Defence Life Science Journal
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Impact of Perceived Stress Safety Attitude and Flight Experience on Hazardous Event Involvement of Aviators
Get PDFThe pilots’ attitude and its influence on flying performance have an imperative bearing on flight safety. Recent studies suggest that attitude and stress correlate with flying performance and could be one of the many factors, which contribute to accidents or incidents. The objective of the current research was to study the relationship between aviation safety attitude, flight experience, perceived stress, and hazardous event involvement among aviators. The study also investigated whether aviation safety attitude, perceived stress, and flying experience predict the hazardous event involvement of aviators or not. It was hypothesised that less flying experience, perceived stress, and aviation safety attitude will predict the hazardous event involvement of aviators. The data was collected from 360 aviators by using the aviation safety attitude scale, hazardous event scale, and perceived stress scale. Correlation and regression analysis were used for analysing the obtained data. The findings of the study indicated that flight experience and safety attitude are significantly negatively correlated with hazardous event involvement and perceived stress is significantly positively associated with hazardous event involvement. In addition to this, aviation safety attitude, perceived stress, and flying experience were found to be strong predictors of hazardous event involvement. The findings of the study will help in building effective training programs as accidents can be prevented by improved pilot training involving perceived stress and attitude identification and management
Effect of Job Satisfaction on Psychological Well Being and Perceived Stress among Government and Private Employee
Get PDFThe wellbeing and health of people are influenced by satisfaction about their job. The essence of job satisfaction is explained as mental gratification derived from one’s job. To know how the job satisfaction of an individual affects the other domains of an individual’s life like, psychological well-being and perceived stress in making an individual over-all healthy being. The study aims to investigate the Job satisfaction levels on psychological well-being and Perceived stress among government and private employees. Convenient sampling method was used in this study. In this study the sample consisted of 100 employees; 48 employees from the government sector and 52 employees from the private sector of the Delhi/ NCR region. For this study the behaviour tools used were job satisfaction scale, psychological well-being, and Perceived stress scale were taken for the study. These tools are used to measure government and private employee psycho social health issues. SPSS-18 software was used for data management. The results revealed significant negative correlation between Job satisfaction and Purpose in Life (r= -0.21) at p<0.05 level of significance. Perceived stress had a negative correlation between Autonomy (r= -.23) and Positive relation with others (r= -0.20) at p<0.05 level of significance. There was a significant difference between Government and Private sectors on Positive relations with others (p=0.003) at p<0.05 and Perceived stress (p=0.000) at p<0.05
Potential Application of Bacteriophage in Decontaminating Biothreat Agents
Get PDFMultidrug resistant bacterial infections have become a potent risk, globally and there is an urgent need to phage and phage-derived enzymes as a therapeutic agent. The risk is more prominent in underdeveloped nations, where high population density, poor drinking water, inadequate sanitary and health care facilities ease the spread of infection. Bacteriophages (or ‘phages’) are abundant in nature and highly specific in their infection and pathogenicity, allowing their isolation, enrichment and use against specific bacteria. Employing bacteriophages as a tool for neutralizing potential biological threat agents can thus be an effective approach towards preparedness for biothreat mitigation. Unlike chemical antibiotics, phages are self-propagating, i.e., starting with a small number they can sustain their population, do not affect non-target/ beneficial bacterial populations. The tremendous potential of bacteriophages has recently been shown in treating multidrug resistant bacterial infections in terminally ill human subjects with unprecedented success. The natural anti-bacterial properties can be harnessed for decontamination of food, water, crops and for many other purposes including pathogen reduction in wastewater etc. Additionally, with the advancement in genetic engineering, deliberate use of such engineered multidrug resistant bacteria by state/non-state players has also become a reality. Owing to their resistance to several of the available antibiotics, control and mitigation of emerging pathogens is going to be great challenge. In this context, bacteriophages could be of potential use, since these viruses specifically infect bacterial hosts, often leading to their destruction
COVIDentistry Combating Corona Virus Spread in Dental Setup Indian Prospective
Get PDFMaking its first presence in humans in China in late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has been identified as a highly contagious viral particle causing distress of lower respiratory system, named COVID-19. Since January 2020, there has been a worldwide increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and associated deaths. Owing to the contagious nature of the disease and socializing human culture, the disease has spanned over continents resulting in some countries being more severely affected than others. Since the first knowledge of the disease, interim guidelines have been constantly issued by competent authorities to safeguard the interest of masses and healthcare professionals. As and when new details are procured, these guidelines are adequately modified and circulated. As a standard measure, all individuals are expected to maintain social distancing, cover their face with a mask during any outdoor activity and practice hand hygiene and cough etiquettes. Respiratory droplet spread is the most potential source identified for this uncontrolled disease spread. Being of smaller size, aerosols produced during medical treatment too act a potential source of viral particle dissemination. Almost all dental procedures involve production of aerosols in some form or the other, irrespective of the kind of instrumentation used. Additionally, proximity to the oral cavity, one of the sources of droplet production, poses a high risk of disease contraction by dental healthcare workers and visiting patients. With consideration to dental practice, various guidelines have been issued to minimise and control the spread of COVID-19. This article is written with an aim of reviewing these guidelines and sensitizing and encouraging the dental fraternity to follow them and contribute in the current world health crisis
Protests Mass Movements and Politicised Identities A Relook at Social Conflicts in Contemporary India
Get PDFIn recent years India has been witnessing an upsurge of conflicts over myriad issues such as displacement related to development projects, legislative changes, claim over natural resources, environmental issues and the like. Though each conflict situation is unique and demands a detailed research exploration in its own right, the need for evolving a paradigm based on underlying commonalities and basic principles cannot be denied. Such a framework would facilitate not only the researchers, but also the policymakers, and has the potential to create pathways for conflict containment and resolution. Even a cursory perusal of the underlying dynamics of most conflicts at local, national or international levels indicates a contestation over limited resources that eventually transforms into contestations for power and identity. Many such conflicts often appear to undermine national security and are often construed as ‘anti-development’, ‘anti-establishment’ or even ‘anti-state’. The present paper posits that it is important to reveal the subtler processes of negotiation in a conflict situation, to understand conflict as a co-constructed social reality and to highlight the reciprocal impact made by the dynamics of such constructions on identities of the parties involved. Along with examining the role of identity dynamics in perpetuating conflicts, the paper argues for incorporating both identity and instrumental pathways in theorizing conflicts. Emphasising upon the role played by politicisation of identities in conflict situations, the paper proposes a theoretical model for deconstructing conflicts and working towards conflict resolution
Effect of Pulsed 810 nm Laser Photobiomodulation on Dermal Wound Healing and Oxidative Stress in Immunosuppressed Rats
Get PDFUnder immunosuppression, the sequential overlapping wound repair phases get hampered due to dysregulated or persistent inflammation leading to non-healing chronic wounds formation. The present study investigates the effect of low-power 810 nm diode laser (70 mW mean output power; 40 mW/cm2 average irradiance; 24 J/cm2 total fluence; 10 Hz pulse frequency; duty cycle 50 per cent; 10 min. illumination time once daily for seven days) photobiomodulation (PBM) on dermal penetration ability, wound healing and oxidative stress in hydrocortisone-induced immunosuppressed rats. The results of the penetration ability of 810 nm laser irradiation to the depth of the sub-dermal region revealed that the transmitted power of laser at 10 Hz pulsed-mode was better and easier than continuous-mode. The present findings clearly delineated that PBM with 810 nm laser at 10 Hz significantly augmented healing and reduced oxidative stress as evidenced by decreased free radicals, nitric oxide (NO) levels, enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity and wound area contraction facilitating the cellular redox homeostasis and promoting the tissue repair process. In conclusion, PBM with NIR 810 nm laser at pulsed-mode 10 Hz frequency showed better penetration and accelerated dermal wound healing in immunosuppressed rats
Working Model for Strategic Communication Persuading the Hostile Target during Interrogation
Get PDFThe model aims to assist the security force personnel in the new era of warfare where the enemy is eliminated not by the weapons but by the information wars first. Also, a robust shield is required to counter it in the form of information-operations. The locals are made resilient enough to counter the information-war of the enemies. The interactions with the locals are required to convert into opportunities to win their hearts and minds. Generally, in a hostile environment, any interaction with the people turns in the form of an interrogation, since the trust is low and the stakes are high. The present paper accumulated the experiential knowledge from the experts operated in the vulnerable and hostile areas, to develop a scientific model of strategic-communication. The model explains the psychological techniques step by step, used by the experts to convert interrogation as an opportunity to build a sustainable relationship of support and cooperation
Reflections on Sustaining Morale and Combat Motivation in Soldiers
Get PDFMilitary morale and motivation formulate the signature strength of a fighting force. However, sustenance of these faculties is a bigger challenge than generating them. The exponential development in the neo-cortex and emerging social structure has made human beings hardcore individualistic. The sense of ‘self’ has become much stronger than the sense of the whole. This results in the recurrent violation of collective identity, as evidenced by the rise in numbers of misconduct behaviors, mutinies, estranged leader-led relations, desertion, fragging, and suicides. Utilizing the lessons from various ecological systems and derived scientific principles, the present paper takes note of significant researches in the area to arrive at a reflective model of Morale and Combat Motivation in soldiers. Firstly, it attempts to understand ‘why and why not the soldiers shall fight’ and subsequently give suggestive guidelines to ‘how they will continue to fight’ with particular reference to the Indian military setup. The model can be utilised by military leaders and policymakers alike who are entrusted with the herculean task of upkeeping battle-mind state of soldiers in military organisations
Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Assess Cognitive Workload
Get PDFQuantification of mental workload is a significant aspect of monitoring and adaptive aiding systems that are intended to improve the efficiency and safety of human–machine systems. Functional near Infrared (fNIR) spectroscopy is a field-deployable brain monitoring device that provides a measures of cerebral hemodynamic within the prefrontal cortex. The purpose of this study was to assess the cognitive load by using Performance (reaction time), Behavioral metrics (NASA TLX) and Neuro-Cognitive Measures (Hemodynamic response). To observe the activation in prefrontal cortex, we employed Functional Near Infrared (fNIR) Spectroscopy with a Standard Stroop task. A total of 25 healthy participants (N 18 Male and N 07 Female, M Age 25.5 SD 7.6), participated in the study. For statistical analysis, a repeated measure t-test was computed to compare the Oxy (Δ[HbO2]) and De-Oxy (Δ[hHb]) changes under Congruent and In-Congruent task conditions. For Classification, Binary logistic regression model applied to identify how accurately classifying the varied workload conditions. The finding shows that fNIR measures had adequate predictive power for estimating task performance in workload conditions. In this paper, we have found evidence that fNIR can be used as indicator of cognitive load which is important for optimal human performance
Role of DIBER DRDO Technologies in Improving Livelihood Opportunities and Curtailing Migration in Uttarakhand: A Case Study and Impact Assessment
Get PDFMigration of local population of Uttarakhand (UK) border areas is presently serious issues for national security since; this State is sharing international border (~650 km) with China/Tibet and Nepal. Among the various factors reported for migration, few notables are search for better livelihood, unemployment, difficult remote terrain and poor land connectivity, less productivity from agriculture due to abiotic and biotic stresses etc. Hence, measures to increase the livelihood opportunities in these border areas to curb the problem of migration through intervention of modern agro-animal technologies are essentially required. In this attempt, Defence Institute of Bio Energy Research (DIBER) has already developed various agro-animal mature technologies, in terms of high yielding and genuine quality seed/seedlings, protected cultivation technology, soil-less cultivation technology, angora farming, mushroom cultivation, medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) cultivation technology, hydro-fodder, etc that shown great promise and impact in increasing the farm income and livelihood opportunities for civil inhabitants of these marginal regions. This article highlights the DIBER outreach extension efforts for ensuring better livelihood opportunities to farmers of border area and also to curtail migration that will in turn increase strategic support to Army and paramilitary defence forces deployed in three border Distts (Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh) of UK