Application of Bandelet Transform in Image and Video Compression

The need for large-scale storage and transmission of data is growing exponentially With the widespread use of computers so that efficient ways of storing data have become important. With the advancement of technology, the world has found itself amid a vast amount of information. An efficient method has to be generated to deal with such amount of information. Data compression is a technique which minimizes the size of a file keeping the quality same as previous. So more amount of data can be stored in memory space with the help of data compression. There are various image compression standards such as JPEG, which uses discrete cosine transform technique and JPEG 2000 which uses discrete wavelet transform technique. The discrete cosine transform gives excellent compaction for highly correlated information. The computational complexity is very less as it has better information packing ability. However, it produces blocking artifacts, graininess, and blurring in the output which is overcome by the discrete wavelet transform. The image size is reduced by discarding values less than a prespecified quantity without losing much information. But it also has some limitations when the complexity of the image increases. Wavelets are optimal for point singularity however for line singularities and curve singularities these are not optimal. They do not consider the image geometry which is a vital source of redundancy. Here we analyze a new type of bases known as bandelets which can be constructed from the wavelet basis which takes an important source of regularity that is the geometrical redundancy.The image is decomposed along the direction of geometry. It is better as compared to other methods because the geometry is described by a flow vector rather than edges. it indicates the direction in which the intensity of image shows a smooth variation. It gives better compression measure compared to wavelet bases. A fast subband coding is used for the image decomposition in a bandelet basis. It has been extended for video compression. The bandelet transform based image and video compression method compared with the corresponding wavelet scheme. Different performance measure parameters such as peak signal to noise ratio, compression ratio (PSNR), bits per pixel (bpp) and entropy are evaluated for both Image and video compression

May Measurement Month 2018: a pragmatic global screening campaign to raise awareness of blood pressure by the International Society of Hypertension

Aims Raised blood pressure (BP) is the biggest contributor to mortality and disease burden worldwide and fewer than half of those with hypertension are aware of it. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global campaign set up in 2017, to raise awareness of high BP and as a pragmatic solution to a lack of formal screening worldwide. The 2018 campaign was expanded, aiming to include more participants and countries. Methods and results Eighty-nine countries participated in MMM 2018. Volunteers (≥18 years) were recruited through opportunistic sampling at a variety of screening sites. Each participant had three BP measurements and completed a questionnaire on demographic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medication. In total, 74.9% of screenees provided three BP readings. Multiple imputation using chained equations was used to impute missing readings. 1 504 963 individuals (mean age 45.3 years; 52.4% female) were screened. After multiple imputation, 502 079 (33.4%) individuals had hypertension, of whom 59.5% were aware of their diagnosis and 55.3% were taking antihypertensive medication. Of those on medication, 60.0% were controlled and of all hypertensives, 33.2% were controlled. We detected 224 285 individuals with untreated hypertension and 111 214 individuals with inadequately treated (systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg) hypertension. Conclusion May Measurement Month expanded significantly compared with 2017, including more participants in more countries. The campaign identified over 335 000 adults with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. In the absence of systematic screening programmes, MMM was effective at raising awareness at least among these individuals at risk

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Not AvailableNanotechnology in Soil Science. In: Soil Science: An Introduction. Rattan, R. K. , Katyal, J. C., Dwivedi, B. S., Sarkar, A. K., Bhattacharyya Tapas, Tarafdar, J. C. and Kukal, S. S. (Editors), Indian Society of Soil Science, New Delhi, p. 775-807.Not Availabl

Blast injuries to the hand: Pathomechanics, patterns and treatment

Purpose: To characterize the common patterns of injury in detail in cases of blast injuries to the hand and to outline the possible pathomechanics of these patterns of injury while describing the treatment modalities for the same as practiced in our center. Materials and Methods: A review of admitted patients in our department from september 2009 through december 2010 of blast injuries to the hand was made. Each patient had a careful characterization of their injuries as mild, moderate or severe with the help of X-rays, clinical photographs and operative notes. The treatment of these patients during hospital stay was also documented. Results: Of the 55 patients studied, 5 patients suffered mild injuries with no bony injuries or dislocations, 26 patients had moderate injuries characterized by fractures and dislocations in addition to soft tissue injuries and 24 patients had severe injuries characterized by variable degrees of amputations. The most common injury type was to the radial aspect of the hand characterized by a first web split and a dislocation of the CMC joint of the thumb associated with fracture of the central metacarpals and amputations of the index and long fingers in some cases. Injury to the ulnar aspect was rare. Injuries were treated by repair as well as replacement done mostly in a serial fashion. Conclusion: Depending on the mode of injury, blast injuries to the hand can have varying patterns of injury, which can have important implications in the treatment and rehabilitation of a patient

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Not AvailableWith the advancement of nanotechnology, increasing use of commercial nano materials in many products is obvious and thus it is critical to identify potential impact of nano materials on different organisms. In the present investigation, the effect of different metal oxide nano particles was evaluated on filamentous cyanobacteria. Different growth parameters and enzymatic activities of Spirulina platensis in Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR-CFTRI) medium were recorded as affected by nano particles. The growth of Spirulina in standard CSIR-CFTRI media, spiked with 10 ppm Zn as ZnO nano particles (<100 nm), was retarded while no growth was observed when the growth medium was spiked with 10 ppm Cu as CuO nano particles (<50 nm). But tri calcium phosphate (<100 nm), and hydroxyapatite (<200 nm) nano particles enhanced the growth of Spirulina and among these two nano particles, hydroxyapatite (<200 nm) showed higher nitrate reductase activity, protein content and total carotenoids content of Spirulina. Experimental results proved that nano particles have both the positive and deleterious effect on organisms. Further research is necessary to critically judge the impact of nanotechnology on different organisms in soil and aquatic systems.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableNano particles are finding their way into the environment through deliberate and accidental actions, ecotoxicological properties and the risks of these nano particles have yet not been fully characterized. In this present investigation, experiments were carried out to know the effect of Cu oxide-nano particles (< 50 nm) on germination and growth of seeds of soybean and chickpea. In both the crops, germination was not checked up to 2,000 ppm Cu (applied through Cu oxide-nano particles), but the root growth was prevented above 500 ppm Cu. With increasing concentration of NPs, the elongation of the roots was severely inhibited as compared to that in control. In many cases root necrosis was occurred. Massive adsorption of Cu oxide-nano particles into the root system was responsible for the toxicity. A parallel experiment was also carried out to know the effect of copper sulphate solution on seed germination, above 200 ppm Cu, it restricted the germination of seeds, because of high salinity.Not Availabl

Development of Nanomedicine from Copper Mine Tailing Waste: A Pavement towards Circular Economy with Advanced Redox Nanotechnology

Copper, the essential element required for the human body is well-known for its profound antibacterial properties, yet salts and oxides of copper metals in the copper mine tailings are reported to be a big burden in the modern era. Among other copper oxides, CuO, in particular, is known to have beneficial effects on humans, while its slight nanoengineering viz., surface functionalization of the nanometer-sized oxide is shown to make some paradigm shift using its inherent redox property. Here, we have synthesized nanometer-sized CuO nanoparticles and functionalized it with a citrate ligand for an enhanced redox property and better solubility in water. For structural analysis of the nanohybrid, standard analytical tools, such as electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and X-ray diffraction studies were conducted. Moreover, FTIR and UV-VIS spectroscopy studies were performed to confirm its functionalization. The antibacterial study results, against a model bacteria (S. hominis), show that CuO nanohybrids provide favorable outcomes on antibiotic-resistant organisms. The suitability of the nanohybrid for use in photodynamic therapy was also confirmed, as under light its activity increased substantially. The use of CuO nanoparticles as antibiotics was further supported by the use of computational biology, which reconfirmed the outcome of our experimental studies. We have also extracted CuO nanogranules (top-down technique) from copper mine tailings of two places, each with different geographical locations, and functionalized them with citrate ligands in order to characterize similar structural and functional properties obtained from synthesized CuO nanoparticles, using the bottom-up technique. We have observed that the extracted functionalized CuO from copper tailings offers similar properties compared to those of the synthesized CuO, which provides an avenue for the circular economy for the utilization of copper waste into nanomedicine, which is known to be best for mankind

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Not AvailableRice accounts for a significant contribution to the total food grain production in India. As the rice production area either stabilizes or declines, and there is a wide gap between projected demand and current level of production, vertical growth in production through hybrid rice is a practically feasible and adoptable technology. This paper attempts to elucidate the current scenario, strategies and agro-techniques for seed as well as grain production, quality parameters and economic aspects of hybrid rice in India. As the seed production of hybrid rice is knowledge and labor intensive, different agro-techniques need to be adopted to make it more successful. The two parental lines should be sown and transplanted at the right time with an isolation distance of 50-100 m. For synchronized flowering, the differential seeding of parental lines can be based on their effective accumulated temperature (12-27 degrees C) from seeding to flowering. The optimum ratio for plants of the seed to pollen parent should ensure 3.5 spikelets of the seed parent for each spikelet of the pollen parent. Thus the commonly used seed to pollen parent ratios are 10:3, 6:2 and 14:2. Cultural practices like controlling weeds and pests, roguing of off-types are essential. Application of GA(3) at 15-20 g ha(-1) should be sprayed with ULV sprayer to overcome poor panicle exsertion of parental lines. The agronomic practices for large scale grain production include the seed rate of 15 kg ha(-1), optimum seeding density of 10-20 g m(-2) in the nursery, transplanting of a single seedling per hill with the spacing of 15 cm X 15 cm. Though nutrient requirement differs with type of soil and initial fertility, a general dose of 120-150 kg N, 60 kg P2O5 and 50 kg K2O and 20 kg S ha(-1) is required. Application of ZnSO4 @ 40 kg ha(-1) once in every three crop seasons is needed in the Zn-deficient areas. The grain quality characteristics include long slender (LS) grain, 60-70% milling and 24-31% amylose content. Seed quality control is another essential requirement that should be maintained throughout the process of seed production. A net profit of Rs. 25000 ($ 550) per ha can be obtained by taking up hybrid rice seed production. Moreover, integrated efforts of policy makers, researchers, extension workers and farmers would be desirable to make hybrid rice cultivation a successful endeavor in India.Not Availabl

Fe-exchanged nano-bentonite outperforms Fe3O4 nanoparticles in removing nitrate and bicarbonate from wastewater

Nitrate (NO3−) and bicarbonate (HCO3−) are harmful for the water quality and can potentially create negative impacts to aquatic organisms, crops and humans. This study deals with the removal of NO3− and HCO3− from contaminated wastewater using Fe-exchanged nano-bentonite and Fe3O4 nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, surface area measurement and particle size analysis revealed that the adsorbents fall under the nano-scale size range with high specific surface area, and Fe was successfully exchanged in the nano-bentonite clay. The kinetics of adsorption was well defined by pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetic models for both NO3− and HCO3−. The Fe-exchanged nano-bentonite was a better performing adsorbent of the oxyanions than Fe3O4 nanoparticles. According to the Sips isothermal model, the Fe-exchanged nano-bentonite exhibited the highest NO3− and HCO3− adsorption potential of 64.76 mg g-1 and 9.73 meq g-1, respectively, while the respective values for Fe3O4 nanoparticles were 49.90 mg g-1 and 3.07 meq g-1. Thus, inexpensiveness and easy preparation process of Fe-exchanged nano-bentonite make it attractive for NO3− and HCO3− removal from contaminated wastewater with significant environmental and economic benefits