Phytoplankton Diversity in Relation to Physico-Chemical Parameters of Gnanaprekasam Temple Pond of Chidambaram in Tamilnadu, India

Twelve physico-chemical parameters, diversity and abundance of phytoplankton of fresh water pond of Chidambaram have been studied during September 2007 and August 2008. A total of 14 phytoplankton genera, 4 belonging to cyanophyceae, 4 to chlorophyceae, 3 to Bacilariophyceae and 3 to Euglenophyceae were recorded. To know to the variations in Periodicity and distribution of phytoplankton, various physico-chemical and biological parameters of the pond water have been observed. The values of TDS, BOD phosphate and nitrate and the current status of phytoplankton population imply that the study pond are mesotrophic in nature

A QTAIM approach on poly tetrahydrothiophene molecular wire

The present investigation of structural, charge density and electrical characteristics of Au and thiol substituted poly tetrahydrothiophene molecular wire by using quantum chemical calculations has been carried out with density functional theory (DFT). The various applied electric field (0.00 – 0.26 VÅ-1) altered the geometrical parameters and the corresponding electrostatic and transport properties of the molecule has been analyzed. Interstingly, the applied electric field is increased from 0 eV, the Au−S bond distance at the right terminal is faintly longer than the left end; this variation is resulted from the gold atom at the left end which practices stronger electric field when compared with at the right end of TET molecule. The variations in the atomic charges (MPA, NPA) of the molecule for the various applied electric fields have been compared. The HOMO-LUMO gap of the molecule for zero bias is 1.96eV, as the field increases this gap decrease to 1.31 eV. The ESP shows the potential difference between charges accumulated of the molecule for various applied electric field. The applied electric field polarizes the DCC molecule; as a result the dipole moment of the molecule rises from 2.47 to 15.33 D

Identification and characterization of popular rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties through chemical tests

Identification and characterization of crop varieties are crucial for ensuring the genetic purity of seeds. The present investigation was carried out to identify suitable chemical methods that are fast, reliable and easy for seed analysts, breeders and seed producers for identification of a variety. Twenty-five popular rice varieties in the seed supply chain of Tamil Nadu were subjected to phenol, modified phenol, NaOH, aroma, gelatinization temperature (alkali spreading value), GA3 and 2,4-D tests. The results of the experiment revealed that phenol and modified phenol tests changed the colour of TKM 9 and TRY 1 variety to brown but no colour change was observed in the variety I.W. Ponni variety. The NaOH test is useful for the identification of TKM 9 variety as it changed the colourless solution to red. GA3 and 2,4-D tests characterized the varieties based on the shoot growth into two and three groups respectively. However, all the variety lacked aroma and exhibited a high gelatinization temperature

Empirical and Numerical Analysis of Aerodynamic Drag on a Typical SUV Car Model at Different Locations of Vortex Generator

The aerodynamic characteristics are concerned with the fuel consumption rate and the stability of a high speed vehicle. The current research aims at studying the aerodynamic behavior of a typical SUV vehicle model mounted with the vortex generator (VG) at various linear positions with reference to its rear roof edge. The flow field around the vehicle model was observed at different wind speed conditions. It had been determined that at the instance of lower wind speed, the VG had minimal effects of aerodynamic drag on the vehicle body. However, at the instance of higher wind speed conditions the magnitude of the drag force decreased significantly. Vehicles move at higher speeds in the highways, location of the VG varied towards the upstream of the vehicle due to early flow separation. Therefore test were conducted at different wind speeds and locations of VG. The numerical simulation conduced in this study provides flow characteristics around the vehicle model for different wind speeds. The realizable k−ε model was used to simulate and validate the empirical results in an effective manner. By using experimental data, the drag was reduced by 9.04 % at the optimized VG location. The results revealed that the induced aerodynamic drag would determine the best car shape. This paper provides a better understanding of VG positioning for enhanced flow separation control

Bar 1-Visibility Drawings of 1-Planar Graphs

A bar 1-visibility drawing of a graph $G$ is a drawing of $G$ where each vertex is drawn as a horizontal line segment called a bar, each edge is drawn as a vertical line segment where the vertical line segment representing an edge must connect the horizontal line segments representing the end vertices and a vertical line segment corresponding to an edge intersects at most one bar which is not an end point of the edge. A graph $G$ is bar 1-visible if $G$ has a bar 1-visibility drawing. A graph $G$ is 1-planar if $G$ has a drawing in a 2-dimensional plane such that an edge crosses at most one other edge. In this paper we give linear-time algorithms to find bar 1-visibility drawings of diagonal grid graphs and maximal outer 1-planar graphs. We also show that recursive quadrangle 1-planar graphs and pseudo double wheel 1-planar graphs are bar 1-visible graphs.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure

Prevalence of Sickness Absence and Its Sociodemographic and Occupational Factors in a Public Service Organization

Sickness absence in any particular organization has negative impacts mainly toward economic, morale and productivity. The purpose of this survey is to determine the prevalence of sickness absence among employees in a government office in a central region of Malaysia to get profiling of the employees taking medical leaves, tocompare the frequency of sickness absence among the employees based on gender, age group and designation and to determine the perception of sickness absence among the employees in relation to their occupation. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 587 workers in the first half of 2017. Data was collected based on Sickness Absence Surveillance form, which was filled by any employee who took medical leave. Other variables such as demographic data, work characteristics and personal health were also included. Subsequently, data entry and analysis were done using SPSS Version 22.0. The overall prevalence rate was 63.0 percent (female = 42.6%, male 20.3%) that includes repeated medical certificate (MC)-taker. Reasons for sickness absence are varied like fever, URTI, pregnancy related, injury, diarrhea, clinic follow-up and many more. Results also showed that sickness absenteeism was higher among female, mainly middle managerial level, presently or previously married, aged from 30 to 39, employed in the organization for over 10 years with no background of chronic medical illness. Therefore, the prevalence of sickness absence among employees in a government office in a central region of Malaysia and factors associated with it are determined. It is recommended for continuation of surveillance simultaneously to have an intervention program in order to find the root cause of sickness absence and thus reducing sickness absence rate. Keywords: sickness absenteeism, surveillance, sociodemographic factors, occupational factor

Efficacy and safety of once-daily nevirapine- or efavirenz-based antiretroviral therapy in HIV-associated tuberculosis: a randomized clinical trial

Background: Nevirapine (NVP) can be safely and effectively administered once-daily but has not been assessed in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected patients with tuberculosis (TB). We studied the safety and efficacy of once-daily NVP, compared with efavirenz (EFV; standard therapy); both drugs were administered in combination with 2 nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors. Methods: An open-label, noninferiority, randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at 3 sites in southern India. HIV-infected patients with TB were treated with a standard short-course anti-TB regimen (2EHRZ3/4RH3; [2 months of Ethambutol, Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Pyrazinamide/4 months of Isoniazid and Rifampicin] thrice weekly) and randomized to receive once-daily EFV at a dose of 600 mg or NVP at a dose of 400 mg (after 14 days of 200 mg administered once daily) with didanosine 250/400 mg and lamivudine 300 mg after 2 months. Sputum smears and mycobacterial cultures were performed every month. CD4+ cell count, viral load, and liver function test results were monitored periodically. Primary outcome was a composite of death, virological failure, default, or serious adverse event (SAE) at 24 weeks. Both intent-to-treat and per protocol analyses were done, and planned interim analyses were performed. Results: A total of 116 patients (75% [87 patients] of whom had pulmonary TB), with a mean age of 36 years, a median CD4+ cell count of 84 cells/mm3, and a median viral load of 310?000 copies/mL, were randomized. At 24 weeks, 50 of 59 patients in the EFV group and 37 of 57 patients in the NVP group had virological suppression (P = .024). There were no deaths, 1 SAE, and 5 treatment failures in the EFV arm, compared with 5 deaths, 2 SAEs, and 10 treatment failures in the NVP arm. The trial was halted by the data and safety monitoring board at the second interim analysis. Favorable TB treatment outcomes were observed in 93% of the patients in the EFV arm and 84% of the patients in the NVP arm (P = .058). Conclusions: Compared with a regimen of didanosine, lamivudine, and EFV, a regimen of once-daily didanosine, lamivudine, and NVP was inferior and was associated with more frequent virologic failure and death