Socio-economic Impact Assessment of Livelihood Security in Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Aquaculture on the Tsunami-hit Lands of Andaman

Indian subcontinent is highly vulnerable to major natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, floods, droughts, landslides and bushfires. Tsunami, which is a recent addition to this list, had occurred in the early morning of 26th December 2004, after a massive earthquake of 9.2 magnitude on the Richter scale in Andaman & Nicobar islands, resulting in the submergence of large area of farmland, and subsequent drying up of water bodies. It caused moisture stress for the standing crops, livestock and fisheries and affected the livelihood of the people to a large extent. In this context, the present study has been carried out to make the socio-economic impact assessment of livelihood security in agriculture, animal husbandry and aquaculture on the tsunami-hit lands of Andaman. Data have been collected from 150 sample respondents and the survey has been conducted for two periods, pre-tsunami and post-tsunami. The results have indicated that tsunami has ravaged the households, standing crops, farm inputs such as seed, feed and implements, livestock and poultry population, their sheds, fish ponds, etc., thereby affecting the basic livelihood security of the people in Andaman. The rehabilitation measures taken by the government and NGOs have improved their livelihoods by reviving agriculture considerably in the subsequent years and by creating employment opportunities in various farm and non-farm activities. The paper has suggested creating profitable livelihood security to vulnerable sections of the society in the existing socio-economic penury with holistic intervention of the community, government and NGOs.Agricultural and Food Policy,

A model driven approach to building implementable model transformations.

The OMG's Model Driven Architecture (MDA) initiative has been the focus of much attention in both academia and industry, due to its promise of more rapid and consistent software development through the increased use of models. In order for MDA to reach its full potential, the ability to manipulate and transform models { most obviously from the Platform Independent Model (PIM) to the Platform Specic Models (PSM) { is vital. Recognizing this need, the OMG issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) largely concerned with nding a suitable mechanism for trans- forming models. This paper outlines the relevant background material, summarizes the approach taken by the QVT-Partners (to whom the authors belong), presents a non-trivial example using the QVT-Partners approach, and nally sketches out what the future holds for model transformations

A model driven approach to model transformations.

The OMG's Model Driven Architecture (MDA) initiative has been the focus of much attention in both academia and industry, due to its promise of more rapid and consistent software development through the increased use of models. In order for MDA to reach its full potential, the ability to manipulate and transform models { most obviously from the Platform Independent Model (PIM) to the Platform Specic Models (PSM) { is vital. Recognizing this need, the OMG issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) largely concerned with nding a suitable mechanism for trans- forming models. This paper outlines the relevant background material, summarizes the approach taken by the QVT-Partners (to whom the authors belong), presents a non-trivial example using the QVT-Partners approach, and finally sketches out what the future holds for model transformations

A pattern based model driven approach to model transformations.

The OMG's Model Driven Architecture (MDA) initiative has been the focus of much attention in both academia and industry, due to its promise of more rapid and consistent software development through the increased use of models. In order for MDA to reach its full potential, the ability to manipulate and transform models { most obviously from the Platform Independent Model (PIM) to the Platform Specic Models (PSM) { is vital. Recognizing this need, the OMG issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) largely concerned with nding a suitable mechanism for trans- forming models. This paper outlines the relevant background material, summarizes the approach taken by the QVT-Partners (to whom the authors belong), presents a non-trivial example using the QVT-Partners approach, and nally sketches out what the future holds for model transformations

Anti-inflammatory effect of an Ayurveda polyherbal topical application and exploration of its mechanism of action

Background: Topical application of herbs is one of the recommended treatment modalities for Osteoarthritis (OA) in Ayurveda (Indian system of medicine). The current study intended to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of a polyherbal powder used as Upanaha (poultice) for OA by in vitro and in vivo techniques. Materials and Methods: The polyherbal formulation Upanaha Choornam (UC) was sourced from Vaidyaratnam Oushadhasala (P) Ltd., Thrissur, India. Changes in the secretion of TNF-α and NO and expression of Cox-2 genes were evaluated by semi quantitative PCR activity to establish anti-inflammatory action in vitro. Macrophages and connective tissue of mice were used as media for the former two experiments and only macrophages for the latter. In vivo anti–inflammatory activity was evaluated by TPA induced ear oedema in Swiss Albino mice (n=24), divided into 4 groups as Group I - saline treatment, Group II - Indomethacin treatment, and Groups III and IV treated with 30% and 60% of UC respectively. Results: In the in vitro study, UC at 1000 µg/ml and 500 µg/ml upregulated the COX-2 level by 0.08 and 0.03 folds respectively as compared to control. Release of TNF-α, and NO in LPS-induced RAW cells were significantly inhibited in a dose dependent manner. The TPA induced ear oedema significantly reduced in Groups III and IV (F=1250, p<0.001) Conclusion: The current study demonstrates the safety and anti-inflammatory activity of a polyherbal formulation Upanaha Choornam as a topical application. This indicates the potential of select herbs in managing degenerative conditions like OA