Economics and Efficiency of Organic Farming vis-à-vis Conventional Farming in India

Organic farming systems have attracted increasing attention over the last one decade because they are perceived to offer some solutions to the problems currently besetting the agricultural sector. Organic farming has the potential to provide benefits in terms of environmental protection, conservation of non-renewable resources and improved food quality. India is bestowed with lot of potential to produce all varieties of organic products due to its diverse agro-climatic regions. In several parts of the country, the inherited tradition of organic farming is an added advantage. This holds promise for the organic producers to tap the market which is growing steadily in the domestic market related to the export market. In India, the land under certification is around 2.8 million ha. But, there is considerable latent interest among farmers in conversion to organic farming. However, some farmers are reluctant to convert because of the perceived high costs and risks involved in organic farming. Despite the attention which has been paid to organic farming over the last few years, very little accessible information actually exists on the costs and returns of organic farming in India. The empirical evidences of efficiency analysis of organic and conventional farming systems are scarce or even absent. So, the present paper focuses mainly on the issues like economics and efficiency of organic farming vis-�-vis conventional farming in India. Four states namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and U.P were purposively selected for the present study. Similarly, four major crops i.e., cotton, sugarcane, paddy and wheat were chosen for comparison. A model based non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used for analyzing the efficiency of the farming systems. The crop economics results showed a mixed response. Overall, it is concluded that the unit cost of production is lower in organic farming in case of cotton and sugarcane crops where as the same is lower in conventional farming for paddy and wheat crops. The DEA efficiency analysis conducted on different crops indicated that the efficiency levels are lower in organic farming when compared to conventional farming, relative to their production frontiers. The results conclude that there is ample scope for increasing the efficiency under organic farms.

Efficiency of Indian Banking Industry in the Post-Reform Era

One of the major objectives of Indian banking sector reforms was to encourage operational self-sufficiency, flexibility and competition in the system and to increase the banking standards in India to the international best practices. The second phase of reforms began in 1997 with aim to reorganization measures, human capital development, technological up-gradation, structural development which helped them for achieving universal benchmarks in terms of prudential norms and pre-eminent practices. This paper seeks to determine the impact of various market and regulatory initiatives on efficiency improvements of Indian banks. Efficiency of firm is measured in terms of its relative performance that is, efficiency of a firm relative to the efficiencies of firms in a sample. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has used to identify banks that are on the output frontier given the various inputs at their disposal. The present study is confined only to the Constant-Return-to-Scale (CRS) assumption of decision making units (DMUs). Variable returns to scale (VRS) assumption for estimating the efficiency was not attempted. It was found from the results that national banks, new private banks and foreign banks have showed high efficiency over a period time than remaining banks.

Career development of women in the hotel industry: An Overview

This paper focuses on factors affecting career progression of women in the hotel industry as discussed by researchers in different geographical locations in the world and to investigate whether women are indeed blocked in the process of advancing in their career. It is also focused to explore the mechanism adopted by the hospitality companies to mitigate the issue related to women’s career progression. An in-depth study was carried to by reviewing twenty-two articles related to the hotel industry and twenty-eight articles related to hospitality industry. It was revealed that specific factors are common to the industry irrespective of the geographical locations such as networking, gender discrimination, segregation, long and irregular working hours and work and family balance. However, factors like cultural barriers, taking risks on non-linear assignments and significance of finding a sponsor were limited to individual countries. Irrespective of the economic and social developments of the countries concerned covering America, Europe, Australia, Africa, Middle Eastern countries, Far East Asia and South Asian regions, the issue of lack of women leaders in the hotel industry has been a significant issue. The Glass ceiling effect on career development for women was widely discussed and confirmed the existence in many countries irrespective of legal frameworks of equal opportunities. Few uncommon issues were also publicised in the study in the USA commenting few challenges and barriers such as the importance of having a sponsor, making lateral moves with new opportunities and being a ‘”token” in a male-dominated executive table

Pengaruh Penggunaan Katalis (Zeolit) Terhadap Kinetic Rate Tar Hasil Pirolisis Serbuk Kayu Mahoni (Switenia Macrophylla)

This research was conducted to find out the influence of the use of a catalyst (zeolite) against kinetic rate results of tar pyrolysis of sawdust mahogany. research process undertaken experimentally with temperature 523K and 873K on the heating rate 673 K/hour. pyrolysis is done for 3 hours with wood powder particle size 0,5 – 1 mm. before use activated zeolite in advance by means of heated at a temperature of 400 °c for 1 hour. the results showed the value of kinetic rate tar with zeolites greater than without zeolites , where the value of the kinetic rate equation obtained i.e. = 185,49. −2779/ (heating rate 673 K/hour without zeolite) and = 93,037. (heating rate 673 K/hour with zeolite). The results of the validation shows the value addition in the calculation of the volume is already approaching the actual value

Ekspresi Menulis Dan Menggambar Sebagai Media Terapi

Children are very vulnerable with their body, especially when they are ill. This condition is so uncomfortable for children to get ill, moreover when they have to hospitalized. Children which in hospitalized condition usually have chronic illness and should be hospitalized for long time. This condition would affects not only their body, but their mind and emotion. Hospitalized would make children getting stress and distress and need to cope. One way to cope is by managing their emotion through writing and drawing as a method to express their emotion. This study used the book as a media to express their emotion called “Pelangi Hatiku”. The qualitative method using in this study is case study. The participants who involved in this case study are 3 children of 8-12 year-old from 2 general hospital in Yogyakarta. Children were interviewed and observed regarding their: (a) understanding of positive and negative emotions, and (b) ways of regulating emotion before and after they using “Pelangi Hatiku” for several times. It was found that the children have understanding of their negative and positive emotions, and able to express them to others. They have four ways to manage their emotions that are necessary for healthy adjustment. Therefore, the book of “Pelangi Hatiku” can be used as a therapy media for hospitalized children. Keywords: hospitalized children, buku “Pelangi Hatiku”, media therapy

Analisa Stabilitas Transien pada Sistem Transmisi Sumatera Utara 150 KV - 275 KV dengan Penambahan PLTA Batang Toru 4 X 125 MW

Sistem kelistrikan Sumatera Utara yang dipasok dengan menggunakan sistem Transmisi 150 kV dan 275 kV merupakan sistem transmisi dengan pusat beban terbesar di Sumatera. Dalam upaya memenuhi kebutuhan listrik, sesuai dengan RUPTL, Sistem Transmisi Sumatera Utara akan mengoperasikan PLTA Batang Toru dengan kapasitas 4 x 125 MW pada tahun 2020. Karena potensi sumber energi yang cukup besar di Sumatera Utara adalah tenaga air dan panas bumi. Dengan penambahan PLTA Batang Toru 4 x 125 MW, perlu dilakukan studi kestabilan transien untuk mengetahui kestabilan sistem saat terjadi gangguan transien. Dari hasil simulasi menunjukkan bahwa case lepasnya generator, lepasnya satu saluran dan saluran ganda tidak menyebabkan sistem keluar dari batas stabil. Karena ketika generator lepas, daya supply yang hilang hanya 5-8% dari total pembangkitan. Begitu juga dengan kasus single pole auto reclosing dengan waktu Circuit Breaker kembali tertutup sebesar 500 ms setelah gangguan, hasil respon sudut rotor, frekuensi dan tegangan menunjukkan sistem masih stabil. Pada penentuan waktu pemutusan kritis (CCT), nilai CCT pada sistem 2018 dapat ditemukan pada 120 ms – 140 ms (batas rekomendasi CCT sistem besar). Sedangkan pada sistem 2020 tetap dalam keadaan stabil ketika terjadi gangguan hubung singkat 3 fasa . Sehingga penentuan CCT (Critical Clearing Time) melebihi dari batas rekomendasi nilai CCT untuk sistem besar

Increased neural response to social rejection in major depression

Background: Being a part of community is critical for survival and individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) have a greater sensitivity to interpersonal stress that makes them vulnerable to future episodes. Social rejection is a critical risk factor for depression and it is said to increase interpersonal stress and thereby impairing social functioning. It is therefore critical to understand the neural correlates of social rejection in MDD. Methods: To this end, we scanned 15 medicated MDD and 17 healthy individuals during a modified cyberball passing game, where participants were exposed to increasing levels of social exclusion. Neural responses to increasing social exclusion were investigated and compared between groups. Results: We showed that compared to controls, MDD individuals exhibited greater amygdala, insula, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation to increasing social exclusion and this correlated negatively with hedonic tone and self-esteem scores across all participants. Conclusions: These preliminary results support the hypothesis that depression is associated with hyperactive response to social rejection. These findings highlight the importance of studying social interactions in depression, as they often lead to social withdrawal and isolation

Angka Kejadian Penyakit Autoimun pada Pasien Anak di Rsup Sanglah Denpasar

Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui angka kejadian pasien anak dengan penyakit autoimun di RSUP Sanglah Kota Denpasar. Penelitian observasional ini dilakukan di RSUP Sanglah, Denpasar pada periode Maret 2016 sampai Juni 2016. Kriteria subyek penelitian adalah pasien anak dengan penyakit autoimun pada usia 0-18 tahun yang menjalani rawat inap, rawat jalan dan rawat darurat di RSUP Sanglah, Denpasar. Data pasien diperoleh dari rekam medis serta buku registrasi dan sensus semua pasien anak pada periode Januari tahun 2015 sampai Juni 2016. Angka kejadian penyakit autoimun pada anak disajikan secara deskriptif. Pada penelitian ini, terdapat 50 pasien anak dengan penyakit autoimun yang melakukan kontrol pada periode Januari 2015 sampai dengan Juni 2016 yang diperoleh dari 22.881 jumlah anak yang melakukan kunjungan rawat jalan, rawat inap maupun gawat darurat pada periode tahun tersebut. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini adalah terdapat angka kejadian penyakit autoimun pada periode Januari 2015 sampai Juni 2016 sebesar 0,22% pada anak di RSUP Sanglah Denpasar