Performance of Gujarat economy: an analysis of growth and instability

Since the State’s inception, the growth process in Gujarat and its regions has experienced ups and downs in the economic activities. Not much attention is attributed to short term fluctuations in the growth of economic activities as long as the long term growth depicts an upward trend. However, if the short term fluctuations become frequent and adversely affect the long term rate of growth, there is a need for a closer look. Tackling instability acquires importance for improving the lot of small and marginal farmers, who are more affected by spells of bad years. Instability in agricultural production raises risk in farm production, affecting farmers’ incomes and decisions for investments to adopt new technologies. This paper is devoted to looking at the long term macro-economic growth pattern of Gujarat since its inception. It highlights the problem of instability in economic growth – both for the economy and in particular for agricultural sector. The comparative picture of Gujarat in the national economy is presented, together with a discussion on changing structure of Gujarat’s economy from early 1960s to 2008-09. The analysis of instability is also carried out at the sectoral level. Analysis of instability is attempted in terms of structure of the economy. Income is the variable selected for analysis as it is a comprehensive measure of economic activity. For agriculture, the paper opts ‘output’ for the sectoral analysis.Agricultural growth, Instability, Sectoral growth, Gujarat

Kartu Tahfidz Pintar (Ktp) Sebagai Media Inovatif Di Ra Baitul Mukminin Bangsalsari Jember

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendiskripsikan imlementasi media KTP di RA Baitul Mukminin Bangslsari Kabupaten Jember. Hasil penelitiannya menunjukkan: 1) pembuat media pembelajaran KTP adalah ustadzah dan kepala RA Baitul Mukminin. Alat-alatnya berupa kertas manila, gunting, lem, surat-surat pendek dan spidol warna. Isi materi media KTP ini adalah surat-surat pendek. Media KTP digunakan setelah/sebelum mengaji metode Allimna. Langkah-langkahnya adalah mengambil media KTP sebanyak 2-3 kartu, memperlihatkan, menanyakan isi tulisan, dan melafalkan secara bergantian dengan anak-anak; 2) penggunaan media KTP dapat meningkatkan efektifitas pembelajaran. Siswa lebih mudah menghafal al-Qur’an dan senang dengan melihat kartu tahfidznya. Hasil penggunaan media media KTP lebih efektif karena saat guru menggunakan media KTP dalam lima pertemuan, anak sebagian sudah ada yang hafal surat-surat pendek dan sama nama-namanya; dan 3) hambatan guru saat menggunakan media KTP pada saat kegiatan pembelajaran adalah terkadang masih ada anak yang mengobrol, main sendiri, waktunya terbatas, dan anak anak masih memilih bentuk kartu dan warna yang disukainya, padahal bentuk dan warna yang dia minta itu belum tentu yang mau dibaca pada hari itu. Salah satu solusinya adalah gurunya memberikan arahan kepada anak-anak dan semakin hari demi hari anak-anak faham dengan kartu tahfizd pintar yang dipegang ustadzahnya

Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) Analyses Of Superelastic And Nonsuperelastic Nickel-Titanium Orthodontic Wires

The purpose of this study was to determine the transformation temperatures for the austenitic, martensitic, and rhombohedral (R) structure phases in representative as-received commercial nitinol (NiTi) orthodontic wire alloys, to reconcile discrepancies among recent publications. Specimens were examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) over a temperature range from approximately −170° C to 100° C, with a scanning rate of 10° C per minute. Two different pathways, with the intermediate R structure either absent or present, were observed for the transformation from martensitic to austenitic NiTi, whereas the reverse transformation from austenitic to martensitic NiTi always included the R structure. The enthalpy (ΔH) for the transformation from martensite to austenite ranged from 0.3 to 35 calories per gram. The lowest ΔH value for the nonsuperelastic Nitinol wire is consistent with a largely work-hardened, stable, martensitic microstructure in this product. The DSC results indicate that the transformation processes are broadly similar in superelastic, body-temperature shape-memory, and nonsuperelastic NiTi wires. Differences in bending properties for the NiTi orthodontic wires at room temperature and 37° C are due to the relative proportions of the metallurgical phases in the microstructures

Shape memory effect of NiTi alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing followed by post deformation annealing

Processing by Equal-Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) is generally considered superior to most other SPD techniques because it uses relatively large bulk samples. However, due to their low deformability it has proven almost impossible to successfully process NiTi alloys by ECAP at room temperature and therefore the processing is conducted at elevated temperatures. Recently, a new billet design was introduced and it was used to achieve the successful processing of NiTi shape memory alloys by ECAP. In this procedure, a NiTi alloy was inserted as a core within an Fe sheath to give a core-sheath billet. In this research, a NiTi was processed by one pass ECAP with this new billet design at room temperature. The structural evolution during annealing was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and microhardness measurements. Post deformation annealing (PDA) was carried out at 400°C for 5 to 300 min and the results indicate that the shape memory effect improves by PDA after ECA

The Effect of Water Storage on the Bending Properties of Esthetic, Fiber-Reinforced Composite Orthodontic Archwires

Objective: To study the effect of water storage on the bending properties of fiber-reinforced composite archwires and compare it to nickel-titanium (NiTi), stainless steel (SS), and beta-titanium archwires. Materials and Methods: Align A, B, and C and TorQ A and B composite wires from BioMers Products, 0.014-, 0.016, and 0.018-inch, and 0.019 × 0.025-inch NiTi, 0.016-inch SS, and 0.019 × 0.025-inch beta-titanium archwires were tested (n  =  10/type/size/condition). A 20-mm segment was cut from each end of the archwire; one end was then stored in water at 37°C for 30 days, while the other was stored dry. The segments were tested using three-point bending to a maximum deflection of 3.1 mm with force monitored during loading (activation) and unloading (deactivation). Statistical analysis was completed via two-way analysis of variance with wire and condition (dry and water-stored) as factors. Results: In terms of stiffness and force delivery during activation, in general: beta-titanium was \u3e TorQ B \u3e TorQ A \u3e 0.019 × 0.025-inch NiTi and 0.016-inch SS \u3e Align C \u3e 0.018-inch NiTi \u3e Align B \u3e 0.016-inch NiTi \u3e Align A \u3e 0.014-inch NiTi. Water exposure was detrimental to the larger translucent wires (Align B and C, TorQ A and B) because they were more likely to craze during bending, resulting in decreased forces applied at a given deflection. Align A and the alloy wires were not significantly (P\u3e .05) affected by water storage. Overall, the alloy wires possessed more consistent force values compared to the composite wires

Very small embryonic-like (VSEL) stem cells: recent knowledge

Very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) are a unique and rare stem cell population, which have the same structural, genetic, biochemical, and functional characteristics as embryonic stem cells and they are able to differentiate to all three germ layers. In several emergency situations related to organ damage, VSELs can be activated and mobilized into peripheral blood, and in appropriate animal models they contribute to tissue organ/regeneration. Optimized methods for isolation and expansion of VSELs have aroused the scientific community's interest in use of this kind of cells for regenerative purposes. The properties of such pluripotent cells make them a potential candidate in regenerative medicine

The Genome Scale Metabolic Model of Cryptosporidium hominis: iNV209

The apicomplexan Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite of humans and other mammals. Cryptosporidium species cause acute gastro-enteritis and diarrheal disease in healthy humans and animals, and cause life-threatening infection in immuno-compromised individuals such as people with AIDS. It has a one-host life cycle and invades intestinal epithelial cells causing diarrhea, or more rarely the pulmonary epithelium. Cryptosporidium carries out all the asexual reproductive stages like several other apicomplexans. Current annotation of this organism predicts it to contain 3884 genes of which only 1581 genes have predicted functions. By using a combination of bioinformatics analysis, biochemical evidence, and high-throughput data, a genome-scale metabolic model of Cryptosporidium hominis is being constructed. The current model is comprised of approximately 213 gene-associated enzymes involved in major metabolic pathways including carbohydrate, nucleotide, amino acid, and energy metabolism. The approach of constructing a genome-scale model provides a link between the genotype and the phenotypic behavior of the organism, making it possible to study and predict behavior based upon genome content. This modeling approach provides an overview for evaluating missing components in a metabolic network and provides an analytical framework for interpreting data as more research becomes available. The goal of constructing this model is to systematically study and analyze various functional behaviors of C. hominis with respect to its stages in life cycle and pathogenicity

Ab initio study of point defects in NiTi-based alloys

Changes in temperature or stress state may induce reversible B2$\leftrightarrow$(R)$\leftrightarrow$ B19' martensitic transformations and associated shape memory effects in close-to-stoichiometric nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloys. Recent experimental studies confirmed a considerable impact of the hydrogen-rich aging atmosphere on the subsequent B2 austenite $\leftrightarrow$ B19' martensite transformation path. In this paper, we employ Density Functional Theory to study properties of Ar, He, and H interstitials in B2 austenite and B19' martensite phases. We show that H interstitials exhibit negative formation energies, while Ar and He interstitials yield positive values. Our theoretical analysis of slightly Ni-rich Ni--Ti alloys with the austenite B2 structure shows that a slight over-stoichiometry towards Ni-rich compositions in a range 51--52\,\text{at.%} is energetically favorable. The same conclusion holds for H-doped NiTi with the H content up to \approx6\,\text{at.%}. In agreement with experimental data we predict H atoms to have a strong impact on the martensitic phase transformation in NiTi by altering the mutual thermodynamic stability of the high-temperature cubic B2 and the low-temperature monoclinic B19' phase of NiTi. Hydrogen atoms are predicted to form stable interstitial defects. As this is not the case for He and Ar, mixtures of hydrogen and the two inert gases can be used in annealing experiments to control H partial pressure when studying the martensitic transformations in NiTi in various atmospheres.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Optimizing a Method for DNA Recovery while Preserving Latent Prints on Paper

Paper evidence is commonly encountered in cases of kidnapping, threatening letters, extortion, and bank robbery, and the optimal workflow between latent print processing and DNA collection is of interest to the forensic community. The overall aim of this project was to achieve optimal amounts of DNA for typing without destroying the fingerprint. The first study compared two collection techniques—tape-lifting by Scotch Removable Poster Tape and dry swabbing with FLOQSwabs— using prints deposited in defined locations. Samples were processed for DNA and developed with 1,2-indanedione. The second aim was to determine if visualizing print locations with fingerprint powder prior to DNA collection with fingerprint powder would impact success rates. Each study involved 11 volunteers who were asked to wash and dry their hands, rub their face for 5 seconds and deposit both hand prints on copy paper for 5 seconds. The results showed that tape lifting gave full DNA profiles for all volunteers and after latent print development, with 76% of tape-lifted fingerprint pattern were of value for comparison. In contrast, many partial profiles were seen with the swabbing technique and only 57% of developed swabbed fingerprints were of value for comparison. DNA concentrations ranged from 0.01-0.39 ng/μL for tape-lifting and 0.0009-0.06 ng/μL for swabbing. The fluorescent powder developed prints showed reduced DNA concentrations (0.0007-0.21ng/μL) after tape lifting but still yielded 9 out of 11 DNA profiles. The study indicates that Scotch removable poster tape provides higher DNA yields than the FLOQSwabs and preserves latent prints for development with 1,2-indanedione. Treatment with fluorescent powder does not interfere with DNA typing but impairs subsequent chemical development