The Size and Development of the Shadow Economy: An Empirical Investigation from States of India

Using the state level data from India, this paper investigates the size of the hidden economy in Indian states over the period 1974/75 to 1995/96. Our analysis has shown that after liberalization of the Indian economy in 1991/92, the growth in the size of the hidden economy has decreased on an average. Our results show that the growth in the size of the hidden economy is approximately 4% less in scheduled election years than in all other years. We also demonstrate that the growth is significantly lower in those states where the coalition government is in power. An increased growth of newspapers and the literacy rates translate to cleaner governance, e.g. to fewer amounts of shadow economy activities in the economy

Biological activities and medicinal properties of neem (Azadirachta indica)

Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) is perhaps the most useful traditional medicinal plant in India. Each part of the neem tree has some medicinal property and is thus commercially exploitable. During the last five decades, apart from the chemistry of the neem compounds, considerable progress has been achieved regarding the biological activity and medicinal applications of neem. It is now considered as a valuable source of unique natural products for development of medicines against various diseases and also for the development of industrial products. This review gives a bird's eye view mainly on the biological activities of some of the neem compounds isolated, pharmacological actions of the neem extracts, clinical studies and plausible medicinal applications of neem along with their safety evaluation

UTILIZATION OF SAMANYA SHODHANA IN THE PURIFICATION OF EXCESS MERCURY OBTAINED FROM DENTAL OPERATORY- A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Background: Concerns about toxicity of mercury and disposal of excessive mercury has led to decreased usage of mercury in dental profession but still tooth colored restorative materials are not affordable by all the classes of any society. The disposal of excess mercury has always been a matter of concern. Thus, in the present study, we attempted to evaluate a simple procedure from Rasa Shastra using lime powder, garlic and rock salt for recycling of excess mercury obtained from dental operatory.Materials and methods: The excess mercury was recycled by the standard procedure explained in Ayurveda texts (Samanya shodhana) using Sudha churna (lime powder), Lashuna kalka (paste of Allium sativum L.) and Saindhava lavanaa (rock salt). The commercially available mercury and recycled mercury was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the detection of elements in ppm level.Results: It was found that the excess impure mercury contained 5138 ppm, 2866.1 ppm and 0.371 ppm of Silver, Copper and Tin respectively. After Shodhana, the level of silver, tin and copper were markedly reduced. Purified mercury showed a level of 119.5ppm silver, 0.5324 ppm copper and 0.3233 ppm tin.Conclusion: Samanya shodhana is a simple promising procedure which can be used for mercury recycling. The procedure doesnot require sophisticated equipments and maneuver. Further, the materials used in the procedure are easily available and affordable at low cost

Current Perspective on the Membrane-Damaging Action of Thermostable Direct Hemolysin, an Atypical Bacterial Pore-forming Toxin

Thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) is the major virulence determinant of the gastroenteric bacterial pathoge

<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> TlyA Forms Amyloid-like Aggregates with Potent Cytotoxic Activity

<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> is a potent human gastric pathogen. It is known to be associated with several gastroenteric disorders, including gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. The <i>H. pylori</i> genome encodes a gene product TlyA that has been shown to display potent membrane damaging properties and cytotoxic activity. On the basis of such properties, TlyA is considered as a potential virulence factor of <i>H. pylori</i>. In this study, we show that the <i>H. pylori</i> TlyA protein has a strong propensity to convert into the amyloid-like aggregated assemblies, upon exposure to elevated temperatures. Even at the physiological temperature of 37 °C, TlyA shows a strong amyloidogenic property. TlyA aggregates that are generated upon exposure at temperatures of ≥37 °C show prominent binding to dyes like thioflavin T and Nile Red. Transmission electron microscopy also demonstrates the presence of typical amyloid-like fibrils in the TlyA aggregates generated at 37 °C. Conversion of TlyA into the amyloid-like aggregates is found to be associated with major alterations in the secondary and tertiary structural organization of the protein. Finally, our study shows that the preformed amyloid-like aggregates of TlyA are capable of exhibiting potent cytotoxic activities against human gastric adenocarcinoma cells. Altogether, such a propensity of <i>H. pylori</i> TlyA to convert into the amyloid-like aggregated assemblies with cytotoxic activity suggests potential implications for the virulence functionality of the protein

Powder Metallurgical Processing of Sn-Reinforced Al-Cu-Fe Quasicrystals: Structure, Microstructure and Toughening Behavior

The present work deals with powder metallurgical processing of Sn-reinforced Al-Cu-Fe icosahedral quasicrystalline (IQC) composites processed through mechanical milling (MM) followed by hot pressing and pressureless sintering. The structure, microstructure and toughening behavior of the nanocomposite powders and bulk samples were investigated through X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical metallography (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and indentation techniques. The XRD pattern suggested the coexistence of IQC and λ-Al13Fe4 (mC102; a = 1.549 nm, b = 0.808 nm, c = 1.248 nm) and B2-type Al (Cu, Fe) (cP2; a = 0.29 nm) crystalline phases in milled as well as sintered samples. The face-centered icosahedral (FCI) ordering was persistent even after 40 h of milling and sintering. The structural transformation during MM influences the indentation behavior of IQC-Sn nanocomposite powders, and the microhardness was found to be in the range of ~5.3 to 7.3 GPa. Further, efforts were made to study the indentation behavior of IQC-Sn composite prepared by pressureless sintering and hot pressing. The fracture toughness of the IQC-10Sn hot-pressed sample was found to be ~1.92 MPa.√m, which is ~22% higher than that of the as-cast and annealed IQC. The enhancement in the fracture toughness resulted mainly from the inhibition of cracks by Sn reinforcement particles. This suggests that powder metallurgical processing can produce the IQC-Sn composite with an optimal combination of microhardness and fracture toughness