Reduction of Total Harmonic Distortion in Cascaded H-Bridge Inverter by Pattern Search Technique

Pattern Search technique can be used to find the solution for the optimization problem. In this paper, pattern search algorithm has been utilized to calculate the switching angles for the cascaded H-bridge inverter with  the consideration of minimizing total harmonic distortion. Mathematical equations for the optimization problem were formulated by fourier analysis technique. Lower order harmonics such as third, fifth, seventh, ninth and eleventh order harmonics were taken into account to mitigate the total harmonic distortion of the inverter. Simulations have been carried out for thirteen level, fifteen level and seventeen level cascaded H-bridge inverter using matlab software. Total harmonic distortion of voltage and current for resistive load, resistive-inductive load and motor load were analyzed

Fast Local Binary Patterns for Efficient Face Recognition

LBP, Local Binary Patterns, is an accepted technique for efficient face recognition. The local features improve the recognition process. However, high memory and computational resources are needed for LBP required approaches to improve the performance. Many people used LBP for extracting features and Support Vector Machine (SVM), histogram matching, neural networks as recognition tools. These approaches consume considerable computational resources. We have proposed a fast LBP which uses Two-level Correlation for the classification & recognition. The exhaustive experiments on FERET database 8750 images substantiate the performance compared to others. [Keywords— Face Recognition, LBP, Histogram Matching, Two-level Correlation, FERET data set

Investigation of Submarine Groundwater Discharge using Thermal Satellite and Radon mapping along the East Coast of the Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Region, India

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) demarcated as a significant component of hydrological cycle found to discharge greater volumes of terrestrial fresh and recirculated seawater to the ocean associated with chemical constituents (nutrients, metals, and organic compounds) aided by downward hydraulic gradient and sediment-water exchange. Delineating SGD is of primal significance due to the transport of nutrients and contaminants due to domestic, industrial, and agricultural practices that influence the coastal water quality, ecosystems, and geochemical cycles. An attempt has been made to demarcate the SGD using thermal infrared images and radon-222 (222Rn) isotope. Thermal infrared images processed from LANDSAT-8 data suggest prominent freshwater fluxes with higher temperature anomalies noted in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts, and lower temperature noted along northern and southern parts of the study area suggest saline/recirculated discharge. Groundwater samples were collected along the coastal regions to analyze Radon and Physico-chemical constituents. Radon in groundwater ranges between 127.39 Bq m-3 and 2643.41 Bq m-3 with an average of 767.80 Bq m-3. Calculated SGD fluxes range between -1.0 to 26.5 with an average of 10.32 m day-1. Comparison of the thermal infrared image with physio-chemical parameters and Radon suggest fresh, terrestrial SGD fluxes confined to the central parts of the study area and lower fluxes observed along with the northern and southern parts of the study area advocate impact due to seawater intrusion and recirculated seawater influence

Design and Fabrication of Little gourd cutter

Plywood base was used as a platform to place the entire equipment. Stainless steel blade was attached to the shaft of motor of 240V which acts as cutting unit. Stainless steel cylinder with supporting iron rod is used for feeding little gourds. A rectangular frame made up of metallic stands was used as main frame and supporting main units. A collection tray made up of metal sheet was used for collection of slices. Moisture content of little gourds was 85%. The dimensions of little gourds were measured using digital Vernier callipers and weight of each little gourd was measured using electronic weighing balance. Average length and diameter of little gourds were found to be 17.93mm and 18.88mm respectively. The other parameters like Sphericity, roundness, cylindrical and elliptical were found to be 0.14cm, 3.73cm2, 19.87cm3 and 0.89cm-3 respectively. Average weight of the little gourds were found to be 16.5g. The surface area and bulk density of little gourds were found to be 180.6 sq.cm and 500 kg/m3. Performance evaluation of little gourd cutter was performed where slicing operation was performed at different motor speeds and voltages. High motor speed with voltage of 240V gave slices of 0.75mm which were suitable for household consumption

Development and Implementation of Integrated Road Traffic Injuries Surveillance – India (IRIS-India): A Protocol

Road traffic accidents stand as one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity across the globe. The reasons for the high burden of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in developing countries are increasing in the number of motor vehicles, poor enforcement of traffic safety regulations, inadequacy of health infrastructure and poor transport facility. However, the systematic collection of road traffic data is not well developed in many developing countries including India and under-reporting of RTIs and deaths are common. Hence, surveillance of RTIs is recommended to assess the burden, to identify high-risk groups, to establish an association with probable risk factors and to plan interventions to control the RTIs. The broad objective of this study is to establish an electronic-based comprehensive and integrated RTI surveillance system, to assess the burden of RTIs, its risk factors and outcomes across rural and urban settings in India. This study with the support of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is progressing in three cities (Chennai, Delhi and Jaipur) and two rural areas (Chittoor and Tehri-Garhwal). At each centre, major sources of data can be categorized under two categories including health facilities and community. In urban areas, one trauma centre, one private hospital and a community of 10000-population are included in the study. In rural areas, a district hospital, a private nursing home and two sub-centres areas of different primary health centres at each site are included for the surveillance. Passive surveillance is done at the trauma centres/district hospitals, while active surveillance is done in private hospitals/nursing homes, sub-centres and communities. Before establishing the surveillance system, situational analysis has been undertaken. Surveillance-related software was developed during the preparatory stage. This electronic surveillance platform allowed to gather data electronically across multiple sites. This internet-enabled surveillance platform has several modules to capture and analyse the data. The present study provides a model of surveillance including both passive and active surveillance to cover maximum number of RTIs. This study further provides the first comprehensive epidemiology of RTIs. The results of these studies will contribute to the setting of research and investment priorities to tackle the burden of RTIs

Estimating groundwater inputs from Sankarabarani River Basin, South India to the Bay of Bengal evaluated by Radium (226Ra) and nutrient fluxes

Sankarabarani river basin gains significance due to presence of major industrial, agricultural, urban development and tourist related activities has influenced the water quality in the estuarine environment.  Investigations about river water quality has been attempted but not more studies focus about the evaluation of groundwater discharge a significant process that connects groundwater and the coastal seawater have been attempted.  For the present study, radium (226Ra) a naturally occurring isotope was measured at three locations and used as effective tracers for estimating the groundwater discharge along with nutrient inputs to the Bay. Groundwater samples representing north east monsoon (December, 2017) has been collected during tidal variation in three locations (Location A- away from the coast towards inland, Location B-intermediate between Location A and the coast and Location C-at the estuary). 226Ra mass balance calculated groundwater fluxes irrespective of tidal variations were 2.27×108 m3/d, 2.19×108 m3/d and 5.22×107m3/d for A, B and C locations respectively. The nutrients like Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), Dissolved inorganic Phosphate (DIP) and Dissolved Silica (DSi) were found to be influencing the coastal groundwater by contributing fluxes to the sea of about 679.33 T mol/day. The study suggests increasing radium and nutrient fluxes to the Bay altering the coastal ecosystems would result in surplus algal blooms creating hypoxia

Development and Implementation of Integrated Road Traffic Injuries Surveillance – India (IRIS-India): A Protocol

Road traffic accidents stand as one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity across the globe. The reasons for the high burden of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in developing countries are increasing in the number of motor vehicles, poor enforcement of traffic safety regulations, inadequacy of health infrastructure and poor transport facility. However, the systematic collection of road traffic data is not well developed in many developing countries including India and under-reporting of RTIs and deaths are common. Hence, surveillance of RTIs is recommended to assess the burden, to identify high-risk groups, to establish an association with probable risk factors and to plan interventions to control the RTIs. The broad objective of this study is to establish an electronic-based comprehensive and integrated RTI surveillance system, to assess the burden of RTIs, its risk factors and outcomes across rural and urban settings in India. This study with the support of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is progressing in three cities (Chennai, Delhi and Jaipur) and two rural areas (Chittoor and Tehri-Garhwal). At each centre, major sources of data can be categorized under two categories including health facilities and community. In urban areas, one trauma centre, one private hospital and a community of 10000-population are included in the study. In rural areas, a district hospital, a private nursing home and two sub-centres areas of different primary health centres at each site are included for the surveillance. Passive surveillance is done at the trauma centres/district hospitals, while active surveillance is done in private hospitals/nursing homes, sub-centres and communities. Before establishing the surveillance system, situational analysis has been undertaken. Surveillance-related software was developed during the preparatory stage. This electronic surveillance platform allowed to gather data electronically across multiple sites. This internet-enabled surveillance platform has several modules to capture and analyse the data. The present study provides a model of surveillance including both passive and active surveillance to cover maximum number of RTIs. This study further provides the first comprehensive epidemiology of RTIs. The results of these studies will contribute to the setting of research and investment priorities to tackle the burden of RTIs

A survey of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety and Depression among Flood Affected Populations in Kerala, India

Background: Globally, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses following a disaster. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between the socio-economic and flood exposure factors with PTSD, depression and anxiety among the flood-affected populations in Kerala, India. Methods: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted from November 2019 to January 2020 in Kozhikode district of Kerala, India. Adults (≥ 18 years), who were permanent residents and had been directly exposed to the flood, were invited to take part in the study. Individuals with a history of mental health issues and those who had other stressful situations in the past were excluded. The survey questionnaire was based on three screening tools: (1) PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5); (2) patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9); and (3) generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7). Data included sociodemographic factors and flood exposure variables. The primary outcome variable was psychiatric morbidity (PTSD, anxiety and depression). Results: A total of 276 respondents (150 males/126 females) participated in the study. A significant correlation was observed between total score on PCL-5 and GAD-7 (r=0.339, p=0.001) and PHQ-9 (r=0.262, p=0.001). Females had significantly higher total PTSD symptom severity scores (8.24±5.88 vs. 6.07±5.22; p=0.001), severity of symptoms of intrusion (4.66±3.60 vs. 3.69±3.20; p=0.04), increased level of anxiety (2.54±1.94 vs. 1.79±1.53; p=0.001) and depression (3.02±2.26 vs. 2.04±1.67; p=0.001) compared to males. However, the gender difference for PTSD symptoms disappeared when controlling for age. Conclusion: The findings of this survey revealed that the vast majority of respondents (92 percent females and 87 percent males) still had subclinical psychiatric symptoms one year after the flood. Therefore, tailored psychological interventions are warranted to counter the long-lasting impact of flooding on the mental health of individuals