Prevalence of ectoparasites in farmed Pangasius hypothalamus

Of the total 240 Pangasius hypothalamus (5 - 8.7cm) fry examined during September' O1 to February'02, 80 (33.33%) were found to be infested with one or more ecroparasites irrespective of genera or groups. Seven parasitic groups were identified with the highest average prevalence of Trichodinids (55%) followed by Dacrylogyrus spp. ( 42%), Episrylis spp. (8%), Apiosoma spp. (7%) Argulus spp. (5%), Gyrodacrylus spp. (4%) and Piscicola spp. (2%) the lowest prevalent group irrespective of months. Trichodinid and Dacrylogyms spp. were recorded to be the dominating parasitic groups among the seven both in terms of monthly prevalence and severity of infestation throughout the period of investigation. The highest prevalence (60%) of ectoparasite was recorded in December and the lowest (10%) in February irrespective of groups

A Novel Encryption Method for Dorsal Hand Vein Images on a Microcomputer

In this paper, a Lorenz-like chaotic system was developed to encrypt the dorsal hand patterns on a microcomputer. First, the dorsal hand vein images were taken from the subjects via an infrared camera. These were subjected to two different processes called contrast enhancement and segmentation of vein regions. Second, the pre- and post-processed images were encrypted with a new encryption algorithm in the microcomputer environment. For the encryption process, random numbers were generated by the chaotic system. These random numbers were subjected to NIST-800-22 test which is the most widely accepted statistical test suite. The speeded up robust feature (SURF) matching algorithm was utilized in the initial condition sensitivity analysis of the encrypted images. The results of the analysis have shown that the proposed encryption algorithm can be used in identification and verification systems. The encrypted images were analyzed with histogram, correlation, entropy, pixel change rate (NPCR), initial condition sensitivity, data loss, and noise attacks which are frequently used for security analyses in the literature. In addition, the images were analyzed after noise attacks by means of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), mean square error (MSE), and the structural similarity index (SSIM) tests. It has been shown that the dorsal hand vein images can be used in identification systems safely with the help of the proposed method on microcomputers.This work was supported by the Qatar National-LibraryScopu

A rational spline for visualizing positive data

A piecewise rational cubic spline has been introduced to visualize the positive data in its natural form. The article explains how it is attempted that the spline method preserves the shape of the data when it is positive. The spline representation is interpolatory and applicable to the scalar valued data. The shape parameters in the description of the rational cubic have been constrained in such a way that they control the shape of the curve to avoid any noise. As far as visual smoothness is concerned, the curve scheme under discussion is C

Effect of temperature on fatigue life behaviour of aluminium alloy AA6061 using analytical approach

This paper presents the effect of temperature on the fatigue life behaviour of aluminium alloy AA6061, under constant loading conditions, by using an analytical approach. Most of the moving components in automotive engines are under the combined effects of fatigue and temperature. Fatigue life predictions by using conventional experimental methods take a significantly long time. The finite element analysis (FEA) was used for the prediction of fatigue life and point for fatigue failure in the aluminium alloy AA6061 specimen. The stress-life curves at different levels of elevated temperature (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300℃) were predicted by using a mathematical approach of linear interpolation. The maximum temperature of 300℃ was chosen based on the extreme temperature on a piston face that can be reached during the operation of the engine. The results for fatigue life at ambient temperature and at elevated temperature were compared by the Basquin relation and a decrease of 99% in fatigue life cycles was found at 300℃. A general mathematical expression was obtained to calculate the fatigue life for aluminium alloy, AA6061, at elevated temperatures. Therefore, it was concluded that the mathematical expression used in this study can be used as a good alternative approach for time consuming experimental methods. Hence, the mathematical expression proposed in this paper can be used for the early prediction of fatigue life at elevated temperatures without using much experimental analysis

Co2 exchange and biomass development of the herbaceous vegetation in the portuguese montado ecosystem during spring

Montado are spatially heterogeneous ecosystems that are economically important for the production of cork and herbaceous biomass that provide fodder for animals. Understanding of how trees and the herbaceous layer interact to determine pasture yield and the overall CO2 exchange of the herbaceous layer is crucial. Portable chamberswere used to study CO2 exchange by the herbaceous layer component of the montado ecosystem in southern Portugal. Biomass, Net herbaceous layer CO2 exchange (NEE) and respiration (Reco) were measured in the open and understory locations between March and May, during the active growing period. Parameter fits on the NEE data were performed using empirical hyperbolic light response model, while ecosystem respiration (Reco) data were fitted with a two-parameter exponential model. Annual green biomass productions were 405.8 9.0 and 250.6 6.3 g m 2 in the open and the understory, respectively. The respective maximum NEE during the day were 24.0 2.9 and 9.6 2.2 mmol m 2 s 1 while maximum Reco were 20.6 2.2 and 10.0 1.6 mmol m 2 s 1, occurring in April. Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) explained more that 70% of variations in daytime NEE while soil temperature at 10 cm depth (Tsoil) explained >50% of the variations in Reco under non-limiting soil moisture conditions. Both the herbaceous layer communities shared similar plant functional types and no significant difference in nutrient nitrogen (N) occurred between them. The two herbaceous layer components shared similar physiological characteristics and differences that arose in their CO2 uptake capacities and green biomass production were the result of microclimatic differences created by tree shadin

Mapping geographical inequalities in childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000–17 : analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational regions with the highest burden and mapping associated risk factors can aid in reducing preventable childhood diarrhoea. Methods We used Bayesian model-based geostatistics and a geolocated dataset comprising 15 072 746 children younger than 5 years from 466 surveys in 94 LMICs, in combination with findings of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, to estimate posterior distributions of diarrhoea prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 2000 to 2017. From these data, we estimated the burden of diarrhoea at varying subnational levels (termed units) by spatially aggregating draws, and we investigated the drivers of subnational patterns by creating aggregated risk factor estimates. Findings The greatest declines in diarrhoeal mortality were seen in south and southeast Asia and South America, where 54·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 38·1–65·8), 17·4% (7·7–28·4), and 59·5% (34·2–86·9) of units, respectively, recorded decreases in deaths from diarrhoea greater than 10%. Although children in much of Africa remain at high risk of death due to diarrhoea, regions with the most deaths were outside Africa, with the highest mortality units located in Pakistan. Indonesia showed the greatest within-country geographical inequality; some regions had mortality rates nearly four times the average country rate. Reductions in mortality were correlated to improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) or reductions in child growth failure (CGF). Similarly, most high-risk areas had poor WASH, high CGF, or low oral rehydration therapy coverage. Interpretation By co-analysing geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden and its key risk factors, we could assess candidate drivers of subnational death reduction. Further, by doing a counterfactual analysis of the remaining disease burden using key risk factors, we identified potential intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. In view of the demands for limited resources in LMICs, accurately quantifying the burden of diarrhoea and its drivers is important for precision public health

Alignment of the CMS silicon tracker during commissioning with cosmic rays

This is the Pre-print version of the Article. The official published version of the Paper can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 IOPThe CMS silicon tracker, consisting of 1440 silicon pixel and 15 148 silicon strip detector modules, has been aligned using more than three million cosmic ray charged particles, with additional information from optical surveys. The positions of the modules were determined with respect to cosmic ray trajectories to an average precision of 3–4 microns RMS in the barrel and 3–14 microns RMS in the endcap in the most sensitive coordinate. The results have been validated by several studies, including laser beam cross-checks, track fit self-consistency, track residuals in overlapping module regions, and track parameter resolution, and are compared with predictions obtained from simulation. Correlated systematic effects have been investigated. The track parameter resolutions obtained with this alignment are close to the design performance.This work is supported by FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTDS (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)