The Inter-War Depression in British India: Aspects of its Economic and Social Impact, 1929-36

During the last decade there have been several new works on the impact of the 1929 depression on the Indian economy, but most have concentrated on single provinces or single sectors of the economy. This study aims to synthesise the trends discussed elsewhere at provincial level in an analysis of the slump at an All-India level, though the great diversity of agrarian conditions has necessitated a focus on one, hitherto neglected, province. It studies the tensions created by the sudden impact of a short-term downturn and the longterm structural change in the Indian economy between the wars. Several major conclusions emerge from this study. Firstly, that India withdrew from the international economy, partly through higher tariffs protecting the domestic market and partly the increasing uncompetitiveness of Indian exports, particularly after the devaluation of the yen in December 1931. This trend was to continue through the 1930s. For the first time, this study has disaggregated Burma from the Indian trade statistics, which has shown that British trade to India, prior to the slump was of greater magnitude than suggested by traditional studies. This explains the aggressive reaction of British exporters in the early 1930s to the threat posed by the loss of trade to India. Removal of Burma from the trade statistics also demonstrates more clearly the tendency of India towards disengagement from world trade, especially its traditional intra-Asian trade. This had major implications not only for the Indian economy but for India's partners within the Asian bloc, mostly Java. Secondly, a study of the process of commercialisation within the backward province of Bihar and Orissa has provided an addition to earlier work on those provinces more highly integrated into the global economy such as Bengal and the Punjab. This has revealed the importance of the extension of the road network in the establishment of a provincial market and the continuation of the process of commercialisation despite falling rural incomes arid a reduction of cash credit. The study of rural Bihar has shown also that by reducing land values, the depression pushed investment from rural to urban-industrial areas. Prior to the slump land values were increasing because of pressure on land created by a rapidly growing population. The collapse of prices of agricultural produce from 1929 abruptly halted the rise in land values due to an increase in rent defaults. Thus, the traditional investment in land became unprofitable and new investment opportunities had to be found. This new capital provided a basis for the rise during the slump of import-substitution industries managed both by traditional European and new Indian agencies. Much has been written about the rise of indigenous business groups, but the early 1930s also witnessed the advent of multinational companies such as Imperial Chemicals and Dunlop anxious to establish plant within the shelter of the high Indian tariff. The growing strength of the Indian entrepreneurial classes was marked by increasing competition between Indian firms, particularly notable in an east-west split of financial interest groups. The role of the Government of India has been assessed, especially its relationship with the British authorities. The action of the British Government during the Indian financial crisis of 1931 could be regarded as an attempt to re-impose imperial control over India. However, it was for purely financial rather than political reasons. This is seen in the economic results of the British action, gold outflows from India which rendered the United Kingdom debtor and the curtailment of British trade to India, which weakened the economic rationale of a British presence in India and so paved the way for decolonisation. The attempts by the Government of India to deal with the crisis were ad hoc and unsatisfactory. There was no major re-orientation of government policy. A comparision with the Government of Argentina, rather than the usual one with Japan, however, suggests that even if an independent Nationalist Government had been in power during the depression the general underdevelopment of the Indian economy would have constrained the abilities of the authorities to promote a more rapid recovery

Implementation, evaluation, and recommendations for extension of AHRQ Common Formats to capture patient- and carepartner-generated safety data

Abstract Objectives The Common Formats, published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, represent a standard for safety event reporting used by Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs). We evaluated its ability to capture patient-reported safety events. Materials and methods We formally evaluated gaps between the Common Formats and a safety concern reporting system for use by patients and their carepartners (ie friends/families) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Results Overall, we found large gaps between Common Formats (versions 1.2, 2.0) and our patient/carepartner reporting system, with only 22–30% of the data elements matching. Discussion We recommend extensions to the Common Formats, including concepts that capture greater detail about the submitter and safety categories relevant to unsafe conditions and near misses that patients and carepartners routinely observe. Conclusion Extensions to the Common Formats could enable more complete safety data sets and greater understanding of safety from key stakeholder perspectives, especially patients, and carepartners. </jats:sec

Sensory geographies and defamiliarisation: migrant women encounter Brighton Beach

This article’s starting point is a sensory, reflexive walk taken on Brighton seafront and beach, by fourteen migrant women and some of their children. It goes on to open up a wider discussion about the cultural politics and affective resonances, for refugees and migrants, of beaches. By discussing their sensory experiences of the beach, we begin to understand their ‘ostranenie’, or defamiliarisation, of making the familiar strange. We also see how evocative such sense-making can be, as the women compare their past lives to this, perceiving their lifeworld through a filter of migrancy. The article goes onto discuss the broader cultural symbolism of beaches, which are a site of contestation over national values, boundaries, and belonging. As well as discussing sensory methodology in this article, and explaining the locale of Brighton Beach itself, it concludes with some wider thinking of the cultural politics of beach spaces and migrant perceptions

Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization and Treatment of a Cohort with Familial Tumoral Calcinosis/Hyperostosis-Hyperphosphatemia Syndrome

Familial tumoral calcinosis (FTC)/hyperostosis-hyperphosphatemia syndrome (HHS) is a rare disorder caused by mutations in the genes encoding fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23), N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 3 (GALNT3), or KLOTHO. The result is functional deficiency of, or resistance to, intact FGF23 (iFGF23), causing hyperphosphatemia, increased renal tubular reabsorption of phosphorus (TRP), elevated or inappropriately normal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D), ectopic calcifications and/or diaphyseal hyperostosis. Eight subjects with FTC/HHS were studied and treated. Clinical manifestations varied, even within families, ranging from asymptomatic to large, disabling calcifications. All subjects had hyperphosphatemia, increased TRP, and elevated or inappropriately normal 1,25D. C-terminal FGF23 was markedly elevated while iFGF23 was comparatively low, consistent with increased FGF23 cleavage. Radiographs ranged from diaphyseal hyperostosis to massive calcification. Two subjects with severe calcifications also had overwhelming systemic inflammation and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). GALNT3 mutations were identified in 7 subjects; no causative mutation was found in the eighth. Biopsies from 4 subjects showed ectopic calcification and chronic inflammation, with areas of heterotopic ossification observed in 1 subject. Treatment with low phosphate diet, phosphate binders, and phosphaturia-inducing therapies was prescribed with variable response. One subject experienced complete resolution of a calcific mass after 13 months of medical treatment. In the 2 subjects with systemic inflammation, interleukin-1 (IL-1) antagonists significantly decreased CRP levels with resolution of calcinosis cutis and peri-lesional inflammation in one subject and improvement of overall well-being in both subjects. This cohort expands the phenotype and genotype of FTC/HHS and demonstrates the range of clinical manifestations despite similar biochemical profiles and genetic mutations. Overwhelming systemic inflammation has not been described previously in FTC/HHS; the response to IL-1 antagonists suggests that anti-inflammatory drugs may be useful adjuvants. In addition, this is the first description of heterotopic ossification reported in FTC/HHS, possibly mediated by the adjacent inflammation

Clinically Actionable Hypercholesterolemia and Hypertriglyceridemia in Children with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

OBJECTIVE: To determine the percentage of children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in whom intervention for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglycerides was indicated based on National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines. STUDY DESIGN: This multicenter, longitudinal cohort study included children with NAFLD enrolled in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network. Fasting lipid profiles were obtained at diagnosis. Standardized dietary recommendations were provided. After 1 year, lipid profiles were repeated and interpreted according to National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Expert Panel on Integrated Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction. Main outcomes were meeting criteria for clinically actionable dyslipidemia at baseline, and either achieving lipid goal at follow-up or meeting criteria for ongoing intervention. RESULTS: There were 585 participants, with a mean age of 12.8 years. The prevalence of children warranting intervention for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol at baseline was 14%. After 1 year of recommended dietary changes, 51% achieved goal low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 27% qualified for enhanced dietary and lifestyle modifications, and 22% met criteria for pharmacologic intervention. Elevated triglycerides were more prevalent, with 51% meeting criteria for intervention. At 1 year, 25% achieved goal triglycerides with diet and lifestyle changes, 38% met criteria for advanced dietary modifications, and 37% qualified for antihyperlipidemic medications. CONCLUSIONS: More than one-half of children with NAFLD met intervention thresholds for dyslipidemia. Based on the burden of clinically relevant dyslipidemia, lipid screening in children with NAFLD is warranted. Clinicians caring for children with NAFLD should be familiar with lipid management

Anderson's ethical vulnerability: animating feminist responses to sexual violence

Pamela Sue Anderson argues for an ethical vulnerability which “activates an openness to becoming changed” that “can make possible a relational accountability to one another on ethical matters”. In this essay I pursue Anderson’s solicitation that there is a positive politics to be developed from acknowledging and affirming vulnerability. I propose that this politics is one which has a specific relevance for animating the terms of feminist responses to sexual violence, something which has proved difficult for feminist theorists and activists alike. I will demonstrate the contribution of Anderson’s work to such questions by examining the way in which “ethical vulnerability” as a framework can illuminate the intersectional feminist character of Tarana Burke’s grassroots Me Too movement when compared with the mainstream, viral version of the movement. I conclude by arguing that Anderson’s “ethical vulnerability” contains ontological insights which can allay both activist and academic concerns regarding how to respond to sexual violence

Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment: the challenge ahead.

Lifestyle factors are responsible for a considerable portion of cancer incidence worldwide, but credible estimates from the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) suggest that the fraction of cancers attributable to toxic environmental exposures is between 7% and 19%. To explore the hypothesis that low-dose exposures to mixtures of chemicals in the environment may be combining to contribute to environmental carcinogenesis, we reviewed 11 hallmark phenotypes of cancer, multiple priority target sites for disruption in each area and prototypical chemical disruptors for all targets, this included dose-response characterizations, evidence of low-dose effects and cross-hallmark effects for all targets and chemicals. In total, 85 examples of chemicals were reviewed for actions on key pathways/mechanisms related to carcinogenesis. Only 15% (13/85) were found to have evidence of a dose-response threshold, whereas 59% (50/85) exerted low-dose effects. No dose-response information was found for the remaining 26% (22/85). Our analysis suggests that the cumulative effects of individual (non-carcinogenic) chemicals acting on different pathways, and a variety of related systems, organs, tissues and cells could plausibly conspire to produce carcinogenic synergies. Additional basic research on carcinogenesis and research focused on low-dose effects of chemical mixtures needs to be rigorously pursued before the merits of this hypothesis can be further advanced. However, the structure of the World Health Organization International Programme on Chemical Safety 'Mode of Action' framework should be revisited as it has inherent weaknesses that are not fully aligned with our current understanding of cancer biology

Expert perspectives on global biodiversity loss and its drivers and impacts on people

Despite substantial progress in understanding global biodiversity loss, major taxonomic and geographic knowledge gaps remain. Decision makers often rely on expert judgement to fill knowledge gaps, but are rarely able to engage with sufficiently large and diverse groups of specialists. To improve understanding of the perspectives of thousands of biodiversity experts worldwide, we conducted a survey and asked experts to focus on the taxa and freshwater, terrestrial, or marine ecosystem with which they are most familiar. We found several points of overwhelming consensus (for instance, multiple drivers of biodiversity loss interact synergistically) and important demographic and geographic differences in specialists’ perspectives and estimates. Experts from groups that are underrepresented in biodiversity science, including women and those from the Global South, recommended different priorities for conservation solutions, with less emphasis on acquiring new protected areas, and provided higher estimates of biodiversity loss and its impacts. This may in part be because they disproportionately study the most highly threatened taxa and habitats

Transit timings variations in the three-planet system: TOI-270

We present ground- and space-based photometric observations of TOI-270 (L231-32), a system of three transiting planets consisting of one super-Earth and two sub-Neptunes discovered by TESS around a bright (K-mag = 8.25) M3V dwarf. The planets orbit near low-order mean-motion resonances (5:3 and 2:1) and are thus expected to exhibit large transit timing variations (TTVs). Following an extensive observing campaign using eight different observatories between 2018 and 2020, we now report a clear detection of TTVs for planets c and d, with amplitudes of ∼10 min and a super-period of ∼3 yr, as well as significantly refined estimates of the radii and mean orbital periods of all three planets. Dynamical modelling of the TTVs alone puts strong constraints on the mass ratio of planets c and d and on their eccentricities. When incorporating recently published constraints from radial velocity observations, we obtain masses of Mb=1.48± 0.18, M⊕, Mc=6.20± 0.31, M⊕, and Md=4.20± 0.16, M⊕ for planets b, c, and d, respectively. We also detect small but significant eccentricities for all three planets: eb = 0.0167 ± 0.0084, ec = 0.0044 ± 0.0006, and ed = 0.0066 ± 0.0020. Our findings imply an Earth-like rocky composition for the inner planet, and Earth-like cores with an additional He/H2O atmosphere for the outer two. TOI-270 is now one of the best constrained systems of small transiting planets, and it remains an excellent target for atmospheric characterization