Research Institute Scientists E-Books Usage in India: A Study

The commitment to Open Access (OA) movement has started revolutionising the outline of conventional scholarly publishing practices and welcoming the new wind to scientific research across the world. Motivating by the changing scenario, the study strives to analyse OA uptake by the Indian academic and research institutions concerning their research productivity. Publication data of 36 universities have been retrieved from the 2020 record of CWTS Leiden Ranking database. Findings of the study show that around 23 per cent of all publications of these universities are openly accessible, and their median OA publications proportion is much lower (around half) than the median measure of universities worldwide (43 %). ‘Green OA’ reserved the first place with 17 per cent of occurrence, and Biomedical and Health Sciences have achieved the highest median (34.37 %). The study concludes with a vision towards increasing the global collaboration of the academic institutions regarding OA following the account of the Indian achievements.

Controlling recurrent infectious diseases is a vital yet complicated problem in global health. During the long period of time from patients becoming infected to finally seeking treatment, their close contacts are exposed and vulnerable to the disease they carry. Active screening (or case finding) methods seek to actively discover undiagnosed cases by screening contacts of known infected people to reduce the spread of the disease. Existing practice of active screening methods often screen all contacts of an infected person, requiring a large budget. In cooperation with a research institute in India, we develop a model of the active screening problem and present a software agent, REMEDY. This agent assists maximizing effectiveness of active screening under real world budgetary constraints and limited contact information. Our contributions are: (1) A new approach to modeling multi-round network-based screening/contact tracing under uncertainty and proof of its NP-hardness; (2) Two novel algorithms, Full- and Fast-REMEDY. Full-REMEDY considers the effect of future actions and provides high solution quality, whereas Fast-REMEDY scales linearly in the size of the network; (3) Evaluation of Full- and Fast-REMEDY on several real-world datasets which emulate human contact to show that they control diseases better than the baselines. We also show that the software agent is robust to errors in estimates of disease parameters, and incomplete information of the contact network. Our software agent is currently under review before deployment as a means to improve the efficiency of district-wise active screening for tuberculosis in India.

Adoption and expansion of Opuntia ficus-indica in many countries due to its multiple uses as fruit, vegetable, fodder and medicinal compounds has prompted similar attempts in India, too. Since 1970 various research institutions in India have introduced it to study its adaptability, biomass and fruit yield with varying success. Though its potential was proven, its cultivation outside research farms has not picked up. In a renewed effort, its introduction and adaptability trials were initiated in the year 2010 with a larger number of cultivars from Italy and Tunisia through ICARDA. Results of these attempts in past three years as also those in the earlier years have been detailed in this paper. Introducing cactus pear in different bioclimates in India to see most suitable area and cultivar has revealed the coastal district of Bhuj in Gujarat state as the most appropriate for its growth, though results detailed in this paper show its encouraging growth in other parts of country, too. Preliminary utilisation studies of its cladodes as fodder for goat, sheep and cattle have given positive results while processing of its fruits yielded purple coloured squash. In view of its successful growth and utilisation potential, O. ficus-indica is emerging a future crop for rainfed regions of India.

Declining HIV prevalence among women attending antenatal care in Pune, India

The study was conducted in KVK Badwani, MP selected purposively. All respondents were selected from the KVK those have adopted FLD for the year 2016-17. A total number of 109 respondents were selected through a list of farmers obtain from the KVK, the FLD was adopted in the farmers field in different crop and season. The results of the study depicted that the majority of the respondents were found in various socio-economic profile characters like, age category of 37-51 years (61.45%), literate (53%), general caste (42.20%), joint families (85.32%), families size of 6-12 members (48.62%) and size of land holding medium farmers (64.22%). Agriculture was observed as main and subsidiary occupations with 93.58% and 19.27%, respectively. The maximum (56.88%) respondents had participation in one social organization, 66.97% respondents were found who had earning annual income of (Rs.70000-350000) and majority of respondents (77.99%) were observed in medium category (28-44) of overall materials possession. Mobile phone (100%), T.V. (94.50%) and radio (81.65%) were found as main communication media with the respondents. In information sources use pattern of respondents, the maximum contact was observed with Gram Pradhan (4.56%) under formal sources, friends (3.56%) and progressive farmers (1.66%) under informal and mobile (5.39%) under mass media exposure. The maximum number of respondents was found in high level of economic motivation, risk orientation with (38.53%), (46.79%) and maximum number of respondent was found in low level of scientific orientation (42.20%), respectively. The maximum number of respondents was found in medium level of overall knowledge about front-line demonstration with 70.64% and maximum number of respondents was found in medium. The maximum number of respondents was found in medium level of overall. The maximum number of respondents was found in medium level of overall adoption level of front-line demonstration (66.05%).

This article analyzes the most used scholarly electronic journals at a multi-disciplinary research institute in India, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Analysis of the top thirty journals at IISc shows that two-thirds of these journals be long to non-profit/society publishers and one-third to for-profit/commercial publishers. There is a remarkable difference between the prices that for-profit/commercial publishers charge libraries for scholarly journals and the prices that non-profit/society publishers and university presses charge. This price difference does not appear to reflect a difference in quality as measured by the number of recorded citations to a journal/impact factor and use of journal.

Nine leading researchers are to join Stephen Hawking as visiting fellows at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario, Canada. The researchers, who include string theorists Leonard Susskind from Stanford University and Asoka Sen from the Harisch-Chandra Research Institute in India, will each spend a few months of the year at the institute as “distinguished research chairs”. They will be joined by another 30 scientists to be announced at a later date.

Academic trials are essential in investigating health research questions relevant to the society. Only a few leading research institutions in India have been engaged in academic trials. Thus, there is a need to understand what factors dampen the spirit of the academician in conducting academic clinical trials. The aim of the study is to evaluate the investigator's perception of obstacles to carrying out academic trials and to identify factors that will motivate investigators in conducting academic trials. We conducted a prospective observational study in a tertiary care hospital for 6 months. Faculty members working in academic institutes were selected. A structured questionnaire was designed for the study and administered using google forms. Responses were taken on a Likert scale. Validity and reliability assessments were carried out. Mann-Whitney test was applied to assess differences between demographic groups. P <0.05 was considered significant. Most of the participants rated applying for research grants (76%), obtaining funding for the study and making arrangements for compensation for trial-related events (75%) as extremely challenging. We found that the degree of challenge is significantly lower in the faculty members who conducted clinical trials in the past as against those who did not (P = 0.00069). We also found that the degree of challenge is significantly higher in the faculty members with <10 years of experience than those with >10 years of experience (P = 0.00001). Thus, to conclude the challenges faced by investigators were at multiple levels, most common being applying for research grants and making arrangements for the funds for payment towards participation or study-related injury. Faculty members with exposure to conducting clinical trials and with experience of more than 10 years had perceived a reduced degree of challenges.

Aim:The National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics is an animal science research institute under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The intellectual property management system (IPMS) of the institute oversees technology creation, protection, and transfer/commercialization. This study reviews the effectiveness of the IPMS using traditional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) evaluation.Materials and Methods:A comprehensive repository was developed to compile the SWOT pertaining to the IPMS based on relevant document reviews and the inputs of experts and stakeholders. The repository was shared among scientists of the institute for rating. The rating process revealed the top ten key SWOT associated with the structure and operation of the IPMS. The weighted SWOT matrix technique was used to identify the best strategies to improve and develop the IPMS further. This included strategies derived from the best combinations of key strengths and opportunities (S-O strategies), key weaknesses and opportunities (W-O strategies), key strengths and threats (S-T strategies), and key weaknesses and threats (W-T strategies).Results:The top-ranked strengths included “possession of patented technology” and “state-of-the-art biosafety laboratory facilities,” while “lack of in-house faculty with legal expertise in intellectual property rights (IPR)” and “lack of technology incubation facilities” were the key weaknesses. The key opportunities included “external funding for research projects” and “market demand for onsite diagnostic tools.” The major threats were “lack of market for veterinary diagnostics” and “broad-based patents on research tools and technologies.”Conclusion:The strengths of the system, such as a state-of-the-art biosafety laboratory and technology-marketing collaboration with Agrinnovate India Ltd., could be employed effectively to gain from the opportunities tendered by the market demand for on-site disease diagnostic tools (S-O strategies). The limitation arising from a dearth of technical staff could be overcome by technological backstopping through international linkages in the area of disease monitoring and surveillance. Funding from externally supported projects could also be utilized for recruitment of personnel (W-O strategies). Limitations arising from the combination of inadequate in-house IPR expertise and the threat arising from broad-based patents on research tools warrant vigilance (W-T strategies).

Distributed Energy Resources (DER) have increased penetration into the electric grid in recent years due to the growth of many renewable energy technologies as well as more efficient small conventional generation sources. Microgrids have grown in popularity along with the increased usage of DERs as a way to manage the multiple DERs on a local level.1Microgrids contain energy storage devices to store and distribute the intermittent energy provided by DERs (see figure 1).Coupling a solar energy resource with a Li-ion battery energy storage, we study the autonomy (the percentage of time the system meets demand) and utilization (amount of capacity used) during yearly operation.2By including a demand schedule with the coupled solar and battery system, we study both how different demands, system sizes and solar insolation patterns will affect the autonomy and utilization of the system. Both islanded and grid-tied demand structures will be discussed.The battery model involved in this study is an electrochemical and transport based Li-ion battery model.3For the solar portion of the model we will assess both ideal insolation curves as well as site based insolation data. For the real-site data, several solar monitoring sites within the US will be employed. The real data will offer a contrasting look at how much the coupled system can be affected on a daily and seasonal basis. In addition, using real data will allow for a greater assessment about the stability of a coupled system in areas with strong insolation, but high variability against areas of weaker insolation, but low variability. A balance between a high level of both autonomy and utilization will be studied in conjunction with preferable demand structures. This balance will affect the structure and operation of a microgrid with both solar and battery systems. Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy (ARPA-E), and the Solar Energy Research Institute in India and the United States (SERIIUS), as well as, Washington University in St. Louis’ McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environmental Partnership (MAGEEP).

Under the Shrinking U.S. Security Umbrella: India's End Game in Afghanistan?

We list the herpetological voucher specimens in the holdings of the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology &amp; Natural History (SACON), a wildlife research institute in India. Most of the collections are the fruition of fieldwork by SACON’s herpetologist and a coauthor of this work—late Dr. Subramanian Bhupathy (1963–2014). Taxonomically, the collection represents 125 species, comprising 29 amphibian species belonging to eight families and 96 reptilian species belonging to 17 families. Geographically, the material in this collection originates from the Western Ghats, the Eastern Ghats, the Deccan Plateau, and the Coromandel Coast, comprehensively covering all ecoregions of peninsular India. A total of 15 taxa (three amphibians, 12 reptiles) remain to be fully identified and are provisionally referred to most-resembling taxa, with cf. prefix. All the specimens in this collection are non-types as on date.

ABSTRACTBackground:Hepatitis B virus (HBV) poses a significant occupational hazard for healthcare workers (HCWs), particularly in low and middle-income countries with limited routine postvaccination surveillance. While primary vaccination confers robust protection, immunity may wane over time, and the immunological mechanisms underlying nonresponsiveness remain poorly defined.Methodology:We conducted a cross-sectional study among 119 HCWs at a tertiary care biomedical research institute in India. Participants completed structured questionnaires on HBV vaccination history and underwent serological testing for hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti-HBs). Titers ≥10 mIU/mL were considered protective. A representative subset (n = 6) underwent immunophenotyping by multicolor flow cytometry to characterize memory B cells, CD4+/CD8+ T cell subsets, and natural killer (NK) cells. Associations between seroprotection and demographic or occupational variables were assessed using logistic regression.Findings:Among 113 HCWs tested, 61.1% had protective anti-HBs titers. Recent vaccination (<5 years) was strongly associated with seroprotection (OR 9.99, 95% CI 3.45–28.92, P < 0.001), while vaccination 5–10 years prior showed a moderate association (OR 5.20, 95% CI 1.16–23.31, P = 0.031). Immunophenotyping revealed higher NK cell and class-switched memory B cell frequencies among responders compared to nonresponders, who exhibited skewed B cell maturation and reduced effector memory T cell populations.Interpretation:Durability of HBV vaccine-induced immunity among HCWs is suboptimal beyond 10 years, with immunophenotypic signatures suggesting cellular correlates of nonresponsiveness. These findings support routine serological monitoring and consideration of booster strategies tailored to immune profile in high-risk occupational groups.

Academic libraries are spending a growing proportion of their increasingly stretched budgets on e-books each year. Within this context, demonstrating a return on investment is imperative, but gathering data about e-resource usage is not always easy. This article summarizes how libraries and library consortia are acquiring and evaluating e-books, how usage statistics feature within library workflows, the issues faced in doing so and the resulting impact of these issues on understanding usage and informing purchasing of new titles. Discussions with publishers indicate how usage data are being used within the organization, the requirements of customers and the challenges involved in providing usage data for e-books. Assessing and evaluating e-book usage is a complex and challenging task with processes and workflows in development. A transition from print to e-books represents a significant change for libraries, and the availability of reliable usage statistics to support purchase decisions is vital. The article is based on a series of case study interviews with representatives from a small cross-section of academic libraries, library consortia, publishers and aggregators. This work is of interest to anyone with responsibility for creating, managing, developing, delivering and supporting usage statistics and standards for e-books.

A Review of: Bierman, J., Ortega, L., &amp; Rupp-Serrano, K. (2010). E-book usage in pure and applied sciences. Science &amp; technology libraries, 29(1-2), 69-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/01942620903579393 Abstract Objective – To determine the usage of and attitudes toward e-books among faculty in the applied and pure sciences. Design – Online survey and in-person interviews. Setting – A large public university in the United States. Subjects – 11 faculty members. Methods – Participants completed an 11-item survey covering demographic data and questions about electronic book experience and preferences. This was followed up by an in-person interview with the researchers. The interviews were structured into three sections: opening questions about e-book usage, an interactive demonstration and discussion of two preselected e-books, and final follow-up questions. Interviews followed a general script of prepared questions, but also encouraged open discussion and dialogue. Main Results – Most participants in the study reported limited experience with e-books and only 3 of the 11 participants reported using library-purchased e-books in their research and instruction. Participants noted ease of access and searchability as key advantages of e-books. Concerns included the belief that reading and learning is more difficult on a desktop computer, as well as concerns about the stability and reliability of e-book access. Participants also felt negatively about the necessity to create a new login profile and password to access e-books. The study found no difference in the way faculty in pure and applied sciences approached e-books. Conclusion – The authors determine that e-books will likely become more commonly used in academia. Users want e-books that are easy to use and customizable. In addition, the authors conclude that librarians need to understand their patrons’ needs as e-book users and proactively promote and market their e-book collections.