Southern Part Of India Research Articles

Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nursing Students Studying in the Southern Part of India

Background and Aim The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency and a psychological challenge. The current study aimed to survey the psychological aspects of stress and anxiety among nursing students at selected nursing colleges in Karnataka the Southern state of India.Methodology A cross-sectional descriptive survey design approach was adopted. A total enumerative sampling technique was adopted which included 264 nursing students. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional ethics committee of Sri Devaraj Urs College of Nursing Tamaka Kolar. Informed consent for the participation was obtained online from the students. The online survey collected information on sociodemographic data anxiety and psychological aspects of stress experienced during COVID-19. The data collection tool used to assess anxiety was General Anxiety scale.Results The overall response rate was 60. Nearly 50 of the students showed mild anxiety 40 showed moderate anxiety and 10 showed severe anxiety. Concerning the psychological aspects of stress during COVID-19 majority of the studentrsquos daily routines hobbies and exercise were affected and most of the students 44 expressed not being able to connect with friends family and relatives. They also expressed their dissatisfaction with the digital platform of learning 41 and their internet connectivity was reported to be poor 49.Conclusion The nursing students experienced anxiety and stress during COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological interventions are required for students experiencing severe anxiety.

Prevalence of malaria: A 7-year trend analysis from a tertiary care center, Puducherry.

Battle against malaria has been going on since time immemorial. Understanding the true burden of disease and the determinants of its transmission are important for implementing adequate control measures. This study intends to explore the local epidemiology and burden of malaria in Puducherry, a coastal Union territory located in the Southern part of India over a period of 7 years. A retrospective record-based study was conducted from 2015 to 2021, where details from all samples that tested positive for malaria by peripheral blood examination or rapid card test, from suspected cases were collected and analyzed. The overall prevalence of malaria over the 7 years was 1.7% (257/14,888). Majority of the patients were male (75.88%) and the major age group affected was from 21 to 40 years (56.03%). The disease was maximum seen during the monsoon season followed by the post-monsoon season. Vivax malaria predominated irrespective of the gender, seasonal change, and different age groups except in children <10 years was both falciparum and vivax malaria were seen in equivalence. The major species to cause infection among infants were Plasmodium falciparum (3/4). This study shows a declining trend of malaria transmission over the years. There is no change in the predominant species affected or seasonal trends over the years. The possibility of underestimation of cases due to various factors cannot be ignored.

A Review on &lt;i&gt;Rasam&lt;/i&gt;: A Traditional Southern Indian Soup with Numerous Health Benefits

Rasam is a popular traditional food in the southern part of India. It is consumed on a regular basis, generally with rice. It has a variety of constituents in it, like tomato, pepper, garlic, Indian sesame oil, cumin, mustard, coriander, chili pepper, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves, which provide different medicinal and health benefits to the human body. This review is an effort to compile all research work on rasam and to highlight its health benefits.

Sofosbuvir and its tri-phosphate metabolite inhibit the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity of non-structural protein 5 from the Kyasanur forest disease virus

Kyasanur forest disease is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by a single-stranded RNA-based flavivirus, the incidence of which was first recorded in 1957 in the Southern part of India. Kyasanur forest disease virus is transmitted to monkeys and humans through the infected tick bite of Haemophysalis spinigera. Kyasanur forest disease is a febrile illness, which in severe cases, results in neurological complications leading to mortality. The current treatment regimens are symptomatic and supportive, and no targeted therapies are available for this disease. In this study, we evaluated the ability of FDA-approved drugs sofosbuvir (and its active metabolite) and Dasabuvir to inhibit the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity of NS5 protein from the Kyasanur forest disease virus. NS5 protein containing the N-terminal methyl transferase domain and C-terminal RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domain was expressed in Escherichia coli, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity was demonstrated with the purified protein. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase assay conditions were optimized, followed by the determination of apparent Km,ATP to validate the enzyme preparation. Half maximal-inhibitory concentrations against RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity were determined for Sofosbuvir and its active metabolite. Dasabuvir did not show detectable inhibition with the tested conditions. This is the first demonstration of the inhibition of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity of NS5 protein from the Kyasanur forest disease virus with small molecule inhibitors. These initial findings can potentially facilitate the discovery and development of targeted therapies for treating Kyasanur forest disease.

Challenges Faced by the Traditional Medical Practitioners from Siddha System towards Transition to Information Technology-based Approaches at Chennai, India

Traditional System of Medicine has its strong roots in human life since eons. The wellbeing and health care needs of the Human kind has been taken care consistently by this profound historical medical system. One such system of medicine which has its origin from Southern part of India is Siddha System of Medicine. Siddha framework is a treasure-house of mystery science, epitomizing the consequences of the ardent pursuit thereof by the old Siddhars. The registered and traditional Siddha Doctors practice these ancient medical services - based on the treasured Palm scripts of Siddhars. A major part of these manuscripts are more defenseless than the recorded conventional information. In this manner, the current review was planned to report and quantitatively dissect the neighborhood information on the customary Siddha practitioners in Chennai. This article highlights the challenges encountered by the Siddha practitioners towards the transition to an information technology-based approach in the Siddha system of medicine at Chennai. In this study, a questionnaire was provided to 56 Siddha practitioners in Chennai and the data were evaluated based on a questionnaire pertaining to utilisation of big data repository, use of electronic reporting, personalized patient care management, evidence-based decision supporting system using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and data on preventive diseases. The study observed that the practitioners felt a strong need for change to IT-based systems for recording the personalized patient care management and utilising the databases for reporting the various aspects observed.

Association of Morphological and Biochemical Trais by Different Treatments of Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) cv. Crimson Globe under Alkaline Conditions of Telangana, India

Beet root is one of the most important root crops with health promoting substances like vitamins, minerals and betalains, grown in northern and southern parts of India. The present study was carried to assess the morphological and biochemical characters by using principal component analysis over eight treatments and twenty-one parameters under alkaline conditions where the pH of soil is around 9.5 in Mojerla, Telangana, India. Principal component analysis accounted 81.57% variation among eight treatments of beet root grown under alkaline conditions. Root yield was observed positive significant with height of the plant, number of leaves/plant, leaf area chlorophyll content index, length of the root, root diameter, root yield/plant, root yield per hectare, root to shoot ratio, harvest index, TSS, ascorbic acid content, betanine content, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content (in the soil following crop harvest) and organic carbon (in the soil following crop harvest) whereas negative significant correlation with number of days required for 80% germination, pH and EC. From this experiment it is concluded that increasing in pH and Ec decreasing the yield and yield attributing traits under alkaline conditions of mojerla, Telangana.

The Relationship between Social Media Influence, EWOM, and E-satisfaction of Consumers in India: A Moderated Moderated-mediation Conditional Model

The study is aimed to explore the relationship between the social media influence on consumers and E-satisfaction (ESAT). A conceptual model is developed and tested using the data collected from 669 respondents from the southern part of India. After testing the psychometric properties of the survey instrument using the LISREL package of structural equation modeling (SEM), Hayes’s PROCESS macros were used to test the mediation, moderated moderated-mediation hypotheses. The results reveal social media influence is positively associated with ESAT and EWOM. The findings support the positive relationship between EWOM and ESAT. The results also support that EWOM mediates the relationship between social media influence and ESAT. Furthermore, the results support that risk moderates the relationship between EWOM and ESAT. Finally, the results provide strong support for a three-way interaction between EWOM, risk, and trust to influence the ESAT of consumers. The implications for marketing theory and practice are discussed.

Attitude towards people with same gender attraction among Medical students: A cross-sectional study in Southern part of India.

Western countries have found that Medical students have a prejudice and negative attitude towards people with same gender attraction. There is a dearth of literature on people with same gender attraction in Indian context. The objective of the study was to assess the attitude towards people with same gender attraction and to find out the predictors of attitude towards the same. A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students across Mangalore, India with a sample size of 672. After informed consent, data was collected and analysed. The study found that medical students had a neutral stance/less positive on people with same gender attraction. Gender and Marital status emerged as predictors of attitude towards people with same gender attraction.

A GIS based Fuzzy-AHP for delineating groundwater potential zones in tropical river basin, southern part of India

Groundwater plays a vital role in the development of ecological niches, the durability of the environment, and the socio-economic growth of an area. To meet the demand for groundwater over the increasing population, the scientific community stresses the prospective of identifying groundwater potential zones (GWPZ), aiming at conservation, planning, and regulation for optimum utilization of this natural resource. The GWPZ evaluation of the Karuvannur River Basin (KRB) in the southern part of India was carried out through GIS-Fuzzy-Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP), by assigning weights to interdependent factors controlling groundwater potentials such as geomorphology (Gm), slope(S), geology(G), drainage density (Dd), lineament density (Ld) and Land Use Land Cover (Lu) with the aid of Geographical Information system (GIS). FAHP includes a pairwise comparison of criteria and sub-criteria elements expressed with Triangular Fuzzy Numbers (TFNs), which can avoid vagueness, imprecision, and uncertainty of the linguistic scale. The model result was validated with the depth to water level data of dug wells by plotting them on the GWPZ map. This study reveals that the FAHP method is efficient in delineating GWPZ in this region with an accuracy of 80.9%. Further, GWPZ are reliant on underlying lithology; very good (48.1%) aquifers occupy the coastal area; good (12.7%); moderate (18.3%) aquifers are provided by the secondary porosity provided by underlying structures while poor aquifers (20.9%) occupy the eastern hard rock areas of KRB. This type of cost-effective FAHP method is efficient in delineating GWPZ and can be used for sustainable groundwater policies and management.

Monkeypox and Monkey Fever: Basic Understanding for Better Community Participation in Disease Control

Currently, Monkeypox is a threatening viral disease terminology around the world that worries the global community after the Coronavirus pandemic. Beyond the woods of central Africa, where cases were first discovered, the geographic distribution of monkeypox cases has extended to other parts of the world including India, where cases have been imported. Under these circumstances, public confusion is noticed between Monkeypox and Monkey fever across southern parts of India. Monkeypox and Monkey fever (Kyasanur Forest Disease) are categorized as potential emerging or re-emerging Zoonotic diseases of humans and are fundamentally having clear-cut differentiation in their causative agent, clinical symptoms, and pathogenesis. Hence, it is important to clarify and eliminate the confusions which would have tremendous and dangerous public health impacts. As defined by the Global Burden of Disease Study, Emerging Infections (EIs) are those that have recently appeared in a population or previously existed but are now gaining in prevalence or geographic spread rapidly. A disease emerges from the interactions between rapidly evolving infectious agents and the environmental changes and changes in human behavior that provide these agents with favorable ecological niches. This review attempts to differentiate between the two emerging infections - Monkeypox and Monkey fever which are affecting a significant group of the population worldwide and provides a comparative picture of both diseases towards developing adequate awareness among the public and expects to complement the community-based future control measures.

A study on the impact of role stress on engineer intention to leave in Indian construction firms

Construction jobs are stressful, and high employee turnover is one of the significant issues affecting the growth and development of construction firms worldwide. This study examines the relationship between role stress and intentions to leave, as well as the role of emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction as mediators in the role stress and intention to leave of engineers working in the construction sector. The sample of this study consists of three hundred and sixty engineers working in private construction firms across southern parts of India. The relationship between the study variables is examined using structural equation modeling. The result of the study reveals a significant positive relationship between role conflict and intention to leave, whereas the direct relationship between role ambiguity, role overload, and intention to leave is not significant. In terms of mediation, emotional exhaustion plays a significant mediator between all the components of role stress and intention to leave. At the same time, the role of job satisfaction is significant only between role ambiguity and intention to leave. Role ambiguity negatively influences job satisfaction, subsequently increasing engineers’ turnover intention. Emotional exhaustion caused due to role stress is identified as one of the significant predictors of engineers’ intention to leave. Thus, construction organizations should focus on redesigning construction jobs to reduce role stress and emotional exhaustion to retain engineers working with them.

A perspective on the first and subsequent outbreaks (2020-2022) of African swine fever in India and its impact on agriculture and environment

The first report of African Swine Fever (ASF) was confirmed in India in April 2020, making it the second cross-border disease in India after SARS-CoV-2 induced COVID-19. The northeastern states of India – Assam and Arunachal Pradesh confirmed the first case of ASF in the last week of April 2020. Subsequently, almost all northeastern states of India reported ASF outbreaks successively by April 2021. The ASF outbreaks in 2022 were reported from northern, eastern and southern parts of India which include Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. Such outbreaks not only severely threaten economy and livelihood of people involved in pig farming, but also have severe environmental consequences ranging from contamination of natural water bodies to the extinction of threatened species. In this COVID-19 pandemic, concerns arising due to ASF on the farming economy and environment, in the Indian context, have largely remained ignored. This paper attempts to address agricultural and environmental issues, and further risks, developing due to the first and subsequent outbreaks of ASF in India.

FT-IR and GC-MS Analysis of Stem Extract of Ethnomedicinal Plant: Bridelia montana (Roxb.) Willd

Human beings have been using plants with medicinal properties since so many years in traditional and folk medicine due to the therapeutic potential they possess. Exploration of the plants with medicinal properties has unearthed numerous novel drugs that are used to treat varied human and animal diseases. Bridelia montana (Roxb.) Willd is one of the important ethnomedicinal plants used across the southern part of India. Qualitative analysis of phytochemicals revealed the presence of phenols, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins and carbohydrates. Fourier Transform Infra- Red analysis results showed 5 major peaks and the Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry study revealed the presence of 8 phytocompounds from the stem extract of Bridelia montana. The phytocompounds that were present were identified by the comparison of their peak area percentage and the retention time with the help of library sources and by the mass spectra interpretation. Many of these compounds were used in the pharmaceutical industries for their antimicrobial, antitumor and antioxidant properties.

Determining new anthropometric markers for screening T2DM in Jaipur, India

WHO has estimated expected cases of T2DM to rise to 57.2 million by the year 2025 and 80.9 million by the year 2030. Since past two decades there has been constant marked increase in the prevalence of diabetes in urban population of India with noticeable rise in southern part of India. The Prevalence of T2DM ranges from 10-16 % from region to region. The primary objective of the study was to determine the association between Indices using height, waist, hip, thigh, arm, and wrist circumference (cm) with development of T2DM and compare it to existing markers in test subjects and assessing their feasibility as predictive indicators for the development of T2DM. In a cross-sectional study, a total of 605 subjects were involved in the study which included health centers and health camps in Jaipur, India. The study duration was of 1 years (December 2019 to November 2020). Height-to-waist ratio (HtWR), ABI (Arav Body Index), Thigh to waist ratio (TWR) and Wrist to arm ratio (WAR) was compared to common existing markers such as WHtR, WHR and BMI.

Factors driving human–wild pig interactions: implications for wildlife conflict management in southern parts of India

Factors driving human–wild pig interactions: implications for wildlife conflict management in southern parts of India

Determining new anthropometric markers for screening T2DM in Jaipur, India: A cross sectional study

WHO has estimated expected cases of T2DM to rise to 57.2 million by the year 2025 and 80.9 million by the year 2030. Since past two decades there has been constant marked increase in the prevalence of diabetes in urban population of India with noticeable rise in southern part of India. The Prevalence of T2DM ranges from 10-16 % from region to region. The primary objective of the study was to determine the association between Indices using height, waist, hip, thigh, arm, and wrist circumference (cm) with development of T2DM and compare it to existing markers in test subjects and assessing their feasibility as predictive indicators for the development of T2DM. In a cross-sectional study, a total of 605 subjects were involved in the study which included health centers and health camps in Jaipur, India. The study duration was of 1 years (December 2019 to November 2020). Height-to-waist ratio (HtWR), ABI (Arav Body Index), Thigh to waist ratio (TWR) and Wrist to arm ratio (WAR) was compared to common existing markers such as WHtR, WHR and BMI.

Determining new anthropometric markers for screening T2DM in Jaipur, India: A cross sectional study

WHO has estimated expected cases of T2DM to rise to 57.2 million by the year 2025 and 80.9 million by the year 2030. Since past two decades there has been constant marked increase in the prevalence of diabetes in urban population of India with noticeable rise in southern part of India. The Prevalence of T2DM ranges from 10-16 % from region to region. The primary objective of the study was to determine the association between Indices using height, waist, hip, thigh, arm, and wrist circumference (cm) with development of T2DM and compare it to existing markers in test subjects and assessing their feasibility as predictive indicators for the development of T2DM. In a cross-sectional study, a total of 605 subjects were involved in the study which included health centers and health camps in Jaipur, India. The study duration was of 1 years (December 2019 to November 2020). Height-to-waist ratio (HtWR), ABI (Arav Body Index), Thigh to waist ratio (TWR) and Wrist to arm ratio (WAR) was compared to common existing markers such as WHtR, WHR and BMI.

Field and numerical modelling on the stability of underground strata in longwall workings

The longwall method is one of the feasible and efficient underground mining methods for greater depth of workings. Recently, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), the largest coal-producing government company in the Southern part of India, has deployed a high capacity (2 × 1152T capacity) power support system in its Adriyala Longwall Project (ALP) at a depth of 375 m. There was a concern about the stability of the longwall workings and the protective pillars. Thus, research work was carried out with the geotechnical instruments and numerical modelling tools to analyze the stability while retreating the longwall panels. The outcomes revealed that the convergence in the gate roads increased with the longwall face advancement and the area of exposure. The pressure of the powered support legs on the dip side was less than the rise side legs, which implies a stable roof condition over the longwall face. An abutment zone was identified ahead of the line of extraction up to 10–25 m and presumed from the Factor of Safety (FoS) criterion that within this zone, the longwall pillar possibly will be of better stability at every stage of extraction. The results obtained from this study would be helpful for the mining engineers to understand the behaviour of underground strata in longwall workings.

Self-efficacy and Emotion Regulation as Moderators in the Relationship Between Learning Strategies of Students and Academic Performance: Evidence from India

This study aims to explore the learning strategies employed by students in response to web-based teaching during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Data collected from 373 students from the southern part of India were analysed using the Hayes’ PROCESS macros. The results suggest that learning strategies significantly predict (a) academic performance and (b) growth mindset. The findings also indicate the positive relationship between students’ growth mindset and academic performance. Most importantly, students’ self-efficacy has strengthened the positive association between learning strategies and a growth mindset. As the global pandemic has created stressful situations for the students by suddenly switching to web-based teaching, the study found that emotion regulation is an essential moderator in the relationship between learning strategies and a growth mindset. The conceptual model developed, based on the achievement goal theory, was tested in the Indian context. The theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.

Efficacy of cling film dressing on palmoplantar psoriatic lesions among patients with psoriasis: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction: Caring for patients with skin disorders is “more than skin deep”. Psoriasis is a systematic immune-mediated disease that generally does not affect survival, but certainly has major negative effects on patients. The previous research has reported that artificial restoration of a permeable barrier by occlusion results in regression of lesions in psoriasis.The aim of this research is to assess the efficacy of cling film dressing versus conventional treatment on palmoplantar psoriatic lesions among patients with psoriasis. Methods: The research design used in the study was a true experimental time series design. Block randomization was used to assign the study participants into either study or control group in a Psoriatic Out-Patient Department of tertiary care center at Southern part of India. As usual, the intervention group participants received the application of topical corticosteroid Eczivate MF with cling film wrap while the control group participants followed the conventional treatment (topical corticosteroid Eczivate MF without occlusive dressing). The modified psoriasis severity index (MPSI) score was used to measure the outcomes. Results: There was a high statistical significance difference on the severity of psoriatic disease level between the control and study groups (p ˂ 0.05). Conclusion: Steroidal cream application with occlusive dressing yielded better results than non-occlusive open treatment.