Postcolonialism: An Overview

At present “Postcolonialism” has been a current topic in literary circles. As a genre of contemporary history, post colonialism questions and reinvents the manner in which a culture is being viewed, challenging the narratives expounded during the colonial era. Anthropologically, it records human relations between the colonists and the peoples under colonial rule, seeking to build an understanding of the nature and practice of colonial rule. Colonialism was presented as ‘the extension of civilization’, which ideologically justified the self-ascribed racial and cultural superiority of the Western world over the non-Western world. This paper accomplishes the phenomenon of post-colonialism. It presents general meanings of the post-colonialism theory and gives some information about its advancement and additionally explaining foundation information about essential points of interest of India's colonial past. It at that point focuses on the post-colonial advancement of India which was a British province until 1947

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Improvement of tuberculosis case detection and reduction of discrepancies between men and women by simple sputum-submission instructions: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In several settings, women with suspected tuberculosis are less likely to test smear positive than are men. Submission of poor-quality sputum specimens by women might be one reason for the difference between the sexes. We did a pragmatic randomised controlled trial to assess the effect of sputum-submission instructions on female patients. METHODS: 1494 women and 1561 men with suspected tuberculosis attending the Federal Tuberculosis Centre in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, were randomly assigned between May and July, 2005 either to receive sputum-submission guidance before specimen submission or to submit specimens without specific guidance, according to prevailing practice. Of enrolled patients, 133 (4%) declined to participate. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of instructed and non-instructed women testing smear positive. Intention-to-treat analysis was undertaken on the basis of treatment allocation. This study is registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial number 34123170. FINDINGS: Instructed women were more likely to test smear positive than were controls (Risk ratio 1.63 [95% CI 1.19-2.22]). Instructions were associated with a higher rate of smear-positive case detection (58 [8%] in controls vs 95 [13%] in the intervention group; p=0.002), a decrease in spot-saliva submission (p=0.003), and an increase in the number of women returning with an early-morning specimen (p=0.02). In men, instructions did not have a significant effect on the proportion testing smear positive or specimen quality. INTERPRETATION: In the Federal Tuberculosis Centre in Rawalpindi, lower smear positivity in women than in men was mainly a function of poor-quality specimen submission. Smear positivity in women was increased substantially by provision of brief instructions. Sputum-submission guidance might be a highly cost-effective intervention to improve smear-positive case detection and reduce the disparity between the sexes in tuberculosis control in low-income countries

Working with pastoral communities to conserve threatened wild mammals

In India, most of the conservation sites have local community and the policy makers as the major stake holders. However, they have been rarely involved in conservation. The alpine and subalpine meadows of Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary are overstocked with about 300 livestock/sq km, which seems to be more than the carrying capacity. The pastures have started exhibiting a degraded look because of overgrazing and wild ungulates such as markhor Capra falconeri and musk deer Moschus crysogaster have started decimating. At the same time, we have the herders who are mainly dependent on the livestock for their survival. And the large carnivores such as Tibetan wolf and Himalayan Brown bear attack the livestock resulting in the loss for herders and retaliatory killings of these carnivores. Therefore it is important to understand the social and ecological issues and consult with the herders - the major stake holders to save the alpine pastures, rare wild ungulates and also provide relevant incentives and alternatives to the herders. The present study is a step towards it. We studied the changing traditional livestock grazing practices and the increase in grazing pressure as a result. We also looked at the problem of livestock depredation by the large carnivores like wolf and brown bear and its impact on the attitudes of livestock herders and the conservation of these carnivores. We engaged with the herders to encourage them to leave the non-traditional practices and discussed about the relevant incentives to help them. We interviewed the livestock herders to record the livestock numbers, change in traditional practices to understand the grazing pressure on the pastures. We also recorded the number of livestock killed by the carnivores and the attitude of herders towards these carnivores. We conducted Focused Group Discussions and Participatory Rural Appraisals with the livestock herders to discuss the changing grazing practices, its negative impacts, and its conservation implications along with the incentives for the herders. We found that the changing herding practices have doubled the livestock numbers. Livestock herders, who were traditionally grazing their own livestock, bring livestock of landlords now along with them to earn cash. Some of the traditional herders even sublet their pastures to non-traditional herders for the season to earn money. About 2% of livestock is being killed by carnivores and herders hate Tibetan wolf more than the brown bear because Tibetan wolf is too smart to deceive herders to attack the livestock. Herders agreed to leave the non-traditional practices and continue with the traditional livestock grazing practices to conserve these pastures, herbivores and improve the quality of livestock. They outlined the incentives such as solar lights, cooking gases and the school bags and books and school fees for their children to give them proper education. Herders also pledged not to go for retaliatory killings of carnivores.peerReviewe

Lightweight and Secure Elliptical Curve Cryptography (ECC) Key Exchange for Mobile Phones

Open networks enable data communication between different types of mobile devices that showcase the need to enforce elevated security measures. Securing sensitive or confidential data in mobile phones is accomplished by implementing a diverse range of cryptographic techniques. While encryption algorithms, such as Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) may offer secure solutions that are often difficult to compromise, these in turn prerequisite high speed computational resources for effective operation. Elliptical curve cryptography (ECC) is well thought-out standard that offers a workable and feasible methods of encryption/decryption, whilst being applicable to resource constraint devices. This paper implements a novel key exchange mechanism that helps to secure exchange of data between the communicating mobile devices. The study aims to address the limitation of Elliptic Curve Deffie Hellman, which is susceptible to Man-in-the-Middle attack and proposes an enhanced Elliptic Curve Deffie Hellman (ECDH) technique for secure data communication in open networks. The study results reveal, how the implementation of ECDH allows exchange of keys between the two communicating devices with limited resources

A new count data model applied in the analysis of vaccine adverse events and insurance claims

The article presents a new probability distribution, created by compounding the Poisson distribution with the weighted exponential distribution. Important mathematical and statistical properties of the distribution have been derived and discussed. The paper describes the proposed model's parameter estimation, performed by means of the maximum likelihood method. Finally, real data sets are analyzed to verify the suitability of the proposed distribution in modeling count data sets representing vaccine adverse events and insurance claims

Digital Transformation and Its Influence on Sustainable Manufacturing and Business Practices

The paper focuses on the relationship between businesses and digital transformation, and how digital transformation has changed manufacturing in several ways. Aspects like Cloud Computing, vertical and horizontal integration, data communication, and the internet have contributed to sustainable manufacturing by decentralizing supply chains. In addition, digital transformation inventions such as predictive analysis and big data analytics have helped optimize sustainable manufacturing by reducing overproduction or underproduction through predicting customer demands. It integrates digital technology to enhance business operations, consumer engagement, supply chains, and coordination, the manufacturing process, energy conservation, efficiency, and environmental conservation and culture to satisfy business needs. Businesses’ failure to embrace digital transformation in this era contributes to their demise. This research paper will analyze and contrast several businesses and the extent of digital transformation’s influence on them during COVID-19. A two-stage study is conducted, the first stage assesses a chosen exemplary business success over three years. The second stage investigates the reasons for success, or otherwise, and the connection to digitalization in the business. Our outcomes suggest that digital transformation strongly influences firms’ effectiveness and survival from a technology-centric and business model standpoint. Some essential generic recommendations are suggested based on the results obtained

Designing of Peptide Based Multi-Epitope Vaccine Construct against Gallbladder Cancer Using Immunoinformatics and Computational Approaches

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an aggressive and difficult to treat biliary tract carcinoma with a poor survival rate. The aim of this study was to design a peptide-based multi-epitope vaccine construct against GBC using immunoinformatics approaches. Three proteins implicated in the progression of GBC were selected for B and T cell epitope prediction and the designing of the potential vaccine construct. Seven CTL, four HTL and six Bcell epitopes along with a suitable adjuvant were selected and connected using linkers for designing the vaccine construct. The secondary and tertiary models of the designed vaccine were generated and satisfactorily validated. A Ramachandran plot of the final 3D model showed more than 90% of the residues in allowed regions and only 0.4% in disallowed regions. The binding affinity of a vaccine construct with TLR 2, 3 and 4 receptors was assessed through molecular docking and simulation. The average numbers of hydrogen bonds for vaccine-TLR 2, 3 and 4 complexes in the simulation were 15.36, 16.45, and 11.98, respectively, and remained consistent over a 100 ns simulation period, which is critical for their function. The results of this study provide a strong basis for further evaluation through in vitro/in vivo experimental validation of the safety and efficacy of the designed vaccine construct