Analysis of costs and returns of mechanized fishing boat operations in India

This article makes an attempt to analyze the cost and returns of Mechanized Fishing Boat Operators (MFBO’s) and the determinants of the selected MFBOs. The study is based on a sample of 180 MFBOs operating from Visakhapatnam fishing harbor in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Visakahapatnam is one of prominent coastal cities in the East coast of India. According to the records of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust and Visakhapatnam fishing harbor, there are 600 mechanized fishing boats. Out of this, 450 are of Sona type and 150 are of Sorra type. For the present study a sample of 120 Sona type and 60 Sorra type MFBOs are selected. Primary data and information on selected variables are collected by means of a well-structured Schedule. The selected variables are Personnel employed, Frequency of voyage, Voyage Period (in days), Voyages per Annum, Area of Fishing, Cost Structure of Marine Fishing Boat Operations (Berth Charges, Fuel Charges, Cost of Lubricants, Cost of Ice, Salaries and Wages, Cost of Food Materials and Water, Cost of Repairs and Replacements), Total Variable Cost (TVC), Total Volume of the Catch, Total Value of the Catch, Annual Total Value of the Catch, and Profit Per Annum. The conclusions arrived at would be useful to formulate constructive policies that enhance the profitability as well as economic status of MFBOs

Succinct Data Structures for Families of Interval Graphs

We consider the problem of designing succinct data structures for interval graphs with $n$ vertices while supporting degree, adjacency, neighborhood and shortest path queries in optimal time in the $\Theta(\log n)$-bit word RAM model. The degree query reports the number of incident edges to a given vertex in constant time, the adjacency query returns true if there is an edge between two vertices in constant time, the neighborhood query reports the set of all adjacent vertices in time proportional to the degree of the queried vertex, and the shortest path query returns a shortest path in time proportional to its length, thus the running times of these queries are optimal. Towards showing succinctness, we first show that at least $n\log{n} - 2n\log\log n - O(n)$ bits are necessary to represent any unlabeled interval graph $G$ with $n$ vertices, answering an open problem of Yang and Pippenger [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 2017]. This is augmented by a data structure of size $n\log{n} +O(n)$ bits while supporting not only the aforementioned queries optimally but also capable of executing various combinatorial algorithms (like proper coloring, maximum independent set etc.) on the input interval graph efficiently. Finally, we extend our ideas to other variants of interval graphs, for example, proper/unit interval graphs, k-proper and k-improper interval graphs, and circular-arc graphs, and design succinct/compact data structures for these graph classes as well along with supporting queries on them efficiently

A systematic review of population health interventions and Scheduled Tribes in India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite India's recent economic growth, health and human development indicators of Scheduled Tribes (ST) or <it>Adivasi </it>(India's indigenous populations) lag behind national averages. The aim of this review was to identify the public health interventions or components of these interventions that are effective in reducing morbidity or mortality rates and reducing risks of ill health among ST populations in India, in order to inform policy and to identify important research gaps.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We systematically searched and assessed peer-reviewed literature on evaluations or intervention studies of a population health intervention undertaken with an ST population or in a tribal area, with a population health outcome(s), and involving primary data collection.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The evidence compiled in this review revealed three issues that promote effective public health interventions with STs: (1) to develop and implement interventions that are low-cost, give rapid results and can be easily administered, (2): a multi-pronged approach, and (3): involve ST populations in the intervention.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While there is a growing body of knowledge on the health needs of STs, there is a paucity of data on how we can address these needs. We provide suggestions on how to undertake future population health intervention research with ST populations and offer priority research avenues that will help to address our knowledge gap in this area.</p

Do knowledge infrastructure facilities support Evidence-Based Practice in occupational health? An exploratory study across countries among occupational physicians enrolled on Evidence-Based Medicine courses

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) is an important method used by occupational physicians (OPs) to deliver high quality health care. The presence and quality of a knowledge infrastructure is thought to influence the practice of EBM in occupational health care. This study explores the facilities in the knowledge infrastructure being used by OPs in different countries, and their perceived importance for EBM practice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty-six OPs from ten countries, planning to attend an EBM course and to a large extent recruited via the European Association of Schools of Occupational Medicine (EASOM), participated in a cross-sectional study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Research and development institutes, and knowledge products and tools are used by respectively more than 72% and more than 80% of the OPs and they are rated as being important for EBM practice (more than 65 points (range 0–100)). Conventional knowledge access facilities, like traditional libraries, are used often (69%) but are rated as less important (46.8 points (range 0–100)) compared to the use of more novel facilities, like question-and-answer facilities (25%) that are rated as more important (48.9 points (range 0–100)). To solve cases, OPs mostly use non evidence-based sources. However, they regard the evidence-based sources that are not often used, e.g. the Cochrane library, as important enablers for practising EBM. The main barriers are lack of time, payment for full-text articles, language barrier (most texts are in English), and lack of skills and support.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This first exploratory study shows that OPs use many knowledge infrastructure facilities and rate them as being important for their EBM practice. However, they are not used to use evidence-based sources in their practice and face many barriers that are comparable to the barriers physicians face in primary health care.</p

Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology with Gravitational Waves

Gravitational wave detectors are already operating at interesting sensitivity levels, and they have an upgrade path that should result in secure detections by 2014. We review the physics of gravitational waves, how they interact with detectors (bars and interferometers), and how these detectors operate. We study the most likely sources of gravitational waves and review the data analysis methods that are used to extract their signals from detector noise. Then we consider the consequences of gravitational wave detections and observations for physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.Comment: 137 pages, 16 figures, Published version <http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2009-2

Search for Gravitational Waves from Primordial Black Hole Binary Coalescences in the Galactic Halo

We use data from the second science run of the LIGO gravitational-wave detectors to search for the gravitational waves from primordial black hole (PBH) binary coalescence with component masses in the range 0.2--$1.0 M_\odot$. The analysis requires a signal to be found in the data from both LIGO observatories, according to a set of coincidence criteria. No inspiral signals were found. Assuming a spherical halo with core radius 5 kpc extending to 50 kpc containing non-spinning black holes with masses in the range 0.2--$1.0 M_\odot$, we place an observational upper limit on the rate of PBH coalescence of 63 per year per Milky Way halo (MWH) with 90% confidence.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.

Trends in postpartum hemorrhage in high resource countries: a review and recommendations from the International Postpartum Hemorrhage Collaborative Group

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Several recent publications have noted an increasing trend in incidence over time. The international PPH collaboration was convened to explore the observed trends and to set out actions to address the factors identified.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We reviewed available data sources on the incidence of PPH over time in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the USA. Where information was available, the incidence of PPH was stratified by cause.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed an increasing trend in PPH, using heterogeneous definitions, in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. The observed increase in PPH in Australia, Canada and the USA was limited solely to immediate/atonic PPH. We noted increasing rates of severe adverse outcomes due to hemorrhage in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>Key Recommendations</it></p> <p indent="1">1. Future revisions of the International Classification of Diseases should include separate codes for atonic PPH and PPH immediately following childbirth that is due to other causes. Also, additional codes are required for placenta accreta/percreta/increta.</p> <p indent="1">2. Definitions of PPH should be unified; further research is required to investigate how definitions are applied in practice to the coding of data.</p> <p indent="1">3. Additional improvement in the collection of data concerning PPH is required, specifically including a measure of severity.</p> <p indent="1">4. Further research is required to determine whether an increased rate of reported PPH is also observed in other countries, and to further investigate potential risk factors including increased duration of labor, obesity and changes in second and third stage management practice.</p> <p indent="1">5. Training should be provided to all staff involved in maternity care concerning assessment of blood loss and the monitoring of women after childbirth. This is key to reducing the severity of PPH and preventing any adverse outcomes.</p> <p indent="1">6. Clinicians should be more vigilant given the possibility that the frequency and severity of PPH has in fact increased. This applies particularly to small hospitals with relatively few deliveries where management protocols may not be defined adequately and drugs or equipment may not be on hand to deal with unexpected severe PPH.</p

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO