5,280 research outputs found
Video data compression using artificial neural network differential vector quantization
An artificial neural network vector quantizer is developed for use in data compression applications such as Digital Video. Differential Vector Quantization is used to preserve edge features, and a new adaptive algorithm, known as Frequency-Sensitive Competitive Learning, is used to develop the vector quantizer codebook. To develop real time performance, a custom Very Large Scale Integration Application Specific Integrated Circuit (VLSI ASIC) is being developed to realize the associative memory functions needed in the vector quantization algorithm. By using vector quantization, the need for Huffman coding can be eliminated, resulting in superior performance against channel bit errors than methods that use variable length codes
AWARENESS OF PLAGIARISM AMONG RESEARCH SCHOLARS OF KARNATAK UNIVERSITY, DHARWAD: A STUDY
Plagiarism is a subject of academic misconduct among teaching and research community in higher educational institutions. Information and communication technology has immensely made easy to access information in digital form or electronic form that can lead to copying words/text from any kind of information sources such as Internet, books, magazines, journals, project reports, publications, white papers etc, without acknowledging the original author/ authors with proper citation. Plagiarism is the act of stealing someone else\u27s work and attempting to pass it off as one’s own. In the global academic scenario plagiarism occurs due to lack of knowledge or due to ignorance. In the present study an attempt has been made to study the awareness of plagiarism among research scholars of Karnatak University Dharwad. The findings of the study reveal that most of the research scholars are aware of plagiarism, and they have fair knowledge on various issues of plagiarism such as different types of plagiarism, various anti-plagiarism softwares, consequences indulging in plagiarism etc, some of the factors that influence them to involve in plagiarism are also identified from the study. Most of the respondents have opined about the need to conduct awareness program on plagiaris
Large nonlinear absorption and refraction coefficients of carbon nanotubes estimated from femtosecond Z-scan measurements
Nonlinear transmission of 80 and 140 femtosecond pulsed light with wavelength through single walled carbon nanotubes suspended in water
containing sodium dodecyl sulphate is studied. Pulse-width independent
saturation absorption and negative cubic nonlinearity are observed,
respectively, in open and closed aperture Z-scan experiments. The theoretical
expressions derived to analyze the z-dependent transmission in the saturable
limit require two photon absorption coefficient and a
nonlinear index to fit the data.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures. Accepted and to appear in Applied Physics
Letter
Evaluation of a Cold Staining Method for Acid-Fast Bacilli in Sputum
Comparison between the Ziehl-Neelscn staining method for acid-fast bacilli, applied with and
without heating, was carried out in a controlled investigation using smears prepared from 306
sputum samples collected prior to treatment from suspected cases of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Smear and culture positively were graded and the colour intensity of bacilli recorded. Results
showed that the chance corrected agreement (Kappa) between Z-N and cold methods was only
78%. The sensitivity of the Z-N and cold methods were 84% and 77% respectively when
compared with culture results. Assuming 10% smear positivity among symptomatics reporting to
Peripheral Health Institutions (PHIs), the positive predictive value of the cold method was very
low(53%). When compared to culture, the positive predictive value is 71% for the Z-N method
and 57% for the cold method for a symptomatic population with 15% culture positivity.
In the absence of heating. penetration of the stain was significantly reduced and consequently
the number of bacilli detected was less. The inability to take the stain without heating was seen in
smears from all grades of culture positive samples: thus even heavy positives were missed by the
cold method. The evaluation of the cold method against the standard Z-N method highlights its
limitations and demonstrates that it is not as reliable as the standard Z-N method
Alterations in sperm characteristics of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-immunized men are similar to those of FSH-deprived infertile male bonnet monkeys
The quality of sperm ejaculated by bonnet monkeys and normal, healthy proven fertile volunteer men, both actively immunized with ovine follicle-stimulating hormone (oFSH), was examined at different times of study for chromatin packaging and acrosomal glycoprotein concentration by flow cytometry. Susceptibility of sperm nuclear DNA to dithiothreitol (DTT)-induced decondensation, as measured by ethidium bromide binding, was markedly high compared with values at day 0 in men and monkeys during periods when FSH antibody titer was high. Sperm chromatin structure assay yields alphat values, which is another index of chromatin packaging. Higher alphat values, signifying poor packaging, occurred in both species following immunization with heterologous pituitary FSH. The binding of fluorosceinated pisum sativum agglutinin (PSA-FITC) to acrosome of sperm of monkeys and men was significantly low, compared with values at day 0 (control) during periods when cross-reactive FSH antibody titer was high and endogenous FSH was not detectable. Blockade of FSH function in monkeys by active immunization with a recombinant oFSH receptor protein corresponding to a naturally occurring messenger RNA (mRNA) also resulted in production of sperm with similar defects in chromatin packaging and reduced acrosomal glycoprotein concentration. Thus, it appears that in monkeys and men, lack of FSH signaling results in production of sperm that exhibit defective chromatin packaging and reduction in acrosomal glycoprotein content. These characteristics are similar to that exhibited by sperm of some class of infertile men. Interestingly, these alterations in sperm quality occur well ahead of decreased sperm counts in the ejaculate
Finite-temperature effects on the superfluid Bose-Einstein condensation of confined ultracold atoms in three-dimensional optical lattices
We discuss the finite-temperature phase diagram in the three-dimensional
Bose-Hubbard (BH) model in the strong correlation regime, relevant for
Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices, by employing a quantum rotor
approach. In systems with strong on site repulsive interactions, the rotor U(1)
phase variable dual to the local boson density emerges as an important
collective field. After establishing the connection between the rotor
construction and the the on--site interaction in the BH model the robust
effective action formalism is developed which allows us to study the superfluid
phase transition in various temperature--interaction regimes
Early bactericidal action of pulsed exposure to rifampicin, ethambutol, isoniazid & pyrazinamide in pulmonary tuberculosis patients
The bactericidal action of two therapeutic regimens on Mycobacterium tuberculosis was assessed by
viable counts in serial sputum samples in 49 pulmonary tuberculosis patients being treated with
rifampicin (R), etbambutol (Emb), isoniazid (I) and pyrazinamide (Z) together in a single dose thrice
weekly (REmbIZ3) or with REmb and IZ on alternate days (REmb3IZ3alt). In both groups of patients,
there was a significant reduction (P < 0.02) in the colony forming units (cfu) of M. tuberculosis per
ml of sputum during the first two days of treatment itself. This early bactericidal action (EBA) as well
as the reduction in counts during the subsequent days of treatment were similar (P > 0.2) for both
REmbIZ3 and REmb3IZ3alt regimens indicating that splitting up REmbIZ into REmb on one day and
IZ on the next day in short course chemotherapy (SCC) regimens may not affect the bactericidal action
of the regimens
Theory of Insulator Metal Transition and Colossal Magnetoresistance in Doped Manganites
The persistent proximity of insulating and metallic phases, a puzzling
characterestic of manganites, is argued to arise from the self organization of
the twofold degenerate e_g orbitals of Mn into localized Jahn-Teller(JT)
polaronic levels and broad band states due to the large electron - JT phonon
coupling present in them. We describe a new two band model with strong
correlations and a dynamical mean-field theory calculation of equilibrium and
transport properties. These explain the insulator metal transition and colossal
magnetoresistance quantitatively, as well as other consequences of two state
coexistence
Crafts and gear used for marine fishing along the Andhra Pradesh coast
Until the middle of nineteen sixties fishing
for marine finfishes and shellfishes along the
Andhra Pradesh coast used to be carried out
employing indigenous non-mechanised crafts.
Subsequently trawlers and later mechanised
vessels operating gillnets came into use which
resulted in the increased fish production. Use
of outboard engine on indigenous crafts for
reaching fishing grounds is a recent feature of
near the coast fishing. The different kinds of
non-mechanised and mechanised crafts and
gear employed in the region are dealt with in
this article
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