Projection analysis for cadastral mapping

Maps are created for different purposes. Among the various types of maps, cadastral maps are created by cadastral surveying. Cadastral maps are used for management of land and land-related activities by Government organisations or other institutions in various countries. Cadastral map making is both an art and a science, and the data about a surveyed land parcel are collected and incorporated in cadastral maps. Technological development has resulted in the development of simple methods for cadastral mapping. The Indian cadastral system for the state of Tamil Nadu is described in this paper. The challenges of conversion while scanning conventional paper-based land records to make digital records are explained. The procedure for selecting an appropriate projection system for scanned digital conventional records is elaborated on. A statistical application for identifying the nature of the data is shown. An inverse ranking system is used to identify a suitable projection system. Projection research is important in cadastral mapping when digitally processing a large number of land records in a country. The described method is effective for identification of a suitable projection system

Gymnemic acids inhibit hyphal growth and virulence in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is an opportunistic and polymorphic fungal pathogen that causes mucosal, disseminated and invasive infections in humans. Transition from the yeast form to the hyphal form is one of the key virulence factors in C. albicans contributing to macrophage evasion, tissue invasion and biofilm formation. Nontoxic small molecules that inhibit C. albicans yeast-to-hypha conversion and hyphal growth could represent a valuable source for understanding pathogenic fungal morphogenesis, identifying drug targets and serving as templates for the development of novel antifungal agents. Here, we have identified the triterpenoid saponin family of gymnemic acids (GAs) as inhibitor of C. albicans morphogenesis. GAs were isolated and purified from Gymnema sylvestre leaves, the Ayurvedic traditional medicinal plant used to treat diabetes. Purified GAs had no effect on the growth and viability of C. albicans yeast cells but inhibited its yeast-to-hypha conversion under several hypha-inducing conditions, including the presence of serum. Moreover, GAs promoted the conversion of C. albicans hyphae into yeast cells under hypha inducing conditions. They also inhibited conidial germination and hyphal growth of Aspergillus sp. Finally, GAs inhibited the formation of invasive hyphae from C. albicans-infected Caenorhabditis elegans worms and rescued them from killing by C. albicans. Hence, GAs could be useful for various antifungal applications due to their traditional use in herbal medicine

Formation of diamond particulates by pulsed ruby laser irradiation of graphite immersed in benzene

Pulsed ruby laser irradiation of pyrolytic graphite surface under benzene is shown to lead to formation of diamond particulates. Use of the techniques of laser Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and small angle x-ray diffraction has been made to establish the result. A model based on the notion of hydrodynamic sputtering is proposed to explain the process