PROTESTING LIBERALIZATION IN INDIA: AN EXAMINATION OF DISCURSIVE STRATEGIES USED BY STREET-VENDORS, SQUATTERS, AND SMALL-RETAILERS TO CREATE AND UNIVERSALIZE RESISTANCE NARRATIVES

The retail sector in India is experiencing a shift from an industry dominated by small grocers serving the needs of local markets to one characterized by chain retailers, both national and international. The liberalization of the retail sector in the last decade has edged the street-vendors, squatters, and small retailers from the prime business spaces to marginalized peripheries, which had led to widespread localized protests by the small retailers all over the country. The Aminabad Market in a metro city in northern India provided a unique opportunity to study ongoing resistance against chain retailing. The retailers of Aminabad were at the center of the most vocal protests and organized numerous strikes that led to the government action. Within this setting, this study employed an ethnographic methodology to explore the narratives of resistance by the street vendors, squatters, and small retailers in a traditional market in India. The study further explores the protests that are constituted in ‘local’ market conditions; and how they can become the basis for universalization of ‘local’ resistance into the mass-based movements. For this purpose, the theoretical framework utilizing Harvey’s conceptualizations of local resistance movements as well as Williams’ concept of the “militant particularisms” and narrative storytelling were used in this study. To this purpose, the study examines small retailers’ participation, their use of communication strategies to develop resistance narratives, and the techniques used in universalizing the resistance. The implications of current study suggest that although the typical small retailers maintains a defiant narrative against chain retailing, the social, economic, political differences within prevent the formulation of a unified agenda that represents their diversity. The unresolved ideological, social, and economic particularities within small retailing have a divisive influence on their resistance movement. The study also discusses the use of “Participatory Action” approach for facilitating a productive participation among the constituents, which can be a way forward for future research. Participatory Action can actively facilitate the resolution of underlying ironies for reforming and recreating the institutions according to the small retailers’ needs and resistance discourse that reflects their collective expression

Cryptographic Randomized Response Techniques

We develop cryptographically secure techniques to guarantee unconditional privacy for respondents to polls. Our constructions are efficient and practical, and are shown not to allow cheating respondents to affect the ``tally'' by more than their own vote -- which will be given the exact same weight as that of other respondents. We demonstrate solutions to this problem based on both traditional cryptographic techniques and quantum cryptography.Comment: 21 page

Guest Editorial: Business Models/Projects – Design, Venture, Manage and Evaluate

A number of literature reviews on business models and innovation have suggested that business models are mainly rooted in resource-based view (RBV) and transaction cost economics (TCE) theories. Since business models is a burgeoning research field in strategic management, scholars have paid a great attention toward conceptualizing what business models are, how business models are evolved, and what theories explain business models. The special issue welcomed scholars to submit their academic research on various themes in business models, including innovative ideas to architecture ideal business models, motives of innovation in business models, financing business enterprises, venture capitalists role in business projects, bank financing, leasing and contracting in new business projects, inventory and supply chain issues in projects, barriers to success in new business models, evaluating project performance, cost estimation and control in project management, and socially-driven vs. value-driven projects, among others. The special issue call for papers has received a good response from strategy and finance researchers globally. Following double blind review system, we have accepted six articles for the Issue in 2017

The assessment in the awareness regarding nutrition in pregnancy in population attending Dhiraj hospital and effect of taboos, customs and food availability on such population

Background: Food taboos have great effect on pregnant women through prohibited essential food and/or drinks. It is transferred from generation to generation and has negative effect on pregnant mothers' health. The objective was to assess magnitude of food taboo and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Dhiraj hospital, Waghodiya, Vadodara.Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted. 180 pregnant women were selected for the study. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictors of food taboo.Results: Twenty-seven percent of pregnant mother encountered food taboos. Avoided food items by pregnant mothers were linseed, coffee, tea, cabbage, meat, wheat bread, banana, groundnut, salty diet, sugarcane, pumpkin, and coca drinks. Reasons mentioned for avoidance of this food items were plastered on the fetal head, making fatty baby which is difficult for delivery, fear of abortion, and fetal abnormality. Age of the mother AOR=2.97 (1.71-5.16), income AOR=0.28 (0.11-0.72), and previous antenatal care AOR=2.33 (1.89-5.47) were significantly associated with food taboo.Conclusions: Our study revealed that considerable proportion of food taboo exists during pregnancy in the study area. This can be improved by strengthening the nutrition counselling components of antenatal care follow-up

Implementing Aproiri Algorithm for Predicting Result Analysis

University or Higher Learning Institution is a platform to train students in specific domain area that will become an asset for a country. One of the critical issues in University is to avoid dropout students. Educational Data Mining (EDM) is an emergent discipline in developing methods to explore the unique types of data from the educational context. One of the techniques applied in EDM is an Association Rules (AR) which is to find a pattern of one element influencing other element. In this paper, AR technique has been utilized to predict students’ results based on a group of the previous students results. Clustering method has been used to classify the specific subject category. Finally, a system known as Result Prediction System (REPS) has been developed to perform automatically the AR analysis on the academic data using PHP and MYSQL databases

Implementing Aproiri Algorithm for Predicting Result Analysis

University or Higher Learning Institution is aplatform to train students in specific domain area that willbecome an asset for a country. One of the critical issues inUniversity is to avoid dropout students. Educational DataMining (EDM) is an emergent discipline in developing methodsto explore the unique types of data from the educationalcontext. One of the techniques applied in EDM is an AssociationRules (AR) which is to find a pattern of one element influencingother element. In this paper, AR technique has been utilized topredict students’ results based on a group of the previousstudents results. Clustering method has been used to classify thespecific subject category. Finally, a system known as ResultPrediction System (REPS) has been developed to performautomatically the AR analysis on the academic data using PHPand MYSQL databases

A study of efficacy of ormeloxifene in abnormal uterine bleeding of ovulatory disorders

Background: Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) of ovulatory disorders is defined as the state of abnormal bleeding from the genital tract without any clinically detectable organic, systemic and iatrogenic cause. AUB is one of the common gynaecological issues among the patients visiting the hospital as it could affect at least 1/3rd of women in the child bearing age. Ormeloxifene, a nonsteroidal, nonhormonal and selective estrogen receptor modulator is a highly safe drug in treating acute and abnormal menstrual bleeding.   Methods: The 40 cases of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) with ovulatory disorder in the range of 40-52 years of age were treated with 60 mg ormeloxifene twice a week for first 12 weeks and once a week for next 12 weeks.  The patients were evaluated for haemoglobin, pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC) score and endometrial thickness before and after treatment.Results: A significant decrease in endometrial thickness and PBAC score was observed. Also, the level of haemoglobin is found to increase significantly from 8.4±0.8 to 9.9±0.7. In this study, following 6 months of treatment with ormeloxifene, 90% of cases had marked improvement in their symptoms, while 10% of the patients required surgical management i.e., hysterectomy. Amenorrhea was observed in 7.5% of total cases and hypomenorrhea in 5% cases.Conclusions: Based on these results we could conclude that ormeloxifene could be the drug of choice in patients with AUB as it is very safe with manageable side effects. This simple drug-based therapy has facilitated compliance, tolerability and noticeable reduction of symptoms resulting in satisfaction towards the treatment