Urban Areas Of India Research Articles

India faces a challenge with its mass vaccination efforts

India faces a challenge with its mass vaccination efforts

Newborn screening: Need of the hour

Newborn screening (NBS) is the process by which newborns are screened just after birth for disorders that can cause severe illness or death unless detected and treated early. At present, there is no national NBS program in India. Although the exact incidence in India is not known, approximately 4:1000 and 5:1000 are estimated to have hearing defects and congenital heart abnormalities, respectively, whereas the incidence of IEMs is estimated to be approximately 1:1000. This high incidence is due to high prevalence of consanguinity in our country. If undiagnosed and untreated many children develop mental retardation, learning disabilities, autism, dyslexia, behavioral abnormalities, and scholastic backwardness later in life. There is also considerable burden-financial and emotional on the parents to diagnose, treat, and manage these children. The most rational and cost-effective way of preventing such tragedies would be to have a NBS program which will detect most of the preventable or treatable, if not all IEMs and other genetic disorders. Hence, all hospitals in urban areas in India should initiate NBS at least for the common disorders: CH, CAH, and G6PD deficiency.

Leafy greens as a potential source of multidrug-resistant diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella.

A continued rise in leafy green-linked outbreaks of disease caused by pathogenic Escherichia coli or Salmonella, particularly strains exhibiting multidrug resistance (MDR), has emerged as a major threat to human health and food safety worldwide. Thus, the present study was conducted to examine antimicrobial resistance, including MDR, in diarrhoeagenic E. coli (DEC) and Salmonella isolates obtained from leafy greens from rural and urban areas of India. Of the collected samples (830), 14.1 and 6.5% yielded 117 E. coli (40 DEC and 77 non-DEC) and 54 Salmonella isolates, respectively. Among the DEC pathotypes, enteroaggregative E. coli was the most prevalent (10.2 %), followed by enteropathogenic E. coli (9.4 %), enteroinvasive E. coli (7.6 %) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (6.8 %). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of all bacterial isolates with respect to drugs categorized as critically or highly important in both human and veterinary medicine revealed moderate to high (30-90%) resistance for amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin, gentamycin and colistin, but relatively low resistance (>30 %) for ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and fosfomycin. Notably, all DEC and more than 90% non-DEC or Salmonella isolates were found to be multidrug-resistant to drugs of both human and animal importance. Overall, the results of the present study suggest that leafy greens are potential reservoirs or sources of multidrug-resistant DEC and Salmonella strains in the rural or urban areas of India.

Serum ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase, and gamma glutamyl transferase levels in patients with breast carcinoma

Cancer also known as malignant neoplasm, is a broad group of various diseases. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumours, and invade nearby parts of the body. There are over 200 different known cancers that afflict humans. Malignant neoplastic lesions are the eighth leading cause accounting for 6.7% of the total medically certified deaths in India. Breast cancer is by far the most frequent cancer among women with an estimated 2.58 million new cancer cases diagnosed in 2019 (23% of all cancers), and ranks second overall (10.9% of all cancers). It is now the most common cancer both in developed and developing regions with around 690000 new cases estimated in each region (population ratio1:4). Breast cancer is the Most Common cancer in all urban areas in India, and 2nd most common in the rural areas. The most recent data Population Based Cancer Registry PBCR 2016 - 2018 tells us that breast cancer accounts for 25% to 31% of all cancers in women in cities(Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal etc.). Breast cancer alone accounts for around 14% of total female neoplasm deaths.

Economic analysis of baby corn (Zea mays) cultivation in Haryana

Maize (Zea mays L.) is used for human food as well as animal feed, and it is also widely used in starch industry. Towards diversification and value addition through cultivation of Baby corn for vegetable purpose is emerging as a highly profitable activity. Farmers can grow four crops in a year, and the production of baby corn generates employment amongst the rural poor’s, from children to the elderly persons. The demand for baby corn is rapidly increasing in urban areas of India. Keeping in view the importance of baby corn from nutritional point of view and its vast potential in increasing the income of farmers and diversification of the cropping system, the present study was carried out with the objectives, viz. to study the cost and returns of baby corn cultivation and to identify the constraints in production. The present experiment was conducted in the Sonipat district of Haryana during 2016. Data regarding general particulars, cost and returns and problems faced in production of Baby corn were collected from 60 farmers through well-structured and pretested interview schedule and were analyzed using appropriate tools. The result revealed that the cost of cultivation of baby corn was ₹45707/acre, net return per acre of baby corn turned out as ₹58405 while return per rupee of investment was ₹2.28. Eighty per cent of farmers felt the problem of non-availability of standard quality and high yielding variety seeds of baby Corn.

IoT Based Water flow Monitoring, Theft Avoidance and Alert system for Water Supply

Most of the urban areas in India depend on Government water supply for their daily usage. The amount of water supply will be limited and provided in a short period of time by the Government. According to the climate and environmental changes the amount of water will be varied. Now many private companies have emerged in the field of water supply to sell water to gain huge profit. But still Government water supply is the main source for common people in urban areas of India. Most of the water connections are given to the individual home by plastic or steel pipes through underground or overground. It is very easy for a person to steal the water from the pipeline illegally. Others cannot identify the theft easily and they will be cheated. Consequently, water availability/supply for the homes in that area will be reduced. A system has been proposed in the paper to find and stop the water theft in an area using the sensors and IoT technology. This system can also identify the leakage of pipes anywhere in the line.

Hybrid treatment systems: a paradigm shift to achieve sustainable wastewater treatment and recycling in India

This study assesses a trade-off between mechanized treatment systems and natural treatment systems for wastewater treatment (WWT) and recycling approaches. Investigation on this trade-off is carried out using field data on operation and maintenance (O and M) costs and land requirements. It is then shown that none of them in solo are techno-economically viable and environmentally sustainable for WWT in urban areas in India. Hence, a paradigm shift in WWT in India is proposed to adopt hybrid treatment systems (HTSs) approach. HTSs involve treatment considering a combination of natural and mechanized treatment approaches. Adoption of HTSs will result in energy savings and environmental benefits and hence will help India to achieve various national and international commitments of WWT and recycling.

Assessment of stress level in urban area’s during COVID-19 outbreak using critic and topsis: A case of Indian cities

The paper deals with a multi-criteria analysis of stress intensity in the urban areas of India during COVID-19. For instance, a person may not be afraid of driving fast alone but might experience great fear when driving fast on the road with family. Such thoughts of panic and anxiety can overpower the person in these times of COVID-19. In these troubled times of Coronavirus pandemic, social distancing and the lockdown, it is usual for people to feel anxious and have no peace of mind. Thus stress triggers in many ways, i.e. staying healthy, concern for job etc. Some of the major economies in the world, including INDIA, are fighting to find a cure by way of vaccines to stop this pandemic. However, no luck to find a solution to end this pandemic so far is triggering the fear, anxiety and adding stress levels among many of us. The fear of pandemic and following guidelines of the lockdown in India have exacerbated symptoms like anxiety in those with existing stress levels. This paper provides a comparative analysis of TOPSIS in the sense of taking decisions to rate India’s major urban cities according to their feeling of overload. The CRITIC method has been used to determine the weights of the different forms of tension felt by the residents in urban cities. A quantitative study has been used to show a feasibility of the methods in weighing and MCDM in stress assessment.

Particulate Collection Potential of Trees as a Means to Improve the Air Quality in Urban Areas in India

The particulate collection potential of tree species in a control and five experimental sites of an urban area in India were studied. Tree species selection was based on their commonness to all the sites, proximity to each location and their abundance in Indian subcontinent. A total of 45 leaf samples for all species in each site were analysed following standard protocols in three seasons (monsoon, post-monsoon and pre-monsoon) during 2015–2016. Out of the twenty one selected trees, eight were deciduous and thirteen evergreen. Particulate collection potential of deciduous trees was 22.6% more than that of evergreen trees. The leaf area showed direct relations, whereas petiole length and internodal distance showed antagonistic relations with particulate accumulation. The average particulate deposit on the leaves of trees of experimental sites (0.500 mg/cm2) was significantly more than that of the control site (0.358 mg/cm2). 80.95% of the species showed higher accumulation in the experimental sites against 19.04% of species in the control site. Distinct seasonality (p < 0.05) was noticed in respect of both parameters. Among the trees, Butea monosperma (1.156 mg/cm2), Tectona grandis (0.995 mg/cm2) and Diospyros melanoxylon (0.766 mg/cm2) had a high particulate deposit capacity with capturing efficiency of 48.44, 41.71 and 32.09%, respectively. On the basis of the study, it is advocated that tree species like B. monosperma, T. grandis and D. melanoxylon should be given top priority to function as barriers of particulate matter.

Review of land use specific source contributions in PM2.5 concentration in urban areas in India

Source apportionment studies are expected to provide relative contribution of different sources responsible for deteriorated air quality in an urban area, so that the agency responsible for urban air quality management can adopt prioritized source-specific control measures. Robust assessment of source contributions in a typical urban land-use pattern is the prime step for development of effective emission control strategies. This necessitates a critical review of the PM2.5 source apportionment studies conducted in different urban land uses and delineation of the dominant sources along with its contribution to reveal the diversifications among the peculiar land use classifications even within the same city. The present study reviewed the source apportionment studies carried out at 37 locations from seven Indian cities and categorized the sources contribution on seasonal (winters and summers) average basis for residential, commercial, industrial, kerbside, and mixed locations. The findings of the review studies inferred considerable variations in the source’s contribution to air pollution with land use change. For example, during winter, domestic/biomass emission was reported as a significant source in residential (34%), commercial (26%), mixed (46%), industrial (31%), and road side (27%) locations in Delhi city in North India. However, vehicle (57%) was found to be the dominant source in residential area whose contribution increased up to 76% at road side location in Bangalore City in South India. It is also observed that source contributions vary in different seasons depending upon the activity levels. More or less similar observation was found in other cities selected for this study. The variations in source apportionment findings for a particular city might be attributed to heterogeneity of sources/major activity areas, nonuniform adoption of methodology. The study emphasizes on the need for the development of urban air quality management plan based on the land use specific source apportionment studies.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Study on mode choice using nested logit models in travel towards Chennai metropolitan city

The fast-growing population, great development in the economy and the improvement of urbanization brought about the quick rise in the volume of motor vehicles in the urban areas of India. Therefore, the significance of estimating the travel demand model will be expanded in the ongoing years. Determining the travel demand model includes different phases of excursion age and dissemination, mode choice and activity task. Among these stages, this investigation is a conspicuous stage as it considers the movement mode to achieve their goal. Further, investigation of mode choice criteria has turned into an indispensable region of research as individual and family unit socioeconomics apply a solid effect on movement mode decision choices. There is a colossal writing on head out model choice demonstrating to foresee the scope of trade-offs of transportation of commuters considering travel time and travel cost. In such writing, intercity mode choice behaviour has increased huge consideration from a few researchers. This study is to create mode choice from specific urban communities (Coimbatore, Erode, Salem and Trichy) to Chennai using nested logit model.

Is vehicle ownership in urban india influenced by the availability of high quality dedicated public transit systems?

As India's economy grows, so too does the number of people who can afford to own vehicles. A downside of this rapid increase in private vehicle ownership is a corresponding increase in traffic congestion, air pollution, and carbon emissions. Although affordability may be one reason for the shift toward commuting via private vehicles, another contributing factor could be the quality of public transportation. The objective of this paper is to determine whether private vehicle ownership in large urban areas in India is influenced by the presence of high quality dedicated public transit systems. Consumer expenditure survey data acquired from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) for the year 2009–2010 were used to develop a vehicle ownership model for 26 Indian cities with a population of at least one million. The results show that the availability of public transportation has a negative correlation to motorcycle/moped ownership but has no strong effect on car ownership. These results should encourage governments in developing economies to invest in high-quality dedicated public transit systems.

A Comparative Studyof the Exclusionofgirl Child In School Education in India and Punjab

Exclusion in education takes into account “out-of-school children” or “dropouts” as well as all those who have never been to school and also those who are not in a position to attend school regularly. This study was conducted to assess the growth of literacy and enrolment trends of children in school education in terms of gender and caste in India and Punjab with special reference to rural areas. The dropout situation was also studied among children especially girls in school education and reasons for exclusion of children were also explored. Trends in educational indicators were analysed using qualitative as well as quantitative methods. Comparative analysis of literacy rates of India and Punjab revealed that Punjab has a higher literacy rate than India though India and Punjab both show increasing trends in the literacy rate. The number of females was found to be more illiterate than the males in both rural and urban areas of India. One out of every five males and one out of every three females in the country were found to be illiterate. These differentials in literacy rates are comparatively more pronounced in the districts falling in the Malwa belt of Punjab. In terms of enrolment, it was observed that the total enrolment was found to be higher at the primary stage. Enrolment was found to be comparatively lesser at upper primary stage. The secondary level had least enrolment. The percentage of never enrolled children was found to be higher than out of school and dropped-out children. The comparison of figures of Punjab with national figures indicated that the percentage of never enrolled children was higher in Punjab than national figures. Larger number of children from urban areas (4.77%) were found to be out of school than children from rural areas in Punjab. Out of school females (3.25%) were more than males (1.58%) and the percentage was much higher for rural areas than urban areas in Punjab. These values were even more than national figures. Therefore, the study concluded that a large number of girls especially from rural areas are still excluded from school education in Punjab.

Comparative Study Of Open Cholecystectomy In Acute And Chronic Cholelithiasis In Rural Centre Of India.

The incidence of cholecystitis with cholelithiasis is increasing day by day either acute or chronic cases. Gall stones are the most common cause of acute cholecystitis in 90-95% of the cases. The management of acute cholecystitis is still laparoscopic cholecystectomy in urban area of India but in rural area open cholecystectomy is still preferred method of surgery for acute as well as chronic gall stone. Our study was conducted on 100 patients divided into two groups of 50 of each to compare the results of open cholecystectomy between acute and chronic cases. The overall post-operative morbidity was more in acute cases. But there was significant difference in the total hospital stay and total cost of the therapy in both the groups. drain output was also high in first three days in acute case so, acute case cholecystectomy was found to be more expensive overall and higher length stay and more co morbidities than chronic cases.

A study of breast-feeding practices among rural women

Introduction: Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growthand development of infants. As per the national family health survey-3 (NFHS-3), only 46% of theIndian infants between 0 and 6 months are exclusively breastfed. Hence the following study wasdone to know the practice of breastfeeding in mothers of rural and urban areas of India. Materialsand Methods: The study was conducted in a rural and urban area, which is under theadministrative control of a tertiary care hospital. All lactating mothers having babies up to 1 yearwere included in the study. Results: The mean age was 26.73 years (SD = 2.53), and 40.4 % ofmothers were below 20-24 years of age. A large proportion (77.8%) were of the Hindu faith. Mostmothers had education beyond primary school. 35.1% of participants were mothers of 2 or morechildren. A large percentage (74.7%) of study participants were delivered in a hospital. Exclusivebreastfeeding was practiced by 73.1% of mothers. 78.3% of a mother gave first breast milk i.e.colostrum to their new-borns. Still, 46.3% of mothers feed their child with honey, Ghutti, plainwater, artificial milk, sugar water, etc., before starting breastfeeding. Conclusions: The counselingshould be continued after the delivery of the baby for continuous education to the mother about theproper care of newborn, initiation of breastfeeding, the information regarding the advantages andduration of breastfeeding, the importance of colostrum feeding, the timing of weaning needs to beprovided

Employment in people with severe mental illnesses receiving public sector psychiatric services in India

The limited literature on employment in people with severe mental illnesses (SMI) in developing countries suggests higher rates than in developed countries. The present study explored rates and associated characteristics of work in people receiving public psychiatric services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 150 individuals with SMI (90% schizophrenia-spectrum) receiving public outpatient psychiatric services in an urban district in western India to evaluate employment. Forty percent of participants were employed, most for independent employers (86.7%), and were working an average of 53 hours/week. Earning money was reported as the primary motivation to work. A high proportion (92.2%) of unemployed participants wanted to work. Common barriers to work for unemployed participants who were interested in working were psychological (e.g., stress), mental illness (e.g., symptoms), and work-related factors (e.g., difficulty finding a job). Help finding a job and managing mental illness were the primary desired supports. Rates of employment in people with SMI living in urban areas in India are higher than in developed countries, but much lower than the general population. The high interest in work coupled with specific barriers and desired supports point to the need for vocational rehabilitation for improving the employment functioning of people with SMI in India.

WITHDRAWN: A review on various techniques for municipality waste management & product development

The main agenda of writing this particular review is to study and understand the current situation and practices related to the various waste management steps taken in India for human development. On the other hand, we can even acknowledge some recommendations and suggestions to improve the waste management techniques in rural and urban areas of India. This review is mainly focused on secondary research. Ongoing reports which are based on improving the systems are studied which are mainly related to waste management techniques and recommendations of key industry experts or NGOs or government accountability agencies or planners or consultants. It acknowledges us about the different waste management techniques in India and helps us to find out the ways for improvement in the waste management for the human well-being. The review of this paper attempts and tries to understand the importance of the role played by the government and private sectors who are generally involved in the managing, the garbage of India.

Prioritizing Facilitators for Successful Implementation of PBSS in Indian Urban Areas Using BWM Method

The demand for mobility is increasing day by day along with the rise in population. In the absence of clear guidelines and policy regarding the use of shared transport or Mass transportation, the use of personalized vehicles has grown rapidly. The personal vehicle owned individually, in which one cannot use others even belonging to the same family this leads to more traffic on the road. This leads to more consumption of fossil fuel and responsible for climate change. The Public Bicycle Sharing System (PBSS) is the concept, based on shared mobility in which users enable to use it for short-distance trips and drop it at any location through check-in/check-out operations without any accountability and likewise anyone can again use it with the same procedure. These multiple uses of the system conserve natural resources and increase the national economy by reducing the consumption of fossil fuel for mobility. The PBSS in urban areas, normally used for short-haul trips. However, by integrating it into public transport, the coverage of PT may also be increased, which attracts more users. In India implementation of this system is introduced in mid-2017 at Bhopal and within the short span, nearly 14 cities adopted PBSS in their urban areas. However, the majority of the system presently facing ridership issues due to the absence of bicycle-friendly infrastructure. Hence, it is essential to overcome such barriers using an appropriate facilitator. The BWM approach used in this study identifies the top facilitators based on the expert opinion survey to implement PBSS successfully. The result of this study shows that city infrastructure facilitators, technological facilitators, as well as a dedicated bicycle lane, government policy are the most effective facilitators which can improve the ridership and promote a circular economy through shared mobility. This study will help the decision-makers in developing the facilitator and enhance the ridership of PBSS.

Exploring preferences for affordable housing criteria importance among EWS in India

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide affordable housing to economically weaker section (EWS). The enormity of India’s housing affordability problem has led the authors to study and analyze the criteria delaying an affordable housing for EWS. The issues affecting supply and demand for affordable housing in Indian urban areas for EWS are analyzed.Design/methodology/approachThe judgment sampling is used among housing and planning experts working in five different sectors, including local authorities, housing developers, housing sectors, town planning and property/affordable housing consultants. The study has established the problem and acknowledged 30 factors behind it. A total of 349 questionnaires were administered among the housing experts in 4 states of India. Descriptive statistical method was used to determine the significance of criteria.FindingsA complete structure of criteria signifying housing affordability, established by the authors, is validated and analyzed in this paper. The questionnaire surveys were conducted with housing and planning experts across the four states of India to determine household perceptions on the criteria contributing to housing affordability and to rank these criteria according to their importance. The study establishes that the experts’ views on this issue differ insignificantly across different states of India, while they differ in certain levels depending on the urban area.Practical implicationsTo build successful societies for the future, the authors wish to draw closer on affordability issues for EWS. The suggestions prominent information to investors, and real estate firms, which could assistance ecological growth of housing projects that are affordable.Originality/valueBased on the examination of the ranking and greatness of housing criteria, this paper further suggests possible developments for EWS in India.

Design and Evaluation of Residential Building Alongwith Floating Column

In the epoch of Construction multi-storied building with floating column plays a serious role in urban areas of India. These floating columns are mainly used for justifying the space availability within the construction and to urge good architectural view of the building. A residential high -rise building consisting of G+7 has been chosen for polishing off project work. The work was disbursed considering different cases of removal of columns in several positions and in various floors of the building. The building models are designed by using the software E-TABs 2018 and models of buildings are analyze and refined followed by IS 456-2000 guidelines.