Inclusive Development: Two Papers on Conceptualization, Application, and the ADB Perspective

This compendium brings together two companion papers on inclusive development. The first paper uses the global literature to formulate a conceptualisation of inclusive development and inclusive growth, and to put the conceptualisation through its paces by applying it to the specific case of donor assistance to rural infrastructure. The second paper conducts a detailed review and a synthesis of Asian Development Bank literature on inclusive growth and inclusive development, to see how one particular international organization has addressed, and attempted to resolve, the analytical and operational issues associated with inclusive development.International Development, International Relations/Trade,

Mobile Agent Based Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing is becoming a revolutionizing computing paradigm. It offers various types of services and applications that are being delivered in the internet cloud. The services aim at providing reliable, fault tolerant dynamic computing environment to the user and offers computing resources as per demand. Skype, Dropbox, and Yahoo mail are some of the cloud services that have major impact in our lives. Several measures are taken to maintain the quality of its service in the cloud and to make IT infrastructure available with low cost. This paper presents various aspects of Cloud Computing, its implementation features, challenges and also explores the potential scope for research. The major section of this paper includes surveys of studies related to the possibilities of integrating Mobile Agents in Cloud Computing, since these technologies appear to be promising and marketable. Thus, the paper focuses on resolving challenges and bolstering services of Cloud Computing by utilizing Mobile Agent technology in various aspects of Cloud Computing

FIELD TRIALS AS AN EXTENSION TECHNIQUE: THE CASE OF SWAZILAND

One potentially serious problem in evaluating the effectiveness of extension programs is that participants are not picked at random. Self-selection can be a problem, and it can be compounded if extension officials concentrate on the most progressive farms. This study explores the relationships between adoption of maize high-yielding varieties (HYVs) and participation in field trials intended to foster HYV usage, drawing on data from Swaziland. Results indicate that it is impossible to say if field trials had any effect on adoption. Participating farms used more HYVs, but this could have been due to self-selection or the government's selection process.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Asymmetric additions to dienes catalysed by a dithiophosphoric acid.

Chiral Brønsted acids (proton donors) have been shown to facilitate a broad range of asymmetric chemical transformations under catalytic conditions without requiring additional toxic or expensive metals. Although the catalysts developed thus far are remarkably effective at activating polarized functional groups, it is not clear whether organic Brønsted acids can be used to catalyse highly enantioselective transformations of unactivated carbon-carbon multiple bonds. This deficiency persists despite the fact that racemic acid-catalysed Markovnikov additions to alkenes are well known chemical transformations. Here we show that chiral dithiophosphoric acids can catalyse the intramolecular hydroamination and hydroarylation of dienes and allenes to generate heterocyclic products in exceptional yield and enantiomeric excess. We present a mechanistic hypothesis that involves the addition of the acid catalyst to the diene, followed by nucleophilic displacement of the resulting dithiophosphate intermediate; we also report mass spectroscopic and deuterium labelling studies in support of the proposed mechanism. The catalysts and concepts revealed in this study should prove applicable to other asymmetric functionalizations of unsaturated systems

Experimental and numerical studies of laser powder-bed fusion process with ti-6al-4v powder: (1) porosity and mechanical properties, and (2) transient phenomena in one- and two-dimensional fabrications.

Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process represents a form of metal additive manufacturing (AM) where micron-level powdered material is selectively melted and fused layer by layer to create intricate three-dimensional parts. This process involves rapid melting and solidification, leading to intense thermocapillary convection within the molten pool. The melt pool is a crucial element of the L-PBF process and refers to the localized region where the powder particles are melted and solidified to form each layer of the printed part. The shape and dimensions of the melt pool directly influence the accuracy and surface finish of the printed part. Precise control of the melt pool geometry is essential for achieving the desired dimensions and avoiding defects in the final part. Optimizing process parameters and achieving high-quality printed parts require a deep understanding of the dynamics governing the melt pool. In this regard, both experimental and simulation methods were employed to study the melt pool geometry and its variations, considering various parameter combinations and different length scales. The printed parts were also examined for defects like porosity and to analyze their surface characteristics. The study started with an initial implementation of a simplified three-dimensional model of a powder bed using ANSYS Fluent. The simulation setup was based on a custom user defined function that integrated a volumetric heat source, temperature-dependent material properties, and volume of fluid method for identifying the free surface. The simulation setup was then employed to investigate the impact of varying powder size distributions on the formation of a melt pool. The results show that the size and distribution of particles in the powder mixture play a crucial role in shaping the evolution and geometry of the molten pool. Smaller particles encourage a consistent and uninterrupted flow within the molten pool. However, the presence of voids promotes fluid convection in the downward direction, leading to a temporary increase in the depth of the molten pool. This finding highlights the importance of understanding the role of particle size and distribution in shaping the characteristics of the melt pool during the L-PBF process. The evolution of the melt pool in the L-PBF process is closely related to pore formation in the final printed parts. Porosity refers to the presence of voids or empty spaces within the printed parts during the AM processes. Several factors related to melt pool dynamics, such as insufficient energy input, balling phenomenon, insufficient overlapping, gas entrapment, and overheating can contribute to pore formation. When the energy density is high, there is a possibility of forming keyhole pores. This occurs when excessive energy input from the laser causes deep penetration of the molten material into the powder bed, resulting in an elongated shape cavity resembling a keyhole shape. Multiple tensile coupons were printed with various parameters to understand pore morphology before and after fracture. A non-destructive technique of micro-CT scan method was utilized to analyze the porosity. The findings indicate that the energy density and build orientation significantly influence the porosity of the as-built printed samples, while the impact of the location change is observed to be minimal. After undergoing tensile testing, the samples exhibit a notable increase of more than nine percent in both pore volume and porosity percentage compared to their initial as-built counterparts. These results emphasize the importance of carefully controlling energy input and optimizing build orientation to mitigate porosity and enhance the quality of L-PBF printed parts. During the L-PBF process, a laser with a spot size ranging in the hundreds of microns interacts with metal powder to form tracks. The laser follows predefined scan paths in each layer, and the behavior of the melt pool during each scan is heavily influenced by the laser power and scan speed. The melting process can occur in three modes: incomplete melting, conduction mode melting, and keyhole mode melting, depending on the combination of these two parameters. Only conduction and keyhole mode melting result in the formation of continuous and complete tracks. The length of the scan determines whether the scanned track reaches a quasi-steady state or not. Regardless of the laser power and scan speed values used, a transient region exists at the start and end of long scan vectors. The melt pool geometry in this transient region displays distinct characteristics compared to the quasi-steady region in the middle. The physics of the melt pool dynamics in these transient states remain largely unexplored. Understanding the characteristics of the melt pool in the transient region is essential to ensure the quality of smaller-dimensional parts in the L-PBF process. Improving our knowledge in this area can lead to better control over the printing process and enhanced quality of the final printed components. The research involved conducting experiments on one-dimensional line scans, referred to as single tracks, using an extensive design of experiment (DOE) approach for process parameters and multiple replicates with several builds. The surface data from these as-built tracks were collected using a non-contact optical profilometer, the WYKO NT1100. The analysis of the single tracks revealed that the track width and surface height varied along the scan line. Particularly, the track width at both the start and end of the track demonstrated distinct characteristics with significant fluctuations. The region in the middle, referred to as quasi-steady region, showed uniform width with relatively low variation. The transient and quasi-steady regions were quantified based on the track width variations along the scan line. Additionally, the length of the transient region was not constant for all the parameters but varied with power and scan speed settings. The analysis results show that the transient length at the start ranged from 300 microns to 1400 microns, for the power and scan speed values used in the experiment. Following the analysis of results from the single track experiment, the research progressed to fabricating two-dimensional raster-area scans. The findings of the single track experiment were integrated into the experimental setup of the raster scans to refine the DOE. The two-dimensional prints incorporated extra process parameters like hatch spacing and the number of scan lines. The results show that the parameters that resulted in larger transient regions for raster scans also resulted in higher surface roughness. The shorter scan lengths which only consisted of transient zones resulted in higher surface roughness and the increasing scan length reduced the average roughness. In addition to examining the surface characteristics of the transient region, another set of experiments was conducted to analyze the surface roughness of raster scans in the quasi-steady regions. This experiment involved assessing the impact of process parameters, including laser power, scanning speed, and hatch spacing, on the surface characteristics of single-layer raster scan areas through the design of experiment and multiple replicates. The result revealed that raster scan areas with lower laser power, higher scanning speed, and higher hatch spacing have higher surface roughness. Moreover, among the three main parameters, laser power played the most significant role in determining the surface roughness value

A comparative study of obstetrics outcome of placenta previa in scarred versus unscarred uterus at tertiary Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal

Background: Placenta previa is an obstetric life-threatening condition with several maternal and fetal complications. The objective of this study is to compare the maternal and fetal outcome of placenta previa in scarred and unscarred uterus.Methods: A retrospective case control study was carried out on 85 cases of placenta previa in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, Paropakar Maternity and Womens Hospital (PMWH) Kathmandu from April 2019 to May 2020 of which 46 had scarred uterus and 39 cases had unscarred uterus.Results: Sixty-one of patients were less than 30 years of age, 62% presented with gestational age 28 to 37 weeks and 67% had parity between 1 to 5. Frequency of placenta previa in scarred uterus was 54% and that in unscarred uterus was 46%. Eighty percent cases with scarred uterus had anterior placenta compared to 33% of cases of unscarred uterus with p value of 0.009. 42% had grade 4 placenta previa on ultrasonography. 45 percent of patient with scarred uterus had PPH compared to 23% in unscarred group with p value of 0.03. Malpresentation was found in 7 cases in scarred group and in one case in unscarred. Cesarean hysterectomy was performed in 6 cases in scarred category compared to 2 in unscarred. Low birth weight was present in 28 cases in scarred category compared to 15 cases in unscarred category with p value 0.03.Conclusions: This study concluded that fetal and maternal outcome is adverse for cases of placenta previa with scarred uterus compared to unscarred uterus

MARKETING CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH SEAFOOD COUNTERS IN GROCERY STORES

This study provides a benchmark analysis of seafood counter characteristics corresponding to the peaking of per capita seafood demand in the U.S. Logistic regression results show separate seafood counters are less likely in small stores, in rural stores, and in stores in low or medium income areas. Chain stores and stores with a significant number of non-white customers were more likely to have a seafood counter. Stores in the East South Central region were less likely, and stores in New England more likely, to have a seafood counter. The likelihood that stores will develop seafood counters was related to differences in sales volume, floor space, urban/rural location, income level of clients and regional location. Continuing innovations in marketing technology of seafood counters are likely to provide expanded marketing opportunities in the future.Marketing,

IDENTIFYING FREQUENT SEAFOOD PURCHASERS IN THE NORTHEASTERN U.S.

Factors affecting the frequency of purchase of fish and other seafood for at-home and restaurant consumption by Northeastern consumers were investigated. Cluster analysis identified six groups of consumers with similar perceptions of the attributes of fish. Demographic and cluster membership variables were employed in logistic regressions to identify the characteristics of frequent at-home use and restaurant purchasers. At-home purchase was more likely to be frequent among respondents with white collar occupations, older ages, urban/suburban and New England residence, recreational fishing participation, and membership in one of five attitudinal clusters. Restaurant purchase was more likely to be frequent among whites and among those with higher incomes, white collar occupations, recreational fishing involvement and among members of two clusters with favorable attitudes toward fish; it was less likely to be frequent in households with children age 10 and under present.Consumer/Household Economics,

Key molecules in lymphatic development, function, and identification

While both blood and lymphatic vessels transport fluids and thus share many similarities, they also show functional and structural differences, which can be used to differentiate them. Specific visualization of lymphatic vessels has historically been and still is a pivot point in lymphatic research. Many of the proteins that are investigated by molecular biologists in lymphatic research have been defined as marker molecules, i.e. to visualize and distinguish lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) from other cell types, most notably from blood vascular endothelial cells (BECs) and cells of the hematopoietic lineage. Among the factors that drive the developmental differentiation of lymphatic structures from venous endothelium, Prospero homeobox protein 1 (PROX1) is the master transcriptional regulator. PROX1 maintains lymphatic identity also in the adult organism and thus is a universal LEC marker. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) is the major tyrosine kinase receptor that drives LEC proliferation and migration. The major activator for VEGFR-3 is vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C). However, before VEGF-C can signal, it needs to be proteolytically activated by an extracellular protein complex comprised of Collagen and calcium binding EGF domains 1 (CCBE1) protein and the protease A disintegrin and metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 3 (ADAMTS3). This minireview attempts to give an overview of these and a few other central proteins that scientific inquiry has linked specifically to the lymphatic vasculature. It is limited in scope to a brief description of their main functions, properties and developmental roles. (C) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier GmbH.Peer reviewe

Biology of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C in the Morphogenesis of Lymphatic Vessels

Because virtually all tissues contain blood vessels, the importance of hemevascularization has been long recognized in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. However, the lymphatic vasculature has only recently become a subject of interest. Central to the task of growing a lymphatic network are lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs), which constitute the innermost layer of all lymphatic vessels. The central molecule that directs proliferation and migration of LECs during embryogenesis is vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C). VEGF-C is therefore an important ingredient for LEC culture and attempts to (re)generate lymphatic vessels and networks. During its biosynthesis VEGF-C undergoes a stepwise proteolytic processing, during which its properties and affinities for its interaction partners change. Many of these fundamental aspects of VEGF-C biosynthesis have only recently been uncovered. So far, most—if not all—applications of VEGF-C do not discriminate between different forms of VEGF-C. However, for lymphatic regeneration and engineering purposes, it appears mandatory to understand these differences, since they relate, e.g., to important aspects such as biodistribution and receptor activation potential. In this review, we discuss the molecular biology of VEGF-C as it relates to the growth of LECs and lymphatic vessels. However, the properties of VEGF-C are similarly relevant for the cardiovascular system, since both old and recent data show that VEGF-C can have a profound effect on the blood vasculature.Peer reviewe