Key issues in trade facilitation : summary of World Bank/European Union workshops in Dhaka and Shanghai in 2004

Trade facilitation is the ability of countries to deliver goods and services on time at the lowest possible cost. It has emerged as an important issue in unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral trade liberalization. Most countries have embarked on heroic reforms aimed at reducing transaction costs of trade. Thus, among the four new Singapore issues, there was least resistance from World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries to include trade facilitation in the Doha Round discussions. However, all countries are not equally placed in initiating reforms in the complex areas of customs procedures, transport and port logistics, harmonization of standards, and simplification of procedures. Trade facilitation reforms require a large volume of technical assistance for national capacity building. To facilitate what these reforms entail and what can be learned from cross-country experiences, the EU and the World Bank organized two workshops in Dhaka (South Asian countries) and Shanghai (East Asian countries) in 2004. Jointly they succeeded in bringing together renowned experts from multilateral organizations, selected bilateral donor community, the private sector, ex civil servants, and scholars. The participants were largely drawn from the relevant government departments and chambers of commerce and industry. This paper summarizes the main presentations in the workshops. It also indicates the areas that need more focus in future events. The paper should serve as a reference document for national policymakers and for future seminars and workshops on trade facilitation. It has also linked the presentations to the ongoing research work on trade facilitation.Common Carriers Industry,Transport and Trade Logistics,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Trade Policy

Coronatine Facilitates Pseudomonas syringae Infection of Arabidopsis Leaves at Night.

In many land plants, the stomatal pore opens during the day and closes during the night. Thus, periods of darkness could be effective in decreasing pathogen penetration into leaves through stomata, the primary sites for infection by many pathogens. Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 produces coronatine (COR) and opens stomata, raising an intriguing question as to whether this is a virulence strategy to facilitate bacterial infection at night. In fact, we found that (a) biological concentration of COR is effective in opening dark-closed stomata of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, (b) the COR defective mutant Pst DC3118 is less effective in infecting Arabidopsis in the dark than under light and this difference in infection is reduced with the wild type bacterium Pst DC3000, and (c) cma, a COR biosynthesis gene, is induced only when the bacterium is in contact with the leaf surface independent of the light conditions. These findings suggest that Pst DC3000 activates virulence factors at the pre-invasive phase of its life cycle to infect plants even when environmental conditions (such as darkness) favor stomatal immunity. This functional attribute of COR may provide epidemiological advantages for COR-producing bacteria on the leaf surface

Ciliary Proteins Repurposed by the Synaptic Ribbon: Trafficking Myristoylated Proteins at Rod Photoreceptor Synapses

The Unc119 protein mediates transport of myristoylated proteins to the photoreceptor outer segment, a specialized primary cilium. This transport activity is regulated by the GTPase Arl3 as well as by Arl13b and Rp2 that control Arl3 activation/inactivation. Interestingly, Unc119 is also enriched in photoreceptor synapses and can bind to RIBEYE, the main component of synaptic ribbons. In the present study, we analyzed whether the known regulatory proteins, that control the Unc119- dependent myristoylated protein transport at the primary cilium, are also present at the photoreceptor synaptic ribbon complex by using high-resolution immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy. We found Arl3 and Arl13b to be enriched at the synaptic ribbon whereas Rp2 was predominantly found on vesicles distributed within the entire terminal. These findings indicate that the synaptic ribbon could be involved in the discharge of Unc119-bound lipid-modified proteins. In agreement with this hypothesis, we found Nphp3 (Nephrocystin-3), a myristoylated, Unc119- dependent cargo protein enriched at the basal portion of the ribbon in close vicinity to the active zone. Mutations in Nphp3 are known to be associated with Senior–Løken Syndrome 3 (SLS3). Visual impairment and blindness in SLS3 might thus not only result from ciliary dysfunctions but also from malfunctions of the photoreceptor synapse

Accelerator development in India for ADS programme

At BARC, development of a Low Energy High Intensity Proton Accelerator (LEHIPA), as front-end injector of the 1 GeV accelerator for the ADS programme, has been initiated. The major components of LEHIPA (20 MeV, 30 mA) are a 50 keV ECR ion source, a 3 MeV Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) and a 20 meV drift tube linac (DTL). The Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT) and Medium Energy Beam Transport (MEBT) lines match the beam from the ion source to RFQ and from RFQ to DTL respectively. Design of these systems has been completed and fabrication of their prototypes has started. Physics studies of the 20-1000 MeV part of the Linac are also in progress. In this paper, the present status of this project is presented

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

Enhancement of lipase activity in non-aqueous media upon immobilization on multi-walled carbon nanotubes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Immobilization of biologically active proteins on nanosized surfaces is a key process in bionanofabrication. Carbon nanotubes with their high surface areas, as well as useful electronic, thermal and mechanical properties, constitute important building blocks in the fabrication of novel functional materials.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Lipases from <it>Candida rugosa </it>(CRL) were found to be adsorbed on the multiwalled carbon nanotubes with very high retention of their biological activity (97%). The immobilized biocatalyst showed 2.2- and 14-fold increases in the initial rates of transesterification activity in nearly anhydrous hexane and water immiscible ionic liquid [Bmim] [PF6] respectively, as compared to the lyophilized powdered enzyme. It is presumed that the interaction with the hydrophobic surface of the nanotubes resulted in conformational changes leading to the 'open lid' structure of CRL. The immobilized enzyme was found to give 64% conversion over 24 h (as opposed to 14% with free enzyme) in the formation of butylbutyrate in nearly anhydrous hexane. Similarly, with ionic liquid [Bmim] [PF6], the immobilized enzyme allowed 71% conversion as compared to 16% with the free enzyme. The immobilized lipase also showed high enantioselectivity as determined by kinetic resolution of (±) 1-phenylethanol in [Bmim] [PF6]. While free CRL gave only 5% conversion after 36 h, the immobilized enzyme resulted in 37% conversion with > 99% enantiomeric excess. TEM studies on the immobilized biocatalyst showed that the enzyme is attached to the multiwalled nanotubes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Successful immobilization of enzymes on nanosized carriers could pave the way for reduced reactor volumes required for biotransformations, as well as having a use in the construction of miniaturized biosensensor devices.</p

An innate pathogen sensing strategy involving ubiquitination of bacterial surface proteins.

Sensing of pathogens by ubiquitination is a critical arm of cellular immunity. However, universal ubiquitination targets on microbes remain unidentified. Here, using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies, we identify the first protein-based ubiquitination substrates on phylogenetically diverse bacteria by unveiling a strategy that uses recognition of degron-like motifs. Such motifs form a new class of intra-cytosolic pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Their incorporation enabled recognition of nonubiquitin targets by host ubiquitin ligases. We find that SCFFBW7 E3 ligase, supported by the regulatory kinase, glycogen synthase kinase 3β, is crucial for effective pathogen detection and clearance. This provides a mechanistic explanation for enhanced risk of infections in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia bearing mutations in F-box and WD repeat domain containing 7 protein. We conclude that exploitation of this generic pathogen sensing strategy allows conservation of host resources and boosts antimicrobial immunity

Development and Evaluation of Active Case Detection Methods to Support Visceral Leishmaniasis Elimination in India.

As India moves toward the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) as a public health problem, comprehensive timely case detection has become increasingly important, in order to reduce the period of infectivity and control outbreaks. During the 2000s, localized research studies suggested that a large percentage of VL cases were never reported in government data. However, assessments conducted from 2013 to 2015 indicated that 85% or more of confirmed cases were eventually captured and reported in surveillance data, albeit with significant delays before diagnosis. Based on methods developed during these assessments, the CARE India team evolved new strategies for active case detection (ACD), applicable at large scale while being sufficiently effective in reducing time to diagnosis. Active case searches are triggered by the report of a confirmed VL case, and comprise two major search mechanisms: 1) case identification based on the index case's knowledge of other known VL cases and searches in nearby houses (snowballing); and 2) sustained contact over time with a range of private providers, both formal and informal. Simultaneously, house-to-house searches were conducted in 142 villages of 47 blocks during this period. We analyzed data from 5030 VL patients reported in Bihar from January 2018 through July 2019. Of these 3033 were detected passively and 1997 via ACD (15 (0.8%) via house-to-house and 1982 (99.2%) by light touch ACD methods). We constructed multinomial logistic regression models comparing time intervals to diagnosis (30-59, 60-89 and ≥90 days with =90 days compared to the referent of <30 days for ACD vs PCD were 0.88, 0.56 and 0.42 respectively. These ACD strategies not only reduce time to diagnosis, and thus risk of transmission, but also ensure that there is a double check on the proportion of cases actually getting captured. Such a process can supplement passive case detection efforts that must go on, possibly perpetually, even after elimination as a public health problem is achieved