Impact of Different Mulching Materials on the Growth and Yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in Dehradun region of Uttarakhand

Field trials were carried out in 2013-2014 cropping seasons to assess the impact of different mulching materials on the growth and yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in Dehradun (Uttarakhand) region of India. The crop growth and fruit yield were studied for two cultivars namely Cherry Tomato and Marglobe under two inorganic mulches (black polythene, white polythene) and four organic mulches (FYM, rice straw, dry leaves, sugarcane trash) and compared with unweeded control. Four competitive plants were randomly selected from each treatment to record data on various parameters. The experiment comprising these treatments was laid out as factorial randomized block design with three replications. It was observed that among all the treatments black polythene mulch showed significantly higher plant height (89.92 cm, 59.17 cm) and (97.17 cm, 63.42 cm) after 30 and 45 days respectively, number of trusses per plant (109 and 6.33), number of fruits per truss (14.50 and 6.42) and weight of immature and mature fruits (4.59 gm and 6.73 gm) and (42.08 gm and 54.25 gm) in Cherry Tomato and Marglobe varieties. Among all the treatments, black polythene mulch was found to be the best for tomato cultivation in Dehradun (Uttarakhand) region of India

On the Interplay of Electronic and Lattice Screening on Exciton Binding in Two-Dimensional Lead Halide Perovskites

We use path integral Monte Carlo to study the energetics of excitons in layered, hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites in order to elucidate the relative contributions of dielectric confinement and electron-phonon coupling. While the dielectric mismatch between polar perovskite layers and nonpolar ligand layers significantly increases the exciton binding energy relative to their three-dimensional bulk crystal counterparts, formation of exciton polarons attenuates this effect. The contribution from polaron formation is found to be a nonmonotonic function of the lead halide layer thickness, which is clarified by a general variational theory. Accounting for both of these effects provides a description of exciton binding energies in good agreement with experimental measurements. By studying isolated layers and stacked layered crystals of various thicknesses, with ligands of varying polarity, we provide a systematic understanding of the excitonic behavior of this class of materials and how to engineer their photophysics

Navigating cultural complexity in global markets: insights and future directions from two decades of marketing literature

This study addresses critical questions related to cultural diversity, offering valuable insights for global marketing managers in formulating effective marketing strategies. Utilizing a robust systematic literature review methodology and the theory–context–characteristics–methods and POWER frameworks, the study comprehensively analyses 20 years of literature. The findings indicate that while the field has seen significant scholarly expansion globally, certain key areas have received comparatively less attention. The conceptual framework and future research directions outlined in this study offer a strategic roadmap for advancing the field. Contributions to theoretical development, contextual understanding, characteristic analysis, and methodological approaches are essential for bridging the theory–practice gap and fostering further development in the discipline. The study’s insights can support marketers and other stakeholders in enhancing consumer engagement, improving marketing effectiveness, and developing culturally sensitive strategies for global markets.acceptedVersio

Advancements in Insect Phototaxis and Its Implications for Pest Management: A Comprehensive Review

This comprehensive review provides an in-depth analysis of recent advancements in the study of insect phototaxis and explores its applications in pest management. Phototaxis, the behavioral response of insects to light, has been a critical area of research for understanding insect navigation and attraction. This review synthesizes the latest research on the mechanisms of phototaxis, including the underlying neural and sensory processes that drive light-seeking behavior and to discuss the technological innovations that have enhanced our ability to study and manipulate insect phototaxis, such as advanced imaging techniques and genetically modified organisms. The implications of these advancements for pest management are examined, highlighting how insights into phototaxis can lead to more effective and targeted pest control strategies and to bridge the gap between fundamental research and practical applications, offering a detailed overview of how advancements in insect phototaxis can contribute to improved pest management solutions

Otorhinolaryngological myiasis: the problem and its presentations in the weak and forgotten

Introduction: Myiasis is common in tropical regions, but now increasing incidence is seen in the west due to international travel. Otorhinolaryngological myiasis is uncommon and is seen in diabetics, alcoholics or patients unable in self-care.Objectives: To study presentations of otorhinolaryngological myiasis, identify associated risk factors and species of flies causing myiasis.Methods: Clinical findings and co-morbidities of 67 myiasis cases were noted. Maggots were identified, manually removed, and patients were managed with topical treatment, systemic ivermectin and antibiotics.Findings: Thirty-three nasal myiasis, 13 aural myiasis and 5 patients with oral myiasis were noted. Seven patients with head neck wounds myiasis and nine patients of tracheostome myiasis were recorded.Discussion: Warm humid climate of tropical regions is a major concern along with co-existing conditions like poor sanitation, alcoholism, psychiatric diseases and neuropathies. Hesitancy is seen in attendants and health care professionals to deal with myiasis.Conclusion: Awareness about risk factors is important in avoiding myiasis along with prompt treatment which reduces morbidity. Tracheostome myiasis is an under-documented entity rather than a rare presentation.Keywords: Myiasis, Ivermectin, screwworm, Chrysomya bezziana, Musca domestica, Lucilia sericata.Funding: Non

Russel’s score and diabetes mellitus type 2 “finding the association”: a cross sectional study from one of the districts in Bihar, India

Background: Diabetes has been on the rise since last decade or so with prevalence rate changing as more research is being done. India is one of the most burdened country from diabetes specially type 2. With changing life style other diseases are also on the rise and evidence is being generated to find tangible association. One such disease is periodontitis. As evidence from the State of Bihar for association between periodontitis and diabetes mellitus is negligible this study was conducted to find the same.Methods: A cross sectional observational study in community settings was done for three months on 200 diabetic willing participants. Data was generated using a semi structured pretested questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 22.0 and statistical measures of central tendency like mean, mode, median and standard deviation were used.  For establishing association chi square tests were used. P values<0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.Results: 61.5% of the participants were male while 65.5% were from rural area. The study population was on an average on the older side with a mean age of 52±12.15 and on the bulky size with a BMI of 28.85±4.08. Authors got the average Russel’s score to be 1.1±1.79. The mean blood sugar level for fasting was 146.40±59.99 and post prandial levels was 211.59±82.49. A Russel score category of established periodontal disease and terminal disease was present in 77.5% of participants having an altered fasting blood sugar level. Majority of the males had established periodontal disease and terminal disease. Patients with elevated postprandial blood sugar levels had more established periodontal disease and terminal disease.Conclusions: Oral health is definitely associated with diabetes mellitus type 2 and its other factors like duration, glycaemic control, blood sugar levels etc. Public awareness regarding this is minimal. More research and awareness regarding this will help in keeping the diabetic population healthy

Percutaneous Valvuloplasty for Bioprosthetic Tricuspid Valve Stenosis

Percutaneous transcatheter tricuspid balloon valvuloplasty (PTTBV) is an accepted treatment option for symptomatic severe native tricuspid valve stenosis, although surgical tricuspid valve replacement remains the treatment of choice. There have been few reports of successful PTTBV for bioprosthetic tricuspid valve stenosis. We present case reports of 3 patients from our hospital experience. Two of the 3 cases were successful, with lasting clinical improvement, whereas the 3rd patient failed to show a reduction in valve gradient. We describe the standard technique used for PTTBV. We present results from a literature review that identified 16 previously reported cases of PTTBV for bioprosthetic severe tricuspid stenosis, with overall favorable results. We conclude that PTTBV should perhaps be considered for a select patient population in which symptomatic improvement and hemodynamic stability are desired immediately, and particularly for patients who are inoperable or at high surgical risk

Quantized Deep Transfer Learning - Gearbox Fault Diagnosis on Edge Devices

This study has designed and implemented a deep transfer learning (DTL) model-based framework that takes an input time series of gearbox vibration patterns, which are accelerometer readings. It classifies the gear’s damage type from a predefined catalog. Industrial gearboxes are often operated even after damage because damage detection is formidable. It causes a lot of wear and tear, which leads to more repair costs. With this proposed DTL model-based framework, at an early stage, gearbox damage can be detected so that gears can be replaced immediately with less repair cost. The proposed methodology involves training a convolutional neural network (CNN) model using a transfer learning technique on a predefined dataset of eight types of gearbox conditions. Then, using quantization, the size of the CNN model is reduced, leading to easy inference on edge and embedded devices. An accuracy of 99.49 % using transfer learning of the VGG16 model is achieved, pre-trained on the Imagenet dataset. Other models and architectures were also tested, but VGG16 emerged as the winner. The methodology also addresses the problem of deployment on edge/embedded devices, as in most cases, accurate models are too heavy to be used in the industry due to memory and computation power constraints in embedded devices. This is done with the help of quantization, enabling the proposed model to be deployed on devices like the Raspberry Pi, leading to inference on the go without the need for the internet and cloud computing. Consequently, the current methodology achieved a 4x reduction in model size with the help of INT8 Quantization