Countries Of Indian Subcontinent Research Articles

Analgesic, anti-inflammatory activity and metabolite profiling of the methanolic extract of Callicarpa arborea Roxb. leaves

Ethnopharmacological relevanceCallicarpa arborea Roxb. is widely used as traditional medicine especially by the tribal people of Bangladesh in the management of wide range of ailments. In addition to Bangladesh, the leaves of this plant is utilized as a remedy to various painful and inflammatory conditions including rheumatism, toothache and stomachache in other countries of Indian subcontinent. Aim of the studyDepending on the ethnomedicinal uses, we undertook this study to investigate the in-vivo analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the methanolic extract of C. arborea Roxb. leaves in Swiss albino mice as well as its chemical composition. Materials and methodsWe evaluated the analgesic activity of Callicarpa arborea Roxb. leaves by the acetic acid induced writhing test, the hot plate test, and the formalin test. We undertook the egg albumin induced paw edema test to determine the anti-inflammatory activity of the plant. Furthermore, we conducted the phytochemical profiling by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). ResultsIn acute toxicity test, no mortality was observed at the highest dose of 2000 mg/kg b.w. Significant (p < 0.005) inhibition of acetic acid induced writhing was observed at both doses of the extract. A dose dependent increase in the response time was seen in the hot-plate test. In the formalin test, the extract significantly inhibited pain response in both early and late phase. We observed marked anti-inflammatory activity manifested by a significant (p < 0.005) reduction in egg albumin induced paw edema. We identified a total of twenty one compounds in the extract of by GC-MS analysis. ConclusionTaken all into consideration we conclude that the leaves of C. arborea Roxb. possesses potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity, thus justifying its's ethnomedicinal use against painful and inflammatory pathological conditions.

Alleviating cross-cultural challenges of Indian subcontinent students: University staff perspectives

The growth in student numbers from the Indian subcontinent countries has increased exponentially in the Australian higher education system over the past decade. Unfortunately, this growth has not been accompanied by initiatives to address the distinctive cross-cultural challenges faced by this cohort. This paper seeks to identify academic and professional staff perceptions of how they can help alleviate the social and academic challenges faced by subcontinent students. Thematic analysis of multiple focus group interviews established a range of simple initiatives that university staff and decision-makers could introduce to alleviate these challenges. Academic and professional staff should clearly and repeatedly articulate course, assessment and integrity expectations and make use of pre-arrival and orientation interactions. The pedagogic environment should be customised to subcontinent students in the classroom, and written teaching materials should be supplemented with engaging videos, ideally subtitled. The introduction of cross-cultural awareness training for academic and professional staff would improve the learning experience of subcontinent students. Adequate resourcing of academic skills and English language support and mental health support services also emerged as valuable initiatives. The cross-cultural awareness training for academic and professional staff should also be customised to their specific roles.

The Bengal Tiger

The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is one of the big cat species, found in the jungles of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Bangladesh, and the adjoining countries of Indian subcontinent. These muscular and gorgeous looking mammals are ferocious killers with powerful forequarters, with a length of 2.2 m to 3.0 m when fully grown and weigh more than 300 kg.1 Tigers have a lifespan of 8 to 10 y in the wild; however, the life span increases up to 20 y in captivity. In 2010 there were merely 3200 wild tigers around the world, which was the lowest estimate of the century.

Are Indian Subcontinent remittance markets connected to each other?

Indian subcontinent countries are some of the largest exporters of labor, and thus, largest receivers of remittances. Having many characteristics in common, their labor markets may be connected due to labor substitution and complementarity. We study the interactions of remittance inflows into India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka via the Diebold-Yilmaz method. We find a low degree of spillovers across countries. In other words, the dynamics of remittance inflows in each country are largely explained by internal factors, not due to spillovers from other countries. That indicates that international remittance inflows in countries in the Indian Subcontinent that we consider in this study are essentially independent. We also find that the dynamic connectedness tends to fall over time in the aftermath of the 2008–2010 financial crisis, which is reversed after 2014. The initial decline probably happened due to the recovery in the labor receiving economies whereas the increase after 2014 probably reflects the jitters felt in all economies. We conclude that spillover of four countries’ remittance inflows is time-varying.

Mathematical Modelling of Bifacial Dual SIS Solar Cell and Optimization of Tilt Angle

The major challenge of PV cell design and installation has always been to find the optimum cost per energy and area of installation of solar panels. In densely populated and high-yielding agricultural country like India land acquisition is becoming an issue. Moreover the consisting demand to deduce the cost per energy indulges the worldwide scientists to design more efficient solar cells with low production cost. In developing countries scientists and engineers are trying to find an amicable solution to meet up these problems. In this paper the mathematical modelling of a dual SIS bifacial vertically mounted solar panel has been proposed to mitigate the energy and land area crisis in countries of Indian subcontinent, south Asia and elsewhere. The SIS (Semiconductor-Insulator-Semiconductor) technology was chosen for its extremely low thermal budget and less complicated production procedure. A bifacial solar cell with SIS junction in both sides was modelled. The front surface SIS junction was considered ZnO-SiO2-Si(p-type) while the back surface junction was considered Si(p type)-Al2O3-SnO. The efficiency for front and back surface was calculated as 5.64% and 5.58% respectively. We have further considered the effect of albedo from two different surfaces (soil and concrete) and the efficiencies of front and back surface for these albedo radiations. The angle of installation was optimized for both these effects. Considering both direct and albedo the all-day efficiency was calculated as 22.47% for a sunny day tropical region.

Intellectual Property Right on Basmati Rice: Current Scenario and Evidences of Origin, Diversity, Cultivation and Use Values of Basmati Rice in Nepal

Basmati rice, also called the king/prince of rice landraces has very special values in Nepalese society as well as in other countries of Indian Subcontinent. With the objectives of collecting, analyzing and documenting Basmati related information in Nepal, we visited different sites; carried out key informant surveys; organized focus group discussions, online interaction and discussion meetings; requested all relevant offices/ persons/ stakeholders through phone, website, and letter to share information; organized high level official meeting, and Basmati rice expert meeting; documented video documentary and did online as well as library search. Because of its high market value at global level, many countries and organizations have been attempting to get intellectual property rights (mainly patent and geographical indication tag) on Basmati rice. India applied for GI tag to Basmati rice in the European Union (EU) in July 2018, and Nepal submitted opposition letter along with proofs and evidences of origin, diversity, cultivation and use values of Basmati rice on 9 December 2020. A total 133 Basmati type rice landraces are grown in 60 districts of Nepal. Basmati rice is traditionally grown, sold, and consumed in geographically localized areas of Nepal since ancient time. International and national scientists have defined lower altitude of Nepal as one of the centers of origin of Basmati rice. Many Nepalese basmati rice landraces have been characterized and evaluated using morphological traits, isozymes and DNA markers. Four basmati type of rice landraces have been registered in National Seed Board. Many community seed banks have maintained different types of Basmati rice landraces. National Agriculture Genetic Resources Center and International genebanks have collected more than 80 and conserved 68 basmati landraces. Basmati rice landraces have geo-linked traits. The historical culture of production, consumption and marketing of native basmati rice in Nepal should always be favored by both national and international rules and regulations. Nepal has ample and valid evidences to get geographical indication (GI) right on Basmati rice.

Gender diversity in geo-spatial technology and applications disciplines uptake in developing Asian countries – A survey-based competency analysis

Geo-Spatial Technology and Applications (GSTA) contributes significantly to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which seeks to ‘leave no one behind’. This study attempts to assess the gender diversity in enrolment in GSTA programmes in developing countries in Asia using data available with the UN-affiliated Regional Centre in India. A survey was also conducted to gauge trainees’ comfort in a complex multi-cultural, multi-linguistic classroom environment. The analysis shows that female participation in short-term courses has been increasing rather steeply over the years (1995–2019). The enrolment has reached 30% in recent years. It is also observed that the female participants have preferred (about 10%) to enrol in physical Science and Technology (ST) -oriented courses such as Remote Sensing and GIS, Satellite Meteorology and Climate Change, and Space and Atmospheric Sciences when compared to electrical Engineering and Technology-oriented Satellite Communications and Global Navigation Satellite Systems courses that would require a strong knowledge of digital signals and systems theory.The survey study with a participation of 150 trainees from 17 countries shows that women trainees have a slight edge by 9% over the male counterparts in learning ST elements of the courses. At sub-regional levels, it is observed that participants from Indian sub-continent countries (ISC) are better by 15% than participants from South-east Asian Countries (SAC) and Central Asian Countries (CAC). As far as the course structure perspective is concerned, there has been a significant difference with 70% of the ISC trainees have found the courses as well-balanced covering equally both technology and applications, while only 36% and 56% of the trainees from SAC and CAC, respectively, have found the course as balanced. Importantly, the survey has revealed that the participants from SAC and CAC have a big challenge in apprehending lectures in English, as reflected by their top scores at 18% and 17%, respectively, compared with the corresponding value of the ISC trainees being 72%. Recommendations are suggested to sustain the female enrolment in long-term GSTA training programmes. Strategies that create family-friendly learning conditions, including joint education programmes involving lead institutions of the participants’ countries, are proposed to facilitate higher female participation. Furthermore, measures such as standardisation of curricula regionally at undergraduate levels and having periodic meetings of trainers are recommended in order to minimise the trainees’ core competency gaps in GSTA disciplines at the regional level.

Trend analysis of Covid-19 cases in Indian subcontinent: Prediction comparison and psycho-social interventions

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which started in December, last year has claimed thousands of life around the world. Utilizing the existing COVID-19 database, this article attempted to compare the status of infection cases and death of the four significantly affected nations of Indian subcontinent (ISC): Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Pakistan with the top 4 affected nations of the world, today. This article is also an attempt to conduct a trend analysis to predict the upcoming cases in exclusively the ISC countries. The results suggest that Pakistan and India should be well prepared in the coming one month. Finally, the needs of psychosocial support and the psychotherapeutic interventions were elucidated to help preserve the mental health of the people in this hour of crisis.

A note on Clupisoma garua (Hamilton, 1822), a freshwater catfish of Indian subcontinent (Teleostei: Siluriformes)

Clupisoma garua is a catfish species which is widely distributed in different countries of Indian subcontinent. It is a popular food fish as having good taste and very less intramuscular bones in its flesh. It is also a popular game fish in India and recently has also made its entry in ornamental fish markets of India. Though C. garua has been documented as vulnerable in India and critically endangered in Bangladesh; due to its abundance and wide spread nature it has been assessed as Least Concern under IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The present report has been prepared to sum up the available information on different aspects of C. garua along with noting down the some possible measures that should be taken into consideration for its conservation.

Prevalence of diabetes and other health related problems across India and worldwide: An overview

Diabetes mellitus is a major source of mortality and morbidity along with an economic menace all over the world. In 2000, prevalence of diabetes worldwide was 171,000,000 and in 2030, it will be 366,000,000, nearly one in ten people globally will have some form of diabetes by 2035. There are some 382 million people living with the disease, but that could jump 55% by 2035. The total number of people in India with diabetes to be around 50.8 million in 2010, rising to 87.0 million by 2030 and it is estimated that by 2040 the numbers will increase upto 123.5 million. It has estimated that the prevalence of diabetes in rural populations is one-quarter that of urban population for India and other Indian sub-continent countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR) revealed that a lower proportion of the population is affected in states of Northern India (Chandigarh 0.12 million, Jharkhand 0.96 million) as compared to Maharashtra (9.2 million) and Tamil Nadu (4.8 million). The National Urban Survey conducted across the metropolitan cities of India reported similar trend: 11.7 per cent in Kolkata (Eastern India), 6.1 per cent in Kashmir Valley (Northern India), 11.6 per cent in New Delhi (Northern India), and 9.3 per cent in West India (Mumbai) compared with (13.5 per cent in Chennai (South India), 16.6 per cent in Hyderabad (south India), and 12.4 per cent Bangalore (South India). Strengthening of health promotion activitiesin different settings, preventive health screening package, better treatment facilities and effective implementation can cure these problems worldwide.

Postmortem sperm retrieval in context of developing countries of Indian subcontinent.

There was a request for postmortem sperm retrieval (PMSR) from the wife of a deceased, but we had to decline. We have no guideline in place for the procedure in such cases. When we explored the international scenario on the issue of PMSR, we found that most of the developed countries have their guidelines about it, whether to allow or not to. There is not guideline available in developing countries, as such, for the procedure and various medical, legal, and social issues related thereto. In this article, we have explored the status of postmortem retrieval and feasibility of the procedure in developing countries of Indian subcontinent.

Ethnopharmacological Significance of Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. (Asteraceae).

Eclipta alba can be found growing wild in fallow lands of Bangladesh where it is considered as a weed by farmers. Traditional medicinal systems of the Indian subcontinent countries as well as tribal practitioners consider the plant to have diverse medicinal values and use it commonly for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory tract disorders (including asthma), fever, hair loss and graying of hair, liver disorders (including jaundice), skin disorders, spleen enlargement, and cuts and wounds. The plant has several phytoconstituents like wedelolactone, eclalbasaponins, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, luteolin, and apigenin. Pharmacological activities of plant extracts and individual phytoconstituents have revealed anticancer, hepatoprotective, snake venom neutralizing, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Phytoconstituents like wedelolactone and ursolic and oleanolic acids as well as luteolin and apigenin can form the basis of new drugs against cancer, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, skin diseases, and liver disorders.

Prevalence and spectrum of congenital heart diseases in children

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in the pediatric population of both the developing and developed countries. Variability in incidence and prevalence of CHD from various countries of Indian subcontinent and rest of the world could be because of genetic, cultural, and environmental factors. Objective: To find the prevalence and pattern of CHD in a tertiary care hospital in Kashmir (J&K). Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of case-records data of 767,921 patients (0-18 years) over 3 years and 10 months period was conducted to ascertain the prevalence and spectrum of CHDs. Results: A total of 877 patients out of 767,921, were found having CHDs measuring a prevalence of 1.12/1000. About 777 (88.5%) were the acyanotics, and 100 (11.5%) were cyanotic heart patients. Among the acyanotic heart diseases ventricular septal defect was the most frequent lesion seen in 241 (31.2%), followed by patent ductus arteriosus in 184 (24.3%) children. Among the cyanotic heart diseases tetralogy of Fallot was the most frequent cyanotic heart disease seen in 48 (48.0%) patients. Conclusion: Prevalence of 1.12/1000 among the hospital attending patients could be an underestimation of the actual disease burden in our community, and heightened awareness among the treating physicians about the cardiac diseases could actually reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with these ailments.

Phylogeny and evolution of Newcastle disease virus genotypes isolated in Asia during 2008–2011

The full-length fusion (F) genes of 51 Newcastle disease (ND) strains isolated from chickens in Asia during the period 2008-2011 were genetically analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis showed that genotype VII of NDV still predominant in the domestic poultry of Asia. The sub-genotype VIIb circulated in the Iran and Indian sub-continent countries, whereas VIId sub-genotype existed in Far East countries. The non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions ratio was calculated 0.27 for VIId sub-genotype and 0.51 for VIIb sub-genotype indicates purifying/stabilizing selection which resulted in a low evolution rate in F gene of VIIb sub-genotype. There is evidence of localized positive selection when comparing these sub-genotypes protein sequences. Five codons in F gene of ND viruses had a posterior probability >90% using the Bayesian method, indicating these sites were under positive selection. To identify sites under positive selection; amino acid substitution classified depends on their radicalism and neutrality. The results indicate that although most positions were under purifying selection and can be eliminated, a few positions located in sub-genotype specific regions were subject to positive selection.

Evolutionary characterization of hemagglutinin gene of H9N2 influenza viruses isolated from Asia

The full length hemagglutinin (HA) genes of 287 H9N2 AI strains isolated from chickens in Asia during the period 1994–2009 were genetically analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis showed that G1-like viruses circulated in the Middle East and Indian sub-continent countries, whereas other sublineages existed in Far East countries. It also revealed G1-like viruses with an average 96.7% identity clustered into two subgroups largely based on their time of isolation. The Ka/Ks ratio was calculated 0.34 for subgroup 1 and 0.57 for subgroup 2 indicates purifying/stabilizing selection, but despite this there is evidence of localized positive selection when comparing the subgroups 1 and 2 protein sequences. Five sites in HA H9N2 viruses had a posterior probability >0.5 using the Bayesian method, indicating these sites were under positive selection. These sites were found to be associated with the globular head region of HA. To identify sites under positive selection; amino acid substitution classified depends on their radicalism and neutrality. The results indicate that, although most positions in HAs were under purifying selection and can be eliminated, a few positions located in the antigenic regions and receptor binding sites were subject to positive selection.

Estimating Elasticity of Demand for Tourism in Dubai

This study estimates the elasticity of demand for inbound tourism from 24 countries to Dubai with a view to understand the factors that influence this demand. The variables tourist arrivals, real per capita income, relative prices, and accommodation costs were tested for panel unit roots, and panel cointegration was employed to determine the specification of the models to be used. These models were estimated employing Fixed Effects and Random Effects approaches. The choice between Fixed and Random Effects models was made using the Hausman Test. Determinants of the elasticity of demand for the entire panel are consistent with theory. Within the subgroups there are differences. Arab countries and countries of the Indian subcontinent have an income elasticity of demand &gt;1. Tourists from the developed countries seem to be the most sensitive to relative prices and the cost of accommodation is significant only for tourists from the Arab and Indian subcontinent countries. Income elasticity of tourism especially from Arab countries and countries of the Indian subcontinent is high, indicating that marketers should tailor their strategies accordingly. Accommodation costs have negative impact on demand, highlighting the need for more budget hotels. Relative increase in prices has a negative impact on tourism demand, highlighting the need to control domestic inflation.

A New Species of Gall Midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from India

Introduction The genus Neolestremia was errected by Mani (1934) for midges bred from the leaf bud galls of Boerhavia spp. from Chennai (South India). The genus approaches Lestremia Macq., very closely, but is chiefly distinguished from it by its triarticulate palpi. Later Sharma and Rao (1979) added one more speices from Maharashtra. The present species is the third from India and second from Maharashtra. At present, the range of the distribution of the genus appears to be penisular India, since, it is not yet recorded from other countries of Indian subcontinent.