A Study on Evaluation of Training Effectiveness among Employees in M/S Addison & Co., Ltd., Chennai

The main aim of the study is to prepare the employees both new and existing to meet the present as well as the changing requirements of the organization.Training programme helps to remove performance deficiencies of employees. The effectiveness of the training programme ensures there is greater stability, flexibility and capacity for growth of the organization. Training programme contributes to employee’s stability.Employees become efficient after training programme. Efficient employees contribute to the growth of the company. Growth renders stability to the work force and trained employees tend to stay with the company and seldom leave the company.Training programmes make the employees versatile in operations. Growth in employees indicates prosperity, which is reflected in increased profits from year to year and only well-trained employees can contribute to the prosperity of an enterprise

Dormant phages of Helicobacter pylori reveal distinct populations in Europe

Prophages of Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium known to co-evolve in the stomach of its human host, were recently identified. However, their role in the diversity of H. pylori strains is unknown. We demonstrate here and for the first time that the diversity of the prophage genes offers the ability to distinguish between European populations, and that H. pylori prophages and their host bacteria share a complex evolutionary history. By comparing the phylogenetic trees of two prophage genes (integrase and holin) and the multilocus sequence typing (MLST)-based data obtained for seven housekeeping genes, we observed that the majority of the strains belong to the same phylogeographic group in both trees. Furthermore, we found that the Bayesian analysis of the population structure of the prophage genes identified two H. pylori European populations, hpNEurope and hpSWEurope, while the MLST sequences identified one European population, hpEurope. The population structure analysis of H. pylori prophages was even more discriminative than the traditional MLST-based method for the European population. Prophages are new players to be considered not only to show the diversity of H. pylori strains but also to more sharply define human populations.University of Malaya-Ministry of Education (UM-MoE) High Impact Research (HIR) Grant UM.C/HIR/MOHE/13/5 (h-50001-00-A000033) and by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) project grant PTDC/EBB-EBI/119860/2010

Spatial Distribution of Rainy Season Fallows in Madhya Pradesh: Potential for Increasing Productivity and Minimizing Land Degradation

Madhya Pradesh in Central India is endowed with vertisols and associated soils along with assured rainfall(700-1200 mm yr-1). The vertisols contain high (40-60%) montmorillintic clay and exhibit typical swelling and shrinking characteristic under moist and dry conditions. Vertisols have poor hydraulic conductivity and consequently, are frequently poorly drained. Traditionally farmers grow a secured post-rainy season crop on stored soil moisture and keep the fields fallow during rainy season. The most dense region of rainy season following in semi-arid tropical India covers areas endowed with vertisols. Realizing the potential of vertisols in supporting a short-duration crop during rainy season, which otherwise is left fallow, a pilot study was taken up by ICRISAT to delineate the rainy season (Kharif) fallows in Madhya Pradesh. The Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-IC/-ID/-P3) Wide Field Sensor (WiFS) data acquired during peak kharif, post-kharif, mid-rabi cropping season was used. The analytical approach employed involves geo-referencing and radiometric normalization of multi-temporal WiFS data, and delineation of kharif fallows in a Silicon Graphic Work Station using ERDAS/IMAGINE software and a per-pixel Gaussian maximum likelihood algorithm and limited field check. While mid-kharif and post-kharif season WiFS data enabled detection of lands that remain fallow during kharif season, mid-rabi season WiFS data allowed further verification of the delineation since such lands have been found supporting mostly wheat crop during rabi season. An estimated area of 2.02 million ha, accounting for 6.57% of the total area of the state is lying fallow. Utilization of kharif fallows for short-duration pulse crops like soybean may help not only to boost agriculture production but also to improve the sustainability of the agro-ecosystem and minimize land degradation

An Empirical Analysis of the Relationship between Land Size, Ownership, and Soybean Productivity - New Evidence from the Semi-Arid Tropical Region in Madhya Pradesh, India

The intervention of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) at the benchmark site in Madhya Pradesh, India is part of a larger project – “Improving Management of Natural Resources for Sustainable Rainfed Agriculture” funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The main aim of the project is to increase the productivity and sustainability of the medium and high water-holding capacity soils in the intermediate rainfall ecoregions in India, Vietnam, and Thailand. This study examines the relationship between land size and various variables including the soybean productivity relationship among owner-operated and share cropper-operated farms. Primary data was collected using an interview schedule from the villages of Jaoti, Kundhankhedi, Kherkhedi, and Lalatora in Vidisha district, Madhya Pradesh for the 1999 rainy season crop. The productivity of evaluated owner-operated farms is marginally higher at 0.72 t ha-1 compared to 0.68 t ha-1 in case of share cropped farms. The productivity of evaluated trial farms in Lalatora micro-watershed which is used as a demonstration micro-watershed for evaluating improved management practice has been higher at 1.1 t ha-1. The inverse-relationship between land size and productivity is found for both owner-operated (r = 0.27) and share cropper-operated farms (r = 0.30). The average profit is higher among owner-operated farms at Rs. 2045 ha-1 compared to Rs. 1773 ha-1 among share cropped farms. The profitability for the landlords and share croppers is documented and evidence is presented on the exploitative nature of the emerging 20:80 crop sharing contract. The low productivity has been due to waterlogging which occurred due to heavy rains during the sowing period

Molecular Characterization of Clinical Isolates of Aeromonas Species from Malaysia

Background: Aeromonas species are common inhabitants of aquatic environments giving rise to infections in both fish and humans. Identification of aeromonads to the species level is problematic and complex due to their phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity. Methodology/Principal Findings: Aeromonas hydrophila or Aeromonas sp were genetically re-identified using a combination of previously published methods targeting GCAT, 16S rDNA and rpoD genes. Characterization based on the genus specific GCAT-PCR showed that 94 (96%) of the 98 strains belonged to the genus Aeromonas. Considering the patterns obtained for the 94 isolates with the 16S rDNA-RFLP identification method, 3 clusters were recognised, i.e. A. caviae (61%), A. hydrophila (17%) and an unknown group (22%) with atypical RFLP restriction patterns. However, the phylogenetic tree constructed with the obtained rpoD sequences showed that 47 strains (50%) clustered with the sequence of the type strain of A. aquariorum, 18 (19%) with A. caviae, 16 (17%) with A. hydrophila, 12 (13%) with A. veronii and one strain (1%) with the type strain of A. trota. PCR investigation revealed the presence of 10 virulence genes in the 94 isolates as: lip (91%), exu (87%), ela (86%), alt (79%), ser (77%), fla (74%), aer (72%), act (43%), aexT (24%) and ast (23%). Conclusions/Significance: This study emphasizes the importance of using more than one method for the correct identification of Aeromonas strains. The sequences of the rpoD gene enabled the unambiguous identication of the 9

B Part of It protocol: a cluster randomised controlled trial to assess the impact of 4CMenB vaccine on pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis in adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: South Australia (SA) has the highest notification rate of invasive meningococcal disease in Australia with the majority of cases due to serogroup B. Neisseria meningitidis is carried in the pharynx, with adolescents having the highest rates of carriage. A vaccine designed to offer protection against serogroup B (4CMenB) is licensed in Australia. The SA MenB vaccine carriage study aims to assess the impact of 4CMenB on carriage of N. meningitidis in adolescents. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a parallel cluster randomised controlled trial enrolling year 10, 11 and 12 school students (approximately 16-18 years of age) throughout SA, in metropolitan and rural/remote areas. Schools are randomised to intervention (4CMenB vaccination at baseline) or control (4CMenB vaccination at study completion) with randomisation stratified by school size and socioeconomic status, as measured by the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (Australian Curriculum). Oropharyngeal swabs will be taken from all students at visit 1, and 12 months later from year 11 and 12 students. Students unvaccinated in 2017 will receive vaccine at the 12-month follow-up. Carriage prevalence of N. meningitidis will be determined by PCR at baseline and 12 months following 4CMenB vaccination and compared with carriage prevalence at 12 months in unvaccinated students. A questionnaire will be completed at baseline and 12 months to assess risk factors associated with carriage. The primary outcome of carriage prevalence of disease causing N. meningitidis at 12 months will be compared between groups using logistic regression, with generalised estimating equations used to account for clustering at the school level. The difference in carriage prevalence between groups will be expressed as an OR with 95% CI. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by the Women's and Children's Health Network Human Research Ethics Committee (WCHN HREC). The protocol, informed consent forms, recruitment materials, social media and all participant materials have been reviewed and approved by the WCHN HREC and updated on ClinicalTrials.gov. Results will be published in international peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. The study findings will be provided in public forums and to study participants and participating schools. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12617000079347. NCT03089086; Pre-results

Autonomic symptoms are common and are associated with overall symptom burden and disease activity in primary Sjögren's syndrome

Objectives - To determine the prevalence of autonomic dysfunction (dysautonomia) among patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) and the relationships between dysautonomia and other clinical features of PSS. Methods - Multicentre, prospective, cross-sectional study of a UK cohort of 317 patients with clinically well-characterised PSS. Symptoms of autonomic dysfunction were assessed using a validated instrument, the Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale (COMPASS). The data were compared with an age- and sex-matched cohort of 317 community controls. The relationships between symptoms of dysautonomia and various clinical features of PSS were analysed using regression analysis. Results - COMPASS scores were significantly higher in patients with PSS than in age- and sex-matched community controls (median (IQR) 35.5 (20.9–46.0) vs 14.8 (4.4–30.2), p32.5, a cut-off value indicative of autonomic dysfunction. Furthermore, the COMPASS total score correlated independently with EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index (a composite measure of the overall burden of symptoms experienced by patients with PSS) (β=0.38, p<0.001) and disease activity measured using the EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index (β=0.13, p<0.009). Conclusions - Autonomic symptoms are common among patients with PSS and may contribute to the overall burden of symptoms and link with systemic disease activity

Comparison of ESSDAI and ClinESSDAI in potential optimization of trial outcomes in primary Sjögren’s syndrome: examination of data from the UK Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome Registry

OBJECTIVES: To assess the use of the Clinical EULAR Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ClinESSDAI), a version of the ESSDAI without the biological domain, for assessing potential eligibility and outcomes for clinical trials in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), according to the new ACR-EULAR classification criteria, from the UK Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome Registry (UKPSSR). METHODS: A total of 665 patients from the UKPSSR cohort were analysed at their time of inclusion in the registry. ESSDAI and ClinESSDAI were calculated for each patient. RESULTS: For different disease activity index cut-off values, more potentially eligible participants were found when ClinESSDAI was used than with ESSDAI. The distribution of patients according to defined disease activity levels did not differ statistically (chi2 p = 0.57) between ESSDAI and ClinESSDAI for moderate disease activity (score ≥5 and <14; ESSDAI 36.4%; ClinESSDA 36.5%) or high disease activity (score ≥14; ESSDAI 5.4%; ClinESSDAI 6.8%). We did not find significant differences between the indexes in terms of activity levels for individual domains, with the exception of the articular domain. We found a good level of agreement between both indexes, and a positive correlation between lymphadenopathy and glandular domains with the use of either index and with different cut-off values. With the use of ClinESSDAI, the minimal clinically important improvement value was more often achievable with a one grade improvement of a single domain than with ESSDAI. We observed similar results when using the new ACR-EULAR classification criteria or the previously used American-European Consensus Group (AECG) classification criteria for pSS. CONCLUSIONS: In the UKPSSR population, the use of ClinESSDAI instead of ESSDAI did not lead to significant changes in score distribution, potential eligibility or outcome measurement in trials, or in routine care when immunological tests are not available. These results need to be confirmed in other cohorts and with longitudinal data