Decomposition of energy consumption and energy intensity in Indian manufacturing industries

Of the total final energy consumption in India, the industrial sector accounts for about 37 percent, of which the manufacturing sector consumes about 66 percent (2004-2005 figures) with chemicals and petrochemicals, iron and steel, pulp and paper and cement industries being the largest energy users. In the recent past, energy intensity in the manufacturing sector has been decreasing. This decline is mainly due to fuel substitution away from coal in some of the sectors, most notably cement. While industrial production in developed countries stabilizes and declines, the industrial output in the developing world continues to expand owing to rising populations and catching up on economic growth. This can result in higher energy use - energy provided primarily by the combustion of fossil fuels - and thereby higher carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions. Using the decomposition analysis we show that most of the intensity reductions are driven purely by structural effect rather than energy intensity.

Understanding industrial energy use: Physical energy intensity changes in Indian manufacturing sector

We develop and analyze physical energy intensity indicators for Indian manufacturing sector. Energy consumption in five industrial sub-sectors, viz., iron and steel, aluminium, textiles, paper and cement is examined for the period 1990Ä2005. It is feasible to develop specific energy consumption indicators that reflect the physical reality more accurately than monetary energy intensities. These indicators allow us to analyze the effect of change in product mix over time. The use of physical energy intensity indicators improves comparability between countries, offers valuable input for policy-makers regarding intra-sectoral structural changes, and provides detailed explanation for observed changes in energy intensity. Hence, the results of the study point out the need to use physical indicators for policy making.Energy intensity, manufacturing/industry sector, product mix, energy indicators

Understanding industrial energy use - Physical energy intensity changes in Indian manufacturing sector

We develop and analyze physical energy intensity indicators for Indian manufacturing sector. Energy consumption in five industrial sub-sectors, viz., iron and steel, aluminium, textiles, paper and cement is examined for the period 19902005. It is feasible to develop specific energy consumption indicators that reflect the physical reality more accurately than monetary energy intensities. These indicators allow us to analyze the effect of change in product mix over time. The use of physical energy intensity indicators improves comparability between countries, offers valuable input for policy-makers regarding intra-sectoral structural changes, and provides detailed explanation for observed changes in energy intensity. Hence, the results of the study point out the need to use physical indicators for policy making.Energy intensity, manufacturing/industry sector, product mix, energy indicators

Polar Network Index as a magnetic proxy for the solar cycle studies

The Sun has a polar magnetic field which oscillates with the 11 year sunspot cycle. This polar magnetic field is an important component of the dynamo process which is operating in the solar convection zone and produces the sunspot cycle. We have systematic direct measurements of the Sun's polar magnetic field only from about mid 1970s. There are, however, indirect proxies which give us information about this field at earlier times. The Ca K spectroheliograms taken in Kodaikanal Solar Observatory during 1904 - 2007 have now been digitized with the 4k x 4k CCD and have higher resolution (0.86 arcsec) than the other available historical datasets. From these Ca-K spectroheliograms, we have developed a completely new proxy (Polar Network Index, PNI) for the Sun's polar magnetic field. We calculate the PNI from the digitized images using an automated algorithm and calibrate our measured PNI against the polar field as measured by the Wilcox Solar Observatory for the period of 1976 - 1990. This calibration allows us to estimate polar fields for the earlier period up to 1904. The dynamo calculations done with this proxy as input data reproduce the Sun's magnetic behavior for the past century reasonably well.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures Accepted for publication in APJ

Seasonal Labour Migration: A Case Study of Leh-Town, Ladakh

This paper deals with seasonal migration of labour in the high altitude Leh town. Ladakh region has emerged as an attractive spot for investment due to tourism, strategic importance and cultural diversity which subsequently generated employment in the informal sector and seasonal jobs. Low population density but high labour demand in this region has led to the labour in-migration from within the state, other developing Indian states (like Bihar, UP, Odisha, Jharkhand etc.) of India as well as from Nepal. Due to extreme climate, access barrier and high transport cost, labourers are compelled to move there in the ‘summer’ only, where there are comparatively higher income opportunities. This paper aims to understand the migrant labour dynamics, their negotiations and the policy and actions gaps towards beneficial of the labour rights. This study was conducted with the mixed method approach of social research with the data collection techniques of participant observation, focused group discussion, in-depth interview and collection of secondary data from various government offices. Findings reveal the precarious conditions of the seasonal labours in their workplace and staying, violations of labour rights, lack of organisation, local bias towards them

Turner syndrome and associated problems in turkish children: A multicenter study

Objective: Turner syndrome (TS) is a chromosomal disorder caused by complete or partial X chromosome monosomy that manifests various clinical features depending on the karyotype and on the genetic background of affected girls. This study aimed to systematically investigate the key clinical features of TS in relationship to karyotype in a large pediatric Turkish patient population. Methods: Our retrospective study included 842 karyotype-proven TS patients aged 0-18 years who were evaluated in 35 different centers in Turkey in the years 2013-2014. Results: The most common karyotype was 45,X (50.7%), followed by 45,X/46,XX (10.8%), 46,X,i(Xq) (10.1%) and 45,X/46,X,i(Xq) (9.5%). Mean age at diagnosis was 10.2±4.4 years. The most common presenting complaints were short stature and delayed puberty. Among patients diagnosed before age one year, the ratio of karyotype 45,X was significantly higher than that of other karyotype groups. Cardiac defects (bicuspid aortic valve, coarctation of the aorta and aortic stenosi) were the most common congenital anomalies, occurring in 25% of the TS cases. This was followed by urinary system anomalies (horseshoe kidney, double collector duct system and renal rotation) detected in 16.3%. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was found in 11.1% of patients, gastrointestinal abnormalities in 8.9%, ear nose and throat problems in 22.6%, dermatologic problems in 21.8% and osteoporosis in 15.3%. Learning difficulties and/or psychosocial problems were encountered in 39.1%. Insulin resistance and impaired fasting glucose were detected in 3.4% and 2.2%, respectively. Dyslipidemia prevalence was 11.4%. Conclusion: This comprehensive study systematically evaluated the largest group of karyotype-proven TS girls to date. The karyotype distribution, congenital anomaly and comorbidity profile closely parallel that from other countries and support the need for close medical surveillance of these complex patients throughout their lifespan. © Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology

Customisation of the Exome Data Analysis Pipeline Using a Combinatorial Approach

The advent of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have revolutionised the way biologists produce, analyse and interpret data. Although NGS platforms provide a cost-effective way to discover genome-wide variants from a single experiment, variants discovered by NGS need follow up validation due to the high error rates associated with various sequencing chemistries. Recently, whole exome sequencing has been proposed as an affordable option compared to whole genome runs but it still requires follow up validation of all the novel exomic variants. Customarily, a consensus approach is used to overcome the systematic errors inherent to the sequencing technology, alignment and post alignment variant detection algorithms. However, the aforementioned approach warrants the use of multiple sequencing chemistry, multiple alignment tools, multiple variant callers which may not be viable in terms of time and money for individual investigators with limited informatics know-how. Biologists often lack the requisite training to deal with the huge amount of data produced by NGS runs and face difficulty in choosing from the list of freely available analytical tools for NGS data analysis. Hence, there is a need to customise the NGS data analysis pipeline to preferentially retain true variants by minimising the incidence of false positives and make the choice of right analytical tools easier. To this end, we have sampled different freely available tools used at the alignment and post alignment stage suggesting the use of the most suitable combination determined by a simple framework of pre-existing metrics to create significant datasets

Reproductive and Hormonal Factors in Relation to Lung Cancer Among Nepali Women

Partial funding for Open Access provided by the UMD Libraries' Open Access Publishing Fund.Background: Of the 1.8 million global incident lung cancer cases estimated in 2012, approximately 60% occurred in less developed regions. Prior studies suggest sex differences in lung cancer risk and a potential role for reproductive and hormonal factors in lung cancer among women. However, the majority of these studies were conducted in developed regions. No prior study has assessed these relationships among Nepali women. Methods: Using data from a hospital-based case-control study conducted in B. P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital (Nepal, 2009–2012), relationships between reproductive and hormonal factors and lung cancer were examined among women aged 23–85 years. Lung cancer cases (n = 268) were frequency-matched to controls (n = 226) based on age (±5 years), ethnicity and residential area. The main exposures in this analysis included menopausal status, age at menarche, age at menopause, menstrual duration, gravidity, and age at first live-birth. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Among postmenopausal women, those with a younger age at menopause (<45 years; 45–49 years) had an increased odds of lung cancer compared to those with an older (≥50 years) age at menopause [OR (95%CI): 2.14 (1.09, 4.17); OR (95% CI): 1.93 (1.07, 3.51)], after adjusting for age and cumulative active smoking years. No statistically significant associations were observed with the other reproductive and hormonal factors examined. Conclusion: These results suggest that Nepali women with prolonged exposure to endogenous ovarian hormones, via later age at menopause, may have a lower odds of lung cancer

Configuring Balanced Scorecards for Measuring Health System Performance: Evidence from 5 Years' Evaluation in Afghanistan

Anbrasi Edward and colleagues report the results of a balanced scorecard performance system used to examine 29 key performance indicators over a 5-year period in Afghanistan, between 2004 and 2008

Reproductive and Hormonal Factors in Relation to Lung Cancer Among Nepali Women

Background: Of the 1.8 million global incident lung cancer cases estimated in 2012, approximately 60% occurred in less developed regions. Prior studies suggest sex differences in lung cancer risk and a potential role for reproductive and hormonal factors in lung cancer among women. However, the majority of these studies were conducted in developed regions. No prior study has assessed these relationships among Nepali women.Methods: Using data from a hospital-based case-control study conducted in B. P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital (Nepal, 2009–2012), relationships between reproductive and hormonal factors and lung cancer were examined among women aged 23–85 years. Lung cancer cases (n = 268) were frequency-matched to controls (n = 226) based on age (±5 years), ethnicity and residential area. The main exposures in this analysis included menopausal status, age at menarche, age at menopause, menstrual duration, gravidity, and age at first live-birth. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable logistic regression.Results: Among postmenopausal women, those with a younger age at menopause (&lt;45 years; 45–49 years) had an increased odds of lung cancer compared to those with an older (≥50 years) age at menopause [OR (95%CI): 2.14 (1.09, 4.17); OR (95% CI): 1.93 (1.07, 3.51)], after adjusting for age and cumulative active smoking years. No statistically significant associations were observed with the other reproductive and hormonal factors examined.Conclusion: These results suggest that Nepali women with prolonged exposure to endogenous ovarian hormones, via later age at menopause, may have a lower odds of lung cancer