SELECTION PROCEDURES TO SELECT POPULATIONS BETTER THAN A CONTROL

Kumar, Narinder,Khamnel, H.J. The Korean Statistical Society 2003 Journal of the Korean Statistical Society Vol.32 No.2

In this paper, we propose two selection procedures for selecting populations better than a control population. The bestness is defined in terms of location parameter. One of the procedures is based on two-sample linear rank statistics whereas the other one is based on a comparatively simple statistic, and is useful when testing time is expensive so that an early termination of an experiment is desirable. The proposed selection procedures are seen to be strongly monotone. Performance of the proposed procedures is assessed through simulation study.

Effect of Spinal Cord Injury on Quality of Life of Affected Soldiers in India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Narinder Kumar,Bhawna Gupta 대한척추외과학회 2016 Asian Spine Journal Vol.10 No.2

Study Design: A prospective cross-sectional study with convenience sampling approach was done to assess quality of life (QoL) in 100 soldiers and veterans affected by spinal cord injury (SCI). Purpose: SCI affects almost every aspect of the life of an affected individual. This study was done to measure the impact of SCI on QoL of affected soldiers and veterans using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Overview of Literature: The devastating effect of SCI on QoL is well known. However, this study is unique in that it includes soldiers and veterans, who constitute a large, but excluded, cohort in most demographic studies. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done at two SCI rehabilitation centres of the Indian armed forces. Data was collected by faceto- face interviews from 100 patients, which included both sociodemographic data as well as all the questions included in WHOQOLBREF questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: Age and marital status did not have any influence on QoL. Level of injury (paraplegic or quadriplegic), level of education and presence of other medical co-morbidities had the most significant influence on QoL. Presence of other medical co-morbidities had a negative influence on QoL. Conclusions: Identification of factors having a positive and negative influence on QoL help in formulating measures and policies that positively influence the QoL following SCI in soldiers. Future longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes and assessment of additional variables in addition to WHOQOL-BREF, like presence/absence of secondary complications, are required to bring about policy changes to provide SCI patients with additional support and increased access to equipment or lifestyle interventions.

Structural and electrical studies of template synthesized copper nanowires

Narinder Kumar,Rajesh Kumar,Sushil Kumar,S.K. Chakarvarti 한국물리학회 2014 Current Applied Physics Vol.14 No.11

The template strategy combined with electrodeposition technique has been used to produce copper nanowires in the cylindrical pores of track-etched polycarbonate membranes. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and UVevisible spectroscopy have been used to characterize as-prepared copper nanowires. XRD study shows the face centered cubic crystal structure of copper nanowires. WilliamsoneHall (WH) analysis has been used to determine the crystallite size and microstrain induced due to lattice deformation. FESEM results reveal that copper nanowires are continuous, well aligned with uniform diameter and having high aspect ratio. The optical absorption spectra exhibit a strong peak at 568 nm attributed to the surface plasmon resonance. The currentevoltage (IeV) characteristics show an ohmic behavior of the fabricated copper nanowires. The increase in resistivity of nanowires than that of bulk counterpart has been attributed to the surface and size effects in nanowires and explained in the light of FuchseSondeimer and MayadaseShatzkes models.

Investigation of Ionic Transport Through Track-Etched Conical Nanopores of PET Membrane

Sushil Kumar,Rajesh Kumar,Sushil Kumar,Narinder Kumar,S. K. Chakarvarti 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2018 NANO Vol.13 No.1

The control of ionic transportation inside the multi asymmetric conical nanopores in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membrane was investigated. The conical nanopores were prepared by chemical etching in irradiated PET foil using etchant (9 M NaOH) and stopping solution (1 M NaCl + 1 M HCOOH). The behavior of ionic current was recorded under stepping voltage - 2 V to +2 V at different molar concentrations of potassium halides (KCl, KBr and KI) under symmetric bathing condition in electrochemical cell. It is found that the presence of multiple ionic species and the occurrence of counterion condensation of charge regulated polyelectrolyte play an effective role in ionic current rectification (ICR). The electrical conductance of conical nanopores may be estimated by measuring the ionic current rectification properties of track-etched nanopores. The charge transport properties vary with molar concentration and pH of electrolyte. Moreover, ICR may be used as a voltage gating phenomena with wide technological applications.

The Single Cigarette Economy in India - a Back of the Envelope Survey to Estimate its Magnitude

Lal, Pranay,Kumar, Ravinder,Ray, Shreelekha,Sharma, Narinder,Bhattarcharya, Bhaktimay,Mishra, Deepak,Sinha, Mukesh K.,Christian, Anant,Rathinam, Arul,Singh, Gurbinder Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.13

Background: Sale of single cigarettes is an important factor for early experimentation, initiation and persistence of tobacco use and a vital factor in the smoking epidemic in India as it is globally. Single cigarettes also promote the sale of illicit cigarettes and neutralises the effect of pack warnings and effective taxation, making tobacco more accessible and affordable to minors. This is the first study to our knowledge which estimates the size of the single stick market in India. Materials and Methods: In February 2014, a 10 jurisdiction survey was conducted across India to estimate the sale of cigarettes in packs and sticks, by brands and price over a full business day. Results: We estimate that nearly 75% of all cigarettes are sold as single sticks annually, which translates to nearly half a billion US dollars or 30 percent of the India's excise revenues from all cigarettes. This is the price which the consumers pay but is not captured through tax and therefore pervades into an informal economy. Conclusions: Tracking the retail price of single cigarettes is an efficient way to determine the willingness to pay by cigarette smokers and is a possible method to determine the tax rates in the absence of any other rationale.

A Cross-Country Comparison of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices about Tobacco Use: Findings from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey

Gupta, Bhawna,Kumar, Narinder Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.12

Background: Knowledge and individual perceptions about adverse effects of all forms of tobacco exert direct influence on the level of tobacco consumption in various socio-demographic groups. The objective of this study was to determine the nature, extent and demographic correlates of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of use of tobacco among adults in low and middle income countries. Materials and Methods: The Global Adult Tobacco Survey, conducted in fourteen different countries from 2008-2010, was sourced for the data analyzed in this study. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted to determine the prevalent knowledge and individual perceptions amongst adults about all forms of tobacco consumption. Results: There was relatively high awareness about the harmful effects of smoking tobacco with main awareness being about its relationship with lung cancer (>90% in most countries). In contrast, there was relatively low awareness about harmful effects of smokeless tobacco (< 90% in all countries except India and Bangladesh), and observed correlation of smoking tobacco with heart attack (40.6% in China, 65.1% in India) and stroke (28.2% in China, 50.5% in India). Conclusions: A large proportion of adults living in low and middle income countries possess adequate knowledge about smoking tobacco but have inadequate awareness as well as false perceptions about smokeless forms of tobacco. Popular beliefs of inverse relationships of tobacco consumption with knowledge, attitudes and perception of populations towards tobacco are challenged by the findings of this study.

Protective effect of Prunus amygdalus nut extract on chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) induced memory deficits and biochemical alterations in rats

Nitish Bhatia,Abhitinder Kumar,Parminder Kaur,Benu George,Narinder Kaur,Masih Uzaaman Khan,Ravi Kumar Dhawan 경희대학교 융합한의과학연구소 2022 Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine Vol.22 No.2

Stress intervenes in the brain’s capability to encode and regain information from a person, it alters the biochemical parameters in specific regions of the brain can cause long-term damage to various parts of brain. The present investigations aid in understanding the effect of the Prunus amygdalus nut extract on CUS induced memory deficits in rats. The methanolic extract with an antioxidant potential (~ 60%) and was selected for in vivo analysis. CUS was induced in rats using different stress paradigms for 10 days. On day 11 and 12, acquisition trials for memory evaluation were performed using Morris Water Maze. On day 13 and 10 days later on, i.e. day 23, short-term and long-term memory retrievals trials were evaluated, respectively. Treatment groups were given test methanolic extract an hour before the subjection of CUS. Biochemical estimations and histopathological studies were carried out using brain tissue homogenate and brain tissue section, respectively. CUS altered the Transfer Latency time in both acquisition and retrieval trials, indicating memory impairment, which was reduced significantly in extract-treated groups. Administration of P. amygdalus nut methanolic extract protected the rat brains against CUS-induced neuroinflammatory changes. The observed beneficial effects could be attributed to the antioxidant potential of P. amygdalus.

Extruded black gram flour: Partial substitute for improving quality characteristics of Indian traditional snack

Laxmi Ananthanarayan,Yogesh Gat,Vikas Kumar,Anil Panghal,Narinder Kaur 한국식품연구원 2018 Journal of Ethnic Foods Vol.5 No.1

Background During extrusion of black gram flour, formation of amylose-lipid complexes lowers down the gelatinization enthalpy of extrudates, and the partially gelatinized black gram starch leads to lowering down the water-holding capacity and alters functional properties resulting in changing quality attributes of the end product on frying/microwaving/roasting. Methods Attempts have been made to improve the quality of an Indian traditional snack (e.g., papad) by incorporating extruded black gram flour as partial substitute for raw (unextruded) black gram flour. In present work, overall quality improvement was achieved by analyzing prefrying and postfrying characteristics (diameter, moisture content, expansion ratio, oil uptake, texture, and color) of papad and physical properties (color and viscosity) of fried oil. Results Four different papad samples were prepared (control papads without addition of papadkhar, papads with use of 3% papadkhar, papads with incorporation of extruded black gram flour at 25% concentration, papads with incorporation of extruded black gram flour at 50% concentration along with 1% papadkhar) and analyzed along standard market sample. Incorporation of extruded black gram flour in papad resulted in greater expansion with less oil uptake in fried papad. Further addition of extruded black gram flour permitted the use of lower concentration of papadkhar. After frying, the quality of oil was characterized after numerous frying cycles. Conclusion Oil used for frying of papads containing highest concentration of papadkhar was effective only up to two frying cycles, after which color and viscosity increased significantly, adversely affecting the quality of fried oil.