Rural Household Livelihoods, Non-farm Economy and Landless Workforce: Evidence from the Village Economy of Haryana, India

This paper examines household livelihoods patterns of the landless poor in a village of Haryana by applying sustainable livelihood approach rather than the reductionist approach of income-consumption paradigm. The attempt is made to investigate and analyse the contours of life of landless workers from the multiple perspectives: literacy rate among male and female in each household, education attainment, income-expenditure patterns, rural farm and non-farm occupational choice, housing conditions and the role of social and financial capital. It also explores the desperation and vulnerability among the working class in a village in the context of above indicators. The economic and social environment locates the landless workforce in the brutal and vicious circle of low literacy- unskilled and semi-skilled works- low income- poor living condition which is not pleasant to asset creation. Keeping these actualities in mind, the paper indicates towards the environment created by central planning system, various welfare schemes run by the state and central governments and specifically by economic reforms initiated in the last quarter of twentieth century. As a corollary, landless workforce is doomed to live in vulnerability and desperation

Ultrastructural Investigations of the Bone and Fibrous Connective Tissue Interface with Endosteal Dental Implants

The interface between the tissues of the oral cavity and ceramic and titanium cylindrical endosteal dental implants was investigated with correlated light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. This study suggested that mandibular bone can directly interface and form an intimate association with one-stage endosteal dental implants. This potential attachment matrix is composed of a composite of calcified bone, and an osteoid unmineralized matrix in association with an apparent osteogenic connective tissue. Further, results from this study suggested that at a level inferior to the junctional epithelium, and superior to the level of crestal bone, fibrous connective tissue can attach to the dental implant. This non-loadbearing attachment of gingival connective tissue could, by contact inhibition, prevent apical epithelial migration. In association with previously documented epithelial attachment, such apical support and connective tissue attachment appears to suggest that endosteal dental implants can be adequately maintained in the oral cavity

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Rural Household Livelihoods, Non-farm Economy and Landless Workforce: Evidence from the Village Economy of Haryana, India

This paper examines household livelihoods patterns of the landless poor in a village of Haryana by applying sustainable livelihood approach rather than the reductionist approach of income-consumption paradigm. The attempt is made to investigate and analyse the contours of life of landless workers from the multiple perspectives: literacy rate among male and female in each household, education attainment, income-expenditure patterns, rural farm and non-farm occupational choice, housing conditions and the role of social and financial capital. It also explores the desperation and vulnerability among the working class in a village in the context of above indicators. The economic and social environment locates the landless workforce in the brutal and vicious circle of low literacy- unskilled and semi-skilled works- low income- poor living condition which is not pleasant to asset creation. Keeping these actualities in mind, the paper indicates towards the environment created by central planning system, various welfare schemes run by the state and central governments and specifically by economic reforms initiated in the last quarter of twentieth century. As a corollary, landless workforce is doomed to live in vulnerability and desperation

Electrographic studies on the nature of sleep and wakefulness

Electroencephalographic activity of the neocortical gyri, ventral hippocampus, caudate nucleus and reticular formation (diencephalon to medulla) and other regions was investigated during natural sleep-wakefulness cycles spread over 88 sessions in 34 cats, free moving with implanted electrodes. The electrooculgram and the electromyogram of neck nuchal muscles were simultaneously recorded and correlated with the behavior. Regional EEG cycles differed in 4 ways: (a) those with synchronized EEG throughout the sleep and wakefulness, as in the ventral hippocampus, (b) those with desynchronised activity throughout, as in the bulbo-pontine reticular formation, (c) those with desynchronized EEG during wakefulness and active sleep and synchronized patterns during slow sleep, as in the neocortical gyri, caudate nucleus and near by regions, and (d) those that follow the pattern of (c) with slow waves superimposed, as in the mesencephalic reticular formation. Low voltage, low frequency stimulations given to the area lateral to the massa intermedia, nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis, nucleus reticularis ventralis, optic chiasma and the sciatic nerve induced EEG synchronization occasionally, but never an active sleep. A region more dynamogenic than the other diencephatic and reticular areas explored, was observed near the nucleus tractus trigemini. In view of the observations that the activation of restricted hypnogenic centres did not consistently produce somnolence and that the EEG changes during natural sleep-wakefulness cycles are simultaneous in the different regions and involve almost the whole structure of the brain, it is discussed that the involved integratory networks are likely to be much more extensive including the hypnogenic and the dynamogenic regions investigated here

Electrical activity of the hypothalamic 'feeding centres' under the effect of changes in blood chemistry

Electrodes were stereotaxically implanted in the medial hypothalamic "satiety" and lateral "feeding" centres as well as in other hypothalamic and cerebral cortical regions. The electrical activity of these regions was recorded electroencephalographically. Changes in blood sugar, blood proteins and blood lipid contents were produced and their effects on the electrical activity observed. Hyperglycaemia increased the activity of the "satiety" centres and produced some drop in voltage in the electrical activity of the "feeding" centres. Hypoglycaemia decreased the activity of the "satiety" centres and occasionally slightly increased the activity of the "feeding" centres. No change in the activities of other areas was observed. Increased in blood proteins and blood lipid contents did not change the hypothalamic activity. It appears therefore, that the medial "satiety" regions of the hypothalamus show a glucoreceptor mechanism