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This study investigates the sustainable use of blast furnace slag (BFS), an industrial product from iron-ore industries, and sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA), an agricultural by-product from sugar industries, as admixtures to improve the geotechnical index and engineering properties of black cotton soil (BCS). A total of sixteen distinct mix proportions were adopted and were organized under three series, including BB (BFS + BCS), SB (SCBA + BCS), and BSB (BFS + SCBA + BCS) series. The effectiveness of BFS, SCBA, and BFS-SCBA in improving the properties of the BCS is evaluated using a series of laboratory tests – consistency limits (CL), free swell index (FSI), compaction characteristics, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and hydraulic conductivity (HC) of BB, SB, and BSB-series. The analysis focussed on establishing these admixtures for novel and sustainable chemical stabilization and hydraulic barrier applications in landfills. The findings showed that CL and FSI monotonically decreased in all series. The compaction characteristics, such as maximum dry unit weight, increased in the BB and BSB series and decreased in the SB series. However, optimum moisture content decreased in the BB and BSB series and increased in the SB series, respectively. The UPV values increase with the increase in the densities of the mixes. The UCS value increases with increased curing intervals, tested at 0, 7, 14 and 28 days. This is attributed to amorphous silica and free-lime present in SCBA and BFS, resulting in pozzolanic reaction and cementitious products that improve the properties of treated soil. Furthermore, the HC values decrease in the BB and BSB series and increase in the SB series. Based on the findings from this study, the use of combined industrial and agricultural by-products proves to be an eco-friendly, sustainable, and productive solution for treating BCS as a novel chemical stabilization and feasibility assessment for hydraulic barriers under engineered landfills.

In this study, we empirically investigate whether liquidity creation after the implementation of liquidity regulations can help boost profitability and reduce credit risk for emerging economies. This study analyses a sample of 499 commercial banks from the BRICS countries between 2013 and 2021 and applies the two-step system generalised method of moments (GMM). Further, results are confirmed through robustness tests. The study's findings indicate a positive impact of liquidity creation on bank profitability, but this doesn't hold true for small banks. Also, findings indicate that more liquidity creation leads to an increase in credit risk. Thus, the results suggest that regulators should devise measures to restrict excessive liquidity creation and call for combined regulation of liquidity and credit risk.

This study investigates the peristaltic transport of Jeffrey nanofluid in a physiological vessel, addressing the significant issue of optimizing fluid transport in biomedical and industrial applications, such as targeted drug delivery, thermal management devices, and biosensor technologies. Approximate analytical solutions were derived using long wavelength and low Reynolds number approximations to simplify the complex system and provide clear insights into fluid dynamics. The study incorporates an applied magnetic field, viscous dissipation, heat sources, electroosmosis, and thermal radiation. Significant outcomes include higher temperatures in blood-graphene nanofluid compared to blood-platinum nanofluid, reduced nanofluid velocity with increased magnetic field strength, higher irreversibility generated by blade-shaped nanoparticles, and reduced bolus size with increasing Jeffrey fluid parameter. These findings highlight the complex interactions between various physical parameters and suggest optimization strategies for specific applications. The study’s goal is to provide a foundation for future research and practical implementations in relevant technologies.

ABSTRACTThis study is the first to examine the efficacy of the Cumulative Prospect Theory value of the past return (CPTV) to explain fund flow in emerging markets funds by considering the impact of fund managers’ characteristics and behavioural biases on fund investors’ investment decisions. Besides, this study also investigates the impact of fund investors’ ability to identify fund managers’ skills. The findings suggest that CPTV has a significant and positive association with subsequent fund flow and emerging market funds’ performance. Notably, the study documents a negative relationship between fund flow and fund size and also highlights that newer funds generate greater fund flows. Furthermore, the findings indicate that investors investing in emerging market funds tend to behave differently, allocate money for alpha, and avoid giving distorted income for factor-related returns to fund managers. The results demonstrate that managers’ skill and portfolio concentration decision affects fund flow and CPTV relationships. The findings illustrate that fund managers who concentrate their portfolio and invest in high CPTV stocks tend to generate higher fund flow than their diversified counterparts.

The article discusses the transformation of New Mexico's Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) through the MMISR program. The program aims to improve service delivery and the health and well-being of New Mexicans by implementing a modular solution aligned with guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The article highlights the progress made in implementing various modules of the MMISR program and the challenges faced during the transformation. It also emphasizes the importance of collaboration, flexibility, and a people-centric approach in achieving the goals of the program. The article concludes by envisioning the creation of a cohesive health and human services neighborhood in New Mexico. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose of Review: Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease characterized by abnormal proliferation of keratinocytes. Cyclosporine's effectiveness in treating psoriasis has reshaped the understanding and treatment of the disease. The ability of cyclosporine to inhibit cytokine production by T cells has been a pivotal discovery in the field of psoriasis research. Recent Findings: The role of cyclosporine in elucidating the immune mechanisms underlying psoriasis and its contribution to the emergence of targeted T cell therapies mark a significant turning point in the approach to treating psoriasis. Moreover, the effectiveness of cyclosporine against all forms of psoriasis, its rapid onset of action, and its success in patients experiencing severe psoriatic flare have further solidified its significance in psoriasis treatment. Summary: The use of cyclosporine has not only provided important insights into the immune mechanisms underlying psoriasis but has also paved the way for newer strategies targeting T cells implicated in the disease's pathogenesis. The impact of cyclosporine on cytokine levels in psoriasis has been elucidated through this review.

The last few decades have emerged as a remarkable era for exploring and employing electromyography (EMG) signals and their attributes in various applications such as clinical assessment and rehabilitation engineering. An EMG signal-based system encapsulates different domains of signal acquisition and processing, statistical analysis, and control systems in a single framework. This survey attempts to highlight and distinguish the time- and frequency-based signal processing according to the applications of EMG signals. When EMG signals are used for clinical assessment, time–frequency analysis involves transforming the signals in different domains and extracting useful physiological information. On the other hand, the concept of time and frequency deals with extracting time, frequency, or time–frequency-based features when EMG signals are used for pattern recognition-based control applications such as robotics and augmented reality. It is often very difficult and confusing to distinguish and establish a clear understanding between these domains reported in various literature. Hence, this study first presents different signal acquisition systems and pre-processing techniques, followed by comprehending the concepts in time, frequency, and time–frequency-based approaches based on the applications. Next, the review of various post-processing techniques, different feature extraction routines, and a survey of different classifiers used in the pattern recognition step is done. The work concludes with a study of innovative applications of EMG signals reported in recent years, provides an overview of EMG signal-based limb prosthetics, and suggests a few futuristic research ideas.

Global sustainability challenges have triggered a sense of accountability in society, culminating in the growing incorporation of sustainability into corporate operations. This article aims to investigate the influence of environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure on a company’s cost of financing in emerging markets. Furthermore, the article examines the criticality of separate pillars of ESG in determining the companies’ capital costs using a panel dataset of 192 non-financial companies drawn from the equity indices from the BRICS countries for 10 years, spanning 2011–2020. Pooled Ordinary Least Square and fixed-effect panel regressions are used to test the hypothesised relationships. The robustness of our findings is validated by the application of the System Generalised Methods of Moments approach. The results show that ESG disclosure scores and their individual component scores are positively associated with the cost of equity and weighted average cost of capital. In contrast, there is a negative relationship with the cost of debt. Results demonstrate the apprehensions of equity providers and the reception of debt providers towards the companies’ ESG adoption. The governance pillar has the most significant influence on capital costs. The study enables managers to evaluate the economically ideal capital structure for ESG-compliant enterprises strategically.

ABSTRACT The growing demand for river sand has caused rapid depletion of this natural resource, and hence it is necessary to find an alternative to replace natural river sand. In [...]

The cultivated crop is frequently subjected to a variety of environmental challenges including drought, salinity, extreme temperature and low moisture levels. In which, drought stress is major factor, which significantly reduces crop survival and productivity, particularly in semi-arid region of the Vindhyan highlands. In response to this stress, millets and traditional crops have evolved a range of morphological and physiological adaptations to withstand these phenomenon. Therefore, the aim of this study is to characterize the morphological and physiological traits of underutilized crops under different nutrient amendments towards the dry conditions. A plot experiment with four treatments viz. control, compost, fertilizer and compost + fertilizer was conducted for eight crop landraces. The results demonstrate plant morpho-physiological traits as well as production were develop in accordance with following trends such as compost + fertilizer > fertilizer > compost > control. This trend was continued in percentage change of production and highest in white maize (41.97%) and ramrahar (36.93%) compared to control. Soil total nitrogen, organic carbon and available phosphate contents were shown a consistent increase from pre-sowing to post-harvest conditions for both cropping seasons in all the treatments. In the context of eco-physiological traits relation, PSR (Photosynthetic rate) was positively associated with plant height in black maize (R = 0.69 P< 0.01), baturi (R = 0.79 P< 0.01), masoor (R = 0.74 P< 0.01) and senduri (R = 0.78 P< 0.01). However, photosynthetic pigment such as, chl a(R = 0.66 P< 0.05) chl b(R = 0.78 P< 0.01) carotenoids (R = 0.71 P< 0.01) in white maize, while chla(R = 0.84 P< 0.001), chlb(R = 0.82 P< 0.01) and carotenoids (R = 0.76 P< 0.01) in baturi positively related with PSR. This study can help policymakers to make a climate-adaptive crop system for better production in dry climatic conditions and livelihood improvement of the local community.

Background: The critical view of safety (CVS) was incorporated into a novel 6-item objective procedure-specific assessment for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC-CVS OPSA) to enhance focus on safe completion of surgical tasks and advance the American Board of Surgery’s entrustable professional activities (EPAs) initiative. To enhance instrument development, a feasibility study was performed to elucidate expert surgeon perspectives regarding “safe” vs. “unsafe” practice. Methods: A multi-national consortium of 11 expert LC surgeons were asked to apply the LC-CVS OPSA to ten LC videos of varying surgical difficulty using a “safe” vs. “unsafe” scale. Raters were asked to provide written rationale for all “unsafe” ratings and invited to provide additional feedback regarding instrument clarity. A qualitative analysis was performed on written responses to extract major themes. Results: Of the 660 ratings, 238 were scored as “unsafe” with substantial variation in distribution across tasks and raters. Analysis of the comments revealed three major categories of “unsafe” ratings: (a) inability to achieve the critical view of safety (intended outcome), (b) safe task completion but less than optimal surgical technique, and (c) safe task completion but risk for potential future complication. Analysis of reviewer comments also identified the potential for safe surgical practice even when CVS was not achieved, either due to unusual anatomy or severe pathology preventing safe visualization. Based upon findings, modifications to the instructions to raters for the LC-CVS OPSA were incorporated to enhance instrument reliability. Conclusions: A safety-based LC-CVS OPSA has the potential to significantly improve surgical training by incorporating CVS formally into learner assessment. This study documents the perspectives of expert biliary tract surgeons regarding clear identification and documentation of unsafe surgical practice for LC-CVS and enables the development of training materials to improve instrument reliability. Learnings from the study have been incorporated into rater instructions to enhance instrument reliability.

Civil and geotechnical engineers have tremendous difficulty in addressing soil stability and integrity problems while limiting settlement and building costs. Ground improvement approaches employing geosynthetics as reinforcement has gained popularity in addressing these concerns. The strength and settlement properties of silty sand with a single layer of geotextile were investigated using a series of load-settlement tests with varied geotextile locations and lime concentrations. Furthermore, computational approaches such as artificial neural networks (ANN) and extreme learning machines (ELM) were used, providing an improved and cost-effective way of evaluating the load-bearing capability of circular footings. The computational models were evaluated using accepted statistical indices and validated further using experimental data. Remarkably, the developed ANN model demonstrated exceptional predictive capabilities for determining the circular footing’s ultimate bearing capacity (UBC), making it a valuable tool for preliminary design assessments.

‘Umran’ Indian jujube is a widely grown cultivar due to its marketable quality and productivity, resulting in excellent market value. Despite its high quality, the product’s short shelf life poses a challenge for transportation, even within the domestic market. Hexanal with three concentrations (0.15, 0.20, and 0.25%) was applied to the fruit of ‘Umran’ Indian jujube at both pit hardening and color break stages. Harvested fruits were stored for 28 days in a cold chamber of 7.5 ± 1 °C and 90–95% RH. The changes in fruit qualities were assessed with physicochemical characteristics, bioactive compounds, and enzymatic antioxidant activities every 7 days. Fruits treated with 0.20% hexanal reduced the weight loss and spoilage and maintained the firmness, soluble solids content, carotenoid content, and antioxidant activity. The activities of cell wall degrading enzymes investigated were suppressed. Fruits treated with 0.20% hexanal exhibited reduced weight loss and spoilage, and they maintained fruit firmness, soluble solids content, carotenoid content, and antioxidant activity. The activities of cell wall degrading enzymes investigated were suppressed.

Purpose of Review: Psoriasis is a chronic, genetically determined, scaly, and inflammatory disease of the skin. Pathogenesis is multi-factorial, involving dysregulated inflammation and genetic associations. Cutaneous lesions are characterized as thick, erythematous, all-around defined plaques covered with a silvery white scale. Commonly affected areas include the elbows, knees, sacral area, and scalp. One of the factors that may result in the appearance of psoriatic lesions may be the oral cavity lesions. Aim of the present article was to review the effects of psoriasis on oral cavity, histopathological investigations, and etiopathogenesis and diagnosis of oral psoriasis. Recent Findings: Recently, many therapies for oral psoriasis are observed and some are in development, or under investigation. Regular non-biologic therapeutic options for psoriasis like cyclosporine, methotrexate, and acitretin are usually not recommended for long-term use due to their adverse safety profiles. More recently, biomarkers present in the oral fluids have been tested as diagnostic tool for psoriasis using gingival crevicular fluid. Summary: In this review article, we have provided an insight vision to the etiopathogenesis, clinical features, diagnostic criteria, and treatment of oral psoriasis. Apart from this, a strong emphasis is given to the oral manifestations presented by psoriatic patients, its association with geographic tongue, and salivary changes seen in psoriasis.

An agreement between the public and private sectors known as a public-private partnership (PPP) entails the private organisation providing infrastructure assets and services that the government would typically offer. The popularity of PPPs has gradually increased over recent years. The study empirically examines the developmental and governance factors that influence private sector attraction in PPPs in 114 emerging economies. The study utilises the World Bank's private participation in infrastructure (PPI) database for the period 2001-2020. PPP arrangements are primarily utilised to bridge the infrastructure gap in countries that cannot commit their internal financial resources to infrastructure development. The current study focuses primarily on emerging economies where the infrastructure gap is significant and the requirements for PPP infrastructure arrangements more acute than in other countries. The findings of the study imply that markets with large sizes and comparatively higher incomes attract more PPP initiatives. Macroeconomic stability, regulatory quality, and governance appear to be crucial factors influencing PPPs in infrastructure. The findings of our study do not support the idea that the political environment played a role in the process.

ABSTRACT Experimental study on the effect of mechanical behavior of quaternary binders, prepared using various supplementary cementitious materials was performed. Fly ash (FA), Ground Granulated Blast furnace Slag (GGBS), Metakaolin [...]

Byline: Anil Sharma The Congress party in Rajasthan, which till a couple of months back seemed to be heading towards a major crisis mainly due to various factionalism and dissensions, [...]

Byline: Anil Sharma The way he handled the political crisis in Rajasthan not only proves his leadership qualities but also his crisis management skills. It was really a difficult phase [...]

Byline: Anil Sharma The coronavirus lockdown in India, which began from March 24th midnight to combat the spread of lethal virus in India, has hit farmers very hard. There are [...]

Byline: Anil Sharma Martin Luther King Jr. once said, 'The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times [...]

Purpose of Review: As we know, psoriasis is the most prevalent chronic inflammatory skin condition due to aberrant immune response which is characterized by clearly demarcated red or pink thick raised skin plaques sometimes covered with dry thin silvery white scales, formed due to the cytokine-driven hyperproliferation of epidermal keratinocytes. The abnormal functioning of immune-inflammatory pathways can cause various systemic conditions including cardiovascular diseases, chronic renal disease, and metabolic syndrome. Recent Findings: In comparison to other dermatological conditions, psoriasis has greater impact on the mental health of patients leading to increased risk of psychiatric comorbidities such as depression and anxiety. The Articial intellingence could automate the analysis and provide contextual relevance, enhance clinical reliability, assist the clinicians in communicating objectively, minimize human fatigue related errors, decrease mortality rates, save medical expenditures and help in easy and early diagnosis of diseases including psoriasis. Summary: Therefore, development of better approaches for the diagnosis of psoriasis and determination of its classification type and severity are necessary for disease control and management and are the need of the hour. The artificial intelligence (AI) applications in medicine and healthcare are recently emerging due to advanced computing technologies and availability of abundant data on a variety of diseases including psoriasis. Hence, AI will certainly be a boon for the early detection and management of psoriasis patients necessitating further research in this area.

Byline: Anil Sharma Even if you a critic of Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot or follow a different ideology, one thing cannot be denied about him is his way of [...]

Byline: Anil Sharma Rajasthan chief minister (CM) Ashok Gehlot has once again proved his political acumen as the ruling Congress has been able to perform much-much better in recently held [...]

Byline: Anil Sharma Fissures have become wide open in Congress in Rajasthan, with the leaders coming out in the open and criticizing one another almost on a daily basis as [...]

The article focuses on the New Mexico Medicaid Management Information System Replacement (MMISR) project, which aims to modernize the state's approach to service delivery and replace the outdated Medicaid Management Information System. Topics discussed include the challenges faced by New Mexico Medicaid, the holistic approach to service delivery, and the integration of functional modules to create an effective Medicaid delivery system.

Fluid management in the perioperative period is a grey zone in clinical practice of late. Looking back on previous practices, static parameters were the only options. Now, dynamic parameters indicating fluid responsiveness have become a significant part of goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT). However, the efficacy of this approach has yet to be established in neurosurgery cases where patients are already on lot of diuretics, thus making fluid management more challenging. The present study aims to determine the efficacy of the Pleth Variability Index (PVI) with pulse pressure variation (PPV) in guiding GDFT in patients undergoing neurosurgery for supra-tentorial intracranial space occupying lesions (ICSOLs), in the form of a randomised controlled trial.

Single walled carbon nanotubes exhibit unique electronic properties that make them ideal for miniaturizing electronics and serving as excellent conductors in various nanotechnological applications. The aim of this numerical simulation of water-based single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) nanofluid flow over a vertical porous sheet is to study the flow and heat transfer characteristics of this nanofluid through a non-darcy permeable medium. Other flow controlling conditions, like viscous dissipation and a uniform magnetic field, are also included during this study. The current analysis is an innovative in terms of stagnation point flow for the described fluid system in the presence of Darcy-Forchheimer effect, Joule heating, and non-uniform heat generation/absorption impact. A mathematical framework is established using partial differential equations to depict the flow and temperature processes, using appropriate boundary conditions. We transformed the mathematical framework into dimensionless form using similarity parameters and subsequently solved it with Bvp4c MATLAB code. Numerical outcomes are presented via graphs and tables. When the velocity ratio parameter exceeds 1, the velocity profile decreases with increasing magnetic parameter due to the enhanced Lorentz force that opposes the fluid motion. Both fluid velocity and temperature profiles increase with rising mixed convection parameter and nanotube volume fraction due to enhanced buoyancy and convective effects.

Background: A novel 6-item objective, procedure-specific assessment for laparoscopic cholecystectomy incorporating the critical view of safety (LC-CVS OPSA) was developed to support trainee formative and summative assessments. The LC-CVS OPSA included two retraction items (fundus and infundibulum retraction) and four CVS items (hepatocystic triangle visualization, gallbladder-liver separation, cystic artery identification, and cystic duct identification). The scoring rubric for retraction consisted of poor (frequently outside of defined range), adequate (minimally outside of defined range) and excellent (consistently inside defined range) and for CVS items were “poor—unsafe”, “adequate—safe”, or “excellent—safe”. Methods: A multi-national consortium of 12 expert LC surgeons applied the OPSA—LC CVS to 35 unique LC videos and one duplicate video. Primary outcome measure was inter-rater reliability as measured by Gwet’s AC2, a weighted measure that adjusts for scales with high probability of random agreement. Analysis of the inter-rater reliability was conducted on a collapsed dichotomous scoring rubric of “poor—unsafe” vs. “adequate/excellent—safe”. Results: Inter-rater reliability was high for all six items ranging from 0.76 (hepatocystic triangle visualization) to 0.86 (cystic duct identification). Intra-rater reliability for the single duplicate video was substantially higher across the six items ranging from 0.91 to 1.00. Conclusions: The novel 6-item OPSA LC CVS demonstrated high inter-rater reliability when tested with a multi-national consortium of LC expert surgeons. This brief instrument focused on safe surgical practice was designed to support the implementation of entrustable professional activities into busy surgical training programs. Instrument use coupled with video-based assessments creates novel datasets with the potential for artificial intelligence development including computer vision to drive assessment automation. Graphical abstract:

‘Umran’ Indian jujube is a widely grown cultivar due to its marketable quality and productivity, resulting in excellent market value. Despite its high quality, the product’s short shelf life poses a challenge for transportation, even within the domestic market. Hexanal with three concentrations (0.15, 0.20, and 0.25%) was applied to the fruit of ‘Umran’ Indian jujube at both pit hardening and color break stages. Harvested fruits were stored for 28 days in a cold chamber of 7.5 ± 1 °C and 90–95% RH. The changes in fruit qualities were assessed with physicochemical characteristics, bioactive compounds, and enzymatic antioxidant activities every 7 days. Fruits treated with 0.20% hexanal reduced the weight loss and spoilage and maintained the firmness, soluble solids content, carotenoid content, and antioxidant activity. The activities of cell wall degrading enzymes investigated were suppressed. Fruits treated with 0.20% hexanal exhibited reduced weight loss and spoilage, and they maintained fruit firmness, soluble solids content, carotenoid content, and antioxidant activity. The activities of cell wall degrading enzymes investigated were suppressed.

Purpose: This survey-based study investigates academic stress in relation to somatic symptoms, psychiatric association, demographic and family profile in school going students aged 8–10 years. Design/methodology/approach: A well-tested questionnaire was floated among 576 tweens. Critical information about academic stress and its psychiatric association was evaluated. Academic stress was seen at 1.5 levels when recorded in an interval of 1 to 3. Findings: Stress symptoms and psychiatric symptoms robustly caused academic stress. Father’s education level vis-à-vis mother’s education level addressed academic stress prominently. Further, this rare piece of work uncovered the fact that the tweens from low-income families experienced higher academic stress. Grades from previous examinations and previous failures in subjects were inversely related to academic stress. Academic stress is an ignominious termite hollowing the progress ladder of our younger generation as early as primary school children. Originality: This paper tried to measure academic stress and regress its relation with other related factors quantitatively, which is rarely seen in the case of tweens. Practical implications: Such survey-based research can further provide vital information to child psychiatrists, pediatricians, and concerned government authorities to effectively draft the required welfare schemes and policies, specifically in developing nations such as India.

ABSTRACT Sodium leak in fast breeder reactor, either from pipe in inert equipment cells or inside the reactor cavity may come in contact with the limestone sacrificial layer on structural [...]

Abstract Purpose--This article aims to examine the state of risk management in agriculture and power sector of India, evaluate the effectiveness of weather derivatives as alternative risk management tools and [...]