Is Africa’s Skepticism of Foreign Capital Justified? Evidence from East African Firm Survey Data

The world has increasingly recognized that private capital has a vital role to play in economic development. African countries have moved to liberalize the investment environment, yet have not received much FDI. At least part of this poor performance is because of lingering skepticism toward foreign investment, owing to historical, ideological, and political reasons. This wariness has manifested in many ways, including a range of business environment factors that impede greater foreign flows. Although much of the ideological resistance has faded, a number of specific challenges to the purported benefits of FDI have been successful in preventing more active liberalization and in moving to deal with indirect barriers. New data from firm surveys in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda suggest that there are important positive effects from FDI for both the host economies and the workers in foreign-owned firms. Based on our three-country sample, foreign firms are more productive, bring management skills, invest more heavily in infrastructure and in the training and health of their workers, and are more connected to global markets. At the same time, foreign firms do not appear to succeed by grabbing market share and crowding out local industry. These results suggest that many of the common objections to foreign investment are exaggerated or false. Africa, by not attracting more FDI, is therefore failing to fully benefit from the potential of foreign capital to contribute to economic development and integration with the global economy. Length: 30 pagesAfrica, foreign capital, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, foreign direct investment,

Redemptive benefit of atorvastatin in the risk factors of coronary artery disease

Cardiovascular disease, in particular coronary artery disease (CAD), is the principal cause of mortality in developed countries. The classical acute phase protein, C-reactive protein (CRP) is an exquisitely sensitive systemic marker of disease with broad clinical utility for monitoring and differential diagnosis. In recent years, acute phase reactants have been shown to predict future cardiovascular events in individuals with and without established CAD. Atorvastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor, substantially reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and recently their anti-inflammatory properties have been investigated. The present study was therefore designed to determine the effects of atorvastatin on CRP in patients with CAD. Ninety two patients with or without or at the risk of CAD were recruited for the study, of which 35 belongs to control (untreated) and 57 were test group, in which, 30 of them received daily with 20 mg/day of atorvastatin and the remaining 27 were untreated. The patients were followed for over a period of 6 weeks. For entire study population, CRP along with lipid profile, SGOT, SGPT, urea and creatinine were measured 1st day and at the end of 6th week of the treatment. For patients with or at risk of CAD, the reduced rate of progression of atherosclerosis associated with intensive atorvastatin treatment, as compared with control is significantly related to greater reduction in the levels of both atherogenic lipoproteins and CRP. This may be important with respect to the early benefits of atorvastatin therapy

ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF CYCAS CIRCINALIS.L AND IONIDIUM SUFFRUTICOSUM. GING

Herbs with antioxidants and antimicrobial activity play a vital role in prevention and cure of certain complex diseases. Cycas circinalis and Ionidium Suffruticosum are the herbs taken to study its antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. The ethanolic extract of the above 2 herbs were taken and the antimicrobial activity was studied by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method and the antioxidant activity was analyzed by percentage inhibition of DPPH activity. Around 8 species of microorganisms were taken for antimicrobial assay. The Cycas circinalis showed 0.7mm of zone of inhibition for Staphylococcus aureus in culture whereas Ionidium Suffruticosum showed 1mm and 0.4 mm of zone of inhibition for Escherichia colli and Salmonella typhi respectively. The rest of all species were non-reactive for both the herbal extracts. The IC50 values of I.suffruticosum at various concentrations were 95.6, 96.0 and 97.6 respectively whereas for C.circinalis, it was 78.7, 85.9 and 87.5 respectively. The IC50 value of I.suffruticosum shows that the herb has more antioxidant property when compared to that of C.circinalis and standard (ascorbic acid). The study shows that I.suffruticosum and C.circinalis both have mild antimicrobial activity acting only on 2 species of bacteria and the rest were dormant. I.suffruticosum and C.circinalis both were found to have antioxidant activity. This is a preliminary study done on the above 2 herbs which is a part of vast ongoing research work

Antipyretic activity of azima tetracantha in experimental animals

In the present study, the ethanolic leaf extract of Azima tetracantha Lam (A. tetracantha) was investigated for antipyretic activity in rats using Brewer’s yeast induced Pyrexia. The leaves of A. tetracantha were collected from Ponnamaravathi and cut into small pieces and shade dried. The dried powdered leaves (100 gm) were extracted in a Soxhlet apparatus by using 95% ethanol. Albino rats weighing (200-250g) were taken for the experiment divided into four groups of six animals each. Group 1 received 3% aqueous suspension of gum Acacia (1 ml/200g) as vehicle orally, group 2 and group 3 received ethanolic leaf extract of A. tetracantha 100 and 200 mg/kg with 3% aqueous suspension of gum Acacia orally and the group 4 served as standard received paracetamol 25 mg/kg with 3% aqueous suspension of gum Acacia orally. The subcutaneous injection of yeast suspension markedly elevated the rectal temperature after 18h of administration. Treatment with A. tetracantha extract at a dose of 100, 200 mg/kg decreased the rectal temperature of the rats in dose dependent manner. This effect was maximal at dose of 200 mg/kg and it caused significant lowering of body temperature (P< 0.01) up to 4 hour after its administration. The antipyretic effect started as early as 1h and the effect was maintained for 4h, after its administration. Both the standard drug paracetamol 25 mg/kg and tested drug A. tetracantha extract were significantly reduced the yeast elevated rectal temperature, at 2nd, 3rd and 4th hour compared to control group

Ketamine and propofol: safe for short procedures

Background: Patients who attend the hospital for any form of operative procedure frequently undergo physical or mental pain and agitation. These patients are extremely anxious. It is important to choose the most appropriate form of anesthesia for induction for the analgesia or sedation. This study examined the safety and effectiveness of the Ketamine and Propofol combination technique for short procedures like D and C, MTP, evacuation and marsupilisation of Bartholin’s abscess.Methods: The present observational study was carried out in association with the Gynecology and Obstetrics department and Department of Anesthesiology of PDMMC and hospital, Amravati, Maharashtra, India over a period of 3 months from 1st January to 31st March 2019.Results: In present study, 28 (56%) patients were of 25-40 years age, 14 (28%) patients were of 41-50 years age while 8 (16%) patients were of 51-60 years age. 7 (14%) patients were underweight, 26 (52%) patients had normal BMI, 10 (20%) patients were overweight while 7 (14%) patients were obese. MAP before surgery was 100 ± 12, which decreased to 92±9.2 during operation and increased to 97±19.4 in the postoperative period. Heart rate and arterial SPO2 were not significantly different before, during, and after the operation. Mean VAS score for pain was 5.2±5.1 and the mean Ramsay’s score of sedation was 5.8 ± 0.01. 1 (2%) patient had apnea, 1 (2%) patient had skin reaction, 1 (2%) patient had cough, 1 (2%) patient had agitation while 2 (4%) patient had nausea and vomiting.Conclusions: Ketamine and Propofol combination technique can be recommended for use in the short procedures safely and effectively

Anesthetic complications in cesarean section

Background: Obstetric anesthetists need to face with the unique situation of providing anesthesia for caesarean sections, where they have to provide care for both the mother and the unborn baby. This study was performed in 100 women who underwent cesarean section, either elective or emergency to evaluate type of anesthesia, anesthetic complications and neonatal outcome.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 100 women with singleton pregnancy undergoing cesarean section in the department of Anesthesiology in collaboration with department of Obstetrics and gynecology at Dr PDMMC and Hospital, Amravati from January 2017 to March 2018. Detailed information regarding medical and obstetric history, intrapartum course, postpartum complications diagnosed before hospital discharge, and infant outcome were collected directly from maternal and infant charts. Other details like age of the patient, parity, type of cesarean section and type of anesthesia was noted. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores and type of anesthesia was noted.Results: In our study, spinal anesthesia was given in 62 (62%) patients, epidural anesthesia was given in 20 (20%) patients, combined spinal-epidural anesthesia was given in 10 (10%) patients while general anesthesia was given in 8 (8%) patients. Anesthetic complications were less. About 10 (10%) patients had spinal headache, 4 (4%) patients had failed regional anesthesia, 2 (2%) patients had failed intubation while 2 (2%) patients had high spinal anesthesia. Babies of 96 (96%) patients had Apgar score at 5 minutes of more than 7 and babies of 4 (4%) patients had Apgar score at 5 minutes of less than 7. Only babies of 2 (2%) patients required intubation for resuscitation.Conclusions: This study provides strong evidence that the guidelines recommending regional block over GA for most cesarean section. It is beneficial for neonates as well as for mothers

Laboratory Column flotation studies for reduction of alumina and silica in iron ore slimes of an operating plant

A typical iron ore washing plant for treating iron ore fines (<10 mm) consist of sizing of the ore by dry / wet screening, washing, classification by screw classifiers followed by single or multi-stage hydrocycloning of screw classifiers overflow. The underflow of the hydrocyclones forms the concentrate which is suitable for pellets making. Since the cut-point of hydrocyclones is usually at 20 µm or less, relatively lower diameter cyclones in a cluster with parallel feeding are used. This is found to, often, result in choking of the spigots, at times, by extraneous material reporting along with the slurry. It is observed to lead to sub-optimum performance of the cyclones with loss of iron values into cyclone overflow and thereafter into tailings. Analysis of the data of an operating beneficiation plant (Beneficiation plant - 1) of M/s Jindal South West (JSW) Steel Limited, Karnataka, India over a period of one year indicated that weight recovery of the concentrate from two-stage hydrocycloning was 45.9% (with respect to feed to the cyclones) and assaying 63.43% Fe, 4.43% SiO2 and 2.23% Al2O3. Considering the fineness of the slimes (d80: 40.5 µm), generated as screw classifier overflow, flotation is thought to be better alternative vis-à-vis hydrocyclones to recover iron values from it. The present study aims at improving the recovery of the iron values from the screw classifier overflow by adopting reverse cationic column flotation technology. After selecting a suitable collector, process parameters like collector and depressant dosages are optimized by statistically designed experiments on a Denver D12 flotation cell. Later, the effect of important operating parameters of flotation column like air flow-rate, froth depth and wash water on the separation process is studied and optimized. It was established that a typical screw classifier overflow analyzing 60.43% Fe, 6.88% SiO2 and 3.26% Al2O3 could be improved to 63.30% Fe, 4.04% SiO2 and 2.32% Al2O3 with 59.10% weight and 61.70% Fe recovery. This is an improvement of 29% in weight recovery of the concentrate at equivalent metallurgy compared to what is being obtained, by two-stage cycloning