Journal of Daoist Studies ISSN 1941-5524 Coverage Statement Vol. 1 (2008) through current issue Open Access Yes The Journal of Daoist Studies (JDS) is an annual publication dedicated to the scholarly exploration of Daoism in all its different dimensions. Each issue has three main parts: Academic Articles on history, philosophy, art, society, and more (limit 8,500 words); Forum on Contemporary Practice on issues of current activities both in China and other parts of the world (limit 5000 words); and News of the Field, presenting information relevant to current affairs within Daoist studies. Publisher Publisher:University of Hawaii Press editor@journalofdaoiststudies.org
Patterns of interaction in LLM based Conversation Practice: A Discourse Analysis
This study analyzed the interactional dynamics between EFL learners and a Large Language Models (ChatGPT-4) in task-based contexts applying a mixed-method sequential explanatory design. Database consisted of human-LLM conversation transcripts complemented by semi-structured interviews with EFL learners. Sixty intermediate learners of English (IEL) at Qassim University participated in the eight conversation tasks over a period of ten weeks. Results showed statistically significant gains for the learners in discourse coherence, pragmatic subscales (indirect speech act production, request modification, and topic management), and meaning negotiation strategies across the intervention. Qualitative analysis confirmed that learners viewed ChatGPT-4 as an authentic scaffolding tool in foreign language conversation. The study has pedagogical implications encouraging the use of LLMs as additional conversational partners in EFL speaking instruction.
Aziza Saleh Alzabidi, Arif Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Al-Ahdal,
⁠Urban governance and Smart Cities: Using AI to boost quality
A smart city is an area having urban projects that use AI and machine learning-based solutions to manage infrastructure efficiently and sustainably, such as in the optimization of waste collection routes and reducing carbon emissions by transport that ferries waste etc. Similarly, urban services, production, and economies can also be managed by MIS and AI tools. Studies in the Saudi context on such applications are negligible. Thus, the present study aims to address this gap. The research questions center around the role of AI integration in smart cities to enhance MIS for better urban management and business management, and governance. Further, case studies from across the globe are included to explore how urban production systems can be optimized with AI, also applying the model to two urban centers in the Saudi context. Lastly, the study examines the barriers in ensuring the effectiveness of AI in the ecosystems of smart cities. The study adopts a mixed methods approach. The data were collected data from two cities in the country and collated from municipal MIS data for energy and traffic. Focus group discussion with a convenience sample of end users comprising teachers and students at Qassim University adds other dimensions to the findings. Efficiency outcomes are analyzed alongside thematic analysis to identify administrative and governance challenges.
Nutritional and Structural Characterization of Dietary Fibre Concentrates from sustainable Agro-Industrial By-Products
The escalating generation of by-products from fruit and vegetable processing has become a major sustainability challenge, encouraging Valorization strategies that transform these un-utilized biomass resources into functional ingredients with enhanced nutritional and economic value. This study aimed to develop dietary fibre concentrates (DFCs) from mango and potato peels and evaluate their nutritional, and structural characteristics. Mango and potato peels were processed into dietary fibre concentrates through drying, grinding, and sieving. Proximate analysis revealed that the dietary fibre concentrates (DFCs) were rich in dietary fibre and contained substantial amounts of ash and carbohydrates, indicating their nutritional significance and potential application in functional food formulations. Structural characterization using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated irregular, porous, and fibrous surface morphology, which contributes to improved water and oil-holding capacities. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the presence of essential elements such as carbon and oxygen, supporting the organic nature of the fibre matrix. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated a semi-crystalline structure characteristic of cellulose and hemicellulose components. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) identified functional groups corresponding to polysaccharides, lignin, and cellulose, confirming the complex fibre composition. The findings demonstrate that peel-derived DFCs possess valuable nutritional and functional attributes, making them suitable for incorporation into functional food products. This study highlights the potential of fruit and vegetable processing by-products as sustainable sources of dietary fibre and supports their utilization in value-added food applications.
Shailesh Kumar, Sunita Mishra, Priyanka Shankar
Elucidating Soil Micronutrient Transformations under Food Crop Cultivation Using FTIR Spectroscopy
Soil micronutrient transformations play a crucial role in maintaining soil fertility, crop productivity, and sustainable agricultural systems. The present study aimed to elucidate the transformation behavior of soil micronutrients under food crop cultivation using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The soil samples were collected from experimental agricultural fields before and after crop cultivation and analysed for selected physicochemical properties and micronutrient status including Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu. FTIR spectroscopy was used as a rapid and sensitive analytical technique to characterize changes in soil functional groups and mineral-organic interactions involved in nutrient dynamics. The recording of FTIR spectra in the mid-infrared region (4000-400cm-1) was helpful to identify absorption bands for organic compounds, clay minerals, metal oxides and nutrient linked complexes. Variations in spectral peaks indicated significant biochemical and mineralogical transformations in cultivated soils due to rhizospheric activities, organic matter decomposition, and nutrient mobilization processes. The observed shifts in hydroxyl, carboxyl, silicate, and carbonate functional groups suggested interactions between soil organic matter and micronutrient elements influencing nutrient availability and stabilization. Comparative analysis among cultivated soils demonstrated that crop growth significantly altered soil chemical environments and micronutrient transformations. The study highlights the effectiveness of FTIR spectroscopy in monitoring soil nutrient dynamics and understanding the mechanisms governing micronutrient behavior in agricultural ecosystems. These findings may contribute to improved soil nutrient management strategies and sustainable food crop production through better assessment of soil biochemical transformations and micronutrient bioavailability.
Revisiting Itrifal-e-Aftimoon: A Unani Polyherbal Formulation for Cancer Management and Research
Cancer remains a major global health challenge, with conventional therapies limited by toxicity, drug resistance, and accessibility issues. Itrifal Aftimoon, a classical Unani polyherbal formulation from the National Formulary of Unani Medicine, contains twelve botanical and mineral ingredients including Triphala (Terminalia chebula, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia belerica), Plumbago zeylanica, Cuscuta reflexa, and Cassia angustifolia. These herbs provide diverse phytochemicals gallic acid, ellagic acid, plumbagin, flavonoids, and polyphenols enabling multi-targeted anticancer mechanisms.Gupta et al. (2022) demonstrated that Itrifal-e-Aftimoon potentiates imatinib's anti-leukemic effects in chronic myeloid leukemia by modulating FAK/STAT/Akt/ERK signaling pathways. The formulation exhibits antioxidant activity via Nrf2-ARE activation, anti-inflammatory effects through NF-κB and COX-2 suppression, immunomodulation enhancing natural killer cells, and selective cytotoxicity against cancer cells while sparing normal cells. Preclinical studies show tumor growth inhibition and improved survival in animal models. Clinical observations suggest enhanced quality of life and reduced chemotherapy toxicities, though rigorous trials are limited. Toxicological studies indicate favourable safety profiles with high therapeutic margins, though drug interactions require monitoring. Future research priorities include randomized controlled trials, pharmacokinetic studies, standardization protocols, bioactive compound identification, and nanoformulation development for improved bioavailability. Integrating traditional Unani knowledge with modern pharmaceutical sciences offers opportunities for evidence-based cancer therapeutics that address current oncological challenges while providing safer, accessible treatment options globally.
Nizamudeen S, A. Madan Kumar, K. Narayanasamy and Kathiravan Krishnan
Artificial Intelligence in Shopping Applications: A Systematic Review of Consumer Behaviour, Personalization, and Ethical Implications
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into shopping applications has fundamentally transformed digital commerce, reshaping how consumers discover, evaluate, and purchase products. This paper presents a systematic review of AI applications in shopping environments, synthesizing findings from Scopus-indexed literature to examine the technological foundations, consumer behavioural impacts, and emerging ethical considerations. Drawing on bibliometric trends demonstrating exponential publication growth since 2020, the review identifies machine learning, natural language processing, and recommendation systems as core enabling technologies. AI-driven personalization emerges as a primary mechanism influencing consumer attitudes, trust, and purchase intentions, while ethical concerns surrounding data privacy, algorithmic transparency, and bias persist as critical challenges The analysis further reveals significant gaps in longitudinal research and cross-cultural investigations, particularly regarding the long-term effects of AI interactions on consumer loyalty and the psychological dimensions of human-AI engagement in retail contexts This paper contributes a comprehensive framework for understanding AI's transformative role in shopping applications and proposes actionable directions for future research that balance technological innovation with responsible, consumer-centric practices.
Murgesha B.N,, Dr. Neelima Nishikant Bhoomkar, Dr. P Muthuraju, Rekha B.S, Shobha J
Visualising Glocal Sustainability Agency through Photovoice: Indonesian Students and the Translation of Global Sustainability Discourse
This article attempts to understand how Indonesian undergraduate students used photovoice to localize and make sense of global sustainability discourse through local imagery, language, and reflective thinking. This study does not view the Sustainable Development Goals, Education for Sustainable Development, or global citizenship as objective frameworks to be delivered to students. This study instead views them as transnational education discourses that will be interpreted in culturally and institutionally specific ways. Using a Take Action Global (TAG)-related virtual sustainability learning activity in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) framework, this participatory study involved six undergraduate students and was located in a qualitative paradigm. Data were drawn from student photographs, reflective narratives, peer dialogues, semi-structured interviews, and research notes. The study found that through photovoice, students were able to identify environmental conditions that were generally ignored, articulate local sustainability challenges through images, and reflect on and narrate these challenges in English. The study also found that through program-based comparison, students were able to connect local environmental conditions with the broader sustainability discourse. The authors of the study exercise caution against the generalization of the findings. The study also introduces the term glocal sustainability agency, which the authors define as the ability of the students, as a result of cultural placement, to link local environmental experience with global sustainability discourse, provide representation to that linkage through images and language, and view themselves as accountable in their everyday practices. The authors of the study also claim that sustainability education can be enhanced through the use of photovoice, since it provides students with the tools to identify, articulate, narrate, and reflect on environmental issues that are relevant to them.
Him’mawan Adi Nugroho , Henny Dwi Iswati, Deshinta Arrova Dewi, Tri Basuki Kurniawan
Danielle Mitterrand and Her Political and Humanitarian Activities (1924–2011)
This research examines how the early years of Danielle Mitterrand’s life profoundly shaped her intellectual and political identity, particularly against the backdrop of the German occupation of France during World War II. Her active involvement in the French Resistance delivering confidential messages, transporting sensitive documents, and assisting underground fighters instilled in her a deep conviction in liberty and a steadfast rejection of oppression, despite the grave dangers of that era. The study also traces the origins of her relationship with François Mitterrand within the resistance movement, culminating in their marriage, while shedding light on his upbringing and pivotal role in the resistance following his escape from captivity. Ultimately, this paper demonstrates that the resistance experience was not merely a fleeting phase in Danielle Mitterrand's life, but rather the foundational cornerstone that defined her lifelong dedication to human rights and self-determination for oppressed peoples a commitment that strongly characterized her political and humanitarian legacy.
Asia Adel Fadhil, Assist. Prof. Dr. Abdul-Razzaq Khalifa Ramadan AL-Luhaibi
SUSTAINING DA SHUHUA: INTEGRATING INTANGIBLE HERITAGE INTO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN YU COUNTY, CHINA
Tourism plays a crucial role in preserving and revitalizing intangible cultural heritage (ICH) while contributing to sustainable economic growth (Maruyama et al., 2015). This paper centers on Da Shuhua, an ancient folk performance in Yu County, China, as a model for integrating ICH into sustainable tourism. By aligning this tradition with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.B, this paper explores the opportunities and challenges of cultural preservation in the face of increasing tourism demand. In recent decades, the concept of sustainability has gained significant momentum, driven by growing global concerns over resource depletion, environmental degradation, and socio-cultural disruptions (Moren T. Stone et al., 2019). Within the framework of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12—Responsible Consumption and Production—provides a strategic basis for promoting more equitable and efficient ways of producing and consuming goods and services. One of the key sub-goals of SDG 12 is Target 12.B. It calls for the development and implementation of tools to monitor sustainable tourism, ensuring that tourism-related activities contribute to local economies while protecting cultural heritage and the environment (One Planet Network [OPN], n.d.).
Minjie Guo, Minhaz Farid Ahmed, Sharina Abdul Halim, Mazlin Bin Mokhtar
DEVELOPING VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS' TECHNICAL AND TACTICAL COMPETENCE THROUGH DIGITAL TRAINING TECHNOLOGIES: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON SPORTS PERFORMANCE AND SELF-REGULATED LEARNING
The rapid development of digital technologies has significantly transformed modern sports training systems, particularly in team sports such as volleyball. Video analysis platforms, wearable technologies, digital performance tracking systems, and online tactical simulations are increasingly used to improve athletes’ technical and tactical competence. However, the effectiveness of these technologies depends not only on their availability but also on the pedagogical and methodological approaches used during training. Many volleyball training programs still rely mainly on repetitive physical exercises without sufficiently developing athletes’ reflective thinking, self-analysis, and self-regulated learning abilities. This study examines the pedagogical effectiveness of integrating digital training technologies into volleyball education and athlete development. A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test control group design was employed with 60 volleyball players aged 15–17 years. The experimental group participated in an eight-week digital-supported training intervention that included video-based feedback, tactical performance analysis, self-monitoring checklists, and reflective sports diaries. The control group received traditional volleyball training without systematic digital feedback. Quantitative data were collected through technical skill assessments, tactical decision-making tests, self-regulated learning questionnaires, and performance evaluation scales. Qualitative data were obtained from athletes’ reflective training diaries. The results demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the experimental group’s technical accuracy, tactical awareness, self-regulated learning skills, and overall sports performance. The findings suggest that digital-supported volleyball training becomes more effective when combined with reflective and metacognitive coaching strategies. The study proposes a practical pedagogical model for integrating digital technologies into volleyball training systems and discusses implications for coaches, sports educators, and athlete development programs.
Boltayev Zayniddin Boltayevich, Jabborov Akbar Tuxliyevich, Ro'zmetov Roman Narimanovich, Burxanov Baxodirxon Raxmatulla o'g'li, Safarboyev Nodirbek Shavkat o'g'li, Xaydarov Ilhom Salimjon o'g'li, Tuxtapulatov Shahobiddin Nuriddinovich, Navro'zbek O'roqboy o'g'li Ochilov, Himmat Ablakul o'g'li Eshbayev
Guarantor-Backed Prosecutorial Discretion in Child-Support Enforcement: A Conditional Design Framework for the Peruvian
Objective. This article evaluates whether, and under what conditions, the transposition of the civil-law figure of the aval (third-party guarantor) into the Peruvian principio de oportunidad for the offence of omission of family assistance (art. 149 of the Criminal Code) can secure maintenance payments and strengthen the protection of children entitled to support. Method. A convergent mixed-methods design combined three strands: doctrinal analysis of Peruvian criminal, procedural and private law; a structured review of the international evidence on criminal-justice mechanisms for child-support enforcement, in which 210 records were retrieved, 207 screened and 36 studies retained for structured extraction across seven predefined dimensions; and semi-structured interviews with four legal practitioners of the Lima Norte judicial district. A supplementary verification stage cross-checked every substantive citation and added 24 corroborated sources. Results. Criminal prosecution is the dominant enforcement mechanism in both legal traditions, but its effects are strongly conditioned by the debtor's capacity to pay. Where capacity is present, enforcement is associated with improved compliance; where it is absent, criminalisation increases recidivism, deepens arrears and further reduces payment capacity. No retrieved study evaluated a third-party guarantor mechanism in child-support enforcement: the proposal rests, at present, on an evidentiary void rather than on demonstrated effectiveness. Scholarship on wealth-conditioned pretrial release supplies a directly transferable warning, since mechanisms that condition a favourable procedural outcome on access to money or to a solvent third party reproduce and amplify socio-economic inequality. Comparative verification further establishes that the Colombian precedent frequently invoked in support of the proposal does not exist in the terms in which it is usually cited. Conclusions. The aval penal is defensible only as a conditional, capacity-triaged instrument: subordinated to a mandatory means assessment, accompanied by a public guarantee fund for debtors with no access to a private guarantor, and expressly barred from operating as a precondition for avoiding custody. So configured, it may raise compliance among debtors with latent capacity and relieve prosecutorial caseload without converting indigence into imprisonment. Empirical validation remains outstanding, and the article specifies the evaluation design required to supply it.
A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF COX-2 (CYCLO- OXYGENASE 2) IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EXPRESSION IN BREAST CARCINOMA AT A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL IN CHENGELPET DISTRICT
Abstract: The breast carcinoma represents one of the most common malignancies among women and has been a cause of death among cancer victims in the world. Learning how to identify dependable prognostic biomarkers is important in enhancing the evaluation and management planning of diseases. The aim of the study was to measure the level of the immunohistochemical expression of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in breast carcinoma and establish its correlation with clinicopathological parameters. On 64 histopathologically confirmed cases of breast carcinoma, a cross sectional observational study was done. Immunohistochemical staining of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections with the COX-2 and staining intensity was graded using a semi-quantitative scoring system. Spearman rank correlation was used as a measure of statistical analysis. COX-2 was positive in three-quarters of the cases, and high levels were found in 31.3% of tumours. COX-2 expression levels exhibited significant positive correlations with the tumour size, histological grade and pathological stage, revealing that the higher the COX-2 expression is, the more aggressive any of the described tumour characteristics are expected to be. Nevertheless, there was a lack of statistically significant correlation between COX-2 expression and the age of patients or their invasion of the lymph node. The research findings indicate that the COX2 overexpression is prevalent in breast carcinoma and it is also linked with poor pathological characteristics. Consequently, COX-2 can be an important prognostic biomarker, and can be a therapeutic target, which further justifies it in the pathological testing of a breast cancer patient to enable the provision of a better prognostic assessment and personalized patient therapeutic intervention.
Dr. Radhika.G, .Dr. Revathishree.R, Dr. R. Govindarajan, Priyanka. P
AI-Driven Smart Healthcare Ecosystems: Advancing Disease Prediction Diagnosis, Digital Medicine, and Healthcare Governance
Abstract: The Artificial Intelligence (AI) became one of the key elements of smart healthcare ecosystems for innovative approaches to disease prediction, disease diagnostics, digital medicine, and healthcare management. The topic of this research is the ways of application of AI to improve the delivery process in the hospital in the course of the systematic literature review. Secondary data collection sources for this research will be the reports of Authority Healthcare, conferences, and the peer-reviewed articles published in 2020-26. The usage of machine learning, deep learning, and intelligent decision support systems, particularly with regard to the early disease prediction, medical imaging, personalized therapy, telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, and digital therapeutics, are considered in the context of literature review. The three most popular AI algorithms, such as Random Forest and CNN and LSTM, were reviewed in order to investigate the role of these algorithms in predictive analytics, disease diagnostics, and health monitoring. The results show that the influence of AI on the improvement of diagnostic excellence, immediate clinical interventions, patient interaction, and healthcare management efficiency is enormous. Nonetheless, the following aspects, namely privacy of data, cybersecurity, bias, explainability, interoperability, and regulation, are among the challenges related to the research, which affect the responsible usage of the technology. Therefore, it can be said that the decentralized adoption of AI technologies in the proper regulation of smart healthcare systems could help optimize the quality and efficiency of treatment and digitalization would be sustainable. In order to ensure the fair, safe, and transparent usage of AI technologies, the future would show how to govern the processes effectively and responsibly.
Dr. A. Radhika, Dr.R. Akila, Dr.J.Brindha Merin, Dr.S. Revathi
Criminal Liability for Online Child Sexual Grooming in Electronic Games: A Comparative Study between Saudi Law and U.S. Law
The quick growth of the electronic gaming environments has opened new doors for child sexual grooming as a cyber enabled crime that involves psychological manipulation, anonymity and cross-platform interaction. Even with rising awareness around the world, current criminal law does not adequately reflect and respond to grooming in a highly immersive online game environment. The focus of this study is on the criminal responsibility of online child sexual grooming, addressing the same issue by comparing Saudi legislation with U.S. federal legislation. An interdisciplinary approach of doctrinal and comparative legal research methodology is employed, examining the provisions in the law, judicial interpretation and international regulatory frameworks that apply to cyber-enabled child exploitation. It also analyzes criminal responsibility by the elements of actus reus and mens rea, as well as challenges to evidence in the digital environment. The evidence shows that under U.S. law, there is a more clear and forward-looking framework, criminalizing grooming-related conduct because of laws involving coercion and enticement that also cover inchoate offenses. Saudi law, on the other hand, does not differentiate between "grooming" and other cybercrime and child protection offenses, resulting in a lack of precision in legal qualification. The study addresses the doctrinal gaps in the field of grooming in gaming platforms, introduces a more coherent conceptual framework that would make the platform more responsible, improve the evidence mechanisms, and offer a basis for early intervention in the criminal process in cases of child exploitation through the use of online gaming.
EXPRESSION OF PSA (PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN) IN BREAST LESIONS AT A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL IN CHENGALPET DISTRICT
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) is a long-known biomarker of prostate disease but recent results indicate that it is also present in breast tissue and could be diagnostic and prognostic in breast tumors. The study compared the expression of PSA between benign and malignant lesions of the breast and its correlation with some clinicopathological parameters. A cross-sectional, observational, study was done on a total of 94 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, breast tissue specimens of female patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital. A histopathologic analysis and the use of immunohistochemical staining of PSA were carried out. PSA expression was compared by grading based on the intensity of the stain, and the relationship with age, size of tumour, histological type, pathological stage and histological grade were compared using descriptive statistics, Spearman rank correlation and Chi-square test. The most common staining pattern was medium PSA expression (2+). Notable inverse linear relationships between the expression of PSA and the age of patients, the size of tumours, and the histology of tumours were observed. Increased PSA expression was found in fibroadenomas and most well differentiated invasive ductal carcinomas, whereas decreased or missing PSA expressions were found in malignant and poorly differentiated tumours. PSA expression and pathological stage were not alleviated by any statistically significant correlation. PSA expression had also shown considerable correlations with positive clinicopathological features and thus PSA could have been used in conjunction with immunohistochemical biomarkers as an auxiliary to differentiate benign and malignant breast lesions and tumour differentiation. It is proposed that larger multicentre studies are necessary to further provide proof of its diagnostic and prognostic value.
Dr. Jainab Zubetha. Z, Dr. Priyanka.P, Dr. Govindarajan.R, Dr. Revathishree. R
Traditional Knowledge, Cultural Resilience, and Sustainable Livelihoods: A Study of Indigenous Tribal Communities in Ladakh
The total population recorded for Ladakh as per Census 2011 was 274289 people. Out of these, 140802 formed the population of Kargil district. Out of these, 122336 constituted the Scheduled Tribes population. The Scheduled Tribes made up almost 79.54 % of the total tribal population of Ladakh. Secondary literature indicates a drop in this figure compared to the tribal share of 85.2 % recorded in 2001. Ladakh emerged as a separate Union Territory in 2019. The findings of ethnobotany surveys are available, highlighting wide-scale utilisation of wild plants for therapeutic and nourishing purposes. Sources confirm the use of Sowa Rigpa in addition to Ayurveda and Unani medicine systems. There is literature mentioning pastoral pursuits within the Changpa tribe involving rearing of pashmina goats and yaks. The official sources confirm research institutions on tribes highlighting their cultural traditions and welfare requirements. Review of the literature reveals that migration and modernisation are posing threats to the way of life of such tribes. The current study would adopt the secondary research approach to study the tribes of Ladakh. There is additional information regarding sex ratio and decrease in population size amongst the pastoralists through secondary sources from the region as well. This essay will combine all the results found here into a larger discussion about the resilience practices within the various tribes. The key is to understand the discrepancy between the intended effect of the policy and its real-world implementation at the ground level. Sustainable livelihood requires documenting and institutionalising the indigenous ecological knowledge, which is evident from the findings of this paper. Community-level governance also improves resilience to economic shocks. The present secondary study presents an analysis of the indigenous knowledge system of the tribe
NON-OPERATIVE ENAMEL REPAIR IN CHILDREN: A SIX-MONTH COMPARISON OF BIOMIMETIC PEPTIDE AND FLUORIDE THERAPIES
Background: White spot lesions occur when there are early changes in the enamel that become irreversible when not treated in time. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Self-Assembling Peptide P11-4, MI Varnish, and acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) gel in treating pediatric white spot lesions. Methods: Children (3-12 years) were placed in one of three study groups; Self-Assembling Peptide P11-4, MI Varnish, or APF gel (one lesion/treatment per child). Chapter one utilized the ICDAS-II to evaluate the lesions before the treatment and after one, three, and six months. The Paired T-test was used to analyze the within group changes, while the one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests were used to analyze the mean changes for the six-month period. Results: The mean scores for the ICDAS-II for the three treatments at the end of six months were 0.80 (2.40), 0.88 (2.32), and 1.76 (2.36), for the Self-Assembling Peptide, MI Varnish, and APF Gel groups respectively. The mean improvements for six months were 1.60, 1.44, and 0.60, respectively. There was a significant improvement for all three groups (p<0.001). Self-Assembling Peptide P11-4 showed the most improvement in the white spot lesions.
Dr. Ritika Malhotra, Dr. Hau Muan Kim, Dr. Pulkit Jhingan, Dr. Geetika Datta, Dr. Sudipa Jana, Dr. Anjali Saini
Media Education Skills among Students of the University of Petra in Jordan
The study aimed to identify media education skills among the students of Petra University in Jordan. The study employed a descriptive-analytical approach. To achieve its objectives, the researcher designed a questionnaire comprising (37) items on (5) media skills: Content, critical thinking, media awareness, communication, and content production. Validity and reliability were verified. The study was applied to a sample of 417 male and female students from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The results revealed that students’ media communication skills were high. The skills are ranked as follows: media communication, content production, media awareness, critical thinking, and content understanding. The results revealed no statistically significant differences in the skill of media education in light of gender and faculty variables. The study proposed a set of recommendations, the foremost of which are media education skills that affect students’ personalities, and designing a directory for such skills to secure better teaching.
Dr. Maram Fuad Al-Nadi, Dr. Hatem Ahmed Al-Sarairah
Understanding the Role of Employee Wellness in Enhancing Job Satisfaction, Productivity, and Workplace Culture: A Qualitative Study
Workplace wellness has become a critical part of the successful organization, affecting employees' physical and psychological health, as well as their work experiences and organizational productivity. This qualitative study explores the role employee wellness programs play in employee satisfaction, employee productivity and building a positive corporate culture. It is an interpretative approach in the research, the primary data obtained from research is carried out by using the techniques of semi-structured interviews to human resource personnel and employees from various industries. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants to ensure that individuals with varying professional experiences were selected to represent a diverse range of experience and understanding about workplace wellness practices. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data, which aimed to systematically identify and report on themes, perceptions and lived experiences of employee wellbeing. The results show that a comprehensive wellness initiative that incorporates all aspects of wellness, such as mental wellness, wellness initiatives, leadership that supports wellness, and flexibility and work-life balance, makes a significant impact on employee morale, motivation, engagement, and commitment. Repeatedly, participants indicated that investing in the well-being of employees makes for better interpersonal relationships, trust, communication and a cooperative organizational climate. Employees who feel that there is a real concern for their well-being have greater job satisfaction, higher productivity, lower stress at work and greater loyalty to the organization, the study also notes. But, the effectiveness of a wellness program relies on the ability to implement, manage and continually assess it to respond to dynamic employee needs. A key theme of the research is that employee wellness should be seen as a strategic investment to be made within the organisation rather than a facility that is offered as an extra. The manuscript adds to literature on human resource management and organizational behaviour by presenting qualitative evidence based on employees' experiences, and providing insight to managers on how to make their workplaces healthier, more productive, and sustainable. The results could help organizations to create employee-focused wellness plans that enhance organizational outcomes and support their employees' health.
Diony David, Dr. Farhat ul ain Sonia, Zaid Alalden
Characteristics of the Late Usul School Integrating the Methodologies of the Theologians and the Hanafis: Their Approaches to the Organization of Usul al-Fiqh Topics
This study examines the characteristics and methodological approaches of the late integrative school (al-mutaʾakhkhirūn) in Usul al-Fiqh, which emerged to reconcile the methodologies of the Mutakallimun and the Hanafi jurists. It aims to analyze the intellectual foundations of this school, identify its major strengths and limitations, and compare the organizational structures adopted in its principal works. The research employs analytical, historical, comparative, and inductive methods through an examination of six representative texts: Badīʿ al-Niẓām by Ibn al-Sāʿātī, Al-Tanqīḥ by Ṣadr al-Sharīʿah, Jamʿ al-Jawāmiʿ by al-Subkī, Fuṣūl al-Badāʾiʿ by al-Fanārī, Al-Taḥrīr by Ibn al-Humām, and Musallam al-Thubūt by Ibn ʿAbd al-Shakūr. The findings reveal that, despite differences in the arrangement of Usul topics, these works share a common objective of integrating rational and textual evidence while linking legal principles with their practical juristic applications. The study further demonstrates that the integrative methodology significantly contributed to the maturation of Islamic legal theory by promoting comparative analysis, methodological coherence, and a balanced synthesis of the Mutakallimun and Hanafi traditions. However, it also identifies certain limitations, including excessive brevity, strong adherence to established legal schools, and the repetition of inherited juristic examples. The study concludes that the integrative school represents a pivotal stage in the historical development of Usul al-Fiqh and recommends further comparative research into the evolution and organization of Usul literature across different methodological traditions.
Raising Capital and Managing Finance for Fintech Startups: An Empirical Study of the Hyderabad Ecosystem
Although fintech is one of the most dynamic sectors in India's financial services sector, there is limited systematic evidence about the ways in which fintech startups raise capital and manage their finances at the city level. This is particularly evident in the city of Hyderabad, a rapidly growing fintech hub with its own payments, lending and financial-infrastructure startups, that has not been the subject of much research as a standalone financing ecosystem. The present study aims to fill this void by studying capital-raising strategies, working capital practices, and financial-sustainability determinants of fintech startups in Hyderabad. The study is of a mixed methods design which consists of a structured data set of 100 fintech firms based in Hyderabad and a review of the literature available to stakeholders on venture capital, angel investment, incubator support, government schemes, and bootstrapping. Five hypotheses were tested using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, multiple regression and one-way ANOVA that examined the relationships between funding sources and financial-management variables and sustainability and scalability outcomes. Results indicate that internal financial discipline (working capital efficiency, β = 0.48 and burn-rate control, β = -0.25; model R2 = 0.64) is more important for financial sustainability and scalability than the source or stage of external funding, which were not statistically significant in either model. ANOVA results do, however, show that funding source does significantly influence the rate of revenue growth (p = 0.008), with venture-capital-backed and angel-backed firms growing at a faster rate than bootstrapped firms. Modest but positive effects are seen in government and incubator support, which are enabling rather than determining. These findings indicate that access to capital can speed up growth, but it is the quality of financial management that will determine the survival and growth of Hyderabad's fintech startups. The study adds to the scarce literature in the region on fintech financing and provides guidelines for founders, investors, incubators and policymakers on how to improve the city's startup ecosystem.
Procedural Rights of the Accused during the Preliminary Investigation Phase in Light of Positive Law and International Obligations
This article provides a comparative analysis of the procedural rights of the accused during the preliminary investigation stage under Iraqi law and international human rights obligations, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Nelson Mandela Rules, while drawing on Islamic jurisprudence as a foundational source. The importance of the research stems from the fact that this stage constitutes a critical juncture at which the presumption of innocence is especially vulnerable and pretrial detention may, in the absence of effective safeguards, become a custodial punishment imposed before conviction. The central research problem concerns the adequacy of Iraqi procedural provisions in giving effect to international standards, the points of convergence and divergence between the relevant normative frameworks, and the legislative gaps that impede the effectiveness of formal protection. The study adopts a comparative analytical methodology by examining the provisions of the Iraqi Code of Criminal Procedure alongside international instruments and their authoritative interpretations, including the General Comments of the Human Rights Committee, and by undertaking foundational comparisons with Islamic jurisprudence. The principal findings indicate that theoretical convergence in recognising the core rights does not produce equivalent effectiveness in implementation. Iraqi law suffers from a dual deficiency: the absence of an express procedural sanction, such as absolute nullity, for violations of the right to prompt notification or access to counsel; and the exclusion of the initial inquiry stage preceding appearance before the investigating judge from the scope of explicit safeguards, thereby creating a temporal gap that threatens the voluntariness of the accused's statements and the integrity of the interrogation. The study further finds that statutory time limits on detention are insufficient unless accompanied by prompt and periodic judicial review and effective procedures for challenging detention, so as to prevent its prolongation and transformation into anticipatory punishment. It concludes that genuine protection of personal liberty requires a legislative and institutional architecture that combines the rigour of domestic procedural law with the comprehensiveness of international standards within a unified oversight framework that safeguards human dignity from the first moment of arrest.
Dr. Abolhassan Shakeri, Ali Hussain Ahmad Al-Bawi
Appropriate Sanctions for Crimes Involving Artificial Intelligence Systems
Artificial intelligence-related crime is expanding in parallel with rapid technological development, creating an urgent need for appropriate sanctions that safeguard individuals and society. Such offences include the use of artificial intelligence systems to commit fraud, violate privacy, disseminate misinformation, and carry out cyberattacks. The applicable sanctions should be proportionate to the gravity of the harm caused and the degree of the offender’s criminal responsibility. They may include financial penalties, custodial sanctions in serious cases, and compensation for the damage sustained by victims. A clear legal framework can curb the misuse of artificial intelligence technologies and promote their responsible use.
Mohammad Ali Haji Deh Abadi, Ahmad Rahman Dawood Haider
RISK FACTORS INFLUENCING E-SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR OF CONSUMERS AND THEIR DECISIONS
This study explains about various factors that influencing e-shopping behaviour of consumers that is deemed to be an important aspect of digital buying. Further, various studies had discussed this aspect, but very limited literature available in Indian perspective for e-shopping behaviour as it was at nascent stage especially in non-metro cities. The primary objective of the research paper is to investigate the variables that influence e- consumers’ behaviour especially in Lucknow region. Moreover, the paper is followed by a research model (Figure 1) that investigating the influence of perceived risk factors, return policy variables and non-delivery risk factors on behaviour fore-shopping. To analysing the influence of these factors on e- shoppers’ behaviour, hypotheses were constituted in present study. For the analysis, 260 questionnaires were distributed through online mode (google form ) among the respondents of different age levels in Lucknow. Majority of respondents were there from university and college students who have done shopping online at least once in a year and were randomly selected. Moreover, for hypothesis testing, regression analysis was used with SPSS (24.0) to understand the relationship of factors in the research study. After analysis, the study stated that perceived risks, such as-financial risks, convenience with product risks and return policy issues have significant influence on e-shopping behaviour. Also, Analysis indicated that non-delivery risks had no significant influence on e-shopping consumer behaviour. At last, the research paper made other researchers and corporate enable to understand the consumer behaviour towards-shopping and its importance with issues for their prospects and further research work.
Dr. Krishan Kant Pandey, Dr. Neeta Bhatla, Dr. Prabhat Srivastava, Dr. Mahendra Pratap Singh, Dr. Smita Verma, Dr. Aashi Rastogi, Dr. Meetu Pandey
A Hybrid Ensemble Learning Framework for Semantic Classification of Ancient Indian Cosmological Texts using SVM–XGBoost Fusion
The convergence of artificial intelligence and traditional knowledge systems opens up new avenues for cross-disciplinary research. The present work describes a hybrid ensemble learning-based framework for semantic classification of domain-specific texts (derived from a classical Indian astronomical treatise सूर्य सिद्धांत. The main aim is to convert unorganized ancient textual knowledge into structured, machine-readable representations by applying effective and scalable machine learning methodologies. The present method is based Term Frequency–Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) for feature representation and two machine learning models: Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). To improve classification results, a hybrid ensemble approach is adopted, aggregating the probabilistic predictions of the two models in a weighted way. This integrative process exploits the linear decision function of SVM and the non-linear learning perturbation of XGBoost to enhance stability and predictive performance. The dataset is carefully selected and labelled with a variety of semantic categories, such as astronomy, cosmology, mathematics, time, history and general information. Evaluation is performed with the usual metrics of accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score. Results show that the ensemble model leads to the best classification results and that it is computationally efficient. Our framework enables a scalable and interpretable solution for domain-specific text classiﬁcation for low-resource, culturally-rich data. In contrast to transformer-based methods with high computational cost, the proposed method achieves competitive performance and a better trade-off between efficiency and effectiveness. This work advances the research areas of natural language processing, computational humanities, and cultural knowledge preservation by facilitating the intelligent analysis of ancient scientific texts. The proposed SVM–XGBoost ensemble model attained an accuracy of 98% with a macro F1-score of 0.92 and weighted F1-score of 0.98, which indicates the robustness and better performance than the individual based models.
Ajay Kumar Mehta, Sunita Bhati, Sameep Narain Sinha , Bhupendra Meena, Purva Agarwal
The Terrorist Actor Between Mental Illness and Criminal Responsibility: A Descriptive Analytical Study
Terrorism is still one of the most serious issues affecting international peace and security, posing complex legal and psychological issues related to the criminal liability of terrorist offenders. The focus of this study is on exploring the connection between mental illnesses and criminality under Iraqi criminal law in order to assess the criminal responsibility of people with mental disorders in light of Iraqi legislation and comparative law, as well as modern psychologies. A descriptive-analytical approach was used for analyzing Iraqi anti-terrorism legislation, Iraqi penal code, international conventions, comparative legal sources and interdisciplinary studies about terrorism and mental health. The study examines the conceptual and legal definition of terrorism, the) the main causes of poverty and destitution for its commitment) its connection with mental illness and the role that plays on the crime of terrorism. The results establish that the terrorism phenomenon is not exclusively mental illness, but rather a multifactorial phenomenon, which is determined by ideological, political, social and psychological factors. While some mental illnesses may make someone vulnerable in a particular situation, they are not a reason to reduce criminal liability. According to Iraqi criminal law, the most important issue to determine criminal liability for a crime is the legal capacity, understandings and free will of the crime performer in the moment of committing offences. Based on this study, it is argued that taking a psycho-legal perspective yields an integrated perspective of terrorist behavior which would be helpful for a fair assessment from a law point of view, while also allowing for the protection of both justice and public security.
Nooralhuda Hamid Hameed, Dr. Mostafa Fazaeli
Role of Forensic accounting in Enhancing Cyber Fraud Prevention & Customer Confidence: A Comparative Study of Perspectives from Employees & Customers of Public and Private Sector Banks in India
The rapid technological digitalization in the new era of banking has increased the speed, accessibility, and comfort of carrying out financial transactions in India, while the increase in the cyber fraud activities due to digitalization of financial transactions has led to elevated financial losses, reputational damage and market competitiveness and declining customer confidence. In this regard, forensic accounting has evolved as crucial technique for identifying, examining, and mitigating financial fraud. This study explores the contribution of forensic accounting in curbing cyber fraud in public and private sector banks in India and assesses its impact on banking activities, client confidence, and institutional performance. It also considers obstacles such as inappropriate employee training, emerging cyber threats, and narrow customer awareness. To analyze the responses of banking personnel and customers, two separate questionnaires were prepared to be administered separately to these individuals in order to collect the primary data. Statistical techniques of Descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests are used to evaluate the responses of 200 banking customers and 50 banking staff were recorded to conduct the analysis of the study. According to the results of the survey, employees of both public and private sector banks show highly positive responses regarding the effect of cybercrime on monetary transactions, customer confidence and ultimately on the profitability of the banking sector. Also, more than 88 per cent of employees in public and private sectors agreed that forensic accounting knowledge promote fraud control by improving fraud recognition, internal monitoring system, and regulatory compliance. The study emphasizes on the necessity of strengthening forensic accounting practices, employee training, and fraud mitigation strategies to enhance the security and credibility of Indian digital banking system.
Ms. Ayushi Garg, Dr. Monika Goel, Dr. Arkaja Garg
Persuasive Strategies on the Official Website of the Iraqi Government
This study aimed to analyze the persuasive techniques used in the news content of the official website of the Iraqi Media Network when addressing government services. The study employed a survey methodology and content analysis of a sample of 657 publications. The results showed that the website relied most heavily on an approach that emphasized authority and power, followed by clear objectives, promises, and linking content to public needs. Evidence and arguments were used to enhance the credibility of the media messages. The findings revealed the dominance of the executive branch as the primary actor in the news content, with the Prime Minister and ministers being the most frequently featured figures. The website also relied heavily on official government sources for its news. Regarding presentation styles, selective awareness-raising presentations were the most prevalent, followed by directive presentations, reflecting a focus on promoting public awareness and highlighting government achievements. The study concludes that the news content of the official website employs an integrated system of persuasive techniques that combine official authority with rational arguments, contributing to shaping public opinion regarding government services and enhancing the image of government performance in the service sector. 1. Introduction: This study analyzes the persuasive techniques used in the news content of the Iraqi Media Network's websites concerning government services. These services are directly linked to citizens' daily lives and the level of government performance across various service sectors. News content is no longer limited to simply reporting the news; it now contributes to shaping public perceptions through the way information is presented, messages are formulated, and evidence and facts are selected to enhance public understanding of the nature and various dimensions of government services. The importance of studying persuasive techniques in news content stems from the significant role that online news sites play in influencing public opinion, particularly in societies undergoing political, economic, and social transformations, such as Iraq. These websites contribute to directing public attention towards various service-related issues such as electricity, water, health, education, and infrastructure, employing diverse persuasive techniques to influence public opinion and shape attitudes towards these issues. Therefore, any study must identify a phenomenon that warrants investigation, monitoring, interpretation, and analysis, motivating researchers to study it. The main research question can be formulated as follows: (What persuasive techniques are used in the content of the official Iraqi government website regarding government services?)
Kafaa Abbas Salman, Dr. Sahar Khalifa Salim
Reimagining English Language Teaching under the New Education Policy: Challenges, Opportunities, and Pedagogical Transformations
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has ushered in many changes in the Indian education system, focusing on learner-centred pedagogy, multilingualism, experiential learning, and skill-based education. They have paved the way for rethinking English Language Teaching (ELT) and especially the use of literature as an instrument of teaching and learning. This paper reviews how literature has played a crucial role in revolutionizing the English language education under the umbrella of NEP 2020. It examines the role of literary texts (novels, poetry, drama and short stories) in language learning, communicative competence, critical thinking, creativity and cultural awareness. The study also examines how pedagogy in the textbooks is aligned with the main principles of NEP 2020 such as student engagement and interdisciplinary education, and holistic learning. The results show that literary texts not only offer meaningful contexts for language learning, but also facilitate interactive, reflective and experiential classroom practices. Meanwhile, the paper points out the main obstacles to the NEP orientation in literature teaching, such as exam-oriented teaching, teacher training deficiencies, the multi-lingual problems of the classroom, the digital gap and the fixed curriculum. The findings of this study reveal that literature is still a powerful tool for the development of linguistic, intellectual and cultural aspect. Implementing NEP-driven reforms will, however, not be possible without: Continuing teacher training, Flexibility in the Curriculum, Assessment reform and Institutional support to make English classes inclusive and communicative.
Ms. Priyanga V, Dr. R. Shivashankari, Dr. I. Elsie Diana, Dr. Sunil Der , Dr. S. Thivyanathan & Dr. Dhivyaa.R
Socio-Cultural Sustainability of Traditional Healing Practices in the Mainland and Coastal Areas of Antique
This research seeks to explore the lived experiences of the traditional healers in Tibiao and Culasi, Antique and its coastal areas of Mararison and Batbatan, determine the most common types of traditional healing practices as well as the pressing challenges and its continuity. Using a qualitative case study, visiting sites, reviewing research articles, in-depth interviews, were conducted with purposively selected experienced traditional healers. Thematic analysis revealed three themes: (1) The World of Traditional Healers with five sub-themes (a) Traditional Healing as a God -Given Gift, (b) Traditional Healing as Traditional Knowledge Transfer, (c) Sacred Responsibility of community well-being, (d) Traditional Healing as a Family Legacy and (e) Challenges and Continuity Through It All, (2) Traditional Healing: A Sacred Form of Blessing with two sub-themes (a) Energy Clearing and Restoring Harmony (Hilot, Pagbanyos and Pagtambal) and (b) Connection to the Divine (Panguli, Pang luy-a and Paghalad), (3) Traditional Healing: Preserving the Legacy with four sub-themes: (a) Intergenerational Transmission, (b) Record and Archive (c) Community Engagement and (4) Advocacy and Protection. Traditional healing practices presents the holistic, community-rooted systems of care shaped by indigenous beliefs, cultural heritage and centuries of traditions. The families of the participants are deeply rooted in ancestral knowledge, spirituality and community care. They focus on the holistic well-being, blending physical remedies such as herbs, medicinal plants and massage with cultural or spiritual practices to treat physical and spiritual ailments or issues. Parents and elderlies often involve their children in ensuring that the legacy is passed down through generations by means of cultural preservation and continuity. A total of 14 medicinal plants were recorded and identified by the 5 traditional healers to treat various ailments such as cough, colds, toothache, constipation, stomach pain, diarrhea, and fever. Different parts of the presented medicinal plants were used to treat such ailments and illnesses. Challenges will always be there but preserving traditional healing practices in the Philippines is critical for cultural continuity, equitable healthcare, ecological sustainability, and community resilience, it helps counter cultural erosion and strengthens pride in Filipino identity.
Meta-Learning Enhanced Deep Neural Networks for Cross-Domain Generalization in Dynamic and Non-Stationary Environments
Deep neural networks deployed in intelligent systems commonly encounter domain shifts that are neither independent nor stationary: sensor characteristics change, class priors evolve, decision boundaries drift, and previously observed regimes recur. While conventional domain generalization optimizes a fixed predictor prior to deployment, online adaptation typically does not have an initialization or control policy for cross-domain transfer. In this article, we present a novel adaptive neural architecture with delayed supervision, called MetaDyG-Net, which is enhanced by meta-learning. The method learns (i) an encoder initialization that can be transferred across tasks and (ii) a small drift-aware controller which maps the discrepancy between the features moments, the predictive entropy, and the uncertainty to the layer-wise adaptation rates and the replay strength. Deployment is the fusion of a reservoir memory, Fisher-weighted elastic anchoring, class-prototype fusion and uncertainty-adaptive probability tempering. A first-order episodic objective is used to let the model see pseudo-unseen source domains while explicitly learning the stability-plasticity trade-off. Evaluation is performed on five independent seeds on two controlled cross-domain streams: DS-Digits, which is created from real handwritten-digit images with abrupt, gradual, recurrent and compound visual shifts, and DMS-24, a nonlinear multi-sensor stream with covariate, prior and concept drift. Under test-then-train evaluation, MetaDyG-Net attains 67.09 +/- 0.90% accuracy on DS-Digits and 62.20 +/- 0.60% on DMS-24. The gains are 0.61 and 0.65 percentage points relative to the strongest fixed-replay baseline, respectively, and the DMS-24 gain is significant after Holm correction, whereas the DS-Digits gain, relative to the MLDG+Replay baseline, is directionally consistent but not significant in a two-sided paired t-test. More importantly, the expected calibration error drops to 8.41% and 4.23% and the worst-regime accuracy increases to 35.13% and 51.42%. The ablation results show that replay is the most important contributor, and that meta-control, Fisher anchoring, prototype fusion and selective extra updates contribute less and less. The protocol-aware synthesis of SWAD, Fishr, DRAIN, CoTTA, and Wild-Time distinguishes between static DG, future-domain extrapolation, continual test-time adaptation without labels, and delayed-label adaptation; published scores are only used as within-study comparisons, and not as a common leaderboard, due to the different benchmarks and supervision regimes. These results validate drift-aware meta-control as a viable computational-intelligence mechanism for developing adaptive neural systems that are accurate, calibrated and auditable when operating in a non-stationary cross-domain setting.
Dr. Jagadeesh Krishna, Praveen .B.S., Thatchayeni .E, , Mr. Kirit Rasiklal Rathod, Dr.G.Harish Kumar, Ranjan Banerjee, Nudrat Sufiyan
Assessing Urban Expansion and Land Use Transformation in Dehradun Using Geospatial Techniques
Abstract: Rapid urbanization has emerged as a defining feature of contemporary development, significantly transforming land use and land cover (LULC) patterns, particularly in ecologically sensitive regions. Dehradun, located in the fragile Himalayan foothills, has witnessed accelerated urban growth over the past two decades, raising concerns about environmental sustainability, loss of green cover, and pressure on natural resources. Against this backdrop, the present study aims to analyze the spatio-temporal dynamics of urban expansion and LULC transformation in the Dehradun Planning Area from 2001 to 2026, with a particular focus on understanding the magnitude and direction of recent changes. The study is based on multi-temporal satellite data acquired from Landsat missions (2001, 2010, 2018, and 2026) with 30-meter spatial resolution. Standard geospatial techniques, including image preprocessing, supervised classification using the Maximum Likelihood Algorithm, and post-classification change detection, were employed to map and quantify LULC transitions. Accuracy assessment was conducted using error matrices and Kappa statistics to ensure reliability of the classification results. The findings reveal a significant transformation of the landscape, characterized by rapid expansion of built-up areas and a corresponding decline in agricultural land and vegetation. Between 2018 and 2026, built-up area increased by 17.88%, becoming the dominant land use (53.07%), while cropland and vegetation declined by 14.03% and 7.38%, respectively. Water bodies remained relatively stable, whereas barren and transitional land showed a noticeable increase. These changes indicate an unbalanced and unsustainable pattern of urban growth driven by population pressure and infrastructural development. The study concludes that Dehradun is experiencing a critical phase of urban transition, necessitating urgent interventions in land use planning, conservation of green spaces, and adoption of sustainable urban development strategies to ensure long-term ecological resilience and balanced regional growth.
Praveen Kumar, Subhash Anand, Azka Kamil, Pooja Chowdhary Mehtani