Role and performance of Agri-input dealers in extension services in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India

The present study was designed to study the role and performance of input dealers in extension services and the relationship of farmers and dealers from a farmer perspective. For this study, a survey was taken in the Coimbatore district using a purposive random sampling technique with a well-structured interview schedule. The study found that most dealers had 40-50 farmers as customer per day at peak and offseason. Regarding technical assistance given to farmers, 90.00 per cent of the farmers asked for the brand. Delivery in prime season (1.181) followed by credit period (0.633), company officials behaviour (0.600) are the primary factor in the satisfaction of dealers with the company. Regarding the level of satisfaction of the farmers, Product choice (93.33%), Credit facility and availability of the product (90.00%) were the primary satisfaction criteria of the farmers with input dealers. It was concluded from the study that agro chemical company have field assistant at the block and village level to assess the farmers’ problem. In addition, the company having a strong research unit to develop is a need-based product for farmers. They had proper follow up activities in the farmer’s field. Therefore, Agri-input dealers were the first focus of the farmers at the village level. The Agriculture department could use the Agri-input dealers to transfer technology at farmers level and its reach would be high

Influence of dental chair backrest inclination on the three dimensional positioning of the mandible: A Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: The maxillo-mandibular component of the craniofacial system consists of a group of organs and tissues that act harmoniously with interdependent mechanism. In conjunction with the neuromuscular system, the temporomandibular joint allows the mandible to perform various movements in the three dimensions. The mandibular position is influenced by various factors and functions like mouth opening, speech and chewing. Patient position and head orientation in the dental chair plays a major role in occlusal rehabilitation. So the head position of the patient plays a major role while recording centric relation and in prosthetic rehabilitation. Thus it is important to identify the influence of backrest inclination, on the registration of the mandibular position during dental treatment procedures. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of dental chair backrest inclinations on the 3-Dimentional positioning of the mandible. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total of 10 subjects with permanent dentition up to second molar with healthy periodontium and normal motor and temporomandibular functions to be selected. The chair was stabilized to check mandibular positions at 2 inclinations: 90°and 180°. To register the mandibular position, inter-occlusal records were made in centric relation for each subject at the said inclinations. Two CBCT were made for each subject with the inter-occlusal records registered at two different inclinations of the dental chair backrest respectively. The CBCT images were analyzed to study the 3-dimentional positioning of the mandible to the temporomandibular joint. RESULT: There was a significant retrusion of the mandible coupled with an upwards and forwards rotation of the mandible. The mandible is also superiorly positioned as seen by the reduction of the intra capsular space. CONCLUSION: It is essential to make registrations of the mandible with the patient seated erect and the chair at 90*, or else a change in mandibular position will complicate rehabilitation

Participation of Women Members in a Community – driven Development Project

A community-driven development project named ‘Pudu Vazhvu’ was launched in Tamil Nadu in November 2005 with World Bank assistance. The goal of the project was to reduce poverty among the rural poor and other vulnerable groups and to promote their empowerment, through targeted assistance for productive livelihood activities, in a more enabling village environment, adopting Community Driven Development (CDD) approach. Under this project, rural women were grouped into Self Help groups to promote their livelihood status. Hence there is a need to study the CDD-SHGs effectiveness. The study was carried out in Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu as it is one of the districts in Tamil Nadu where Pudu Vazhvu project was implemented. A sample of 132 respondents was selected from two blocks (six villages) following Proportionate Random sampling technique. The present study was undertaken to find out the participation of women project members in various activities of CDD project. The study revealed that Pudu Vazhvu project SHG women members had participated in group meetings record and account maintenance, formulating the rules and regulations and in getting loans

In vitro Studies of Chicken Egg Yolk Antibodies Generated against Salmonella pullorum

Abstract: The present investigation is focused to generate chicken Egg yolk antibodies against Salmonella pullorum and their in-vitro characterization. Pullorum disease is leading cause of morbidity and mortality in poultry and highly responsible for significant economic loss. Mortality in such outbreaks may approach 90% if untreated. Treatment primarily is a salvage operation and does not prevent from becoming a carrier. Therefore, the prevention of this disease in breeder level through vaccination is more convenient for the control of vertical transmission. One of the recent researches has revealed that the combination of IBDV vaccine and chicken IgY generated against IBDV was superior in preventing IBDV infection in Broiler chickens rather than using them alone. Based on this recent finding, the chicken egg yolk antibody (IgY) raised against Salmonella pullorum. IgY antibodies were purified by (Polson et al., 1980) method and Water dilution method followed by DEAE cellulose ion exchange column chromatography. The total IgY concentration was relatively constant, average IgY concentration was 6.62 mg/mL during the immunization period. Titre of IgY antibodies was 1:10000 on 120 th day after first immunization determined by ELISA. The agglutination was observed in both Rapid Slide Agglutination and Micro-titre plate (up to 1:2048 dilutions). It indicated the presence of IgY against S. pullorum. Present study concluded that the generated IgY was specific against S. pullorum whole cell antigen and it could effectively bind with that. The raised antibodies could be used for the passive immunotherapy to protect the young chicks from horizontal transmission of Pullorum disease by improving the immunological strength against infectious disease

Prospective Study of the Diagnostic Accuracy of the In Vivo Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope for Severe Microbial Keratitis.

To determine the diagnostic accuracy of in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) for moderate to severe microbial keratitis (MK). Double-masked prospective cohort study. Consecutive patients presenting to Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, India, between February 2012 and February 2013 with MK (diameter ≥3 mm, excluding descemetocele, perforation, or herpetic keratitis). Following examination, the corneal ulcer was scanned by IVCM (HRT3/RCM, Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). Images were graded for the presence or absence of fungal hyphae or Acanthamoeba cysts by the confocal microscopist who performed the scan (masked to microbial diagnosis) and 4 other experienced confocal graders (masked to clinical features and microbiology). The regrading of the shuffled image set was performed by 3 graders, 3 weeks later. Corneal-scrape samples were collected for microscopy and culture. The main outcome measures were sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of IVCM compared with those of a reference standard of positive culture or light microscopy. Sensitivities and specificities for multiple graders were pooled and 95% confidence intervals calculated using a bivariate random-effects regression model. The study enrolled 239 patients with MK. Fungal infection was detected in 176 (74%) and Acanthamoeba in 17 (7%) by microbiological methods. IVCM had an overall pooled (5 graders) sensitivity of 85.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 82.2%-88.6%) and pooled specificity of 81.4% (95% CI: 76.0%-85.9%) for fungal filament detection. For Acanthamoeba, the pooled sensitivity was 88.2% (95% CI: 76.2%-94.6%) and pooled specificity was 98.2% (95% CI: 94.9%-99.3%). Intergrader agreement was good: κ was 0.88 for definite fungus; κ was 0.72 for definite Acanthamoeba. Intragrader repeatability was high for both definite fungus (κ: 0.88-0.95) and definite Acanthamoeba classification (κ: 0.63-0.90). IVCM images from 11 patients were considered by all 5 graders to have a specific organism present (10 fungus, 1 Acanthamoeba) but had negative results via culture and light microscopy. Laser scanning IVCM performed with experienced confocal graders has high sensitivity, specificity, and test reproducibility for detecting fungal filaments and Acanthamoeba cysts in moderate to large corneal ulcers in India. This imaging modality was particularly useful for detecting organisms in deep ulcers in which culture and light microscopy results were negative

Attacking a smartphone biometric fingerprint system:a novice’s approach

Biometric systems on mobile devices are an increasingly ubiquitous method for identity verification. The majority of contemporary devices have an embedded fingerprint sensor which may be used for a variety of transactions including unlock a device or sanction a payment. In this study we explore how easy it is to successfully attack a fingerprint system using a fake finger manufactured from commonly available materials. Importantly our attackers were novices to producing the fingers and were also constrained by time. Our study shows the relative ease that modern devices can be attacked and the material combinations that lead to these attacks

Systematic analysis on the efficacy of bone enhancement methods used for success in dental implants

Abstract: Bone grafting is beneficial in enhancing bones that are lost due to trauma or natural or pathologic process. Autogenous bone, allogenic bone, xenogeneic bone, bone substitutes, and alloplasts can also be used for this purpose. Bone quantity should be adequate for the placement of implants, which necessitate the use of bone grafts before implant placement. Objective: This review analyses the different bone graft materials that are used for grafting around implants and evaluate if these grafts yield successful implant osseointegration over a period of time. Materials and Methods: The MEDLINE–PubMed database was searched from September 2016 to 10 years previously. Several journals were hand searched and from cross-references. The primary outcome measure that was analyzed was the survival rate of dental implants in the grafted sites at 6 months–1 year, and the secondary outcomes were success rates of dental implants over a period of 3–5 years’ follow-up. Results: The search yielded 213 articles. Ultimately, 31 studies meeting the eligibility criteria were selected. The analysis shows that autologous bone grafts can be preferred over allografts and xenografts for grafting implant sites, which showed less complication and high success rate. Conclusion: Based on the available data in the current existing studies with a follow-up period of at least 3–5 years, it can be summarized that the autologous bone grafts can be preferred over allografts and xenografts for grafting implant sites since they are stable for at least 3–5 years

Embedding low–cost 1D and 2D iron pillared nanoclay to enhance the stability of polyethersulfone membranes for the removal of bisphenol A from water

A novel polyethersulfone (PES) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) loaded with iron (Fe) pillared nanoclay was fabricated for efficient rejection of bisphenol A (BPA) from water. One dimensional (1D) pillared halloysite (FePHNTs), two dimensional (2D) pillared bentonite (FePB), and 2D pillared Cloisite 15A (FePC15A) were synthesized via pillaring procedure. XRD, TEM, EDS and BET results indicated that the nanoclays were successfully pillared. Pillared nanoclay was loaded into the MMMs at different loading percentages using phase inversion fabrication technique. Existence of iron pillared nanoclay within MMMs significantly enhanced hydrophilicity, stability and water flux than the pristine PES (Y0) membrane. 0.5 wt.% of 2D FePB loaded Y4 MMMs exhibited higher BPA rejection at pH=9. This was attributed to activated surface of MMMs loaded with 2D FePB than the 1D FeHNTs and 2D FePC15A loaded MMMs. The electrostatic repulsion between dissociated BPA and negatively charged FePB enhanced rejection. The effect of operating pressure and BPA concentration on BPA rejection of Y4 MMMs was better than the Y0 membrane. Further, the influence of humic acid on BPA rejection experiments confirmed a significant improvement in the BPA rejection efficiency of 69.5% for Y4 MMMs. Overall, Y4 MMMs with 2D FePB displayed excellent membrane performance and potential for water treatment applications

Functionalization and surface modification of TiO2 nanoparticles for proton exchange membrane fuel cell

The fuel cell performance of sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES) membrane was investigated with modified TiO2 nanoparticles. TiO2 nanoparticles were modified by sulfonation (STiO2) and surface modification with PANI (STiO2-PANI). The presence of the functional groups in the modified TiO2 was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and XRD. The presence of sulfonic group in PES backbone was confirmed by 1HNMR spectroscopy. The SPES proton exchange membranes (PEM) were prepared by incorporating STiO2 and STiO2-PANI individually at 0.5% and 1% in the presence of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). The properties of the synthesized membrane were characterized by FTIR, XRD, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The performance of the membranes in terms of water uptake, swelling ratio, methanol uptake, ion exchange capacity were evaluated. Chemical stability, thermal properties and proton conductivity for the composite membranes were also determined. The highest proton conductivity is 1.07 × 10-3 S/cm exhibited by SPES/STiO2-PANI (0.5%) composite membrane. The ability of the membrane to hold more water molecules, presence of hydrophilic sulfonic acid groups and amine group of PANI were the main factors for the highest conductivity value. Surface modified STiO2 by PANI i.e., STiO2-PANI composite membrane exhibited excellent water uptake, ion exchange capacity, chemical and thermal properties with acceptable proton conductivity. The results represent that the composite membrane impregnated with STiO2-PANI to be a promising proton conducting material for fuel cell application