Search

Author(s): Khushboo Arora [1]; Neirita Hazarika (corresponding author) [1]; Ranjeeta Kumari [2]; Himanshu Chawla [3] Introduction Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory papulosquamous disease characterized by multiple remissions and relapses.[sup.[1]] It [...], Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory papulo-squamous disease characterized by multiple remissions and relapses. This study aimed to assess the impact of psoriasis on the quality of life of patients. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted enrolling 198 adult patients of psoriasis. The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines for observational studies were followed. Clinical severity of psoriasis was measured using Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), and quality of life was measured by EuroQoL 5D (EQ-5D-5L, EQ-VAS) and Psoriasis Quality-Of-Life-12 (PQOL-12) Questionniares. Results: Of the 198 patients, 71.7 (n = 142/198) were males with a mean age of 41.65 ± 13.19 years. The mean PASI score was 12.46 ± 11.51, and the mean PQOL-12 score was 50.18 ± 23.36. Up to 22.7 (n = 45) cases had ‘severe' and 6.1 (n = 12) cases has ‘very severe' PQOL-12 scores. Statistically significant correlation (P < 0.05) was observed between PASI scores and almost all domains of EQ-5D-5L and PQOL-12. Conclusion: Psoriasis affects most psycho-social domains of a patient's life. Coping with these QOL issues remains a challenge to the patients in everyday life. The goal of management of psoriasis therefore must include measures to improve quality of life along with long-lasting remittance of physical symptoms. Keywords: Pasi, psoriasis, QOL, quality of life

One of the most fundamental yet unresolved health policy issues is whether public expenditure on healthcare leads to improved health outcomes. Given that health reflects one of the critical aspects of human capital, having implications for economic growth and other development goals, there has been enormous advocacy towards investing significantly in the health systems across the countries to improve the overall health status. However, the effect of public spending on health outcomes remains inconclusive. The present paper analyses the impact of public health spending on mortality probability, taking into account the role of governance while treating public spending as an endogenous variable. The study uses individual level data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) Round 5 and a few state-level characteristics. For estimation purpose, it uses a two-level mixed effect model to capture the benefit incidence of public spending on Individual mortality probability. The findings reveal that public spending has a significant but differential impact on mortality across the Indian States, whereas the quality of governance is found to be a mediator. Given a level of public spending, States with better government effectiveness and rule of law can translate public health spending more effectively in reducing mortality at the individual level. The study also found heterogeneous mortality status across gender, location of stay, wealth status, and age groups with a differential impact of public spending across gender, wealth, and age groups. The variation in average distance of mortality probability level in each state from the overall mean mortality probability indicates that the states are very different in terms of health challenges that they are facing. The policy options call for state-specific health interventions to reduce the mortality rather than one-size-fits-all health policies. There needs to more unconditional grants/transfers from the Union Government to the States so that states will be able to tailor policy responses to address the unique challenges faced by the respective states. At the same time, states need to adopt output-based conditions with greater flexibility to deliver services and greater accountability to improve transparency, governance quality, and implementation capacity. JEL Classifications: H51, I12, and I18 Keywords: Public Spending, Governance Quality, Mortality Probability, Indian Subnational, INTRODUCTION Spending on health, particularly in the form of public spending, is integral to the economic growth story of a country as it provides some form of social protection and [...]

CASE VIGNETTE 'Carter' is an adopted 12-year-old child with a past psychiatric history of anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder, as well as a past medical history notable for [...]

This article examined whether the Wagner's law that represents the long-run relationship between income and public expenditure holds at the subnational level in India. It also examines whether the Wagner's law is revenue expenditure specific or capital expenditure specific in the context of Indian sub-nationals. The paper covers 21 Indian States and a time period of 40 years, from 1980-81 to 2019-20. In this study we have assessed six pairs of relationships among state-level income, public expenditures, revenue expenditure, capital outlay, public expenditure on economic services, public expenditure on social services, and expenditure on the developmental sector. The validity of the law was examined for nine different panels of states broadly under income categories and geographical regions. Unlike first-generation panel techniques, which fail to account for the aspects of cross-sectional independence and heterogeneity, the present study tests the validity of the Wagner's law using the second-generation panel unit root method and cointegration approach. The analysis adopted Panel Dynamic Ordinary Least Square to test the evidence of Wagner's law hypothesis. The findings reveal that Indian states are heterogeneous in terms of public expenditure, and there exists cross-sectional dependence. There also exists a long-run cointegrating relation between state-level income and state-level public expenditure. For the full sample, while this study finds holding Wagner's law, there is a mixed validity of the law in different panels across income categories and regions. In addition, it is observed that the validity of Wagner's law in the Indian Subnational context is mainly driven by the high-income major states, and it is more capital outlay centric. To conclude, these responsive affiliations comprehend the effectiveness of public expenditure as a fiscal policy instrument in stimulating economic growth and the contribution of economic growth in the budget exercise at the subnational level. Therefore, subnational governments need to be more strategic to ensure growth momentum as the public expenditure indirectly and directly causes the living standard and welfare of the people in the economy. It must be acknowledged that India adopted fiscal rules in 2005, which may limit the procyclical fiscal policy during the swings in the business cycle, and thus have implications for budget exercises at the sub-national level. JEL Classifications: C23; H30; H72 Keywords: Wagner's Law; Second Generation Panel Root and Co-integration Tests; Indian States Corresponding Author's Email Address: Email: hazbhabesh@gmail.com, INTRODUCTION The causal relationship between public expenditure and income has been an active research agenda since Wagner (1883) postulated the law on increasing public expenditure. Based on inter-temporal data on [...]

This article examined whether the Wagner's law that represents the long-run relationship between income and public expenditure holds at the subnational level in India. It also examines whether the Wagner's law is revenue expenditure specific or capital expenditure specific in the context of Indian sub-nationals. The paper covers 21 Indian States and a time period of 40 years, from 1980-81 to 2019-20. In this study we have assessed six pairs of relationships among state-level income, public expenditures, revenue expenditure, capital outlay, public expenditure on economic services, public expenditure on social services, and expenditure on the developmental sector. The validity of the law was examined for nine different panels of states broadly under income categories and geographical regions. Unlike first-generation panel techniques, which fail to account for the aspects of cross-sectional independence and heterogeneity, the present study tests the validity of the Wagner's law using the second-generation panel unit root method and cointegration approach. The analysis adopted Panel Dynamic Ordinary Least Square to test the evidence of Wagner's law hypothesis. The findings reveal that Indian states are heterogeneous in terms of public expenditure, and there exists cross-sectional dependence. There also exists a long-run cointegrating relation between state-level income and state-level public expenditure. For the full sample, while this study finds holding Wagner's law, there is a mixed validity of the law in different panels across income categories and regions. In addition, it is observed that the validity of Wagner's law in the Indian Subnational context is mainly driven by the high-income major states, and it is more capital outlay centric. To conclude, these responsive affiliations comprehend the effectiveness of public expenditure as a fiscal policy instrument in stimulating economic growth and the contribution of economic growth in the budget exercise at the subnational level. Therefore, subnational governments need to be more strategic to ensure growth momentum as the public expenditure indirectly and directly causes the living standard and welfare of the people in the economy. It must be acknowledged that India adopted fiscal rules in 2005, which may limit the procyclical fiscal policy during the swings in the business cycle, and thus have implications for budget exercises at the sub-national level. JEL Classifications: C23; H30; H72 Keywords: Wagner's Law; Second Generation Panel Root and Co-integration Tests; Indian States, INTRODUCTION The causal relationship between public expenditure and income has been an active research agenda since Wagner (1883) postulated the law on increasing public expenditure. Based on inter-temporal data on [...]

In this study, we prepared a green heat stabilizer tannic acid-calcium oxide (TA-CaO) adduct in a green method and its efficacy was studied in a bio-based polyvinyl chloride-thermoplastic starch polymer matrix. The composite was prepared in a green pathway by melt mixing. CaO in the prepared complex also acted as a reinforcing filler in the composite. The addition of TA-CaO adduct in place of lead carbonate improved all the physical and chemical properties of the composite. The tensile strength and flexural strength improved to 102% and 127%, respectively, in comparison with similar percentage of lead carbonate and TA-CaO adduct. The composite with 15 phr loading of TA-CaO showed improved properties compared with other TA-CaO loaded composites. KEYWORDS bio-based hybrid composite, heat stabilizer, mechanical properties, PVC, thermoplastic starch, 1 | INTRODUCTION In today's world, the scientific community puts emphasis on maximum utilization of the renewable resources in polymer composite. The problem caused by the improper disposal of the [...]

Wood polymer composites (WPC) based on nano Si[O.sub.2] and nanoclay were prepared by the impregnation of melamine formaldehyde-furfuryl alcohol copolymer, 1,3-dimethylol 4,5-dihydroxy ethylene urea, a crosslinking agent, and a renewable polymer. Surface modification of Si[O.sub.2] and formation of composites were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). X-ray diffractometry (XRD) studies indicated a decrease in crystallinity of the composites. The crystallinity index value of wood cellulose decreased from 63.8 to 30.8 as determined from FTIR and XRD studies. Scanning Electron Microscopy was used for morphological characterization. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) showed uniform distribution of nano Si[O.sub.2] and nanoclay in the composites. Remarkable reduction in water uptake capacity was observed for the treated wood samples. It was found to reduce from 142.2% to 30.2%. Both tensile and flexural properties increased upto 76.5% and 23.6%, respectively in the WPCs. An improvement in chemical resistance, flame retardancy and thermal stability were observed in the composites as a result of treatment. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:1019-1029, 2014., INTRODUCTION Wood is a heterogeneous material composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The glucose units in wood cellulose are attached by glycosidic linkage and the free OH groups absorb atmospheric [...]

Melamine formaldehyde-furfuryl alcohol (MFFA) copolymer was prepared and impregnated into softwood Ficus hispida in combination with crosslinking agent and montmorillonite (MMT) under vacuum condition. Different crosslinkers namely n-methylol acrylamide, (NMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) were used for evaluation of properties of the prepared composites. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies confirmed the formation of MFFA copolymer, NMA, and DMDHEU crosslinkers. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and FTIR studies were used to characterize the nanocomposites. The incorporation of MMT decreased the crystallinity of wood composites as revealed by XRD study. Maximum interaction was found in wood samples treated with MFFA/(NMA+HEMA+DMDHEU)/MMT as shown by FTIR study. The incorporation of MMT into the wood polymer composite was revealed by transmission electron microscopy study. Thermal stability and flammability were checked by thermogravimetric analyzer and limiting oxygen index instrument. Wood treated with MFFA, blended crosslinker and MMT exhibited higher dimensional stability, lower water uptake (%), enhanced chemical resistance, and better mechanical properties (flexural, tensile, and hardness). SEM study indicated the presence of polymer and MMT in the void spaces of wood. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 53:1394-1404, 2013. ©2012 Society of Plastics Engineers, INTRODUCTION Wood is a renewable resource and has a wide range of applicability (1). Wood, as a natural composite, is also very sensitive to moisture and fungal decay. Softwoods are [...]

Recently in [20], Mursaleen introduced the concepts of statistical convergence in random 2-normed spaces. In this paper, we define and study the notion of λ-statistical convergence and λ-statistical Cauchy sequences in random 2-normed spaces, where λ= ([λ.sub.m]) be a non-decreasing sequence of positive numbers tending to ∞ such that [λ.sub.m+1] ≤ [λ.sub.m + 1], [λ.sub.1] = 1 and prove some interesting theorems. Keywords Statistical convergence, λ-statistical convergence, t-norm, 2-norm, random 2-normed space. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 40A05; Secondary 46A70, 40A99, 4 6A99., §1. Introduction The concept of statistical convergence play a vital role not only in pure mathematics but also in other branches of science involving mathematics, especially in information theory, computer [...]

An ideal I is a family of subsets of positive integers N which is closed under taking finite unions and subsets of its elements. In [9], Kostyrko et. al introduced the concept of ideal convergence as a sequence ([x.sub.k]) of real numbers is said to be I-convergent to a real number [x.sub.0], if for each [member of] > 0 the set {k [member of] N : |[x.sub.k] - [x.sub.0]| [greater than or equal to] [member of]] belongs to I. In this article we introduced I-convergence of sequences in topological groups and extensions of a decomposition theorem and a completeness theorem to the topological group setting are proved. Keywords Ideal, I-convergence, I-cauchy, topological group. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classifications: 40A05, 40G15, 40J05, 22A05., [section]1. Introduction The concept of ideal convergence as a generalization of statistical convergence, and any concept involving statistical convergence play a vital role not only in pure mathematics but also [...]

We study a period of severe disequilibrium to investigate whether board characteristics are related to corporate investment, debt usage, and firm value. During the 1930-1938 Depression era, when the corporate sector was shocked by an unprecedented downturn, we document a relation between board characteristics and firm performance that varies in economically sensible ways: Complex firms (that would benefit more from board advice) exhibit a positive relation between board size and firm value, and simple firms exhibit a negative relation between board size and firm value. Moreover, simple firms with large boards do not downsize adequately in response to the severe economic contraction: they invest more (or shrink less) and use more debt during the 1930s. We document similar effects for the number of outside directors on the board. Finally, we also find that companies with properly aligned governance structures are more likely to replace the company president following poor performance. Key words: corporate governance; capital structure; investment policy; Great Depression; stock market value History: Received January 5, 2010; accepted June 1, 2011, by Wei Xiong, finance. Published online in Articles in Advance October 7, 2011., 1. Introduction A growing literature examines the interaction between corporate governance and firm performance. One hotly contested area investigates whether firm value is related to the characteristics of the board [...]

Background There are several disparities in the health of the population in developing and developed countries; the most startling amongst these is probably the disparity in the number of maternal [...], The objective of this study is to identify individual level factors that determine the use of skilled birth attendants in India. Data from the cross-sectional, population-based NFHS 3 Survey 2005-06 was used. A sample of 31,797 women, aged 15-49 years, who gave births in the 3 months preceding the survey and for whom information was available on most variables, were included in the analysis. Both bivariate and multivariate techniques were used to determine factors associated with the use of skilled attendants at birth. In the study we found that wealth is one of the strongest determinants of skilled birth attendant use, with the poor being at a disadvantage. There are significant differences in the use of skilled delivery care among the urban and rural populations in India. Women in urban areas are more likely to use skilled attendants. Muslim women and women with lower levels of education are also less likely to avail skilled delivery services. The use of skilled care depended significantly on the place of delivery. Women who gave history of antenatal visits were more likely to have skilled attendants at birth. Our analysis demonstrates that there are several financial, social, regional and cultural barriers to skilled birth attendant use in India. Effective strategies need to be planned to generate demand for skilled birth attendants and reduce barriers to care seeking, especially among rural poor. Keywords Skilled birth attendants * National family health survey 3 * Determinants * India

An immunoassay based technique is used for the detection of psychoactive substances in the sweat deposited within fingermarks of a narcotic drug user. Magnetic particles funcfionalized with antimorphine and antibenzoylecgonine antibodies were used for the detection of a metabolite of heroin (morphine) and a metabolite of cocaine (benzoylecgonine), respectively. The drug metabolites were detected individually as well as simultaneously from a single fingermark. The images of the fingermarks obtained using brightfield and fluorescence microscopy were of high evidential quality with resolution to enable identification of an individual in addition to providing information on drug usage. 10.1021/ac1023205

A series of large-scale underwater shaking table tests was performed on a gravity type model caisson protected by a cushioning technique using tire chips (scrap tire derived recycled product). The function of the tire chips cushion is to reduce the load and restricting the permanent displacement of such waterfront retaining structures during earthquakes by exploiting the compressibility, the ductility and the energy absorbing capacity of tire chips. The seismic performance of such earthquake resistant techniques was evaluated by subjecting the soil-structure system into three different earthquake loadings (two actual earthquake records and one synthetic earthquake), and measuring the respective responses. The results demonstrated that the seismic load against the caisson quay wall could be substantially reduced using the proposed technique. In addition, the presence of the protective tire chips cushion could significantly reduce the earthquake-induced residual displacement of the caisson quay wall. CE Database subject headings: Costs; Earthquake resistant structures; Environmental issues; Shake table tests; Waterfront structures.

Blood vessel formation requires the integrated regulation of endothelial cell proliferation and branching morphogenesis, but how this coordinated regulation is achieved is not well understood. Flt-1 (vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] receptor 1) is a high affinity VEGF-A receptor whose loss leads to vessel overgrowth and dysmorphogenesis. We examined the ability of Fit-1 isoform transgenes to rescue the vascular development of embryonic stem cell-derived [flt-1.sup.-/-] mutant vessels. Endothelial proliferation was equivalently rescued by both soluble (sFlt-1) and membrane-tethered (mFlt-1) isoforms, but only sFlt-1 rescued vessel branching. Flk-1 Tyr-1173 phosphorylation was increased in [flt-1.sup.-/-] mutant vessels and partially rescued by the Flt-1 isoform transgenes, sFlt-1-rescued vessels exhibited more heterogeneous levels of pFlk than did mFlt-1-rescued vessels, and reporter gene expression from the flt-1 locus was also heterogeneous in developing vessels. Our data support a model whereby sFlt-1 protein is more efficient than mFlt-1 at amplifying initial expression differences, and these amplified differences set up local discontinuities in VEGF-A ligand availability that are important for proper vessel branching.

This paper examines the effect of household access to microcredit upon work by 7-11-year-old children in rural Malawi. Given that microcredit organizations foster household enterprises wherein much child labor is engaged, this paper aims to discover whether access to microcredit might increase work by children. It is found that, in the season of peak labor demand, household access to microcredit, measured as self-assessed credit limits at microcredit organizations, raises the probability of child work in households with average landholdings and retail sales enterprises. Key words--child labor, microcredit, Africa, Malawi

Cardiovascular disease is common in asthmatic patients but often is attributed to respiratory drug therapy. With mounting evidence for an inflammatory role in the development of cardiovascular disease, we hypothesized that the inflammation associated with asthma adversely affects the cardiovascular system independent of therapeutic interventions. The hypothesis was tested in a murine model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. BALB/C mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of ragweed (RW) or normal saline (NS) and challenged by intratracheal instillation of RW or NS. Effective allergic sensitization and challenge were confirmed by hyperresponsiveness to aerosolized methacholine and bronchoalveolar lavage. In vivo myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending artery for 20 min, followed by reperfusion for 2 h. The infarct size (% risk area) and neutrophil density in the myocardial area at risk were significantly higher in the RW/RW group than in the control groups. The tissue neutrophil count correlated with the infarct size but did not correlate with blood neutrophil counts. Furthermore, in the RW/RW group, circulating granulocytes showed an enhanced expression of CD11b and P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1, enhanced stimulated release of myeloperoxidase, and enhanced expression of P-selectin in the coronary vasculature. These results indicate that allergic responses in the airways enhance expression of attachment molecules in coronary vasculature and activate circulating neutrophils, resulting in recruitment of highly activated neutrophils to the infarct zone during an acute ischemia-reperfusion event, thereby enhancing tissue destruction. inflammation; neutrophils; ragweed; bronchoalveolar lavage

Epidemiological studies have linked ambient particulate matter (PM) levels to an increased incidence of adverse cardiovascular events. Yet little is definitively known about the mechanisms accounting for the cardiovascular events associated with PM exposure. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of ultrafine ( myocardial infarction; vascular reactivity; oxidant injury; acetylcholine doi:10.1152/ajpheart.01362.2005

Despite epidemiological evidence of cardiovascular complications in asthmatics, the direct contribution of asthmatic pathophysiology to cardiovascular effects is unknown. Considering parallels in underlying pathophysiology, we tested the hypothesis that presence of systemic allergy and asthma worsens the outcome of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Systemic allergy and asthma were created in rabbits by repeated intraperitoneal injections of allergen with adjuvant, followed by an airway challenge in two groups. Nonsensitized animals served as controls. In situ myocardial ischemia-reperfusion was induced in anesthetized animals by a 30-min ligation of a coronary artery, followed by 3 h of reperfusion. Ischemia-reperfusion was done at 24 h after intraperitoneal boost (1 DB) and 7 days (7 DB) after the last intraperitoneal injection and at 24 h (1DAWCH) and 7 days (7DAWCH) after airway challenge. The infarct size (determined by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, normalized to area at risk) was significantly higher in all sensitized groups compared with control (1DB, 31 [+ or -] 4; 7DB, 28.9 [+ or -] 2.6; 1DAWCH, 66.1 [+ or -] 4.1; 7DAWCH, 28.9 [+ or -] 9.2; control, 16.7 [+ or -] 3.2; means [+ or -] SE; P < 0.01 by ANOVA; n = 6). The 1DAWCH group showed significantly greater infarct than all other groups (P < 0.05). Myocardial neutrophil infiltration was significantly higher in the sensitized groups compared with control (P < 0.01). Tissue neutrophil counts showed a strong positive correlation to infarct sizes ([r.sup.2] = 0.9). These observations indicate that the presence of systemic allergy and asthma is associated with increased myocardial neutrophil infiltration during acute ischemia-reperfusion and increased size of the resulting infarct. inflammation; neutrophils

A conventional argument in the child-labour debate is that improvements in access to schools are an effective way to reduce the labour force participation of children. It is argued that schooling competes with economic activity in the use of children 's time, and enhanced access to schools, interpretable as reduction in schooling costs, may raise school attendance at the expense of child labour. In this article, we draw a distinction between child labour within the household (intra-household) and child work in the labour market (extra-household), and examine the separate effects of schooling costs upon these two types of child labour in rural Pakistan. Consistent, at least in part, with our theoretical framework, we find that extra-household child labour and schooling costs are positively related whereas intra-household child labour is insensitive to changes in the costs of schooling. Our results suggest that reduction in schooling costs will have limited success in the abatement of child labour in rural Paki stan., I. INTRODUCTION The International Labour Organization (ILO) considers child labour to be simply the single most important source of child exploitation and child abuse in the world today' [ILO, 1998]. [...]

The variation of intermittency factors in the transition region of a C4 leading edge flat plate is measured at three incidence angles in a low-turbulence free stream. During the determination of intermittency factor, the threshold value of the detector function and the validity of conditional averaging are verified by a method based on the direct application of PDF of the hot-wire output. As the angle of incidence is increased, the transition progressively moves through all the three modes on the suction surface: at zero incidence the bypass transition, at 2 deg incidence the natural transition, and at 4 deg incidence the separated-flow transition occur, respectively. All three modes of transition exhibited the chordwise intermittency factor variation in accordance with Narasimha's universal intermittency distribution; thus, the method based on spot production rate is applicable to all the three modes of transition. In the transition zone of the attached boundary layers, the conditionally averaged interturbulent profiles are fuller than the Blasius profile, while the conditionally averaged turbulent profiles follow a logarithmic profile with a variable additive parameter.

The incorporation modeling of nonlinearity on the classification of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals using an artificial neural network is investigated. The method is used to preprocess EEG data recorded from patients with schizophrenia, patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and normal subjects. A multilayer perceptron is used to classify the preprocessed EEG data. Results show that classification based on a bilinear model can predict better than classification based on linear autoregressive coefficients.