Theory and Practice of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency

The United States faces extraordinarily difficult problems in dealing with insurgencies in, say, Vietnam and Laos in that it is an indirect object of these insurgencies. Though aimed at the United States, these insurgen­cies are not conducted against the United States, but rather against the \u27native\u27 governments. We operate at one remove. And because we operate at one remove, we face difficulties and problems which are almost unique in the history of counterinsurgency

The Historical and Geopolitical Aspects of the Berlin Crisis

Just what do we have in mind when we talk about the Berlin problem? A moment\u27s thought makes it clear that it is not one problem, but a number of closely interrelated problems

Hermite Forms of Polynomial Matrices

This thesis presents a new algorithm for computing the Hermite form of a polynomial matrix. Given a nonsingular n by n matrix A filled with degree d polynomials with coefficients from a field, the algorithm computes the Hermite form of A in expected number of field operations similar to that of matrix multiplication. The algorithm is randomized of the Las Vegas type

QUANTIFICATION AND CORRELATION OF THE BIOACTIVE PHYTOCHEMICALS OF CROTON BONPLANDIANUM LEAVES OF SUB-HIMALAYAN REGION OF WEST BENGAL

Objective: Leaves of various herbs are rich in phytochemicals which may provide protection from various diseases. Therefore, the objective of the present study was preliminary screening of the phytochemicals like tannin, phlobatannin, cholesterol, glycoside, terpinoids, phenolics, flavonoid, steroid, anthraquinone, saponin, carbohydrate, alkaloid and protein in leaf of Croton bonplandianum Baill. and quantify some of these phytochemical. Method: Standardized biochemical and UV-Vis spectrophotometric methods were followed to analyze the phytochemical status of the leaves. Principal component analysis and correlation matrix on the basis of the quantity of the bioactive phytochemicals were performed in order to elucidate the interrelation between the various phytochemicals Result: Quite a high percentage of alkaloid (59.60 ± 4.79 g/100g), saponin (17.35 ± 1.35 g/100g), phenolic content (75.39 ± 3.19 mg/g), protein (55.04 ± 2.09 mg/g), lipid (37.53 ± 2.43 mg/g), tannin (26.18 ± 2.63 mg/100g), thiamine (26.18± 2.36 mg/100g) and very satisfactory quantity of riboflavin or vitamin B2 (0.55 ± 0.03 mg/100g), ascorbic acid (0.71 ± 0.05 mg/100g)  has been detected in the leaves of this plant. It is fascinating to note that the phenol with lipid and the riboflavin content have displayed almost linear positive correlation with correlation coefficient of 0.999. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the present study that the leaf of C. bonplandianum possesses rich in various phytochemicals like alkaloid, total phenol, saponin, flavonoid, protein and tannin. These phytochemicals possess various bioactive properties and may be used as external therapeutic supplement. This study may lead to a new dimension regarding the medicinal value of C. bonplandianum

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND PROTECTIVE PROPERTIES OF ALOE VERA LEAF CRUDE GEL IN CARRAGEENAN INDUCED ACUTE INFLAMMATORY RAT MODELS

Objectives: Current clinical treatment regimes for inflammatory diseases have different drawbacks including side effects of the drugs and the high cost of long term treatment. In the last few decades different promising herbal medicines have been explored for their anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic effects, but conclusive evidences are not available in the case of crude Aloe vera gel for its anti-inflammatory effects. The objective of the study was to document the protective and curative roles of orally administered and peritoneally injected crude wild Aloe vera gel in carrageenan-induced inflammation in a rat model. Methods: Inflammation was induced by injecting 1% carrageenan in the left hind paw of Wistar albino rat. Crude, unprocessed Aloe vera gel was peritoneally injected and orally fed to experimental and control rat groups to investigate its effect on paw joint edema by measuring the paw circumference with vernier caliper. MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] cell viability assay was performed to investigate the cytotoxic effect of the gel. Results: Paw edema was brought to near normal levels in the experimental groups after the treatment with crude Aloe vera gel. Orally fed gel showed no cytotoxicity on macrophages and spleenocytes. Protective property of crude Aloe gel was also evident in both the experiments. Conclusion: Aloe vera crude gel has both protective and curative properties against inflammation

Anatomical pre-contoured plates in management of distal tibia fracture: a prospective study

Background: Distal tibial fractures are complex injuries with high complication rate. Management of such fractures are often complicated by soft tissue injuries. Precarious vascularity around distal tibia also results in high non-union rates. This study aims to study and analyse the outcome of distal tibia fracture managed by anatomical contoured plate. Methods: In this prospective observational study, we attempted to assess the functional and radiological outcome of distal tibia fracture managed by with distal tibia fracture with average follow up of 24 weeks. ORIF/MIPO with plating was done for fracture distal tibia with anatomical precontoured plates. Results: Patients were evaluated using AOFAS and measure of ankle range of motion. Average functional score was 88 with complications in 3 patients. Conclusions: We believe precontoured plates provide for better biological fixation than conventional plates

Comparison of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings between Pathologically Proven Cases of Atypical Tubercular Spine and Tumour Metastasis: A Retrospective Study in 40 Patients

Study DesignRetrospective study.PurposeTo note the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) differences between pathologically proven cases of atypical spinal tuberculosis and spinal metastasis in 40 cases.Overview of LiteratureSpinal tuberculosis, or Pott's spine, constitutes less than 1% of all cases of tuberculosis and can be associated with a neurologic deficit. Breast, prostate and lung cancer are responsible for more than 80% of metastatic bone disease cases, and spine is the most common site of bone metastasis. Thus, early diagnosis and prompt management of these pathologies are essential in preventing various complications.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 40 cases of atypical tuberculosis and metastasis affecting the spine from the year 2012 to 2014, with 20 cases each that were proven by histopathological examination. MR imaging was performed on 1.5 T MR-Scanner (Magnetom Avanto, Siemens) utilizing standard surface coils of spine with contrast injection. Chi-square test was used for determining the statistical significance and p-values were calculated.ResultsThe most common site of involvement was the thoracic spine, seen in 85% cases of metastasis and 65% cases of Pott's spine (p=0.144). The mean age of patients with tubercular spine was found to be 40 years and that of metastatic spine was 56 years. The following MR imaging findings showed statistical significance (p<0.05): combined vertebral body and posterior elements involvement, skip lesions, solitary lesion, intra-spinal lesions, concentric collapse, abscess formation and syrinx formation.ConclusionsTuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of various spinal lesions including metastasis, fungal spondylodiskitis, sarcoidosis and lymphoma, particularly in endemic countries. Spinal tuberculosis is considered one of the great mimickers of disease as it could present in a variety of typical and atypical patterns, so proper imaging must be performed in order to facilitate appropriate treatment

Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory response by two formulations of Jatyadithailam in healing diabetic foot ulcers

Jatyadithailam is a polyherbal formulation used by Ayurvedic practitioners and clinically reportedfor the treatment of inflammation related ailment specifically in non-healing chronic foot ulcers. The study is focused to validate and compare the Ayurvedic Formulary of India (AFI) and Yogagrantha (YG) formulations of Jatyadithailam in vitro, for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory potential. Antimicrobial activity of thailam was determined by broth microdilution method for its minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and microbicidal activity (MBC/MFC). In vitro anti-inflammatory activity of varying concentrations was determined by assaying albumin denaturation inhibition, membrane stabilization (hypotonicity-induced hemolysis), heat induced hemolysis and antiproteinase activities for both the formulations. Highest bactericidal and fungicidal activity was recorded by AFI formulation of Jatyadithailam showing low MIC values compared to YG formulation. Of all the tested bacterial strains, both the formulations showed great bactericidal effect against Staphylococcus aureus. Both the formulations exhibited significant dose dependent anti-denaturation and anti-proteinase effectively. The thailam also showed marked stabilization of human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane against thermal hemolysis. Our study confirmed AFI formulation of Jatyadithailam possessed better antimicrobial and significant (p&lt;0.05) anti-inflammatory effect. AFI Jatyadithailam was more effective than YG formulation in terms of dose-dependence activity against infection causing microbes and toxic inflammatory mediators. The outcome of the study emphasizes the positive therapeutic potential of Jatyadithailam to combat infectious and inflammatory conditions

The Law Presidential Studies, Behavioralism, and Public Law

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109319/1/psq12159.pd