Studies on the Sampling Methodology of Peas for Yield and Quality

Pea growers have much at stake in getting high yields of peas of prime quality. The income accruing from a pea crop grown for processors is determined by the yield as well as quality. Therefore the farmers\u27 efforts are directed toward growing such a crop. Research workers are interested in knowing the yield of peas with known tenderometer values which will indicate the quality of peas. Present methods of field harvesting are costly and time consuming which tend to limit the number of varieties that can be satisfactorily evaluated for trial. A comparison of sampling techniques with present harvesting methods would determine whether or not a sampling technique could be used to obtain the yield and quality evaluation without harvesting the entire plot. Because of errors in vining peas, large plots are required to make evaluation of yields. If a sampling technique would be satis­factory, the field plots could be much reduced in size which would result in a saving in the cost of the trials. In addition, data were collected on the performance of five commerrcial varieties of peas in Utah. Thus the objectives of the investigation were as follows: 1.To determine how good an estimate can be obtained by taking a sample of the crop in comparison with the complete harvest. 2. To indicate what size of sample is practical and economically plausible. 3. To test the performance of five commercial pea varieties

ESSAYS ON ASYMMETRIC AUCTIONS WITH RESALE

This study investigates asymmetric auctions with resale using controlled laboratory experiments. In the first essay titled “ Auctions with Resale: An Experimental Study”, we study the bidding behavior in first price asymmetric auctions followed by resale markets wherein bargaining power varies from seller to buyer. Building upon current literature, we posit a revenue–efficiency trade–off between the resale regimes with either the seller (Monopoly resale) or the buyer (Monopsony resale) has all bargaining power. The results imply a symmetrization of bids for both the bidders under both regimes. Using controlled experiments that mimic the theoretical setting, we find support for higher bidding under the monopoly resale regime with similar efficiency levels across the two resale regimes. Then we employ quantile regression analysis by controlling for certain bidder specific and auction specific characteristics to provide limited evidence for symmetrization.The second essay, “ Bargaining in Auctions with Resale”, extends the analysis to a double auction (DA) framework in the resale stage that gives both, buyer and seller equal bargaining power. The theoretical results indicate that the equilibrium bidding functions and the resale prices under the DA regime fall in between those from the monopoly and monopsony regimes and the bid–symmetrization property continues to hold in this case as earlier. After running experiments similar to earlier setup, we do not find much support for symmetrization. However, there is limited evidence for a transition of average bids and resale prices across regimes.The final essay, “ Emission Trading Schemes as Auctions with Resale”, reviews emission trading schemes (ETS) as auctions with resale and examines the results from RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, an ongoing ETS in the United States) in the light of previous analysis. The trend of RGGI allowance prices indicates a scenario closer to monopsony resale regime

Green Finance and Economic efficiency in India and regional disparity: An inquiry into its influence using spatial data analysis

Green finance is widely recognized and it has become an important factor affecting the economy, society, and sustainable development, and quality of life index there are not many indications that it has taken deep root in India and had gone beyond lip service. Despite the fact the Government of India as of late taken steps to move toward a more green energy solution, and address the global warming issues as a part of the bilateral and multi-governmental commitment, linking the same to corporate value seem to miss. In an additive formulation, social responsibility investment and sustainable banking lead to sustainable finance. This paper deals with the effect of green finance on the economic efficiency of India. The study uses a spatial panel regression across the five regions namely North, South, East, West, and Central region of India, and tries to understand how green finance had been implicated. The study uses several robustness checks and decomposition methods to understand the spillover, It has been observed that there is sufficient reason to believe that green finance has affected economic efficiency, especially in the southern and western regions. There are also traces of spillover of green finances on the urbanization and energy structure of the country along with the regional biases

STUDY OF ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF RESINS OF BOSWELLIA SERRATA ROXB EX COLEBR., COMMIPHORA MUKUL (HOOKS EX-STOCKS) ENGL., GARDENIA RESINIFERA ROTH. AND SHOREA ROBUSTA GAERTN

Objective: To evaluate the antibacterial activity of the resins of Boswellia serrata, Commiphora mukul, Gardenia resinifera, Shorea robusta against Gram-positive bacteria namely Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacteria namely Proteus vulgaris and Esherichia coli.Methods: Resin samples (20%) were separately prepared in ethanol, DMSO, acetone and chloroform by overnight soaking 2 g of sample in 10 ml of solvent, filtered next day and were tested for the antibacterial activity by following standard method (well diffusion). The MIC was determined for the samples exhibiting+ve activity.Results: The study revealed that resin of Shorea did not inhibit the growth of both Gram+ve and Gram-ve bacteria. The resin of Boswellia and Commiphora showed activity against B. cereus and the MIC was found to be 20 mg/ml and 200 mg/ml respectively. Resin of Gardenia exhibited activity against B. cereus (MIC–20 mg/ml and S. aureus (MIC–100 mg/ml).Conclusion: Shorea did not have any antibacterial activity. The resins of B. serrata, C. mukul, and G. resinifera exhibited activity against Gram-positive bacteria; comparable to standard antibiotic amoxicillin, but they did not have the activity against Gram-negative bacteria. The maximum zone of inhibition (ZOI) was observed against B. cereus by Boswellia serrata resin sample prepared in ethanol.Keywords: Resins, Boswellia serrata, Commiphora mukul, Gardenia resinifera, Shorea robusta, antibacterial activity, Gram positive, Gram negativ

Augmented Reality Navigation Interfaces Improve Human Performance In End-Effector Controlled Telerobotics

On the International Space Station (ISS) and space shuttles, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has used robotic manipulators extensively to perform payload handling and maintenance tasks. Teleoperating robots require expert skills and optimal performance is crucial to mission completion and crew safety. Degradation in performance is observed when manual control is mediated through remote camera views, resulting in poor end-effector navigation quality and extended task completion times. This thesis explores the application of three-dimensional augmented reality (AR) interfaces specifically designed to improve human performance during end-effector controlled teleoperations. A modular telerobotic test bed was developed for this purpose and several experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, the effect of camera placement on end-effector manipulation performance was evaluated. Results show that increasing misalignment between the displayed end-effector and hand-controller axes (display-control misalignments) increases the time required to process a movement input. Simple AR movement cues were found to mitigate the adverse effects of camera-based teleoperation and made performance invariant to misalignment. Applying these movement cues to payload transport tasks correspondingly demonstrated improvements in free-space navigation quality over conventional end-effector control using multiple cameras. Collision-free teleoperations are also a critical requirement in space. To help the operators guide robots safely, a novel method was evaluated. Navigation plans computed by a planning agent are presented to the operator sequentially through an AR interface. The plans in combination with the interface allow the operator to guide the end-effector through collision-free regions in the remote environment safely. Experimental results show significant benefits in control performance including reduced path deviation and travel distance. Overall, the results show that AR interfaces can improve performance during manual control of remote robots and have tremendous potential in current and future teleoperated space robotic systems; as well as in contemporary military and surgical applications

Correlation between Modified Bloom Richardson Grade and Lymph Nodal Status in Infiltrating Ductal Type of Breast Carcinoma

Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. Among the various types, invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC), not otherwise specified (NOS) is the most common type. This study was conducted to describe the clinico-pathological parameters of breast cancer, and to find a correlation between two of the prognostic parameters, i.e., Bloom Richardson (BR) grade and lymph node metastasis. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study with a sample size of 100 cases. Routine clinical details and investigations of the patients were recorded, including age, TNM stage of tumour, etc. Further, the specimens were evaluated for the histological typing, histological grading, and status of lymph nodes. Also, statistical correlations were established between two of the prognostic parameters, i.e., BR grade and lymph node metastasis. Results: All the cases were NOS type of IDC. Majority of the cases belonged to pTNM stage III, followed by stage II. Maximum cases belonged to BR grade 2, followed by grade 3. Lymph node metastasis was present in 40% cases. A statistically significant correlation was seen between increasing BR grade and presence of lymph node metastasis in the tumour. Discussion and Conclusion: Majority of the cases in our study belong to high grade and stage. This is probably due to lack of awareness and late detection of breast carcinoma in Indian scenario. A statistically significant correlation was found between increasing BR grade and presence of lymph node metastasis in the tumour. Thus, these can be used along with other clinico-pathological parameters for prognostic and therapeutic planning in breast carcinoma cases