Rural Education in India

The following study is a historical survey of Indian education, a review of present day conditions, and a discussion of the future of Rural Education in India

Optimized upper bound analysis of polymer coated metal rod extrusion through conical die

Extrusion is a metal forming process used extensively in industry to produce different structural, mechanical, electrical, architectural, automotive and aerospace application parts. Currently after extrusion, the rod is subjected to environmental wear due to long storage time and hence requires an additional cleaning process before further use. This cleaning process can be eliminated by extruding a polymer coated metal rod workpiece such that the polymer coating is sustained on the final product after the extrusion process. In the present research study a new upper bound analytical model is developed to predict the forces required to conduct extrusion of a polymer coated metal rod successfully. The search for the lower upper bound power functional is modeled as a non linear optimization problem. Optimizing the functional also determines the set of constraints defining the shape of rigid plastic deformation boundaries and the final coating thickness. Also an upper bound analytical model was developed to predict forces for failure of the polymer coating during the extrusion. Both the analytical models for successful and failed extrusion are compared to obtain critical die angle which can provide tooling and process design guidelines. Finite element analysis simulations were modeled using commercially available software package, ABAQUS. Predictions of FEA simulations were in good agreement with published results and with the predictions of analytical model developed in this study

Determinants of mobile phone waste recycling and end-of-life management of Johor

Growing development in the telecommunications industry, along with frequent purchases, upgrading and increased ownership of mobile phones (MPs) have indirectly contributed to the global increase in e-waste generation, along with future pile-ups of used MP units and accessories. An improper end-of-life (EOL) management of MPs further exacerbated environmental degradation associated with their hazardous waste components. The increasing number of new MP purchases and service subscriptions, especially in Johor had made it relevant to study how the MP usage trend and its EOL management amongst consumers and sellers could affect future stockpiling and e-waste disposal. This study also analyzed the urban and non-urban respondents‘ willingness to pay (WTP) for a green MP or participate (WTPar) in a recycling program as well as their opinions on MP-related policy and recycling facilities. It involved a randomly selected sample of 1200 MP users and 110 sellers around urban Johor Bahru and non-urban areas (i.e., Muar and Kota Tinggi). Mean comparison or analysis of variance (ANOVA), bivariate analysis, and linear regression were used to determine associations between socio-economic background and purchasing activity as well as willingness-to-participate in a recycling program between the groups. Results indicated that on average, urban consumers chose price in making purchases, owned more MP units and kept them as spares, thus implying the stockpiling problem. Based on Kendall's tau coefficient, willingness to participate in a recycling program and pay more for a green MP differed according to socio-economic and locational factors (i.e., p < 0.01 or significant at 99% confident level). Majority, especially the non-urban respondents, were highly supportive of incentives and rebates, along with improved accessibilities and increased number of recycling facilities in promoting a more sustainable EOL management of MPs. The study provides a new insight in integrating locational and socio-economic factors, as well as MP usage, pricing, purchasing behavior, and convenience with current and future MP‘s EOL management system and policy framework

Discovery of genetic determinants for refractive error

Refractive errors such as myopia are the leading cause of reversible visual impairment worldwide with their prevalence rapidly increasing, resulting in greater burden on public health services. The aim of this series of investigations was to leverage the latest statistical methods and large-scale cohorts available in order to develop our understanding of the genetic determinants for the refractive error traits of spherical equivalent, corneal astigmatism and refractive astigmatism. Investigation of genetic variants on the X-chromosome, a region often neglected in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), identified four genes demonstrating association in a gene-based analysis of spherical equivalent for a cohort of teenagers. Meta-analysis of GWAS results for corneal astigmatism including European and Asian ancestry cohorts performed on behalf of the CREAM consortium successfully replicated the previously identified association near the PDGFRA gene (lead variant: rs7673984, odds ratio = 1.12, P = 5.55 × 10−9). The availability of data from the UK Biobank facilitated the largest GWAS for corneal and refractive astigmatism performed to date (N = 86,335 and 88,005 respectively). Here, GWAS for these traits identified four and two novel loci associated with corneal and refractive astigmatism respectively. Each of these loci had previously been associated with other ocular traits including myopia. Phenotypic variance explained by common genetic variants was relatively low for corneal and refractive astigmatism at ~6% and ~5% respectively, thus proposing a greater role for rare variants in explaining astigmatism variance due to genetics. Lastly, in order to link identified variants and genes functionally influenced in myopia development, several candidate myopia genes identified from a primate myopia model demonstrated enrichment with refractive error associated variants in human samples. Overall, the findings from these investigations are a starting point in guiding further research into the complex biological mechanisms underlying refractive error development

Current waste generation of e-waste and challenges in developing countries: an overview

The rapid growth of in information and telecommunication technology ((ICT) has led to the improvement in the capacity of computers but simultaneously decrease the product lifetime which contribute to rapid amount of e-waste. This paper reviews about electric and electronic waste (e-waste) challenges faced by developing countries. There were several challenges such as awareness of citizen, existing of informal sector, financing problem as well as regulation of developing countries itself. Informal sectors are most active in waste recycling in developing countries because the profits made from the resale of recovered materials. They do not have an issue how to deal with the environment as long as they got the valuable and precious material from e-waste. Moreover, a lack of financial program forms a major drawback as e-waste treatment requires costly and advanced technology. Current e-waste generation keeps increasing in developing countries such as India, China, and Malaysia. The recovery facilities have increased tremendously as a result from the generation itself. Therefore, social approaches and technical approaches are both needed in order to minimize the problem. Social approaches are changing the public behaviour by improving community through training and encouragement of partnerships in e-waste management

Prediction of Football Match Score and Decision Making Process

Football isone of the most popular sport internationally. With that amount of popularity and fame, it has gained a lot of attention from the technical field. Prediction of match results has been in demand for various purposes including team management, analysis and betting. We have come up with a solution using machine learning algorithms that can fulfil all the current needs in football match prediction. The implementation only includes teams from Spanish La Liga over the last 5 seasons. We have predicted the outcome of matches between Home Team and Away Team which would include the final score, the starting 11 players, the substitutes and the names of probable goal scorers. For the purpose of analysis, we have provided the stats of players and teams referring to the FIFA 18 game database as well as their actual career stats. We have also provided the analysis of strength, weakness and tactics of players and teams. Finally, for decision making purposes, we would make a system that can analyse the Home and Away team and then suggest the tactics to the user for their team that can maximize their winning chances

Co-infections with Chikungunya Virus and Dengue Virus in Delhi, India

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are common vectors for dengue virus and chikungunya virus. In areas where both viruses cocirculate, they can be transmitted together. During a dengue outbreak in Delhi in 2006, 17 of 69 serum samples were positive for chikungunya virus by reverse transcription–PCR; 6 samples were positive for both viruses

Focus Group Study of Diverse Local Populations and Their Health Care Experiences in Northeastern Pennsylvania: Cross-Cultural Issues

This investigation was conducted through the support of the College Misericordia Diversity Institute and a grant from the Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Focus group participants were 49 adults from seven minority populations residing in northeastern Pennsylvania’s Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. Data was collected by 11 focus group leaders who were members of a Blue Ribbon Grant Core Committee at College Misericordia in 2004. The seven populations studied were African Americans, Arabic Muslims, Asian-Chinese and Korean, Gay and Lesbian, Hispanic, Jewish, and Asian Indian. A 30-question survey was used to collect data during one to two hour focus group interviews. Through content analysis, six problematic issues faced by many of the participants were identified. All of the findings were validated by a review process. The six issues faced by the 7 groups were: 1) Economics, Education, and Employment Influence Life for Newcomers, 2) Customs and Traditions Sometimes Sacrificed- The Influence of American Culture, 3) Socialization Often Limited to Same Population Group, 4) Mixed Acceptance Level from Area Natives, 5) Bilingual Challenges Impede Optimal Inclusion, 6) Health Care Access Problems. The aforementioned cross-groups study is explored in this report. The study also yielded seven other reports (one for each diverse population) which provide a description of that particular focus group’s perspective on topics such as religion, food, family, customs, and health care (see Appendices A, B, C, D, E, F, and G). Findings of this study are being disseminated in a local effort to educate health care professionals. Future research will be needed to determine if progress is being made in fulfilling the health care needs of all diverse populations living in Luzerne and Lackawanna County, as well as other parts of northeastern Pennsylvania