GIS-based air pollution distribution mapping of emissions from public buses for Coimbatore Corporation, Tamil Nadu, India

947-951Vehicle transport on roads is a dominant source of air pollution, and hence spatial assessment of its risks is necessary for the decision makers to evaluate its impact on the public. Indian road transport, especially buses, contribute significantly to air pollution, that too in highly accessible areas like bus stands and bus stops. This paper proposes a three-step integrated method to map relative pollution levels of bus stops and bus routes of Coimbatore Corporation using spatial analysis tools of ArcGIS and suggestion of routes for eco-friendly buses and vehicles

Improvement of Grazing Lands for Better Livestock Production--A Case Study from Chitradurga District in India

Chitradurga is a highly drought prone district in the central dry zone of Karnataka, India, with a normal rainfall of 530 mm per annum. Over 85 per cent of cultivable area is rainfed and the livestock plays a vital role in rural income generation in this district. Improper management and overgrazing have resulted in most of the grazing resources declining to a poor, degraded condition. Regeneration of pasture land was vital in the villages due to three reasons - a) people\u27s livelihood dependency on livestock was considerable b) small ruminants played a vital role for landless farmers and c) lack of adequate fodder was a prime factor for low livestock productivity. To improve the livelihood of livestock farmers, a few interventions were made under World Bank funded National Agricultural Innovation Project through consortium approach in 10 project villages. Frequent interactions were held with the local livestock farmers to discuss about the importance of increasing the fodder resources in the villages to improve the income and to sustain their livelihood. They realized the importance of fodder and came forward to take up cultivation of perennial fodders and also, for the revitalization of grazing lands, locally known as kavals. The primary survey in the villages indicated that about 90 to 96 per cent of the small ruminant holders are dependent on these common property grazing resources for the fodder needs. The High Level Panel of Experts on food security and nutrition, constituted by FAO, has emphasized the importance of extending appropriate technologies and inputs, providing the needed credit and ensuring assured and remunerative marketing opportunities to the smallholders (HLPE, 2013). Such measures are also essential for revitalizing the degraded grasslands in this region

INSILICO DOCKING STUDIES TO IDENTIFY POTENT INHIBITORS OF ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN AGGREGATION IN PARKINSON DISEASE

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease. Etiology of PD is progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in Substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). One of the pathological hallmarks of PD is the presence of intracellular proteinaceous substances termed ‘Lewy bodies' composed of aggregated alpha-synuclein which is responsible for its toxic effect on SNpc. Hence any therapeutic target which blocks α-synuclein aggregation will provide a new channel to cure PD. Objective: The aim of the present study is to identify potent inhibitors (ligands) which binds to active site of α-synuclein and prevents self-association. Methods: In this study, insilico molecular docking was done against α-synuclein using five plant derived compounds namely (a) stimovul (b) 7,8dihydroxycoumarin, (c) etorphine (d) propoxyphene and (e) pentazdine. These compounds were analyzed for their Lipinski and ADMET properties using Accelrys Discovery studio 3.5. Molecular docking was performed between ligand and protein using Lead IT. Results: Results revealed that the best fit ligands against active site of α-synuclein were identified as Stimovul with a docking score of -4.5122 and the interacting amino acids were found to be SER 87 and VAL 95 followed by other compounds. Conclusion: These compounds which have the ability to bind to α-Synuclein insilico can be further developed using invitro and in vivo studies as a potent anti-parkinson drug.   Keywords: Parkinson disease, Substantia nigra, Molecular docking, Lipinski, ADMET

Analysis of SPWM Technique for Solar Inverter

Reactive power control is necessary to maintain power system stable. In a three phase grid connected PV system, the inverter should regulate the reactive power. Low Voltage Ride Through has to be done to ensure the system stability in fault conditions. Fault current has to be limited. In this paper, we propose a control strategy for grid connected solar PV inverter. The system study is done under LVRT condition. The strategy is based on current loop under single axis dq rotating coordinate system. Grid connected PV systems has a three phase inverter fed by DC-DC converter which will take care of maximum power point. In this project, a 100kW PV system is studied. The entire system is simulated and analysed using MATLAB Simulink software

Genetic diversity within and among populations of the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx assessed through RAPD analysis

Genetic diversity was studied among 40 different zone samples in the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx. Samples were collected from 127 locations in different districts of southern Tamil Nadu, India. Polymorphism at molecular level was studied by random amplified polymorphic DNA marker technique. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with 30 arbitrary decamer oligonucleotide primers was applied to the 40 zone samples. Out of 30 random primers screened, 22 gave reproducible polymorphic bands. PCR product of bat genome revealed a total of 234 bands, out of which 171 were found to be polymorphic. The dendrogram displaying the relative genetic similarities between the zones ranged from 0.42 to 0.92. Principal coordinates analysis revealed that the first two components accounted for 51.4% of the total variation. The results show that considerable genetic diversity was observed in this species from different zonal populations, possibly due to complete dispersal of juveniles of both sexes from their natal groups and gene flow between the zones. The results obtained from this study suggest not only a predictive framework for future studies, but also the use of genetic data in the management and meaningful conservation of this species

Postnatal growth, age estimation and development of foraging behaviour in the fulvous fruit bat Rousettus leschenaulti

This study documents the postnatal growth, age estimation and development of the foraging behaviour of the fulvous fruit batRousettus leschenaulti under captive conditions. At birth, the young were naked and pink with closed eyes and folded pinnae. By day four of age, their eyes had opened and the pups began to move. The mean length of forearm in 5-day-old pups was 24.9 mm and body mass was 10.8 g, equivalent to 32.3% and 14.2% of the values from postpartum females. The length of forearm and body mass increased linearly until 45 and 50 days, respectively, and thereafter maintained an apparent stability. The epiphyseal gap of the fourth metacarpal-phalangeal joint increased until 15 days, then decreased linearly until 75 days and thereafter closed. Age was estimated quantitatively, based on linear changes observed in the length of the forearm and epiphyseal gap. Pups began to roost separately, but adjacent to their mothers when 30 days old and flew clumsily when they were about 40 days old. After attaining clumsy flight, the young bats made independent foraging attempts feebly by biting and licking small fruit pieces. Young bats were engaged in suckling as well as ingesting fruits when they were about 50 days old. Between 55 and 65 days, they flew well and fed on fruits. At the age of 75 days, the young bats were completely weaned and at two months, their foraging behaviour was similar to that of their mothers. There was no significant difference in the growth pattern of the young maintained in captivity compared with those under natural conditions

Analysing an Imbalanced Stroke Prediction Dataset Using Machine Learning Techniques

A stroke is a medical condition characterized by the rupture of blood vessels within the brain which can lead to brain damage. Various symptoms may be exhibited when the brain's supply of blood and essential nutrients is disrupted. To forecast the possibility of brain stroke occurring at an early stage using Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) is the main objective of this study. Timely detection of the various warning signs of a stroke can significantly reduce its severity. This paper performed a comprehensive analysis of features to enhance stroke prediction effectiveness. A reliable dataset for stroke prediction is taken from the Kaggle website to gauge the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The dataset has a class imbalance problem which means the total number of negative samples is higher than the total number of positive samples. The results are reported based on a balanced dataset created using oversampling techniques. The proposed work used Smote and Adasyn to handle imbalanced problem for better evaluation metrics. Additionally, the hybrid Neural Network and Random Forest (NN-RF) utilizing the balanced dataset by Adasyn oversampling achieves the highest F1-score of 75% compared to the original unbalanced dataset and other benchmarking algorithms. The proposed algorithm with balanced data utilizing hybrid NN-RF achieves an accuracy of 84%. Advanced ML techniques coupled with thorough data analysis enhance stroke prediction. This study underscores the significance of data-driven methodologies, resulting in improved accuracy and comprehension of stroke risk factors. Applying these methodologies to medical fields can enhance patient care and public health outcomes. By integrating our discoveries, we can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the public health system

Bat pollination of kapok tree, Ceiba pentandra

Two species of pteropodid bats Cynopterus sphinx and Pteropus giganteus visited inflorescences of kapok trees, Ceiba pentandra through the night. A third species, Rousettus leschenaulti infrequently visited the inflorescences. Both C. sphinx and P. giganteus foraged in groups and there were temporal variations in their visits to the trees. The ventral body surfaces of the bats were covered with pollen grains when they landed on the inflorescences to lap up the nectar. In addition to bats, moths also visited the inflorescences. Bat and insectexclusion experiments were performed to study their pollination efficiency. Bats were more efficient in pollinating flowers of C. pentandra than other pollinators like insects

Temporal patterns of individual and group foraging behaviour in the short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx, in south India

The short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx, begins to visit fruit-bearing trees about 30 min after sunset. Individual bats often hover near or land on fruits or on nearby branches to remove whole or parts of fruits with their mouth. These bats seldom remain in the fruit-bearing trees to feed, but instead carry fruits to feeding roosts, repeating this behaviour several times throughout the night. Analysis of the temporal distribution of feeding behaviour has revealed two peaks of activity, one in the pre-midnight hours when bats fed mostly on 'steady state' fruits, and another during the post-midnight hours when bats fed on 'big-bang' fruits. Only solitary bats visited and fed on species with steady state fruiting phenologies, whereas groups of bats regularly visited and fed on species with big-bang fruiting phenologies. Thus, plant species which produce large numbers of fruits appear to promote group foraging during the latter hours of the night. It is suggested that the temporal use of available fruits in south India made it possible for C. sphinx to successfully exploit them, and thereby reduced interference competition with conspecifics