840 research outputs found
Lessons from diagnosis-prescribing and antibiotic resistance surveillance in Ujjain, India : the lull before the storm
No full textBackground: The evolution of antibiotic resistance is a global public health crisis building over decades. In this build-up antibiotic use has been the main driver for antibiotic resistance. To develop context-specific interventions, effective surveillance of antibiotic use and resistance are needed in counties like India, which have witnessed a rapid rise in resistance recently and where the need for effective antibiotics is high.Aim: The main aim of this thesis is to increase the knowledge regarding antibiotic prescribing patterns and prevalence of resistance in an Indian setting, so as to identify targets for interventions aimed to improve clinical practice for common infections.Methods: This thesis includes five cross-sectional studies. Paper I and paper II describes the patterns of antibiotic prescribing for outpatients with suspected infectious aetiology and among admitted patients, respectively. The defined daily doses (DDDs) were calculated per 1000 patients per diagnosis considered in paper I. Focus of infection specific DDDs were calculated per 100 patient days in paper II. In paper III, prescriptions for children with diarrhoea were analysed for adherence to treatment guidelines and factors associated with adherence were explored. In paper IV healthy children were screened for nasal carriage of S. aureus to identify factors associated with nasal carriage and to describe the resistance patterns. Paper V describes the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of pathogens isolated from patients with suspected infections. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion method. All the studies were done using structured, pilot tested questionnaires.Results: Overall antibiotic prescribing was 66.3%, 3732 out of 5623 outpatients (Paper I) and 92%, 5531 out of 6026 admitted patients (Paper II). Quinolones were the most frequently prescribed antibiotic group among outpatients and third generation cephalosporins among the admitted patients (Paper I and II). For diarrhoea in children only 6 out of 843 prescriptions adhered completely to treatment guidelines. Oral rehydration solution (ORS) was prescribed for 58%, ORS with zinc for 22% and antibiotics for 71% of the cases (Paper III). The prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus was 98 out of 1562 i.e. 6.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.1-7.5). Of these, 16.3% were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Overcrowding was associated with nasal carriage of S. aureus (Paper IV). Among pathogens (n=716) isolated form admitted patients (n=2568), Gram-negative pathogens predominated (62%). Extendedspectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production in E. coli isolates (n=149) was 69% (95% CI 61.6–76.6) and in K. pneumoniae isolates (n=107), 41% (95% CI 31.6–50.5). MRSA constituted 30% of all S. aureus isolates (n=221).Conclusions: The targets identified for interventions were: high antibiotic prescribing rates for diarrhoea (Paper I, II and III) and upper respiratory tract infection (Paper I). Other targets include, longer than recommended duration of prophylaxis (86% of 1846 patients) and lack of distinction between prophylaxis and therapy among surgical patients, irrational antibiotic prescribing in gastroenteritis, overuse of quinolones and lack of use of penicillin in pneumonia, overuse of quinolones and lack of use of doxycycline and macrolides in genital infections, and overreliance on antibiotics in treating skin and soft tissue infections (Paper II). The high rate of antibiotic prescribing among admitted patients together with the high rates of ESBL producing pathogens shows urgent need to curb antibiotic use when there is no indication for it (Paper V).List of scientific papersI. Pathak A, Mahadik K, Dhaneria SP, Sharma A, Eriksson B, Stålsby Lundborg C. Antibiotic prescribing in outpatients: Hospital and seasonal variations in Ujjain, India. Scand J Infect Dis. 2011 Jul, 43(6-7): 479-88. https://doi.org/10.3109/00365548.2011.554854 II. Pathak A, Mahadik K, Dhaneria SP, Sharma A, Eriksson B and Stålsby Lundborg C. Surveillance of antibiotic consumption using “focus of infection” approach in Ujjain, India. [Submitted]III. Pathak D, Pathak A, Marrone G, Diwan V, Stålsby Lundborg C. Adherence to treatment guidelines for acute diarrhoea in children up to 12 years in Ujjain, India-a cross-sectional prescription analysis. BMC Infect Dis. 2011 Jan 28; 11:32. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-11-32 IV. Pathak A, Marothi Y, Iyer RV, Singh B, Sharma M, Eriksson B, Macaden R, Stålsby Lundborg C. Nasal carriage and antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus in healthy preschool children in Ujjain, India. BMC Pediatr. 2010 Dec 29; 10:100. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-10-100 V. Pathak A, Marothi Y, Kekre V, Mahadik K, Macaden R and Stålsby Lundborg C. High prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing pathogens: Results of a surveillance study in 2 hospitals, Ujjain, India. Infect and Drug Resist. 2012, 5:65-73. https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S30043 </p
On Measuring the Criticality of Various Variables and Processes in Organization Information Systems: Proposed Methodological Procedure
No full textThis paper proposes methodological procedures to be used by the accounting, organizational and managerial researchers and executives to ascertain the criticality of the variables and the processes in the measurement of management control system. We have restricted the validation of proposed methods to the extraction of critical success factors (CSF) in this study. We have also provided a numerical illustration and tested our methodological procedures using a dataset of an empirical study conducted for the purpose of ascertaining the CSFs. The proposed methods can be used by the researchers in accounting, organizational information systems, economics, and business and also in other relevant disciplines of organizational sciences. The main contribution of this paper is the extension of Rockart’s work [33] on critical success factors. We have extended the theory of CSF beyond the initially suggested domain of information into management control system decision making. The methodological procedures developed by us are expected to enrich the literature of analytical and empirical studies in accounting and organizational areas where it can prove helpful in understanding the criticality of individual variables, processes, methods or success factors.Success Factors, Criticality Analysis, Perceptual Criticality, Critical Success Factors
Forestry to Support Increased Agricultural Production: Focus on Employment Generation and Rural Development
No full textIndia possesses several advantages due to its varied ecological range and agro-climates to cultivate several important and diverse commercial food commodities ranging from cereals, fruits and spices to medicinal plants. The country has abundance of human resource comprising skilled, educated, technical and scientific manpower on one hand and unskilled manpower on the other. Forests- and agriculture-based industries are a major source of employment in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors all over the country. This article has presented a brief overview of the potential of forest and agriculture in generating employment, providing livelihood and environmental services, sequestration of green house gases, carbon trading, rehabilitation of degraded lands, production of fuel wood, etc. There are clear linkages and synergies between agricultural production and sustainable forest management. If the sustainability of the agriculture and forests can be assured, food security and employment generation would go in long-term perpetuity.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,
Retrospective study of the clinical profile and prognostic indicators in patients of alcoholic liver disease admitted to a tertiary care teaching hospital in Western Nepal
No full textBackground/Aim: Alcohol is the most common substance abused in Nepal. Liver disease caused by alcohol abuse, including its end stage, cirrhosis, is a major health care problem, which is difficult to treat. Objectives: To study the demographic profile, laboratory parameters, complications and their prognostic implications among patients of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Materials and Methods: Records of all patients of ALD admitted from January1 , 2005 to December 31 , 2006 were studied and followed up to December 31, 2007. A total of 181 patients were analyzed. Their clinical profile and laboratory parameters were noted and analyzed using SPSS-10.0 software. Results: Among the 181 patients, 80.7% were male, 30.9% were army/ex-army and 65.2% were documented smokers. The mean age of presentation was 52.08 years. Jaundice (57.5%) was the most common presentation followed by hepatomegaly (51.4%). Hypoalbuminemia (50.3) followed by ascites (48.1) were common complications. Death occurred in 19.1% of the patients, the most common cause being hepatic encephalopathy (72.2%) followed by variceal bleeding and hepatorenal syndrome. Jaundice, ascites and hepatic encephalopathy at presentation and female sex were significantly associated with increased mortality along with discriminant score> 32, aspartate aminotransferase (AST): Alanine aminotranferase (ALT) ≥ 2, ultrasonography (USG)-proven cirrhosis, rise in prothrombin time ≥5 s, total bilirubin ≥ 4 mg/dL and ESR ≥34. Conclusion: ALD was predominantly seen among the productive age group with a high morbidity and mortality. Jaundice, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy at presentation and female sex are poor prognostic indicators along with discriminant score > 32, AST:ALT ≥ 2, USG-proven cirrhosis, coagulopathy, hyperbilirubenemia and high ESR
Editorial and publication delay of papers submitted to 14 selected food research journals. Influence of online posting. // Retraso editorial y de publicación de artículos presentados a 14 revistas seleccionadas sobre investigación de alimentos. Influencia de ponerlos online.
No full textPublication delay, chronological distance between completion of a scientific work and distribution of its achievements as a peer reviewed paper, is a negative phenomenon in scientific information dissemination. It can be further subdivided in successive stages corresponding to the peer review process and the technical preparation of accepted manuscripts. Formal online posting in electronic versions of journals has been considered as a shortening of the process.
Objectives: To determine publication delay in a group of leading Food Research journals, as well as factors affecting this lag and also to compute the effect of formal online posting on the distribution of papers in electronic form. Secondary objective is also to study the possible effect of informal posting of papers through some repositories on the publication delay in the field.
Methods: 14 Food Research journals were selected and 4836 papers published in 2004 were examined. Dates of first submission, submission of revised manuscripts, acceptation, online posting and final publication were recorded for each paper.
Analysis: Data collected were analyzed using XLStat and SigmaPlot. ANOVA was performed with BMDP package for significance analysis of differences among journals.
Results: average publication delay of papers submitted to the set of selected journals is 348 ± 104 days, with European Food Research and Technology and Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showing the shortest delays. Total delay strongly depends on the peer review process. On average, 85,75 % of manuscripts are corrected prior to their acceptance by journals. Online posting of papers prior to their print publication reduces total delay in about 29 %. On average, a paper is posted online 260 days after its submission to the set of journals.
Conclusions: Publication delay of papers is strongly dependent on the peer review process, which affects most of the manuscripts in the food research field. Advanced online publication through formal posting at the editor’s sites only slightly reduces the time between reception and final publication of papers
Corrigendum: Proceedings of the 12th annual deep brain stimulation think tank: cutting edge technology meets novel applications
No full textIn the published article, there was an error in the author list and author Sarah-Anna Hescham was erroneously excluded. The corrected author list appears below. “Alfonso Enrique Martinez-Nunez 1*, Christopher J. Rozell 2, Simon Little 3, Huiling Tan 4, Stephen L. Schmidt 5, Warren M. Grill 5,6, Miroslav Pajic 5, Dennis A. Turner 5,6,7, Coralie de Hemptinne 1, Andre Machado 8,9, Nicholas D. Schiff 10, Abbey S. Holt-Becker 11, Robert S. Raike 11, Mahsa Malekmohammadi 12,13, Yagna J. Pathak 14, Lyndahl Himes 14, David Greene 15, Lothar Krinke 16,17, Mattia Arlotti 16, Lorenzo Rossi 16, Jacob Robinson 18,19, Bahne H. Bahners 20,21,22, Vladimir Litvak 23, Luka Milosevic 24,25, Saadi Ghatan 26,27, Frederic L. W. V. J. Schaper 20, Michael D. Fox 20, Nicholas M. Gregg 28, Cynthia Kubu 8, James J. Jordano 29,30,31, Nicola G. Cascella 32, YoungHoon Nho 33, Casey H. Halpern 33,34, Helen S. Mayberg 35,36,37, Ki Sueng Choi 35,36, Haneul Song 35, Jungho Cha 35, Sankaraleengam Alagapan 2, Nico U. F. Dosenbach 38,39,40,41,42,43, Evan M. Gordon 44, Jianxun Ren 45, Hesheng Liu 45,46, Lorraine V. Kalia 47,48, Sarah-Anna Hescham 49,50,51, Dorian M. Kusyk 1, Adolfo Ramirez-Zamora 1, Kelly D. Foote 1, Michael S. Okun 1 and Joshua K. Wong 1.” The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated.</p
E-Commerce Audit Judgment Expertise: Does Expertise in System Change Management and Information Technology Auditing Mediate E-Commerce Audit Judgment Expertise?
No full textA global survey of 203 E-commerce auditors was conducted to investigate the perceptions about the potential determinants of expertise in E-commerce audits. We hypothesize and find evidence indicating that information technology and communication expertise are positively related to expertise in E-commerce audit judgment. We also find that system change management expertise and information technology audit expertise mediate this relationship.E-commerce Audit Judgment, IT Audit, Structural Equations Modeling
Emerging Role of Business Organization for Rural Society in India [The Case of Tata Group and Co-Operatives]
No full textBusiness is the cornerstone of prosperity in society: companies create the resources that permit social development and welfare. This report describes the role of business in rural society of India. It shows how companies, through their commercial operations, actively contribute to progress in society. Corporate Social Responsibility is a less broad concept than civic involvement. Even though there is no set, internationally accepted definition, this is often described as a voluntary responsibility that transcends the demands of national legislation and encompasses human rights and environmental and social issues. Another definition of CSR uses sustainable development as a starting point. CSR means that businesses meet the demands of national legislation and, where this is inadequate, look in addition to a collection of established, fundamental freedoms and rights that are globally recognized.The basic objective of business is to develop, produce and supply goods and services to customers. This has to be done in such a way as to allow companies to make a profit, which in turn demands far more than just skills in companies’ own fields and processes. The role of business in the development of society can be described in many ways. For a company to progress and develop, it must nurture relations with its stakeholders, of which there may be many. Some have a strong influence and are of fundamental importance to the survival of the company: these include employees, customers and suppliers. The media, authorities, trade unions and local residents are other stakeholders with a wide ranging influence.This report aims to stimulate an attitude among businesses that is thoughtful, ambitious and farsighted as far as norms and values are concerned so two major groups Tata and co-operatives has been considered in study. Role of businesses in society and the importance of acting in harmony with social norms. This report does not, however, include any recommendations to member companies that they should handle these issues in any particular way. Each company must develop its own way of working so that economic prosperity leads to social prosperity in India
Cheirostylis moniliformis Seidenf.
No full textCheirostylis moniliformis (Griff.) Seidenf. in Dansk Bot. Ark. 32: 69. 1978. Ξ Goodyera moniliformis Griff., Itin. Pl. Khasyah Mts.: 143, no. 679. 1848. Typus: BHUTAN “ Bootan ”: Griffith A 679 (holo-: K [K000 387624], photo!;iso-: OXF). = Cheirostylis chinensis var. glabra Bhaumik & M. K. Pathak in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 47: 183. 2006. Typus : INDIA. Arunachal Pradesh: Dibang Valley district, Bejari, 150 m, 5.III.2004, Bhaumik & Tham 104752[A] (holo-: CAL!; iso-: ASSAM!, 2 sheets [B] [C]), syn. nov. Specimens examined. – INDIA. Arunachal Pradesh: Lohit District, Minzong-yasang, 3.X.1985 [flowered on 11.III.1986 at Sessa], A. N. Rao 21463, 21489 (Orchid Herbarium Tipi); West Kameng District, 2 km from Munna Camp (towards Dirang), 1491 m, 16.IV.2006, A. Bhattacharjee 34819 A, 34819 B (CAL). Note. – BHAUMIK & PATHAK (2006) described C. chinensis var. glabra based on collections from Arunachal Pradesh and distinguished it from the type variety in having glabrous bracts and ovary, acuminate petals and epichile with 2 broad green patches at the base. But these authors overlooked the earlier described C. moniliformis which is identical (Fig. 1) with their variety. Thus, C. chinensis var. glabra is treated here as a heterotypic synonym of C. moniliformis.Published as part of Bhattacharjee, Avishek, 2012, On the status of some species of Cheirostylis Blume (Orchidaceae) from India, pp. 31-35 in Candollea 67 (1) on page 32, DOI: 10.15553/c2012v671a
After Chipko: from environment to region in Uttaranchal
No full textAlthough the Chipko movement is practically non-existent in its region of origin it remains one of the most frequently deployed examples of an environmental and/or a women's movement in the South. A small but growing number of commentators are now critiquing much neopopulist theorising on Chipko, and this paper provides an overview of these critiques. It then takes the debate further with reference to a more recent regional movement in the hills. By doing so, the author argues that it is possible to develop a more plausible account of gender, environment and the state in the Uttaranchal region, and illustrate common weaknesses in neopopulist understandings of Chipko and other social movements in the South
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