Foreign Direct Investment and Location Advantages: Japanese Perceptions of India Compared to China and ASEAN

We argue in this paper that in the WTO regime the role of efficiency seeking FDI and location advantages are likely to emerge more important. A primary survey was conducted and the Japanese MNEs were asked to assess location advantages for India in relation to China and the East Asian countries. The results support the earlier studies on the importance of infrastructure development in attracting FDI but do not back the emphasis on controls and administrative complexities

Investigations on pool boiling outside horizontal tube bundles

Paper presented to the 10th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Florida, 14-16 July 2014.As boiling outside horizontal tube bundle designs can result in a seemingly large number of combinations of heat flux, quality and bundle geometry, it needs to be studied as to how the various permutations might effect the flow path of liquid through a tube bundle in a boiling mode. Thus the probable effect on the heat transfer due to a disruption in the wetting (partial dry-out) of upper tubes in a bundle and the possible influence of a variation in the tube pitch so as to affect the wetting and dry-out characteristics of a tube needs to be established. Experiments conducted for pool boiling in 8 x 3 (eight rows and three columns) plain and coated tubes (Ra = 8.279 μm) bundles for three different inter-tube pitch distances (p/d=1.4,1.7 and 2.0) in an equilateral triangular arrangement using distilled water at atmospheric conditions revealed that the local heat transfer coefficient for a tube in a bundle increased with an increase in heat flux as well as with a decrease in the pitch distance. The coated tube bundles with the minimum pitch (p/d=1.4) exhibited the maximum bundle average heat transfer coefficients. The circumferential variation of heat transfer coefficient for the tubes suggest the lowest values for the upper surface of the tube periphery due to a coalescence of bubbles near the top surface while the highest values were observed nearer to the lower surface of the tube periphery due to the striking bubbles from the lower tubes. The experimental data is best fit to suggest a suitable correlation for the enhancement ratio in local pool boiling heat transfer coefficient (hnpb,local/hbottom tube) for the plain and coated tube bundles taking into account the local void fraction and the p/d ratio where the void fraction is calculated using an iterative procedure beginning with the homogeneous void fraction as the initial guess and iterated until the assumed and calculated values agree within a precision of 0.0001 and valid for heat flux ranging from ~ 12 to 45 kW/m2. The present study did not find any conclusive evidence of partial dry-out and deterioration of heat transfer in the upper tubes for an eight-row tube bundle in the heat flux range and pitch-diameter (p/d) ratio considered.cf201

Shape memory characteristics of woven glass fibre fabric reinforced epoxy composite in flexure

Shape memory characteristics of a woven glass fibre (GF) fabric reinforced epoxy composite (reinforcement content: 38 vol.%) were assessed in three point bending mode in a dynamic-mechanical analysis device and compared to those of the parent epoxy resin (EP). From unconstrained tests the shape fixity and recovery ratios and the recovery rate, whereas from constrained tests the recovery stress were determined. The shape fixity and recovery rate decreased due to the GF reinforcement which had, however, no effect on the shape recovery. Major benefit of the woven GF fabric was that the recovery stress could be enhanced by two orders of magnitude in comparison to the neat EP. GF reinforcement was accompanied with a substantial decrease in the failure-free flexural deformability of the composite specimen

Feasibility of urolithiasis management after studer neobladder urinary diversion: A multicenter center study

Background: Stones formation is a common complication after cystectomy including stones of the upper urinary tract and reservoir or conduit. Advances in instrumentation and techniques have expanded treatment options, while minimizing morbidity. Aims and Objectives: Feasibility of urolithiasis management after urinary diversion surgery. Materials and Methods: Eleven patients of diversion with stone were observed from January 01, 2015, to July 30, 2022. Operative procedures were decided on basis on stone locations and size. Perioperative parameters were observed and compared with similar studies. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy, percutaneous-based antegrade ureteroscopy with semi-rigid or flexible ureteroscope, transurethral reservoir lithotripsy, percutaneous pouch lithotripsy, and open operation were performed. The operative finding and complications were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results: The mean age of the patients was 53.2±8.1 years and mean pre-operative stone diameter was 3.1±3.5 cm. Three patients suprapubic cystolithotomy, two patients percutaneous cystolithotripsy, two patients percutaneous nephrolithitomy, two patients extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, one patient per urethral cystolithotripsy/cystolitholapexy, and one patient ureteroscopy/flexible ureteroscopy were done. The male-to-female ratio was 9/2. Stone-free rate was 100% after single session of treatment. In the post-operative period, fever was observed in two patients, and urinary leakage through wound site in one patient. Conclusion: Stone surgery after urinary diversion is challenging, success of treatment depends on experience of surgical team, pre-operative preparation, and correct instrumentations

From engagement to competency: The pathway to making disability naïve frontline workers competent in the delivery of an evidence-based autism intervention in New Delhi, India

Background: As countries like India improve access to maternal and infant care, the health systems need to develop services that enable all children to thrive. A key demographic which needs to be supported are children with disabilities, such as autism. With an estimated prevalence of one percent, there are over five million young children who need services to support their needs. However, the paucity of specialist care makes access to interventions difficult. In this context a public health research not-for-profit is evaluating the effectiveness of the task-sharing approach to support the delivery of an evidenced social communication intervention for young children with autism. This paper describes the process of engaging and training the non-specialist frontline Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), who are embedded within the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the Delhi State Health Mission, to deliver a complex intervention for autism to inform the future scalability of services for neurodevelopmental disorders. Methods: The present study describes the process which included (i) engagement meetings, (ii) recruitment, (iii) training, (iv) internship, and (v) competency evaluation. The shortlisted ASHAs received a 7-day classroom training followed by an internship period with practice cases. Finally, competency assessments, comprising of a test of knowledge and skills through role-plays, was administered. Results: Twenty three Primary Urban Health Centers across seven districts of Delhi were approached and 408 ASHAs were engaged in initial meetings. Telephonic screening with 127 ASHAs resulted in 72 ASHAs being selected for in-person interviews. Of the 45 ASHAs who attended, 33 were shortlisted for training and 18 completed it. Fifteen ASHAs entered the internship of which 7 ASHAs achieved competency. Discussion and conclusion: There was significant attrition along the pathway to having a competent non-specialist worker deliver a complex autism intervention. The lessons learnt from this process can inform the possibility of developing a cadre of disability specific frontline health workers who can deliver evidence-based interventions for neurodevelopmental disorders under supervision