Exploring the Factors that Determine Flow of Agricultural Credit to Indian States

The issue of agriculture and agricultural credit has always gained importance in the context of India. The present research looks at various important aspects of agricultural credit which include growth trends and determination of factors that influence flow of credit to the different states. The findings are based on analysis of twenty-nine states for the period 2007-08 to 2017-18. The empirical research shows wide disparity across regions with the maximum flow to the southern region and the minimum to the north-east of the country. The study traces the growth in agricultural loans and finds that nature of the curve is in the quadratic form where the rate of decline is much less compared to the rapid rise in the growth of loans in all the regions. With regard to the panel regression model, cropping intensity, lending rate and inflation rate have a significant effect on flow of credit to states (at 1% level). However, though the share of agriculture in the state GDP matches the expected sign, the coefficient is not significant even at 10%. The study is a unique one which is an improvement over the earlier studies. However, non-availability of data for all states and exclusion of non-financial considerations at the state level are limitations of the study

ASSESSMENT OF USE OF RICE HUSK ASH IN SELF CONSOLIDATING CONCRETE

ABSTRACT The main objective of this study is to investigate the utilization potential of Rice Husk Ash (RHA

Automatic Bottle Filling System Using PLC Based Controller

In this paper a bottle filling machine is introduced using Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) based controller in automation industry. The main aim of the paper is to design and fabricate a small and a simple filling system using PLC. The belt conveyor is used for moving the bottle. A dc pump is set to tank to control the flow of water. The position of bottle is detected by infrared sensor so that pump can be functioned at right time. When bottle is under the tank, the pump is started and bottle is filled by water. All the components perform well. This filling machine is cost effective and it can be used in small scale bottle filling systems such as coffee shops, juice shops and other beverage industries

A Cost-Effective Method for Design Installation and Maintenance of Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation System to Meet the Household Energy Requirement

Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) power generation system is becoming a popular and alternative technology to full fill the requirement of household electric power. The operation and maintenance cost of a typical SPV power generation system is too low at the household level, whereas the initial investment or installation cost of such systems is comparatively too high. Although the SPV power generation system uses free and renewable energy to generate eco-friendly electricity, due to the high initial investment, slow response of service assistance for technical support during the system failure, maintenance, troubleshooting, lack of basic troubleshooting and maintenance knowledge of the end-users are some of the primary reasons for reducing the popularity and faith on SPV power generation technology in the household level. In this paper, an elaborate explanation of design, installation, commissioning, maintenance, and troubleshooting methods have been briefly described to set up an indigenous and cost-effective solar photovoltaic power generation system to meet the electricity demand for basic household requirements with an individual effort

Assessment of Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Food Service Staff in Bangladeshi Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices among hospital food service staff are crucial in the prevention of foodborne disease outbreaks, as hospitalized patients are more vulnerable to potential hazards. This study, therefore, sought to assess the food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of food service staff in Bangladeshi hospitals. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 191 food service staff from seven different hospitals in Dhaka and Chattogram from October 2021 to March 2022 using pretested questionnaires. Multiple linear regression was used to identify the factors associated with the food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices. The findings showed moderate knowledge but high levels of attitudes and practices of food safety among hospital food handlers. Food safety knowledge was significantly higher among males, participants from private hospitals and participants working in a hospital that had a food service supervisor and dietitian in charge of food service operations. Moreover, participants from private hospitals and participants working in a hospital that had a food service supervisor and dietitian in charge of food service operations had more positive attitudes and better practices regarding food safety. Hospital management should consider these factors for enhancing food handlers' knowledge and increase training and supervision on food safety practices to reduce foodborne diseases and outbreaks

Identification of Viscoelastic Moduli of Composite Materials from the Plate Transmission Coefficients

A quick and accurate method of measuring elastic and viscoelastic constants of a material is the essential first step for characterizing the material. This is more challenging for composite materials because unlike homogeneous metals and ceramics the material properties change from specimen to specimen for composite materials as the volume fraction of fibers and their orientations change. Anisotropic properties of composite materials add another difficulty in the measurement technique, since anisotropy increases the number of independent material constants. Polymer composites exhibit a high degree of attenuation in the matrix material; as a result, these composite materials cannot be assumed to be pure elastic material, so they should be modeled as viscoelastic materials by making the material constants complex. The real part is associated with the elastic behavior and the imaginary part is associated with the viscoelastic or attenuative behavior of the material. The number of independent material constants for a unidirectional (UD) composite, which is transversely isotropic, is ten (five real and five imaginary). Naturally, it is not practical and almost impossible to measure all these material constants by the traditional engineering method of applying stresses and measuring strains in different directions. Because of the measurement difficulty the imaginary parts of the material constants are often ignored. However, it should be mentioned here that it is important to measure the imaginary components of material constants because porosity and microcracking in the matrix due to material fatigue and aging affect the attenuation more than the elastic properties. In other words, the imaginary components of the material constants are a better indicator of material aging compared to the real components. Hence, an efficient technique to measure both real and imaginary components of the material constants is warranted and developed in this paper.</p

Of cattle, sand flies and men : a systematic review of risk factor analyses for South Asian visceral leishmaniasis and implications for elimination

Background: Studies performed over the past decade have identified fairly consistent epidemiological patterns of risk factors for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent. Methods and Principal Findings: To inform the current regional VL elimination effort and identify key gaps in knowledge, we performed a systematic review of the literature, with a special emphasis on data regarding the role of cattle because primary risk factor studies have yielded apparently contradictory results. Because humans form the sole infection reservoir, clustering of kala-azar cases is a prominent epidemiological feature, both at the household level and on a larger scale. Subclinical infection also tends to show clustering around kala-azar cases. Within villages, areas become saturated over a period of several years; kala-azar incidence then decreases while neighboring areas see increases. More recently, post kalaazar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) cases have followed kala-azar peaks. Mud walls, palpable dampness in houses, and peridomestic vegetation may increase infection risk through enhanced density and prolonged survival of the sand fly vector. Bed net use, sleeping on a cot and indoor residual spraying are generally associated with decreased risk. Poor micronutrient status increases the risk of progression to kala-azar. The presence of cattle is associated with increased risk in some studies and decreased risk in others, reflecting the complexity of the effect of bovines on sand fly abundance, aggregation, feeding behavior and leishmanial infection rates. Poverty is an overarching theme, interacting with individual risk factors on multiple levels. Conclusions: Carefully designed demonstration projects, taking into account the complex web of interconnected risk factors, are needed to provide direct proof of principle for elimination and to identify the most effective maintenance activities to prevent a rapid resurgence when interventions are scaled back. More effective, short-course treatment regimens for PKDL are urgently needed to enable the elimination initiative to succeed

Caveolin-1 protects B6129 mice against Helicobacter pylori gastritis.

Caveolin-1 (Cav1) is a scaffold protein and pathogen receptor in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic infection of gastric epithelial cells by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a major risk factor for human gastric cancer (GC) where Cav1 is frequently down-regulated. However, the function of Cav1 in H. pylori infection and pathogenesis of GC remained unknown. We show here that Cav1-deficient mice, infected for 11 months with the CagA-delivery deficient H. pylori strain SS1, developed more severe gastritis and tissue damage, including loss of parietal cells and foveolar hyperplasia, and displayed lower colonisation of the gastric mucosa than wild-type B6129 littermates. Cav1-null mice showed enhanced infiltration of macrophages and B-cells and secretion of chemokines (RANTES) but had reduced levels of CD25+ regulatory T-cells. Cav1-deficient human GC cells (AGS), infected with the CagA-delivery proficient H. pylori strain G27, were more sensitive to CagA-related cytoskeletal stress morphologies ("humming bird") compared to AGS cells stably transfected with Cav1 (AGS/Cav1). Infection of AGS/Cav1 cells triggered the recruitment of p120 RhoGTPase-activating protein/deleted in liver cancer-1 (p120RhoGAP/DLC1) to Cav1 and counteracted CagA-induced cytoskeletal rearrangements. In human GC cell lines (MKN45, N87) and mouse stomach tissue, H. pylori down-regulated endogenous expression of Cav1 independently of CagA. Mechanistically, H. pylori activated sterol-responsive element-binding protein-1 (SREBP1) to repress transcription of the human Cav1 gene from sterol-responsive elements (SREs) in the proximal Cav1 promoter. These data suggested a protective role of Cav1 against H. pylori-induced inflammation and tissue damage. We propose that H. pylori exploits down-regulation of Cav1 to subvert the host's immune response and to promote signalling of its virulence factors in host cells

Risk factors and vectors for SARS-CoV-2 household transmission: a prospective, longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND: Despite circumstantial evidence for aerosol and fomite spread of SARS-CoV-2, empirical data linking either pathway with transmission are scarce. Here we aimed to assess whether the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on frequently-touched surfaces and residents' hands was a predictor of SARS-CoV-2 household transmission. METHODS: In this longitudinal cohort study, during the pre-alpha (September to December, 2020) and alpha (B.1.1.7; December, 2020, to April, 2021) SARS-CoV-2 variant waves, we prospectively recruited contacts from households exposed to newly diagnosed COVID-19 primary cases, in London, UK. To maximally capture transmission events, contacts were recruited regardless of symptom status and serially tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-PCR on upper respiratory tract (URT) samples and, in a subcohort, by serial serology. Contacts' hands, primary cases' hands, and frequently-touched surface-samples from communal areas were tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. SARS-CoV-2 URT isolates from 25 primary case-contact pairs underwent whole-genome sequencing (WGS). FINDINGS: From Aug 1, 2020, until March 31, 2021, 620 contacts of PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2-infected primary cases were recruited. 414 household contacts (from 279 households) with available serial URT PCR results were analysed in the full household contacts' cohort, and of those, 134 contacts with available longitudinal serology data and not vaccinated pre-enrolment were analysed in the serology subcohort. Household infection rate was 28·4% (95% CI 20·8-37·5) for pre-alpha-exposed contacts and 51·8% (42·5-61·0) for alpha-exposed contacts (p=0·0047). Primary cases' URT RNA viral load did not correlate with transmission, but was associated with detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on their hands (p=0·031). SARS-CoV-2 detected on primary cases' hands, in turn, predicted contacts' risk of infection (adjusted relative risk [aRR]=1·70 [95% CI 1·24-2·31]), as did SARS-CoV-2 RNA presence on household surfaces (aRR=1·66 [1·09-2·55]) and contacts' hands (aRR=2·06 [1·57-2·69]). In six contacts with an initial negative URT PCR result, hand-swab (n=3) and household surface-swab (n=3) PCR positivity preceded URT PCR positivity. WGS corroborated household transmission. INTERPRETATION: Presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on primary cases' and contacts' hands and on frequently-touched household surfaces associates with transmission, identifying these as potential vectors for spread in households. FUNDING: National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Respiratory Infections, Medical Research Council

Acute wound management: revisiting the approach to assessment, irrigation, and closure considerations

Abstract Background As millions of emergency department (ED) visits each year include wound care, emergency care providers must remain experts in acute wound management. The variety of acute wounds presenting to the ED challenge the physician to select the most appropriate management to facilitate healing. A complete wound history along with anatomic and specific medical considerations for each patient provides the basis of decision making for wound management. It is essential to apply an evidence‐based approach and consider each wound individually in order to create the optimal conditions for wound healing. Aims A comprehensive evidence‐based approach to acute wound management is an essential skill set for any emergency physician or acute care practitioner. This review provides an overview of current evidence and addresses frequent pitfalls. Methods A systematic review of the literature for acute wound management was performed. Results A structured MEDLINE search was performed regarding acute wound management including established wound care guidelines. The data obtained provided the framework for evidence‐based recommendations and current best practices for wound care. Conclusion Acute wound management varies based on the wound location and characteristics. No single approach can be applied to all wounds; however, a systematic approach to acute wound care integrated with current best practices provides the framework for exceptional wound management