Assessment of Evolving Conjunction Risk for Small Satellite Missions

This study presents an assessment of evolving conjunction risk for small satellite missions (5U or smaller) by using the suite of LeoLabs\u27 products. The aim is to (1) quantify the growth of small satellites population in the low Earth orbit (LEO), (2) assess the impact of on-orbit break-up events and small debris (sub-10 cm) objects on small satellite missions, and (3) present an optimal risk mitigation timeline for small satellite missions, based on conjunction alerts issued in 2023. The global network of S-band radars built and operated by LeoLabs provides a 24/7 data feed to power this assessment and help identify the evolution of this risk. The ability to access this enhances operational safety. Thus, a statistical assessment of the risk posed and quantification of the evolution of this risk over mission timeline is important. Further, understanding the optimal risk mitigation timeline for small satellite missions is critical as these missions have limited on-board resources and hence, knowing the severity of the risk and taking appropriate and timely mitigative action (attitude change or thrusting \u27n\u27 days before time of closest approach, i.e., TCA) is paramount. Although, the mitigative action (the level and duration of thrusting or the amount of attitude change) itself is not studied as these specifics often vary based on the event type, the optimal timeline (as in how many days before TCA?) of this mitigative action is reviewed by studying the conjunction events encountered by small satellites

Customized sorting and packaging machine

India is a country which has a cornerstone of agriculture. And as it comes to fruit/vegetable sorting and packaging in India, human labor has been a vital part. With manual hand picking, it is a very laborious task to classify the quality of fruits/vegetables and simultaneously pack them. One leading-edge technology for the fulfilment of this purpose is ‘Image Processing’ technology which is extremely fast and cost-efficient. Our whole idea revolves around the fact that each fruit will be inspected, sort and simultaneously packed. For the same, a low cost automated mechatronic system has designed consisting of a solitary mechanical arrangement, which is controlled and synchronized through electronic components. Fruits/vegetables are sorted as high-quality and low-quality on the basis of physical appearance and weight. For this, a suitable algorithm is designed using the Open CV library. And the sorting is done using Arduino Uno and Raspberry pi. Hence the aim is to develop a sorting and packaging facility that can be established at the very root level itself which will be economically compact and accurate and will give more justice to farmers

Field Survey Mobile Application: Enhancing Spatial Information for Natural Resource Management

This research paper introduces a field survey mobile application designed to address the challenges associated with spatial information gathering. The application enables users, including Ph.D. and PG students of Agriculture, as well as professionals in different organizations, to digitally store crop information with GIS spatial attributes and real-time maps. The paper explores the application's utilization in various fields such as land surveying, environmental studies, urban planning and infrastructure development, natural resource management, archaeological surveys, and real estate surveys. Additionally, it provides an overview of the application's functionalities and explains how it operates in real-time. The paper concludes with a discussion on the results obtained from using the field survey mobile application

Genomics for greater efficiency in pigeonpea hybrid breeding

Cytoplasmic genic male sterility based hybrid technology has demonstrated its immense potential in increasing the productivity of various crops, including pigeonpea. This technology has shown promise for breaking the long-standing yield stagnation in pigeonpea. There are difficulties in commercial hybrid seed production due to non-availability of field-oriented technologies such as time-bound assessment of genetic purity of hybrid seeds. Besides this, there are other routine breeding activities which are labour oriented and need more resources. These include breeding and maintenance of new fertility restorers and maintainer lines, diversification of cytoplasm, and incorporation of biotic and abiotic stress resistances. The recent progress in genomics research could accelerate the existing traditional efforts to strengthen the hybrid breeding technology. Marker based seed purity assessment, identification of heterotic groups; selection of new fertility restorers are few areas which have already been initiated. In this paper efforts have been made to identify critical areas and opportunities where genomics can play a leading role and assist breeders in accelerating various activities related to breeding and commercialization of pigeonpea hybrids

Executive Summary of the ARS Appropriate Use Criteria for Local Excision in Rectal Cancer

The goal of treatment for early stage rectal cancer is to optimize oncologic outcome while minimizing impact of treatment on quality of life. The standard of care treatment for most early rectal cancers is radical surgery alone. Given the morbidity associated with radical surgery, local excision for early rectal cancers has been explored as an alternative approach associated with lower rates of morbidity. The American Radium Society Appropriate Use Criteria (ARS AUC) presented in this manuscript are evidence-based guidelines for the use of local excision in early stage rectal cancer that includes an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer-reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by a multidisciplinary expert panel. In those instances where evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment. These guidelines are intended for the use of all practitioners and patients who desire information regarding the use of local excision in rectal cancer