31,098 research outputs found
Genetic Engineering for the Poor: Golden Rice and Public Health in India
No full textVitamin A deficiency (VAD) affects millions of people, causing serious health problems. Golden Rice (GR), which has been genetically engineered to produce β-carotene, is being proposed as a remedy. While this new technology has aroused controversial debates, its actual impact remains unclear. We develop a methodology for ex ante evaluation, taking into account health and nutrition details, as well as socioeconomic and policy factors. The framework is used for empirical analyses in India. Given broad public support, GR could more than halve the disease burden of VAD. Juxtaposing health benefits and overall costs suggests that GR could be very cost-effective
Neo-Simulation and Gaming Toward Active Learning
No full textThis book provides tips to teachers for moving toward active learning by using simulation and gaming. The book is a rare reference for teachers who wish to initiate active learning by applying many real experiences from world experts in simulation and gaming. This cumulative wisdom comes from cutting-edge trials reported at the 49th International Simulation and Gaming Association’s annual conference in Thailand 9–13 July 2018. The importance of changing teachers’ one-way lecture approach to that of active learning has been commonly understood for several decades and has been promoted especially in recent years in Asian universities. Simulation and gaming meets the requirements of such teaching programs, especially for active learning, but there are few books or references on how to gamify a lecture. This book serves as a guide to facilitate that change. The author recognizes the duty to provide readers with fixed directions toward simulation and gaming in the next generation, which have still not been fully elucidated. Developing a simulation and gaming culture and making it sustainable in the next decade are the purpose of this book
A 2 h periodic variation in the low-mass X-ray binary Ser X-1
No full textSpectroscopy of the low-mass X-ray binary Ser X-1 using the Gran Telescopio Canarias have revealed a ?2 h periodic variability that is present in the three strongest emission lines. We tentatively interpret this variability as due to orbital motion, making it the first indication of the orbital period of Ser X-1. Together with the fact that the emission lines are remarkably narrow, but still resolved, we show that a main-sequence K dwarf together with a canonical 1.4 M? neutron star gives a good description of the system. In this scenario, the most likely place for the emission lines to arise is the accretion disc, instead of a localized region in the binary (such as the irradiated surface or the stream-impact point), and their narrowness is due instead to the low inclination (?10°) of Ser X-1
Experimental study of thin film sensor networks for wind turbine blade damage detection
No full textDamage detection of wind turbine blades is difficult due to their complex geometry and large size, for which large deployment of sensing systems is typically not economical. A solution is to develop and deploy dedicated sensor networks fabricated from inexpensive materials and electronics. The authors have recently developed a novel skin-type strain gauge for measuring strain over very large surfaces. The skin, a type of large-area electronics, is constituted from a network of soft elastomeric capacitors. The sensing system is analogous to a biological skin, where local strain can be monitored over a global area. In this paper, we propose the utilization of a dense network of soft elastomeric capacitors to detect, localize, and quantify damage on wind turbine blades. We also leverage mature off the shelf technologies, in particular resistive strain gauges, to augment such dense sensor network with high accuracy data at key locations, therefore constituting a hybrid dense sensor network. The proposed hybrid dense sensor network is installed inside a wind turbine blade 1:25 scale model, and tested in a wind tunnel to simulate an operational environment. Results demonstrate the ability of the hybrid dense sensor network to detect, localize, and quantify damage.</p
Intergenerational change in anthropometric indices and their predictors among children in New Delhi Birth Cohort
No full textObjective: to evaluate intergenerational change in anthropometric indices of children and their predictors.Design: prospective cohortParticipants: New Delhi Birth Cohort participants (F1), born between 1969 and 1972, were followed-up for anthropometry at birth and 6-monthly intervals until 21 years. Their children (F2) below 10 years were evaluated anthropometrically.Outcome measure: intergenerational change (F2-F1) in height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of children in comparison to their parents at corresponding ages.Results: 432 F2-F1 pairs were analyzed in age-groups of 0-5 (26.9%) and 5-10 (73.1%) years. Children were considerably taller (0-5 years 0.99 SD; 5-10 years 1.17 SD) and heavier (0-5 years 0.77 SD; 5-10 years 1.52 SD) while only those aged 5-10 years were broader (had a higher BMI; 1.03 SD), than their parents. These increases for 0-5 and 5-10 years, respectively corresponded to 3.9 and 6.4 cm for height, 1.3 and 5.4 kg for weight and 0.2 and 1.9 kg/m2 for BMI. Lower parents’ anthropometric indices and poor water supply and sanitation facilities; higher age of parents at child birth and of children when measured (for height and weight); and more parental education (for weight and BMI), were associated with greater intergenerational gains in children.Conclusion: over one generation in an urban middle-class population, whose general living conditions had improved, underfive children have become considerably taller and heavier, and 5- 10 year old children have additionally become broader, than their parents at corresponding ages. Child populations probably ‘grow up’ before ‘growing out’
Measurement of the branching fraction
No full textThe B
0
s
→ J/ψK
0
S
branching fraction is measured in a data sample corresponding to 0.41 fb−1
of integrated luminosity collected with the LHCb detector at the LHC. This channel is sensitive to
the penguin contributions affecting the sin 2β measurement from B
0
→ J/ψK
0
S
. The time-integrated
branching fraction is measured to be B(B
0
s
→ J/ψK
0
S
) = (1.83±0.28)×10−5
. This is the most precise
measurement to date
Plant breeding to control zinc deficiency in India: how cost-effective is biofortification?
No full textOBJECTIVE: To estimate the potential impact of zinc biofortification of rice and wheat on public health in India and to evaluate its cost-effectiveness compared with alternative interventions and international standards. DESIGN: The burden of zinc deficiency (ZnD) in India was expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost. Current zinc intakes were derived from a nationally representative household food consumption survey (30-day recall) and attributed to household members based on adult equivalent weights. Using a dose-response function, projected increased zinc intakes from biofortified rice and wheat were translated into potential health improvements for pessimistic and optimistic scenarios. After estimating the costs of developing and disseminating the new varieties, the cost-effectiveness of zinc biofortification was calculated for both scenarios and compared with alternative micronutrient interventions and international reference standards. SETTING: India. SUBJECTS: Representative household survey (n = 119 554). RESULTS: The calculated annual burden of ZnD in India is 2.8 million DALYs lost. Zinc biofortification of rice and wheat may reduce this burden by 20-51% and save 0.6-1.4 million DALYs each year, depending on the scenario. The cost for saving one DALY amounts to $US 0.73-7.31, which is very cost-effective by standards of the World Bank and the World Health Organization, and is lower than that of most other micronutrient interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Not only may zinc biofortification save lives and prevent morbidity among millions of people, it may also help accommodate the need to economise and to allocate resources more efficiently. Further research is needed to corroborate these findings
Potential impacts of iron biofortification in India
No full textIron deficiency is a widespread nutrition and health problem in developing countries, causing impairments in physical activity and cognitive development, as well as maternal mortality. Although food fortification and supplementation programmes have been effective in some countries, their overall success remains limited. Biofortification, that is, breeding food crops for higher micronutrient content, is a relatively new approach, which has been gaining international attention recently. We propose a methodology for ex ante impact assessment of iron biofortification, building on a disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) framework. This methodology is applied in an Indian context. Using a large and representative data set of household food consumption, the likely effects of iron-rich rice and wheat varieties are simulated for different target groups and regions. These varieties, which are being developed by an international public research consortium, based on conventional breeding techniques, might be ready for local distribution within the next couple of years. The results indicate sizeable potential health benefits. Depending on the underlying assumptions, the disease burden associated with iron deficiency could be reduced by 19–58%. Due to the relatively low institutional cost to reach the target population, the expected cost-effectiveness of iron biofortification compares favourably with other micronutrient interventions. Nonetheless, biofortification should not be seen as a substitute for other interventions. Each approach has its particular strengths, so they complement one another.<br/
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