University of Burdwan

Rural public health in India still has problems with its structure, like not having enough healthcare infrastructure, not enough people knowing about it, and tribal communities being pushed to the edges of society and economy. In 2005, the Government of India started the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) program as part of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to improve health services in rural areas. ASHA workers are community health professionals that help people in rural areas get access to the public health system. This study analyses the influence of ASHA workers on rural public health within the Scheduled Tribe (ST) group in Purulia I Block, Purulia District, West Bengal. The study looks at the role of ASHA workers in maternal and child healthcare, raising knowledge about immunisation, preventing sickness, and making healthcare more accessible. It does this by using a mix of methods, such as household surveys, interviews with ASHA workers, and health data analysis. The results show that ASHA workers have greatly increased the rates of institutional delivery, immunisation coverage, and knowledge about cleanliness and nutrition among tribal groups. However, they are still not as effective as they could be because of structural problems such not having enough incentives, too much effort, and limited infrastructure. The study contends that augmenting training, financial incentives, and community health infrastructure is crucial for improving the efficacy of ASHA workers in tribal areas.

Teaching is a continuous process involving the teaching competency of the teacher and the classroom interaction between the teacher and the pupils. Teaching competency leads the pupil teachers to the path of success in the primary school teaching profession. It also leads them to go forward to fulfill their objectives in a proper way for the all-round development. In the present study, five points Likert scale has been developed and standardized for the D.El.Ed. pupil teachers. This scale consists of 56 statements. The simple random sample technique was used for current study. The sample consists of 1170 D.El.Ed. pupil teachers randomly selected from Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda Districts in West Bengal. The “Cronbach’s Alpha” technique was used to regulate the tool and finally out of 56 statements, 51 statements were retained in the final study. The content validity was found out with the help of the six field experts of different reputed universities. The investigators are hopeful that this scale would be much helpful to measure the level of teaching competency of D.El.Ed. pupil teachers of pre and post internship stages. Hence, the constructed teaching competency scale will be very useful for the researcher to measure the effectiveness of teaching skills of D.El.Ed. pupil teachers in their future primary or upper primary school teaching profession. Teacher educators should receive regular in-service teacher education which will allow them to develop themselves as an effective teacher.

In this letter, we have considered accretion of a particular type of dark energy model onto a Schwarzschild-type black hole. Before using the model, the free parameters of the dark energy model have been constrained with differential ages data. A narrow peak on top of a wide plateau in two parameters’ distributions indicates a well-defined best-fit value embedded within a broad region of near-degenerate solutions. This means that the data strongly favour one specific parameter value but also permit a wide range with comparable likelihood. Physically, it reflects that the dark energy dynamics are locally constrained yet globally insensitive to small parameter variations. An increasing since z = 3 signifies that black holes have continuously grown through accretion and mergers within the standard hierarchical formation scenario. The precise rate of this growth depends on the radiative efficiency ϵ, the effective accretion parameter , and the cumulative impact of merger events.

ABSTRACT Oil and grease (O&G) wastewater generated from different sources possesses a varying complex chemical nature, physical states, and persistent in aquatic systems, resulting in significant environmental and operational challenges. This multidisciplinary review critically examines conventional, advanced, and emerging technologies for the separation and treatment of O&G‐laden wastewater. It explores the environmental implications and health risks associated with O&G‐contamination, including aquatic toxicosis, bioaccumulation, and infrastructure degradation. Uses of traditional approaches are acceptable due to their simplicity and cost‐effectiveness; but for emulsified and dissolved fractions require an integration of advanced techniques. Membrane filtration (UF, NF, RO), electrocoagulation, adsorption using novel materials, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), and magnetic separation offer enhanced removal performance and adaptability. Applications of biological methods like microbial degradation, enzymatic treatment, constructed wetlands, etc., represent eco‐friendly alternatives. This review emphasizes hybrid and integrated systems such as membrane bioreactors (MBRs), physico‐biological combinations, and electrochemical‐adsorptive setups, which leverage synergistic mechanisms to improve removal efficiency and operational robustness. Here, some key designs are considered, such as pH, temperature, O&G concentration, sludge management, energy demands, etc. It emphasizes the potentiality of O&G recovery and reuse, notably in biodiesel production and energy recovery. Surfactants and natural organic matter mainly stabilized oil and water emulsion, reduce droplet coalescence, and intensify membrane fouling and coagulant demand, and difficult to operate. Elevated salinity and divalent cations modify interfacial charge, and alter electrocoagulation efficiency, adsorption equilibria, and microbial activity. High suspended solids and colloidal loads further exacerbate pore blocking, sludge production, and hydraulic instability, thereby limiting flux, increasing energy consumption, and complicating scale‐up. Despite significant progress, it faces some challenges. Future research may establish predictive design models and standardized performance benchmarks. Present review is strongly connected to current research gaps and future directions towards low carbon & energy and resource‐recovery‐oriented treatment systems to address monitoring of O&G pollution in wastewater.

<title>Abstract</title> Seed germination is a vital physiological stage involving radicle emergence, metabolic reactivation, and water uptake (imbibition), progressing through rapid initial absorption, a stabilization phase, and renewed uptake for seedling growth. This process is highly sensitive to environmental stress, especially heavy metal contamination from mining-industrial effluents and pesticide runoff. Non-essential metals such as Cd, Pb, Hg and the metalloid As accumulate in soils, disrupt physiological and biochemical functions, and reduce germination and early growth. Their bioavailability is influenced by soil organic matter, clay content, and pH, with toxicity generally lowered by humified organic matter and higher pH. This study quantifies Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in irrigation water, relates PTE levels to germination performance, and evaluates the Germination Index (GI). Spatial variation in PTEs across Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the Raniganj Block of Paschim Bardhaman, West Bengal, India, is mapped. Tirat GP shows the highest radicle length (5.88 cm), relative radicle growth (138.35), and GI (14,823.63). Egara GP records the highest germination (91.33% at 75% concentration) and relative germination speed (118.63 at 100%), indicating tolerance. Although As is undetected and all PTEs are within permissible limits, significant correlations between PTEs and germination traits reveal that even mild metal burdens can impair early development. By integrating geospatial mapping with a dilution-based bioassay, the study identifies biological effects at sub-regulatory concentrations and locates resilient sites. Continued monitoring and soil management to enhance organic matter and moderate pH are recommended for sustainable agriculture in mining-industrial affected landscapes.

Pseudomonas asiatica strain PNPG3 demonstrated broad-spectrum heavy-metal tolerance, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 800, 400, 4, and 6 µg/mL (ppm) for arsenite, cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), and nickel (Ni), respectively. When exposed to 1 mM arsenite, strain PNPG3 retained approximately 89% of its p-nitrophenol (PNP) degradation efficiency relative to the PNP-only baseline, mineralizing 86% of 0.5 mM PNP within 66 h and releasing 0.41 mM nitrite, indicating strong catabolic resilience under combined PNP–arsenite stress. Genome analysis identified a distinct arsenic (As) tolerance and biotransformation gene cluster on contig 1, comprising coordinated transport, regulatory, and metabolic components, including an ArsR/SmtB family transcriptional regulator and an ArsJ-associated glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, suggesting the presence of a specialized and potentially novel As detoxification mechanism. Comparative genomics further revealed conservation of key abiotic and biotic stress response genes, along with metabolic pathways supporting degradation of styrene, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, cyanate, and diverse aromatic xenobiotics. Chromate reductase (ChrR) and arsenate reductase (ArsC), key enzymes involved in the biotransformation of Cr (VI) to Cr (III) and arsenate [As(V)] to arsenite [As(III)], respectively, were modeled, characterized, and validated, followed by docking analyses to elucidate heavy-metal interactions at their active sites. Molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) indicated that the ArsC–arsenate complex exhibited higher structural stability and compactness, with limited conformational fluctuations, implied greater robustness of arsenate reduction compared to Cr(VI) reduction under in situ metal stress conditions. Overall, the phenotypic robustness and genomic potential of strain PNPG3 underscore its strong capacity for heavy-metal tolerance, PNP biodegradation, and arsenate biotransformation, highlighting its promise for scalable bioremediation applications.

In the last decade, the proliferation of social media has transformed almost every aspect of human life—including financial decision-making. A new subset of online personalities known as financial influencers (“finfluencers”) has emerged across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Reddit, and LinkedIn. These individuals post content related to investing, personal finance, market outlooks, stock tips, crypto strategies, and portfolio management, often reaching millions of users. Unlike traditional financial advisors, however, finfluencers usually operate outside formal regulatory frameworks, frequently without formal credentials, and monetize through sponsorships or affiliate marketing. This dynamic has profound implications for retail investors—especially novice and young investors—who increasingly rely on user-generated content as a primary source of financial information. This paper examines the nature and mechanisms through which social media and finfluencers influence investor behaviour. Drawing on both empirical studies and market data, the research explores motivators of investor reliance on social media, behavioural biases activated by digital content, impacts on investment choices and risk perception, and regulatory challenges that arise. It analyzes how social media content amplifies herd behaviour, confirmation bias, overconfidence, fear of missing out (FOMO), and risk misperception among investors. While finfluencers may democratize financial literacy and lower informational barriers, the quality of advice and credibility issues poses significant risks, ranging from misinformation to outright fraudulent schemes. Case studies and regional evidence, including research from India and Canada, reveal nuanced patterns across demographic groups. The paper concludes with recommendations for investors, educators, and regulators to mitigate harmful effects while preserving the potential educational benefits of digital finance content.