Training spatial hearing skills in virtual reality through a sound-reaching task

Sound localization is crucial for interacting with the surrounding world. This ability can be learned across time and improved by multisensory and motor cues. In the last decade, studying the contributions of multisensory and motor cues has been facilitated by the increased adoption of virtual reality (VR). In a recent study, sound localization had been trained through a task where the visual stimuli were rendered through a VR headset, and the auditory ones through a loudspeaker moved around by the experimenter. Physically reaching to sound sources reduced sound localization errors faster and to a greater extent if compared to naming sources’ positions. Interestingly, training efficacy extended also to hearing-impaired people. Yet, this approach is unfeasible for rehabilitation at home. Fullyvirtual approaches have been used to study spatial hearing learning processes, performing headphones-rendered acoustic simulations. In the present study, we investigate whether the effects of our reaching-based training can be observed when taking advantage of such simulations, showing that the improvement is comparable between the full-VR and blended VR conditions. This validates the use of training paradigms that are completely based on portable equipment and don’t require an external operator, opening new perspectives in the field of remote rehabilitation

Experimental Study and Optimization of Machining Parameters in Turning of AISI 1040 Steel with Micro-grooved WC Cutting Tools

In dry turning, control over chip formation and the need for the automated machining lead to an advancement in cutting tools. Such concern towards chip breakability is necessary in reducing tool wear, tool tip temperatures and surface roughness of workpiece material. The present study proposes a new development in the traditionally available cutting tools, which acts like a chip breaker. A series of micro-grooves are machined on the rake face of Tungsten carbide (WC) cutting tools using sinker Electric Discharge Machine (EDM). These micro-grooved tools are used to dissolve long continuous chips and heat from the cutting zone in the dry machining of AISI 1040 steel. The results of micro-grooved cutting tools have shown improvement in reducing the tool tip temperatures and surface roughness compared to the conventional cutting tools. The consolidated chip flow phenomenon of plain WC tools is used to decide the location of micro-grooves on the tool rake face. A Taguchi orthogonal array is used to design an experimental layout with minimum number of repetitions in the experiments. Signal-to-noise  ratios and ANOVA is used to understand and identify the significant factors & their level among the input variables on responses.From the results, it is identified that the cutting speed is the most influencing parameter for tool tip temperature at level 1 (i.e. 112 m/min) and surface roughness at level 5 (i.e. 720 m/min)

Estimation of yield and grain qualities of marker assisted backcross derived lines of submergence rice against sheath blight disease

Sheath blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani is one of the most devastating diseases of rice (Oryza sativa) and causes enormous yield losses over the world after blast, the disease can cause yield loss upto 50 per cent in advanced stage and adversely affects quality of straw. Breeding for resistant varieties is the only viable option to combat the disease efficiently. In this study, our findings showed a significant increase in number of spikelet’s per panicle (3.45 %), test weight (0.62 %) and grain yield (0.72 %) compared to recurrent parent Swarna sub-1. The range of mean performance of 18 BC2F1 selected improved lines varied for per cent disease severity from 26.75 to 43.58 at 16 days after inoculation. Among the 18 improved lines, only four lines (Swarna sub-1-6, Swarna sub-1-32, Swarna sub-1-13 and Swarna sub-1-29) showed resistance score of 1-3. The remaining fourteen lines showed moderate resistance with a score of 3-5. Hence, the resistance line could be exploited in sheath blight resistance breeding programme and the same line can also be released as a variety against sheath blight of rice after testing over multilocation trails

Characterization of graphene oxide nanofilms obtained by the saw atomization

Due to its ability to absorb water molecules, graphene oxide (GO) is considered a promising material for sensitive coatings in fast surface acoustic wave (SAW) humidity sensors. In this work, we characterize GO films obtained by the SAW atomization technique. It is shown that the atomized submicroliter droplets of aqueous suspension of GO can be deposited onto the surface of Si, LiNbO3 or quartz substrates forming discrete or continuous films of nanometer thickness. The deposited films were examined using AFM and electron microscopy. We discuss the dependence of thickness and structure of the obtained GO films on the parameters of deposition: the number of atomized droplets, a volume of the initial droplet, a distance between the atomizer and the sample, etc. To evaluate the adsorption characteristics of the obtained GO films, we used them as sensitive coatings of the SAW humidity sensors. We found that the adsorption characteristics of the GO films are determined by fast adsorption on the surface of GO sheets and slow adsorption, attributed to limited penetration of water molecules between the sheets, and depend on the number of deposited layers7

Sweet sorghum bagasse – A source of organic manure

Bagasse or silage is an important by-product in the sweet sorghum-based ethanol industry. Above ground biomass distribution in sweet sorghum forms 90% of the total biomass produced and that includes stem, leaves and panicle with grain. It is estimated that bagasse makes 30% of the total biomass of sweet sorghum, which is composed of cellulose (15-25%), hemi cellulose (35- 50%) and lignin (20-30%) with Net Calorific value: 4,125 Kcal kg-1 (ash free); depending on the genotypes (Grassi 2001). Approximate composition of sweet sorghum bagasse is given in Table 1. It is estimated that 6-7 kg of bagasse will be produced for every liter of ethanol produced from sweet sorghum. Even though bagasse has multiple uses such as being a source for energy cogeneration, animal feed and organic manure, it is important to work out the trade-offs between its uses as a source of bio-fuel and carbon balance in the whole production-to-consumption chain. In this context, recycling of bagasse into organic manure and using it in the crop husbandry is an environmentally safe measure of sequestering carbon in the soil. Sweet sorghum is promoted in the semi-arid regions where organic carbon content in the soil is generally low and the application of bagasse as organic manure assumes great importance for sustaining the soil fertility. The direct application of bagasse to the soil causes temporary lock up (immobilization) of soil nitrogen (N) due to wider C: N (~35:1) ratio and hence, it is important to bring down the C: N ratio by vermicomposting to use it as organic manure. Composting is the value addition method for enriching organic residues with low N content and this can be done either through microbial flora or along with earthworms. Generally, composting of organic residues with earthworms is referred to as vermicomposting, which is a rapid and simple method. The composition of vermicompost is superior in terms of macro and micro nutrients; besides, it is rich in plant growth promoting substances. The composting of sweet sorghum bagasse with earthworms is focused in the project and protocol was standardized for the same through laboratory and on farm trials

Production technologies for enhancing sweet sorghum yields

Adoption of good crop and soil management practices are important for maximum productivity and to make the system sustainable in the long run. This chapter describes the cultivars and good cultural practices that are to be followed to raise successful crops in farmers’ fields thereby achieving higher yield

A to G transitions at 260, 386 and 437 in DAZL gene are not associated with spermatogenic failure in Indian population

The autosomal DAZL (Deleted-in-Azoospermic-Like) gene, mapped to the short arm of the human chromosome 3, is the precursor for the Y-chromosomal DAZ cluster, which encodes for putative RNA-binding proteins. Mutations in the DAZL have been reported to be associated with spermatogenic failure in Taiwanese population but not in Caucasians. As there was no study on Indian populations, we have analysed the entire coding sequences of exons 2 and 3 of DAZL in a total of 1010 men from Indian subcontinent, including 660 infertile men with 598 non-obstructive azoospermia, 62 severe oligozoospermia and 350 normozoospermic fertile control men, to investigate whether mutation(s) in the DAZL is associated with male infertility. Interestingly, none of our samples (1010) showed A386G (T54A) mutation, which was found to be associated with spermatogenic failure in Taiwanese population. In contrast, A260G (T12A) mutation was observed in both infertile and normozoospermic fertile control men, without any significant association with infertile groups (χ2=0.342; p=0.556). Similarly, we have found a novel A437G (I71V) mutation, which is also present in both infertile and normozoospermic fertile control men without any significant difference (χ2=0.476; p=0.490). Our study clearly demonstrates the complete absence of the A386G (T54A) mutation in Indian subcontinent and the other two mutations- A260G (T12A) and A437G (I71V)- observed are polymorpic. Therefore, we conclude that these mutations in the DAZL gene are not associated with male infertility in Indian subcontinent

Effects of green tea and chamomile tea on plaque pH, salivary pH, Streptococcus mutans count

Aim: Green tea is healthy beverage and is a part of our day to day life. Similarly, chamomile tea is known for its aspirin like properties. Beneficial effects of these tea includes protection against dental caries, periodontal disease and tooth loss and found that can a decrease in streptococcus mutans count as well as increase in pH. Hence the present study was to compare the pH of saliva and plaque, before and after the intake of green tea and to evaluate the role of green tea and chamomile tea on growth of s.mutans in culture using saliva. Material and Methods: Salivary samples were collected from 30 healthy individuals aged 20-30 years with certain criteria. The pH of saliva was determined by collecting samples before, immediately after and 15 min, 30 min after drinking tea using pH meter. Similarly the microbial colonies were also counted. The Data obtained were analyzed using Wilcoxon’s, Friedman's and Mann Whitney test. Results: There was statistically no significant difference between salivary streptococcus mutans count before and after (p 0.001) intake of green tea and chamomile tea. Conclusion: The result of the present study has proved that consumption of green tea and chamomile tea inhibit salivary Streptococcus mutans count and cause reduction of pH in saliva. So, it is advisable to encourage the regular consumption of this widely available, tasty and inexpensive beverage as an interesting alternative to other drinks

Nitrogen response and water use efficiency of sweet sorghum cultivars

Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a biofuel crop, which can be grown under tropical rainfed conditions without sacrificing food and fodder security. Three sweet sorghum cultivars (CSH 22 SS, NTJ 2 and ICSV 93046) with two row spacings (60 and 45 cm) and six nitrogen levels (0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 kg ha−1) were grown on Vertisols during three post rainy (November to April) seasons at the ICRISAT center farm in Patancheru, India. The results showed that the row spacings (60 or 45 cm) had no influence on performance of the cultivars. Sweet sorghum hybrid CSH 22 SS produced the highest green stalk yield (45.4 Mg ha−1) and grain yield (2.33 Mg ha−1) compared to NTJ 2 (32.66 Mg ha−1 and 1.70 Mg ha−1) and ICSV 93046 (38.44 Mg ha−1 and 2.03 Mg ha−1). Net economic return from CSH 22 SS (US$681 ha−1) was also significantly higher than that from NTJ 2 (US$ 415 ha−1) and ICSV 93046 (US$ 539 ha−1). All cultivars responded to applied N up to 150 kg ha−1; however beyond 90 kg ha−1 N rate, the increase in yield was insignificant. Estimated N use efficiency (NUE) values indicated that 90 kg N ha−1 was an optimum N level for sweet sorghum crop. Simulated soil water balance components revealed that reduction in total transpiration due to water stress was 20 to 45% compared to the no-stress. In case of water use efficiency, CSH 22 SS showed the highest economic returns per unit volume of water input. Based on these results, it is concluded that sweet sorghum hybrid CSH 22 SS at 90 kg N ha−1 is the best remunerative combination for maximizing yield, economic returns and resource use efficiency

Locomotor Adaptation versus Perceptual Adaptation when Stepping Over an Obstacle with a Height Illusion

Background During locomotion, vision is used to perceive environmental obstacles that could potentially threaten stability; locomotor action is then modified to avoid these obstacles. Various factors such as lighting and texture can make these environmental obstacles appear larger or smaller than their actual size. It is unclear if gait is adapted based on the actual or perceived height of these environmental obstacles. The purposes of this study were to determine if visually guided action is scaled to visual perception, and to determine if task experience influenced how action is scaled to perception. Methodology/Principal Findings Participants judged the height of two obstacles before and after stepping over each of them 50 times. An illusion made obstacle one appear larger than obstacle two, even though they were identical in size. The influence of task experience was examined by comparing the perception-action relationship during the first five obstacle crossings (1–5) with the last five obstacle crossings (46–50). In the first set of trials, obstacle one was perceived to be 2.0 cm larger than obstacle two and subjects stepped 2.7 cm higher over obstacle one. After walking over the obstacle 50 times, the toe elevation was not different between obstacles, but obstacle one was still perceived as 2.4 cm larger. Conclusions/Significance There was evidence of locomotor adaptation, but no evidence of perceptual adaptation with experience. These findings add to research that demonstrates that while the motor system can be influenced by perception, it can also operate independent of perception