Generating Military Power Through Partnering

One primary lesson that has emerged from Russia-Ukraine conflict is that no nation can engage in a conflict alone. Be it geo-economics, geostrategy or any other compulsion, the present-day entwined global order would ultimately force all nation-states to finally take sides. In an era of great-power competition, a network of partnerships carefully curated over the past 75 years provides India with a unique advantage. These networks are the backbone of an international order that has ensured strategic autonomy and created an environment of multi-polarity. Partners help share the burden of common defence in tangible and intangible ways. Sino-Pak collusion and the likelihood of a unitary front along our Northern and Western borders is a stark reality. This however in the military domain poses a distinct but inextricably linked challenge for contemporary land forces which need mitigation by inculcating new doctrinal templates

Successional Pattern of Fungi Associated with Leaf Litter of \u3cem\u3eBauhinia malabarica\u3c/em\u3e Based Silvipasture System in Semiarid Region

Soil fungi are critical components of microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems, where they play essential roles in many aspects of ecosystem development, functioning and stability. Leaf litter fungal decomposers, in particular, play an important biotic role in recycling ecosystem nutrients (Schneider et al., 2012).The extreme conditions due to changing climate of any ecosystems restrict primary producers to form symbiotic relationships that aid their establishment and survival (Khidir et al., 2010). Root exudates are known to attract and maintain symbiotic fungal communities that form mutualistic associations with plant roots and colonize surrounding soil. Studies suggested a strong correlation between fungal and plant diversity, due to fungal host specificity (Peay et al., 2013). The C available to soil microorganisms is derived from plant photosynthesis in term of aboveground input from litter and belowground input through the root. Symbiotic fungi received C directly from host roots while saprophytic fungi derive carbon from the decomposition of dead plant material. Litter fall provides substrate for leaf litter fungi such as saprotrophs, endophytes, parasitic and pathogenic fungi. Soil fungal diversity and composition affected by a wide range of biotic and abiotic factors (Hawkes et al., 2011) but determinates of their diversity and functional interactions are not well known. Understanding the response of fungal communities to different plant species leaf litter and their stage of decomposition will contribute to our understanding of how these influence fungal diversity and dynamism in an ecosystem which ultimately helps in nutrient cycling and long term sustaining the system. In this study, we evaluated the effects of plant litter diversity on fungal successive diversity and dynamics in Bauhinia based silvipasture system

Modelling of Grid Connected Solar Wind Hybrid Energy System having Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Power Enhancement and System Stability

Energy demand is growing rapidly and the use of renewable energy sources plays an important role in reducing the gap between supply and demand. The introduction of multiple power electronics and non-linear loads is added to the network and causes power quality problems. The problem of lack of energy and the problem of the quality of energy can be solved at the same time using the inverter connected to the renewable sources grid system However, a grid connected microgrid suffers a crucial stability issues during a fault in utility grid. The integration of the solar system with the network is rather complex and expensive. With this construction proposal, however, it is not only possible to create an economical and simple hybrid system, but also a reliable, efficient and economical system. The system is made economic by implementing a wind energy system along with fuel cell system in the solar system. Efficient controlling methods based on intelligent control can be implemente

Clampless non descent vaginal hysterectomy: “A novel art”

Background: Objective of this study was to assess feasibility and safety of clampless non descent vaginal hysterectomy of uterus up to 16 weeks size and identifying factors that determine success of surgery.Methods: Study was conducted in 50 women with non-prolapsed uteri, with clear cut indication of hysterectomy for a benign cause, without suspected adnexal pathology. Operating time, estimated blood loss, surgical techniques, difficulties encountered during operation, operative and post-operative complications and conversion to laparotomy when needed were recorded.Results: Vaginal hysterectomy was successful in 47 cases. Bisection was required in 60% cases, myomectomy in 24% cases and morcellation in 16% cases. Amount of blood loss and operating time was proportional to size of uterus.Conclusions: Clampless non descent vaginal hysterectomy is a safe and effective procedure and for success not only size of the uterus but its all dimensions and location of fibroid should be taken into consideration.

Serial measurement of lipid profile and inflammatory markers in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Serum concentration of lipids and lipoproteins changes during the course of acute coronary syndrome as a consequence of the inflammatory response. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on the levels of lipid profile and inflammatory markers. We investigated 400 patients with AMI who were admitted within 24 h of onset of symptoms. Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were determined by standard enzymatic methods along with high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (latex enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay) and cytokines, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 (quantitative ‘‘sandwich’’ enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). The results indicate a trend of reduced TC, LDL, and HDL, and elevated TG levels, along with pro- and anti-inflammatory markers (p < 0.001), between day 1 and the day 2 serum samples of AMI patients. However, corrections in the serum levels have been observed at day 7. Our results demonstrate significant variations in the mean lipid levels and inflammatory markers between days 1, 2 and 7 after AMI. Therefore, it is recommended that the serum lipids should be assessed within 24 hours after infarction. Early treatment of hyperlipidemia provides potential benefits. Exact knowledge regarding baseline serum lipids and lipoprotein levels as well as their varying characteristics can provide a rational basis for clinical decisions about lipid lowering therapy

Management of Storage Pest and Pathogens of Oat Seeds Using Low Input and Ecofriendly Methods

Indigenous Traditional knowledge (ITK) is the local knowledge unique to a given culture or society. It is the basis for local-level decision making in agriculture, health care, food preparation, natural-resource management and a host of other activities in rural communities. Storage structures and locally available plant products were used to store seeds and to ward off seed pests and pathogens. In different parts of India, different types of containers are used locally to store different crop seeds, according to the availability and climatic conditions. Sundaramari et. al. (2011) advocated the importance of indigenous storage structures for safe storage of grains in South Tamil Nadu, which can be applied to other parts of the country. Among forages, oat is an important crop during Rabi season particularly in Northern India. This crop is characterized by its quick growth, high forage and grain yield, more dry matter content, leafiness, better palatability as well as suitable for excellent silage. The storage of oat seed is influenced by biotic factors viz., insect-pest and pathogens. In the present study seeds of oat were stored after their treatment with different types of locally available plant products/botanicalsin different types of locally available storage containers and are compared with the chemical treatments and modern storage

Prediction for the 2012 United States Presidential Election using Multiple Regression Model

This paper investigates the factors responsible for predicting 2012 U.S. Presidential election. Though contemporary discussions on Presidential election mention that unemployment rate will be a deciding factor in this election, it is found that unemployment rate is not significant for predicting the forthcoming Presidential election. Except GDP growth rate, various other economic factors like interest rate, inflation, public debt, change in oil and gold prices, budget deficit/surplus and exchange rate are also not significant for predicting the U.S. Presidential election outcome. Lewis-Beck and Rice (1982) proposed Gallup rating, obtained in June of the election year, as a significant indicator for forecasting the Presidential election. However, the present study finds that even though there exists a relationship between June Gallup rating and incumbent vote share in the Presidential election, the Gallup rating cannot be used as the sole indicator of the Presidential elections. Various other non-economic factors like scandals linked to the incumbent President and the performance of the two parties in the midterm elections are found to be significant. We study the influence of the above economic and non-economic variables on voting behavior in U.S. Presidential elections and develop a suitable regression model for predicting the 2012 U.S. Presidential election. The emergence of new non-economic factors reflects the changing dynamics of U.S. Presidential election outcomes. The proposed model forecasts that the Democrat candidate Mr. Barack Obama is likely to get a vote percentage between 51.818 % - 54.239 %, with 95% confidence interval

Prediction for the 2012 United States Presidential Election using Multiple Regression Model

This paper investigates the factors responsible for predicting 2012 U.S. Presidential election. Though contemporary discussions on Presidential election mention that unemployment rate will be a deciding factor in this election, it is found that unemployment rate is not significant for predicting the forthcoming Presidential election. Except GDP growth rate, various other economic factors like interest rate, inflation, public debt, change in oil and gold prices, budget deficit/surplus and exchange rate are also not significant for predicting the U.S. Presidential election outcome. Lewis-Beck and Rice (1982) proposed Gallup rating, obtained in June of the election year, as a significant indicator for forecasting the Presidential election. However, the present study finds that even though there exists a relationship between June Gallup rating and incumbent vote share in the Presidential election, the Gallup rating cannot be used as the sole indicator of the Presidential elections. Various other non-economic factors like scandals linked to the incumbent President and the performance of the two parties in the midterm elections are found to be significant. We study the influence of the above economic and non-economic variables on voting behavior in U.S. Presidential elections and develop a suitable regression model for predicting the 2012 U.S. Presidential election. The emergence of new non-economic factors reflects the changing dynamics of U.S. Presidential election outcomes. The proposed model forecasts that the Democrat candidate Mr. Barack Obama is likely to get a vote percentage between 51.818 % - 54.239 %, with 95% confidence interval

Chlamydia trachomatis Alters Iron-Regulatory Protein-1 Binding Capacity and Modulates Cellular Iron Homeostasis in HeLa-229 Cells

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the leading cause of diseases related to reproductive health and iron plays important role in chlamydial pathogenesis. Iron homeostasis in chlamydia-infected cells is not clear thus far. This study shows that expression of the transferrin receptor (TfR) is downregulated, whereas expression of the ferritin heavy chain is upregulated in CT-infected HeLa-229 cells. Expression of iron-regulatory protein (IRP)-1 predominates over IRP-2 in infected cells. In infected cells, attenuated binding activity of IRP-iron responsive elements (IREs) is observed using the electrophoretic mobility-shift assay. These results suggest that iron homeostasis is modulated in CT-infected HeLa cells at the interface of acquisition and commensal use of iron