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Implementing Quality Healthcare Strategies for Improving Service Delivery at Private Hospitals in India
Healthcare is becoming the largest growing sector of India because of its huge coverage, providing services and investment by public and private players. In India growth of private hospitals have totally changed the scenario of health care delivery. This study explores the effectiveness of the strategies to provide quality health care and thereby improving the service delivery in Private Hospitals. In total 122 responses were collected after administering the questionnaires. The findings of this study reveals that quality health care strategies has positive impact on service delivery. Quality health care strategies showed a different kind of associations with three measures of quality namely structure, process and outcome measures. The implications from the study provides the need of multifaceted approach for implementing quality improvement strategies and adoption of the model for the same. This study recommends a blend of quality improvement programs with increased ICT (Information and Communication Technology) applications for enhancing the turnaround time. Further study can be conducted on other healthcare quality dimensions and strategic interventions that can enhance the quality of health care and clinical outcomes in Private Hospitals in India. 2017 Indian Institute of Health Management Research. -
Genetic correlates of the development of theta event related oscillationsin adolescents and young adults
The developmental trajectories of theta band (47Hz) event-related oscillations (EROs), a key neurophysiological constituent of the P3 response, were assessed in 2170 adolescents and young adults ages 12 to 25. The theta EROs occurring in the P3 response, important indicators of neurocognitive function, were elicited during the evaluation of task-relevant target stimuli in visual and auditory oddball tasks. Associations between the theta EROs and genotypic variants of 4 KCNJ6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found to vary with age, sex, scalp location, and task modality. Three of the four KCNJ6 SNPs studied here were found to be significantly associated with the same theta EROs in adults in a previous family genome wide association study. Since measures of the P3 response have been found to be a useful endophenotypes for the study of a number of clinical and behavioral disorders, studies of genetic effects on its development in adolescents and young adults may illuminate neurophysiological factors contributing to the onset of these conditions. 2016 Elsevier B.V. -
A comprehensive LR model for predicting banks stock performance in Indian stock market
The study focusses on developing a Logistic Regression model to distinguish between Good and Poor Performance of Bank-stocks which are traded in Indian stock market with regard to the financial ratios. The study- sample comprises of financialratios of 40 nationalised and private banks, for a period of six years. The study ascertains and scrutinizes eleven financial ratios that can categorize the Banksbroadly into two categories as good or poor, up to the accuracy level of 78 percent, based on their rate of return. First, the study predicts the performance of banks by using financial ratios and tries to build the goodness of fit by using Logistic Regression approach. The study also emphasizes that this model can enrich an investors ability to forecast the price of various stocks. However, the paper confers the real-world implications of Logistic Regression model to envisage the performance of Banks in the stock market. The study reveals that the model could be useful to potential investors, fund managers, and investment companies to improve their strategies and to select the out-performing Bank-stocks. Serials Publications Pvt. Ltd. -
A genome wide association study of fast beta EEG in families of European ancestry
Background Differences in fast beta (2028Hz) electroencephalogram (EEG) oscillatory activity distinguish some individuals with psychiatric and substance use disorders, suggesting that it may be a useful endophenotype for studying the genetics of disorders characterized by neural hyper-excitability. Despite the high heritability estimates provided by twin and family studies, there have been relatively few genetic studies of beta EEG, and to date only one genetic association finding has replicated (i.e., GABRA2). Method In a sample of 1564 individuals from 117 families of European Ancestry (EA) drawn from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), we performed a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) on resting-state fronto-central fast beta EEG power, adjusting regression models for family relatedness, age, sex, and ancestry. To further characterize genetic findings, we examined the functional and behavioral significance of GWAS findings. Results Three intronic variants located within DSE (dermatan sulfate epimerase) on 6q22 were associated with fast beta EEG at a genome wide significant level (p<5נ10?8). The most significant SNP was rs2252790 (p<2.6נ10?8; MAF=0.36; ?=0.135). rs2252790 is an eQTL for ROS1 expressed most robustly in the temporal cortex (p=1.2נ10?6) and for DSE/TSPYL4 expressed most robustly in the hippocampus (p=7.3נ10?4; ?=0.29). Previous studies have indicated that DSE is involved in a network of genes integral to membrane organization; gene-based tests indicated that several variants within this network (i.e., DSE, ZEB2, RND3, MCTP1, and CTBP2) were also associated with beta EEG (empirical p<0.05), and of these genes, ZEB2 and CTBP2 were associated with DSM-V Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD; empirical p<0.05). Discussion In this sample of EA families enriched for AUDs, fast beta EEG is associated with variants within DSE on 6q22; the most significant SNP influences the mRNA expression of DSE and ROS1 in hippocampus and temporal cortex, brain regions important for beta EEG activity. Gene-based tests suggest evidence of association with related genes, ZEB2, RND3, MCTP1, CTBP2, and beta EEG. Converging data from GWAS, gene expression, and gene-networks presented in this study provide support for the role of genetic variants within DSE and related genes in neural hyperexcitability, and has highlighted two potential candidate genes for AUD and/or related neurological conditions: ZEB2 and CTBP2. However, results must be replicated in large, independent samples. 2016 Elsevier B.V. -
Transforming through dialogue in Bernard Malamud's the assistant
This paper investigates the importance and relevance of dialogue in interpersonal relationship and argues that the authentic interpersonal relationship is essentially dialogic and transforming. The importance and the transforming effects of dialogue are explored through an analysis of Bernard Malamud's novel The Assistant. An attempt is made to understand the relationship between philosophy and literature while at the same time an interrogation is made to analyse the role of dialogue in philosophy and literature. For this it makes use of the Philosophy of Dialogue proposed by Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas. The analysis shows that dialogue acts as a medium through which human beings interact and it has the potential to transform people. The results of this study clearly emphasize the possibility of using dialogue as a tool for transformation in day to day life. 2017 Journal of Dharma: Dharmaram Journal of Religions and Philosophies (DVK, Bangalore). -
Fully homomorphic encryption with matrix based digital signature standard
In this work, a novel mechanism is considered for Asymmetric mode encrypting data. A generator matrix is used to generate a field with a large prime number. The generator matrix, prime number and ternary vector are used as global variables. Those global variables are used to calculate public key and sub keys. Using the Global Variables and Private key, a Digital signature algorithm is proposed which supports the feature like Authenticity of users. The mechanism can also be used in Homomorphic Encryption where computations to be carried out on cipher text and generate an encrypted result which, when decrypted, matches the result of operations performed on the plaintext. 2017 Taru Publications. -
Structural investigation, spectroscopic and energy level studies of Schiff base: 2-[(3?-N-salicylidenephenyl)benzimidazole] using experimental and DFT methods
The Schiff base 2-[(3?-N-salicylidenephenyl)benzimidazole] (Spbzl) was characterized by FT-Raman, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Crystallographic studies reveal the presence of two water molecules in the asymmetry unit which aid the intermolecular hydrogen bonding with imidazole ring, and the trans-conformation of the azomethine bond. Theoretical computations conducted using density functional theory (DFT) analysis support the experimental facts. Energy levels estimated by DFT studies are in good agreement with the values obtained from cyclic voltammetry technique. Frontier molecular orbital analysis shows that charge transfer has taken place from donor to acceptor moiety, which is also supported by the high hyperpolarizability values in both gaseous and solution phases, indicating high charge transfer capability of the molecule. A comparative theoretical study of Spbzl with derivative 4-((3-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)phenylimino)methyl)-3-hydroxybenzoic acid (Pbzlb) having an added anchor group COOH substituted at para position in the acceptor ring has been made. The result shows the feasibility of charge transfer to the semiconductor surface in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications for Pbzlb. 2017 Elsevier B.V. -
India's Consumer Protection Bill 2015: Redefining notions of liability
The legislative validation of the concepts of product liability and unfair contractual terms through the Consumer Protection Bill (CPB) paves the way for attuning Indian consumer laws with the global wavelength. Though the Indian judiciary has dealt with issues concerning product liability and unfair contractual terms, legal certainty has remained elusive, necessitating predictability. The extension of consumer protection to the domain of e-commerce further reformulates the existing notion of liability and the prevalent impunity. This paper analyses the manner in which the CPB redefines the notions of liability and the existent lacunae that need to be remedied. The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. -
Hall effect on two-phase radiated flow of magneto-dusty-nanoliquid with irregular heat generation/consumption
Impacts of Hall current and irregular heat generation/consumption on two-phase flow of dusty-nanofluid are scrutinized. Particulate nanofluid saturates the stretched surface. Heat transfer mechanism is studied via radiative heating and viscous dissipation aspects. The nanoliquid is a carrier fluid and dust (micro-sized fine particles) particles are suspended in it. Governed equations are remodeled in the form of ordinary differential system using stretching transformations. Numeric solutions are developed via Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg scheme. The influence of pertinent parameters on both nanofluid and particle phase flow fields are studied through graphs. The friction factor and Nusselt number are also studied. It is established that the Hall current has a significant impact on thermal flow fields. The irregular heat generation/consumption aspect is constructive for the heating process. 2017 -
School corporal punishment, family tension, and students internalizing problems: Evidence from India
There is considerable evidence that parental corporal punishment (CP) is positively associated with childrens behavioral and mental health problems. However, there is very little evidence addressing whether CP perpetrated by teachers or school staff is similarly associated with problematic student functioning. To address this gap in the research literature, data were collected from students in a locale where school CP continues to be widely practiced. Participants were 519 adolescents attending public or private schools in Puducherry, a city in eastern India. Students completed surveys assessing school CP, internalizing problems, social support, and resilience. The results indicated that 62% of the students reported experiencing school CP in the past 12 months, with males and those attending public schools being significantly more likely to report school CP than females and those in private schools. Youth who reported school CP reported more anxiety and depression. That relation was more pronounced in youth who reported family tension. Social support and resilience did not moderate the relations. The findings add to the substantial evidence about negative associations regarding the use of CP but in a new venuethe school, and provide some evidence for the need to change how students are disciplined in schools in India and elsewhere. 2016, The Author(s) 2016. -
Unique synergism in flame retardancy in ABS based composites through blending PVDF and halloysite nanotubes
This study demonstrates flame retardant materials designed using bi-phasic polymer blends of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) containing halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and Cloisite 30B nanoclay. The prepared blends with and without nanoparticles were extensively characterized. The nanoparticles were added in different weight concentrations to improve the flame retardancy. It was observed that prepared ABS/PVDF blends showed better flame retardancy than ABS based composites. The flame resistance was further improved by the addition of nanoparticles in the blends. The microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC) test showed better flame resistance in ABS/PVDF blends filled with 5 wt% HNTs than other composites. The total heat release of ABS/PVDF blend filled with 5 wt% HNTs decreased by 31% and also the heat of combustion decreased by 26% as compared to neat ABS. When compared with nanoparticles, the addition of PVDF reduced the peak heat release rate (PHRR) and increased the char residue more effectively. A synergistic improvement was observed from both PVDF and HNTs on the flame resistance properties. 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd. -
Impact of Social Networking Sites on Academic Performance and Career through Collaborative Learning (with Reference to Students of Self-financing Engineering Colleges in Tiruchirappalli)
Use of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) is having a growing importance among students in their everyday life. It acts as an essential tool for them in higher level education. Among the social networking sites Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn is gaining more support from the student community. It helps the students to communicate each other directly like face to face interaction. SNSs are having an ability to induce students decision making capability. Based on this, the study tries to emphasize the ability of the SNSs to induce the students academic performance using collaborative learning among various groups in which they belong. The result reveals that collaborative learning will have a major impact on academic performance, i.e. 49.6% of the respondents stated that they are using SNSs for academic purpose. They use SNSs for sharing of information and study materials with their peers. SNSs help them to be interacting with their peers and teachers. Serials Publications Pvt. Ltd. -
Re-evaluating Emperor Asoka a relational contract theory explanation for economic transformation
Emperor Asoka's rein is considered an important era in ancient Indian history because of the vastness of his empire and the Buddhist elements in his administration. We propose that in addition to these reasons for highlighting Asoka's rein, there is an important economic argument as well. It was during the century or two around Asoka's rule that the subcontinent's economy underwent a transformation from a simple pastoralagricultural economy to a more mature economy with large scale production, specialisation and trade. The element that Asoka introduced into the social relations in his empire is Buddha's Dhamma, which formed and strengthened relational contracts. A key feature of relational contracts is incompleteness of arrangements that is managed by social iterations and formal and informal enforcement mechanisms. Each of these is reflected in Asoka's edicts, the earliest surviving writing samples from the subcontinent. Asoka planned for these measures to ensure political and economic stability. In addition, he also laid the most important foundational material in a rather unique way for all future economic transformations. 2017 Journal of Dharma: Dharmaram Journal of Religions and Philosophies (DVK, Bangalore). -
Architecture of monophase InSe thin film structures for solar cell applications
Control of microstructural evolution during the crystallization of InSe thin films is an inevitable strategy to mold their fundamental properties and potential for the fabrication of solar cells. Impact of annealing as well as substrate temperature on the crystallization progress and physical characteristics of thermally evaporated InSe was examined systematically, which eventually dictates the overall performance of resulting device. Structural and compositional characterizations have been thoroughly investigated by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray analyses. InSe films form hexagonal structure with a preferred orientation of crystallites along the (004) direction upon crystallization. The layer of InSe is formed by two concomitant processes, deposition and recrystallization. Application of heat treatment resulted in topographical modification, which was probed by an atomic force microscope. Surface roughness was enhanced due to the influence of temperature and thereby the growth of grains. Investigations of electrical and optical properties, thus provided ample evidence for the use of crystallized monophase InSe as an absorber layer in photovoltaic conversion devices. Carrier concentration and mobility of charge carriers estimated from the Hall measurements were found to be 19.43020cm?3 and 2.01cm2V?1s?1 respectively. Moreover, this research work explores power conversion efficiency of p-InSe/n-CdS heterojunction solar cells. 2017 Elsevier B.V. -
Nonlinear three-dimensional stretched flow of an Oldroyd-B fluid with convective condition, thermal radiation, and mixed convection
The effect of non-linear convection in a laminar three-dimensional Oldroyd-B fluid flow is addressed. The heat transfer phenomenon is explored by considering the non-linear thermal radiation and heat generation/absorption. The boundary layer assumptions are taken into account to govern the mathematical model of the flow analysis. Some suitable similarity variables are introduced to transform the partial differential equations into ordinary differential systems. The Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg fourth- and fifth-order techniques with the shooting method are used to obtain the solutions of the dimensionless velocities and temperature. The effects of various physical parameters on the fluid velocities and temperature are plotted and examined. A comparison with the exact and homotopy perturbation solutions is made for the viscous fluid case, and an excellent match is noted. The numerical values of the wall shear stresses and the heat transfer rate at the wall are tabulated and investigated. The enhancement in the values of the Deborah number shows a reverse behavior on the liquid velocities. The results show that the temperature and the thermal boundary layer are reduced when the non-linear convection parameter increases. The values of the Nusselt number are higher in the non-linear radiation situation than those in the linear radiation situation. 2017, Shanghai University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. -
Radiative heat transfers of Carreau fluid flow over a stretching sheet with fluid particle suspension and temperature jump
The current study is to deliberate the flow and heat transfer of a Carreau fluid over a stretching sheet with fluid particle suspension. The temperature jump is also taken into account. The standard nonlinear system is resolved numerically via Runge-Kutta based shooting scheme. Role of substantial parameters on flow fields as well as on the fiction factor and heat transportation rates are determined and conferred in depth through graphs. It's found that the velocity profile decreases and temperature profile increases, with an increasing the values of Weissenberg parameter. Further, the higher thermal slip parameter reduces the thermal boundary layer thickness. The thermal boundary layer thickness of fluid and dust particles decreases with the rise in Prandtl number. 2017 The Authors -
Spectral and power efficiency investigation in single- and multi-line-rate optical wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks
In order to tackle the increasing heterogeneous global Internet traffic, mixed-line-rate (MLR) optical wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks have emerged as the cost- and power-efficient solution. In MLR WDM networks, channels are structured as sub-bands, each of which consists of wavelengths operating at a similar data rate. By reducing the (1) spacing within a sub-band, or (2) spacing between sub-bands operating at different data rates, spectral efficiency can be improved. However, owing to high physical layer impairment levels, decrease in sub-band spacing adversely affects transmission reach of the channels, which results in higher power consumption due to requirement of increased signal regeneration. In this work, we compare power efficiency of various MLR and single-line-rate (SLR) solutions, and also investigate the trade-off that exists between spectral and power efficiency in a WDM network. Simulation results indicate that (1) for high transmission capacities, a combination of 100Gbps transponders and 40Gbps regenerators will obtain the highest power efficiency; (2) for long connection distances, a point ofmerging occurs for various SLR and MLR designs, where power consumption is independent of the frequency band distribution; and (3) for MLR systems, both spectral and power efficiency can be improved by using either shorter links with higher bandwidth assignment to 100Gbps wavelengths, or longer links with higher bandwidth assignment to 40Gbps wavelengths. Finally, the results indicate that focusing on spectral efficiency alone results in extra power consumption, since high quality of transmission and spectral efficiency leads to increased regeneration. 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York. -
A catalytic, one-pot and green synthesis of a-amino nitriles: Cu(BF4)2.x H2O an efficient catalyst
The Strecker reaction is a first reported multicomponent reaction for the preparation of a-aminonitriles. The a-aminonitriles are important intermediates for various aminoacids, 1,2-diazines, heterocycles and biologically active compounds like Saframycin A and Ecteinascidin 746. The preparation of a-aminonitriles by Strecker approach using MCR attracted many research groups owing atom economy to avoid multistep synthesis and to follow Green chemistry principles. Methods: A-aminonitriles have been synthesized using Strecker reaction by treatment of aldehydes, amines, with TMSCN in the presence of Cu(BF4)2.xH2O as a catalyst in one pot under neat conditions. Various aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes have been studied with different primary and secondary amines. Results: The reaction condition has been optimized by choosing a model reaction under various solvents and found good yields under neat conditions. Moreover, various catalytic amounts of Cu(BF4)2.xH2O has also been studied and found 3 mole% providing better yields. The reaction has been studied with different substrates of aldehydes and amines. Some of the products were characterized by comparison of their spectral data (1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR and MS) and physical properties with those of authentic samples reported in the literature. Conclusion: Afacile and efficient one-pot synthesis of a-amino nitriles at ambient temperature using copper(II)tetrafluoroborate as a novel catalyst under solvent-free conditions via Strecker reaction is reported. The process is simple and environmentally benign using the commercially available and inexpensive catalyst. 2017 Bentham Science Publishers. -
Power and Area Efficient Decimation Filter Architectures of Wireless Receivers
This paper reports on the synthesis and implementation of a digital decimation filter suitable for multi-standard transceivers. Decimation filter architectures used in transceivers must be capable of providing low power and less area. In this paper, three different architecture designs namely Decimation Filter with Conventional MAC Unit, Cascaded Multi-Standard decimation Chain and Hybrid structure are proposed to meet the demand of low power and area efficient digital decimation filter. The filter architectures are implemented using FPGA and its performances are tested. The architectures are tested using conventional number system and with two different encoding schemes of filter coefficients called canonic signed digit and minimum signed digit. The implementation results reflect that considerable reduction in area of 47.9% and power reduction of 28.6% are achieved using hybrid architecture, when compared with conventional MAC and cascaded chain architectures. 2016, The National Academy of Sciences, India. -
Dark matter, dark energy, and alternate models: A review
The nature of dark matter (DM) and dark energy (DE) which is supposed to constitute about 95% of the energy density of the universe is still a mystery. There is no shortage of ideas regarding the nature of both. While some candidates for DM are clearly ruled out, there is still a plethora of viable particles that fit the bill. In the context of DE, while current observations favour a cosmological constant picture, there are other competing models that are equally likely. This paper reviews the different possible candidates for DM including exotic candidates and their possible detection. This review also covers the different models for DE and the possibility of unified models for DM and DE. Keeping in mind the negative results in some of the ongoing DM detection experiments, here we also review the possible alternatives to both DM and DE (such as MOND and modifications of general relativity) and possible means of observationally distinguishing between the alternatives. 2017 COSPAR