Adoption Level of Farmers on Maize Cultivation Practices

The study to measure the extent of adoption level of maize production technologies has been conducted among the maize farmers in the Udumalpet block. The results of the study would help to know the adoption level of farmers which would had in designing suitable programmes to cater to the needs of the farmers. The results revealed that majority (64 per cent) of respondents belonged to the category of medium adoption level whereas, 23.30 per cent of the respondents belonged to the category of low adoption level and above one tenth (14 per cent) of respondents belonged to high adoption level category

A Scale to Measure Farmers Attitude towards Value Addition in Maize

The intent of this research is to identify the attitude of farmers towards value addition in maize. The purpose of scale construction is to design a questionnaire that provides a quantitative measurement of a theoretical variable. The present study aims to develop an attitude scale to measure farmers’ attitude towards value addition in maize. Hence, the study “Production, Value addition and Marketing Behaviour of Maize growers in Tamil Nadu - A Critical Analysis” was contemplated to develop and standardize a scale for measuring the same and conducted during 2012

Optimization of CMT Welding Parameters of Stellite-6 on AISI316L Alloy Using TOPSIS Method

This article discusses the welding parameters optimization to find the quality of stellite-6 cladding on AISI304L austenite alloy using a new optimization method called Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The experiments (31 nos.) were carried out with the cold metal arc transfer welding method (CMT) based on the central composite design (CCD). The cladding material is the stellite-6 alloy which is appreciated for its corrosion and wear resistance. Four factors (welding current, voltage, welding speed and torch angle) and five levels were considered for the experiment and the optimization. It is necessary to find the optimized parameters for the industrial applications as a huge number of experiments are not recommended. The optimization results showed that the 2nd experiment had the 1st rank with high relative closeness and the 19th experiment was in the last rank. Higher current and low welding speed yielded good results and a low corrosion rate of 0.004582 mm/yr. Furthermore, the Micro-structural, Corrosion study and the SEM-EDS of the specimen produced by the 2nd experiment are discussed here. EDS study showed the presence of Cr and Co elements in the cladding region with maximum

Optimization of CMT Welding Parameters of Stellite-6 on AISI316L Alloy Using TOPSIS Method

This article discusses the welding parameters optimization to find the quality of stellite-6 cladding on AISI304L austenite alloy using a new optimization method called Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The experiments (31 nos.) were carried out with the cold metal arc transfer welding method (CMT) based on the central composite design (CCD). The cladding material is the stellite-6 alloy which is appreciated for its corrosion and wear resistance. Four factors (welding current, voltage, welding speed and torch angle) and five levels were considered for the experiment and the optimization. It is necessary to find the optimized parameters for the industrial applications as a huge number of experiments are not recommended. The optimization results showed that the 2nd experiment had the 1st rank with high relative closeness and the 19th experiment was in the last rank. Higher current and low welding speed yielded good results and a low corrosion rate of 0.004582 mm/yr. Furthermore, the Micro-structural, Corrosion study and the SEM-EDS of the specimen produced by the 2nd experiment are discussed here. EDS study showed the presence of Cr and Co elements in the cladding region with maximum

Dynamin-related protein 1 is required for normal mitochondrial bioenergetic and synaptic function in CA1 hippocampal neurons.

Disrupting particular mitochondrial fission and fusion proteins leads to the death of specific neuronal populations; however, the normal functions of mitochondrial fission in neurons are poorly understood, especially in vivo, which limits the understanding of mitochondrial changes in disease. Altered activity of the central mitochondrial fission protein dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) may contribute to the pathophysiology of several neurologic diseases. To study Drp1 in a neuronal population affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD), stroke, and seizure disorders, we postnatally deleted Drp1 from CA1 and other forebrain neurons in mice (CamKII-Cre, Drp1lox/lox (Drp1cKO)). Although most CA1 neurons survived for more than 1 year, their synaptic transmission was impaired, and Drp1cKO mice had impaired memory. In Drp1cKO cell bodies, we observed marked mitochondrial swelling but no change in the number of mitochondria in individual synaptic terminals. Using ATP FRET sensors, we found that cultured neurons lacking Drp1 (Drp1KO) could not maintain normal levels of mitochondrial-derived ATP when energy consumption was increased by neural activity. These deficits occurred specifically at the nerve terminal, but not the cell body, and were sufficient to impair synaptic vesicle cycling. Although Drp1KO increased the distance between axonal mitochondria, mitochondrial-derived ATP still decreased similarly in Drp1KO boutons with and without mitochondria. This indicates that mitochondrial-derived ATP is rapidly dispersed in Drp1KO axons, and that the deficits in axonal bioenergetics and function are not caused by regional energy gradients. Instead, loss of Drp1 compromises the intrinsic bioenergetic function of axonal mitochondria, thus revealing a mechanism by which disrupting mitochondrial dynamics can cause dysfunction of axons

Quality of diabetes care worldwide and feasibility of implementation of the Alphabet Strategy : GAIA project (Global Alphabet Strategy Implementation Audit)

Backfround: The Alphabet Strategy (AS) is a diabetes care checklist ensuring "important, simple things are done right all the time." Current audits of diabetes care in developed countries reveal wide variations in quality with performance of care processes frequently sub-optimal. This study had three components: an audit to assess diabetes care quality worldwide, a questionnaire study seeking opinions on the merits of the AS, a pilot study to assess the practicality of implementation of the AS in a low socioeconomic setting. Methods: Audit data was collected from 52 centres across 32 countries. Data from 4537 patients were converted to Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF) scores to enable inter-centre comparison. These were compared to each country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and Total Health Expenditure percentage per capita (THE%). The opinions of diabetes patients and healthcare professionals from the diabetes care team at each of these centres were sought through a structured questionnaire. A retrospective audit on 100 randomly selected case notes was conducted prior to AS implementation in a diabetes outpatient clinic in India, followed by a prospective audit after four months to assess its impact on care quality. Results: QOF scores showed wide variation across the centres (mean 49.0, range 10.2-90.1). Although there was a positive relationship between GDP and THE% to QOF scores, there were exceptions. 91% of healthcare professionals felt the AS approach was practical. Patients found the checklist to be a useful education tool. Significant improvements in several aspects of care as well as 36% improvement in QOF score were seen following implementation. Conclusions: International centres observed large variations in care quality, with standards frequently sub-optimal. 71% of health care professionals would consider adopting the AS in their daily practice. Implementation in a low resource country resulted in significant improvements in some aspects of diabetes care. The AS checklist for diabetes care is a freely available in the public domain encompassing patient education, care plans, and educational resources for healthcare professionals including summary guidelines. The AS may provide a unique approach in delivering high quality diabetes care in countries with limited resources

Convolutions of Certain Analytic Functions

Abstract. Ruscheweyh and Sheil-Small proved the Polya-Schoenberg conjecture that the classes of convex functions, starlike functions and close-to-convex functions are closed under convolution with convex functions. By making use of this result, the radii of starlikeness of order α, parabolic starlikeness, and strong starlikeness of order γ of the convolution between two starlike functions are determined. Similar convolution results for two classes of analytic functions are also obtained

Tick Ecdysteroid Hormone, Global Microbiota/\u3ci\u3eRickettsia\u3c/i\u3e Signaling in the Ovary Versus Carcass During Vitellogenesis in Part-Fed (Virgin) American Dog Ticks, \u3ci\u3eDermacentor variabilis\u3c/i\u3e

The transovarial transmission of tick-borne bacterial pathogens is an important mechanism for their maintenance in natural populations and transmission, causing disease in humans and animals. The mechanism for this transmission and the possible role of tick hormones facilitating this process have never been studied. Injections of physiological levels of the tick hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), into part-fed (virgin) adult females of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, attached to the host caused a reduction in density of Rickettsia montanensis in the carcass and an increase in the ovaries compared to buffer-injected controls. This injection initiates yolk protein synthesis and uptake by the eggs but has no effect on blood feeding. Francisella sp. and R. montanensis were the predominant bacteria based on the proportionality in the carcass and ovary. The total bacteria load increased in the carcass and ovaries, and bacteria in the genus Pseudomonas increased in the carcass after the 20E injection. The mechanism of how the Rickettsia species respond to changes in tick hormonal regulation needs further investigation. Multiple possible mechanisms for the proliferation of R. montanensis in the ovaries are proposed

Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus based on various screening strategies in western Kenya : a prospective comparison of point of care diagnostic methods.

Background: Early diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is crucial to prevent short term delivery risks and long term effects such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in the mother and infant. Diagnosing GDM in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) however, remains sub-optimal due to associated logistical and cost barriers for resource-constrained populations. A cost-effective strategy to screen for GDM in such settings are therefore urgently required. We conducted this study to determine the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and assess utility of various GDM point of care (POC) screening strategies in a resource-constrained setting. Methods: Eligible women aged ≥18 years, and between 24 and 32 weeks of a singleton pregnancy, prospectively underwent testing over two days. On day 1, a POC 1-h 50 g glucose challenge test (GCT) and a POC glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was assessed. On day 2, fasting blood glucose, 1-h and 2-h 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were determined using both venous and POC tests, along with a venous HbA1c. The International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG) criteria was used to diagnose GDM. GDM prevalence was reported with 95% confidence interval (CI). Specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the various POC testing strategies were determined using IADPSG testing as the standard reference. Results: Six hundred-sixteen eligible women completed testing procedures. GDM was diagnosed in 18 women, a prevalence of 2.9% (95% CI, 1.57% - 4.23%). Compared to IADPSG testing, POC IADPSG had a sensitivity and specificity of 55.6% and 90.6% respectively while that of POC 1-h 50 g GCT (using a diagnostic cut-off of ≥7.2 mmol/L [129.6 mg/dL]) was 55.6% and 63.9%. All other POC tests assessed showed poor sensitivity. Conclusions: POC screening strategies though feasible, showed poor sensitivity for GDM detection in our resource-constrained population of low GDM prevalence. Studies to identify sensitive and specific POC GDM screening strategies using adverse pregnancy outcomes as end points are required

Gestational dyslipidaemia and adverse birthweight outcomes : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Low and high birthweight is known to increase the risk of acute and longer‐term adverse outcomes, such as stillbirth, infant mortality, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Gestational dyslipidaemia is associated with a numbers of adverse birth outcomes, but evidence regarding birthweight is still inconsistent to reliably inform clinical practice and treatment recommendations. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between maternal gestational dyslipidaemia and neonatal health outcomes, namely, birthweight, metabolic factors and inflammatory parameters. Methods We searched systematically Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL Plus and Cochrane Library up to 1 August 2016 (with an updated search in MEDLINE at the end of July 2017) for longitudinal studies that assessed the association of maternal lipid levels during pregnancy with neonatal birthweight, or metabolic and inflammatory parameters up to 3 years old. Results Data from 46 publications including 31,402 pregnancies suggest that maternal high triglycerides and low high‐density‐lipoprotein cholesterol levels throughout pregnancy are associated with increased birthweight, higher risk of large for gestational age and macrosomia and lower risk of small‐for‐gestational age. The findings were consistent across the studied populations, but stronger associations were observed in women who were overweight or obese prior to pregnancy. Conclusions This meta‐analysis suggested that the potential under‐recognized adverse effects of intrauterine exposure to maternal dyslipidaemia may warrant further investigation into the relationship between maternal dyslipidaemia and birthweight in large prospective cohorts or in randomized trials