. charantia. The severity of the damage varied from low to high concentraions. In general, this study sheds light on the safety profile of Momordica charantia and highlights its potential toxicity in animal models. The findings suggest that more research is needed to fully understand the toxicity of this plant and its implications for human use. 2024 Jobi Xavier et al. -
Acute Toxicity of Leaf Extracts of Enydra fluctuans Lour in Zebrafish (Danio rerio Hamilton)
The present study was focused on the concentration-dependent changes in oral acute toxicity of leaf extracts of E. fluctuans in zebrafish. The study was also aimed at the details of histopathological changes in the gill, liver, brain, and intestine of zebrafish exposed to the leaf extracts of the plant E. fluctuans. Enydra fluctuans Lour is an edible semiaquatic herbaceous plant used widely for the alleviation of the different diseases. Since there were no toxicity studies conducted on this plant, the present study was an attempt to look into the elements of toxicity of the plants. Two types of experiments are conducted in the present study. First, the acute oral toxicity study was conducted as per the OECD guidelines 203. Second, histopathological changes were observed in the fishes exposed to the lethal concentrations of plant extract. The oral acute toxicity studies conducted on Zebrafish have revealed that the leave extracts of E. fluctuans were toxic to the tested fish at the concentration of 200 mg/kg body weight. The histopathological studies conducted on the intestine of treated fishes showed that treatment has induced rupturing of the villi structure and fusion of villi the membrane and detachment of the villi structure from the basal membrane of the intestine. The histology of the liver also showed severe vacuolization in the cells while it is not affected in control. The studies on gills showed the detachment of the basal epithelial membrane in the gills compared to control which might have led to death of the fish. The histopathological observations of brain tissues treated with test samples also revealed the marked impingement in the brain parenchyma while the control is normal without impingement of the brain. 2020 Jobi Xavier and Kshetrimayum Kripasana. -
Antioxidant activities of leaves and fruits of piper nigrum and piper longum
Background and Objectives: Herbs and spices have been used to enhance flavors of food, as well as for their medicinal purposes. Herbs usually contain antioxidant properties. The present study was focused on the importance of the antioxidants present in Piper nigrum and Piper longum widely used by the people of India in their food. Materials and Methods: The methanolic extracts of the leaves and fruits of both Piper nigrum and Piper longum were prepared using soxhlet extraction method. The total phenolic content (TPC) of the plant samples were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The total flavonoid content (TFC) of the plant was determined. The inhibitory effect of the plant against oxidation by peroxides was evaluated by ferric thiocyanate assay. Results: The highest concentration of phenol was obtained from Piper nigrum leaves. The highest flavonoid content was observed in the Piper nigrum leaves (0.15 mg). The higher reducing potency of the antioxidants was present in the leaves and fruit of Piper nigrum and Piper longum exhibiting their antioxidant properties. The ability of the plant extracts of Piper nigrum and Piper longum against lipid peroxidation was revealed through the efficiency of inhibiting the radicals at a percentage of 58.33, 77.77, 66.66 and 22.22, respectively. Conclusion: From the study it was concluded that leaves and fruits of Piper nigrum and Piper longum have shown high antioxidant properties. So, they are considered to be rich sources of natural antioxidants for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. 2020 Jobi Xavier and Seju Thomas. -
Effect of treated and untreated domestic sewage water irrigation on tomato plants
Background and Objectives: Agricultural cultivations in the world are suffering from water shortages. Water scarcity poses challenges in the economy and health of people all over the world. The present study aimed the cultivation of tomato plants using groundwater, treated and untreated domestic sewage water and tried to make a comparative study on the heavy metals present in the leaves and fruits of the tomato plants. Materials and Methods: The water samples were analyzed for various physicochemical parameters such as; pH, total hardness, chloride, total alkalinity, dissolved oxygen and heavy metal. Stomatal conductance was measured using porometer. The heavy metal analysis was conducted using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. Results: All physicochemical parameters were found to be below the permissible level of standard values in the groundwater and treated domestic sewage water, but above the permissible level in untreated domestic sewage water. Stomatal conductance was found to be very low in the plants treated with untreated domestic waste water (296.33/428 in the ventral surface during the morning and noon, respectively) when compared to the leaves of the plants treated with other water samples. Untreated domestic sewage water showed a very high level of lead, i.e., 7.5354 ppm, whereas the treated sewage water contained 0.5650 ppm slightly above the permissible level. Conclusion: The present study has revealed that the treated domestic sewage water would be used for the irrigation of agricultural cultivation. 2020 Jobi Xavier and Akhil K. Varghese. -
Post-Operative Brain MRI Resection Cavity Segmentation Model and Follow-Up Treatment Assistance
Post-operative brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) segmentation is inherently challenging due to the diverse patterns in brain tissue, which makes it difficult to accurately identify resected areas. Therefore, there is a crucial need for a precise segmentation model. Due to the scarcity of post-operative brain MRI scans, it is not feasible to use complex models that require a large amount of training data. This paper introduces an innovative approach for accurately segmenting and quantifying post-operative brain resection cavities in MRI scans. The proposed model, named Attention-Enhanced VGG-U-Net, integrates VGG16 initial weights in the encoder section and incorporates a self-attention module in the decoder, offering improved accuracy for postoperative brain MRI segmentation. The attention mechanism enhances its accuracy by concentrating on a specific area of interest. The VGG16 model is comparatively lightweight, has pre-trained weights, and allows the model to extract incredibly detailed information from the input. The model is trained on publicly available post-operative brain MRI data and achieved a Dice coefficient value of 0.893. The model is then assessed using a clinical dataset of postoperative brain MRIs. The model facilitates the quantification of the resected regions and enables comparisons with each brain region based on pre-operative images. The capabilities of the model assist radiologists in evaluating surgical success and directing follow-up procedures. 2024 by the authors of this article. -
A weighted-Weibull distribution: Properties and applications
The paper describes a two parameter model and its relationship to the widely used Weibull model. Mathematical properties of the distribution like survival and hazard functions, moments, harmonic and geometric means, Shannon entropy and mean residual life are derived. Different methods of estimation are discussed and a simulation study is performed to verify the efficiency of estimation methods. Applications of our distribution in different scenarios observed in real life areillustrated. 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. -
Heat transfer simulation of reline flowing in an elliptic shaped duct: A deep eutectic solvent
Deep Eutectic solvents have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional solvents due to their unique properties and applications. The flow of deep eutectic solvents in various industrial processes has garnered significant attention due to their versatile applications in fields ranging from chemical engineering to energy storage. This study presents a comprehensive mathematical model aimed at elucidating the intricate behavior of eutectic solvent flow within an elliptic duct, a geometric configuration relevant to many real-world systems. In this article, the deep eutectic solvent is composed of choline chlorideurea and is also called Reline. The proposed mathematical model accounts for the complex interplay of fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and elliptic duct geometry. Key components of the model include the Navier-Stokes equations, which describe the fluid flow, coupled with heat transfer equations to account for temperature variations within the system. The model also considers the phase change behavior of the eutectic solvent, which may exhibit solidification or crystallization phenomena under certain conditions. Numerical simulations and analytical solutions are employed to investigate various aspects of eutectic solvent flow within elliptic ducts, such as velocity profiles, pressure distributions, temperature gradients, and phase transition phenomena. The study explores the influence of key parameters, including the Reynolds number, the aspect ratio of the duct, and the thermophysical properties of the eutectic solvent, on the systems behavior. From the results, it was clearly observed that the velocity at the narrow region decreased as the pressure raised and the Reynolds number profile indicated the presence of turbulent flow behavior. 2024 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. -
The flow analysis of Williamson nanofluid considering the Thompson and Troian slip conditions at the boundary
In this article, the impact of Joule heating on the thermal performance of Williamson nanofluid is analyzed under the influence of viscous dissipation along with the Joule heating. Also, the flow is subjected to Thompson and Troian slip conditions that directly influence the velocity of the flow at the boundary. Meanwhile, to achieve the even distribution of nanoparticles in the nanofluid, gyrotactic microorganisms are dispersed whose motion is due to the virtue of density gradient. The heat conduction at the surface is governed by the convective condition which allows the interpretation of the Biot number. The mathematical model is constructed employing these presumptions using partial differential equations, which are then subsequently reduced using similarity transformations to get the ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The RKF-45 numerical approach is used to solve the nonlinear ODE system thus acquired, and the findings are validated by comparing them to the previously published works. The results of this study showed that the higher values of thermophoresis and Brownian motion parameters cause more heat conduction. Also, the rise in the Eckert number that relates to the internal friction enhances the temperature conducted by the nanofluid. Meanwhile, the Lorentz force helps in controlling the flow velocity. 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.