A Study of the Awareness of Electronic Banking Services among Rural Women of Nelamangala, Bangalore, India

The revolution in electronic technology has taken the world by storm. The banking sector has not been immune to the impact of this digital revolution. In India, both private and public banks have changed their standard business practices and have now shifted entirely to electronic banking. The banking transactions that are executed through electronic devices and over the internet are termed electronic banking. One of the special features of urbanization is that urbanized society, irrespective of gender, is ready to accept the change and adjust to the new technologies quickly because of their extensive exposure to these innovations and their higher educational standard. This raises the question of how far these electronic banking reforms impact residents in rural areas, especially rural women who spend most of their lives within their homes. The present study has been undertaken to analyse the extent to which rural women are aware of electronic banking services with special reference to Nelamangala, which comes under the Bangalore Rural district of Karnataka state in India

Design and Modeling of a Hundred Percent Renewable Energy Based Suburban Utility

This paper presents the complete system modelling, designing and controlling of an islanded minigrid power supply to the town of Carnarvon, Western Australia. Carnarvon power system is an isolated network supplying power to approximately5000 people via 205km of distribution lines. The existing power system is supplied by a number of large centralized 21MW Diesel Generators. The objective of this paper is to report the design, development and installation of a Photovoltaic (PV) diesel hybrid-power system such that the operating cost can be minimized and the load on the aging generators could be significantly reduced. The proposal includes the installation of two 25kW DC variable speed diesel generators and a suitably sized advanced battery bank at each suburban transformer to ensure hundred percent penetration of solar power by residential customers in the local area. This method of control is modelled and simulated in HOMER, PSpice and Matlab. The different modes of control used to integrate maximum solar energy, reduce diesel consumption and also the methodology imposed to store excess renewable energy for operation during the night

High renewable energy penetration hybrid power system for rural and desert areas

This thesis proposes innovative ways of designing and controlling a small to medium size islanded or utility grid connected power system consisting of diesel generators, renewable energy sources and battery energy storages such that both fossil fuel usage and size of expensive battery bank can be minimized and the level of penetration of renewable energy can be raised to unprecedented levels. Computer software simulations and experimental results verify the proposed design and control strategies

Treatment of children with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia with arsenic trioxide: a single center experience

A total of 11 children (five males and six females) with hypergranular type of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML) were treated with intravenous arsenic trioxide (As2O3) between December 1998 and October 2003. Eight cycles of As2O3 (0.15 mg/kg/day) were administered (induction, consolidation and six cycles of maintenance) over a period of 12 months. The median WBC count at diagnosis was 3400/mm3 (range: 800-9800). In all, 10 patients (91%) achieved hematological remission at a mean duration of 48 days (range: 41-60) with all 10 patients achieving molecular remission at a median duration of 81 days (range: 64-109). Toxicity was minimal with leukocytosis in six patients, ichthyosis and hyperpigmentation of skin in five and mild peripheral neuropathy in one patient. One patient who relapsed 6 months after completing therapy achieved a second hematological and molecular remission with As2O3. With a median follow-up of 30 months (range: 4-62), the overall (OS) survival is 91% with a relapse-free survival (RFS) of 81%. As2O3 achieves hematological and molecular remission in majority of newly diagnosed children with APML with minimal toxicity, but long-term follow-up is required to evaluate late effects of As2O3 and study the minimum dose and duration required for a sustained remission

Molecular remission with arsenic trioxide in patients with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia

Thirty six APML patients achieving hematological remission with As2O3 were serially monitored using RT-PCR. Though only 5.5% achieved molecular remission at induction remission, 94.5% became negative during consolidation. At 20 months follow-up, 85% remain in remission but longer follow up studies are needed to monitor late relapses

Fludarabine-based conditioning for allogeneic stem cell transplantation for multiply transfused patients with Fanconi's anemia

A fludarabine-based protocol (fludarabine (25 mg/m/day × 6 days), cyclophosphamide (10 mg/kg/day × 2 days) and ATG (ATGAM 10 mg/kg/day × 4 days)) was used in four multiply transfused Fanconi's anemia (FA) patients aged 5-15 years to reduce rejection during allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine and mini methotrexate. The graft source was G-CSF-stimulated bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) in two patients each. All patients engrafted with median time to ANC>500/mm being 14 days (range: 12-17) and unsupported platelet count >20 ,000/mm being 13 days (range: 11-18). One patient had secondary graft rejection on day 56 and expired on day 69 due to fungal pneumonia. One patient who developed acute myeloid leukemia on day 56 underwent successful induction with cytosine and daunorubicin followed by peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) rescue on day 70 and is presently in remission with complete donor chimerism and grade I GVHD. At a median follow-up of 13 months (range: 4-21), three patients (75%) are well with complete donor chimerism. Addition of fludarabine to the conditioning regimen for BMT in FA can provide additional immunosuppression for engraftment without increasing toxicity

Arsenic trioxide in the treatment of newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia: a single center experience

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) has been found effective in the treatment in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML). Most studies with As2O3 involve patients with APML who have relapsed following standard therapy. Between January 1998 and July 2000, 14 patients were recruited for an ongoing trial of As2O3 in the treatment of newly diagnosed APML. Arsenic trioxide was administered at a dose of 10 mg/day until complete remission (CR) was achieved. Afterward, a consolidation course and a maintenance schedule consisting of As2O3 as a single agent were administered over 6 months. There were 3 early deaths related to intra-cerebral hemorrhage: two on day 3 and one on day 4. Of the 11 evaluable patients, one died on day 21 secondary to uncontrolled sepsis, while the remaining 10 (91%) have attained CR. The average time to CR was 52.3 days (range: 34-70 days). One patient developed an isolated central nervous system (CNS) relapse and subsequently went into a second CR following therapy with triple intrathecal chemotherapy, cranial irradiation, and an additional 4-week course of systemic As2O3. This patient, as well as the remaining nine, has continued to remain in CR at a median follow up of 15 months (range: 2-33 months). Eight out of 10 patients achieved molecular remission at variable periods during their consolidation and maintenance schedules. One patient developed an ATRA syndrome and was administered daunorubicin (40 mg/day) for 2 days. The side effects with this therapy were minimal and did not require cessation of therapy in any patient. There was no significant hepatic toxicity. In our experience, arsenic trioxide is effective in inducing and maintaining remission in patients with APML with minimal side effects. The optimal regimen and total dose required need to be defined

Glutathione S-transferase M1 polymorphism: a risk factor for hepatic venoocclusive disease in bone marrow transplantation

Hepatic venoocclusive disease (HVOD) in bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is attributed to toxicity of cytoreductive agents, especially busulfan and cyclophosphamide, in the conditioning therapy. Busulfan, as well as the metabolites of cyclophosphamide, are conjugated with glutathione (GSH), catalyzed by enzymes of the glutathione S-transferase (GST) family. To assess the impact of polymorphisms of the GST genes, GSTM1 and GSTT1, on the risk of HVOD, we evaluated 114 consecutive patients with -thalassemia major undergoing BMT. There was a significantly increased incidence of HVOD in patients with the GSTM1-null genotype compared with those with the GSTM1-positive genotype (46.5% vs 18.3%; P = .001). Pharmacokinetic analysis in these patients showed that the clearance of busulfan was higher and first-dose steady-state concentration was lower among those with HVOD (0.403 ± 0.06 vs 0.33 ± 0.071 L/h/kg, Student t test P value = .000 01; and 508 ± 125 vs 656 ± 255 ng/mL, t test P value = .001, respectively). We conclude that the GSTM1-null genotype predisposes to HVOD, and the sinusoidal endothelial cells and hepatocyte damage may be mediated by metabolites of busulfan through depletion of the cellular GSH pool

Developing an algorithm of informative markers for evaluation of chimerism after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Analysis of chimerism by polymerase chain reaction amplification of STR or VNTR has become a routine procedure for the evaluation of engraftment after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Knowledge of the frequency of different STR or VNTR alleles in unrelated individuals in a population is useful for forensic work. In the context of HLA identical sibling bone marrow transplantation the informativeness of these markers needs to be evaluated. We evaluated five STRs (THO1, VWA, FES, ACTBP2, and F13A1) and 1 VNTR (APOB) for informativeness in stem cell transplants from HLA identical sibling donors. All four markers used individually allowed us to discriminate 20-56% of the patient donor pairs. Using a combination of all these markers along with a polymorphic marker in the β-globin gene and the sex chromosome specific amelogenin marker, we were able to discriminate 99% of the patient donor pairs. We have established an algorithm for evaluating chimerism following HLA identical sibling donor transplants in the Indian population using molecular markers in 310 patients. Analysis of heterozygote frequencies in different populations is similar suggesting that this algorithm can be used universally for transplant centers to evaluate chimerism following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

IoT-based BIM integrated model for energy and water management in smart homes

Increasing urbanization and growth in infrastructure create a demand to utilize modern tools to manage human needs. Effective integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) into the design of smart homes is an actively growing area in the construction industry. The ever-increasing demand and cost of energy require a smart solution in the design stage by the construction industry. It is possible to reduce household energy consumption by utilizing energy-efficient sustainable materials in infrastructure construction. Building Information Modeling (BIM) can provide a solution to effectively manage energy. The integration of the IoT further improves the design of comfortable smart homes by utilizing natural lighting. BIM aids in determining energy efficiency and making decisions by presenting the user with several design options via the 6D method. The present study considered a sample home design following the National Building Code (NBC) and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards for implementation. Natural lighting analysis is carried out with the tool Insight 360 to analyze the energy consumption of the building. Some of the outputs obtained from the analysis are wall-to-window ratio (WWR), window shades, design options for window glass, energy use intensity (EUI), and annual energy cost (AEC). The results of the outputs are compared to find the energy-efficient optimum natural lighting of the proposed building. The lesser EUI (16%–21%) and AEC (23%–28%) are identified with the utilization of low emissivity glass in window panels compared with other types of glass. The proposed IoT-based BIM integration model proves that the effective utilization of natural lighting reduces overall household energy consumption