Eco-friendly Sustainable Multiphase Polymer Systems for Advanced Functions

When Eric Fawcett and Reginald Gibson discovered polyethylene accidentally, they never realized how useful their discovery will be for mankind, similar to how Charles Goodyear’s idea of adding sulphur to polyisoprene would revolutionize the tire and other rubber industries. Although those discoveries centuries ago have never realized their current impact, however, the fact is undeniable on how polymer science has conquered the world, gaining an irreplaceable position from a utilitarian perspective

Role of School Counselors and the Factors that Affect their Practice in India

This article summarizes the responses of the sample of Indian school-based counselors who contributed data to the international factor analysis that identified five dimensions of practice. Forty-five complete surveys (i.e., the International Survey of School Counselor’s Activities) were obtained from Indian school-based counselors most of whom had a Master’s degree in counseling psychology. Counseling Services, Advocacy and Systemic Improvement, Preventive Programs, and Educational and Career Planning were all considered important components of role. Activities related to the Administrative Role were considered as inappropriate. Compared to the other countries, the scores from India suggest that the school-based counselors gave relatively high importance to Counseling Services, Advocacy and Systemic Improvement, Preventive Programs, and Administrative Role. These results are interpreted with respect to important contextual factors operating in India which influence the work of counselors in school

Gaia DR2 Distances and Peculiar Velocities for Galactic Black Hole Transients

We report on a first census of Galactic black hole X-ray binary (BHXRB) properties with the second data release (DR2) of {\em Gaia}, focusing on dynamically confirmed and strong candidate black hole transients. DR2 provides five-parameter astrometric solutions including position, parallax and proper motion for 11 of a sample of 24 systems. Distance estimates are tested with parallax inversion as well as Bayesian inference. We derive an empirically motivated characteristic scale length of $L$=2.17$\pm$0.12 kpc for this BHXRB population to infer distances based upon an exponentially decreasing space density prior. Geometric DR2 parallaxes provide new, independent distance estimates, but the faintness of this population in quiescence results in relatively large fractional distance uncertainties. Despite this, DR2 estimates generally agree with literature distances. The most discrepant case is BW Cir, for which detailed studies of the donor star have suggested a distant location at >~25 kpc. A large DR2 measured parallax and relatively high proper motion instead prefer significantly smaller distances, suggesting that the source may instead be amongst the nearest of XRBs. However, both distances create problems for interpretation of the source, and follow-up data are required to resolve its true nature. DR2 also provides a first distance estimate to one source, MAXI J1820+070, and novel proper motion estimates for 7 sources. Peculiar velocities relative to Galactic rotation exceed $\sim$ 50 km s$^{-1}$ for the bulk of the sample, with a median system kinetic energy of peculiar motion of $\sim$ 5 $\times$ 10$^{47}$ erg. BW Cir could be a new high-velocity BHXRB if its astrometry is confirmed. A putative anti-correlation between peculiar velocity and black hole mass is found, as expected in mass-dependent BH kick formation channels, but this trend remains weak in the DR2 data.Comment: MNRAS in pres

Delays in Liquidated and Resolved Firms

The ultimate objective of the Indian bankruptcy reform is to get up to plausible recovery rates and change the behavior of borrowers. The key tool for achieving these objectives is reducing the delay. In the existing literature, we know that there are large delays, particularly for large firms (Bhatia et. al. 2019, Felman et. al. 2019, Shah 2018). The most important proximate objective of the Indian bankruptcy reform is to reduce delays in the bankruptcy process (Shah and Thomas, 2018)

The role of families in the gendered educational trajectories of undergraduate students in Haryana, India

This thesis explores the family as a gendered site where young people’s access to higher education (HE) is negotiated. The study is located in Haryana, a north- Indian state exhibiting high incidence of sexism and violence against women, along with a relatively developed economy. Haryana also reports a relatively high and gender equal HE enrolment rate within India. State-funded government colleges provide low-cost HE and are often the principal option available to students in rural and semi-urban areas. The study examines how local patrifocal gender regimes operate through and within families to influence access to these institutions. The intersectional analysis of gendered access to higher education and the significance of the family in this thesis is based on a theoretical framework which understands family as a site where contextual and culturally specific gendered regimes are reproduced and changed over time. These gendered regimes influence how families and individuals are able to access and mobilise different kinds of social, economic and cultural capitals as they make decisions regarding HE. The thesis traces these gendered dynamics within the family through educational narratives about decisions and choices regarding HE. The empirical study used individual and family group semi-structured in-depth interviews with full-time undergraduate students and their families from three colleges located in different districts of Haryana. The study shows that different family members simultaneously perform gendered roles of supporting, informing, inspiring and steering young people’s educational choices. While making HE decisions, different family members exercise their individual agencies which are shaped by their gender identities and family norms. This is also influenced by intersectional factors such as social class and caste. Decisions about HE are not individual, but a group decision made by families within their particular intersectional contexts. This thesis unsettles individualised conceptualisations of educational choice, widening participation and access to HE

How Do Biological Characteristics of Primary Intracranial Tumors Affect Their Clinical Presentation in Children and Young Adults?

We demonstrated the pattern in presentation of primary intracranial tumors in a population-based cohort of patients aged 0-24 years identified from the National Cancer Registry for England, using linked medical records from primary care and hospitals. We used generalized additive models to estimate temporal changes in presentation rates. Borderline and malignant tumors presented at a similar rate in primary care (6.4 and 6.6 consultations per 100 patients each month) and in hospital (3.4 and 3.6). Benign tumors presented earlier but less frequently (rate = 4.4 and rate ratio = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.60-0.93, in primary care; rate = 2.6 and rate ratio = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77-0.89, in hospital). Many tumors began presenting shortly before their diagnosis, but less aggressive tumors were likely to present earlier in primary care. Earlier detection of less aggressive tumors in primary care may reduce the risk of complications and morbidity among survivors

Pattern of symptoms and signs of primary intracranial tumours in children and young adults: a record linkage study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the age pattern and temporal evolution of symptoms and signs of intracranial tumours in children and young adults before diagnosis. DESIGN AND SETTING: A record linkage study using population-based data from the National Cancer Registry, linked to Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). PATIENT COHORT: Patients aged 0-24 years when diagnosed with a primary intracranial tumour between 1989 and 2006 in England. METHODS: Linked records of relevant symptoms and signs in primary care and hospitals were extracted from CPRD (1989-2006, 181 patients) and HES (1997-2006, 3959 patients). Temporal and age-specific changes in presentation rates before diagnosis of an intracranial tumour, for each of eight symptom groups, were estimated in generalised additive models. RESULTS: All symptoms presented with increasing frequency until eventual diagnosis. The frequency of presentation of raised intracranial pressure (ICP) to hospitals rose rapidly to 36.4 per 100 person-months (95% CI 34.6 to 38.4) in the final month before diagnosis in the entire cohort. Clinical features in primary care were less specific: the main features were visual disturbance (rate: 0.49 per 100 person-months; 95% CI 0.33 to 0.72) in newborns to 4-year-olds, headache in 5-year-olds to 11-year-olds (0.64; 0.47 to 0.88), 12-year-olds to 18-year-olds (1.59; 1.21 to 2.08) and 19-year-olds to 24-year-olds (2.44; 1.71 to 3.49). The predominant features at hospital admission were those of raised ICP: between 1.17 per 100 person-months (95% CI 1.08 to 1.26) in newborns to 4-year-olds and 0.77 (0.67 to 0.88) in 19-year-olds to 24-year-olds. CONCLUSIONS: Non-localising symptoms and signs were more than twice as common as focal neurological signs. An intracranial tumour should be considered in patients with relevant symptoms that do not resolve or that progress rapidly

Development of a technical assistance framework for building organizational capacity of health programs in resource-limited settings

Background Little information exists on the technical assistance needs of local indigenous organizations charged with managing HIV care and treatment programs funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This paper describes the methods used to adapt the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT) framework, which has successfully strengthened HIV primary care services in the US, into one that could strengthen the capacity of local partners to deliver priority health programs in resource-constrained settings by identifying their specific technical assistance needs. Methods Qualitative methods and inductive reasoning approaches were used to conceptualize and adapt the new Clinical Assessment for Systems Strengthening (ClASS) framework. Stakeholder interviews, comparisons of existing assessment tools, and a pilot test helped determine the overall ClASS framework for use in low-resource settings. The framework was further refined one year post-ClASS implementation. Results Stakeholder interviews, assessment of existing tools, a pilot process and the one-year post- implementation assessment informed the adaptation of the ClASS framework for assessing and strengthening technical and managerial capacities of health programs at three levels: international partner, local indigenous partner, and local partner treatment facility. The PCAT focus on organizational strengths and systems strengthening was retained and implemented in the ClASS framework and approach. A modular format was chosen to allow the use of administrative, fiscal and clinical modules in any combination and to insert new modules as needed by programs. The pilot led to refined pre-visit planning, informed review team composition, increased visit duration, and restructured modules. A web-based toolkit was developed to capture three years of experiential learning; this kit can also be used for independent implementation of the ClASS framework. Conclusions A systematic adaptation process has produced a qualitative framework that can inform implementation strategies in support of country led HIV care and treatment programs. The framework, as a well-received iterative process focused on technical assistance, may have broader utility in other global programs