The Impact of El Niño/Southern Oscillation on Hydrology and Rice Productivity in the Cauvery Basin, India: Application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool

AbstractThis study was performed to further understanding of the variations in hydrology and rice crop productivity during different El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events in the Cauvery River Basin of Tamil Nadu, India using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The entire Cauvery Basin was divided into 301 sub-basins and further subdivided into 3,601 Hydrological Response Units (HRU). Based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) official website, information on El Niño (1972, 1982, 1987, 1991, 1997, 2002 and 2004) and La Niña (1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1988, 1998, 1999 and 2000) years were obtained. The SWAT model was continuously run from 1970 to 2008, and a composite for El Niño, La Niña and normal years was constructed to understand their influence on hydrology and rice crop productivity in the study area. From the analysis, it was clear that an El Niño episode is correlated with rainfall, hydrology and rice productivity in the Cauvery river basin. The validation of the SWAT model indicated the capability of SWAT to accurately predict stream flow and rice productivity. It was evident from the investigation that the quantum of rainfall was more during El Niño years with high inter-annual rainfall variability (809.3mm to 2,366mm) compared with La Niña and normal years. As a result, the soil water recharge, including percolation and soil water availability in the surface layers, was increased in the El Niño years. Simulated rice productivity over 39 years in the Cauvery Basin ranged between 1,137 and 7,865kgha−1 with a mean productivity of 3,955kgha−1. The coefficient of variation in rice productivity was higher during La Niña (21.4%) years compared with El Niño (14.7%) and normal years (14.6%). The mean rice productivity was increased in both El Niño and normal years, indicating the possibility of higher yields than those in La Niña years. An analysis of the hydrological data and rice productivity showed that the risk of failure was low during El Niño years compared with normal or La Niña years. This behavior could be utilized for forecasting rice crop productivity under different ENSO conditions and can provide information for policy makers when deciding on water allocation and import / export policies

Comprehensive decongestive therapy in postmastectomy lymphedema: An Indian perspective

Background: Lymphedema following breast cancer treatment is one of the most morbid conditions affecting breast cancer survivors. Currently, no therapy completely cures this condition. Comprehensive Decongestive Therapy (CDT), a novel physiotherapeutic method offers promising results in managing this condition. This therapy is being widely used in the West. Till date, there are no studies evaluating the effectiveness and feasibility of this therapy in the east. Materials and Methods: The therapeutic responses of 25 patients with postmastectomy lymphedema were analyzed prospectively in this study. Each patient received an intensive phase of therapy for eight days from trained physiotherapists, which included manual lymphatic drainage, multi layered compression bandaging, exercises, and skin care. Instruction in self management techniques were given to the patients on completion of intensive therapy. The patients were followed up for three months. Changes in the volume of the edematous limb were assessed with a geometric approximation derived from serial circumference measurements of the limb and by water displacement volumetry. Changes in skin and sub cutis thickness were assessed using high frequency ultrasound. Results: The reduction in limb volume observed after therapy was 32.3% and 42% of the excess, by measurement and volumetry, respectively. The maximum reduction was obtained after the intensive phase. The reduction in skin and subcutis thickness of the edematous limb followed the same pattern as volume reduction. Patients could maintain the reduction obtained by strictly following the protocols of the maintenance phase. Conclusions: CDT combined with long-term self management is effective in treating post mastectomy lymphedema. The tropical climate is a major factor limiting the regular use of bandages by the patients

Comprehensive decongestive therapy in postmastectomy lymphedema: An Indian perspective

Background: Lymphedema following breast cancer treatment is one of the most morbid conditions affecting breast cancer survivors. Currently, no therapy completely cures this condition. Comprehensive Decongestive Therapy (CDT), a novel physiotherapeutic method offers promising results in managing this condition. This therapy is being widely used in the West. Till date, there are no studies evaluating the effectiveness and feasibility of this therapy in the east. Materials and Methods: The therapeutic responses of 25 patients with postmastectomy lymphedema were analyzed prospectively in this study. Each patient received an intensive phase of therapy for eight days from trained physiotherapists, which included manual lymphatic drainage, multi layered compression bandaging, exercises, and skin care. Instruction in self management techniques were given to the patients on completion of intensive therapy. The patients were followed up for three months. Changes in the volume of the edematous limb were assessed with a geometric approximation derived from serial circumference measurements of the limb and by water displacement volumetry. Changes in skin and sub cutis thickness were assessed using high frequency ultrasound. Results: The reduction in limb volume observed after therapy was 32.3% and 42% of the excess, by measurement and volumetry, respectively. The maximum reduction was obtained after the intensive phase. The reduction in skin and subcutis thickness of the edematous limb followed the same pattern as volume reduction. Patients could maintain the reduction obtained by strictly following the protocols of the maintenance phase. Conclusions: CDT combined with long-term self management is effective in treating post mastectomy lymphedema. The tropical climate is a major factor limiting the regular use of bandages by the patients

Dynamic Physical Activity Recommendation Delivered through a Mobile Fitness App: A Deep Learning Approach

Regular physical activity has a positive impact on our physical and mental health. Adhering to a fixed physical activity regimen is essential for good health and mental wellbeing. Today, fitness trackers and smartphone applications are used to promote physical activity. These applications use step counts recorded by accelerometers to estimate physical activity. In this research, we performed a two-level clustering on a dataset based on individuals’ physical and physiological features, as well as past daily activity patterns. The proposed model exploits the user data with partial or complete features. To include the user with partial features, we trained the proposed model with the data of users who possess exclusive features. Additionally, we classified the users into several clusters to produce more accurate results for the users. This enables the proposed system to provide data-driven and personalized activity planning recommendations every day. A personalized physical activity plan is generated on the basis of hourly patterns for users according to their adherence and past recommended activity plans. Customization of activity plans can be achieved according to the user’s historical activity habits and current activity objective, as well as the likelihood of sticking to the plan. The proposed physical activity recommendation system was evaluated in real time, and the results demonstrated the improved performance over existing baselines

Adsorption kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamics of a textile dye V5BN by a natural nanocomplex material: Clinoptilolite

Dyes are considered as a major pollutant released in industrial (leather, textile, and paper) effluents. In this study, the ability of Clinoptilolite in adsorbing an industrial dye (Violet 5BN) was assessed. Clinoptilolite was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive analysis using X-ray and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller analysis. Batch studies at varying adsorbent dosage, pH, temperature, and time revealed that 96% of the dye was adsorbed with an adsorbent mass of 1.5 g at 30 °C, pH 5 and reaction time of 90 min. Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were found to be fit, which proves the process to be heterogeneous. The experimental and calculated values of adsorption capacity were almost similar, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.9, thus implying pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion as the favorable models. Negative values of ΔG° indicate strong binding energy between the adsorbent and adsorbate, while negative ΔS° values prove less randomness of the process and higher adsorbate concentration on the adsorbent surface due to ion-exchange interaction. The exothermic nature of adsorption is evident from the negative ΔH° recorded. Thermodynamic studies showed the system was a spontaneous and enthalpy driven process, with chemisorption as the predominant mode of adsorption at 30 °C and physisorption at elevated temperatures. The study demonstrates the significance of natural clinoptilolite in environmental protection, as an adsorbent for remediation of dyes

Impact of seasonal changes in zooplankton biodiversity in Ukkadam Lake, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, and potential future implications of climate change

Abstract Background Zooplankton biodiversity serves as an ecological indicator of aquatic environment due to their rapid response according to environmental changes. At the present study, impact of seasonal changes on zooplankton biodiversity was conducted in the Ukkadam Lake (Lat 10° 59′ N and Long 76° 57′ E), at Coimbatore city, Tamil Nadu, India. Results The biodiversity of zooplankton taxa were studied for a period from December 2011 to November 2012 on seasonal basis. During this time period, in total, 28 species of zooplankton were noticed, which includes 9 species of each Rotifera and Cladocera and 5 species of Copepoda and Ostracoda. In this present observation, total abundance of Rotifera was found to be predominant with 35%, followed by Cladocera 29%, Copepoda 29% and Ostracoda 7%. The population density of various group of zooplankton was observed, and it was found to be following order Rotifera > Copepoda > Cladocera > Ostracoda. The high and low population densities were recorded in summer and early monsoon season respectively. This higher zooplankton population density in summer might be due to the temperature acceleration in the Ukkadam Lake. Conclusions The present study revealed that zooplankton productivity was found to be higher in the Ukkadam Lake when the temperature was increased in summer season. It indicates that the temperature has influence on the zooplankton diversity. Therefore, increased temperature due to global climate change might have influence on the zooplankton production. Assessment of zooplankton biodiversity will be useful to monitor the health (water quality) and wealth (fishery productivity) of this lake system in the near future