Financial Analysis of Independent Power Projects in India

This paper aims at giving an insight into the financial analysis of the independent power projects in India (IPP), under Government Power Policy, 1996. These projects are generally executed on BOOT basis, wherein the IPPs build, own, operate and then transfer the project to statutory authorities. The project appraisal using Net Present Value (NPV) method is attempted. This is followed by risk analysis using Monte-Carlo simulation technique. Impact on NPV is studied using sensitivity analysis, where one variable affecting NPV is varied at a time keeping all other parameters constant. The result of this study indicates that based on power policy (1996), the IPPs are financially viable. The conclusions of the paper will be useful to promoters planning to enter the power generation industry. This is an exercise in valuation of an IPP, which will be useful even when mergers and acquisitions in the industry take place

Electrophoretic separation and comparative analysis of silk gland proteins from Bombyx and Philosamia.

A comparative anal. of protein extd. from different regions of silk glands in the Bombyx mori L. and Philosamia ricini Hutt was performed employing single-dimensional-electrophoresis technique. Notably, a protein extd. directly from the lumen of the middle silk gland yielded two discrete protein bands with mol. mass of 325 and 26 kDa representing fibroin heavy (H) and low (L) chains than whole silk gland of B. mori. Contrastingly, such differentiation in protein sepn. could not be achieved due to undifferentiated regions of silk gland in P. ricini. Interestingly, copious amt. of proteins with different mol. wt. were noticed in the whole silk gland of B. mori and P. ricini, whose functional properties in the silk gland remain enigmatic. Thus, middle and whole silk glands of B. mori shall be an ideal source for the extn. of fibroin and sericin resp. as potent bio-materials for biotechnol. and biomedical applications

Comparative proteome analysis and thermal stress induced changes in the embryo of poly- and bi-voltine strains of Bombyx mori

Proteins are the ultimate operating molecules producing the physiological effect in all the stages of an organism. As a consequence, proteome of the embryo play a pivotal role in determining the biological structures besides cellular organization and morphogenetic movements that occur during embryo development. But, changes in the environment temperature for few hours whether that alter the embryo development, protein expression and hatching of infants are unknown in Bombyx mori L. Hence, eggs of poly- and bi-voltine breeds were exposed to heat shock temperature of 35, 40 and 45°C for 2 h to measure tolerance level and differential expression of proteins in different age of the embryos. To facilitate comparative analysis among different breeds a comprehensive proteome map was constructed considering protein profile of different day’s embryos. Interestingly, ~10 to 21 protein bands were recorded during embryo development - from ovipostion till hatching - along with few new protein bands on day-6, which were differ in their intensity in different silkworm strains. Interestingly, no change in the protein pattern was observed in different days embryos exposed to thermal stress at 35 and 40°C. But degradation of 18 and 19 kDa proteins were recorded in all the days of embryos exposed to 45°C while four major protein bands remain unaltered. Further, the percent of hatching was slightly declined in 35 and 40°C and zero hatching was recorded in all the stages of eggs HS at 45°C. This clearly indicates that differential expression/degradation of proteins as a response to thermal stress not only influences the growth and development but also determine hatching of embryo. Accordingly, we suggest that embryonic protein map constructed in the present study shall be a valid reference for comparative analysis and hatching of embryos as one of the key traits to measure the rate of thermotolerance in the existing or new strains/breeds of B. mori

Biological relationship of Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) infecting cowpea with leguminous plant species

Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) associated with cowpea mechanically inoculated to different legumi-nous plants. Out of nineteen including cowpea Var.C-152, the virus was easily transferred to ten different legumi-nous hosts. All other hosts assessed for the presence of BCMV were found to be uninfected. The number of days taken for symptom expression and symptoms were varied within plant species. Pole bean expressed mosaic symp-tom after long incubation period (15-18 days) whereas, shorter incubation period was observed in common bean and rice bean (7- 10 days). BCMV produced chlorosis, mosaic, leaf distortion, puckering, vein banding, vein clearing and vein netting on cowpea(C-152). A typical virus symptom, mosaic was observed in green gram, common bean, lime bean, rice bean and yard long bean, whereas, leaf rolling and leaf distortion was observed in black gram, pole bean and snap bean. The virus-host relationship was confirmed by back inoculation test to C. amaranticolor. Further symptomatic plants were subjected for Reverse Transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for molecular confirmation using BCMV coat protein (CP) specific primer pair. A PCR fragment size of 439bp was amplified for the symptomatic plants. The results generated indicated the ability of a plant to support virus expression and host speci-ficity of BMCV within the leguminous plant species

Isolation of Angola-like Marburg virus from Egyptian rousette bats from West Africa.

Marburg virus (MARV) causes sporadic outbreaks of severe Marburg virus disease (MVD). Most MVD outbreaks originated in East Africa and field studies in East Africa, South Africa, Zambia, and Gabon identified the Egyptian rousette bat (ERB; Rousettus aegyptiacus) as a natural reservoir. However, the largest recorded MVD outbreak with the highest case-fatality ratio happened in 2005 in Angola, where direct spillover from bats was not  shown. Here, collaborative studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Njala University, University of California, Davis USAID-PREDICT, and the University of Makeni identify MARV circulating in ERBs in Sierra Leone. PCR, antibody and virus isolation data from 1755 bats of 42 species shows active MARV infection in approximately 2.5% of ERBs. Phylogenetic analysis identifies MARVs that are similar to the Angola strain. These results provide evidence of MARV circulation in West Africa and demonstrate the value of pathogen surveillance to identify previously undetected threats

Enteral lactoferrin supplementation for very preterm infants: a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background Infections acquired in hospital are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in very preterm infants. Several small trials have suggested that supplementing the enteral diet of very preterm infants with lactoferrin, an antimicrobial protein processed from cow's milk, prevents infections and associated complications. The aim of this large randomised controlled trial was to collect data to enhance the validity and applicability of the evidence from previous trials to inform practice. Methods In this randomised placebo-controlled trial, we recruited very preterm infants born before 32 weeks' gestation in 37 UK hospitals and younger than 72 h at randomisation. Exclusion criteria were presence of a severe congenital anomaly, anticipated enteral fasting for longer than 14 days, or no realistic prospect of survival. Eligible infants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either enteral bovine lactoferrin (150 mg/kg per day; maximum 300 mg/day; lactoferrin group) or sucrose (same dose; control group) once daily until 34 weeks' postmenstrual age. Web-based randomisation minimised for recruitment site, gestation (completed weeks), sex, and single versus multifetal pregnancy. Parents, caregivers, and outcome assessors were unaware of group assignment. The primary outcome was microbiologically confirmed or clinically suspected late-onset infection (occurring >72 h after birth), which was assessed in all participants for whom primary outcome data was available by calculating the relative risk ratio with 95% CI between the two groups. The trial is registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number 88261002. Findings We recruited 2203 participants between May 7, 2014, and Sept 28, 2017, of whom 1099 were assigned to the lactoferrin group and 1104 to the control group. Four infants had consent withdrawn or unconfirmed, leaving 1098 infants in the lactoferrin group and 1101 in the sucrose group. Primary outcome data for 2182 infants (1093 [99·5%] of 1098 in the lactoferrin group and 1089 [99·0] of 1101 in the control group) were available for inclusion in the modified intention-to-treat analyses. 316 (29%) of 1093 infants in the intervention group acquired a late-onset infection versus 334 (31%) of 1089 in the control group. The risk ratio adjusted for minimisation factors was 0·95 (95% CI 0·86–1·04; p=0·233). During the trial there were 16 serious adverse events for infants in the lactoferrin group and 10 for infants in the control group. Two events in the lactoferrin group (one case of blood in stool and one death after intestinal perforation) were assessed as being possibly related to the trial intervention. Interpretation Enteral supplementation with bovine lactoferrin does not reduce the risk of late-onset infection in very preterm infants. These data do not support its routine use to prevent late-onset infection and associated morbidity or mortality in very preterm infants. Funding UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme (10/57/49)

Assessing Effectiveness of Research for Load Shedding in Power System

The research on loadshedding issues dates back to 1972 and till date many studies were introduced by the research community to address the issues. A closer review of existing techniques shows that still the effectiveness of loadshedding schemes are not yet benchmarked and majority of the existing system just considers the techniques to be quite symptomatic to either frequency or voltage. With an evolution of smart grids, majority of the controlling features of power system and networks are governed by a computational model. However, till date not enough evidences of potential computational model has been seen that claims to have better balance between the load shedding schemes and quality of power system performance. Hence, we review some significant literatures and highlights the research gap with the existing technqiues of load balancing that is meant for assisting the researcher to conclude after the selection process of existing system as a reference for future direction of study

Shoulder pain and disability index: its effectiveness and reliability in an outpatient setting in Indian population

Background: One of the most common joints to be treated in the clinic is the shoulder joint. An orthopedic surgeon and physical therapists should be knowledgeable about the proper assessment of the shoulder joint to effectively evaluate and design a treatment program in shoulder pathologies. Shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) is a questionnaire designed to measure pain and disability associated with shoulder pathologies in a clinical setting. SPADI’s effectiveness as a tool needed to be validated in Indian population hence this study. The objectives of this study were to measure effectiveness of SPADI in our setting and to measure the reliability and acceptability of SPADI in Indian population.Methods: 60 patients with shoulder pain between the age of 25-50 years who attended the orthopaedic OPD during the time period of April 2017 to April 2018 were included. The subjects were evaluated with SPADI and oxford shoulder score (OSS) questionnaires. The data was analyzed by paired sample T test and alpha coefficient level.Results: The data statistically analysed revealed that the scales are reliable as the Cronbach's alpha was high (>0.7) and was effective to measure the pain and disability of the shoulder joint in our clinical set up.Conclusions: It can be concluded from our statistical analysis that both SPADI and OSS are equally effective tools in measuring pain and disability in our clinical set up, the only difference being that SPADI is operationally very simple and lucid for our population

ANALYSIS OF POWER QUALITY EVENTS USING WAVELETS

Wavelets are prominently used for Power Quality (PQ) signal analysis, the features that are computed from wavelet sub bands are informative for detection and classification. Energy levels of non-stationary events that occur in PQ signal computed considering wavelet sub bands suffer from shift variant property and hence use of dual tree complex wavelets that supports shift invariance property is used for PQ event analysis. In this paper, PQ event algorithm is developed considering dual tree wavelets and the results are compared with wavelets. Various PQ signals with non-stationary events are analyzed and the shift invariant property of dual tree wavelets is demonstrated to be advantageous in terms of event classification. Dual Tree Complex wavelet Transform (DTCWT) energy levels are capable of differentiating between multiple events as well as different types of sags, swells, harmonics, interrupts and flicker. The classification accuracy using DTCWT energy bands is improved by more than 90%. DTCWT filters selected in this paper are suitable for PQ event detection as well as classification

Enteral lactoferrin supplementation for very preterm infants: a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background Infections acquired in hospital are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in very preterm infants. Several small trials have suggested that supplementing the enteral diet of very preterm infants with lactoferrin, an antimicrobial protein processed from cow's milk, prevents infections and associated complications. The aim of this large randomised controlled trial was to collect data to enhance the validity and applicability of the evidence from previous trials to inform practice. Methods In this randomised placebo-controlled trial, we recruited very preterm infants born before 32 weeks' gestation in 37 UK hospitals and younger than 72 h at randomisation. Exclusion criteria were presence of a severe congenital anomaly, anticipated enteral fasting for longer than 14 days, or no realistic prospect of survival. Eligible infants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either enteral bovine lactoferrin (150 mg/kg per day; maximum 300 mg/day; lactoferrin group) or sucrose (same dose; control group) once daily until 34 weeks' postmenstrual age. Web-based randomisation minimised for recruitment site, gestation (completed weeks), sex, and single versus multifetal pregnancy. Parents, caregivers, and outcome assessors were unaware of group assignment. The primary outcome was microbiologically confirmed or clinically suspected late-onset infection (occurring >72 h after birth), which was assessed in all participants for whom primary outcome data was available by calculating the relative risk ratio with 95% CI between the two groups. The trial is registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number 88261002. Findings We recruited 2203 participants between May 7, 2014, and Sept 28, 2017, of whom 1099 were assigned to the lactoferrin group and 1104 to the control group. Four infants had consent withdrawn or unconfirmed, leaving 1098 infants in the lactoferrin group and 1101 in the sucrose group. Primary outcome data for 2182 infants (1093 [99·5%] of 1098 in the lactoferrin group and 1089 [99·0] of 1101 in the control group) were available for inclusion in the modified intention-to-treat analyses. 316 (29%) of 1093 infants in the intervention group acquired a late-onset infection versus 334 (31%) of 1089 in the control group. The risk ratio adjusted for minimisation factors was 0·95 (95% CI 0·86–1·04; p=0·233). During the trial there were 16 serious adverse events for infants in the lactoferrin group and 10 for infants in the control group. Two events in the lactoferrin group (one case of blood in stool and one death after intestinal perforation) were assessed as being possibly related to the trial intervention. Interpretation Enteral supplementation with bovine lactoferrin does not reduce the risk of late-onset infection in very preterm infants. These data do not support its routine use to prevent late-onset infection and associated morbidity or mortality in very preterm infants. Funding UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme (10/57/49)