An Interesting Case of Familial Homozygous Hypercholesterolemia—A Brief Review

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a form of primary hyperlipoproteinemia, is an autosomal co-dominant disorder, characterized by an increase in serum LDL cholesterol concentrations, presence of xanthomas and premature atherosclerosis. Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia is of rare occurence in which approximately 1 in 1 million persons in the general population are affected. Here we report an interesting case of familial homozygous hypercholesterolemia for its classical presentation and rarity.     

Radio Astronomy and the Giant Metre-Wave Radio Telescope

The cosmos is strange and beautiful, full of unanticipated objects. The only way to understand it is to observe it–in as many different ways as possible. In this article, we take a look at the wonders revealed upon observing radio emissions from celestial objects through the Giant Metre-wave Radio Telescope (GMRT), near Pune, India.     

孔子与古鲁:中国与印度学术职业的变革

随着高等教育外部环境的不断变化,中国与印度的学术职业已经并正在继续发生重要的变革。在中国,随着政治经济体制改革的推行,政府开始改革公办高校的教师聘用制度,以解决原有体制中存在的冗员、合格教师短缺和效率低下等问题。改革虽然取得了一定的积极成果,但也面临着如何使西方管理文化与中国传统文化兼容等问题。在印度,政府结构调整使政府逐步撤出高等教育领域,其学术职业呈现出衰落的趋势。为此,印度大学拨款委员会采取了各种措施以提高教师的水平,但收效甚微。中国与印度的学术职业正处于一个不确定的过渡阶段。     

Sadhus no longer: Recent trends in Indian student activism

The main thesis of this paper is that student unrest in India is not always necessarily a manifestation of juvenile delinquency, and given certain conditions can change into an articulated movement. This is substantiated through an analysis of the nature and content of student activism in India during the seventies, covering an important phase in the history of modern India, namely, the state of Internal Emergency. Part One analyses the genesis and growth of the student movement in 1974–1975. Part Two discusses the suppression of student activism during the Emergency. The rise and fall of the Youth Congress during this period is outlined. Part Three presents a scenario of student unrest in the post-Emergency period and highlights the reappearance of the sixties'-type of the student agitations. The article summarizes the development of the student movement during the pre-Emergency period, accounts for the reversal in the movement since the end of Emergency, and discusses the prospects of the re-emergence of such a movement.     

Developing skills for employability at the secondary level: Effective models for Asia

Globally, enormous gains have been made towards the goal of universal primary education, leading to increased demands for secondary education. Consequently, more youth and young adults are now entering the formal and informal labour markets from the secondary level, which makes it important to ensure that secondary schools teach skills relevant to the world of work. This article reports on a Results for Development Institute (R4D) study that explored whether secondary education systems are adequately preparing young people for the workplace, and identified innovative models for delivering relevant skills at the secondary level. It found that employers are looking for three key types of skills: cognitive, non-cognitive, and technical. While technical and basic cognitive skills are still important in the workplace, transferrable and non-cognitive skills such as communication, problem-solving, punctuality, and flexibility are increasingly important, particularly for the informal economy. The article describes several innovative and effective models for skills development at the secondary level, and core principles for their success. These include innovative use of information and communications technology (ICT), multi-stakeholder partnerships, innovative financing mechanisms, and ensuring teacher and trainer preparedness. Moreover, a supportive policy environment is critical to ensure that such models are efficiently financed, effectively implemented, and sustainable over the long term.     

The language question in higher education: trends and issues

Nowhere is the language scenario and the problems associated with it as complex and controversial as in a multicultural and linguistically diverse country like India. Since language is the medium through which educational transactions take place, the vicissitudes of language and the language controversies have had a significant bearing on the structure, process, and outcome of her educational endeavour. This article examines the various issues and trends in the language conundrum vis-à-vis education in general and higher education in particular. Broadly, it is divided into four parts. The first part provides a brief sketch of the background and context in which the linguistic imbroglio in higher education becomes meaningful. The next two parts deal respectively with the twin aspects of the language problem in relation to education, namely, language instruction and language as a medium of instruction. The concluding part recapitulates the scenario and delineates the dilemmas of policy perspective.