SOCIAL CONTRACTS, MARKETS AND EFFICIENCY -- GROUNDWATER IRRIGATION IN NORTH INDIA

This paper uses primary data to analyze the institutions and informal markets that govern groundwater allocation in the principal sugarcane belt of North India. In contrast to earlier literature, we find that the observed water trades result in efficient water allocation across farms. We interpret this and other stylized facts in terms of a simple bargaining model with limited inter-player transfers. Poor functioning of the power sector leads to reduced pumping and a water supply constraint. Simulations show that power supply reform can significantly increase farm yields, be financed out of the increased farm profits, and provide an instrument to use for attaining intertemporal efficiency in water allocation.water markets, market structure, water production function.

Effect of shape anisotropy on transport in a 2-dimensional computational model: Numerical simulations showing experimental features observed in biomembranes

We propose a 2-d computational model-system comprising a mixture of spheres and the objects of some other shapes, interacting via the Lennard-Jones potential. We propose a reliable and efficient numerical algorithm to obtain void statistics. The void distribution, in turn, determines the selective permeability across the system and bears a remarkable similarity with features reported in certain biological experiments.Comment: 1 tex file, 2 sty files and 5 figures. To appear in Proc. of StatPhys conference held in Calcutta, Physica A 199

Study of Behavior & Strengthening of Beam-Column Joint

The beam column joint is the crucial zone in a reinforced concrete moment resisting frame. It is subjected to large forces during severe ground shaking and its behavior has a significant influence on the response of the structure. One of the most important factors affecting the successful strengthening technique of structures is the selection of the strengthening material. The need to lower the cost of maintenance, repair and strengthening techniques, while extending the service life of the structures, has resulted in new systems, processes, or products to save money and time. The objective of this paper is to study and gathering information about the beam-column joint, its structural behavior under seismic conditions, forces acting, types, factors those influences the designing criteria, bond and transverse reinforcement requirements and effective rehabilitation schemes for reinforced concrete beam-column joints thus providing a contribution to a more reliable evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of Reinforced Concrete buildings. Different fiber-wrap rehabilitation schemes are apply to the joint panel with the objective of upgrading the shear strength of the joint. In order to obtain local and global ductility, a series of structural details are required in the seismic design, generally absent or inadequate in the existing RC buildings designed without seismic rules. A reliable evaluation of the seismic performance is particularly needed on these buildings, as a fundamental tool in order to select type, technique, extent and urgency of the strengthening intervention. Many are the factors influencing the structural performances of RC buildings, among them an important role is carried on by the ultimate capacity of the beam-column joints. Some authors performed experimental investigations both on reduced and real scale beam-column sub assemblages to better understand their behavior, also for the development and calibration of software models to be used in non-linear analysis of framed RC structures

Motivating bureaucrats through social recognition: External validity - A tale of two states

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordBureaucratic performance is a crucial determinant of economic growth, but little real-world evidence exists on how to improve it, especially in resource-constrained settings. We conducted a field experiment of a social recognition intervention to improve record keeping in health facilities in two Nigerian states, replicating the intervention – implemented by a single organization – on bureaucrats performing identical tasks. Social recognition improved performance in one state but had no effect in the other, highlighting both the potential benefits and also the sometimeslimited generalizability of behavioral interventions. Furthermore, differences in facility-level observables did not explain cross-state differences in impacts, suggesting that it may often be difficult to predict external validity

Correlative study of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus with haemoglobin A1c, duration of diabetes and modifiable risk factors: smoking, alcohol and BMI in adult population attending a tertiary care hospital

Background: Diabetes is a disease, which if not controlled, affects every cell of the body from head to toe. No wonder it is often referred to as the “SILENT KILLER”. So through our study, we aim to study the correlation between (haemoglobin A1c) HbA1c levels, duration of diabetes and modifiable risk factors with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods: This study was conducted in 100 patients (200 eyes) who were diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus. A detailed history of the duration of diabetes, alcohol intake and smoking and HbA1c levels was taken. Complete ocular examination was done. BMI was also calculated.Results: 2/3rd of the eyes with grade 3 DR were of>10 years duration while 2/3rd of the eyes with grade 2 DR were of 5-10 years duration. Of the eyes with grade 3 DR, all the patients had HbA1c of more than 8. Significant p value shows strong correlation between DR and obesity. No significant correlation of DR was found with alcohol and smoking.Conclusions: The findings in our study endorse the view that duration and HbA1c are important risk factors for occurrence and severity of DR and therefore a regular follow up and good glycemic control is highly essential for the prevention of occurrence and progression of DR. Strong correlation between BMI and DR suggest that lifestyle changes play a pivotal role

Bidirectional Communication With EPABX for Hotel Management Software (HMS) using Handshaking Protocol

The Hotel management system software bi-directionally connects to EPABX through handshaking protocol. The EPABX is named as NEOS. Earlier we were using long strings to get connected to EPABX which was very time consuming as well as tedious task and experts were required. For the reason HMS is introduce which will give all facilities to user at single click without the guidance of experts. The facilities such as check in/out, dialing right, alarm, temporary check-in/out and billing are provided to the user [1].The Proposed system comprise of 5 modules i.e. serial com driver, interpreter, application, GUI and database, which will help for the communication between HMS and EPABX. System is compatible which makes the work flexible, easy and reflex. Rest of the paper is divided into: Introduction, Related work, proposed model, Features of HMS, Flow of system, Research methodology, Advantage, Application, Conclusion and future work DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.15021

Use of a folding model and in situ spectroscopic techniques for rational formulation development and stability testing of Monoclonal antibody therapeutics

Aggregation is a critical issue that hampers the development of monoclonal antibody therapeutics (Mabs). Traditionally, aggregation is considered a process in which native forms of proteins are transformed into an unstable highly associated form through an intermediate formation step. Here we describe the unfolding of an anti CD40 antibody using a folding model based on Lumry-Eyring nucleated polymerization (LENP) model. This model captures several experimental features of the thermal unfolding of this protein as studied by common in situ biophysical techniques such as circular dichroism, fluorescence spectroscopy and turbidity measurements. According to this model, the unfolding and aggregation of the anti CD40 antibody is determined by several distinct steps that include conformational change(s) to generate aggregation prone states, reversible oligomer formation, nucleation and growth as well as their kinetics and the formation of higher order assemblies/aggregates. Furthermore, the loss of monomer is controlled by both thermodynamic (equilibrium unfolding) and kinetic determinants of the unfolding process. This approach captures both of these rate-limiting steps. It can be concluded that this approach is sensitive to formulation conditions such as protein concentration, changes in buffer conditions, and temperature stress. The potential use of this approach in formulation development and stability testing of Mabs is discussed

Clinical and public health implications of increasing notifications of LEE-negative Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in England, 2014–2022

Introduction. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) belong to a diverse group of gastrointestinal pathogens. The pathogenic potential of STEC is enhanced by the presence of the pathogenicity island called the Locus of Enterocyte Effacement (LEE), including the intimin encoding gene eae. Gap statement. STEC serotypes O128:H2 (Clonal Complex [CC]25), O91:H14 (CC33), and O146:H21 (CC442) are consistently in the top five STEC serotypes isolated from patients reporting gastrointestinal symptoms in England. However, they are eae/LEE-negative and perceived to be a low risk to public health, and we know little about their microbiology and epidemiology. Aim. We analysed clinical outcomes and genome sequencing data linked to patients infected with LEE-negative STEC belonging to CC25 (O128:H2, O21:H2), CC33 (O91:H14) and, and CC442 (O146:H21, O174:H21) in England to assess the risk to public health. Results. There was an almost ten-fold increase between 2014 and 2022 in the detection of all STEC belonging to CC25, CC33 and CC442 (2014 n=38, 2022 n=336), and a total of 1417 cases. There was a higher proportion of female cases (55–70 %) and more adults than children, with patients aged between 20–40 and >70 most at risk across the different serotypes. Symptoms were consistent across the three dominant serotypes O91:H14 (CC33), O146:H21 (CC442) and O128:H2 (CC25) (diarrhoea >75 %; bloody diarrhoea 25–32 %; abdominal pain 64–72 %; nausea 37–45 %; vomiting 10–24 %; and fever 27–30 %). Phylogenetic analyses revealed multiple events of acquisition and loss of different stx-encoding prophage. Additional putative virulence genes were identified including iha, agn43 and subA. Conclusions. Continued monitoring and surveillance of LEE-negative STEC infections is essential due to the increasing burden of infectious intestinal disease, and the risk that highly pathogenic strains may emerge following acquisition of the Shiga toxin subtypes associated with the most severe clinical outcomes

Management of acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic : a retrospective cohort study

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic profoundly impacted delivery of health care. South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) experienced some of the highest cases, admissions and deaths during the Delta and Omicron waves in New South Wales. This study aims to determine the impact of the pandemic on emergency surgery services for adults presenting with acute appendicitis. Methods: A retrospective review of patient records was performed of adults presenting with acute appendicitis between 1st March 2021 and 31st March 2022, which was compared to a pre-COVID control period of the same dates in 2019–2020. Patients managed operatively or conservatively were included. Results: 1556 patients were included in the operative arm; 723 and 833 respectively in the study and control groups, which were comparable at baseline. 1.66% were COVID positive. During the pandemic, patients were significantly more likely to be investigated with computered tomography (CT) scan (p ≤ 0.001), present with complicated appendicitis (p = 0.03), and require caecectomy (p = 0.005). They had higher American Society of Anaesthesiology (ASA) scores (p = 0.001) and significantly lower negative appendectomy rates (p = 0.001). Fifty-two patients were included in the conservative arm; 29 and 23 respectively in the pandemic and control groups. Patients were comparable at baseline. There were two COVID positive patients. During the pandemic, there was a significant reduction in complications (p = 0.033), readmissions (0.044) and interval appendicectomy (p = 0.0044). Conclusion: We identified higher rates of complicated appendicitis, caecectomies and greater reliance on CT imaging preoperatively during the pandemic in SWSLHD