Bangalore University Research Articles

ANALYSIS OF HPCC PAVEMENTS USING KENPAVE FEA SOFTWARE

A comprehensive research work on High Performance C ement Concrete (HPCC) pavements is being conducted at Bangalore University. As a part of the study static flexural strengths are determined for Conventional Concrete (CC), Silica Fume Concrete (SFC), High Volume Fly Ash Concrete (HVFAC), Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC), and Fiber Reinforced Hig h Volume Fly Ash Concrete (FRHVFAC) using third point loading in the laboratory. Laboratory fatigue teats were also car ried out on HPCC beam specimens and number of repetitions to failure dete rmined. Using the results fatigue models and stress charts were developed and slab thicknesses of the HPCCs designed. In this paper an attempt is made to analyze the HPCC pavements usin g a 2-D Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software - KENPAVE. The critical fle xural stresses obtained using the FEA software are compared with stresses obtained from the experimental study. The design li fe of the HPCC pavements is also analyzed using the FEA software. The variation in flexural stresses as obtained from FEA software when compared with actual flexural stresses ranges from 5 to 6 %. Damage analysis using FEA software shows that predicted de sign life obtained ranges from 1 to 12 % for variou s HPCCs. The 12 % variation is for Fiber Reinforced HPCCs indicating that the d esign life of fiber reinforced HPCCs are more.

Citations in Engineering Doctoral Dissertations: An Obsolescence Study

Impact of library holdings in terms of physical access of doctoral studies in six general universities of Karnataka (Bangalore University, University of Mysore, Mangalore University, Karnatak University, Gulbarga University and Kuvempu University) have been studied based on citation appended to the PhD dissertations in engineering and technology. It’s evident that some materials in libraries become outdated as time progresses. This can be referred to as ‘obsolescence’. Obsolescence studies are one of the foremost areas of citations, bibliometrics, scientometrics, and infometrics. Citation analysis has usually been generally study the obsolescence of materials, the existence of a core of heavily used sources, and so the sort of the foremost used materials. The problem most often studied in this fashion is that the obsolescence rate of the literature in many subjects of engineering. The study was done to grasp regarding the obsolescence of engineering literature cited in 137 doctoral dissertations of engineering and technology awarded during 1961 to 2008. The study reveals that, the overall of 7467 citations of periodical articles and 2014 book citations are scattered primarily among fifteen subjects. However, citations were derived from early 1990 to after 2001, 86 % of books cited by engineers and technologists in their PhD theses were of 9-39 years recent associated an outsized share of the journal citations (68.58 %) utilised by the researchers was published 20 years back or weres older than the recent ones. It together shows that extra journals literature cited during 1971-2000 equally in books literature cited at intervals of 1961-1990.

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INTRODUCTION: The contraceptive knowledge of today’s teenagers decides the future of contraceptive practices of tomorrow’s eligible couples. High abortion rate of 46%2 of live births is associated with lack of contraceptive awareness. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The study was conducted among 426 students belonging to 3 rural colleges in Bangalore, South India. RESULTS: Majority 83.1% of the students were aware of legal age at marriage for girls however 79.6% of the preferred 18-21 years. 78.4% of them preferred two child norm. However, the knowledge regarding contraceptive practices was poor. The awareness regarding condoms was 70.9%, 30.8% for OCPs, 8.9% for IUCD. 16.2% for Emergency contraception and 32.6% for surgical method. 82.6% of them felt that there must be spacing between two children and only 8.6% were aware of IUCD for the same. More than 50% of the students felt that family planning improves health, solves social problems and improves quality of life. CONCLUSION: The study clearly shows that though there is a positive attitude regarding family planning, there is lack of awareness regarding various contraceptive methods.

Self-reported suicidality and its predictors among adolescents from a pre-university college in Bangalore, India

There is increasing concern about suicide rates in the vulnerable developmental stage of adolescence. The experiences and expressions of suicidality among adolescents are often “hidden” and occur due to complex and cumulative interactions of multiple factors.A cross-sectional survey assessed self-reported suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and helpseeking behaviour among adolescents attending a pre-university college in Bangalore, India. This formed part of a 2-year teacher training project for Adolescent Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in the college.1087 male and female adolescents aged 16–18 years, completed the Columbia Teen Screen which assessed self-reported suicide attempt/s (lifetime, past 3 months) as well as suicidal ideation (current, past 3 months) and associated intensity, severity and duration. Adolescents’ perceptions about the need for help and mental health consultation were also assessed. Emotional and behavioural difficulties were reported on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.The results indicated that 25.4% of the adolescents reported suicidal ideation (past 3 months) and 12.9% of the total sample expressed their need for seeking help. The rate of suicide attempt was 12.9% (lifetime) and 6% (past 3 months).Logistic Regression analysis identified factors associated with recent suicidal ideation and attempt. Females had higher rates of suicide ideation and attempts than males (Ideation OR=1.4, CI=1.04–1.9; Attempt OR=2.2, CI=1.0–4.5) and adolescents with abnormal emotional and behavioural problems were at higher risk for suicidal ideation (emotional difficulties OR=4.6, CI=3.2–6.6; hyperactivity/inattention OR=2.1, CI=1.3–3.2).The findings add to the limited database on youth suicidality in India and have implications for prevention and intervention.

USING MULTIPLE ASSESSORS TO EVALUATE CORE COMPETENCIES OF NURSING STUDENTS: A 360° EVALUATION APPROACH

AbstractTraditional student evaluations have always been by the teaching faculty with less or no input from the nurses, patients, peers or even student's self. The objective of our study was to use 360 degree feedback in the evaluation of core competencies of final year nursing students and compare the ratings of RN, patients, peers and self rating of student. 374 final year students of selected nursing colleges in Bangalore and Tumkur were enrolled for the study. Patients, RN, peers and students themselves completed evaluator-specific evaluations in the first week of clinical period by using a validated 3 point rating scale of 40 items for both the peer and self and 21 and 20 items for the patients and RN respectively. Mean scores were tallied for each domain and for the total scale. Agreement between the raters was done using Pearson's correlation coefficient. A total of 1496 evaluations were completed for 374 samples. The mean item score ranged from 4.86 to 5.17 across all competency domains. The overall mean rating score for self, peer, client and RN was 43.7(SD 3.16), 43.6 (SD 2.34), 20.6 (SD 1.65) and 20.2 (SD 1.83) respectively. The self and peer ratings of the students were higher than the ratings of RN's and patients. None of the students were at the novice level. The Pearson's correlation coefficient between peer and self evaluation was statistically significant(r=0.28; p at 0.01 level). There was a weak but statistically significant positive relationship between peer and RN evaluation(r=0.11; p at 0.05 level). As different raters rated the students differently there was no significant relationship between self, patient, and RN ratings. This study finds potential value in the use of 360 degree evaluation of nursing students in both the hospital and community settings.

Seasonal abundance and activity pattern of commonly occurring household ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The study was conducted on the campus of Bangalore University, Bengaluru, India for a period of two years. The chief aim of this study was to record the seasonal abundance and surface activity of five household ant species viz. Solenopsis geminata, Monomorium latinode, Tapinoma melanocephalum, Paratrechina longicornis and Camponotus variegatus. The study revealed that S. geminata was abundant in winter and summer, T. melanocephalum and C. variegatus were abundant in summer, whereas M. latinode and P. longicornis in monsoon. The surface activity of S. geminata was positively correlated with air temperature and negatively with ambient humidity. The activity of M. latinode was found to correlate positively with rainfall and soil moisture. The activity of T. melanocephalum was positively correlated with air temperature and negatively with rainfall. On the contrary, the activity of P. longicornis was positively correlated with rainfall and negatively with soil and air temperature. The activity of C. variegatus...

English

CONTEXT: Overweight and obesity are becoming major problems in developed as well as developing countries. As there are few studies in India on obesity among medical students the present study was taken up on this group who require early intervention to prevent these diseases among the future doctors. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence and determinants of overweight and obesity among clinical students in a tertiary hospital in Bangalore. SETTINGS & DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was undertaken among 298, 2nd & 3rd year medical students. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Students entered the details in a predesigned, pretested questionnaire. Anthropometry regarding height and weight were measured and Body mass index (BMI) was calculated and they were classified as overweight and obese based on WHO's classification for Asians. BMI of students were compared with their dietary habits, physical activity and perception of body image, television viewing and history of non-communicable diseases among their parents. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 19.1 % and 22.1 % respectively according to WHO's classification for Asians. A statistically significant association was found between overweight /obesity and the variables namely skipping of breakfast (p < 0.05), perception of body image among the students (p < 0.05) and history of non-communicable diseases among their parents (p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that skipping of breakfast and perception of body image was the best predictor variables for overweight and obesity. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of overweight and obesity is high among medical students. Early intervention can prevent development of non-communicable diseases among these future doctors. INTRODUCTION: Overweight and obesity are becoming major problems in developed as well as developing countries. Almost 30-65 % of adult urban Indians are reported to be either overweight or obese or have central obesity. (1) Complications associated with obesity comprise of diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, dyslipidemia and certain types of cancer. (2) In 2008, of the 57 million global deaths, 36 million (63%) were due to non-communicable diseases. (3) The common risk factors contributing to non-communicable diseases, include physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, harmful effects of tobacco and alcohol, and stress which are on the rise. (4) As there are few studies in India on obesity among medical students the present study was undertaken with the objectives of assessing prevalence of overweight and obesity among 2 nd & 3 rd year medical students and finding out the factors associated with it. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken amongst 298 II nd and III rd year MBBS students (3rd to 7th term) studying at a private medical college in Bangalore, during July to September 2012. The sample size was estimated by using the formula z 2 pq/d 2 where the prevalence of overweight & obesity was taken as 30 %. (5) The required precision of the estimate (d) was set at 20

Record of gut associated nemathelminth in the giant African snail Achatina fulica (Bowdich) from Bangalore, India.

Prevalence of nematodes in Achatina fulica (Bowdich) sample collected from two different sites within Bangalore University Jnana Bharathi Campus viz., Dhanavanthari vana and Botany Department garden was 84 and 100% respectively. However, the identity of the nemathelminth could not be established to the species level as it did not respond to the clearing agent and its genital organs were not located which is key character for taxonomic identification. Also, no Cercariae were recorded in the samples, perhaps the snail sample was non endemic for parasitic population. Helminthological prospection with regard to the giant African snail from the region has not been performed till date. The present work is a preliminary study in that direction intended to determine the nemathelminth fauna associated with A. fulica populations in Bangalore region laying emphasis on further studies to be undertaken in this regard.

EMS Induced Morphometric Biomass and Phytochemical Variations in Morus Species (Genotype RFS135)

Aims: In the present investigation mutations were induced by EMS in rain fed mulberry genotype RFS135 and evolved mutants were evaluated for crop improvement by morphometric and phytochemical studies. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of sericulture, Jnanabharathi, Bangalore University, Bangalore-560056, Karnataka, India, between June 2006 and July 2010. Methodology: The active bud sprouts of vegetative cuttings of RFS135 in multiple sets were treated for twelve hours intermittently (every one hour) with three different concentrations (0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5%).Further M1V1 and M1V2 generation clones were evaluated for biomass, nutritive and morpho-metric characters. Results: The results revealed that concentrations of 0.1% and 0.3% EMS treatment were effective in significantly altering the morpho-metric characters, biomass yield and phyto chemical constituents. The significant variation in the morpho-metric characters such as height of the plant, number of branches, stem girth, number of leaves per plant and Research Article American Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 3(1): 43-55, 2013 44 increased biomass was recorded among the M1V2 clones of 0.1% EMS treatment (p=0.0001) and 0.3% EMS treatment (p=0.0006). Further significant improvement was recorded in nutritive parameters such as proteins, reducing sugars, minerals and moisture content. Moisture retention capacity and Chlorophyll contents were also found to be high in mutant clones recovered from 0.1% and 0.3% EMS treatments. Conclusion: This suggests that EMS at lower concentrations below 0.5% can be safely used for crop improvement in mulberry and can also be tried in other vegetative propagated crops.

A study on the prevalence of refractive errors among school childern of 7-15 years age group in the field practice areas of a medical college in bangalore

Background: Refractive Error is an avoidable cause of visual impairment. Diagnosis and Treatment of refractive errors is the simplest and most effective forms of eye care. Aims & Objective: To study the prevalence and determinants of uncorrected refractive errors, among school children of 7-15 years. Material and Methods: The study was a cross sectional study of 1378 government school children of 7- 15 years age group in both rural and urban field practice areas of Dr. BR Ambedkar Medical College, Bangalore. Students were screened for defective vision with the help of Snellen’s chart and refractionist confirmed the findings. Students with refractive error were provided with spectacles free of cost. Data was analysed to determine the prevalence of refractive errors among the school children. Results: 687 children of urban and 691 children of rural area were examined. 53.6% of the study population were boys and 46.4% were girls. The mean age of the study group was 12.4 years. The prevalence of uncorrected refractive error in urban and rural children was 7.03%. The prevalence of Myopia, Hypermetropia and Astigmatism in children was 4.4%, 1.03%, 1.6% respectively. Children 13 to years 15 attending urban schools were most likely to have uncorrected myopia. Hypermetropia was associated with younger age group and female children. Conclusion: The prevalence of uncorrected refractive error, especially myopia, was higher in older children. Causes of higher prevalence and barriers to refractive error correction services should be identified and addressed. Eye screening of school children is recommended.

A study of professional commitment among B. Ed. Teacher educators of Bangalore University

has been dealt with in this paper. The sample included 100 teacher educator selected by using random sampling technique from Bangalore University, Professional Commitment of Teacher Educators toll developed and standardized by Kanchan Kohli to be used for data collection. ‘t’-test’ technique was adopted for data analysis. there is no significant difference between both Male and female and NET Qualified and Non-NET Qualification B.Ed teacher Educator do not differ in professional commitment, 11+ years of teaching experience of teacher educator better than 1-10 years teaching experience teacher educators and unmarried teacher educator better than married teacher educators in professional commitment.

Interview: Urologic cancers: where are we now and where is the field going?

Badrinath R Konety is Professor and Chair of the Department of Urology and holds the Dougherty Family Chair in Uro-Oncology, as well as being the Director of the Institute for Prostate and Urologic Cancers and Associate Director for Clinical Affairs of the Masonic Cancer Center, at the University of Minnesota (MN, USA). Konety received his undergraduate training in science at St Joseph’s College, Bangalore University in India. He earned his MBBS (MD equivalent) at the MS Ramaiah Medical College of Bangalore University. Konety was a research fellow with the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Urology at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center prior to completing his medical training at the University of Pittsburgh (PA, USA) with residencies in general surgery and urology. Following his residency training, Konety was an AFUD Research Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Urology and Cancer Institute, concurrently studying business and receiving a MBA from the University of P...

Prevalence of domestic accidents in the rural field practice area of a medical college in Bangalore, Karnataka

Domestic accidents are worldwide health problems. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural field practice area of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore. A total of 5419 individuals were selected from 30 clusters (villages) using cluster sampling technique. Of the 5419 study population, 50.9% (2748) were males and the rest were females. The prevalence of domestic accidents in the rural community was found to be 9.6% (522 individuals who had sustained domestic accidents), was found to be more in females compared with males, which was statistically significant with P-value =0.0077 (Z value =9.09). Falls 43% (225) was the most common type of domestic accidents. The most common place of occurrence of domestic accidents was 46% (243) kitchen, most frequent site of injures in domestic accidents was upper limbs.

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Preparedness for tobacco control among postgraduate residents of a medical college in Bangalore

Background:Tobacco use is a major cause of avoidable mortality. Postgraduate doctors in training are an important group of physicians likely to influence patients’ tobacco use/cessation.Objective:To assess preparedness for tobacco control among clinical postgraduate residents of a medical college in southern India.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was undertaken among all clinical postgraduate residents enrolled in St. John's Medical College, Bangalore, to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding tobacco cessation in their patients. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was used. Simple descriptive analysis was undertaken.Results:The overall response rate was 66% (76/116). Mean (S.D.) knowledge score on tobacco use prevalence and disease burden was 6.2 (2.0) out of 10. About 25% of them were not aware of nicotine replacement therapy as a treatment option for tobacco cessation. Nearly two thirds of them expected their patients to ask for assistance with quitting and nearly half were sceptical about patients’ ability to quit. While 80% of them enquired routinely about tobacco use in their patients, only 50% offered advice on quitting and less than a third assessed readiness to quit or offered assistance with quitting in their patients.Conclusion:Our study revealed suboptimal levels of knowledge and tobacco cessation practice among postgraduate residents. Attitudes toward tobacco cessation by their patients was however generally positive and there was substantial interest in further training in tobacco control. Reorienting postgraduate medical education to include tobacco control interventions would enable future physicians to be better equipped to deal with nicotine addiction.

Uncorrected Refractive Errors in Presbyopes attending medical college eye OPD

The study was conducted to find out the prevalence of pre-existing uncorrected refractive error in presbyopes who attended the Eye O.P.D. in medical college of Bangalore (India). 100 presbyopes were selected according to inclusion criteria. Complete ophthalmic examination including visual acuity and objective & subjective refraction was performed. History of difficulty of vision was noted. Observations were tabulated and analyzed. 47 out of 100 presbyopes had pre-existing uncorrected refractive error. Most common complaint was difficulty of distance vision. 33 out of 47 had never used spectacles. Equal number of hyperopes and myopes were present. OBJECTIVE To find out the prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors in presbyopes attending Eye OPD in medical college in Bangalore INTRODUCTION Presbyopia is described as the condition wherein the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects with age. Thus there emerges the need of near vision corrective spectacles. The first symptoms present between the age of 40-50 years with difficulty in reading fine prints, in dim illumination, eyestrain after long reading hours and transient blur vision (1). 2 different definitions are cited in various studies. Functional presbyopia is defined as needing a significant optical correction added to the presenting distance refractive correction to achieve a near visual acuity criterion (more than or equal to 1 line of acuity improvement in one case, J1 print in another, and N8 print in the other) ( 2-4) . Objective presbyopia is defined as needing a significant optical correction (more than or equal to 1.00 D) added to the best distance optical correction to improve near vision to a near visual acuity criterion of N8 (5). The prevalence of presbyopia varies from region to region. In southern India, Nirmalan et al (5) found a prevalence of 55 per cent in people aged 30 years and older. Refractive errors affect a large proportion of the population worldwide, irrespective of age, sex and ethnicity. A significant number of these are never recognized and treated. These people in their presbyopic age present with uncorrected refractive errors. According to the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, in 2004, the number of people (above the age of 40 years) visually impaired from uncorrected refractive errors in India were almost 35 million (6). It was also shown that the coverage of refractive services in various regions of India ranges just between 40-55%. Uncorrected distance refractive error is the most common cause of vision impairment and the second most common cause of blindness in the world (6-9). This study is aims to find out the prevalence of pre-existing uncorrected refractive error in presbyopes attending Eye OPD in medical college in Bangalore.

Assessment of Marital and Family Expectations of a Group of Urban Single Young Adults

Background:The lack of baseline understanding of what young adults’ needs and expectations are from marital and family life is the context in which this study has evolved. The author believes that the findings from this study could fee into the contents of a more relevant and useful Family Life Education program for young adults in urban India.Aims:To explore and analyze the needs and expectations of single young adults with respect to marital and family life.Materials and Methods:A college in Bangalore with students from graduate and post-graduate courses in the age group of 18 to 25 years. A semi-structure interview schedule prepared by the author was administered on 100 students. Qualitative and Quantitative.Results and Conclusion:The results showed that a large number of the participants had very specific emotional, cognitive and physiological expectations from marital and family life. They also expressed an active need for education on mate selection, sexuality, parenting, interpersonal relationships, intimacy, conflict resolution, among other areas of need. The findings from this study would find great relevance in the preparation of a relevant and practical Family Life Education program for single young adults which in turn would be useful in colleges, workplaces, family counseling centers or any platform where single young adults wish to access such family base services.

Awareness and perception regarding eye donation in students of a nursing college in Bangalore

Context:Corneal diseases constitute a significant cause of visual impairment and blindness in the developing world. The number of corneal transplants done is far less than the actual requirement in India. This is largely due to the inadequate number of corneas collected. Well-informed nursing students could be expected to influence eye donation rates.Aims:To assess the awareness and perception of 188 first- and second-year nursing students towards eye donation in Bangalore.Settings and Design:Cross-sectional study design.Materials and Methods:A pretested, semi-structured questionnaire.Statistical Analysis Used:Data were analyzed using the Epi-Info software package, Version 6.04.Results:The majority (96.8%) of students knew that eyes can be donated after death but only 38.2% knew that the ideal time of donation was within 6 hours of death. Most participants (85.1%) were either willing or had already donated their eyes. Nobility in the act of eye donation was the main motivational force for eye donation according to 85.6% of students. Perceived reasons for not pledging eyes by the students were: the unacceptable idea of separating the eyes from the body (67.9%), lack of awareness (42.8%), objection by family members (28.5%), and unsuitability to donate because of health problem (10.7%).Conclusion:This study revealed that nursing students were well aware of eye donations and most of them were inclined to sign-up for eye donation. The perceived reasons for not donating eyes need to be considered while creating awareness about eye donation in the community. The nursing students could be actively involved as volunteers in eye donation campaigns and they can act as counsellors for eye donors. They can also contribute by participating in creating awareness and motivating people to become eye donors.

Interview with Dr Badrinath Konety

Badrinath Konety received his undergraduate training in science at St Joseph's College, Bangalore University, India. He went on to earn his MBBS at the MS Ramaiah Medical College of Bangalore University. Konety was a research fellow with the UCSF Department of Urology at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center prior to completing his medical training at the University of Pittsburgh with residencies in General Surgery and Urology. Following his residency training, Konety was an AFUD Research Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Urology and Cancer Institute, concurrently studying business and receiving a MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business. Konety completed his medical education at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as Chief Clinical Fellow. Konety joined UCSF from the University of Iowa where he was Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology &amp; Biostatistics. Konety has authored or co-authored over 60 original publications and numerous book chapters and now has over 100 publications to his name. He has been Principle or Co-investigator on grants funded through The Department of Defense, The National Institutes of Health, The American Geriatrics Society and The Center for Disease Control. He received the Jahnigen Career Development Scholar Award, and is an active member of numerous professional medical societies including the American Urological Association, the American College of Surgeons, International College of Surgeons and the Society for Basic Urological Research.

Radon daughters’ concentration in air and exposure of joggers at the university campus of Bangalore, India

The concentration of radon daughters in outdoor air was measured continuously from January 2006 to December 2006 near the Department of Physics, Bangalore University campus, Bangalore. The concentration was measured by collecting air samples at a height of 1 m above the ground level on a glass micro fibre filter paper with a known air flow rate. The results show that the radon progeny concentration exhibits distinct seasonal and diurnal variations that are predominantly caused by changes in the temperature gradient at the soil–atmosphere interface. The concentration was found to be high from 20.00 to 8.00 hrs, when the turbulence mixing was minimum and low during the rest of the time. In terms of the monthly concentration, January was found to be the highest with September/August being the lowest. The diurnal variations in the concentrations of radon progeny were found to exhibit positive correlation with the relative humidity and anti-correlation with the atmospheric temperature. From the measured concentration, an attempt was made to establish the annual effective dose to the general public of the region and was found to be 0.085 mSv/a. In addition, an attempt was also made for the first time to study the variation of inhalation dose with respect to the physical activity levels. Results show that in the light of both the effect of chemical pollutants and radiation dose due to inhalation of radon daughters, evening jogging is advisable.