Economic reforms and entry barriers in Indian manufacturing

Institutional regulations by way of licensing and capacity restrictions have often been considered as barriers to competition in Indian industry. As most of these regulations have given way for market signals an increase in the number of entrants and alterations in the conditions of entry, mainly the barriers to entry are expected. In this paper I attempt to analyse the extent of barriers to entry in Indian manufacturing by empirically quantifying the height of these barriers. Econometric estimation of the height of the barriers for 1991 and 1996 shows that the height of barriers increased in 1996 at the aggregate level. An examination at the disaggregate level reveals that in almost all the industries examined from a sample of firms drawn from the CMIE the height of the barriers have increased in 1996 compared to 1991. The dilution and dismantling of commands and controls intended to ease entry have thus paved the way for the erection and strengthening of market barriers which have grown over time. JEL Classification : L1, L11, L13 Key words : economic reforms, entry barriers, height of barriers, market barrier

भारत में समुद्री अक्वापोनिक्स प्रणालियों की जीवन क्षमता

Viability of marine aquaponics systems in Indi

Trade liberalisation, market power and scale efficiency in Indian industry

Using information on listed firms in each of the industry groups at the two-digit level within Manufacturing this study investigates whether the radical shift in trade policy in India in 1991 resulted in a reduction in market power and/or an improvement in scale efficiency. We estimate a group-wise production function allowing for firm-specific effects. A plausible estimate of market power is obtained and the assumption of constant returns to scale is mostly rejected. As regards the effects of the trade-policy shock of 1991, evidence of a move to a more competitive market structure or of an improvement in scale efficiency is not widespread across Indian manufacturing. JEL Classification: F12 Key words: Trade liberalisation; Market power; Scale Economie

MUTATIONS IN THE RPOB GENE OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS IDENTIFIED BY SEQUENCING METHOD

ABSTRACTObjective: To identify the mutation in the rpoB gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), using by sequencing method from pulmonary specimensof presumptive TB patients belonging to the districts of Tamil Nadu.Methods: A total of 8697 clinical specimens of presumptive MTB patients were collected from various districts of Tamil Nadu. Smear microscopy wasperformed by light emitting diode fluorescent microscopy and all the smear positive samples were tested using line probe assay (LPA) to detect thepercentage of drug resistance pattern and to identify the missing mutation in LPA by the sequencing method.Results: Among 4897 smear positives subjected to LPA method; 407 (8.3%) MTB was not detected and 16 (0.3%) showed invalid result; 4473 (91.4%)strains showed MTB positive; 3695 (82.6%) were sensitive for both rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) drugs; 502 (11.2%) were resistance for INH;73 (1.6%) resistant for RIF; 203 (4.5%) were resistance for RIF and INH. Totally, 52 (1.2%) strains results cannot be confirmed by LPA and reportedas sensitive for RIF, because of the faint and the missing bands in both wild type and mutation. These strains were sequenced and 39 (75%) strainsshowed resistant to RIF.Conclusion: Hence LPA may be the molecular technology for the rapid, feasible and reliable method for the detection of multidrug resistant mutationbut few confusion bands cannot be reported as resistance, which should be confirmed by either conventional phenotypic drug susceptibility testingor by sequencing method.Keywords: Line probe assay, Sequencing, Mutation, Multidrug resistant tuberculosis

A Study on Strengthening the Operational Efficiency of Dairy Supply Chain in Tamilnadu, India

AbstractThe main objective of this paper is to study the issues in improving the operational efficiency of the dairy supply chain in Tamil Nadu, India. Dairy Farming is a major occupation of the people of Tamil Nadu, India and it contributes a significant amount to the growth of our country. In this paper, Tamil Nadu dairy development department's objectives and its three-tier structure were studied. Through SWOT analysis its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were analyzed. In our study Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation is compared with Gujarat Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (AMUL). The major issues influencing the dairy farming are studied through literature survey, field study and researchers experience. They are presented in this paper. There were three major important field studies conducted at various time periods. The data has been collected through a questionnaire method and these interactions were recorded by a video camera. Based on the research work carried out on dairy supply chain in Tamil Nadu, India, some key recommendations are made for the attention of policy makers to strengthen the operational efficiency. There are five areas of focus. They are, creation of special dairy zone, implementing dynamic milk procurement method, strengthening cooperative societies, creation of feed bank and increasing fodder productivity, integrated animal health plan and information technology

Performance of Multinational Association of Supportive Care of Cancer (MASCC) Risk Index Score for Identifying Low Risk Adult Febrile Neutropenic Cancer patients.

Introduction: Febrile neutropenia (FN) represents one of the most common complications Of chemotherapy in cancer patients1. Chemotherapy induced neutropenia remains a Life threatening complication despite progress in our understanding and in the Treatment of this event. Now days the accepted standard of care for such patients Has been administration of empiric, broad spectrum antibiotics, and close monitoring For development of complications until fever resolution and neutropenia recovery. Though treatment of such patients can be done as in-patients in hospitals, not all Febrile neutropenia patients require intensive treatment2. Many investigations have indicated that neutropenic patients with fever are a Heterogeneous population, with subsets with varying risks regarding response to Initial therapy, development of serious medical complications, and mortality. Over the Past decade, several investigators have identified subsets of febrile neutropenic Patients who are at low risk for the development of complications, including mortality. Several clinical studies involving neutropenic patients with predicted low risk have Demonstrated the feasibility of newer approaches, such as outpatient therapy after Early discharge from the hospital or outpatient therapy for the entire febrile episode, Using parenteral, sequential (intravenous [IV] followed by oral), or oral antibiotic Regimens3. Febrile Neutropenia can be defined as a single oral temperature ≥ 38.3°C or 101°F or a temperature of ≥ 38°C or 100.4°F for at least 1 hour 5. , With absolute Neutrophil count (ANC) < 500 cells/mm3 or an ANC < 1,000 cells/mm3 with a Predicted decline to < 500 cells/mm3. At least one-half of febrile neutropenic patients have a documented or occult Infection. At least one-fifth of patients with neutrophil counts < 100 cells/mm3 have Bacteremia. Fungi can be causes of secondary infection in neutropenic patients who Have received broad-spectrum antibiotics and may also cause primary infections. The primary anatomic site of infection is the gastrointestinal tract, where mucosal Damage from chemotherapy allows invasion of micro-organisms. Damage to the skin From invasive procedures, such as intravascular devices, similarly provides portals of Entry for microbes. The duration of neutropenia is also an important determinant of risk of Infection. Patients with a low ANC and prolonged neutropenia (eg, > 10 days) are at Further increased risk of infection 7. Risk assessment is important in deciding whether febrile neutopenic patients Can be treated as inpatients or outpatients and whether oral or intravenous Antibiotics can be used. Historically, characteristics of low risk for serious medical Complications include outpatient conventional chemotherapy for solid tumors, normal Chest x-ray, hemodynamic stability, expected duration of neutropenia ≤ 7 days, Normal kidney and liver function tests, early evidence of marrow recovery, Malignancy in remission, and normal mental status. Management of patients with febrile neutropenic fever is complex and Involves careful consideration of multiple factors. At least one-half of neutropenic Patients who become febrile have a documented or occult infection. The Microbiology of infections has shifted, with more gram-positive infections, increased Drug resistance, and previously less common organisms being seen more frequently. Risk assessment is needed to determine whether inpatient or outpatient treatment is Indicated and whether intravenous or oral antibiotics can be used 7. A thorough history is extremely important when evaluating patients for febrile Neutropenia. The history should include the nature of the chemotherapy given, prior Antibiotic prophylaxis, concomitant steroids or other immunosuppressive’s, recent Documented colonization or infection with susceptibilities, recent surgical Procedures, and medication allergies. In neutropenic patients, symptoms and signs of inflammation may be minimal Or absent. The lack of inflammatory response can make detection of infection more Difficult and requires close physical examination for more subtle signs and Symptoms. There will likely be decreased erythema, induration, and purulence in Response to bacterial infections (eg, a skin infection without typical features of Cellulitis, a pulmonary infection without a clear infiltrate, meningitis that lacks Cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis, and urinary tract infections without pyuria). Careful Evaluation of common sites of infections should include the mouth, pharynx, Esophagus, lungs, perineum, eyes, skin, and vascular catheter access sites. Laboratory studies include measurement of complete blood counts, serum Creatinine levels, blood urea nitrogen, transaminase levels, and blood cultures. Blood Cultures should be obtained from a peripheral vein and catheter if present. Depending on the clinical situation, other cultures can be obtained. Skin biopsies can Also be obtained if indicated. If respiratory signs or symptoms are present, a chest xray Can be performed6. There is a growing interest in designing risk-adapted strategies for the Management of FN. The administration of parenteral, broad-spectrum empirical Antibiotic therapy after the hospitalisation of patients with FN is the accepted Standard of care. This approach is effective (with an infection-related mortality rate of less than 10%) but is expensive and, when applied to all patients with FN, may represent a Suboptimal use of resources. Over the past decade, the development of risk Stratification models has allowed for the identification of low-risk patients with Additional treatment strategies, such as initial hospitalisation followed by early Discharge with parenteral or oral antibiotics (sequential therapy) and out-patient Treatment with oral antimicrobials. The most attractive option is out-patient treatment for the entire febrile Episode, because of several advantages, including important repercussions on Economic costs and quality of life as well as significant reduction in nosocomial Super infections. Careful selection of patients at a low risk of developing Complications, appropriate empirical regimens and the daily monitoring of patients (for response and toxicity) are critical for the success of this approach. Expected Duration of neutropenia (less than 10 days and under 60 years of age) and Favourable social and economic environment, with access to prompt medical Attention, are relevant prerequisites for considering this approach 11 . Epidemiology of infection is influenced not only by the severity and duration of Neutropenia, but also by the intensity of chemotherapy, the use of prophylaxis and/or Empirical antibiotic therapy, the use of central venous catheters, environmental Factors and duration of the hospital stay, among others. The detection of epidemiological shifts requires frequent monitoring and Surveillance, particularly at centres treating large numbers of patients, as institutional Differences can be substantial. For example, in recent years, some hospitals have Experienced an increase of infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative Bacilli, such as Acinetobacter species or Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and grampositive Cocci with increasing resistance to glycopeptides.Many reports have Demonstrated the emergence gram-positive organisms in patients with neutropenia. The practice of antimicrobial prophylaxis has been questioned repeatedly. Although oral prophylaxis against bacterial and fungal infections may decrease the Risk of development of infections after bone marrow transplantation or chemotherapy, These practices also promote the emergence of drug-resistant strains (particularly Fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli and fluconazole-resistant non-albicans Candida species). The use of fluoroquinolones for prophylaxis in high-risk patients With neutropenia has been also associated with the emergence of resistance among Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates (more than 20% at some institutions). The 2002 Guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) did not Recommend the routine fluoroquinolone prophylaxis during neutropenia. However, This may be considered for high-risk patients in critical periods of time 11. Several predictive models have indeed been developed to identify patients at Low risk of complications. Two classification systems are notable, Talcott Classification of risk groups and a scoring system proposed by the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) group. Both systems use Serious medical complications as the endpoint for risk prediction. However, the Sensitivity of the Talcott classification is limited (approximately 30%), and the Misclassification rate is high. For example, many patients who do not have Complications are not identified by the prediction rule. Also, when the classification System was used on patients discharged for home intravenous antibiotics after 2 Days of inpatient observation, the complication rate was higher than anticipated, The So-called Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) scoring System has been internationally validated under various clinical conditions and has Been widely accepted. The use of the MASCC score also allows the selection of lowrisk Patients who can be safely treated with orally administered antibiotics and be, for At least some of them, successfully discharged early after a 24-h in-hospital Observation1,3. Febrile neutropenic cancer patients will have different risk of developing a Serious infection related complications. Although, there are no universally accepted Criteria to recognise these patients, currently the most used model of prediction of Complications is the multinational association of supportive care (MASCC) index Score2. This study was designed to validate MASCC index score in an attempt to Accurately predict, on presentation with febrile neutropenia, which cancer patients Are at low or high risk of developing serious medical complications during the Episode. Aims And Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to validate the performance of the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) risk index, in Predicting the outcome of febrile neutropenia in adult cancer patients in the local Health care setting of Cancer institute ,chennai. The secondary objectives included the evaluation of the clinical outcome, Infective aetiology and prognostic factors of febrile neutropenia in the local Population

Siting and Sizing of DG for Loss Reduction and Voltage Sag Mitigation in RDS Using ABC Algorithm

In order to reduce the power loss and to improve the voltage profile in the distribution system, distributed generators (DGs) are connected to load bus. To reduce the total power loss in the system, the most important process is to identify the proper location for fixing and sizing of DGs. This paper  presents a new methodology using a new population based meta heuristic approach namely Artificial Bee Colony algorithm (ABC) for the placement of Distributed Generators (DG) in the radial distribution systems to reduce the real power loss,  to improve the voltage profile &amp; voltage sag mitigation. While these power loss reduction, voltage profile improvement and voltage sag mitigation has significant role in lessoning imposed expenditures to utility companies. The power loss reduction is important factor for utility companies because it is directly proportional to the company benefits in a competitive electricity market, while reaching the better power quality standards is too important as it has vital effect on customer orientation. In this paper an ABC algorithm is developed to gain these goals all together. In order to evaluate sag mitigation capability of the proposed algorithm, voltage in voltage sensitive buses is investigated. An existing 20KV network (32-bus system) has been chosen as test network and results are compared with the proposed method in the radial distribution system.DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v3i6.439

A Study on Sanctuary and Seclusion Issues in Internet-of-Things

Internet-of-Things (IoT) are everywhere in our daily life. They are used in our homes, in hospitals, deployed outside to control and report the changes in environment, prevent fires, and many more beneficial functionality. However, all those benefits can come of huge risks of seclusion loss and sanctuary issues. To secure the IoT devices, many research works have been con-ducted to countermeasure those problems and find a better way to eliminate those risks, or at least minimize their effects on the user�s seclusion and sanctuary requirements. The study consists of four segments. The first segment will explore the most relevant limitations of IoT devices and their solutions. The second one will present the classification of IoT attacks. The next segment will focus on the mechanisms and architectures for authentication and access control. The last segment will analyze the sanctuary issues in different layers