PONDER - A Real time software backend for pulsar and IPS observations at the Ooty Radio Telescope

This paper describes a new real-time versatile backend, the Pulsar Ooty Radio Telescope New Digital Efficient Receiver (PONDER), which has been designed to operate along with the legacy analog system of the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT). PONDER makes use of the current state of the art computing hardware, a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) and sufficiently large disk storage to support high time resolution real-time data of pulsar observations, obtained by coherent dedispersion over a bandpass of 16 MHz. Four different modes for pulsar observations are implemented in PONDER to provide standard reduced data products, such as time-stamped integrated profiles and dedispersed time series, allowing faster avenues to scientific results for a variety of pulsar studies. Additionally, PONDER also supports general modes of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) measurements and very long baseline interferometry data recording. The IPS mode yields a single polarisation correlated time series of solar wind scintillation over a bandwidth of about four times larger (16 MHz) than that of the legacy system as well as its fluctuation spectrum with high temporal and frequency resolutions. The key point is that all the above modes operate in real time. This paper presents the design aspects of PONDER and outlines the design methodology for future similar backends. It also explains the principal operations of PONDER, illustrates its capabilities for a variety of pulsar and IPS observations and demonstrates its usefulness for a variety of astrophysical studies using the high sensitivity of the ORT.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures, Accepted by Experimental Astronom

Evaluation of antidiabetic potential of Syzygium kanarense (Talbot) Raizada in streptozotocin- nicotinamide induced diabetic rats.

Worldwide diabetes is the major killer disease and the antidiabetic drugs which are in use cause many side effects. Traditionally, some of the Syzygium spp. are in use for treating diabetes, and many species are being assessed for their antidiabetic property. This study is to assess the antidiabetic effectiveness of the bark of Syzygium kanarense (Talbot) Raizada. The antidiabetic efficacy of methanol and water extracts of the leaf (SKLM, SKLW) and the bark (SKBM, SKBW) were evaluated in vitro by the alpha-glucosidase- and alpha-amylase-inhibitory assays. The in vivo antidiabetic activity of the bark was assessed by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and streptozotocin- nicotinamide (STZ-NA)-induced non-obese type 2 diabetic rat model. The serum biochemical parameters and histopathology of the pancreas, liver and kidney were evaluated after 21 days of treatment. The total phenolics and flavonoids were quantified in all the extracts. The antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH assay. Administration of SKBM and SKBW to STZ-NA-induced diabetic rats at 300 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg orally for 21 days exhibited statistically significant (P < 0.001) and dose-related drop in blood sugar levels, serum lipid and hepatorenal parameters. The extract-treated rats showed rejuvenated islets and increased beta-cell density in the pancreas, improved liver architecture and glomerular regeneration without fat deposition. Bark extracts showed the strongest alpha –glucosidase- and alpha –amylase-inhibitory activity in contrast to the leaf extracts. Antioxidants, phytoconstituents and antidiabetic action, as well as protection against free radical damage, were proved to be significantly correlated

A Methodology for Afterburner Evaluation

A preliminary investigation of the performance of an afterburner module proposed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment, Bangalore for the Kaveri engine has been carried out. The investigation, which was both theoretical and experimental, evaluated the af-terburner configuration on the basis of flame stability, combustion efficiency and total pressure loss. An evaluation methodology, which was formulated, has been employed to arrive at design modifications for improved performance

An Experimental Study of the Performance of a Subscale Kerosene - Fuelled Ejector Ramjet at Simulated Takeoff

The ejector ramjet is a rocket based combined cycle propulsion system in which a rocket and ramjet are integrated to accrue synergistic benefits. A proof-of-concept experiment to augment the thrust of a simulated rocket by the induction of air through an ejector and the subsequent afterburning of kerosene fuel in it is described. Ejector ram-jet thrust augmentation ratios of up to around 1.1 at the simulated take off conditions have been achieved. The critical effect of the operating conditions and the ejector ramjet geometry, in particular the afterburner configuration, for achieving thrust augmentation ratios greater than one have been demonstrated

Morbidity patterns in Kerala : levels and determinants

This paper examines the levels, patterns, and determinants of morbidity in Kerala. This study is based on a community survey conducted in 2004, in three districts of the state namely Thiruvananthapuram, Malappuram and Kannur. The survey covers 3320 households having 17071 individuals in all age groups. Reported morbidity was captured for a period of fifteen days prior to the data of survey. Life course analysis was performed to understand the risk of morbidity at various stages, like infancy, early childhood, late childhood, adolescence, reproductive ages and old age, in relation to the impact of socio-economic, demographic and regional factors. The level of morbidity is high in Kerala. Generally, higher levels of morbidity have been observed among females, schedule castes, and schedule tribes as compared to their counter parts. Socio-economic and demographic determinants of morbidity varies both region and across various stages of life course. Females are at greater risk of morbidity than males. The risk of morbidity is significantly higher for illiterates and non-formal literate than persons with higher education. Among the important socio-economic determinants, education and SES showed a negative relationship with morbidity. The risk of morbidity for females is lower than males till the age of 34 years and thereafter it reverse. Poor are at greater risk of morbidity than the rich. Disease specific prevalence rate are computed according to the classification manual of World Health Organization. Communicable diseases are coming down in the state. However, non-communicable diseases are mounting irrespective of socio-economic conditions. Major ten diseases with their co-existing ailments were analysed in detail. Most of the diseases prevalent in Kerala warrant constant medical attention and treatment and sustained medical treatment is beyond the wherewithal of the average households. The private health care system cannot be an answer because of the high average cost of treatment. This warrants greater and sustained efforts by the State in widening the scope of public action. Key words: Health Status, Morbidity, Levels and Determinants, life Course Perspective, Kerala JEL Classification: I10, I12

Experimental Study on Chamber Oscillations of Slotted Breakwater

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Comparative study of efficacy of continuous versus intermittent iron therapy for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in children of age group 6 months to 5 years

To study the outcome of Iron Deficiency Anemia by measuring the changes in Hemoglobin concentration in Continuous versus Intermittent iron therapy in children of age 6 months to 5 years over a period of 12 weeks intervention and to study the improvement in other hematological parameters like Hematocrit, MCV and compliance and adverse effect profile in both groups From the study, it was concluded that intermittent iron therapy is as effective as daily iron therapy in improving anemia in children of age 6 months to 5 years with improved drug compliance and lesser adverse effects

Comparative study of efficacy of continuous versus intermittent iron therapy for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in children of age group 6 months to 5 years

To study the outcome of Iron Deficiency Anemia by measuring the changes in Hemoglobin concentration in Continuous versus Intermittent iron therapy in children of age 6 months to 5 years over a period of 12 weeks intervention and to study the improvement in other hematological parameters like Hematocrit, MCV and compliance and adverse effect profile in both groups From the study, it was concluded that intermittent iron therapy is as effective as daily iron therapy in improving anemia in children of age 6 months to 5 years with improved drug compliance and lesser adverse effects

Utility value of tissue doppler in Aortic stenosis; E/EA values predict symptoms and functional capacity in patients with Aortic stenosis.

Aortic stenosis (AS) continues to be an important valvular heart disease that leads to significant morbidity and mortality. The natural history of aortic stenosis is limited by onset of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Nowadays the importance of identifying diastolic dysfunction in patients with aortic stenosis is being recognized since it contributes significantly to the onset of symptoms and prognosis. Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is an adaptive process that compensates for pressure overload associated with aortic stenosis and is responsible for changes in systolic and diastolic functions. This process is accompanied by a remodeling of the LV that involves the muscular and non muscular compartments of the ventricle. As a result of this remodeling process, muscle fiber hypertrophy and abnormalities of the collagen network occur that are responsible for changes in systolic and diastolic functions. Although it has been previously shown that aortic valve replacement may lead to immediate hemodynamic improvement and to prolongation of survival, it has been reported that regression of myocardial hypertrophy after relief of the hemodynamic burden is a process that may continue for decades after valve replacement. However, abnormal exercise hemodynamics may persist late after valve replacement despite a normal systolic function, suggesting impaired diastolic function in these patients.\ud LV systolic function may be normal in the presence of advanced diastolic dysfunction in aortic stenosis. Patients with aortic stenosis develop variable grades of diastolic dysfunction even before the onset of symptoms. AIM OF THE STUDY: To find out the tissue doppler derived E/Ea values in patients with moderate and severe aortic stenosis. To assess the presence of diastolic dysfunction in patients with aortic stenosis. To find out the relationship between the E/Ea values and presence of symptoms in patients with AS. To correlate the six minute walk distance to E/Ea values in patients with moderate and severe AS. To find out the relationship between various diastolic indices and symptoms in patients with AS. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Diastolic dysfunction develops in patients with aortic stenosis even in the presence of normal left ventricular systolic function. 2. E/Ea ratio is elevated in symptomatic patients with aortic stenosis. 3. Among diastolic parameters increased E/Ea ratio correlates with severity of symptoms. 4. E/Ea ratio has highly significant inverse correlation and Ea velocity has direct correlation with functional capacity. 5. TDI derived E/Ea ratio could be an early marker for aortic valve replacement in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis

Scalable Self-Supervised Representation Learning from Spatiotemporal Motion Trajectories for Multimodal Computer Vision

Self-supervised representation learning techniques utilize large datasets without semantic annotations to learn meaningful, universal features that can be conveniently transferred to solve a wide variety of downstream supervised tasks. In this work, we propose a self-supervised method for learning representations of geographic locations from unlabeled GPS trajectories to solve downstream geospatial computer vision tasks. Tiles resulting from a raster representation of the earth's surface are modeled as nodes on a graph or pixels of an image. GPS trajectories are modeled as allowed Markovian paths on these nodes. A scalable and distributed algorithm is presented to compute image-like representations, called reachability summaries, of the spatial connectivity patterns between tiles and their neighbors implied by the observed Markovian paths. A convolutional, contractive autoencoder is trained to learn compressed representations, called reachability embeddings, of reachability summaries for every tile. Reachability embeddings serve as task-agnostic, feature representations of geographic locations. Using reachability embeddings as pixel representations for five different downstream geospatial tasks, cast as supervised semantic segmentation problems, we quantitatively demonstrate that reachability embeddings are semantically meaningful representations and result in 4-23% gain in performance, as measured using area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) metric, when compared to baseline models that use pixel representations that do not account for the spatial connectivity between tiles. Reachability embeddings transform sequential, spatiotemporal mobility data into semantically meaningful tensor representations that can be combined with other sources of imagery and are designed to facilitate multimodal learning in geospatial computer vision.Comment: Extended abstract accepted for presentation at BayLearn 2022. 3 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. Abstract based on IEEE MDM 2022 research track paper: arXiv:2110.1252