Shelter Development Through Cooperatives: A Strategy for Poverty Alleviation and Slum Improvement for Asia and the Pacific Region

The research traces the flow of humanity from the urban areas to the cities thus creating severe economic and social problems in the cities thus leading to homelessness; lack of sanitation; health hazards; crimes; vandalism; drugs; children wandering around and a host of problems which civic society leaders are not willing or able to act upon because slums are also vote banks for politicians

Model-based prediction of optogenetic sound encoding in the human cochlea by future optical cochlear implants

When hearing fails, electrical cochlear implants (eCIs) partially restore hearing by direct stimulation of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). As light can be better confined in space than electrical current, optical CIs (oCIs) provide more spectral information promising a fundamental improvement of hearing restoration by cochlear implants. Here, we turned to computer modelling for predicting the outcome of optogenetic hearing restoration by future oCIs in humans. We combined three-dimensional reconstruction of the human cochlea with ray-tracing simulation of emission from LED or laser-coupled waveguide emitters of the oCI. Irradiance was read out at the somata of SGNs. The irradiance values reached with waveguides were about 14 times higher than with LEDs, at the same radiant flux of the emitter. Moreover, waveguides outperformed LEDs regarding spectral selectivity. oCIs with either emitter type showed greater spectral selectivity when compared to eCI. In addition, modeling the effects of the source-to-SGN distance, orientation of the sources and impact of scar tissue further informs the development of optogenetic hearing restoration

Relation between Preference for Local or Global Brands and Various Demographic Features of Consumer

Now a days, dilemma of choosing between local and global brands is faced while purchasing most of the goods be it be a needle or a sophisticated machinery. Good quality and affordable prices of goods of global brands are overpowering the local brands. It is seen that young generation is getting very much inclined towards the global brands and gradually local brands are finding it difficult to survive in market. Along with age many other factors are also responsible for this phenomenon. In this situation a study on various factors which are related with preference for local or global brands is need of the hour. For the purpose of study a questionnaire was developed and sent to respondents in order to find out whether actually there is any relationship between demographic factors of respondents and their choice between branded and local goods. On the bases of survey it was found out that, actually there is a relation between demographic factors of respondents and their choice between local and branded goods to a large extent

IDENTIFICATION OF POSSIBLE MOLECULAR TARGETS OF POTENTIAL ANTI-PARKINSON DRUGS BY PREDICTING THEIR BINDING AFFINITIES USING MOLECULAR DOCKING TECHNIQUE

Objective: Mechanistic study of newly reported anti-Parkinson agents by molecular docking to predict possible target.Methods: Structures of newer drugs known anti-Parkinson agents were drawn using ChemBioDraw 2D software. Thereafter, they were converted to 3D structures using ChemBioDraw 3D software in which they were subjected to energy minimization using the MM2 method and then saved as PDB extension files, which can be accessed using the AutoDock Vina (ADT) interface. ADT 1.5.6 software version was used for molecular docking study.Results: Various molecular targets were selected (D2/D3, D2, A2A, and MAO-B) and studied for Pardoprunox, Istradefylline, Rasagiline, and Bromocriptine. Pardoprunox, Istradefylline, and Bromocriptine had more affinity with their corresponding receptor with −6.9, −8.5, and −9.4 kcal/mol binding affinity, respectively, except Rasagiline, who has less affinity with its corresponding receptor (−6.4kcal/mol) and shown better affinity with 3pbl receptor (−6.7 kcal/mol).Conclusion: Pardoprunox, Istradefylline, and Bromocriptine were found to act on D2/D3 (3pbl), A2A (3pwh), and D2 (4yyw), respectively, whereas Rasagiline found to be act on D2/D3 (3pbl) receptor. The results help in prediction of mechanism and interaction to various Parkinson's disease targets

Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition disease (CPPD)/Pseudogout of the temporomandibular joint – FNA findings and microanalysis

We report a case of a Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition disease (CPPD) presenting as a mass in the parotid and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) that simulated a parotid tumor. A 35 year-old man presented with pain in the left ear area. A CT Scan of the area showed a large, calcified mass surrounding the left condylar head, and extending into the infratemporal fossa. FNA of the mass showed birefringent crystals, most of which were rhomboid with occasional ones being needle shaped, embedded in an amorphous pink substance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) of these crystals showed peaks corresponding to calcium and phosphorus. SEM/EDS is a rapid method of diagnosing calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition disease (CPPD) and an alternative to more commonly used method of special staining of cell block sections coupled with polarizing microscopy

Optical conductivity in the normal state fullerene superconductors

We calculate the optical conductivity, $\sigma(\omega)$, in the normal state fullerene superconductors by self-consistently including the impurity scatterings, the electron-phonon and electron-electron Coulomb interactions. The finite bandwidth of the fullerenes is explicitely considered, and the vertex corection is included $a$ $la$ Nambu in calculating the renormalized Green's function. $\sigma(\omega)$ is obtained by calculating the current-current correlation function with the renormalized Green's function in the Matsubara frequency and then performing analytic continuation to the real frequency at finite temperature. The Drude weight in $\sigma(\omega)$ is strongly suppressed due to the interactions and transfered to the mid-infrared region around and above 0.06 eV which is somewhat less pronounced and much broader compared with the expermental observation by DeGiorgi $et$ $al$.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Physical Review B, July 1

Modeling the Enceladus plume--plasma interaction

We investigate the chemical interaction between Saturn's corotating plasma and Enceladus' volcanic plumes. We evolve plasma as it passes through a prescribed H2O plume using a physical chemistry model adapted for water-group reactions. The flow field is assumed to be that of a plasma around an electrically-conducting obstacle centered on Enceladus and aligned with Saturn's magnetic field, consistent with Cassini magnetometer data. We explore the effects on the physical chemistry due to: (1) a small population of hot electrons; (2) a plasma flow decelerated in response to the pickup of fresh ions; (3) the source rate of neutral H2O. The model confirms that charge exchange dominates the local chemistry and that H3O+ dominates the water-group composition downstream of the Enceladus plumes. We also find that the amount of fresh pickup ions depends heavily on both the neutral source strength and on the presence of a persistent population of hot electrons.Comment: 10 pages, 1 table, 2 figure

Behaviour of three charged particles on a plane under perpendicular magnetic field

We consider the problem of three identical charged particles on a plane under a perpendicular magnetic field and interacting through Coulomb repulsion. This problem is treated within Taut's framework, in the limit of vanishing center of mass vector $\vec{R} \to \vec{0}$, which corresponds to the strong magnetic field limit, occuring for example in the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect. Using the solutions of the biconfluent Heun equation, we compute the eigenstates and show that there is two sets of solutions. The first one corresponds to a system of three independent anyons which have their angular momenta fixed by the value of the magnetic field and specified by a dimensionless parameter $C \simeq \frac{l_B}{l_0}$, the ratio of $l_B$, the magnetic length, over $l_0$, the Bohr radius. This anyonic character, consistent with quantum mechanics of identical particles in two dimensions, is induced by competing physical forces. The second one corresponds to the case of the Landau problem when $C \to 0$. Finally we compare these states with the quantum Hall states and find that the Laughlin wave functions are special cases of our solutions under certains conditions.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, Accepeted in JP

Knowledge and Attitudes about HIV/AIDS among Homoeopathic Practitioners and Educators in India

This study is designed to assess AIDS knowledge among Homeopathy educators and physicians in India, which has not been evaluated previously. India now has the largest number of HIV infected persons worldwide, with an estimated cumulative 5.1 million infections. Homeopathy is the dominant system among the nationally-recognized alternative or complementary systems of medicine, which collectively provide health care to around 600 million people in India. Homeopathy, with its holistic and patient-centered approach, has a wide reach to people at risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Participants were 68 homeopathy physicians (34 educators and 34 practitioners) who completed a CDC questionnaire measuring HIV/AIDS Knowledge regarding AIDS. This study reports the current level of knowledge of, and attitudes about, HIV/AIDS among homeopathy educators and practitioners. These findings will assist in the development of an education module to equip homeopathic health care personnel to impart accurate AIDS information and prevention counseling to their patients in an efficient manner