Towards Protecting Critical National Assets and Preparedness for Response to Hazardous Chemical, Biological and Radiological Attacks

Hazardous chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) materials are catching attention of unscrupulous actors for creating terror and havoc. Threat perception for use of such materials by terrorists and non-state actors for malicious purposes, is not imaginative but real and imminent in today’s context. World has witnessed a number of such incidences in the recent years, e.g., Mustard gas attack against Kurdish forces in Iraq; ricin laced letters sent to US President and others senators; use of Nerve gas agents in Syria; capturing of Uranium from University of al- Mousal, Iraq by IS, etc. National assets like critical buildings where main legislative, historical building, Hospitals are some of the likely targets for CBR attacks attract quick coverage by media. Authorities related with managing and safeguarding mechanisms of the facilities to prevent such events happening also to enhance their capabilities as well as effective response. Essential CBR security should include measures to rapidly detect and effectively deter the CBR incidences their deleterious consequences. In this review, protection of the critical facilities from CBR attacks and capacity in terms of infrastructure, specialised training and mutual aid have been discussed

INDIAN RESEARCH OUTPUT IN IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY 2012-2016: A SCIENTOMETRIC STUDY

Background: The study examines India’s research productivity in immunology and microbiology during 2012-2016, depending on various parameters, including India’s annual average research growth rate, institutional output profile of institutions and profiles of some of the most productive authors. Aim: The focus of this study is to analyze performance of India’s research output in immunology and microbiology, the quality and productivity of major institutions participating in research in microbiology and immunology and the productivity and quality of leading authors in research in immunology and microbiology. Methods: The study in the area of immunology and microbiology using 5 years publications data from 2012-2016 in Scopus database. Result: India has published 8181 papers in Immunology and Microbiology during 2012-2016. The highest productive author of India is A. Chowdhary, with 39 contributions. The highly productive Institutes are Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, AIMS, Banaras Hindu University ,Indian Veterinary Research Institute, etc. Conclusion: The findings of studies like this help in assessing the characteristics of scientific outputs that should be a major issue not only for scientists or researchers themselves but also for higher level of administration, for heads of university or research institutes, and moreover for research funding agencies

Optimizacija kitozanskih filmova kao zamjena za životinjsku i humanu epidermu za in vitro permeaciju polarnih i nepolarnih lijekova

The present investigation is aimed at preparing chitosan films capable of simulating the flux of modal drugs, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and indomethacin (INDO), across rat, rabbit and human cadaver epidermal sheets. Application of statistical design revealed that the concentration of chitosan, crosslinking time and concentration of crosslinking agent significantly influenced the in vitro flux of 5-FU and INDO across chitosan films. Multiple linear regression revealed a linear influence of all these active variables on 5-FU and INDO flux. It was deduced from atomic absorption spectroscopic analyses, DSC and IR spectroscopic data that 5% (m/V) sodium tripolyphosphate (NaTPP) produced optimum crosslinking of chitosan films. The in vitro permeation of both 5-FU and INDO across optimized film formulations was found to be comparable to that obtained across rat, rabbit and human epidermal sheets. These results indicate that optimized chitosan films have a potential to be developed as a substitute for animal and human cadaver epidermal sheets for preliminary in vitro permeation studies.U radu je opisana priprava kitosanskih filmova pogodnih za simulaciju prijelaza modelnih lijekova, 5-fluorouracila (5-FU) i indometacina (INDO), kroz epidermalne slojeve štakora, zeca i čovjeka. Koncentracija kitosana, vrijeme umrežavanja i koncentracija reagensa za umrežavanje značajno su utjecale na in vitro prolaz 5-FU i INDO kroz kitosanske filmove. Multiplom linearnom regresijom pokazano je da sve navedene varijable imaju linearni utjecaj na prolaz 5-FU i INDO. Uz pomoć atomske apsorpcijske spektralne analize, DSC i IR spektroskopskih podataka zaključeno je da je 5%-tna (m/V) otopina natrijevog tripolifosfata (NaTPP) najoptimalnija za umrežavanje kitosanskih filmova. Pronađeno je da je in vitro permeacija 5-FU i INDO kroz optimiziranu formulaciju kitozanskog filma usporediva s permeacijom kroz epidermalne slojeve štakora, zeca i čovjeka. Rezultati upućuju da se optimizirani kitozanski filmovi mogu upotrijebiti kao nadomjestak animalne i humane epiderme u preliminarnim in vitro permeacijskim istraživanjima

Farm diversification strategies, dietary diversity and farm size: results from a cross-country sample in South and Southeast Asia

South and Southeast Asia host almost half of the world's undernourished people. Food and agricultural systems in these regions are highly dependent on the production and consumption of staple cereals such as rice, maize and wheat. More diverse farming systems can potentially improve rural people's nutrition, while reducing the environmental impact of agriculture. Yet, it remains uncertain whether farm diversification is always the most suitable and viable strategy for all types of smallholder farms. We use generalised linear regression models to analyse the farm diversification strategies of 4772 rural households in Cambodia, India, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Our analysis is twofold and focuses first on drivers of farm diversification, and second, on the impacts of farm diversification and other livelihood strategies on dietary diversity. We find that (1) farm diversification is significantly influenced by environmental and climate variables, including rainfall patterns, as well as household and farm characteristics such as farm size and education level; and (2) farm diversification, market orientation and off-farm income generation are all strategies that can improve household and individual dietary diversity. However, their relative effects resulted influenced by farm size. Specifically, the positive effect of farm diversification on dietary diversity was larger for smaller farms, while it decreased for farms of larger size that may improve their diet more by increasing their engagement in off-farm activities and markets. These findings highlight that characteristics such as farm size can represent substantial determinants in production and consumption decisions, suggesting the importance of understanding and considering the type of farm and the situational context of analysis when targeting interventions for improving smallholder farm livelihoods