Institute of Environmental Studies & Wetland Management

Abstract Background: Breast cancer is the leading cancer among Indian women, yet the national 5-year survival rate remains below 65%, largely due to delayed presentation and high rates of treatment non-completion. Historical Indian studies report treatment adherence rates between 55-70%, with dropout rates as high as 30-40%, especially in rural and low-income settings. To address these challenges, we piloted a survivor-led patient navigation model grounded in community participation, digital supervision, and sustainability. Methods: A five-phase pilot program was implemented at two tertiary hospitals in West Bengal, India. Fourteen breast cancer survivors were recruited and trained through a structured 4-week online course. After simulation-based assessment, they began navigating real patients, supported via moderated WhatsApp groups that included the patient, navigator, and treating clinician. Navigators from one hospital were assigned to patients from the other to maintain neutrality. Results: Over a 6-month period, navigators supported 82 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Compared to historical Indian data indicating adherence rates of ∼65%, the pilot demonstrated a treatment completion rate of 89.0%, with a dropout rate of 11.0%—representing a ∼60% relative reduction in dropout. Navigators helped patients overcome key psychosocial and logistical barriers, including fear of surgery, misinformation about chemotherapy, financial uncertainties, and loss to follow-up. Patient-reported feedback indicated increased trust, better communication, and improved emotional resilience throughout treatment. Conclusion: This low-cost, survivor-led patient navigator model significantly outperformed historical national benchmarks in terms of treatment adherence and retention. The model is scalable, culturally adaptive, and resource-appropriate for LMICs. It aligns with the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative goals and presents a strong case for integration into India’s National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NPCDCS). Citation Format: S. Das, T. Mandal, A. Mallick, R. Agarwal, P. Basu, R. Jena. A Survivor-Led Patient Navigation Model to Improve Breast Cancer Treatment Adherence in India: Results from a Pilot Project [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS5-10-28.

This paper presents a compact coaxial fed square microstrip patch antenna with vertical gratings on a single grounded FR-4 microwave substrate. The introduction of the vertical gratings improves the $\mathbf{S}_{11}$ bandwidth drastically and also reduces the cross-polarization level by a significant amount. The antenna proposed in this paper works within the S band with an $\mathbf{S}_{\mathbf{1 1}}$ bandwidth of $\mathbf{1 5 \%}$. It also covers the popular $\mathbf{2. 4 5 G H z}$ WLAN band. The entire structure has a thickness of only $0.011 \lambda_{0}$ and $0.014 \lambda_{0}$ at the lowest and highest operating frequencies respectively ($\lambda_{0}=$ free-space wavelength). The antenna features are scaled up as well as scaled down to demonstrate the effectiveness of the vertical gratings within other frequency ranges.

As a major consumer of water, the dairy industry generates substantial effluent, making it one of the most polluting industrial sectors. Despite regulatory measures, many Dairy Effluent Treatment Plants (DETPs) fail to achieve optimal outcomes, resulting in excessive sludge generation, missed resource recovery opportunities, and adverse environmental impacts, questioning the overall sustainability of the functioning DETPs. The existing literature primarily focuses on technical or policy aspects, often neglecting the factors of industrial decision-making that influence effluent management. Addressing this gap, the study aims to evaluate the sustainability practices and performance of DETPs in India by investigating the key factors driving industries to make decisions on their DETPs, how sustainable the current functioning DETPs are, and what improvement measures are required. Through a systematic literature review, field surveys, focus group discussions, and case studies conducted on four dairy industries in West Bengal and Gujarat, the research identifies nine critical factors impacting DETP sustainability. These factors were validated with stakeholders from the respective dairy firms and further analysed through performance assessments of functioning DETPs. The study highlights that effluent treatment, ancillary to dairy operations, often relies on external expertise, resulting in energy-intensive processes, poor nutrient recovery, and site-specific inefficiencies. These findings underscore that technological understanding and decision-support tools are pivotal for sustainable DETP management. By integrating technical, economic, environmental, and social dimensions, the study presents a novel framework to guide stakeholders in improving resource recovery, optimising energy use, and implementing responsible effluent management practices. This comprehensive approach bridges regulatory compliance with practical sustainability, fostering improved environmental and operational outcomes.

Waste management is a major problem in most fast developing countries, with Indian cities being no exception. India generates 1,60,038.9 metric tons of urban municipal solid waste per day as of 2021, which is further projected to increase to 107.01 million tons per year by 2031 due to rapid growth and economic development of the cities as per the report of the Central Pollution Control Board. Waste generation has a close relationship with growth in population and urbanization and is directly linked to gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and energy consumption per capita. Ineffective waste management practices have an adverse effect on the environment and public health. Thus, the current study tries to gauge the citizens' awareness towards solid waste management in the city of Kolkata. Kolkata is one of the largest and oldest metropolitan cities of eastern India. The city generates around 4000 tonnes of MSW per day as per the municipal corporation data. The study was carried out based on the survey comprising different groups of citizens in Kolkata. The survey data was taken from 55% male and 45% female respondents with 40% belonging to the age group of 18-28. The education levels of the respondents were post graduate & graduate (65%), high school (26%), and primary and middle school (9%). Around 23% of the respondents were moderately confident with Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, while 32% of the respondents didn't have any knowledge of the said rule or its importance with respect to current scenario. The waste management system and its disposal mechanisms are improving with citizens' awareness, legislative enforcement and upgradation of the city's infrastructure for SWM. Although there is ample scope in resource and energy recovery from the waste, it is still lacking with respect to the existing cities' waste management practices. Thus, the study revealed that awareness needs to increase more for effective implementation of waste management and the municipal corporation needs to carry out different awareness programs with different stake holders.

The focus of this study is on narcotic stimulants extensively utilized in Turkiye. The purpose of the study is to describe, explain, and explore trends related to the data of drug substances involved in judicial proceedings from 2010 to 2020. This study employs qualitative research methods and adopts a case study design, centering on 'drug stimulants that are widely used in Turkiye'. Data from the Turkiye Drug Reports published by the General Directorate of Security between 2010 and 2020 were scrutinized through document analysis. The process analysis method was utilized for data examination. Firstly, each drug is individually examined, with an analysis of data on their progression over the years. Secondly, an analysis is conducted on the number of incidents, suspects, and the quantities of substances seized annually. The 11-year process analysis reveals that: i) Captagon, ecstasy, heroin, and cocaine show a slight downward trend, ii) Marijuana exhibits a stable trend, iii) Synthetic Cannabinoid substance demonstrates an increasing trend. Most notably, iv) The analysis based on the number of incidents and suspects indicates a significant upward methamphetamine trend particularly post-2016.

This article presents an ultrathin chiral metasurface which can exhibit multiband asymmetric absorption as well as symmetric transmission in a specific frequency band outside the absorption regions. Unlike most electromagnetic metasurface absorbers, the proposed structure does not have a continuous conducting sheet at the bottom which also allows it to act as a bandpass spatial filter. The metasurface has a substrate thickness of only λhigh/62.5 and λlow/34 at the highest and lowest operational free‐space wavelengths, respectively. The transmission band is centered at 5.5 GHz, and the asymmetric absorption bands are centered at 3, 3.33, and 4.5 GHz, respectively. The operational bands can be tuned as per user requirements. The metasurface has an angular stability of 45° for both TE and TM incidence. It can be used for radar cross‐section (RCS) reduction, electromagnetic shielding, and as a spatial bandpass filter.