A Process Oriented Approach to Waiting Line Management in a Large Pilgrimage Center in India: A Case Study

This article documents an innovative approach to manage waiting line in the largest pilgrimage center in the world. By a judicious combination of process orientation and advances in Information Technology, the pilgrimage center’s management has been able to dramatically change the pilgrims waiting experience. The pilgrimage location under study is Tirumala located in Andhra Pradesh state in India. The number of visitors to this important location has been steadily increasing over time. As of 2005, the location attracted approximately 16 million visitors a year. The primary objective of a pilgrim visiting Tirumala is to have darshan of the principle deity in the temple. The secondary objectives include tonsure (shaving head as a mark of respect), offering donations, prasad collection, local sight seeing and shopping. The immense popularity of the temple and its location poses significant challenges to the management of the system. This temple is a tradition bound Institution. Therefore, some alternatives to resolve pilgrim waiting time are feasible and some are not. There are some hard constraints which may not stand the test of logic. The ability to manage the traffic volume is a function of processing rate (darshan duration) at the temple and darshan time available per day. This case study is an example of improving operational effectiveness by using formal management methods in addressing an important real life problem in an under researched area.

Influence of solvents on the -OH and >C=O stretching frequencies of benzoin and methyl mandelate

The influence of solvents on the intramolecular hydrogen bond in benzoin and methyl mandelate is studied using infrared spectroscopy. Non-oxygenated solvents could not break the chelation but could shift the OH frequencies to a small extent. Oxygenated solvents like diethyl ether, acetone and dioxan could break the chelation and form intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The relative intensities of the bands of intra and intermolecular hydrogen bonds gave an indication of the donor ability of these solvents, which is linked with their capacity to break the intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Making use of the symmetry numbers of the OH band, the order of the interacting abilities of the oxygenated solvents in breaking the chelation is ascertained and explained

Studies on atmospheric gravity wave activity in the troposphere and lower stratosphere over a tropical station at Gadanki

MST radars are powerful tools to study the mesosphere, stratosphere and troposphere and have made considerable contributions to the studies of the dynamics of the upper, middle and lower atmosphere. Atmospheric gravity waves play a significant role in controlling middle and upper atmospheric dynamics. To date, frontal systems, convection, wind shear and topography have been thought to be the sources of gravity waves in the troposphere. All these studies pointed out that it is very essential to understand the generation, propagation and climatology of gravity waves. In this regard, several campaigns using Indian MST Radar observations have been carried out to explore the gravity wave activity over Gadanki in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere. The signatures of the gravity waves in the wind fields have been studied in four seasons viz., summer, monsoon, post-monsoon and winter. The large wind fluctuations were more prominent above 10 km during the summer and monsoon seasons. The wave periods are ranging from 10 min-175 min. The power spectral densities of gravity waves are found to be maximum in the stratospheric region. The vertical wavelength and the propagation direction of gravity waves were determined using hodograph analysis. The results show both down ward and upward propagating waves with a maximum vertical wave length of 3.3 km. The gravity wave associated momentum fluxes show that long period gravity waves carry more momentum flux than the short period waves and this is presented

Paleocene on-spreading-axis hotspot volcanism along the Ninetyeast Ridge: an interaction between the Kerguelen hotspot and the Wharton spreading center

Investigations of three plausible tectonic settings of the Kerguelen hotspot relative to the Wharton spreading center evoke the on-spreading-axis hotspot volcanism of Paleocene (60-54 Ma) age along the Ninetyeast Ridge. The hypothesis is consistent with magnetic lineations and abandoned spreading centers of the eastern Indian Ocean and seismic structure and radiometric dates of the Ninetyeast Ridge. Furthermore, it is supported by the occurrence of oceanic andesites at Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Site 214, isotopically heterogeneous basalts at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 757 of approximately the same age (59-58 Ma) at both sites. Intermix basalts generated by plume-mid-ocean ridge (MOR) interaction, exist between 11° and 17°S along the Ninetyeast Ridge. A comparison of age profile along the Ninetyeast Ridge between ODP Sites 758 (82 Ma) and 756 (43 Ma) with similarly aged oceanic crust in the Central Indian Basin and Wharton Basin reveals the existence of extra oceanic crust spanning 11° latitude beneath the Ninetyeast Ridge. The extra crust is attributed to the transfer of lithospheric blocks from the Antarctic plate to the Indian plate through a series of southward ridge jumps at about 65, 54 and 42 Ma. Emplacement of volcanic rocks on the extra crust resulted from rapid northward motion (absolute) of the Indian plate. The Ninetyeast Ridge was originated when the spreading centers of the Wharton Ridge were absolutely moving northward with respect to a relatively stationary Kerguelen hotspot with multiple southward ridge jumps. In the process, the spreading center coincided with the Kerguelen hotspot and took place on-spreading-axis volcanism along the Ninetyeast Ridge

Larval parasitoids and pathogens of the groundnut leaf miner, Aproaerema modicella (Lep.: Gelechiidae), in India

Natural enemies of the groundnut leaf miner,Aproaerema modicella (Deventer), were studied at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) located near Hyderabad in peninsular India. Hymenopterous parasitoids attacking leaf miner larvae were the most important group of natural enemies. Nine primary and eight secondary parasitoids emerged from host larvae, and killed up to 50% of the leaf miner larvae sampled. The trophic relationships between primary and secondary parasitoids are incompletely understood. The influence of pathogens of this species is reported for the first time. These pathogens killed up to 30% of the leaf miner larvae. The combined effects of all mortality agents killed up to 95% of the leaf miner larvae per sample period. However, use of insecticides in sprayed plots reduced the efficacy of parasitoids. The impact of predators on larval populations was not studied and may explain underestimates of leaf miner mortality rate

Improvement of two traditional Basmati rice varieties for bacterial blight resistance and plant stature through morphological and marker-assisted selection

Bacterial blight (BB) is a major production threat to Basmati, the aromatic rice prized for its unique quality. In order to improve the BB resistance of two elite, traditional BB-susceptible Basmati varieties (Taraori Basmati and Basmati 386), we utilized the strategy of limited marker-assisted backcrossing for introgression of two major BB resistance genes, Xa21 and xa13, coupled with phenotype-based selection for improvement of their plant type and yield. Improved Samba Mahsuri, an elite high-yielding, fine-grain-type BB-resistant rice variety served as donor for BB resistance. Backcross-derived improved Basmati lines at BC1F5 possessing a single resistance gene (i.e. either Xa21 or xa13) displayed moderate resistance to BB, while lines possessing both Xa21 and xa13 showed significantly higher levels of resistance. Two-gene pyramid lines (Xa21 + xa13) possessing good grain and cooking quality similar to their respective traditional Basmati parents, short plant stature (<110 cm plant height) and higher grain yield than the recurrent parent(s) were identified and advanced. This work demonstrates the successful application of marker-assisted selection in conjunction with phenotype-based selection for targeted introgression of multiple resistance genes into traditional Basmati varieties along with improvement of their plant stature and yield

Isolation and antiviral activity of the gymnemic acids

Aus den Blättern von Gymnema sylvestre wurden 4 Gymneasäuren (A, B, C und D) isoliert. Die Antivirusaktivität der Säuren A und B wurde geprüft.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42450/1/18_2005_Article_BF02152834.pd

The Luminosity Function of Galaxies in SDSS Commissioning Data

During commissioning observations, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has produced one of the largest existing galaxy redshift samples selected from CCD images. Using 11,275 galaxies complete to r^* = 17.6 over 140 square degrees, we compute the luminosity function of galaxies in the r^* band over a range -23 < M < -16 (for h=1). The result is well-described by a Schechter function with parameters phi_* = 0.0146 +/- 0.0012 h^3 Mpc^{-3}, M_* = -20.83 +/- 0.03, and alpha = -1.20 +/- 0.03. The implied luminosity density in r^* is j = (2.6 +/- 0.3) x 10^8 h L_sun Mpc^{-3}. The surface brightness selection threshold has a negligible impact for M < -18. We measure the luminosity function in the u^*, g^*, i^*, and z^* bands as well; the slope at low luminosities ranges from alpha=-1.35 to alpha=-1.2. We measure the bivariate distribution of r^* luminosity with half-light surface brightness, intrinsic color, and morphology. High surface brightness, red, highly concentrated galaxies are on average more luminous than low surface brightness, blue, less concentrated galaxies. If we synthesize results for R-band or b_j-band using the Petrosian magnitudes with which the SDSS measures galaxy fluxes, we obtain luminosity densities 2.0 times that found by the Las Campanas Redshift Survey in R and 1.4 times that found by the Two-degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey in b_j. We are able to reproduce the luminosity functions obtained by these surveys if we also mimic their isophotal limits for defining galaxy magnitudes, which are shallower and more redshift dependent than the Petrosian magnitudes used by the SDSS. (Abridged)Comment: 49 pages, including 23 figures, accepted by AJ; some minor textual changes, plus an important change in comparison to LCR

A Model for the Development of the Rhizobial and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbioses in Legumes and Its Use to Understand the Roles of Ethylene in the Establishment of these two Symbioses

We propose a model depicting the development of nodulation and arbuscular mycorrhizae. Both processes are dissected into many steps, using Pisum sativum L. nodulation mutants as a guideline. For nodulation, we distinguish two main developmental programs, one epidermal and one cortical. Whereas Nod factors alone affect the cortical program, bacteria are required to trigger the epidermal events. We propose that the two programs of the rhizobial symbiosis evolved separately and that, over time, they came to function together. The distinction between these two programs does not exist for arbuscular mycorrhizae development despite events occurring in both root tissues. Mutations that affect both symbioses are restricted to the epidermal program. We propose here sites of action and potential roles for ethylene during the formation of the two symbioses with a specific hypothesis for nodule organogenesis. Assuming the epidermis does not make ethylene, the microsymbionts probably first encounter a regulatory level of ethylene at the epidermis–outermost cortical cell layer interface. Depending on the hormone concentrations there, infection will either progress or be blocked. In the former case, ethylene affects the cortex cytoskeleton, allowing reorganization that facilitates infection; in the latter case, ethylene acts on several enzymes that interfere with infection thread growth, causing it to abort. Throughout this review, the difficulty of generalizing the roles of ethylene is emphasized and numerous examples are given to demonstrate the diversity that exists in plants