Centralized Admission: A Novel Student-Centric E-Governance Process

e-governance initiative has helped many governmental organizations to carry out their services transparently, efficiently, and democratically. The admission process in many of the universities in Karnataka is usually manual. The process suffers from redundancy of data and workforce and the process itself is expensive. For the first time in any University in Karnataka, in 2009, an automated system for Post Graduate admissions was designed, developed and implemented for Bangalore University. This e-governance admission system has been in use in the University for the last four years. The process was started as a skeleton model and more services were added later in subsequent academic years during admission. It was found that the system was foolproof. It transformed the whole admission process into a single-window system. Admission Approval, Fee Payment, Hostel Admissions, and Issue of Library Cards were thus brought under a single-window system. This paper compares the novel e-governance initiative with that of the pervious system of admission. It also compares the Bangalore University model with other automated admission models in Karnataka. It investigates the performance of the e-governance initiative in reducing workforce and redundancy. It records the find that the e-governance process has helped the University and its stakeholders in rendering the admission system transparent. Many other Universities in Karnataka are now following this model for their admission

Structural integrity management of steel structures subjected to high fatigue loading

The paper deals with an overall strategy employed by Maintenance Technology Institute of Monash University to manage structural integrity of the structural systems in large mining machinery that are subjected to high fatigue loading. The structural systems employed in these machines are predominately welded structures consisting of hot-rolled structural members with open or tubular profiles. The design of the overall systems as well as the members is often governed by stability and fatigue. Large proportion of these structural systems has already passed their initial design life and hence the management of structural integrity to ensure safety and reliability of operation is a significant technical challenge. The paper will discuss the overall approach employed and the main components of the management system. The methods used for setting up inspection schemes will be discussed. The methodology employs measurement of loading using structural responses and uses them to accurately estimate the loading for strength and fatigue design. Analysis of the structural system is undertaken using FE models which are calibrated using measurements. The critical members and connections for inspections are identified from analysis and measurements. Guidelines are provided to site staff to respond appropriately if defects are found during inspections. Some machines use permanently installed monitoring systems to increase the reliability and safety. Practical examples of how the structural integrity management system operates will be demonstrated using several examples of applications. The approach can be considered as generic and hence can be adapted to be used for steel structures such as bridges and other industrial structures subjected to significant fatigue loading

Implementing Prenatal Diagnosis Based on Cell-Free Fetal DNA: Accurate Identification of Factors Affecting Fetal DNA Yield

Objective: Cell-free fetal DNA is a source of fetal genetic material that can be used for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis. Usually constituting less than 10% of the total cell free DNA in maternal plasma, the majority is maternal in origin. Optimizing conditions for maximizing yield of cell-free fetal DNA will be crucial for effective implementation of testing. We explore factors influencing yield of fetal DNA from maternal blood samples, including assessment of collection tubes containing cell-stabilizing agents, storage temperature, interval to sample processing and DNA extraction method used.Methods: Microfluidic digital PCR was performed to precisely quantify male (fetal) DNA, total DNA and long DNA fragments (indicative of maternal cellular DNA). Real-time qPCR was used to assay for the presence of male SRY signal in samples.Results: Total cell-free DNA quantity increased significantly with time in samples stored in K(3)EDTA tubes, but only minimally in cell stabilizing tubes. This increase was solely due to the presence of additional long fragment DNA, with no change in quantity of fetal or short DNA, resulting in a significant decrease in proportion of cell-free fetal DNA over time. Storage at 4 degrees C did not prevent these changes.Conclusion: When samples can be processed within eight hours of blood draw, K(3)EDTA tubes can be used. Prolonged transfer times in K(3)EDTA tubes should be avoided as the proportion of fetal DNA present decreases significantly; in these situations the use of cell stabilising tubes is preferable. The DNA extraction kit used may influence success rate of diagnostic tests

The Black River: a comprehensive study of physical and chemical characteristics and their potential management implications.

An analysis of the Black River's biological and physicochemical characteristics was conducted for comparison to the model proposed by the river continuum theory. The theory specifies that the biological fauna, physical characteristics and chemical composition observed, are reflected in river order changes in terms of the presence, absence, or density of producer and consumer communities. The study reflected consistencies between the model and observed physical parameters and chemical attributes, but biological indicators were less corroborating. Physical characteristics such as temperature, depth, width, velocity, discharge, and suspended sediments increased with river mile and trends in the data became apparent. Chemical factors such as nitrates, dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, and hardness, though not as clearly conclusive, show a gradient associated with river order transition. Biological indicators were not as conclusive in supporting the river continuum theory since there was no representation of shredders in the headwaters and predatory species were found at most sites. Management issues of the Black River address the control of soil erosion, species composition, and sedimentation as well as maintaining water temperature.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/54342/1/2778.pd

Excavations and the afterlife of a professional football stadium, Peel Park, Accrington, Lancashire: towards an archaeology of football

Association football is now a multi-billion dollar global industry whose emergence spans the post-medieval to the modern world. With its professional roots in late 19th-century industrial Lancashire, stadiums built for the professionalization of football first appear in frequency in the North of England. While many historians of sport focus on consumerism and ‘topophilia’ (attachment to place) regarding these local football grounds, archaeological research that has been conducted on the spectator experience suggests status differentiation within them. Our excavations at Peel Park confirm this impression while also showing a significant afterlife to this stadium, particularly through children’s play

Use of Medicare Benefit Scheme mental health services in young people who experienced self-harm and/or suicidal behaviours: Data from the Young Minds Matter survey

OnlinePublObjectives: To examine healthcare utilisation patterns in a sample of young people with self-reported experiences of self-harm and/or suicidal behaviours. Methods: A national survey examining mental health in a nationally representative sample of young Australians aged 12–17 years, linked to routinely collected healthcare and dispensing data. For respondents that self-reported experience of self-harm, suicidal ideation, suicidal plan and/or suicide attempt, we assessed attendance at a Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) subsidised MH service or non-MH general practitioner (GP) attendance at three time periods: 1) ever, 2) in the 12 months prior to completing the survey and 3) after completing the survey until 31 Dec 2015.We also assessed correlates associated with attendance and non-attendance at a MH service. Results: The study included 311 young people. MH services were attended in the 12 months before the survey by 38.3% with attempted suicide, 28.7% with a suicidal plan, 28.9% with suicidal ideation and 29.4% with selfharm. MH treatment administered by a GP was the most common MH service (25%); followed treatment by psychologist (15%) and psychiatrist (5%). Attendance at aMH service was observed highest alongsidemore severe self-reported depression. Conclusions: Potential underutilisation ofMBSMHservices by young people with self-harmand/or suicidal behaviours.Kate M. Chitty, Michael Gifford Sawyer, Gregory Carter, David Lawrenc

The Chagos Islands cases: the empire strikes back

Good governance requires the accommodation of multiple interests in the cause of decision making. However, undue regard for particular sectional interests can take their toll upon public faith in government administration. Historically, broad conceptions of the good of the commonwealth were employed to outweigh the interests of groups that resisted colonisation. In the decision making of the British Empire, the standard approach for justifying the marginalisation of the interests of colonised groups was that they were uncivilised and that particular hardships were the price to be paid for bringing to them the imperial dividend of industrial society. It is widely assumed that with the dismantling of the British Empire, such impulses and their accompanying jurisprudence became a thing of the past. Even as decolonisation proceeded apace after the Second World War, however, the United Kingdom maintained control of strategically important islands with a view towards sustaining its global role. In an infamous example from this twilight period of empire, in the 1960s imperial interests were used to justify the expulsion of the Chagos islanders from the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Into the twenty-first century, this forced elision of the UK’s interests with the imperial “common good” continues to take centre stage in courtroom battles over the islanders’ rights, being cited before domestic and international tribunals in order to maintain the Chagossians’ exclusion from their homeland. This article considers the new jurisprudence of imperialism which has emerged in a string of decisions which have continued to marginalise the Chagossians’ interests

Underpinning excellence in higher education – an investigation into the leadership, governance and management behaviours of high-performing academic departments

The changes in government funding alongside external pressures of increased international and national competition have meant that higher education institutions need to excel in a turbulent environment. The leadership, governance and management (LGM) of academic departments are key concerns. This study investigates the correlation between behaviours, attitudes and competencies at a department level and overall departmental performance in terms of hard data measures. The research question this paper seeks to address is: what are the LGM behaviours that are associated with high-performance in academic departments? More than 600 people across 50 academic departments in 5 UK universities were surveyed through the use of three research phases consisting of open-ended questionnaires, critical case sampled semi-structured interviews and a fixed-response survey. Synthesising the data and findings of the study revealed a thematic framework of eight broad themes that contribute to excellence in academic departments. These were in the areas of change management, research and teaching, communication, strategy and shared values, leadership, departmental culture, rewards and staffing. The behaviours associated with each of these themes were used to construct the Underpinning Excellence model

Diagnostic accuracy of routine antenatal determination of fetal RHD status across gestation: population based cohort study.

To assess the accuracy of fetal RHD genotyping using cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma at different gestational ages