Data Confidentiality in Mobile Ad hoc Networks

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are self-configuring infrastructure-less networks comprised of mobile nodes that communicate over wireless links without any central control on a peer-to-peer basis. These individual nodes act as routers to forward both their own data and also their neighbours' data by sending and receiving packets to and from other nodes in the network. The relatively easy configuration and the quick deployment make ad hoc networks suitable the emergency situations (such as human or natural disasters) and for military units in enemy territory. Securing data dissemination between these nodes in such networks, however, is a very challenging task. Exposing such information to anyone else other than the intended nodes could cause a privacy and confidentiality breach, particularly in military scenarios. In this paper we present a novel framework to enhance the privacy and data confidentiality in mobile ad hoc networks by attaching the originator policies to the messages as they are sent between nodes. We evaluate our framework using the Network Simulator (NS-2) to check whether the privacy and confidentiality of the originator are met. For this we implemented the Policy Enforcement Points (PEPs), as NS-2 agents that manage and enforce the policies attached to packets at every node in the MANET.Comment: 12 page

Board Characteristics Impact on the Firm Performance in the Indian Context

The research aims to determine the impact of the board characteristics on the firm performance for 348 firms of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) 500 Index listed on the National Stock Exchange of India for the period 2012-2018 using (OLS) Ordinary Least Square (FEM) Fixed Effect Model and more robust (GMM) Generalized Method of Moments regression techniques. GMM regression technique also controls for the endogeneity as well as heteroscedasticity and heterogeneity in panel data. Further, the moderating effects of market capitalization are also observed considering the impact of board characteristics on the firm performance using the interaction effects technique. Lastly, the ideal board size was determined based on the classification of market capitalization including small, mid and large market cap. Board characteristics including board size and percentage of shares held by the promoters have a positive significant impact on the firm performance while the percentage of shares pledged by the promoters has a negative significant impact on the firm performance. The results show that market capitalization moderates the relationship between board characteristics and firm performance. Findings also suggest an ideal board size of 8 for mid-cap firms and a range of 7-18 for large-cap firms which show a similar result to the Kotak Committee Report (2017) recommendations with the ideal board size being a minimum of 6 directors on the board. The results cannot be generalized as only the manufacturing and services (excluding financial) industries are taken into account, but the results can be applied to the abovesaid industry sectors.   CITE THIS PAPER: Naim, Hamza; Aziz, Tariq (2022). "Board Characteristics impact on the Firm Performance in the Indian Context" Journal of World Economy: Transformations & Transitions (JOWETT) 2(05):19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52459/jowett2519102

Sustained-release niacin induced acute liver failure: an autopsy report

Niacin, either alone or in combination with other anti-hyperlipidemic agents, safely and effectively addresses most lipid abnormalities in patients with mixed dyslipidemias. Niacin is the only available agent that significantly lowers lipoprotein (a) and has the greatest high density lipoprotein cholesterol-raising effects of all available agents. Despite niacin’s numerous beneficial lipid effects, patient compliance to long-term therapy is challenged by its common side effects which include nausea, pruritus, and vasodilatory flushing. The incidence of these unpleasant side effects in patients taking the Immediate Release (IR) form of the drug is close to 100 %. To avoid these side effects, Sustained Release (SR) formulations of the drug were created which lower the rate of nausea, flushing and pruritus markedly. Unfortunately, the SR form is associated with a high incidence of chemical hepatitis and rarely fulminant hepatic failure, which is not seen in patients taking the IR form. We report the autopsy findings of a 68 years old man who died of fulminant liver failure three weeks after switching from IR to SR form of niacin. All other toxic, infectious and autoimmune causes of liver failure were ruled out clinically. His liver biopsy one-week antemortem was consistent with chemical hepatitis, such as has been described for slow-release niacin. At autopsy the liver showed diffuse massive hepatic necrosis with no background fibrosis. SR Niacin is widely available over the counter; however, there is substantial scientific evidence that the drug is associated with potentially fatal hepatotoxicity

Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance in the Indian Context

In this study, we examine the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a measure of Corporate Governance on firm performance for 348 firms in the NSE 500 Index listed in the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India for the period 2012-2019. The results show that the total amount spent on CSR by the firms has a negative impact on the firm performance as there is a significant difference between the total amount incurred to be spent on CSR as per amendments in the Companies Act, 2013 and the total amount actually spent on CSR by the firms. It’s concluded that the number of CSR meetings held had no significant impact on firm performance. Results also show that firm size moderates the relationship between CSR and firm performance.   CITE THIS PAPER: Hayat, Feeroz; Naim, Hamza; Aziz, Tariq (2022). "Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance in the Indian Context" Journal of World Economy: Transformations & Transitions (JOWETT) 2(04):16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52459/jowett2416092

A comparative study of two different numerical schemes for the simulation of nonlinear dynamics of heated falling thin films

In this research, an attempt is made to characterise qualitatively the stability and dynamics of an inclined thin liquid film under the influence of instabilities due to thermo-capillarity and evaporative effects as well as van der Waals intermolecular forces, by employing the implicit finite difference method. The results are compared with solutions obtained by the Fourier spectral method. Flow in thin films of a Newtonian liquid on an inclined plane with an adjacent passive gas layer, is well represented by the Navier-Stokes equations, equation of continuity and associated boundary conditions. Long-wave (lubrication) approximation is applied to simplify the governing equations to arrive at a nonlinear partial differential equation, called equation of evolution (EOE). The spatio-temporal evolution of the interfacial instability in the film caused by internal and/or external effects are studied by numerically solving the EOE using the implicit finite difference method. The results of the numerical simulations of our thin film model are compared with those of a similar problem solved using Fourier spectral method from the literature. Simulations show remarkable agreement in the film dynamics predicted by these two methods. The film rupture times obtained using our implicit finite difference scheme closely match with the values obtained from the Fourier spectral method within less than 1% error. This implies that the implicit finite difference method can be satisfactorily employed for the efficient numerical simulation of the thin film flows, and to decipher its nonlinear dynamics reliably

THE ALTERNATIVE MARKET OF THE CASABLANCA STOCK EXCHANGE: Towards a favorable financial ecosystem for the development of SMEs?

L'objectif de ce document est de mettre en évidence le rôle du nouveau marché alternatif de la Bourse de Casablanca dans l'émergence d'un écosystème financier adapté aux PME et son impact éventuel sur l'amélioration de la liquidité et de la performance du marché financier marocain. L'optimisation du financement des PME est devenue au cours de la dernière décennie une priorité pour les fonctionnaires et les autorités publiques, comme en témoigne la pléthore de politiques, programmes, mesures monétaires et financières se concentrant sur ces entités. Au Maroc, à la fin de 2015, un nouveau compartiment dédié au financement des PME de la Bourse de Casablanca a vu le jour. Cet article propose une analyse comparative de ce nouveau marché alternatif, à la lumière de l'expérience acquise dans des pays ayant des contextes économiques comparables

Inclusive Agricultural Growth in Pakistan— Understanding Some Basic Constraints

Inclusive agricultural growth is important for overall economic growth and particularly critical for rural socio-economic stability and poverty reduction in Pakistan. The majority of Pakistan‘s population and 44 percent of the overall labour force are dependent upon agriculture which only accounts for a little over 20 percent of national GDP. The paper highlights some basic constraints that have not been explicitly addressed in the policy research and implementation and have impeded inclusive agriculture growth. A descriptive analysis based on data from the Agriculture Census of Pakistan and the Pakistan Household Income and Economic Survey—both of which were conducted in 2010-11—is used to show how high levels of poverty and its disparity across regions, combined with the declining size of operated holdings and associated fragmentation especially in the smallest size categories which now form over 60 percent of the agricultural holdings in Pakistan, are fundamental constraints. Poverty is both the result as well as the consequence of fragmented markets, weak institutions including governance; and, inadequate policy research and implementation. A better research based policy understanding of some basic constraints, and the variations across regions in such factors such as the declining size and fragmentation of operated farms, rural poverty; and, the levels of market development and institutions is essential along with effective implementation. One size fits all policies have not and will not work. JEL Classification: O40, Q15, I32, P46 Keywords: Inclusive Growth, Land Holding, Land Tenure, Income Distribution, Povert

Predictors of an increased length of stay following total knee arthroplasty: Survey report

Objective: To find various preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative factors that predict an increased length of stay in patients following total knee arthroplasty. Methods: The retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised record of patients regardless of gender, co-morbids and age who had undergone a unilateral or bilateral total knee arthroplasty between January 2007 and December 2015. An increased length of stay was defined as ≥75th centile (≥11 days).Results: Of the 577 patients, 448(77.6%) were women. Overall, 311(53.9%) patients were aged 56-70 years. Of the total, 100(17.3%) patients stayed for at least 11 days. There was a weak but positive correlation between increasing body mass index and increased length of stay (p=0.017). Following adjusted-multivariate logistic regression analysis, the most significant predictors contributing to an increased length of stay were bilateral knee surgery, postoperative transfusion and postoperative special care unit stay (pConclusion: |Bilateral total knee arthroplasty, postoperative transfusion and postoperative special care unit stay were found to be associated with an increased length of stay

Dimethyl (2-hydr­oxy-4-phenyl­but-3-en-2-yl)phospho­nate

In the title compound, C12H17O4P, the phenyl­butenyl group is disordered over two sets of sites with an occupancy ratio of 0.755 (12):0.245 (12). In the crystal, inversion dimers linked by pairs of O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds occur, forming R 2 2(10) ring motifs. The packing is consolidated by weak C—H⋯π inter­actions

Synthesis and screening of anticancer potentials of some new terephthaldehyde-derived nitrone compounds

Purpose: To synthesize and screen some new nitrone compounds derived from terephthaldehyde for their anticancer potential. Methods: Six new compounds (H, p-Me,p-Br, p-Cl, o-Cl and m-Me) were synthesized via a condensation reaction between terephthaldehyde and a variety of aryl hydroxylamine compounds derived from nitrobenzene and its derivatives. The chemical structures of these compounds were identified using elemental CHN analysis and were elucidated using Fourier Transform infra-red (FT-IR), 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), and elemental analysis. The anticancer effects of the compounds were screened in vitro with respect to their cytotoxicity on MCF7 human cancer cells line. The IC50 values were obtained by MTT assay and their effects on apoptosis of MCF-7 cells were assessed using Acridine orange-ethidium bromide AO/EtBr staining method under a fluorescence microscope. Results: Only four compounds (2b, 2d, 2e, and 2f) inhibited more than 50 % of the growth of MCF-7 cells. The strongest anti-proliferation effect against MCF-7 cells was exhibited by 2f (m-Me), producing more apoptosis which increased membrane disruption and consistency of lysosome vacuoles; it also exhibited higher cytotoxic effects on human cancer cell lines (IC50 < 7.5) than the other synthesized compounds. Conclusion: The new nitrone compounds (2b, 2d, 2e, and 2f) synthesized from terephthaldehyde exhibit some anticancer properties, and so are potential anticancer agents. Keywords: Terephthaldehyde, Nitrone, Cytotoxicity, Anticancer, MCF-7 cell