Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 2020
PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate whether small marginal farmers in India have financial constra... more PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate whether small marginal farmers in India have financial constraints and to examine how bank managers make lending decisions.Design/methodology/approachA survey approach was employed, using semi-structured questionnaires with a sample of 42 banks and 185 farmers from the state of Punjab in India. The questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were carried out on a one-to-one basis and in focus groups, and their responses were analysed from the supply (banks) and demand (farmers) side regarding access to finance.FindingsThe results indicate that the Indian farming sector is a complex and multidimensional one that has dependency on both the private and public sectors because of its national importance to varying degrees. Financial lending decisions are dependent upon several non-quantifiable factors (culture, caste, family size, education) and relational bank lending practices. Such practices have an adverse impact on bankable loan applications, and...
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 2021
PurposeThis paper investigates the mediating role of access to finance and entrepreneurial educat... more PurposeThis paper investigates the mediating role of access to finance and entrepreneurial education for small and marginal farmers (SMFs) in the Indian northern state of Punjab. Furthermore, it examines the inter-mediatory role of entrepreneurs and the access to finance in the promotion of innovation, development and consequently poverty alleviation.Design/methodology/approachTo gain a deeper insight, we used a purposive sampling technique, involving in-depth, face-to-face interviews based on a semi-structured questionnaire amongst 185 farmers from the state of the Punjab in India. The combination of open ended and dichotomous questions amenable to the Likert scale, captured responses and the transcribed questionnaires were thematically analysed.FindingsUsing the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative responses, we explain the cause and consequences of the finance gap and the impact of poverty on household income and the debt levels of SMFs. The findings suggest that the expa...
Understanding factors affecting innovative financial decision-making involves the usage of more t... more Understanding factors affecting innovative financial decision-making involves the usage of more than one theory-driven model including those related to psychological behaviour (e.g. theory of planned behaviour). This study validates a conceptual framework extending the traditional financing model (TFM) and behavioural financial decision (BFD) to explain innovative financial decision-making utilising both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Based on a sample of 140 small tourism businesses, employing structured equation modelling, the findings reinforce the importance of the behavioural approach on innovative financial decision-making in small tourism businesses. The findings does not only make a respectable contribution the field, but also offer a practical evidence for the adaptation of the theory of planned behaviour in developing countries.
International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 2020
The purpose of this review article is to collaborate on future studies about hippotherapy to hors... more The purpose of this review article is to collaborate on future studies about hippotherapy to horse and riding trainers, health professionals, veterinarians, individuals in need and individuals with disabilities and their relatives and to shed light on academic studies. It has been stated in studies that hippotherapy is beneficial for patients in the world. Therefore, as a result of new private hippotherapy centers in public institutions and in Turkey, studies on hippotherapy have been started. The studies carried out in hippotherapy are increasing and widespread and continuing to contribute to the treatment of the individuals in need and individuals with disabilities with hippotherapy sessions with expert teams. However, in the studies, the sessions of the hippotherapy team with two common creatures have great duties on the equestrian coaches in order to meet the needs of the horse and the individual in need or individual with disability. For this reason, since hippotherapy is a multidisciplinary team work consisting of specialist professionals, it has been researched to contribute to the horse and rider coaches on the field and to the expert team attending the sessions, to the new experts and the families of the individuals in need and disabled individuals. In the current review, the information about the history of hippotherapy and development, information about hippotherapy institutions in Turkey, individuals in need and individuals with disabilities, benefits of hippotherapy, characteristics of the hippotherapy horse, training of the hippotherapy horse are emphasized, and especially emphasis is placed on the use of work in the field of horse and equestrian coaching.
International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 2021
increase in untreated control data. A similar trend was observed for K trans. Conventional ORR wa... more increase in untreated control data. A similar trend was observed for K trans. Conventional ORR was 33%; no progression was seen within 12mo. Conclusion: Changes in DCE-CT and-MRI are observed in patients receiving everolimus and everolimus+RT for NELM, with BV and v e decreasing significantly post-RT. Given the challenges in assessing response in NELM using traditional RECIST in any context, DCE-CT and-MRI appear to be promising modalities; further studies are required.
Abstract The condensation reaction of fluorescein hydrazide with 3-thiophene carboxaldehyde affor... more Abstract The condensation reaction of fluorescein hydrazide with 3-thiophene carboxaldehyde afforded a new molecular entity C (C25H16N2O4S). In the molecular structure, in-situ generated dimer of starting 3-thiophene carboxaldehyde was observed. The authenticity of compounds and their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, ES-MS and single crystal X-ray diffraction method. In the crystal, it was observed that in-situ generated dimeric aldehyde played a crucial role in the development of 3-D assembly. Utility of newly synthesized compounds C and C’ was also studied through electrochemical studies and SEM technique and observed that the two were able to play the role of cathodic as well as anodic inhibitor at different concentrations (100 mg/L to 500 mg/L). Anti-microbial activity was checked using the agar well diffusion assay and the combination showed a recognizable anti-microbial behavior against E. Coli.
Direct air capture chemically separates CO2 from ambient air for synthetic fuel production with r... more Direct air capture chemically separates CO2 from ambient air for synthetic fuel production with renewable H2.
Background Despite putative benefits associated with proton radiotherapy in the setting of centra... more Background Despite putative benefits associated with proton radiotherapy in the setting of central nervous system (CNS) tumors, numerous barriers limit treatment accessibility. Given these challenges, we explored the association of proton use with variations in treatment timing. Methods Pediatric and adult patients with histologically-confirmed CNS tumors were identified from the National Cancer Database (2004-2015). Univariable and multivariable regression models were constructed to assess factors impacting radiation timing. Multivariable Cox regression was used to evaluate the effect of treatment delay on survival. Results A total of 76,157 patients received photon or proton radiotherapy. Compared to photons, time to proton administration was longer in multiple pediatric (embryonal, ependymal, non-ependymal glial, and other) and adult (ependymal, non-ependymal glial, meningeal, other) tumor histologies. On adjusted analysis, proton radiotherapy was associated with longer delays in...
Our institution cancelled all in-person clerkships owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic... more Our institution cancelled all in-person clerkships owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. In response, we designed a virtual radiation oncology medical student clerkship. Methods and Materials: We convened an advisory panel to design a virtual clerkship curriculum. We implemented clerkship activities using a cloud-based learning management system, video web conferencing systems, and a telemedicine portal. Students completed assessments pre-and postclerkship to provide data to improve future versions of the clerkship. Results: The virtual clerkship spans 2 weeks and is graded pass or fail. Students attend interactive didactic sessions during the first week and participate in virtual clinic and give talks to the department during the second week. Didactic sessions include lectures, case-based discussions, treatment planning seminars, and material adapted from the Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group curriculum. Students also attend virtual departmental quality assurance rounds, cancer center seminars, and multidisciplinary tumor boards. The enrollment cap was met during the first virtual clerkship period (April 27 through May 8, 2020), with a total of 12 students enrolling. Conclusions: Our virtual clerkship can increase student exposure and engagement in radiation oncology. Data on clerkship outcomes are forthcoming.
International Journal of Customer Relationship Marketing and Management, 2020
Small tourist firms occupy an important place within the Indian tourism industry and make a signi... more Small tourist firms occupy an important place within the Indian tourism industry and make a significant contribution towards gross domestic production. This study investigates access to and finance preferences of SME tourism firms in the Punjab area, India. The study employed a post-positivist research approach depending on semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. The findings confirmed that tourism firms relied on pecking order trajectory, drawing capital from own savings, family and informal lenders, which is consistent with the literature. The study provides a unique insight into issues related to tourism firms and benchmarks findings with SME literature to identify the salient points.
Background Delirium is an acute change in cognition, common among older hospitalized patients, ho... more Background Delirium is an acute change in cognition, common among older hospitalized patients, however, patients of all ages are at risk of delirium during a hospital stay. The International Federation of Delirium Societies promotes, each year, a World Delirium Awareness Day, to raise the awareness of, not just recognizing delirium in the hospital setting, but ensuring interventions are in place to prevent the development of delirium. Hospitalized patients with delirium have increased risk of adverse events such as falls, pressure injury, malnutrition, increased length of stay, increased health care costs, and mortality. This clinical audit aimed to estimate the risk of a subsequent fall, following an acute episode of in-hospital delirium, across a broad cross-sectional of clinical settings. Methods Seventeen adult acute inpatient wards across a health district, undertook an audit of the number of admitted patients who had had at least one episode of delirium since being admitted to...
2068 Background: Post-operative stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is the standard of care for resec... more 2068 Background: Post-operative stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is the standard of care for resected brain metastases, but SRS techniques are not standardized. Although expert consensus guidelines recommend that the surgical corridor leading to the resection cavity be included in the SRS plan, this statement is not based on data. We analyzed the patterns of failure and toxicity with post-resection SRS, with the hypothesis that the corridor needs not be targeted with SRS. Methods: In this IRB-approved retrospective review, from 428 lesions treated from 2005-2018 with post-resection SRS, 58 lesions (57 patients) had evaluable data and a ‘deep’ tumor with a surgical corridor defined as ≥ 1.0 cm from the surface pre-operatively. SRS targeted the surgical corridor, defined as the surgical tract uninvolved by tumor on pre-operative imaging, in 33(57%). Brain failure was defined as local (LF) if within the surgical cavity involved with tumor pre-resection, corridor (CF) if within the surgi...
The effect of the pore-former used in the Ni-YSZ fuel electrode on the electrochemical performanc... more The effect of the pore-former used in the Ni-YSZ fuel electrode on the electrochemical performance of solid oxide cells is studied. Three cells with the configuration of Ni-YSZ/YSZ/Nd 2 NiO 4+δ-YSZ were fabricated with different pore-formers, such as graphite, PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) or an equal mixture of both, which were added to the Ni-YSZ support during the fabrication process. The results show that the Ni-YSZ support containing graphite leads to a more porous support and formation of coarser pores in the vicinity of the electrolyte.
In this study, the effects of calcination and milling of 8YSZ (8 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia)... more In this study, the effects of calcination and milling of 8YSZ (8 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia) used in the nickel-YSZ anode on the performance of anode supported tubular fuel cells were investigated. For this purpose, two different types of cells were prepared based on a Ni-YSZ/YSZ/Nd2NiO4+δ-YSZ configuration. For the anode preparation, a suspension was prepared by mixing NiO and YSZ in a ratio of 65:35 wt% (Ni:YSZ 50:50 vol.%) with 30 vol.% graphite as the pore former. As received Tosoh YSZ or its calcined form (heated at 1500 °C for 3 hours) was used in the anode support as the YSZ source. Electrochemical results showed that optimization of the fuel electrode microstructure is essential for the optimal distribution of gas within the support of the cell, especially under electrolysis operation where the performance for an optimized cell (calcined YSZ) was enhanced by a factor of two. In comparison with a standard cell (containing as received YSZ), at 1.5 V and 800 °C the measure...
This chapter investigates the relationship between small/marginal farmers and various informal le... more This chapter investigates the relationship between small/marginal farmers and various informal lenders in the Indian Punjab. The authors examine pertinent aspects of lending practices relating to informal providers’ decision-making processes when lending to farmers. The findings indicate that financial lending structures, as well as borrowing decisions, depend largely upon a number of difficult-to-quantify factors such as culture, caste, family size, education, reputation and relational lending practices which are prominent amongst both formal and informal lenders. Informal lenders represent a dedicated and bespoke source of finance, a well-established ‘institution’ for several generations and serve a large population of small/marginal farmers. Hence in order to minimize adverse outcomes and improve access to finance, there is a need to regulate the informal lending sector of India.
Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 2020
PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate whether small marginal farmers in India have financial constra... more PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate whether small marginal farmers in India have financial constraints and to examine how bank managers make lending decisions.Design/methodology/approachA survey approach was employed, using semi-structured questionnaires with a sample of 42 banks and 185 farmers from the state of Punjab in India. The questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were carried out on a one-to-one basis and in focus groups, and their responses were analysed from the supply (banks) and demand (farmers) side regarding access to finance.FindingsThe results indicate that the Indian farming sector is a complex and multidimensional one that has dependency on both the private and public sectors because of its national importance to varying degrees. Financial lending decisions are dependent upon several non-quantifiable factors (culture, caste, family size, education) and relational bank lending practices. Such practices have an adverse impact on bankable loan applications, and...
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 2021
PurposeThis paper investigates the mediating role of access to finance and entrepreneurial educat... more PurposeThis paper investigates the mediating role of access to finance and entrepreneurial education for small and marginal farmers (SMFs) in the Indian northern state of Punjab. Furthermore, it examines the inter-mediatory role of entrepreneurs and the access to finance in the promotion of innovation, development and consequently poverty alleviation.Design/methodology/approachTo gain a deeper insight, we used a purposive sampling technique, involving in-depth, face-to-face interviews based on a semi-structured questionnaire amongst 185 farmers from the state of the Punjab in India. The combination of open ended and dichotomous questions amenable to the Likert scale, captured responses and the transcribed questionnaires were thematically analysed.FindingsUsing the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative responses, we explain the cause and consequences of the finance gap and the impact of poverty on household income and the debt levels of SMFs. The findings suggest that the expa...
Understanding factors affecting innovative financial decision-making involves the usage of more t... more Understanding factors affecting innovative financial decision-making involves the usage of more than one theory-driven model including those related to psychological behaviour (e.g. theory of planned behaviour). This study validates a conceptual framework extending the traditional financing model (TFM) and behavioural financial decision (BFD) to explain innovative financial decision-making utilising both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Based on a sample of 140 small tourism businesses, employing structured equation modelling, the findings reinforce the importance of the behavioural approach on innovative financial decision-making in small tourism businesses. The findings does not only make a respectable contribution the field, but also offer a practical evidence for the adaptation of the theory of planned behaviour in developing countries.
International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 2020
The purpose of this review article is to collaborate on future studies about hippotherapy to hors... more The purpose of this review article is to collaborate on future studies about hippotherapy to horse and riding trainers, health professionals, veterinarians, individuals in need and individuals with disabilities and their relatives and to shed light on academic studies. It has been stated in studies that hippotherapy is beneficial for patients in the world. Therefore, as a result of new private hippotherapy centers in public institutions and in Turkey, studies on hippotherapy have been started. The studies carried out in hippotherapy are increasing and widespread and continuing to contribute to the treatment of the individuals in need and individuals with disabilities with hippotherapy sessions with expert teams. However, in the studies, the sessions of the hippotherapy team with two common creatures have great duties on the equestrian coaches in order to meet the needs of the horse and the individual in need or individual with disability. For this reason, since hippotherapy is a multidisciplinary team work consisting of specialist professionals, it has been researched to contribute to the horse and rider coaches on the field and to the expert team attending the sessions, to the new experts and the families of the individuals in need and disabled individuals. In the current review, the information about the history of hippotherapy and development, information about hippotherapy institutions in Turkey, individuals in need and individuals with disabilities, benefits of hippotherapy, characteristics of the hippotherapy horse, training of the hippotherapy horse are emphasized, and especially emphasis is placed on the use of work in the field of horse and equestrian coaching.
International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 2021
increase in untreated control data. A similar trend was observed for K trans. Conventional ORR wa... more increase in untreated control data. A similar trend was observed for K trans. Conventional ORR was 33%; no progression was seen within 12mo. Conclusion: Changes in DCE-CT and-MRI are observed in patients receiving everolimus and everolimus+RT for NELM, with BV and v e decreasing significantly post-RT. Given the challenges in assessing response in NELM using traditional RECIST in any context, DCE-CT and-MRI appear to be promising modalities; further studies are required.
Abstract The condensation reaction of fluorescein hydrazide with 3-thiophene carboxaldehyde affor... more Abstract The condensation reaction of fluorescein hydrazide with 3-thiophene carboxaldehyde afforded a new molecular entity C (C25H16N2O4S). In the molecular structure, in-situ generated dimer of starting 3-thiophene carboxaldehyde was observed. The authenticity of compounds and their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, ES-MS and single crystal X-ray diffraction method. In the crystal, it was observed that in-situ generated dimeric aldehyde played a crucial role in the development of 3-D assembly. Utility of newly synthesized compounds C and C’ was also studied through electrochemical studies and SEM technique and observed that the two were able to play the role of cathodic as well as anodic inhibitor at different concentrations (100 mg/L to 500 mg/L). Anti-microbial activity was checked using the agar well diffusion assay and the combination showed a recognizable anti-microbial behavior against E. Coli.
Direct air capture chemically separates CO2 from ambient air for synthetic fuel production with r... more Direct air capture chemically separates CO2 from ambient air for synthetic fuel production with renewable H2.
Background Despite putative benefits associated with proton radiotherapy in the setting of centra... more Background Despite putative benefits associated with proton radiotherapy in the setting of central nervous system (CNS) tumors, numerous barriers limit treatment accessibility. Given these challenges, we explored the association of proton use with variations in treatment timing. Methods Pediatric and adult patients with histologically-confirmed CNS tumors were identified from the National Cancer Database (2004-2015). Univariable and multivariable regression models were constructed to assess factors impacting radiation timing. Multivariable Cox regression was used to evaluate the effect of treatment delay on survival. Results A total of 76,157 patients received photon or proton radiotherapy. Compared to photons, time to proton administration was longer in multiple pediatric (embryonal, ependymal, non-ependymal glial, and other) and adult (ependymal, non-ependymal glial, meningeal, other) tumor histologies. On adjusted analysis, proton radiotherapy was associated with longer delays in...
Our institution cancelled all in-person clerkships owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic... more Our institution cancelled all in-person clerkships owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. In response, we designed a virtual radiation oncology medical student clerkship. Methods and Materials: We convened an advisory panel to design a virtual clerkship curriculum. We implemented clerkship activities using a cloud-based learning management system, video web conferencing systems, and a telemedicine portal. Students completed assessments pre-and postclerkship to provide data to improve future versions of the clerkship. Results: The virtual clerkship spans 2 weeks and is graded pass or fail. Students attend interactive didactic sessions during the first week and participate in virtual clinic and give talks to the department during the second week. Didactic sessions include lectures, case-based discussions, treatment planning seminars, and material adapted from the Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group curriculum. Students also attend virtual departmental quality assurance rounds, cancer center seminars, and multidisciplinary tumor boards. The enrollment cap was met during the first virtual clerkship period (April 27 through May 8, 2020), with a total of 12 students enrolling. Conclusions: Our virtual clerkship can increase student exposure and engagement in radiation oncology. Data on clerkship outcomes are forthcoming.
International Journal of Customer Relationship Marketing and Management, 2020
Small tourist firms occupy an important place within the Indian tourism industry and make a signi... more Small tourist firms occupy an important place within the Indian tourism industry and make a significant contribution towards gross domestic production. This study investigates access to and finance preferences of SME tourism firms in the Punjab area, India. The study employed a post-positivist research approach depending on semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. The findings confirmed that tourism firms relied on pecking order trajectory, drawing capital from own savings, family and informal lenders, which is consistent with the literature. The study provides a unique insight into issues related to tourism firms and benchmarks findings with SME literature to identify the salient points.
Background Delirium is an acute change in cognition, common among older hospitalized patients, ho... more Background Delirium is an acute change in cognition, common among older hospitalized patients, however, patients of all ages are at risk of delirium during a hospital stay. The International Federation of Delirium Societies promotes, each year, a World Delirium Awareness Day, to raise the awareness of, not just recognizing delirium in the hospital setting, but ensuring interventions are in place to prevent the development of delirium. Hospitalized patients with delirium have increased risk of adverse events such as falls, pressure injury, malnutrition, increased length of stay, increased health care costs, and mortality. This clinical audit aimed to estimate the risk of a subsequent fall, following an acute episode of in-hospital delirium, across a broad cross-sectional of clinical settings. Methods Seventeen adult acute inpatient wards across a health district, undertook an audit of the number of admitted patients who had had at least one episode of delirium since being admitted to...
2068 Background: Post-operative stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is the standard of care for resec... more 2068 Background: Post-operative stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is the standard of care for resected brain metastases, but SRS techniques are not standardized. Although expert consensus guidelines recommend that the surgical corridor leading to the resection cavity be included in the SRS plan, this statement is not based on data. We analyzed the patterns of failure and toxicity with post-resection SRS, with the hypothesis that the corridor needs not be targeted with SRS. Methods: In this IRB-approved retrospective review, from 428 lesions treated from 2005-2018 with post-resection SRS, 58 lesions (57 patients) had evaluable data and a ‘deep’ tumor with a surgical corridor defined as ≥ 1.0 cm from the surface pre-operatively. SRS targeted the surgical corridor, defined as the surgical tract uninvolved by tumor on pre-operative imaging, in 33(57%). Brain failure was defined as local (LF) if within the surgical cavity involved with tumor pre-resection, corridor (CF) if within the surgi...
The effect of the pore-former used in the Ni-YSZ fuel electrode on the electrochemical performanc... more The effect of the pore-former used in the Ni-YSZ fuel electrode on the electrochemical performance of solid oxide cells is studied. Three cells with the configuration of Ni-YSZ/YSZ/Nd 2 NiO 4+δ-YSZ were fabricated with different pore-formers, such as graphite, PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) or an equal mixture of both, which were added to the Ni-YSZ support during the fabrication process. The results show that the Ni-YSZ support containing graphite leads to a more porous support and formation of coarser pores in the vicinity of the electrolyte.
In this study, the effects of calcination and milling of 8YSZ (8 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia)... more In this study, the effects of calcination and milling of 8YSZ (8 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia) used in the nickel-YSZ anode on the performance of anode supported tubular fuel cells were investigated. For this purpose, two different types of cells were prepared based on a Ni-YSZ/YSZ/Nd2NiO4+δ-YSZ configuration. For the anode preparation, a suspension was prepared by mixing NiO and YSZ in a ratio of 65:35 wt% (Ni:YSZ 50:50 vol.%) with 30 vol.% graphite as the pore former. As received Tosoh YSZ or its calcined form (heated at 1500 °C for 3 hours) was used in the anode support as the YSZ source. Electrochemical results showed that optimization of the fuel electrode microstructure is essential for the optimal distribution of gas within the support of the cell, especially under electrolysis operation where the performance for an optimized cell (calcined YSZ) was enhanced by a factor of two. In comparison with a standard cell (containing as received YSZ), at 1.5 V and 800 °C the measure...
This chapter investigates the relationship between small/marginal farmers and various informal le... more This chapter investigates the relationship between small/marginal farmers and various informal lenders in the Indian Punjab. The authors examine pertinent aspects of lending practices relating to informal providers’ decision-making processes when lending to farmers. The findings indicate that financial lending structures, as well as borrowing decisions, depend largely upon a number of difficult-to-quantify factors such as culture, caste, family size, education, reputation and relational lending practices which are prominent amongst both formal and informal lenders. Informal lenders represent a dedicated and bespoke source of finance, a well-established ‘institution’ for several generations and serve a large population of small/marginal farmers. Hence in order to minimize adverse outcomes and improve access to finance, there is a need to regulate the informal lending sector of India.
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Papers by Navjot Sandhu