Indian Sample Research Articles

Phytochemical Analysis, Estimation of Quercetin, and in Vitro Anti-Diabetic Potential of Stevia Leaves Samples Procured from Two Geographical Origins

The current study used RP-HPLC to compare phytochemicals and estimate the bioactive constituents found in Stevia rebaudiana Bert. (SRB) leaves collected from two different geographical sources. SRB leaves were collected from Bangalore, Karnataka, India, and Reduit, Mauritius. Extracts were prepared using ethanol and aqueous solvents. Proximate analysis was used to evaluate moisture content, ash values, crude fibers, and extractive values. Following that, preliminary phytochemical screening was done on both ethanol leaves extracts, and subsequently total flavonoid content was determined. In addition, TLC chromatograms and RP-HPLC studies were performed on both plant extracts to determine the presence of flavonoid components in both leaves extracts, followed by in vitro anti-diabetic activity was performed with alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase enzymes against Acarbose as standard. Results revealed that both the extracts from two different geographical sources varied significantly with the yield, content of chemicals, and presence of quercetin (flavonoid) content when estimated through the RP-HPLC standardized method. Glycosides, flavonoids, proteins, steroids, saponins, terpenoids, and phenols were found in various concentrations during phytochemical screening. Among both zones, the ethanol leaves extract of SRB taken from Mauritius had a greater content of phytochemicals and a higher yield than other extracts due to the soil nature. The Mauritius sample had greater total flavonoid levels as well as more quercetin (0.92 ± 0.011) than the other extracts. Following that, ethanol extract inhibited enzymes (alpha amylase, alpha glucosidases) more than aqueous extract, and this inhibition was dose dependent. Among them, the Mauritius ethanol sample showed higher anti-diabetic efficacy than the Indian sample, but this difference was not significant. Overall, SRB ethanol leaves extracts outperformed other leaves extracts in terms of yield, phytoconstituents, and total flavonoids. Overall, both SRB samples had high quercetin levels and possessed anti-diabetic potential, but they were greater in the Mauritius sample, demonstrating that plant traits are influenced by geographic location.

A Validation of Emotional Contagion Scale on the Indian Youth

The Emotional Contagion Scale (ECS) developed by Dr. Elaine Hatfield, is a self-report measure used to investigate the individual’s susceptibility to catch another person’s emotions and experience the same. The catching of emotions could be conscious or unconscious. The study aims to validate the Emotional Contagion scale on the Indian subcontinent population for future use and application. The original American scale consisted of 15 items to be responded to by selecting the suitable option from given five, was given to an Indian sample of 498 individuals. To check the validity, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed. Gender differences were assessed and it was observed that men were high on catching and experiencing the emotions of others as compared to women. The Indian sample on ECS shows moderate to high reliability and high content validity. It thus concludes that the Emotional Contagion scale is valid for future use on the Indian Population.

Inhibitory effect of selected Indian honey on colon cancer cell growth by inducing apoptosis and targeting the β-catenin/Wnt pathway.

Colon cancer is the most prevalent cause of death from cancer across the globe. Although chemotherapy drugs are predominantly used, their toxicity always remains a cause of concern. As an alternative to synthetic drugs, natural compounds or nutraceuticals are comparatively less toxic. Honey is widely used across different cultures as an alternative form of medicine. It represents a prominent source of plant-phenolic compounds and there is demonstrable evidence of its anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities. The aim of the present work was to investigate the anti-proliferative effect of some Indian honeys and analyze their mechanism of action in colon cancer. In order to establish the composition-activity relationship, we evaluated the bioactive components present in selected honey samples by GC-MS and HPLC analysis. Indian honey samples showed a significant inhibitory impact on cell growth by restricting cell proliferation, causing apoptosis, and restricting the cell cycle in the G2/M phase specifically for colon cancer cells. The apoptotic activities, as imparted by the honey samples, were established by Annexin V/PI staining, real-time PCR, and immunoblot analyses. The treated cells showed increased expressions of p53 and caspases 3, 8, and 9, thus indicating the involvement of both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. The honey samples were also found to inhibit the β-catenin/Wnt pathway. In the next phase of the study, the efficacy of these honey samples was evaluated in colon carcinoma induced SD-rats. Overall, these findings demonstrated that selected Indian honeys could be established as effective nutraceuticals for the prevention as well as cure of colon cancer.

Methane/CO2 binary gas interaction on some moist, high–volatile bituminous Indian coals: 2. Pure-/mixed-gas adsorption modelling

The pure and mixed methane and CO2 excess experimental adsorption of three moist, high-volatile bituminous Indian coal samples at 40 °C and up to a pressure of ∼6500 kPa, were tested for the applicability of the adsorption models. For pure gas, Langmuir and Dubinin-Astakhov (DA) models were used and it was observed both Langmuir and DA models were matching with experimental data, although the fit with DA model was better. For mixed gas, Extended Langmuir (EL) and Ideal Adsorbed Solutions (IAS) theory were considered for model prediction. Later, the IAS theory was also combined with the Langmuir, DA equation for their applicability on mixed gas modelling. It was observed that none of the models were suitable for predicting the mixed gas adsorption. Although, EL-model show the maximum match for fitting experimental data at lower pressure, the deviation was increased at higher pressures. In general, the experimental CO2 separation factor was observed to decrease with an increase in pressure and CO2 gas concentration. However, the model prediction of CO2 separation factor was only validated by IAS-DA, other models showed inconsistent results.

Protocol for Establishing the Norms of Total Tooth Material for Central Indian Population

Background: Appealing profile is dependent on constructive interrelation of craniofacial structure so as to establish systemic equilibrium . An esthetic profile may also be associated with single tooth or inter-arch malocclusion. To correct these malocclusions, the corresponding link of tooth material of upper and lower arch is the prerequisite to achieve functional stability of occlusion, structural balance and esthetic harmony.
 Objectives: To determine tooth size ratios for maxillary and mandibular dentition in Central Indian population.
 Methodology: The study sample comprised of 500 subjects (250 males and 250 females) aged between 12-20 years with all permanent first molar erupted will be obtained from the department. The mesio–distal width of all teeth anterior to first molar of maxillary and mandibular teeth from right to left side will be calculated
 Expected Results: Proof of sexual dimorphism was seen among Indian male subjects have greater mean values as compared to females. Statistically considerable differences were establish between Indian samples and Bolton Caucasian standards.
 Conclusion: The research presents, evidence that size of teeth are population specific. Mean values specific to peculiar population samples should be obtained in order to make treatment regime more precise as well as predictable.

Psychometric Qualities Evaluation of the Interdependent Happiness Scale across Malaysia, Philippines, and India

The nine-item Interdependent Happiness Scale (IHS; Hitokoto & Uchida, 2015) is a self-report of interpersonal happiness that focuses on three dimensions: relationship-oriented happiness, quiescent happiness, and ordinary happiness. Few studies have evaluated the psychometric properties of the IHS in diverse cultural backgrounds and the findings are inconsistent. This study investigated whether the IHS has sound psychometric qualities in three Asian countries. University students from Malaysia (n = 263), Philippines (n = 239), and India (n = 310) answered the IHS and self-rated creativity scale. Confirmatory factor analysis on each sample supported the nine-item second-order model with error covariances. The overall IHS score showed good reliability in all samples. The subscales, however, had mixed results except for the Indian sample. Similarly, the convergent validity test showed mixed results while discriminant validity is supported in all samples except for the quiescent happiness subscale in the Indian sample. Concurrent validity was established across three samples by showing a positive relationship with creativity score. The results highlight that the higher-order structure of the IHS is consistently supported in different cultural contexts. However, some of the items are perceived differently and require further improvement in enhancing the cross-cultural usability of the IHS to measure socially-oriented happiness.

An Indian lineage of Histoplasma with strong signatures of differentiation and selection

Histoplasma, a genus of dimorphic fungi, is the etiological agent of histoplasmosis, a pulmonary disease widespread across the globe. Whole genome sequencing has revealed that the genus harbors a previously unrecognized diversity of cryptic species. To date, studies have focused on Histoplasma isolates collected in the Americas with little knowledge of the genomic variation from other localities. In this report, we report the existence of a well-differentiated lineage of Histoplasma occurring in the Indian subcontinent. The group is differentiated enough to satisfy the requirements of a phylogenetic species, as it shows extensive genetic differentiation along the whole genome and has little evidence of gene exchange with other Histoplasma species. Next, we leverage this genetic differentiation to identify genetic changes that are unique to this group and that have putatively evolved through rapid positive selection. We found that none of the previously known virulence factors have evolved rapidly in the Indian lineage but find evidence of strong signatures of selection on other alleles potentially involved in clinically-important phenotypes. Our work serves as an example of the importance of correctly identifying species boundaries to understand the extent of selection in the evolution of pathogenic lineages. ImportanceWhole genome sequencing has revolutionized our understanding of microbial diversity, including human pathogens. In the case of fungal pathogens, a limiting factor in understanding the extent of their genetic diversity has been the lack of systematic sampling. In this piece, we show the results of a collection in the Indian subcontinent of the pathogenic fungus Histoplasma, the causal agent of a systemic mycosis. We find that Indian samples of Histoplasma form a distinct clade which is highly differentiated from other Histoplasma species. We also show that the genome of this lineage shows unique signals of natural selection. This work exemplifies how the combination of a robust sampling along with population genetics, and phylogenetics can reveal the precise genetic changes that differentiate lineages of fungal pathogens.

Prospects of using amaranth Amaranthus caudatus L. as an oil culture in southern Ukraine

Prospects of using amaranth Amaranthus caudatus L. as an oil culture in southern Ukraine

Ownership Type, IFRS Adoption and Unconditional Conservatism

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how private and public firms vary with respect to unconditional conservatism levels in financial reporting. The study also examines whether adoption of international accounting standards affects the association between conservatism and organizational form. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a large Indian sample of almost 63,000 firm-year observations across more than 15,500 firms (~41% of which are private firms) over 10 years (2011-2020) with multivariate regressions. Findings: The study shows that private firms are less unconditionally conservative than public firms. Also, contrary to extant literature, adoption of international accounting studies increases conservatism for all firms in the context under study. However, the newer standards moderate and reduce the conservatism gap between private and public firms. These results hold even after controlling for monitoring, governance, and group affiliation. Originality/value: To the best of my knowledge, this is the first study that explores unconditional conservatism across private and public firms in an emerging market context which is very different from the developed world. This adds significantly to our understanding of how organization type impacts financial reporting. Within this framework, the study of different accounting standards also helps show that the effect of IFRS-like standards on reporting choices varies significantly by context and region.

The Impact of Framing on Attitudes Towards Vaccination in an Indian Sample

The Impact of Framing on Attitudes Towards Vaccination in an Indian Sample

Western Skeptic vs Indian Realist. Cross-Cultural Differences in Zebra Case Intuitions

The cross-cultural differences in epistemic intuitions reported by Weinberg, Nichols and Stich (2001; hereafter: WNS) laid the ground for the negative program of experimental philosophy. However, most of WNS’s findings were not corroborated in further studies. The exception here is the study concerning purported differences between Westerners and Indians in knowledge ascriptions concerning the Zebra Case, which was never properly replicated. Our study replicates the above-mentioned experiment on a considerably larger sample of Westerners (n = 211) and Indians (n = 204). The analysis found a significant difference between the ethnic groups in question in the predicted direction: Indians were more likely to attribute knowledge in the Zebra Case than Westerners. In this paper, we offer an explanation of our result that takes into account the fact that replications of WNS’s other experiments did not find any cross-cultural differences. We argue that the Zebra Case is unique among the vignettes tested by WNS since it should not be regarded as a Gettier case but rather as a scenario exhibiting skeptical pressure concerning the reliability of sense-perception. We argue that skepticism towards perception as a means of gaining knowledge is a trope that is deeply rooted in Western epistemology but is very much absent from Classical Indian philosophical inquiry. This line of reasoning is based on a thorough examination of the skeptical scenarios discussed by philosophers of the Indian Nyaya tradition and their adversaries.

Mediating Effect of WhatsApp Addiction Between Social Loneliness and Preference for Online Social Interaction: A Cross-cultural Study

The present study aims to explore the relationship between social loneliness and online interaction through WhatsApp addiction among a sample of Indian and Fijian respondents. Based on the responses of 202 Indian and 73 Fijian respondents, the present research study validated the mediating role of WhatsApp addiction, revealing that social loneliness increased the possibility of preferring to interact online through increased WhatsApp addiction. The empirical results showed that the underlying mechanism of social loneliness might indirectly influence consumers’ preference for online social interaction (POSI). The study further assessed the moderating role of culture in the association between social loneliness and POSI. Findings of the moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that, the association between loneliness and preference to socialize online differed, based on the identified cultural differences between Indian and Fijian groups.

Organizational justice in the hotel industry: revisiting GLOBE from a national culture perspective

PurposeDespite its significance, national culture is often underrepresented in the hospitality industry. Implementing tools such as the global leadership and organizational behaviour effectiveness (GLOBE), whilst valuable to a considerable extent, might induce false assumptions about the universality of managerial practices for hotels through purposefully ignoring the in-group variations within each cultural cluster. Because employees’ perceptions are deeply rooted in context-specific value systems, this study aims to challenge the tendency to adopt a globalized approach to leadership and management through investigating potential variations in employees’ perceptions in two countries in the south Asian cluster of the GLOBE.Design/methodology/approachData were collected by using hard-copy and online convenience-sampling techniques from a sample of hotel employees and managers in Iran (392) and India (421). Structural equation modelling using AMOS 22 was adopted to test the hypotheses.FindingsBoth similarities and differences were observed between the Iranian and Indian contexts. The similarities confirm that GLOBE is correct to place them in the same regional cluster but the differences which relate to perceptions of organizational justice are also revealing. Whilst procedural justice affects organizational factors that influence employee motivation with the Iranian sample, distributive justice has no effect, whereas with the Indian sample these results were the other way around.Practical implicationsFor scholars and practitioners, the authors show that organizational theories and concepts cannot necessarily be transferred from a Western context to other parts of the world without making adjustments for national culture and generalizations cannot even be made within regions of similar culture. For example, this study shows that in Iran organizational justice is perceived differently from how it is perceived in India.Originality/valueThis study extends the literature about the effect of national culture on the hotel employees’ cognitions and behaviours by shedding light on the divergence between countries within the same regional cluster in the GLOBE classification.

Assessing Social and Emotional Competencies of Undergraduates: A Cross-Cultural Study

The study was conducted to assess social-emotional competencies among Indian and Ethiopian undergraduates. A total of 400 (200 each) participants, with an equal number of 100 male and female were selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure from Punjabi University (India), and Wollega University and Ambo University (Ethiopia). The participants were tested with the Social Skills Inventory (SSI: Riggio & Carney, 2003), which consists of two super-dimensions, i.e. emotional competence and social competence each having three sub-dimensions: emotional expressivity, emotional sensitivity, emotional control, and social expressivity, social sensitivity and social control respectively. Obtaineddata were subjected to t-statistics. Significant mean differences in social-emotional competence were observed between the Indian and Ethiopian young adults;male and female samples of the two countries. The Indian sample was greater in Social-emotional competence than the Ethiopian sample. Similarly, male and female participants from the Indian sample were greater in social-emotional skills than that of the Ethiopian sample, except for emotional sensitivity with the female participants, where the mean difference was non-significant. Further explorations are recommended to consolidate or refute the result of the present study.

Psychometric validation and cross‐cultural comparison of the Romantic Inclination Scale

AbstractResearch on romantic involvement among young adults in non‐Western populations is very sparse. In Study 1, using data from 718 young adults from India, we tested the factorial structure and measurement invariance (MI) of a 30‐item Romantic Inclination Scale (RIS). The results showed that a seven‐factor, 23‐item solution fitted the data well. MI analysis demonstrated partial metric invariance across gender and partial scalar invariance across relationship history. In Study 2, involving participants from India (n = 424) and the United States (n = 459), we compared the psychometric properties of the RIS. The seven‐factor, 23‐item version of the RIS fitted the data adequately, and partial metric invariance was achieved across the Indian and US samples. Cross‐cultural research implications and future directions are discussed.

Genomic variation and point mutations analysis of Indian COVID-19 patient samples submitted in GISAID database

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) endemic has havoc on the world; the causative virus of the pandemic is SARS CoV-2. Pharmaceutical companies and academic institutes are in continuous efforts to identify anti-viral therapy or vaccines, but the most significant challenge faced is the highly evolving genome of SARS CoV-2, which is imparting evolutionary selective benefits to the virus. To understand the viral mutations, we have retrieved nine hundred and thirty-four samples from different states of India via the GISAID database and analyzed the frequency of all types of point mutation in all structural, non-structural proteins, and accessory factors of SARS CoV-2. Spike glycol protein, nsp3, nsp6, nsp12, N and NS3 were the most evolving proteins. High frequency point mutations were Q496P (nsp2), A380V (nsp4), A994D (nsp3), L37F (nsp6), P323L & A97V (nsp12), Q57H (ns3), D614G (S), P13L (N), R203K (N), G204R (N) and S194L (N).

Exploring the Impact of Mate Value & Desire for Commitment on Changing Mate Preferences in Indian Youth

Mate preferences is an uncharted area in India with few studies (such as Prakash & Singh, 2014) laying rudimentary foundations about characteristics that individuals prefer in potential partners. The impact of moderator variables such as desire for commitment in relationships & mate value have been predominantly studied in WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich & Democratic) cultures alone. This paper aimed to 1) explore underlying dimensions of mate preferences within an Indian sample 2) identify gender differences in mate preferences, 3) identify the impact of desire for commitment on mate preferences and 4) study the moderating effects of mate value and desire for commitment on mate preferences. From responses of 200 Indian participants from Bangalore urban, 5 underlying dimensions (Physical Attractiveness & Compatibility, Dependability & Emotional Warmth, Social Status & Resources, Sociability, Ambitiousness) were identified through exploratory factor analysis. Females were found to prefer Social Status & Resources and Ambitiousness characteristics more than men. While desire for commitment alone had no impact on mate preferences, along with mate value as a moderator it was found to significantly affect preferences. The paper further discusses implications of findings in a larger cultural context and proposes research to untangle the complex moderating effect of mate value on mate preferences.

Do emotionally intelligent female employees perform better on the job? A serial mediation model

PurposeThe paper aims to examine the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction in the emotional intelligence (EI) and job performance (JP) relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe data have been collected using a structured questionnaire from 527 females working in education, health and IT/BPO sectors across three cities of Punjab, India. A serial multiple-mediated regression has been used to estimate EI's direct and indirect effects on JP mediated through emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction.FindingsThe findings reveal that EI has an indirect positive effect on JP through its influence on emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction in serial. The results also suggest that the control variables (namely age, qualification, experience and income) have a limited effect on EI, JP, emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction of female employees.Practical implicationsThe present study asserts that organizations should seek employees with high EI to have high employee performance. The study assists supervisors and human resource (HR) managers in their different functions like recruitment and selection decisions, training and development activities, and designing high-performance work systems. Enhanced EI will improve mental health and well-being, which further drives positive work behaviors.Originality/valueThis study attempts to examine the EI–JP relationship for working females in more depth. Since the study is based on an Indian sample, it adds to the growing literature on EI and JP of females in the context of non-Western countries. The results are of great value to HR managers and practitioners who aim to develop practices that would increase the performance of females in the workplace.

Yes! I love my mother as much as myself: Self- and mother-association effects in an Indian sample.

Information associated with the self is preferentially processed compared to information associated with others. However, cultural differences appear to exist in the way information is processed about those close to us like our mothers. In Eastern compared with Western cultures, information about the mother seems to be processed as well as our self. However, it is not clear whether this lack of difference is due to familiarity or would extend to processing arbitrary perceptual information associated with different categorical labels. The current study employs a perceptual association paradigm in which category labels like self, mother, and none are associated with arbitrary shapes to study self versus mother processing in an Indian sample. We hypothesised that there would be no difference between self and mother processing given the familial and collectivistic tendencies in India. Participants in two experiments performed a matching task between a shape and a pre-assigned category label, with self, mother, and none as categories in Experiment 1A and self, friend, and none as categories in Experiment 1B. As expected, analysis of response times (RT), accuracies, and signal detection theoretic measures showed that information about mother is processed as well as self in Experiment 1A, but this effect is not present with friend in Experiment 1B. Moreover, participants' processing for the self-associated information gets attenuated depending upon the other close person category used in the task (friend vs. mother) indicating that self-information processing is dynamically dependent on the categorical contexts in which such processing takes place. Our findings have implications for understanding the processing of self-associated information across cultures and contexts.

Purkait’s triangle revisited: role in sex and ancestry estimation

Identification of unknown remains recovered from marine and terrestrial locations is a significant humanitarian problem. This investigation proposes a simple method applicable to fragmentary femora for a more refined level of ancestry and/or sex estimation. To that end, we re-examined Purkait’s triangle which involves three inter-landmark distances between the traction epiphyses and the articular rim of femoral head. A large sample (n = 584) from geographically diverse (Egyptian, Indian and Greek) populations was compiled. Additionally, shape (n = 3) and trigonometrically derived variables and ratios (n = 9 variables) were employed to detect any geographically-clustered morphological differences between these populations. Random forest modelling (RFM) and linear discriminant function analysis (LDA) were employed to create classification models in instances where sex was known or unknown. The sample was apportioned into training and test sets with a ratio 70/30. The classification accuracies were evaluated by means of k fold cross-validation procedure. In sex estimation, RFM showed similar performance to LDA. However, RFM outperformed LDA in ancestry estimation. Ancestry estimation was satisfactory in the Indian and Egyptian samples albeit the Greek sample was problematic. The Greek samples presented greater morphological overlap with the Indian sample due to high within-group variation. Test samples were accurately assigned to their ancestral category when sex was known. Generally, higher classification accuracies in the validation sample were obtained in the sex-specific model of females than in males. Using RFM and the linear variables, the overall accuracy reached 83% which is distributed as 95%, 71% and 86% for the Egyptian, Indian and Greek females, respectively; whereas in males, the overall accuracy is 72% and is distributed as 58%, 87% and 50% for the Egyptian, Indian and Greek males, respectively. Classification accuracies were also calculated per group in the test data using the 12 derived variables. For the females, the accuracies using the medians model was comparable to the linear model whereas in males the angles model outperformed the linear model for each group but with similar overall accuracy. The classification rates of male specific ancestry were 82%, 78% and 56% for the Egyptian, Indian and Greek males, respectively. In conclusion, Purkait’s triangle has potential utility in ancestry and sex estimation albeit it is not possible to separate all groups successfully with the same efficiency. Intrapopulation variation may impact the accuracy of assigned group membership in forensic contexts. Key pointsPurkait’s method is a possible ancestry group indicator applicable to fragmentary femora.Random forest model surpassed linear discriminant function analysis in multi-group ancestry classification.Ancestry is more accurately assessed in females than males.The intertrochanteric distance is the most important feature in discrimination of sex whereas in ancestry it was the head to lesser trochanter distance.Sex differences override ancestry due to the tendency of misclassification into same sex but different group rather than the opposite sex of the same ancestry.