Smartphone assist deep neural network model to recognize the high-quality tea using leaf maturity and its effect on leaf chlorophyll

Immature and tender tea leaves always produce high-quality tea than mature tea leaves. Depending on the maturity and age of the leaf, the colour and texture of the tea leaf are different. The photosynthesis capacity of the tea leaf also changes with the change of leaf maturity. Though the tea farmer plucks, classifies, and recognizes the best tea leaves (immature and tender) by viewing the visual symptoms and position of the leaves, the method is not authentic all time and leads to the overall degradation of the tea quality. The present study presents a smartphone assist tea leaf recognition system by analyzing the colour and texture properties of the tea leaf. The six different colour features and 4 Haralick texture features were extracted in the colour and grey domain of the leaf images. Three types of tea leaves, i.e., mature, immature, and tender, were classified using Deep Neural Network (DNN) with ADAM (Adaptive Moment Estimation) optimizer. With an accuracy of 97%, the DNN outperformed the Support Vector Machine (SVM) and K Nearest Neighbor (KNN). The SVM and KNN reported a total of 94.42% and 95.53% accuracy, respectively. The investigated system using DNN with an average precision and recall value of 98.67 and 98.34, respectively, may detect and classify the tea leaf maturity status. The system also can be used in AI-based tea plucking robotic systems or machines

<smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"><smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"> Medico-ethnobotany of <i style="">Bodo</i> tribals in Gohpur of Sonitpur district, Assam </smarttagtype></smarttagtype>

52-54The paper deals with the results of ethnobotanical survey work carried out during 2005-2006. The information was collected from 13 villages, mostly of remote places near the border area of Arunachal Pradesh. Totally, 20 plant species were collected and recorded for their use in various ailments. The species are short listed giving their plant name, family, vernacular name, and uses

Study on the effect of hydrogen addition on the variation of plasma parameters of argon-oxygen magnetron glow discharge for synthesis of TiO2 films

We report the effect of hydrogen addition on plasma parameters of argon-oxygen magnetron glow discharge plasma in the synthesis of H-doped TiO2 films. The parameters of the hydrogen-added Ar/O2 plasma influence the properties and the structural phases of the deposited TiO2 film. Therefore, the variation of plasma parameters such as electron temperature (Te), electron density (ne), ion density (ni), degree of ionization of Ar and degree of dissociation of H2 as a function of hydrogen content in the discharge is studied. Langmuir probe and Optical emission spectroscopy are used to characterize the plasma. On the basis of the different reactions in the gas phase of the magnetron discharge, the variation of plasma parameters and sputtering rate are explained. It is observed that the electron and heavy ion density decline with gradual addition of hydrogen in the discharge. Hydrogen addition significantly changes the degree of ionization of Ar which influences the structural phases of the TiO2 film

<smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"> Use of medicinal plants in animal healthcare- a case study from Gohpur, Assam </smarttagtype>

49-51 The paper deals with the indigenous knowledge of local communities on medicinal plants used for curing various veterinary diseases in Gohpur, Sonitpur district, Assam state. Information collected are based on interview, observation and cross-checked with other herbal practitioners. Assamese, Bodo, Mishing, Nepali, Santhal and Karbi are the chief ethnic groups in this area. The uses of plant parts along with the mode of administration revealed that 20 plant species were used for curing 21 types of diseases. </smarttagtype

Diabetic myonecrosis: An underreported complication of diabetes mellitus

Diabetic myonecrosis is an underreported complication of long-standing, poorly controlled diabetes mellitus which is usually self-limiting and responds well to conservative management. Patients frequently have microvascular complications, and although short-term prognosis is good, the long-term prognosis is poor. We report four cases of diabetic myonecrosis admitted in a tertiary care hospital

Socio-economic determinants for malaria transmission risk in an endemic primary health centre in Assam, India

BACKGROUND: Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Northeast India. As there is limited information available on the potential influence of socio-economic variables on malaria risk, the present study was conducted to assess the influence of demographic factors, the socio-economic status, and knowledge, awareness and education on malaria occurrence. METHODS: Demographics, malaria knowledge and socio-economic variables were collected in four randomly selected health sub-centres of the Orang primary health centre in the Udalguri district, Assam and the association of malaria occurrence with different variables were analysed. The trend of malaria occurrence for different income groups, proximity to health centres and number of mosquito bites per day was also determined using the chi-square test. Relative risk (RR) for gender, house type, knowledge and use of bed nets was determined using Katz approximation. RESULTS: Out of the 71 household heads interviewed, 70.4% (50/71) were males. About half (54.9%, 39/71) of the participants had a history of malaria in the last two years, of which 64.1% (25/39) were males, while 35.9% (14/39) were females (χ(2) = 5.13; p = 0.02; RR = 1.79). Of the total population surveyed, 49.3% lived in bamboo houses and 35.2% lived at a distance of >3 km from the nearest health centre. The number of participants who had a history of malaria decreased with an increasing monthly income (p < 0.0001). Malaria occurrence was higher among the households living in bamboo houses (69.2%), as compared to Kucha houses (20.5%) and Pucca houses (10.3%). No significant association was observed between education level and malaria occurrence (p = 0.93). The participants who did not use bed nets regularly reported a high occurrence of malaria infection as compared to those who used bed nets everyday (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Lower income, house type, distance to health sub-centre, knowledge and awareness about malaria, number of mosquito bites per day and use of bed nets were positively associated with malaria occurrence. Increasing the number of health sub-centres close to rural areas, improving the economic status and increasing awareness about malaria prevention measures will thus help to reduce malaria-associated morbidities

Regulation of π···π Stacking Interactions in Small Molecule Cocrystals and/or Salts for Physiochemical Property Modulation

The noncovalent interactions arising from solute···solute (i.e., drug···drug, drug···neutraceutical, or drug···coformer) and solute···solvent play a significant role in predicting desired properties of an active compound. We demonstrated here the role of π···π interactions in the presence of hydrogen bonding, the two important cohesive and adhesive forces in the crystallization of small molecules to regulate certain physiochemical properties in their multicomponent crystals. Acridine was employed as a representative cocrystal partner with isomeric dihydroxybenzoic acids. The choice was intentional as with a single hydrogen bond acceptor acridine provides increased surface area to favor the stacking of π-frameworks at van der Waals separation (∼3.5 Å) and herringbone C–H···π interactions, and isomeric dihydroxybenzoic acids easily form COOH···N_acridine and O–H···N_acridine hydrogen bonds in competition. Structure elucidation of several cocrystals/salts underlines the influence of continuous and discrete π···π stacking and C–H···π interactions supported by other hydrogen bonds on their physiochemical properties such as solubility, cell membrane permeation, and release behavior in vitro. Experiments were performed in various pH ranges (pH = 1.2 SAL and 7.4 PBS) in order to imitate human physiological conditions. Molecular packing and interaction energies suggest a significant contribution of π···π interactions in the modulation of property. In fact coformers’ conformational energy, lipophilicity, and Log P values were found to be valued contributors. Therefore, the present study anticipates the contribution towards understanding of the impact of π···π and C–H···π interactions supported by hydrogen bonds on modulating physiochemical properties, essentially improving efficacy of a drug

Dual Ectopic Thyroid with Normally Located Thyroid: A Case Report

Dual ectopic thyroid is a rare presentation of thyroid ectopia. Only a few cases have been reported in the world literature. Dual ectopic thyroid in the presence of a normally located thyroid is even rarer. We report a case of dual ectopic thyroid in the lingual and submandibular areas in a seventeen-year-old female with hypoplastic thyroid gland in its normal location. The patient presented with a midline swelling at the base of tongue with dysphagia. Thyroid function test revealed primary hypothyroidism. Ultrasonography of the neck showed hypoplastic thyroid in its normal location. A thyroid scan with Technetium-99 m pertechnate showed two intensely hyperfunctioning foci of ectopic thyroid tissue at a higher level in the midline consistent with dual ectopic thyroid, one at the base of tongue and the other in submental region. No uptake was seen in the normal bed

Disappearance of An. minimus and An. dirus from Certain Malaria Endemic Areas of Assam, India

Background: Orang Primary Health Centre (OPHC) and Balipara Primary Health Centre (BPHC) of Assam (India) report mosquito borne diseases annually. Current study was performed to ascertain the prevalence of known malaria and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vectors and their possible role in disease transmission. Methods: Malaria epidemiological data for 2006–2010 and JE data for 2008–2013 of Assam, India were obtained from the health authority. Mosquitoes were collected using CDC light traps and identified morpho-taxonomically. Results: Plasmodium falciparum cases (81.5%, 95% CI= 72.0–91.1) were statistically higher in OPHC (P< 0.0001, t= 8.0) during the recent years. There was 4.4 folds rise in the confirmed acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) and 3.2 folds increase in the confirmed JE cases during 2013 as compared to 2008. Altogether 9,218 mosquito specimens (PTND= 153.6), comprising of 44.1% anophelines (PTND= 67.7), 42.3% culicines (PTND= 65.0) and 9.5% manso­nia (PTND= 14.6) were recorded. In BPHC, An. vagus was recorded in high density (P< 0.0001), whereas Cx. quin­quefasciatus was the predominant JE vector (P= 0.04). In OPHC, among the known malaria vectors, the density of An. annularis was significantly high (P< 0.0001). However Culex bitaeniorhynchus was the predominant known JE vector (P< 0.0001) followed by Cx. quinquefasciatus. Conclusion: Even in the absence of known efficient vectors, many Anopheles species are still involved in malaria transmission. There was disappearance of An. minimus and An. dirus and establishment of An. annularis, An. vagus and An. philippinensis/nivipes mosquitoes in study area

Studies on probe measurements in presence of magnetic field in dust containing hydrogen plasma

The accuracy of plasma parameters measured by Langmuir probe in presence of magnetic field is studied in our present work. It is observed that the ratio of electron to ion saturation current shows almost identical behavior with that of unmagnetized hydrogen plasma when rL > 10rp (here rL: Larmor radius and rp: probe radius). At magnetic field strength, B = 594 gauss, the electron temperature (Te) shows an overestimated value up to ~35–40%, whereas at B ≤ 37 gauss, Te shows around ≤10% overestimated value w.r.t. unmagnetized case. A bi-Maxwellian electron energy probability function is observed for entire magnetic field range for both pristine and dust containing hydrogen plasma. The bulk (cold) electron collection by the Langmuir probe is strongly suppressed whereas the higher energetic electron collection remains unaffected in presence of magnetic field. In presence of dust grains, it is found that the low energy electron population decreases even more than the magnetized plasma and the high-energy tail slightly increases compared to the pristine plasma