Volume-12, Issue-5

September-October, 2026

Research Paper

1. Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Opportunities, Challenges and its Impact on Teaching and Learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology in higher education, offering new opportunities to enhance teaching, learning, assessment, research, and academic activities. This study examines the awareness and utilisation of AI tools among faculty members and identifies their perceived benefits, challenges, and impact on teaching and learning effectiveness. The study adopts a descriptive and analytical research design and collects primary data from 100 faculty members selected through simple random sampling. Data are collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed through simple percentage analysis, Chi-square test, and regression analysis. The findings indicate that faculty members recognise the potential of AI to improve teaching efficiency, content preparation, personalised learning, assessment, and academic productivity. The Chi-square analysis reveals significant associations between AI utilisation and selected demographic and institutional factors, particularly AI training. Regression analysis demonstrates a positive and significant influence of AI utilisation on perceived teaching and learning effectiveness. However, concerns related to academic integrity, misinformation, privacy, ethical use, and inadequate training remain important challenges. The study concludes that systematic AI training, institutional support, and appropriate ethical guidelines are essential for effective and responsible AI integration in higher education.

Published by: Dr. D. RajasekaranResearch Area: Education

Organisation: NGM College, Pollachi, Tamil NaduKeywords: Artificial Intelligence, Higher Education, Faculty Members, Teaching and Learning

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Research Paper

2. Japanese Expansion in East Asia and Its Historical Legacy

The paper focuses on how japan emerged as a dominant power in the region following commodore perry arrival and meiji restoration through the world wars and the impact it has in the contemporay world.

Published by: Sujeet ShenbagakumarResearch Area: Hisotry

Organisation: University of Pecs, HungaryKeywords: Meiji restoration, Tokugawa, Daimyo

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Review Paper

3. Digital Health Interventions for Breastfeeding Support: Evidence, Implementation Gaps, and The Next Generation of Equitable Lactation Care

Breastfeeding is a high-impact maternal and child health intervention, yet global exclusive breastfeeding remains at 48% among infants younger than six months, below the 60% World Health Assembly target for 2030. At the same time, the period after hospital discharge is characterized by fragmented access to skilled lactation support, creating a strong rationale for digital health interventions (DHIs). This narrative evidence review synthesizes recent evidence on mobile health (mHealth), smartphone applications, short-message services, social media and peer-support platforms, telelactation, and hybrid digital-professional models. Particular emphasis is placed on randomized evidence and on the implications for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis of 46 randomized or cluster-randomized trials involving 33,785 participants across 18 countries found that DHIs increased the odds of exclusive breastfeeding (OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.91–3.50; 39 trials; n=11,601), although heterogeneity was substantial (I²=83%) and certainty was very low. Breastfeeding duration showed a moderate standardized benefit (SMD 0.48, 95% CI 0.29–0.67), while any breastfeeding was not significantly improved (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.90–1.31). Evidence suggests that digitally enabled support is most useful when it is timely, interactive, tailored, and linked to trained personnel rather than functioning as a stand-alone information repository. However, evidence on cost-effectiveness, safety, digital exclusion, implementation fidelity, and long-term scale-up remains sparse. This review argues that the next phase of digital breastfeeding support should shift from asking whether digital tools work to determining which components work, for whom, at what postpartum moment, and under what health-system conditions. Hybrid, equity-sensitive models integrated with routine maternal and newborn care appear the most defensible direction for policy and research.

Published by: Dr. Arushi MishraResearch Area: Reproductive Health

Organisation: Nebulous Business Solutions, Pune, MaharashtraKeywords: Breastfeeding, Exclusive Breastfeeding, Digital Health, Mhealth, Telelactation, Mobile Applications, SMS, Maternal Health, Lactation Support, LMICS

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Research Paper

4. A Comparative Study on Hemodialysis Versus Peritoneal Dialysis Regarding the Efficacy and Safety in the Management of ESRD

Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a major clinical condition requiring renal replacement therapy. Hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) are the two commonly used dialysis modalities, but they differ in the way they remove uremic toxins and excess fluid and may therefore have different efficacy and safety profiles. Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in the management of patients with ESRD. Methods: A hospital-based prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Nephrology, King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam, over a period of six months from July to December 2024. Patients with ESRD receiving maintenance HD or PD were included. Demographic characteristics, vital signs, blood urea, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine, and dialysis-related complications were assessed before and after dialysis. Continuous variables were expressed as mean ± standard deviation, while categorical variables were expressed as percentages. Appropriate statistical tests were applied, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Both HD and PD resulted in reductions in urea, BUN, and serum creatinine. The post-dialysis serum creatinine level was lower in patients receiving HD than in those receiving PD (3.1±1.2 vs. 4.2±1.3 mg/dL; p=0.02). Urea and BUN levels were also numerically lower following HD, although the between-group differences were not statistically significant. Vital signs remained broadly comparable between the two modalities. A significant difference was observed in the occurrence of peritonitis, which was higher among PD patients than HD patients (18% vs. 5%; p=0.002). Differences in sepsis and catheter-related infection were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Both HD and PD were effective in improving biochemical parameters in patients with ESRD. HD demonstrated greater reduction in serum creatinine and was associated with more rapid biochemical clearance, while PD provided a continuous dialysis approach with generally stable short-term vital signs. However, peritonitis was significantly more frequent with PD. The choice of dialysis modality should therefore be individualized based on the patient's clinical condition, infection risk, residual renal function, access to care, and preference.

Published by: Ratna Prabha, Dr V Snehal, Ravi, Anudeepti, MallikaResearch Area: Nephrology

Organisation: Kinggeorge Hospital, VisakhapatnamKeywords: End-Stage Renal Disease, Hemodialysis, Peritoneal Dialysis, Dialysis Efficacy, Serum Creatinine, Peritonitis.

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Research Paper

5. Generative AI in Statistics Education: Predicting Students’ Confidence in Evaluating AI-Generated Answers

Students are increasingly using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) for learning, problem solving and understanding statistical concepts. However, the effective use of such tools requires the ability to critically assess and validate AI-generated solutions. In this study we investigate GenAI use among undergraduate Statistics students, focusing on Perceived Learning Benefits (PLB), Verification Behavior Score (VBS) and confidence in judging AI-generated statistical solutions. Data were acquired from 294 undergraduate students (244 GenAI users) through a structured online questionnaire. Perceived learning advantages and verification behavior were assessed using multi-item measures. A Random Forest classification model was constructed to predict students’ confidence in judging AI-generated statistical answers from AI-use patterns, learning advantages, verification behavior, Statistics experience and year of study. We tested the model with a stratified 5-fold cross-validation. The results point to the pedagogical value of GenAI and the need for verification and critical evaluation skills in AI-assisted learning of Statistics.

Published by: Omkar Chandrashekhar ThakurResearch Area: Statistics

Organisation: Department of Statistics, St. Xavier's College, Empowered Autonomous Institute, MumbaiKeywords: Generative AI, Statistics Education, Artificial Intelligence Literacy, Student Confidence

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Research Paper

6. Effect of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation Versus Non-Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation Training on Lower Extremity Motor Control and Functional Mobility in Sub-Acute and Chronic Stroke Patients: An Experimental Study

Stroke frequently damages the brain pathways responsible for planning and carrying out movement, leaving many survivors with weakness, poorly coordinated lower limb movements that make standing, walking and turning difficult. Pacing a patient's steps to an external sound, generally called rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS), is a promising add-on to ordinary physiotherapy, but it remains unclear how much of the benefit comes from the steady beat itself rather than from listening to sound during exercise in general. This experimental study compared a rhythm-based auditory cueing programme with a non-rhythmic (ambient) auditory programme, using identical balance and gait exercises, in patients recovering from stroke. Twenty-two sub-acute and chronic stroke patients aged 40-70 years were selected by purposive sampling and divided into two equal groups. Group A practiced balance and gait exercises paced to metronome beats matched to their own walking cadence; Group B performed the same exercises while listening to ambient music with no fixed beat. Both groups additionally received conventional physiotherapy, three sessions a week for four weeks. Lower-limb motor control, dynamic balance and walking speed were assessed by using Fugl-Meyer Assessment (Lower Extremity), the Dynamic Gait Index and the Ten-Meter Walk Test. Both groups improved significantly on all measures (p<0.001), but gains were consistently larger in the rhythm-cued group, particularly in voluntary motor control, coordination/speed, dynamic balance and walking speed (p<0.05 to p<0.001); reflex-related scores changed little in either group. These findings indicate that pairing balance and gait training with a steady auditory beat produces greater improvement in lower-limb motor control and functional mobility than the same training paired with non-rhythmic sound, supporting rhythmic auditory stimulation as a simple, cost effective addition to stroke rehabilitation.

Published by: Dr. Hunita Dhanju (PT), Dr. Krina Trivedi (PT), Bhargavi Dharmendrasinh RanaResearch Area: Physiotherapy

Organisation: Pioneer Physiotherapy College, Vadodara, GujaratKeywords: Stroke Rehabilitation, Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation, Auditory-Motor Entrainment, Lower Extremity Motor Control, Functional Mobility, Gait Training

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Research Paper

7. Effect of Brain Gym Exercises on Postural Balance and Health-Related Quality of Life in School-Going Hearing Impaired Children: An Experimental Study

Children with sensorineural hearing loss often have impaired Balance and postural instability issues occur because of the shared inner ear pathology. Brain Gym exercises combine cross body movements that helps in cross-lateral sensory processing in the brain which may improve postural stability, moreover limited clinical evidence exist regarding its effectiveness in hearing impaired children. Objective: To compare the effect of Brain Gym exercises against standard physical exercises for static, dynamic balance and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in hearing-impaired school going children. Methods: 30 students (age 10–15 years, hearing loss > 40 dB, Pediatric Balance Scale score < 52) were recruited through purposive sampling from special schools in Vadodara and assigned to Group A (Brain Gym, n=15) or Group B (General Physical Exercises, n=15). Both groups were given exercise protocol for 35–40 minutes per session, 3 days a week for 4 weeks. Outcomes measured were static balance (Flamingo Balance Test), dynamic balance (Y-Balance Test composite score), and quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0). Results: Both groups showed statistically significant within-group improvements (p < 0.001), Group A achieved greater gains. Fall attempts during Flamingo test decreased significantly more in Group A compared to Group B (Right: t = 2.16, p = 0.03; Left: t = 2.31, p = 0.02). Group A also showed greater improvement in Y-Balance Test composite reach (Right: t = 6.25, p < 0.001; Left: t = 4.96, p < 0.001) and overall PedsQL scores (t = 6.18, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Incorporating Brain Gym exercises into pediatric rehabilitation of deaf children substantially impacts postural control and quality of life than general physical exercises alone.

Published by: Dr. Hunita Dhanju (PT), Dr. Hemangi Parmar (PT), Dr. Zeel Tusharkumar Shah (PT), Dishaba Yogendrasinh SolankiResearch Area: Physiotherapy

Organisation: Pioneer Physiotherapy College, Vadodara, GujaratKeywords: Hearing Impairment, Brain Gym, Static Balance, Dynamic Balance, Quality Of Life, Pediatric Rehabilitation

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Research Paper

8. A Hybrid Deep Learning Framework Integrating Variational Autoencoder with Self-Attention and MobileNet for Enhanced Malware Detection: An Optimized XGBoost Approach Using EMBER 2018 and 2024 Datasets

The increase in advanced types of malwares is one of the factors that are very challenging to traditional detection systems. In this paper, a new hybridized deep learning model is proposed, which combines Variational Autoencoder (VAE) and self-attention architecture and MobileNet with strong malware detection and classification. It is proposed that the research methodology will use the EMBER 2018 and EMBER 2024 datasets, with extensive preprocessing and normalization processes to improve the ability of features to be represented. Our dual-branch model learns complementary information the VAE-attention branch learns contextual dependencies of latent representations, whereas the MobileNet branch learns hierarchical visual patterns of malware representation in the form of byte representations. These attributes are combined with the help of interconnecting layers and trained with XGBoost to provide a final classification. As reported by experiment, binary classification and multi-class classification accuracy of 99.47 and 98.23 respectively are significantly better than the current state-of-the-art methods on EMBER 2024. The framework has a 3.2% improvement of detection rate with 42% false positives compared to traditional methods.

Published by: Vinita, Manju MandotResearch Area: CSE

Organisation: JRN Rajasthan Vidhyapeeth (Deemed to bee University), Udaipur, RajasthanKeywords: Malware Detection, Self-Attention, Variational Autoencoder, XGBoost, EMBER Dataset, MobileNet, Deep Learning, Binary Classification, Feature Fusion, Multi-class Classification

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Research Paper

9. Financial Fundamentals and Stock Market Performance: Evidence from BSE Top 50 Companies

This study examines the relationship between market performance and financial performance of companies listed in the BSE Top 50 index of the Bombay Stock Exchange. The primary objective is to analyze whether strong financial fundamentals translate into superior market returns and to evaluate the risk–return trade-off among leading Indian corporations over medium- and long-term periods. Approach: The study adopts a quantitative and empirical research design using secondary data collected from annual reports, financial statements, and stock market databases. A purposive sample of 50 top-performing companies from the BSE Top 50 was selected. Financial performance was measured using key indicators such as Return on Equity (ROE), Earnings Per Share (EPS), Net Profit Margin, and Return on Assets (ROA), while market performance was evaluated through stock returns, volatility, beta, and risk-adjusted measures including the Sharpe Ratio, Treynor Ratio, and Jensen's Alpha. Data were analyzed over 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year periods using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression techniques to determine the strength and significance of relationships. Originality: Unlike prior studies that examine either financial performance or stock market performance independently, this research integrates both dimensions to assess whether financial strength consistently leads to superior market valuation and investor returns within India's blue-chip segment. Practical Implementation: The findings provide valuable insights for investors, portfolio managers, and financial analysts by highlighting whether investment decisions should rely primarily on financial fundamentals, market trends, or a combination of both. The study supports evidence-based investment strategies for long-term wealth creation in the Indian equity market.

Published by: Chetna Tansukhbhai ParmarResearch Area: Finance

Organisation: GSFC University, Vadodara, GujaratKeywords: Market Performance, Financial Performance, BSE Top 50, Risk–Return Trade-off, Risk-Adjusted Performance, Sharpe Ratio, Treynor Ratio, Jensen's Alpha, Return on Equity, Indian Stock Market  

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Research Paper

10. Can Derivative-Based Hedging Improve the Risk-Adjusted Returns of Portfolios Holding Alternative Investments?

The inclusion of alternative investments in modern portfolio allocation can significantly increase diversification because investors want returns that are not fully explained by traditional equity and fixed-income holdings. Alternative investments are here defined as financial assets outside stocks, bonds and cash (e.g., hedge funds, private equity, private credit, real estate, commodities and infrastructure). Although these assets improve diversification and have attractive return potential they also come with risks which are often harder to observe or manage than those of traditional securities such as market risk, liquidity risk, credit risk, leverage risk, currency risk and interest rate rise plus non-linear/asymmetric return distributions. Derivatives like futures, options, forwards and swaps allow investors to hedge specific components of this risk without liquidating the underlying positions. This review synthesizes existing literature on derivative-based hedging to test whether it improves risk-adjusted returns of portfolios containing alternative investments. The literature suggests that hedging effectiveness depends on the relationship between the hedging instrument and the exposure being hedged, hedge ratio achieved, investment horizon and market conditions. Hedging costs are incurred, volatility reduction does not translate into improved risk-adjusted return because hedging also requires upside participation so volatility reduction doesn’t lead to higher risk adjusted return. From hedge funds, commodities and equity-linked strategies evidence shows that hedging is generally more reliable where underlying risk is systematic and hedging instrument tracks exposure closely but less reliable where risk is idiosyncratic, illiquid or hard to observe which is common in private equity and private credit. In general the literature seems to indicate that derivative-based hedging can enhance risk-adjusted returns of alternative-investment portfolios only if it is applied to identifiable systematic and hedgeable risks, costs are taken into account and so on. Hedging should therefore be viewed as a tool for managing risk exposure and improving efficiency in portfolio management rather than as a guaranteed means of increasing dollar returns.

Published by: Himanshu GargResearch Area: Finance

Organisation: Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, DelhiKeywords: Alternative Investments, Derivatives, Hedging, Portfolio Management, Risk-Adjusted Returns, Futures, Options, Risk Management, Portfolio Diversification, Sharpe Ratio, Sortino Ratio.

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