Tiled fuzzy Hough transform for crack detection

Surface cracks can be the bellwether of the failure of any component under loading as it indicates the component's fracture due to stresses and usage. For this reason, crack detection is indispensable for the condition monitoring and quality control of road surfaces. Pavement images have high levels of intensity variation and texture content, hence the crack detection is difficult. Moreover, shallow cracks result in very low contrast image pixels making their detection difficult. For these reasons, studies on pavement crack detection is active even after years of research. In this paper, the fuzzy Hough transform is employed, for the first time to detect cracks on any surface. The contribution of texture pixels to the accumulator array is reduced by using the tiled version of the Hough transform. Precision values of 78% and a recall of 72% are obtaining for an image set obtained from an industrial imaging system containing very low contrast cracking. When only high contrast crack segments are considered the values move to mid to high 90%

Willingness to Purchase Electric Two Wheelers in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu

The low-speed category has seen negative growth in the past two quarters of 2021. The market share of the low-speed sector used to be upwards of 70 percent in all the previous years, and that has plummeted to less than 15 percent in the last quarter of October-December 2021. The low-speed electric two-wheelers are not subsidised under the FAME II programme that promotes only high-speed motorcycles depending on their battery capacity at Rs 15,000 kwh, which has made the entry-level high-speed electric two-wheelers cheaper than many of the low-speed ones. The electric two-wheeler market is classified into three divisions, low-speed, city-speed, and high-speed. While the low-speed category is dying away, the city speed segment (up to 50 km/h) is gaining popularity due to competitive price and lower replacement costs of batteries. Adoption in the high-speed sector, i.e. 70 km/h, is limited but may rise in the next several years as the battery prices come down. “We haven’t seen better days than the previous few months in the whole EV adventure. In the previous 15 years, we together sold roughly 1 million e2w, e-three wheelers, e-cars, and e-buses, and we will most likely sell the same 1 million units in only one year beginning January 22. The latest good developments in EV policy under FAME 2 are a game-changer. Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the willing to purchase decision of respondents about electric two wheelers. Methods: Primary data has been collected from 120 respondents through interview using well-structured questionnaire from Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. Probit analysis was used to know the clear picture about major influencing variable used as a deciding factor for purchase of electric two wheelers. Findings: The conclusion of this study was age, gender, monthly income, place of residence, source of information were influencing the willing to purchase decision of respondent about electric two wheelers. Electric two wheeler are protecting the global from global warming. Interpretation: From the study the respondents are shifting to battery based vehicles or bikes because some of respondents are concerns about environmental issue and society are stating that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened awareness and concern about environmental issues

DFT Study of Planar Boron Sheets: A New Template for Hydrogen Storage

We study the hydrogen storage properties of planar boron sheets and compare them to those of graphene. The binding of molecular hydrogen to the boron sheet (0.05 eV) is stronger than that to graphene. We find that dispersion of alkali metal (AM = Li, Na, and K) atoms onto the boron sheet markedly increases hydrogen binding energies and storage capacities. The unique structure of the boron sheet presents a template for creating a stable lattice of strongly bonded metal atoms with a large nearest neighbor distance. In contrast, AM atoms dispersed on graphene tend to cluster to form a bulk metal. In particular the boron-Li system is found to be a good candidate for hydrogen storage purposes. In the fully loaded case this compound can contain up to 10.7 wt. % molecular hydrogen with an average binding energy of 0.15 eV/H2.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, and 3 table

An Economic Analysis on Production of Hill Banana in Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu, India

This study was primarily concentrated on hill banana cultivation. The purpose of this study is to find the economics of hill banana cultivation and the problems faced by the hill banana farmers during the production of hill bananas in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu. Economics of the hill banana cultivation was done by finding the cost and returns associated with the hill banana cultivation and constraints faced by the hill banana farmers with Garrett's ranking technique. Many previous research on the production of various agricultural commodities was focused on a specific area and/or a specific commodity. There was a little study on banana production and limitations in some regions in Tamil Nadu. As a result, the focus of this research will be on hill banana production in the Dindigul district. Purposive and convenience sampling technique was used in this study. Primary data were collected by the personal interview with a well-structured interview schedule. The cost and returns of hill bananas were calculated per hectare. The average cost of production of hill bananas was estimated to be ₹2.04 lakh/ha. The average gross return was ₹5.04 lakh/ha and the average net return was estimated to be ₹2.99 lakh/ha. The result of the study shows that hill banana cultivation was highly profitable and the benefit-cost ratio (BC Ratio) was more than unity (2.46). The major constraints faced by hill banana farmers in the cultivation of hill bananas were pest attack (insects) followed by disease attack, lack of labor availability, animal attack, and drought. The findings will assist policymakers in developing appropriate programs and adjusting strategies for improving hill banana production in Tamil Nadu

An Analysis of Online Purchasing Meat Products in Coimbatore City

The study aimed to examine various factors influencing the purchase decision of respondents about meat products through online-based platforms. Primary data has been collected from 100 respondents through interviews using a well-structured questionnaire from various zones of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu. Factor analysis is used to know a clear picture of major influencing factors used as a deciding parameter for the purchase of meat products through online-based platforms. From the study, the respondents are nowadays shifting to online purchasing of meat products because of their working patterns, and some factors like saving time & effort, convenience, COVID-19 pandemic situation, etc. also influence their decision of meat purchase

Effectiveness of a Novel Antimicrobial Dressing in Treating Chronic Venous Leg Ulcers

Aim and objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness ofSilver containing wound dressing in Leg ulcer patients with chronic venous disease. Methods: 60 patients with venous leg ulcers were treated with silver colloid dressings for four weeks, followed by conventional dressings for four weeks with or without having signs ofinfection were treated. Clinical evolution of the wound in terms of size, depth and ulcer painwere monitored for eight weeks. In this study, two participants defaulted and lost to follow up. Results: The wound condition has significantly improved after 8 weeks with completely healed ulcers in 4 patients, 48 (76%) patients had improvement and 2 patients had deteriorated wound requiring debridement. An average of 54% reduction in size and 60% reduction in depth of ulcers seen. No adverse events were encountered related to wound dressings. Participants reported less pain on pain scores as the study progressed. Conclusion:  According to this study, silver wound dressings have an acceptable efficacy for treating chronic venous leg ulcers where biofilm formation might inhibit healing

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

A Comparison Between Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography and Fluorescein Angiography for the Imaging of Type 1 Neovascularization.

Purpose: To determine the sensitivity of the combination of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and structural optical coherence tomography (OCT) for detecting type 1 neovascularization (NV) and to determine significant factors that preclude visualization of type 1 NV using OCTA. Methods: Multicenter, retrospective cohort study of 115 eyes from 100 patients with type 1 NV. A retrospective review of fluorescein (FA), OCT, and OCTA imaging was performed on a consecutive series of eyes with type 1 NV from five institutions. Unmasked graders utilized FA and structural OCT data to determine the diagnosis of type 1 NV. Masked graders evaluated FA data alone, en face OCTA data alone and combined en face OCTA and structural OCT data to determine the presence of type 1 NV. Sensitivity analyses were performed using combined FA and OCT data as the reference standard. Results: A total of 105 eyes were diagnosed with type 1 NV using the reference. Of these, 90 (85.7%) could be detected using en face OCTA and structural OCT. The sensitivities of FA data alone and en face OCTA data alone for visualizing type 1 NV were the same (66.7%). Significant factors that precluded visualization of NV using en face OCTA included the height of pigment epithelial detachment, low signal strength, and treatment-naïve disease (P \u3c 0.05, respectively). Conclusions: En face OCTA and structural OCT showed better detection of type 1 NV than either FA alone or en face OCTA alone. Combining en face OCTA and structural OCT information may therefore be a useful way to noninvasively diagnose and monitor the treatment of type 1 NV

Exploring the factors influencing farmers' purchase behavior towards submersible pumps: A PLS-structural equation modeling study in Coimbatore district

Submersible pumps are increasingly being utilised to facilitate irrigation, providing farmers with a dependable mean to access groundwater. Efficient water management is crucial for enhancing agricultural productivity, with irrigation playing an important role in crop development. The purpose of this research is to examine the factors influencing farmers’ purchasing behaviour for submersible pumps in the Coimbatore region. Data were collected from 380 farmers using a convenience sampling method, employing a well-prepared interview schedule. The study aims to gain a better understanding of how various attributes such as price (P), durability (D), brand loyalty (BL), dealer recommendation (DR), warranty (W), product quality (PQ), spare parts availability (SPA), and after-sales service (AS) influence farmers' purchasing decisions for submersible pumps. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyse the data. The results revealed that factors such as AS, BL, DR, P, and PQ significantly influenced farmers’ purchasing decisions for submersible pumps. The findings underscore the need for regulations that enhance the availability and accessibility of high-quality submersible pumps, along with the development of efficient marketing methods that address the specific needs of farmers

Unveiling the nutraceutical properties and functional attributes of sorghum-Comprehensive review

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is one of the most significant yet underutilized staple crops in the world. It contains high levels of dietary fiber, resistant starch and essential health-beneficial bioactive compounds, including phenolics, vitamins and minerals, making it a valuable component of a balanced diet. The bioactive profiles of sorghum are exceptionally unique, more abundant and more diverse than those of other common cereal grains. Sorghum contains phenolic acids, condensed tannins and 3-deoxyanthocyanidins as its primary phenolic constituents. Consumption of sorghum whole grain may enhance gut health and lower the risk of chronic illnesses, as studies have demonstrated the strong antioxidant activity of sorghum’s phenolic components in vitro. Additionally, condensed tannins, 3-deoxyanthocyanidins and phenolic compounds are essential contributors to its health benefits. Recently, sorghum grain has been increasingly used to develop functional foods and beverages, as well as an ingredient in other food products. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the nutritional composition and functional properties of sorghum, along with its related health benefits, to improve health outcomes and overall well-being