4,842 research outputs found
India and the Indo-Pacific an emerging regional vision
No full textThis report looks at India and the continuing change in political and trade influences in the Indo-Pacific region and the possible effects it will have on existing political powers such as the United States of America and Australia.
The rapid expansion of trade, investment and production linkages in the area spanning the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the shift of economic power from the Trans-Atlantic to Asia has given rise to a push by commentators to have the ‘IndoPacific’ region recognised as a single geo-strategic arc. Yet, the concept remains politically contested and there has been insufficient attention paid to the geopolitical and geoeconomic drivers behind its emergence in particular national contexts. Among the most prominent promoters of the ‘Indo-Pacific’ have been commentators and state actors in the United States, Australia and India.
This policy brief analyses the debate on the Indo-Pacific in India, in particular, and suggests that the adoption of the Indo-Pacific terminology by Indian officials is a reflection of the dominance of domestic economic imperatives in the making of contemporary Indian foreign policy. This is at variance with the driving motivation behind the promotion of the term by officials in the United States and Australia and suggests that the common adoption of the Indo-Pacific concept does not mean a convergence in foreign policy priorities
Patient treatment pathways of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cases in coastal South India: Road to a drug resistant tuberculosis center
No full textDr Priya Rathi1, Dr Kalpita Shringapure2, Dr B Unnikrishnan1, Abhinav Pandey3, Abhirami Nair3 1. Kasturba Medical College, Department of Community Medicine, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Mangalore, India, 575001 2. Medical College Baroda, Department Preventive and Social Medicine, Gujarat, India 3. Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Mangalore, India 575001 Corresponding Author Dr Priya Rathi Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Mangalore, India 57500
Nuclear organization of mouse Hox cluster paralogs during mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation to neural stem cell:
No full textIn this project we use Hox genes as a genetic tool to understand how nuclear architecture regulates cell differentiation during embryonic development. Hox genes come under the category of homeobox genes, a highly evolutionarily conserved group of genes with an important role during embryogenesis. Hox genes are located on 4 distinct chromosomes, in cluster paralogs (HOX A, B, C, D). Each individual cluster contains up to 13 homologous genes and corresponding genes on different clusters (e.g., HoxA13, HoxD13) exhibit varying degrees of functional redundancy. The position of a gene in the cluster is related to its spatiotemporal pattern of expression along the anterior-posterior axis of the embryo. The coordination of the spatiotemporal expression of equivalent paralog group genes on different clusters/chromosomes is coordinated is still not known. Our primary hypothesis is that nuclear architecture defines a regulatory framework of Hox cluster loci in the nucleus when the Hox cluster transcription is activated and maintained. We did a comparative analysis on the Hox cluster nuclear architecture in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and fibroblast growth factors (FGF) - induced differentiation to neural stem cells (NSC). We show for the first time that Hox gene expression is induced by FGF treatment in vitro simultaneously in the four Hox cluster. Using three-dimensional confocal fluorescence microscopy, FISH and computational techniques, we mapped the position of Hox gene cluster paralogs in individual nuclei of both cell types. We did not observe nuclear colocalization of Hox heterologous cluster in NSC. However, we observe that heterologous clusters tend to occupy similar nuclear domains in NSC, which may favor undetected long-range gene interactions. Nevertheless, our results indicate that Hox gene cluster nuclear three-dimensional organization is neither random nor correlated to the changes in nuclear volume and shape that parallel cell differentiation.M.S.Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-55)by Priya Panicke
Studies in the Bhaktirasa-Bodhini of Priya Dasa.
No full textThe present work consists of six chapters. The first chapter is an introduction comprising two parts: Part I deals with certain aspects of the commentary itself, its relation to the parent text, its title, date, metre, structure and narrative element; Part II is devoted to the author, about whom very little has been said in any history of Hindi literature, and it attempts to remove many misconceptions, one of which is the belief that Priya Dasa was a contemporary of Nabha Dasa, and to throw some light on his life, his other works, his preceptor, and his religious standpoint. The second chapter contains a description of the four manuscripts and a printed edition, with a full account of the Bodleian manuscript only, and includes a specimen of each manuscript. The 'Stemma codicum' both compares and groups the manuscripts, and is followed by a summary of the principles adopted in constituting the text. The third chapter presents the constituted text of the Bhaktirasa-Bodhini, verses 1-101, with textual notes. Appendices I and II contain the extra verses which are later interpolations. An annotated English translation of the Braj text is given in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter is devoted to detailed notes on some technical terms and their contextual significance, on the author's statements requiring elucidation, and on the devotees mentioned in the text. All the legendary stories are traced back to their Sanskrit sources with their references, and where Priya Dasa refers to only a part of a legend or to only one of several incidents in a devotee's life, the details he omits have been supplied in the notes. The main sources are; the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Jaimini Bharata, the Bhagavata and other Puranas, and also the Ramacaritamanasa of Tulasi Dasa. Priya Dasa's version of a story is also compared with those of later commentators. The last chapter consists of a complete glossary with grammatical analysis and all the references for each word in the text
Polymeric nanospheres for skin penetration enhancement: in vitro and in vivo assessment in skin models
No full textResearch and development in the field of topical and transdermal delivery has been particularly challenging due to the tough penetration barrier provided by the stratum corneum, the superficial skin layer. Nano-sized vesicles can potentially act as carriers to skin layers without causing the toxicity and irritation associated with chemical and physical skin penetration enhancers. In this study we have characterized the skin penetration potential of polymeric nanospheres made from amphiphilic ABA-triblock co-polymers that are biocompatible, biodegradable and bind efficiently to hydrophobic molecules. We evaluated the delivery of hydrophobic and poorly water soluble compounds via these nanospheres into different skin layers and found significant enhancement in their delivery to the epidermal-dermal junction and to the dermis. Thus, these nanospheres have tremendous potential for targeting diseases such as acne, psoriasis and eczema that have their origins in these layers. Formulation of the nanospheres in hydrophilic gels, alone and in combination with a chemical skin penetration enhancer significantly increased the penetration of complexed molecules in vitro in human skin and in vivo in porcine skin. We also evaluated the delivery profiles of these nanospheres in a bioengineered Human Skin Equivalent (HSE). The full thickness HSE was developed from a combination of human derived cells and extra-cellular components and cultured with a novel media cocktail to strengthen the permeability barrier. The HSE was characterized for the permeability profiles of agents with differing physiochemical properties and was found to be more permeable than human skin, but similar to the commercially available skin equivalent EpidermFT®. The HSE also served as an effective model for evaluation of phototoxicity of topically applied agents, and was able to correctly predict the phototoxic potential of compounds when evaluated against a validated in vitro cell-based method. When used for evaluation of the skin delivery potential of nanosphere formulations, the penetration enhancement ratios in the HSE were similar to those obtained in human skin and porcine skin, although the amount and depth of skin penetration of compounds was different. Thus, despite a weaker permeability barrier, the HSE can serve as a reproducible model for pre-screening of the skin delivery properties of formulations.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-247)by Priya B. Bathej
2012 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
No full textIsaac Macwan (with Shrinivas Bhosale, Ashish Aphale, Miad Faezipour, Priya Bhosale, and Prabir Patra) is a contributing author Computer Assisted Detection of Liver Neoplasm (CADLN), pp.1510-1513
Cycling on the Verge? Exploring the Place of Utility Cycling in Contemporary New Zealand Transport Policy
No full textEfforts to increase cycling as a mode of transport (utility cycling) occur at central, regional and local levels of government through a range of supportive strategies, research, and guidelines. Despite these efforts, utility cycling levels in New Zealand have remained persistently low. This thesis examines the apparent disparity between policy intent and policy result, using a discourse analytical approach. It examines how cycling is positioned in contemporary New Zealand transport policy documents, and explores whose priorities are shaping transport policy with what implications for utility cycling.
This study uses a critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach to analyse the land transport documents from across the institutions of government. The CDA approach, grounded in the work of van Dijk and Fairclough, draws on ideas from the interpretive tradition of discourse analysis, inspired by Foucault’s concepts of knowledge and power. This approach reveals the position of utility cycling by exposing the framing, dominant discourses, and discursive strategies that privilege certain transport objectives and activities over others.
The findings show transport is promoted almost exclusively by central government as an activity to facilitate economic growth and efficiency, despite its potential (and actual) impacts on health and well-being, social justice, and environmental sustainability. The discursive practices of the government privilege private motor vehicle use, helping to both legitimate and maintain that privilege at all levels of government, while positioning utility cycling as a marginalised mode of transport.
This thesis contributes to scholarship on utility cycling and land transport policy in New Zealand by identifying how the discursive strategies of government control the position of utility cycling in New Zealand. This study underscores the need for a central government-led, long-term strategic vision for a genuinely integrated, multi-modal transport system, in order for the benefits of utility cycling to be fully maximised
Poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels for sustained topical drug delivery to the eyes and skin:
No full textSulfur mustard (SM) is a potent chemical warfare agent that mainly affects the eyes, lungs and skin. Inflammatory cytokines and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) have been identified as potential therapeutic targets for SM-induced tissue damage since they quantitatively increase over time in response to SM exposure. Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties that acts by inhibiting MMP-9. Currently, neither doxycycline nor doxycycline delivery systems have been investigated for treatment of SM injuries.
The objective of this thesis project is to design and fabricate sustained release topical doxycycline delivery systems and evaluate their wound healing efficacy. Fast forming hydrogels were prepared by crosslinking a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based polymer containing multiple thiol groups with different polymers or crosslinkers. The optical properties of the hydrogels were evaluated by spectrophotometry and the hydrogels that were transparent or close to transparent were chosen for drug delivery to the eye. Physicochemical properties of the hydrogels evaluated by rheometry and swelling kinetics show that the hydrogels have good mechanical strength with a low degree of swelling (<8%).
In vitro release profiles of doxycycline-loaded hydrogels demonstrated biphasic release with an initial burst phase followed by a sustained phase. Permeation of doxycycline through vesicant wounded corneas was 2.5 to 3.4 fold higher than through unwounded corneas suggesting that the barrier function of the cornea is compromised after vesicant exposure. Doxycycline hydrogels showed a significant improvement in corneal epithelial healing compared to a similar dose of doxycycline solution in a vesicant-exposed rabbit corneal organ culture model.
The model vesicant, nitrogen mustard (NM) showed dose and time dependent wound progression in SKH-1 mice. The permeability of NM-exposed skin (5 µmoles) to different molecular markers increased significantly compared to the control suggesting that stratum corneum does not act as a barrier for transdermal drug absorption after vesicant exposure. From histology analyses, it is evident that doxycycline hydrogel treated groups showed significant wound healing efficacy compared to untreated or placebo hydrogel treated groups. In summary, in situ forming topical doxycycline-loaded PEG hydrogels showed superior wound healing efficacy offering a potential therapeutic option for mustard injuries in the eye and skin.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical references (p. 166-187)by Siva Naga Sree Priya Anumol
FIGURE 2. A–D in First fossil record of a nymph (Ephemeroptera, Teloganellidae) from the Indian subcontinent
No full textFIGURE 2. A–D. Teloganella gurhaensis Agnihotri et al., sp. nov. A. Fossil insect in reflected light. B. Enlarged view of the upper half showing fore-femora, mid-femora and mid-tibia. C. Enlarged head portion with setae (red arrows). D. Enlarged lower half with abdominal segments (red arrows) and terminal filaments (black arrows).Published as part of Agnihotri, Priya, Chandra, Kajal, Shukla, Anumeha, Singh, Hukam & Mehrotra, Rakesh C., 2020, First fossil record of a nymph (Ephemeroptera, Teloganellidae) from the Indian subcontinent, pp. 137-142 in Zootaxa 4838 (1) on page 139, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4838.1.8, http://zenodo.org/record/440375
Association of Vitamin D and essential hypertension in a North Indian population cohort
No full textBackground: Hypertension (HTN) continues to be a public health menace with substantial morbidity and mortality. The antihypertensive effect of Vitamin D is attributed to its negative regulation of renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system, antioxidant, and antiangiogenic effects. Data regarding Vitamin D deficiency in hypertensive Asian Indian population are scarce.
Materials and Methods: One hundred and two Vitamin D naive essential hypertensive participants were enrolled from the outpatient department. Ninety-nine healthy age- and sex-matched nonhypertensive controls were taken for comparison. Serum Vitamin D level estimation was done in both groups through immunosorbent assay and deficiency defined as values <20 ng/ml.
Results: Vitamin D deficiency was more prevalent among cases vis-à -vis controls (80.4% vs. 67.7%, P = 0.01). The mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels among cases were 15.15 ± 12.51 ng/ml versus a value of 33.59 ± 16.69 ng/ml among controls (P = 0.0001). We also observed trends towards an inverse association between Vitamin D levels and systolic blood pressure (BP) (P = 0.02).
Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent with HTN, and low levels tend to correlate with elevated systolic BP. However, larger studies are needed to confirm this association
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