https://dspace.iiti.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/14649 2026-05-12T17:12:16Z https://dspace.iiti.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/16474 Title: Assessment of the coral habitability status of marine ecosystems along the eastern coast of the Andaman Islands, India Authors: Chakraborty, Subha Abstract: The Andaman Islands, hosting one of the most enriched marine ecosystems globally, have faced significant ecological threats due to various physico-climatic changes over recent decades, adversely impacting approximately 25 mangrove species and 135 coral species. To evaluate these impacts systematically on regional marine ecology, this study develops and applies a coral habitat quality index (CHI) along the eastern Andaman coast using an integrated approach combining key physico-climatic indicators, participatory coastal community appraisals, and geospatial analysis. A total of 187 georeferenced sampling points within a 5 km offshore buffer were analysed for the years 2008, 2013, and 2018. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to prioritise factors influencing coral habitat conditions, with stakeholder-based pairwise comparisons from four distinct coastal community groups forming the basis for CHI computation. Results reveal that the southern zone of the eastern coast has progressively developed into a relatively healthier marine habitat than its northern and central counterparts, with CHI values averaging 1.24 (2013–2018), compared to 1.01 and 1.08, respectively. Notably, offshore zones south of Rangat exhibit the most ecologically resilient characteristics, evidenced by a consistent rise in CHI scores across the study period. The methodological framework presented here enables replication across comparable island and coastal ecosystems, offering a scalable decision-support tool for marine conservation planning, impact monitoring, and adaptive coastal resource governance. Overall, this study advances technical insight into spatio-temporal coral habitat dynamics while supporting evidence-based policy and sustainable marine ecosystem management strategies. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://dspace.iiti.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/16232 Title: Assessment of Quality of Life Among the Widowed Elderly Using WHO-BREF Scale and its Social Determinants in the Indian State of Bihar Authors: Mahata, Dinabandhu Abstract: Limited knowledge exists regarding the quality of life (QOL) among widowed elderly in developing countries like India, with a disproportionate focus on general elderly population in existing studies. This oversight results in neglecting the well-being of the widowed elderly, posing a serious public health concern due to the decline in their QOL. This study aims to assess the QOL and investigate the social determinants influencing the well-being of the widowed elderly. The study was conducted as a community-based cross-sectional study throughout 2021–22, the research recruited 201 widowed elderly aged 60 and above. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) version tool measured their QOL, and data analysis utilized Microsoft Excel for data entry and STATA version 16.0 for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics computed means, standard deviations, and frequencies, while inferential statistics employed t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and a multiple linear regression model to validate relationships among variables. The study revealed an overall QOL score of 42.0 ± 7.40, with scores of 38.6 ± 8.80 for the physical domain, 40.4 ± 8.80 for the psychological domain, 48.4 ± 17.70 for the social relationship domain, and 43.7 ± 10.0 for the environmental domain. Higher scores indicated a better QOL. The findings revealed that the overall QOL had a strong negative association with the age of the widowed elderly. Religion also had a significant negative association with the overall QOL. Conversely, educational status, caste, and wealth status were significantly positively associated with the overall QOL of the widowed elderly. With the advancement of age, the QOL deteriorates. Higher education, higher caste, and higher socioeconomic status of the study participants help them to live a better QOL. Among the social determinants of quality of life examined, age, educational status, caste, religion, and wealth status were found to be the most important factors affecting the QOL of the widowed elderly. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://dspace.iiti.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/15607 Title: Gold Open Access Publishing in ASEAN Countries: A Comparative Study Authors: Das, Suman Abstract: Open Access publishing offers increased visibility, accessibility and quality assurance, promoting transparency in research. Governments worldwide are increasingly promoting open access to research findings, recognizing its importance in advancing knowledge and innovation. They are mandating open access publication of research findings, often funding Article Processing Charges (APCs) on behalf of authors. The study aims to examine the impact of Gold Open Access in ASEAN countries, analyzing research output and OA publishing culture across all fields of knowledge. It has investigated funding sources for APCs, average APCs in different fields and top journals for ASEAN researchers. This research will provide valuable insights for policymakers, funding agencies and institutions, supporting evidence-based strategies for a more equitable and sustainable open access landscape in ASEAN. Gold open access publishing, by providing unrestricted access to scientific research, fosters knowledge dissemination, accessibility, visibility, transparency and inclusivity and collaboration within the National Innovation System. This accessibility accelerates the exchange of ideas, promotes interdisciplinary research and facilitates innovation across academia, industry and government. The present study analyzed 1303 articles published under the Gold Open Access publishing model. The University of Putra, Malaysia, was the top contributor; the journal Sustainability, with an Impact Factor (IF) of 3.9, published 233 articles that accrued 3563 citations. The published research focused on various themes and subthemes pertaining to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2023. Copyright Author (s) 2024 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://dspace.iiti.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/14942 Title: Urban expansion influences on land use and land cover changes in Kolkata metropolitan region: a geo-spatial study Authors: Mahata, Dinabandhu Abstract: The relentless march of urban expansion has ushered in profound and transformative alterations in land-use changes and recording huge environmental decline in the domain of metropolitan areas. This current study, as a beacon of exploration, strives to unfurl the intricate nature of urban expansion and spatio-temporal mosaic of land use dynamics evolution in Kolkata Metropolitan Region. The population data was gleaned from Census of India and annals of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority documents. Similarly, temporal satellite images have been used for this study, which were downloaded from the Landsat Archive Level 1 data products of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Explorer. Multi-temporal satellite images were analysed with the aid of Geographical Information Systems and the insightful inspection of Remote Sensing spatial data analysis methods. The maximum likelihood supervised classification methods were used for categorization of specific land cover and land use pattern. The analysis in the study identified the changes in the land-use patten and the land-cover by deploying post-classification change detection and GIS-based spatial analysis methods. After scrutinising the study outcomes, it was found that built-up areas had been drastically increased. The tapestry of fallow land, agricultural land, open space, natural vegetation cover, and wetlands have been sacrificed at the expense of the rapid growth of the built-up area. The study result shows the land use and land cover change; in 1991, the built-up area was 18.9%, and in 2021 it reached 48.5%. This study manifested that the swift surge in the built-up area and in the tendrils of urban expansion took place from 1991 to 2021. Focus Group Discussions complemented with in-depth interview results threw light on the direct correlation between urban expansion and unequivocal shifts in the pattern of land use in the metropolitan region. Kolkata Metropolitan Region's planning system should work on comprehensive framework that would be in harmony with the exacerbated vulnerability of land to environmental deterioration stemming from urban sprawl. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024. 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z