Medicaid Benefit Designs for Newly Eligible Adults: State Approaches

The Affordable Care Act gives states the option of providing lessgenerous Medicaid coverage to adults who become eligible through the law's expansion of the program. Based on a review of the benefit design choices made by states that had expanded Medicaid by the end of 2014, we find that states have chosen to offer more generous coverage than what is required under federal law, either narrowing or eliminating the distinction between coverage levels for newly eligible adults and those for traditional adult beneficiaries, such as pregnant women, parents and guardians, or beneficiaries with disabilities. This suggests that states view the newly eligible beneficiaries as having the elevated health and health care needs that are common among low-income populations

Aligning Forces for Quality: Disparities Reduction and Minority Health Improvement Under the ACA

Highlights reform provisions to reduce racial/ethnic health disparities, including requiring data collection, integrating minority health into national strategies, and funding efforts to increase minorities' representation in the healthcare workforce

Ethnobotanical Survey of Wild Edible Plants of Leh District, Ladakh

Ethnobotanical exploration was undertaken to document the Wild edible plants (WEPs) utilised by the inhabitants of the Leh district. Traditionally exploited WEPs are an indispensable part of every household culinary. This place is known for its unique culture and cuisine which diversifies it from the rest of India. Pre-structured questionnaires, guided field visits, field examinations, and group discussions were conducted to gather ethnobotanical data. Detailed inquiries were made on the plant’s part used, time of collection and method of food preparation. In the present study, 40 wild consumable plants were documented, these belong to 18 families and spreads to 31 genera; out of which four are new records as wild food plants. They are Cotoneaster integerrimus, Dracocephalum heterophyllum, Astragalus frigidus, and Turritis glabra. Diverse use of wild leafy plants was observed and some of the most famous dishes are ‘Shangsho tsodma’ and ‘Kabra tsodma’ vegetables. The utilisation of wild plants helps enrich diet diversity and enhances the availability of green vegetables hence broadening food choices. Our study also reveals that the gathering of wild plants is confined to village people, shepherds, and farmers, and a majority of this knowledge exists in the memory of the elderly and these wild resources are under threat due to various anthropogenic activities. Therefore, the present finding highlights the value of these plants along with maintaining regional traditional knowledge and preserving the old ethnic traditional way of living and eating. Further, this information will provide baseline data to upcoming researchers dealing with nutrition and nutraceutical aspects. In addition, these wild plants are nutritionally rich and their consumption should be encouraged

Phytochemical Screening, In Vitro Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Activity of Rabdosia rugosa (Wall. ex Benth.) H. Hara Extract from Kinnaur District, Himachal Pradesh

Rabdosia rugosa (Wall. ex Benth.) H. Hara. (Syn. Plectranthusrugosus Wall.) belongs to the Lamiaceae family and is used by local communities of the Kinnaur district to cure diabetes. The selection of the plant material is based upon data that aerial parts of the plant (leaves along with flowers) are used in folklore to manage the postprandial hike in blood sugar levels. Therefore, in the present investigation, antiradical and antidiabetic activities of the ethanolic extract of the plant were checked. Preliminary tests for phytochemicals, total phenols, and flavenoids were also determined. Our results manifested that R. rugosa (Rabdosia rugosa) extract exhibited superior antioxidant activity (p˂0.05) by DPPH and H2O2 assays with IC50 = 9.62 ± 2.70 μg/ml and IC50 = 28.22 ± 2.94 μg/ml. This plant also exhibited preeminent repression action against the enzyme, i.e., alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase (p˂0.05) with IC50 = 10.49 ± 6.17 μg/ml (Porcine α – amylase), IC50 = 1.87 ± 1.79 μg/ml (Yeast α - glucosidase), ( IC50 = 16.89 ± 0. 06 μg/ml(Intestinal rat α - glucosidase) Hence, we concluded that present plant possessed excellent antiradical and antidiabetic activity. The antidiabetic activity was estimated higher than the standard Acarbose. As per our information, this may be the first time to report on the extract of R. rugosa for its antioxidant and antidiabetic capacity. The current findings divulge that this plant can further be studied to verify its therapeutic activities

GCMS Analysis In Vitro Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activity of Oxyria digyna (L.) Hill

Oxyria digyna (mountain sorrel) is an edible and medicinal herb with a wide array of ethnopharmacological uses. A literature review revealed that this species is less explored for its pharmacological efficacy. Methanolic leaf extract of O. digyna was screened for antioxidant potential utilizing “2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl” DPPH and “Hydrogen peroxide” H202 assay, in addition, the antidiabetic potential was evaluated using enzyme alpha-amylase. Further, the bioactive compounds were analyzed through GC/MS and FTIR techniques. The antioxidant results demonstrated that the extract showed strong reducing potential for both DPPH and Hydrogen peroxide assay, plant extract revealed scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 42.55±0.7311 µg/ml for DPPH and an IC50 value of 51.77±1.855 µg/ml for H2O2. Furthermore, O. digyna showed a moderate inhibitory outcome towards alpha-amylase with an IC50 =131.02±1.90 µg/ml while the standard showed an IC50 = of 22.05±3.9 µg/ml. The extract exhibited an enormous amount of total flavonoid and phenolic. Moreover, the FTIR spectrum showed the presence of alcohol, alkanes, alkyne, aldehyde, etc. and the GC/MS study reveals the presence of sixty compounds. The most prevalent one is 9,12,15- Octadecatrienoic acid (Z, Z, Z) 38.33 %. According to our knowledge, this study is the first to validate its antidiabetic potential and identification of numerous phytoconstituents through GC/MS and identification of several functional groups employing FTIR analysis. The above finding suggests that O. digyna possess a high amount of phenols, and flavonoids, showing significant antioxidant properties, which makes it a promising source of natural antioxidant, also it can be used in food industries and for future drug synthesis. Further, the extract showed potential alpha-amylase inhibition but the potential was less, further, the active biochemical constituent can be isolated and utilized in therapeutic applications

In Vivo Antidiabetic Activity and GCMS Analysis of Ethanolic Extracts of Rabdosia Rugosa (Wal ex Benth) H Hara

The current study examined the effects of an ethanolic extract of R. rugosa (Rabdosia rugosa (Wall. ex Benth.) H. Hara) on alloxan-induced diabetes rats, detailing its hypoglycemic potential and using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze its phytoconstituents. The FTIR spectrum verified the presence of various functional groups in the active ingredients. This research opted to use an extract from fresh leaves and flowers. Chichiri is the local name for the shrub R. rugosa, which belongs to the sage family (Labiatae) and is used as traditional medicine. To determine the hypoglycemic activity of plant extracts the rats were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups for two weeks of experiments: a normal control group that received no treatment, a diabetic control group that received only alloxan (150 mg/kg BW), a drug control group that received glibenclamide (5mg/kg BW), and a treatment group that received R. rugosa extract (50 mg/kg BW). Our results demonstrated that the extract and medication group saw statistically significant improvement (p≤0.001) in body weight, blood glucose levels, lipid profile, liver and renal parameters. The GCMS analysis showed that numerous active phytoconstituents were present. Phenols, alkanes, alcohols, and other compounds were detected in the FTIR spectrum. After examining the data, we determined that the leaves and inflorescences of R. rugosa have hypoglycemic potential. Continued study of the naturally separated chemicals can aid in the creation of organic medications for diabetic treatment

A Hybrid Linear Iterative Clustering and Bayes Classification-Based GrabCut Segmentation Scheme for Dynamic Detection of Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer earlier detection remains indispensable for enhancing the survival rate probability among women patients worldwide. The early detection of cervical cancer is done relatively by using the Pap Smear cell Test. This method of detection is challenged by the degradation phenomenon within the image segmentation task that arises when the superpixel count is minimized. This paper introduces a Hybrid Linear Iterative Clustering and Bayes classification-based GrabCut Segmentation Technique (HLC-BC-GCST) for the dynamic detection of Cervical cancer. In this proposed HLC-BC-GCST approach, the Linear Iterative Clustering process is employed to cluster the potential features of the preprocessed image, which is then combined with GrabCut to prevent the issues that arise when the number of superpixels is minimized. In addition, the proposed HLC-BC-GCST scheme benefits of the advantages of the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) on the extracted features from the iterative clustering method, based on which the mapping is performed to describe the energy function. Then, Bayes classification is used for reconstructing the graph cut model from the extracted energy function derived from the GMM model-based Linear Iterative Clustering features for better computation and implementation. Finally, the boundary optimization method is utilized to considerably minimize the roughness of cervical cells, which contains the cytoplasm and nuclei regions, using the GrabCut algorithm to facilitate improved segmentation accuracy. The results of the proposed HLC-BC-GCST scheme are 6% better than the results obtained by other standard detection approaches of cervical cancer using graph cuts

IoT and image processing Techniques-Based Smart Sericulture Nature System

Silkworms are reared for the production of raw silk in sericulture. Sericulture’s main tasks include growing food plants to feed silkworms, spinning silk cocoons, and reeling the cocoons to unwind the silk thread for value-added services such processing and weaving. The Smart Sericulture paper provides a clear picture of technical innovation in underperforming agricultural branches such as sericulture, as well as an explanation of the system and strategies that can be used to improve sericulture quality and production. The intricate procedure of monitoring environmental indicators such as humidity, temperature, and rain, as well as the health of the silkworm, will be presented in this brief communication

Agricultural Produce Supply Chain Network of Capsicum: Empirical Evidence from India

Vegetables are important for both nutritional and economic stability and contribute significantly to the agricultural landscape of India. The demand for vegetables is rising, driven by population growth and increased awareness of their benefits. This empirical study highlights the dynamics of agricultural production supply chain networks of capsicum crops in the northwestern Himalayan region, specifically Himachal Pradesh, India. The study employs the Acharya approach to analyse the various marketing channels utilized by farmers in the capsicum supply chain. This methodology sheds light on the economic nuances at each stage and examines marketing channels, costs, margins, price spread and marketing efficiency. Simultaneously, the Garrett ranking method is applied to discern and prioritize constraints faced by farmers. This comprehensive approach ensures a nuanced understanding of the economic and logistical intricacies of capsicum marketing. The analysis of marketing channels reveals five distinct pathways employed by farmers, with Channel-C (Producer–Commission Agent–Retailer–Consumer) standing out as the most dominant, representing 47.25% of the total quantity. Moreover, Channel-A (Producer–Consumer) proves to be the most cost-effective for producers and boasts the highest producer price, while Channel-C, involving commission agents, incurs higher costs. This suggests a preference for intermediaries, emphasizing factors like market access and negotiation skills, whereas Channel-D (Producer–Local Trader–Wholesaler–Retailer–Consumer) has the highest gross marketing margin, emphasizing the trade-offs between efficiency and transaction volume. The results indicate that while Channel-A is the most efficient, it is not the preferred choice due to the lower transaction quantity. Further, the absence of market consultation services, inadequate road infrastructure, high commission charges, nonremunerative prices and untimely availability of vehicles are the major constraints in marketing. The findings of the study call for targeted interventions to create a more robust and farmer-friendly marketing environment for capsicum crops in the region. The study proposes targeted recommendations, emphasizing collaborative efforts between stakeholders, government bodies and farmers. This research contributes to the academic discourse and also offers actionable insights for researchers and policymakers, fostering sustainability, profitability and equity within the capsicum supply chain

Physics Potential of the ICAL detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)

The upcoming 50 kt magnetized iron calorimeter (ICAL) detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is designed to study the atmospheric neutrinos and antineutrinos separately over a wide range of energies and path lengths. The primary focus of this experiment is to explore the Earth matter effects by observing the energy and zenith angle dependence of the atmospheric neutrinos in the multi-GeV range. This study will be crucial to address some of the outstanding issues in neutrino oscillation physics, including the fundamental issue of neutrino mass hierarchy. In this document, we present the physics potential of the detector as obtained from realistic detector simulations. We describe the simulation framework, the neutrino interactions in the detector, and the expected response of the detector to particles traversing it. The ICAL detector can determine the energy and direction of the muons to a high precision, and in addition, its sensitivity to multi-GeV hadrons increases its physics reach substantially. Its charge identification capability, and hence its ability to distinguish neutrinos from antineutrinos, makes it an efficient detector for determining the neutrino mass hierarchy. In this report, we outline the analyses carried out for the determination of neutrino mass hierarchy and precision measurements of atmospheric neutrino mixing parameters at ICAL, and give the expected physics reach of the detector with 10 years of runtime. We also explore the potential of ICAL for probing new physics scenarios like CPT violation and the presence of magnetic monopoles.Comment: 139 pages, Physics White Paper of the ICAL (INO) Collaboration, Contents identical with the version published in Pramana - J. Physic