Wasteland reclamation strategy for household timber security of tribes in Jharkhand, India

The study sought to examine the timber dependency on forests and evolve wasteland reclamation strategy to eliminate the forest dependency in Bundu block of Ranchi District in Jharkhand, India. Multi-stage random sampling technique was applied to select 164 tribal households from 9 sample villages. Data were collected using structured interviews and non-participant observations which were analyzed using descriptive statistics viz., frequency, percentage, mean and range. Results revealed that forests contributed maximum timber (136.36 m3 annum-1) followed by traditional agroforestry (69.09 m3 annum-1), community forestry (41.33 m3 annum-1) and homestead forestry (35.71 m3 annum-1). Timber extracted is mostly consumed in housing (124.66 m3 annum-1) followed by agricultural implements (82.71 m3 annum-1), furniture (35.25 m3 annum-1), carts/ carriages (17.60 m3 annum-1), fencing (10.23 m3 annum-1), cattle shed/ store house (9.10 m3 annum-1) and others (2.94 m3 annum-1). Forests were exposed to timber pressure of 136.36 m3 annum-1 (48.27%) posing ample deforestation and degradation. The strategy consisted of timber and bamboo plantations is designed which would secure 1065.60 m3 annum-1 of timber, 0.455 lakh annum-1 of bamboo culms, 568.26 tons annum-1 of bamboo leaf and agricultural products. The strategy would yield income of Rs. 34210.78 household-1 annum-1 and employment of 67.15 person-days household-1 annum-1. Financial viability of proposed interventions has been worked out by meticulous economic calculations of Net Present Value, Benefit Cost Ratio and Internal Rate of Return. The execution of strategy would eliminate the current unsustainable timber extraction, safeguard the future timber predicament and ensure environmental security

Investigating processing window of Affinisol™ and Plasdone™ - S630 polymers during hot-melt extrusion (for 3D printing by fused deposition modelling)

There are numerous polymers that have been used commercially to produce pharmaceutical solid dispersions and solutions from hot melt extrusion. Affinisol™ (HPMC) and Plasdone™ S630 (PVP based co-povidone copolymer) have been used in the present work to determine the viable processing space with regards thermal and work input on a twin screw extruder. Processing viability has been determined by monitoring degradation, initially assessed by physical appearance and colour of the extrudates across the full operating range of a twin screw extruder. It has been found that the Affinisol™ had a relatively narrow viable operating window compared with the Plasdone™

On the Prospect of Constraining Black-Hole Spin Through X-ray Spectroscopy of Hotspots

Future X-ray instrumentation is expected to allow us to significantly improve the constraints derivedfrom the Fe K lines in AGN, such as the black-hole angular momentum (spin) and the inclination angle of the putative accretion disk. We consider the possibility that measurements of the persistent, time-averaged Fe K line emission from the disk could be supplemented by the observation of a localized flare, or "hotspot", orbiting close to the black hole. Although observationally challenging, such measurements would recover some of the information loss that is inherent to the radially-integrated line profiles. We present calculations for this scenario to assess the extent to which, in principle, black-hole spin may be measured. We quantify the feasibility of this approach using realistic assumptions about likely measurement uncertainties.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Early renal damage assessed by the SLICC/ACR damage index is predictor of severe outcome in lupus patients in Pakistan

We investigated Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with the objective of assessing whether early damage accrued in systemic lupus erythematosus as measured by the SLICC/ACR Damage Index predicts mortality in lupus Patients that have been followed prospectively in a single center. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus from Aga Khan University hospital presenting between 1992 and 2007 were included. This enabled all Patients to be potentially followed for at least 10 years. Yearly SLICC/ACR Damage Index scores were determined for each Patient. Early damage was defined as a score \u3e= 1, and no damage as a score of 0 at the initial assessment. Kaplan-Meier and Log rank tests were used to compare the survival experience between those with and without damage, with all Patients being assessed at 10 years. In this inception cohort 198 Patients were identified and were followed for 10 years. Of these, 47 (23.7%) Patients had a SLICC/ACR Damage Index score of 0 (no damage) while 151 Patients (76.3%) had at least one SLICC/ACR Damage Index item scored (early damage). Mean renal damage score at 1, 5 and 10 years was 0.16, 0.34 and 0.67, respectively. Of lupus Patients who exhibited renal damage at their first SLICC/ACR Damage Index assessment, 31% died within 10 years of their illness as compared with only 13% who had no early renal damage (p \u3c 0.003). Mean renal damage score at 1 year after diagnosis was a significant predictor of death within 10 years of diagnosis (p \u3c 0.002)

Health sector reform in South Asia: new challenges and constraints

In early 1990s, Jamison, Mosley and others concluded that a profound demographic and consequent epidemiological transition is taking place in developing countries. According to this classical model, by the year 2015, infectious diseases will account for only about 20% of deaths in developing countries as chronic diseases become more pronounced. These impending demographic and epidemiological transitions were to dominate the health sector reform agenda in developing countries. Following an analysis of fertility, mortality and other demographic and epidemiological data from South Asian and other developing countries, the paper argues that the classical model is in need of re-evaluation. A number of new \u27challenges\u27 have complicated the classical interplay of demographic and epidemiological factors. These new challenges include continuing population growth in some countries, rapid unplanned urbanization, the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa (and its impending threat in South Asia), and globalization and increasing marginalisation of developing countries. While the traditional lack of investment in human development makes the developing countries more vulnerable to the vicissitudes of globalization, increasing economic weakness of their governments forces them to retreat further from the social sector. Pockets of poverty and deprivation, therefore, persist giving rise to three simultaneous burdens for South Asia and much of the rest of the developing world: continuing communicable diseases, increasing burden of chronic diseases, and increasing demand for both primary and tertiary levels of health care services. While these complex factors, on the one hand, underscore the need for health sector reform, on the other, they make the task much more difficult and challenging. The paper emphasizes the need to revisit the classical model of demographic and epidemiological transition. It is argued that the health sector in developing countries must be aware of and effectively address these \u27new challenges\u27. Although it has included data from many developing countries, the focus is primarily on South Asia

2-{2-[(2,6-Dichloro­phen­yl)amino]­phen­yl}ethanol

In the title compound, C14H13Cl2NO, the 2,6-dichloro­anilino unit is roughly planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0298 Å) and makes a dihedral angle of 67.71 (4)° with the benzene ring containing the ethanol group. The C–C–O fragment is oriented at a dihedral angle of 64.94 (9)° with respect to its parent benzene ring. The molecular conformation is stabilised by a bifurcated N—H⋯(O,Cl) hydrogen bond. C—H⋯π, O—H⋯π and π–π inter­actions [centroid–centroid distance = 3.5706 (11) Å] stabilize the crystal structure

5-Carb­oxy-2,4-dihy­droxy­anilinium chloride dihydrate

In the title compound, C7H8NO4 +·Cl−·2H2O, the organic mol­ecule is almost planar with an r.m.s. deviation of 0.0164 Å for all non-H atoms. An S(6) ring motif is formed due to an intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond. In the crystal, the mol­ecules are linked into a three-dimensional network by N—H⋯Cl, N—H⋯O, O—H⋯Cl and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

N-(2-Meth­oxy­phen­yl)-4-methyl­benzene­sulfonamide

In the title compound, C14H15NO3S, the geometry around the S atom of the SO2 group is distorted tetra­hedral. The meth­oxy- and methyl-substituted aromatic rings are oriented at a dihedral angle of 71.39 (9)°. Inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds form inversion dimers, which stabilize the crystal structure

Critical perspective on consumer animosity amid Russia-Ukraine war

Peer reviewedPostprin

N,N′-(Propane-1,3-di­yl)bis­(p-toluene­sulfonamide)

The complete mol­ecule of the title compound, C17H22N2O4S2, is generated by crystallographic twofold symmetry, with one C atom lying on the rotation axis. The dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 44.04 (7)° and the conformation of the central N—C—C—C group is gauche. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, generating corrugated (010) sheets, and weak C—H⋯O inter­actions consolidate the packing