Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages
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Revival of Kargil-Iskardu-Gilgit Link Road: Costs and Benefits to India, Pakistan and Central Asia
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Evaluation of Training Effectiveness in State Administration: A Study of Government Schools
Get PDFThe current competitive environment demands that
organizations especially service oriented should possess well trained,
highly knowledgeable and skillful employees. The effectiveness of training
is the strongest weapon in the hands of an organization that leads it
towards the accomplishment of its objectives. A study conducted by
Mehray & Rao (1999) endorsed that training with regard to skill
deficiencies not only improves employees’ self-confidence, performance in
terms of increasing quality of services, reduced amount of supervision but
also improves their overall performance which employees themselves
express. Training and development, is no doubt, the very essence of every
organization. The success level of training and implementation of training
methods can be estimated by the degree of improvement in organizational
performance. Large establishments like British Airways have made large
investment in service improvement and staff training and the business
results have been impressive (Kohli & Sinha, 1994). Among the Indian
industries, BHEL, BEML Voltas and host of other notable
firms\companies showed encouraging results on switching to training
programs.
A number of research studies have been conducted in India
and abroad regarding the training evaluation and its effectiveness but so far
the service sector especially educational sector is concerned, not much has
been done in India and even very little in the state of Jammu Kashmir.
Jammu & Kashmir has remained neglected in this sector from the attention
of researchers and scholars. In service sector of Jammu & Kashmir, the
educational sector forms one of the imperative portions. Educational sector
is something that lays down the foundation of a nation. Within the four
walls of this sector the task of building our nation takes place continuously
on a regular basis. As can be rightly argued that the main purpose of
education is to train young people to earn an income in the future, while at
the same time contributing to their society’s economic development is also
its motive. The key concern in this way of looking at education is to bring
about prosperity both for the individual and the society
Thymidylate synthase enhancer region polymorphism not related to susceptibility to acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the Kashmir population
Get PDFBianchi Type-I Cosmological Model Filled with Viscous Fluid in a Modified Brans-Dicke Cosmology
Get PDFSTUDIES ON COMPLEXES OF TI(I), Pb(II) AN Bi(III) WITH SOME POTENTIAL BIOLIGANDS
No full textThe field of Bioinorganic Chemistry is very promising and versatile in the
domain of Coordination Chemistry which is not only an important branch of
chemistry but has become a separate branch of chemistry. This is because
living systems depend for their existence on many coordination compounds in
which metals ions are chelated by bioligands such as amino acids, the
building blocks of proteins and their derivatives including several of their
metabolic intermediates.
Coordination complexes, particularly chelates, play fundamental role in the
biochemistry of both plants and animals. Several of these complexes are
based on proteins as the metal protein complexes play a vital part in metabolic
path ways. Few products of natural origin are as versatile in their behavior
and properties and few have such a variety of biological functions to perform
as the amino acids and their derivatives.
Bioinorganic chemistry or Inorganic biochemistry is the study of metals in
biological systems. This can include the fundamental chemistry of metal-biomolecules interactions, the roles or effects of the metals in biochemical
pathways, or, more generally, the effects of elevated or decreased amounts of
metals on populations. How metal ions influence their environment and how
their environments influence their own properties requires an understanding
of the underlying principles and theories of coordination chemistry.
This versatile field of study found its seeds in the work of Alfred Werner, a
renowned chemist of 19
th
century who was attracted to the study of colorful
compounds (complexes) of cobalt and later awarded the prestigious Nobel
Prize in chemistry in 1913
1
. Coordination compounds are formed by the
interaction of a metal atom/ion and ligands molecules and retain their identity
in solution.
Studies on Tl (I), Pb (II) and Bi (III) complexes
154
The peculiarity associated with coordination chemistry is the possibility of
obtaining neutral, covalent, molecular compounds of metals, which in their
simple compounds, form ionic salt. These neutral compounds usually have
low solubility in water and are often readily volatile and may consequently be
used in the separation of metals concerned from contaminants. Coordination
compounds have opened doors for investigations of a number of chemical
mysteries and many of the metallic cations have been identified as essential
and beneficial for biological systems.
The essential role of metal ions in a wide range of biological processes is well
known. Many of them are essential for all living systems and present an
interesting study of the way in which they are involved in life processes.
Some of these metal ions are distributed selectively in biological system and
their selectivity is essential to an understanding of their biological function.
Their functions range from hydrolysis processes to isomerizations, redox
reaction, oxygen activation, and electron transfer and transport and storage
functions. Multistep biological processes such as the respiratory system or
photosynthesis cannot be envisioned without metalloproteins. Beneficial
properties and toxicities of metal ions will generally depend on nature and
number of the countless number of possible ligands which are attached to the
metal ion. From the mathematical point of view, the question arises, which
metal ion will combine with which ligand or vice-versa is rather formidable
leading to different activities of the metal and ligands. The thermodynamic
and kinetic properties of the complexes govern the mode of biological action.
The metal protein complexation is vital to all living systems as the metal ions
can be irreversibly bound in the protein molecule and as such are vital to
protein catalytic function. Such proteins are known as metalloenzymes, a host
of them occur naturally. In the metalloenzymes the metal atom can be directly
bounded to side chains of amino acids residues or to other ligands which are
covalently linked to the protein. Reversible binding of metals to proteins
Studies on Tl (I), Pb (II) and Bi (III) complexes
155
occurs in the transport and storage forms of metals in living system. The
unusual coordination observed in many metal enzymes has proved a
stimulating challenge to coordination chemists. In order to determine the
nature of the coordination site and its relation to the functional property of the
enzyme, an enormous array of physical and spectroscopic techniques have
been commissioned.
Proteins are important entity of the biological systems, playing a wide variety
of structural and functional roles. The proteins are the basic components of
protoplasm in the cells of animals and plants. For this reason they are
probably the most important of all biological materials because they serve as
the only source of the building blocks, required for the synthesis of the
structural constituents of the body. Many hormones and all of the known
enzymes are proteins. Proteins are formed by a number of amino acids united
by a peptide linkage.
Amino acids are the building materials of proteins. Most proteins contain a
large proportion of amino acids. These amino acids belong to an important
class of biologically indispensable compounds, containing an amino group
attached to the carbon next to the carboxylic group. Amino acids have been
classified in various ways. One such classification is on the basis of number
of amino and carboxylic group present in the molecule. Another system
designates them as aliphatic, aromatic, and heterocyclic amino acids,
depending upon the presence of chain or ring structures. All the amino acids
except glycine possess at least one asymmetric carbon atom and accordingly
they may be obtained in optically active D & L forms and optically inactive
racemic forms. All the naturally occurring amino acids have L (levorotary)
configuration. The normal human blood plasma contains all the amino acids
required for the synthesis of body proteins. The twenty standard amino acids
commonly found in proteins contain α-(alpha) carboxylic group, an α-amino
group and a distinctive R-group substituted on the α carbon atom.
Studies on Tl (I), Pb (II) and Bi (III) complexes
156
The amino acids are also classified on the basis of polarity and charge of their
R-groups. The non-polar aliphatic class includes glycine, alanine, leucine,
isoleucine, methionine and valine. Phenylalanine, tryptophan has aromatic
side chain and are relatively hydrophobic. The polar uncharged class includes
asparagines, cysteine, glutamine, proline, serine and threonine. The acidic
amino acids are aspartate and glutamate and the basic ones are arginine,
histidine and lysine. Histidine contains a heterocyclic ring (imidazole) that
has a pair of non-bonded electrons that are not involved in resonance. It exists
in both protonated and unprotonated forms at physiological pH. This is one of
the reasons for histidine to be an important component of many enzymes.
Several redox reactions take place in the biological systems, like the oxidation
of L-ascorbic acid into L-dehydroascorbic acid and oxidation of L-cysteine
into cystine.
Certain vitamins act as antioxidants and trap the radicals formed in the
aqueous environment of the cell and in blood plasma. The derivatives of some
amino acids function as drugs. L-Levodopa, a laevorotatory isomer of 3-(3,4-dihyroxy phenyl)L-alanine, is well known for its involvement in
neurotransmission process and in the treatment of Parkinson‟s Disease. It is
converted into dopamine by decarboxylation after penetrating the blood brain
barrier. Thus it acts by replacing depleted brain dopamine in patients suffering
from Parkinson‟s disease. Methyldopa has been one of the oldest and most
widely used antihypertensive agents. It is α-methyl derivative of 3,4-dihyroxyphenylalanine (dopa). Biochemically methyldopa acts as an inhibitor
of enzyme dopa-decarboxylase, but that fails to explain its mode of action. It
is postulated that methyldopa exerts its hypertensive effect within the central
nervous system by its conversion to a metabolite (methyl noradrenaline) that
acts as a potent O
2
-adrenergic; this may result in a decrease in sympathetic
outflow from the central nervous system.
Studies on Tl (I), Pb (II) and Bi (III) complexes
157
The commercially synthesized dipeptide: L-aspartyl-L-Phenylalanine methyl
ester (aspartame) is an artificial sweetener. It is active even at low
concentration. Biologically occurring peptides consist of two or more (up to
thousands) of linked amino acids and their residues, having biologically
important effects. A number of vertebrate hormones are small peptides. These
include oxytocin (nine amino acid residues), which stimulates uterine
contractions. Some extremely toxic mushroom poisons such as amanitin are
also small peptides, as are many antibiotics like bactracin, polymyxins etc.
The dipeptide N-glycylglycine has evolved as first dipeptide in marine
environment during the chemical evolution of biological organisms.
The complexes of amino acids are important in the study of bio-fluids,
particularly when hyper accumulated metal ions are present for physiological
or pathological reasons. The redox potential of a metal ion undergoes a wide
variation by complex formation with ligands having different donor groups
and as the metal in the complex can further coordinate with functional groups
in the substrate. The inherent tendency of amino acids for coordination is due
to the presence of potential donor groups such as –COOH, -NH2
, =NH, N, -OH and –SH sites in their molecules
2-8
. Thus the general theories relating to
amino acids may also be applied to these substances.
Consequently the dual role of beneficial as well as toxic nature played by
some metal ions creates a perplexing dilemma in respect of their utility and
essentiality on one hand and adversity and toxicity on the other hand.
Accordingly very often sequestration /masking/excretion of these offensive
metal ions in a suitable and ecofriendly manner becomes not only desirable
but also unavoidable. Fortunately for this uncompromisable need a number of
chemical schemes are either known or may be designed. One of the easiest
and safest ways is their removal in the form of harmless metal complexes.
The most important factor which contributes to the activity of toxic metal ions
is their avidity for the various complexing agents which, in turn, are directly
Studies on Tl (I), Pb (II) and Bi (III) complexes
158
related to the stability of the resulting complexes. The stability of a metal
complex depends both on the metal ion and the ligand. In some complexes a
ligand occupies more than one coordination position and in still others
interesting structure known as Chelate is formed. Chelate complexes are more
stable than similar complexes with unidentate ligands. Further, the larger is
the size of rings formed the more stable is the resulting complex. Chelate
compounds are even more stable when they contain a system of alternate
double and single bonds. In such systems, the π electron density is delocalized
and spread over the entire ring. The amino acids, due to the presence of
potential donor groups in their skeleton, have strong tendency for
complexation with metal ions what is known as the glycinato way, which
means that a five-membered ring is formed with the metal, amino nitrogen
and the carboxylic oxygen. This arrangement is always present for the
naturally occurring amino acids even when the side chain has a ligating
group. If there is a ligating group on the side chain, it will typically bind
apically in place of a solvent molecule. Whereas, amino acids and other
bioligands, along with their derivatives, having the polarisable donors, such as
thiol (-SH) group, have special avidity for toxic metal ions like Cd, Hg, Tl, Pb
etc. and can displace the native essential trace elements from their moieties, in
many cases, the metal ions undergo complexation with such drugs that
function as potential chelators and thus prove to be toxic.
It has been observed that if tetracycline is recommended for the patients
already on iron therapy for the treatment of anemia, the absorption of
antibiotic is drastically reduced and the iron absorption is so greatly reduced
that the patients remain almost untreated for anemia. Hence, such a
combination is mutually antagonistic in nature. As ligands, amino acids also
act as ambidentate in that they can bind through (S, N), (N, O) or (S, O) donor
atoms. The strong affinity of soft metal ions for thiol groups also give rise to
Studies on Tl (I), Pb (II) and Bi (III) complexes
159
monodentate behavior; e.g. Hg-S bond formed even at low pH of
organomercury (ll) with thiol compounds in 1:1 ratio.
Some of the heavier metal ions, when present in human body, become
undesirable, the main harm done by these undesirable metal ions, is that very
often they tend to displace some physiologically desirable metal ions, thereby
they upset the natural balance. Further many of them accumulate within the
human body with age to dangerous levels. We are constantly exposed to such
undesirable elements that accumulate innocuously in our bodies.
Cadmium replaces zinc biochemically and is toxic to aquatic biota. Mercury
is toxic at such low levels that it leaves very small margin to humans and
causes acute and chronic toxicity. Lead is a notoriously dangerous metal and
insidiously deceptive poison. Zinc salts are irritant poisons. The high toxicity
potential and the deleterious effect of Tl, Pb, Cd and Hg exposure on human
health are major challenges to the health professionals. They can cause
oxidative, genetic, metabolic, enzymatic damages besides producing adverse
effects on the kidney, nervous system, reproductive system etc. They are
carcinogenic and can also cause hypertensive condition. It is, therefore,
pertinent to ascertain how these metal ions are distributed and concentrated in
our bodies and in what form and concentrations they will become harmful and
life threatening. However by complexing with appropriate bioligands (like
proteins) these toxic metals can be excreted out of the body.
There is intense relationship between toxic heavy metals like Cd, Hg, Tl, Pb
etc and cancer, as they have been declared as one of the major causes of
cancer. As a result of extensive research in this branch, different types of
anticancer chemicals have appeared to be promising. These include alkylating
agents (e.g., cyclophosphamide); natural products (e.g., bleomycin);
antibodies (e.g., adriamycin); modified nucleosides (e.g., 5-fluorouracil);
antifolates (e.g., methotrexate); mitotic inhibitor (e.g., vinblastine); steroids
(e.g., prednisone) and the coordination compounds (e.g., cis-platin). Cis platin
Studies on Tl (I), Pb (II) and Bi (III) complexes
160
has been successfully used in the treatment of testicular, ovarian and lung
cancers. It acts as an anticancer agent by interacting with DNA and
suppressing its synthesis.
Metal toxicity differs from organic poisons most obviously in the respect that
no organism is capable of transforming them (organic species) into harmless
compounds. To detoxify them, considerable use has been made of the ability
of some chelating antidotes for sequestering them. Thus external chelating
drugs are administered to seek out them and to bind them in complexes that
would be excreted. An effective chelating agent must satisfy the second law
of thermodynamics i.e, the free energy change for the transfer of metal ion
from the bonding sites in vivo to the chelating drug must be negative. To
achieve this requirement, conditional stability constants between the toxic
metal and the chelating drug must be greater than that of the competing
ligands in vivo with the metal concerned. In this connection, the measurement
of absolute formation constant in vitro is not very much meaningful as in
vivo. Many interfering factors come into play. Besides, the administered drug
should satisfy the stereo chemical requirements for the metal ion to be
removed. Since toxic metals can have very damaging effects on biological
processes, by studying the chemistry and role of these metals in biological
processes, information extracted may be applied on the biochemical
consequences of introduction of toxic metals to biosystems.
Thallium (TI
+
) is one of the most toxic heavy metal and causes chronic and
acute poisoning to mammals than the other toxic heavy metals. It is widely
distributed in the natural environment. Thallium salts have been used as a
therapeutic agent to treat syphilis, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, and ringworm, and
it was also used as a depilatory for excess hair. In the early part of the last
century, a product known as Koremlu was marketed in the United States for
the treatment of ringworm as well as a depilatory agent. By 1934, 692 cases
of thallium poisoning were reported with at least 31 deaths. Thallium was also
Studies on Tl (I), Pb (II) and Bi (III) complexes
161
widely used as a rodenticide. Its use as a household rodenticide was banned in
the United States in 1965 after multiple unintentional poisonings. Commercial
use was banned a decade later. Unfortunately, unintentional poisonings are
still reported in many countries where thallium is used as a rodenticide and
ant killer. Currently, thallium is used in the manufacture of electronic
components, optical lenses, semiconductor materials, alloys, gamma radiation
detection equipment, imitation jewelry, artist's paints, low temperature
thermometers, and green fireworks. Trace amounts of thallium are used as a
contrast agent in the visualization of cardiac function and tumors. Thallium
exposure may occur at smelters in the maintenance and cleaning of ducts and
flues and through contamination of cocaine, heroin, and herbal products.
Criminal and unintentional thallium poisonings are still reported, some
leading to death
9-11
.
Lead (Pb
2+
) poisoning was among the first known and most widely studied
work and environmental hazards. Lead is thought to have been discovered and
first mined in Turkey around 6500 BC. Its density, workability, and
corrosion-resistance were among the metal's attractions. Lead poisoning is a
medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal in the body.
Lead interferes with a variety normal biometabolic body processes and is fatal
to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and
reproductive and nervous systems. It interferes with the development of the
nervous system and is therefore particularly toxic to children, causing
potentially permanent learning and behavior disorders. Symptoms include
abdominal pain, headache, anemia, irritability, and in severe cases seizures,
coma, and death. Routes of exposure to heavy metal toxicity include
contaminated air, water, soil, food, and consumer products. Occupational
exposure is a common cause of heavy metal poisoning in adults
12-14
.
Bismuth (Bi
3+
) compounds have been widely used in the clinic for centuries
because of their high effectiveness and low toxicity in the treatment of a
Studies on Tl (I), Pb (II) and Bi (III) complexes
162
variety of microbial infection, including syphilis, diarrhea, gastritis and
colitis. Apart from antimicrobial activity, bismuth compounds exhibit
anticancer activities,
212
Bi and
213
Bi compounds have also been used as
targeted radio-therapeutic agents for cancer treatment and furthermore they
have the ability to reduce the side-effects of cisplatin in cancer therapy
15
.
Keeping in view the facts and case histories mentioned, it was decided to
work on the heavy metals and their interaction with the biologically important
bioligands including their adverse effects. The general focus of our work has
been the study of coordination behavior and extent of avidity of Tl(l), Pb(II)
and Bi(lll) with amino acids. The characterization of these complexes is often
specific to an i
A Study of Mughal and Local Chronicles on Mughal Kashmir
No full textHistorians of the Medieval India have long recognized the significance and importance of regional history because all the areas had their distinct and unique characteristics, that had a bearing on the administrative measures required for the effective control of the region. No two areas under the Mughals were identical in-terms of their historical past, culture, geographical location and economic potential or limitations. The valley of Kashmir, with well-defined geographical boundaries was one such region that got a fairly reasonable attention of the historians.
Mughal period, that lasted from 1586-1753, marks one important phase in the history of Kashmir. The fair and exuberant beauty of Kashmir valley had been a great source of attraction for all the Mughal emperors including Babar and Humayun. However, they could not make any serious attempt to conquer Kashmir, as they remained busy in their wars against their rivals in other parts of India. As a result Kashmir remained outside their domain. But it was during the period of Akbar that Kashmir became the part of Mughal Empire. Following the use of full military might and ruthless massacre of forces of resistance, Mughals took over the charge of Kashmir into their own hands in 1586AD. Though for some time it remained a
2
part of the province of Kabul1, Kashmir assumed the status of full-fledged province under the emperor Jehangir (Suba)2
Land use/Land cover Change and its Impact on Flood Occurrence: A Case Study of Upper Jhelum Floodplain
Get PDFA flood is a hydrological event characterized by high discharges and/or water
levels that can lead to inundation of land adjacent to streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands
and other water bodies. Flood, as defined by the International Commission on
Irrigation and Drainage, is a relatively high flow or stage in a river, markedly higher
than the usual; it also includes the inundation of low land which may result therefrom.
Floods may be caused by natural events, by human activities, or by combinations of
both. Regardless of their cause, floods have a profound effect on people and the
economy. On an annual basis floods leave over 3 million people homeless and affect
the personal and economic fortunes of another 60 million people (WCD, 2000). Since
the dawn of civilization, destructive floods have jeopardized settlements located in
river valleys and floodplains. Throughout the history of mankind, floods have brought
tremendous wealth and prosperity to civilizations, and yet at the same time, they have
caused huge losses and resulted in untold suffering for millions of people. Floods are
the most devastating natural hazards in the world causing the largest amount of deaths
and property damage (CEOS, 2003). According to the Red Cross, floods between
1971 and 1995 affected more than 1.5 billion people worldwide, including 318,000
persons who were killed and over 81 million left homeless (IFRCRCS, 1997). In
2003, floods accounted for 3,723 fatalities around the world (Munich Re, 2003). A
ten-year comparative study of the world’s great flood disasters from 1950 to 1998
showed that the number of flood events increased nearly threefold, while the
economic losses of the 1990’s are ten times as high as in the 1950’s, amounting to
$250 billion globally (Loster, 1999)
Design Considerations for Developing a Disk File System
Get PDFFile Systems manage the most important entity of a digital computer system,namely digital-data. They are responsible for the storage and retrieval of digital data residing on the storage sub-system. However, this job of file systems is made difficult by the advancements and enhancements in hardware technology, and the dynamic and intense user requirements. The current hardware technology trends and workloads challenge the performance, scalability and extensibility of file systems. As such, file systems need to evolve to cope up with this requirement. Though file systems have been evolving since their existence, but the way they have been, has unknowingly led to other problems. These include objective specific disk file systems, incompatible variants of same basic design, reluctance on part of a file system to adapt to new features, and so on. Furthermore, the benchmarking methodology followed to evaluate the performance of a file systemis problematic.
The motivation of this research is to enhance file systems to overcome and mitigate the challenges put forth by current hardware technology trends and user requirements such that the effort can be applied to all file systems or atleast a class of file systems in order to avoid the problems inherent in existing evolution. The central theme in this thesis is to overcome the challenges of performance, scalability and extensibility of file systems without modifying the design or source of the file system. In this thesis, we investigate various existing approaches and new concepts to achieve this goal. These include exploiting the concept of virtual unification to break file size limitation, the hybrid storage for performance and the block level behavior for reliable and efficient secure data deletion. Furthermore, this thesis also investigates a new benchmarking methodology for file system benchmarks.
To validate the concepts, we have designed 4 file systems namely suvFS, hFAT,restFS and OneSec, and have implemented three of them while simulated therest. In addition, we have empirically evaluated the claims made by these filesystems.
Our evaluations show that suvFS can break file size limitation of any file systemwithout modifying the design or source of that file system. Although,suvFS adds performance overhead, but the overhead is mainly due to FUSE framework. Furthermore, the normalized statistics revealed that the average performance overhead added by suvFS algorithms during reading is as low as 0.59 % while during writing and deleting it is as high as 11.22 % and 14.77 % respectively. However, the average growth of performance overhead with doubling the file size is 0.51 % for reading, 6.73 % for writing and 9.54 % for deletion.
Furthermore, the simulation of hFAT file system indicates that it can reduce the latency incurred by FAT32 file system operations by a minimum of 25 %, 10 % and 90 % during writing, reading and deleting large number of small files respectively, if a solid state storage device having latency lesser or equal to 10% ofthat of magnetic disk is used in addition. Furthermore, this performance enhancement doesn’t demand any design or source modification of the file system.
Similarly, the evaluation of restFS showed that it can save a minimum of 28 %of data blocks that needed to be overwritten and can reduce the number of diskwrites issued by 88 % as compared to other existing overwriting techniques when mounted on top ofext2 file system. Furthermore, this feature doesn’t demand any design or source modification of the file system.
Finally, OneSec pointed out that the Linux OS file system framework adds large costs to filesystem operations which is as minimum as 76.93 % in OneSec. Furthermore, on evaluating ext2 file system against OneSec, the evaluation pointed out that reading operation of ext2 file system is 96.86 % nearer to efficient design while deletion is 95.62 % andwriting is95.39 % nearer. Also, the comparison of normalized results showed that ext2 file system should reduce its disk I/Os inorder to yield better performance