Effect of abiotic factors on the distribution of earthworms in different land use patterns

AbstractThe distribution of earthworms is usually diverse and their numbers fluctuate in relation to the different abiotic factors and land use patterns of the soil. The aim of the present study is to determine the biodiversity, distribution and relative abundance of earthworms under different land use pattern and its relation to abiotic factors (physico-chemical properties) of the soil. Earthworms were collected from different sites on the basis of various environment niches like agriculture fields, gardens, nurseries, along the river and road side etc. by hand sorting method. Physico-chemical analysis of the soil was also done to know the important factors affecting earthworm biodiversity and distribution. Total five species of earthworms belonging to the families Megascolecidae and Octochaetidae were identified: Metaphire posthuma, Lampito mauritti, Amynthas morissi, Eutyphoeus waltoni and Eutyphoeus incommodus. M. posthuma was the most abundant species and found in all the collection sites while other four species were abundantly found in gardens and nurseries. Shannon–Wiener diversity index, Margalef species richness and Pielou’s evenness was ranged from 0.11 to 0.37, 0 to 0.6 and 0 to 0.53 respectively. Principal component analysis also proved that the abiotic factors like pH, moisture, soil texture and OC has strong positive effect on the distribution of earthworm. Earthworm biodiversity and distribution have been found to be positively correlated with type of vegetation and moisture content at the different collection sites and also varied according to soil habitat, soil tillage and land used pattern

Drowsiness Detection System in Real Time Based on Behavioral Characteristics of Driver using Machine Learning Approach

The process of determining if a person, generally a driver, is becoming sleepy or drowsy while performing a task such as driving is known as drowsiness detection. It is a necessary system for detecting and alerting drivers to their tiredness, which might impair their driving ability and lead to accidents. The project aims to create a reliable and efficient system capable of real-time detection of drowsiness using OpenCV, Dlib, and facial landmark detection technologies. The project's results show that the sleepiness detection method can accurately and precisely identify tiredness in real time. The technology is less intrusive and more economical than conventional sleepiness detection techniques. The system is based on a 68 facial landmark detector, which is a highly trained and effective detector capable of recognizing human face points. The detector aids in assessing whether the driver's eyes are closed or open.  The system analyses the data collected by the detector using machine learning methods to discover patterns associated with drowsiness. When drowsiness is detected, the system incorporates a warning mechanism, such as an alarm or a vibration in the steering wheel, to notify the driver. A variety of studies with different drivers and driving conditions were used to evaluate the performance of the real-time driver drowsiness detection system. The results show that the technology can detect tiredness properly and deliver timely warnings to the driver. This method can assist in preventing drowsy driving incidents, enhancing road safety, and saving lives. The results indicated that the algorithm had an average accuracy rate of 94% for identifying tiredness in drivers

Environmental Influence of Soil toward Effective Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting is a process by which the organic waste is converted into manure with the help of earthworms. Growth rate, onset of maturity (clitellum development), rate of reproduction (cocoon production) and population buildup of earthworm during vermicomposting have been depend upon the conditions like temperature, moisture and physico-chemical properties of the feed mixtures. Eisenia fetida was superior to other epigeic species and tolerate wide range of temperature, moisture and pH. Endogeic species produced lesser cocoon than epigeic species and cocoon production decreased at low temperature. Maintenance of temperature and moisture content is the critical step for vermicomposting. Growth and maturation of earthworms was best at 20–25°C temperature with 80–85% moisture content. Increase temperature upto 30°C accelerated growth rate of earthworms and lessened the time to sexual maturity. Earthworms can survive in the soil contaminated with heavy metals by accumulating heavy metals in their tissues

Local Antimagic Coloring of Some Graphs

Given a graph $G =(V,E)$, a bijection $f: E \rightarrow \{1, 2, \dots,|E|\}$ is called a local antimagic labeling of $G$ if the vertex weight $w(u) = \sum_{uv \in E} f(uv)$ is distinct for all adjacent vertices. The vertex weights under the local antimagic labeling of $G$ induce a proper vertex coloring of a graph $G$. The \textit{local antimagic chromatic number} of $G$ denoted by $\chi_{la}(G)$ is the minimum number of weights taken over all such local antimagic labelings of $G$. In this paper, we investigate the local antimagic chromatic numbers of the union of some families of graphs, corona product of graphs, and necklace graph and we construct infinitely many graphs satisfying $\chi_{la}(G) = \chi(G)$

Re-staging surgery in endometrial cancer: an audit on its value

Background: Incomplete surgical staging in carcinoma endometrium is not an uncommon entity in developing world. Proper surgical staging has got a role in prognostication and planning adjuvant treatment. So, an audit was done to assess the extent of upstaging in women with endometrial cancers who were referred to index centre from outside hospitals with incomplete surgical staging.Methods: It is a retrospective study. The demographic, clinical and treatment details of women with complete data having at-least one follow up after completion surgery were analyzed. Patients who had any other anticancer treatment elsewhere were excluded. The extent of upstaging was studied based on International federation of gynecology and obstetrics (FIGO) 2008 staging.Results: A total of 88 patients of endometrial cancer were evaluated retrospectively, of which 10 had completion surgery. 10% of the patients were upstaged according to the FIGO stage (one from IA to IB), while one patient upstaged from IIIA to IVB after slide review by index centre. According to FIGO Grade, 40% patient upgraded (one upgraded from I to II, three from II to III) while one downgraded from II to I. Recurrence rate was 40%.Conclusions: Upstaging is seen in 10% of patient after completion surgery, which requires the necessity of evaluation by gynecologic oncologist selectively. However, larger and multi-centric studies needed to draw definite conclusion. There is a significant discordance in grade and histology after the review at index centre

A case study on deterioration assessment and rehabilitation of fire damaged reinforced concrete structure

Fire is one of the most severe hazards that building structures may experience during their lifetime. A fire spread to the whole structure can cause unexpected damages to the structural elements. Mainly, the building type is crucially important for the type and the level of damage to the building because of the fire. Post fire investigation of damaged structure is required to determine the extent of damage to concrete elements and to work out system of effective repair/rehabilitation measures to maintain the structural integrity of fire effected structural components. The paper covers in brief the strength and durability study on fire damaged building in Delhi, India. The study reports the extent of fire damage. Optical Microscopy (OM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Deferential Thermal Analysis (DTA) studies were carried out on the sample concrete cores extracted from different identified portions of the fire exposed concrete are highlighted in this paper. Extent of damage occurred in the Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) i.e. RCC columns/beams/slabs are described based on the detailed evaluation by various Non-Destructive Evaluation Techniques covering Cover study & Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) testing. Repair and remedial measures required for restoration and strengthening of the fire affected RCC columns/beams/slabs using indigenously available repair materials and techniques are also highlighted in this paper

Clinical Evaluation of Xylazine-Butorphanol-Guaifenesin-Ketamine as Short-Term TIVA in Equines

Xylazine (1.1 mg/kg), butorphanol (0.02 mg/kg), guaifenesin 5% (20 mg/kg), and ketamine (2.2 mg/kg) combinations were able to induce short-term surgical anaesthesia for 23.33 ± 2.57 min in Spiti ponies with excellent to good muscle relaxation and analgesia. Urination and neighing was a constant feature during recovery period. Biphasic P wave, biphasic T wave, and depressed PR segment were common electrocardiographic findings. Biochemical attributes were within physiological limits except a significant increase in ALT values during anaesthesia. The values returned to normal during recovery ruling out any renal or hepatic toxicity. Occasionally, negative T wave, notched P wave, and sinus block were noticed. It is recommended that the anaesthetic combinations xylazine-butorphanol-guaifenesin-ketamine can be safely used for short-term total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) in equines under field conditions

Applying Brain Computer Interface Technology for Playing Games

Brain Computer Interfaces are specialized systems that allows users to control computer applications using their brain waves. Initially, BCI were mostly used in medical field. But after some research and thanks to consumer-grade electroencephalography (EEG) devices, many applications and research opportunities were opened outside of the medical field. One particular area that is gaining more evidence due to the arrival consumer-grade devices is that of computer games, as it allows more user-friendly applications of BCI technology for the general public. In this report, we are going to talk about one of those games, Maze game. It will be a 2D maze, path known to the user. Using the EEG device named Neurosky Brain Wave Kit user will be able to move the avatar in order to reach the goal from the starting position

Antioxidants: elixir of life

There has been a current upsurge in the medical implications of free radicals and related species during the past several decades. These chemical species are integral components produced during normal biochemical and physiological processes but leads to oxidative stress when produce in excess and causes potential damage to cells. A wide range of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant defenses exists to counteract the damaging effects of free radicals. There exist epidemiological evidences correlating higher intake of antioxidant rich foodstuffs with greater free radical neutralizing potential to lower incidence of several human morbidities or mortalities. Gene therapy to produce more antioxidants in the body, novel biomolecules and the use of functional foods enriched with antioxidants are milestones to newer approaches to reduce free radical damage. This paper reviews the biology of reactive species, their pathways through which they relate to the pathology of various diseases and discusses the putative roles that antioxidants, from different sources, play in controlling oxidative stress and reduce the incidence of concerned diseases