A number of methods available for comparing two samples with censored data is evaluated through a simulation-based exercise. The (Geweke-Hajivassilion-Kenne (GHK) simulator is used here. All the methods discussed here can handle the case when there are multiple detection limits. Under the conditions considered in the simulation, the Mann-Whitney/ Wilcoxon method is best in maintain the Type 1 error rate, while still providing sufficient power.

Kawasaki disease is an acute systemic vasculitis of unknown cause that affects mainly infants and children. Coronary artery lesions (CAL) are one of the most important complications of this disease. An appropriate therapy during acute phase of Kawasaki disease to prevent large CAL has not been established. Recent studies disclosed that aspirin and flurbiprofen appeared to have a negative impact on the suppressive effects of initial intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy on CAL development in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease and that an initial single IVIG therapy with delayed administration of anti-inflammatory drugs might be useful for prevention of large CAL. Furthermore, recent study disclosed that variable factors including IVIG resistance, responsiveness, and relapse of disease were associated with CAL complications and that an initial single IVIG therapy may be useful for the prevention of large CAL caused by different factors of Kawasaki disease.

Electricity markets currently face shared global challenges in the search for sustainable energy: security of energy supply, protection of the environment and maintenance of competitiveness. Together these three factors help produce cleaner and more compatible energy with sustainable development. One way of assessing the environmental performance and disclosure level of a company is the use of metrics. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) indicators are the most accepted ones in previously published literature. In the first decade of this century there was an increase in social and environmental disclosure in the electricity sector in Brazil, following trends set elsewhere in the world. The stakeholders’ request for both environmental information and accountability resulted in the dissemination of sustainability reports, especially in the more environmentally sensitive industries. During the privatization of the Brazilian electricity sector, some of Iberia’s largest energy firms began to invest more in Brazil as a result of the European liberalization process that was already under way. This paper aims to identify the Environmental Information Disclosure Level (EIDL) of Brazilian companies and Iberian companies, which published sustainability reports using the GRI indicators. The main conclusions show that Brazilian companies are in the process of improving their disclosure level while Iberian companies have remained constant at a higher level. An analysis of the level of disclosure of different firms and their different locations suggests that Iberian companies have better performance than their Brazilian counterparts when it comes to environmental issues.

Background: In the present study an attempt was made to compare the different diagnosis of mycoplasma pneumonia among the patients of respiratory tract infections in northern Indian population. Commonly used techniques in the diagnosis of mycoplasma pneumonia are culture, serology and PCR and different studies assure the different sensitivity and specificity. In the present study author also aim to find the common risk factors of mycoplasma pneumonia. Material & Methods: The present study was undertaken at Career Institute of Medical Science, Lucknow. The total number of study subjects were 193. The total number of male subjects were 115 (59.6 %) while 78 (40.4 %) were females. Samples were Collected for culture, serology and PCR. All samples of culture & serology were undergone for PCR. Results: Out of 193 patients 58 (30 %) samples were found positive in culture and 73 (38 %) samples were found to be positive in serology test. 58 patients were found to be positive by both culture and serology which are further tested in PCR and only 10 (17 %) samples were found positive.

Trade and investment are vital to economic growth and markets’ integration. A study was conducted to assess U.S. - Arab trade and investment relations and the impact of Free Trade Agreements on the economic development in the Arab world.The qualitative research utilized publically available trade and investment data for years 2010 -2014. U.S. exports to the 22 Arab countries for Year 2014 amounted to $71.4 billion and accounted for 4.4% of total U.S. exports to the rest of the world which stood at $1.6 trillion. U.S. imports (mostly oil and gas) from the Arab countries stood at $88.2 billion and amounted to 3.7% of total U.S. imports from rest of the world. The six Gulf Cooperation Council countries accounted for 70.4% of total U.S. exports to Arab countries and 74.8% of its total imports.Free trade agreements had limited impact on economic cooperation between United States and Arab countries. All signatories were among U.S. small Arab trading partners.

This study provides empirical evidence regarding the bias of management forecasts and information content of management forecasts as analyst coverage increases both by firm and industry. Findings indicate that, on average, management forecasts in the sample exhibit downward bias in the forecast. This is a result that many prior researchers have found. However, when an industry analysis was performed, the industries with the highest analyst coverage (i.e., oil and gas, technology, and healthcare) had minimal bias. In fact, the bias of the management forecast approached zero. All other industries observed contained negative bias results. With respect to information content of the management forecast, firms with fewer than 14 analysts covering them were compared to firms with coverage by greater than 14 analysts. Findings suggest that firms with analysts exceeding 14 have an enhanced information signal to the investors and other interested parties than do firms with fewer than 14 analysts.

The reliability of various teletraffic data-analytical devices in communication systems is relevant to all stakeholders. Among other key external variables, the performance of the network evaluated under a variety of traffic scenarios is the focus of the study: data/video traffic generated by subscribers, who ordinarily subscribed voice bandwidth services. This study, therefore views teletraffic data as complete random and in-deterministic variables, and examines its continuous dependence on configuration of fixed engineering values by equipment innovators/operators. The study was carried out by examining if core equipment techniques for processing traffic data on real-time basis vary in accordance with the bandwidth required to deliver the service (voice, data and video). Four Line Trunk Groups (LTG01, LTG02, LTG03 and LTG04) and 16 Digital Line Units (DLUs) were used for the study. Close examination of the activated DLUs configured to carry voice bandwidth generated daily traffic values of 0.1Erlang to 0.2Erlang, while others generated traffic rates of 0.01Erlang to 0.05Erlang per line; during the non-busy-hour period. This traffic rates, though subscribed for voice services, were shared among voice, data and video. The study concludes that the time consistent busy hour is not truly consistent in the present heterogeneous traffic environment. New concepts were examined and recommendations made for review.

Afish oil processing facility was designed and evaluated for the annual extraction of 2.5 ktonnes of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from 18/12EE fish oils by liquid-liquid solvent extraction through the use of a silver-based solvent. Using experimentally derived extraction efficiencies obtained with commercial 18/12EE fish oil, a plug-flow reactor configuration is proposed to significantly reduce silver solvent inventory requirements relative to conventional batch processes, corresponding to an initial capital reduction of ~$40 million at this scale. Evaluation of the proposed facilityresulted in capital costs of $4.9 million, annual operating costs of $7.7million, and a yearly gross revenue of $21.0 million. Considering the expensive solvent used, the profitability of the proposed process is highly dependent on the amount of solvent required to fill the vessels, and on the recovery efficiency following de-complexation of the Omega-3 and silver ions. Depending on market conditions, a number of recovery methods are discussed and evaluated, with specific emphasis placed on chemical, thermal or electrolytic methods.

With the development of digital x-ray sensing devices, demand for stable and highly sensitive material is continuously increasing. Various solid state materials have been discovered like mercuric iodide, lead iodide, potassium di chromate etc. These materials are used both in single crystal form and polycrystalline form. Most of the materials are found to have limited stability. In search of highly stable material, composite materials using polymers are searched. In present study cadmium iodide in PMMA is subjected to the study for their X-ray sensing properties. For these their electrical conductivity measurements were made both in absence and in presence of radiations (X-Rays and low intensity Gamma Rays). Results, obtained are analyzed in the light of photocurrent generated by high energy radiations. These composites are found to have high efficiency and stability for X-ray sensing. However x-ray switching response is limited.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi entered nationalist politics in 1920 and changed the character of the national movement completely. Before 1920, Bengal politics was mainly dominated by the activities of the revolutionaries and the politics within Congress. Anushilan Samity and Yugantar were the two main revolutionary groups in Bengal at the beginning of twentieth century. Their main intention was to liberate their motherland through violent struggle. The Congress leaders as well as the revolutionaries of Bengal were not at all ready to accept Gandhi and his doctrine of nonviolence. Gandhi too had no sympathy for the revolutionaries, as their method was against his principle of non-violence. C R Das and Subhas Chandra Bose of Bengal Congress gave stiff opposition to Gandhi. Eventually, the death of C R Das and the imprisonment of Bose at Mandalay prison, Burma saw the emergence of Gandhiites like J M Sengupta through whom gradually the control of Bengal Congress went into the hands of Gandhi. The final showdown between Gandhi and Bose came in 1939 when Bose was compelled to resign as Congress President at Tripuri. Disunity within the Left wingers, non-cooperation from the Congress leaders forced Bose to leave the country to liberate his motherland with foreign help.