Spatio-temporal dynamics along the terrain gradient of diverse landscape

Land use (LU) land cover (LC) information at a temporal scale illustrates the physical coverage of the Earth’s terrestrial surface according to its use and provides the intricate information for effective planning and management activities.  LULC changes are stated as local and location specifc, collectively they act as drivers of global environmental changes. Understanding and predicting the impact of LULC change processes requires long term historical restorations and projecting into the future of land cover changes at regional to global scales. The present study aims at quantifying spatio temporal landscape dynamics along the gradient of varying terrains presented in the landscape by multi-data approach (MDA). MDA incorporates multi temporal satellite imagery with demographic data and other additional relevant data sets. The gradient covers three different types of topographic features, planes; hilly terrain and coastal region to account the signifcant role of elevation in land cover change. The seasonality is another aspect to be considered in the vegetation dominated landscapes; variations are accounted using multi seasonal data. Spatial patterns of the various patches are identifed and analysed using landscape metrics to understand the forest fragmentation. The prediction of likely changes in 2020 through scenario analysis has been done to account for the changes, considering the present growth rates and due to the proposed developmental projects. This work summarizes recent estimates on changes in cropland, agricultural intensifcation, deforestation, pasture expansion, and urbanization as the causal factors for LULC change

Automated Top View Registration of Broadcast Football Videos

In this paper, we propose a novel method to register football broadcast video frames on the static top view model of the playing surface. The proposed method is fully automatic in contrast to the current state of the art which requires manual initialization of point correspondences between the image and the static model. Automatic registration using existing approaches has been difficult due to the lack of sufficient point correspondences. We investigate an alternate approach exploiting the edge information from the line markings on the field. We formulate the registration problem as a nearest neighbour search over a synthetically generated dictionary of edge map and homography pairs. The synthetic dictionary generation allows us to exhaustively cover a wide variety of camera angles and positions and reduce this problem to a minimal per-frame edge map matching procedure. We show that the per-frame results can be improved in videos using an optimization framework for temporal camera stabilization. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by presenting extensive results on a dataset collected from matches of football World Cup 2014

Fractographic characterization of Al2O3p particulates reinforced Al2014 alloy composites subjected to tensile loading

In the current investigation, efforts are being made to produce an Al2014-Al2O3p composite with variable particle size of 88 mm by liquid stir casting route. 9, 12 and 15 weight proportions of Al2O3p were added to the Al2014 base alloy. By using SEM and EDS testing, microstructural studies have been conducted. Al2014-9, 12 and 15 weight proportion of Al2O3p composites mechanical behavior is determined in line with ASTM standards. Electron microscopic images showed that alumina (Al2O3p) particles are dispersed uniformly within the Al2014 composite matrix. EDS study confirmed the proximity of Al and O elements to composites reinforced by Al2O3p. It is also found that Al2014-Al2O3p composite hardness, UTS, and yield strength are improved by the addition of 9, 12 and 15 weight proportion of Al2O3p. Due to the addition of alumina particles in the Al2014 matrix alloy, the ductility of the produced composites decreases. Tensile fractography is performed using SEM to consider the mechanisms for failure

Design of Emergency Communication and Alerting System for High Risk Workers

Emergency Management System (EMS) is a system that communicates and alert for emergency medical care. Once it is activated by an incident that causes serious illness or injury to human workers. High Risk workers emergency communication system is equipment which is used for response on any emergency, the worker can alert the Rescuing people, and it will continuously monitor the workers blood pressure and Heart beat rate .If any violation occurs it will be observed by the equipment and it will alert the responsible persons by alarm and Emergency Messages. Using GSM modem, pressure sensor and Heartbeat sensor the equipment can observe the real-time health monitoring of the high risk workers. According to the alerting system we can shoot the first aid and control the accident severity rate. Thus, the proposed system makes the human’s life at workplace easier and more comfortable

A comparative study to assess the awareness of antibiotic resistance amongst first and second year medical undergraduate students in a medical college

Background: With the rising instances of antibiotic resistance and decline in the discovery of newer antibiotics, it is high time to prevent the emergence of antibiotic resistance. One of the best measures regarding the above problem is education and creating awareness regarding antibiotic resistance, and that too primarily among healthcare professionals. The initiation should start at the basic level and that too in the early days of medical profession, so that there is greater awareness and strong foundation for antibiotic prescribing pattern. The present study is taken up to compare awareness among 1st year and 2nd year medical students in a private medical college with 2nd year medical students having prior education regarding antibiotics resistance and first year students representing general public without any education regarding antibiotics resistance.Methods: This study was a comparative, cross-sectional, questionnaire based study. The questionnaire was validated for face validity and content validity from subject experts. The two groups selected were 1st year and 2nd year medical undergraduates. Data was analysed using simple descriptive statistics.Results: 136 students from 1st year and 88 students from 2nd year participated in the study. In both the groups studied, majority of the respondents completed the full course of antibiotics. 77% of 1st year and all 2nd year students were aware of the antibiotic resistance. 99% of 2nd year students and only 49% of the 1st year students were aware of the reasons for it (p<0.01). Awareness regarding prophylactic usage of antibiotics, usage for simple common cold and usage of higher antibiotics for mid infection leading to Antibiotic Resistance was significantly less among first year students. 2nd year students were well aware of consequences of antibiotic resistance like ineffective treatment, prolongation of illness, emergence of bacterial resistance and additional cost burden than 1st year students. Awareness regarding other aspects of antibiotic resistance was not significant between two groups.Conclusions: Stressing upon awareness and education regarding antibiotic resistance in the early days of medical curriculum will help in change of behaviour and habits of antibiotic usage and rational prescribing of antibiotics by the future doctors.

Urban footprint of Mumbai - the commercial capital of India

Urban footprint refers to the proportion of paved surface (built up, roads, etc.) with the reduction of other land use types in a region. Rapid increase in the urban areas is the major driver in landscape dynamics with the significant erosion in the quality and quantity of the natural ecosystems. The urban expansion process hence needs to be monitored, quantified and understood for effective planning and the sustainable management of natural resources. Cities and towns have been experiencing considerable growth in urban area, population size, social aspects, negative environmental and geographical influence, and complexity. Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, has experienced a spurt in infrastructural and industrial activities with globalization and opening up of Indian markets. Unplanned urbanization has resulted in dispersed growth inperi-urban pockets due to socio-economic aspects with the burgeoning population of the city. Consequent to this, there has been an uneven growth pattern apart from the increase in slums in and around the city. This has necessitated the understanding of the urbanization pattern and process focusing especially on the expanding geographical area, its geometry and the spatial pattern of its development. This communication discusses the urban footprint dynamics of Mumbai using multi-temporal remote sensing data with spatial metrics. Land use analysis indicated a decrease of vegetation by 20% with an increase in urban extent by 155% during the last three decades. Landscape metrics aided in assessing the spatial structure and composition of the urban footprints through the zonal analysis by dividing the region into four zones with concentric circles of 1 km incrementing radius from the city centre. The study reveals a significant variation in the composition of the urban patch dynamics with increasing complexity and aggregation of urban area at the centre and sprawl at the outskirts. Shannon's entropy further confirms of sprawl with time. Further zoning with the circular gradients aided in understanding the transition process of land use categories into urban patch

Mechanical characterization and fractography of 100 micron sized silicon carbide particles reinforced Al6061 alloy composites

In the current exploration, the impact of the 100 to 125 micron size addition of silicon carbide (SiC) on the mechanical performance of Al6061 alloy has been studied. The Al6061 alloy dispersed with 6, 9, and 12 wt.% of SiC particles were synthesized by a two-step stir cast route. Two-step addition of the preheated particles into the melt helps avoid the agglomeration of the particles, which further contributes to enhancing the properties of composites. The orchestrated composites were exposed to microstructural examines and mechanical properties evaluation. Microstructural portrayals of acquired examples were completed by SEM microscopy, EDS, and XRD patterns. The event of SiC particles were affirmed by the XRD patterns. The density of the Al6061-SiC composites was increased with the addition of high-density silicon carbide particles. The hardness, ultimate, and yield qualities of metal composites have been improved with the increase in the content of SiC support. The ductility of SiC reinforced composites decreased with hard ceramic particles' incorporation in the Al matrix alloy. Various fracture mechanisms were observed in the Al6061-SiC composites using SEM