Public and Private Divide in Health Care Spending in India: What Factors Explains the Gap?

The rising healthcare cost in low-income countries (LIC) got sparked attention during the last decades. A large part of healthcare expenditure is Out of Pocket (OOP) paid by households. The high cost of treatment was found to reduce essential household expenditure in low and middle-income countries. The burden of the high cost of illness resulting in their catastrophic health expenditure and affect health-seeking behavior with delayed treatment. This study has tried to understand how the hospitalization rate and health care spending are differential in the public and private healthcare facility, and with different types of morbidities. The nationwide survey NSS’s 71st round data has been used for this study. Both Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used. The Oaxaca decomposition has been applied to explain the gap in the means of healthcare expenditure between public and private facilities. The result of this study reveals that that 62 % patient used private facilities, while only 38 % used public health services for inpatient care. The patients with diseases of the genitourinary system preferred more for the private facility (75 %) than the public facility (25 %) among all diseases. The results from the multilevel analysis that the Doctors fees (26.9 %, p<0.001), Bed charges (21.6, p<0.001), expenses on medicines (16.5%, p<0.001) are the significant contributors in explaining the difference in mean expenditure in private and public health facility center in India

Measuring IT Contribution to Company\u27s Competitive Advantages

The objectives of this research are to detail the history of business-IT alignment and develop a model to measure business-IT strategic alignment. The methodology involved defining and developing measures for the predictor variables of environmental uncertainty and importance of IT to the firm. A conceptual framework or strategic alignment model integrating key practices espoused by academics and practitioners regarding strategic alignment was developed. Measures for the strategic alignment model were defined and developed, and the relationships of the predictor variables with the degree of alignment as well as technology’s contribution to organizational performance assessed

Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture: IoT-Enabled Weather Monitoring

Smart farming is a new technology concept that uses advanced electronic sensors to collect data from a variety of agricultural landscapes. This data is used to make predictions about weather patterns, soil fertility, crop quality, and water requirements. The information can be used by experts and local farmers to make better decisions about short- and long-term planning. One of the key aspects of smart farming is the automation of some farming processes, such as smart irrigation and water management. This can be done using predictive algorithms on SoC or microcontrollers to determine how much water is needed right now for a particular agricultural sector. The use of the Internet of Things (IoT) eliminates the need for manual labor to collect this crucial agricultural data. This is because IoT systems can collect data automatically and in real time, which canlead to more accurate and timely insights. This paper will present a research study on the development of a smart farming system. The study will investigate the use of different types of sensors, data collection and analysis techniques, and communication protocols. The results of the study will be used to design and implement a prototype system. The prototype system will be evaluated in a field trial to assess its effectiveness in improving agricultural productivity. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the potential benefits of smart farming systems for agriculture. The paper will also discuss the challenges that need to be addressed in order to make these systems more widely available and affordable

Standardization of 1- and 2-D protein profiling of Haloxylonspecies: Basis of proteome analysis of haloxerophytes

487-492One and two dimensional electrophoresis is a powerful technique for separation of proteins from complex biological sources. These are effective techniques of gene expression analysis at translational level especially for the species of which genome is not yet sequenced. High resolution electrophoresis separation of proteins from complex biological systems is crucial in protein science. Three protein extraction methods, such as Phenol, Multi detergent and TCA acetone were analyzed in the present investigation to find out appropriate protein extraction method amenable to one dimensional (1-D) and two dimensional (2-D) protein profiling of Haloxylonrecurvum and H. salicornicum. Plant species selected for the present investigation are major components of saline and arid ecosystem and valuable source of food additives, nutritional ingredients, herbal medicines and fuel in the region. Phenolic components present in these plants are major hindrances for extraction of pure proteins. High concentrations of good quality proteins represented by clear, intense and more bands/spots in 1-D and 2-D gels were extracted with Phenol extraction method in comparison to TCA acetone and Multi detergent methods. This is possibly thefirst report on extraction and purification of proteins amenable to 1-D and 2-D proteome profiling of Haloxylon species of Indian arid zone, and forms a basis for further comparative proteome analysis of these two contrasting species with respect to salinity and drought tolerant ability for prospects

Alignment of academics' roles and responsibilities and the university's strategic intent

Abstract not available

Style manual: a guide to writing conventions for business lecturers and students, with special reference to projects

Researchers, academics and students in universities are invariably involved with various types of writing, be it theses, projects, reports, assignments, articles and other literary or technical works as may be relevant to their intent. Just as it happens at other higher education institutions, at the Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship (AGSE) in specific and the Faculty of Business and Enterprise in general, individuals who produce written work and those who examine or evaluate that work most often use or demand writing styles and writing conventions that are at variance. Hence, to avoid unnecessary angst amongst all concerned, as well as to contribute towards assessing quality of such work for quality audits, it was decided to implement a common set of writing conventions. [Preface

Thermostability assessment, profiling and localization of peroxidase activity in stem tissues of <em>Leptadenia pyrotechnica</em>: a defensive enzyme for survival in high temperature conditions

694-697Plants are known to overcome the biotic and abiotic stresses through various adaptive measures. Lignification is one such process that fortifies the cell wall wherein peroxidases play an important role. Here, we studied the thermostability and optimum pH of peroxidase activity, isozyme profile and its localization in stem tissues of the perennial desert shrub, Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Forsk.) Decne, locally called ‘khip’, belonging to the family Apocynaceae (subfam. Asclepiadaceae). L. pyrotechnica is an important component of the extreme arid environment of the Thar Desert. Apart from lignifications, peroxidase plays vital role in, suberization, detoxification of hydrogen peroxides, fruit ripening, cross-linking of cell wall components and salt tolerance. The highest (72%) and lowest (8.5%) relative activity of peroxidase was observed at pH 6 and pH 3, respectively. Peroxidase of L. pyrotechnica was highly active within a broad range of pH 6-8. The maximum (81.5%) relative activity was observed at 40⁰C for 25 min. Relative activities of 52.3-23.1% were observed at 60 and 80⁰C, respectively, for 5 min of treatment. Five isozymes of peroxidase were observed in the zymogram. The bright amber and red colour of peroxidase and lignin were observed, respectively, in the stem tissues. Co-localization of peroxidase and lignin in xylem tissues of stem in L. pyrotechnica can be correlated with the role of peroxidase in lignin biosynthesis and for adaptive modification of arid zone plants under extreme climatic conditions

Unleashing ethnic entrepreneurship: proactive policy-making in a changing Europe

Amid mounting concerns in post-2004 Europe about economic growth and competitiveness in global markets, immigrant/ethnic entrepreneurs successfully incorporate and manage new businesses that satisfy ethnic needs, create new jobs, buttress other businesses, stimulate competition and contribute to national coffers. Instituting appropriate immigrant/ethnic entrepreneur-centred policies and initiatives that encourage greater use of co-ethnic, multi-ethnic and host-country business networks could nurture this entrepreneurial activity. This study, incorporating literature and publications within several countries in Europe and elsewhere, reviews entrepreneur interdependence from the networking perspective since, traditionally, immigrant/ethnic entrepreneurs have been self- and mutually reliant. It recommends appropriate policies and initiatives be developed and implemented to promote this mutual reliance to ensure ethnic/immigrant enterprises are (a) increased in number, (b) aided to survive and thrive, (c) accelerated in their growth and (d) facilitated to become more competitive nationally and internationally. Six action areas are proposed