4,026 research outputs found

    Promising Technologies for dry land Agriculture

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    Not AvailableNatural Resource Management has important research agenda in view of the climate change, degradation of land and declining productivity in greenrevolution areas. Efficient methods of soil and rain water conservation and water harvesting become important areas of dryland agriculture research to achieve sustainability. Variation in crop yields is more in dry lands due to non receipt of timely rainfall and prolonged dry spells during crop periods. Adoption of soil and moisture conservation measures and improved management practices will help in getting higher yields.A large number of location specific practices for insitu moisture conservation, water harvesting and supplemental irrigation have been developed and tested successfully at All India Co-ordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA), Agricultural Research Station, Ananthapuramu. Dryland Agriculture occupies a prominent place in rural livelihoods of Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra Pradesh out of 92.04 lakh ha of cultivable land an area of 34.56 lakh ha is under rainfed agriculture, mainly in scarce rainfall and southern agro climatic zones. AICRPDA, ARS, Ananthapuramu is continuing efforts to generate location specific technologies in the areas of rain water management, integrated nutrient management, cropping systems, farming systems, alternate land use and energy management.Not Availabl

    An AI-based Intelligent System for Healthcare Analysis Using Ridgeā€“Adaline Stochastic Gradient Descent Classifier

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    Recent technological advancements in information and communication technologies introduced smart ways of handling various aspects of life. Smart devices and applications are now an integral part of our daily life; however, the use of smart devices also introduced various physical and psychological health issues in modern societies. One of the most common health care issues prevalent among almost all age groups is diabetes mellitus. This work aims to propose an Artificial Intelligence (AI) ā€“ based intelligent system for earlier prediction of the disease using Ridge Adaline Stochastic Gradient Descent Classifier (RASGD). The proposed scheme RASGD improves the regularization of the classification model by using weight decay methods, namely Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator(LASSO) and Ridge Regression methods. To minimize the cost function of the classifier, the RASGD adopts an unconstrained optimization model. Further, to increase the convergence speed of the classifier, the Adaline Stochastic Gradient Descent classifier is integrated with Ridge Regression. Finally, to validate the effectiveness of the intelligent system, the results of the proposed scheme have been compared with state-of-art machine learning algorithms such as Support Vector Machine and Logistic Regression methods. The RASGD intelligent system attains an accuracy of 92%, which is better than the other selected classifiers

    Ground-based salt seeding in Tamil nadu state, south India, 1973-1977

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    A long series of ground-based salt seeding experiments in north India during the southwest monsoonseasons (June-September) of 1957-66 showed significant increases of about 20 percent in rainfall on seeded days (Ramana Murty and Biswas, 1968). In September of 1974, salt seeding from aircraft on isolated maritime warm cumulus clouds within 50 km off the coast at Bombay(18 15ā€™N, 72v 49ā€™D, II m ASL) was followed by increases in radar echo area coverage in the vertical and in echo intensity (Chatterjee et al., 1978). seek similar results in a different area, a randomized salt-seeding experiment, using a single ground-based generator, was conducted in 1973 and 1975-77 just west of Madras, on the Bengal coast 1,000 km southeast of Bombay. There in the state of Tamil Nadu, South India, the main rainy season is during the northeast monsoon(Oct-Dec), whereas in most parts of India, about 75 percent of the annual rainfall is received during the southwest monsoon(Ananthakrishnan, 1977

    PKA Mediates Constitutive Activation of CFTR in Human Sweat Duct

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    The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Clāˆ’ channels are constitutively activated in sweat ducts. Since phosphorylation-dependent and -independent mechanisms can activate CFTR, we sought to determine the actual mechanism responsible for constitutive activation of these channels in vivo. We show that the constitutively activated CFTR Clāˆ’ conductance (gCFTR) in the apical membrane is completely deactivated following Ī±-toxin permeabilization of the basolateral membrane. We investigated whether such inhibition of gCFTR following permeabilization is due to the loss of cytoplasmic glutamate or due to dephosphorylation of CFTR by an endogenous phosphatase in the absence of kinase activity (due to the loss of kinase agonist cAMP, cGMP or GTP through Ī±-toxin pores). In order to distinguish between these two possibilities, we examined the effect of inhibiting the endogenous phosphatase activity with okadaic acid (10āˆ’8Ā M) on the permeabilization-induced deactivation of gCFTR. We show that okadaic acid (1) inhibits an endogenous phosphatase responsible for dephosphorylating cAMP but not cGMP or G protein-activated CFTR and (2) prevents deactivation of CFTR following permeabilization of the basolateral membrane. These results indicate that distinctly different phosphatases may be responsible for dephosphorylating different kinase-specific sites on CFTR. We conclude that the phosphorylation by PKA alone appears to be primarily responsible for constitutive activation of gCFTR in vivo

    Bioconversion of glycerol waste to ethanol by Escherichia coli and optimisation of process parameters

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    Biofuel is one of the best ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Ever since commercial biodiesel production began, waste glycerol, the biodiesel byproduct, has gained researchersā€™ interest, especially its recycling. Here, we explored using glycerol residue (carbon source) as a substrate in the fermentation process for ethanol production by Escherichia coli K12 in anaerobic conditions. The factors affecting the ethanol production was optimised by response surface methodology (RSM). Significant variables that impact the ethanol concentration were pH, temperature and the substrate, with a statistically significant effect (P <0.05) on ethanol formation. The significant factor was analyzed by the Box-Behnken design. The optimum conditions for bioethanol formation using glycerol as substrate was obtained at pH 7 and temperature 37Ā°C. The ethanol productivity was 0.77 g/L/h. The ethanol concentration of 9.2 g/L achieved from glycerol residue was close to the theoretical value with the fermentation achieved at optimised terms

    Design, synthesis, molecular modelling and in vitro screening of monoamine oxidase inhibitory activities of novel quinazolyl hydrazine derivatives

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    Funding: Deanship of Scientific Research at Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia (project # 7101).A new series of N'-substituted benzylidene-2-(4-oxo-2-phenyl-1,4-dihydroquinazolin-3(2H)-yl)acetohydrazide (5a-5h) has been synthesized, characterized by FT-IR, NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry and tested against human monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B. Only (3-methoxy-4-hydroxy)benzoyl substituted compounds gave submicromolar inhibition of MAO-A and MAO-B. Changing the phenyl substituent to methyl on the unsaturated quinazoline ring (12a-12d) decreased inhibition but a less flexible linker (14a-14d) resulted in selective micromolar inhibition of hMAO B providing insight for ongoing design.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

    Cost-effectiveness of public health strategies for COVID-19 epidemic control in South Africa

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    Background Healthcare resource constraints in low and middle-income countries necessitate selection of cost-effective public health interventions to address COVID-19. Methods We developed a dynamic COVID-19 microsimulation model to evaluate clinical and economic outcomes and cost-effectiveness of epidemic control strategies in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Interventions assessed were Healthcare Testing (HT), where diagnostic testing is performed only for those presenting to healthcare centres; Contact Tracing (CT) in households of cases; Isolation Centres (IC), for cases not requiring hospitalisation; community health worker-led Mass Symptom Screening and diagnostic testing for symptomatic individuals (MS); and Quarantine Centres (QC), for contacts who test negative. Given uncertainties about epidemic dynamics in South Africa, we evaluated two main epidemic scenarios over 360 days, with effective reproduction numbers (R e ) of 1.5 and 1.2. We compared HT, HT+CT, HT+CT+IC, HT+CT+IC+MS, HT+CT+IC+QC, and HT+CT+IC+MS+QC, considering strategies with incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) <US1,290/yearāˆ’ofāˆ’lifesaved(YLS)tobecostāˆ’effective.FindingsWithRe1.5,HTresultedinthemostCOVIDāˆ’19deathsandlowestcostsover360days.ComparedwithHT,HT+CT+IC+MSreducedmortalityby761,290/year-of-life saved (YLS) to be cost-effective. Findings With R e 1.5, HT resulted in the most COVID-19 deaths and lowest costs over 360 days. Compared with HT, HT+CT+IC+MS reduced mortality by 76%, increased costs by 16%, and was cost-effective (ICER 350/YLS). HT+CT+IC+MS+QC provided the greatest reduction in mortality, but increased costs by 95% compared with HT+CT+IC+MS and was not cost-effective (ICER 8,000/YLS).WithRe1.2,HT+CT+IC+MSwastheleastcostlystrategy,andHT+CT+IC+MS+QCwasnotcostāˆ’effective(ICER8,000/YLS). With R e 1.2, HT+CT+IC+MS was the least costly strategy, and HT+CT+IC+MS+QC was not cost-effective (ICER 294,320/YLS). Interpretation In South Africa, a strategy of household contact tracing, isolation, and mass symptom screening would substantially reduce COVID-19 mortality and be cost-effective. Adding quarantine centres for COVID-19 contacts is not cost-effective

    Cost-effectiveness of public health strategies for COVID-19 epidemic control in South Africa: a microsimulation modelling study

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    Background: Health-care resource constraints in low-income and middle-income countries necessitate the identification of cost-effective public health interventions to address COVID-19. We aimed to develop a dynamic COVID-19 microsimulation model to assess clinical and economic outcomes and cost-effectiveness of epidemic control strategies in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Methods: We compared different combinations of five public health interventions: health-care testing alone, where diagnostic testing is done only for individuals presenting to health-care centres; contact tracing in households of cases; isolation centres, for cases not requiring hospital admission; mass symptom screening and molecular testing for symptomatic individuals by community health-care workers; and quarantine centres, for household contacts who test negative. We calibrated infection transmission rates to match effective reproduction number (Re) estimates reported in South Africa. We assessed two main epidemic scenarios for a period of 360 days, with an Re of 1Ā·5 and 1Ā·2. Strategies with incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of less than US3250peryearoflifesavedwereconsideredcostāˆ’effective.Wealsodidsensitivityanalysesbyvaryingkeyparameters(Revalues,moleculartestingsensitivity,andefficaciesandcostsofinterventions)todeterminetheeffectonclinicalandcostprojections.Findings:WhenRewas1ā‹…5,healthāˆ’caretestingaloneresultedinthehighestnumberofCOVIDāˆ’19deathsduringthe360āˆ’dayperiod.Comparedwithhealthāˆ’caretestingalone,acombinationofhealthāˆ’caretesting,contacttracing,useofisolationcentres,masssymptomscreening,anduseofquarantinecentresreducedmortalityby943250 per year of life saved were considered cost-effective. We also did sensitivity analyses by varying key parameters (Re values, molecular testing sensitivity, and efficacies and costs of interventions) to determine the effect on clinical and cost projections. Findings: When Re was 1Ā·5, health-care testing alone resulted in the highest number of COVID-19 deaths during the 360-day period. Compared with health-care testing alone, a combination of health-care testing, contact tracing, use of isolation centres, mass symptom screening, and use of quarantine centres reduced mortality by 94%, increased health-care costs by 33%, and was cost-effective (ICER 340 per year of life saved). In settings where quarantine centres were not feasible, a combination of health-care testing, contact tracing, use of isolation centres, and mass symptom screening was cost-effective compared with health-care testing alone (ICER $590 per year of life saved). When Re was 1Ā·2, health-care testing, contact tracing, use of isolation centres, and use of quarantine centres was the least costly strategy, and no other strategies were cost-effective. In sensitivity analyses, a combination of health-care testing, contact tracing, use of isolation centres, mass symptom screening, and use of quarantine centres was generally cost-effective, with the exception of scenarios in which Re was 2Ā·6 and when efficacies of isolation centres and quarantine centres for transmission reduction were reduced. Interpretation: In South Africa, strategies involving household contact tracing, isolation, mass symptom screening, and quarantining household contacts who test negative would substantially reduce COVID-19 mortality and would be cost-effective. The optimal combination of interventions depends on epidemic growth characteristics and practical implementation considerations
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