Malayala Granthasoochi 2004 of Government Brennen College, Tellycherry: The first electronic catalogue in Indian languages

Government Brennen College released the Malayala Granthasoochi 2004 -CDROM on 30.03.2004 which is first electronic catalogue using search mechanism for original Malayalam script based on UNESCO's CDS/ISIS. This is an extract from the talk conducted in the Seminar in connection with the release of the publication. The talk covers earlier similar attempts as well as the research for developing script and DBMS applications in Malayalam that the computers can search and sort according to the syntactic and semantic relations. The contributions of Sri. K H Hussain, Sri K M Govi and the Rachana Aksharavedi which proclaimed Our Script for Our Language etc are stressed. Expresses the hope that in the development of State Information Infrastructure, in which major part of the content is to be in Malayalam, the concerned can utilize the technology successfully experimented in the present product. In this context the author who managed the project considers that the technology used is highly relevant for ICT application to participatory development as well as providing information services at grass roots level

Gender Construction in Malaysian Children’s Literature

The present study explores the construction of gender in a selection of Malaysian children’s literature texts in the English language. An examination of the ways in which male and female social actors are constructed in these texts uncovers the subtle gender-based messages that they inherently contain. This is important to know because young Malaysian children reading these stories are also building sociocognitive schemas about their gender identity and roles in society. The content analytic method of liberal feminist researchers has been a popular method of evaluating the representation of male and female characters in children’s stories. Such research has served to reveal, among others, imbalances in the number of male and female characters found in lead roles and in illustrations. The present study adds another dimension to the reading of gender in children’s literature. In addition to looking at gender through a content analysis of surface level features, the way in which the various characters are linguistically and visually constructed is also examined. It is for these reasons that Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is adopted as an approach to reading gender construction in children’s literature. CDA is an approach that looks at how power imbalances are played out through choices made in language use and related semiotic resources. Four methods of analysis are relied upon and they are content analysis, lexical analysis, transitivity analysis and visual analysis. It is the researcher’s contention that each method contributes to a comprehensive framework for reading gender in children’s literature. The findings of the content analysis revealed significant imbalances in the distribution of female and male social actors, both in the roles that they played and their appearances in the accompanying illustrations. In both cases, males outnumbered females. Practices of stereotyping were found in the distribution of the characters in the various settings. While the home setting appeared established as a feminised space, the workplace and outdoor settings were dominated by males. The content analysis also pointed towards stereotyping practices in the way female and male characters were ascribed behavioural traits and status in society. The association between gender and behavioural trait appeared to firmly establish power in the hands of the male characters. In the next stage of analysis that focused on both written and visual language, strong nuances of sexism were identified in apparently neutral texts, revealing a weaker construction of females. The analysis of lexical units and clauses revealed deeply embedded linguistic structures that positioned males as predominantly more powerful than the female characters. The visual analysis focused on the roles the female and male characters took on in the illustrations and it was again found that male characters were accorded the more important roles of active doer while females took on the role of passive observer.An analysis of language, both written and visual, which is grounded in CDA, offers researchers and decision-makers in the selection of texts for children greater insights into the way gender is subtly constructed. As such, the present study proposes that language should be accorded greater attention in the evaluation of gender construction in children’s literature or in literary texts produced for children

Osteoporos Int

SummaryThe aim was to meta-analyze randomized controlled trials of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and fracture prevention. Meta-analysis showed a significant 15\uc2\ua0% reduced risk of total fractures (summary relative risk estimate [SRRE], 0.85; 95\uc2\ua0% confidence interval [CI], 0.73\ue2\u20ac\u201c0.98) and a 30\uc2\ua0% reduced risk of hip fractures (SRRE, 0.70; 95\uc2\ua0% CI, 0.56\ue2\u20ac\u201c0.87).IntroductionCalcium plus vitamin D supplementation has been widely recommended to prevent osteoporosis and subsequent fractures; however, considerable controversy exists regarding the association of such supplementation and fracture risk. The aim was to conduct a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [RCTs] of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and fracture prevention in adults.MethodsA PubMed literature search was conducted for the period from July 1, 2011 through July 31, 2015. RCTs reporting the effect of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation on fracture incidence were selected from English-language studies. Qualitative and quantitative information was extracted; random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to generate summary relative risk estimates (SRREs) for total and hip fractures. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran\ue2\u20ac\u2122s Q test and the I2 statistic, and potential for publication bias was assessed.ResultsOf the citations retrieved, eight studies including 30,970 participants met criteria for inclusion in the primary analysis, reporting 195 hip fractures and 2231 total fractures. Meta-analysis of all studies showed that calcium plus vitamin D supplementation produced a statistically significant 15\uc2\ua0% reduced risk of total fractures (SRRE, 0.85; 95\uc2\ua0% confidence interval [CI], 0.73\ue2\u20ac\u201c0.98) and a 30\uc2\ua0% reduced risk of hip fractures (SRRE, 0.70; 95\uc2\ua0% CI, 0.56\ue2\u20ac\u201c0.87). Numerous sensitivity and subgroup analyses produced similar summary associations. A limitation is that this study utilized data from subgroup analysis of the Women\ue2\u20ac\u2122s Health Initiative.ConclusionsThis meta-analysis of RCTs supports the use of calcium plus vitamin D supplements as an intervention for fracture risk reduction in both community-dwelling and institutionalized middle-aged to older adults.2015-10-28T00:00:00Z26510847PMC471583

Design and Development of Bamboo Information System

Bamboo with thousands of species in the world, growing in a wide variety of soil and climatic conditions, plays an important role in providing livelihood, and ecological and food securities to mankind. The fastest-growing capacity of bamboo makes it a valuable sink for carbon storage. It prevents soil erosion and creates an effective watershed by binding soil along fragile riverbanks, deforested areas and in places prone to landslides. Recognizing the immense potential of bamboo and its socio-economic values, a number of international and nation agencies worldwide have came forward to support bamboo research and development. For the success of such programmes, information is a vital input. The availability of the right type of information at right time can trigger new directions in research, development and managerial action. But data on prior research are now widely scattered in different systems, formats and languages. The coordination and integration of information sources and systems have become a priority for bamboo research and development. The present study attempts to evaluate the present status and to prepare a plan for developing an international bamboo information system to integrate research and development in the sector. A prototype of web based bamboo information system also is developed and tested as part of the study

Design and Development of Bamboo Information System

Bamboo with thousands of species in the world, growing in a wide variety of soil and climatic conditions, plays an important role in providing livelihood, and ecological and food securities to mankind. The fastest-growing capacity of bamboo makes it a valuable sink for carbon storage. It prevents soil erosion and creates an effective watershed by binding soil along fragile riverbanks, deforested areas and in places prone to landslides. Recognizing the immense potential of bamboo and its socio-economic values, a number of international and nation agencies worldwide have came forward to support bamboo research and development. For the success of such programmes, information is a vital input. The availability of the right type of information at right time can trigger new directions in research, development and managerial action. But data on prior research are now widely scattered in different systems, formats and languages. The coordination and integration of information sources and systems have become a priority for bamboo research and development. The present study attempts to evaluate the present status and to prepare a plan for developing an international bamboo information system to integrate research and development in the sector. A prototype of web based bamboo information system also is developed and tested as part of the study

Voltage Stability Analysis and Stability Improvement of Power System

The main objective of this research work is to analysis the voltage stability of the power system network and its improvement in the network.voltage stability of a power system. A system enters a state of voltage instability when a disturbance, increase in load demand, or change in system condition causes a progressive and an uncontrollable drop in voltage or voltage collapse. The continuing increase in demand for electric power has resulted in an increasingly complex, interconnected system, forced to operate closer to the limits of the stability. This has necessitated the implementation of techniques for analyzing and detecting voltage collapse in bus bar or lines prior to its occurrence. Simple Newton Raphson algorithm based voltage stability analysis has been carried out. Matlab based simulations for all the factors that causes voltage instability has been implemented and analyzed for an IEEE 30 bus system. The proposed model is able to identify the behavior of the power systems, network under various voltage stability conditions and its possibility of recovery/stability improvement of the power system network has been discussed

Effect of Changing in Air Intake Temperature on Engine Performance Using Thermocouple

This study will present the experimental result on the performance of spark ignition engine at various cooled air intake temperatures on four-stroke four-cylinder spark ignition engine. This study also investigated the level of emission released to the environment due to decrease in air intake temperature. In this study, the exhaust emissions percentage values of CO2 and HC are recorded by using Chassis Dynamometer (MD-2WD-500). The data was taken under three different gears (gear 2,3 and 4) at varying speed ( 1000,1500,2000,2500 and 3000 rpm) and intake temperature range (15℃~25℃). Based on the data and result recorded, decrease in temperature do increase the engine performance and also decrease the emission percentage as wel

Establishment of Kerala Agricultural University Campus Wide Information System and Network: Feasibility Report

A Feasibility Report prepared by Centre for Agricultural Informatics in 1995 on establishing a Campus Network for Kerala Agricultural University’s (KAU) main campus (at Vellanikkara, Thrissur) and a state-of-the art Electronic Data Complex in its University Library premises. For the dissemination of topical awareness and global information to those in agricultural sector of the State, KAU needs to build a Campus LAN and state-of-the art Agricultural Digital Library and Data Complex within its central library. This can become a show case of the electronic age in agriculture and allied disciplines and will promote, propagate and catalogue the agricultural economy that India is so dependent on. The data complex will be a cached repository of agricultural information available worldwide, besides acting as a data silo for research forums, concurrent research, electronic publishing and global bulletin boards. The scattered campuses of KAU and allied institutions also need to be linked through electronic bridges that enable spontaneous exchange of information between the agricultural Diaspora of students, faculties, researchers, extension workers and administrators. The report covers mandate of the proposed system, detailed discussion on computer and communication stack that KAU Campus Wide Information System and Network needs, the architecture prescription, network design, MultiStack and DEChub 900 options available, host environment, financial terms, implementation methodology, installation support continuum, network synthesis and integration, systems engineering support, time frames and the administrative arrangements required. Open Network, with Protocol Switching and Networked Systems Management based on Digital's enVISN Networking Architecture and Enterprise Management Solutions is recommended. Detailed Technical literature and specifications of each and every item of computer and communication stack and solution recommended is appended to the report. Even though the report was prepared in 1995 it can be of interest for critical studies on history of ICT development in India especially in agricultural sector and for comparison of quality of systems and recommendations of a specific time in the past

മലയാളത്തിലെ വിവരവ്യവസ്ഥകള്: ഒരു ചരിത്രാവലോകനം (Malyalathile Vivaravyavasthakal: Oru Charithravalokanam)

The knowledge accumulated through generations in a region is recorded in the language and scripts of the region. This heritage is unique wealth on which sustainable development of the region in social, economic and cultural spheres are based. So computational linguistics, which can achieve the conversion of such ancient records in regional scripts to digital media in a way in which computers can understand them and enable text retrieval from them, is very important. The paper traces out the projects in Kerala, which attempted to achieve this power for Malayalam language and script