bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pedagogical Competence of Science Pre-Service Teachers: Baseline for Training Program
Authors: Obispo Glenn Joseph O.
Published: June 2022

This descriptive survey aimed to explore the pedagogical competence of science pre-service teachers (PSTs). The study involved 35 PSTs in a state university in Central Luzon, Philippines. In accordance to the National Competency-Based Teachers Standard (NCBTS) domains, science PSTs were assessed using an adapted NCBTS survey questionnaire to find out the pedagogical areas they do best and the areas that they have to develop. Results revealed that a typical science PST is a female, aged 21 years old and below from college. The study concluded that the pedagogical competence of Science pre-service teachers is moderately evident in terms of social regard for learning, learning environment, diversity of learners, curriculum, community linkages and personal growth and professional development domain. The findings on this study served as basis in constructing a training program for science PSTs which could enhance their pedagogical competence as they embrace the actual workplace after graduation.
Morphological characterisation of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) germplasm collections: A basis for crop improvement
Authors: Valombola Johanna Shekupe , Awala Simon Kamwele , Hove Kudakwashe
Published: June 2022

Bambara groundnut is one of the underutilised legume crops adapted to Sub-Saharan Africa's harsh, semi-arid tropical regions, providing nutrition and cash income among resource-poor farmers. A field study comprising 25 Bambara groundnut accessions was carried out during the 2018/2019 cropping season at the Crop Science Experimental Field, University of Namibia-Ogongo Campus, to characterise the accessions using qualitative traits.  The experimental design used was an alpha lattice with three replications. Based on the visual observation techniques, the results showed morphological variation among the genotypes. The Bambara groundnut germplasm studied showed high phenotypic variations. The germplasm had a high proportion of the bunch-type growth habit (44% accessions), oval leaflet shape (64%), sparse hairiness (56%), and absence of eye pattern colour (70%). Also, cluster analysis grouped the accessions into five super classes. Shanon-Wennier index indicated a significant level of diversity among the Bambara groundnut accessions for most traits studied, with plant growth habits having the highest index of 2.15, followed by for pod colour (1.45) and seed eye pattern colour (1.22). These results may be useful in formulating national Bambara groundnut breeding programs in semi-arid Sub-Saharan African regions. However, molecular analysis is required to determine the genetic variations among the accessions.
Biology and integrated management of tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura Fab.: A systematic review
Authors: Sharma Sushmita , Upadhayaya Sachin , Tiwari Sundar
Published: June 2022

Tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura) has damaged in great extent in different cultivated crops. Mainly it affects solanaceous crops. It feeds on the leaves of the crop and crops seems as it is fed by the animals. In later stage it damages whole plant causing rotting of plant. Commercial farmers are normally relying on chemical pesticides. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy is suggested as a best option of pest management. Using respective trap crop of major crops has been found most effective method as trap has multiple advantages for the small-scale farmers. Handpicking can be effectively used for the fourth and fifth instar of the larva.  This systematic review aims to collect the general biology of tobacco caterpillar and related species as well as various IPM measures of pest management. The details pest biology, ecology, host distribution and integrated pest management are reviewed systematically and presented in review section. Reviews were carried out citing different journal articles, books, conference proceedings, thesis, reports, books sections etc.   This review can be useful for the researchers, academicians and extension workers to develop an IPM protocol for the tobacco caterpillar.
Sulphur and particulate matter affecting on soil and underground plants
Authors: Ejaz Haroon , Bibi Eshrat , Ali Waqas , Ahmad Ikhlaq , Lashari Aamna , Faiz Hadia , Nazar Wajeeha
Published: June 2022

Environmental problems were faced, and one of them is the accumulation of Sulphur and its compounds in the atmosphere and through the atmosphere, it accumulates in the soil and then the underground plants. In the atmosphere Sulphur it is present in the form of aerosols and acid precipitation. Volatile Sulphur compounds are released by the combustion of fossil fuels and volcanic eruption also produces Sulphur oxides. Deficiency of Sulphur produces paling of plants and denaturing of some enzymes that are then fulfilled by using the fertilizers of Sulphur. Soil also has an adverse effect when particulate matter or Sulphur aggregates in the plants and their physiological and biological development is retarded. Most of the industrial processes contain Sulphur compounds like thiol, thiophene, oxides of Sulphur etc. Structural and chemical mutation occurs when particulate substances induce into the plants and productivity and efficiency of that plant is reduced. The impact of acid rain in places with high quantities of mixed air pollutants has yet to be determined. Acid inputs appear to be affecting several techniques in field soils. These must be measured in terms of plant output. SO2 enters the leaves via stomata and quickly dissolves in Apoplastic water, producing mostly Sulphite (SO3)-2, bisulphite (HSO-3), and H+ ions. SO2 phytotoxicity has been attributed to Sulphite and bisulphite ion interactions with different chemicals. If the quantities are not too high, most leaves can detoxify Sulphite and bisulphite by oxidizing them to less harmful Sulphate ions via a series of processes. SO2 absorbed by foliage may undergo reduction conversion, including absorption into organic Sulphur compounds and release from the leaves as H2S. The oxidizing or reducing route of SO2 in plants is determined by plant species, soil Sulphur content, SO2 amount and persistence, and plant growth conditions.
A checklist of herpetofauna of Telangana state, India
Authors: Srinivasulu Chelmala , Gandla Chethan Kumar
Published: June 2022

A checklist of herpetofauna of Telangana, India including accepted English name, scientific name along with authority, Telugu and vernacular name, IUCN, Indian Wildlife Protection Act and CITES status, and endemicity is presented in this paper. The herpetofauna diversity of Telangana is represented by 98 species including 16 species of amphibians belonging to four families, one species of crocodile, six species of testudines, 35 species of saurians and 40 species of snakes. Three species—Hemidactylus flavicaudus, H. xericolus, and H. aemulus—are endemic to Telangana.
The study of algal diversity from fresh water bodies of Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India
Authors: Jose Joel , Xavier Jobi
Published: June 2022

The algal diversity of the freshwater ecosystem is very significant because they are the primary energy producers in the food web. The study for the algal diversity was conducted at Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary, Thrissur, Kerala, India, from selected sampling sites (Pookoyil thodu, Kidakkapara thodu, Viraku thodu, Nellipara thodu, Anaporu thodu, Kodakallu thodu, Odan thodu, Mullapara thodu, Payampara thodu, Chimmony dam). The identified algal species belong to four different classes: Chlorophyceae, Euglenineae, Rhodophyceae, and Cyanophyceae. Sixty-one algal species were identified, represented by 37 genera, 22 families, and 14 orders. Among the four, Chlorophyceae was the dominant class.
Attitudes and perceptions of people about the Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus (Mammalia: Primates: Cercopithecidae): a preliminary study in Barail Wildlife Sanctuary, India
Authors: Barbhuiya Rofik Ahmed , Amir Sohail Choudhury  , Talukdar Nazimur Rahman , Parthankar Choudhury
Published: June 2022

Conservation of any species needs the support and cooperation of local people. In order to understand the attitudes and perceptions of the locals about the Capped Langur, the present study was carried out around Barail Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam. The study was carried out through a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and interaction with forest staff & local experts to assess the perception of present threats and conservation problems. A total of 400 respondents were interviewed during the study periods. The results reveal that a majority of respondents supported Capped Langur conservation. Habitat loss and fragmentation was considered a major threat (47%), followed by human exploitation (22%), developmental activities (17%), agricultural extension (8%), and hunting & teasing (6%). Knowledge concerning Capped Langurs and perceptions of threats varied considerably among respondents. Increased awareness among local people is suggested to motivate them towards conservation. Benefit sharing and promotion of value-added services through skill development could also be highly rewarding.
A report on the occurrence of the cicada Callogaeana festiva (Fabricius, 1803) (Insecta: Cicadidae) from Mizoram, India
Authors: Khawlhring Marova  , Fanai Malsawmdawngliana  , Lal Muansanga  , Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga
Published: June 2022

We present a new state record of Callogaeana festiva from Mizoram State, India based on, an individual collected from Hualtu, Serchhip District. This record represents the range extension of the species as well as the easternmost distribution record within the Indian subcontinent.
Identification of confiscated pangolin for conservation purposes through molecular approach
Authors: Wirdateti  , Nugraha R. Taufiq P. , Yulianto  , Semiadi Gono
Published: June 2022

Over the past decade, the pangolin has emerged as one of the most prominent illegally traded mammals, and high extraction rates of Manis javanica from Indonesia have become a world concern. With the rise of the illegal trade, tools for uncovering the origins of pangolins for law enforcement are needed. Use of genetic markers for species and population identification has become a versatile tool in law enforcement efforts related to illegal wildlife trade and the management of endangered species. This study aims to uncover the origin of confiscated pangolins via a molecular approach using COI mtDNA markers. Forty-eight samples came from confiscated pangolins in Jakarta, Surabaya, Jember, Pangkalan Bun, Medan, Lampung, Riau, and Palembang, as well as four samples from the wild population in Riau, Pangkalan Bun, and East Java. Grouping using phylogenetic trees showed two groups with a bootstrap value of 90% based on wild samples. The first group consists of Sumatra and Kalimantan populations, while the second group consists of a Javan population. From a total of 44 confiscated samples, 12 were identified as Javan, nine from Kalimantan, and 23 from Sumatra. Genetic distance value (d) among individuals was d= 0.012 ± 0.002, with haplotype diversity (Hd) 0.864 ± 0.0444. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) shows a clear genetic difference among populations (75%) and within populations (25%). The results showed that animals confiscated in one location may come from several different populations. These results can be used to track the flow of the pangolin trade in Indonesia, and support conservation management for the release of confiscated animals.
Range extension of earthworm Drawida impertusa Stephenson, 1920 (Clitellata: Moniligastridae) in Karnataka, India
Authors: Vivek Hasyagar  , S. Prasanth Narayanan  , K.S. Sreepada
Published: June 2022

As a part of an ongoing study on the bio-ecology of earthworms, since 2017 surveys has been carried out in different ecosystems of Western Ghats, Karnataka. This has revealed the presence of one native peregrine species Drawida impertusa Stephenson, 1920 of the family Moniligastridae. The species is recorded for the second time from Karnataka state. The paper describes the morphological and anatomical details along with current distribution of the species.
Waterbird assemblage along Punatsangchhu River, Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan
Authors: Nima  , Dorji Ugyen
Published: June 2022

Crossing Bhutan is one of the shortest transits, and Bhutan holds the main breeding refuge/habitats for many Central Asian migratory birds. Our study assessed the community structure of waterbirds along the Punatsangchhu River basin, located towards the western part of Bhutan. The study determined the species composition, habitat use and preference of waterbirds, together with the different habitats present. Furthermore, the study examined the potential drivers of habitat fragmentation along the river. The entire study area was classified into five different habitats: dam, dredged area, farmland, urban, and pristine. The Cummings method of habitat assessment for high gradient river and streams was used to assess the habitat variables such as bank stability, vegetative protection and the riparian vegetation zone along the river and the association with the diversity of aquatic birds. A questionnaire survey was also used to evaluate the degree of threats caused by human disturbances. Among the five habitats, the dam area recorded the highest diversity (H` = 2.13) against their total count of 103 (8.7%) and the least diversity was recorded from farmland area (H` = 1.1) against their total count of 282 (23.8%) birds. Most waterbirds preferred an open area with shallow river depth. Habitats with emergent vegetation negatively correlated with the waterbird species composition. The study also recorded one Vulnerable species Aythya ferina, one Near Threatened species Vanellus duvaucelii, and one Endangered species Haliaeetus leucoryphus. Punatsangchhu is a major habitat to both resident and migratory waterbirds which stop here enroute from the Palaearctic and Indo-Malayan Region corroborating the need for habitat conservation and management regimes in the basin.
Freshwater fishes of the Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India
Authors: P.S. Eldho  , M.K. Sajeevan
Published: June 2022

The fish diversity of Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Kerala was studied between January 2018 and December 2020. The ichthyofauna comprised of 40 species belonging to 11 Orders, 17 Families, and 29 genera, of which 35% are endemic to the Western Ghats region, and two are endemic to the state of Kerala. Cyprinids were the most dominant family, represented by 19 species belonging to three genera, followed by family Channidae (3 species) and loaches belonging to the family Nemacheilidae (3 species). Of the 40 species, one (Mesonemachelius herrei) belonged to the ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR), one species is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ (VU), and four ‘Near Threatened’ (NT) category and on the IUCN Red List. Results are presented in the form of a primary checklist of the freshwater fish fauna of the Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary, together with remarks on their threats and conservation requirements.
Butterflies of Eravikulam National Park and its environs in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India
Authors: Kalesh Sadasivan  , Toms Augustine  , Edayillam Kunhikrishnan  , Baiju Kochunarayanan
Published: June 2022

The Eravikulam National Park (ENP) holds the largest remaining pristine patches of southern montane wet temperate forests and southern montane wet temperate grasslands of peninsular India. The study shows that ENP harbours 198 species of butterflies, constituting 60.73% of the butterflies recorded from Kerala and 59.10% of butterflies observed in Western Ghats (WG). Thirty-five species of butterflies seen in ENP have some level of endemicity associated with them and 22 of them (52.38%) are strictly endemic to WG. Twenty-seven species are under the schedules of Indian Wildlife Act 1972 (WPA) and its amendments. This National Park has montane grassland-Shola dependent super-endemics like Neptis palnica and Telinga davisoni. ENP also holds Parantica nilgiriensis a Near Threatened species and another 11 Western Ghats endemics, namely, Telinga davisoni, T. oculus, Ypthima chenu, Y. ypthimoides, Arnetta mercara, Baracus hampsoni, B. subditus, Thoressa astigmata, T. evershedi, Oriens concinna, and Caltoris canaraica, which are primary grass feeders. Eravikulam, on the Anamalai–High Range–Palni landscape, lies on a major path of the return migration of butterflies to Western Ghats before the north-east monsoons. Although well-protected, the ENP has anthropogenic pressures from tea estates surrounding it, mammal-oriented management practices like controlled burning of primary grasslands, and natural forest fires, that can significantly affect the invertebrate fauna especially montane grassland shola-dependent butterflies.
Landings of IUCN Red Listed finfishes at Chetlat Island of Lakshadweep, southeastern Arabian Sea
Authors: Nihal Davood , N.M. Naseem  , N. Abhirami  , M.P. Prabhakaran
Published: June 2022

The Lakshadweep Islands are well-known for their abundant fishery resources. Present study primarily focused on the systematic representation of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red Listed marine finfish landings of Chetlat Island of Lakshadweep archipelago (India). Monthly collections were carried out from September 2019 to February 2020 from the study area. A list of finfishes along with their scientific name, common name, family, and present conservation status was prepared. As per the IUCN Red List, out of 41 fish species identified, one species is ‘Endangered’ (EN), two species are ‘Near Threatened’ (NT), four species are ‘Vulnerable’ (VU), one species ‘Data Deficient’ (DD), 29 species ‘Least Concern’ (LC), and four species are ‘Not Evaluated’ (NE) categories. Information on the conservation status of fishes plays a significant role in fisheries science since it forms the basis for managing marine fishery resources.
New breeding site record of Oriental White Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus (Aves: Threskiornithidae) at Thirunavaya wetlands, Kerala, India
Authors: Binu Chullakattil
Published: June 2022

The breeding of Near threttened species Oriental white ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus (Aves: Threskiornithidae) in Tirunavaya wetland is the first scientific doccument from Malappuram District of Kerala State,India.The present work explore the habitat preference and nesting charecteristics of Oriental white ibis in kerala .The colonial breed site bears nesting of  three species along with the study species. Of which Oriental white ibis bears four nest, IUCN Near threttened species Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster  with one nest and Open bill stork Anastomus oscitans with three nests.The nest tree species is Barringtonia acutangula and shows an average tree height 7 ±0.45 m and nest height 3.18±0.49 m.
Authentic report of the emesine bug Gardena melinarthrum Dohrn, 1860 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from India
Authors: Sangamesh R. Hiremath  , Saikia Santana , Ghate Hemant V.
Published: June 2022

An emesine bug, Gardena melinarthrum Dohrn, 1860, is reported from two areas in India—Kerala and Assam. Both, macropterous and apterous forms are found in India. This is the first illustrated report of this assassin bug from India.
Book review: Nirupama Rao, The Fractured Himalaya, India Tibet China 1949–1962
Authors: Shukla Sonia Trikha
Published: June 2022

Nirupama Rao, The Fractured Himalaya, India Tibet China 1949–1962 (Penguin, India, 2021), pp. xxvii + 609, ₹999, ISBN 9780670088294.
Mitigating Tannery Pollution in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
Authors: Hira Anil , Pacini Henrique , Attafuah-Wadee Kweku , Sikander Mehak , Oruko Richard , Dinan Amanda
Published: June 2022

The global leather market is worth more than $270 billion annually, and provides an important and accessible source of manufacturing exports for countries in the Global South. Leather is the source for a range of apparel items, including handbags, belts, shoes, wallets, gloves, and various other products, such as furniture, car seats, and luggage. Behind all leather goods is the tannery industry, with much of the raw materials processing located in the Global South (Lund-Thomsen, 2009, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 90, p. 57). Unlike most synthetic fibers, which are derived from plastics and associated with the petrochemical industry, leather has the potential for a comparatively lighter footprint because it is based on natural and renewable materials not associated with the carbon emissions of fossil fuels. However, leather has suffered from various concerns, including animal rights and toxic effluents. It is ranked as the fourth most dangerous global industry to human health, with many tanneries in the Global South lacking basic protection for the workers and leaching toxic chromium into rivers (Green Cross and Pure Earth, 2016, World’s worst pollution problems: The toxics beneath our feet). This article explores the prospects for reducing the environmental footprint of tanneries in the Global South, focusing on the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) program, a series of projects in South Asia (SA) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that explore ways to reduce manufacturing pollution. The article lays out a series of technical and managerial interventions that would vastly reduce the negative impacts on human health and the natural environment.
Prevalence of Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) Among Children in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Scaria Liss Maria , Bhaskaran Deepa , George Babu
Published: June 2022

Background:

Specific learning disorders (SLD) comprise varied conditions with ongoing problems in one of the three areas of educational skills–reading, writing, and arithmetic–which are essential for the learning process. There is a dearth of systematic reviews focused exclusively on the prevalence of SLD in India. Hence, this study was done to estimate the prevalence of SLD in Indian children.

Methods:

A systematic search of electronic databases of MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL was conducted. Two authors independently assessed the eligibility of the full-text articles. The third author reassessed all selected studies. A standardized data extraction form was developed and piloted. The pooled prevalence of SLDs was estimated from the reported prevalence of eligible studies, using the random-effects model.

Results:

Six studies of the systematic review included the diagnostic screening of 8133 children. The random-effects meta-analysis showed that the overall pooled prevalence of SLD in India was 8% (95% CI = 4–11). The tools used to diagnose SLD in the studies were the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS)-SLD index and the Grade Level Assessment Device (GLAD).

Conclusions:

Nearly 8% of children up to 19 years have SLD. There are only a few high-quality, methodologically sound, population-based epidemiological studies on this topic. There is a pressing need to have large population-based surveys in India, using appropriate screening and diagnostic tools. Constructing standardized assessment tools, keeping in view the diversity of Indian culture, is also necessary.
Perils and Paradoxes of Outsourcing: An Ethnographic Study Exploring Hopes and Dissonances Emanating from IT Employment in India
Authors: Joshi Chandra Shekhar , Raman A. V.
Published: June 2022

This article intends to revisit the optimistic and pessimistic views on offshoring and investigate their contemporary relevance in the context of Indian information technology (IT) workers. Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews with 51 IT workers, this study argues that the nature and content of work are less relevant than circumstances, situational conflicts and social interactions in constituting work and its experiences. Thus, the study suggests that relocation of business activities or its expansion does not render work as utopian or precarious only by itself; it is also co-constructed as such by the offshore players.

JEL Codes: L800, M540, L840
Transformational Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour of Cross-functional Team Members: Empirical Assessment of Moderating and Mediating Effects
Authors: Verma Anju , Bala Kiran
Published: June 2022

Abstract purpose:

The objective of this article is to examine the effect of transformational leadership on collective efficacy and organizational citizenship behaviour on cross-functional teams’ members. The study also investigates the mediating and moderating effects in the relationship.

Design/methodology/approach:

Self-structured questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale was used to collect the data by adopting both online and offline mode. A sample of 414 team members was drawn from working cross-functional teams of different service sectors, that is, transportation, banks, hospitals, information technology, hotels, educational institutions, agricultural irrigation services, insurance, construction and from real estate in the North India region. PLS-SEM was used to test the relationship between variables. PLS-MGA approach was used to test the moderating effect.

Findings:

The results revealed the positive and significant effect of transformational leadership on collective efficacy and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). The finding also supports the mediating effect of collective efficacy on the relationship. The moderating effect of gender also reveals the significant difference between the relationship between transformational leadership and collective efficacy.

Research limitations/implications:

The study will contribute towards understanding the mechanism of cross-functional teams through which an organization can manage the teamwork effectively. The study acknowledges the small sample limitation with a few service sector industries.

Practical implications:

Practitioners can develop a positive belief among team members by concentrating on the quality of leadership and the working environment of the team as well.

Originality/value:

This study probes the transformational leadership and collective efficacy variables as key variables that can make a positive change in the behavioural and performance perspective of team members.
Two Distant Feminist Standpoints in Nineteenth-Century India: Case Studies of Savitribai Phule and Pandita Ramabai
Authors: Pandey Renu
Published: June 2022

Modern feminist theory endeavours to explain gender inequality in terms of gender politics, power hierarchies and sexuality. In this endeavour, it has come to the crossroads with a variety of theoretical and philosophical domains. It dynamically deals with multiple domains such as sociology, history, anthropology, economics, philosophy, psychoanalysis and literary criticism. Standpoint epistemology has been applied by gender scholars to highlight the intersectional issues in feminist theory. In the present article, two different feminist standpoints in the nineteenth-century India have been discussed. Feminist ideologies of Savitribai Phule, a low-caste Hindu woman, and Pandita Ramabai, a high-caste Hindu widow, have been compared. Their thoughts and writings on diverse gender issues such as education, self-reliance, child marriage, widow remarriage and choice marriage have been examined. Since both the leaders are from different backgrounds at the individual, interactional and macro levels, efforts have been made to understand their standpoints. By tackling two different standpoints, it has been embarked upon to contribute to a critical gender scholarship leading to a better social understanding.
Walking as Embodied Research: Coloniality, Climate Change, and the ‘Arts of Noticing’
Authors: Shepherd Nick
Published: June 2022

‘Walking is the speed for noticing….’ In 2014, I began convening walking seminars together with the researcher Christian Ernsten and the documentary photographer Dirk-Jan Visser. Each seminar involves a mix of scholars, artists, curators and activists and results in various work: journal articles, musical scores, photographic essays, and creative non-fiction. This chapter sets out the thinking behind the walking seminars, drawing on a variety of sources: recent interventions in the environmental humanities, decolonial thinking and practice, arts-based research methods and ideas around embodied research and the senses. Not least, it draws on the long history of writing about walking as a way through which to engage the world and intervene in social scenarios. As we enter the ambiguous new epoch of the Anthropocene, and as familiar landscapes change and degrade, we need—more than ever—to pay attention, to notice, to take care. For scholars, this arguably involves leaving the ‘white cube’ of the seminar room for more materially involved and implicated forms of engagement with our research subjects. The humble, everyday act of walking offers one route towards such modes of engagement.
Impermanence, Hybridity, Violence: Notes towards a Global Technology Studies
Authors: Abraham Itty
Published: June 2022

This short essay explores some of the issues at stake when science and technology studies (STS) are situated within a global frame. Global, in this reading, is both historical and aspirational. As historical, it rejects the East-West dichotomy, insisting instead on one world as the outcome of multiple unequal and uneven world-making processes. As aspirational, to consider what a global STS would look like this essay imagines a world where technology studies were invented in the megacities of the Global South. At once it becomes clear that familiar concepts need revision: illegibility gets added to legibility, repair and dismantling join production and construction, permanence and impermanence occupy the same register of privilege. Making particular what had been considered general forces a reconsideration of the objects, methods, boundaries and histories of our studies. This is further demonstrated by a comparison of hybridity/isation as it is understood respectively in STS and post-colonial studies. What becomes apparent is the relative absence of violence as a core STS concept, notwithstanding its centrality in the making of the modern world. Going global exposes intellectual foundations STS scholars have been unable or unwilling to acknowledge; this alone makes the exercise productive and worthwhile.
Of Canals, Rivers and the Right to Exist: New (?) Methodological Tools for a Changed World
Authors: Laveaga Gabriela Soto
Published: June 2022

What can a dying river teach us about post/de-colonial science and technology? In a post-COVID world, absence and loss will be a constant presence in the lives of most. While thinking with erasures and absence in science and technology studies is not new, our current moment pushes us to burrow deeper into the histories of technologies that produce manufactured empty space, examine histories that pushed groups to the fringes of documented memory and encourage us to ponder how we must deal with these moments. This essay examines what the Yaqui River and the history of the Yaqui in Sonora can teach us about historical erasures and new meanings in landscapes and waterways lost to agro-business.
From Provincialisation to Decolonial Options: A Methodology of Infrastructural Genealogy
Authors: Stingl Alexander I.
Published: June 2022

In this paper, the author proposes that for STS as a discipline to change and progress, and to generate opportunities when entering into a dialog with postcolonial and feminist studies and activism, as well opening itself to decolonial options, it must first conduct itself in acts of provincialization. To do so, a methodological challenge is proposed: Taking infrastructure seriously by understanding infrastructure as founded in and by cultural and knowledge labor. Taking inspiration from Chandra Mukerji and others, this methodological re-imagining is proposed in the form of cultural infrastructural genealogy.
Luxury as a Sustainable Service: A Push–Pull–Mooring Perspective
Authors: Agrawal Gautam , Rathi Rubal , Garg Ruchi
Published: June 2022

With the rapidly changing global landscape on sustainability, the luxury industry is now embracing circularity in consumption. Similarly, consumers are also evolving and changing the way they consume luxury by shifting from ownership-based models to access-based models. To uncover the underlying notions of sustainability in luxury, this conceptual article proposes the luxury as a sustainable service (LaSS) framework. It analyses consumers’ adoption of access-based, second-hand and co-ownership-based luxury models that are sustainable in their core. The study also attempts to advance the push–pull–mooring (PPM) theory by grounding the LaSS framework that further substantiates why consumers shift (or not) towards sustainable luxury. We identify push factors (voluntary conscious lifestyle, social norms, emotions of gratitude), pull factors (pro-environment behaviour, mindful consumption, warm glow) and mooring factors (materialism, social status, hedonic values, sunk cost) that play a key role in the transition of consumers towards adoption of LaSS. The LaSS framework has immense scope of being empirically tested and deeply fathom the fast-changing luxury consumer behaviour in a nuanced manner. Luxury practitioners can refer to the LaSS framework to formulate better strategies for consumers who are ready to adopt a sustainable luxury consumption regime.
Financial Inclusion of Women and Gender Gap in Access to Finance: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Roy Priyanka , Patro Binoti
Published: June 2022

The consistent gender gap in financial inclusion over time is postulated by World Bank Findex data despite an increase in the overall financial inclusion level around the globe. Women’s financial inclusion is significant in line with the promotion of gender equality- one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations. Academic literatures have fragmented studies on women’s financial inclusion and there is a dearth of systematic literature review to comprehend the overall literature landscape in analyzing research gaps. This article is an attempt to conduct a structured systematic literature review to identify factors impacting women’s financial inclusion, the associated gender gap and importance of promoting greater financial inclusion for women. Literature reviews are important to map the existing landscape of a study problem and develop further knowledge. This study reviews 75 peer reviewed articles from 2000 to 2021 and presents the findings in a comprehensive manner following a conceptual model. Synthesized evidence reveal the existence of gendered financial inclusion mainly due to demand side factors. Various socio-economic and cultural factors are also seen to influence women’s financial exclusion. Based on the mapping of existing findings the study suggests future research directions where emerging themes lie in the areas related to digital finance, financial self-efficacy and financial literacy which are important for enhancing women’s financial inclusion.
Effect of Organizational Factors on Psychological Stress and Job Satisfaction
Authors: Singh Priya , Bhardwaj Prabhas , Sharma Susheel K. , Mishra Vinaytosh
Published: June 2022

Occupational stress is one of the most critical factors related to the employees’ well-being in any organization. Employees working in managerial positions are more prone to work-related stress because of the nature of the job and the responsibilities associated with the position. There is a lack of research on the effect of organizational factors on the psychological well-being of those working at managerial positions in the Indian context. This research aims to study the impact of workload, job control and support on psychological stress and job satisfaction. Structural equation modelling is used for the analysis. The study results reported no effect of workload on psychological stress and job satisfaction in the employees. The results also suggest that providing more control over the work can result in the better psychological well-being of employees and increase employees’ job satisfaction.
Enhancing Customer Service Experience: A Case of WBL (India)
Authors: Khatri Megha , Maheshwari Prateek
Published: June 2022

Sitting at his office, Mr Gangwani was anxiously flipping through the reports scattered on the desk. The continuously growing customer complaints and substandard service delivery ratings were not only disturbing him but affecting the company’s business also, at large. Despite several measures such as organizational restructuring, conduction of employees’ motivation and training sessions, implementation of a state-of-the-art enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution taken by him to streamline organizational processes, etc., the bank’s customers were not satisfied with the service delivery and overall experience.

This case presents the deteriorating customer service experience situation at Wealthworth Bank Limited (WBL) and put forward a framework (HEART parameters) as a possible solution to enhance customers’ service experience. It also questions the interoperability of the ‘HEART’ approach across WBL’s various foreign centres.
Pathways to Individual Financial Well-Being: Conceptual Framework and Future Research Agenda
Authors: Kaur Gagandeep , Singh Manjit
Published: June 2022

This conceptual article uses the theory of planned behaviour and the social comparison theory with an aim to propose an integrated conceptual model of individual financial well-being. The study helps to understand the process by which individuals acquire the skills required for responsible management of finance and achieve financial well-being. The present article synthesises findings from the existing literature and proposes an integrated conceptual model that incorporates financial knowledge, financial behaviours, financial attitude, financial social comparison and financial self-efficacy into a single financial well-being model. Besides this, one’s level of materialism, orientation towards future, level of conscientiousness and cultural values are identified as antecedents of financial attitude. Moreover, the gender perspective is also incorporated in the model, which provides valuable insights on the existence of wide gap in wealth accumulation as indicated by substantial research work. The study develops several propositions that may advance empirical research in financial well-being domain. The study also discusses practical implications for financial service professionals who can positively improve the ability of individuals in financial matters by emphasising the importance of psycho-social variables.
Workplace Conflict and Job-related Wellbeing Among Local Government Servants: The Role of Job Resources
Authors: Glilekpe Eunice Esimebia , Anlesinya Alex , Nyanyofio Gerald Joseph Nii Tetteh , Adeti Sampson Kudjo , Malcalm Ebenezer
Published: June 2022

Drawing on the job demands–resources model, this study examined the effect of workplace conflict as a work demand on job-related well-being (proxy by job satisfaction) while assessing the direct and buffering roles of job resources (employee development and supervisor support). The study employed a survey data from 130 employees of a major local government institution in Accra, Ghana, and the data were analysed using multiple regression and Hayes’ PROCESS macro moderation technique. The findings revealed that while workplace conflict has a significant negative effect on employee job-related well-being, employee development and supervisor support have significant positive effects but their interactions with workplace conflict show insignificant effects on employee job-related well-being. Our study provides new empirical evidence to extend the workplace conflict and employee well-being literature generally, and within the local government setting in particular. Furthermore, it contributes to the job demands–resources model by validating the dual pathways (job resources and job demands) of improving well-being while suggesting that a mismatch between the level of job demands and job resources may render their interactive effects ineffective.
The Impact of Dynamic Capability on Business Sustainability of Organizations
Authors: Chatterjee Sheshadri , Chaudhuri Ranjan , Vrontis Demetris , Chaudhuri Sumana
Published: June 2022

A firm’s dynamic capability is its ability to sense, seize and reconfigure its internal competencies to address any external changes to the business environment. Social customer relationship management (SCRM) is an organization’s marketing capability to use social media services and technologies to connect more closely with their customers and meet customers’ needs. Few studies have examined the influence of organization’s dynamic capability on its business sustainability. There is also no study which investigated the moderating role of SCRM on the relationship between an organization’s dynamic capability and its business sustainability, although there is a growing interest among researchers, academicians and practitioners to understand this relationship. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the impact of dynamic capability on an organization’s business sustainability, with SCRM as the moderator. With the help of dynamic capability view theory and the literature, a model has been developed conceptually. Later, the model is validated with the structural equation modelling technique by considering 302 respondents from different types of Indian organizations. The study finds that an organization’s dynamic capability has considerable impact on business sustainability. Also, the study confirms that SCRM has a significant moderating role in the relationship between organizations’ dynamic capability and business sustainability.
Recasting the Tribal Warrior: The Politics of Paratexts in Mayilamma: The Life of a Tribal Eco-warrior
Authors: Kuriakose Liju Jacob
Published: June 2022

This article attempts to read the paratextual elements in Mayilamma: The Life of a Tribal Eco-warrior (2018), the translated autobiography of Mayilamma, a tribal activist from Kerala, India, who led the protest against a Coca-Cola plant in their village. This study also attempts to analyse how translations work to shape and control marginalized life narratives, within an academic framework that caters to predominantly Western imaginings of the marginal exotic. It further questions how a marginalized life narrative is conceived and processed within the larger academia, as well as by the publishing industry. It provides a detailed discourse analysis of the paratextual elements in Mayilamma: The Life of a Tribal Eco-warrior to bring out its market politics and the process of exoticizing the marginalized. This article argues that through paratexts, there is an attempt to formulate a subject–object out of Mayilamma, within the academic imaginings of a marginal exotic rebel tribeswoman.
Opposing actions of CRF-R1 and CB1 receptor on facial stimulation-induced MLI-PC plasticity in mouse cerebellar cortex
Authors: Li Guang-Gao , Piao Chun-Jian , Wan Peng , Li Shu-Yu , Wei Yu-Xuan , Zhao Guo-Jun , Wu Wen-Yuan , Hong Lan , Chu Chun-Ping , Qiu De-Lai
Published: June 2022

Background

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is the major neuromodulator orchestrating the stress response, and is secreted by neurons in various regions of the brain. Cerebellar CRF is released by afferents from inferior olivary neurons and other brainstem nuclei in response to stressful challenges, and contributes to modulation of synaptic plasticity and motor learning behavior via its receptors. We recently found that CRF modulates facial stimulation-evoked molecular layer interneuron-Purkinje cell (MLI-PC) synaptic transmission via CRF type 1 receptor (CRF-R1) in vivo in mice, suggesting that CRF modulates sensory stimulation-evoked MLI-PC synaptic plasticity. However, the mechanism of how CRF modulates MLI-PC synaptic plasticity is unclear. We investigated the effect of CRF on facial stimulation-evoked MLI-PC long-term depression (LTD) in urethane-anesthetized mice by cell-attached recording technique and pharmacological methods.

Results

Facial stimulation at 1 Hz induced LTD of MLI-PC synaptic transmission under control conditions, but not in the presence of CRF (100 nM). The CRF-abolished MLI-PC LTD was restored by application of a selective CRF-R1 antagonist, BMS-763,534 (200 nM), but it was not restored by application of a selective CRF-R2 antagonist, antisauvagine-30 (200 nM). Blocking cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor abolished the facial stimulation-induced MLI-PC LTD, and revealed a CRF-triggered MLI-PC long-term potentiation (LTP) via CRF-R1. Notably, either inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) with chelerythrine (5 µM) or depletion of intracellular Ca2+ with cyclopiazonic acid (100 µM), completely prevented CRF-triggered MLI-PC LTP in mouse cerebellar cortex in vivo.

Conclusions

The present results indicated that CRF blocked sensory stimulation-induced opioid-dependent MLI-PC LTD by triggering MLI-PC LTP through CRF-R1/PKC and intracellular Ca2+ signaling pathway in mouse cerebellar cortex. These results suggest that activation of CRF-R1 opposes opioid-mediated cerebellar MLI-PC plasticity in vivo in mice.
Practitioner perceptions of the feasibility of common frailty screening instruments within general practice settings: a mixed methods study
Authors: Ambagtsheer Rachel C. , Casey Mavourneen G. , Lawless Michael , Archibald Mandy M. , Yu Solomon , Kitson Alison , Beilby Justin J.
Published: June 2022

Background

Frailty is a highly prevalent clinical syndrome increasing older people’s vulnerability to risk of adverse outcomes. Better frailty identification through expanded screening implementation has been advocated within general practice settings, both internationally and within Australia. However, little is known about practitioner perceptions of the feasibility of specific instruments, and the underlying motivations behind those perceptions. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of a convenience and volunteer sample of Australian general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses (PNs) towards common frailty screening instruments.

Methods

The feasibility of several frailty screening instruments (PRISMA-7 [P7], Edmonton Frail Scale [EFS], FRAIL Questionnaire [FQ], Gait Speed Test [GST], Groningen Frailty Indicator [GFI], Kihon Checklist [KC] and Timed Up and Go [TUG]) to 43 Australian GPs and PNs was assessed. The study adopted a concurrent embedded mixed-methods design incorporating quantitative (ranking exercise) and qualitative (content analysis) data collection integrated during the analysis phase.

Results

Practitioners assessed multi-dimensional instruments (EFS, GFI, KC) as having relatively higher clinical utility, better integration into existing assessment processes and stronger links to intervention over uni-dimensional (GST, TUG) and simple (FQ, P7) instruments.

Conclusions

While existing frailty screening instruments show promise as an initial step in supporting better care for older people, all the included instruments were associated with perceived advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, clinicians will need to weigh several factors in their selection of the optimal screening instrument. Further translational research, with a focus on contextual fit, is needed to support clinical decision-making on the selection of instruments for frailty screening.