Central University of Kerala

About: Central University of Kerala is a education organization based out in Kāsaragod, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Catalysis. The organization has 556 authors who have published 881 publications receiving 7474 citations.

Scale-up of the Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program (K-DPP) in Kerala, India: implementation evaluation findings.

Abstract: The cluster-randomized controlled trial of the Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program (K-DPP) demonstrated some significant improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors and other outcomes. We aimed to refine and improve K-DPP for wider implementation in the Kerala state of India. The specific objectives of the scale-up program were (a) to develop a scalable program delivery model and related capacity building in Kerala and (b) to achieve significant improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors in the target population. A total of 118 key trainers of a large women's organization trained 15,000 peer leaders in three districts of Kerala. Each of these peer leaders was required to deliver 12 monthly sessions to ~25 people, reaching an estimated total of 375,000 adults over 12 months. We evaluated the number of sessions conducted, the participation of men, and program reach. We also assessed the effectiveness of the program in a random sample of 1,200 adults before and after the intervention and performed a biochemical evaluation on a subsample of 321. Of the 15,222 peer leaders who were trained, 1,475 (9.7%) returned their evaluation forms, of which, 98% reported conducting at least 1 session, 88% ≥6 sessions, and 74% all 12 sessions. Tobacco use among men reduced from 30% to 25% (p = .02) and alcohol use from 40% to 32% (p = .001). Overall, mean waist circumference reduced from 89.5 to 87.5 cm (p < .001). Although there were some study shortcomings, the approach to scale-up and its implementation was quite effective in reaching a large population in Kerala and there were also some significant improvements in key cardiometabolic risk factors following the 1 year intervention.

Superconductor based ternary periodic multilayered structure as a single and multichanneled filter in the terahertz region.

Abstract: A single as well as a multichanneled filter in the terahertz region has been proposed by designing a one-dimensional photonic crystal (PhC) structure using a high-temperature superconductor air-dielectric ternary periodic structure. The filter is designed without incorporating any defect, which has rarely been proposed in a ternary PhC structure. The theoretical study of transmittance was performed by applying the transfer matrix method. The transition from single channel to desired multichannel is achieved by adjusting the number of periods. Furthermore, the impact of the thicknesses and dielectric constants of the constituting layers was investigated. In addition to this, the tunability is achieved by the influence of temperature-dependent dielectric constant of the superconductor.

Electronic properties of an exciton in CdTe/CdSe/CdTe/CdSe type-II nano-heterostructure

Abstract: In this study, we have carried out a detailed theoretical investigation on the binding energy of an exciton in type-II CdTe/CdSe core/shell/well/shell (CSWS) nanocrystal quantum dot (NCQD) in the strong confinement region. The calculations are based on the effective mass approximation, and the coulombic interaction between electron and hole is introduced using Hartree approximation. With these theoretical basis, the coupled Poisson-Schrodinger equations are solved in a self consistent iterative manner. In strong confinement regime, the binding energy variation with core radius in type-II NCQD shows a peak. And this peak widens for larger well width and inner shell thickness. Our study suggests that, this anomalous behavior of exciton binding energy is due to an effect called 'positional flip of exciton', caused by the faster tunneling of hole to the inner layer in comparison with electron. Our results can be applied in laser and optoelectronic engineering for designing more efficient optoelectronic devices.

Geology and geochemistry of metabasalts of Shimoga schist belt, Dharwar Craton: implications for the late Archean basin development

Abstract: The late Archaean Shimoga schist belt in the Western Dharwar Craton, with its huge dimensions and varied lithological associations of different age groups, is an ideal terrane to study Archean crustal evolution. The rock types in this belt are divided into Bababudhan Group and Chitradurga Group. The Bababudhan Group is dominated by mafic volcanic rocks followed by shallow marine sedimentary rocks while the Chitradurga Group is dominated by greywackes, pillowed basalts, and deep marine sedimentary rocks with occasional felsic volcanics. The Nb/Th and Nb/La ratios of the studied metabasalts of the Bababudhan Group indicate crustal contamination. They were extruded onto the vast Peninsular Gneisses through the rifting of the basement gneiss. The Nb/Yb ratios of high-magnesium basalts and tholeiitic basalts of Chitradurga Group suggest the enrichment of their source magma. Based on the flat primitive mantle-normalized multi-element plot with negative Nb anomalies and Th/Ta-La/Yb ratios, the high-magnesium basalts and tholeiitic basalts are considered to have erupted in an oceanic plateau setting with minor crustal contamination. The high-magnesium basalts and tholeiitic basalts formed two different pulses of same magma type, in which the first pulse of magma gave rise to high-magnesium basalts which were derived from deep mantle sources and underwent minor crustal contamination en route to the surface, while the second pulse of magma gave rise to tholeiitic basalts formed at similar depths to that of high-magnesium basalts and escaped crustal contamination. The associated lithological units found with the studied metavolcanic rock types of Bababudan and Chitradurga Groups of Dharwar Supergroup of rocks in Shimoga schist belt of Western Dharwar Craton confirm the mixed-mode basin development with a transition from shallow marine to deep marine settings.