The current study deals with the evaluation of the indoor concentration of 220Rn (thoron) in different dwellings with various construction materials used for the roof and floor in the major industrial sites of Kannur district, Kerala. A pinhole-based dosimeter coupled with LR-115 Solid State Nuclear Track Detector (SSNTD) and Direct Thoron Progeny Sensor (DTPS) were respectively used for the measurement of indoor concentration and equilibrium equivalent concentration of thoron. The thoron concentrations were found to vary from 124.64 Bqm-3 - 453.65 Bqm-3. The annual effective doses and excess lifetime cancer risks were observed in the range of 3.144 mSvy-1 -11.4 mSvy-1 and 13x10-3 to 45x10-3 respectively, and both exceeded the world average values recommended by UNSCEAR 2000. The study shows that, the houses with marble floor and concrete roof have comparatively higher values of thoron concentration, which indicates the significant contribution of construction materials to the enhanced radiation levels inside the dwellings.
by : Neeraja N, Sahadiya Nazar, Nadira Mahamood K, Prakash V
: 15 Feb 2023
: Journal Articles
: Volume : Volume 9 Issue : Issue 1
: View Pdf
Suicide is a major concern for all age groups nowadays. It is a serious problem that can cause a lot of distress in one’s life. It has been an adverse cause of death worldwide, so to see the aetiology of suicide among adolescents; a survey was conducted on 150 school students, age group of 10-19 years, consisting of both males and females. This study was done in order to understand the underlying factors of suicidal ideation in them. The factors taken into consideration were peer pressure and perceived stress. The scales used for the survey are Perceived Stress Scale, Peer Pressure Inventory and Suicidal Ideation Scale. The set hypothesis states that there is a correlation among perceived stress, peer pressure and suicidal ideation. The findings demonstrated that perceived stress has a correlation with suicidal ideation and that an increase in perceived stress causes vulnerability to suicidal ideation. The finding also stated that there is a significant correlation between suicidal ideation and misconduct, which is the domain of peer pressure. Thus, it proves that school students get vulnerable with increase in peer pressure and perceived stress which causes a vulnerability to suicidal ideation.
Covid-19 hit us suddenly and unexpectedly. It spread far and wide very quickly. The world was not prepared for it, and neither were the businesses. Prolonged lockdowns brought the economy to a standstill. Though it is not a banking crisis as such, it naturally affected the banks. Banks, being the forerunners of the economy, had to think fast and undertake major changes to carry on with their businesses and the services that they provide. This meant certain changes to the systems and procedures that were being normally followed. In order to support the sudden changes, technology adaptation was fast paced and technology solution providers came into the picture. The change that was going on at a certain pace was accelerated. The customers also had to somewhat begin adapting to these new modes of banking experience. The competition has now begun in the technological dynamism, amongst the banks. Will these changes be long lasting or will we return to pre pandemic era of banking, is for the future to tell? The changes are dynamic and, at the present moment looks like they are here to stay. This article looks into the changes that have been inflicted upon the banking industry in India due to Covid-19, and what probable changes are here to stay.
The present study is an attempt to assess the heavy metal buildup in road dust samples of heavy traffic areas of Narath Panchayath, Kannur district. Samples have been collected from the roadside and are analyzed using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy technique. The study also deals with health effects associated with heavy metal accumulation in the study area by calculating and interpreting the various hazard index parameters such as contamination factor, enrichment factor, geo-accumulation index, pollution load index, and degree of contamination. The concentration of heavy metals such as Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb has been quantified and reported in the ppb units. It is observed that the study area has a specific higher concentration of Fe and a lower concentration of Cd. The index parameters were calculated from the observed concentration of heavy metals and thereby pollution rate is understood. The study indicates that the metallic dust emitted from the vehicles significantly contributed to the heavy metal concentration in the area. The buildup of heavy metals is also influenced by traffic density, weather conditions, and human and industrial activities in that area. The detailed results and discussion of the present systematic investigation are given in the manuscript.
by : Aparna Bopan, Vineeth Kumar V, Prakash V
: 15 Aug 2022
: Journal Articles
: Volume : Volume 8 Issue : Issues 2-August
: View Pdf
In adolescence many children experience social anxiety in new social situations where they always try to avoid crowd. They always worry doing something they think is embarrassing such as blushing, sweating or appearing incompetent. They also find it difficult to do things when others are watching because they might feel they are being watched and judged all the time, fear of being criticized or have low self-esteem. Shyness is common which refers to feeling uncomfortable in social situations. If someone feels shy, still can motivate themselves to perform the work required. But someone with social anxiety can affect someone’s quality of life. And locus of control refers to the extent to which individuals believe they can control events affecting them. This study was done to investigate how social anxiety correlates with shyness and locus of control among the adolescence. Comparative study was done and the results show that there is correlation between shyness and locus of control but no significant correlation between social anxiety and locus of control.
