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Introduction: Preparing future mothers for the birth of newborn is an important part of birth preparedness counseling and one of major responsibility of health care provider. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess awareness of antenatal mothers for birth preparedness and complication readiness and find association of awareness with socio demographic variables. Methodology: This descriptive study was conducted using cross sectional research design. Total 200 antenatal mothers were selected using the purposive sampling technique who was attending antenatal OPD at Pt. B. D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, and Haryana, India. Data was collected by using semi structured questionnaire. Result: The majority of antenatal mothers were belongs to age group of 18-25 years and were secondary level educated. Most of antenatal mothers (54%) had poor knowledge of birth preparedness and complication readiness. Chi square test showed a significant association among awareness level of antenatal mothers with age (0.002*), educational level of self (0.003*) and husband (0.000*), gravida (0.03*), time to reach to health care facility (0.015*) and mode of transportation in emergency (0.005*). Odd ratios showed that antenatal mother who did not done their antenatal register had a 0.81 times more chances for less awareness than registered mothers. Conclusion: Awareness of antenatal mothers for birth preparedness and complication readiness was poor. There are various hindering factors which must be explored for betterment of maternal outcome and success of birth preparedness and complication readiness programs.

In the contemporary era, human society is leading a mechanical life with a sedentary lifestyle, precariously busy schedule, constant work without rest, night shift, alarming anxiety and stress in the work field, drastic changes in the environment etc. All these cause prevalence of Vatavyadhi(disorders due to Vata dosha) in this modern era. Among the different Vatavyadhi (disorders due to Vata), the most affected one is Gridhrasi (sciatica) which is characterized by low backache radiating to one or both the lower limbs. In addition to the above-mentioned caus- es, constant work schedule in an improper sitting posture, travelling long distances by vehicles, lifting of heavy objects, trauma to the low back region are the precipitating factors of Gridhrasi. The causes, signs and symptoms explained by different Acharyas have more relevance to the present situation. The presentation of Gridhrasi var- ies from person to person due to changes in Nidana(causative factors), and Samprapti (pathogenesis). Close ob- servation and thorough knowledge of our classics make the diagnosis and treatment of Gridhrasi easier. So, the present article tries to explain the Lakshana (symptoms) and treatment of Gridhrasi which will ensure a simpler and more effective treatment of the cases. Keywords: VataVyadhi; Gridhrasi; Nidana; Samprapti; Lakshana; Treatment.

Activity Recognition and Classification (ARC) have enabled growth of many automated applications like recommender services, old age assistance, health monitoring, security and surveillance etc. This becomes possible due to advancement of technology in wearable devices and smartphones. The small size, easy availability of various relevant sensors, ever decreasing cost, ability to monitor continuously and handy to use features have made them prominent devices to use in ARC. In this work, we provide a comprehensive survey on ARC using smartphones and wearable sensors. The work begins with the understanding of the ARC process followed by description of inertial sensors present in the smartphones and wearables. It covers the various feature extraction methods and the models used in traditional methods and the trending deep learning based methods. It is observed that, performance of any ARC method largely depends on number of sensors, classification technique, kind of device and placement and orientation of the device among many other parameters considered in the work. In our study, we present a detailed comparison of work done in this area considering ten such important parameters, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first of its kind of surveys. Finally, we present ten challenges in this area and provide prospective dimensions that can be explored in future research.

Objectives Gastric varices (GV) have been classified by the Sarin classification for over two decades. However, a subset of these varices does not fit into this classification. We share our experience on GV in past 20 years and propose a modification. Materials and Methods Consecutive patients with portal hypertension (PHT) posted for esophagogastroduodenoscopy were screened for GV between 1996 and 2016 at a tertiary-care hospital. GV were categorized as gastroesophageal varices (GOV1, GOV2) and isolated gastric varices (IGV1, IGV2) by Sarin’s classification. Patients with varices in esophagogastric region as well as distally in the stomach or duodenum, thus having efferent drainage into the superior as well as inferior vena cava simultaneously, remain unclassified and were coined as GOV3. Statistical Analysis Descriptive data was represented as mean (standard deviation) or median (interquartile range) or number (percentage). Chi-squared test, t-test, and logistic regression were done to compare groups and identify outcomes of interest. Results GV were recognized in 400 (11.5%) of 3,476 patients with PHT. Underlying disease was cirrhosis in 301 (75.2%), extrahepatic portal venous obstruction in 78 (19.5%), noncirrhotic portal fibrosis in 18 (4.5%) and Budd–Chiari syndrome in 3 (0.75%) patients with GV. GOV1, GOV2, IGV1, IGV2, and combined GOV1 with GOV2 were seen in 170 (42.5%), 154 (38.5%), 17 (4.3%), 5 (1.3%), and 12 (3.0%) patients; respectively. GOV3 were identified in 42 (10.5%) patients. Ninety-three patients with GV presented with gastrointestinal bleed and frequency of GOV2 was higher and GOV1 and GOV3 were lower among bleeders than non-bleeders. Conclusions A significant proportion of patients with GV remain uncategorized by current classification among PHT patients. Addition of GOV3 in Sarin’s classification will make it more comprehensive, uniform, and reproducible for future studies.

Education and Role of technology is a right combination that allows the people to make the right decision for sustainable development. It has been observed that financial education is a challenge globally. Financial education plays fundamental role for better understanding the needs of combat climate change. Education and Environmental awareness are important to create global networks among the different corporation that include public and private sectors. Financial literacy is closely connected with sustainable growth of economy. Sustainable behaviors of individuals are required for ensuring the sustainable development in the society. This paper is to discuss the importance of financial literacy for sustainable future Environment. It deals with the concept of financial literacy, sustainable development and to study the respondent demographic profile as well as the knowledge about financial literacy for sustainable future environment. The paper is designed is on Primary data and secondary data. Primary data is collected through survey. A questionnaire is used which is most common tool for collection of data. Secondary data is gathered through various reports, Articles, journals or through literature review focus on financial literacy for sustainability.This paper analysis important of financial literacy for sustainable future environment with special reference to Rural people of particular District of Himachal Pradesh. This study has covered only one district of Himachal Pradesh.

There is another general wellbeing emergencies undermining the world with the rise and spread of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The infection started in bats and was transmitted to people through yet obscure go-between creatures in Wuhan, Hubei territory, China in December 2019. There are more than 48,15,484 infected cases all around the globe. This can be transmitted from one to another very quickly only by coughing or sneezing or direct contact with infected person. World Health Organization also has stated that there is no future course of this virus is available till now. As a preventive measure the complete stop on outgoings i.e. lockdown is surrendered. The lockdown all over the country or all around the globe is becoming a huge crisis for the economy and of countries the life cycle of the humans. The lockdown has affected all the businesses, works, private sectors as well as government sectors. The impact of lockdown on the pharmaceutical industries can be a great boon if its taken positively. Keywords: coronavirus, SARS-CoV 2, wuhan, transmitted, crisis, lockdown, impact.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a frequent occurrence in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). We studied the frequencies and characteristics of NAFLD in PCOS women. We compared various methods of detection of advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis. One hundred and forty women with PCOS and seventy controls, matched for age, were evaluated for the presence of NAFLD. Anthropometric variables, serum levels of aminotransferases, glucose, lipids and transient elastography were done. Thirty-six percent of the NAFLD patients had abnormal aminotransferases. In women presenting to an infertility clinic, NAFLD was higher in both obese and non-obese PCOS women, being present in 117 (83.6%) of PCOS cases and 32 (45.7%) of non-PCOS controls (p< .001). Fibroscan is helpful in evaluating for liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD.Impact StatementWhat is already known on this subject? Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has been associated with many long-term health complications including endometrial cancer, diabetes, hypertension and metabolic syndrome. The association of PCOS with NAFLD has been suggested. NAFLD is recognised as a leading cause of liver dysfunction which can progress to long-term sequel of cirrhosis.What do the results of this study add? In this study, asymptomatic women seeking treatment of infertility were screened for presence of NAFLD. The study shows a high prevalence of NAFLD in young Indian women. The prevalence was significantly higher in women with PCOS than non-PCOS women.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The findings of the study suggest that all infertile women, especially those with PCOS, should be screened for NAFLD. This will help in early identification and management of this condition and to avoid long-term consequences of liver dysfunction and cirrhosis. PCOS is an independent risk factor for the development of NAFLD in obese women. Liver ultrasound, serum levels of transaminases clinch the diagnosis. Short of liver biopsy, non-invasive tests like Fibroscan and NAFLD fibrosis score are useful to assess the stage of fibrosis.

Background: Cancers of the central nervous system (CNS) are considered to be the most notorious among all cancers. Brain tumors are a mixed group of neoplasms that originate from the intracranial tissues and the meninges with degrees of malignancy varying greatly from benign to aggressive. The WHO classification offers a crude histological grading system, in which each CNS tumor is classified as Grades I-IV according to its degree of malignancy. Primary neoplasms of CNS represent nearly two-thirds of all brain tumours. Methods: The study was carried out in the Department of Pathology, Sardar Patel Medical College and associated group of hospitals, Bikaner. It was a hospital based retrospective and prospective study for 5 years from 2015 to 2020, including brain biopsies / tissue following surgical resection, submitted at our department. Improper and autolysed specimens and cases without proper clinical history were excluded. Results: We included a total of 245 cases of CNS malignancies received at our department during the study period in our study. Of total 245 cases, as in Table no. 1, most common tumor noted was Astrocytoma with 37.55% cases, followed by Meningioma 18.78% cases, Pituitary adenoma 8.57% cases and Pilocytic Astrocytoma 7.76% cases, whereas only one case (0.41%) was recorded each for Subependymoma, Neurocytoma, Haemangioma, Haemangiopericytoma and Spindle cell tumor. The most common tumors were diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors with total 41.63% (n=102) cases followed by Meningial tumors with total 18.78% (n=46) cases. Conclusions: The most frequent type of CNS tumours in this study was astrocytoma, followed by meningioma. This study may provide the representative prevalence of various types of CNS tumors. Thus, from the point of view of treatment of the different tumors of central nervous system mostly presenting with common clinical symptoms there is a direct need for a histopathological study in order to arrive at a correct diagnosis as for instance in the present study to know the type of tumor and their further typing and also its histological grade from the point of view of prognosis. Keywords: Brain Tumors, Astrocytoma, Meningioma, CNS Tumors

Plant beneficial rhizobacteria (PBR) is a group of naturally occurring rhizospheric microbes that enhance nutrient availability and induce biotic and abiotic stress tolerance through a wide array of mechanisms to enhance agricultural sustainability. Application of PBR has the potential to reduce worldwide requirement of agricultural chemicals and improve agro-ecological sustainability. The PBR exert their beneficial effects in three major ways; (1) fix atmospheric nitrogen and synthesize specific compounds to promote plant growth, (2) solubilize essential mineral nutrients in soils for plant uptake, and (3) produce antimicrobial substances and induce systemic resistance in host plants to protect them from biotic and abiotic stresses. Application of PBR as suitable inoculants appears to be a viable alternative technology to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Furthermore, PBR enhance nutrient and water use efficiency, influence dynamics of mineral recycling, and tolerance of plants to other environmental stresses by improving health of soils. This report provides comprehensive reviews and discusses beneficial effects of PBR on plant and soil health. Considering their multitude of functions to improve plant and soil health, we propose to call the plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) as PBR.

Purpose Literature suggests that branding effectiveness measures are present in for-profit sectors but lacks such comprehensive measures for the non-profit sector. Moreover, most of the branding effectiveness measures are either based on brand image approach or on brand identity approach. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to propose an integrated branding effectiveness measurement metrics for non-profit organizations (NPOs). Design/methodology/approach Judgmental and simple random sampling techniques are used for data collection. The final sample comprises 150 respondents including donors, volunteers, beneficiaries and media who were administered interview schedules. Based on the ratings given by the respondents regarding branding effectiveness parameters of the five NPOs of a major city in Northern India, branding effectiveness score of each NPO is computed. The branding measures adopted by NPOs rated high are selected in the proposed brand effectiveness metrics. Findings The proposed metrics encapsulates brand identity parameters such as management profile, vision, culture, as well as brand image parameters such as brand awareness, brand understanding, brand association of the stakeholders, etc. The metrics also link the two through brand performance parameters. Research limitations/implications Multiple hierarchical structures of government infested with bureaucracy and lack of specialized staff with focused approach have reduced the effectiveness of their socio-development programs in emerging economies. This has led to an increase in number, diversity and impact of NPOs that compete for resource generation. Branding is a powerful tool for NPOs not only for resource generation but also for driving the social goals. The branding effectiveness metrics would help NPO managers reinforce the internal identity by increasing the cohesion and the capacity of the organization as well as create a strong brand image by garnering the support of multiple stakeholders through mutual trust thereby creating a greater social impact. Originality/value The uniqueness of the study stems from the fact that the proposed branding effectiveness measurement metrics in non-profit environment encapsulates brand image, brand identity and brand performance parameters.

During the green revolution, India became self-dependent for food production. The major outbreak of green revolution is deterioration of soil quality due to excessive use of agrochemicals to maximize crop yield. Nowadays, sustainability and health of soil are of great concern and that is why people are looking for alternatives of agrochemicals. Organic amendments and microbes are now being harnessed for their efficient use as biofertilizers and biopesticides. Liquid biofertilizers (LBF) can help improve soil quality, promote crop growth, and sustain soil health. Efficient soil microbes interact with plant roots where they get nutrition from root exudates and degrading organic matter. Although beneficial microbes possess ability to deal with various environmental issues, their application in well-organized way to resolve environmental problems is yet to be realized.

Healthcare is always a sensitive issue for all of us, and it will always remain. Predicting various types of health issues in advance can lead us to a better life. Various types of health problems are there like cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, arthritis, pneumonia, lungs disease, liver disease, and brain disease, which all are at high risk. To reduce the risk of health issues, some suitable models are needed for prediction. Thus, it became as a motivational factor for the authors to survey the existing literature on this topic thoroughly and have consequently to identify suitable machine learning techniques so that improvement can be possible while selecting a prediction model. In this chapter, concept of survey is used to provide the prediction models for healthcare issues along with the challenges associated with each model. This chapter will broadly cover the following: machine learning algorithms used in health industry, study various prediction models for Cancer, Heart diseases, Diabetes and Brain diseases, comparative study of various machine learning algorithms used for prediction.

Pile foundations are used for jacket-type offshore structures, which are subjected to large magnitudes of lateral loads due to waves and winds. The ultimate failure of a pile-soil system is catastrophic and excessive lateral deflection of the pile creates operational difficulties. In view of this, the bending moment in the pile is required to be predicted in a rational manner. The p-y concept developed by Reese and Matlock (1956) is popularly being used to estimate pile top deflection and bending moments.

The meaning of the term “big data” can be inferred by its name itself (i.e., the collection of large structured or unstructured data sets). In addition to their huge quantity, these data sets are so complex that they cannot be analyzed in any way using the conventional data handling software and hardware tools. If processed judiciously, big data can prove to be a huge advantage for the industries using it. Due to its usefulness, studies are being conducted to create methods to handle the big data. Knowledge extraction from big data is very important. Other than this, there is no purpose for accumulating such volumes of data. Cloud computing is a powerful tool which provides a platform for the storage and computation of massive amounts of data.

Breast cancer has been known to be the most prevalent cancers found in women all over the globe. Early stage diagnosis can save a lot of lives, but in most cases, it is an arduous task for doctors, as the symptoms are not essentially salient. The use of artificial intelligence for the prognosis of breast cancer has proved to be an asset for the biomedical and healthcare stratum. In this paper, a hybrid predictive model is proposed for the prediction of breast cancer. The proposed hybrid model is based on the use of decision trees for the bifurcation and preprocessing of data, followed by the application of any machine learning algorithm. We have used the proposed system for deep learning (DL) and support vector machine (SVM). The proposed model has been found to achieve up to 99.3% of accuracy, exceeding the accuracy obtained by any other approach used so far.

The agricultural production security is a major challenge under global climatic changes as the agricultural production does not solely depend upon the abiotic factors like temperature and moisture but is also equally affected by the biotic factor present in rhizospheric zones known as soil-plant microbiomes. The importance of soil-plant microbiomes in agricultural production has been revealed by reviews and literatures. Rhizospheric microbiomes hold great ability to bestow the crops sustainable and to encourage the application of bio-formulation carrying potential microbiomes, which introduces additional or optional approaches to develop agricultural practices and finally enhances crop productivity. In current chapter, a brief outline of functional activities of rhizospheric microbiomes within their habitat have been focused and majorly on available modern approaches of biotechnological techniques and allied sciences used in identifications, exploration, and taxonomy in soil-plant microbiomes. Further, to conclude the theme of microbiomes exploration and identification, an endeavor has been made to cover some of the highly used tools of bioinformatics.

Treatment of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients with severe renal insufficiency is cumbersome as sofosbuvir is mainly excreted by the kidneys. There is paucity of data on the use of sofosbuvir and NS5A inhibitors in these patients. We hereby report our experience of treating chronic hepatitis C in patients with severe renal insufficiency with full dose sofosbuvir and NS5A inhibitors. Forty-seven patients with severe renal insufficiency (on dialysis n = 39, predialysis n = 8) with HCV infection were treated between December 2015-August 2017 with full dose sofosbuvir with ledipasvir or daclatasvir for 12/24 weeks depending on the genotype and the presence or absence of cirrhosis. The distribution of HCV genotype was genotype 1 in 32 (68.1%), genotype 3 in 13 (27.7%) and 4 in 2 (4.3%) patients. Among 12 (25.5%) patients with cirrhosis, 7 (14.9%) were decompensated with ascites. All patients had end of treatment response, and sustained viral response at 12 weeks was achieved in 45 (95.7%) patients. There was significant improvement in liver stiffness at 3 months after treatment (8.8 (3.8-42) to 7.1 (3.3-24.1) kPa; (P = 0.047)). There was no change in haemoglobin and eGFR with treatment in predialysis group (haemoglobin- 10.2 ± 1.5 g/dL vs 9.6 ± 1.3 g/dL, P = 0.44; eGFR- 19.8 ± 9.4 mL/min vs 17.9 ± 8.5 mL/min, P = 0.67). Therapy was very well accepted. Full dose sofosbuvir with NS5A inhibitors is a well tolerated and effective therapy for HCV infection in severe renal insufficiency.

As a result of acute landlessness and high unemployment, young people especially in rural India are compelled to take money in advance from kiln owners for their daily sustenance by selling their labour. This arrangement limits their mobility to look for other locations to work in. It also hinders their negotiating power regarding minimum wages and forces them to work in appalling conditions. A vicious debt trap sucks in these powerless workers, creating a situation known as neo-bondage. This article looks at the conditions that lead to a state of neo-bondage among brick kiln workers of rural Bihar. The study is based on a field survey of 345 brick kiln labourers working in 36 sites in Rohtas district of Bihar. The findings of the survey suggest that despite the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, debt bondage is a common phenomenon in this industry. Although the Act prohibits any advance transactions, in cash or kind, made by a creditor to a debtor, the law has not been implemented effectively essentially because of poor socio-economic development, chronic underemployment and a lack of awareness found particularly in rural India.

A better understanding of the genetic and metabolic mechanisms that confer stress resistance and tolerance in plants is key to engineering new crops through advanced breeding technologies. This requires a systems biology approach that builds on a genome-wide understanding of the regulation of gene expression, plant metabolism, physiology and growth. In this study, we examine the response to drought stress in Sorghum, as we leverage the tools for transcriptomics and plant metabolic modeling we have implemented at the U.S. Department of Energy Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase). KBase enables researchers worldwide to collaborate and advance research by uploading private or public data into the KBase Narrative Interface, analyzing it using a rich, extensible array of computational and data-analytics tools, and securely sharing scientific workflows and conclusions. We demonstrate how to use the current RNA-seq tools in KBase, applicable to both plants and microbes, to assemble and quantify long transcripts and identify differentially expressed genes effectively. More specifically, we demonstrate the utility of the platform by identifying key genes differentially expressed during drought-stress in Sorghum bicolor, an important sustainable production crop plant. We then show how we can use KBase tools to predict the membership of genes in metabolic pathways and examine expression data in the context of metabolic subsystems. We demonstrate the power of the platform by making the data, analysis and interpretation available to the biologists in the reproducible, re-usable, point-and-click format of a KBase Narrative thus promoting FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) guiding principles for scientific data management and stewardship.

Fretting fatigue is most likely to occur in the dovetail joint of aero engine compressor resulting in small amplitude displacement of a few micrometers. This leads to degradation of the material in the form of fatigue strength and corrosion. This paper reports optimal conditions of blade geometrical parameters such as flank length, flank angle and coefficient of friction in order minimize the failure due to fretting fatigue. ANOVA indicated that Von-mises stresses, deformation, contact pressure and sliding distance were influenced by coefficient of friction and flank angle. While deformation, contact pressure and sliding distance decreased with increase in coefficient of friction and increased with increase in flank angle and flank length. Von-mises stress increased with increase in coefficient of friction. Response surface methodology results indicated that the optimum value of Von-mises stress (328.24 MPa), deformation (153.87 µm), contact pressure (275.48 MPa) and sliding distance (80.66 µm) were found at coefficient of friction 0.35, flank angle 65° and flank length of 12 mm which were in agreement with those of grey relational analysis results.

The present study was conducted in which two tribal (Jhadol and Sarada) and two non-tribal (Bhinder and Mavli) panchayat samities of Udaipur district of Rajasthan. Four beneficiary villages and two non-beneficiary villages from each selected panchayat samiti were taken and 10 respondents were selected randomly from each selected village for the study. Data were collected through pre-structured interview schedule. The findings revealed that majority of beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers belonged to medium adoption group. It was found that there was a significant difference in level of adoption between beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers about recommended wheat interventions.

There is controversy regarding the inclusion of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in the treatment of decompensated cirrhosis. Previous studies tested only a single cycle of G-CSF administration or were underpowered to detect changes in survival time. We performed an adequately powered study to determine whether multiple cycles of G-CSF increased the survival of patients 1 year after the start of therapy.We conducted an open-label trial of 100 patients with decompensated cirrhosis without acute-on-chronic liver failure at a tertiary center from July 2016 through June 2018. The patients were assigned randomly to a group given 5 days of G-CSF every 3 months, with standard medical therapy, in 4 cycles (group A, n = 50), or standard medical therapy alone (group B, n = 50). The primary outcome was survival for 12 months after treatment began. Secondary outcomes were an increase in the number of CD34+ cells at day 6 compared with day 0, along with reductions in Child-Turcotte-Pugh and model for end-stage liver disease scores, increased control of ascites, reduced decompensation and episodes of infection, fewer hospitalizations, lower liver stiffness measurements, increased quality of life and nutrition, fulfilment of liver transplant criteria, and fewer adverse events at 12 months after the start of treatment.Groups A and B were comparable at baseline. Survival at 12 months after initiation of treatment was significantly higher in group A (74%) than in group B (42%) (P .001). Blood samples from patients in group A had significantly more CD34+ cells on day 6 than on day 0 (P .001); there was no significant change in group B. Compared with patients in group B, patients in group A had significant reductions in Child-Turcotte-Pugh and model for end-stage liver disease scores, increased ascites control, fewer infections and hospitalizations, lower liver stiffness measurements, an increased quality of life, and a lower number fulfilled the liver transplant criteria (P .05). There was no improvement in nutrition in either group compared with baseline. G-CSF was safe and well tolerated.Administration of multiple cycles of G-CSF increases the numbers of hematopoietic stem cells and survival of patients with decompensated cirrhosis receiving standard medical treatment. The addition of G-CSF to medical treatment might provide a bridge to liver transplantation for these patients. ClincialTrials.gov no: NCT03415698.

Dermoid cyst of brain is a rare tumor arising due to embryogenic defect. It comprises only about 0.3% of intracranial tumors. A 18 year old female patient was admitted with complaints of seizures since last 6 months. The brain MRI suggested intra-axial dermoid cyst. The patient was operated & histopathology report confirmed the diagnosis of dermoid cyst.

Overturning criterion is an important parameter for designing cantilever retaining wall. This study adopts relevance vector machine (RVM) based first order second method (FOSM), minimax probability...

The part of renewable energy systems like solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power generation (WPG) is playing an energetic role in energy production. The power electronics technology growths have directed to the progresses in the solar power generation and solar PV sources have the potential to progress one of the key providers to the upcoming electricity. Lower voltage rating of solar PV systems requires a high voltage progress converter for parts grid associating with a DC-AC inverter. The solar energy acquired from the solar panel varies with times and solar irradiation. The boost DC/DC converter is used to sustain the constant output voltage achieved from the solar panel using MPPT algorithm and is operated according to the requirement. A 1-Ф cascade 13-level inverter is used to produce 13-level output voltage from the DC supply voltage achieved from PV panels. It offers better-quality sinusoidal output voltage and current waveforms and lower total harmonic distortion. In this paper, the proposed model is designed and the results are verified through simulation using MATLAB/SIMULINK tools

In soil system, 90%-98% K reserves are non-exchangeable mineral sources and potassium solubilizing microbes (KSMs) can effectively dissolve this mineral. Nowadays focused research on efficient KSMs was started. These microbes are able to enhanced their root colonization and improve plant growth and development. They solubilize K-minerals through different mechanisms including chelation, acidolysis, lowering of pH, exchange reaction, complexation, biofilm formation and secretion of organic acid and polysaccharides. Bio-priming of seed/root through efficient KSMs resulted higher crop productivity, potassium use efficiency (KUE) and mitigate the K-deficiency in soils. In this article we are trying to summarize the KSMs current state of knowledge in agricultural crops. We highlighted the knowledge gaps and suggest future prospective of research, with hope that the use of KSMs in agricultural soil improved soil sustainability.

The present paper describes briefly the establishment of an adequate mathematical framework to describe the liquefaction phenomenon which uses the Biot’s basic theory for dynamics of saturated porous media. The variational principle is applied to the field equations of fluid flow in a fully saturated porous elastic continuum, and the finite element method is used to numerically solve the resulting continuity equation and equilibrium equation. In-situ stresses are computed from static analysis prior to dynamic analysis. Pastor–Zienkiewicz Mark III constitutive model is used to describe the inelastic behavior of soils in the dynamic simulations. Kelvin elements are attached to transmitting boundary to absorb the wave energy and prevent back propagation of wave into the soil domain. The response of fluid-saturated porous media which are subjected to time dependent loads has been simulated numerically to predict the liquefaction of a loose sandy soil layer. It is noticed that liquefaction occurs throughout all the depth of sand layer at frequency 1 Hz of the cyclic loading. This model is compared with centrifuge experimental results and shows good predictive capacity. Effect of frequency is more significant. With increase in frequency, substantial increase in displacement and EPP is observed.

rd generation Partnership Project (3gPP) has come up with a technology called Long Term Evolution (LTE) to attain a new high speed radio access in the field of mobile communications. Design of wireless communication system has been an important and challenging problem due to the nature of wireless channel. There are number of factors involved in the performance of a LTE system. Orthogonal Frequency Division multiple access (OFDma) and Single Carrier Frequency Division multiple access (SC-FDma) are a dominant part of future mobile communication. This paper describes about LTE physical layer, OFDma and SC-FDma receiver and transmitter structures, draw attention on the factor that influences the performance and improvement of multiple access techniques. The substantial use of the adaptive modulation in LTE is the main highlight of the paper. The selection of modulation techniques on the basis of BEr, Error probability and SNr are computed.

2 Abstract: A novel way of image encryption based on fractional Fourier transforms (FRFT) and pixel scrambling technique is described and demonstrated in this paper. The idea of pixel scrambling is presented and an implementation to realize the pixel scrambling and decoding is also proposed. Numerical simulation results are given to verify the algorithm, and relative error (RE) between the decoded images and the original image versus the deviation of fractional orders is discussed. Comparing with single FRT encryption, the security using this method for optical image encryption is greatly improved due to the introduction of the pixel scrambling technique.

Rigid pavement construction is emerging due to its long term performance and less maintenance cost. Its rigidity and high modulus of elasticity tend to distribute load over a wide area of foundation, resulting in very low deflections under traffic and environmental loading. Thus a major portion of the structure capacity is imparted by slab itself. Multi-layer slab is the composition of several superposed concrete layers of different quality. An idea is that lower quality material can be sandwiched in the neutral axis zone. This paper deals a structural analysis of the three layered structure resting on the Pasternak foundation subjected to traffic loading. The three layered structure is replaced by an equivalent single layered structure. An assumption was taken that the deflection at the surface of the upper layer may be considered to be equal with the deflection at the bottom of the lower layer. The mechanical characteristics of the equivalent structure depend on the mechanical characteristics of the different layers and the various adhesion conditions at the interfaces. Adhesion condition are full slip at each of the interface, full friction at the first interface as well second interface, full friction at both interfaces and partial friction at all interfaces. Analytical solutions are arrived and structural responses are investigated. It has been found that the structural responses for full friction case showed significant results. This study is made towards enhancing current design method and economic construction.

Microorganisms that sustain the fertility of soils, resulting in improved plant nutrition, have continued to magnetize attention because of the increasing cost of agricultural inputs and some of their negative impacts on environmental sustainability. The continuous increase in the world population at an alarming rate requires more food for nutritional security. A doubling in global food demand projected for the next 50 years poses huge challenges for agricultural sustainability. Nowadays, plant growth is enhanced by the increasing input of agrochemicals, which act as plant growth regulators (PGRs) and as nutrients. Excessive/injudicious use of chemicals increases the chances of deteriorating soil and environmental quality. Rhizospheric plant growth–promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) are increasingly and promisingly being distributed in world agriculture. Meanwhile, current use of these efficient PGPMs may offer agronomic, pathogenic, and environmental benefits for intensive agricultural production systems. PGPMs are exhibiting a gradual increase in demand on the world market as sustainable and eco-friendly tools. Possible mechanisms for the effectiveness of biofertilizers are mobilization of the scarcely available plant nutrients nitrogen (N), fixer phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and zinc (Zn) solubilizers; production of plant growth–promoting substances; enhanced and induced resistance to environmental multistress factors; and direct or indirect suppression of harmful microbes. Research activities are currently limited by the lack of standards for production and quality control of different commercially used biofertilizers.

A field experiment was conducted during rabi season, 2009-2010 at Agricultural Research Farm, BHU, Varanasi, on alluvial soils to determine the effects of concentrate organic manure (wellgrow formulations) with levels of inorganic fertilizers. The results reveal that the higher soil microbial population was seen with the application of 100% NPK + 300 kg wellgrow soil ha-1. Soil enzymes varied with the production systems. The urease, phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities were higher in wellgrow dose application with recommended dose of NPK. The soil enzymes and microbial population (bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes) were very responsive to organic manure application, but their levels and activities were not reflected in wheat crop under alluvial soils. Enzymatic activities were positively and significantly correlated with content of organic carbon. Key words: Dehydrogenase, phosphatase, urease, bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, wellgrow.

One of the cheapest range sensing devices, a RGB-D sensor-also called Kinect Sensor, has been known for tremendous growth since its release date. Kinect sensor presents a very important role for applications in the field of computer vision due to its competitive cost and ability to provide more functionality. The updated version, Kinect v2 retains higher color video resolutions and is more reliable when being used outdoors with infrared vision. Hence, the main objective of this paper is to present a depth imaging human action recognition framework over day and night; which is basically used to monitor and detect normal activities of a person in the indoor and outdoor environment, especially for night vision. The proposed method feasibility and workability are illustrated throughout the experimental result that shows the perfect human detection and skeleton tracking using infrared streams.

Background: Nowadays, cesarean sections are increasing consistently. Repeat cesarean sections are performed for a large percentage and associated with a higher rate of surgical complications and Long-term morbidities. The trial of labor after cesarean offers an alternative choice. This study carried out to assess the maternal and fetal outcome and to evaluate various parameters as a predictor of success of TOLAC.Methods: This prospective observational study conducted on 150 pregnant women with one previous LSCS who delivered at Mahatma Gandhi hospital, from January 2017 to July 2018. Patient having a singleton pregnancy, cephalic presentation, adequate pelvis size with spontaneous onset of labor were included. Cases were monitored carefully during the labor. Emergency LSCS was done if any indication appeared.Results: 78% of cases delivered safely by the vaginal birth and 22% of cases had an emergency repeat cesarean section (EmRCS). Favorable Bishop Score, active stage of labor and prior vaginal delivery were associated with higher success rate. One (0.66%) case of uterine scar rupture and 2 (1.33%) cases of scar dehiscence noted. No maternal mortality observed. Perinatal mortality occurred in 2 cases (1.33%).Conclusions: Present study shows that appropriate clinical settings and the properly selected group of patients can make the TOLAC safe and effective.

Soils consist of an assemblage of particles with different sizes and shapes which form a skeleton whose voids are filled with water and air. Hence, soil behaviour must be analyzed by incorporating the effects of the transient flow of the pore-fluid through the voids, and therefore requires a two-phase continuum formulation for saturated porous media. The present paper presents briefly the Biot’s basic theory of dynamics of saturated porous media with u–P formulation to determine the responses of pore fluid and soil skeleton during cyclic loading. Kelvin elements are attached to transmitting boundary. The Pastor–Zienkiewicz–Chan model has been used to describe the inelastic behavior of soils under isotropic cyclic loadings. Newmark-Beta method is employed to discretize the time domain. The response of fluid-saturated porous media which are subjected to time dependent loads has been simulated numerically to predict the liquefaction potential of a semi-infinite saturated sandy layer using finite-infinite elements. A settlement of 17.1 cm is observed at top surface. It is also noticed that liquefaction occurs at shallow depth. The mathematical advantage of the coupled finite element analysis is that the excess pore pressure and displacement can be evaluated simultaneously without using any empirical relationship.

INTRODUCTION: Cataract as a potent cause of loss of vision in old age persons is probably known since the dawn of human civilization. Post operative astigmatism after cataract extraction remains a big problem for cataract surgeons since Jacques Daviel era. Astigmatism is that type of refractive anomaly in which no point focus is formed owing to the unequal refraction of the incident light by the diopteric system of the eye in different meridians. The goal of modern cataract surgery is to produce a pseudophakic with the quality of vision of a normal phakic eye. Various studies to find out any effect of IOL on post operative astigmatism were carried out but results are controversial. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 60 patients suffering from cataract and fit for extraction were enlisted during the month of August 2008 to February 2009. The general, physical and local examination including preoperative Keratometry, vision and tension were recorded. RESULTS: In the present study, male patients were 38 (63%) and female patients were 22 (37%). Out of the total 60 cases studied, corneo-scleral section of 28 cases (47%) were sutured with 10-0 nylon suture (Group A) while sections of 32 cases were sutured with 8-0 black virgin silk suture (Group B).Out of 28 cases of Group A, interrupted sutures were applied in 14 cases (50%) (Group A1). Cross interrupted sutures were applied in 9 cases (32%) Group A2, while bootlace continuous sutures were applied in 5 cases (18%) (Group A3). Out of 32 cases of Group B, interrupted sutures were applied in 26 cases (80%) (Group B1), cross interrupted were applied in 3 cases (10%) (Group B2), while bootlace continuous suture were applied in 3 cases (Group B3). In the present series, 19 cases (31%) showed with the rule astigmatism, 21 cases (36%) showed astigmatism against the rule and 20 cases (33%) showed no astigmatism preoperatively, 16 cases were in the range of 0.50D to 1.0D and 12 cases were in the range of 1.0D to 1.50D. CONCLUSION: To conclude the findings, 10-0 nylon cross interrupted sutures and 8-0 silk cross interrupted sutures are relatively better and causes less degree of postoperative astigmatism in comparison to other suture technique. Decreased postoperative astigmatism can be achieved by posterior limbal incision, small section, limited use of sclera cauterization, proper depth of suture bite and limited use of topical steroids. Type of suture material and suture technique plays a minor role on postoperative astigmatism.

Liquefaction-induced ground displacements resulting from earthquake shaking are a major cause of damage to earth structures comprised of, or underlain by, loose saturated granular soils. The present paper describes the results of numerical modeling of an embankment founded on loose liquefiable deposit using PLAXIS three-dimensional finite-element software. Acceleration base-input excitation of the El Centro earthquake has been applied to the model monitoring the displacements, liquefaction potential, and excess pore pressures (EPPs). A modified nonassociative plastic-potential function depending on the Drucker–Prager criterion is used to maintain the coaxiality of stress strain in the deviator plane for a stress path initiated from an isotropic line. The soil-densification rule is also added to predict more realistic EPPs in seismic loading. The countermeasures considered are densification of the sand layer by compaction and sheet pile enclosure. The dynamic behavior of the used embankment-foundat...

The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) covers ~95 districts of the Indian union, which starts from the foothills in the south (Siwalik); the region extends to the Tibetan Plateau in the north (trans-Himalaya). The IHR occupies the strategic position of the entire northern boundary (northwest to northeast) of the country and touches almost all the international borders of seven countries with India. The contribution of India is ~16 % of total geographical area, out of which ~17 % area is under permanent snow cover and ~35 % is under seasonal snow cover. The IHR is responsible for providing water to a large part of the Indian subcontinent and contains varied flora and fauna; it was estimated that ~40 million of the population reside in this region. The Indian Himalayan rivers run off ~1,600,000 million m 3 of water annually for drinking, irrigation, hydropower, etc. The IHR has been a potential source of important medicinal herbs and shrubs. This region is extremely rich in plant life and abounds in genetic diversity of all types of fauna and flora. The medicinal virtues of the northwest (NW) Himalayan plants are well known from the early times of the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata and are mentioned in the oldest Hindu scriptures, viz., Rigveda, which is said to be the source of the Ayurvedic medicine system. These high hills are the storehouse of numerous herbs and shrubs, which are exploited not only for the pharmaceutical industries worldwide. In fact, a large percentage of crude drugs in the Indian market come from this Himalayan region. Besides this, the Himalayan regions remain as a source of many cereal crops, pulses, vegetables, fruits, and animal husbandry. The climate change impact is at a global level, and this Himalayan region is no exception. Due to the climatic changes, a lot of disturbances happening like flooding, drought, wildfire, and other global changes derive from pollutions and overexploitation of resources. These changes drastically degrade our natural resources, and nowadays it challenges a need to adopt a comprehensive master plan for conservation of these resources for the survival in the future.

Introduction The cases of cryptococcal meningitis and other forms of cryptococcosis have increased in recent time and the present scenario of the condition with significant morbidity and mortality is actually posing a serious threat to the community, so an early and prompt diagnosis is necessary to prevent serious complications and thus improving the overall disease outcome. Aim Comparison of diagnostic efficacy of nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) with Latex Agglutination Test (LAT) in the Cerebro Spinal Fluid (CSF) samples of the cases of meningitis in HIV positive and negative cases. Materials and methods We have compared the diagnostic efficacy of Latex Agglutination Test (LAT) with nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) in 200 Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) samples, including 14 HIV positive also, in the cases of suspected cryptococcal meningitis. Nested PCR was done in all cases reporting positive by LAT and results were then compared with that of India ink and culture on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and the isolates were further identified by urease, nitrate and sugar assimilation tests. Results Of the 200 cases, including 14 HIV positive, LAT was positive in 46 cases while 154 were negative. Out of these 46 LAT positive cases, nested PCR was positive in 40 cases only, while culture and India ink was positive in 38 and 33 cases respectively. Majority of the cases, 30 (65.2%) were between age group 21-50 years, while 2 (4.3%) in 0-20, and 14 (30.4%) in 51-80 years age group. Conclusion Although negative staining like India ink and nigrosin are most widely used techniques, but these suffer with subjective error. Rapid method like LAT is available but it always has the scope of false positive and negative results. In such cases nested PCR can help in establishing final diagnosis.

The U.S. Department of Energy Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase) is an open-source software and data platform designed to meet the grand challenge of systems biology — predicting and designing biological function from the biomolecular (small scale) to the ecological (large scale). KBase is available for anyone to use, and enables researchers to collaboratively generate, test, compare, and share hypotheses about biological functions; perform large-scale analyses on scalable computing infrastructure; and combine experimental evidence and conclusions that lead to accurate models of plant and microbial physiology and community dynamics. The KBase platform has (1) extensible analytical capabilities that currently include genome assembly, annotation, ontology assignment, comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolic modeling; (2) a web-browser-based user interface that supports building, sharing, and publishing reproducible and well-annotated analyses with integrated data; (3) access to extensive computational resources; and (4) a software development kit allowing the community to add functionality to the system.

Introduction. Premenstrual syndrome presents with vague psychological, somatic, or biological symptoms. It may be seen more commonly in a specific profile of patients. We try to evaluate the patterns and predictors of premenstrual symptoms among females working in a tertiary care psychiatry hospital.Methodology. We recruited working females at a tertiary care psychiatry hospital in India, through purposive sampling, and assessed them cross-sectionally. Premenstrual Symptom Checklist was used to assess the frequency and distribution of premenstrual symptoms, which were correlated with various sociodemographic variables to evaluate the predictors for premenstrual symptoms.Results. 150 working females were included, belonging to different sociodemographic profile. Somatic symptoms (backache, joint and muscles pain, and fatiguability) were most commonly reported followed by psychological (irritability and losing temper easily) and biological symptoms (increased micturition). Premenstrual symptoms were seen more commonly in women with higher educational status and nursing profession and residing in nuclear families (p<0.05), while age and marital status did not correlate significantly.Discussion. Premenstrual symptoms are common and distressing, especially for working females. Somatic symptoms such as backache and joint pains predominate over psychobiological symptoms. Women with higher educational status and professions like nursing belonging to nuclear families are more prone to these symptoms. Attention needs to be given to premenstrual symptoms in such population of working females.